dalnewt wrote:
I just finished
Never Knew Another. I love the immediacy and flow of the prose in this book. It was an entrancing read for me. Plus, there's a metaphorical punch to this book that goes far beyond fantasy. (See Paul Goat Allen's blog review The Ripple Effect: J.M. McDermott’s Newest Fantasy Packs One Helluva Thematic Wallop.)
IMO, all fiction readers will enjoy this book. For me, the story revealed, in an extremely palpable way, the experience of living as a sentient being in a hostile and unforgiving world.
The book doesn't define the world it creates. Instead, it vividly paints that semi-medieval world through the characters. The book is narrated by a wolfskin wearing Walker who can shape-shift into a wolf. Accompanied by her 'Walker' husband, she hunts for half-demons.
The book starts with that unnamed Walker and her mated husband coming across the corpse of a half-demon dressed in the uniform of the King's Guard. Demon-children are toxic. Their blood, saliva, tears and sweat cause the immediate death of plants, and their taint may result in animal and human death. The corpse pollutes the ground upon which it rests. It is the duty of the Walkers to hunt demon-children and deliver them to the local authorities for burning at the stake. Plus, they are charged with the responsibility of purifying, often by burning, any place that has absorbed the demon taint.
Walkers also have the ability to incorporate the memories of the dead, and the narrator does so in order to determine if this dead demon-child knew any others like himself. It's a bit macabre but fascinating as she prepares the skull of the dead man, named Corporal Jona, for transport. As the book proceeds, she accesses Jona's life memories which causes the narrative to change to a third person account of his life in a city identified by the Walkers as Dogsland. Jona's life memories are visceral and moving. Initially his isolation, frustration and brutish violence come through, but gradually a flicker of hope and, perhaps, love emerges.
As the Walker follows the trail of Jona's memories in Dogsland, she becomes aware of two other demon-children, a woman named Rachel Nolander who has lived in squalid circumstances with her fully human brother and a short-memoried thief named Salvatore. When she catches the scent of Rachel and Salvatore, she is able to glimpse their memories as well. The narrative transitions from the short first person accounts of the Walker's hunt through Dogsland and the third-person narratives of the lives of Jona, Rachel and, to a lesser extent, Salvatore.
The bottom line is that this book does what good fiction is suppose to. It initially mesmerizes you, then it makes you think. This is the first book in a trilogy. I'll be reading the second book
Thanks dainewt, I'll check it out. And thanks for sharing
Jimcolombo wrote:
Hi to all,
And thanks to Debbie for starting a thread for new books. I can see that there are a lot of book lovers, and I recognize quite a few names. Wonderful! Thanks to Deb for giving me a chance to alert her subscribers that my novel The Keys to the Vault is now available as an Nook Book. It is available right here at Barnes and Noble!
I'm busy writing a follow up for Caroline's first adventure. I'll keep everyone informed.
Let's have a wonderful day and read! read! read!!!
Jim
Jim congrats on you nook book
and I can't wait to see what Caroline is up to next 
Here's a thought for the holidays, either to read yourself or give as a gift. It's 99 cents through the rest of the year....
What readers are saying so far on the BN site:
Great read
This author writes a great mystery. Moves right along. Have read all her books and have love them all
Great read
Really great short read for a cold wintery night
Suspenseful to the max
Very good mystery, I love the writing style of this author. She brings depth to the characters and develops a very realistic storyline that kept me on edge. Loved it.
Loved this!
Great psychological suspense...couldn't put this down.
Great book, especially for the holidays!
This really suspenseful thriller revolves around a family at the holidays. The plot builds to a boil in this exciting book.
KatiaLief wrote:
Here's a thought for the holidays, either to read yourself or give as a gift. It's 99 cents through the rest of the year....
What readers are saying so far on the BN site:
Great read
This author writes a great mystery. Moves right along. Have read all her books and have love them all
Great read
Really great short read for a cold wintery night
Suspenseful to the max
Very good mystery, I love the writing style of this author. She brings depth to the characters and develops a very realistic storyline that kept me on edge. Loved it.
Loved this!
Great psychological suspense...couldn't put this down.
Great book, especially for the holidays!
This really suspenseful thriller revolves around a family at the holidays. The plot builds to a boil in this exciting book.
Hi Katia, It's good to see you on General Fiction, I know you hang out at Mystery. so Welcome and wow, what a great deal.
I hope to see you again on the forum.
Look gang a great stocking stuffer
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE
Tomorrow is my birthday so I'm doing my final holiday pitch today for WATERBURY: a holiday crime novel. What do you think of the brand new cover design?
Hope you mystery lovers download your copy today, or give one as a gift. It's only 99 cents!
What Nook readers are saying so far:
Great read
This author writes a great mystery. Moves right along. Have read all her books and have love them all
Great read
Really great short read for a cold wintery night
Suspenseful to the max
Very good mystery, I love the writing style of this author. [/b][/color]She brings depth to the characters and develops a very realistic storyline that kept me on edge. Loved it.
Loved this!
Great psychological suspense...couldn't put this down
Great book, especially for the holidays!
This really suspenseful thriller revolves around a family at the holidays. The plot builds to a boil in this exciting book.
here is my spoiler free review:
When Jake went back in time, I went with him. I slipped into an era of simpler times and yet an era filled with segregation, fear and prejudice. With a stroke of a pen, King paints a vivid picture. He takes us back to Derry in the years after IT. I totally loved the references to his prior novels. It's so typical of the King to add these little treats for fans. As Jake alters events from the past, strange things begin happening.You begin to feel uneasy as the timeline tries to prevent Jake from changing it. I loved the people in the town of Jodie Texas, and would have enjoyed living there. The romance between Jake and Sadie, was romantic and genuine. I shed tears for them both. My only complaint was the sappy ending. I am not sure why King felt the need to wrap it up in a cute little bow.
kimba88 wrote:
here is my spoiler free review:
I received 11/22/63 from Klout as a perk. As a life long fan of Stephen King, I was delighted. I have read all of King’s work and can honestly say I have enjoyed them all. Some of my favorites were theTalisman written with Peter Straub, Lawnmower Man, It, the Gunslinger and my personal favorite theStand. 11/22/63 is a breathtaking glimpse at one of the most talked about events in US History and the era in which it occurred. King’s research on the subject is evident, as he accurately details the past. Being a fan of sci-fi and Dr. Who, I found the subject of time travel and its effects fascinating.I love the way King draws you into a story and doesn’t let you go until the end. Despite that fact that his novels are long, I continually find myself sadden at how quickly they come to an end. The protagonist Jake Epping is a likable English teacher, who cares about his students and friends. He is drawn into time travel by a dying friend. I absolutely loved the way King explained the trips back, the effects and the characters he created there. The transformation from Jake to George Amberson was incredible. The character growth and personality changes were very believable. King's ability to take us into the psyche of his characters never ceases to amaze me.
When Jake went back in time, I went with him. I slipped into an era of simpler times and yet an era filled with segregation, fear and prejudice. With a stroke of a pen, King paints a vivid picture. He takes us back to Derry in the years after IT. I totally loved the references to his prior novels. It's so typical of the King to add these little treats for fans. As Jake alters events from the past, strange things begin happening.You begin to feel uneasy as the timeline tries to prevent Jake from change it. I loved the people in the town of Jodie Texas, and would have enjoyed living there. The romance between Jake and Sadie, was romantic and genuine. I shed tears for them both. My only complaint was the sappy ending. I am not sure why King felt the need to wrap it up in a cute little bow.Classifying this book was difficult, its historical fiction, a romance and a science fiction/fantasy. While it’s not a true horror story, it has elements of horror and parts of it scared me. I have been walking around repeating creepy phrases and quoting lines from the book. I highly recommend this to any reader; as it has elements that will please everyone.
Kimba, thank you from the bottom of my heart for this reiveiw. I just got a copy from a friend who doesn't have time right now to read it and wondered if I'd like to read it next week during my vacation. Now I'm definitely reading it.
Happy New Year
