The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

I found this dreadfully dull.  It explored the history of Vlad Tepes, otherwise known as Dracula, but being that it was fiction I didn't expect it to read like a history textbook.  Which sadly it did.

The narrator is still under the care of her father when she discovers a mysterious book in his library. Drawn to it, she asks him about it and starts to learn of a terrible history.  One that is dangerous as well as intriguing and one that her father is anxious to be away from.  As a college student, he had come across the book in his stack at the library and upon researching it was thrust into a world where Vlad Tepes still existed and didn't want him delving into his secrets (or so it appeared).  Those researching had found their own books and met with mysterious fates and after the disappearance of a professor at his college, he makes the acquaintance of the man's daughter and they embark on a mission to find him.  But it won't be an easy one, as Vlad Tepes has a confusing history and there are plenty of people who don't want to see him succeed.

I can't say I really connected to any of the characters.  The narrator, despite being present a good portion of the time was not fleshed out and I didn't feel as if I knew what she wanted and what she was experiencing.  She more just told her father's story and at least there was a little more character development there, and on the part of her mother, but it still wasn't encompassing.  I found a lot of the side characters a lot more likable.  I also thought her somewhat guardian Barley, was unneeded and a distraction.  I thought he was there to provide a love interest, but it didn't seem like there was any follow through in that regard or deep meaning.

The plot itself could have been an interesting one  If it didn't stretch on so long that is.  I really did feel as if I was reading a history book, and I find the majority of those onerous at the best of times.  It's just hard to care when I'd rather know what happened and how the common people felt about something rather than being given endless dates, war strategies and the opinions and recollections of a few.  I also thought the ending was quite anticlimactic and it seemed rushed when the rest of the novel went at a drag.  Better pacing would have greatly improved this novel and helped make it more appealing.  As it stands, it was a book I had to read in many sittings simply because I couldn't get absorbed into it.  And considering it is a hefty book, that makes for a lot of sittings.

Not for me.  Maybe if you like dates, names, and other trappings of a history textbook you'll enjoy this piece of fiction.  But for me, unless I'm reading non-fiction, a fiction book should be more approachable.

The Historian
Copyright 2005
642 pages

Not In Kansas Anymore by Christine Wicker

I wanted to give this book five stars just because the author used the word "kairos" in it. But sadly I had to actually review it on all of its merits, not just the particular use of a word. And having read Wicker's "Lily Dale" I had high expectations going into this book that just weren't fulfilled.

Not In Kansas Anymore attempts to explain how magic is invading America (or maybe already has been completely submersed in the culture). Wicker travels around the country attending parties of vampires, meetings of hoodooists, ceremonies of Wiccans and talking to people who have some kind of belief in magic, magical beings, or spiritualism outside of the realm of mainstream religions. Throughout the book she intersperses history telling the tale of the founder of Wicca, several notable historical figures who dabbled in alchemy or other magical pursuits, and the persecution of those associated with magic. But in reality, most of this book read like a memoir telling of Wicker's own experiences and her feelings towards the different types of magic.

This book is Wicker-centric. That means she is telling you how she feels about the magic and how she experiences it. While at the same time telling you she's a skeptic and doesn't believe anything about it. Since I thought this was going to be more following her line of work as a journalist, it wasn't something I expected because I figured she'd just report on what she observed and not inflict her own bias on the information. She also seeks out some really strange characters in all of these magical realms. It's not the everyday people that you would actually be curious about how they like magic, but rather the ones that dress in full goth or parade themselves as magical beings. I more wanted to hear about the secretive ones. Still, she does get some good stories out of these outrageous people.

This book didn't change any of my thoughts on magic, spiritualism and other such things. Since I read it as a memoir and history book it just didn't provide evidence for me one way or the other because I wasn't sure of the validity of the narrator. The writing in this book was very choppy compared to some of her other works too. It bounced all over the place. Instead of being laid out in chapters such as "Hoodoo", "Vampires", etc. it was laid out in themes such as "Weird Looking People" or "Werewolves Just Want To Have Fun." Ok, so those sound like they are about a specific thing, but really hoodoo pops up in nearly every chapter as does Wicca and a few other things. There's no streamlining too it and it's disorienting. I would have preferred she separate her subject so we don't get used to reading about one thing, then start reading about another, and then all of a sudden we're back to the first thing again. And the subtitle of the book "A Curious Tale of How Magic Is Transforming America" is a bit misleading because it had more history and things that happened in previous decades than what is going on in the more recent decades (aside from Wicker's own experiences that is).

Lily Dale was a great book. This one was not. I can't say that I enjoyed it very much and I was really hoping too as the premise sounded intriguing. It won't put me off of Wicker's books entirely, but I really hope any future ones are more written like Lily Dale than Not In Kansas Anymore.

Not In Kansas Anymore
Copyright 2005
264 pages + sources

Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison

This was a pretty entertaining book.  I won't say it was the best written out there, but it certainly kept me interested and was one of those great books that goes well with a bubble bath and a glass of wine.  And it's the first in a series, which means that there is more of this entertainment to be had.

Rachel is a runner for the IS (Inderland Security) a somewhat police force that monitors the magical realm of things as opposed to the human's FIB (Federal Inderlander Bureau) and is generally made up of such magical beings as witches and vampires.  Rachel herself is a witch, and due to a series of not so great assignment, she's ready to quit.  To her surprise, Ivy, a vampire hotshot in the Security also wants to force, but once that happens a price can be placed on their heads, and Rachel has to stay alive long enough to figure a way out of her contract.

Rachel is an ok character.  A bit too brash and she has trouble thinking things through sometimes.  But I guess that makes her realistic.  Her love interest, Nick, I didn't care for too much.  I think he just reeks of trouble and I couldn't find too many good qualities about him.  Ivy was one of the better characters.  She gets mad a little too often but she's more level-headed and seemed the stronger of the two girls.  Jenks, the pixie, was a lot of fun at least and I enjoyed reading about him and his family.  The bad guys weren't even too bad in this.  They had a  mysterious quality about them and that kept things interesting.  I just wish more time had been spent on Rachel making her a well-rounded character.  As it was she just had a few extremes and that's what made her.

The plot was decent.  There was a lot of action and the book was constantly moving and things were always being done.  I don't think Rachel ever sat still except for when she was hurt.  Which was somewhat unbelievable, but oh well.  I did enjoy all the different mytsical type beings coming together and thought that the explanation for how the world turned out the way it did was well thought out.  I would have liked to have more detail, but at least I got a good giggle out of how a genetically modified tomato is what started the who downward cycle of the human race.  And people wonder why I eat organic.  There's no sex in this book bu there is some romance.  And with Ivy being a vampire there's a bit of tension between her and Rachel, but I thought it was an intriguing way to develop their working relationship.  There is also violence in this book and magic and a myriad of other things that some people don't like, but then again those people probably shouldn't be reading a book with "witch" in the title.

Very entertaining and I'll be sure to read the next one when I come across it.  It seems like this is a great series for fun, light reading.

Dead Witch Walking
Copyright 2004
416 pages