We've Only Just Begun-Vietnam Version

"We're Only Just Begun"
Written by Paul Williams and Roger S. Nichols
Performed by The Carpenters

We've only just begun to live,
White lace and promises
A kiss for luck and we're on our way.
We've just begun.

Before the rising sun we fly,
So many roads to choose
We start out walking and learn to run.
And yes, we’ve just begun.

Sharing horizons that are new to us,
Watching the signs along the way,
Talking it over just the two of us,
Working together day to day
Together.

And when the evening comes we smile,
So much of life ahead
We'll find a place where there's room to grow
And yes, we've just begun

Sharing horizons that are new to us
Watching the signs along the way
Talkin' it over, just the two of us
Workin' together day to day, together, together

And when the evening comes, we smile
So much of life ahead
We'll find a place where there's room to grow
And yes, we've just begun.

I keep an assortment of cd’s in my car for when I’m on a long trip or when there is nothing interesting on the radio. There’s only so much talk radio that is not the same topic over and over. A lot of them are various mixes I have made depending on the mood I was in at the time.

The one I put in today started out with Gerry and the Pacemakers then moved into Berlin and ended with a sampling of The Carpenters.

It had been a strange week at work and the vast majority of clients were Vietnam Vets and it brought back a lot of memories that are usually held in check.

Somehow, when this song came on, rather than thinking of it as a love song (which it clearly is) , I began thinking about this as a history of a veterans tour in Vietnam and this is the way it turned out.

We’ve only just begun to live-Many of the soldiers that went to Vietnam were young, 18-21 or so, just beginning their lives being out from under direction of their parents and to understand how to be on their own.

White lace and promises-A lot of us had just gotten married or had recently attended Proms so lace was in abundance. Promises were made in our wedding ceremonies and other promises were made about writing every day and waiting for us to return. I hate to think about how many of those promises were broken for one reason or another. There were many of these promises broken by the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong.

A kiss for luck and we are on our way-A lot of us were seen off by our wives and families or a special girl that meant something extra special. I also know there were some folks who set off on the military journey alone. Not exactly the kind of kiss they would have wanted.

We’ve just begun-We started our military journey and everyone who served is still on that journey, be they dead, alive or still fighting the war in their minds. No matter what anyone, including doctors and shrinks, tell you – it never goes away. There are times when it will rear its ugly head when we think it is totally buried.

Before the rising sun we fly-Helicopters heading out for battle or to replenish the troops, flying Medevac’s to bring the wounded in for treatment, and giving support in any way they could. God bless the pilots for the job they did and the repair crews that kept them flying.

So many roads to choose-It was hard to know were the enemy would show up. A road may be safe to travel one day and you could get shot up the next. Plus there are all the roads that were made beating the bushes of the jungles on patrol.

We start out walking and learn to run-That just about says it all. You would be walking through the jungle until fighting starts and then running for cover. You always had to be on the lookout for booby traps on the trails as well. You couldn’t run blindly.

Sharing horizons that are new to us-Vietnam and war were new to all of us and you never knew what was over the horizon. The Air Force and Navy found out a lot about the horizons.

Watching the signs along the way-You constantly had to be looking for booby traps, punji pits, snakes and anything else that might cut your life short.

Talking it over just the two of us-Most everybody I knew talked to God every day. Some of us had good friends to talk to, but just as many were loners because the person beside you one day may be gone the next. God always had time to listen.

Working together day to day-You worked as a team, unit, company or whatever. You couldn’t survive on your own. This was one place where “There is no “I” in TEAM” meant exactly that.

Together-There is no I in Team.

And when the evening comes we smile-That meant we had made it through one more day and were a day closer to going home. There was not always much to smile about but making it through the day was a good one.

So much of life ahead-For most of us this was true, one just has to see the Wall to know how untrue that turned out to be.

We’ll find a place where there’s room to grow-Many of us have found room to grow, to age gracefully and die peacefully. Others have taken their own lives because they felt there was nothing left, no room to grow or no reason to live. A lot of us are still trying to grow, to take it one day at a time and we owe a lot of it to our family, our friends, our brothers in arms, and our VA doctors who do the best they can with what they have to work with. Some VA facilities are better than others but I do think that they are trying.

And yes, we’ve just begun-Now 40-50 years later we are still beginning to understand the effects of Agent Orange on our young bodies that waited until we got older to attack our bodies and have us fighting a war all over again. But this time we are losing more than we win.

Versus three and four repeat but I’m not going to do that. I do hope that this makes sense to some of you out there. I had to get it out of my system and felt like sharing.

If it’s too much for some of you on my friends list, you know where the “Unfriend” button is and likewise, if you want to share it with someone, please do, but be sure and give me credit. Copyright 2013 Barry R Hunter.

Reviews from Harriet

The Elementals
Francesca Lia Block
St. Martin's, $24.99
ISBN: 9781250005496

Her parents inform Ariel that her BFF Jeni never returned from a visit to University of California at Berkeley. Ariel decides to attend Berkeley in order to learn what happened to Jeni. Before leaving for the Bay area school, her parents tell Ariel that her mom has a tumor, but insist she is okay so they want their daughter to attend Berkeley.

One year ago Jeni vanished as Ariel searches for her. At a Halloween bash at the House of Eidolon, the lonely freshman meets three bewitching grad students (Perry, John and Tania). They name her Sylph and soon have her joining their circle of sex, drugs, and talks of magic. Ariel falls in love with John and forgets about her quest to learn what happened to Jeni until she realizes her three new friends seem to know what befell her BFF.

This fast-paced thriller turns college stereotypes into extremely dark versions. Hooked just like Ariel is, readers will wonder what next will happen to the heroine and who are her three new buddies and several other enigmatic individuals while also wondering if Ariel follows a path previously paved by Jeni. Harriet Klausner

Hidden
P.C. Cast, Kristin Cast
St. Martin’s Griffin, $18.99
ISBN: 9780312594428

After the major disappointment that the Vampyre High Council failed her and her friends when they allowed Neferet to return as the High Priestess at Tulsa's House of Night, teenager Zoey Redbird felt alone. However she now has mixed feelings as she feels great that her evil enemy has been exposed, but deeply mourns the loss of her mother to the Darkness, and the death of Dragon killed by the Aurox (see Destined). Thanatos is currently High Priestess at Tulsa's House of Night. Zoey feels she will finally have time to grieve.

Raging Neferet refuses to vanish into the darkness. She deploys a brilliant stratagem to turn the human populace of Tulsa and the House of Night School residents into enemies. Realizing what the evil one has wrought, Zoey delays her mourning to battle her insidious adversary and to calm the frightened humans before a deadly incident becomes the point of no return.

Hidden begins a different relational dynamic in the exhilarating House of Night urban fantasy as Neferet has lost power and Zoey has gained some with the exposure. Rotating viewpoints, this strong pivotal entry enables readers to understand better what makes key cast members tick in a free will cosmos. Cast to the second power provides a terrific taut thriller as major chaotic change has come to Tulsa. Harriet Klausner

The Stockholm Octavo
Karen Engelmann
Ecco, $26.99
ISBN: 9780061995347

In 1791, Offices of Customs and Excise Sekretaire Emil Larsson loves the life of a swinging single in enlightened Stockholm. He enjoys drinking, playing cards and is contented as a bachelor though his employment is in jeopardy if he fails to marry soon.

Everything changes for Emil when he meets gambling club owner Sofia Sparrow. A fortune teller whose clientele include King Gustav III, Mrs. Sparrow lays out the bureaucrat’s personal Octavo of eight people who will assist him in finding his fiancée and a promotion. What she fails to tell him is that his Octavo overlaps with hers in a Divine Geometrical connection and that his octet is divided on both sides of a scheme involving the monarch.

This is a fresh thrilling Swedish historical fantasy that ties what is happening in France to what occurs in Sweden. The opening act is incredible as readers learn of aristocratic intrigue and the applications of the pseudo sciences (Divine geometry, numerology, hand fan magic and cartomancy). Soon Emil’s search by the numbers for a wife via the Octavo contacts lead to the demands of opposing female conspirators (Mrs. Sparrow and Baroness Kristina Uzanne). Complex due to changing roles and relationships (thankfully a cast listing included as there are fourteen key players and the city), readers will appreciate this strong though at times convoluted late eighteenth century tale as the audience and the protagonist learn it is in the cards. Harriet Klausner

Phoebe & the Ghost of Chagall
Jill Koenigsdorf
MacAdam/Cage, $24.00
ISBN: 9781596923836

In Sonoma, California single mom Phoebe is a failed artist who keeps herself and her daughter Audrey from starving by designing wine labels though her creditors are demanding remittance or else. Twenty-five years after he died, the ghost of Marc Chagall arrives in her kitchen. He is thankful that Audrey cannot see him while he ponders why a painting he drew that her father found during the 1944 liberation of France never came to Phoebe or her mother. Marc is pleased to see his host has reproductions of his work on her walls. Vowing to help her find what is due her while also resolving the one thing that disturbed him when he was alive: his hundred or so paintings that vanished during WWI.

After a spirited introduction, the wannabe artist and the dead artist begin their trek to find La Contorsioniste. They soon run into an assorted motley crew wanting to ether help them or help themselves as witches, black market traffickers, sinister collectors, an inn keeper and much more join the search.

This fabulous paranormal amateur sleuth works brilliantly on two levels. First the historical provides the audience with strong insight into Chagall and his work, as well as the Nazi art theft with each intricately interwoven into the engaging storyline. Second is the exciting amateur sleuth search for the missing masterpiece and other works by the renowned artist. Fans will enjoy this good (art lovers) and evil (art profiteers) thriller as Phoebe & the Ghost of Chagall investigate. Harriet Klausner

PRESS RELEASE - European publisher Emergency Exit to expand into Brazil.

PRESS RELEASE - European publisher Emergency Exit to expand into Brazil.

28TH JUNE 2013

Saída de Emergência (Emergency Exit), Portugal’s largest genre fiction publisher, is becoming one of the first European publishers to attempt to break into the rapidly expanding Brazilian fiction market. As well as setting up a local office there, Saída de Emergência will be launching a Brazilian edition of their glossy genre fiction magazine Bang!

In Portugal, Saída de Emergência publish a number of leading British and American genre authors in translation, including George RR Martin (creator of the best-selling Game of Thrones series), Stephen Hunt (whose Jackelian fantasy series jump-started steampunk from a sleepy sub-genre into a mass social movement), and Clive Cussler (whose thrillers have been turned into such movies as ‘Sink the Titanic’ and ‘Sahara’ with Matthew McConaughey and Penélope Cruz). They also publish leading Portuguese authors such as Maria Helena Ventura.

As part of the expansion, Charlotte Humphrey, Rights Manager at HarperCollins, has sold exclusive Portuguese language rights in Brazil for ‘The Court of the Air’ to Saída de Emergência as one of their launch titles.

The Court of the Air was the first of Hunt’s six ‘Jackalian’ novels published by HarperCollins’ Voyager imprint in the UK, and was voted the best fantasy novel to be turned into a movie by the committee of the Berlinale Film Festival.

All Portuguese language editions of Saída de Emergência will be further translated into Brazilian to accommodate differences in the written word between Portugal and Brazil, prior to publication.

Safaa Dib
Coordenadora Editorial
Saída de Emergência
Tel: +351 214 583 770
www.saidadeemergencia.com

The CRASH is Coming

Crash
By Guy Haley

The crash is coming on 25 June (US & Can) and July 4 (UK)

£7.99 (UK) ISBN 978-1-78108-120-4
$7.99/$9.99 (US & CAN) ISBN 978-1-78108-121-1

Available in paperback and ebook

The 0.01% have decided Earth is history

“Guy Haley is a hidden gem of British SF” – Paul Cornell

“A very good writer, with an infectious love for sci-fi that shines off every page” – The Guardian

Unalloyed greed, markets dictating the will of humanity – when the Crash comes, survival itself will hang in the balance.

In a topical science-fiction take on the world’s economic woes, breakthrough author Guy Haley envisages a society in utter thrall to commerce, which must constantly expand to sustain itself. When a mission to the stars begins to go wrong, the fragility of human society and progress is exposed.

The Market rules all and mankind, trapped by a rigid hierarchy of wealth, bends to its whim. A bold venture to the stars is begun, but when the colony fleet is sabotaged a small group finds itself marooned upon a world where one hemisphere is bathed in perpetual daylight, the other hidden by eternal night. Isolated and beset, the stricken colony members must fight for survival on the hostile planet.

Haley’s first book for Solaris, Champion of Mars, was described by SF legend Stephen Baxter as “a novel with an ambition on the scale of Olympus Mons itself, and it delivers. Recommended.” Packed full of ideas while maintaining a very human voice, Crash is complex, exciting, vastly entertaining and with a topical edge.

About the Author

Guy Haley is an experienced science-fiction journalist, writer and magazine editor. He has been editor of White Dwarf and Death Ray, among other magazines, and deputy editor of SFX. He is the author of the Richards and Klein series from Angry Robot, and writes for Games Workshop’s Black Library. He lives in Bath.

You can find him at guyhaley.wordpress.com


Also by Guy Haley

Champion of Mars
£7.99 (UK) ISBN 978-1-907992-84-1
$8.99/$10.99 (US & CAN) ISBN 978-1-907992-85-8
Available as an ebook

“It’s a thriller, an unnatural mystery and a strange sort of
love story. Highly entertaining and original, and well
worth a look.”
– Starburst Magazine on Champion of Mars

Richard Matheson is gone

I Am Legend, The Shrinking Man, Duel, Hell House, What Dreams may come, and countless movies and Twilight Zone episodes; this is the legacy Richard Matheson leaves us.

He will be missed but his stories will live on. He was right up there with Bradbury and Heinlein in the pantheon of memorable writers.

My heart is saddened.

June has not been a kind month!

The Dark Man, Doc Wilde and Gettysburg

THE DARK MAN, STEPHEN KING, ILLUSTRATED BY GLENN CHADBOURNE, CEMETERY DANCE, 88 PAGES, TRADE, $25, ISBN: 9781587674211, SLIPCASED, $49.95, ISBN: 9781587674259, REVIEWED BY BARRY HUNTER.

THE DARK MAN is the origin of Randall Flagg who figures prominently in King’s later works began life in this poem, written by King while he was still in college. It appears here in the world’s first publication with brilliant illustrations by Glenn Chadbourne.

While the publication of a new work by King is quite a coup by Cemetery Dance, I am more impressed with the work of Chadbourne. Each time I look over the pages, I find something new and enticing.

This is a unique volume that ties the art to the words and gives a unique vision of two masters: King showing a glimpse of the beginnings of this unique talent that has entertained us for years; and, Chadbourne showing his mastery at understanding the written word and turning it into a not to be forgotten picture that enhances the experience.

King, Chadbourne, and Cemetery Dance are a trio to contend with and this volume is a triumph in the trio of poetry, painting, and publishing. Don’t miss this one of a kind work.

THE GRAPHIC HISTORY OF GETTYSBURG, WAYNE VANSANT, WRITER AND ILLUSTRATER, ZENITH PRESS, $19.99, 96 PAGES, ISBN: 9780760344064, REVIEWED BY BARRY HUNTER.

July, 1863, the middle of the Civil War, was one of the major turning points of the war when the Confederate and Union forces met in a small town in Pennsylvania called Gettysburg. So here we are 150 years later and Wayne Vansant is giving us a graphic novel with his representation of the events that transpired there.

Wayne shows the events from the planning stages to the final battle and ends with Lincoln’s Gettysburg address. He shows the preparations from both sides according to the historic notes and writings of those who actually took place in the battle.

This is not a volume to be missed as it is historically accurate and can be used as a teaching tool to help us understand our history and a war that pitted brother against brother.

Wayne is well known for his accurate portrayal of war that range from World War II from the American, German and Russian viewpoints to a graphic history of Vietnam. His recent volume NORMANDY is available from Zenith Press. He is also at work on the second volume of KATHUSKA, a story of the Russian Front as told by a female combatant, a graphic history of the Battle of the Bulge, and GRANT AND LEE, forthcoming from Zenith Press. //Disclaimer: Wayne and I have been friends for over thirty years and I really like his art and value his friendship, but that does not enter into my reviews of his work. It stands on its own as I am sure you will see when you see the books for yourselves.//

DOC WILDE AND THE FROGS OF DOOM, TIM BYRD, OUTLAW MOON BOOKS, 186 PAGES, ISBN: 9780989443302, EBOOK AVAILABLE NOW, TRADE PAPER TO COME, REVIEWED BY BARRY HUNTER.

When this was first released by Putnam’s in 2009, I said “A true delight…Tim Byrd has taken Doc Savage, added in a pinch of Robert E. Howard, a liberal dose of H. P. Lovecraft, and mixed it all together in a well done, enchanting pastiche of the pulps that will appeal to the adult audience as well as young adult readers.”

I still stand by those words and have even more enthusiasm for this new volume feature the writers preferred version as well as magnificent illustrations of Gary Chaloner. Tim was able to obtain his rights back from Putnam’s, put together a Kickstarter project, and fulfill his dream of putting out his vision of his creation.

He has succeeded extremely well and together with Chaloner has created a volume that cries for a place on the shelf between Doc Savage and Tarzan. There are plans for four more volumes in the series (hopefully more than that) and an excerpt of DOC WILDE AND THE MAD SKULL is included.

There are a lot of folk doing the self-publishing routine, but Tim Byrd has found the right formula to do it in a magnificent way. I wish him much success in his future offerings and I am ready to see them. If you are a fan of the pulps or just good old fun reading, this is a volume and a series for you. Check out the web site, www.docwilde.com, for more details and news on forthcoming wolumes.

Parke Godwin. reposted from IO9

You might know Parke Godwin from his Arthurian novels, or books like The Snake Oil Wars, or Wintermind. Or you might have come across one of his World Fantasy Award-winning stories. In any case, his clever, subversive work affected many people, and he'll be missed.

Godwin's friend and literary executor Connor Cochran sends us this announcement:

Novelist and short fiction writer Harold Parke (“Pete”) Godwin, aged 84, died of natural causes on June 19, 2013 in Auburn, California. He leaves behind him a legacy of extraordinary novels spanning many genres, including thrillers, social and religious satire, science fiction, historical romance, and historical fantasy. He wrote what are arguably two of the best Arthurian novels ever, Firelord and Beloved Exile; radically rethought Robin Hood in Sherwood and Robin and the King; and set the entire planet’s sociocultural history on its ear with Waiting For the Galactic Bus and The Snake Oil Wars.

Parke joined the army as a young man and wound up doing top secret work at critical radio listening posts during the Korean conflict. Having been raised in a family with deep roots in stage performance and Vaudeville, after his service stint was over Parke made his living as a touring actor for many years. Through all this time he wrote, but only for himself. He became a published novelist comparatively late in life, at 43, when Playboy Press released his first book, Darker Places. He went on to release 14 novels, two story collections, two plays, and three books written in collaboration with a friend from his acting days, Marvin Kaye: The Masters of Solitude, Wintermind, and A Cold Blue Light.

He won the World Fantasy Award for his novella “The Fire When It Comes,” and his story “Influencing the Hell Out of Time and Teresa Golowitz” was adapted for the Twilight Zone television series in 1985.

His last two published books, Watch By Moonlight and The Lovers: the Legend of Trystan and Yseult, were both released under the pseudonym “Jane Hawks.” Before his death he completed three more books which will be released posthumously, and a comprehensive short story collection.

Parke Godwin passes over

Parke Godwin, a terrific writer and special friend, has passed over to the other side. He wrote many novels but my favorites were the "Singer" series written with Marvin Kaye, his Robin of Sherwood, and the Galactic Bus series featuring Barion and Coyul. He was a special man and a gentle soul. I'll miss him a lot!

Launch Party for BLOOD AND FEATHERS: REBELLION

Another missive from me, but hopefully one you’ll jump at the chance to read – fresh from her nominations for the British Fantasy Society award for ‘Best Fantasy’ and ‘Best Debut’, Lou Morgan’s gun-toting sequel to Blood and Feathers is now available for review and blog tour!



Morgan has returned to her genre-busting take on angels and demons with Blood and Feathers: Rebellion, which picks up the story after the events of the first book. Adding a fresh new voice to the industry with a book that is violent and incisive, acerbic and witty, Morgan proves herself a talent to be watched.



Driven out of hell and with nothing to lose, the Fallen wage open warfare against the angels on the streets. And they’re winning. As the balance tips towards the darkness, Alice – barely recovered from her own ordeal in hell and struggling to start over – once again finds herself in the eye of the storm. But with the chaos spreading and the Archangel Michael determined to destroy Lucifer whatever the cost, is the price simply too high? And what sacrifices will Alice and the angels have to make in order to pay it?



The official launch of Blood and Feathers: Rebellion will be at Forbidden Planet (179 Shaftsbury Avenue, WC2H 8JR) on Thursday, 27 June at 6pm.

Happy Father's Day

I hope everyone one has a great Father's Day!

Writers Of The Future XXIX

L. RON HUBBARD PRESENTS: WRITERS OF THE FUTURE XXIX, edited by Dave Wolverton, $7.99, 474 pages, ISBN: 9781619862005, reviewed by Barry Hunter.

As some of you are beginning to understand, its hell to get old and some of the parts start wearing out and need replacement and/or enhancement. If you love to read, it really becomes painful to have your eyes give you trouble.

It is also painful to the soul for so many of the writers you’ve grown up with and some of the newer voices in the field shuffling off this mortal coil. To me, too many are being dragged away from us kicking and screaming because they have so much left to say.

It seems that very few days pass by without someone dying or announcing they have an incurable disease and are having to make preparations to depart. It can be a very sad time and has been lately.

Fortunately, for the last 29 years (I can’t believe it has been that long), the Writers of the Future have been turning out new writers at an astounding pace. Many of them have become best sellers and are entertaining us in multiple genres.

This year’s volume is no exception. There are 13 new stories and illustrations as well as articles in writing and illustration (I started to say “drawing” but Larry Elmore is an Artist).

Each story is different and will affect you mood. From Autism, death and love, dream craving, broken time, and future policemen; there is plenty here to show that the field will survive with new and cutting edge writers who are here to leave their ideas with us to ponder and enjoy.

Superman - Man of Steel

Ignore most of the critics that have given this film less than stellar reviews.

This is not your father's Superman.

This is not your Superman.

This is not your son's Superman.

It is a new vision, from Krypton to Earth and his upbringing. Remember this is the team responsible for The Dark Knight films and they have taken the same approach for Man of Steel.

Was mostly pleased with the casting. The actions scenes are well done as are the special effects. Henry Clavell and Amy Adams were well suited for Superman and Lois Lane.

Give it a try and take your day out to see it for Fathers Day. I'm sure he will be pleased as well.

Three Reviews

A Trace of Moonlight
Allison Pang
Pocket, $7.99
ISBN: 9781439198360

Maurice possesses the Key to the CrossRoads after stealing it from Abby Sinclair the TouchStone. Meanwhile Abby marries Elven Prince Talivar though her new mother-in-law wants to make her son a widower. However, a honeymoon must wait unto after she retrieves the Key.

The two rival males still vie for her affection yet Talivar and former incubus now mortal Brystion vow to help Abby when she confronts Maurice who threatens to terminate OtherWorld. Phineas the mini-unicorn joins their odyssey. To succeed she first must figure out the loophole in a deal she agreed to with a daemon that she does not remember occurring or what the pact is. Then she needs a replacement sacrifice for the Faerie Tithe or she dies for the second time.

The latest Abby Sinclair (see A Sliver of Shadow and A Brush of Darkness) fantasy is a taut good and evil thriller as each of the fab four knows what they voluntarily need to give up if they have any chance to prevent Maurice’s paranormal genocide from happening. Fast-paced with jocular graveyard bantering that at times feels out of place, fans will relish the confrontation between loving sacrifice and end of the world malevolence. Harriet Klausner

The Lost Stars: Tarnished Knight
Jack Campbell
Ace, $26.95
ISBN: 9781937077822

The ruthless Syndicate finds its violent control of its people in peril because of the inability to defeat the Alliance forces led by "Black Jack" Geary nor defend some of their worlds from aliens. As the Syndicate appears on the verge of implosion, The Midway Star System becomes a hotbed of activity because the sector is a nexus of hypergates to and from other Syndicate systems. Distrust of the brutal Syndicate forces runs throughout this sector as the locals expect to feel the terrorizing crush of their “protectors” and worse from the “snakes”.

Syndicate Commander Arthur Drakon led the ground forces in the Midway Star System, but he and what is left of his units are exiled. Instead of hiding, Drakon makes a rebellious bid to take over leadership of Midway starting with ridding the system of the snakes. To succeed, he needs to ally with a natural enemy CEO Gwen Iceni. Together they mount a counter attack on Syndicate units in the sector with a strong focus on those dominated by snakes. After declaring their independence from the Syndicate, each distrusts the other, but failure to do so will allow the snakes to regroup abetted by traitors.

This brilliant sidebar new series occurs during a period between the Beyond the Frontier last two entries: Dreadnaught and Invincible. Though there is plenty of military outer space combat, the storyline centers on the strange bedfellows’ codependent but tremulous alliance that Drakon and Iceni forge to bring their nebulous vision of a better democratic future for Midway. Jack Campbell runs a strong saga shown from the viewpoints of the Syndicate at a time when the vicious totalitarian military regime teeters on the brink of total collapse. Harriet Klausner

Into the Woods
Kim Harrison
Harper Voyager, $24.99
ISBN: 9780061974328

This excellent anthology provides readers a strong glimpse at the full Harrison realm to include inside and outside the Hollows. Part one focuses on The Hollows with three short stories and four novelettes; six previously published and a new tale of Rachel and Trent (“Million Dollar Baby”). The second section contains four “Beyond The Hollows” fantasy short stories that apparently were never published before (“Pet Shop Boys”, “Temson Estate”, Spider Silk” and “Grace”). In "Undead in the Garden of Good and Evil" Inderland Security Homicide Division cop and living vampire Ivy seeks a killer who knows her every move even as she evades the moves of her boss Art an undead vampire.

Teenager Rachel recuperates from I.S. disease that killed her father and nearly killed her, but left her new powers as a witch in training; however, she missuses her new skills with a resurrection that may prove lethal in "Two Ghosts for Sister Rachel." Jenks the pixy and Bis the gargoyle investigate a case involving pixy children in Ley Line Drifter." In “Million-Dollar Baby,” Trent and Jenks go on an elf-quest. Will Temson inherits much more than he bargained for when he gained "Temson Estates." In "Spider Silk" the angry tree spirit rages at three generations of females (Emily the grandmother, Meg the mom and Lilly the child). The collection is quite good providing more insight into the Hollows and into the rest of the Harrison mythos. Harriet Klausner

D DAY 2013

In memory of all those who fought for freedom and justice, that hit the beaches at Normandy, many who survived and many who died - today we salute you!

Fantasy Reviews

Prince Of Power
Elisabeth Staab
Sourcebooks, $6.99
ISBN: 9781402263187

Vampire and wizards have been at war seemingly forever. The Wizard Master exiles his son Anton to die for failing to perform his duty as the lad is not a chip off the old block since he hates killing vampires to steal their power. However, Anton has one last chance to return home in glory: steal her power before killing Tyra Morgan, sister of the Vampire King Thad (see King of Darkness).

Since Tyra works in a shelter in Ash Falls, Virginia; to gain access to her Anton pretends to be homeless, which ironically he knows he is if he fails his last chance. Anton saves Tyra’s life. Attracted to each other, neither trusts the other as both know their eternal legacy. His species demands he take her power before murdering her; while hers demands the execution of him.

The second vampire-wizard war once again is a complex superb romantic urban fantasy in which the Staab mythological universe seems genuine due to strong supporting characters like widowed vampires and a young female human player. Fast-paced from the moment the star-crossed lead couple meets in the Virginia homeless shelter and never slowing down, sub-genre fans will relish the forbidden romance between the Sister and the Prince of Power. Harriet Klausner

Eye of the Wizard
Daniel Arenson
Moonclipse, $10.99
ISBN: 9780987886408

Thirteen year old Scruff Thistle notices the shadow moving outside his family’s home. He forces his irritated younger brother Neev to look out the window; Neev sees the same thing, a beautiful woman who stares back at the siblings before proclaiming: “You will die, Scruff.” His sister Jamie screams waking up, their Mother and Father. The grobbler attacks but Father kills it. He tells his family he must leave as Dry Bones the evil warlock and his grobbler horde finally arrived at their village. Before the night ends, the three siblings become orphans vowing vengeance one day.

Five years later, a coven expels Neev the novice from their ranks as a loser for conjuring up fearsome looking Romy, a child demon with rabbit ears who likes ribbons and considers her new warlock as her mommy. Scruff wants to become a knight but the now seven footer refuses to use a sword so is considered unfit for warrior duty. The opposite of Scruff as she loves using a sword, Jamie also wants to become a knight, but that occupation is male only. The pair is exiled from the village. On their trek away from their home the siblings meet Cobweb the Spiderling banished from her clan due to a severe lisp. The teen quintet forges a team of mercenaries Bullies for Bucks even as Dry Bones stalks the Thistle threesome.

The first Misfit Heroes fantasy is an amusing yet dark coming of age tale. The fab five are fully developed with diverse personalities while sharing the “misfit” stereotype for not fitting in the acceptable norm. Although the dialogue at times can be inanely cutesy, fans will enjoy the satirical Bullies for Bucks’ heroic misadventures. Harriet Klausner

Love, Lust & Pixie Dust
Erica Ridley
Intrepid Reads, $8.99
ISBN: 9780985455880

Daisy le Fey is an ambitious pixie who craves becoming a licensed Tooth Fairy. She has an opportunity to prove herself worthy with her first assignment to snatch the Angus tooth.

In the Costa Rican rainforest anthropologist Trevor Masterson leads an excavation that he knows must succeed; failure denotes no funding for future digs. He falls asleep with his face on the specimen tray only to abruptly awaken when he spots an unknown female with wings stealing his prize find a fossilized tooth that falls off his chin. He thinks she is a bespectacled Victoria’s Secret model while she insists he go back to sleep or she will leave him no money. As Daisy tries to fly away with the tooth, Trevor tries to prevent her. One magical fumbled attempt after another leads to turning his T.A. Katrina into a smoking pumpkin and several kisses; Trevor and Daisy reconsider their respective life goals even as her superiors take action against her for her felonious behavior with a mortal.


The first Nether-Netherland romance is a fun lighthearted farce that lampoons the urban fantasy’s relationships between humans and paranormal as the course of True Love flows uneven. Fast-paced, fans, who enjoy an amusing storyline that never takes itself seriously, will want to read this jocular frolic. Harriet Klausner