224. & 225. Thomas the Rhymer & Once Bitten, Twice Shy
Thomas the Rhymer by Ellen Kushner - I read and loved Swordspoint, so I thought I'd give this one a try as well, particularly since it picked up the best novel prize from the World Fantasy Awards one year.
It's based on the folktale of True Thomas, who makes a living as a bard in the lowlands of Scotland before he's whisked away by the queen of the fairies and lives with her people for seven years. In this version, Thomas goes from being a self-centred ladies man who delights in telling tall tales to a renowned seer with the tongue that cannot lie, and all because he's determined not to lose himself while his tenure with the fairies lasts.
It's a standalone novel, which is always good, and the characterisation of the supporting cast in particular is very nicely done. Thomas himself, I struggled more to empathise with, but life is troubling enough for him even in the midst of all the things he'd thought he wanted that I needed to find out how it finished.
Once Bitten, Twice Shy by Jennifer Rardin - if I recall correctly, I can blame picking this particular first-book-of-series up because of a late night recommendation at a con.
We're back in urban fantasy land, this time in the company of Jaz Parks, sole survivor of a mission where her team were killed, and her new partner, a 300 year old Romanian vampire. Jaz can't figure out why it was that Vayl asked to be partnered with her, and meanwhile she's also trying to hide the fact she's having blackouts after which she has no recall of what's happened.
As with most urban fantasy, Once Bitten, Twice Shy is hardly great literature and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see where certain twists are coming, but it's entertaining enough. At least there are no wimps here, though I could have done without the Vampire!Barbie ex-wife. The series continues in Another One Bites the Dust.
