Unseen Academicals (Discworld, #37)

Unseen Academicals
by Terry Pratchett
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 9780385609340
Series: Discworld #37
Publication Date: January 1, 2009
Pages: 400
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Doubleday

Football has come to the ancient city of Ankh-Morpork. And now, the wizards of Unseen University must win a football match, without using magic, so they're in the mood for trying everything else. This is not going to be a gentleman's game.

The prospect of the Big Match draws in a street urchin with a wonderful talent for kicking a tin can, a maker of jolly good pies, a dim but beautiful young woman, who might just turn out to be the greatest fashion model there has ever been, and the mysterious Mr Nutt (and no one knows anything much about Mr Nutt, not even Mr Nutt). As the match approaches, four lives are entangled and changed for ever. Because the thing about football - the important thing about football - is that it is not just about football. Here we go! Here we go! Here we go!

Every time I start reading a Pratchett, I always ask myself why? Then I get 20 pages or so in, and ahhh, yes, that’s why. MT asked me what about his writing made the beginning such an obvious struggle when I end up laughing myself stupid through the rest, and I think – for this book at least – it’s because he starts with so many random bits. I never quite know where he’s headed or what’s necessarily important, and it makes my brain ache.

But it’s generally worth the ache, as it was with this one. Unseen Academicals, even though it’s about football, or foot-the-ball, as it’s known in Ankh Morpork, and soccer everywhere outside Europe and the UK, was possibly the … earthiest, in terms of humor and innuendo, of all the Pratchett’s I’ve read so far. It was hilarious, and there were a few parts about the football that I had to read to MT. Pratchett nails both the lunacy, and I suppose, the community of fanatical sports.

Underneath all that though, were rather endearing stories about 4 different people who start out only tangentially acquainted through work (although Glenda and Julia grew up together), but who come together to help the Unseen University build a football team, and consequently find their dreams.

This felt like a very sympathetic, dare I say, romantic?, Pratchett, and it was one of the few where I became invested in the characters’ outcomes. Oddly, I’m not sure how I feel about Mr. Nutt’s resolution. I think I’d have liked his ending more if Pratchett hadn’t turned him into a future hero. Regardless, he was my favourite of the four. The wizards got all the best lines, though.

When I started, I feared it was going to take me an age to finish, but once I got past the randomness and the story coalesced, I really did not want to put it down.

I read this for Halloween Bingo 2022’s Dark Academia square, as the book takes place entirely at the Unseen University. It would also work for Gallows Humor, oddly enough, Monsters might work (Mr. Nutt’s potential), Spellbound, and Sword & Sorcery.

The Cat Who Saved Books

The Cat Who Saved Books
by Louise Heal Kawai (Translator), Sosuke Natsukawa
Rating: ★★★★½
isbn: 9780063095724
Publication Date: December 7, 2021
Pages: 198
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: HarperVia

Bookish high school student Rintaro Natsuki is about to close the secondhand bookstore he inherited from his beloved bookworm grandfather. Then, a talking cat appears with an unusual request. The feline asks for—or rather, demands—the teenager’s help in saving books with him. The world is full of lonely books left unread and unloved, and the cat and Rintaro must liberate them from their neglectful owners.

Their mission sends this odd couple on an amazing journey, where they enter different mazes to set books free. Through their travels, the cat and Rintaro meet a man who leaves his books to perish on a bookshelf, an unwitting book torturer who cuts the pages of books into snippets to help people speed read, and a publishing drone who only wants to create bestsellers. Their adventures culminate in one final, unforgettable challenge—the last maze that awaits leads Rintaro down a realm only the bravest dare enter . . .

An enthralling tale of books, first love, fantasy, and an unusual friendship with a talking cat, The Cat Who Saved Books is a story for those for whom books are so much more than words on paper.

I have no idea how I discovered this book – I know I read about it somewhere online, and I thought it was here, but I can find no reference to it, so I’ll just throw out a ‘Thank you!’ to the universe at large for putting this book in my path.

Saying that, the title is a little misleading; I’d argue that the cat does not save the books, but is merely a guide for the teen-aged boy who does save the books. Since I don’t speak Japanese beyond ‘arigato’ I can’t say if this is a translation issue or a marketing one.

As I was reading, two thoughts stayed with me: the first was that this book had a definite Wrinkle in Time vibe – which should be taken with a grain of salt, because I never liked that book, so the parallel is likely tenuous – and second, the philosophy that props this book up feels far more Franciscan than Zen. The translator’s notes at the end point out the so-obvious-I-missed-it connection to Greek mythology and it’s labyrinth, so who knows what connections each reader of this book will make? And I think that’s one of the points this book makes – each reader takes what they need from every book they need, and rarely do two people need the same things.

As a story, it’s an engaging one; a little sweet, a little naive from a Western viewpoint (I’m assuming school attendance laws are laxer in Japan? And perhaps too emancipation laws?), but it’s also a fantasy, so some slack needs to be cut, but not all that much. Rintaro’s life in his grandfather’s bookshop sounds like heaven to me, even without the talking cat; Tiger the Tabby just made it even better. But the ideas addressed about books and the people that love them are anything but sweet and naive, and for book lovers, there’s some deeply fundamental stuff going on just under the surface.

The book seemingly wants to end after the 3rd labyrinth, when suddenly a fourth one is tacked on – and it feels tacked on. At first I resented this … addendum, because it felt like it was pandering and gilding the lily, so to speak, not to mention the ill-fitting ‘save the damsel’ conceit of it. But I have to not only concede that it worked, but that 1/2 star in my rating is for Natsukawa’s cleverness. I like what he did there, in spite of the way he framed it. The ambiguity of who is at the centre of the fourth labyrinth is delicious – I have my suspicions, but so will others that read this book, and I doubt any of us would agree and none of us would be wrong. I love it when that happens!

The Witch’s Vacuum Cleaner

The Witch's Vacuum Cleaner
by Terry Pratchett
Rating: ★★★★½
isbn: 9780857534835
Publication Date: August 25, 2016
Pages: 388
Genre: Children's Fiction, Fantasy
Publisher: Penguin Random House

Do you believe in magic?

Can you imagine a war between wizards, a rebellious ant called 4179003, or a time-travelling television?

Can you imagine that poor old Mr Swimble could see a mysterious vacuum cleaner in the morning, and make cheese sandwiches and yellow elephants magically appear by the afternoon?

Welcome to the wonderful world of Sir Terry Pratchett, and fourteen fantastically funny tales from the master storyteller. Bursting from these pages are food fights, pirates, bouncing rabbits and magical pigeons.

And a witch riding a vacuum cleaner, of course.

Long before Terry Pratchett became Terry Pratchett! he was a journalist for the Buck’s Free Press, writing short stories for their Children’s Circle. This is a collection of some of those short stories, enhanced with illustrations by Mark Beech. It also includes commentary after each story by a Suzanne Bridson, though I’d not include that as an enhancement.

I found the stories charming in a Roald Dahl way, except I suspect Pratchett of imagination, whereas I sort of suspect Dahl of LSD abuse. They were funny, witty and there are hidden references to LOTR, C.S. Lewis’ work, and hilarious homages to the Wild West, including Maverick. As I read, I kept thinking my nieces would find these fun, if I could get them to just try a story or two (they’re reaching that age when the tastes of all adults tank and can’t be trusted), and I must bring the collection to the attention of my sister-in-law who insists that teaching small children is fun.

The commentary was meh and in my opinion, skippable. Bridson is, I’m assuming, aiming it at the stories’ audiences, and it’s obviously meant to steer them towards the full novels. The comparisons she points out are the obvious ones, and she ignores almost all of the careful nuances and subtle wordplay that I appreciated most.

My edition is the slipcased one shown and it’s beautiful. Inside I found it included a full colour illustration from Mark Beech, on postcard sized stock, slipped between the pages, a pleasant bonus.

Bee Sting Cake (Greenwing and Dart, #2)

Bee Sting Cake
by Victoria Goddard
Rating: ★★★½
isbn: 9781988908014
Series: Greenwing & Dart #2
Publication Date: January 1, 2017
Pages: 305
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Publisher: Underhill Books

Magic is out of fashion. Gambling is merely illegal. Neither law nor common sense has ever stopped anyone in Ragnor Bella from making-or breaking-their fortunes at the table, at the racetrack, and especially at the Dartington Harvest Fair.

With Mad Jack Greenwing's only son Jemis finally back from university, this year's betting is bidding fair to be the stuff of legend. Jemis assumes the speculative glances are for his inherited notoriety (and, perhaps, his adventurous first weekend back in town), and is determined to do nothing more than a little light wagering at the Fair. Perhaps one footrace. The odds on his placing are remarkably high-but the real bets are whether he makes it to the starting line at all.

Lost heirs. Botanizing dukes. Riddling dragons. High Gothic melodrama. And all that's just to get his name in the race.

Thanks again go to Tannat for bringing this series to my attention. It’s not without flaws, but it’s a delightfully fun read in spite of them.

The two biggest flaws, up front, are incredibly poor copyediting, leaving some sentences in need of decipherment, and a few purely nonsensical, and a brand new paperback copy that was so poorly perfect bound that I had at least 3 pages fall out as I read. They’re print on demand, but I have quite a few other POD books and none of them fell apart on first read or subsequent re-reads.

I know there are smaller flaws in the story itself, but I can’t really bring them to mind; I read for enjoyment, and enjoyment is what I got out of this book. Sinking into it after a particularly bad day of rehab was exactly the antidote I needed to distract me from the pain in my leg and my eggplant coloured – and shaped – foot. So, you know, bonus points for that.

I particularly like the way the author strung the resolutions to the differing plot lines throughout the book, and of the story lines, the one concerning the bees was my favourite. The introduction of Jemis’ university roommate, Hal, was welcome and I liked the chemistry between Jemis, Hal and Mr. Dart (Perry). I loved that there was a significantly reduced volume of sneezing, but would have appreciated even more a likewise reduction in the wallowing – Jemis needs to get over it. All of it.

I’ve ordered the third book, and I’m looking forward to continuing the series, although I feel like it’s inevitable that there will be a book about Jemis facing Lark, which I plan on skipping. Hopefully it will be better constructed that this one.

The Stranger Times (Stranger Times #1)

The Stranger Times
by C.K. McDonnell
Rating: ★★★★½
isbn: 9780552177344
Series: Stranger Times #1
Publication Date: January 6, 2022
Pages: 425
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Books

There are dark forces at work in our world (and in Manchester in particular), so thank God The Stranger Times is on hand to report them . . .

A weekly newspaper dedicated to the weird and the wonderful (but mostly the weird), it is the go-to publication for the unexplained and inexplicable.

At least that's their pitch. The reality is rather less auspicious. Their editor is a drunken, foul-tempered and foul-mouthed husk of a man who thinks little of the publication he edits. His staff are a ragtag group of misfits. And as for the assistant editor . . . well, that job is a revolving door - and it has just revolved to reveal Hannah Willis, who's got problems of her own.

When tragedy strikes in her first week on the job The Stranger Times is forced to do some serious investigating. What they discover leads to a shocking realisation: some of the stories they'd previously dismissed as nonsense are in fact terrifyingly real. Soon they come face-to-face with darker forces than they could ever have imagined.

Ok, I wasn’t sure I’d like this, but it was a lot of fun.

I’m always drawn to stories about a ‘ragtag band of misfits’ (I love The Awkward Squad series and am anxious for a third one to be published in translation), and the premise of a newspaper dedicated to the weird and wonderful happenings in the world was a definite draw. But I know nothing about C.K. McDonnell, and though I thoroughly enjoy the dry British sense of humour, I was hesitant about what a male comedian might do with it. Let’s face it: the British can do great ha-ha humor, but they also excel in humor with a nasty, violent edge to it.

I needn’t have worried. There’s an edginess to the writing that’s reminiscent of Guy Ritchies early movies (Snatch) but it’s balanced with laugh-out-loud moments more reminiscent of Yes, Prime Minister. There were excerpts I couldn’t help but read out loud to MT, leaving him a bit miffed; he has no tolerance for the supernatural in his reading, otherwise he’d be reading this next.

The story bounces between the staff at the newspaper and the doings of the shady American in town, the former completely in the dark about what’s going on, and the latter driving them. It all dovetails into a climax that’s awfully close to a Scooby Doo episode, but it was all good fun.

The writing was good, but McDonnell excels at the dialog, which is acerbic, crackling and fast-paced. There’s a second book out, This Charming Man and I eyed it when I bought this one, but decided to be cautious. I had a feeling I’d regret that, and now I’m off to find out how soon I can get my hands on it.

Crowbones (World of the Others, #3)

Crowbones
by Anne Bishop
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 9780593337332
Series: The World of the Others #3
Publication Date: March 8, 2022
Pages: 368
Genre: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Ace

Note: While this is book 3 in the series called The World of the Others, it’s a direct sequel to book 1, Lake Silence. Book 2, Wild Country, is set in a different location in the same world.

4 stars is the lowest I’ve rated any of the books in Bishop’s Others or World of the Others series. Crowbones was good – really good – but not as nearly as compelling as most of the titles.

In part, this might have been because I’d read the jacket flap, which has never been an issue before. But this time it left me with the impression that this story was going to have a locked-room mystery vibe to it, and it didn’t, at all. That’s not a bad thing, and there are murders to be solved, but it jarred with my expectations for the first third of the book. I’d have been better off reading it blind, so to speak.

This book also felt more human-centric in focus than any of the previous books. I can’t actually say it was, I’m just not left with the usual feeling I get from these books: that I’ve visited another reality where humans are only bit players with big ambitions. The others didn’t seem to exude their usual air of menace and, hardly ever had to fight the urge not to eat the annoying humans. I don’t know a thing about Anne Bishop – I’m not the type to research my authors, or visit fan sites, but I get an impression that the MC, Vicki, has a touch of the autobiographical about her. I have less than nothing to base that on; she just reads as though she comes from a very personal place. Whether that’s good or bad depends on your perspective, I guess. I liked that she had no problem laughing at herself, and that she recognised where her anxiety stemmed from, but she also made me roll my eyes more than a few times.

Neither of those things are complaints, really, although I’d have liked to see more large-scale smackdowns. Given that I’ve re-read every one of the other books in both series and every time found something more to like, it may be that once I re-read this one I’ll pick up different nuances I missed this time. Whether I do or not, I really enjoyed Crowbones and my brief holiday in the world of the Others. Call me crazy, but this is a world I’d happily live in.

Liz Hedgecock Magical Bookshop Books 1 and 2

Elentarri first brought these novellas to my attention and they sounded like fun.

Every Trick in the Book
by Liz Hedgecock
Rating: ★★★
Series: Magical Bookshop Novellas #1
Publication Date: August 4, 2020
Pages: 200
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Self-published

Turning over a new leaf doesn’t always go according to plan...

When Jemma James takes a job at Burns Books, the second-worst secondhand bookshop in London, she finds her ambition to turn it around thwarted at every step. Raphael, the owner, is more interested in his newspaper than sales. Folio the bookshop cat has it in for Jemma, and the shop itself appears to have a mind of its own. Or is it more than that?

Gradually Jemma starts to make a difference ... and then the anonymous letters start arriving. Who is behind them, and why?

As the threats escalate, and the shop becomes increasingly turbulent, Jemma and Raphael must work together to find the culprit. And what else will Jemma find in her investigations?

Every Trick In The Book is the first in the Magical Bookshop humorous mystery series, set in modern London.

The first book in the series, I was a little stumped, at first, as to what the actual plot of the story was going to be, as a lot of it was setup: Jemma losing her job, stumbling across Burns’ Books (perversely fabulous name), and finding a job at the quirky and odd bookshop. I immediately liked Raphael, loved Folio (the cat) and found Jemma irritating, as I think she was meant to be. The plot of the story doesn’t come until a bit past the halfway mark, and felt a bit rushed, but I enjoyed getting there, and I enjoyed watching Raphael squash Jemma’s constant attempts at being a corporate drone. The ending left off with a cool discovery that’s not properly described to the reader, so I was grateful to have the second one already queue’d up.

Brought to Book
by Liz Hedgecock
Rating: ★★★
Series: Magical Bookshop Novellas #2
Publication Date: September 15, 2020
Pages: 160
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Self-published

Not all new brooms sweep clean…

Business is booming at Burns Books — so much so that Jemma and Raphael hire a new assistant. And that’s when things start to go wrong.

Luke’s helpful, he’s knowledgeable, and the customers like him. So why is the shop up to its old tricks, and a few new ones? And what's the matter with Folio?

Jemma and Carl take it upon themselves to investigate, and end up finding out a lot more than they bargained for. Will working at the bookshop ever be the same again?

Brought To Book is the second in the Magical Bookshop humorous mystery series, set in modern London

The plot of this one kicks off a lot sooner, although magical or not, the bookstore’s turnaround felt completely unrealistic. Still, I wasn’t reading the story for the realism, which is fortunate, because while the first book could have been arguably magical realism, this novella is firmly in fantasy territory, with the introduction of new characters and magical world-building with a loose structure and rules, both of which are tested, which leaves Jemma stumped, Folio diminished, and Raphael in an angry panic. I thought the climax cleverly done and overall the story was fun.

There’s a few more books in the series, and I’ve got them on the list for future reads when I want to dip into something fun, frothy, and frivolous.

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London

The Left-Handed Booksellers of London
by Garth Nix
Rating: ★★★
isbn: 9781760631246
Publication Date: September 1, 2020
Pages: 374
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Allen & Unwin

Eighteen-year-old art student Susan Arkshaw arrives in London in search of her father. But before she can question crime boss Frank Thringley he's turned to dust by the prick of a silver hatpin in the hands of the outrageously attractive Merlin.

Merlin is one of the youngest members of a secret society of booksellers with magical powers who police the mythic Old World wherever it impinges on the New World - in addition to running several bookshops, of course! Merlin also has a quest of his own: to find the Old World entity who arranged the murder of his mother.

Their investigations attract attention from enemies of the Old and New Worlds. Soon they become involved in an even more urgent task to recover the grail that is the source of the left-handed booksellers' power, before it is used to destroy the booksellers and rouse the hordes of the mythic past. As the search for the grail becomes strangely intertwined with both their quests, they start to wonder… Is Susan's long-lost father a bookseller, or something altogether more mysterious?

I think I’m being unduly harsh on this book. I bought it on the strength of the title and the blurb, but when it arrived I discovered Nix is an Australian author. I have a very sketchy relationship with Australian fiction; sketchy as in ‘I rarely like it’. But still, it sounded so good…

… and I almost DNF’d it on the second page of the prologue. The writing was too too. Too flowery, or verbose, or trying too hard. Maybe all of the above. Still, it seemed a little harsh and judgy and I paid for the damn book. The start of chapter 1 was not encouraging either. I have an aversion to numbered lists and the one on page 8 (the only one, thankfully) screamed of pretentious, or overly precocious, writing.

Still, aware of my bias, I persevered, and by the end of chapter 1, the writing had evened way out, and the story had found its footing. I found myself drawn in by the characters, cheeky though Merlin is (I don’t think we’re meant to believe he’s the Merlin, just of, perhaps, his lineage). I still think the author tried to hard to be relevant and current, while writing a book placed in an alternate early 1980’s, but that also fades away as the story progresses. By about 1/3 of the way in, I was left with what the story should have been all along – a rather entertaining fantasy adventure written for the late teen readers – or at least the characters are all late teens. The book won an Aussie book award for “older children”, which to me is NOT late teens, but early teens. I’d easily give this to my 12 year old niece to read, though some of the innuendo might fly past her unnoticed. Or not.

I was disappointed by the lack of time spent in actual bookstores. Considering 2 or the 3 main characters are book-sellers and 8 out of 10 of the rest are as well, there was only 1 scene that took place inside bookshops. The rest is a series of attacks, kidnapping attempts, and general mayhem that starts and ends in London, taking in the Lake District in the process. It was fun, but entirely lacking in bookstores.

I suppose the ending was predictable, but not so much as to dim the journey getting there. I have no idea of this book was meant to be a standalone, or the start of a new series, but it’s obviously left open to be one, even though no dangling threads remain. If a second book is published, I’d likely read it. I found the characters endearing, and maybe in the next book, they might spend time in the actual bookshops.

The God of Lost Words (Hell’s Library, #2)

The God of Lost Words
by A.J. Hackwith
Rating: ★★★
isbn: 9781984806413
Series: Hell's Library #3
Publication Date: November 2, 2021
Pages: 353
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Ace

Claire, rakish Hero, angel Rami, and muse-turned-librarian Brevity have accomplished the impossible by discovering the true nature of unwritten books. But now that the secret is out, in its quest for power Hell will be coming for every wing of the Library.

To protect the Unwritten Wing and stave off the insidious reach of Malphas, one of Hell’s most bloodthirsty generals, Claire and her friends will have to decide how much they’re willing to sacrifice to keep their vulnerable corner of the afterlife. Succeeding would mean rewriting the nature of the Library, but losing would mean obliteration. Their only chance at survival lies in outwitting Hell and writing a new chapter for the Library. Luckily, Claire and her friends know how the right story, told well, can start a revolution.

Pfft. When I read the first book of this trilogy, I had high hopes, even though I had a problem connecting with the main character. There was so much to love in the first book. The second book was blah; I still didn’t connect with the main character, and worse still the rest of the characters went flat for me as well, and I’d intended to stop after 2. And then I found out it was planned as a trilogy, so there was only one more book and the completist in me reared her stubborn head.

I should have smacked her and told her to shut it. Everything went wobbly for me in this one and by the midway point, I found myself irritated by little things that in a book I was enjoying I’d have glossed over. Nothing about the story development surprised me or delighted me. 2/3s of the way in, the author’s efforts at inclusivity, while admirable, often left me stumbling over the text and the pronouns.

Also admirable was the author’s obvious passion for stories and her desire to share with the reader the necessity of stories to the human experience, but she got way too mushy about it for my tastes – and I had to laugh, because in the Acknowledgments she admits that she wrote this book during the lockdowns, leading her to be mushier than usual and apologising not at all the us cynics.

Towards the end, she skirts with breaking the fourth wall, which I generally don’t mind, but it seemed like she was espousing a brand of atheism almost directly to the reader, which I do mind. I like her alternate philosophy as a construct for a story, but draw the line there.

I still stand by the beauty of the story’s premise; I just couldn’t connect fully with the characters and despite my willingness, failed to be drawn in by this particular story. But the completist in my is happy to know how it ends, and rests easy.

A Swift and Savage Tide (Captain Kit Brightling, #2)

A Swift and Savage Tide
by Chloe Neill
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 9781984806703
Series: Captain Kit Brightling #2
Publication Date: November 30, 2021
Pages: 342
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Publisher: Berkley

Captain Kit Brightling is Aligned to the magic of the sea, which makes her an invaluable asset to the Saxon Isles and its monarch, Queen Charlotte. The Isles and its allies will need every advantage they can get: Gerard Rousseau, the former Gallic emperor and scourge of the Continent, has escaped his island prison to renew his quest for control of the Continent.

Gerard has no qualms about using dangerous magic to support his ambitions, so Kit and the crew of her ship, the Diana, are the natural choice to find him—and help stop him. But then Kit’s path unexpectedly crosses with that of the dashing and handsome Rian Grant, Viscount Queenscliffe, who’s working undercover on the Continent in his own efforts to stop Gerard. And he’s not the only person Kit is surprised to see. An old enemy has arisen, and the power he’ll wield on Gerard’s behalf is beautiful and terrible. Sparks will fly and sails will flutter as Kit and crew are cast into the seas of adventure to fight for queen and country.

I read the first in this series purely on the strength of how much I enjoy Neill’s other series; the premise of this one didn’t appeal to me on the surface, but so many of my UF series have either finished, or just take a long tome between books. I’m glad I did – I really enjoyed the first one, and when I saw this one was out, I snatched it up.

A Swift and Savage Tide takes up where A Bright and Breaking Sea left off. The easiest way to describe the premise is to call it an alternate reality where magic exists but is banned from use; Napoleon by any other name is still Napoleon, and the Great Briton by any other name is still the UK. In this reality, women are equals to men on the sea, and captain Kit Brightling is a well respected and daring captain of the Diana. Or course there’s a romantic interest, and of course he’s a Viscount, but he’s a reluctant one (of course) and more interested in serving his queen in his capacity of Colonel in the army, but his intelligence work puts him on the Diana and he and Kit have to work together to hunt down a threat they thought was dead before he destroys the Queen’s navy and invades.

There’s nothing deep here, except perhaps the sea they sail on. It’s just a rollicking good time, with likeable characters, a decent plot, and the kind of well-written atmosphere one can escape into and lose some time in. As with all Neill’s series, I enjoy the camaraderie the characters share, and healthy relationships abound, with a delightful lack of nemesis’. I was sorry when it ended, and I hope it won’t be too long before the third one comes out.