Roc, 2003
ISBN: 0451459407
Available: Paperback (new & used) & multiformat digital

The king of complicated, Chicago’s only professional wizard is back in Butcher’s fifth Dresden Files novel. Harry agrees to go on a paranormal talk show to meet a man who’s been searching for Susan, his half-vampire love. But he gets more than he bargained for when all the other guests are there to meet him as well. There’s a count of the Red Court there to challenge Harry to a duel in an effort to end the war between the Red Court vampires and the White Council, which rules the wizards. There’s also a priest from the Catholic Church who wants to hire Dresden to find the stolen Shroud of Turin. On the way out, a hit man from Chicago’s top mob boss tries to kill Harry, and Detective Murphy calls, wanting Harry to help out with a strange murder case.

Harry’s not alone though. Susan shows back up (and saves his skin a number of times) with half-vampire powers. And Michael is back, with the other sacred sword-wielding Knights of the Cross. The latter is an element that’s done especially well as Butcher manages to take a world where fairies and werewolves and vampires are real and also write beautiful, strong Christian characters instead of flat, stereotypical antagonists wearing crosses.
The Dresden books are quite popular, and despite being cautious in a urban fantasy-over run world, are very good as well. Dresden might have started out as a parody of UF, but Butcher’s strength in complex storytelling and just as vivid and complex characters pushed this series up to a ringleader of the UF gang. It’s also a fantastic addition in the sense that it brings a much needed male point of view to the genre, without excluding female characters as strong and capable on their own. Highly recommended for public collections, as these books give back a great amount for their purchase price.

Contains: violence, some gore, sex, language

Damnation Books, 2010
ASIN: B004E9U7D8
Available: Trade paperback & multi-format e-book

Ghosts are one of the overlooked monsters of the paranormal out there these days, likely because it’s hard to make a ghost sexy (I mean, without totally ripping off the movie Ghost.) Luckily, RJ Sullivan doesn’t even try. Haunting Blue is a fun little horror novel about a blue-haired punk girl forced to move to small town Indiana who immediately gets tied up in the town’s big urban legend. It has a classic ghost story/urban legend feel, that escapes the trap of cliché, and is still very tantalizing. It’s also got the only climax at a theme park that I’ve enjoyed other than Zombieland.

Sullivan makes good use of his teen lead’s heavy mix of feelings and sense of worthlessness without making this an issue book. Also, the involvement of a geek hero and a D&D tabletop “date” scene amused me to no end. Haunting Blue is a solid read, it moves well, sweeping readers up in the heroine’s conflicts, be they mundane or ghostly. Recommended for sure, especially for readers looking for a good ghost story in a vampire and zombie world.

Contains: violence, language, sex

Roc, 2011
ISBN: 0575093994
Available: New & multiformat digital

The third book in Ann Aguirre’s Corine Solomon series, Shady Lady expands the world setting (a curiously vampire-and-werewolf-free universe that still has plenty of magical conflict to spare) tenfold in this one volume. Home after defeating the demon that ran the town she grew up in (and had a hand in her mother’s death), Corine is ready to settle back into her role as a thrift shop owner and explore the new extent of her powers, gifted to her by mother postmortem. Then Kel, the mysterious killer who claims to be the Hand of God, shows up and tells her he’s there to protect her from a notorious Mexican cartel leader who is out for Corine’s blood.

Aguirre pulls no punches with this book. Her characters pop off the page, making the conflict all the more real, and her style brings so many places, from the streets of Mexico to the depths of the jungle to vivid life. (And the classic macho movie addition of a gun-laced chase scene shows girls can play with action tropes as well.) Aguirre’s books are the place to go for raw action and grit, threaded through with a sense of human tenderness. Highly recommended for public and private collections, especially those oriented toward paranormal or urban fantasy tastes, but this series also holds a strong appeal for readers who love a good action flick.

Contains: sex, violence, language

House of Murky Depths, 2010
ISBN: 1906584095
Available: New & Used

Sam Stone is without a doubt the heir apparent to the legacy abandoned by Anne Rice. Demon Dance is the third book in her Vampire Gene trilogy, which spans across two millennia while remaining intimately tied to four primary characters. In this volume, new vampire Lilly has stepped through a mysterious door in time and space and finds herself on a journey though history to protect her own vampiric legacy.

Stone’s prose is richly textured and vividly detailed, and her vampires are the super-powered, fickle, and chaotic monsters horror fans have grown up on. One of the better small press offerings out there, and more affordable than limited editions to boot, Stone’s Vampire Gene trilogy (Killing Kiss, Futile Flame, Demon Dance) really shouldn’t be overlooked by librarians looking to build and excellent horror collection.

Contains: Violence, language

Apex Book Company, 2011
ISBN: 0984553541
Available: New trade paperback and multiformat digital

An Agreement with Hell is an early comer in the new Biblical-mythos trend in fiction. Pagliassotti pits an aging priest, an aging Christian magician (in the Solomon sense) and a Walker Between Worlds (think a magical version of Neo from the Matrix, who sees reality differently than others and can use the doorways between worlds) against, not demons, but leviathans, creatures outside our dimension. These leviathans are summoned to a college campus when the seal holding them back is broken. From there Agreement is a voyage in shattered or horrific landscapes, where even the angels are creatures humans would not want to meet.

The concept of Pagliassotti’s world is interesting, and that the “bad guys” aren’t the demons or the angels is wryly amusing as this is a biblically-themed tale. But about halfway through the book character advancement seems to just stop, and what started as an interesting mystery jumps into standard horror novel fare. The addition of ineffective characters stumbling their way to heroism, and worse, the climactic scene of the whole book being told from the point of view of a character who not only has no clue about the mythos behind the story, but also cannot perceive the magic battle going on, just leaves a taste of ineffective storytelling in reader mouths. Given the stellar opening, I expected more out of the second half of the book than what was delivered.

Fans of unique horror and those fascinated by the juxtaposition of religion and horror will find this book to their tastes. Its place in libraries is difficult to determine. The subject matter makes it likely fuel for certain censor-happy types who will not appreciate the dark side of Christian legends. If angels and demons are what readers want, there are better stories out there, such as the Hellblazer graphic novel series.

Contains: gore