We follow the story of Moon, a solitary Raksura who has developed into manhood not knowing where he came from or even what type of people he belongs to. He is described as a shifter, one that can change from a flying creature into a walking creature. Orphaned at a young age, he has been moving between groundling camps in which he never fits, and to whom he can never reveal his true self. He lives in constant fear that if a groundling sees him shift into is Raksura form, he will be confused with the enemies of all creatures, the Fell.

One day, a flying creature like himself rescues him from a deathly situation and takes him to a floating island until he can heal. Moon and the rescuer take this time to ask each other questions about where they come from and who they are.

Stone, the Raksura who has rescued him, explains that they live in a place called the Three Worlds. There are several types of creatures living in this world, consisting of groundlings, skylings and sea creatures. Some of them are obviously interchangeable and have the ability to shift into another form. Moon decides that he will travel back with Stone to see people like himself, learn about where he may have come from, and the possibilies that his future holds.

Each step of the way they must be smarter, faster and stronger than the Fell that are taking over the world. The Fell are slowly destroying the other creatures to defy their own devastation. All the creatures in this world are experiencing sickness and low breeding numbers. But the Fell have some advantages the other creatures don’t have, and they have set their eyes on the Raksura to salvage their dire situation.

The writing is very descriptive and, overall, very vivid. There are so many levels and nuances within each type of species that it did take me quite a bit of the book to start to grasp the roles they play in their societies. Both the Fell and the Raksura had different levels of rankings in which some could shift and some couldn’t. But the twist of adding the rare shifters in as well made the book more fantastical and really envelops you in the story. The repetitive descriptions of the people throughout the story helped as well. There is so much adventure, world building and action that–literally before you know it–the story is over and leaves you yearning for more.

By the end of the book you are fighting for the happy ending, you come to understand all of the creatures, their plight and their need to grow in number and survive. How they can work for or against each other and the overall message–that we all need to find a place to belong.

The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells
ISBN 978-1-59780-216-1
Published by Night Shade Books, March 15, 2011
Paperback, 300 pages

I was thrilled to find this book on the shelves at my local Kmart, as the first book in the Chronicles of Nick had me twisted in its magic so firmly, that finishing the book felt like I was missing out on something.  The wait for this chapter of the chronicles turned out to be well worth it.

Nick Gautier (Go-Shay) is recovering from the traumas at the end of book 1, Infinity. The principal and coach are replaced before the crime scene tape is even removed, and things start looking up for his Mum, who gratefully takes a job at Sanctuary, a bar owned by were-bears.

Nick knows he’s not your run-of-the-mill teenage boy, and begins lessons with the supernatural beings sent to help him on his journey—wherever that may take him. Everything seems to bleed back into a form of normalcy until one of the new staff members blackmails Nick into criminal activity, in return for not pointing the finger at him over a spate of thefts at the school.

It is up to Nick to untangle the web to save the lives of his classmates, and to take one step closer to his destiny. He just has to step in the right direction. Will his decisions be the right ones?

I’m pleased to see Sherrilyn has kept true to her form and is blending the pictures of these chronicles to enhance those she created with the Dark Hunter and the Were-Hunter series. I am impressed at the meticulous care she takes to not sully the storylines that already exist by throwing something in from left field.

In the dedication Sherrilyn thanks her sons “who wanted a book to share with their friends.” I think she has managed to do just that. The book, I feel, would suit both sexes. There is action and angst for the boys and a hint of drama and romance for those of the fairer sex who prefer it. Humour takes some of the rough edges off, and as Nick has a very mischievous nature, his mouth is a constant source of both trouble and wit. His interaction with the other characters in this enthralling reality certainly rings true.

The only drawback to this series is the books are read so quickly. I’m left now wanting badly to be able to move onto the next book; but alas, I will have to wait patiently with bated breath.

The next instalment in the Chronicles of Nick is Infamous and it should be out early in 2012.

4/5
X Belinda X

Invincible (Chronicles of Nick Book 2)—Sherrilyn Kenyon

Published 29 March, 2011, by Atom

Paperback, 320 Pages

ISBN: 1907410236

EAN: 9781907410239

The fifth and final book of Melissa Marr’s Wicked Lovely series, Darkest Mercy doesn’t disappoint. I’ve been a fan of the intricate world Marr created since book one, and although sometimes confusing, by the end of the series it’s obvious she had a grand plan all along.

Darkest Mercy begins where Radiant Shadows (number 4) left off. The Faerie realm is in turmoil; The Summer King is missing; The Dark Court is bleeding; and a stranger walks the streets of Huntsdale, his presence signifying the deaths of powerful fey.

Aislinn tends to the Summer Court, searching for her absent king and yearning for Seth. Torn between his new queen and his old love, Keenan works from afar to strengthen his court against the coming war. Donia longs for fiery passion even as she coolly readies the Winter Court for battle. And Seth, sworn brother of the Dark King and heir to the High Queen is about to make a mistake that could end his life.

This has been an unusual series to follow; Book one, three and five concentrate on Aislinn and the royal courts of the fey – The Summer, Winter, Dark, Shadow and High Courts. Books two and four are from the points of view of other characters – in Ink Exchange (bk 2), it’s all about Leslie and her role in the fey world. Book four, Radiant Shadows, was the story of Ani, Devlin, Rae and the Hunt. But in the final instalment of the Wicked Lovely world, Marr takes us full circle back to the warring royal courts. This can be a little confusing at times, and therefore I’d suggest the best way to get the most of this series is to read the books in order, although they do also stand alone.

Darkest Mercy is all about war. It is bloody, violent and at times delves deep into the depths of one king’s madness. It is a story of betrayal and sacrifice, but also of trust, love and can actually be a bit weepy (for this sook, anyway!) with tenderness at times. Most of the lead up to the final battle concentrates on politics and strategy within the faery realms, and we learn more about each and every character. There is a brand new bad guy in town to watch out for, as if dealing Bananach wasn’t bad enough. Bananach – she who embodies discord itself – has to be one of the most ruthless, crazy-arsed psychos in YA fiction today. In fact, she’s easily my favourite character in the entire series. It’s very difficult to go into more plot detail here; I don’t want to ruin the first four books for those of you who haven’t read them yet. What I will say, is that Marr isn’t afraid to write the hard words, to hurt (or even kill) her beloved characters. Every character in Darkest Mercy is somehow forced to make a sacrifice for the good of the Feary realm, every character is somehow broken. And still, by the final pages, Melissa Marr manages to surprise her loyal readers with even more shocks, twists and turns.

There were some storylines from earlier books that were not tied up, and this is my only complaint against Darkest Mercy. Some characters who were important in the development of the entire story arc were forgotten about, or didn’t even make an appearance in the final instalment. But we can keep our fingers crossed for a spin-off series (maybe?) that is rumoured to be in the making.

Wicked Lovely Series

Book One – Wicked Lovely (see Amy’s review here)

Book Two – Ink Exchange (see Cels’ review here)

Book Three – Fragile Eternity

Book Four – Radiant Shadows

Book Five – Darkest Mercy

Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr
Published by Harper Collins
Paperback, 327 pages

ISBN: 978-0-00-736357-5

I would like to introduce you to a series that was shot in 1994. Yes, that was the last millennium.

Sky Trackers

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-BTs7BzliU

had us reaching for the stars. It was directed by Mario Andreacchio, Steve Jodrell and Julian Mcswiney. Writing credits go to Robert Greenberg, Cameron Clarke, Tony Morphett, Jeff Peck, Deborah Cox, Jutta Goetze, Mac Gudgeon, Peter Hepworth, Sue Hore, Rick Maier, Jan Sardi and Steve J Spears. It was shot in both New South Wales and Victoria.

IMDB is a great resource, and normally I would be giving you their synopsis of the plot, but they only have one line… LUCKILY I managed to find this series on DVD and will now give you the blurb from the back… Sky Trackers follows the lives of Maggie, Mike and Nikki – three kids thrown together in the heart of Kaputar NSW. Maggie and Nikki are sisters whose mother, Marie is a senior CSIRO scientist responsible for environmental projects. Mike lives with his Dad, Tony, who is a famous astro physicist. Together, the group encounter a number of issues, sometimes with each other, sometimes out of this world. The one certainty is that Sky Trackers always come out on top.

Casting was important with this series. It looks to me like they were trying to find fresh blood to start a new chapter in Aussie TV: Steve Jacobs, from East West 101; Anna Maria Monticelli, The Girl From Tomorrow, Home and Away and White Collar Blue; Paul Sonkkila from The Girl from Tomorrow. Tomorrow’s End look to be the skeleton that allowed the fleshing out to happen with the young new actors to grace our screen: Petra Yared, Zbych Trofimiuk and Emily-Jane Romig.

This series really let you know it was more than okay to be a girl and know without a doubt what you wanted to do with the rest of your life, even if it was something most ‘normal’ girls wouldn’t want to be doing. Boys are okay, but only if they don’t get in the way of your plans. Hormones be damned.

The book of the same name, based on the series sucked me in just as much as it did on the TV screen.

I’ll continue on with my nostalgia in future instalments. Hope you don’t mind.

Paul Collins is a prominent figure in the Australian speculative fiction community. Co-editor of the highly successful Quentaris Chronicles, Collins is also a multi-award winning author and publisher. Mole Hunt is his latest book, the first of a trilogy centring on compelling anti-hero, Maximus Black. Eighteen-year-old Maximus is a star cadet with RIM (Regis Imperium Mentatis)—a galactic law agency. Ruthless, manipulative, and conniving, he is the ‘perfect psychopath’, slipping undetected through the treacherous streets and alleyways of Zetalon 6, hell-bent on revenge and galactic control.

The dystopian universe that Maximus inhabits is totally convincing and so deftly constructed by Collins that the reader might feel that it’s somewhere they’ve actually been—albeit an often unsavoury somewhere. Zetalon 6 has ‘four seasons: murky and clearing, twice a year’. Opportunists trade information, vicious mercenaries lurk in dingy bars, alleyways are infested with shady figures, and high-tech law enforcement procedures are implemented in a sometimes futile attempt to maintain law and order.

Just when you think things can’t become any more complicated, enter Anneke Longshadow: a real match for Collins’s anti-hero. Fiercely intelligent; physically powerful; damaged, but morally upright, Anneke acts as Maximus’s binary opposite. How refreshing to encounter a central female character who’s every bit as complex and resourceful as her male counterpart. Word has spread among RIM operatives that a mole has infiltrated the agency and Anneke is determined to root out the traitor. Max, filled with secrets and motivations of his own, finds himself inextricably connected to Anneke in a page-turning, pulse-quickening battle of wits, physical dominance, and exhilarating daring.

I just love spending time with these characters—it’s a rush to be caught on the precipice of their perilous situations, only to be rescued at the last minute by their ingenuity and lightning-fast reflexes. Thrilling plot aside, what I love most about Mole Hunt is the sheer joy of Collins’s inventiveness; the imaginary technology is amazing. And not all authors can pull this off. I’ve read many a book that overdoes this sort of thing until it becomes a distraction. Some sci-fi writers sacrifice characterisation in favour of technology; it’s to Collins’s credit that Mole Hunt has both. In spades! Directional locator bands, attractor field generators, anti-static suits, astrogation charts,  hover cars, e-paper—I couldn’t get enough of it.

It’s so much fun watching the tale unfold from the perspectives of these charismatic characters as they use every reserve of cunning and practicality to outmanoeuvre one another. Traps are set, tracks are traced, wits are sharpened, and bodies are pushed to the limit. And in this epic struggle, Collins asks us to consider questions of loyalty, morality, identity, and life choices.

There’s plenty to recommend about Mole Hunt. The trilogy is being pitched at a 12+ male audience, though I think its actual readership is far wider. Anyone who enjoys an action-packed sci-fi, with imaginative environments and gadgetry, an absorbing plot, and memorable characters will love this. Simply put, it’s enormously entertaining. Put Mole Hunt at the top of your reading list and be on the look out for book 2: Dyson’s Drop. I sure will be.

Mole Hunt trailer: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S-eKDYqpEs

Mole Hunt – Paul Collins

Published, June 2011, by Ford Street Publishing

Paperback, 347 pages

ISBN: 9-781-921-665-2-64