DEAD....If Only by Heather HavenMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I don't hand out five stars lightly. However, I'll make this exception since I've read all the books in the Alvarez mysteries and consistently gave them four stars. This one is my favorite of them all, so five stars it is.
It's been a fun journey following Lea Alvarez and her strange family which make up Discretionary Inquiries. The purpose of the private investigation firm is to solve cyber crime, not chase down murderers. But Lea can't seem to avoid putting herself on the front line especially when members of her family are in danger.
The idea of the wise-cracking Lea in a wetsuit flippering her way to the bad guy's yacht during a hurricane can only come out of the twisted mind of Heather Haven. How she can make murder and mayhem funny is truly a special talent.
Read all the Alvarez mysteries in order. The development of this oddball bunch of crime solvers will leave you in stitches while you bite your nails in suspense.
Highly recommended.
The Revenge of the Dead Enemy by Lorinda J. TaylorMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
So you think you can't empathize with a giant termite? We've had many insectoid and arachnid heroes in literature. Consider "Charlotte's Web." If you didn't get teary-eyed when Charlotte died, then you must have a heart of stone. Other stories empathetic toward multi-legged creatures: Ant Bully, It's a Bug's Life, Bee Story. I'm sure there are others. I don't usually seek out books about bugs, but I could come up with these examples in a few seconds.
So, what about the entire epic journey "The Labors of Ki'sh'toba: Volumes 1-6?" I have previously reviewed 1-5, not to mention the 2-volume "Termite Queen" saga. I liked them...a lot. I continually complained about the difficult names, places, and concepts with the conlang (constructed language) of the Termite world. Too many apostrophes and a bunch of other punctuation I have no clue how to pronounce.
I will complain no more. I still can't pronounce 90% of the termite language, but I can visually recognize the names of the main characters. All have become familiar and lovable in their own ways. Di'fa'kro'mi, the Remembrancer (story teller) is quite an adept author considering he had to invent a written language in which to tell the tales. I know, the real Remembrancer is Lorinda Taylor, but she is such a wonderful writer, I was immersed in the stories as if they were really told by Di'fa'kro'mi.
As I did when first reading "Charlotte's Web," I wept over the death of some of my favorites throughout the entire six volumes. I cried for termites? Yes, I did, and I'm not ashamed.
The entire tale of Ki'shto'ba and his labors (modeled on the Greek Hercules myth) is hard to get into, but an epic worthy of the difficulty of the journey.
I completely and thoroughly recommend the entire six volumes. But you might want to start with the Termite Queen books to allow yourself to ease into the idea of termite heroes.
Thanks again, Marva! You're a great supporter of mine work! And I hope people will start with The Termite Queen because events in that book are mentioned a lot in the series, particularly in v.1 and v.6.
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