Unbreakable by Kami Garcia
From the co-author of the turgid ‘Beautiful Creatures’ comes this tale that is a cross between ‘Supernatural’ and ‘The Mortal Instruments’. Kennedy is an idiot who loses her mother to a murderous ghost. Cute identical twins Jared (woobie) and Lukas (jackass) show up and reveal they are members of the Legion. A secret society dedicated to protecting the world and Kennedy is the fifth member. How serendipitous! So five inept teenagers set out on a quest. Sadly this was boring and derivative. It is the beginning of a series but I don’t care to read anymore. Twist ending aside, this was a yawner.
Best Lines:
“When you say it like that, it does sound kind of stupid,”
“I didn’t know a lot of people who lived in warehouses.”
“Spirits aren’t fans of construction.”
“May the black dove always carry you.”
~
Universes by Stephen Baxter, part 3
Project Herakles
The 2nd ‘Jones & Bennet’ tale. It is 1968 and there are giants on Salisbury Plain and a coup takes place against Harold Wilson. This was okay.
Best Lines:
“It was hard to imagine a fantasy series starring a maverick, anti-war, anti-Establishment hero being broadcast by Mountbatten’s BBC.”
“What possible cover can they use? Marsh gas, that old favourite, I suppose.”
The Phoebean Egg
A story set in the world of ‘Anti-Ice’, the steam punk tale of a creepy Victorian Empire fuelled by antimatter. Cedric heads off to the elite Academy to be trained to be a scientist for the Empire. This was good.
Best Line:
“It is wrong to employ children to build such terrible weapons.”