Published by:     St. Martin's Press

Released:            August 5, 2008

The saga of the Bad Boys of Immortality, the Dark-Hunters, began, officially, in 2002 with the publication of Fantasy Lover. Now, Acheron brings the most recent book in this series to eager, devout fans of Ms. Kenyon's bad, bad good guys. Devotees also love the really good bad guys. This is one of the best, most enduring strengths of Ms. Kenyon's writing; she creates heroes, villains and anti-heroes that readers cannot help but fall for, cheer for, even when the man of the hour may be the villain of the piece. Her characters have heart; they have souls (even though Artemis jealously holds the souls of the Dark-Hunters, bringing Acheron to heel again and again to save those same souls and free the Dark-Hunters.) The gods, goddesses, humans, demons, daimons, and beings off the scale all read true, and accessible to the reader, so you become invested in the stories almost immediately. Some of these characters, like Stryker, grab you by the jugular, making you want to run, but hoping that there is a true heart under his grim, Machiavellian exterior. Other characters, such as Artemis, make you want to hug her and slap her, usually in the same breath.

And then there is Acheron, himself.

Acheron, son of Atlantean gods, born into a human body and cursed by the Fates, attracts readers like no other member of Ms. Kenyon's cast of players. He struts upon her stage with a feral grace; he is Gothic, grim, and forbidding. Hades, he is downright scary; scarier than most of the villains by a margin so great a new form of measurement might need to be invented. But Ash is also the most heart wrenchingly vulnerable person in this world of damaged souls. This is hinted at in prior books in the series; his loneliness while surrounded by other cursed hunters is legendary. The secrets surrounding Ash are more tightly held than the whereabouts of Jimmy Hoffa's final resting place or the real special blend of eleven secret herbs and spices. Until now.

This book finally offers the story fans around the world have anticipated with a high sense of intensity. The resolutions to questions asked over and over of Ms. Kenyon on her website, her blog, her MySpace page, and at conventions, come to light in this book. Best of all, she does address the pressing  questions surrounding the relationship between Ash and Artemis, or as those in the know like to call her, the Heifer Goddess. The first half of this book is darker, however, than any previous Dark-Hunter or Dream-Hunter novel. The series is known for its blending of tension, sensuality, sharp dialog and humor. This is not absent from Acheron; but the first portion of this story is harsh, so readers must be prepared. Steel is forged in the hottest of flames. When you are as strong as Ash, the fires must be hotter than any before encountered, so the burns are more severe, the trauma more extreme. Ms. Kenyon deals with issues of mental, emotional, verbal and physical abuse skillfully, but openly and honestly. And this may be one of the enduring strengths of this novel, in particular. While this preface, this history lesson, is absolutely necessary to the scope and support of her plot, she offers a light and a lesson to those who have suffered from abuses of their own, in their real lives. You can endure; you can triumph; you are worthy of love, no matter what someone else has forced upon you in your past. In the words of Acheron, she also brings home a crucial lesson about power, manipulation and relationships: "just because you can doesn't mean you should, and sometimes some things have to go wrong in order to go right." A powerful lesson brought to you by a paranormal fantasy romance.

Once this book comes back to present day, the depth of understanding for Ash is heartbreaking; the clarity with which you see him, as the reader, illuminates the rest of this tale. And lighting the darkness is another crucial element of this saga.

Humor returns in the form of Xiamara, or as most know her, Ash's demon daughter, Simi. She still craves QVC shopping; ice cream with hot sauce; takes orders from Ash a little too literally; color codes her horns to her clothes; and protects her akri, as she calls Ash, with a devotion that is endearing and a little terrifying. Also, the ex-hunters who make appearances in this book enter into the same quick witted banter with Ash that all of the prior books are renowned for including. The heroine, Tory, is a delight to get to know through the latter half of the book, as well. Details would be fun, but that would be telling, so simply accept that she is worth meeting and fighting for; she stands up to Ash, his moods, and she swings a mean hammer.

This book really is a powerhouse of a read. The only cautionary comment would have to be that if you have not read the prior books, this may not be the best place to begin. The relationships and histories between the characters are critical to a full understanding, and a finer flavoring of this story. The next installment will be One Silent Night, in November. With Acheron, Ms. Kenyon proves once again that she truly is the Author Goddess, spinning tales that sweep you up into a world of dark desires, darker passions, and the enduring strength of the heart and the soul. Truly, this book is the total package; it even tells you how everything ends.

Breaking Dawn: breaking records, breaking boundaries, breaking curfews.

Fans, enthusiastic for Stephenie Meyer's vampires since the release o Twilight in 2005, flocked to Books-A-Million Friday night, to celebrate the release of the final book in the saga, Breaking Dawn. The energy built throughout the day, as the staff of the local bookstore got ready for the fun planned for fans that night. Many stores around the country planned midnight release parties, from all of the major chains, such as Borders & Barnes & Noble, but what made this one special was the community interaction & dedication to making the event fantastic for the local fans.

As 10pm approached, you saw a number of unusually clad figures begin wandering the store. And the customers were not the only ones; the booksellers got into the fun, too. They'd even taken on the names of characters from the books. Customers seemed enchanted as they made purchases from Edward Cullen, & some chased Bella Swan as she made her rounds about the store. Esme Cullen was the Mistress of Ceremonies for the evening. Esme encouraged the fans, young & older, to indulge in all that was offered. The trivia contest was particularly popular. It was wonderful to see teenagers take such a sincere liking to a series of books, & show their devotion by their impressive knowledge of the books & characters. The buttons, stickers, bookmarks & t-shirts awarded throughout the night were big hits, too.

The energy level was pitched high by the time midnight hit, & the crowd had only one more minute wait until the books would be released into their eager hands. As 12:01am struck on the clock, the anticipation was rewarded. The books passed the counter at a brisk pace, & readers all over the store clutched their books to their chests, like treasured jewels. Some were seen reading the last few pages of the book, but most seemed content to start at the beginning & see the final chapter of this saga unfold as Meyer's intended.

At the heart of this event would be the excitement & devotion the local fans have for this series & these characters. People were wearing homemade shirts, pronouncing themselves either Team Edward or Team Jacob. Someone even tagged the sidewalk outside the store entrance, with gaudy green chalk, proclaiming their membership on Team Edward. There was an impressive cross section of groups, all mingling with each other, groups you'd never expect to see socializing together, especially in a bookstore. Moms mixed with rockers, who were laughing with Goths that were palling around with Preppies. The ability of one story to unite groups & break boundaries is the real magic of this series. This magic was felt throughout the duration of the event & hopefully will carry through for fans in the days to come, as they enjoy the culmination of their wait, breaking daylight as they read to the last page of this saga.

I wonder what we'll see for fan turn out in town when the Twilight movie hits theatres on December 12, 2008?

If there is one book that can change every previous association you have made between religion and politics, Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw is it. This stands especially true for those of us raised in cities like Panama City, where “Bible belt” is in a constant state of rubbing shoulders with the military. Our churches have the American flag not only on display outside the buildings, but on the platform. We make sure to honor our veterans, support our troops, and proudly recite the pledge of allegiance (making sure to include the disputed line, “one nation under God”) in our religious services at least a couple times a year. But how many of us have taken the time to question whether patriotism and Christianity really belong together? Even if you have never given thought to it, after reading this book you will not be able to stop.

My first thought upon seeing the book, Jesus for President was how beautiful the cover is; upon opening the book I found how beautifully the pages are designed, filled with photos, sketches, and other creative elements. It was not until I began reading the book that I found how beautiful it really is. Though the book may be completely radical in the face of what we are already taught about the Bible and war, it is a book filled with love for God and man, it is a book of hope.

In Jesus for President, the authors have not only questioned the association between religion and politics, but they have given well thought out and firmly supported answers as well. The authors analyze scripture, discuss the actions of world leaders, share touching personal stories, and make sure to back everything up citing both scripture and the works of highly respected theologians. While the ideas put forth in the book are well supported, they are still controversial. It is essentially Gospel versus government and that is just not something we are used to. For example, the authors openly encourage leaving the military. As Americans the leaders of our government and military like to say that God is on their side, that they are doing his work; unfortunately, terrorists are known for saying the same things, and the authors of Jesus for President delve into this area of debate as well.

I feel confident in saying that Jesus for President is one of the most remarkable books I have ever read, and will ever read. More than questioning the relationship between our belief system and our political system, it causes us to question ourselves. Question how we practice our faith, question how we live our lives day to day, and question patriotism. It is a very good and necessary thing to question ourselves on these subjects. Upon reading this book, be prepared to have your toes stepped on, be prepared to question yourself, even argue with yourself. It may wake you up, it may get you angry, the one thing it will definitely do is get you thinking.

It is safe to say that Batman stories, whether they are in the form of comic books, Saturday-morning cartoons, or feature films, are a visual entertainment. In fact, it is the need for visualization that is at the root of many problems a novel adaptation of any action film may have, and in the case of The Dark Knight, adapted into a novel by Dennis O’Neil, its only problems originate within this notion.

The Dark Knight, as most readers already know, picks up Batman’s story where Batman Begins left it. To lead into the story, the novel opens with one of the end scenes of Batman Begins, Batman’s fight on the train with Rā's al Ghūl. This gives a great area for comparison between how the filmmakers show viewers a scene and how our imaginations can visualize the same scene being read in the words of O’Neil. I have to say, I had my own doubts, but when it comes down to it O’Neil did a great job of capturing the action of this scene as well as possible.

In other areas of the novel it becomes harder to say this, perhaps mostly because any Batman fan wants to see what is happening. The first several chapters of the novel are introductions to the various characters and individual storylines involved in the overall plot. This jumping back and forth between so many different characters can get a little overwhelming and even confusing; fortunately, keeping up with the stories and characters does get easier once the many introductions are completed. No matter how confusing the switches between storylines may be, they do keep you reading, and while you may be a bit mixed up when you get there, you will find out where each story goes and how they come together.

As with most action films and books, the “meat” of the story is not until the end, and honestly, by this point I am bored with the book and I just want to see the movie. The fast-paced action of the fight scenes are obviously hard to capture into a printed page, and I really feel for O’Neil’s efforts concerning this, it is easy to see he is really trying to pull it off. There is one fight sequence wherein action can only be seen during the flashes of a strobe light. Given the inherent visual elements of this scene, O’Neil does a wonderful job of capturing it in print. Though there are some fight scenes that could have used more in-depth description, I doubt many writers could have done as well while keeping the reader in the mindset for the fast-paced action.

While the action of The Dark Knight can be pictured right from the start, it may be too much for the written word. Considering that is often what is expected of novel adaptations of action movies, O’Neil did a pretty good job. The Dark Knight is not an agonizing read, just ill-fated. If you cannot get to the theater to see the movie, this is a decent alternative, but it will make you desperate to see it on the big screen. If you have the option to see the movie, it is a no-brainer!