Rating: 
Summary: Great scifi humorous look at metaphysics.
Review: There are some who disparage this book for being too light hearted, and if you only serious works .. well then again the whole vampire series is pretty funny too. For many of us there are times when nothing but a great light hearted book can fulfill the need, and I have read this one ten times through. I see plenty of character development. I find rapid character development to be unrealistic. This book's plot takes place all in a couple weeks, max. It sets the scene for more, wonderful adventures. As was mentioned, austin the cat was great. Obviously Tanya Huff is owned by cats, as i am. Of course, the cat isn't going to change, they just get better at control. Now Jaques changed!!. Others.. not to spoil.. did not. And frankly, most self centered people don't. As a willfull woman myself, i see many changes beginning in Claire. When big things happen, the change follows slowly. The seed is sown, but don't look for the sprout for awhile. The only people ! I have seen have rapid personality change, have changed right back a months or years later. Claire will change more slowly, but it will take. All too often growth is painful. But it CAN happen with lots of happiness and laughter as well. My cat ate the book. I have to order another now.
Rating: 
Summary: I hope that this is a new series!!
Review: I thought that this book was absolutely delightful. Claire, with her lack of social skills is endearing, and the guests at the inn ... well, Tanya Huff's sense of humour comes through loud and clear. I found the characters likeable, and the storyline was such that I read the book in one sitting. My only hope is that the ending indicates that there are more adventures in store for our Keeper and her companions. I would definitely buy them in a second!!
Rating: 
Summary: A fun read,but not as good as her others.
Review: This was a fun, light hearted book, but something of a dissappointment to Tanya Huff fans. We have been led to expect more character development, and at least some serious problem for the protagonist to solve. This is just a lighthearted yarn, with no real character development, and no difficult problems to solve.
Rating:
Summary: Huff at her best
Review: I've read all of Huff's work-some of it is definitely better than others-and this is one of her best. The story flows fun and easy. Huff's strength for me is writing strong female leads with even stronger faults and great senses of humor. I really enjoyed this escapist caper. And loved the clever "insider jokes" about other books and myths woven into the dialogue. Anyone else see Narnia in the Wardrobe?
Rating:
Summary: I laughed so hard, I got hiccups!
Review: "Summon the Keeper" is a hilarious entry into what I hope will be a new series from the talented pen of Ms. Huff. Claire Hansen is a Keeper, one of the descendents of Adam and Lilith who, well, basically saves the universe from the forces of evil on a regular basis. As the book opens, Claire is on her way to answer a summons when she and her smart-ass cat (are there any other kind?) Austin get caught in a rainstorm. (Did I mention that Austin talks?) They duck into the less than welcoming shelter of the Elysian Fields Guesthouse. The next morning, Claire awakens to find herself the new owner of the guesthouse, which comes complete with: 1) a lascivious French ghost, 2) a sweet, yet hunky young caretaker named Dean, 3) a (very dusty)woman who's been asleep in Room Six for decades and 4) a hole to Hell in the furnace room. Claire has to find a way to seal the hole to Hell without awakening the occupant of Room Six (trouble with a capital T), resist the charms of her amorous ghost, fight her attraction to the wholesome Dean, and deal with an impetuous younger sister with more power than commonsense. You think YOU'VE had a hard day? Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Can't wait for the next one
Review: Magic is the ability to tap into an energy force that is outside the ken of the real world. Every time someone does a ood or bad deed a hole in the barrier that separates the physical plane from the magical plane appeRS. The holes are monitored by Cousins, offsprings of Adam and Lilith to insure no evil can escape to our world. When a hole becomes big enough to allow a magical creature to enter the mortal side, a keeper attends to sealing up the portal. Clare Hanson has been a very busy keeper for many years. She is summoned to the Elysian Fields guest-house where she is tricked by a sneaky Cousin into becoming the carekeeper. Her first job is to seal the hole to hell without awakening the sleeping evil residing in a guest room upstairs. While pondering her project, Clare must deal with her loquacious cat, who runs her life, catch the imps causing minor mischievous, resist the wiles of an amorous ghost, and protect the odd assortment of guests that hover in what she considers the house from hell. Tanya Huff's new series is a brilliant creation that is sure to appeal to readers of the Victoria Nelson vampire series, Cherry Scotch's werewolf novels, and Mercedes Lackey's Diana Tregarde books. SUMMON THE KEEPER has uniquely memorable and quirky characters, especially that darn cat and the amorous ghost. Clare is an interesting protagonist, who will be fun to observe in future stories. The story line is riveting with never a dull moment. SUMMON THE KEEPER is a keeper that will summon its readers into buying future novels in the series. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: I laughed so hard, I got hiccups!
Review: "Summon the Keeper" is a hilarious entry into what I hope will be a new series from the talented pen of Ms. Huff. Claire Hansen is a Keeper, one of the descendents of Adam and Lilith who, well, basically saves the universe from the forces of evil on a regular basis. As the book opens, Claire is on her way to answer a summons when she and her smart-ass cat (are there any other kind?) Austin get caught in a rainstorm. (Did I mention that Austin talks?) They duck into the less than welcoming shelter of the Elysian Fields Guesthouse. The next morning, Claire awakens to find herself the new owner of the guesthouse, which comes complete with: 1) a lascivious French ghost, 2) a sweet, yet hunky young caretaker named Dean, 3) a (very dusty)woman who's been asleep in Room Six for decades and 4) a hole to Hell in the furnace room. Claire has to find a way to seal the hole to Hell without awakening the occupant of Room Six (trouble with a capital T), resist the charms of her amorous ghost, fight her attraction to the wholesome Dean, and deal with an impetuous younger sister with more power than commonsense. You think YOU'VE had a hard day? Highly recommended!
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Bother To "Summon the Keeper!!
Review: I rarely put a book down without completing it. I just hate to do that - especially when the book has been recommended to me by a friend. I did complete Tanya Huff's "Summon The Keeper," although I was tempted to put it down for good at various points in the narrative. What a silly book! Seriously! Ms. Huff's premise is fascinating. When I read reviews describing the plot, I couldn't wait to pick up the novel. And when I did, I found the characters to be one-dimensional straight-men for the heroine, or for her talking cat. And the jokes and quips are so juvenile. I think what was meant to be satire turned into slapstick on the way to the printer. The plot plods, it rambles. Jokes become more important than the storyline. The voice of Hell, who lives way below the basement, even thinks he's a comedian. Now that sounds funny when I write it - but when Hell keeps shouting-out non sequiturs, it gets old soon! As a result, the dark nature of the storyline lacks impact. Hell seems more hilarious than torturous. And the preternatural turns into bad sitcom.
Claire Hansen is a Keeper. She belongs to a race of humans, descended from Adam and Lilith, which have magical powers. Her primary duty is to patch up the fabric of the universe when it has been torn, to prevent evil from leaking through to our world. Magic is not allowed to become mayhem when a Keeper is on the job. She and her cat, Austin, have been summoned to a guesthouse, the Elysian Fields, in Eastern Canada. The present landlord abandons the B&B on Claire's and Austin's first night. The two awaken to find that Claire is the new proprietor - her signature on the hotel register was used on the transfer of ownership documents. She has also inherited: the inn's wholesome, handsome handyman, Dean from Newfoundland; a flirtatious French-Canadian ghost, Jacques; an infestation of imps; a hole in the basement floor which is really the portal to Hell - although it does heat the house; and an evil female Keeper, asleep for 50 years now, in room number 6. Claire has to make sure the lady remains asleep while guarding the entrance to Hell. All she has to do is figure out how to close the basement rift and get rid of Sleeping Beauty. Claire's mother and sister come to visit, as do aging Greek gods, a musical vampire, and two werewolves. This all sounds delightful. Right? That's why I bought the book. All these wonderful characters have frequent inane conversations - trite dialogue which leads nowhere. Some of the humor is good, really good! There is just too much of it. I only wanted the tale to be told, without so many unnecessary interruptions. I wanted to be absorbed.
For clarification, I want to note that I am a major fan of the Anita Blake series, Sookie Stackhouse, and the Dresden Files. I love fantasy, dark fantasy, sci-fi and horror novels. I am selective but not that hard to please. I do have a sense of humor. Honestly though, I cannot recommend "Summon The Keeper." I will rate it 2 stars, not 1, because I loved the cat!!
JANA
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: Tanya Huff is one of my most loved authors. I have read everything of hers, minus the quarter books, and have debated on them. She writes with humor and style. Fast paced, but allowing you to keep up with the story. She does not dewll on a single aspect of humanity, but tosses in everyday aspects of life and how they effect having to save the world. The charaters are fun and likeable. They have their quirks and negitives, but they get the job done, and just becasue they have special powers dosen't mean they can do everything alone, which is great.
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Humor!
Review: Huff's Summon the Keeper is a somewhat a rarity in the fantasy genre. It is both good fantasy and very funny. It is satisfyingly grounded in all the myth and mythology of classic fantasy, while at the same time poking gentle fun at the genre itself. I have often not been satisified with the "talking cat" variety of fantasy; however, I found Huff's Austin to be the quintessential cat---sarcastic, inscrutible, and yet very loving of "his human". His occassional comments have made me look at my own cats and wonder if they would say the same things if they spoke. (According to Austin, I'll never know since they're all fixed.) While some readers may find Huff's phrasing difficult at first, there is a rythmn to her writing style that will allow the reader to catch on. I've referred this book to a number of people now, and all have been as enthusiastic as I was! However, a word of warning, it's the type of book that is hard to put down and the giggling it will cause will make doubly difficult to go to sleep!!
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