Barbara Hambly

Recently, our hot water heater died a slow and watery death... water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink... And in hind sight, we were lucky. We didn't have significant damage but 2 boxes of books had to be thrown out. As I was sorting through the titles, I found two long ago favourites by Barbara Hambly, and I'm happy to report that I enjoyed the stories as much as I did -- dare I admit it -- 20 years ago!

The first book I read was the The Ladies of Mandrigyn, featuring the main characters, Sun Wolf and Starhawk -- mercenaries. Magic, deception, love, action, suspense -- it has it all. I just love these two characters. With a bit of research, I discovered that there are three titles in total that have Sun Wolf and Starhawk:

1. The Ladies of Mandrigyn (1984; Locus award nominee, 1985)
2. The Witches of Wenshar (1987; Locus award nominee, 1988) -- I can buy it used as a trade paperback for $128!!
3. The Dark Hand of Magic (1990)

Dragon's Bane (out of print) is also delightful. I loved the witch Jennie and the reluctant Knight, John. Funny, fantastic, and delightful.

So now I'm on the hunt of these other titles. In the meanwhile, I've started the Raven Sisters story (two titles) and then I'll start The Benjamin January Mysteries. Perfect summer reading.