Moon Flights by Elizabeth Moon

This is a collection of 15 sci fi/fantasy short stories:

• If Nudity Offends You -- Louanne discovers that someone in the trailer park has been stealing her electricity and they're going to pay...
• Gifts -- Dall Drop-hand leaves home to search for adventure; before he leaves, his sister gives him a bit of wood shaped like a knife and her gift could make all the difference
• Politics -- Gunny Vargas is a member of a marine company charged with keeping a landing site safe from hostile aliens, but the real enemy might be closer to home
• And Ladies of the Club -- When the king decides to charge taxes on women's breastplates, the lady warriors of the Ladies' Aid & Armor Society (LA & AS) will need to find a creative solution
• Accidents Don't Just Happen--They're Caused -- Peka is a consulting engineer assigned to a space station to improve the design and prevent accidents, but she's living under the shadow of her mother, who literally wrote the book(s) in the field
• New World Symphony -- Georges Mantenon is a specially-trained musician on his first assignment; his job is to musically represent a newly-discovered world, but it may be more challenging than he dreamed
• No Pain, No Gain -- Girls and women all over the kingdom wake up one morning to discover that their toned arms, legs, and stomachs have been replaced with flabby ones by magic; the members of the LA & AS will have to track down the people responsible and put things to rights
• Hand to Hand -- Ezera comes home after being at war to see her twin sister play in the symphony, but she isn't prepared for what she will hear
• Tradition -- A naval story from World War I
• Fool's Gold -- Cavernous Dire has accidentally been turned into a dragon, and he isn't happy about it; Mirabel Stonefist and the LA & AS decide to rescue him, but they aren't happy about it, either
• Judgment -- When Ker finds some egg-shaped rocks filled with crystals, he starts to feel uneasy, but he can't stop his soon-to-be father-in-law from taking them home
• Gravesite Revisited -- When the clanspeople discover that witches from the future are digging up their graves, they must rethink their traditions
• Sweet Charity -- The annual LA & AS Charity Ball is coming up and this year, Krystal Winterborn is determined to be named Queen of the Ball - no matter what
• Welcome to Wheel Days -- Planning a planet-wide festival is a massive undertaking, particularly since you never know what's going to go wrong...
• Say Cheese -- The Vatta brothers are on their first run, determined that they deserve a place in the family business of space merchants, but one of them may have ruined everything with an ill-fated purchase of cheese to sell

This is a very diverse collection of short stories, although it is definitely weighted toward war and fighters. I enjoyed most of the stories which range from relatively fluffy fantasy tales (such as the stories about the Ladies Aid & Armor Society) to deep, introspective science fiction. If you like both science fiction and fantasy - or if you've thought about branching out a bit - short stories can be a good way to go. I would recommend this to fantasy fans looking for short stories, particularly those who like darker, serious stories in addition to lighter ones.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: A Posse of Princesses, Rampant, The Abhorsen Trilogy, or Half Human

Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey

Isabella Beauchamps spends her time managing her father's household, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and that her stepmother and twin stepsisters are comfortable. Her life changes drastically when she is bitten by a werewolf on her way home from Granny's house. Suddenly she is packed up and moved to the local duke's castle, where she discovers that he's the werewolf and she's required to stay for at least three months, until they can be certain that she won't turn as well. No one lives at the castle except the duke -- a sorcerer who spends his time as a human trying to find a way to break his curse -- and the unfriendly Gamekeeper, as well as the invisible servants summoned to keep house. Bella slowly finds ways to stay occupied during her time at the castle, but she starts to realize that unraveling the mysteries of the duke's castle may be more dangerous than any of them expected.

This book is part of the Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series; it's helpful to read the first book for context, but most of the books (including this one) stand alone fairly well. I will say that this is not one of the best in the series and the ending feels a bit forced, but it was a good read overall and the melding of Little Red Riding Hood with Beauty and the Beast was particularly interesting. I would recommend this to older teens who enjoy retellings of fairy tales or who want something a little bit light with lots of magic.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Rose Daughter, The Prophecy, Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side, or The Two Princesses of Bamarre

Anatopsis by Chris Abouzeid

Princess Anatopsis and Prince Barnaby come from rival Magical families. In the last year before the final wizard tests, a demigod tutor, Mr. Pound, insists that the two study together - a traditional requirement that has been enforced for generations. Ana and her human companion, Clarissa, and Barnaby with his dog, Uno, get off to a rocky start. Complicating matters is that neither Ana nor Barnaby wishes to inherit their family corporations. But, more importantly, they discover that Mr. Pound's requirements are part of a larger plan and hidden agenda which threatens the world as they know it. Resentments, personal preferences, and frustrations must all be put aside if everything is to be set to rights - and there are no guarantees for a happy ending.


I expected this book to be rather fluffy, but instead, this book is fairly serious, creating a fantastical alternate reality that explores human nature, dreams, discrimination, and sacrifice. Some of the plot points seemed a little more convoluted than necessary and a bit confusing at times, but overall, the issues within the story definitely come through. The main characters are well-developed and identifiable, though I did not always find it easy to sympathize with them. In general = if you're looking for a light-hearted book with a satisfying ending, this is not the one to pick up. Fantasy fans - particularly older teens - who are looking for something more thought-provoking or serious may consider trying this one out.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Princess Academy, Poison, Fablehaven, or The Abhorson Trilogy

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Sophie Hatter lives in a world where magic is real. Unfortunately, she has read enough fairy tales to realize that, as the oldest of three daughters, she's the least likely to have any great luck or grand adventures. When her father dies, she resigns herself to running their hat shop and turning into a timid spinster while her sisters have more exciting futures. Her life changes in an instant when the Witch of the Waste casts a spell to make her an old woman and she realizes that she cannot stay with her family any longer. Sophie decides that her only hope is to seek out the Wizard Howl (the evil wizard who eats the souls of young girls and lives in a moving castle). What she finds, of course, is entirely different from her expectations and suddenly Sophie is in the middle of an adventure of her own.

This is definitely an interesting story with well-written characters and a unique plot. It has a rather odd blend of 'real world' versus 'magical world;' it comes across fairly well since the two are linked in several ways, although I have to admit that there didn't seem to be much reason for it. Other than that, I enjoyed the book and I would recommend it to fantasy readers - particularly those looking for something out of the the ordinary.

As a side note, I happened to see the movie first and I have to say that while it's cute, the book makes far more sense; I was confused by several points in the movie (most of which aren't in the book and the rest of which are clarified in the text). The movie is a nice bit of fluffy fantasy anime, but reading the book helps a lot.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, Now You See It, or Cecilia and Kate

Dark Lord of Derkholm & Year of the Griffin by Diana Wynne Jones

The Wizard Derk and his son, Blade, live in a world of magic that has been turned into a real-life fantasy theme park by an off-worlder named Mr. Chesney. In various ways, Mr. Chesney has blackmailed everyone in the world, ensuring that they will host the hundreds of 'Pilgrims' who come through each year expecting a fantasy safari which includes: hazards, battles for the forces of good, and defeating a Dark Lord at the end of the tour, all with the assistance of a wizardly tour guide. This year, the Committee has named Derk the Dark Lord - not only does he have to find an artistic way to die at the end of each Pilgrim Party but he's also in charge of making sure everything else goes smoothly. When a sudden accident rearranges all of his plans, however, things suddenly get even more complicated.

In the sequel, Year of the Griffin, the youngest griffin daughter, Elda, is old enough to start learning magic. Kit and Blade have made names for themselves as some of the most powerful wizards in the world and have gone off to another continent with the other siblings to negotiate treaties. Meanwhile, Derk and Mara have their hands full at home with new children, so Elda ends up going to the University to study. Unfortunately, the older wizards have all retired and the new professors (including one obsessed with getting to the moon) have only learned what they needed to know for the Pilgrim tours. Many of Elda's new friends have people who don't want them to be at the school, so when Derk suggests some new reading material, they all start to learn magic outside of class and use it to protect themselves. The only problem is that they aren't sure how to control it all and the professors have never heard of any of it...

These books are so much fun - it's a unique direction for fantasy and very well done. Even though the first book is relatively long, it read quickly and held my attention. The second was also good, although it didn't seem much like a sequel, particularly since almost all of the main characters are different. I did really like the characters in both books (although I kept getting a couple of the students confused in the second). Overall - I definitely recommend these books to fantasy readers - especially if you're looking for something fun and a little different.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Fablehaven, Howl's Moving Castle, The Magic and the Healing, or Spirit Fox