The Phoenix Transformed by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory

A few days ago, I finished reading The Phoenix Transformed (New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 2009)by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory.  While the resolution of the plot was interesting, I was disappointed with the book overall.  Without spoiling the book for anyone else, I’ll just say that Chapters Seven through Sixteen (pages 150-391), about half the book, could have been left out without any loss.

Since I read the first book in the series, I’ve been trying to figure out what the phoenix in the titles is because, while there are dragons, there are no animals of that species in the book.  I guess it must refer to High Magic and Wild Magic as possessed by Knight Mages, which reappeared after a 1000-years hiatus to deal with the new evil in the world.

The Wait Is Two Thirds Over

Back in June I wrote that I could “hardly wait” for Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol and Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory’s The Phoenix Transformed to come out so I could read them.  Both books were published last month.  I broke down and bought a copy of The Lost Symbol at the grocery store last week, and a copy of The Phoenix Transformed is waiting for me at the library.  I plan to pick it up tomorrow and read it first.

Apparently Dragongirl won’t be out until some time next year.

The Phoenix Endangered by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory

I’ve just reread The Phoenix Unchained and The Phoenix Endangered, Books One and Two of The Enduring Flame, by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory because Book Three, The Phoenix Transformed is due out this month, as I mentioned in June.  I like Lackey and Mallory’s first series on this world, The Obsidian Trilogy, better, but this one is enjoyable.  I’m looking forward to see what happens.  I’d forgotten that one of the main characters just disappeared at the end of The Phoenix Endangered.

WareHouse 13

This week a new series, Warehouse 13, premiered on the Syfy channel.  I finally watched it Friday night, and I really enjoyed it.  Fans of the Indiana Jones probably would too.

Waiting with Bated Breath

I can hardly wait for the following books to come out:

• Dan Brown, The Lost Symbol (Sept. 15)
• Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory, The Phoenix Transformed (Sept. 15)
• Todd McCaffrey, Dragongirl (at publisher)

I’ve requested the first two from the library.  I’m number 566 for The Lost Symbol but number 5 for The Phoenix Transformed.

Twilight

One of my sisters and her daughter are true fans (i.e., fanatics) of the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer.   On the other hand, one of my teenage nephews said he got bored on the first page.

After hearing so much about the books, my other sister and I decided to read them.  She’s read all four, and I just finished the first one.  We agreed on our assessment:  The books are worth reading once, but we wouldn’t buy them or read them again.  (For the record, we have both read a lot of fantasy; we both really enjoyed and have reread The Obsidian Mountain Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory.)  I also have no interest in seeing the movie versions.

I guess I have trouble willing suspending my disbelief enough to accept that a 17-year-old narrator could sound so mature (more like a woman in her 20s or 30s) and that a being so old could fall in love with a teenager.  Meyer adequately explains his physical attraction to her but not his romantic feelings.

I can understand why teenage girls are so obsessed with the series and teenage boys wouldn’t particularly enjoy it.