Ill Wind (Weather Warden, Book 1)

Book Description

First in the new Weather Warden series...

Joanne Baldwin is a Weather Warden. Usually, all it takes is a wave of her hand to tame the most violent weather. But now, she's trying to outrun another kind of storm: accusations of corruption and murder. So, she's resorting to the very human tactic of running for her life...

Her only hope is Lewis, the most powerful warden known. Unfortunately, he's stolen not one but three bottles of Djinn-making him the most wanted man on earth. Still, she's racing hard to find him-before the bad weather closes in fast...

Download Description

"First in the new Weather Warden series... Joanne Baldwin is a Weather Warden. Usually, all it takes is a wave of her hand to tame the most violent weather. But now, she's trying to outrun another kind of storm: accusations of corruption and murder. So, she's resorting to the very human tactic of running for her life... Her only hope is Lewis, the most powerful warden known. Unfortunately, he's stolen not one but three bottles of Djinn-making him the most wanted man on earth. Still, she's racing hard to find him-before the bad weather closes in fast... "

Customer Reviews:

Rachel Caine rocks!.......2007-10-07

For my summer reading list, I decided to focus on the growing list of SciFi/Fantasy authors I haven't read but heard good things about. Rachel Caine's name was at the top of the list, so I went to the book store and picked up the first book in the Weather Warden series. Ill Wind (Weather Warden, Book 1) rose worthily to the challenge and then some, presenting a unique premise and a feisty heroine to boot.

Joanne is a weather warden, a human born with the ability to manipulate the weather in order to save human lives from Mother Nature's innate destructive tendencies. Jo soon finds herself in a situation which can only amount to disaster when she starts carrying around a deadly demon mark which is slowly eating away her humanity, and has been accused by the Warden counsel of murdering her boss.

What follows is a rather brilliant display of cat and mouse as Jo is forced to flee across the country and nipping at her heels the entire way is a trio of counsel Wardens and the threat of a growing and menacing storm from an unknown source--both hellbent on killing Jo. The only thing Jo can do is find her friend Lewis, the strongest Warden in the world, and hope that he can someway rid her of the demon mark. ...The trouble, however, is finding him. Knowing she should trust no one, but finding herself irresistably drawn to a handsome stranger, Jo has to decide whether or not she can trust her intuition even as she is slowly becoming lost to the intense evil power the demon mark brings.

Caine has a way with description and entertaining dialogue which make this book not only absolutely irresistible, but make the reader aware of just how much attention to detail this particular author pays to getting all of the descriptive aspects of this book just right. I found myself deeply entranced with how the author weaves the descriptions of supernatural abilities to the science of how weather works. Caine brilliantly combines present and past events with detailed narration so well that it made me feel like I was there, watching everything happen as she described.

The only thing lagging about Ill Wind's above average presentation is Jo's noticeable lack of character development. While coming across as a spunky and likable heroine, there's a certain amount of depth missing to her character. I have no doubt that Rachel Caine will spend other books in the series bringing more of a three dimensionality to her heroine. Irregardless, Ill Wind is a damn find book and I highly anticipate reading the rest of the series.

Breath of Fresh Air!.......2007-09-04

Finally something unique and original!

If you're tired of the usual sci-fi/fantasy stuff (wizards, dragons, prophecies, etc) and have been wishing that SOMEONE would come up with something new and different, then look no further!

The basic premise is that there is an organization of Weather Wardens who regulate/manage the planet's more dangerous natural disasters by manipulating the elements. You get elements of offbeat bureaucracy
mixed in with autocratic back door dealings. You get a small but good dose of the real science of weather, but not so much that you're ever bored or overwhelmed.

The inclusion of the djinn (genies) adds even more uniqueness to the stories, not to mention humor, intrigue, and ethical questions. Rachel Caine, and by extension her main character, is smart, darkly funny, and thoroughly engaging.

This series will not disappoint you. I've read all six of the books published so far in the series and every one is a gem. After reading the first one, I immediately bought the next 5 and have pre-ordered #7.

Great Book.......2007-07-09

Easy to read. It is very different than most books in the genre. I love the change of pace. I love the change of background. The writing itself is good. It wont win any awards from major award sites but I did buy the rest of the series. I would recommend this to adult HP fans.

Couldn't put it down!.......2007-07-09

I'd read Caine's vampire novels and had been incredibly impressed so I tried this series.

Wow. Wow. Wow!

No, it's not the deepest thing ever, but it's deep enough (and certainly a lot deeper than most stuff on the shelves). It's funny. It's exciting. And as with the vampire novels, the world-building is spell-bindingly impressive. Here is a world I really can explore through six more volumes and not get bored!

I'm ordering the others now. I can hardly wait to find out what happens next to these people and this world! This time, though, I'll make sure I clear my schedule so I won't be constantly telling myself, "Just one more chapter and then I'll--" and come up for air only when the last page ends. Chores don't get done that way. But the book, its characters and its world stay with you. Bravo, Ms. Caine!

Romance, Mystery, Fantasy or Weather Warden.......2007-05-20

The best thing about this book is its brevity. The author doesn't bore you with long words or complex plot twists. Then again the characters are shallow and not well developed, which helps make this a quick and forgettable read.

Average customer rating:

Good character development and a good read
The plot thickens
Suspenseful and engrossing
Fun Book
solid murder mystery outside of the cities

Ill Wind
Nevada Barr
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0425197255
Release Date: 2004-06-01

Book Description

The third Anna Pigeon mystery is a charm.

Lately, visitors to Mesa Verde have been bringing home more than photos--they're also carrying a strange, deadly disease. And once it strikes, park ranger Anna Pigeon must find the very human source of the evil wind.

Customer Reviews:

Good character development and a good read.......2007-08-22

Ms. Barr does a good job of bringing back characters from earlier books in the series as participants in her novels. It is interesting to follow Anna Pigeon's relationships as they transcend each book in the series and follow how you feel about each character from one novel to the next. Also, there is always a healthy crop of new characters that you learn about as well. In this one, you not only travel with Anna as she works to solve a mystery, but also how she reconnects with Stanton Frederick, who comes back from an earlier novel to help her solve the case. In all, a great read with lots of mystery and great characters to follow through the maze of facts and lies that ultimately leads to finding out who the bad actors are.

The plot thickens.......2007-07-15

Anna's move to Mesa Verde National Park from Isle Royale sets her on track to solve another mystery. Reading this book was a delight because it was more than 50 years ago when I visited Mesa Verde and found it to be one of the most fascinating places five of us Boy Scouts experienced on a 5,000-mile journey through the West. It was good to find that the place retains its special charm. Nevada Barr's ability to provide fine details about the characters and an intriguing plot make this book one you shouldn't miss.

Suspenseful and engrossing.......2007-07-05

I always enjoy Barr's novels because they just strike me as so real. She's done an excellent job of creating a likable character in Anna Pigeon. Anna's wisecracks and her flaws and her admirable traits all combine to make her a character with which the reader is comfortable, a person for whom the reader can cheer.

Another plus of these novels are the vivid settings for each and the way in which Barr lovingly describes them. The author's previous experiences as a park ranger give her work an authenticity that is especially striking. There is a great deal of passion in the description of places and it only heightens the way in which places speak so much to Anna while people remain somewhat beyond her reach.

This was a very nicely written mystery with many seemingly disparate threads that the author was able to tie up very neatly at the end. It was suspenseful and intriguing and I always find her books to be quick reads because they are so compelling that I devour them, eager to find out what will happen next.

Fun Book.......2007-01-17

I continue to enjoy this series- I feel like an armchair tourist visiting the National Parks where Anna Pigeon works.

solid murder mystery outside of the cities.......2006-10-20

Ill Wind is the third mystery written by Nevada Barr featuring U.S. Park Ranger Anna Pigeon. After solving murders in Track of the Cat and A Superior Death, Anna is now working as a Ranger in the Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. She is in her forties, a widow, has a little bit of a late night drinking problem, but is passionate and skilled in what she does as a Park Ranger. Ill Wind starts out without revealing the primary mystery of the novel. The possible bad guys are all presented first, though some of them do not seem very bad. Anna is called to get involved in a domestic dispute because in the Park the Rangers have to act as police, but this is not a novel about a domestic dispute. Is this storyline misdirection or is there something else going on? When a young girl dies up on the Cliffs because she can't breathe the assumption is that it is her asthma and being up at 7000 feet. Then another death. Finally a third. Anna figures out the timing of the deaths and starts investigating.

The thing about having a Park Ranger as the heroine of a novel is that the setting will always be part of the story. It matters that this story is set in Mesa Verde just as the settings of the two previous mysteries mattered. It is park of the story and wrapped up in the story and it allows Nevada Barr to give very scenic and natural descriptions and get murders out of the city and into a completely different environment, which in turn gives these books a completely different feel than one might expect from a urban murder mystery. Barr tells the story well and while she may have tipped her hand early, I know I did not pick up on the true culprit. That's a positive because up until the Reveal I felt that nearly anyone could be at fault.

A good, reasonably short mystery.

-Joe Sherry

Average customer rating:

Great Concept--Pathetic Realization
A Disappointment
Great premise, boring book
I Enjoyed It
Sure it's formulaic but a great read anyway

Ill Wind
Kevin J. Anderson , and Doug Beason
Manufacturer: Forge
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312857608

Customer Reviews:

Great Concept--Pathetic Realization.......2007-07-18

This was a fabulous concept for a book--a kind of Andromeda Strain, only the bugs didn't just decide to turn benign and fly off into space, but ate all the oil, natural gas and plastic on the planet. But the authors have no imagination at all. Their descriptions of how quiet and peaceful it is after the disaster in various places around the Bay Area evince the worldview of an unimaginative, media-fed fourteen-year-old boy. The main characters' obsessions with rail guns, small satellites and puny electrical generation schemes simply run past ludicrous to depressing. What about the ten million starving people?

The fact that this book and ones like it can be written and published and read as entertainment provides a disturbing index of our society's level of conscience and awareness of the reality of human-human and human-environmental interdependence.

A Disappointment.......2007-05-06

I started "Ill Wind" with high hopes for a well-written, engaging apocalypse novel, but alas, I was disappointed. The first hundred or so pages went rather slow and I had a problem trying to stay interested in the book. After the release of the microbe things went a little faster, and by the middle of the book things were moving at a good clip. The characters were cardboard cut-outs (except for a few exceptions) and for the most part the situations weren't very interesting, but it wasn't that bad. In all truth the book wasn't bad; it wasn't overly dull or cliched or anyhting. My biggest issue witht the book was that the general and President that served as the main antagonists in the story were treated as if they overeacting to the situation when in fact their reactions were reasonable given the situation. Besides the general's threat to destroy the satelites (which I found farfetched at best; these were very expensive pieces of equipment, and I doubt that he would destroy U.S. government property given his stance on protecting law and order) and the President's threat to nuke major American cities (which I found to be an all but ludicrous plot point; nobody in their right mind would do that, and the President seem that crazy) if they didn't stop seceding from the U.S., most of the measures taken made sense. This, paired with other flaws that I named, seriously damaged the book's quality.

Great premise, boring book.......2007-04-21

I bought this book thinking that it had a wonderful twist on apocalyptic science fiction, is a favorite sub-genre of mine. It starts out promising and then about a quarter of the way through becomes a woefully boring waste. The characters are one dimensional and one could care less about any of them. Compare this to someone like Jack McDevitt. In his novels one feels like one really KNOWS Chase or Hutch or for that matter any of the characters he builds. The characters in this book are downright cliches. I have to say that I had to fight my way through to finish it and wound up giving it away to a friend of mine who teaches Environmental Science. Thumbs down big time.

I Enjoyed It.......2007-03-13

The book was entertaining and I enjoyed it. A nice enjoyable, believable end of the world (as we know it) book. If you enjoy disaster novels where civilization crumbles and society caves you will enjoy this book.

Sure it's formulaic but a great read anyway.......2007-03-12

This is eco-thriller, doomsday formulaic fiction at its best and a great escape. It's an interesting premise, fun to think "what if" and made me ponder the types of people who'd be valuable in a post apocalyptic society. While escapist, it doesn't insult your intelligence altho I thought the whole concert thing was dopey and wished they'd picked another activity the characters could rally around, something more useful in a society with extremely limited resources. I don't read much fiction but I have read this one several times. It'd make a great movie.

Average customer rating:

Love em all!
Loved it!
Great book, dissapointing ending
Not as good as the earlier ones
Yon Ill wind

Yon Ill Wind: A Xanth Novel (Xanth)
Piers Anthony
Manufacturer: Tor Fantasy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0812555104

Book Description

An All-New Xanth AdventureFirst Paperback Edition!A fickle flux in the fabric of space has allowed a horrendous hurricane to blast into Xanth, stirring up mischief and madness wherever she goes. Trapped in a preposterous form by a cosmic wager, the Demon X(A/N)th must join forces with a vexatious vixen named Chlorine to save Xanth from this terrifying and tempestuous threat.Their companions on this haphazard quest are a hapless human family - Jim and Karen Baldwin and their two teenaged sons, David and Sean - gusted into Xanth from the mundane world beyond. Together they encounters a host of turbulent misadventures as they struggle to keep Xanth from being blown off the map forever.A brisk and breezy adventure in the grand Xanth tradition, Yon Ill Wind is sure to bring gales of laughter and excitement to Piers Anthony's legion of loyal readers.

Customer Reviews:

Love em all!.......2006-01-06

I love these books I love piers anthony I love Xanth I read 1-22 didn't have the rest and started the series again. Yon Ill Wind is by far one of my favorites I have read it 3 times now! All these people are saying they are tired of the puns tired of the same ole same ole but come on who can get tired of the puns in all their glory and lamesness they are still fun and they still crack a smile on this face I don't think I will ever stop reading or loving xanth!

Loved it!.......2004-10-22

I have read all of the books in the Xanth series leading up to this book. I then waited for what seemed an eternity for this book to come out in paperback. When I finally bought it I just couldn't get interested - I'm not sure why, but I'm sure it had something to do with my new children keeping me busy. :^)

Anyway now that my kids are a little older and I have more time to read again, I dug this book out to read. I loved every bit of it and couldn't put it down. I read it in two days! The ending was perfect and I immediately searched the internet to see what book came next. I was rather surprised to see the long list of books that had been published since I bought this one! I'm dissapointed though, because the next book 'Faun and Games' doesn't seem to pick up on the Nimby/Chlorine storyline, but is something compelety different. I can't wait to find a copy to read - I just hope it says whats happens to them next!

My only complaint is the puns and sexual reference. The puns really got annoying and old. I guess I liked them though when I started the series in high school. The sexual references seemed uneccesary and I felt like they were being forced on me. I get it - panties freak men out in Xanth!

Despite those two things, I really enjoyed the book and I can't wait to get caught up (again!) on the series.

Great book, dissapointing ending.......2003-04-03

Out of all the Xanth Novels that have come out, this is undoubtebly one of the most fascinating in recent memory. The Demon X(A/N)th goes to Xanth as a dragon with a donkeys head to try and win a bet with all the other demons. There, he meets Chlorine, a ugly girl with a bad temper. And with that, the two of them head off to adventure. Along the way, they will meet a Mundane familly, fight a hurricane, and help save Xanth.

Its great fun to see the demon X(A/N)th as a central charachter this time around and he has a great personality that eventually becomes really likable. The Mundaine familly are a great read, I really liked how they adjusted to being in Xanth. All the other charachters are likable, although they never really got charachterized. (The pets are likeable though)

As usual, there are many puns in Yon Ill wind and I enjoyed them all, although others may not. Another thing I really liked was the "1 squeak yes, 2 squeak no, 3 squeak off track" thing (It will make sense in the book)

In summary, there is really nothing wrong with the book. It has a good plot, likeable charachters and lots of interesting situations. But the only bad thing about it is it's adrupt ending. I'll try to avoid giving anything away, but certian charachters just vanish in a sentance, where we could say goodbye to them, when they could have been seen doing some more things. The ending to the book is so adrubt, so quick and short, you wonder if Mr. Anthony lost the last few pages on his way to delivering the final manuscript to the publisher, and had to quickly write up a new ending in a minute or so before his deadline. And that ending is quite sad, and depressing. In fact, I'll go so far as to say its the most dissapointing ending I've ever encountered in a book. Its a shame that the ending is dissapointing, but the rest of the book is great.

The good:
Great book
Great charachters
Lots o' puns

The not so good:

Horrible ending
Some charachters are not explored enough

Summary: A great book, but be sure to pick up the next book (Faun and Games) because you will want to read it upon finishing this book.

Not as good as the earlier ones.......2002-04-25

I am a big Xanth fan, but I hadn't gotten any new episodes for over 10 years, because of becoming a very busy working mother. My brother-in-law got me this one after I had recently re-read all my old ones. The kids having finally gotten interested in Xanth got me going on my re-reading project.

I don't think this one measures up. It doesn't flow like the others and you don't get into the story. Maybe it's because there are too many main characters, so that none of them can be developed very well. They all run off in different directions and it's hard to keep track of what is going on or what the characters are like.

Maybe it's because, while the earlier stories were essentially cheery, this one has an underlying gloominess throughout.

When certain ones of the characters are announced to be in love, it seems like sort of an afterthought. You just don't get inside anyone's head enough to really empathize with them, so there's not enough buildup that would justify the characters' feelings.

The puns don't seem to be as good as they used to be either.

I don't think I'm just becoming jaded, because I was reading the earlier ones again to my kids at the same time I was reading this one and the earlier ones just seem better.

Yon Ill wind.......2002-04-12

This book was an absolute masterpeice. It had a great plot, good characters, and just an all around good storyline. I have read every Xanth novel twice, and I think this is one of his better ones. The only drawback I think that this novel had was its seemingly unconcluded ending. I read the last sentence of the novel and I feel that the book was uncompleted. I have never known Peirs Anthony to end any of his novels that way. If it would have ended better I would have given it a 5.

Average customer rating:

Ill Blows the Wind
Marcene Grimes
Manufacturer: Leathers Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1585973750

Book Description

Family passions, local color and difficult environmental choices all blend together to create a captivating adventure novel set in the Flint Hills of Kansas. Tom Jackson is a farmer who believes that choices must be made to provide for the energy needs of the country with wind turbines.

Average customer rating:

Great sequel to a promising series
Superior Sophomore Effort
A good read

Death Rides all Ill Wind
Kate Borden
Manufacturer: Berkley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0425179303
Release Date: 2001-04-10

Book Description

Kelly Ryan has her hands full when a hurricane hits her tropical island home, leaving damaged houses, broken windows-and a dead body.

• 2nd in the new Caribbean mystery series

Customer Reviews:

Great sequel to a promising series.......2001-09-03

St. Chris is about to be hit by the biggest hurricane since at least 1928, maybe 1867. Leila Mae, the tramp who caused the end of Kelly's marriage, blew into town with her new husband, Baron Thorsen at about the same time. She is trying to sell shares in a treasure hunt. A homeless woman called the spitter rewards Kel's generosity in buying her a meal with a very old coin. Soon the woman turns up dead and not as a victim of Hurricane Gilda.

This mystery is much better than Death Dances to a Reggae Beat. I liked the characters in the first novel and still do in the second, although the author hasn't figured out what to do with Angie and Peter yet. Kel's relationship with Michael is progressing well, but no mention is made of him at the end. What really happened to Leila Mae? The endings weren't neat by any means. But other than the sloppy ending the mystery was really enjoyable and the characterizations are still great. This is a really good beach book.

Superior Sophomore Effort.......2001-07-06

As a mystery writer with my first novel in its initial release, I recognize Kate Grilley as an exceptional talent. Her first mystery, DANCE DANCES TO A REGGAE BEAT, earned a wide variety of awards. DEATH RIDES AN ILL WIND is a solid #2 mystery. Kelly Ryan, Grilley's sleuth, runs a radio station on the Caribbean island of St. Chris. This novel involves the island's effort to weather a hurricane, a woman from Kelly's past, treasure hunting, and, of course, a murder mystery. It is a most fulfillng read.

A good read.......2001-04-20

While sailing in the Americas, Christopher Columbus claims the Caribbean island of St. Chris in the name of Spain. The island is sold several times over the subsequent years before the United States finally purchases it. Currently, Kelly Ryan lives year round on St. Chris and works as a general manager for the radio station. One day while she is enjoying lunch with her friends, Kelly sees the woman who helped end her fifteen-year marriage. The other woman claims she has arrived on the island to salvage a treasure ship and offers a share of the bounty in return for a one-time $500 fee.

When a stage five hurricane hits St. Chris, Kelly still manages to keep the station on the air. Afterward, Kelly notices her rival remains on the island and wonders what is going on. Unable to resist, the curious Kelly soon places herself in danger.

DEATH RIDES AN ILL WIND provides the audience with a very good idea as to what happens to a small island during a brutal storm. The aftermath is as bad if not worse than the hurricane as communication, and most modern conveniences vanish. Kate Grilley's novel includes a mystery although the prime theme is a realistic human survivor drama (not a made for TV plot) that says never take weather for granted.

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