Books I'm Reading; Magic Strikes and The Lies of Locke Lamora

I am a voracious reader. I have a large library (about 500 books) consisting mostly of science fiction or fantasy. Occasionally, I read a book that I can't put down, and so, it makes sense for me to tell you about them. Here are two books that I really enjoyed.

Magic Strikes by Kate Daniels (Part 3 in The Kate Daniels Series )
This is a book about a female fighter in an Atlanta where magic and technology are complementary. Sometimes technology works and magic is non-existent, sometimes its the other way around. The first two books were good, but this one is very good. Its a real page turner, with good character development and an interesting world.

The Lies of Locke Lamor by Scott Lynch (Book 1 of a proposed 7 book series about the Gentlemen Bastards)
This book pulls no punches. Its set in an alternate medieval Venice where magic plays a very minor roll. Its really about thieves and politics. The images raised by this book are painful. People die in graphic ways, and its not funny. You feel the pain and the shock each time. The characters placed in impossible situations and must somehow navigate their way out. If this was a stand-alone book, you would expect it to be a tragedy, where everyone dies. That it is a series gives you some hope that the darkest hours will not last forever and that our hero will somehow rise triumphant.

I can't wait to read the next book in this series: Red Seas under Red Skies




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