Customer Reviews

Double Dog #2: Gods and Other Children / Tranquility

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Tranquility by Tracy Morris is an odd little novel and defies categorization. It's a fantasy -- sort of -- although there are no wizards. It has a touch of romance and a dash of mystery, all stirred by a collection of characters who are, well, characters.

Every small town has its characters. For some reason, quirks that either die out or turn sinister in a city seem to flower in small towns, and Tranquility may have a trace more than its fair share , but they add life and color. One of the most amusing is an old lady who can see about fifteen seconds into the future, so she's always answering questions before they're asked. The dialog is almost dizzying, and very entertaining. And there's the hermit called "Debbie," who may be D.B. Cooper, who parachuted into the wilderness with a chunk of airline money and was never seen again.

The two big things happening in Tranquility are the arrival of the new town doctor and animal mutilations, which may be caused by a large, predatory bird.

While it might be hard to assign a category to this short novel, it's easy to identify it as a fun read.

Bill Allen's GODS AND OTHER CHILDREN is a marvelous fantasy that reminds us that fantasy should be fun.

Carl is a wargod who's decided to quit the family business. He'd rather be playing music at an inn for drinks and enjoying life than providing morons with an excuse for slaughter.

Because Allen uses some of the same story materials, I was reminded of flashes of the Amber series, LORD OF LIGHT, and the Dilvish short stories, but Allen is not imitation Zelazny, or imitation anything, for that matter. He's a writer who's found his own voice and writes with verve and wit.

These stories, while very different (and perhaps because they're very different) complement each other nicely.

This is the second Double Dog from Yard Dog Press and, like the first, reminds us that too much of modern fantasy and science fiction has become self-conscious and self-important. These books avoid those pitfalls, and do it by taking the mission of entertaining the reader as their first duty.

A "Double Dog" from Yard Dog press is two books under one cover. In this case, two novella length stories. Both books are well-written and imaginative fiction. The stories are good and the characters are likable people that you want to root for.

The fun part is to read this in public where others can only see the back cover, which will be upside-down, and watch the looks you get as people wonder what you're doing since you're holding the book the wrong way. The looks are fun if you're a people-watcher.

If you're not familiar with the Double Dog concept, consider having two short novels -- and two great stories -- for the price of a book. Both Morris and Allen tell two fun stories.

In Gods and Other Children, Carl is the reluctant war god who traded his sword in for a lyre. He's constantly being pestered by his family (of gods) to take up the Bright Sword and defeat the new evil god Jegu who threatens mankind and the gods. It's a funny and witty story that kept me reading through the end.

In Tranquility, a huge birdlike thing is mutilating cattle. Only Tranquility is a bit odd with people with special powers including one who knows what's going to happen before it does, another who has good luck, and yet another who can talk to animals. The place is simple a bit off-kilter. But that's ok, it makes it fun.

Buy this book! You'll enjoy it.