The Master

I have read all of Melanie Jackson's Wildside series books and she has built an interesting world with equally interesting characters. The newest, The Master, is no exception. The book delves more into the world of the Goblins and the Fae. More specifically, this book deals with the Hobgoblins and their leader Qasim. In previous books he was painted as the bad guy, but in the book you see a softer side and you as the reader learn the Hobgoblins are not the danger that was believed. I think the strongest thing about this book is the characterization. The main characters Nick and Zee were well-portrayed. Their were times when things were awkward between them, which added believability to the story. The setting was on target and the Christmas theme was incorporated well into the book. The Master also lets you know what has been happening with the other Fae characters we have come to know from other books in the series. My only complaint was that the ending was a little rushed and everything was tied up so quickly. I really think Ms. Jackson needed another 40 or so pages to better end the story with. I would recommend for potential readers to NOT start off with The Master. Their is a lot of backstory in this book that might leave the reader confused. If possible start with the first in the series- Traveler. All in all, the book was a 4 stars. Good job, Ms. Jackson!

Dr. Nicholas Anthony isn't quite as bad as Ebeneezer Scrooge, but he's seen enough stupidity, commercialism, and pain intensified by Christmas to be rather apathetic towards the holidays. Then, he finds himself in an abandoned cabin with Zee, a lovely woman who is half fey, half goblin, and her two young siblings over Christmas. She awakens feelings in Nick he didn't know he had, drawing him into her quest to stop Quasim from sacrificing countless numbers of children to darkness. Nick also learns that he has fey blood himself. Over the hours they spend together, Nick and Zee discover each other's worlds, each awed by the newness. They are joined by the heroes and heroines of previous Lutin books for a battle filled with danger and surprises. ***** The early scenes describing some of the whacky Christmas emergencies that Nick encounters are laugh out loud funny. Many of us can identify with Nick's tiredness of the Christmas hype, and the way he finds his way to the true heart of the season brings joy and hope. This book has one of the most uplifting endings of any novel this year at least. ***** Reviewed by Amanda Killgore, Freelance Reviewer.

If you haven't read the other books in this series, I suggest you read them before you read MASTER. At least read STILL LIFE first. All of them are wonderful. This one is excellent. Zee Finvarra is part human part goblin and part fey. She is running away with her half brother and sister. They are half goblin and half human. Their goblin mother has bonded with a full goblin who hates humans and that includes Zee and her siblings. She is desperate and hopes Jack Frost and the other feys will accept her and her family. Nicholas Anthony is an E R Doctor. He has no use for Christmas and very little for fantasy. When he finds Zee and the children he can't believe they are part lutin. But the beauty of Zee's face captures his imagination. She is very beautiful and her devotion to the children is wonderful. Qasim, the hobgoblin, is trying to find a way to save the rest of the hobgoblins and release them from their tortured existance. If he can get the humans and goblins to go to war, maybe he can force the release of his brethern. So he begins to kidnap children to be sacraficed on New Years. Surely this will force the humans to wipe out the goblins. Zee, Nick and the rest of the feys must make a desperate attempt to stop the slaughter. As with her other books we are snatched into an alternate world full of life, death, love and magic. I loved it. I can't wait for the next one. WILDSIDE FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Qasim the hobgoblin has come up with an ingenious plan to free his peers. All he needs is several hundred human children to die. To attract the kids to him, this Pied Piper intends to pose as Santa at the mall. At about the same time that Qasim begins implementation of his brilliant strategy, hybrid (human, Fey, and Goblin) Zee Finvarra flees with her two younger siblings from her Goblin kin. She recognizes the disguised Qasim and knows he cannot be up to anything good. However, a nasty ice storm created by her relatives pursuing her detains her from warning anyone. Dr. Nicholas Anthony is also caught by the sudden storm. He ends up sharing a cabin with the stranded Zee. Though a non-believer, he willingly risks his life to keep the Finvarra siblings safe from creatures that just cannot exist as a confrontation between good and evil is about to occur on a Nevada desert. No one does romantic fantasy better than Melanie Jackson does (see TRAVELER, DOMINION, and THE COURIER). Her latest thriller is another winner as readers will root for the lead couple to defeat the vile villain (as nasty a malevolence as fans will find) and make it with one another. Especially interesting is the metamorphosis of Nicholas from non-believer to doubter to convert as he learns there are plenty of mysteries under the heavens including his own bloodline. Ms. Jackson is at her masterful best with this exciting tale. Harriet Klausner

Okay, buckle up, Paranormal Addicts - it's about to get bumpy! Melanie Jackson is at it again. She and her herd of Goblins...umm...Lutins are up to their no-good tricks once more, in the fifth in the series of Goblin...umm... Lutin books. The Goblins have just about ruined every major city in the US - (I'm waiting for Melanie's Goblin...umm...Lutin horde to go ruin the Kentucky Derby! Ah, Melanie you have to! You really have to! Of course, the Lutins in the Infield at Derby might go unnoticed! hehehe). So instead of ruining another city, the Goblins turn their attention to wrecking something hallowed - Christmas. What next? The World Series. Apple Pie? Some might argue the retailers don't need any help with ruining Christmas, but Qasim, the ill-tempered Hobgoblin from her previous books, has now set his sites on wrecking Yuletide with a devilishly Lutin plot. He shall dress in a Sanity Claus outfit (Whoops, got a little Chico Marx tossed in there!)...Santa Claus outfit and go around sacrificing children in a ceremony designed to set the Lutins free from bondage. As usual, Melanie has conjured up special denizens of the Fae to do battle with the evil Lutin Empire. This time the part-human lovers are Dr. Nicholas Anthony and Zee Finvarra. Zee is a half-human, half-Goblin on the lam with her younger siblings. They're hiding from their wicked Goblin stepfather, sheltering in an abandoned cabin in the Nevada desert. Nick, a sexy Pixie-human half-breed, is trying to make it home for the Hols when a sudden ice storm causes him to detour to the cabin where Zee and her family are staying. Will Nick and Zee rescue Santa from all the Bad PR? Will the Goblins see Christmas decorations out in Wal-Mart in July? Will Chico Marx's ghost reveal that Harpo was really a half-Goblin? These and other earthshaking questions are fully answered by Jackson. X-Men mutants have nothing on Jackson's Lutin Empire! The Wildside Tales are stand alone, but for full Lutin enjoyment, you need to really read them all - Traveler, Outsiders, The Courier, Still Life, and now, The Master (in that order). This is a very original, fresh romance series. Jackson has carved her own niche in the paranormal field. Just remember, the Goblins will get you if you don't watch out... and buy Jackson's enchanting tales.