Month: October 2019

Thoughts on Gather the Fortunes

Back in March, when I was reading Gather the Fortunes, I shared my review of Bryan Camp’s first book, The City of Lost Fortunes. Whenever I listen to Ghost Train by my friends at Cheshire Moon, I’m reminded of The City of Lost Fortunes… you’ll have to read it to find out why. Since I listened to the song this weekend, this pair of books was fresh in my mind. This review was published in the May 2019 issue of Booklist.

Renaissance (Renai) Raines has been dead for five years now, and to be honest, her daily afterlife is a bit dull at the start of Bryan Camp’s Gather the Fortunes. As a psychopomp, she picks a name from the special radio station that lists people dying that day in New Orleans. She works with her partner, Salvatore, alternately a raven and a dog, to collect the soul and escort it to the Gates of the Underworld. Except for her daily collection task, her life is uneventful, partially because most people don’t really notice her. That changes when a boy named Ramses St. Cyr, Renai’s pick for the day, slips free of his destined death. Renai picked the name both because a god – though she’s not sure which one – offered her a favor for looking after the boy, and because the name sparked a memory from when she was alive. As the psychopomp assigned to collect the soul, Renai finds herself embroiled in a plot between assorted supernatural beings, expanding her understanding of both the afterlife and her abilities in it. This is another page turner by Camp, accented by the periodic chapter introductions that explain beliefs across various mythologies. 

Camp expands on the exciting world he presented in The City of Lost Fortunes, while keeping the storyline entirely in New Orleans. It blends the supernatural appeal of Anne Rice and Laurell K. Hamilton with the mythological lessons from Rick Riordan.

Spending time outside in the fall

Every so often, I want to spend time outside without gardening. Especially given all the mulch and bricks we’ve been hauling around. The temperature just started dropping a couple weeks ago, so the fabulous fall colors aren’t quite here yet, but pumpkins are ripe and Six Flags Great America is set up for Fright Fest, their annual Halloween celebration.

Let’s start with pumpkins… there are many pumpkin farms to choose from in the Chicagoland area, most with a corn maze of varying degrees of difficulty. Last year, we visited Abbey Farms‘ Pumpkin Daze event, which has everything from a petting zoo to a zipline to weekend movies in the dark, along with an elaborate corn maze. And, of course, pumpkins – you can select picked ones, or cut your own, with wagons strewn about to haul them. This year’s pumpkin excursion (which didn’t actually involve bringing pumpkins home… that’ll probably be in a week or two) was to Windy Acres Farm. The corn maze is smaller than at Abbey Farms (you only find your way through it, not search for specific objects within), the pumpkins are pre-picked… but there are turkeys walking around the farm, barnyard animals, assorted seasonal displays and things for kids to climb in or on, and educational information scattered throughout. Smaller children can ride the train on weekends; unfortunately, I’m too tall for it.

I’m not too tall for the rides I like at Six Flags. I do have to balance my love of rollercoasters with Cassandra’s, well, disinclination to ride any of the really big ones. That limits me to the big ones with somewhat short lines or single rider lines. Alas, The Joker was closed the day we went, but the single rider line for Goliath was only about 20 minutes… compared to the 120 minutes for the normal line. We did ride Demon together, and likely will again in the future. But my next visit to Six Flags must include Maxx Force, a new coaster that I haven’t tried… yet. As we waited in line for the Demon, we could see Maxx Force running, but we ran out of time for the day.

Started here... at the entryway fountain, decorated with skeletons and tinted red; ended here... at The Condor, a ride that raises you high and spins you around; and saving this for next time, Maxx Force, a new rollercoaster.

But I mentioned Halloween, so let’s not forget the elaborate efforts that Six Flags puts into their decorations. The fountain by the entrance is tinted red, so dark that it looks black until you walk right up to it, and has skeletons scattered throughout, coming towards you. There are headstones lining the sides, which are worth reading as you walk past. And they have several haunted attractions and shows… none of which I’ve seen, because honestly, I’m there for the rollercoasters. There are seasonal displays throughout the park, including coffins that you can lie in for photographs, and boxes interspersed in the walkways where creepy things lurk at night to spook park visitors.

As of last year, they’ve added a Holiday in the Park event through December, so I’m looking forward to seeing how they decorate for the winter holidays.

Thoughts on Kill the Farm Boy

I’ll admit, I bought this book for the title. I didn’t even read the blurb. I had skimmed a review of it before I saw it at the bookstore, so I knew it was supposed to be good.

The blurb for Kill the Farm Boy talks of the Chosen One, the Dark Lord who wishes for the Chosen One’s death… and fine cheese, a trash-talking goat, and an assassin who fears chickens, among other story hints. As silly as that sounds, it’s nothing compared to actually reading the book.

It starts when Worstley (the younger brother of Bestley) and his talking goat, Gustave, set off from their farm at the instance of a pixie.  At the sleeping castle, they encounter the fighter Fia and Argabella, the bunny bard, and then request the aid of the Dark Lord, Toby.  The adventuring party comes together on a quest to reach Grinda, the sand witch, to discover why she cast a sleeping spell over the castle and demand its removal, in order to return Argabella to her human form. 

Of course, it gets complicated, as the sleeping spell was part of larger political intricacies in the kingdom, and they must work together to overcome a combination of large and silly obstacles to the most unlikely outcome.  This book will keep you guessing and make you laugh at its oddest moments. 

Thoughts on Uncharted (Arcane America #1)

I recently reviewed Council of Fire, the second book in the Arcane America setting. This is not that review.

I occasionally receive sequels when I haven’t read the earlier books.  I once reviewed the last book of a series, though I had never heard of the series until I received the book.  This is the first time I’ve received a sequel and immediately gone out to find the previous book.

The basic premise to the Arcane America series is that the New World has been sundered from the old with the 1759 passing of Halley’s Comet.  A mountain range has suddenly appear mid-Atlantic, preventing the passage of ships to the Old World.  More perplexing, at least to the Europeans, is the rise of magic forces.

Chronologically, the Council of Fire, written by Eric Flint and Walter H. Hunt, precedes Uncharted.  Council of Fire begins with the comet’s strike and moves throughout the explored parts of the northern hemisphere of the New World.  Uncharted, by Kevin J. Anderson and Sarah A. Hoyt, begins in 1803, following the adventures of Lewis and Clark as they seek a path to the Pacific Ocean in hopes of reestablishing contact with the Old World.

This is not the story of Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, and Sacagawea that you learned in school.  They are facing a greater adversary than the natural elements and native tribes, as the land itself seems to turn against them including a surprisingly European dragon that is slaughtering natives and immigrants alike.  Fortunately, as they soon learn, they have magic on their side as well.

Good news!  There are only two books in this series (so far)… now’s a great time to start reading them.