“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be.” 
― Douglas Adams, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

 

“To love is to be vulnerable.”
― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

 

Pull out your “Happy Dance” ladies and gents! Assault in the Wizard Degree is printed!! The Fantasy and Forensics series has expanded to book six, and six is definitely a magic number.

 

Poor Dayna. The more she busts her backside to save the world on Andeluvia, the more it twists itself into a bloody mess . . . and guess who gets the job of straightening everything out each and every time? Yep. You got it. What is a Forensic Scientist stuck in an epic fantasy land supposed to do? Well, if you are Dame Chrissie, you dust off your hiking boots, gather your tools, and do your best to save the day. Again.

 

“Salvation shall come to Dame Chrissie only when she stands in the shadow of all that she has achieved.”

 

Well, salvation is something, at least. A bit of hope, after the court Soothsayer invades the throne room of the King bearing tidings of doom and death.

 

“I dreamt a dream of utmost import . . . that if not heeded, shall mean the downfall of this kingdom and the ruin of all Andeluvia!”

 

And this time, he might just be right. Dayna’s life in Los Angeles is hard enough as the evil attempting to take over Andeluvia bleeds over into her birth world. Now, an evil long thought buried and gone is awakening. Death and despair, war and horror are looming on the horizon, and Dayna’s small group will be tested beyond anything they have ever faced before.

 

It begins, as do so many things, with a request for Dayna’s help. The centaurs, you see, have a problem.

 

“A centaur that has committed an act of sacrilege regarding the ‘Ceremony of Equilux’.”

 

It should be a simple case – use her forensic skills to discover who committed a crime. But what she finds is so much more. The Creatures of the Dark have made deeper inroads than anyone expects (well, anyone other than Dayna and her friends) and even the densest and most purposefully ignorant will no longer be able to deny the truth.

 

There are, of course, the light moments Michael’s writing is so well known for. Characters are well written and believable, the landscape of the world of Andeluvia is sharply drawn, and the storyline holds perfect continuity throughout the series. If you haven’t read the rest of the series, I would highly recommend you do so before reading this installment. I am not saying you couldn’t understand or enjoy this book as a standalone, but it is such a wonderful series it would be a shame to miss the run-up to this pivotal point in the series.

 

This is a Wonderful series, and I cannot recommend it highly enough!! Of course, full disclosure, I work with Michael on his books – but that doesn’t mean I don’t adore each and every one.

“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

 

“I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now…Come further up, come further in!”  ― C.S. Lewis, The Last Battle

 

A Perjury of Owls

Dayna Chrissie’s life has changed, drastically, since she was first yanked, very much against her will, into  Andeluvia. There has been death and loss, friends made – and enemies as well. She has fought griffins and demons, dragons, and even magical deer (yes, magical Deer… and a psycho one at that!) She has been through Hell and back for her friends and the land of Andeluvia, even when those she protects demean and try to destroy her.

 

“Nothing could be more heart rending than this mute and motionless dispair” ― Émile Zola, Thérèse Raquin

 

Dayna Chrissie is a Crime Scene Analyst for the LAPD, but these days she only works there third-time while she spends the great majority of her time in Andeluvia. But Andeluvia hasn’t been all that friendly to her. The nobles consider her an interloper, and as much as the King wants to hire her as his court Forensics Examiner he isn’t willing to go against the nobles to force her into place. So, what is a King to do but dub Dayna Chrissie “Dame” Chrissie? But being a Dame has its own perils indeed. And unless the Owls release their death grip on the Andeluvian treasury, her Damehood may not last more than a few days before the whole of the country descends into anarchy and murder.

 

Ah, but there is more going on. The Darkness is growing, feeding. The Griffins have lost the majority of their aerie. The Fayleene have been forced from their devastated home, and though the Centaur community is standing stable? The Owls, ah the Owls. Dayna’s friend Albess Thea is missing, and Raisah of the Noctua, a feared warrior sect of owls, has taken her place. And Raisah certainly does not the the welfare of Andeluvia, or even of the Parliament, at heart.

 

Sirrahon the Stone Dragon, ancient, cruel and released from his three-thousand year prison has disappeared, and no one knows where he might be. There are dark things moving, and in the Shadows the outline of a man lurks.  The demons are moving in the dark, and though everyone has seen what is happening, all are hiding their heads. All but Dayna and her intrepid crew, Grimshaw the Griffin, Liam the Fayleene Prince and Galen the Wizard who have been with Dayna through thick and thin, through war and death, but also through hope and understanding.

 

Michael’s Fantasy and Forensics remains one of my favorite fantasy series of all time. Alternately funny and touching, painful and heartwarming, if you haven’t started it yet, I can’t encourage you strongly enough to do so. Andeluvia and its inhabitants will be sure to pull at your heart, your mind, and your soul. Enjoy!

 

I work with Michael on his stories, so I should say here that I received this book for free but all of my thoughts are my own.

Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered for they are gone forever. – Horace Mann

There can be no failure to a man who has not lost his courage, his character, his self-respect, or his self-confidence. He is still a King. – Orison Swett Marden

Jason Summer is what many of us want to be. A highly successful fantasy author. In his ‘position’ as “Undersecretary to Leetah, The Mage of the Rose”, Jason and his partner, Sonja Leto, enjoy a wonderful life together. Jason’s great love for Sonja inspires his work, and his life, allowing him to create a world of great beauty and creativity. A land of magic and beauty, life and death, magic and mystery. A land where Leetah, the Mage of the Rose, is right now in deep trouble. “She’s almost out of spells, down to a handful of loyal men, and the bad guys are closing in.”

Well, he can certainly write her out of her tight corner. But there is weirdness aplenty in the ‘real’ world. Jason’s brother Corey is acting very strangely. Of course, he has always despised Sonja for some reason beyond Jason’s comprehension. And of course Sonja hates him as well. But there are other things going on – such as mysterious e-mails addressed to Leetah, Mage of the Rose, from Muriel of the Melusines. Oddly phrased, archaic, her emails speak of magic, of invasions and magical flight. Flight which took her brother Zander, from her. Muriel needs Leetah’s help, desperately. Which is really strange, because magic doesn’t really work in this world, Muriel. How about you lay off the video games, Muriel?

Only, maybe Muriel isn’t as whacked as Jason and Sonja initially think. For something strange is certainly going on. And when Jason and Sonja actually end up on Muriel’s world, things go sideways. Saving Zander may get them back to their world – but there are, once again, deeper layers, larger stories, greater worlds. And what Jason finds out in this new, magical world will change not only his beliefs about reality, but will shake the very foundations of his soul.

Michael Angel is, without a doubt, one of my favorite authors. His character development when it comes to his mythical creatures truly pulls you into their lives, thoughts and hearts. His world building carries me into his realities, and his grasp of the human condition is alternately uplifting and heartbreaking.

I have written reviews of several of Michael’s other books, and this one is just as good, and in at least one way even better, than the other books I have reviewed. The heartbreak is heavy in this one – but the joy? The joy simply blew me away.

Enjoy!

I received this book from Michael as a gift. All thoughts are my own. Warrior Woman art by http://hb-design.blogspot.com/2010_11_01_archive.html

 

 

‘Hello, nice to meet you, you certainly look delicious this morning. I wonder if you are chewy or crunchy’.”

 

 You have us four. And sometimes, you need to find a sense of family with people who are good, rather than to try and find good in one’s own family.

 

Dayna Chrissie is at it again. Our intrepid Los Angeles CSI’s whole life changed in Centaur of the Crime. Pulled into an alternate world to solve the murder of Good King Benedict, Dayna finds herself in a world of hurt as she tries to find the guilty parties in a conspiracy to start a war. As she uses her scientific knowledge in a world locked into a medieval mindset, she finds herself magically bouncing between the world of Andeluvia and Earth as she uses her forensic skills, and the LAPD labs, to solve the murder and locate the guilty parties. Of course, she finds herself in trouble not only in Andeluvia as she puts herself in danger searching for the killer, but on Earth as well as her whacked-out Deputy Chief, Robert McClatchy, does everything in his power to destroy her career. Sheesh! Can a girl not get a break? Well, actually she can get a bit of one, as she makes some wonderful new friends who help her solve the crime, at risk of their own lives.

 

The Deer Prince’s Murder is book two of the Fantasy and Forensics series, and Dayna’s life isn’t getting any easier. Not. One. Little. Bit. Still on probation after going missing from her job as a consultant for the Los Angeles Crime Lab during Centaur (when people are snatching you back and forth across dimensions, it is a bit hard to keep up), she slips off to Andeluvia to spend time with her friends. Liam is a Fayleene, a magical white-tail deer, Grimshaw, better known as Shaw, a Griffin, and Galen, a Centaur Master Wizard are the wonderful friends Dayna made in Centaur. All rejected in one way or the other by their families, Liam for his lack of magical luck, Shaw for standing up for Dayna and offering to help against his rider’s wishes, and Galen, rejected by his war-obsessed father for being intelligent instead of brutal. Now, their little family faces an even more dangerous situation when the Fayleene Protector of the Forest, Quinval, is murdered, pulling Dayna into the most dangerous investigation of her life – and her friends right along with her. For here there be dragons . . . well, one dragon, Sirrahon the Stone Dragon, ancient, cruel and released from his three-thousand year prison. Who set him free? Why? And how will this all end?

 

When Captain Vazura of the Kings Air Cavalry, Shaw’s former Rider, is murdered by a shadowy figure, things become even more tense, and much more dangerous. With the help of a surprising new member of their little group, Dayna and her friends must work harder, smarter and faster than ever before to save this beautiful world. Oh, and to save Dayna’s job as a consultant to the LAPD Crime Lab as well. That McClatchy? Whew! He’s got some real issues in his tissues!

 

As always, Michael Angel has his criminal procedure down pat, which is always a joy. His wicked sense of humour is still as strong as ever, and his character and world building are exceptional as well. Not surprising, of course – he is always exceptional. If you like Urban Fantasy, mythology, and criminal procedure with a large dose of comedy, you can’t miss out on Michael Angel’s work. I am dancing on my toes as I wait for Grand Theft Griffin, scheduled for 2015! Until then, The Detective and the Unicorn is next on my Michael Angel list!

 

I received my copy from Michael Angel in return for a realistic review, and in thanks for my previous reviews. However, all thoughts are my own. I just really like his writing!

Set in a far flung galaxy, we have a disgraced starship captain (Drake) and an independent archaeologist (Tally) who must join forces to save the galaxy and perhaps earn a little money. Drake’s command crew made me think of Star Trek (Sebastien, Kincaide, Ferra, etc.) and the space battle scenes were reminiscent of Star Wars battles. Definitely a mix mash of pulp fiction and space opera.Drake struggles through the book to regain his former polish and glory after wrongly being placed in the Losers box with a bunch of Loser rejects on a Loser ship.

Then we have the treasure hunter/archaeology aspect thrown in. Tally made me think of a female Indiana Jones; she was very focused on her goal and not afraid of the physical effort it would take to get it. She had some of the most interesting scenes because they had to do with history, and therefore, had the most detail.

The plot was pretty straight forward and the characters, once established, didn’t change much. The bad guys were stereotypical and our heroes are 100% good guys. Normally, I enjoy a bit more variation in all of that, but for a fast paced, short space opera, it was decent. If you have some task where you need your hands and a bit of concentration, then this would be good braincandy for the background.

We had more men than women and I would have enjoyed seeing that a bit more balanced. But the few females we had in the storyline added to the plot and weren’t just scenery. The one sex scene came off as a bit awkward and didn’t engage my libido. I like my sex scenes and if one (or more) are going to be thrown in, they should count.

Narration: Lee Strayer did a good job of keeping the characters distinct. There were a few passages where the sentences were repeated, so not the cleanest on final editing. Still, the actual narration was well done with clear feminine and masculine voices, different accents, and proper emotions.