There were several serious and worthy overlooked books I was considering for this Monday and then I started reading Cherie Priest's upcoming Not Flesh Nor Feathers and I thought, "you know what - everybody needs to read her books!" So I chucked my list of other books (all of whom will be discussed here in upcoming months) and decided to focus instead on the awesome Eden Moore books. Basically, it's August, it's hot and I'm all about the fun reading and it really does not get much more fun then these books. (If your fun includes bat crazy homicidal family members, Civil War soldier ghosts, and zombies...gotta love the zombies!)

First, I have to tell you that Feathers is not due out until October, so you will have to save the big zombie, flood, crazy ghost, KKK murder mystery until then (perfect Halloween reading obviously). However this gives you plenty of time to pick up Four and Twenty Blackbirds and Wings to the Kingdom. Both of these books are awesome and while each of them will standalone, reading them in order goes a long way toward explaining things and also lets you see Eden's evolution over time. They are each good stories, but as a trilogy really stand out.

Blackbirds is all about Eden who has been stalked by a crazy guy bent on killing her since she was a kid. In trying to figure out just who the crazy guy is, as well as several odd secrets about her rather mysterious childhood, she finds herself not only with some less than savory family connections (that would be the bat shit crazy parts) but also some voodoo.

Oh - and Eden sees dead people and has a habit of crawling around in places (like abandoned psychiatric hospitals) where really disturbed dead people might be hanging out.

Blackbirds has a particularly creepy moment in Eden's childhood during a summer camp that positively gave me chills - it was scary but in that understated King/Bradbury kind of scary, not over-the-top. That was when I decided that Cherie Priest was someone I needed to read a lot of and immediately ordered the second Eden book.

Wings to the Kingdom is about a Civil War battlefield that is suddenly under siege and the ghostly soldiers who go looking for help. (I think I neglected to mention that the Eden books all take place in Chattanooga, so ghosts, battlefields and KKK mysteries fit right in.) I loved this book - I have a sore spot for battlefields and I was thrilled with what Cherie did here. She also gives us another psychiatric hospital (this one still occupied) and an ancient Indian cemetery (of course). Eden has it a bit more together this time as she is better capable of handling her own abilities, but she also has to deal with a ghost-hunter tv crew out at the battlefield who are getting in the way which does cause a problem or two. Again, nice and creepy and loads of fun.

Feathers might be the best of the group (and that is really saying something). I've been blazing through it since I started it last night and I'm loving every twist and turn. The Tennessee River is overflowing its banks and along with a lot of muck and mire there are also quite a few members of the undead coming up on shore. These are angry zombies though - zombies directed to find something (or someone) and kill everyone that gets in their way. The only one that seems to have a clue about what they want is the local crazy ghost - The White Lady. The lady really is nuts, and apparently was crazy when she died, so her ability (and willingness) to help Eden out is rather limited. She's forced to figure out just what the zombies want and how to stop them on her own (okay, with a bit of help from her friends).

Oh - and there's also the matter of the KKK, a long ago covered up mass murder and a fire, a serious fire. What Eden can do to piece all this together before the zombies make a big buffet out of the folks who have gotten trapped on the wrong side of the river is a mystery until the thrilling, show stopping ending. It's nonstop action, witty banter and talking to the undead in this one folks - consider it your favorite Buffy episode just a bit wetter and you've got it nailed.

I mean please - the KKK, zombies and a crazy ghost? How can you beat that combination?

I wrote about Cherie's first two books earlier this year and I know that they have gotten good coverage in the SFF circles. But unless you read horror or SFF on a regular basis you might have missed them and if that is the case then you are letting a great series pass you by. Eden is smart and resourceful and more than a bit pissed off by the whole seeing the dead (and undead) thing. She keeps trying to get her life together (school, job, etc.) and keeps getting sucked back into all the craziness in her hometown. Along with all her conflict about what she should do and must do, Cherie really ratchets up the tension of what big bad thing is going to happen if Eden doesn't get involved and so really the girl doesn't have a choice (a la Buffy). But she doesn't have that whole super strong thing going on either and that is a major bummer - some slayer strength would really come in handy against the zombies.

I love the history that Cherie fills her books with (they are practically dripping with all things southern) and the fact that so much of it (as she reveals in her notes) is true. There is a lot of work that goes into these books and it shows. They are good old fashioned fun reading and I've enjoyed each one thoroughly. Give yourself a good time this August and take a dose of Eden Moore out to the back porch. I promise you, you will not regret it! (And I'll be back in October with a glowing review of Feathers.)

Other Wicked Cool Overlooked Book Posts today: (email me or comment below with a link to yours)

Hillbilly Gothic by Adrienne Martini over at Seven Imps (I'm reviewing this one for Eclectica this fall.) They've done a wonderful job with their review and I highly recommend this book - it blew me away and I'll be saying as much when I write about it next month.

Becky has Pepperland by Mark Delaney: "Set in the fall of 1980, Delaney's novel is a wonderful exploration of grief, anger, loss, and confusion."

TadMack has a blast from her own past with Summer of the Swans by Betsy Byars: "Somewhere in West Virginia, there was a girl with orange sneakers who hated her ugly this-is-what-we-can-afford shoes, and thought her dad hated her: just like me. I was almost ten."

Little Willow points out Boy Heaven by Laura Kasischke: "Fans of Lois Duncan ought to pick this book up. The writing style is fresh, the plot intricate, and the settings and characters quite detailed, making Boy Heaven one of this summer's most intriguing pageturners."

And Kelly remembers Ursula Nordstrom's The Secret Language: "What do I love so much about The Secret Language? Honestly, I love that not much happens except for two girls become friends at boarding school. "

All sound great - do check them out!