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Summary: Pay attention to HELL and don't forget to feed the cat.
Review: Hooray!! Tanya Huff continues the story of Claire Hansen, a Keeper in 'The Second Summoning'. For those of you that haven't read 'Summon the Keeper', GO read that one first.. This is absolutely the best read that I've had in a long time. It doesn't help that my daughter kept asking what I was laughing so hard at. Wonderful in depth characters, right on story line, this is the kind of stuff that you start reading and don't stop. This is a MUST READ for a fantasy fan.
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Summary: Creative comedy with adventure, it was awesome!!
Review: I loved this book so much, but it wasn't because it was deeply moving or because it had some fantastic, breathtaking, complex plot. No, I loved it because it was a hilarious break from reality and we all need that now adays. The jokes are really original and while they have sexual connotations, they are generally not disgusting and never perverted. I really enjoyed the cat Austin and his arrogance. The best part has got to be the angel's complete confusion and ignorance. God, even the evil in this book has a sense of humor. Don't get me wrong, the story in itself was an interesting and creative one and it gives Tanya Huff full credit for imagination. I really do recommend this book. Enjoy!!
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Summary: Tidy up the leftovers
Review: I read Summon the Keeper and really liked the new approch of Keepers, cousins etc and unlimited possiblities. As always Ms. Huffs tounge in cheek humor is wonderful. Having a neat freak visit Hell, had hell talking to it's self. But the first book left many things dangleing in the air. In book two, the loose ends are nicely tied up, relationships worked out, cats petted and fed. Well worth your time to read.
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Summary: You Had To Have Been There...
Review: I suppose you could think of "The Second Summoning" as a fairy grandmother coming of age story. Except that Claire Hansen should have come of age some time ago, she is hardly a grandmother, and rather than being a fairy, she's a Keeper (pardon the inadvertent pun). For those of you who haven't read "Summon the Keeper," this makes her a sort of badness fixer par excellence - a bona fide Karmic mechanic. Other key members of the cast are Diana, Claire's younger (and more powerful) sister; Dean, who Diana nearly sacrificed in the previous book; and, finally, Austin, the ineffable talking cat. There are many others who provide delightful bit parts, but it is Claire and Dean, with some considerable help from Diana, who manage who nearly manage to disrupt the world. Austin, as always, provides running commentary and never misses a straight line. What did they do? Well, after a short, disastrous separation Claire and Dean return to each other with such carnal enthusiasm that they generate a huge amount of positive feelings. This would be fine, but Diana has built an unauthorized, huge happiness intensifying snowflake as a decoration for her high school Xmas party. The resulting feedback loop unleashes a giand goodness bubble that falls under the influence of Lena, one of Claire's friends. Lena just happens to be trying to manifest an angel in her bedroom at that precise moment. What does she get? No surprise here, she materializes an angel - with spiky hair, and, unexpectedly, an impressive set of, you know, things - male things. If having to clean up after an impossible angel isn't enough; Claire, Diana and the rest of the crew soon have even worse to deal with. Newton's Third Law of Metaphysical Dynamics - for any flow of wonderful good that materializes in the world there is an equally awful flow of nastiness - comes into play. In a backyard in rural Canada a demon makes her appearance, complete with a really impressive set of, er, you know, female things. In no time at all Toronto is a shambles and the world is headed for Armageddon. Claire and Diana to the rescue. Or they would be if they would ever stop bickering. Tanya Huff is one of those rare authors who defy classification into a specific genre. Most noted for serious fantasy and an excellent vampire series, she shows in the Keeper series that she has a real flair for light fantasy as well. In many ways Huff's style for these books is quite reminiscent of Terry Prattchett. Certainly, her characters are every bit as quirky and charming. And she has the same ability to navigate the thin line between humorous and silly. Hopefully, Ms. Huff will continue to write this well for many novels to come!
Rating:
Summary: You Had To Have Been There...
Review: I suppose you could think of "The Second Summoning" as a fairy grandmother coming of age story. Except that Claire Hansen should have come of age some time ago, she is hardly a grandmother, and rather than being a fairy, she's a Keeper (pardon the inadvertent pun). For those of you who haven't read "Summon the Keeper," this makes her a sort of badness fixer par excellence - a bona fide Karmic mechanic. Other key members of the cast are Diana, Claire's younger (and more powerful) sister; Dean, who Diana nearly sacrificed in the previous book; and, finally, Austin, the ineffable talking cat. There are many others who provide delightful bit parts, but it is Claire and Dean, with some considerable help from Diana, who manage who nearly manage to disrupt the world. Austin, as always, provides running commentary and never misses a straight line. What did they do? Well, after a short, disastrous separation Claire and Dean return to each other with such carnal enthusiasm that they generate a huge amount of positive feelings. This would be fine, but Diana has built an unauthorized, huge happiness intensifying snowflake as a decoration for her high school Xmas party. The resulting feedback loop unleashes a giand goodness bubble that falls under the influence of Lena, one of Claire's friends. Lena just happens to be trying to manifest an angel in her bedroom at that precise moment. What does she get? No surprise here, she materializes an angel - with spiky hair, and, unexpectedly, an impressive set of, you know, things - male things. If having to clean up after an impossible angel isn't enough; Claire, Diana and the rest of the crew soon have even worse to deal with. Newton's Third Law of Metaphysical Dynamics - for any flow of wonderful good that materializes in the world there is an equally awful flow of nastiness - comes into play. In a backyard in rural Canada a demon makes her appearance, complete with a really impressive set of, er, you know, female things. In no time at all Toronto is a shambles and the world is headed for Armageddon. Claire and Diana to the rescue. Or they would be if they would ever stop bickering. Tanya Huff is one of those rare authors who defy classification into a specific genre. Most noted for serious fantasy and an excellent vampire series, she shows in the Keeper series that she has a real flair for light fantasy as well. In many ways Huff's style for these books is quite reminiscent of Terry Prattchett. Certainly, her characters are every bit as quirky and charming. And she has the same ability to navigate the thin line between humorous and silly. Hopefully, Ms. Huff will continue to write this well for many novels to come!
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Summary: Gotta love Austin!
Review: I was surprised to find that The Second Summoning was just as good as Summon the Keeper, which is often unusual. It was great to see some of the characters from the first book back, and some new ones as well. Where as in the first book, Claire had to face Hell itself in a major battle, the enemies were a bit less intimidating in the Second Summoning. I think Austin is simply hilarious, even more so in the Second Summoning than Summon the Keeper. Byleth and Samuel both add more comedy to the story than before as well. Another good thing about this book is that Diana, Claire's younger sister, plays a larger role. She is really funny, and adds new twists into the story. The Second Summoning is a great read, I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Summon the Keeper, or Tanya Huff's other works. If you are expecting a more 'fantasyish' type of fantasy, like Huff's Sing the Four Quarters books, you might be disapointed.
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Summary: Purely delightful
Review: If you don't have a good time with this book rush to the doctor - you may have a severe defect of the funny bone! Anyone with a sister or a cat will relate. Do yourself a favor and read this amusing book.
Rating: 
Summary: Every bit as hilarious as the first
Review: In the second book of the Keeper's Chronicles, Claire Hansen is having relationship troubles. She's really fond of handsome handyman Dean but she doesn't want him to get killed in the battle against good and evil. To make matters more confusing, her smart-mouthed cat, Austin, and her annoying little sister, Diana, are determined to meddle in Claire and Deans' relationship. Just when Claire thinks she's worked her personal life out, the power of darkness and light start wreaking havoc in the form of hormone driven teenagers. The Second Summoning is every bit as hilarious as the first book in the series. However, this time around the book is as much from Diana's point of view as it is from Claire's. The switching POVs makes this book seem more like part of a series. I really liked the plot but I found myself missing Claire and Deans' plot line. Anyway, fans of supernatural humor really should give this series a shot.
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Summary: A romanic urban fantasy hat is simply exhillerating
Review: She is a Keeper, a guardian on Earth, insuring the metaphysical balance stays intact. Whenever Claire Hansen is Summoned, she ventures to a spot where an opening from Hell requires closing by her. Since her last assignment, Dean a non-magical Bystander accompanies Claire even knowing what she does for a living. While they finally come together to make love, the power released is so powerful that a nearby teenager is able to brings forth the angel Samuel. He cannot return to the light because he has no earthly idea why he was called. An unattended opening in remote Woverton grows until a female demon exits it on the mortal side and begins spreading chaos. Apparently, Byleth is Samuel's counterpart with both behaving like teens filled with flaming hormones and neither feel saintly or devilishly. The demon must return to Hell, but that cannot happen until the angel returns to Heaven. Keeper Diana, Claire's sister refuses to send back the supernatural being Samuel and wants him to stay in a place where he does not belong-or does he?. THE SECOND SUMMONING is much lighter in tone than the first book in this series (see SUMMON THE KEEPER) as the novel is a witty parody of its predecessor. The romance between Claire and Dean makes a great subplot while Diana's hijinks intrigue the audience, especially the parental and grandparental boomers caught by moral dilemmas caused by someone on the side of the light. The angel-demon arc is an evolving satire different than anything the popular Tanya Huff has done before. Fantasy readers will enjoy this tale and feel summoned by Ms. Huff to become a series regular. Harriet Klausner
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Summary: Well worth reading, but not as hilarious as Summon the Keepe
Review: Summon the Keeper is one of those rare books which makes me giggle every time I read it. Naturally, I was eagerly looking forward to the sequel and it was enjoyable. I thought it lacked the constant witticsms of the first book (never thought I'd miss Hell quite so much) but it is a fun read.
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