Jim Butcher

[estepheia]

Just found this interview with Jim Butcher, the author of the Harry Dresden series.

He seems like a really nice guy. It seems that the second book of the series will be read by James Marsters again. So now I'm hoping the audiobook will be available at Vulkon - that would save me postage and duty. I liked Storm Front a lot. JM really has a nice reading voice.

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Mirror Dance

[estepheia.livejournal.com]

Lois McMaster Bujold has written a longish Space Opera series, the Barrayar series.

The main hero of the series, Miles Vorkosigan, is a hyperactive general/politician's son who has a crippling desease - his bones break all the time. He comes from a militarist culture and is shunned as a mutant, but the sheer size of his personality and his ability to improvise and lie between his teeth quickly put him into more and more influential positions.

As it happens, a clone, Mark, was made before Miles was born, by enemies of his father. These people meant Mark replace Miles. Every physical damage Miles suffered was dealt to Mark as well. When Miles and his parents find Mark, the clone has been emotionally and physically damaged by his makers. Even so, Mark becomes Miles's twin brother.

Mirror Dance is about how Mark tries to impersonate Miles to persue his own personal agenda, a crusade against cloners. Mark gets captured by people who hate Miles. Meanwhile Miles tries everything to get his brother away from his torturers...

It's a thick book. The characters are fascinating. I personally loved all the parts that had to do with poor Mark. I like all the books of the series, but Mirror Dance often left me gasping. It's brutal, dark and angsty, but also funny.
I admire the author for her ability to combine dark and light. She is also good at plotting.
I whole-heartedly recommend the whole series.