Tag Archives: oni

Wolf Who Rules, by Wen Spencer

Posted on by Henry

I have to admit, my memory of Wolf Who Rules has blended into the book that comes before it (Tinker, which I reviewed last week) and the next one in the series (Elfhome).  As you might expect from such a situation, if you liked Tinker you’ll almost certainly like Wolf Who Rules.

I can extricate the details of the plot with some additional focus, but the stories all pile together, following one another so closely that it is not easy to tell where one ends and the next begins.  Little is done to ease you back into the story beyond a few quick info drops, but this also means that if you’ve just read Tinker you’ll easily slide along into this one without any sense of confusion.  Without one of the sometimes ponderous prolonged reintroductions that are so common to a series, Wolf Who Rules whisks you straight into the next adventure.

Continue reading →

Tinker, by Wen Spencer

Posted on by Henry

Wen Spencer surprised me.  I picked up Tinker through the Baen ebook store, expecting to find something that would keep me suitably amused while traveling.  The book did that, and then it grabbed me and pulled me in.  While I should have been working, I read.  While I should have been visiting with family, I read.  While I should have been sleeping… you get the idea.  It turns out that Spencer is very good at delivering on the promises of her pacing; she starts with a bang, and she quickly turns up the heat and adds increasing tension to the mix.  There are a few spots where you can sit down and take a breath, but you won’t want to.  Add some sections that make you wince and cringe and more sections that are laugh-out-loud funny, and you’ve got Tinker.  It’s a bit like a less pulpy version of Girl Genius.  Would you like to know more?

Continue reading →