Sheila's Guests and Reviews

History - straight, or laced with fantasy and magic - sounds fun to me. I love to know more about history (which I didn't study seriously enough in school). But mostly I love the what-ifs, which the addition of magic, or mystery, adds so intriguingly. A Declaration of the Rights of Magicians by H.G. Parry Set around the time of the French Revolution, there’s enlightenment in the air, and maybe a promise of freedom for magicians. Freedom for slaves is debated in English Parliament. Magic powers are strictly regulated and often hidden away. Unlicensed magic can destroy lives. And definitely no wielding of magic in war. But all of this could be turned around as the French magicians claim back their rights, and dark forces stir. A long, slow read, this book is beautifully researched and thoroughly intriguing, with wonderful depictions of real-world characters only slightly changed by power. Sadly, despite its length, it doesn’t end. So now I’m eagerly awaiting the second half. An...

 A friend recommended this book to me and I felt sure I would love it. Instead I just "liked" it. It's a slow read, but it brings to life a different world in vivid detail. And its depiction of the struggles of a broken family to stay together is truly haunting. Before we were yours by Lisa Wingate In 1930s Memphis, a family living in comfortable poverty are split up by do-gooders, their children sent to a Tennessee Children’s home where they are prepared to be “sold” to eager (rich) adoptive parents. The novel is based on real records and presents a stark image of “doing good” gone wrong. In the present day, a privileged young woman finds herself drawn to a total stranger in a chance encounter. Choosing to research where the stranger comes from, she uncovers a past that just might change everything. The two timelines of this novel stay separate for a large part of this slow-reading book, leaving reader and protagonist alike to guess at what part each story might pl...

 A friend who lives in the Pacific Northwest recommended this author to me, saying these books might offer the best depiction of the area. So I had to read them. Now, at last, I'm catching up on writing book reviews. The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld Set in a vividly depicted Pacific Northwest, Rene Denfeld’s dark novel follows a PI nicknamed the Child Finder as she researches a cold case – the mystery of a child who disappeared three years previously. Child Finder Naomi is herself a “lost” child, and her skills have been honed by her past. But the search for Madison threatens to open dark doors to that past, and Naomi is soon in danger of “finding” her own self – a self she keeps deeply locked away, even from those she cares for most. A dark, haunting novel about an all-too-believably dark, haunted world, The Child Finder is an enthralling read full of character and plot. The Butterfly Girl by Rene Denfeld Sequel to the Child Finder by the same author, the Butterfly Gir...

 I got these two books for my birthday last year but found them hard to hold with a broken wrist. They stared at me from the not-read bookshelf, enticingly. And eventually I got them down, reading both in the space of three or four day. Long books, but great reads, especially if you like time travel contradictions, or just like London. Blackout by Connie Willis Historians in 2060 Oxford, England, are researching the past. It’s a kind of hands-on research whereby they travel into the past, with strict instructions (and many protections) to avoid their changing anything. Of course, things go wrong. Travelers visiting different locations, times and events of WWII find themselves trapped. Time-travel interactions might mean a certainty that someone will survive, combined with uncertainty about oneself. And multiple viewpoints have the reader tracking back and forth till the threads start coming together. And the fears. The characters quickly become very real, and the world of WWI...

 It's been a crazy year, and it's been almost a year since I broke my wrist and stopped being able to write or type. I could still read, of course, but holding a book in my hand and turning pages was... a pain. So... a crazy year. Anyway, somewhat earlier this year I received an intriguing book through the post. The title, Sgt. Ford's Widow, and the cover image, dark clouds, a man on a horse, and almost a face looking out, certainly caught my interest. And the story, once I started reading, kept me truly enthralled. It's a curious blend of history, culture, mystery, and romance. Sgt. Ford was stationed in Vietnam. The widow was a married woman with a husband, a life, a home. And the war turned both their lives around. Now widowed, the woman has been rescued from abuse by both sides and brought back to Wyoming's very different land. She keeps house  for her rescuer because... what else could she do? Though soon it's clear, she can "do" very much more th...

Billed as a Hellscapes novel, Stephen Zimmer’s Days of Darkness portrays the gradual descent of a slightly futuristic earth-scape into something of growing horror. First comes the darkness, and a protagonist busy trying to keep things going as normal because, well, what else would you do? The protagonist is relatively wealthy, successful, and not the sort of character to care too much about those he deems beneath him. Yet the author makes the reader care, desperately, about him and about everyone else, with pages turning frantically as the world falls apart. Surely there must be a way out of this—isn’t that what we always think? And surely there must be some redemption for a character who isn’t quite as bad as his neighbors… who might become good, somehow… surely… Days of Darkness is an un-put-down-able read, vividly imagined, thought-provoking even, and truly haunting in scope. Echoes of Steven King. Echoes of the book of Revelation. Echoes of nightmares for sure. And the ending is to...

I love the light - anyone who knows me will know that. But I love to read about "the dark", so when I invited celebrated author Stephen Zimmer to my blog, there was one burning question I had to ask: Why do we Read and Write about the Dark. Here's his answer, and welcome to the blog tour for his new Hellscapes novel, Days of Darkness. (Watch this space for my review, coming soon!) Why Write and Read About the Dark? By Stephen Zimmer   The question of whether or not to write and read about the Dark boils down to a few stark realities, in my view. Life isn’t fair, far from it, and there is a harsh, merciless side to it that everyone, sooner or later, experiences.  Death looms at the end of life’s road, intractable, and genuine evil not only exists, but, I would argue, is pervasive. What encompasses the Dark is an unavoidable part of every living being’s life experience, in terms of this mortal, and often difficult, world.  It is not something that goes away if we refuse to ...