Oh glorious day- CROWBONES from the marvelous Anne Bishop is hitting the shelves!  This is the eighth book in The Others series and book three in the World of The Others series.  CROWBONES can be enjoyed by new readers, although the richness of the story is enhanced by reading the series in order.  Anne Bishop writes fantastical paranormal fantasy books, and this is one of my very favorite authors.

There are humans in Bishop’s world, but they are far outnumbered by vampires, shapeshifters, and the most dangerous of all, Elementals, such as Fire or Winter.  I adore how the humans are referred to by all the other beings as “meat.”  Bishops does a bang-up job of emphasizing how precarious the existence of the humans is, and it is spine-tinglingly delicious.

Lots of quirky characters make this a sprightly read despite all the grisly killings.  Vicky Devine is the owner of The Jumble, a rustic resort where plenty of Others either work or simply interact with the human guests who come for a “walk on the wild side.”  Vicky always manages to be the unwitting epicenter of paranormal difficulties in her small village, and the humor provided by watching Vicky and her shapeshifter friends continues to delight me.  Vicky has a (very) slow-burning love interest with an Intuit human, who uses his paranormal senses to help guide the village’s actions while running the local bookshop.  There’s also the prototypical earnest sheriff trying valiantly to keep the peace as bad humans futilely struggle to gain the upper hand over The Others.

Great worldbuilding, an engaging and wide-ranging cast of characters, and a spooky sense of peril combine to make Anne Bishop’s CROWBONES another book for my keeper shelf.  I am always happy to find myself in the world of The Others, where chills, mystery, and camaraderie guarantee a good time.