Released 9/12/85            280 pages

Format: Hardcover

ISBN 978-0345318848

The third book, in the incarnation of immortalities series, further connects the incarnations together. This time is the story of Niobe, who eventually takes up the position of Fate. Around the time of World War I, the 20ish Niobe is married off to a younger boy, Cedric. She finds love with her young husband, and even bears his child. But that love cannot last. Satan has other plans, and when Cedric learns of those plans, he takes Niobe’s place, and with a vow of revenge in her heart she takes up the position of Fate.

Satan continues to be the enemy, first as he tries to have Niobe killed, and again as he plots against Luna with his political agenda. And although Satan claims to not want a wife who is not evil, we do meet his future wife, Orb, who just happens to be Niobe’s daughter, just as Luna is granddaughter.

While the last book, time was a little hard to follow, Fate is much easier. Piers Anthony uses the readers knowledge of fate and greatly enhances it. Fate has three main jobs, and three people who do it, and Niobe gets a chance to do two of those jobs, but not at the same time. And the fact that once her job is complete she returns back to regular human life enhances the story, and makes for great plotting.

The pacing in this one is excellent, drawing together the incarnations, showing that they’re not just one happy little family, but instead on very dysfunctional family, but family just the same. An excellent read.

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Released: 7/12/84           293 pages

Publisher: Del Rey Books

Format: Hardcover

ISBN: 978-0345313140

From the present, or parallel time, the second book in the Incarnation of Immortality series jumps to the future, the past and a few places in between to bring Norton’s story. The nomadic Norton is convinced to help a ghost, Gawain, father a child on his widow, Orlene, and he does, but the ghost interferes, having Gaea, Mother Nature, make the child from his own bloodline. The child dies, and the widow takes her life.

To make things right Gawain tells Norton how he can be with Orlene again, by becoming Chronos, the keeper of Time. Chronos lives his life in reverse, so his future would be her past, and Norton takes the hourglass, but gets more than he bargains for.

Not only are the concepts of good and evil explored, so are the concepts of time and space. All of the Incarnations are dependant upon time in some capacity, and the hourglass is the most powerful of all instruments. Norton’s journey to understanding is a great one, and even though it is a part of a series, there is more than enough explained that it can be a stand alone. Zane plays a key role, as does Satan, who is still bent on Luna being destroyed before his plans are foiled by her.

With the world firmly in place, there was some traveling about to other planets, and the temptation for finding a “home.” But I found some of it a little hard to follow, so while the story was still very good, it wasn’t as good as the first one, but only barely.  

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Released: 10/12/83         325 pages

Publisher: Del Rey Books

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 9780345309242

What happens when you kill death? The first book in the Incarnation of Immortality series explores that and more. Zane, a desperate and lonely man decides to kill himself, but when he sees Death approach he panics and kills him instead, which opens his eyes to a world he never knew. One where humans take on the roles of deities such as Death, time and the Fates, and where it’s his job to gather up the souls and place them in Heaven, Hell or Purgatory. He finds that he was actually manipulated into killing Death so that as Death he could save the life of Luna, but Satan has other plans.

Piers Anthony is a master of creating worlds and filling them with characters that realistic, where they are just as petty and cruel and redeemable as they are in real life.  Zane’s journey is not only magical it’s logical. Being the first book in the series it does a very good job of introducing the world without making it feel like work. And the characters are well balanced with drives and needs. Satan isn’t inherently bad, he’s driven by prophecy, by fear, by needs instead of just jealousy and daddy issues.

But the book isn’t all serious philosophy, there’s a perfect balance of heart and hilarity. A well plotted, book with virtually no holes, and no lulls, plenty of adventure. It’s one of the best reads out there.  

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Released: 10/30/07                 384 pages                          
Publisher: Harper
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0061239090

The last novella is The Harvest, which features character’s from Vicki Pettersson’s Zodiac series. It focuses on Zoe, who tries to rescue her infant granddaughter from the Shadow agents during Thanksgiving.

While the story is interesting, the complexities of the world are hard to follow for new readers, I felt completely like too much of the story was missing, having never read any of the other books in the series. The villains come across as comic bookish in their extreme evil and shadow, with knowledge of world workings that may not be the case.

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Released: 10/30/07                 384 pages                          

Publisher: Harper

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 978-0061239090

In Run, Run Rudolph normal girl Jill gets hit by a ray and begins to go through some changes. She finds herself hunted by an evil scientist bent on performing some experimentation on her, and goes on the run through a parade and Christmas party with longtime crush, Nick, in tow.

It’s a fun romp, with Jill changing sometimes being both absurd and hilarious. It’s only about 90 pages of the 384, but it is a pretty complete story. The whole lets pause and make out seemed a little out of left field, but there was enough action to make the story still enjoyable.

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Release Date: December 22, 2010
Run Time: 110 minutes

Merry Christmas! Of course, that means movie time. I decided on True Grit. Let me just say, if you hate westerns, GO SEE THIS MOVIE! The Coen brothers wrote a superb script, adapting this screenplay from the 1968 novel by Charles Portis. The story follows a drunken U.S. Marshall “Rooster” Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) and a 14 year old girl, Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld). Mattie hires Rooster to find the man who killed her father, Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). Mattie hires Rooster for his “Grit”, but as the story progresses, it is clear that Mattie also possesses just as much, if not more “Grit.” A Texas Ranger, LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), also looking for Chaney, joins the posse. LaBoeuf feels a young woman has no business on this hunt and along with Rooster, tries leaving her behind.

The character of Rooster Cogburn could easily be over played, making him laughable. It could also have been under played, making him dull and unrealistic. Jeff Bridges literally just leans back and delivers lines like he doesn’t give a shit what people think. His performance shows Rooster’s experience, strength and power. A feat very few, if any, could pull off.

Speaking of pulling off difficult feats, Hailee Steinfeld holds her own opposite Bridges, Damon, and Brolin. She makes her character stand out and carry the movie equally along with Bridges. In fact, Bridges’ Rooster is more a supporting character to Steinfeld’s Mattie.

When I left the movie theater, I immediately called friends and family, stating Bridges deserves another Oscar and Steinfeld should also be nominated. The Coen brothers really put together a stellar cast. True Grit has the right balance of comedy, danger, suspense and bonding needed to make this is a great movie, with truly great acting for all involved. The script and performances are unforgettable.

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Released: 12/21/10 352 pages
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0373210275

Kaylee and Nash's relationship is complicated, to say the least and while ex-girlfriends to a struggling relationship are always nightmares, Nash's is one literally. She's a Mara, a parasite that eats the nightmares she causes.

Kaylee can't seem to decide what she wants from Nash until Sabine walks into the picture and makes it clear she wants Nash back, and she's willing to fight dirty to make that happen. Kaylee doesn't trust Nash, she wants what she can't have, and is completely unfair stringing him along.

And Nash, he's all alone fighting the hardest battle he's had to face, may ever have to face, and she can't support him in that. But not only can she not stand by her man, she doesn't want the only person who can help and accept him to.

Tod shows so much intuition, and stupidity at the same time. He is the best written character in the series. Readers are drawn to him, even if he isn't center stage. After reading his short story Reaper I can't help but to wonder what happens to one's soul mate if one's life is given to another. There are clearly some feelings that are being left unsaid, and I can't help to be grateful for that.

And throughout, the school is erupting in chaos, and Kaylee is pointing fingers, which just furthers the feelings of pettiness, not her brightest moment. Overall, the story is well paced, but Rachel Vincent never does what is expected, and although that is usually a good thing, I'll have to wait to see how the decisions in the end play out. Kaylee has grown up a lot, and now its time to see if the relationships that have been formed can grow and change too.

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