The Pretender’s Crown, Book 2 of The Inheritors’ Cycle is about a woman trained from childhood for a life of espionage. Following The Queen’s Bastard it continues the story of Belinda Primrose. C.E. Murphy‘s Elizabethan era fantasy novel is an alternate history that will appeal to fans of Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series.

Belinda Primrose is the illegitimate daughter of Lorraine Walter, the Virgin Queen of Aulun and her lover and spymaster. Trained as a spy from the age of twelve, she is now an accomplished assassin and she possesses an alien magical power inherited from her father, Robert Drake. Now as one queen is murdered and another suspected of killing her, armies are being raised on both sides. Belinda learns she is being used as a pawn. Will the Queen’s loyal assassin turn away from her mother for the first time?

Murphy weaves court intrigue, sex and magic into an intricate plot but the book gets off to a slow start with a long discourse on war and politics. This is an intense read and you will fare better if you read The Queen’s Bastard first. The story moves between many characters, some familiar and some new. Not all of them are as interesting or well drawn as Belinda, a strong heroine although not always a likeable one. The Elizabethan era is well described but the alien elements are not as effective. The lyrical prose often overshadows the action but those who enjoy sensual historical fantasy should be entertained.

Publisher: Del Rey (April 28, 2009)

ISBN: 978-0-345-49465-8

Paperback: 480 Pages

Price: $14.00

Fantasy has never been more popular, and urban fantasy is becoming a serious genre all its own. What are some of the best fantasy books for urban fantasy fans?

There is no single answer to this, as tastes vary, but there are definitely some authors that appeal to many readers who love this genre.

Urban fantasy is an interesting genre, as it involves the mixing of the modern and ordinary with the supernatural or fantastic. Some of the best examples of this in recent years include Neil Gaiman, whose novel Stardust was recently made into a movie, giving him more mainstream popularity than he ever had before. Gaiman was originally well known within certain circles for his graphic novels and comics, such as Sandman. Stardust is not quite an urban fantasy, as most of it takes place in the “Otherworld.” However, it does start off in a modern (or almost modern) setting.

Some of Gaiman’s other novels, such as American Gods and Neverwhere are more pure examples of urban fantasy. The latter in particular, as it takes place in London (mostly the London Underground, to be more specific). In these and other novels, Gaiman introduces bizarre creatures into the everyday world in a way that seems plausible. This is the key to good urban fantasy. In this way, it’s similar to horror, the kind found in the best Stephen King novels, where the ordinary gradually becomes more and more strange and terrible.

Another great example of urban fantasy are the novels of Charles de Lint, an extremely prolific and popular writer. Some of his better known novels include Onion Girl, Memory and Dream and Widdershins.  De Lint likes to use faeries and otherwordly creatures and mix them with artistic people such as artists and musicians. In this way, he explores the connection between creativity and other dimensions of reality.

If you are a fan of urban fantasy, or are looking to explore it, you should not overlook John Crowley’s novel, Little, Big, a poetic and unique urban fantasy that also looks at what happens when humans interact with the faerie realm. If you are an admirer of John Crowley, you might also want to explore his four-volume series of novels, Aegypt. While these books never achieved the acclaim of Little, Big, perhaps for their meandering and not always accessible style, they are undeniably full of Crowley’s imaginative and distinctive vision.

These are just a few examples of what might be considered the best fantasy books for urban fantasy lovers. This is obviously not even close to being a complete list, which would not be possible anyway, as new books of this genre are coming out all the time!

Larry Christopher is a writer of both fiction and nonfiction. He is the author of the metaphysical/urban fantasy, The Stone of Alexandria, written under his pen name, Lleu Christopher.

Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton will be the seventeenth installment in the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. Set out to be released on June of 2009, Hamilton promises another spine-tingling, suspense and mystery adventure. As with her other previous Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter books, the story is set in a society where vampires, lycanthropes, faeries and other supernatural beings are accepted as part of the society. This time, though, a vampire serial killer sends Anita a ghastly souvenir from Sin City.

Our resident necromancer heads off to Las Vegas to help the authorities and to warn them of what they’re dealing with; but when she arrives there, Anita discovers the paranormal style of killing of ten officers and one executioner. Edward and three other federal marshals are there to help her solve this case. She is especially glad that Edward is there; she feels too much of the weretigers around Las Vegas.

While a lot of Hamilton’s fans have stopped reading her books due to an increase in sex scenes, I think she deserves another chance. I admit that there are times where she has used this in an unnecessary way, she has, nonetheless, been a very good storyteller. Her intricate way of transforming Saint Louis as we know it, injecting fantasy to the supposedly regular lives of Anita and the others, is enough to keep the readers hooked onto her novels. Skin Trade might introduce more plot twists and could be Hamilton’s way to entice her former fans to pick up where they left off. I know I’ll be one of her fans who’ll be waiting for Skin Trade by Laurell K, Hamilton to be released.

For more information, check other Skin Trade by Laurell K. Hamilton book reviews.

Erika Ayala works part time for a consumer review company.