Title:Demon Blood

Author: Meljean Brook

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: July 6th 2010
Paperback: 448 pages

Long before she was transformed into a Guardian and trained to fight demons, Rosalia knew darkness all too well. Raised by a demon, Rosalia learned to guard her heart—and her soul—until she found a man worthy of her love. Once, she thought that man would be the powerful vampire, Deacon…until he betrayed the Guardians.

After losing everything to the lies of a demon, Deacon lives only for revenge—and is taken aback when Rosalia offers to help. A vampire who has nothing—who is nothing—isn’t worthy of her attention. But Rosalia wants to do more than just look, and the explosive need between them can’t be held in check. And when Deacon’s vengeful quest creates a dangerous alliance of their enemies, she will be his only hope…

Stand alone or series: Tenth story in the Guardian series, and the sixth full-length book. If you are starting here (although you are SO missing out if you are), you can read the author’s excellent primer here.

How did I get this book: An ARC from the author

Why did I read this book: Because I will read ANYTHING Meljean Brook writes.

Review:

WARNING: Since Demon Blood is the 7th book on an ongoing series, this review contains necessary spoilers for previous books, especially Demon Forged. If you haven’t read Demon Forged and plan to, STEP AWAY NOW. Reading this review will completely SPOIL it for you and that book should not be spoiled. You have been warned!

I am going to skip the usual intro in which I say how much Meljean Brook’s writing and I have crazy chemistry and go really well together ( like rice and beans – if you are Brazilian, you will understand this comparison – or fish and chips) and how Demon Blood is another example of how incredibly smart her writing is.

Instead, I will jump straight into business. In Demon Forged, shit hit the fan. BIG TIME. Loads of people died, including several vampires and a Guardian, there is one crazy Gregori on the loose, the Nephilim are coming to get everybody, Belial may or may not be about to take over Hell. Above all, The Doyen, Michael, also sort of died and is currently trapped in Hell and the new Doyen, Taylor, is a newbie Guardian. Things could not be worse in the Guardian universe.

And you can blame it all on one man: Deacon. A vampire leader who, in order to protect his own community and the ones he loved was led by a demon to betray the Guardians causing the aforementioned to happen and in the end, the demon repaid him by slaughtering his community and his two companions anyway. He was left for dead – a death he welcomed due to his failure – but eventually saved by a Guardian named Rosalia only to walk way as soon as he was able to.

Six months later, all that keeps Deacon alive is his need for revenge as he travels around Europe killing demons. This serves Rosalia really well: she has a master plan and Deacon is instrumental to it, if only she can convince him that she needs his help and his alone.

Demon Blood is probably the most emotionally raw, the most dramatic of the books in the series so far when it comes to its central pairing. If Demon Forged was essentially a Big Picture book without losing sight of the romance, Demon Blood is a Romance book who never loses sight of the Big Picture. And it is all down to the fact that the protagonists are broken: truly, deeply so. How many times have I read books in which the big bad hero doesn’t think he is good enough for the heroine? Or a heroine who has never been loved and wants that more than anything? Many times, and it always bugs me to no end when the reasoning for those are so lame. Not here.

In Deacon’s case he REALLY IS NOT good enough for her. He is totally screwed up inside, so full of self-loathing that he acts the part of the bastard he believes himself to be for the entire novel. Rosalia on the other hand, compensates her lack of being loved by managing and manipulating everybody, I would even go as far as to say that her past actions with regards to Deacon – for she has known him for nearly 90 years – were downright stalkery. The two characters are stripped naked to each other and to the reader and it takes great writing skills to turn these two around in a way that is believable. Kudos to Meljean for, instead of making me want to cut Deacon’s balls off or to tell Rosalia to dry her tears, she actually made me care – and deeply – for them. Rosalia believes in Deacon and sometimes that is all that takes to fix a broken man. Deacon believes that Rosalia is worthy of love so much so that he thinks he is beneath her, that’s how grand he thinks she is.

I am not sure I can say that Deacon and Rosalia are likeable characters though and I struggled with writing my thoughts on them. Worried that readers might be put off by this statement when this is by not, by any means a negative statement, not in this case. Yes, Deacon is not as easily likeable as say, Drifter or Jake. Rosalia is not immediately strong as Irena or Lilith. But it does not matter – what Brook does here is a masterful character study and it presents a more complicated, difficult yet very rewarding read. Picture this: Deacon is essential to Rosalia’s her plan because he is broken, persona non grata everywhere. But her plan is twofold because she plans to bring him back from the abyss as well: she needs to use what is the worst thing about him to bring out his best.

The point I am trying to make became very clear to me yesterday when by sheer luck I came across this article about Unlikeable Female Protagonists by Courtney Summers. Sometimes it is not about connecting or liking a character for ourselves; sometimes is about character development, and story and enjoying them for what they are to the point where,

“how much someone is given–regardless of how nice they are or aren’t–in terms of love and support isn’t up to us, unless we’re the ones doing the giving.”

Or to also quote Louis CK:

“Well, I think “likability” is an overused word. I don’t watch people ’cause I like them; I watch them because they’re compelling. Sympathetic is a little different. It’s like I understand this person, and I never know quite what they’re going to do and I’m really interested in what they might do next and they feel real to me. That’s, I think, way more valuable than likable. Likable just thins you out…”

I love these two quotes and I think they are perfect for the matter at hand. They also tell me how much Meljean Brook has grown as an author and how many risks she will take to remain faithful to her story and to her characters.

And this is not the only risk she takes here. Rosalia’s plan, as genius and impressive as it is in its simplicity (and I love that it is HER plan, ie the female character’s) results in the most anticlimactic outcome for one of the most important things in this world. I won’t spoil but I will admit that I did a double take. However, in taking this risk, Brook has cleared the field and opened up the board for a major showdown and one that WILL mean something. If this was a chess game, I would say: the pawns are all out, only the major players remain and you know what? This is a good thing. She also takes on the loaded issue of motherhood and how /why Guardians cannot (and should not) have children and addresses it beautifully to the point of bringing me to tears.

I can’t finish my review without mentioning the SHEER AWESOMENESS of the Taylor/Michael situation, as it is gripping, suspenseful and I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN OH MY GOD PLEASE LET IT BE ALRIGHT. Did I ever say that Brook is a clever writer? Scrap that – she is brilliant: Michael may be in hell but it does not mean that he is not around. In fact, I might have learnt more about him here than I ever did.

And it is from Taylor the best quote from this book:

that’s not going to happen, because there’s going to be a whole lotta motherfucking Guardians standing in the way

I can’t wait to see what happens next. Two more books to go.

Notable Quotes/Parts: The aformentioned quote happens in the final pages and that scene was all kinds of awesome. Also: CERBERUS!

Verdict: I have lost the count on the amount of times I have said that this series is consistently good, incredibly awesome and extremely well-written with great characters and this brilliant overarching plot. It should come as no surprise then that Demon Blood is another strong entry in the series. For all the reasons aforementioned.

Rating: 8 – Excellent

Reading Next: Bonds of Justice by Nalini Singh

GIVEAWAY DETAILS

We have TWO copies of Demon Blood to giveaway to two lucky winners. To enter, leave a comment here telling us which is your favorite book in the series so far. The contest is open to residents of the US and Canada, and will run until tomorrow, Saturday July 3rd at 11:59pm (pacific). One comment per person, please! Multiple entries will be disqualified. Good luck!

Hello and a good Sunday to all!!! Getting ready to watch the England x Germany World Cup match? We know we are! But before:

Giveaway Winners

The winner of one signed copy of Shades of Gray by Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge is:

Jocelyn Z.(comment# 32)

Congratulations! Please send us an email (contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com) with your snail mail address, and we will get your book out to you as soon as we can.

Meanwhile, on the Internets:

A couple of really good articles:

The first article comes from John, a 15 year old reviewer (who reviews for Dear Author and on his own blog, Dreaming in Books) who wrote about being a guy who reads romance and how there is nothing even remotely wrong about that. It is well worth a read: He’s Reading WHAT?! The In’s and Out’s of a Guy Who Reads Romances.

Second article comes from author Mark Charan Newton, entitled “Sexual Healing”, on the subject of writing sex scenes (both straight and queer) and how people react differently to each but also to the violence in books and how sex scenes seem to warrant more warnings than violent scenes. Two great quotes:

I wrote a few sex scenes in the book, but deliberately made the homosexual scene the mildest – because I was interested in seeing if there were any reader prejudices. I’ve seen on one or two dark corners online where people muttered, “Did we really have to see the gay scene?” To which I would say, if I cared to converse with them, “Yes you did. You didn’t complain about the straight sex, which was far more graphic. Deal with it.”

But it’s the perception that we feel we need to highlight sex and make a point of it, not violence and killing (and the more culturally damaging issues such as gender in Twilight as linked above) that I’m interested in.

And the comments are pretty interesting too. Check it out.

Videos!

1. Zombies coming to AMC

Television chanel AMC is adapting Robert Kirkman comic “The Walking Dead.” This is a series of comics that we both love and we are so excited about this for several reasons:

A) Zombies. ON TV.
B) AMC produces Mad Men which is FREAKING AWESOME.
C) Dudes. The series is going to be written, produced and directed by Frank Darabont of Shawshank Redemption fame. Seriously.

Check out this video where Darabont talks about the show:

2. The Green Hornet’s Trailer

Seth Rogen to play The Green Hornet in upcoming 2011 superhero-action-comedy film! But is Seth Rogen Superhero/Vigilante material even if he totally can pull off the comedy part of it? Only time will tell:

3.Super Hilarious Video: Gandalf Goes to the World Cup

No words to describe. Just watch it:

This Week on the Book Smugglers

On Monday, we have our Guest Dare of the month: Kris from Voracious YAppetite reads Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

On Tuesday we post our June edition of Cover Matters:

On Wednesday, it is Harry’s turn to write his A Dude Read PNR column, reviewing Gena Showalter’s story in The Deep Kiss of Winter anthology, followed by Thea’s review of The Magician’s Apprentice by Trudi Canavan.

Thea comes back again on Thursday to review of one her most anticipated reads of 2010: Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness, third in the celebrated Chaos Walking trilogy.

Finally, on Friday Ana reviews Demon Blood by Meljean Brook, 7th in the Guardians series – one of her top favorite series.

And that is it from us today! For now, it’s good luck to England and we remain, as usual:

~ Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers

Our last day of our Steampunk Appreciation Weeks is dedicated to Steampunk Romance. Earlier today we posted an article by Heather Massey, from The Galaxy Express. Now we open the floor to Meljean Brook, romance writer extraordinaire, whose Guardian series is one of Ana’s top favorites. The author is about to start a brand new Steampunk Romance series, The Iron Seas, which combines nanotech and pirates with a gritty, gaslit Victorian atmosphere. Ana reviewed the novella which opens the series, Here There Be Monsters a few days ago and LOVED it.

She is here today to talk about Steampunk Romance and her approach to writing it and why she thinks we will love it:

*****

Steampunk Romance: Because ‘Eureka!’ should be followed by ‘F#@k, Yeah!’

One of my favorite Hell, yeah! moments in any SF movie takes place in Aliens, when Ripley straps herself into the loader to face the alien queen. You probably know that scene, and her classic line … and you’re probably wondering why I’m talking about an SF movie when I should be talking about steampunk.

Since I’ve announced that I’m writing a steampunk romance series, one question that I’ve received more than any other is: What is steampunk romance? And there are rules and definitions surrounding it that can be debated by readers and writers until a mad scientist invents a gargantuan automaton that crushes us all beneath its steel feet – but as far as I’m concerned, steampunk romance is about writing a story exactly like that scene in Aliens. It’s about getting to that fist pumping, Hell YEAH! moment when everything comes together and the characters you’re rooting for kick some ass.

Not always literally kicking ass, of course. Maybe it’s outthinking the bad guy or building a gargantuan automaton that’s bigger and smarter than the other guy’s. Maybe it’s two lovers overcoming society’s barriers or trauma in their past. Whatever rules surround steampunk and define it, a great steampunk romance has the same heart as every other great romance: fantastic characters and an engaging story.

It’s not the gadgets.

Don’t get me wrong, the gadgets are a hell of a lot of fun. But they’re like Ripley’s loader: the machine itself is nifty, but the payoff comes because Ripley is in that machine – a machine that represents the damage the aliens did to her career, how they turned her into an emotional wreck, until she had to take a job using a freight loader. I love other characters in that movie – Hicks, Bishop, Valdez – but if anyone else had gotten into that loader, I wouldn’t have loved the movie or that moment as much as I do.

And the more I read the question What is steampunk romance?, the more I’m realizing that a lot of readers are asking another question behind it:

Am I going to love it?

Well, I hope so. But for those who are unfamiliar with steampunk and/or haven’t read many books in the genre, I understand why this question keeps coming up: there’s a lot of talk about the tech, the science, the worldbuilding. Questions of how the elements of the story might make it steampunk, or how the elements mean that it’s not steampunk – and is there enough of that element? It’s very easy to come away with the impression that the tech and the alternate history are all there is to steampunk.

And although you might run across an element of the story that makes you think, “Hey, that’s pretty neat!” … well, quite honestly, ‘neat’ doesn’t keep you up until 3am. ‘Neat’ might earn a passing mention while you’re at dinner with your friends, but it doesn’t make you shove that book into their hands.

Just like everyone else, I don’t want to read a story that’s just ‘neat.’ I don’t want to write a story that’s ‘neat.’ I don’t just want to think Eureka! I want shout F#@k YEAH! I want the story to grab my guts and twist – and get a good hold of my heart, too. Just like any good romance does.

But am I going to love it?

Okay, okay. It’s not fair to brush aside the tech like that, as if it doesn’t really matter. It does, a lot – and I’m one of those writers who can’t just tack on a brass plate and call it steampunk; I have to make the worldbuilding integral to the characters and story. But that doesn’t mean the worldbuilding overshadows the characters or the story – quite the opposite, actually – because behind those gadgets and giant robots are the characters who created them.

As fun as the gadgets are, steampunk doesn’t let us forget that the brains behind them were amazing. Tech can be used to dehumanize and to turn people into cogs, but it can also be a celebration of guts and ingenuity and innovation. Steampunk worlds are populated with bold characters who forge ahead, exploring physical and mental landscapes despite danger and fear, and they’re worth cheering for. The gadgets might inspire wonder, but deeper than that is the realization that someone created this, and that’s far, far more marvelous than the giant robot. It’s like someone smashes together Romanticism and the Enlightenment into one rough and riveted body, and not every piece will fit, but holy mama!—look what they managed to build.

Not that it’s all about happiness and rainbows and gold stars. There are some bad guys, too, who are just as astonishingly ingenious and innovative … and that’s why our heroes and heroines have to be, too. We want them to give us that Hell, yeah! moment, but they won’t do that if the gadgets are more interesting than they are.

And if the gadgets and the worldbuilding make the characters more interesting? It’s a win/win.

So am I going to love it?

Like every subgenre, it depends. I like paranormal romances and historicals, but I don’t like every one. I don’t normally like contemporary comedies, but I could name exceptions.

…but that is the boring, careful answer, isn’t it? So let’s just say,

Hell, yeah! You’ll love it.

*****

Hell, yeah! I am sure we will!

Want a taste of Steampunk Romance? Meljean Brook has a brand new copy of Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti ( one of Thea’s favorite Steampunk books, reviewed here) to giveaway.

In order to enter, leave a comment on this post – you can even ask the author any question about her series worldbuilding, she will be around to answer them. Contest is open to ALL and will run till Saturday April 24th 11:59pm (PST). Good luck!

Title: Here There be Monsters (in the Burning Up anthology )

Author: Meljean Brook

Genre: Romance/ Steampunk

Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: August 2010
Paperback: about 120 pages

Stand alone or series: First entry in the author’s upcoming Steampunk Romance series.

Meljean Brook launches a bold new steampunk series as a desperate woman strikes a provocative — and terrifying — bargain to gain overseas passage.

Two years ago, blacksmith Ivy, desperate to flee London, purchased her overseas passage by agreeing to spend the voyage in the bed of the pirate captain, Mad Machen. Saved at the last minute by his rival, Ivy scraped out a new life in Fool’s Cove…until Mad Machen finds her, forces her to accept a job that will create a monster, and reminds her that she still owes him the price of a journey

How did I get the book: Meljean Brook was kind enough to let me read it.

Why did I read the book: I will read ANYTHING Meljean Brook writes but I read this now for the Steampunk week.

Review:

First an introduction: Here There Be Monsters is one of four stories that will be part of the anthology Burning Up which is to be published in August. This is not a Steampunk anthology per, it is a Romance anthology (as the title and cover clearly suggest) but Meljean Brook’s story in it is a Steampunk story. It is in fact, her introduction to her upcoming Steampunk Romance series The Iron Seas.

I usually don’t review stories or books this far in advance but I broke my rule for two reasons. One, I wanted to review a Steampunk Romance in our Steampunk Week. I think the sub-sub-genre is likely to grow in the next few years and I am really looking forward to it. Two, I wanted my review of a Steampunk Romance to be of a good, no, of an excellent story and here we are.

In my opinion Meljean Brook is a fabulous yet for some mysterious reason, underappreciated, writer – I hardly ever see her books reviewed. The woman can write both full length novels and novellas so, so well (and I have read every single one of them) and this one is no different. Actually, scratch that : Here There Be Monsters is her best novella to date.

And it is with the utmost JOY that I say that this is both great Steampunk and great Romance. DING DING DING, WE HAVE A WINNER.

The story is self-contained but part of the larger alternate-Victorian setting in which you have The Horde, responsible for contaminating everybody in London with nanoagents and using them to control people. Seven years before our story begins the pirate captain Rhys Trahaearn destroyed the tower that the Horde used to control these nanoagents and thus becoming the famous Iron Duke.

But it seems that The Horde is making a comeback. When the story opens the blacksmith Ivy, one of the many children groomed in a Horde’s crèche is on the run. She believes they are coming back for her and she doesn’t want to relinquish the freedom she has earned. She will do anything to get away from London. Mad Machen is a pirate, an ally of captain Rhys Trahaearn and his ship is about to sail. Ivy knows his fierce, bloody reputation but she also knows a bit about the man from the times he visited the smithy she worked at. His ship is not a passenger ship though and before he can say no, she offers her body and to stay in his bed for the entire journey. He is more than keen on the deal but before they sail away, Lady Corsair a flying captain offers Ivy a room in her own ship and Ivy flees away. Two years later, Mad Machen finds her – and she will have not only to fulfil her bargain but also help him build a monster – a mechanical Kraken (the title of the story is very fitting).

I acknowledge the fact that the summary above sounds trifle but that is my fault and mine alone because I prefer not spoil but the story is not trifle at all. On one hand you have wonderful, rich, RELEVANT Steampunk elements: in the alternate reality, at some point in history, technology advanced so much nanotechnology and mechanical flesh (Ivy’s arms, for example) are a reality in the 19th century. That advancement has played a huge role in the power shifting of this world with the people who control technology being able to control the ones who don’t. What Ivy went through when she was a chimney sweeper under the Horde Control is not kid’s games.

But as much as the Steampunk elements are awesome and interesting and cool, and indeed such an intrinsic part of the world they live in, they are never too overwhelming to the point of obfuscating the romantic arc. And what a romance: from the moment I first read Eben’s (Mad Machen’s name) point of view I was a goner for the man. He has been in love with Ivy for like, forever and his frustration with his inability to talk to her without scaring her is palpable. I would go as far as to say that Eben is a beta hero masquerading as an Alpha and he reminds me a lot of Linnea Sinclair’s heroes. The point of his character is this: he NEEDS his reputation to carry out his mission (which I can’t disclose it for fear of spoiling the story) but he NEEDS Ivy to love and care for him. The problem is if anyone sees how much of a softheaded, lovesick fool he is, everything he worked for will be lost. Hence the main conflict of the story – to find a way they can be together in a way he can be both a mad pirate and a pirate madly in love.

And the great thing is that Ivy is the one to find out how: and the last scene of the novella is one of the best romantic scenes I have ever read and it cements how Meljean is capable of creating such great, strong wiled heroines. And as much as I loved Even, I fully admired Ivy whose lot in life was not the best. She is never a victim for it, and the eventual fulfilment of her dreams – simple as they might be (clean air, a view of the stars and work) are hers to pursue and win and hers alone.

There are a few things left unanswered which I know for a fact will be addressed throughout the series. For example, it was hinted in the novella that the Horde has been around for centuries and that Leonardo da Vinci was instrumental to keep them away from Europe a few centuries ago.

In any case, the world building is incredible and I can’t wait to see more of this alternate Steampunk-ish world as much as I can’t wait to read the awesome romantic stories Meljean Brook is sure to write. The next book is the Duke’s and I hope the one after that is Lady Corsair’s, who is one of hell of a cool secondary character.

Good Grief, I am SUCH a fan girl.

Notable Quotes/Parts: Chapter one’s excerpt:

By the time Ivy found Ratcatcher Row, yellow fog smothered the docklands. She inched along the unfamiliar street, holding her right hand out to her side and using the buildings facing the narrow wooden walk as a guide. Though only an arm’s length away, the thick mist dissolved Ivy’s gloved fingers into ghostly outlines. On her left, the clicking, segmented shadow of a spider-rickshaw scurried by on the cobblestones, and the hydraulic hiss of the driver’s thrusting feet seemed to whisper a single refrain.

Hurry, hurry, hurry.

Oh, she wanted to. Her heart pounded as if she’d sprinted through these streets instead of picking her way through the fog, stopping at each building to search for an identifying sign.

But at least she was moving. As long as she could move, she couldn’t be taken.

Seven years ago, after two centuries under brutal Horde rule, the pirate captain Rhys Trahaearn had destroyed the tower that the Horde used to control the nanoagents infecting every person in London. For seven years, Ivy had been free to move as she wished, to feel as she wished—until earlier that night. Only hours ago, she’d been frozen in her bed with her eyes closed, unable to move, listening to strangers search from room to room through her boarding house. From blacksmiths to beggars, no one in that cheap tenement owned anything of value. But when someone had come through her door, stripped away her blankets and prodded at her thighs and breasts as if evaluating her thin body, when the strangers had left and she’d seen the empty beds in rooms that had been earlier filled, Ivy had realized each sleeping person had been valuable—as workers, as slaves…which were the only uses the Horde ever had for them.

And if the Horde was returning to London with their controlling towers and paralyzing devices, nothing would stop Ivy from leaving.

A steamcoach waited in front of the next building, rattling and puttering, its gas lanterns penetrating the fog in faint glowing spheres. By the feeble light, Ivy found the establishment’s sign, and almost moved on before her mind registered the painting on the wood: a compass.

The Star Rose Inn. She’d been looking for a flower. And she’d come so close to missing it, but she was here. Finally here.

For more of the Excerpt, go here.

Additional thoughts: For more information about The Iron Seas series go here.

Also on Saturday, we will have a whole day dedicated to Steampunk Romance. Meljean Brook will be here talking about the upcoming series plus a guest post by Galaxy Express’ Heather talking about the genre.

Verdict: This is Meljean Brook’s best novella to date with a great insight into what seems to an incredible new Steampunk series and a great, awesome romance to boot.

Rating: 8- Excellent

Reading next: The Alchemy of Stone by Ekaterina Sedia

Today’s Guest: Katiebabs, aka KB, of the Romance blog Babbling About Books, and More!. KB puts a Herculean Effort into running her blog – she (and a certain demon sheep) post every day, multiple times a day, about all things romance. As one of the very first bloggers to welcome us and introduce us to the wacky online world of reviews, we’re ever-grateful for KB.

So, ladies and gents, please give it up for the exquisite Katiebabs!

When Ana and Thea asked me to take part in Smugglivus once again, I said sure! Not only are these two Book Smugglers one of the best book blogs in all of bloglandia, but they make me work hard when writing own reviews at my blog, Babbling About Books and More because they write such precise and through provoking opinions about all the books they read.

And how could I refuse them after seeing my blog name in their 2009 Smugglivus poster and having the honor of being the only post on Christmas?

I was told to come up with my top 5 books for 2009 to post here. Actually I am going to do something a bit different and post the top 5, with a spare one, that affected me the most as I read. This is quite a challenge seeing as I read close to 300 books this year alone and picking just 5 (and a spare) may be harder than you think.

Deidre Knight’s Butterfly Tattoo published by Samhain really hit me hard. This is not a traditional type of romance. First of all, doors were closed for Deidre as she tried to sell Butterfly Tattoo to the traditional NY publishing houses. They rejected is based on the story. It’s about Michael who was in a fifteen year relationship with a man. His lover ends up dying, leaving him to raise their daughter all alone. Michael doesn’t think he will ever love again, that is until he meets former actress Rebecca. What is amazing about this book is that Deidre Knight has shown perfectly why falling in love is something very powerful and it doesn’t matter who that person may be. Deidre has changed my own personal beliefs about love and why people feel the way they do. After reading Butterfly Tattoo it makes perfect sense that love is found within a person and not based on their gender.

When I read Meredith Duran’s Written on your Skin published by Pocket I became a bit weepy. The reason was the beauty of Meredith’s words. She writes such poetry about an all consuming love affair where two people, who necessarily don’t care for one another, must join forces and work together to save a life. Written on Your Skin is a beautiful, all encompassing experience. Dark and poignant, this book will have you awestruck because the words that Meredith Duran has written reaches deep into your soul.

Carrie Ryan’s Forest of Hands and Teeth published by Delacorte is the only book in a very long time that gave me nightmares. The last time that happened was when I read The Stand by Stephen King was I was 18. This post-apocalyptic end of days tale with flesh eating zombies gave me such a fright. The Forest of Hands and Teeth is a chilling debut by Carrie Ryan. This is a book not for the faint of heart. There is death and destruction, filled with violence and fear, where hope is a distant memory.

Soulless by Gail Carriger published by Orbit is the type of book where you have such a rousing good time as you read. This paranormal steampunk romance brought forth such laughs and an abundance of happiness while I read. That it is a true winner in my eyes. I couldn’t stop smiling for hours after I finished reading. Soulless is one of two books this year I gave an A+ to.

The other book I gave an A+ to and my pick for favorite book this year is Meljean Brook’s Demon Forged published by Berkley. This is in part because I’ve been emotionally invested in Meljean’s Guardian series since the beginning. Why is this book my number one pick for 2009? Demon Forged astounded me in ways no other book did where I was in shock and shaking as I held the pages because I really didn’t know what would happen next. On the surface this book is a continuation of the battle between the angels and their counterparts against evil, but there is more to it. The build up, the romance and the way Meljean wrote a book where she didn’t stick to what’s safe, and took a big chance, where she really didn’t have to with one of her most beloved characters was such a balsy, emotional move and had me cursing her. And cursing an author in this way is a big compliment from me.

Finally the spare I cannot fail to mention is a debut author. Tessa Dare, who writes for Ballantine released a trilogy over the summer, has breathed new life into the historical genre. Where the majority of the historical romance I’ve read has been more fluff than meat, Tessa Dare has shown that with her debut Goddess of the Hunt she has the skill, but it was with A Lady of Persuasion I knew Tessa was a class act all the way.

There is much to look forward to in literature for 2010. There are three authors releasing their debut book in the first part of the year that I must mention who will surely set the publishing world on fire. And I consider myself a bit bias when it comes to these three talented ladies because I’ve known them for awhile:

Sara Lindsey is sure to set the historical genre on fire with Promise me Tonight, to be released in February from Signet. If you are a fan of Julia Quinn, you will not want to miss out on Sara. This is the first book in her Weston family series which features seven siblings all with Shakespearean names. Perhaps she will give Quinn and Stephanie Laurens a run for their money?

For fans of urban fantasy with a twist, keep your eye on Carolyn Crane. Her book, Mind Games, to be released from Spectra in March looks like a combination of action with a kick ass heroine in a quirky setting. You can get a good idea of Carolyn’s personality from her blog The Trillionth Page and the knowledge that this is one intelligent and wonderful woman who is very welcomed indeed.

Also out in March is Lorelie Brown’s Jazz Baby to be released Samhain, set in 1920s New York. When was the last time you read a speakeasy romance? Hurrah for a very different type of romance from the norm.

Many happy holidays, and an awesome new year filled with excellent reading! Perhaps I can hit 400 books read for 2010?

Thanks KB!

Next on Smugglivus: KMont of Lurv ala Mode

“On The Smugglers’ Radar” is a new feature for books that have caught our eye: books we heard of via other bloggers, directly from publishers, and/or from our regular incursions into the Amazon jungle. This is how the Smugglers’ Radar was born, and because there are far too many books that we want than we can possibly buy or review (what else is new?) we thought we could make it into a weekly feature – so YOU can tell us which books you have on your radar as well!

On Ana’s Radar:

Let me start with a Squee! and a yay! Demon Blood, the next instalment in the Guardian series by Meljean Brook has a cover! And it is awesome because it fits well with the overall feel of the series and because it features the HEROINE which is one of Brook’s strengths (her awesome female characters). In other words: another win for this series!

Long before she was transformed into a Guardian and trained to fight demons, Rosalia knew darkness all too well. Raised by a demon, Rosalia learned to guard her heart—and her soul—until she found a man worthy of her love. Once, she thought that man would be the powerful vampire, Deacon…until he betrayed the Guardians.

After losing everything to the lies of a demon, Deacon lives only for revenge—and is taken aback when Rosalia offers to help. A vampire who has nothing—who is nothing—isn’t worthy of her attention. But Rosalia wants to do more than just look, and the explosive need between them can’t be held in check. And when Deacon’s vengeful quest creates a dangerous alliance of their enemies, she will be his only hope…

I am also looking forward to reading Meljean Brook’s story in this anthology:

It is the first story in her upcoming Steampunk series, The Iron Seas. The story is called Here There Be Monsters:

Two years ago, blacksmith Ivy, desperate to flee London, purchased her overseas passage by agreeing to spend the voyage in the bed of the pirate captain, Mad Machen. Saved at the last minute by his rival, Ivy scraped out a new life in Fool’s Cove…until Mad Machen finds her, forces her to accept a job that will create a monster, and reminds her that she still owes him the price of a journey…

I saw the trailer for this YA book over at CJ’s Thrillionth Page and I am keen on reading it (The UK has a different cover):

Incarceron — a futuristic prison, sealed from view, where the descendants of the original prisoners live in a dark world torn by rivalry and savagery. It is a terrifying mix of high technology — a living building which pervades the novel as an ever-watchful, ever-vengeful character, and a typical medieval torture chamber — chains, great halls, dungeons. A young prisoner, Finn, has haunting visions of an earlier life, and cannot believe he was born here and has always been here. In the outer world, Claudia, daughter of the Warden of Incarceron, is trapped in her own form of prison — a futuristic world constructed beautifully to look like a past era, an imminent marriage she dreads. She knows nothing of Incarceron, except that it exists. But there comes a moment when Finn, inside Incarceron, and Claudia, outside, simultaneously find a device — a crystal key, through which they can talk to each other. And so the plan for Finn’s escape is born !

Everwild, the second book in the Skinjacker Trilogy series By Neil Shusterman is out and given how much I loved Everlost, I am getting it ASAP.

Nick, ‘the Chocolate Ogre’ and Mary Hightower battle for the fate of Everlost in the thrilling second book in Neal Shusterman’s Skinjacker Trilogy.

And finally, I was recommended this book by Kaz Mahoney and I think it looks great:

What does you in—brain or heart? Frannie asks herself this question when, a week before she turns fifteen, her dad dies, leaving her suddenly deprived of the only human being on planet Earth she feels understands her. Frannie struggles to make sense of a world that no longer seems safe. She discovers an elegant wooden box with an inscription: Frances Anne 1000. Inside, Frannie finds one thousand hand-carved and -painted puzzle pieces. She wonders if her father had a premonition of his death and finished her birthday present early. Feeling broken into pieces herself, Frannie slowly puts the puzzle together. But as she works, something remarkable begins to happen: She is catapulted into a foreign landscape suspended in time where she can discover her father as he was B.F.—before Frannie.

On Thea’s Radar:

I feel so vindicated, having basically twisted Ana’s arm to read Everlost, and lo and behold, she loves it. Heh. Anyways! This was a pretty big book release week, with Stephen King’s newest, Under the Dome out in stores finally!!! I cannot WAIT to get my hands on a copy, as expensive as the damn tome is. And, I saw this air on SyFy the other day:

There aren’t enough hours in the day, dammit! Another release this week, that looks fabulous:

Joseph has succeeded in rescuing his sister, Chelo, from a pitched battle on the colony planet Fremont. Now he and Chelo and the love of his life, Alicia, and all of their extended family, are finally returning home. Halfway there, a probe intercepts them, sending them new coordinates and a message from Joseph’s enigmatic supporter and teacher, Marcus.

War is brewing.

Joseph is wanted for escaping to save Chelo. To stay safe, Joseph must bring his family and friends to the renowned planet of Lopali, where men and women can fly, and peace and freedom abound. Or do they? Alicia has always wanted to fly, but the modifications that give humans wings kill as often as they work.

Joseph must learn to actually change humans, to free the fliers of a tyranny that has enslaved them, since their species was born. If he can do this, the fliers have agreed to help him stop the war. But it’s not as easy as it seems.

Also this week, I experienced a major ARC FAIL. See, I received an ARC for In Great Waters by Kit Whitefield, and i was excited to get crackin’ on it. So, I open the ARC and what do I find? The Devil’s Alphabet by Daryl Gregory. No joke. The ARC was a massive misprint – but I’m not complaining! I’ve been drooling over The Devil’s Alphabet for a while. And I’ll get In Great Waters somehow…

During a time of great upheaval, the citizens of Venice make a pact that will change the world. The landsmen of the city broker a treaty with a water-dwelling tribe of deepsmen, cementing the alliance through marriage. The mingling of the two races produces a fresh, peerless strain of royal blood. To protect their shores, other nations make their own partnerships with this new breed–and then, jealous of their power, ban any further unions between the two peoples. Dalliance with a deepswoman becomes punishable by death. Any “bastard” child must be destroyed.

This is an Earth where the legends of the deep are true–where the people of the ocean are as real and as dangerous as the people of the land. This is the world of intrigue and betrayal that Kit Whitfield brings to life in an unforgettable alternate history: the tale of Anne, the youngest princess of a faltering England, struggling to survive in a troubled court, and Henry, a bastard abandoned on the shore to face his bewildering destiny, finding himself a pawn in a game he does not understand.

Yet even a pawn may checkmate a king.

Switchcreek was a normal town in eastern Tennessee until a mysterious disease killed a third of its residents and mutated most of the rest into monstrous oddities. Then, as quickly and inexplicably as it had struck, the disease–dubbed Transcription Divergence Syndrome (TDS)–vanished, leaving behind a population divided into three new branches of humanity: giant gray-skinned argos, hairless seal-like betas, and grotesquely obese charlies.

Paxton Abel Martin was fourteen when TDS struck, killing his mother, transforming his preacher father into a charlie, and changing one of his best friends, Jo Lynn, into a beta. But Pax was one of the few who didn’t change. He remained as normal as ever. At least on the outside.

Having fled shortly after the pandemic, Pax now returns to Switchcreek fifteen years later, following the suicide of Jo Lynn. What he finds is a town seething with secrets, among which murder may well be numbered. But there are even darker–and far weirder–mysteries hiding below the surface that will threaten not only Pax’s future but the future of the whole human race.

And finally, this upcoming book from Guy Gavriel Kay looks awesome (thanks to Aidan of A Dribble of Ink for the heads up).

In the novel, Shen Tai is the son of a general who led the forces of imperial Kitai in the empire’s last great war against its western enemies, twenty years before. Forty thousand men, on both sides, were slain by a remote mountain lake. General Shen Gao himself has died recently, having spoken to his son in later years about his sadness in the matter of this terrible battle.

To honour his father’s memory, Tai spends two years in official mourning alone at the battle site by the blue waters of Kuala Nor. Each day he digs graves in hard ground to bury the bones of the dead. At night he can hear the ghosts moan and stir, terrifying voices of anger and lament. Sometimes he realizes that a given voice has ceased its crying, and he knows that is one he has laid to rest.
The dead by the lake are equally Kitan and their Taguran foes; there is no way to tell the bones apart, and he buries them all with honour.

It is during a routine supply visit led by a Taguran officer who has reluctantly come to befriend him that Tai learns that others, much more powerful, have taken note of his vigil. The White Jade Princess Cheng-wan, 17th daughter of the Emperor of Kitai, presents him with two hundred and fifty Sardian horses. They are being given in royal recognition of his courage and piety, and the honour he has done the dead.

You gave a man one of the famed Sardian horses to reward him greatly. You gave him four or five to exalt him above his fellows, propel him towards rank, and earn him jealousy, possibly mortal jealousy. Two hundred and fifty is an unthinkable gift, a gift to overwhelm an emperor.
Tai is in deep waters. He needs to get himself back to court and his own emperor, alive. Riding the first of the Sardian horses, and bringing news of the rest, he starts east towards the glittering, dangerous capital of Kitai, and the Ta-Ming Palace – and gathers his wits for a return from solitude by a mountain lake to his own forever-altered life.

And that’s it from us! What books are you looking forward to?

Title: Blind Spot (in the anthology Must Love Hellhounds)

Author: Meljean Brook

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Berkley Trade
Publishing Date: September 2009
Pages: less than 100

Stand Alone/ Series: A standalone story set in the Guardian’s universe.

Why did I read the book: I have read all the books and novellas in this series, because they are THAT good.

How did I get the book: Review copy from publisher

Review:

I can always count on Meljean Brook to deliver a good story. I have read all of her novels as well as all of her novellas and she is very successful in writing both formats.

Blind Spot starts after the events of Demon Forged. Maggie Wren, a secondary character in that novel is now working for Colin Ames-Beaumont as his butler. He sends to her New York accompanied by Sir Pup (the hellhound) to aid his many times great-Nephew Geoffrey Blake in finding his missing sister Katherine. Maggie is a highly qualified former CIA operative and prepared to take care of this problem especially given as how the problem may be connected with her own past. What she did not know was that Geoffrey is a problem solver himself, working for the family business’ Ramsdell Pharmaceuticals. He also happens to be blind – a fact Colin failed to mention and which surprises Maggie. But being a member of Colin’s family means Geoffrey’s blood is tainted by Dragon’s blood giving him a very special ability.

I really liked this story. After the VERY dark Demon Forged it was great to see a story set in the same world but a little lighter. Of course, Maggie and Geoffrey are dealing with dangerous villains but the tone is much less heavy. Not only because the story is mostly a character piece with little connection with the overall story arc (no word of what is happening with the Guardians for example or with Michael) but also because of Sir Pup – he is a delight to read. A Hellhound with 3 heads and a sense of humour. Awesome.

Plus, in a world populated by Guardians, Demons, Vampires it is very refreshing to see a human couple taking the centre stage. The story takes place over a few hours and I love that Meljean Brook does not force a full-blown relationship down our throats. These two have a clear mission and they are working together towards it. As they move around the country, each of them is revealed to the reader – their past, their issues, their personalities. I loved for example the difference in background: Geoffrey coming from a huge, loving traditional family whilst Maggie was a loner. The prospect of being part of a family is one thing that he can offer her. Plus, I adored how Colin played a role here and how we see another side of him – the whole “Winters” thing was adorable.

It is plain that Geoffrey already knew Maggie and had a crush on her, but they only just barely got to know each other. And this is the great thing about Blind Spot: by the end of the novella, even though there were no words of love uttered, even though they only kissed twice, the promise is there and I know enough about each of them to believe that there is a HEA for them somewhere in the future.

And once again Meljean Brook delights me with fabulous last lines to close the story : it refers back to Maggie’s thoughts about caring x being careless, completing her character arc and revealing the well-thought out (short) journey the author granted us with.

Notable Quotes/ Parts: I loved this passage:

“Who was this man? Was he for real? Her fingers were clumsy as she unbuttoned the cuffs of her sleeves. What kind of person offered trust like this? Acceptance? She wasn’t family. Their only connection was one of the few impulsive acts Maggie had performed in her lifetime. She wouldn’t even matter to him.

And yet…his acceptance and trust had begun to matter to her, too. It must have, because her throat was aching, and she wanted to say “Thank you” in return.

But as she moved toward the bathroom, she only said, “You aren’t at all what I expected, Mr Blake.”

Additional Thoughts: Blind Spot is only one of four stories in the Must Love Hellhounds anthology. The other three are:

Angels’ Judgment by Nalini Singh – part of her Guild Hunter series. I plan to read this story next.

And two other stories which are part of series I do not read and I have no plans to read them.

“The Britilingens Go to Hell” by Charlaine Harris (note: NOT a Sookie Stackhouse story) and “Magic Mourns” by Ilona Andres (set in the Kate Daniel’s universe)

You can check other reviewer’s thoughts about these stories here:

SciFi Guy’s
Janicu’s
Mandi’s
Babbling About Books and More

Verdict: Blind Spot is a good, solid character-centric story of two interesting people. Even though it is connected with the world of the Guardians it is not essential to the overall story arc. As a die-hard fan of the series though, it is essential to my keeper shelf. But then again, I basically devour any morsel of writing that Meljean Brook deems to throw at me.

Rating: 8 – Excellent

Reading Next: The Dust of 100 Dogs

Happy Sunday, folks! Hope you all had a lovely weekend and are enjoying the fall weather.

Now let’s get down to business, shall we?

Giveaway Winners:

We’ve got three separate giveaway winners to announce! First up is Elegy Beach by Steven R. Boyett.

The TWO lucky winners of an autographed copy of Elegy Beach, as well as bookmarks, book fliers, and a signed copy of author Steven Boyett’s live DJ set from WorldCon are:

Next up, our Nalini Singh giveaway of Blaze of Memory:

The lucky winner of a copy of Blaze of Memory is:

And finally, our Alert Nerd giveaway of One Con Glory!

The lucky winner of a copy of One Con Glory and the awesome Phoenix tee is:

Congratulations to all the winners! You know the drill. Send us an email (contact AT thebooksmugglers DOT com) with your snail mail address, and we’ll get your goodies out to you as soon as possible. Thanks again to everyone that entered, and if you didn’t win this time, don’t worry – we have plenty more where these giveaways came from!

Assorted News:

You may or may not have heard that we had the lucky opportunity to check out an early screening of New Moon last week! What’s the verdict? What do we think? Well….you’ll have to wait to find out. But we promise you, dear Twilight fans, we’ll have a review up in the coming weeks for the release. In the meantime, why don’t you check out WHAT EDWARD DRIVES?

Does anyone else find this hilarious? Who are they trying to selling volvos to? Are little girls really gonna throw their weight around to get their parents to buy a family volvo SUV because that’s what Edward wants? Are there any moms and dads out there looking at this commercial and thinking, ‘Eureka, that’s what I need to be cool! I mean, EDWARD drives one! I must have one too!’

In other news, you may have seen that Publisher’s Weekly and Amazon have released their best books of 2009 lists. Though I’m stoked that a graphic novel cracked PW’s top ten list, it’s slightly disturbing that not a single female author made the list. Also disturbing is the fact that we have not read (nor have even really heard of) any of the titles on the top 10 list! But in the Fiction, Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror, Mass Market Best of Lists, there are some familiar faces including:

Drood by Dan Simmons – in the running for a spot on Thea’s Top 10 list. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, Boneshaker by Cherie Priest, The Devil’s Alphabet by Daryl Gregory (all books that Thea has on the TBR, and ones she will be reviewing soon). Also appearing on the best SF list is China Mieville’s The City and the City, which we apparently need to read ASAP. Also, Soulless by Gail Carriger makes it on the Mass Market list (though clearly we didn’t think so highly of it).

The Amazon editors’ top 10 list, we are very pleased to announce, not only contains a speculative fiction title, but a young adult one as well! Yeaaaaah, boyyyyyy! Both China Mieville’s The City and the City and the upcoming Beautiful Creatures from Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl are on the list.

Also, both PW and Amazon have graphic novel Stitches by David Small in their Top 10s – another title to check out.

This Week on The Book Smugglers:

It’s another jam-packed week! You may have seen last Thursday our blog tour post with Richelle Mead, in which she answered a few of our burning questions. On Monday, we celebrate Richelle Mead’s writing with a review of Blood Promise, the fourth book in the Vampire Academy series. And, we’re offering a giveaway too!

On Tuesday, Ana reviews Meljean Brook’s novella “Blind Spot” in the Must Love Hellhounds anthology. Later in the day, we’ll have a special Smugglers’ Ponderings post about the issue of homogeneity in the book market – particularly concerning romance, paranormal romance, and urban fantasy books.

Wednesday, debut historical romance author Lori Brighton stops by with a post on her Inspirations and Influences…

And on Thursday, Ana reviews young adult novel The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King. Later in the day, Thea reviews young adult speculative fiction/horror/dystopian title The Maze Runner by James Dashner.

We close out the week with a joint review of the final book in the Mistborn trilogy, The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson.

Phew. We told you it would be busy! That’s it for now folks, until tomorrow!

For our next stop on Halloween Week, we have the fabulous paranormal romance/urban fantasy author Meljean Brook over for a guest post!

We are unabashed Meljean fangirls – so when we were inviting folks over for Halloween, she was one of the first names that came to mind. And, we were ecstatic when she agreed to put something together for our Halloween Celebration! Today, Meljean will be talking about Silver Bullet – the ’80s horror flick, starring Corey Haim and Gary Busey.

Without futher ado, please give it up for Meljean Brook!

Silver Bullet

Thanks to Ana and Thea for inviting me over for Halloween week! This is one of my favorite events at The Book Smugglers, so I’m thrilled to take part.

When Thea asked me what I wanted to do, the first thing that came to mind was writing a pseudo-review of Stephen King’s Silver Bullet, a 1985 werewolf movie produced by Dino De Laurentiis (Flash Gordon, Conan the Barbarian, Army of Darkness, and a bunch of other Stephen King-based movies) and directed by Daniel Attias (usually a TV director, including Buffy, Alias, House, and a gazillion other episodes of various shows.) I’d been thinking about Silver Bullet a lot lately, and how, when I was nine years old, I used to scare the crap out of myself walking home. We lived out in the boonies, and the driveway from the main road where the school bus dropped me off to our house wound through the woods (the Oregon kind, which are tons of tall fir trees surrounded by leafy underbrush that is very, very easy to hide in (I know this, because I used to hide in it and scare the crap out of my sisters and cousins when they had to walk the road at night)).

Anyway, I used to sprint down that drive in record time, certain that either a wendigo or the werewolf from Silver Bullet would leap out and kill me. Maybe I shouldn’t have watched it that young. But the truth is, there wasn’t any way I couldn’t watch it. If a movie was scary and I could sneak it past my parents, there was no holding me back.

The Basic Premise: Over the course of a summer, a werewolf terrorizes a small town in Maine (this is Stephen King, so of course it is.) One eleven-year-old boy, Marty Coslaw (played by the Corey of the Haim variety) and his sister, Jane (played by Megan Follows, best known for Anne of Green Gables) discover who the werewolf is and, with the help of their Uncle Red (Gary Busey, in what might be the perfect role), plan to kill it.

And I loved the movie. Sure, it scared the crap out of me, but I loved it. When I was 13, I read the novella it was based on – Cycle of the Werewolf by Stephen King – and aside from being intrigued by the structure of that novella, I don’t remember a single thing about it … but I remembered (quite fondly) many, many elements of the movie.

Would it hold up after twenty-three years, though? When I was nine, I didn’t make jokes about Corey Haim. When I was nine, the image of Gary Busey’s teeth weren’t yet burned in my brain. The two main characters – Marty and Uncle Red – are both played by actors whose Hollywood history and pop culture status is much, much bigger than their roles here. So, watching it now, would it just be crackalicious fun with one of the Coreys and crazy Gary Busey, but not worth watching for the movie itself?

The answer? Yes, it is crackalicious fun with Corey and Gary. And I still love it. There’s a lot that just works in this movie, and it thankfully outweighs the stuff that doesn’t.

(Everything until the end involves minor spoilers.)

The characters are hands-down the best part of this movie. Wheelchair-bound Marty is at the center of the action, and his disability plays an enormous part in the both the suspense and illuminating the other characters, yet the movie avoids making him precious, avoids making statements, or falling into any cloying sentiments that could have easily bogged down both the plot and characters.

Gary Busey just might have been made to play Uncle Red. He’s a twice-divorced alcoholic who dotes on Marty and whose sister (Marty’s mother, in a small but well-played role by Robin Groves) disapproves of his lifestyle. He’s the uncle who comes over to his sister’s house, gets drunk and plays poker with Marty, tells the naughty jokes, shouts obscenities, and builds Marty’s motorized wheelchair-bike (the Silver Bullet).

Early on, there’s this great conversation between Red and Marty’s mother, Nan, after Red has come over for one of those drinking nights. She asks him not to drink in front of Marty, Red yells at her not to boss him around (ah, those big sisters.)

NAN: Red, I don’t care how you live. But he is a very impressionable little boy.
RED: You know, you think your only responsibility is getting his butt out of the chair and into the tub and out of the chair and onto the toilet. And you oughta realize there’s more to Marty than him not being able to walk.
NAN: It’s so easy for you, isn’t it?
RED: Yeah, it is!
NAN: You blow in here once a month, and you tell a few jokes, and you have a few beers, and you want to lecture me about how to raise my son. Well, I am the one responsible for how he feels when he sees you like this, and how he feels when you leave! Red, Marty has enough strikes against him as it is—
RED: (interrupting) He doesn’t have any strikes against him!
NAN: —that I am scared to death that some day he is just going to give up.
RED: He’s not going to give up!
NAN: Well he doesn’t need you showing him how to do it!

And this is the kind of dynamic that I really love in this movie. Yes, the mother is over-protective, and yes, Red is a bad role model. But both of them are understandable and believable, and yes, both of them are right. What I also find impressive is that, despite this blowup and the echoes of it in their later conversations, Red and Nan still get along later. There’s no making either one of them into the bad guy or the good guy. And Red, whose view of Marty seems to sit somewhere in the realm between Denial and Eternal Optimism, is the one who eventually puts Marty in a position where he’s in the most danger – yet even that action isn’t ever given a ‘bad’ label (because the ‘bad’ is obviously the werewolf, no matter how recklessly-indulgent-cuz-he-loves-Marty Red can be.)

Then there’s Jane, who is perfect (and more importantly, also believable) as the sensible older sister who is resentful of the burden Marty’s disability places on her and of how much slack their mother gives Marty, but who isn’t Teh Eveeel. She forgives him when he’s a twerp without martyring herself, and apologizes when she’s been overly impatient with him. She also plays the necessary straight man against Marty and Uncle Red. Her mixture of practicality and acceptance becomes essential to the plot – as close as Uncle Red and Marty are, it is Jane who is able to convince the skeptical Uncle Red that a) Marty is in danger, and b) the killer might be more than just a psycho human.

Silver Bullet isn’t a character-driven movie, though – it’s werewolf-driven. Between the scenes where we get to know Marty and family, we get to see the werewolf killing people: the drunk railroad maintenance man who he beheads with a swipe of his paw (when I was nine, that flying head was the most awesome shot ever), the pregnant single woman who is about to kill herself.

The first two murders only touch Marty peripherally, but the third victim is his almost-girlfriend’s drunk slob of a father, and the fourth victim is Marty’s best friend (and kind of a jerk) Brady.

Are you sensing a theme about the victims here?

The small town is essentially another character in this movie, and is described at the beginning (before the terror) as “A town where people cared about each other as much as they cared about themselves.” Which is, I think, a fantastic description – it first gives the impression that everything is on-the-surface perfect, but really … how many people care about themselves and take care of themselves as well as they should?

The townspeople aren’t as nicely drawn as the Coslaw family – they definitely run more to stereotypes: The hunter at the bar with the loud mouth, the gentle giant bartender who carries a baseball bat called ‘The Peacemaker,’ the in-over-his-head but competent sheriff, and the minister who tries to comfort everyone when everything starts going apeshit and the bodies start piling up.

And this is another point where I love this movie. Horror so often takes an apparently-perfect situation and peels back the layers to reveal the rot hidden underneath: the drunks, the molestations, the secret pregnancies. Silver Bullet doesn’t do that. Those things aren’t hidden in this town; everyone knows that the first victim was a drunk, and Jane sees the pregnant woman being rejected by the father of the baby. At one of the early gatherings of the townspeople in their favorite bar, we learn that everyone knows who is behind on their taxes. This isn’t a town of secrets; it’s a town where people are just people, for good or bad, and everyone recognizes that.

So when even the ‘bad’ people in the town are shown to be normal, it highlights the werewolf’s wrongness even more. A town that has a few drunks? That’s normal. Ripping them apart? It’s unnatural.

This is another point where the movie really works: It doesn’t try to explain the werewolf. There’s no mystic force behind it, no ancient curse, we don’t know how [spoiler] became a werewolf, and it’s even suggested that he doesn’t even know how he became one.

One thing that often kills horror movies is digging too deep into the reasons WHY? and then coming up with a crappy explanation. How many times have you sat in a movie (or read a book) that, although it was going along great, suddenly became really, really stupid as soon as you found out why it was all happening?

Silver Bullet avoids that by … well, avoiding it. I imagine that some viewers will be disappointed that there’s not more explanation behind the werewolf, but it really worked for me.

Was the werewolf scary, though? … hmm, maybe not so much. Although some of the suspenseful parts where the werewolf is stalking someone out of sight were well done, Silver Bullet suffers from the same problems that many similar movies do: Once you show the monster, he’s not quite as scary. (This is also the scene that I’m talking about when I say that Uncle Red, though acting out of love, doesn’t exactly help Marty and is reckless – he gives Marty some fireworks to go shoot at night, even though there’s a mass murderer on the loose that has already killed his best friend. In romance, we call that TSTL, and I’m not sure who is dumber here: Marty or his uncle.)

There is a transformation scene, too – though not bad by 1985 standards, it’s also not An American Werewolf in London or The Howling.

Then there are a couple of missteps, and the biggest one comes right in the middle of the movie. A little humor is all well and good in horror (and I think necessary), but there is a scene after Brady has been killed when the townspeople form a mob to go after the killer. There’s some great tension between the people, the sheriff, and the boy’s father. There’s a lovely setting in the woods where the fog is thick and creeping over the ground, and visibility is low, and the townspeople realize they are being hunted beneath the fog.

And it all becomes a joke. I’ll admit I laughed out loud when the werewolf started beating the people with The Peacemaker (the bartender’s bat) because it was campy and funny … but it also throws off the tone of the movie, and it doesn’t make sense. The whole point of the werewolf is that he’s ripping people apart, he’s unnatural, he’s terrifying … he shouldn’t be funny. And yet that scene skews him in that direction. And even though it’s only for a short time, it makes everything feel off, and something that should have been horrifying (Brady’s death, and the townspeople’s mob-like reaction) is played for a laugh.

But despite that misstep, and a few other “Oh, come on!” moments, this is a fun, solid little film, perfect for Halloween (or any other time when you have friends over, and shouting OMG, IT’S ONE OF THE COREYS! seems like it might be just as entertaining as the movie itself).

Or, you know, just play this fan-made tribute to Corey Haim.

Thank you Meljean for the fabulous post! And holy crap, that Corey Haim tribute video is something else.

Happy Sunday y’all! Ana here, making the most out of a cloudy Sunday and preparing myself for Halloween Week and watching episodes of The Twilight Zone. Speaking of Halloween Week – what do you think of our banner made by our buddy Kmont, our Special Official Made of Awesome Designer? It rocks, right?

Halloween Week: Be Afraid. Be Very Afraid!

Around the Internets:

Meljean Brook, one of my favourite writers has now a Fan Page on Facebook where she will be posting official news.

The FTC Guidelines. If you have been around the internets this week, chances are you came across several posts about the new FTC Guidelines for blogs. You can read our official reply here but basically yes, we are complying but we are not happy about it. And we are not the only ones. Jane from Dear Author wrote two pieces about it and so did Ron Hogan one of the editors of GalleyCat. The Boston Bibliophile has an interesting FAQ for book bloggers.

Current Giveaways:

We currently have two giveaways, open till the end of October:

The Vampire’s Assistant:

The Fantasy Firsts Giveaway (Mistborn & The Eye of the World)

This Week on The Book Smugglers:

On Monday, Ana reviews the eagerly anticipated YA novel, Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (a hint, in one word: disappointing).

On Tuesday, Thea reviews the Fantasy novel, The Bell at Sealey Head by Patricia A. McKillip. We’ll also have a giveaway, so stick around.

On Wednesday, a joint review of Prospero Lost by L Jagi Lamplighter, the first book in the Prospero’s Daughter series.

On Thursday, it is a special Jane Austen-Inspired day. Thea reviews According to Jane by Marilyn Brant and Ana reviews Austenland by Shannon Hale.

On Friday, another joint: Worldweavers, Gift of the Unmage by Alma Alexander.

And finally, I leave you with this awesome video of the Black Eyed Peas in Chicago. Makes me want to get up and dance:

And that’s it from us today!

~ Your Friendly Neighborhood Book Smugglers