What do you think?
Rate this book
Siobhan Quinn #2
Red Delicious
Siobhan Quinn is back and working a new case in the dark and satirical sequel to Blood Oranges.
Half-vampire, half-werewolf Siobhan Quinn survived her initiation into the world of demons and monsters. But staying alive as she becomes entangled in underworld politics might prove to be more difficult. When the daughter of a prominent necromancer vanishes, it's up to Quinn to find the girl. But her search will land her directly in the middle of a struggle between competing forces searching for an ancient artifact of almost unimaginable power...
288 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 4, 2014
14 people are currently reading
358 people want to read
About the author
Caitlín R. Kiernan
416 books1,667 followersCaitlín Rebekah Kiernan is an Irish-born American published paleontologist and author of science fiction and dark fantasy works, including ten novels, series of comic books, and more than two hundred and fifty published short stories, novellas, and vignettes.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
November 18, 2022
Red Delicious
was written by Caitlin R. Kiernan writing as Kathleen Tierney. Siobhan Quinn is half werewolf and half-vampire. She’s being pursued by someone hostile to vampires and her boss, Mr. B., continually sends her on dangerous missions.
Unfortunately, I did not connect with this book. While this urban fantasy was fast-paced, I didn’t connect with any of the characters. The version I read was full of grammatical errors and missing words. Additionally, the main character used so much profanity that it was distasteful to read for me. There is an author’s note at the beginning of the book that warns readers of this.
This is a case of the wrong reader for this book.
Opinions are mine alone. Publication date was February 4, 2014.
----------------------------------
1.31 rounded to 1 star
Unfortunately, I did not connect with this book. While this urban fantasy was fast-paced, I didn’t connect with any of the characters. The version I read was full of grammatical errors and missing words. Additionally, the main character used so much profanity that it was distasteful to read for me. There is an author’s note at the beginning of the book that warns readers of this.
This is a case of the wrong reader for this book.
Opinions are mine alone. Publication date was February 4, 2014.
----------------------------------
1.31 rounded to 1 star
January 21, 2014
4.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.blogspot.com/201...
Even before the first page, I was cracking up at the epigraphs. Okay, maybe it's just the geek in me, but I don't think it's possible to go wrong with a book that quotes "old Asura proverbs" from Guild Wars 2. Regardless, I knew I was going to be in for a ride with this one, and I would have expected nothing less from the follow-up to the utterly brilliant book that was Blood Oranges. Yep, it feels great to be back in the world of Siobhan Quinn!
Much like the first book, Red Delicious delivers a healthy dose of dark humor and satire. Our favorite half-werewolf, half-vampire heroine is back working a case for her boss Mean Mr. B, following the trail of a missing teenage girl who also happens to be the youngest daughter of a local bigwig necromancer. But, as Quinn so often likes to remind us, she is not a detective. Oh, and don't call her Siobhan. Not unless you want to keep all your teeth.
What follows next is an outrageously entertaining sequence of events as Quinn gets caught up in a tangle involving demons, alternate universes, and an ancient magical artifact of immense power which I can't even physically describe here without having to raise the content rating of this review. Trapped in the middle of everything, it'll take Quinn everything she has just to get out of this one alive.
This story is guaranteed to serve up lots of laughs and no small amount of raised eyebrows. This is not your typical urban fantasy, folks. The author's note pretty much says it all; if you're looking for romance, likeable heroes, seductively attractive werewolves and vampires, or books in general that don't come with a warning label, then this series is probably not for you. But if you're down with checking out a side of this genre which has never seen before, Kathleen Tierney (nom de plume of renowned speculative fiction author Caitlín R. Kiernan) will seriously rock your world.
I still remember my first encounter with Quinn, which was such a refreshing experience. She's a pure riot! I think the first time I heard her describe herself as a "werepire" I almost fell out of my chair. A self-admitted coward, shamelessly compulsive liar and a terribly unreliable narrator to boot, she's nonetheless an anti-heroine you can't help but love. She will make her own rules when telling her story, and won't give a crap if you don't like it. Always fond of breaking the fourth wall, throughout the book Quinn will even tell you that herself -- though I assure you she is much less polite about it! This is a protagonist who will blast away all your expectations with the shocking things she says and does.
It's this tongue-in-cheek, almost parodic take on urban fantasy that makes me love these books so much. This series breaks the mold in more ways than one, and is perfect for those needing a quick breather from the more traditional UF tropes. The fast-paced, volatile and unpredictable nature of the story means there is never a dull moment. Red Delicious is a worthy sequel, just as amazing as Blood Oranges!
Even before the first page, I was cracking up at the epigraphs. Okay, maybe it's just the geek in me, but I don't think it's possible to go wrong with a book that quotes "old Asura proverbs" from Guild Wars 2. Regardless, I knew I was going to be in for a ride with this one, and I would have expected nothing less from the follow-up to the utterly brilliant book that was Blood Oranges. Yep, it feels great to be back in the world of Siobhan Quinn!
Much like the first book, Red Delicious delivers a healthy dose of dark humor and satire. Our favorite half-werewolf, half-vampire heroine is back working a case for her boss Mean Mr. B, following the trail of a missing teenage girl who also happens to be the youngest daughter of a local bigwig necromancer. But, as Quinn so often likes to remind us, she is not a detective. Oh, and don't call her Siobhan. Not unless you want to keep all your teeth.
What follows next is an outrageously entertaining sequence of events as Quinn gets caught up in a tangle involving demons, alternate universes, and an ancient magical artifact of immense power which I can't even physically describe here without having to raise the content rating of this review. Trapped in the middle of everything, it'll take Quinn everything she has just to get out of this one alive.
This story is guaranteed to serve up lots of laughs and no small amount of raised eyebrows. This is not your typical urban fantasy, folks. The author's note pretty much says it all; if you're looking for romance, likeable heroes, seductively attractive werewolves and vampires, or books in general that don't come with a warning label, then this series is probably not for you. But if you're down with checking out a side of this genre which has never seen before, Kathleen Tierney (nom de plume of renowned speculative fiction author Caitlín R. Kiernan) will seriously rock your world.
I still remember my first encounter with Quinn, which was such a refreshing experience. She's a pure riot! I think the first time I heard her describe herself as a "werepire" I almost fell out of my chair. A self-admitted coward, shamelessly compulsive liar and a terribly unreliable narrator to boot, she's nonetheless an anti-heroine you can't help but love. She will make her own rules when telling her story, and won't give a crap if you don't like it. Always fond of breaking the fourth wall, throughout the book Quinn will even tell you that herself -- though I assure you she is much less polite about it! This is a protagonist who will blast away all your expectations with the shocking things she says and does.
It's this tongue-in-cheek, almost parodic take on urban fantasy that makes me love these books so much. This series breaks the mold in more ways than one, and is perfect for those needing a quick breather from the more traditional UF tropes. The fast-paced, volatile and unpredictable nature of the story means there is never a dull moment. Red Delicious is a worthy sequel, just as amazing as Blood Oranges!
May 14, 2014
True story. My dad asked me what I was reading and I tried to describe this book. I said it was less of a parody and more of a parody of parodies; an entirely self aware narration that attempts to strip down everything about Urban Fantasy and built it back up so it looked exactly the same while being completely different. He looked at me and let me know that he has a Masters and still doesn’t know what the hell I am talking about.
Why did I come up with a stuttering, quasi-intellectual line of bull shit when discussing what this book was about?
Because there was no way I was going to that man who raised me that I was reading about a vampire junkie chasing after a dildo made from unicorn horn while trying to stay ahead of two demon brothel owners.
Give Tierney (pen name for Caitlin R. Kiernan) one thing, never have I see such a unique quest item. Hell if this series ever gets picked up by a major studio and becomes a move they won’t have to change a single plot point when writing the inevitable porn parody that follows. The potential for a goldmine here is staggering.
Siobhan Quinn is still the most unreliable narrator in the history of fiction. She tells you she is lying, then lies to you, then lets you know that that could have been a lie as well. We met her in Blood Oranges where she had something of a Flashman vibe; seemingly the hero of the story yet vile in most ways and living on luck almost entirely. Or, not exactly living, being part vampire, but the point remains. I loved the unique style, the plot was serviceable, and the humor was absolutely top notch.
But this is definitely a series best taken in small doses. Little things that bugged in the first book itch even more while reading Red Delicious. Some of this is no doubt by design, I know going in that Quinn is entirely too self-aware of the fact that she lives in an Urban Fantasy. But she not only breaks the forth wall but tells us she is going to; and at some point this is less novel and more cartoon. Perhaps she could jump off a building but not fall until she looks down in the next book? Still, less of a complaint than an observation, it is more of the same from the first book after all.
Red Delicious has some strengths compared to the first outing though. While I enjoy Flashman (and the Warhammer equivalent Ciaphas Cain) I was glad to see Quinn gain a lot more agency this time around. She gained so much in her undead transformation it would have irked had she not figured out ways to make it work in her favor. She plots against those who seek to use her, takes petty revenge when she knows she can, and defeats the other guys (bad guys is a stretch when taken in comparison to herself) using her head and abilities. All in a much better plotted book than the first round.
So I look upon Red Delicious as something of a mixed bag. What bugged me was what drew me to the first book; perhaps a larger delay between readings would have worked in my favor. But I would assume that most who enjoyed this little monster’s story the first time around will find just as much to enjoy here, wrapped in a more coherent plot.
3 Stars
Why did I come up with a stuttering, quasi-intellectual line of bull shit when discussing what this book was about?
Because there was no way I was going to that man who raised me that I was reading about a vampire junkie chasing after a dildo made from unicorn horn while trying to stay ahead of two demon brothel owners.
Give Tierney (pen name for Caitlin R. Kiernan) one thing, never have I see such a unique quest item. Hell if this series ever gets picked up by a major studio and becomes a move they won’t have to change a single plot point when writing the inevitable porn parody that follows. The potential for a goldmine here is staggering.
Siobhan Quinn is still the most unreliable narrator in the history of fiction. She tells you she is lying, then lies to you, then lets you know that that could have been a lie as well. We met her in Blood Oranges where she had something of a Flashman vibe; seemingly the hero of the story yet vile in most ways and living on luck almost entirely. Or, not exactly living, being part vampire, but the point remains. I loved the unique style, the plot was serviceable, and the humor was absolutely top notch.
But this is definitely a series best taken in small doses. Little things that bugged in the first book itch even more while reading Red Delicious. Some of this is no doubt by design, I know going in that Quinn is entirely too self-aware of the fact that she lives in an Urban Fantasy. But she not only breaks the forth wall but tells us she is going to; and at some point this is less novel and more cartoon. Perhaps she could jump off a building but not fall until she looks down in the next book? Still, less of a complaint than an observation, it is more of the same from the first book after all.
Red Delicious has some strengths compared to the first outing though. While I enjoy Flashman (and the Warhammer equivalent Ciaphas Cain) I was glad to see Quinn gain a lot more agency this time around. She gained so much in her undead transformation it would have irked had she not figured out ways to make it work in her favor. She plots against those who seek to use her, takes petty revenge when she knows she can, and defeats the other guys (bad guys is a stretch when taken in comparison to herself) using her head and abilities. All in a much better plotted book than the first round.
So I look upon Red Delicious as something of a mixed bag. What bugged me was what drew me to the first book; perhaps a larger delay between readings would have worked in my favor. But I would assume that most who enjoyed this little monster’s story the first time around will find just as much to enjoy here, wrapped in a more coherent plot.
3 Stars
September 9, 2018
Reading the reviews on this page and bouncing back and forth between the 4-5 star accolades and the 1-2 star critiques, I actually wondered if I should split the difference at 3 stars! Did those Quinn fans see something I missed? Yes, I can see this as a stiff-arm-to-the-jaw parody of urban fantasy novels, and there's plenty of rough-tough humor, much of it directed at the reader when Quinn, the first-person narrator, again and again pulls the prose equivalent of breaking the fourth wall. And, thanks to real life, I was definitely looking for a gritty, bracing read. So I enjoyed it at first, and if it were only as long as the rather dull inserted fictional short story (yes, not a real short story, a fictional one) then I think I'd rate it higher. But the parody kept recycling itself and became so repetitive that at the end I was just glad it was over.
One of the things that dragged it down for me was really a clever idea on the author's part. Maybe you read urban fantasy because you want to identify with a heroine and fall in love with a fictional hero (or vice versa)--well, the joke's on you. Everybody in this story is someone you definitely want to stay away from! The anti-heroine, "don't call me Siobhan" Quinn, kills innocents with little more feeling than disdain for her victim, and tells the readers vulgarly what to do with themselves if they don't like her way of life. Don't expect me to be virtuous, she says, and the story works, after a fashion, with her as main character because the other important characters are all worse than she is.
But she is beholden to Mean Mr. B (who changes his surname daily) and does his dirty work on the mean streets of Providence RI (plus the Brown U. campus), and this time it gets her caught between two powerful demons, who cheerfully kidnap her into an alternate reality whenever they want a word with her, both of whom are searching for an incredibly powerful, very ancient artifact that will make them supreme, and they think she has it . The ending is fairly ingenious and quick, for which I was thankful. (You thought there would be an earth-shattering climax? The joke's on you again.)
One of the things that dragged it down for me was really a clever idea on the author's part. Maybe you read urban fantasy because you want to identify with a heroine and fall in love with a fictional hero (or vice versa)--well, the joke's on you. Everybody in this story is someone you definitely want to stay away from! The anti-heroine, "don't call me Siobhan" Quinn, kills innocents with little more feeling than disdain for her victim, and tells the readers vulgarly what to do with themselves if they don't like her way of life. Don't expect me to be virtuous, she says, and the story works, after a fashion, with her as main character because the other important characters are all worse than she is.
But she is beholden to Mean Mr. B (who changes his surname daily) and does his dirty work on the mean streets of Providence RI (plus the Brown U. campus), and this time it gets her caught between two powerful demons, who cheerfully kidnap her into an alternate reality whenever they want a word with her, both of whom are searching for an incredibly powerful, very ancient artifact that will make them supreme, and they think she has it . The ending is fairly ingenious and quick, for which I was thankful. (You thought there would be an earth-shattering climax? The joke's on you again.)
January 14, 2025
Stars: 2 out of 5
This was a letdown from book one, to be honest. I liked Quinn in the first book - she was foul-mouthed and irreverent, and as far from a typical urban fantasy protagonist as you can get. It was fun and refreshing. Unfortunately, the author went all in on that concept in this book. And this is the case in which too much good stuff spoils the brew, at least in my opinion.
Quinn is so snarky, vulgar, and unapologetically evil in this book that it stops being funny and gets rather annoying. Why would I care about what happens to her in this book if she is no better than any of the bad guys? If she is, in fact, also a bad guy who admits that she loves playing with her food and gets drunk on the terror and suffering she causes as much as on the blood she drinks? I like my anti-heroes at least somewhat redeemable. Oh, and that "yeah, I'm a monster, that's what monsters do, get over it" attitude the author chose to endow her with doesn't help much either.
My other issue is the constant breaking of the fourth wall Quinn does in her narrative. It's fun when it's done once or twice, but when it's continuous, it gets old fast. Especially when you insert a freaking short story in the middle of the story... That dampens the enjoyment just a tad.
But the biggest issue I have with this book is just how stupid all the characters are. Yes, Quinn repeated several times that a detective she ain't, but she can at least try to use her brains once in a while, no? Or all those other high and mighty demons, necromancers, and adjacent who want the magical dildo, what exactly was their thought process behind all this? Sit on their hands and wait until the artifact drops on their lap? Throw the most retarded of Mr. B's minions at it and see if she can find it? That's a bold strategy, let's see if it pays off for them.
I kept waiting for Quinn to at least try to use the few brain cells she hadn't fried with drugs in her past life to try to investigate this, but she never did. I mean, there is no real mystery in this story, no plot Quinn has to puzzle over. She just stumbles from one deus ex machina event to another (and even jokes about it, ha-ha) until she is miraculously alive in the end. And by the way, the author never even tells us how she manages that particular feat, probably because she ran out of ideas on how to make it plausible.
In the end, I was mostly irritated by the story and couldn't care less who ended up with the magical dildo. Also, why would anyone even want this thing in the first place? It's cursed. Whatever fleeting bliss it gives you, you forget the moment it's over, so what's the point?
More importantly, I grew more and more irritated with Quinn, to the point that I didn't even care how the story would have ended. I mean Quinn tells us halfway through that she survived to tell the tale, so even that suspense is gone out of the narrative.
As it stands, I have no desire to pick up the next book in the series. I believe that Siobhan Quinn and I will be parting ways right here.
This was a letdown from book one, to be honest. I liked Quinn in the first book - she was foul-mouthed and irreverent, and as far from a typical urban fantasy protagonist as you can get. It was fun and refreshing. Unfortunately, the author went all in on that concept in this book. And this is the case in which too much good stuff spoils the brew, at least in my opinion.
Quinn is so snarky, vulgar, and unapologetically evil in this book that it stops being funny and gets rather annoying. Why would I care about what happens to her in this book if she is no better than any of the bad guys? If she is, in fact, also a bad guy who admits that she loves playing with her food and gets drunk on the terror and suffering she causes as much as on the blood she drinks? I like my anti-heroes at least somewhat redeemable. Oh, and that "yeah, I'm a monster, that's what monsters do, get over it" attitude the author chose to endow her with doesn't help much either.
My other issue is the constant breaking of the fourth wall Quinn does in her narrative. It's fun when it's done once or twice, but when it's continuous, it gets old fast. Especially when you insert a freaking short story in the middle of the story... That dampens the enjoyment just a tad.
But the biggest issue I have with this book is just how stupid all the characters are. Yes, Quinn repeated several times that a detective she ain't, but she can at least try to use her brains once in a while, no? Or all those other high and mighty demons, necromancers, and adjacent who want the magical dildo, what exactly was their thought process behind all this? Sit on their hands and wait until the artifact drops on their lap? Throw the most retarded of Mr. B's minions at it and see if she can find it? That's a bold strategy, let's see if it pays off for them.
I kept waiting for Quinn to at least try to use the few brain cells she hadn't fried with drugs in her past life to try to investigate this, but she never did. I mean, there is no real mystery in this story, no plot Quinn has to puzzle over. She just stumbles from one deus ex machina event to another (and even jokes about it, ha-ha) until she is miraculously alive in the end. And by the way, the author never even tells us how she manages that particular feat, probably because she ran out of ideas on how to make it plausible.
In the end, I was mostly irritated by the story and couldn't care less who ended up with the magical dildo. Also, why would anyone even want this thing in the first place? It's cursed. Whatever fleeting bliss it gives you, you forget the moment it's over, so what's the point?
More importantly, I grew more and more irritated with Quinn, to the point that I didn't even care how the story would have ended. I mean Quinn tells us halfway through that she survived to tell the tale, so even that suspense is gone out of the narrative.
As it stands, I have no desire to pick up the next book in the series. I believe that Siobhan Quinn and I will be parting ways right here.
May 22, 2014
I have long been a fan of Caitlin Kiernan's work. Her Lovecraft pastiches honor and occasionally transcend the source material, her comic book work is filled with wild invention, her early novels are linguistically daring and preference atmosphere over plot and are all the better for it, and The Red Tree and The Drowning Girl have as much artistic merit as anything that has been published in the last ten years. The Siobhan Quinn novels are a different kettle of fish entirely.
It's not quite fair to say that Caitlin Kiernan is slumming it with these novels, but her aims are certainly lower than most of what she has written. Even a casual reader of her blog and social network output would know that she has an rather adversarial relationship with the paranormal romance/urban fantasy sub-genre. Her publisher often attempted to market her novels in that category much to the ire of her fans, paranormal romance/urban fantasy fans, and the author herself. The result, after years of this, is the Siobhan Quinn trilogy, which is at its core an extended piss take on the tropes of the genre. Red Delicious, as with Blood Oranges before it, is a ripping adventure infused with all the frustration, contempt and bile that the author has toward the romanticisation of monsters. And it is wicked good fun.
Additionally, in Red Delicious, Caitlin Kiernan also aims her sights on a particular brand of internet critic, many of whom inhabit Amazon and . . . er . . . Goodreads. Throughout the novel, Siobhan Quinn breaks the fourth wall to address the hows and whys of the way in which she tells her story, and she never fails to end these explanations with a hearty "fuck yourself if you don't like it". This made me smile each and every time it happened.
Finally, Red Delicious also made me drunk on profanity, an experience I've rarely had outside of watching Deadwood, Spartacus, or Dexter. It's not something to indulge in daily, but a good profanity bender is a fine thing indeed.
It's not quite fair to say that Caitlin Kiernan is slumming it with these novels, but her aims are certainly lower than most of what she has written. Even a casual reader of her blog and social network output would know that she has an rather adversarial relationship with the paranormal romance/urban fantasy sub-genre. Her publisher often attempted to market her novels in that category much to the ire of her fans, paranormal romance/urban fantasy fans, and the author herself. The result, after years of this, is the Siobhan Quinn trilogy, which is at its core an extended piss take on the tropes of the genre. Red Delicious, as with Blood Oranges before it, is a ripping adventure infused with all the frustration, contempt and bile that the author has toward the romanticisation of monsters. And it is wicked good fun.
Additionally, in Red Delicious, Caitlin Kiernan also aims her sights on a particular brand of internet critic, many of whom inhabit Amazon and . . . er . . . Goodreads. Throughout the novel, Siobhan Quinn breaks the fourth wall to address the hows and whys of the way in which she tells her story, and she never fails to end these explanations with a hearty "fuck yourself if you don't like it". This made me smile each and every time it happened.
Finally, Red Delicious also made me drunk on profanity, an experience I've rarely had outside of watching Deadwood, Spartacus, or Dexter. It's not something to indulge in daily, but a good profanity bender is a fine thing indeed.
February 23, 2014
4 Stars
“Sooner or later, a junkie’s gotta fix, and sooner or later, a predator’s gotta kill. These are words to live by, golden rules, maxims in the great, wide, uncaring shitstorm of life. And undeath. And I hadn’t gotten a red delicious fix since the day I’d been sent off to my meet-and-greet with Berenice Maidstone and Lenore the Goth and their shuffling zombie entourage.”
Red Delicious by Kathleen Tierney / Caitlin Kiernan is a fun darker second story in her Siobhan Quinn series. This is Urban Fantasy done in a way that makes it a guilty pleasure of mine. Our twice dead heroine is back and she is angrier, nastier, and unapologetic than before.
This book does a good job at showing how through staying true to her bad ass routes that Quinn was able to juggle playing 5 parties at one time. As the story threads kept piling on top of one another, I never thought that Kiernan would be able to close each of them out without going over into the totally ridiculous and unimaginable. I was pleasantly surprised that she pulled it off as did Quinn.
The format of the story telling has gotten bolder. Quinn is penning these stories for us to read and she takes many shortcuts without ever being apologetic. Time frame shifts, action scenes, and backstory are all cut short with little more than creative blah blah blah. Normally this would be a deal breaker for me and most readers but for the case of Quinn, it works. I enjoy the fact that her writing and storytelling are done the same way that which she lives her life…on the edge.
Example of the style:
“You don’t need to hear the step-by-step trek (again, again, again) across the city. But I was surprised the Maidstone sisters were still squatting in the room above the deli on Atwells. Seemed pretty goddamn dumb to me.”
I love Caitlin Kiernan.
Read her works!
“Sooner or later, a junkie’s gotta fix, and sooner or later, a predator’s gotta kill. These are words to live by, golden rules, maxims in the great, wide, uncaring shitstorm of life. And undeath. And I hadn’t gotten a red delicious fix since the day I’d been sent off to my meet-and-greet with Berenice Maidstone and Lenore the Goth and their shuffling zombie entourage.”
Red Delicious by Kathleen Tierney / Caitlin Kiernan is a fun darker second story in her Siobhan Quinn series. This is Urban Fantasy done in a way that makes it a guilty pleasure of mine. Our twice dead heroine is back and she is angrier, nastier, and unapologetic than before.
This book does a good job at showing how through staying true to her bad ass routes that Quinn was able to juggle playing 5 parties at one time. As the story threads kept piling on top of one another, I never thought that Kiernan would be able to close each of them out without going over into the totally ridiculous and unimaginable. I was pleasantly surprised that she pulled it off as did Quinn.
The format of the story telling has gotten bolder. Quinn is penning these stories for us to read and she takes many shortcuts without ever being apologetic. Time frame shifts, action scenes, and backstory are all cut short with little more than creative blah blah blah. Normally this would be a deal breaker for me and most readers but for the case of Quinn, it works. I enjoy the fact that her writing and storytelling are done the same way that which she lives her life…on the edge.
Example of the style:
“You don’t need to hear the step-by-step trek (again, again, again) across the city. But I was surprised the Maidstone sisters were still squatting in the room above the deli on Atwells. Seemed pretty goddamn dumb to me.”
I love Caitlin Kiernan.
Read her works!
March 25, 2014
While I hate to give anything by Kiernan less than three stars, and while Red Delicious has the potential to be a funny, great book, the author kind of seems to hate what she's writing. There's a lot of jabs at paranormal romance as a genre, and at the romantification of vampires and werewolves, two very valid points. But by a lot, I mean A LOT. So....why are you writing it? Contracts, I guess?
I think if Kiernan had stayed away from too much broke-the-fourth-wall, "this is how monsters really are" schlocky stuff, this could have been a really funny and pointed send up of the genre she's satirizing because it is, in fact, about a magical dildo. I mean, what more do you need? I just felt the point was driven home a few too many times.
I think if Kiernan had stayed away from too much broke-the-fourth-wall, "this is how monsters really are" schlocky stuff, this could have been a really funny and pointed send up of the genre she's satirizing because it is, in fact, about a magical dildo. I mean, what more do you need? I just felt the point was driven home a few too many times.
February 26, 2014
I have loved Caitlin R. Kiernan's work ever since I read "The Girl Who Would Be Death". And, then, along came "Threshold" and, from page one of that book, I knew she would become one of my favourite writers. Reading "Red Delicious", I figured out why I liked the Quinn novels as much as I do. It's not only because she's "taking back the language of the night", as she says. It's mainly because she's giving it back to us, as well. She's giving us back our monsters the way they should be: scary, terrifying and inhuman. I love the humour and the meta-comments as much as the next girl, but more than that, I love that Siobhan Quinn offers me, as a reader, the darkness I long for. A lot of contemporary speculative fiction has a tendency of de-fantascizing fantasy and I know I've written this before, but it's true. The monsters are not monsters anymore and fantasy readers ask for realism. I'm not one of those readers. I'm one of those people who crave the night and I'm extremely thankful to writers like Caitlin R. Kiernan for giving it back to us.
Read
June 1, 2020Still love my Quinn Lass. This book didn’t pull me in as much as BLOOD ORANGES did, but it was still highly enjoyable. Quinn’s voice—thickly laden with tough talk, sarcasm, wit, and apathy—kept me listening and smiling.
My only (minor) problem was with the uneven narration. The narrator switched accents on Mean Mr. B from the last book, and I miss the old one. This accent is decidedly Old Southern (New Orleans-esque), but the dialogue (words like “arse” and “git” strike me as much more British than Southern American) suggests he should be British. There were a couple other minor inconsistencies with accents that threw me off. Otherwise, Amber Benson’s narration was spot on.
Looking forward to reading the final book in this series.
My only (minor) problem was with the uneven narration. The narrator switched accents on Mean Mr. B from the last book, and I miss the old one. This accent is decidedly Old Southern (New Orleans-esque), but the dialogue (words like “arse” and “git” strike me as much more British than Southern American) suggests he should be British. There were a couple other minor inconsistencies with accents that threw me off. Otherwise, Amber Benson’s narration was spot on.
Looking forward to reading the final book in this series.
April 10, 2014
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.
Sam Spade with blood on her teeth, Quinn is the sort of fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants, ask-questions-later, non-detective detective that busts the genre wide open. Sex, violence, and mythology are all part of the story, but bent through Quinn’s own one of a kind prism. This Siobhan Quinn book isn’t horror or urban fantasy or mystery, but rather a horrifying, fantastical heroine who finds herself embroiled in a mystery.
As a fan of both urban fantasy and mysteries, it can be uncomfortable watching Quinn slice open tropes and play with their entrails. An unreliable narrator who vacillates between the ugly and the uglier truth, I still found myself on her side. Through some mysterious, profane alchemy, even though I never trusted Quinn, never felt like she was making good decisions, heck, never even felt like the moment to moment train-wreck that was this “investigation” was building to any cohesive whole, I cared about Quinn herself. There is something compelling about how she pokes at her own wounds, some undefinable slight of the hand that gives the sense that for every brutal, honest time Quinn lays out her flaws, and they are many, the very act of doing so makes her worth caring about.
I spent so much of RED DELICIOUS puzzling over why I like Quinn, I was blindsided by her actions at the very end. Not the violence and risks, no, but by the personal growth I never saw coming. Just when I thought I had figured out my fascination with this dry, profane woman, Tierney gave her a trajectory I can’t resist. I will definitely be back for book three.
Sexual content: References to sex.
Sam Spade with blood on her teeth, Quinn is the sort of fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants, ask-questions-later, non-detective detective that busts the genre wide open. Sex, violence, and mythology are all part of the story, but bent through Quinn’s own one of a kind prism. This Siobhan Quinn book isn’t horror or urban fantasy or mystery, but rather a horrifying, fantastical heroine who finds herself embroiled in a mystery.
As a fan of both urban fantasy and mysteries, it can be uncomfortable watching Quinn slice open tropes and play with their entrails. An unreliable narrator who vacillates between the ugly and the uglier truth, I still found myself on her side. Through some mysterious, profane alchemy, even though I never trusted Quinn, never felt like she was making good decisions, heck, never even felt like the moment to moment train-wreck that was this “investigation” was building to any cohesive whole, I cared about Quinn herself. There is something compelling about how she pokes at her own wounds, some undefinable slight of the hand that gives the sense that for every brutal, honest time Quinn lays out her flaws, and they are many, the very act of doing so makes her worth caring about.
I spent so much of RED DELICIOUS puzzling over why I like Quinn, I was blindsided by her actions at the very end. Not the violence and risks, no, but by the personal growth I never saw coming. Just when I thought I had figured out my fascination with this dry, profane woman, Tierney gave her a trajectory I can’t resist. I will definitely be back for book three.
Sexual content: References to sex.
June 8, 2014
When reading this series I keep asking myself: "who is the intended audience for this???" The answer to that question is still rather obscure but the truth is that it must be me, because I adore them. Villainous "heroine", intentional disregard for literary convention, apparently meant to be goofy plotting, and all. Stretches my sense of what to expect from fiction, especially the very often formulaic genre of urban fantasy. I enjoy something different and a little unpredictable, and there is much humor contained within, as long as you don't mind the lack of sweetynice characters. The closest to nice in here is a greedy, cowardly troll, haha!
June 29, 2017
Lightning did not strike twice for me on this one. The second time around, the joke just wasn't funny any more. instead of coming across with a wink and a nod, this book felt like a bitter, nasty attack, as if the author didn't really want to do it again, but the demand was there. Of course I have no way of knowing. The character of Siobahn Quinn is a single cacophonous note that Tierney hammers relentlessly for the entire fucking book. She is one dimensional and tedious, and the shitty attitude isn't just aimed at other characters in this imaginary world, but at the reader as well, which seems to also cross over into Tierney (Kiernan) spewing venom at people who have reviewed her other books in ways she doesn't like. There are easily a half dozen moments like this
Who is speaking here? The character or the author? That is some high-grade pre-emptive defensiveness. No matter how a reader reacts, Tierney is safe, cause she's already gone on the attack, pretty much daring people to dislike the book.
There was a potentially interesting section in which she embedded a short story in the novel, with the premise that it was published in Weird Tales in 1935, but she started off by addressing the reader in a whiny, passive-aggressive, insulting manner. To top it off, the writing style in the short story was no fucking different from the rest of the novel, so it didn't read like it came from that publication in that time period at all. And worse, the main character was essentially exactly the same as Siobahn just with a different name.
Throw in a few quotes like "her voice soft as a bedbug's fart" and "tumbled out of the ugly tree and hit every limb on the way down." and I'm left without much good to say about this book. I did like the various musical references, so that's something.
Go ahead. Stop reading. Feel free to "throw the book across the room." That's your prerogative, and I say again, it sure as shit won't hurt my feelings.
Who is speaking here? The character or the author? That is some high-grade pre-emptive defensiveness. No matter how a reader reacts, Tierney is safe, cause she's already gone on the attack, pretty much daring people to dislike the book.
There was a potentially interesting section in which she embedded a short story in the novel, with the premise that it was published in Weird Tales in 1935, but she started off by addressing the reader in a whiny, passive-aggressive, insulting manner. To top it off, the writing style in the short story was no fucking different from the rest of the novel, so it didn't read like it came from that publication in that time period at all. And worse, the main character was essentially exactly the same as Siobahn just with a different name.
Throw in a few quotes like "her voice soft as a bedbug's fart" and "tumbled out of the ugly tree and hit every limb on the way down." and I'm left without much good to say about this book. I did like the various musical references, so that's something.
June 21, 2019
This series is deliciouly dark and real. I am liking the way the author is portraying our MC - she is a gutsy, take-no-prisoners, one-of-a-kind. There is magic, and grit and drama, and revolting things, crass talk and action - add in the trolls, vampires, shifters...etc and you have quite a nice bit of world building. I am onto book 3.,
October 11, 2017
Loved the second book so action packed our heroine has now been put between the conflict of finding an artifact made from the horn of a unicorn. i just loved the second book and cant wait for the third book.
March 28, 2024
3.5 stars.
This book is written very well just like the previous one, the baddies in this one were less interesting tho and felt very similar.. the book is still fast paced and fun to read tho, if you love the game vampire the masquerade you will probably love this series, fun read for sure.
This book is written very well just like the previous one, the baddies in this one were less interesting tho and felt very similar.. the book is still fast paced and fun to read tho, if you love the game vampire the masquerade you will probably love this series, fun read for sure.
October 23, 2019
4.5 stars
October 5, 2020
My expectations were low after book one, so this wasn't too bad. The plot and writing style flowed a bit better. I found myself still hoping the main character was killed off the entire story, but I was a little less annoyed when she survived in this book. I guess she grew on me somewhat.
February 24, 2014
Quinn is back. She is now a were/vampire hybrid and ex-heroin junkie. She’s still working for B. He sends her off to help the Maidstone twins. Amity Maidstone, a necromancer, has gone missing. After visiting Amity’s sister Quinn isn’t quite convinced she is really missing. As she reminds us, she isn’t a detective. A bigger plot ends up encompassing the novel and Quinn gets pushed between two very nasty demons. How she is going to weave herself out of this one and stay alive is anyone’s guess.
Red Delicious is the second novel in Kathleen Tierney’s (Caitlín R. Kiernan) Siobhan Quinn series. The story is told in first person, written by Quinn. These books come with a warning label for those easily offended. Luckily I’m not one of those people. I enjoy a foul mouthed, pissed at the world, and murdering heroine-who isn’t exactly even a hero of any sort. This is pulp goodness with a middle finger salute to the overly dense characterization in many urban fantasy novels (That’s how I took it, as I cheered on the inside).
The story starts with Quinn getting attacked by a sort of ex-priest. She then checks on the missing necromancer. Except the story morphs into something else when a magic dildo (yep, magic dildo) becomes a major issue. There is an inclusion of The Maltese Unicorn, a short story, which explains the magic dildo. The short story is just plain awesome sauce and happened to make me giggle. In fact I spent a lot of time giggling throughout the novel, maybe more than the previous novel, Blood Oranges.
I’ve mentioned that the novel is pulp, and in that fashion it’s a quick read. Real life got in the way as I was reading the start, but the middle to the end I read in one sitting. Maybe I got up once for a drink or something of that nature.
Wow! For me this is a short review, but the novel is short. It’s no secret that I love Kiernan’s work, which is usually, well, very different than this. I also love her as Tierney. I thought about putting down quotes, but all of my favorites are laced with a loving F-bomb. Something about censoring that tears at my F-bomb loving heart. Now is when you should ask, why not the perfect score? Because I wanted more, because there was a few recurring things from Blood Oranges, and because the start of the novel was a little slow for me. I know, it might have just been that real life kicking me around, but those are my reasons.
If you’re eyes are here it’s because you’re unsure if you should pick up the series/read this installment or you’re another reviewer seeing what someone else thought. If you read the first book and didn’t enjoy it, and mostly that might be for the language, the grit, and the insulting narrator (all things I loved) then probably not. Red Delicious has much more of all that. If you haven’t started the series and are thinking about it based on what I’ve said about hybrids, F-bombs, magic dildos, and insulting narrators then yes. Yes, you should and you’ll love it.
- Beth
Red Delicious is the second novel in Kathleen Tierney’s (Caitlín R. Kiernan) Siobhan Quinn series. The story is told in first person, written by Quinn. These books come with a warning label for those easily offended. Luckily I’m not one of those people. I enjoy a foul mouthed, pissed at the world, and murdering heroine-who isn’t exactly even a hero of any sort. This is pulp goodness with a middle finger salute to the overly dense characterization in many urban fantasy novels (That’s how I took it, as I cheered on the inside).
The story starts with Quinn getting attacked by a sort of ex-priest. She then checks on the missing necromancer. Except the story morphs into something else when a magic dildo (yep, magic dildo) becomes a major issue. There is an inclusion of The Maltese Unicorn, a short story, which explains the magic dildo. The short story is just plain awesome sauce and happened to make me giggle. In fact I spent a lot of time giggling throughout the novel, maybe more than the previous novel, Blood Oranges.
I’ve mentioned that the novel is pulp, and in that fashion it’s a quick read. Real life got in the way as I was reading the start, but the middle to the end I read in one sitting. Maybe I got up once for a drink or something of that nature.
Wow! For me this is a short review, but the novel is short. It’s no secret that I love Kiernan’s work, which is usually, well, very different than this. I also love her as Tierney. I thought about putting down quotes, but all of my favorites are laced with a loving F-bomb. Something about censoring that tears at my F-bomb loving heart. Now is when you should ask, why not the perfect score? Because I wanted more, because there was a few recurring things from Blood Oranges, and because the start of the novel was a little slow for me. I know, it might have just been that real life kicking me around, but those are my reasons.
If you’re eyes are here it’s because you’re unsure if you should pick up the series/read this installment or you’re another reviewer seeing what someone else thought. If you read the first book and didn’t enjoy it, and mostly that might be for the language, the grit, and the insulting narrator (all things I loved) then probably not. Red Delicious has much more of all that. If you haven’t started the series and are thinking about it based on what I’ve said about hybrids, F-bombs, magic dildos, and insulting narrators then yes. Yes, you should and you’ll love it.
- Beth
February 2, 2016
I really enjoyed the novelty of Quinn's character in her first book, Blood Oranges, but by the time I finished Red Delicious, I'd had more than enough of her. Quinn herself, as the first person narrator of the books, would say she doesn't care, and that I can go ahead and stop reading her books and it makes no difference to her. And then she would say it again. And again. And to me it became a case of "the lady doth protest too much".
Quinn also has a habit of saying things along the lines of "I know good books aren't supposed to have these kinds of plot holes, but that's too bad, this is my real life, and I ain't no writer." This is also something she says ad nauseum in Red Delicious. The time or two this kind of statement was made in the first book, it was an interesting novelty and the plot still managed to stand pretty well despite these honestly uttered caveats. But in this second installment I felt the author leaned much too heavily on this mechanism. Admitting that you're using deus ex machina or that your characters are being inexplicably stupid/short sighted only gets your forgiven for doing these things so many times.
I would imagine that, despite what Quinn chants, that Kathleen Tierney does care about what her readers think. But under the weight of Quinn's voice, I couldn't really tell. I'm glad you don't care, Quinn, 'cuz I'm out.
Quinn also has a habit of saying things along the lines of "I know good books aren't supposed to have these kinds of plot holes, but that's too bad, this is my real life, and I ain't no writer." This is also something she says ad nauseum in Red Delicious. The time or two this kind of statement was made in the first book, it was an interesting novelty and the plot still managed to stand pretty well despite these honestly uttered caveats. But in this second installment I felt the author leaned much too heavily on this mechanism. Admitting that you're using deus ex machina or that your characters are being inexplicably stupid/short sighted only gets your forgiven for doing these things so many times.
I would imagine that, despite what Quinn chants, that Kathleen Tierney does care about what her readers think. But under the weight of Quinn's voice, I couldn't really tell. I'm glad you don't care, Quinn, 'cuz I'm out.
April 2, 2014
I've been a fan of the author for a long time -- she normally writes what I would call dark fantasy, stories of pain and mystery where the answers are not easily discernible if they are provided at all -- and I love that the author has written some books (these Quinn books) that should appeal to folks who are fans of monster hunters or urban fantasy or whatever you want to call it. Main stream, you might say. The Quinn books are fun, and this one even tops the first one. Quinn is deliciously noncommittal, full of smart-assed pessimism which fuels her dry, dark sense of humor. I can only smile as I read along. The author is so damn good that she can simultaneously poke fun at the genre while doing a bang up job with it. I love the mythology, the dialogue, the action and surprises. Quinn isn't a character you can love, but she doesn't care whether you lover her or not. Love it.
The only issue I have with these books are the endings...I don't want to give out any spoilers, but the endings are just there and gone. Too fast and easy. In retrospect, the books do move fast, so I suppose it shouldn't be a big surprise.
In any case, Red Delicious is definitely worth your time and money.
The only issue I have with these books are the endings...I don't want to give out any spoilers, but the endings are just there and gone. Too fast and easy. In retrospect, the books do move fast, so I suppose it shouldn't be a big surprise.
In any case, Red Delicious is definitely worth your time and money.
April 19, 2014
In fairness to the author, I haven't read the first Siobhan Quinn book and it's always an iffy proposition to jump into a series midstream -- assuming two books a stream does make... Also, I'm not a big fan of Urban Horror -- or Horror in general, for that matter. So this was going to be an uphill slog from the get-go.
With that said, the vulgarity-spewing, don't-give-a-shit, all-your-preconceived-notions-about-'nasties'-are-wrong, tough-dyke main character just didn't work for me. It's not that it couldn't work -- in fact, that's what gave me the courage to crack the cover on this one: the 'this is not your typical monster/monster-hunter/person-unceremoniously-cursed-and-or-endowed-with-magical-powers/etc/etc/etc' promise.
Unfortunately, The Attitude can be difficult to pull off so that it forms the backdrop to, rather than the purpose for, the character. Richard Kadrey's Sandman Slim makes it work (imo) but here it falls flat.
I got to page 50 and was going to shoot for my 50%-plus-a-page rule, but forcing my way through another 84 pages didn't seem worth the effort...
August 12, 2014
Becoming entangled in underworld politics may be hazardous to Siobhan’s life in this thrilling urban fantasy. The author has created a dark urban fantasy with her own spin to the supernatural and paranormal world that certainly makes the reader take notice and this story was certainly kept me on my toes with lots of surprising twists. However, I found that the story jumped around rather abruptly and made me feel as if I was missing something and Siobhan speaking directly to the reader kind of threw me off the story and I couldn’t get as caught up in it as I would have liked. So unfortunately this series would not be for me, but like I said the author created a fantastic world and made Siobhan seem like a real life person, so I can certainly see where others would enjoy the story.
See my full review at:
http://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Rev...
See my full review at:
http://www.nightowlreviews.com/v5/Rev...
February 17, 2014
The second Quinn novel continues the almost parody of the supernatural avenger/heroine novel, taking a more realistic view of the heroine. Instead of her supernatural powers being a be-all solution to her problems, they are more often a hinderance.
This is also a traditional detective novel, with the characters chasing after a Macguffin. In this case there ends up being a lot of interested parties, and a lot of magic being thrown about, with poor Quinn in the middle.
And as she frequently says, Quinn is NOT a detective. So things get very very messy.
I like Quinn's somewhat sarcastic voice, and the characters are quite entertaining. The plot holds up, mostly, tho the end is a bit of a surprise. Still, good book and one I'd recommend.
This is also a traditional detective novel, with the characters chasing after a Macguffin. In this case there ends up being a lot of interested parties, and a lot of magic being thrown about, with poor Quinn in the middle.
And as she frequently says, Quinn is NOT a detective. So things get very very messy.
I like Quinn's somewhat sarcastic voice, and the characters are quite entertaining. The plot holds up, mostly, tho the end is a bit of a surprise. Still, good book and one I'd recommend.
February 6, 2014
I liked this book a lot and it’s one of those that, when I finish I am all (F$%&, is there more? Is there going to be more? I hope there is) I mean, Quinn has immortality (up to what I know with the vampires that have surpassed the limit even though without their lady bits) and there are, at least,a lot of years ahead for her, and the only thing I keep thinking is that I want her to be supreme leader of everything that’s nasty, or work her way up there, thanks for the book i enjoyed it, though the short story inside a novel did leave me kind of annoyed but well it helped to the entirety of the story.
July 6, 2014
Here comes another sequel to a book I didn't review the first time around. Siobhan Quinn (don't call her Siobhan) is a vampire/werewolf hitwoman. She's also a junkie who traded heroin for human blood and a monthly transformation into a hairy beast. She occasionally works for a supernatural information broker as a hitwoman. This time, he plumbs her for a gig as a detective, first looking for a necromancer's missing daughter, then sussing out the whereabouts of a mystic gewgaw.
Quinn is rude and crude, but well-spoken for a monster of her pedigree. I wasn't sure if I could take another of these, but I will read them as long as Ms. Kiernan (aka Tierney) cranks them out.
Quinn is rude and crude, but well-spoken for a monster of her pedigree. I wasn't sure if I could take another of these, but I will read them as long as Ms. Kiernan (aka Tierney) cranks them out.
August 7, 2014
There were some concepts that I actually liked in this book. The gritty realistic depiction of vampires. The death scenes that had nothing at all to do with sex. The fact that the book is about a quest for a magical dildo. The story however just kind of sucks.
Story may be too strong a word to describe it. It's more like a series of events that make no real sense, mostly the book is filled with her explaining to you how much more real this vampire book is than all other vampire books. She also seems to enjoy breaking the rules of writing and telling you that that's what she's doing as she dose it.
Story may be too strong a word to describe it. It's more like a series of events that make no real sense, mostly the book is filled with her explaining to you how much more real this vampire book is than all other vampire books. She also seems to enjoy breaking the rules of writing and telling you that that's what she's doing as she dose it.
September 2, 2014
Quirky second book about half-vampire, half-werewolf Siobhan Quinn. I love the unusual writing style and to say the book is different is an understatement. Ms. Quinn isn't a nice monster, rather she has embraced her dark side and is just doing what she can to survive when somehow she gets entangled between her creepy boss, two demon madams from another dimension, two necromancer sisters, a hateful vampire hunting priest, and a dildo made from a unicorn horn. The author breaks the fourth wall fairly often making the tale even more surreal than it already sounds. I will be happy to pick up the third installment of the twice-dead, twice-damned Siobhan Quinn when it's out next year.
August 31, 2014
I am so behind in my reviews.
I read the second Quinn novel directly on the heels of the first. I'm happy to say this one completely put the first book in the dust. I can't quite place why... maybe Quinn seemed more of a likable character that the cliche mess she was originally supposed to be?
Caitlin R. Kiernan originally set out to completely mock the paranormal tough chick genre. In "Red Delicious", even she couldn't hate her character enough to not make her a great character. She tried hard enough in "Blood Oranges" to make me not care about Quinn, but here Kiernan decided, wisely, to just write a good novel.
I have no complaint with her decision.
I read the second Quinn novel directly on the heels of the first. I'm happy to say this one completely put the first book in the dust. I can't quite place why... maybe Quinn seemed more of a likable character that the cliche mess she was originally supposed to be?
Caitlin R. Kiernan originally set out to completely mock the paranormal tough chick genre. In "Red Delicious", even she couldn't hate her character enough to not make her a great character. She tried hard enough in "Blood Oranges" to make me not care about Quinn, but here Kiernan decided, wisely, to just write a good novel.
I have no complaint with her decision.
September 7, 2014
I've enjoyed Caitlin Kiernan's other novels over the years, so I'm not sure why it took me so long to pick up these two (possibly because now I have to wait?), but I'm glad I finally did. I think Red Delicious is one of the most amusing low-fantasy black humor novels I've ever read. It reminded me a bit of Jim Butcher, only a lot funnier, and whereas Harry Dresden is a nice guy (sometimes annoyingly so), Quinn is most decidedly not a nice gal - which makes her more believable (if a werepire can be believable) and also, hilarious.
Blood Oranges had its funny moments, but I laughed all the way through this one. Even the basic plot itself was a hoot. I really hope there's a #3.
Blood Oranges had its funny moments, but I laughed all the way through this one. Even the basic plot itself was a hoot. I really hope there's a #3.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews