Wild Country

February 1, 2019

When the humans decided to strike against the terra indigene, they were hit with a force that decimated all the people living in towns in Thaisia. Now both humans and Others--those who survived--attempt to revive some of the ruined areas for cooperative living. In Bennett, Jana Paniccia becomes deputy to a Wolfgard sheriff who holds bitter memories of the humans' actions. Tolya Sanguinati attempts to build relationships with the town of Prairie Gold, and Inuit shopkeeper Jesse Walker, while restoring Bennett and monitoring the area's train service. As humans slowly come into Bennett, so do Others, all looking for a place of their own. But trust takes time, and when the Blackstone clan tries to take over, everyone in Bennett will need to work together. VERDICT Bishop's sequel to Lake Silence presents captivating characters and rich detail, resulting in a satisfying urban fantasy.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 4, 2019
Following the first-person experiment of 2018’s Lake Silence, the first book in the World of the Others continuation of the paranormal Others series, Bishop reverts to form, using multiple third-person perspectives to tell an unsatisfying story that doesn’t quite stand alone. Bennett, a Midwest town, was previously a secondary location in the series, which focused on Upstate New York. Tolya Sanguinati, a vampiric Other, becomes mayor of Bennett after the human population is nearly wiped out by the Elders, an unimaginably powerful form of Other. The handful who survive are Intuits, a marginal group of precognitives. If Bennett is to endure as more than a train stop, it needs more people. Can Tolya and his Intuit partner, Jesse Walker, organize the immigration of enough desirable residents before grifters like the Blackstone Clan slip in and subvert the new order? Bishop overtly frames this as a wild west showdown, complete with a gun battle in the town square, but such trappings do little to spruce up the now-tired premise of greedy, foolish humans underestimating the Others and getting spectacularly demolished. With no character innovation and a stronger-than-usual whiff of eugenics, this installment suggests the series has lost its visionary spark. Agent: Jennifer Jackson, Donald Maass Literary Agency.

May 1, 2019

Excited to start her first job in law enforcement, Deputy Jana Paniccia first meets Sheriff Wolfgard as he sniffs her when she steps off the train. She answered the call for humans to help settle the frontier town of Bennett and must now learn to live with the terra indigene like Wolfgard who are in charge of the town. It's trickier than one might think-the war that decimated the human population of Thaisia may have ended, but humans are still meat to the shape-shifters of the terra indigene. Nothing forces cooperation like a common enemy, and when the evil Blackstone Clan targets Bennett, the townsfolk and terra indigene unite to save their town. Bishop's world-building is tight. Teens who aren't familiar with Lake Silence will easily understand this sequel, but it will leave them wanting to read the earlier book, as well as the other titles in the companion series, "The Others." Paranormal devotees will love the vampires, werewolves, blood prophets, shape-shifters, elementals, and mind readers, and lovers of Westerns won't be disappointed, either. Bishop focuses on the struggle between good and evil but also injects humor and explores social justice issues and consent. VERDICT A solid purchase for transitioning paranormal readers, even those who aren't Western fans, into a new realm.-Sarah Hill, Lake Land College, Mattoon, IL

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.