"Another Pan" Another#2 by Daniel & Dina Nayeri (Reviewed by Cindy Hannikman)

Visit Daniel and Dina's Official Website Here
Order Another Pan from Amazon Here

Overview: Wendy and John Darling are attending high school at the prestigious Marlowe School. Marlowe attracts the richest children from New York society. While the outside of Marlowe appears to be just an ordinary school there is something more lurking in the shadows.

An Egyptian exhibit has made its way to Marlowe. Within that exhibit is the mysterious book known as The Book of Gates. It is believed that The Book of Gates contains a magical element that will transport any individual who speaks the magic words to ancient Egypt. Wendy and John come across the mystery that the exhibit contains while cataloging and cleaning up various elements within the exhibit.

Coinciding with the exhibit’s arrival, a charismatic RA appears by the name of Peter. Peter is on a quest to find The Book of Gates and search for the elements that will make him immortal. Unfortunately, another individual is hot on The Book of Gate’s trail and is looking to prevent Peter from gaining immortality.

Peter will use Wendy and John Darling’s knowledge to help him achieve the elements he needs to achieve immortality and live forever. It is up to Wendy and John to not only help Peter but protect Marlowe from the evils of the ancient exhibit.

Format: Another Pan is the second book in the Another series. It is a YA novel filled with magic, mythology and a unique twist on the Peter Pan story.It can be read without reading the first book in the series. Another Pan was published by Candlewick Press.

Analysis: If someone walked up to me and told me that there was a book that involved a loose interpretation of Peter Pan and a mixture of Egyptian mythology and artifacts I would have probably laughed. The two sound so different that they would be a disaster in a story. However, Another Pan proved me wrong.

Another Pan takes a very loose approach to Peter Pan. There is just enough influence for those who like Peter Pan to appreciate the influence it has on the story without it turning into a disaster. There are the Lost Boys, a boy who tries to fit in, Peter looking to never grow old, a man with a ticking watch and a few other Peter Pan influences that really make the story shine. In fact, I found the subtle hints of Peter Pan to be the best element of the novel. One of my favorite parts was when Peter would get upset there would be "happy thoughts" texted to him. Which was a very unique part of the story.

The whole Egyptian artifacts and mythology section of the story really added a unique twist to the story. While the Egyptian artifacts and mythology played a major role, the reader wasn’t left out of the story. Everything was explained which was a major bonus as many stories that use mythology assume the readers have previous knowledge of the mythology.

The characters within Another Pan were all detailed and fleshed out. Everyone had multiple sides to them and the authors really take the time to develop them so that readers really feel as if they know the character. Though I wasn’t a huge fan of John at times. I felt he was immature and frustrating but then again most 13 year old boys can be at times.

Overall, I was amazed at what Another Pan had to offer. There is plenty of action and adventure to keep the reader entertained but there is also a solid, unique plot element that will amaze any readers. The creative take off of Peter Pan was done tastefully and will attract any fans of the classic novel.

Spotlight on February Books

This month we are featuring 36 books. There were considerably more new sff releases but we tried to limit ourselves to a reasonable number and we chose the books most in tune with what's discussed here.

The release dates are US unless marked otherwise, though for books released in the UK and US in the same month but on different dates we use the earliest date without comment and they are first edition unless noted differently. The dates are on a best known basis so they are not guaranteed; same about the edition information. Since information sometimes is out of date even in the Amazon/Book Depository links we use for listings, books get delayed or sometimes even released earlier, we would truly appreciate if you would send us an email about any listing with incorrect information.

Sometimes a cover image is not available at the time of the post and also sometimes covers change unexpectedly so while we generally use the Amazon one when available and cross check with Google Images, the ultimate bookstore cover may be different.

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“Blackveil” by Kristen Britain. Release Date: February 1, 2011.
“In Fire Forged” by David Weber. Release Date: February 1, 2011.
“The Sea Thy Mistress” by Elizabeth Bear. February 1, 2011.
“Leviathans of Jupiter” by Ben Bova. Release Date: February 1, 2011.
“Messiah” by S. Andrew Swann. Release Date: February 1, 2011.
“Rising Tides” by Taylor Anderson. Release Date: February 1, 2011.

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"License to Ensorcell" by Katharine Kerr. Release Date: February 1, 2011.
“Autumn: The City” by David Moody. Release Date: February 1, 2011.
“Trouble and Her Friends” by Melissa Scott. February 1, 2011 (Reprint).
“The Illumination” by Kevin Brockmeier. Release Date: February 1, 2011.
“Midnight Riot” by Ben Aaronovitch. Release Date: February 1, 2011.
“King's Justice” by Maurice Broaddus. UK Release Date: February 3, 2011.

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"Tyrant: The King of Bosphorus" by Christian Cameron UK: February 3, 2011.
"Lex Trent: Fighting With Fire" by Alex Bell. UK: February 3, 2011.
“Point” by Thomas Blackthorne. UK Release Date: February 3, 2011.
"Son of Heaven" (Chung Kuo recasting, book 1) by David Wingrove February 3, 2011.
“Journal of a UFO Investigator” by David Halperin. February 3, 2011.
“The Sea Watch” by Adrian Tchaikovsky. UK Release Date: February 4, 2011.

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“The Heroes” by Joe Abercrombie. Release Date: February 7, 2011 (US Debut).
“Deep State” by Walter Jon Williams. Release Date: February 7, 2011.
“The Scar-Crow Men” by Mark Chadbourn. Release Date: February 8, 2011.
“The Floating Islands” by Rachel Neumeier. Release Date: February 8, 2011
"A Discovery of Witches" by Deborah Harkness. February 8, 2011
“Hyenas” by Joe R. Lansdale. Release Date: February 15, 2011.


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“The Desert of Souls” by Howard Jones. Release Date: February 15, 2011.
“Tourquai” by Tim Davys. Release Date: February 15, 2011.
“Down to the Bone” by Justina Robson. UK: February 17, 2011.
“The Crippled God” by Steven Erikson. UK: February 21, 2011.
“Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sausages” by Tom Holt. February 21, 2011.
“Grail” by Elizabeth Bear. Release Date: February 22, 2011.

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“Cloneworld” by Andy Remic. Release Date: February 22, 2011.
“The Remembering” by Steve Cash. Release Date: February 22, 2011.
“The Raven Queen” by Jules Watson. Release Date: February 22, 2011.
“The Griffin’s War” by K.J. Taylor. Release Date: February 22, 2011.
“Gideon’s Sword” by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child. February 22, 2011.
“The Iron Thorn” by Caitlin Kittredge. Release Date: February 22, 2011.

6inch black high heels and black stockings

Thanks a lot for all the great feedback to the last posting with the strappy sandals with stockings photos. It really looks like you are all at least in some kind stockingslovers ;). Good to know ;).
Well, here are some more pix of me wearing high heels AND stockings. This time again my black 6inch oxford style high heels and seamed black stockings. Sorry that there is no photo of showing the stockings from behind - didn't have some sharp ones :(. But therefor you have a closeup of the heels.
As this outfit should look like a schoolgirl I just thought that the oxford style high heels would fit best. They look sexy but not as sexy as my black stiletto sandals ;). I was really impressed when I looked at the pics - really like this photos and my outfit. The skirt is really short so you can see the top of stockings on nearly every photo.... But I guess you don't mind ;). Hope you like this high heels and stockings photos as much as I do?!

High Heeled greetings & kisses
- Vivian

There is now a pictureset available of this high heels photoshooting - containing 12 high res heels and stockings pix.
Buy now for just € 6.92

"Encrypted" by Lindsay Buroker (Reviewed by Liviu Suciu)

Read 50% of Encrypted HERE
Order "Encrypted" HERE (Kindle)or Smashwords (HERE)
Official Lindsay Buroker Website

INTRODUCTION: "Encrypted" is another indie novel I found out about through a review inquiry; the author actually let us know about her series debut The Emperor's Edge and while I liked its blurb/excerpt and asked for a review e-copy, I also noticed her other novel Encrypted which tempted me so much that I bought it on the spot and read it soon after.

Of course I plan to read The Emperor's Edge too - it starts great with the same engaging style of Encrypted - so in a month or so, I should have a review of that one here too, but for now I will talk about Encrypted since it resonated with me quite a lot and I want to explain why - the essential reason is because of its very close similarity in spirit and style with one of my all time favorite duologies.

Encyrpted is set some 15-20 years earlier in the same universe of The Emperor's Edge and it is a standalone with mostly different characters, though one of the main characters from the latter one appears here too in a pretty important role, so from that point of view it makes also a great introduction to the universe.

"Professor Tikaya Komitopis isn’t a great beauty, a fearless warrior, or even someone who can walk and chew chicle at the same time, but her cryptography skills earn her wartime notoriety. When enemy marines show up at her family’s plantation, she expects the worst. But they’re not there to kill her. They need her to decode mysterious runes, and they ask for help in the manner typical of a conquering empire: they kidnap her, threaten her family, and throw her in the brig of their fastest steamship.

Her only ally is a fellow prisoner who charms her with a passion for academics as great as her own. Together, they must decipher mind-altering alchemical artifacts, deadly poison rockets, and malevolent technological constructs, all while dodging assassination attempts from a rival power determined the expedition should fail... "

OVERVIEW: Encrypted is set on a secondary world with a mix of paranormal stuff like telepathy and teleportation and early industrial tech.

There is a militaristic empire - Turgonian - that shuns magic and which faces the "magicians" of Nuria, the "mysterious" scientist from the formerly neutral and pastoral islands of Kyatt who helped the Nurians once the empire offered the islanders a deal it would not take no as an answer on, Tikaya Komitopis, a socially awkward woman with a talent for languages who breaks the Turgonian codes leading to their containment and reluctant truce, the mysterious artifacts that prove deadly in the Turgonian capital forcing them to kidnap Tikaya from her peaceful island and try and convince her to help them, the prisoner known as Five on the Turgonian ironclad that speeds towards the frozen wastes were the artifacts had come from, the Nurian saboteurs and later the expedition to find the artifacts and the surprises it encounters.

As you can see from this overview, substituting "paranormal" with advanced biotech and the one-world of this book with a multi-stellar polity and you get something that resembles in spirit the superb pre-Miles dulogy of Lois Bujold that starts with Shards of Honor and more than once when reading Encrypted, I thought the comparison apt in quite a few ways.

While today "Encrypted" fits under secondary world fantasy mainly for its elements of paranormal, for most of sff's history it would have been considered pure-sf since teleportation, telekinesis and telepathy have been staples of sf for a long time, so this is a book that should appeal to both lovers of fantasy and sf.

ANALYSIS: Why read Encrypted?

The first reason is that the novel is written in a very fast, page turning and fun way, alternating action, discovery with great dialogue especially between Tikaya and Rias - as this is the name the prisoner known as "Five" gives her once they get to know each other - but with several other compelling characters, most notably Bocrest, the Turgonian commander of the ship and expedition, the "good" corporal Agarik vs nasty sergeant Ottotark and later the young boy/assassin Sicarius, personal representative of the emperor and a familiar acquaintance of Rias and Bocrest.

As the main lead of the novel, Tikaya carries it well end-to-end and she makes a very compelling heroine - an almost genius philologist in her mid-30's with a talent for languages and patterns, neither beautiful, nor graceful but with a talent for bow shooting and courage and wit to match, while the Turgonian men around her - whether resenting or even hating her for her role in their defeat in the war, being neutral, or being friendly and more - offer a great contrast and variety. Rias slowly develops from the almost savage Five to the charismatic war-hero he used to be and later in the novel he almost takes it over, while Sicarius - who seems to be the main lead in The Emperor's Edge 15-20 years in the future -is excellent in his role of enigmatic boy-assassin here.

So despite starting as the enemies and with their militaristic and patriarchal culture to boot, the author's portrayal of the Turgonians is quite nuanced, while Kitaya's supposed allies the Nurians actually want to kill her - maybe for good reasons from their point of view - and this reversal of roles and expectations was another reason I enjoyed the book.

The expedition, its discoveries, the mysterious runes and deadly artifacts are also very well done combining the familiar with twists that were partly predictable, partly surprising, but that never failed to entertain, while the action builds up with both physical and psychological components until the excellent finale. I would not want to spoil more about the core of the novel since a large part of the enjoyment of the book lies in trying to figure out what's what before the heroes experience it...

Encrypted (A+) is a fun romp, an adventure in the Lois Bujold Barrayar spirit, with a clear ending though ample scope for more and which I highly recommend if you like your sff fast, page turning with action, mysteries and a dash of romance.

More Upcoming and Current 2011 Books of Interest, Gene Wolfe, Aliette de Bodard, Ian Whates and Lavie Tidhar (by Liviu Suciu)

Here are four more 2011 books that I have just got and have started reading from. All read very well so far and together with the several previously mentioned titles (Morden 2, Locke, Hodder) will hopefully be finished by me in the next several weeks with reviews coming along.

Three of these four are books two in series that debuted in 2010 and were all reviewed and recommended by me in the 2010 summations posts, while Home Fires seems to be another mind-bending winner after last year's Sorcerer's House, another one reviewed here and appearing in the recommendation post mentioned.

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While unrelated to The Sorcerer's House (FBC Rv) and set in a strange but also familiar future, this one starts very exciting with a conversation between the main hero and a "dead woman", resurrected - for a fee of course, paid monthly as long as Skip wants the resurrected woman to hang around - at his behest as a "gift" for his reunion with his soon-to-return fiancee after relativistic effects made decades pass for him and years for her... If this does not sound mind-bending enough, the blurb for Home Fires which is available right now, offers more goodies:

"In a future North America not quite crumbling but somewhat less than utopian, Skip and Chelle meet and marry in college. But Chelle has to do her term of military service against aliens many light-years away. Twenty-five years later, thanks to the time-dilation effect, she is a still-young but convalescent combat veteran. Skip is a wealthy businessman. And they are still in love. Unfortunately, when they take a Caribbean cruise to celebrate, they run into pirates, politics, aliens, and Murphy’s Law running wild.."

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Another current book and direct sequel to Servant of the Underworld (FBC Rv), I only had a chance to browse the first 5 pages of Harbinger of the Storm since I got it yesterday, but it seemed to still have the magical writing that made me enjoy a lot the author's debut last year. The same setting and first person narrative and picking up when the first one ends. Here is the blurb for more:

"THE AZTEC EMPIRE TEETERS ON THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION.
As the political infighting starts within the imperial court, Acatl, High Priest for the Dead, makes a macabre discovery in the palace: a high-ranking nobleman has been torn to pieces by an invocation - and it looks like the summoner belongs to the court itself..."

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City of Hope and Despair is coming in late March from Angry Robot and from the quick browse I did yesterday seems to be a direct sequel to the excellent City of Dreams and Nightmares (FBc Rv) though set somewhat later since the main hero seems to be now part of the establishment so to speak. Another ultra-promising novel to keep an eye on, while if not done so, go and try the first installment which was also the author's novelistic co-debut in 2010 alongside the superb The Noise Within (FBC Rv) - that's another one whose sequel, The Noise Revealed, will come soon from Solaris this time and which I will try to get and read it asap...

"A SECOND VISIT TO THAIBURLEY: THE CITY OF DREAMS, THE FABLED CITY OF A HUNDRED ROWS.

Dark forces are gathering in the shadowy depths, and the whole city is under threat. The former street-nick, Tom, embarks on a journey to discover the source of the great river Thair, said to be the ultimate power behind all of Thaiburley. Accompanying him are the assassin Dewar and the young Thaistess Mildra. It soon becomes evident that their journey has more significance than any of them realize, as past secrets catch up with them and unknown adversaries hunt them... to the death! "

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Camera Obscura which is coming from Angry Robot in late April is set in the same wonderfully realized alt-Victorian world with "Les Lezards", automatons and a mix of historical personalities and famous period characters from Jules Verne to Professor Moriarty belonging to the cast, where The Bookman (FBC Rv) made a splashing debut last year. This one seems not to be a direct sequel though since from my quick browse the characters seem to be different; on the other hand it starts very, very intriguingly too, while the blurb speaks for itself with the allusions to other famous period stuff...

"CAN'T FIND A RATIONAL EXPLANATION TO A MYSTERY? CALL IN THE QUIET COUNCIL. The mysterious and glamorous Lady De Winter is one of their most valuable agents. A despicable murder inside a locked and bolted room on the Rue Morgue in Paris is just the start. This whirlwind adventure will take Milady to the highest and lowest parts of that great city - and cause her to question the very nature of reality itself."