Friday, June 30, 2006

Curses

Well we've covered a few curses. It's possible that being a vampire or werewolf is a curse. In one of Kenyon's books a Greek is cursed into a scroll and forced to be a sex slave. Now in all three of these curses I bet you're kind of going curses? But yes they do all have downsides. If you're a vamp there is no sunlight, being hunted, having to hunt for your food (come on people best hunting we usually do is sales), just think about it and the list goes on. Ok werewolf was a bit harder. You turn into a super killin machine once a month or more often depending on tale, you can't wear silver jewelry (again depending on tale), you have to eat a lot to stay thin (good heavens save me), ok I'm sure there are better ones then that but I'm at a loss. Now the sex slave I kind of understand. No one cares about you it's all about them, you're never satisfied, when they don't need you it's into the scroll with you, etc...

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Werewolf clothing bills

I imagine that one problem with being a werewolf would be how much cloths you went through. Some authors give it a magical process and you keep all your cloths as is. I find that kind of silly. I like the more popular you lose whatever you're wearing so wear something you don't mind losing. But even wearing crap all the time I've got to imagine that it costs a lot of money. Getting naked all the time would be difficult too. With public decency laws and all. It's amazing how many characters get away with being naked all the freaking time. I mean around here you can't throw a stone without hitting a cop.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Danse Macabre by Laurell K. Hamilton

Danse Macabre by Laurell K. Hamilton - pgs 483. Science Fiction. Yes this book came out yesterday and I finished reading it around 1pm today. I loved it. Yes she's still sleeping with everyone. So this one is x rated. They are going to have a lot of master vampires into town for the first all vampire ballet and Anita needs to get herself under control. Of course a million and one things happen to prevent this. At last there might be consequences for sleeping with everyone in the world. Pick this one up today.

Also while you're getting this one Feehan and Harrison have books out this week.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Immortality

Would you like to live forever? (ok I admit I'm out of time this morning)

I can honestly say no. I've had enough of this life as it is. Living for forever just seems depressing. I'd end up one of those vampires who works in an all night drug store or something.

Monday, June 26, 2006

Zombies

The trash of the undead. Usually they shamble around looking for flesh and brains. Preferably brains of course. Voodoo is the common culprit behind their existence. Although sometimes it is a plague or curse. I was highly impressed by Hamiltons zombies because they have some substance. There is no idea how they come to be but their magical abilities before death effect how they act as a zombie. Makes sense to me. Zombies have the opposite problem of immortals really. They are incredibly hard to kill but at the same time they rot right out from under themselves.

Saturday, June 24, 2006

Werewolf myth

Ok, now I'm not as familiar with werewolf myth as I am vampire but I'll give it a shot anyway.

There seem to be a lot of variations on three themes.

One is that the were is passed down genetically. If your dad is a were you will be a were. Sometimes it skips a generation or maybe it's only passed down through the male genies. Thinking of that why always guys? Why is the were genie never passed down through the female line? I'm sure there is something about xx vs xy genetics or something that I just don't understand. But you understand what I'm talking about.

The second is that it's a disease that is passed through the bite. If you get bit by a werewolf you will turn into a werewolf. Real simple there.

Third is the curse. I witch or gypsy long ago got mad at a guy (always a guy again) and cursed him. Every full moon he'll turn into a were.

Now all the rest are basically a variation on these three. Sometimes they can be a were at any point. Sometimes they can only be a were on the full moon. Sometimes if you were bitten you can only go partially were but if you were born you can go all were. You get the point. Have a nice day. :)

Oh and yes I know there seem to be alot of similarities between vamp and were myth.

Vampire Myth

There are a lot of new vampire myth's popping up so I thought I might talk about a few of them.

One of the oldest is Cain and Able. Cain killed his brother and was marked for his sin. Some say this mark was becoming a vampire. Having to roam the earth for eternity. Never seeing the sun. And being rejected from the kingdom of heaven.

Another is that Vlad the Impaller was the first vampire. He was a ruler in ancient Transylvania. He used to kill people in really gruesome ways and was rumored to drink blood.

Feehan has the Carpathians. They are a race of people that live in the Carpathians mountains and are really long lived. They will live until they are killed or commit suicide. The men lose their ability to see color and have feelings. Until they find their one and only true love they remain unfeeling and in black and white. Their true love brings feelings and color into their lives. They are a dying race of course.

Sands has a group of vampires that are atlantian. They created a technology, the nanobites, that makes them hard to kill. It fixes damage to their body. They can stay in the sun for a limited amount of time. But mostly they try to avoid it. They can only turn one person ever. It's against their rules to turn more.

Blade did vampires are effected by silver which was annoying since well traditionally were's are allergic to silver.

Most new authors don't have vampires effected by crosses or religion in general. Hamilton has kept to crosses effecting vamps but the person holding it actually has to believe which I like. In fact any religious object can work if they believe.

Another one is the disease aspect. You get it through the blood and it causes your DNA to change. This one leaves open the idea of a cure.

The cursed idea leave the if you help enough people maybe you can get into heaven thing open.

Another idea is the race idea. I like the race idea because it's the least fixable. Kind of a why can't we all just get along sort of thing.

I know I haven't covered all the ideas so if you want to comment and bring in some more. I'd like that. :)

Friday, June 23, 2006

Philosophy of immortality

Ok, this is something I'm going to try. I have been padding my new book posts with books I've read in the past. Generally I read about 2 or 3 books a week. It depends on the book. I'm going to start adding little bits about paranormal theory in books or books in general. If I see a drop in readership I might change back so please give me feedback.

Immortality is a highly debated subject in fiction. How hard to kill do you have to be to be immortal? What is simply long lived? Vampires are generally considered immortal even though they frequently take their own lives due to depression. They are also not that horribly hard to kill. Although some authors have made their vampires harder to kill as of late. Making them immune to the damages of sunlight. Trudi Canavan counts some of her sorceress as immortal. Her sorceress and sorcerer will not die of natural causes but may be killed. Are they immortal? I find it very interesting that even the characters debate this with themselves.

If you have any subjects you'd like me to tackle between reads just send me a message and I'll do my best. :)

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Undead and Unpopular by Mary Janice Davidson

Undead and Unpopular by Mary Janice Davidson. Pgs 257. Romance. Series (undead and ...). This was a fun book. It's almost betsey's birthday and she doesn't want a party. No not at all but if we must here is who we should invite. She has a bunch of vampires in from another country to test her abilities as queen. One of her good friends is really mad at one of them and she just doesn't know what to do. On top of it all everyone keeps telling her there is a zombie in the attic. What the hell laim idea for a surprise party is that. Well there is a lot more but I don't want to ruin it for you. Have fun.

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Oceans of fire by Christine Feehan

Oceans of fire by Christine Feehan - pgs 371. Romance. This book is a drake sisters novel. Of the drake sisters novels this is the best one I've read. Full of action and plot. The other stories were really short stories. This one was better. I recommend it. :) The Drake sisters each have a magical power. One of them has all of the powers of her sisters at a weaker strength. The one who has all of them is destined to have the next set of magickal sisters. Kind of like charmed but better.

Monday, June 19, 2006

Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris

Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris. Pgs 324. Scifi. Poor Sookie, she gets caught up in all the icky stuff. No time to pack. No time to ask nicely for time off. Whisked off to help the queen of New Orleans (written before katrina this has no hurricane stuff in it). Bill continues to hurt her. Eric continues to confuse her. What can a girl do to find some bit of normality in her life. On top of all that someone is trying to kill her, again. This was a good book. Check it out.

Sorry there was no fathers day post. I got caught up in doing fathers day stuff.

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Urban Shaman by C.E. Murphy

Urban Shaman by C.E. Murphy - pgs 344. scifi. This book is also a must read. Looks like the first in a series hopefully. I must warn people that she isn't using the traditional definition of shaman. I think it works better in this one. It does share a lot of elements with native American tradition but is highly blended with new age. I am using new age right here it wasn't wicca or satanism or anything like that. So you don't have to worry about getting a heavy dose or religion you can just sit back and enjoy the wonderful writing. Just trust me read it.

Friday, June 16, 2006

Sins of the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Sins of the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon - pgs 365 - romance - while this book was fairly close in nature to her other books in this series it did have several new twists and a very surprising ending. I enjoy her use of greek myth mixed with current day technology.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro - pgs 287 - fiction - this book was a particulary hard read for me. in the beganning the stream of thought writing style was jumpy and confusing. In the middle I thought it was shallow and lacked a cultural identity. in the end it was touching. if I was a crier I could have. I can't say I liked it but you be the judge.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

One Eye Closed by Karen Whiddon

One Eye Closed by Karen Whiddon - pgs 248. Monthly released romance series. Already off shelves. This was trash but it was fun trash. It was a story about a werewolf FBI agent and the women he rescued from gang only to have her run into a serial killer.

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

The Reluctant Miss Van Helsing by Minda Webber

The Reluctant Miss Van Helsing by Minda Webber. Pgs 342. Romance. This is a funny book. She was born into the Van Helsing family. The funny thing is she faints at the sight of blood. Every time she's tried to stake a vampire she's failing miserably. Asher is a vampire. He's Miss Van Helsings next target. How will the two of them make it through tis awful chain of events? Hehe ok they aren't awful they are really funny.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Working for the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow

Working for the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow. Pgs 403. SciFi. This a great book. Dante Valentine is a necromancer. She is going about her daily routine when a demon shows up on her doorstep with a gun. Why does a demon need a gun? He wants her to help the devil find something very important. Watch as she risks her life and the lives of her friends to rid herself of her new problem. This book was very good.

Stroke of Midnight by Laurell K. Hamilton

Stroke of Midnight by Laurell K. Hamilton - Scifi - Merry Gentry series. You don't get much further into her plot but it was fun. A lot of stuff happens mostly sex. Definitely x-rated. She spends 366 pgs finishing like one day. I hope that the next book doesn't follow the same trend we don't need to go through this series at this slow pace.

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Derik's Bane by Davidson

Derik's Bane by davidson. Located in the romance section but has strong fantasy elements and not a lot of romance. It's about a werewolf and his problems with becoming an Alfa male. I liked it. 304 pgs

If you have any suggestions for me. Or if you'd like to write up an author and have me post about it. E-mail me. I like input.

Friday, June 09, 2006

Fangs but no fangs by Kathy Love

Fangs but no fangs by Kathy Love. Romance. Pgs 310. Jolee is a girl who no one thought would get anywhere in life. Sure as hell the rest of her family hadn't. But she was determined to make it work. Striking out on her own. Living in a trailer park. Owns her own dive bar. Christian is a vampire created by the spawn of satan herself. Twisted by lust he does bad things in her name. After a very long time he figures it out and decides to "be human" using a 12 step program. Living in the very same trailer park as payment for his luxurious lifestyle. Who knew he'd find his true love in a trailer park. He didn't. This is a great book. Have fun.

Thursday, June 08, 2006

Even Vampires get the Blues by Katie MacAlister

Even Vampires get the Blues by Katie MacAlister. Pgs 344. Romance. Katie has put out another blockbuster. She did great with this one. She left behind a lot of old characters and brought new ones in. I'm glad she did it. Samantha Cosse is half elf. Her roommate is a faery. They own a detective agency together not that her roommate does much but look pretty. Paen Scott is a Dark One (vampire). He doesn't want his beloved he can handle things on his own. He ends up handling them right into deep trouble. A demon wants him to find a statue or his mothers soul is forfeit. He can't do that to his mom. So he hires Samantha to find the statue. It all snowballs from there. Check it out.

Sorry there was no post yesterday I was once again having technical difficulties.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Shadows in the Starlight by Elaine Cunningham

Shadows in the Starlight by Elaine Cunningham. Pgs 286. Scifi. You've met GiGi before in Shadows in the Darkness. Revisit her and her detective agence in her new book. Her past still haunts her. She doesn't know who to believe. She knows she's a changeling but what does that mean? Can she trust the only man who claims he wants to help her out? Will her life ever calm down enough for her to get a nights rest? I love this series.

Monday, June 05, 2006

Magic Shop edited by Denise Little

Magic Shop - edited by Denise Little. pgs 319. SciFi. This anthology was put out about 1.5 yrs ago so you'll probably have to order it in order to get it. However it is very good. Better then most anthologies. I can only remember like 1 bad story in the bunch and I really loved. Most of the stories revolve around magic shops (hence the name). Hum, how to describe a bunch of stories in a few sentences. I don't think I can. They were just so good I think other people should read it.

Also I've noticed a drop in readership. I'm curious what that is from. Do I post to often or to little? Or is my content Lacking? Please give me our input. :)

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Vamps and the City by Kerrelyn Sparks

Vamps and the City by Kerrelyn Sparks. Pgs 387. Romance. When I started this book I almost put it back down. There are a bunch of women stuck in the dark ages of women's rights. They live with a master and they are his harem. But luckily one of the girls has independent thought and the master is getting married. It quickly turned itself around and caught my attention. Soon I couldn't put it down. I mean an entire hidden TV network for only vampires and it mimics human TV. To liven the show listing up they start a reality TV show. As a twist there are humans in the show and no one knows. Will a vampire win the sexist man?

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Witching Moon By Rebecca York

Witching Moon - By Rebecca York - Romance - pgs 345. Good book. I'm not sure about this author yet. I have another of her books to read to give me some more feel for her style. It's a bit more serious then I would usually read. Adam is a werewolf. Werewolves in this book are alpha males and don't usually survive puberty. He's had a hard life. His dad was a bit of an abusive man. He hasn't talked to his brother in years. Sara is a witch but she doesn't know it. She grew up in foster care. When she returns to her hometown all kinds of weird things happen to her. Can these two get past the problems plaguing their current lives to see a happy future? Find out.

Sorry

There was no post yesterday because of technical difficulties.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Circus of the Darned by Katie Maxwell

Circus of the Darned by Katie Maxwell. Teen. Pgs 182. Fran is a gifted teenager touring with a gothic circus round Europe. It's her moms thing really. Her moms a witch. Funny thing is her mom just can't except Frans boyfriend. He's a vampire. They met in Got Fangs also by Katie Maxwell. Another funny thing is that Fran somehow manages to get herself into all kinds of trouble involving Viking ghosts, Greek deities, and Valkyrie. It's funny and it'll take you a day.