Blackout – Connie Willis
Allen & Unwin, 2010
504 pages
RRP: AU$32.99
ISBN: 9781741141979

Reviewed by Kate Smith

When I read the back of Blackout I immediately and excitedly wanted to begin the story.  However, while the premise was excellent, I found the execution was a little underwhelming.  The story progressed very, very slowly and eventually I was waiting (and hoping) for everything to begin to come together and surprise me with some fantastic realisation.  Sadly, it did not.  Disappointingly, after finishing the book I discovered that any conclusions would be made in the next book.  However, while I do not feel the need to chase down the following text in order to discover the fate of the central characters, Blackout was generally an enjoyable read.

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Real Vampires Have Curves – Gerry Bartlett (Glory St Clair #1)
Penguin Berkley, 2007
318 pages
RRP: US$7.99
ISBN: 978-0-425-22096-2

Reviewed by Liz Grzyb

I love the premise for this series. Vampires have long had the reputation for being classically good looking specimens, who magically gain a perfect body the second they are turned. However, Gerry Bartlett has introduced us to Glory St Clair who was somewhat full-figured when she was turned, now spending the rest of her afterlife as a voluptuous vampire. Glory has the same hang-ups and body issues that women groan about the world over, so she is a fun, fabulous protagonist for this series, who most women would relate very easily to.

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Slights – Kaaron Warren
Angry Robot Books, 2009
502 pages
RRP: £7.99
ISBN 978-0-00732-242-8

Review by Russell B Farr

Slights is a dark, dark book that you won’t be able to pull your eyes away from.

Stevie is a troubled young woman. Her police officer father was killed in the line of duty when she was a child, and five pages into the first chapter, eighteen-year-old  Stevie drives into a wall, killing her mother. Stevie then starts digging; digging up her family’s past, and digging up the overgrown backyard of her house, uncovering a number of forgotten secrets in the process.

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Blameless (Parasol Protectorate #3) – Gail Carriger
Hachette Grand Central, 2010
400 pages
RRP: AU$15.99
ISBN: 9780316074155

Review by Liz Grzyb

As the third in the Parasol Protectorate series from Gail Carriger, Blameless carries on in witty, amusing style like the previous two instalments. In this novel, due to the exciting revelation at the end of Changeless and further developments, Alexia is forced to exit London stage left, pursued by various factions including homocidal ladybugs! To make matters worse, font of all knowledge Lord Akeldama has disappeared. The chase continues to Alexia’s ancestral roots in Italy, where she seeks refuge with the Templars after being hunted across the continent by vampires seeking to kill her.

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