I loved discovering Lackey’s take on how her fictional world of Valdemar, with its heralds and companions, came into being. Meeting Baron Valdemar in the fictional flesh, so to speak, was enlightening and entertaining.
Also, learning how the vondri came to exist within the fabric of Valdemar was interesting. The underlying tenets of compassion and a sense of fairness toward all beings were evident and are aligned with my own beliefs.
Now, if only our leaders today had heavenly avatars to keep them in check. How wonderful would that be? And if they just happened to be snow-white, silver-hooved, blue-eyed horses…well, let’s just say I’d be hoping one of those companions found its way to my door.
The long-awaited founding of Valdemar comes to life in this new series from a New York Times bestselling author and beloved fantasist.
Within the Eastern Empire, Duke Kordas Valdemar rules a tiny, bucolic Duchy that focuses mostly on horse breeding. Anticipating the day when the Empire's exploitative and militant leaders would not be content to leave them alone, Korda's father set out to gather magicians in the hopes of one day finding a way to escape and protect the people of the Duchy from tyranny.
Kordas has lived his life looking over his shoulder. The signs in the Empire are…
This is not something I would usually read, but the title The Lies of Locke Lamora caught my attention. Once I started reading, I had to keep going as I needed to discover what new messes Locke and his friends could get into and escape from against all odds.
It's a roller coaster ride with some very unexpected twists. Under the intrigue and terror that ensues is an odd, dry sense of humour that serves to leaven out the intensity. I'm waiting for the fourth book to drop—The Thorn of Emberlain.
'One of my top ten books ever. Maybe top five. If you haven't read it, you should' Patrick Rothfuss, New York Times bestselling author of The Name of the Wind
'Fresh, original and engrossing' George R.R. Martin, the phenomenon behind A Game of Thrones
They say that the Thorn of Camorr can beat anyone in a fight. They say he steals from the rich and gives to the poor. They say he's part man, part myth, and mostly street-corner rumor. And they are wrong on every count.
Only averagely tall, slender, and god-awful with a sword, Locke Lamora is the…
The story is set in old London and the countryside. The bumbling detective Arrowood and his down-at-the-heel but all-around good guy Barnett stumble their way through the clues and manage to come up with the correct murderer.
There is lots of toing and froing, and false leads, and every now and then, a growl of complaint from Arrowood about Sherlock Holmes and how he, Arrowood, is so underappreciated and so very superior to Holmes if only the authorities would take notice.
I thoroughly enjoyed escapades and have bought the other books in the series to follow the adventures.
1896: Sherlock Holmes has once again hit the headlines, solving mysteries for the cream of aristocracy. But among the workhouses and pudding shops of South London, private detective William Arrowood is presented with far grittier, more violent and considerably less well-paid cases. Arrowood has no doubt who is the better detective, and when Mr. and Mrs. Barclay engage him to find their estranged daughter, Birdie, he’s sure it won’t be long before he and his assistant, Barnett, have tracked her down.
But this seemingly simple missing-person case soon turns into a murder investigation. Far from the…
When the British arrived in Winnipeg in the 1800s, it was convenient for the men to take Metis wives. These women bore the brunt of ensuring survival in the harsh environment. Without them, the British army and fur traders would not have survived the brutal winters.
As society evolved, it became accepted that wives must be white, schooled in British ways, and married by the Anglican church. The Metis wives and their ‘country-born’ offspring had to fend for themselves. It was inevitable that some discarded wives did not accept their fate quietly.
When the bodies of two discarded Metis wives, Marguerite and Marie-Anne, are found bludgeoned to death on a cold Winnipeg street, Guilliame Mousseau sets out to investigate his sisters’ murder.
