In the Rift Glenraven II

I recently have discovered the world of Holly Lisle. I have never read any of her books before, but within the first couple of pages, I was hooked. There was so much detail that was sensory so that it appealed to all of the readers senses. The characterization was so well planned and thought through I felt that I could picture any of the given characters at any moment during the book.

This book was fairly good. The action was appealing and the characters were pretty well-developed. But I have to say that if you hadn't read "Glenraven" first you would have been lost. This book deals with two seperate worlds: the one we're used to, and Glenraven. Glenraven is a little province in Italy that hasn't advanced along with the rest of the world- in fact, Glenraven appears to have hidden in a fold of time. Somehow creatures from Glenraven escape into the real world. They wreak havoc upon the already upside down world of Kate Beacham, an alleged witch. And everything turns into a whirlwind from there. The plot is pretty well-laid, and there are some intriguing tensions between characters that enhance the quality of the book. You want to keep reading to find out what happens next.The only majorly disappointing thing I found in this book was the fact that MZB didn't really bring in characters from "Glenraven." She had developed some really strong personalities in JayJay and Matthiall. MZB only mentioned those two about two times, maybe three, in "In the Rift."If you read "In the Rift" before "Glenraven" you should take the time to read "Glenraven." It'll clear up a lot of misconceptions you might have.Sorry if I was confusing to you. "In the Rift" is a very good book. I just think maybe MZB should have tied in the characters more.

I enjoyed this book and breezed through it rather quickly. If you are looking for something in depth, try somewhere else. But if you're looking for something fun and light-hearted pick up this book. The main character, Kate Beacham, is a Wiccan who is being harassed and threatened by close-minded people in her small town. She was assaulted in the alley behind her work by three masked men, and when she came home she found her horse dead in the drive with a note through his head saying that she would be next. When she loaded her shotgun and went to bed, she found a Fodor's guide book to a place called Glenraven on her nightstand that she was positive she had not seen before. When she opened the book to take a look at it, words magically appeared in it telling her to get out of the house fast. Being a practitioner of magick, she obeyed the book and went outside just in time to see a large hole open in the air and group of people on horseback gallop out being pursued by a monster. After killing the thing with her shotgun, Kate finds these strangers in her yard and in her house without a way home. The book tells her that she has to help them, otherwise both their worlds are in jeopardy. She has to learn to trust and be trusted by these strangers from another world in order to save them all.

This book is one of the best I have read. The plot is gripping. It keeps one at suspense till the end where one finds out who's the traitor. The story characters are unusual and the first I have come across. Read the book, you probably won't regret it.

I don't read many science fiction books, and did not read Glenraven, the first of what appears will become a series of many books. One of the distressing ideas of the book is that there are apparently no good humans, except of course for our hero Kate. I do read many mysteries and this book had a mystery to it - who was the traitor among the creatures from the other world. I enjoyed this book as a good weekend read to take my mind away from my usual thoughts for a little while.