Jim Butcher (writer) and Ardian Syar (artist), Welcome to the Jungle
Dabel (2008) ISBN: 978-0-345-50746-4
Score: 2

Graphic novel prequel story to the Dresden Files series, in which Harry investigates a grisly murder in Lincoln Park Zoo. The plot is slight, partly because Butcher is careful not to put major events in his short stories, and partly because four comic issues isn't much space to tell a story (I can't tell exactly how long this is due to a lack of page numbers). This is actually a good (though relatively expensive) place to start the series if you haven't yet; it does a very good job of capturing the feel of Harry on a typical case.

Next Book: Derek Landy, Playing With Fire

Kai Meyer (trans. Elizabeth D. Crawford), The Water Mirror
McElderry (2001) ISBN: 0-689-87787-0
Score: 1.5

Start of the Dark Reflections juvenile fantasy series, about an orphan in an alternate Venice under siege by an army of mummies. Short book which ends somewhat abruptly, and it seems the next one will deal mainly with religious aspects of this world: the characters seem to be Christian and Hell obviously exists (two of its emissaries appear), but the Pharaoh claims to be a god and the Flowing Queen claims Baga Yaga is a goddess (while denying being one herself). There's also flying lions made of stone and solar-powered airplanes made of gold.

Next Book: Taylor Anderson, Into the Storm

Jessica Day George, Dragon Flight
Bloomsbury (2008) ISBN: 1-59990-110-2
Score: 1.5

Sequel to Dragon Slippers (I don't think this series has a name), in which the heroine once again has to stop dragons from fighting. An amusing juvenile tale, but it seemed to be aimed more at 20th century kids than modern ones (for example: the heroine feeling very self-conscious about wearing trousers).

Next Book: F. Paul Wilson, By the Sword

Jo Walton, Half a Crown
Tor (2008) ISBN: 0-7653-1621-8
Score: 2

The more-or-less happy ending to the Still Life with Fascists alternative history series, concerning an international peace conference and (mostly) unrelated riots. This time the first person POV is Carmichael's adopted niece, so they're basically on the same side of events (though they barely see each other). The ending seemed a bit easy, and I would have liked a bit more denouement (at least to let the survivors get together and reassure each other that they all did survive).

Next Book: Jessica Day George, Dragon Flight

Dorothy Hearst, Promise of the Wolves
Simon & Schuster (2008) ISBN: 1-4165-6998-7
Score: -2

Start of the Wolf Chronicles fantasy series, about human/wolf relations 14,000 years ago (I can't tell if it's supposed to be a secret history of our world or not). The fantasy elements are understated, consisting of some sort of bond between the humans and wolves, a ghost, and giving the animals human-level intelligence (and above-human language skills). Despite the long list of experts named in the Acknowledgments, I didn't find the wolves' behavior all that realistic, and it's odd to read 350 pages about wolves without ever seeing the word "alpha".

Next Book: K.J. Parker, Evil for Evil

Steven Erikson, Toll the Hounds
Tor (2008) ISBN: 0-7653-1008-2
Score: 5

Eighth Malazan book (out of ten), set on the same continent as books 1 and 3 (with a few characters from books 6 and 7). The major themes of this volume seem to be vengeance and redemption, the familial themes are cousins and adoption, and the mood of the series is drifting towards tragedy. There were many scenes narrated by Kruppe, which I could've mostly done without (though the bit about the White-Haired Empress was a perfect example of absurdity in the midst of catastrophe).

Next Book: Kat Richardson, Underground

Donna Andrews, Cockatiels at Seven
Thomas Dunne (2008) ISBN: 0-312-37715-0
Score: -1

Ninth Meg Langslow mystery, in which the heroine gets some experience raising a child. Key characters deliberately did not do things they obviously needed to do to avoid suspicion, and the heroine's wacky family stopped being amusing a few books ago. I'm not going to continue the series.

C.E. Murphy, House of Cards
Luna (2008) ISBN: 0-373-80263-3
Score: -1

Second book of the Negotiator trilogy, in which things get messy. The heroine does stupid things (like telling Old Boyfriend she wants to get back together while constantly daydreaming about New Boyfriend) and a lot of the plot twists didn't add up (especially the genealogies).

Next Book: Alaya Dawn Johnson, Racing the Dark

Patricia Briggs, Cry Wolf
Ace (2008) ISBN: 978-0-441-01615-0
Score: 2

This is the first novel but second story about Anna and Charles; the publisher calls the series Alpha and Omega after the novella (from On the Prowl) that it follows, but I disapprove of that name since Charles isn't an alpha (nor likely to become one anytime soon). This is a spinoff of the Mercedes Thompson urban fantasy series and contains spoilers for Moon Called while being set before the later Mercy books. This series is aimed more at Romance readers than Fantasy[1], and the beginning of this book is a bit slow (partly from the need to inclue readers who didn't see the novella), but once the plot started I had trouble putting it down, and it deepened the characters of Bran and Leah, which was a pleasant surprise.

[1] Something I'm discussing over in bittercon.
Next Book: Martha Wells, "Houses of the Dead"

Lawrence Watt-Evans, The Summer Palace
Tor (2008) ISBN: 0-7653-1028-7
Score: 2

Conclusion of the Annals of the Chosen trilogy, in which we learn more about the Uplanders and the giant anti-magic birds they live off of. I did correctly guess the direction of the main plot from the first book, but there were still a few surprises. I did find it odd that the protagonist's opinion of the ler (nature/elemental spirits) kept flip-flopping from "respected allies" to "evil menace". And a warning to anyone who checks the end of the book for appendices and stuff: this book does have an appendix, and the last line of it is a big spoiler.

Next Book: Naomi Novik, Victory of Eagles