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Title: Crossroads (Shadowrun #30)
Author: Stephen Kenson
ISBN: 0-451-45742-0
Format: Paperback
273 Pages
Overall Concept 7
Execution 6

As I've mentioned a few times in this blog, I am a big fan of the Shadowrun RPG and its novel series.

This is another example of the typical fare from this franchise, it is some entertaining 'mental bubble gum'.

The book does have some interesting concepts and ideas, but overall it is fairly formulaic.

If you are a fan of the cyberpunk or sci-fantasy genres, I would suggest you give this book a read, just don't expect an amazing book but an alright one.

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Series: Anita Blake - Vampire Hunter
Title: Guity Pleasures (Book #1)
Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
ISBN: 0-515-13449-X
Format: Paperback
265 Pages
Overall Concept 7
Execution 5

Okay, one of my 'guilty pleasures' is that I am a vampire-phile and usually gobble up most things that have to do with fangs, blood and sensuality. Hence, after all the press this series has been getting, the fact that Marvel is now publishing a line of comics that serializes this novel and that the back cover boasts "An R-Rated Buffy the Vampire Slayer...the action never stops." - The New York Review of Science Fiction, I thought I would give this series a try.

Well, after reading the book I will say the following.

1) it is obviously an early novel from this author as she hasn't truly found their polish
2) the situations are contrived and often presented unecessarily
3) several points in the characters 'history' are never explained despite being mentioned often
4) the author used, and the editor(s) didn't correct, the use of the word 'tireder', which I could excuse if it was being said by an uneducated lout, but I believe neither the author nor her character to be such

Overall the book was an acceptable distraction, and barely piques my interest to see where the 'series' goes from here. But considering the following this series has, I can only assume that the tastes of the general public, with regards to this genre (crime-horror), are not as discerning as mine.

Tireder indeed!!!

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Title: The Terminus Experiment (Shadowrun #34)
Author: Jonathan E. Bond & Jak Koke
ISBN: 0451457048
Format: Paperback - 288 pages
Rating: Overall Concept - 7/10
Execution - 7/10

I own the entire run of Shadowrun Novels by ROC publishing (all 40 of them) and have read up to and including this title.

I must say that this book was another example of a really good quick read. I have enjoyed all the Shadowrun books and am only dissapointed by the fact that I only have 6 more to go.

For anyone who likes Fantasy, Cyberpunk or Shadowrun type books, I would redily suggest they read this one.

The one thing about this book I found most interesting was that this was the first Shadowrun novel to have a blatantly lesbian relationship. What makes it so interesting was that the book was written by a couple of men. Not to say that a man cannot write about a gay relationship, but I couldn't help but wonder if this situation was a hook or gimmick to feed the authors fantasy.

However, it was refreshing for the authors to have included such an integral part of human society into a book dealing with the future. All of the other Shadowrun novels have made no mention of homosexuality and have made few mentions of interracial relationships. By specifically including this into this story I think the authors have taken a risk that pays off immensely.

For the above reason, as well as some of the dark imagery and there being no clear protaganist, I think that this book is showing a maturing of the Shadowrun novel series, a maturing that I hope continues in the rest of the books.

Now, lets see what we can do to convince WhizKids and Fanpro to produce more Shadowrun novels. ;^)