Comments on: Dear Author Recommends for February

By: AAR Rachel

AAR Rachel — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 14:15:37 +0000

I will see if I can find a copy of The Smoke Thief at the library. It’s worth one more try to me if you think she’s gotten better – “dazzle[s] me with words” is pretty strong praise. :)

By: Janine

Janine — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:43:12 +0000

Well, I've read Abe's Intimate Enemies, one of her older historicals, a medieval. While there were things to like about the book, my enjoyment of it was far more mild than my enjoyment of The Smoke Thief, The Dream Thief and Queen of Dragons. I find the characterization of the heroes and heroines of the drakon books far more compelling and I think that Abe's writing style has really grown by leaps and bounds. From a pure language craftsmanship perspective, she's become one of the most impressive authors in the genre, and can really dazzle me with words. If you want to give her another try, Rachel, I would recommends starting this series with The Smoke Thief.

By: Keishon

Keishon — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 07:37:44 +0000

Abe is an author I haven’t really enjoyed until her Thief series, either. I agree that her style has changed or I just enjoy the fantasy elements more.

By: ジェーン(Jān)

ジェーン(Jān) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 07:10:55 +0000

I just read Rachel’s review of The Last Mermaid and have to say I agreed with what she said about the first novella, the only one I read. There was just no attraction for me to the characters, and the sex was waaaaaaay out of place, and frankly I’d skip this one. I’ve not read the other two books she mentioned though I own them, and other older ones. I’ve been afraid to try. :(

By: Ann Bruce

Ann Bruce — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 06:14:41 +0000

I started reading the Last Mermaid and got stuck at the end of the first historical section. It’s not bad but it is not much like her Thief books, which I loved. Her style has changed.

Nooo! I have this book and a couple other Abe books on order (they appear to be a special price on Amazon.ca or the publishers have decided to go with parity pricing).

Should I cancel the order?

By: ジェーン(Jān)

ジェーン(Jān) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 03:50:34 +0000

I started reading the Last Mermaid and got stuck at the end of the first historical section. It’s not bad but it is not much like her Thief books, which I loved. Her style has changed.

By: AAR Rachel

AAR Rachel — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 02:17:48 +0000

Janine - After looking in my database, it turns out I've read three - A Kiss at Midnight, The Last Mermaid, and The Secret Swan - all at different times, at least a year apart. I graded them all about C level. I'm not sure if these are representative or not of Abe's best books.

By: Meriam

Meriam — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 21:44:49 +0000

Oh, if I could just freeze time, I would read the first three in that list in a happy daze. And then I would fast forward to the future, freeze time again, and read all 5 in the Gardella series. What is it about February? Some great books and movies coming out. (And my birthday!)

In the absence of a time machine, I suppose I’ll just sit in front of my laptop and whine…

By: Janine

Janine — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 19:41:41 +0000

I deleted the double post, Rachel. Which two Abe books have you tried?

By: AAR Rachel

AAR Rachel — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 18:54:39 +0000

Sorry about that double post. It didn’t show up and I thought my computer ate it and posted again. Whoops.