Carrie Vaughn
Kitty and the Midnight Hour (2005)
Kitty Norville is a midnight DJ for a local Denver radio station (I believe it is supposed to be a public radio station. Yay!) who takes requests and calls. One night the calls go in an unexpected direction, and she ends up hosting a regular call in advice program from supernatural creatures. All the while, she struggles to deal with her own supernatural identity.
As I've said before, I'm fascinated by the way different authors handle the abilities of the supernatural creatures that inhabit their stories. Each other seems to incorporate different bits of folklore while making other parts superstition. Carrie Vaughn has created a supernatural world that someone parallels the rules of Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Mysteries, although there are some significant differences. (I leave the discovery of these differences as an exercise to the reader.)
Kitty is a compelling heroine. She has her weaknesses, but despite the fact that she may not be completely content with her lot in life, she is doing the best she can with a situation not of her choosing. The secondary characters: Matt, TJ, and Rick, are also very interesting and quite obviously have both depth and back story, although we don't necessarily learn what those back stories are.
The pack structure of the local werewolf clan was very interesting, in that the pack seems to retain a good part of its wolfish nature, although it isn't clear whether this is true of all packs or just her pack.
As far as the writing, I was glad that it was obviously stated how much time was passing, because I didn't get a good sense from the story of how quickly or slowly events were happening, so the written markers of time were very helpful. The dialog was also good, in that the characters seemed both real and realistic.
The only thing I took issue with was how ready the other supernatural creatures were to call "The Midnight Hour" and discuss their problems. If werewolves and vampires were really as closeted as they seemed in the story, then I wonder how willing they really would have been to call a radio program and discuss their issues on the air--first because their voices might have been recognized, and second, because caller id would give Kitty and the radio station their phone numbers and location. I found it surprising that so many would be willing to take such a risk.
But of course if they didn't, there wouldn't have been a book, so one has to assume that supernatural creatures are just on the cusp of coming out, and so such risks seemed justifiable.
This was a quick, but fun read (I read the whole book in about three hours--didn't even stay up past my bedtime). Something light and distracting but thoroughly enjoyable, and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
Rating: 7/10
Kitty Goes to Washington (2006)
The best thing about supernatural fantasies are the fact that they're quick reads and a lot of fun.
Kitty Goes to Washington takes off where Kitty and the Midnight Hour left off. Kitty is on her own now, separated from her pack and unable to return to her home. She's doing her radio show in a different location every week, and having a pretty good time doing it. But she gets a surprise when she's subpoenaed to appear before the Senate on a hearing on paranaturals.
One of the things I like best about Kitty is that things are not easy for her. Being a rogue werewolf isn't easy for her, and she's at loose ends as to where she's going to live. It almost makes up for the fact that she's blonde and beautiful.
As with the previous book, I really enjoyed this story. The pace was fast, and the story frequently went in an unexpected direction, which I always like.
Not much to say otherwise. It's a good solid book, and fun to read. Though you'll want to read the other book first.
Rating: 7/10
Kitty Takes a Holiday (2007) Carrie Vaughn
The third book in this series takes off where Kitty Goes to Washington left off. After being exposed on national television, Kitty has decided to take a holiday to escape for awhile, and to write her memoirs--or attempt to write her memoirs. Unfortunately, her rural isolated cabin doesn't seem to be as isolated as she expected, as dead animals keep appearing on her porch--someone's attempt to drive her away.
The situation is further complicated by the arrival of Ben and Cormac, under circumstances that bode well for no one.
This book was full of surprises. Just as I thought I had a handle on where the story was going, there was another twist and things went off in another direction.
The strength of these books lies in Carrie Vaughn's storytelling. I devoured this book in two sittings--the first half of the book and then the second half of the book. I was so pulled into the story that putting the book down to go to bed was very difficult, and I knew better than to pick the book up again until after dinner.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten anything done.
So the story went in unexpected (but reasonable) directions, and was interesting enough that I didn't want to put it down.
The other thing I like is that Kitty remains a fallible character. She remains unsure of herself, yet stands up to do what she believes needs to be done. She makes mistakes, but those mistakes are believable considering her situation (I'm always annoyed by characters who seemingly blindly and willfully make stupid mistakes, and then are shocked (shocked!) when things don't work out. Plenty of mistakes are made in this book, but they are honest mistakes.
SPOILER
(rot 13)
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END SPOLIER
About the only negative I have to say is that, like the previous two books, Kitty Takes a Holiday isn't serious reading. It's quick, it's fast, and it's fun. There's nothing wrong with that, but there's also nothing that's going to stick in my head and make me think about this book long after it's over.
So that's not really a negative per se. After all, sometimes light reading is just what one needs.
If you read the previous two books, then you should definitely enjoy Kitty Takes a Holiday. If you have not read a Kitty book before, then I recommend finding a copy of Kitty and the Midnight Hour. You'll want to read the previous two books before this one. And if you're at all interested in stories about supernatural creatures, you should enjoy these books.
Rating: 7/10
Kitty and the Silver Bullet (2007)
The fourth kitty book sees Kitty returning to Denver for a family emergency. Unfortunately, her return places her in the middle of a vampire turf war where she is requested to take sides.
As this was the fourth Kitty book, was I a little leery when I started reading, because in all honesty I was waiting for the story to take that down turn that many series do once their several books in. However, I was delighted that this book was as strong as they previous three. I’m not saying they’re great literature–but I will say that Carrie Vaughan is a very good storyteller, and in this book nails plot, pacing, and characterization.
There was just one thing in this book that bothered me–the speed at with which Kitty learned to shoot. However, as she has heightened physical skills and reflexes since she is a werewolf, her ability to pick up he basics of this physical skill actually makes sense, so that doesn’t even bother me.
This story ties up multiple plot lines: Kitty’s banishment from Denver, her relationship with the old packmaster of Denver, her relationship with Ben, and her friendship with Cormac. I particularly liked that she and Ben went to visit Cormac in prison. He remains responsible for his actions, and those actions were not simply waved away by the author but had consequences that we see.
Considering that this was a book I read in three hours, I appreciate that this series has its hidden depths.
I think what I like best about the Kitty series is that Carrie Vaugn gets right all the details that tend to bug me about most supernatural fantasies. The characters are good looking, but for the most part you’re not bludgeoned with their attractiveness, and we don’t have constant details of all the designer clothes the characters are wearing, although certain outfits are described as the need arises. Kitty does have a great deal of strength, but she also has weaknesses and deals with those weaknesses. Yes, she whines as we all do, but once she makes a decisions she sticks with it and finds a way. And she also realized that because of her weaknesses she must rely upon those around her, which I also appreciate. But mostly, Kitty is a very likable character, because she has flaws, but doesn’t let those flaws keep her from acting when necessary.
I also appreciate her complex relationships with the other characters, including her family who we finally get to meet. The only relationship that I was not completely sure about was her relationship with Detective Hardin. I’m not certain that things weren’t a little too easy for Kitty there, but considering the otehr problems with which Kitty has to contend, I was more than willing to let slide there.
If you enjoy supernatural fantasy, then I highly recommend the Kitty series. It has good characters, good stories, and good writing. And most importantly, it’s a lot of fun to read. I don’t, however, recommend starting with Kitty and the Silver Bullet but suggest instead going back to the first book in the series, Kitty and the Midnight Hour. This book covers a lot of history from the previous three books, and knowing and understanding that history makes this book all the more enjoyable.
Rating: 8/10
Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand (2009)
Kitty and Ben are trying to plan for their wedding, and when they decide on a Vegas wedding, Kitty’s producer decides that would be a great opportunity for Kitty to try her hand at a live TV show.
I’m still not sure how I feel about Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand. I almost feel like there was too much going on: Dominic, Odysseus Grant, Balthasar and his “pack”, Kitty’s wedding, Kitty’s live TV show… It felt like the story jumped around when I would have liked to have spent more time focusing on one or two elements, instead of being overwhelmed by so many different plot ideas.
Then again, it was supposed to be an overwhelming action-packed weekend, so perhaps that’s the reason.
I also didn’t care for the ending of the epilogue (I should just learn never to read epilogues. It never ends well for me), but I was appeased by the fact that the next book is coming out in a month–and coming out in paperback. So I can live with that.
I’ll be curious to see which elements in this book are dropped and which are continued. Unless Kitty goes back to Vegas, I don’t see Dom coming back, but I would like to see more of Odysseus Grant.
If you like supernatural fantasy, this is still a good series, and I’m waiting impatiently for the next book.
Rating: 7/10
Kitty Raises Hell (2009)
WAH! Now I have to wait a whole year for the next Kitty book!
Picking up where we left off at the end of Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand, Kitty is back in Denver, and being haunted (quite literally) by the events that occurred in Vegas. Someone burned the name Tiamat into her bar, New Moon, and now her pack is threatened and she’s not sure where to turn, and other than her pack, she’s no longer sure who she can trust.
Unfortunately for her, more and more people are drawn into events, and that means more people who can get hurt.
First off, it was a quick, fun read. It took me four house–including stopping for dinner–to finish the book. The nice thing about the pace is it didn’t give me much time to stop and think about events, else I might have stopped to wonder who some of the individuals acted in the way they did. By the time I thought about it, the story had moved on and I’d already accepted things the way as they were.
Second, I really appreciate that Carrie Vaughn put out these two books in quick succession. I had cliffhanger endings, and having to wait only a month to find out what happened was nice. I think more authors should consider that–if you really must have a cliffhanger ending, the put out your books close together so we don’t have to spend so much time waiting. (I hate waiting.)
But what I especially liked was that Kitty Raises Hell was very amusing in places. Yes, lots of bad things happened, but Kitty managed to keep her sense of humor.
“Now, what does a vampire do with a computer? Keep track of investments? Send e-mail to other vampires as you all plot to take over the world?”
“I spend a lot of time on Wikipedia making corrections to the entries of historical figures I’ve known.”
That completely cracked me up.
So I enjoyed this every bit as much as I enjoyed the earlier books in the series. The story is well paced and well written, and Kitty is a lot of fun to read about.
This is not a good place to start the series. At the very least go back and read the book prior to this. But I think you’d be well-rewarded to start at the beginning and read the entire series through.
Rating: 7/10
Kitty’s House of Horrors (2010)
A TV producer shows up at the studio to ask Kitty to join a reality TV show starring the supernatural. Although she is wary of the idea, discovering that her friend is already signed up convinces Kitty to go ahead–after all, what could it hurt?
Another strength of the book is how the actions taken by various characters continue to have consequences in the long term. Sometimes in books, things happen, but the consequences of those events drift off never to be heard from again. I like how the past often remains present in this series–even as Kitty continues to grow and move forward.
SPOILER (rot13)
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V jnf nyfb vagevthrq ol ure cynpvat vagbyrenapr naq ungerq sebag naq pragre va guvf obbx. Creuncf V’z ernqvat zber vagb gur fgbel guna vf gurer, ohg va znal jnlf vg srryf yvxr gur vagbyrenapr fhssrerq ol gur fhcreangheny punenpgref va znal bs gurfr obbxf, ersyrpgf gur vagbyrenapr gung fgvyy rkvfgf va bhe fbpvrgl. Vg vf fb rnfl sbe uhznaf gb pynffvsl pregnva tebhcf nf bgure, naq guhf yrff qrfreivat bs evtugf.
Jurgure fur vf checbfrshyyl ersyrpgvat gur vagbyrenapr sbhaq va fbpvrgl va ure punenpgref V qba’g xabj. Ohg V qb rawbl vg.
(END SPOILER)
I really like this series, and continue to recommend it. Could you start here? Yes. But as always, I think there is an advantage to going back in a series and starting from the beginning.
Rating: 8/10
published by Grand Central Publishing
Kitty Goes to War (2010)
The title actually made me somewhat reluctant to read this book, despite the fact I have really enjoyed the other books in this series. Because despite being a werewolf, Kitty is still a radio host.
Luckily, Kitty does not, in fact, actually go to war herself. She does, however, attempt to help soldiers who have returned from Afghanistan–as werewolves whose alpha was killed and whose pack fell apart after his death. She also gets herself into a bit of a mess when her show on Speedy Marts gains the attention of the owner, who doesn’t like what she and her callers had to say.
I was quite pleased with this story, especially as there were moments I started to get irked with Kitty for missing the obvious only to have her suddenly realize what was right before her.
I also really liked the story arc with the soldiers. The fact that Kitty is alpha does make what she did seem more reasonable, and I particularly liked her analysis of the situation and what needed to be done.
Additionally, I was set to be all annoyed with where Cormac’s character arc was going, until I finally saw what happened and that things had been set up earlier. I also like the fact that Cormac spent several books in prison, and that Kitty took the time to visit him. As I’ve said before, I like books where actions have consequences, and I think Cormac’s arc has been very well done in that regard. Though I do have some concerns about where he’s heading, we’ll just have to see how things turn out.
One last thing–I like that Kitty and Ben’s relationship has turned out to be a solid marriage, with give and take. Huzzah for stories with solid, healthy relationships!
If you have not ready the previous books in the Kitty series, you could start here, although, as usual, many of the character arcs are better appreciated if you know how far the character has come. I’m glad that I am continuing to enjoy this series, when so many supernatural fantasy series seem to be boiling down to little more heroines with super-awesome powers and lots of boinking.
Rating: 7/10
Kitty’s Big Trouble (2011)
Kitty’s latest interest is finding historical figures that may have been supernatural creatures. Someone sends her some indirect evidence that General Sherman may have been a were, but Kitty’s attempts to have his body exhumed and tested are adamantly denied (and rightfully so). Then she comes across a story that Wyatt Earp might have been a vampire hunter and heads out to see if she can find any evidence of this.
While looking for trace of vampires, Kitty gets a call from the vampire Anastasia that Roman is in San Francisco attempting to get his hands on a powerful artifact, and can Kitty please come help?
Couple things about this story. First, despite Cormac’s possession by the ghost Amelia and new abilities to do magic, I’m having a hard time believing that his parole officer is lax enough to let him go gallivanting across the country. I really liked the fact that Cormac had to serve time, but I don’t much care for the brushing off of his parole this way.
Several reviewers don’t seem to care for this story for some of the reasons I enjoyed it. I liked the delving into history, and I really liked the gods that get involved in San Francisco. Of course, I’m a huge fan of folklore and mythology, and Chinese mythology is largely an untapped resource in supernatural fiction, so this was a nice change.
I also liked Cormac having to truly deal with Ben’s turning. He may have dealt with it on an intellectual level, but actually seeing his cousin change is something very different. Of course, I also have to wonder how much Amelia has to do with things.
I can’t say this is one of my favorite books in the series, but I did enjoy it, and continue to look forward to further books in the series.
Rating: 7/10
Published by Tor
Kitty’s Greatest Hits (2011)
Kitty’s Greatest Hits is a short story anthology, so its timeline is interwoven between the various Kitty books. There are also several stories that don’t have Kitty in them at all, although most of those stories contain peripheral characters, and all are set within Kitty’s world. I’d read several of these stories before, because I love short stories and buy anthologies containing authors I like when I come across them. That said, there were plenty of stories in this collection I had not read before.
My favorite story in the collection was probably “Conquistador de la Noche” which tells the story of how Rick was turned to a vampire. Even knowing that Ricardo de Avila was the Rick who appears in Kitty’s stories, I still worried about how he was going to get out of the mess he was in.
We also finally learn the story of what happened to Cormac in prison, and how he ended up working with Amelia. Although it was interesting to learn, I can’t say it was anything close to my favorite story. It wasn’t bad, but I often find Cormac hard to like. There are also stories of Cormac’s past, including a story with Cormac and Ben as young teens.
My favorite Kitty story was the first in the collection, “Il Est Ne” a story about a werewolf who was turned and then abandoned to his fate and stumbles across Kitty as she is trying to figure out how to deal with the mess of her own life.
If you have not read the Kitty books, this would be a good introduction to her world. None of the stories require knowledge or background of the books, and all give you a taste of both Kitty and the world she inhabits.
Rating: 9/10
Published by Tor
Dark and Stormy Knights (2010)
edited by P.N. Elrod
I can’t help myself–I love anthologies. And fantasy anthologies with writers who write their fantasy with a healthy does of mystery? Sign me up! All anthologies have high and low points, but overall this was a fairly strong group of stories.
The book starts off with a current favorite author, Ilona Andrews. This is a Kate Daniels story, only set in the past, when Kate was still working for the Mercenary Guild. And we get to see how she met Saiman, which is a story well worth reading. Plus, this glimpse into Kate’s past was quite interesting. I have to admit that as much as I have been enjoying the series, I really really like independent Kate.
The second story is by Jim Butcher, but is not a Dresden story (although Harry is mentioned). Instead the main character is John Marcone, who we met in an earlier Dresden book. Justine is in trouble, and comes to Marcone for sanctuary as he is a signer of the Accords. Unfortunately a really nasty monster is after Justine, and Marcone doesn’t really have that much to gain by helping her. What was especially interesting about this story was seeing characters like Harry from the eyes of outsides.
The fourth story was Rachel Caine‘s story, “Even a Rabbit Will Bite.” I wasn’t particularly thrilled with her Weather Warden series, so I wasn’t expecting much from this story. Interestingly, it’s a short stand-alone story that I ended up liking very much. Lisel is the last Dragonslayer, and she is to train her replacement to kill the last remaining dragon. An elderly woman is rarely the hero of the story, so I especially liked that twist.
Jack Flemming makes another appearance in P.N. Elrod‘s story “Dark Lady.” A woman shows up looking for Jack, to beg him for help saving her fiancee from the mob. Unfortunately, he double crossed Gordy (Jack’s sort of boss) so there’s not much Jack thinks he can do for her, but being a sucker for a damsel in distress, he tries to help her anyway.
Lilith Saintcrow‘s story, “Rookwood & Mrs. King” was a vampire story, only without the romantic swoony vampires. Which was a nice change. A woman asks Rookwood to kill her husband, and Rookwood starts to refuse until she tells him her husband is undead and haunting her.
The final story was Carrie Vaughan‘s “God’s Creatures” which stars Cormac early in his career, before meeting Kitty. Again, I liked stepping into a characters past, and I also liked learning more about a secondary character–a nice twist that brings you into the world that already exists, but doesn’t do anything to ruin the ongoing storyline if you’re not familiar with the author.
Yes, there were other stories, but they weren’t particular favorites. but the stories mentioned above are well worth the price of the book, especially if you’ve not read stories by these authors before.
Rating: 8/10
Published by St Martin’s Griffin
Full Moon City (2010)
edited by Darrell Schweitzer and Martin H Greenberg
I love anthologies. Though I have to admit that with the way paranormal romance has taken off, the ratio of wheat to chaff has been unfavorable for me. However, Carrie Vaughn and Peter S. Beagle were pretty compelling reasons to get this anthology.
I didn’t much care for the first two stories in the anthology. Gene Wolfe’s “Innocent” was very good, but I didn’t enjoy it. The third story, however, was by Carrie Vaughn and an entry into her Kitty the Werewolf series. Not quite as strong as some of the Kitty stories, but fun, and an interesting thought about what werewolves might or might not be good at. (This is actually an interesting idea that goes along with her story Kitty Goes to War.)
Esther M. Griesner’s story, “No Children, No Pets” was strange and odd, but I still enjoyed it. After all, there aren’t that many werewolf stories with six year old narrators.
Country Mother’s Sons by Holly Phillips was another story that stayed with me, although I still cannot decided if I liked the story or not. War widows and their sons are a very depressing theme, however, the story was well done, and pulled me in.
“A Most Unusual Greyhound” is the second Harry the Book story by Mike Resnick I have read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although the main character is (of course) a bookie, it has the tone of a hard boiled mystery, and also refuses to take itself seriously. Once or twice it almost stays into camp territory, but veers back into fun and entertaining. After all, the idea of a werewolf entering the races at the dog tracks is an amusing one.
Holly Black‘s story, “The Aarne-Thompson Classification Revue” was another odd story. A werewolf girl trying to make it in the big city. I liked it, even though I was never quite sure where it was going.
“I Was a Middle-Age Werewolf” by Ron Goulart was another fun story that was quite enjoyable–a middle-aged man in Beverly Hills is suddenly changed into a werewolf. The main character was not particularly likable, but it was, as I said, fun, as was Darrell Schweitzer’s “Kvetchula’s Daughter” which might have had a slightly more surprising ending had it not been in an anthology about werewolves. But the idea of Jewish vampires totally makes up for the end not being surprising.
I’ve read several short stories by Chelsa Quinn Yarbro, but not read any of her books, primarily because they’re typically classified as horror. But the story “And Bob’s Your Uncle” may have been dark, but I didn’t find it scary or horrifying (except perhaps in the way Jake was treated by his mother), and I did find it good, as was Gregory Frost’s “The Bank Job” (even if you’re never quite sure what kind of creature he is.)
And the anthology ended on a very strong note, with Peter S. Beagle‘s story “La Lune T’Attend.” It took a bit to fall into the speech patterns of the main characters, but in just a few pages, I fell in love with Arceneaux, the grandfather who also happened to be a loup-garou. Seriously. The story is about two grandfathers who have been best friends all the lives, and who also happen to be werewolves. It was the perfect ending to the anthology.
Although there were several stories I didn’t particularly like, but all in all, the stories that were good were very good, and well worth the price of the anthology.
Rating: 8/10
Books by Carrie Vaughan:
Kitty and the Midnight Hour (2005), Kitty Goes to Washington (2006), Kitty Takes a Holiday (2007), Kitty and the Silver Bullet (2007), Kitty and the Dead Man’s Hand (2009), Kitty Raises Hell (2009), Kitty’s House of Horrors (2010), Kitty Goes to War (2010), Kitty’s Big Trouble (2011), Kitty’s Greatest Hits (2011)
Anthologies: Dark and Stormy Knights (2010) edited by P.N. Elrod, Running with the Pack (2010) edited by Ekaterina Sedia, Full Moon City (2010)
