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Second, maybe third book I’ve read by Coates, and I usually like the eclectic collection of characters that roam her pages. This time deep cold water is involved. Still a hot summer so the chill is welcome.

Abagail’s Gethsemane by Wayne Brady and Maurice Broaddus
I am so content now.
Someone tacked Abigail’s story for us.
And it’s everything it should be.
Lordy! Still wiping the tears away!
Her grace and strength flow from the words!

This book ranks right up there with Maberry’s Joe Ledger flair with its gruesome science chaos but without the huge clean-it-up brawn and tech team. Gov screws up and the locals have to figure it out. Much closer to what we’d really expect from ourselves.

Usman T. Malik’s The Mosque At The End of The World
So fantastic! The diversity displayed by this collection of stories. Malik’s story brings to life another end of the world and drives home how much alike we all are. We all want to survive to the next day. Lovely story with incredible imagery!

Still in the Other Verses.
Still giggling too loudly,especially over Certain Maxims Of Hafiz and also The Undertaker’s Horse.

From the chapter The Killer:
“Why burn what you can use?” said Gorm. “A few strokes of the chisel will change these miserable statues into Mother War, and at once we have raised a mighty temple to her! A fitting gift for she that has given her favored son the whole Shattered Sea…”

King Gorm…soon to wed Queen Skara, or will he. Raith as just done something very “Game of Thrones”-like. ☠️

Paul Tremblay’s The Story I Tell Is The Story Of Some Of Us
Interesting use of the word “fulcrum”.
Not that I disagree with it.
Commendable usage.
It’s a cool thing. Like a boss down D chord.

She doesn’t doesn’t know what they are but she thinks she knows where they come from!!!
So do I!!!!

And more Other Verses.
I love The Ballad of Fisher’s Boarding House!
Anne of Austria…Hans the blue-eyed Dane…Salem Hardieker, a lean Bostonian…it’s in the names!

Shattered Sea? Shattered people. All of the main characters are beginning to crack their molds. Some due to the good surfacing. Others? Not so much.

Other Verses continued.
Christmas in India…the work seems like it should be sung.
Can’t help wondering if it has ever been set to music.

Almost at the end of the Shattered Sea epic.
Three books.
Countless battles.
Incredible journeys.
Almost over….one more oath to fulfill.

The Boat Man by Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes
This one grabs you and holds on, squeezing your heart, shortening your breath. My grip on the book made my poor fingers hurt!

Hybrids…Will we ever tire of monstrously hideous hybrids?

Continuing Other Verses, I recall reading The Rival many years ago.
It’s cute and funny.
Again you have to shelve your easily offended side to read Kipling. He spares no one’s feelings.

From the chapter Another Kind Of Steel:

“Her hand was on her dagger’s grip. She could have drawn it. Could have sent him through the Last Door with a flick of her wrist. She had dreamed of it often enough.”

Young Queen Skara finally allowed to face the dying warrior who burned her kingdom to ashes, but she is deep-cunning.

V. Castro’s Across The Pond
A solid story that many readers will relish, especially for its strong sexuality and role-reversal concepts.
Not my thing but I still appreciate the bodaciously forceful consummation at the end. (Does anyone say “bodacious” anymore? Felt it was appropriately used here.)

DARPA…how writers love thee!!!
Too many ways to count!
From Stephen King’s Derry to Jonathon Maberry’s Patient Zero…and so many more!!!!
Love them all and Shea has me hooked here.

Started “Other Verses” section
Turn of phrase is what Kipling does best.

From La Nuit Blanche-
“I observed a camel crawl,
Laws of gravitation scorning,
On the ceiling and the wall”

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Father Yarvi’s oaths are set to burn vengeance.
One king is dead.
Another stands to win a Queen.
But a tower has fallen, and ten thousand wait to pour through….
Oh, the teeth clench while the swords and axes swing.

Rio Youers’ Keep The Devil Down
At first I thought CHRISTINE❤️❤️❤️
But then, no, more like THE CAR (1977)💕💕💕
Both…neither…maybe THOMAS THE TANK ENGINEER SAVES THE WORLD❣️❣️❣️
Great concept and characters!
Keeping the devil down was ambitious!

This is a rocking and rolling monster book!!!
Perfect for summer reading!!!

Marmaduke? Did they just use Marmaduke to describe the pony-sized dogs?🤣🤣🤣

Finished the section on Departmental Ditties.
My favorite was A Code Of Morals.
Who doesn’t love a poem about “that most immoral man”
General Bangs❣️❣️❣️❣️

And so, the hero of the first Shattered Sea book becomes corrupted by the very oaths he made to bring those down who killed his father.
Corruption by power…uncontrollable power.
It’s a theme that never grows old.
Am I right❓❓❓

The Legion of Swine by S.A.Cosby
I think something failed in the editing of this story. Four children, but one’s left off.
Also, the whole thing felt artificial and contrived.
Big let down given the writer and editors.

Noticed a couple of minor editing misses in other stories but nothing glaringly off as in this one.

Yes! YES!
Saw where Jonathon Maberry gave this author a 👍 so had to check it out. Summer’s all about finding new ways to chew up the hot days! Two folks already chewed up and looking good for more!

Halfway through the Departmental Ditties.
Giggling too loud. Had to stop so my husband could sleep 😂❣️
Why read Kipling? Recently saw the movie Gunga Din (1935, I think; not the first time I’ve seen it) and giggled through it too. If you’ve never seen it, you’ve missed a great Cary Grant movie 🎥 based on a Kipling work 📚
But shelve your easily offended nature. It was the time of Empires.

Storyline has split in two directions and still hold firm. Battle action on one side and mystery seeking on the other. The balance is sublime.