Dreamwalker by C.S. Friedman was a fun romp through some contemporary fantasy. Our main character is sort of a changling but she’s from a different world, or shall I say parallel universe where things work differently. She’s being hunted for her potential talents. The book’s pacing was good. Like many people I found the main character a bit naive about people in general, however there were other characters that were well drawn and I hope that as things go I will get to know all of the others a bit better.
Arcadia Falls by Carol Goodman was a pleasant read. It was better than most reviewers gave it credit for, although I agree with them that the daughter is way too irritating. The ending was a little flat but acceptable.
The last two were both the sort of book where one person’s life is being ruined by others and the suspense that comes as he attempts to find out why and who is doing it. Michael Dobbs’ Sentimental Traitor works. Brian Freeman’s The Bone House doesn’t.
Dobbs’ is writing about political intrigue. We know at the outset who is trying to ruin the Harry Jones, the protagonist. As Harry is part of an ongoing series, we know also that he’s going to succeed. The motivations of the main antagonist are known and feel real enough, if a bit simplistic. The fact is, the political machinations and motivations make this story a bit more realistic as one wonders if it could happen. There are places the suspense drags a bit, it’s a good read. I will definitely read more by Dobbs. I found this book reading the credits for the TV series House of Cards as it is Dobbs’ book that the series is based on. This book includes different characters the political intrigue remains.
Freeman’s The Bone House is less intriguing. The writing keeps things moving at a good pace and I’d like to read an action thriller by Freeman to see if he can make that work. Certainly his style lends itself to an action thriller. The downfall for me of the Bone House was that the motivations didn’t exactly make sense. It hinged too much on one coincidental meeting. Also, the actions and motivations of the entire town came into question and it was almost tiresome to hear someone else want to ruin our protagonist, who seemed incapable of doing anything. Our protagonist was accused about a year before the book is set of having a sexual relationship with one of his students. At one point he tells his wife he can never get another teaching job anywhere. However, the antagonist does just that, with no rhyme or reason for the discrepancy. If it was supposed to be ironic, it fell flat. I would read others things by this author as I said. It was a high intensity fast ride and I’d like to see if he can pull of an action thriller.