Tag Archives: fantasy

Of Babylonians, demons, and bankers

Posted on August 16, 2022 by smellincoffee

Continuing in the Big Book Catchup… Paul Kriwaczek’s Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization covers Mesopotamian history from the establishment of Eridu to the rise of the  first Persian empire.  This is a survey of thousands of years of … Continue reading →

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Recalled to life

Posted on August 8, 2022 by smellincoffee

Er. hi. Been a while. Today marks my partial return to work, as I’ve been readjusting to life the last few weeks. I’ve been reading steadily, but have not been home (lots of housesitting), and typing reviews on my laptop … Continue reading →

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Beauty and the Werewolf

Posted on June 21, 2022 by smellincoffee

500 Kingdoms: Beauty and the Werewolf(C) 2011 Mercedes Lackey408 pages Isabella Beauchamps is accustomed to being the mistress of her house, keeping the servants and her twin stepsisters in line while her stepmother spends her days gazing out the window … Continue reading →

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The Sleeping Beauty

Posted on June 19, 2022 by smellincoffee

A Tale of the Five Hundred Kingdoms #5: The Sleeping Beauty(c) 2010 Mercedes Lackey352 pages Rosamond has the bad luck to be an orphaned princess in a wealthy little kingdom surrounded by larger, hostile enemies, any one of whom will … Continue reading →

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Watership Down

Posted on November 19, 2021 by smellincoffee

Watership Down© 1972 Richard Adams413 pages A small community sits on the precipice of destruction, but the few who realize it are unable to fully warn their comrades. A small band leave everything they’ve ever known behind, to face the … Continue reading →

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Harry Potter Fanfic: They Shook Hands

Posted on November 15, 2021 by smellincoffee

I’m officially reading two nonfiction works. My weekend was spent, however, reading through a fanfiction series called “They Shook Hands“, an alternate-history approach to the Harry Potter adventures. The titular point of departure is that Harry and Draco’s initial meeting … Continue reading →

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The Sword and the Serpent

Posted on April 23, 2021 by smellincoffee

Sword and Serpent © 2014 Taylor R. Marshall411 pages A phoenix from the fire will riseUnchain her and free the worldIn Britannia will rise the eagle whose sign is the CrossIn Britannia will rise the chief dragon whose sign is … Continue reading →

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His Majesty’s Dragon

Posted on April 14, 2021 by smellincoffee

His Majesty’s Dragon© 2006 Naomi Novik384 pages William Laurence’s career was all set: a ship of his own, a fair French prize in his sights, and fiance waiting for him at home.  But then, in the hold of the French … Continue reading →

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Ancestral Shadows

Posted on October 5, 2017 by smellincoffee

Ancestral Shadows: An Anthology of Ghostly Tales© 2004 ISI Distributed TitlesStories written by Russell Kirk 1950s and produced first in various magazines410 pages “Ghost stories” invariably makes me think of legends and folklore,  but Ancestral Shadows is an altogether different … Continue reading →

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Dracula

Posted on October 2, 2017 by smellincoffee

Dracula© 1897 Bram Stoker416 pages Every attorney has problematic clients,  but few can claim an actual monster. Such is the case with Count Dracula, as  young lawyer Jonathan Hawker discovers to his dismay and horror when he arrives at the … Continue reading →

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