Finished Appaloosa by Robert B. Parker. I read the sequel to this, Resolution, a few weeks ago and decided to read the first book. And hey, it’s a western. I love me some westerns. 😎

In this one, gunfighter Virgil Cole and his friend Everett Hitch are hired to be the law in the Old West town of Appaloosa and apprehend Randall Bragg, a ranch owner who killed the last marshal and his deputy. Along the way, there are shootouts, showdowns, and a tense skirmish with some Indians.

I thought Virgil and Everett waded through the bad guys a little too easily in Resolution, and I expected more of the same in Appaloosa. But I was pleasantly surprised. Appaloosa is a much better book than its sequel, and the two men are really challenged by Bragg and his various minions and machinations. But Virgil and Everett face everything with the stoic grit that’s the trademark of Parker’s characters.

The chapters are short, as always, and filled with Parker’s wry dialogue and bare-bones descriptions. But the story moves along at a fast clip, and the chapters where Virgil and Everett chase down the escaped Bragg are really terrific.

The only quibble I had was with Allie, the woman that Virgil falls for. To put it bluntly, Allie is a floozy who sleeps with whatever man can do the most for her at the present time. She takes up with Virgil, then makes a pass at Everett. She gets kidnapped by some men Bragg hired and sleeps with the leader. Then, near the end, Allie sleeps with Bragg after he regains control of the town from Virgil and Everett.

Virgil knows all about Allie’s affairs, but he just can’t seem to break away from her. People in dysfunctional relationships (particularly men in love with women like Allie) pop up quite often in Parker’s books. And I never understand why the men like Virgil don’t leave the women like Allie. But love is a powerful emotion that makes people do all sorts of interesting and crazy things. Which, I think, is Parker’s real point in the end.

So thumbs up.

Up next: Something from the TBR pile.

Books in my TBR pile: About 13.

Finished Ill Wind by Rachel Caine. This is the first book in her urban fantasy Weather Warden series. Or, as Wheezley puts it, a book that combines two of my favorite things — magic and the Weather Channel. Yeah, I like to watch the Weather Channel. Weird, I know, but that’s me. :cool: 

In this book, Joanne Baldwin is a weather warden, who keeps Mother Nature and her storms from being more destructive than they already are. Other wardens can control earth and fire, and keep them from getting out of hand. But Joanne’s got a problem. One of the other wardens infected her with a Demon Mark (parasite), and now she’s on the run from the whole warden organization, which also thinks she killed the other warden who infected her in the first place. The only person helping Joanne is David, a Djinn (think genie) who has his own mysterious motives …

I’d read a couple of Caine’s short stories about a pirate and his bride in the My Big Fat Supernatural anthologies. I absolutely loved her two short stories, and I had high hopes for Ill Wind. I really, really wanted to love it.

But I didn’t. Maybe my expectations were just too high. I liked this book, but I just didn’t love it the way I wanted to.

I thought the world building was really cool in this one. I’m a little burnt out on vampires and werewolves right now, so reading a book where people control the elements was a refreshing change. There’s also a lot of neat info about how weather/storms form, and watching Joanne use her magic to battle them was interesting. Joanne also has a thing for classic cars, and it was amusing to watch her baby her car, Delilah, who meets a rather tragic end.

Most of the plot involves Joanne driving cross-country to Oklahoma to try to contact an old friend to help her get rid of the Demon Mark, and it gives the book a sort of slice-of-life, Americana feel. And when’s the last time you read a book set in Oklahoma? I thought that was cool too.

However, I had a few quibbles. I would have liked to have seen more about the wardens and how the organization works. Caine gives us a few glimpses, but most of the book is about Joanne running away from the wardens. Also, I thought the narration was a little slow in places, as Joanne tells the reader about losing her virginity, hiking in Yellowstone, and going to Disney World with her mom. Every aside story Joanne tells is important, but they always made me impatient to get back to the current action.

Also, there was a lot of stuff that wasn’t explained. The Djinn are very mysterious, powerful creatures, but that’s about all we learn about them. And I wasn’t sure what the difference between a Demon and a Demon Mark is. Are there demons? What do they want? Where do they come from? None of that was really explained. I know Caine had to save something for the sequels, but a little more clarification would have been good.

Then, there’s my big quibble — the chapters themselves. The chapters are really looong in this book, at least 50 pages or more a piece. There’s maybe seven or eight chapters in the whole book. This is a pet peeve of mine. I hate long chapters. They just don’t make me feel like I’m getting anywhere in a book. I know that’s irrational, but hey, that’s me too sometimes, for better or worse.  :cool: 

Although I did like the fact that each chapter features a “forecast,” so to speak, at the beginning. I always love little extras like that in a book.

Overall, this is a solid read. But still, I wanted the magic I felt when I read Caine’s pirate stories. Ah, well. Maybe she’ll write some more short stories about the pirate one day.

Still, if you’re looking for an urban fantasy that features something other than vampires and werewolves or if you’re a weather junkie like me, give Ill Wind a try. Thumbs up.

Up next: Appaloosa by Robert B. Parker.

Books in my TBR pile: About 13.