(Amy) I re-read books frequently. In fact, I have a loosely-applied reading policy of interleaving brand-new acquisitions with older books, which usually means re-reads, though does sometimes mean books I've owned for a long time and never got around to reading. I have many motivations for re-reading. The most common is the desire to revisit an old friend, to walk down comfortably familiar paths for a while - sometimes a known quantity is exactly what is needed out of a book. Sometimes, however - as in this case - I cast my eyes across a bookcase and notice a book that, while I know perfectly well I have in fact read it, I have no memory whatsoever of anything that happened in it.

I'm rather hoping that will happen less often with books I read from now on, now that I'm booklogging, as it's a little . . . embarrassing isn't really quite the right word, as if I hadn't just told the entire Internet about it no one would know, and since I did I can't exactly be that embarrassed by it, but it comes close, anyway. Especially when, as now, it is not really a particularly forgettable book, or so I would have thought.

So, a re-read was in order, obviously.

The story opens on an Earth that is almost but not quite ours (though ours makes a rather unflattering cameo later), with a pair of lanthanomancers (readers of psychic resonances, apparently) who do some freelance work for the LA DA, among other clients, in service of Justice. An Elf is murdered, and they are called upon to help with the investigation, which turns out to have rather more significant ramifications than was apparent upon first glance. As their investigation - and a multiworld delegation - takes them to the neighboring universe Alfheim, the home of the Elves, they soon learn the ramifications are potentially quite worldchanging indeed.

I enjoyed the story, I enjoyed the writing, and I very much enjoyed the world(s)building, which pretty much puts this on par with other Duane books I've read. I do find myself amused at the many different ways she finds to put talking animal or animal-shaped people in her books, though...
( http://weblog.siliconcerebrate.com/ze... ) ( )

Fun book - a lot of echoes of her other work, including the various Wizards series and the Door series. But also a neat new world (worlds) - even if she does break it by the end of the book. I don't know if she'll write any more in that universe - it might be fun to read. As long as it wasn't another saving-the-universe story! I'd like to read something simpler, like maybe just a police-procedural mystery with fayhounds and the Sight and Justice personified taking a hand - that's how this one starts out and then takes a sharp right and goes straight up into fireworks. ( )

My first non-Young Wizards book by DD. Based on the title, I expected it to be more fantasy related, but I should have known better. It's actually an SF book. It was...a pretty good book, but it didn't grab me the way the YW books do. I will probably reread it some day. ( )

Theres a murder of an elf and LA prosecutor, sleuth and forenisc Ianthanomancer Lee Enfield; with her partner Gelert whose a Fayhound, are investigating but there's more to this murder than is obvious. ( )