The Reckoning --by Thomas F. Monteleone

Fiction / Fantasy/Horror

327 pages / 588 KB

4 Stars

It's been several years since I read Blood of the Lamb, and didn't realize there was a sequel to it until recently. I think The Reckoning can be read as a stand alone, but it will probably make more sense if you read Blood of the Lamb first.

Peter Carenza is a young priest, who through a series of events and "miracles" becomes Pope at an early age when the Pope suddenly dies in Peter's arms. Peter can do good, but also has the power to do evil, which he has done.

What I don't remember reading in this book, is the story of how Peter came to be. A small cadre of Cardinals extracted DNA from the Shroud of Turin, found a young, innocent, and virginal nun and convinced her she must carry the baby, which was then given to an orphanage. The Cardinals followed Peter as he grew, influencing him to become a priest, who on his 33d birthday began to perform miracles.

When Peter becomes Pope, he immediately begins a process to bring the Church into the current times. He decides to reinstate the marriage of priests, and plans to set the example by marrying the love of his life—who does not necessarily love him back.

The Cardinals who created him wanted to help God with the long-awaited Second Coming. Did they succeed?  This book is more complex than I remember the first one, and the characters are more developed. Many interesting people are introduced who propel the story along until we reach the satisfactory end of the book. It's also an interesting insight into how the Church may or may not actually be run.

Sex, Drugs, and, uh, Witchcraft

Witch Hill –by Marion Zimmer Bradley

Fiction / Horror? (could be Humor?)

188 Pages

2 Stars

There is something about Bradley's writing that usually sets my psychic teeth on edge, and so I haven't read many of her books, and few of those I started did I finish. Still, she has a solid reputation in the SF/F genre, and when I found this book on a recent trip, I figured I'd give her another try.

This time, I finished it, and over all, it was an okay read. But only an okay read. Whatever about her Darkover novels or Mists of Avalon that rang a discordant note in my psyche was not in Witch Hill. Alas, there wasn't a lot of anything else, either. I don't think it measured up to her capabilities or her normal writing.

There is a lot of sex in this book, germane to the story. While sex doesn't bother me, unless it's totally gratuitous and or sadistic, I'm not sure it added all that much. It felt like it was added at the last minute, without much, shall we say, fleshing out?

I found the book "jerky" – lacking smooth segues between scenes, sometimes no segues, smooth or otherwise. It read more like a rough draft than a polished novel. Thinking it may have been published posthumously, I checked – the book was published in 1990 and she died in 1999; however, Wikipedia says she suffered declining health for years, so that perchance played a part.

Sara Latimer is one of a long line of Sara Latimers, all Witches (not Wiccans, please do not confuse the two) who died violent deaths; however, she knows nothing of her father's side of the family. Her brother was killed in a military accident, her mother died on hearing the news, and her father died on the way home from the double funeral. While going through mail and bills, she discovers the ancestral home she knew nothing about in Backwoods New England exists, and someone wants to buy it. She, needing money, as well as a place to recoup the onslaught of sudden deaths, ventures forth to see first hand what she owns, and if she really wants to sell it or keep it.

Now, I know and understand all of us grieve differently; however, having lost my parents and other friends and family, some close together, others not so much, I found our heroine to be somewhat unbelievable. Another strike against the book. However, it IS a novel of drugs, sex, and, uh, witchcraft.

Arriving at the manse, she discovers she looks exactly like previous the Saras whose portraits hang on the walls. Many of the locals are sure she is the Witch, reincarnated. Some even fear her, like they feared her departed Aunt Sara who died 7 years prior and whom she not only did not know, but did not know of.

She meets the young Dr. Standish, and (of course) it's love at first sight for both of them. The only problem is the Coven wants her back--with her Aunt's memories and power. Oh, dear.

Hard times ahead as Sara must decide what she wants—the power of the Coven, or the love of a man. She can't have both. (Remember, this is fiction, and not about Wiccans!)

Cinnamon Rolls, Vampires, and Sunshine

Sunshine –by Robin McKinley

Fiction

405 pages

Footnotes/Endnotes: No

Illustrations: No

Suitable for eReaders: Yes

4 Stars

This was a gift, and the kind of a gift with strings attached – I had to read it, and review it. Glad the strings were there ;-)

I'm not sure what genre Sunshine is – it's dark, it's funny, it's about vampires, and mundanes. It takes place after the Voodoo Wars, which really hand nothing to do with Vodou, the religion, but a lot to do with people who handle magic, who are vampires, and in general who dislike one another.

Our heroine, Rae "Sunshine" Seddon is the daughter of the Magician Onyx Blaise whom her mother divorced when Rae was young and she never saw him again. She did see his mother, her Gran, who taught her a bit of magic before the wars came and her dad and gran disappeared. Her mother remarried, Charlie Seddon, who raised Sunshine as his. Charlie also runs a coffee house, where Sunshine works as the chief baker, make of cinnamon rolls extraordinaire, and other calorie laden goodies. (WARNING: I gained weight just reading this book!)

Sunshine wants only to bake, and to a degree, to be left alone. She goes out to the lake, to her Gran's old house, and is captured by vampires. She is shackled in a mostly sunny room with another vampire, Constantine, who is also shackled, and starved, and is supposed to kill Sunshine.

They sort of become friends (as much as two sworn enemies can ever become friends) and she remembers the little bit of magic she was taught several years earlier, and transmutes her pocket knife to a key to unlock the shackles. The problem: Her feet are cut and bleeding and will leave a trail and Connie, as he's called, cannot go out in the sunshine. The solution: As long as he maintains contact with Sunshine, her magic will protect him, so he carries her home (vampires move very fast) before their captors arise after dark and discover they have, uh, flown the coup.

Sunshine is a bit whiny at times, but to be honest, if I found myself in her shoes, I'd probably be a whole lot whiny. It took me a while to get into the book, but mostly because it just seemed soooo long (and I like long books), which is why only 4 stars. The further into it I got, the faster it seemed to read.

The whole story is from Sunshine's point of view, which was no easy feat of writing, and of necessity, required some long passages of exposition at time. However, I enjoyed reading it because it was well done, and different from most books I read. I think the author stayed in voice, or if she didn't, I didn't notice.

If you like vampire books, comedic horror (horrifying comedy?), and want something a tad different from your usual read, give Sunshine a try. And let me know how you like the ending ;-).