Booklist: Book two in McCammon’s highly entertaining vampire-western series finds reluctant vampire Trevor Lawson and his human sidekick, sharpshooter Ann Remington, still on the hunt for LaRouge, the woman who turned Lawson during the Civil War, in the hopes that killing her will allow Lawson to become human again. It’s now 1886, and a new job takes the pair from New Orleans to the frontier town of Perdition, Montana, to rescue a wealthy young man from a band of outlaws. Lawson tries to extricate the man without violence, but between the outlaws and the vampire Dark Society, it appears a peaceful getaway is not going to be an option. This thrilling story culminates with a fantastic battle scene on a train, where unlikely alliances are formed, adding a new wrinkle to Lawson’s quest for freedom from his vampiric curse. Readers can jump right in, as the backstory details are supplied without sacrificing the pace. This is perfect for Deadwood fans and those who enjoy the American Vampire graphic-novel series by Scott Snyder. Clear a couple of hours, you’ll want to devour this in one sitting.
Aug 032016
August 3, 2016
B&N SFF&F Blog: Kowal retains her crown as one of the most imaginative SFF writers working today with a thoughtful new book that imagines the “Spirit Corps” of the British Military of 1916. Led by American Ginger Stuyvesant, the Corps communicates with recently dead soldiers on the killing fields of Europe in order to glean vital intelligence. When Ginger’s fiancé, Captain Ben Harford, tips her off concerning a German plot to destroy the Corps, she has to use the its powers, as well as a series of unlikely but effective allies, to protect it. Kowal brings her keen eye for historical detail and an impeccable sense of plotting to bear on a smart, exciting story that combines an accurately rendered World War I setting with occult flourishes.
RT Book Reviews: Once again, Kowal takes an innovative premise and executes it superbly, imaginatively marrying history with a fresh fantasy concept. Though the romance between Ginger and Ben is bittersweet, the story never becomes maudlin — in fact, it’s absolutely riveting. The story moves briskly as Ginger struggles to identify a spy in the English army, revealing itself as an engrossing amalgam of romance, historical fiction, fantasy and mystery. I only have one caution: When you start Ghost Talkers, clear your schedule — you won’t be able to put it down.
Publishers Weekly: When Dahlia Dutton’s father sends her and a small crew to salvage a house near Lookout Mountain, Tenn., she finds that what you don’t know can hurt you in Priest’s spectacular modern haunted-house story. Dahlia is no stranger to ghosts, whether she’s being emotionally haunted by a failed marriage or by the metaphorical spirits that linger in old buildings. The concept of home salvage disturbing ghosts is brilliant, and while common elements of haunted house stories are certainly present (a mysterious owner with family secrets, locked rooms, unnatural storms, etc.), Priest (Boneshaker) handles them with tremendous skill, putting the pieces together to keep the reader guessing and more than a little scared. The characters are given a compelling reason to stay (the family business will fail if this job falls through) and their interpersonal dynamics humanize them, making them more than just cannon fodder as the hauntings increase in severity. Priest has written an excellent modern house story from start to finish.
Tor.com: Lee knows that if the fate of the world is at stake, the reader has to care about that world, so he uses language as a way to reveal a beauty that can be found even in the depths of an interstellar war. He builds more in a couple of sentences than some authors manage in entire novels, and beautifully.
Chicago Tribune: Palmer’s most innovative strategy isn’t futuristic technology but rather the archaic and digressive 18th-century voice in which she (or Canner) has chosen to tell the tale. The result is a richly detailed, very odd future couched in language that recalls Henry Fielding more than Robert Heinlein (though there are occasional nods to science fiction along the way).