How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying by Django Wexler, 419 pages

For reasons unknown, Davi is stuck in a time loop wherein she is tasked with defending humankind against the Dark Lord, and after more than 200 unsuccessful tries (read: she literally died trying), Davi has had enough. On try 238, she decides to become the Dark Lord instead of fighting him/her/them, and while it takes her a few short lives to get the hang of it, Davi learns that she has a knack for leading a horde of orcs and other wild beings.

This is a fun, raunchy, irreverent fantasy novel, full of pop culture references and snarky humor. It may throw off those new to the genre (as there isn't really a great explanation for the Earth-centric pop culture references other than Davi musing that she "must've come from Earth at some point"), but for others, this is will be a welcome goofy adventure. Read it if you liked Dreadful, Soon I Will Be Invincible, Hench, or other novels with a fantasy antihero. 

Cat Out of Hell

Cat Out of Hell by Lynne Truss, 163 pages

This slim book starts with an investigation into some mysterious computer files that include bits of a horrible screenplay, a few photos of cats, and what seems to be (preposterous as it may sound) a recorded conversation between a dimwitted man whose sister has gone missing and a cat named Roger, the latter of whom sounds like Vincent Price. As the unnamed narrator discovers, something evil is afoot, and centers on a couple of EXTREMELY long-lived cats named Roger and The Captain.

This is a silly horror tale that both cat lovers and cat haters will enjoy; the former because they'll recognize so many mannerisms of their own cats, the latter because they'll feel vindicated in their hatred. Well worth the time to read it.

The Fall by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

The Fall by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, Vampiric Fiction, 308 pages.
This is the second book in del Toro's and Hogan's Strain trilogy. I had read the first book and almost enjoyed it, though there seemed to be some big holes in the plot, and I wavered about whether or not to read the second. The fact that we had it on downloadable audio was the deciding factor, as I had a big home improvement project, and could find nothing else to listen to. This was better than the first, the evil vampiric like beasts are winning, and their history is uncovered. The third book is out now, so maybe I will see how it all turns out.

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The Prince of Mist

The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, translated by Lucia Graves 214 pp.

I have become a fan of Ruiz Zafón's work having previous read his adult novels The Shadow of the Wind and The Angel's Game. This book is a young adult novel and the first that he ever published although it just recently was published in English after a long legal dispute. After reading this one I hope the other three YA books will soon follow.

On the brink of war, the Carver family move to a small coastal village and take up residence in a creepy old house with a sad history. After meeting Roland, grandson of the lighthousekeeper, Max and Alicia Carter begin investigating the mysterious death of the son of the previous residents of the house and a sunken ship located just off the rocks at the edge of the coast. Their investigations lead to a dangerous connection between the ship, the house, a box of old films, a mysterious garden of statues, Roland's grandfather, and a supernatural evil known only as the Prince of Mist. It's not often I find a book that is hard to put down but this is one of them.  I even delayed leaving for our trip this weekend so I could finish the last two chapters before we left.