J. A. Pitts

When javaczuk asked me what I was reading, I mumbled something about urban fantasy, blacksmiths, lesbians, Seattle, and a dragon who was a shape-shifter and currently in the form of an investment banker. That caught his attention. And the book caught mine, too. I can see it that it is the start for what may be a really interesting series. Loved that it was set in an area of the country where we long to go, dragons or not, and really like that the author stepped outside of his gender comfort show more zone to have his main character be a physically strong, yet emotionally vulnerable woman, who was just coming to terms with her sexuality. There are enough characters in this opening foray who caught my attention, and made it through the story, to interest me in the next. I also liked how the SCA folks in the story adopted Tolkienisms, and in this book must blend with Norse mythology to make sense of what's happening in their world. Sarah is probably in serious need of professional help, but she still can kick arse on the battle field. My biggest question though, is what the hell was Tor thinking with that cover? It may sell books, but a battle-fighting blacksmith in a crop top? Yeah, right. (What does it say that I can accept the whole fantasy element, but I can't accept that?) show less

Not bad, although I would prefer the lesbian protagonist not have to go through a giant coming-out arc that is so 1990s. Or 1980s, maybe.

But please, for the love of god and dictionaries, please look up the meaning of the word "deprivation", which was used at least twice to mean, I suspect, "depravity" or perhaps "depredation". Tor, where are your editors' heads?

Another minor annoyance: The super-short chapters, and the general use of perspective. It was mostly told from the perspective of show more Sarah Beauhall, the protagonist. Fine. But there were the occasional scenes from other people's perspectives, and sometimes this was unnecessary and a bit jarring -- e.g., the scene from the perspective of Sarah's girlfriend Katie and her friend/former lover. Why? It wasn't enough to grant us access to information they had and the readers didn't; so it didn't seem to serve the story. It just ended up feeling weird, like a loose thread.

Overall, the writing was competent, and the story kept my interest reasonably well. I'll pick up the sequel and hope "deprivation" is used correctly in it. show less

Sarah Beauhall: blacksmith, dragon slayer. Makes a nice calling card for a character I've developed a liking for over the three books of this series. The writing in Forged in Fire has tightened up, allowing the author to display growth in his craft, and Sarah to display growth in her own skin/sense of self.

I first learned of this series through Mary Robinette Kowal, and was forewarned that this was really the best of the three books out there in the series. I loved the raw energy of the show more first book (Black Blade Blues, which just made me smile with the mix of a lesbian blacksmith reforging a sword meant for dragon-slaying, with the story set in Seattle. And the icing on the cake for me in that first book was the notion that dragons in today's world could shape-shift, and one was an investment banker. Perfect. Though I found book two to suffer from middle-book syndrome, this current book, snapped my attention firmly back in place. Characters continue to sharpen and refine. Some story arcs complete, while there is firm evidence that the author likes these characters enough to continue the adventures. Plus, there's humor.

One added bonus for me reading this book was that after my last two reviews, I got a very nice note from the author via GoodReads. (Especially nice, since I was honest that I was less than enamored with book 2). The end result was he took my growls about the evilness of killing off a barista who could pull a good shot the right way. If we ever meet, I'll treat him to a cuppa (or if he's not a coffee drinker, a shot of whatever might be his beverage of choice, caffeinated, malted, or whatever his poison.)

I'm curious to see where this series goes and how a couple of the threads play out. Will keep an eye out for the next book. show less

Lesbian blacksmith berserker with a magic, dragon-slaying sword! How much more fun can this get, and how often do you get to start a review with a description like that?

J.A. Pitts has created a believable world where magic, dragons and the old gods of Norse mythology exist, if you only know where to look. These action-packed books have become better with each successive one, and I am enjoying watching the characters grow and develop, especially our heroine Sarah, who has turned into a show more kick-ass dragon-slayer. There are tantalizing hints dropped about Sarah's family in this book, so I'm looking forward to the next installment in this series. show less