The Orphans of Raspay, by Lois McMaster Bujold (Subterranean)
Another Penric
adventure! With pirates! Calloo callay!
Our stalwart cleric,
host to the chaos demon Desdemona, is returning from a routine (read: tedious)
mission when his ship is taken over by pirates. He and the rest of the
passengers are to be sold as slaves at the nearest port, once free but now
ruled by aforementioned evil-doers. While captive, he encounters two young
girls destined for the same fate. While he is confident that he’ll either be
ransomed or able to negotiate his freedom through his (and Des’s) penchant for
persuasion, the girls have no such resources. Of course, he takes them under
his protection, which complicates and lends special urgency to escape efforts.
I loved seeing new
aspects of Penric, who is as resourceful and determined as evr, as well as
watching his relationship with Desdemona evolve yet further. And really,
Captured by Pirates is a great way to begin any story.
Burning Roses, by S. L. Huang (Tor.com)
I loved S. L. Huang’s
Null Set, which is science fiction (ish),
with a heroine whose superpower is her genius at mathematics. Burning Roses takes us into the realm of
fantasy with two aging women dragon hunters in a world in which humans can
assume animal form, and distinguishing between them and true beasts poses
critical moral questions. Each woman has her own tragic background, her own
guilt, and her own path toward redemption. Rose, a European who came to this
Asian-inspired land with her lover and daughter, has a long and tortured
history through twisted fairy tales. The story pits the healing power of
friendship against the crippling belief that one is beyond forgiveness. I loved
the depth of the book, and also that the dragons are feathered, a bit like
phoenixes. It’s not a long book, but one that should be read slowly, pondered
over, and savored.
Ishmael Jones,
intrepid (and extraterrestrial) secret agent, takes on a haunted house, along
with his charming companion, Penny. The story opens with a peek into Ishmael’s
history, hints of the space ship crash that landed him on Earth and the
existence of a second survivor. In return for help locating another of his
kind, he agrees to investigate an old house with a nasty reputation. It’s the
usual set-up, with Ishmael, Penny, and an assortment of psychics and
ghost-hunters and such agreeing to spend an entire night in the house. Of
course, spooky things happen. Of course, Ishmael and Penny don’t for a second
believe these are due to supernatural apparitions.
Of course, things then
take a seriously twisted turn, one even Ishmael can’t explain away.
The opening of the
book felt comfortably familiar, with the legends and warnings about the house,
the introduction and frictions between the guests, and the early, inexplicable
events. But this is Ishmael Jones at work, and the story unfolds in the hands
of a gifted writer who is much too savvy to follow expectations.
Marvelous fun, but
with moments of reflection. I hope Ishmael gets his answers, but not too soon.
The journey from here to there provides excellent entertainment.
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