The Emporer's Assassin: Memoirs of a Bow Street Runner

Having read T. S. Banks' first novel, The Thief Taker: Memoirs of a Bow Street Runner, and enjoying it, I was looking forward to reading the second novel featuring the protagonist Henry Morton. As a fan of Victorian-era crime novels, these stories are particularly enjoyable to me (although these books are actually Regency-era). I am fond of Banks' depictions of Regency-era London and the was in which the various classes interact. The books tend to provide interesting social commentary and compelling stories simultaneously.

This book focuses around Morton's attempt to solve the murder of a young French widow who was found to have been tortured via thumbscrews. The plot thickens as Morton becomes entangled with French expatriates of various factions and follows an attempt to kill the recently exiled Napolean. For anyone who enjoys crime novels and/historical fiction, this is worth a read.

It is important to note that while the books are called memoirs, they are in fact not written as such and the narrative is portrayed in the third person.

The Emporer's Assassin: Memoirs of a Bow Street Runner

A Study in Sherlock: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon

Having recently watched Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and the BBC's Sherlock Seasons 1 and 2 (which is a brilliant television show), I developed a renewed interest in the Great Detective. As such, I ordered A Study in Sherlock: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon, edited by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger, from Amazon. The book had received a fair number of positive reviews and I thought it might merit a read.

Now, I have a read the entire Sherlock Holmes canon by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as a number of short stories and pastiches, so I would say I am a considerable fan of the Great Detective. I am also a fan of the recent adaptions of Holmes, such as the aforementioned movie and TV series, not to mention  House M.D. and the soon-to-air  Elementary. However, as a whole, I was rather disappointed in this collection. Allegedly, the editors had collected these works for today's best mystery and suspense writers, indeed most of their biographies boasted awards they had won. However, I was not taken in by very many of the stories. To be fair, a few captured my attention (and imagination) and caused me to continue reading. But, most of them did not full capture the spirit of the Holmes stories. Some had Holmes as a character, while others merely mentioned his name at some point in the story.

A Study in Sherlock: Stories Inspired by the Holmes Canon

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

When I lived in Qatar, it was fairly common for me to fly through either Heathrow or Manchester on my way to and from the US. I remember browsing a bookstore during a layover in one of those airports and seeing a book titled Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith. At the time, I thought the book was probably ridiculous and soon forgot about it. However, after seeing the preview for the movie, I remembered the book and thought the premise might actually be interesting. I ordered it from a discount book warehouse and set about reading it. For those who have seen the movie, the book is worth a read. While the stories have some similarities, the screenplay is rather different.

The book was a fun read. I enjoyed Mr. Grahame-Smith's use of fact as a framework around which to drape a work of fiction. The book was interesting, clever, and witty. It focuses on Mr. Lincoln's personal journal as the vehicle through which to tell the story of how our 16th president battled the nosferatu in America. As a native of Illinois, it was fun to read about Honest Abe's exploits in New Salem, Springfield, and Decatur (home to my alma mater, Millikin University). The book was well-paced and well-written. It's definitely a great read for anyone who enjoys history and/or vampire stories.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Tigana

I read Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay at the suggestion of Carl Krieger, my supervisor here at Virginia Tech. He gave me the audiobook because he knew I liked to listen to them on my drives to and from Illinois. I listened to it this past weekend when I went back to Illinois to attend my cousin's wedding. I will admit that fantasy is not typically my preferred genre (although I love George R. R. Martin's books). This book, however, was fairly interesting.

Tigana is set on The Palm, a fictitious peninsula reminiscent of medieval Italy. The story focuses on a group of freedom fighters and their quest to liberate the Palm from two sorcerer tyrants, who have divided the palm between them. This group of freedom fighters are mostly comprised of citizens from the state of Tigana, a region renamed to Lower Corte by the tyrant ruler Brandon. Brandon has cast a spell to make the name Tigana unable to be heard or memorized by anyone not from that region. As such, the group of freedom fighters struggle to make meaning of their lost cultural heritage. While a little long in some parts of the book, overall the story was entertaining and worth a listen on a 20+ hour round trip.

Tigana