Robbie Awards

This year I published a book. But also, so far this year, I have read 127 of them - including several audiobooks and approximately 3 books I had read before. The total may yet go up before midnight on New Year's Eve. But I don't want to wait any longer to post this - especially with a Friday newspaper deadline looming tomorrow and no way to be sure I'll feel like writing anything Saturday. So, subject to amendment, here is My Year in Books for 2017:

1. The Sunday Philosophy Club (Alexander McCall Smith)
2. The Good Husband of Zebra Drive (Alexander McCall Smith)
3. Friends, Lovers, Chocolate (Alexander McCall Smith)
4. The Iron Trial (Holly Black & Cassandra Clare)
5. The Copper Gauntlet (Holly Black & Cassandra Clare)
6. The Miracle at Speedy Motors (Alexander McCall Smith)
7. Tea Time for the Traditionally Built (Alexander McCall Smith)
8. The Pigman (Paul Zindel)
9. Kit's Wilderness (David Almond)
10. Skellig (David Almond)
11. The Right Attitude to Rain (Alexander McCall Smith)
12. The Careful Use of Compliments (Alexander McCall Smith)
13. The Double Comfort Safari Club (Alexander McCall Smith)
14. Farewell, My Lovely (Raymond Chandler)
15. The War of the Dwarves (Markus Heitz)
16. The High Window (Raymond Chandler)
17. The Night Tourist (Katherine Marsh)
18. Demons of the Ocean (Justin Somper)
19. The Greyfriar (Clay & Susan Griffith)
20. The Rest Is Noise (Alex Ross)
21. Ruby Holler (Sharon Creech)
22. Alex and the Ironic Gentleman (Adrienne Kress)
23. The Dulcimer Boy (Tor Seidler)
24. Brothers Below Zero (Tor Seidler)
25. Wild Robert (Diana Wynne Jones)
26. The Gawgon and the Boy (Lloyd Alexander)
27. Magician (Raymond E. Feist)
28. Count Karlstein (Philip Pullman)
29. The Hollow Hills (Mary Stewart)
30. Mandy (Julie Andrews Edwards)
31. Briar Rose (Jane Yolen)
32. Mariah Mundi (G.P. Taylor)
33. The Young Merlin Trilogy (Jane Yolen)
34. The First Two Lives of Lukas-Kasha (Lloyd Alexander)
35. The Teacher's Funeral (Richard Peck)
36. Mr. Kafka (Bohumil Hrabal)
37. Is Underground (Joan Aiken)
38. Cold Shoulder Road (Joan Aiken)
39. The Witch of Clatteringshaws (Joan Aiken)
40. The Prisoner's Apprentice (Stephen Elboz)
41. The Tower at Moonville (Stephen Elboz)
42. Ghostlands (Stephen Elboz)
43. The Byzantium Bazaar (Stephen Elboz)
44. Out of the Dust (Karen Hesse)
45. Witness (Karen Hesse)
46. Lucinda's Magnificent Secret (H. Ellison Fethke)
47. The Amulet (Alison Pensy)
48. The Avion My Uncle Flew (Cyrus Fisher)
49. Intellectuals (Paul Johnson)
50. Outlander (Diana Gabaldon)
51. The Little Book (Selden Edwards)
52. Dream of Little Angels (Michael Hiebert)
53. Career of Evil (Robert Galbraith [J.K. Rowling])
54. The Lady in the Lake (Raymond Chandler)
55. The Word Becoming Flesh (Horace D. Hummel)
56. The Word of the Lord Grows (Martin H. Franzmann)
57. The Emerald Staff (Alison Pensy)
58. All the Light We Cannot See (Anthony Doerr)
59. The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man (W. Bruce Cameron)
60. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (J.K. Rowling)
61. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (J.K. Rowling)
62. The Great Zoo of China (Matthew Reilly)
63. Ready Player One (Ernest Cline)
64. The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party (Alexander McCall Smith)
65. I Have a Bad Feeling About This (Jeff Strand)
66. What We Found in the Sofa and How It Saved the World (Henry Clark)
67. The Blackthorn Key (Kevin Sands)
68. The Island of Dr. Libris (Chris Grabenstein)
69. The Limpopo Academy of Private Detection (Alexander McCall Smith)
70. Pennyroyal Academy (M.A. Larson)
71. The Long Goodbye (Raymond Chandler)
72. The League of Beastly Dreadfuls (Holly Grant)
73. Anyone but Ivy Pocket (Caleb Krisp)
74. The Last Enchantment (Mary Stewart)
75. The Eye of the World (Robert Jordan)
76. Sidekicked (John David Anderson)
77. Downside Up (Richard Scrimger)
78. Gears of Revolution (J. Scott Savage)
79. Minion (John David Anderson)
80. The Liszts (Kyo Maclear)
81. Benjamin Dove (Fridrik Erlings)
82. The Wishing World (Todd Fahnestock)
83. The Evil Wizard Smallbone (Delia Sherman)
84. Smashie McPerter and the Mystery of the Missing Goop (N. Griffin)
85. Everton Miles Is Stranger Than Me (Philippa Dowding)
86. Memoirs of a Sidekick (David Skuy)
87. The Cartographer's Daughter (Kiran Millwood Hargrave)
88. Helen and Troy's Epic Road Quest (A. Lee Martinez)
89. Kappa (Ryunosuke Akutagawa)
90. Pawn of Prophecy (David Eddings)
91. Hercufleas (Sam Gayton)
92. Chasing the Prophecy (Brandon Mull)
93. When the Moon was Ours (Anna-Marie McLemore)
94. The Crossover (Kwame Alexander)
95. School Ship Tobermory (Alexander McCall Smith)
96. Gypsy Rizka (Lloyd Alexander)
97. Crenshaw (Katherine Applegate)
98. Al Capone Does My Homework (Gennifer Choldenko)
99. Hold Fast (Blue Balliett)
100. School of Fear (Gitty Daneshvari)
101. Bitterblue (Kristin Cashore)
102. Etiquette & Espionage (Gail Carriger)
103. The Boy Who Knew Too Much (Commander S.T. Bolivar III)
104. Class Is Not Dismissed! (Gitty Daneshvari)
105. The Final Exam (Gitty Daneshvari)
106. Lilliput (Sam Gayton)
107. The Diabolic (S.J. Kincaid)
108. The Celestial Globe (Marie Rutkoski)
109. The Jewel of the Kalderash (Marie Rutkoski)
110. The Saturdays (Elizabeth Enright)
111. The Penderwicks at Point Mouette (Jeanne Birdsall)
112. Armada (Ernest Cline)
113. The Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien)
114. Temperament (Stuart Isacoff)
115. A Grimm Warning (Chris Colfer)
116. Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard (Jonathan Auxier)
117. Nine Lives (Wendy Corsi Staub)
118. Deeper Than the Dead (Tami Hoag)
119. A Dog's Purpose (W. Bruce Cameron)
120. The Lighthouse War (Adrian McKinty)
121. Squashed (Joan Bauer)
122. Secrets to the Grave (Tami Hoag)
123. Repo Madness (W. Bruce Cameron)
124. School for Sidekicks (Kelly McCullough)
125. Hollow City (Ransom Riggs)
126. Darkling Green (Kim Thompson)
127. Silverthorn (Raymond E. Feist)

And now, just for fun, I present the inaugural Robbie Awards!

Critic's Choice
I'm a critic, kind of. And in my critical opinion, the best book on the above list, in terms of literary merit, is All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr.

People's Choice
I'm people, too. And my favorite book on the above list, by dint of pure fun and popular appeal, is What We Found in the Sofa and How It Saved the World by Henry Clark.

Best Newcomer
Some of my book reviews this year were based on pre-publication proofs. Of the ones I read shortly before they were released, I think the best was The Evil Wizard Smallbone by Delia Sherman.

Best Comeback
I don't limit my reading to new releases, however. In a tough decision, I reckon the "oldie" I most enjoyed rediscovering was Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler.

Best Audiobook
Again, this is a tough category, but I think I have to give it to Wil Wheaton's performance of Armada by Ernest Cline.

Best Documentary
This was not a very big year for me in terms of non-fiction reading. But out of the small group of competitors, the one that really stood out was The Rest Is Noise by Alex Ross.

Best Book Translated from a Foreign Language
This wasn't a very competitive category, but out of approximately three candidates, I'm going with The War of the Dwarves by Markus Heitz.

Best Short Subject
Again, the choices in this category are extremely limited. I read maybe two books all year that don't quite measure up to novel length. I guess the winner is The Liszts by Kyo Maclear.

Razzie Award (not!)
I'm not going to do this. But believe me, if I was going to honor the worst book I read this year, in the spirit of the Golden Raspberry Awards, I would have no trouble naming the winner.

It's all part of the fun of being a book addict. And now, to conclude my slightly premature, end-of-year wrap-up, I just ordered five books from Amazon as my New Year's gift to myself. I stopped at five because, apart from the one I ordered on Kindle, I wanted to go just over the $25 minimum to get free shipping. So, as a final clue to which books impressed me the most this year, here is what I ordered:

For Kindle: The Little Sister by Raymond Chandler, a book I've had a hard time finding in stores and libraries.

In mass-market paperback, with free shipping:

• Queen of Sorcery by David Eddings - Book 2 of "The Belgariad." I shopped for it at two different bookstores during my last visit to St. Louis. In one store, I could have gotten it as part of an omnibus volume; but I hate omnibus volumes. The other store had every book in the series except Book 2.
• The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan, Book 2 of "The Wheel of Time."
• A Darkness at Sethanon by Raymond E. Feist, Book 4 of "The Riftwar Saga."
• The Book That Proves Time Travel Happens by Henry Clark, author of the People's Choice Award winner above.

I thank you for reading with me. Won't you read with me again next year?

Silverthorn

Silverthorn
by Raymond E. Feist
Recommended Ages: 13+

Prince Arutha of the great city of Krondor, in the Kingdom of the Isles, in the fantasy world of Midkemia, has scarcely returned from accompanying his brother, lately crowned King Lyam, on a year-long diplomatic tour, when there is an attempt on his life. The assassination attempts grow increasingly fierce and difficult to stave off, which is especially troubling now that Lyam is on his way to Krondor, bringing with him Arutha's intended bride, Princess Anita. Even the combined energies of a boyish thief named Jimmy, a seasoned man-at-arms named Martin, and a roguish minstrel-fighter named Laurie cannot prevent tragedy from striking on the couple's wedding day.

It seems there is a dark power behind this campaign against Arutha's life. It has something to do with a moredhel, or dark elf, calling himself Murmandamus, and claiming the support of an ancient prophecy to muster an army of evil against the world of men. But if Murmandamus is the promised Darkness, that would make Arutha the Bane of Darkness, who alone can stop him. You can see how that might make things a bit uneasy. Throw in some disturbing magic, which brings slain slayers back as all-but-invincible undead warriors, and some dark magic that can send practically weapon-proof monsters over long distances to attack a target whose movements the enemy can somehow track, and you won't be betting heavily on Arutha's survival. Nevertheless, he is more worried about finding an almost mythical plant called silverthorn, which is said to be the only cure for the poisoned wound that is killing Arutha's bride. To find it, he and a small group of tough but resourceful friends will have to march straight into the heart of moredhel territory, to a Black Lake sacred to the forces of evil that, by the way, are all camped around it, waiting for Arutha to fall into the trap. That's all.

Meantime, someone has to deal with the larger problem of the great force of evil gathering against all of Midkemia - some nameless power of which Murmandamus is only a servant. Since the prince is rather preoccupied by his mission to save Anita, even if it kills him, the task of identifying their foe and preparing to fight it falls to good old Pug, the kitchen boy who grew up to be the greatest magician in not one but two worlds. Leaving his wife, their son, and the snug little island where he is building a school of magic, Pug returns to the alien world of Kelewan, where he spent time as a prisoner of war and a slave before becoming an adept of the Greater Path. After a year away, he finds his homeworld-away-from-homeworld a bit less welcoming than when he last saw it. Actually, there's an interdict against him, revoking his privileges as one of the Great Ones, who are above the law of the Tsurani Empire, and instructing anyone who sees him to turn him in or face really ugly consequences. Pug just wants to visit the library of the magicians' Assembly to look up a few things. But before he can do that, he'll have to turn Tsurani society upside-down... again.

Rest assured, you won't rest assured - in fact, you might lose a night or two's sleep over the shuddering horrors, the fierce battles, the suspense, the intrigue, the exotic scenery, and the awe-inspiring discoveries Arutha and Pug make during their separate but intertwined quests. One of the strange things about this book, unless you've grown used to it from reading these characters' previous adventure, is how it ignites the senses with a richly enveloping fantasy world (two worlds, actually, plus an endearingly science-fictionish bridge between them), yet it never loses the reader in thickets of scenic description or points on an imaginary map. Another strange thing is how this book places so many moving pieces on the board, allowing each an opportunity to come alive as a distinctive personality, yet never leaves one confused by the glut of speaking characters. There's so much in here, it should be hard to hold in one's mind - but it isn't. The farther its heroes stray in an increasingly vast and diverse world of oddities and surprises, the harder it should be to sense where, when, or if the story is going to end. But it isn't. Rather, the dramatic arc bends, if possible, more swiftly toward closure, even while the prospect of another great adventure breaks open.

I'm still a noob in the Riftwar series, so I have to admit, I'm already confused about how far into it I am - and this is only the second book. Or maybe the third. Exactly what constitutes a "book" in Raymond Feist's 30-odd-year, 30-odd-book fantasy universe seems to be a somewhat open question. By some accounts, Magician is one book, and therefore, this is the second book of the series; this seems to align with the author's intentions. But some U.S. editions split Magician into two books, Magician: Apprentice and Magician: Master. Adding to the confusion is the fact that the internal divisions within Magician are designated as "Book I: Pug and Tomas" and "Book II: Milamber and the Valheru." Muddying the waters further, this book, apparently intended by Feist as the second volume in the saga, begins with a condensed synopsis of Magician followed by a title page saying, "Book III: Arutha and Jimmy." So which is it? Book 2 or Book 3? Silverthorn or "Arutha and Jimmy"? Aaargh!

Things go much smoother once the story gets underway. There is definitely a sense that Magician (apprentice and master) is a complete unit in the history of the worlds of Midkemia and Kelewan - the conflict between them, mainly, with a broad hint at the end about a larger conflict that may soon rise up against both of them. It has a satisfyingly rounded story shape unto itself. Then the story of Silverthorn takes shape, not merely as the next page in one vast history, but as a second distinct adventure between the same two worlds. And even though it ends in a way that dovetails directly into the third (or fourth) volume, A Darkness at Sethanon, the dramatic shape of this book closes firmly and convincingly at the end. It makes me all the more eager to read what comes next.

Darkling Green

Darkling Green
by Kim Thompson
Recommended Ages: 12+

Willa Fuller, on the cusp of age 13, doesn't have much in common with other kids her age. Instead, she spends most of her free time at Eldritch Manor, a retirement home for magical creatures, including her wheelchair-bound mermaid grandmother Belle. This also distances Willa from her parents a bit, since her mother has never forgiven Belle for abandoning her and Grandpa when she was a girl. Tensions have started to ease since the old-folks' home has started to be rebuilt (by dwarf labor, of course) following a fire resulting from a deadly conflict with the dark side - don't ask, it's a long story - and now that Belle has moved out of the Fuller home and back into the manor. But as Willa explores strange powers she has only recently begun to discover in herself, she learns something that threatens to drive a rift between her and her mother.

Meantime, things at Eldritch Manor are unusual, as usual. Mab, queen of the backyard fairies, receives an unwanted romantic visit from her alienated husband Oberon, bringing stormy weather upon the neighborhood. The disruption in Mab's knitting of the time-scarf that keeps the manor anchored in reality leads, first, to the discovery of two portals in time at the bottom of the home's algae-covered swimming pool, which Willa can only explore after she overcomes her terror of water and embraces her mermaid side. The time problem also leads to the arrival of a big, hairy, black spider with super knitting skills - though her fancy stitchery has its own weird effect on the passage of time. And then there is the vine growing out of one of those underwater time holes; its foliage rapidly spreads, taking over the forest behind the manor, and gradually forming a humanoid figure similar to one that keeps showing up in Willa's scariest dreams.

At first, these problems seem to be only part of the usual unusualness of a place inhabited by a forgetful sphinx, a centaur, a phoenix, a cat in human form, a shape-shifting dragon who gets grouchy when her hibernation is disturbed, nine dwarves with unpronounceable names, several heavily armed bunnies, loads of capricious fairies, and a martial-arts maven who has adopted a baby basilisk as his pet. It's a place where rooms change size based on what's going on inside them, where the attic stays up in the air even before the second and third floor are built under it, and where the pool is sometimes just a pool, but sometime seems to be part of a much bigger ocean. As the whimsical, everyday problems of such a magic-soaked place gradually build to a climax of danger, and an evil plot threatens everyone, Willa must discover her place in an enchanted world that only she can save.

This is a funny, heartwarming book touched with breathtaking glimpses of magical beauty and beautiful magic. Well-crafted to appeal to middle-school-aged readers, it conceals a firm grounding in mature realism and a concern for the coming of age of a strong, independent young woman. There are touches of neo-paganism in it, such as the depiction of a neighboring family celebrating Beltane - so I declare an Occult Content Advisory. But Willa's willing acceptance of mythological creatures in the ordinary, present-day world also suggests Eldritch Manor exists in a fantasy dimension that should not necessarily be read at face value. And if, in its early chapters, the book seems to over-indulge in establishing a cozily quirky setting, it makes up for that impression later as the danger of an all-devouring evil escalates to a scary, exciting conflict.

This is the third novel in the "Eldritch Manor" series, coming after Eldritch Manor and Shadow Wrack. It seems to leave a door open to the possibility of further adventures. Kim Thompson is a Canadian author, television writer, and filmmaker. This review is based on a pre-publication Kindle proof made available through Netgalley dot com. The paperback becomes available Dec. 27, 2016.

206. Christmas Carol

The idea for this little Christmas ditty came to me during Christmas Eve worship, and I finally wrote it down yesterday, Christmas Day. It was designed to go with the tune of the French-Canadian noel IL EST NÉ, known to some in English as "He is born, the Child divine." Note, the piece begins with a musical refrain, which is then repeated after each stanza - although the refrain lyrics in my version vary from one stanza to another. Unfortunately, the tune notated below lacks the "da capo" and "fine" markings to show this.

Christ is born, the Virgin's Seed—
Alleluia, alleluia!—
Word of God, made flesh indeed:
All our songs to Him are keyed.

Jesus, born mankind to save—
Alleluia, alleluia!—
Bore the cross with spirit brave;
When He rose, He slew the grave.
Christ is born, the Virgin's Seed—
Alleluia, alleluia!—
Word of God, made flesh indeed:
All our hopes in Him succeed.

God with us, Immanuel—
Alleluia, alleluia!—
Challenges the pow'rs of hell;
Through His triumph, all is well.
Christ is born, the Virgin's Seed—
Alleluia, alleluia!—
Word of God, made flesh indeed:
All good gifts from Him proceed.

Wondrous, wise, strong Prince of peace—
Alleluia, alleluia!—
Bring our struggles sweet surcease;
Rule in us, let faith increase!
Christ is born, the Virgin's Seed—
Alleluia, alleluia!—
Word of God, made flesh indeed:
All our hearts with Him agreed!

Son of David, David's Lord—
Alleluia, alleluia!—
Feed us at Your royal board
'Til we see Your throne restored!
Christ is born, the Virgin's Seed!
Alleluia, alleluia!
Word of God, made flesh indeed,
Draw us all to You with speed!

Hollow City

Hollow City
by Ransom Riggs
Recommended Ages: 13+

In this book, frequently decorated by eerie vintage photos, modern-day kid Jacob is on the run with a group of "peculiar" children who have been living in a one-day time loop in 1940 since, like, 1940. The ymbryne, a woman named Miss Peregrine who sometimes shape-shifts into the bird for which she is named, is stuck in her bird form and injured to boot. The children are trapped in World War II-era Britain, dodging bombs, narrowly escaping capture, and pursued by hungry, unimaginably hideous monsters called hollowgast (fact: they have multiple tongues, which they use to walk and grab things).

Time is running out before Miss Peregrine forgets her humanity altogether. Without her to create a time loop around them, the peculiar children will begin to rapidly age, eventually dying and crumbling into dust. Also, Jacob will be trapped, alone, in his grandfather's time, never able to return to his worried parents. To stop all this from happening, they have to get to London and find another ymbryne to help Miss Peregrine... But nearly all the ymbrynes have already been captured by an enemy that wants to devour their souls and use their powers to take over the world. The hollowgast are only the juvenile versions of these beings, known as wights, which can take human form - more or less.

The kids don't have much but each other to fight back against this evil, which has grown so strong that its triumph seems inevitable. On the other hand, peculiar as they are, Miss Peregrine's children have a lot going for them. They include Bronwyn, a girl of enormous strength; Olive, who is lighter than air; Enoch, who can re-animate the dead; Hugh, who lives in communion with a hive of bees; and besides them, invisible Millard, future-telling Horace, and fire-starting Emma, with whom Jacob has fallen in love. Along the way, they encounter other peculiars, including a talking dog, a girl who can survive having a hole bored through her middle, and a pair of blind, echo-locating brothers linked by a single mind.

Kids with powers like these would be unstoppable, if they didn't have to worry about falling bombs, ravening hollowgast, grabby wights, and the fatal danger of being caught too long outside a time loop. As they get closer to the object of their quest in this book, Jacob and his friends also descend into a darker, deeper layer of reality, where dangers lurk that they never knew to fear. And just when they think they have reached their goal, another terrifying chapter opens before them.

This is the second book in the "Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children" series, of which the first book, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, has already been made into a movie. The third book is The Library of Souls. Ransom Riggs has also written a non-fiction book about Sherlock Holmes, and another about strange old photographs, like the ones he uses as illustrations in this series of books. I have enjoyed both of the first two books in this series, although by taking the audio-book route to the first book, I missed out on the vintage photos. They both bear witness to an author with a full command of the ingredients for cooking up bizarre imagery, dread-filled suspense, and a world of magic that would be adorable and fun if it weren't so gosh-darned full of scary creatures and sickening evil. It's a dark, disturbing world of magic that nevertheless draws Jacob into it for reasons that seem to work for millions of readers, and in this second book, it grips them even tighter.

School for Sidekicks

School for Sidekicks
by Kelly McCullough
Recommended Ages: 12+

Evan Quick has always fantasized about becoming a Mask - his alternate-history world's version of a superhero, fighting villanous metahumans known as Hoods - but when super-healing abilities, combined with a bit of super-strength, super-speed, and suicidally lippy super-banter suddenly manifest during a class field trip-turned-hostage crisis, Evan begins to realize not everything about being super is super. To start with, he barely survives a direct hit from Spartanicus' death ray, putting him on the wrong side of the strongest Hood alive. At the same time, his act of heroism instantly makes him a rival of top Mask Captain Commanding, whose willingness to do awful things in the service of his ego lead him to be described as a great man who isn't a good man. Also, his sudden transfer to the Academy of Metahuman Operations, a.k.a. Hero High, a.k.a. School for Sidekicks, creates a rift between Evan and his worried parents back on earth. Did I say "back on Earth"? Yes, because the AMO is on Deimos, one of the moons of Mars. That's how wide the rift is.

So Evan finds himself far from home, surrounded by kids with their own weird powers and more or less massive chips on their shoulders, learning subjects like Combat with Dinnerware and Superhero Repartee, and slowly growing to suspect their school, along with O.S.I.R.I.S., the Mask/Hood-regulating agency that runs it, is built on lies and secrets. Getting to the bottom of these secrets will require Evan to risk getting into a lot of trouble, learn to work with some prickly personalities, and perhaps bear the wrath of far more powerful people whose position on the good/evil slider is tricky to assess. And then, even though he is a newbie with lame, barely-sidekick-caliber powers, apprenticed to a troubled, has-been hero who only took him on as an insult to Captain Commanding, Evan - codename Meerkat - finds himself with the weight of saving the world on his shoulders.

It's a funny, action-filled adventure full of gee-whiz concepts that are sure to light up the imagination of readers junior-high-age and older. It conjures an alternate version of the Twin Cities, rebuilt in the aftermath of a catastrophe that created the world's first and strongest Masks and Hoods, and even mentions a metro-area high school that I attended when I was a little older than Evan. So maybe I had extra-personal reasons to be drawn into this fantasy world. It also experiments with some written special effects that I haven't seen before, such as a graphic that seems to represent time going backward, and a couple passages in which disconnected jokes and rejected story ideas seem to be strung together to create a montage effect.

The book teems with quirky gadgets, offbeat superpowers, and unexpected problems one might discover by simply thinking through the implications of a world with superheroes and supervillains. It sparkles with wit, charm, warmth, and character that should appeal to an even wider audience than the fans of Sky High, Lab Rats, and other teen superhero franchises - not to mention Harry Potter fans, whose favorite school for magic is also mentioned in this book as a fictional counterpart to Evan's school. Other books I might as well mention, for those who want to read more of the same kind of thing, include John David Anderson's Sidekicked, Mike Lupica's Hero, Matt Myklusch's The Accidental Hero, and on a more adult level, Samit Basu's Turbulence.

Kelly McCullough is a Wisconsin-based author whose work includes the five-book "WebMage" series and the six-book "Fallen Blade" series. He also wrote a companion novella for this book, The Totally Secret Origin of Foxman.

Repo Madness

Repo Madness
by W. Bruce Cameron
Recommended Ages: 14+

To express how eager I was to read this second book in the "Repo Man" or "Ruddy McCann" series (after Midnight Plan of the Repo Man), I shouldn't need to say much more than, "I paid full price for the hardcover at Barnes & Noble." That's $25.99, folks. And I'm cheap. The last new-release hardcover I bought before this was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - a few minutes past midnight, July 7, 2009. But I loved Ruddy McCann, and I pestered booksellers at several other stores before I found a copy that had just arrived and hadn't even been put out on the shelf. And then I quit reading another book I was really enjoying because I couldn't wait to read this. Now let me add: I was not disappointed. Need I say more?

OK, so I'll say more. Ruddy McCann, in case you don't know, is a once-promising Michigan State quarterback whose life went into the drink with him one night when he mistook a boat ramp for the highway, and was pulled out of the icy water by a couple of pot-heads who happened to be nearby. The drunk co-ed who was sleeping it off in the backseat of his car didn't make it, washing ashore five days later. Ruddy took it on the chin, doing a prison term for murder even though he wasn't legally drunk. Now, after a further misunderstanding with the law landed him on probation, we find him dividing his time between such peaceful, fulfilling routines as bouncing at his sister's bar, repossessing cars for a lowlife named Milt, missing the voice in his head that claimed to be his fiancee Katie's dead father Alan, and... Well, I figured that last one might catch you. You really should catch up on your reading; that title again is Midnight Plan of the Repo Man.

But trouble is never far from Ruddy McCann for very long. And when it comes, it comes in heaps. Two years after saving her from the men who murdered her father, Ruddy is worried about his relationship with Katie, who is talking about needing a break. He is worried about his best friend Jimmy, who is having an affair with a married woman; about a couple of crusty old barflies who have fallen prey to a scam; and about his new court-ordered psychiatrist, who actually cares whether he is taking his court-ordered medicine. And then a strange girl walks up to him and tells him he may not be responsible for the death of Lisa Marie Walker - an idea that somehow puts Ruddy on the trail of a serial killer. And then Milt suddenly dies, an apparent suicide - but something about it doesn't sit right. And then a banker, who Ruddy knows is the husband of Jimmy's girlfriend, hires Ruddy to do some of his dirty work - and it keeps getting dirtier. And then, and then, and then... once the pace gets rolling, these new problems swirl together into a Northern Lower Michigan winter storm of danger for Ruddy and everyone he holds dear.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention - Alan comes back. And though Ruddy missed him while he was gone, he is more convinced than ever that Alan is really a figment of his imagination - though the disembodied ex-realtor would be hurt to hear that. The bickering, bantering chemistry of Alan and Ruddy is a lot like having "The Odd Couple" squeezed into one man's head, with Alan disapproving of Ruddy and Katie's romantic involvement, Ruddy's diet, Ruddy's household and personal hygiene, and Ruddy's damn-the-torpedoes, full-speed-ahead approach to dealing with people.

Also back are Ruddy's lovable but malapropism-prone brother-in-law Kermit, who is now also his boss; ex-sheriff and all-around stand-up guy Barry Strickland, who is now his co-worker; Ruddy's lazy but lovable basset hound Jake; and the old familiar conks on the head, struggles for survival, gruesome surprises, sweeping crescendos of suspense and accelerandos of action, frequent touches of goofball humor and sweet romance, and the surprising patterns that fall out of Ruddy's distinctive way of juggling multiple complex problems. I already anticipate being a pest to local booksellers when the third book in this series approaches its release date. It hasn't been announced yet, but I'm sure it's going to happen, given the loose ends left dangling at the end of this most entertaining book.