Review: Scarlet (Lunar Chronicles 02) by Marissa Meyer

Book form: pdf
Genre: YA sci-fi/fantasy
Target audience: fans of modern fairy tale retellings

The first part of the series, Cinder was reviewed by me some time ago; my review can be found here. If you haven't read that one you might be mildly spoiled by the synopsis - consider yourself warned.

Synopsis

When young Scarlet Benoit gets a message informing her that the police officially closed the investigation concerning her missing grandmother she is really angry. She decides to take the matters into her hands and go find the elderly lady on her own. While looking for possible clues she meets a young street fighter, Wolf whose hand is adorned by a strange numeric tattoo. Soon enough it becomes obvious that Wolf may have information as to her grandmother's whereabouts. Scarlet is loath to trust a complete stranger but he is the only one who knows something and is willing to help. They travel to Paris by train and during that journey Scarlet finds herselfs inexplicably drawn to Wolf, and he to her (translation: after a very short period of teenage awkwardness they make out like mad bunnies).

Meanwhile Cinder (her full story was told in the first part) has broken out of the space prison, helped by one Carswell Thorne - a thief, a womanizer, a liar and a swaggering buffoon (all things considered, your average human male specimen ;p). His only advantage seems to be a stolen ship, currently under his 'command' - it is the only way of space transport available if you want to return to Earth. Cinder of course returns just to get mixed into the mayhem created by our lovely Lunar Queen Levana who wants to marry the young emperor Kai and rule the Moon and the Earth. Cinder's path crosses with that of Scarlet whose grand-mere was far more important than anybody would have imagined and played a role in rescuing little Lunar princess Selena. So Cinder herself. Will they be able to avoid capture?

What I liked:

Firstly and foremostly I liked the fact that the author tried to combine Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood into one cohesive story. The narration was well-paced and I managed to finish the novel in two evenings - it was a fun ride although with three different POVs which only at the end merged into one.

From the two main heroines I liked Cinder better; maybe because I got to like her in the first installment so much, maybe because Scarlet was given simply too little narration time, as she had to share her story with Cinder whereas our cyborg girl had a whole book at her disposal.

Finally I liked the fact that this part was set in the old good Europe. Not that I didn't like the New Beijing in the previous part but a change of scenery is always welcome.

What I didn't like:

The more I read the more I heard 'Star Wars' music theme in my head because, in my opinion, the whole tale stopped sounding like a variation of the Little Red Riding Hood  very soon and started copying one of those space operas. Copying HARD, like at every turn. Such a premise can be hardly called original, can't it? Cinder is a Lunar princess in exile (Leia anyone?) whose mental 'powers' equal those of the Jedi knights; she is helped by Carswell who not only owns a ship but also thinks he is the God's gift to womankind in a leather jacket  (Han Solo?) and an mouthy android Iko ( a female equivalent of C-3PO if I remember the name right). The evil, power-crazy Queen Levana with her band of sadistic thaumaturgs would make Darth Vader and other lords Siths clap and cheer. As you see it was definitely worse than while reading Cinder.

Not to mention the insta-love between Scarlet and Wolf/Ze'ev which, due to its incredible speed, was able to give me a bout of gut-turning sea sickness - they meet, they kiss and, after just one day, boys and girls, they cannot live without each other even if he is a kind of a beast (Chewbacca?) and she is...well, a girl with a mission. And he lied to her. Repeatedly. From the very beginning. Apologizing every now and then. Yeah...animal magnetism I suppose?

The cover is rather bland - you have to guess what it really shows. A dress? A cloak? A shawl? A flag? Something else?

Final verdict:

Not the worst YA fantasy I've ever read but I liked the first part, Cinder better.Still I think I will continue reading this series out of sheer curiosity. You see, Rapunzel will join us in the third book, Cress, and being a huge fan of this lady of long, fabulous hair, I will not rest until it is in my greedy, hands. I also hope there will be no more such abusive relationships as that of Scarlet and her Wolf.

Movie review: Stranger Than Fiction by Marc Forster

Directed by: Marc Forster
Written by: Zach Helm
Genre: literary drama, romantic comedy
Release date: 2006
Cast: 

Harold Crick: Will Ferrell
Ana Pascal: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Professor Jules Hilbert: Dustin Hoffman
Kay Eiffel: Emma Thompson

Synopsis

Harold Crick leads a completely predictable, boring, lonely life. He works as an IRS agent and his only entertainment is counting: he counts the steps to a bus stop, the minutes of his coffee break, the brushes of his toothbrush, the random sums thrown at him by his colleagues.

Cover of Stranger Than Fiction

One day, however, he discovers that his life is the subject of a book currently being written by a best-selling author, Kay Eiffel, whose creative block has temporarily stunted her repeated efforts to kill him off. How lovely. Now either he finds that author and persuades her to change the dramatic ending (Kay is known for killing off her characters in a spectacular manner) or he dies. Rather sooner than later.

The truth is Harold, fictional or not, doesn't want to die. He's just met a beautiful baker, Ana Pascal, bought himself a fender stratocaster and discovered a real passion for home-made cookies. Life is beautiful, damn it! Why does he need to die? In order to find professional help he visits a literature professor Jules Hilbert, a fan of Eiffel's books. Will they be able to find a good solution? What is more important: a longer life of Harold, his happiness or just a brilliant novel?

My impressions:

Let me deal with the good points first.

I admit when I read a blurb on the dvd cover of that movie I salivated. A comedy about metatextualism? Finally something original, intelligent and fun! Bring it on!!!
It started so nicely too.

 "Death and Taxes" is the title of Kay's newest novel, a book about IRS agent Harold Crick who is so preoccupied with the mundane minutia of his life that he's lost sight of the bigger things –like love, happiness, etc. It is indeed unfortunate since a very big and heavy thing is about to squash him dead. Kay loves doing her characters in. The problem is Harold has become somehow real (it is never explained how and why, my first carping here). His creator is simply left in the dark; so is Harold but for a short period of time only. After he hears a female voice in his head, narrating his everyday living routine, he must find an explanation ASAP and persuade Kay to let him live a bit longer. Theory: brilliant. The execution seemed nice at first too.

The film's minimalist design, with unbreakingly gray, impersonal IRS offices and near-empty rooms, keep the focus where it belongs: on the words and the action. "Stranger Than Fiction" is both about a novel and like a novel; you eagerly await the turning of the pages. For roughly the first half of the movie the narration  made me both interested and involved which was good. Mind you it's important to remember that it is not a film about the nature of reality and the non-separation of fictional people and their creators so much as it is about what makes up reality and what in reality is really important; what constitutes living a life and what needs to be thrown by the wayside, including art, if it's getting in the way of living a life. Such a premise sounded fantastic, with so many great slapstick possibilites, but unfortunately was dumbed down very soon.

Of course no movie can be very bad if it features Emma Thompson who here played the refreshingly   sardonic chain-smoking novelist stalking death for her long-lost inspiration. Some scenes, like the one in the guitar shop where Harold was choosing the instrument of his dreams, or the one with Kay visiting a hospital ward and searching for viable death causes, were indeed great - intelligent and very funny. And here my praise must end.

The dialogue fell too often flat, being  neither witty nor off-kilter enough and I do wonder why. There were so many potenital moments of high comedy and the director simply seemed completely lost how to birng them out properly and make the most of them. Imagine you unexpectedly find out that you are a sentient fictional character whose life is being written by a contemporary author. You have a unique opportunity to meet her in person. What's more as soon as you meet it becomes obvious that the book featuring you is not finished so a lot can be edited/added/ improved. What would you do? Wouldn't it be normal and completely understandable to ask for some changes concerning your skills or physical appearance or occupation? Unfortunately our poor Harold doesn't even dream of doing so. Instead (spoiler, highlight to read) he meekly agrees with everything, even with his premature death.

 Still the worst was the ending - full of lousy feelgood scenes that carried all the depth of a phone company TV ad and left me really underwhelmed. It seemed to convey the same old message: sure, you might be able to control your destiny in a Hollywood movie as long as the outcome is a saccharine one. Plus you must save one of the following: a) our lovely western civilization b) your great country (i.e. the US of A) c) a kid or kids d) a puppy (if the movie has a limited budget, or the hero is a philosophically inclined misanthrope).

Final verdict:

I don't regret watching this one but I admit I expected a far better movie. "Stranger Than Fiction" merely poses big questions; what a pity it doesn't do much to answer them. The movie also tends towards triteness as it goes along, particularly in its conclusion. They wanted to have their cake and eat it too, and it just doesn't work - it's not a big surprise. Still kudos for trying and some scenes were worth the effort of suffering the bland ending.

Review: Dirty Blood (Dirty Blood 01) by Heather Hildenbrandt

Book info:

Form: pdf

Genre: YA Urban Fantasy with Werewolves
Target audience: Twilight YA fans

EN GARDE!

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

I killed a girl last night. I did it with my bare hands and an old piece of pipe I found lying next to the dumpster. But that’s not the part that got me. The part that scared me, the part I can’t seem to wrap my head around and still has me reeling, was that when she charged me, her body shifted – and then she was a wolf. All snapping teeth and extended claws. But by the time I stood over her lifeless body, she was a girl again. That’s about the time I went into shock… And that was the moment he showed up.

Now, all I can do is accept the truths that are staring me in the face. One, Werewolves do exist. And Two, I was born to kill them.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

My impressions:

ENGAGEMENT
If you read the synopsis then you will know...nothing, literally nothing about this novel. What's more, you might be tricked into thinking it is a nice YA Urban Fantasy with werewolves. It is NOT. Before I reveal the whole ugly truth about this one let me put on my protective suit and I warn you: things will become dangerous from that point. If you are queasy, just avert your eyes and leave. Yes, there will be BLOOD.

Now, protected by many charms, garlic and silver, with my faithful sword, cape and a hat, I can proceed. 

FIRST SLASH:

It is not a book about werewolves. It is a book about vampires masquerading as werewolves.Have you ever heard about a series featuring sparkling, vain, teenage, bloodsuckers, one of them called Edward Cullen? Yes, we are hunting that rainbow-coloured git again. Prepare yourself for a ferocious fight. He is the cunning one but I've dealt with him in the past so I know my enemy. Just follow my steps and you'll be safe.

SERIOUS FENCING TRICKS

 I got the inkling we might deal with him again when I read his description: brown hair, artlessly mussed up, brown eyes with golden sparks, muscled body, but one can never be sure in my profession, right? So I waited and then, after a very short time, I struck gold. He was stalking a girl, yes, once again, and her name was Tara. He went into her house several times completely unannounced - sometimes through the door, sometimes through the window. He never bothered to knock. He was a controlling ass...thingy. I was almost sure I got the sparkling idiot again but I had to be 100% certain. And yessssssss...finally the last proof. He could read minds and manipulate memories. It's him.

DIRTY FEINTS

So what that he claimed his name was Wes and he was a kind of werewolf this time? My word against his, right? He told that Tara girl (the main protagonist) his mind-reading abilities were on full display only during full moon but he was able to read her mind and influence it without any problems, right? I know Edward Cullen when I see him and let me repeat it once again: it WAS him. He drove a silver Aston Martin for heavens' sake! Do you still need any other argument? YOU DO? Verry well. 

Right after their second or third meeting Tara asks "How old are you?" and Wes replies "Nineteen". Tara then says "How long have you been nineteen?" Weirdly it sounds exactly like one of those Bella and Cullen sweet dialogues, don't  you think? Plus these other crappy promises: he is "protecting your virtue" honey, protecting all the time and referring to neutral ground as "switzerland". If you need more you simply don't qualify for this job.

COUP DE GRâCE
Having dispatched the ugly Cullen let me take care of the rest. The characters, ALL the characters were cardboard flat copies of different Twilight vampires (and let me say that those weren't exceptionally well-rounded to begin with). Apart from that the author seemed to be rather at loss how to make this novel logic and distinguishable. The main heroine is repeatedly lied to by: her mom, her grandma, her boyfriend, her would-be boyfriend Wes. They do it to protect her, a born Hunter, against other, 'bad' werewolves. Yes, instead letting her train as she was supposed to they endanger her life because it's their idea of 'protection'. Well, last time I looked knowledge was power, not ignorance and stupidity...

At the very beginning Tara kills a werewolf girl called Lilian. Yes, the girl attacked her for no reason and yes, Tara was just defending herself but she kills her nevertheless. What's her reaction and what other weres think ? First Wes/Cullen observes Tara as if she was a scientific experiment that backfired; Lilian's body is just something that he must get rid of. Then he makes Tara forget the whole incident for 'her own good' of course, and then we are told that it was practically ok. Although Lilian was one of those 'good', bunnies-hugging werewolves who want world peace and social benefits for everyone, her killing wasn't Tara's fault because she simply couldn't help herself. Lilian... *emphatic shrug* well...Lilian was a blonde and a traitor anyway. Or almost a traitor because nobody had any tangible proof of it at the time of her death. Well, she died so something must have been wrong with her, right? Apart from that only a baddie, Leo, mourns her, no big deal... Remember, Cullen doesn't do blondes, one more, one less, just a cannon fodder...

The last remark. I almost died of evil laughter when Wes announced to Tara that she was his destiny. DESTINY!!! That's what entitled him to enter her room unannounced whenever he wanted to, that's why he was drawn to her from the very ugly beginning, even though she killed a girl in cold blood right before his eyes. She was his destiny, it explains everything. For that sentence alone Cullen deserves a slow, painful death by sunrays, werewolf or not. If you've heard a sillier excuse to stalk anybody do let me know. I might write a book about them one day. You see, even vampire killers retire.

BURYING THE BODY or Final verdict:

It's time to go - I have things to do and vampires to kill. Just let me say this: the less I read such novels the more happy I am. You have been warned.

Review: Song of Scarabaeus by Sara Creasy

Book info:

Form: pdf ebook

Genre: sci-fi, space opera

Target audience: adults

Synopsis

Edie,  a young but very gifted cypherteck, is kidnapped by a group of rovers- pirates from the space. As she can plug in and manipulate the biological tools that the Crib uses to terraform new worlds they want her skills to help them salvage material from the planet she called Scarabaeus - and sell those to less fortunate worlds of the Fringe for a lot of cash. What they don't know is that the planet is the very sight of Edie's worst failure and deepest secret. A world she wanted desperately to preserve from terraforming.

Finn, a former freedom-fighter turned slave (lag), is assigned as her bodyguard; as a cypherteck Eddie can be assassinated by eco-rads who are hunting mercilessly  people like her, and she is on a ship where no one can be trusted. They are tied by a mental leash that will kill him if she dies. If she doesn't cooperate, the pirates will kill them both. Edie is determines to cut this leash and save them but soon enough she finds it is almost impossible, not if she wants Finn to survive. She must play along, revisit Scarabeus and find a mysterious infojack who had created that leash and is her only hope to have it removed. Will she manage to do it on time, though?

What I liked:

I have to admit Song of Scarabaeus started off slowly. It was sometimes difficult to wade through all sorts of technological terms to keep track of the world building. Words like cypherteck, datastream, wet-teck interface, and biocyph retroviral automated terraformer (or BRATs for short) were thrown at me, making me wonder why I had picked up this book and whether it was switched with a tech nerd vocabulary. Then I adjusted and my reading was progressing more smoothly. Mind you it didn't feel like infodumping but there was a LOT to know.

The concept is intriguing as well – a human who can change planets with a mere thought, mentally chained to a killer who must protect her or die. Brilliant.Finn and Edie, the heroine, are tied together by a "leash" that will cause Finn's head to explode if he gets too far from Edie. It was an amazing plot device, making all those silly insta-love or insta-lust twists unnecessary. Still don't let yourself be swayed by the blurb or the cover art, describing this one as a sci-fi romance of a kind ( this time it is a compliment). Let me assure you that the romance was practically non-existent. The characters did share a strong bond, they cared for each other, and they occasionally had some real moments of heat, but the closest thing to a romantic interlude in the first 150 pages quickly got shut down by the heroine.

Also Scarabaeus the planet and its creepy inhabitants were excellently portrayed. It would be quite a challenge for any ambitious sci-fi movies director but the results could be astounding.

Finally I found Ms. Creasy's storytelling ability really gripping - I was able to finish the novel in two evenings despite the initial problems.

What I didn't like:

The structure of the novel is somewhat episodic - to the point that it seems like reading a script for an television series. No, it is not a compliment in my view. Kidnapping – one episode. Coming on the ship – another episode. Lag escape – another episode. And so on. Not to mention those blasts from the past that happen in Edie's dreams or rather nightmares.

Because we only got one POV, I felt we spent a lot of time in the heroine's head, as she navigates what's happening to her and what's going to happen. I felt like the relationships she formed with other characters, not only with Finn, were only superficially developed if developed at all.

Apart from that the world building which at first promised me exotic planets and aliens didn't deliver, nor really. You see, two thirds of the book takes place on the ship called Hoi Polloi .The problem is that it’s a very plain ship, in full accordance with its name (meaning 'ordinary, simple people, the commoners' in Greek). It has no odd aspects, it’s never bombarded by asteroids, it never loses propulsion. It’s just a ship. The rover crew of the ship had potential, but neither Haller nor the captain ever mature into the full fledged villains.

Finally one more carping: Song of Scarabaeus? Really? In my humble opinion that's a terrible title! When I heard about the book the first time I was sure it would be actually about Egypt!

Final verdict:

This book will totally do it for you if you like SF with biotech elements and evolutionary biology. I liked it despite its flaws - it’s unique, it’s SF, it has a female protagonist. We don’t get many of those.

Movie review: Searching for Sugar Man directed by Malik Bendjelloul

Release date: 2012

Directed by : Malik Bendjelloul

Genre: documentary

Synopsis:

What do you need to become a world-wide famous musician? A good voice? A talent? A great personality? Agents who believe in you ? A guitar?  Sixto Rodriguez had it all. Even now his songs really resonate with inner beauty – their lyrics are deep and sad, their music makes you want to sing along and rock. Back in the seventies they must have been like a lightning and thunder. Only they weren’t.

 His first longplay record was released in 1970. It should have launched Rodriguez on a brilliant career, allowing him to go to the very top, among  Jimi Hendrix, Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, The Beatles. Somehow it didn’t.  Maybe because of his Latino name. Maybe because he lived in Detroit. Maybe because he was not a showman. Overall he released two albums: Cold Fact and Coming From Reality; then his company, Sussex Recordings, dropped him off the label and he disappeared from the scene.  Some people claimed he committed a suicide during a flop concert. Some people said he overdosed drugs in a prison. Nobody really knew anything.

 However one of his vinyl records somehow found its way to the Republic of South Africa and it became a big hit there. People simply adored Rodriguez – his albums were sold in millions of copies and his songs were being listened to everywhere. However his South African fans knew nothing, literally nothing, about the singer they loved so much, not even the most basic facts. Small wonder some of them decided to look for him and solve the mystery surrounding his persona. Who was he? What was his real name? Did he have a family, a wife, children? What really happened to him? This documentary is about their incredible search for the truth about Rodriguez and a career which never was.

My impressions:

I completely agree – this documentary deserves and Oscar. It is an incredible story, told in an engaging way, illustrated with great music, sad and uplifting at the same time. What’s more, it is not fiction. 

Still the best thing about this movie is a message it conveys: no matter what your job is if you do it the right way you are not wasting your time - you are creating something special and worthwhile.  You’re an artist. Perhaps you won’t be able to reap the rewards of your efforts immediately, maybe not even during your lifetime, which is of course very sad, but still you’ve done something good which might have a positive influence over people living in a country you’ve never visited in a way nobody can predict. There is never enough positive influence around, right?

I really don’t have much more to say  apart from this: go (or order) and see this movie. You won’t regret it.

Final verdict:

An incredible documentary; a must for all 70’s music fans but I recommend it to everybody.

Review: The Third Section (The Danilov Quintet 03) by Jasper Kent

Book info:
Form: pdf
Genre: historical fantasy
Target audience: adults


Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Russia 1855. After forty years of peace in Europe, war rages. In the Crimea, the city of Sevastopol is besieged. In the north, Saint Petersburg is blockaded. But in Moscow there is one who needs only to sit and wait - wait for the death of an aging tsar, and for the curse upon his blood to be passed to a new generation.

As their country grows weaker, a man and a woman - unaware of the hidden ties that bind them - must come to terms with their shared legacy. In Moscow, Tamara Valentinovna Komarova uncovers a brutal murder and discovers that it not the first in a sequence of similar crimes, merely the latest, carried out by a killer who has stalked the city since 1812.

And in Sevastopol, Dmitry Alekseevich Danilov faces not only the guns of the combined armies of Britain and France, but must also make a stand against creatures that his father had thought buried beneath the earth, thirty years before.

What I liked:

The third part of the series features two main characters, the children of Aleksei Danilov, Dimitry and Tamara. They are adults now, with their own families and careers, they don't know about each other's existence (up to a point anyway) and their only connection is the old enemy of their papa, a man who had to turn himself into a vampire in order to save his life. He used to hide under different nicknames and now he is called Yudin. Yudin lives and breathes revenge on Aleksei and anybody close to him. As you can guess the scope of this installment is more personal and domestic, rather than told within the vast events of the military and political crises of the first two books. But this one is equally involving.

Let me tell you that Tamara is one of the strongest female protagonists I've ever met. The story of her adult life is being slowly unravelled throughout the narration and when you finally find out how she was turned into a prostitute, lost her husband and children and then rebouded you have to respect her. She is a woman made of steel, independent, clever, intelligent and brave - finally an appropriate opponent for the demonic psychopath turned vampire who ruined her father's life. I really liked the way Tamara's character was constructed and the way the author slowly unveiled her strengths. Three-dimensional doesn't even start to cover it.

I have to admit her half-brother, Dimitry, was a less compelling character but still he managed to surprise me more than once with his choice of bedfellows. I also liked the fact that, despite his military career, deep at heart he remained a musician. However, the ending belongs completely to him - I don't want to spoil you so I must be rather vague with my remarks but let me assure you something happened to Dimitry which I wanted to happen to his father at least one installment ago and now I am so looking forward to the next book in the series because I am curious what Dimitry will do next, what side will he pick.

When it comes to Yudin/Iuda/Vassily Makarov a.k.a. the vampire I love to hate there is a section narrated by him that describes from his point of view what Aleksei did to him in the previous novel. Shot, drowned, in an ice-bound river, he did not die the human death and he despised every moment of it. Now he pulls strings in the tsar's intelligence bureau, known as the Third Section, continuing to plot the Zmyeevich's Great Scheme to control the Russian throne and planning his own revenge involving Aleksei's children and wife.

I also liked how the novel started. So often genre novels' prologues are vexatiously silly, but this prologue is not among those.We follow a young Englishman who managed to gallop out of the Crimea's Valley of Death. The action is taut and contained, and tells us what we will need to know later within the novel itself.

Finally let me say that I really appreciate the ingenuity with which the author answered an old question: why nobody can see a reflection of a vampire in a mirror (not even themselves).

What I didn't like:

Just one carping - I admit that the ending was a bit too melodramatic for such a great story. I am not a big fan of 'the deathbed goodbye' scenes and here you get two of them and rather close together. It was like a dissonant note; although I understand the author wanted to get rid of the older generation in a neat manner, making the place for the new kids to come, he could have diversified it a bit.

Final verdict:

A third generation of the Danilov family is gestating. Vampires remain on Russian soil. There will be blood and I hope I will love it even more because it seems Mr. Kent's novels are getting better and better with every installment. Now it is becoming one of my favourite vampire series. Seriously worth reading.

Blue Moon...Is It Real?

What is a Blue Moon?

I am pretty sure you've heard the phrase, “until a blue moon” or "once a blue moon". It  developed in the 19th century, meaning 'never', or at least 'extremely unlikely'. It's been now and then used in titles of many songs and UF novels among other things because let's face it, the idea is visually attractive. Is a blue moon just a  fiction or a metaphor? You might be surprised but, after all, blue moons do occur still the whole matter is a bit tricky.

There are in fact two definitions for a blue moon. According to the more recent definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a calendar month. For a blue moon to occur, the first of the full moons must appear at or near the beginning of the month so that the second will fall within the same month (the average span between two moons is 29.5 days). The full Moon on Aug. 31, 2012, was an example of this type of blue moon - it was the second full moon in one month.

The Other Kind of Blue Moon

The older definition, which is recorded in early issues of the Maine Farmer's Almanac, states that the blue moon is the third full moon in a season that has four full moons. Why would one want to identify the third full moon in a season of four full moons? The answer is complex, and has to do with the Christian ecclesiastical calendar.

Today we usually mark the beginning of the seasons when the Sun's celestial longitude passes 0° (spring), 90° (summer), 180° (autumn), and 270° (winter). The Sun appears to move along the ecliptic at a variable rate because of the Earth's not-quite-circular orbit, so the seasons defined this way are not equal in duration. Another approach uses the dynamical mean Sun or fictitious mean Sun — imaginary bodies that move along the ecliptic and the celestial equator, respectively, at a constant rate and produces seasons of equal length. The Maine almanac defines the seasons using this alternative method.

The almanac also follows certain rules laid down as part of the Gregorian calendar reform in 1582. The ecclesiastical vernal (spring) equinox always falls on March 21st, regardless of the position of the Sun. Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, 46 days before Easter, and must contain the Lenten Moon, considered to be the last full Moon of winter. The first full Moon of spring is called the Egg Moon (or Easter Moon, or Paschal Moon) and must fall within the week before Easter.

Some years have an extra full moon—13 instead of 12. Since the identity of the moons was important in the ecclesiastical calendar (the Paschal Moon, for example, used to be crucial for determining the date of Easter), a year with a 13th moon skewed the calendar, since there were names for only 12 moons. By identifying the extra, 13th moon as a blue moon, the ecclesiastical calendar was able to stay on track.

How Often Does a Blue Moon Occur?

Over the next 20 years there will be about 15 blue moons, with an almost equal number of both types of blue moons occurring. No blue moon of any kind will occur in the years 2014, and 2017.
Two full moons in one month may occur in any month out of the year except for February, which is shorter than the lunar cycle.

The other, older blue moon event, which happens when there are four full moons in a season, last occurred in May 2008 and  on Nov. 21, 2010. Since this type of blue moon is reckoned according to the seasons, it can only happen in certain months - February, May, August, or November, about a month before the equinox or the solstice.

At last we have the "Maine rule" for Blue Moons: Seasonal Moon names are assigned near the spring equinox in accordance with the ecclesiastical rules for determining the dates of Easter and Lent. The beginnings of summer, fall, and winter are determined by the dynamical mean Sun. When a season contains four full Moons, the third is called a Blue Moon.

Why is the third full Moon identified as the extra one in a season with four? Because only then will the names of the other full Moons, such as the Moon Before Yule and the Moon After Yule, fall at the proper times relative to the solstices and equinoxes.

Once in a Blue Moon

"Blue moon" appears to have been a colloquial expression long before it developed its calendrical senses. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first reference to a blue moon comes from a proverb recorded in 1528:

If they say the moon is blue,
We must believe that it is true.

Saying the moon was blue was equivalent to saying the moon was made of green (or cream) cheese; it indicated an obvious absurdity. In the 19th century, the phrase until a blue moon developed, meaning "never." The phrase, once in a blue moon today has come to mean "every now and then" or "rarely"—whether it gained that meaning through association with the lunar event remains uncertain.
(Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Can the Moon really turn blue?

Yes it can turn blue, in the eye of the beholder of course, but not everywhere and it can be seldom witnessed.

The key to a literal blue moon is having in the air lots of particles slightly wider than the wavelength of red light (0.7 micron)–and no other sizes present. This is rare, but volcanoes sometimes spit out such clouds, as do forest fires.

For example in 1883, an Indonesian volcano named Krakatoa exploded. Scientists liken the blast to a 100-megaton nuclear bomb. Fully 600 km away, people heard the noise as loud as a cannon shot. Plumes of ash rose to the very top of Earth’s atmosphere and it was the reason why the moon temporarily turned blue. Some of the ash-clouds were filled with particles about 1 micron (one millionth of a meter) wide – the right size to strongly scatter red light, while allowing other colors to pass. White moonbeams shining through the clouds emerged blue, and sometimes green.

So, will you ever see a blue moon? In astronomical terms, it is quite possible. If you hope to see a full moon which is the actual color blue, that is less likely unless you live in a country with an active volcano or with a forest fire season.

(Info from Nick Greene at about.com)
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/bluemoon1.html
http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/objects/moon/3304131.html?page=1&c=y

Rivers of London/ Midnight Riot (Peter Grant #1) by Ben Aaronovitch

Form: e-book, mobi format
Genre: Urban fantasy, crime mystery
Target audience: older YA and adults

Synopsis:

Peter Grant wants to become a real police officer but his plans seem to be thwarted even before his career starts for good. His superior, not impressed by Peter's efforts, plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he’ll face is a paper cut, a power failure or eternal boredom and a spare tyre around your belly. Still Peter feels his fate might change soon. First he sees and talks to a ghost. Then he gets under the wings of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, a one-man magical law and order enforcement squad. Not one moment too soon. As a wave of brutal and bizarre murders engulfs the city, Peter is plunged into a world where gods and goddesses mingle with mortals and a long-dead evil is making a comeback on a rising tide of magic. He won't be bored but will he survive?

What I liked:

“Fuck me, I thought. I can do magic.” 

The sense of humour of our dear Peter was impeccable although sometimes rather uncouth. Maybe it is so  because  he lives in London, a vibrant big city where you rub your elbows with strange and not necessary kind creatures from all over the world. Like all those pesky tourists. Anyway the level of geekiness, science and the dry British jokes aimed at practically everyone and everything, from African mothers and policemen to Polish kitchen aids and cockney blue collar workers, was really high.

“Conflict resolution,' said Nightingale. 'Is this what they teach at Hendon these days?'
'Yes, sir,' I said. 'But don't worry, they also teach us how to beat people with phone books and the ten best ways to plant evidence.” 

Anybody firmly rooted in pop-culture and modern world will like and appreciate the divagating of Peter, although, from time to time, sad, mean purists wearing unfashionable, square glasses might say the boy is a tad too misogynist/undereducated/violence-prone specimen of a Londoner. He doesn't know Latin or Greek after all and he got just those measly Cs while passing his Science A levels. Pathetic, isn't it? Hardly a role model for the younger generation.

“Carved above the lintel were the words SCIENTIA POTESTAS EST. Science points east, I wondered? Science is portentous, yes? Science protests too much. Scientific potatoes rule. Had I stumbled on the lair of dangerous plant geneticists?”

Ben Aaronovitch's love for London is big, wild and contagious. I can relate. It is a city I felt immediately at home so it was a big advantage that London plays an important role in this story, being treated with deference. It is way more than just a setting. You can't stay indifferent after reading such a passage:

A traditional Punch and Judy booth. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

"Being a seasoned Londoner, Martin gave the body the "London once-over" - a quick glance to determine whether this was a drunk, a crazy or a human being in distress. The fact that it was entirely possible for someone to be all three simultaneously is why good-Samaritanism in London is considered an extreme sport - like BASE jumping or crocodile wrestling."

A nice quote, isn't it? Perhaps you can say that about every big city and its inhabitants but I find it especially true for London for reason or reasons unknown. Perhaps it is a matter of the climate. Or the Punch and Judy show. Or the famous British tea more often than not superseded by fine Brazillian coffee. Yeah..

What I didn't like:

First let me tell you that I don't appreciate the double title of the book. Rivers of London made sense; why wasn't it good enough for the American editor? Search me. Maybe because they were at a loss what rivers of what London the author meant? Maybe at first glance they took this novel for one of quaint hydrology textbooks or a guide for the fans of riverspotting? (If you ask me riverspotting would make far more sense than trainspotting. At least a river is almost always there so you can 'spot' it as long as you want to. And take a picture. Just saying.)

When it comes to the adventures of darling Peter...the plot was hardly surprising or innovative. A good sense of humor is not a band aid you can slap over a pile of plot construction problems; a wise-cracking hero or not, when he repeats the steps of practically all other heroes, featured in similar books  you find yourself yawning after a moment or two. On the verge of his manhood he discovers he is a wizard? Just like Harry Potter only a bit later. He gets an older mentor? Albus Dumbledore, anyone? He gets into serious trouble and finds himself all on his lonesome? Yeah...

Also the water spirits or gods and godesses of Thames and its tributaries seemed ordinary, almost surprisingly normal. No, it wasn't exactly a pleasant surprise. Why introduce a bunch of supernatural characters when a bunch of ordinary Londoners would do as well if not actually better?

Finally one of my pet peeves when it comes to fantasy: time travelling. So you can do it without major consequences but in another dimension and it might take a vampire bite or two? Not persuaded, sorry.

Final verdict:

A very promising beginning of an urban fantasy series; still I hope the next book will be better. Because it can be better, right? 

Two Movies Duel Review: Catch Me If You Can vs. The Talented Mr. Ripley

Two Movies Duel Review

Catch Me If You Can vs. The Talented Mr. Ripley

1. Presentation of the opponents (a.k.a synopsis)

The Talented Mr. Ripley: Tom Ripley is a handsome young underachiever without any formal education, living in a basement and working as a lavatory attendant. However he is also a 'quick study' - intelligent, bright, perceptive, musically talented. He can do very accurate impressions of other people, he can forge signatures and he is a consumate liar. One day he borrows a Princeton jacket to play piano at a private garden party. When a wealthy father of a recent Princeton grad chats Tom up, Tom pretends to know the son and is soon offered $1,000 to go to Italy to convince prodigal Dickie Greenleaf to return home and start earining his keep. In Italy, Tom simply attaches himself to Dickie and to Marge, Dickie's cultured fiancée, with a tenacity of a boa constrictor. He pretends to love jazz and is soon harboring homoerotic hopes as he soaks in borrowed luxury of his lovely host. He also tells Dickie the truth about his real mission - it seems those two might become fast friends if not something more. Soon enough, though, Dickie becomes bored with Tom's company and lets him know that he is not welcome anymore in his Italian house. Tom, who likes his new life far better than the old one, is not a person you can get rid of easily. Sensing that Dickie is about to cut him loose, he decides to take the matters into his own hands - he thinks that it's better to be a fake somebody than a real nobody and with his many talents he decides to change his identity...and contiune the 'dolce vita'. At his rich friend's father expense.

Catch Me If You Can: Frank Abagnale lives with his parents in New Rochelle, New York. He is a bright, handsome teenager with a penchant for dramatics and a father who uses the boy as a prop in his many con schemes, giving invaluable life lessons how to chat up a woman and manipulate a banker. Small wonder one day Frank uses his talents pretending to be a substitute French teacher (his mom is French so he knows the language far better than his peers) in a new school. When his parents divorce anguished Frank runs away and starts a life full of windfall profits, occasional luxury, constant deceit and danger. He becomes an expert in forging checks and different confidence scams, tricking mainly banks and Pan Am airlines. Still, despite a string of casual lovers (all those lovely stewardesses and tellers!) the kid feels more and more alone and alienated. Not to mention the fact that a certain FBI agent called Carl Hanratty keeps following Frank doggedly hoping that one day he'll finally catch him. The real 'hide-and-seek' tournament begins...who will be better?

2. Round one: reality check

Tom Ripley is a fictional character from a series of psychological novels penned by Patricia Highsmith. He lives roughly at the same time as Frank - perhaps a decade earlier. He is three-dimensional and well-rounded, at least in the movie.

Frank Abagnale is a real person with an unusual career - before his 19th birthday, he successfully conned millions of dollars worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and Louisiana parish prosecutor. He escaped from police custody twice before he was 21 years old. He served fewer than five years in prison before starting to work for the federal government. He is currently a consultant and lecturer for the FBI academy and field offices. Facts are always stranger than fiction - nobody could have imagined such a hero!

Tom: 1 point

Frank: 2 points

3. Round two: likeability factor

Both our heroes are handsome, gifted and intelligent. Both are poor underdogs, they have to fight for a better life and both want to achieve something more than your ordinary Mr. Smith. What's the difference between them?

Tom's personality screams 'pathology' at every turn. Let's face it, this guy is a born con man with a distended ego only matched by his ambitions - he wants to make a career and do it painlessly and very fast. He thinks he is entitled to it. Yes, he tries to be honest at first but unfortunately he's chosen the wrong recipient - Dickie is not better than his guest: vain, self-centered, with low boredom threshold, thinking that the whole world should belong to him and has been created for his amuzement only. Such an attitude enhances Tom's expectations to a realy insane degree, making him a fully-fledged deviant and a murderer, unable to trust anybody and completely lonely as a result. He proves he  also has a talent for ruining his life.

Frank is also a bit full of himself but a) he is a bit younger than Tom so more malleable b) he seems to be more intelligent. After a while Frank sees clearly that a metaphorical 'diet' consisting of sweets and cakes (so his unlawful spoils) is nothing healthy or nothing that will last. Deep down he yearns for a bit of normality - safety, love, family. He also never hurts anybody personally (at least not in the movie), quite the opposite - he cons big corporations and companies, the police, the banks but not innocent people. Finally he earns sympathy even from his pursuer and nemesis, Carl, the FBI agent.

Tom: 0.5 of a point

Frank: 2 points

4. Round three: the setting

The Talented Mr. Ripley is set mainly in Italy - in Rome, Milan and Venice but also in the country. I loved it - it was a visual feast!

Catch Me If You Can takes the viewer in a journey round America and Europe but we rarelly see more than the interiors: airports, banks, hotels and such. Nice but definitely less impressive.

Tom: 2 points
Frank: 1 point

5. Round four: the ending

Tom ends up killing again and again (not saying who, it would be a spoiler) and fighting his inner demons to no end. I admit it was sad but also so very real - let's face it, when you cross certain limits you might not return to a land of psychological stability ever again.

Frank finds a real career, the safety and stabilization he sought. He marries and lives happily ever after. I liked that evening far less althoug it was mood-lifting and optimistic. Why? Well, don't get me wrong, I am perfectly happy the real Frank ended better off than Tom but I bet it was only because he was just very very lucky. More often than not forgers and fraudsters ruin their life as efficiently as murderers.

Tom: 2 points

Frank: 1.5 points

Duel results:

Tom: 5.5 points. Not bad for a fictional psychopath :)

Frank: 6.5 points. Real life heroes rule and win!!!

How do you like my new movie review formula? I don't promise to do it often but if you know some movies which, in your opinion, simply beg for being compared do let me know!

Review: Haunt Me Still (Kate Stanley #2) by Jennifer Lee Carrell

Book info:

Form: pdf e-book

Genre: historical mystery/thriller

Target audience: fans of the genre, no matter the age

Synopsis

Kate Stanley, Jennifer Lee Carrell's dauntless Shakespearean scholar-turned- director, is catapulted into a new production of Macbeth, showcasing a fabled collection of objects relating both to the play and the historical Scottish king for whom it is named.Still the Bard's witch-haunted play is famously cursed, its reputation for malevolence so strong that many actors refuse to quote or even name the play aloud unless on stage. Are they right or is it just a bit of superstition?

As rehearsals begin at the foot of Scotland's Dunsinnan Hill, a perfect location for such a play, it doesn't take long for the curse to stir. But is it really a curse?A trench atop Dunsinnan Hill is found filled with blood, and a severed human thumb turns up among the props. Kate begins sleepwalking, waking early one morning alone atop the hill, her hands smeared with blood.

She has no memory of how she got there, but later that day a local woman is found dead on the hill in circumstances that suggest not just ritual murder but ancient pagan sacrifice. With the police more focused on Kate as a suspect than as a possible future victim, she and Ben find themselves in a desperate race to discover a lost version of Macbeth, said to contain rituals of witchcraft aimed at conjuring demonic forces to gain forbidden knowledge.

What I liked:

I could sum it up this way: I liked the second novel far better because there was less Dan Brown-ish antics, more Shakespeare. Macbeth is one of my favourite plays and indeed it is a bit creepy so it worked really fine -especially when combined with the creepiness, the Scottish castles and the Edinburgh festival. I appreciated the location far more than the jumps across continents from the previous novel.

Kate Stanley, our protagonist gets sucked into a bizarre twist of events that ends up with blood on her hands…literally. She must find the lost manuscript of Macbeth which might include secret rituals of old pagan witchcraft in order to save an innocent teenage girl’s life. This manuscript was supposed to have been used in early shows of Macbeth where the mere reading of it supposedly brought real unearthly demons to the stage. Kate feels a little more human in this sequel; looking at her as a woman who essentially throws herself into a mystery as a "rebound relationship" is an interesting concept and one that works considering how intellectual Kate is supposed to be. Anyway I was really relieved that she wasn't 'an item' with Ben in this book and the fact that the author gave him another casual lover was only too natural.

Indeed the best parts of this novel were, in my opinion, the interludes around Dr John Dee, the Elizabethan polymath and occultist. The parallels between theatre and the occult were interesting: the performance as ritual; players summoning and conjuring the semblance of gods, Kings and heroes from the past; the dangerous nature of the Renaissance stage. I did love the explanation of the possible inspirations for Shakespeare's story - with the Lady of Arran and the Samhain festival - such ancient, multi-faceted backgrounds are always a welcome addition. Once again you can tell Carrell knows her stuff.Let me also tell you that the warning about crackpot academics was entertaining...particularly to someone who writes essays and has to avoid dangers of using personal websites in research.

What I didn't like

As a thriller, this book did not work: I cared little for Kate or Lady Nairn's problems so the plot held no thrill. There was no twist to surprise me. The most absurd point occurred almost exactly half the way through. Out of thin air and a propos of nothing, Lady Nairn mentions that she has an evil niece, Carrie Douglas. Ta-dah! The bunny is out of the hat and jumping around happily! Enjoy the sight while you still can, boys and girls!

Later the same good lady hands over an iPod containing a digital copy of a lost performance ofMacbeth. There's no explanation of how she got it and how it was registered. And it just happens to have a vital clue in it. Ehem...right. Paint me curious or rather I should say: "Double, double toil and trouble, Fire burn and cauldron bubble."

Finally the least likeable character in the whole book: Lily. Oh Sweet Goddess give me patience. I hate it when teenagers in novels are whiny, stupid, and mostly useless at everything but getting themselves and others into trouble. Lily is all three and what she gets in the end? A REWARD. Stupidity rewarded is not what I like in my fiction or real life.

Final verdict

I liked this one far better than the first part.No, it wasn't a perfect novel, far from it but, overall, the Macbeth outweighed the predictability for me. If you like Shakespeare and find the superstitions of the theatre fascinating this book might be right for you.

Review: To The Hilt by Dick Francis

Book info: 

Form: pdf

Genre: crime mystery, contemporary fiction

Target audience: more or less everyone who likes the genre

Synopsis

“Some are born weird, some achieve it, others have weirdness thrust upon them.” 

Alexander Kinloch, despite being a nephew of a Scottish earl, prefers living alone in a very modest hut in the middle of the mountains. He doesn't appreciate civilisation, just peace and quiet which allow him to paint. Unfortunately all good things come to an end. One day four backpackers find a way to his stony  lair. These are not normal tourists, though - shouting viciously "where is it?" they attack Al, beat him black and blue, demolish his abode and depart, leaving poor man barely alive. Who sent them? What were they really looking for? How could they be found again and brought to justice?

This event drags Al back to the 'normal' world - to his mother, a posh lady living comfortably in London, his ailing step-father, an owner of a local brewery who's recovering from a heart attack, his wife, Emily, left by Al after barely six months of marriage, and the hustle and bustle of everyday's business.

Each of these people have some serious troubles which seem to be connected to Alexander's unpleasant beating. Millions of pounds are missing from his stepfather's business. The earl struggles to protect his family's famous heirlooms. A valuable racehorse is under threat and Emily is the only person who can help and save it. When his stepfather names Alexander to be his power of attorney during the convalescence (instead of his daughter), an all-out family feud begins to boil over. Then comes the first ugly death and the end of all Alexander's doubts whether he actually should get mixed into all of this. For the honour of the Kinlochs he will face the strangers again ... up to the hilt...

What I liked:

The main character is another of Dick Francis's painters who has to find a solution to a crime before the baddies get him and his folk. Once again the characteristic was done splendidly. Al is a solitary excentric with a great sense of humour but rather poor social skills whose intelligence make him even more solitary among 'normal', ordinary people. His stolid, sometimes unexpectedly funny narration is the best part of the book and the more you find about Al the more you want to know.

Of course there was a racing event in the background and an embezzlement involved - two features so characteristic for Francis novels. Here also one of baddies, Al's step-sister, Patsy, drew my attention. It was a delightful woman, full of vices, greedy and rather beautiful who thrived organizing things. I loved the way the author developed her character from a vicious, overly jealous witch, hovering constantly over her weak daddy like a harpy, into...well, if I told you I would have to spoil you. :) Let me just say that Patsy, contrary to other baddies, will surprise you at the end. Personally I love such twists.

I loved the references to the legends of King Arthur: the golden 'chalice' which plenty of people desire to find, the sword (or rather its hilt) which needs protection, the 'damsel in distress' who needs rescuing and those women who are more like Morgan le Fay - independent, agressive, dangerous and cunning. It was all very well done, perfectly mixed with contemporary reality, and the main character served like a kind of 'adapter' for all the sides involved and, of course, a perfect knight. :) A feature to notice: Al doesn't have to be freakishly strong/gifted at martial arts or excessivelly agressive to be a formidable opponent.

What I didn't like:

I admit the mystery was a bit predictable and the main hero, despite some beatings and broken ribs, still a tad too lucky (and indeed, Mr. Francis likes having his heroes beaten up rather often ;P how very sadistic of him)... The ending I found overly sweet: a perfect fairy tale HEA for almost every 'white hat' around. Especially a certain scene made me laugh: when an elderly and very educated lady called Zoe found her portrait and was so taken with it that she abandoned instantly her 'sacred' quest for a rare and precious, historical artifact...well, undeniably some portraits can make a great effect on people but every infatuation has its limits.

Final verdict:

An author you can get addicted to. I would compare Francis novels to very comfortable slippers you love wearing when, after encountering all those wrong books in unexpected places, you are dead tired and sad. They are comfort reads. I will revisit these stories for sure and I might dig for some new ones to read soon.

Review: Even White Trash Zombies Get the Blues (White Trash Zombie/ Angel Crawford #2) by Diana Rowland

Book info:
Form: pdf e-book
Genre: Urban fantasy with zombies
Target audience: adults

Synopsis

Angel Crawford is finally starting to get used to life as a brain-eating zombie. Let's face it, more brains can only improve your life, right? Still, like in real life, Angel's old  problems are returning to haunt her. Her felony record keeps complicating her prospects, more zombie hunters are popping up in her neighbourhood, and she’s beginning to wonder if her hunky cop-boyfriend, Marcus, is actually involved with the zombie mafia. Yeah, you read it right—the zombie mafia. They are influential, rich and they want to monopolize the future market for artificial brains ;).

Throw in a secret lab and a lot of conspiracy, and Angel’s going to need all of her brainpower—and maybe a brain smoothie or two as well—in order to get through it without falling apart. Will her relationship with Marcus survive as well? Will he start to appreciate Angel for who she really is?

What I liked:

Let me start with the cover, created by Dan Dos Santos, one of my favourite UF cover artists. This one is really special. Even if I hadn't heard anything about the book, the cover itself would have made me pick it immediately - rather an exception than the rule, believe me. It is the perfect mix of bad-ass and vulnerable in a completely unexpected scene (are there any other covers, UF or otherwise, that feature a depressed punk-chick on a toilet in a grubby bathroom, smoking a fag? Look at her shoes for heaven's sake and at her knee-length socks! Done to perfection!). Dan Dos Santos won a silver medal fromSpectrum medals for his cover art for Diana Rowland's My Life as a White Trash Zombie and now he proves he really deserved it - this one is as good if not better.

What about the book itself? It is a sequel and as such I didn't expect a lot of fireworks. I was wrong. How nice it is to be wrong from time to time! What I liked the best? Characters development of the main heroine - it was simply unique.

Firstly she develops a believable and quite moving relationship with her father. They got mad at each other every now and then but it is obvious they were trying to change and improve, appreciating all the time that they are still family.It addted the humane depth to Angel's character - I was so pleased she wasn't made another orphan girl, so conveniently deprived of any parents or siblings, left to rely on friends and boyfriends!

Speaking about boyfriends...Marcus Ivanov, the zombie cop was behaving in an outrageous manner and finally Angel started questioning where they stood. Let me just say she was perfectly right! I really enjoy the fact that somebody dared to show in an UF novel that the real relationship is about something more than just fancying a handsome boy or girl or going to bed and having good sex! Angel really scored a lot of points breaking up temporarily with Marcus (not saying more, it is already a bit spoilerish) and asserting herself when faced with his posh family and acquaintance.She may be an uneducated chick but she is sure as hell clever and should be in the CSI department instead of being the skullcracker of the morgue.

Now a bit about the baddies. Ed Quinn the zombie serial killer appears again and secret zombie factions make this book full of both a great action adventure and a great character development story because no, Ed is not a straightforward baddie and not every zombie is good either. For example one Pietro Ivanov a badass zombie mobster. I found him quite fascinating as he was investing in a new research to find the protein zombies's parasite need to survive to create new "fake brains". He did it to control the numbers of brains in his zombie faction and it was just a brilliant idea even if a sinister one.

Overall I liked Rowland's innovative take on zombies and her explanation why brains keep them from rotting, give them superhuman abilities, and a longer life. Further on, the creation process of a new zombie was rather..ehem...bloody interesting. The mothering aspect and the population control was a very clever addition and certainly nothing I expected or predicted so full points for world building.

What I didn't like

The mystery seemed to be a little over the top but it was still a fun ride. I would be even more happy with this one if more baddies were so nicely three-dimensional as poor Ed; unfortunately it was not the case. There were also some threads unfinished and some themes I would really like to know more about and now I have to wait for another installment.

Final verdict:

It is perhaps not a perfect novel but it remains a well-told story following the trials and tribulations of a young woman trying to get a grip on her life. Plus zombies. Normally I don't like them in my fantasy but for Angel and her likes I am more than willing to make an exception.
What's more I am happy to tell you that Mrs. Rowland's writing technique is improving dramatically, especially if you compare it to some of her earlier "...of a demon" novels. I am most definitely eager to read the next book in the series!

Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry by brothers Limbourg - March

The Lusignan Castle of the Duc de Berry crowns the landscape parallel with the horizontal line of the oxen, plough and the peasant in the foreground. The road running from the two bottom corners divides the middle distance into four parts and the fields created in this way are further separated diagonally by low stone walls. Due to slight irregularities and to tiny details which absorb the spectator's attention and to the fact that the viewpoint is not in the centre but slightly to the left, this system of lines does not appear to be arid. Now my favourite detail: the dragon flying towards the castle. It was supposed to recall to his contemporaries the legend of the lady of the castle and its builder, Melusine.

Elianas, king of Albany (Scotland) was recently widowed and to divert his attention from the loss of his wife he amused himself hunting. One day, wilst at the chase he went to a spring to quench his thirst. As he approached he heard the voice of a woman singing and as he approached he saw a mysterious, fey, girl who was named Pressine. Though Elianas enquired of her as to who she was she would neiter tell him of her ancestry nor from whence she came. But, after some time the fair woman bestowed her hand upon him, on the condition that he should never visit her at the time of her lying-in. She gave birth to three daughters, Mélusine, Meliot and Palatine. Nathas, the king's son by a former wife, hastened to convey the joyful tidings to his father, who, without reflection, flew to the chamber of the queen, and entered as she was bathing her daughters. Pressina, on seeing him, cried out that he had broken his word. She cursed him and declared that her descendants, with the help of her sister, the Queen of the Lost Island, would avenge her. Then she disappeared, taking her daughters with her to the Lost Island.

The Island of the Lost was so called because it was only by chance any, even those who had repeatedly visited it, could find it. Here she reared her children, taking them every morning to a high mountain, from which Albany might be seen, and telling them that but for their father's breach of promise they might have lived happily in the distant land which they beheld. When the children were fifteen years of age, Melusine asked her mother particularly of what their father had been guilty. On being informed of the truth of the matter she conceived a design for being avenged on him. Engaging her sisters to join in her plans, they set out for Albany. Once there they they took the king and all his wealth, and by dint of her charms she shut her father away in an inaccessible part of the Brandebois mountains. On telling their mother what they had done she flew into a rage because they had taken vengeance without her. Pressine laid curses upon them all, with the worst of all reserved for Mélusine as the instigator of the plot. Meliot was to be imprisoned in an Armenian castle, Palatine in a mountain together with her father, while Mélusine was cursed to become a 'serpent from the waist down' every Saturday. This would be her fate until she met a man who would marry her under the condition that he never saw her on a Saturday. Like mother like daughter.

Mélusine left the Lost Island and began roaming the world where she passed through the Black Forest, and that of Ardennes, and at last she arrived in the forest of Colombiers, in Poitou, where all the fays of the neighborhood came before her, telling her they had been waiting for her to reign in that place. It just so happened at this time that Raimond de Lusignan, having accidentally killed the count, his uncle, with a deflected blow from his boar-spear was wandering that night in the forest of Colombiers. He arrived at a fountain that rose at the foot of a high rock. The local people called it the Fountain of Thirst, or the Fountain of the Fays, on account of the many marvelous things which had happened near it.

Raimond reached the fountain at the time when three ladies were diverting themselves there by the light of the moon — the principal one being Mélusine. Of course, her preternatural beauty and her impeccable manners quickly won Raimond's heart. She soothed him, concealed the deed he had done and married him on condition that he never try to find out what she did every Saturday- if he breached his oath he would forever be deprived of she who he loved so much. From her great wealth she created for him the castle of Lusignan right next to the Fountain of Thirst, where they had first seen each other.

Ten boys were born of their union but all were afflicted with strange physical defects. For example, one of Urian's eyes was in the middle of his cheek, and Geoffrey had a very long eye-tooth, which was why he came to be nicknamed Geoffrey Big-Tooth. But still Raymond's love for his beautiful wife remained unshaken.

Raymond walks in on his wife, Melusine, in her bath and discovers she has the lower body of a serpent. Illustration from the Jean d'Arras work, Le livre de Mélusine (The Book of Melusine), 1478. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

But one day Raimond could no longer contain his curiosity. For he had noticed that each of Mélusine's absences coincided with the apparently magical building of a castle, a monastery or a church. So he followed his wife into the cave to which she withdrew every Saturday. There he saw Mélusine in her true form: 'for the ovely form of Melusina ended below the waist where it became serpentine with scales of grey and sky-blue mixed with white bathing in a green marble tub'. Quite a sight you must admit ;). But it was not horror that seized him at the sight, it was infinite anguish at the reflection that through his breach of faith he might lose his lovely wife forever. When she realised she had been found out Mélusine wept and stretched out her arms, which turned into wings; finally, she disappeared into the air, uttering these words: 'One thing will I say unto thee; that thou, and those who for more than a hundred years shall succeed thee, shall know that whenever I am seen to hover over the fair castle of Lusignan, then will it be certain that in that very year the castle will get a new lord; and though people may not perceive me in the air, yet they will see me by the Fountain of Thirst; and thus shall it be so long as the castle stand in honor and flourishing — especially on the Friday before the lord of the castle shall die."

Source:

 http://www.celtnet.org.uk/gods_m/melusine.html