kmusser

Time for a couple of book review. I'm a sucker for fantasy set in time periods other than the usual generic medievalish setting, which both of these qualify.

Jonathon Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

This is an awesome book. Set in a Regency era England in which magic used to work and shaped England's history, but has been defunct for the past 400 years. Along come two magicians that can practice magic and who are set on restoring the tradition of English magic. Naturally they do not get along all that well, plus there is a particularly nasty fairie meddling in their lives. I especially enjoyed the scenes of magic being used in the Napoleanic wars, and the books depiction of Faerie. Recommended for anyone that likes fantasy, historical fiction, or Changeling.

Iron Council by China Mieville

This is set in the same steam punkish, early industrial setting of Perdido Street Station and The Scar, though the plot isn't really related. I found it a little less crack-laden than Perdido (like being less crazy than Pat Robertson). It's about socialist revolution and a railroad workers strike in which the workers decide, rather than come to terms with the capitalist scum, to steal the train. As a bit of a railroad junkie this gets the book extra points in my opinion. Should stand alone without reading the other books, he doesn't describe the non-humans in much detail (as presumably you've met them in Perdido), though that may be just as well. Recommended if you like railroads, think steampunk is cool, or like urban fantasy in general.