Veena’s review of Lake Silence (The Others, Book 6) by Anne Bishop
Fantasy Suspense published by Ace 6 Mar 18
I am a huge fan of Ms. Bishop’s multi-layered, deeply meaningful fantasies. In an interesting twist, Ms. Bishop takes us outside the Lakeside Courtyard to a tiny village in the Finger Lakes. With a brand new cast of characters we find greed and entitlement once again squaring off against the Others. The choices and alliances of a few humans will make the difference between peaceful co-existence or total destruction of all humans in this tiny community on the shores of Lake Silence.
Even as I enjoyed meeting a whole host of new characters and new species of Others, I did not find this story as powerful as the original series. Perhaps that will change as the stories continue. Vicki DeVine is an innkeeper. Her quaint B&B on the shores of Lake Silence boasts one lodger who, unbeknownst her, is an Other – a crow, to be more precise. On the morning Vicki finds her lodger getting ready to warm a human eyeball in the microwave, her life takes a dramatic turn which will spark a chain of events that will change her and the community of Sproing forever.
Suddenly greedy humans are descending on Vicki, determined to seize this opportunity to usurp all her hard work and take over her property for themselves. Fortunately for Vicki, a host of Others, who have hidden in plain sight, come forward to her rescue. Yummy Ilya Sangunati is the most prominent of her defenders , when so many Others including elementals and elders, swarm out of the woodwork to help take a stand against greedy and corrupt humans. As for the humans, It’s amazing how simple choices can have far-reaching consequences. As the story plays out, Vicki finds herself in the center of a conspiracy but also amongst friends and protectors both of the human kind and other.
The story is deep with so many layers that it took me a few readings to get some of the subtle nuances. While this book can be read as a stand alone, there are references to characters and incidents from the “Others” books that are more meaningful when you’ve read those books. While I enjoyed many of the new characters, I still found myself missing Simon, Meg, Henry, and all the other beloved characters who are a part of the Lakeside Courtyard,
Grade:B
Summary:
n this thrilling and suspenseful fantasy set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Others series, an inn owner and her shape-shifting lodger find themselves enmeshed in danger and dark secrets.
Human laws do not apply in the territory controlled by the Others–vampires, shape-shifters, and even deadlier paranormal beings. And this is a fact that humans should never, ever forget….
After her divorce, Vicki DeVine took over a rustic resort near Lake Silence, in a human town that is not human controlled. Towns such as Vicki’s don’t have any distance from the Others, the dominant predators who rule most of the land and all of the water throughout the world. And when a place has no boundaries, you never really know what is out there watching you.
Vicki was hoping to find a new career and a new life. But when her lodger, Aggie Crowe–one of the shape-shifting Others–discovers a murdered man, Vicki finds trouble instead. The detectives want to pin the death on her, despite the evidence that nothing human could have killed the victim. As Vicki and her friends search for answers, ancient forces are roused by the disturbance in their domain. They have rules that must not be broken–and all the destructive powers of nature at their command.
Other books in this series:
