Review: The Purloined Poodle by Kevin Hearne

Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

THE PURLOINED POODLE [Amazon | Audible], the latest novella in the Iron Druid Chronicles, finally turns the spotlight on Oberon, the Irish Wolfhound whose love of meat is matched only by his desire for thrilling stories into which he can insert himself. When Oberon and his Druid, Atticus, learn that someone has been kidnapping Grand Champion show dogs from across the Pacific Northwest, Oberon knows it’s both his duty and his privilege to find the culprit before any more hounds are hurt. No one with any decency could possibly leave a poodle in peril.

Oh my goodness, this was so much fun. Oberon has been my favourite IDC character from day one, and I had a blast getting inside his head in such an immersive way after years of watching him in a supporting role. He’s smart and intuitive, having been taught language and told a thousand interesting stories by his Druid, but he’s also very much a dog. He has trouble telling the difference between seconds and millennia, he’s firmly food-motivated, and he’s pretty sure the entire world centres on him. Which sounds arrogant, I know, but Oberon’s so sincere, and so willing to use his Main Character status to help others, that his self-interest loops past arrogance and lands him straight in the middle of charming.

Review: Darkhaven by A.F.E. Smith

Review copy provided by the publisher at the author’s request.

The shapeshifting Nightshade family has ruled the country of Mirrorvale for centuries, but their fortunes have begun to waver. Myrren, the eldest scion, can’t Change at all, while his half-blood sister, Ayla, assumes a hybrid creature-form that has their father fuming. Things are already tense within the family domicile when a Changer attacks a priestess. Ayla falls under scrutiny as the only known Changer aside from her father, and the evidence against her mounts when the family patriarch is himself killed by the same being.

Desperate to prove her innocence, Ayla flees the family compound at Darkhaven and allies herself with a disgraced guardsman, while Myrren turns to the injured priestess for help with his own investigation. And all the while, the rogue Changer continues their hunt through Darkhaven.

DARKHAVEN hooked me quickly with its assured prose, nonstandard secondary world, and willingness to explore shapeshifting from another angle. Ultimately, though, it proved to be a mix of things I’m keen to see more of in fantasy and things I’d love the genre to move away from.

We shall start, of course, with the good stuff.

Review: Mr Kiss and Tell by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham

Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

MR KISS AND TELL is the second Veronica Mars novel, following THE THOUSAND DOLLAR TAN LINE. Like any mystery, it can be read as a standalone if you’re just in it for the plot; however, Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham are clearly interested in expanding their characters’ relationships alongside the mystery du jour, and in developing a few threads set to stretch through the whole series. I’d recommend you read it after THE THOUSAND DOLLAR TAN LINE for maximum effect.

Also be forewarned that it spoils a couple of the big mysteries of TTDTL, even though it says little about how Veronica solves the case.

Veronica is now a fully-integrated partner at Mars Investigations, and she’s developing something of a reputation after two high-profile successes. She’s also gained a valuable contact in Petra Landros, owner of the Neptune Grand, who encourages her insurance company to hire Veronica to discover if the hotel is liable in the brutal rape of a nineteen-year-old woman. Veronica has deep reservations about how the case forces her to question the victim’s story, but as her investigation unfolds it becomes clear she’s the only one interested in getting justice on the victim’s behalf. And she's determined to do just that.

Television In 2013, Part IV - Current Viewing

We’ve spent the last three weeks talking about my favourite new-to-me shows of 2013. Now let’s look at the stuff I watch on a weekly basis.

Or, well, a semi-weekly basis. Sometimes even a monthly basis. I added a lot of shows to my roster late last year; so many that I now watch more TV as it airs than I have ever watched in my entire life.

I guess this is what happens when you catch up on every current show you started watching on DVD even as people keep recommending stuff to you.

I’ll try to break them down for you as briefly as I can, omitting ELEMENTARY and SUPERNATURAL because I’ve already discussed them elsewhere. I’ll also limit myself to shows that aired new episodes between September and December; so, nothing that wrapped up early in the year, like GAME OF THRONES or TRUE BLOOD, and nothing that’s just begun, like DOWNTON ABBEY or BITTEN.

Television In 2013, Part I - TV on DVD

2013 was an awesome viewing year as well as an awesome reading year. I revisited old favourites like GILMORE GIRLS¹, delved into cult hits like MERLIN², and continued series I began in 2012 like THE ALMIGHTY JOHNSONS³.

While I don’t intend to write about television on anything like regular basis, I can’t resist taking some time away from the usual Thursday focus on food to gush about a few of the shows that moved me most. Let’s kick things off with four offerings I adored on DVD (or on YouTube, as the case may be), reserving my two favourites and my current viewing schedule for subsequent weeks.