After feeling a little disappointed in the last couple books in this series, I was pleasantly surprised by Lake Silence. I do still want some closure with Simon and Meg, but I feel that Bishop really refreshed things with this story. I enjoyed all of the new characters and it was interesting to see the world of the Others in a more rural setting.

5 Hearts, a Recommended Read!!!
SJ, Romance Junkies.

Urban fantasy at is finest and most complex. LAKE SILENCE by Anne Bishop returns readers to her world of the Others, where the Terra Indigene rule the world. Humans must follow the Others' laws or face their judgement. And there are those more deadly than the vampires and shapeshifters who interact with the humans. Like the elementals and Elders who don't like their borders crossed...

Vicki DeVine divorced her verbally abusive husband and received a rundown resort in Lake Silence as her settlement. The Jumble, as its known, has been a project for Vicki, and she's used most of her finances to get the resort up and running again.

She had a rough time with her ex, and she's been working hard to overcome his controlling ways. She's made friends with several locals in Sproing, the human settlement around Lake Silence. And those friends are both human and not-so-human.

But when her lodger, a shapeshifting Crowe, discovers a body, Vicki is thrown into a whirlwind of trouble, conspiracy, and danger. But as she does her best to manage deceitful humans, she'll find formidable allies in the Others who have come to like Vicki there, as a bridge between human and Other.

The world-building Bishop created is rich with detail and lush with description. The story is engrossing, the characters flawed, heroic, and villainous. There's no end to Bishop's imagination, and this addition to her Others' series is an outstanding novel you'll want to read over and over again. 

LAKE SILENCE can be read as a stand-alone, but fans will get a thrill out of continuing with the author's multilayered world and invest in the lives of ordinary characters who do the extraordinary. 

LAKE SILENCE is a must-read, an urban fantasy adventure I wish would never end.

Recommended Read!

3.5 stars

I loved the first five books of The Others series so much and the cast of characters living in Lakeside that I was really nervous to dive into Lake Silence. It was bittersweet as well as exciting, and I’m happy to say the residents of Lake Silence won me over in the end. Right off the bat I will say that Vicki feels like a Meg 2.0 to me - a female who has been abused and is skittish around men, though I think Vicki is even more skittish than Meg. The obvious difference in this new location is that this is a human controlled town meant to teach The Others as opposed to an Others based city inviting humans in. But while there may be more humans there, that doesn’t mean the residents are safer. Everything came to a head in the last book with the Humans First and Last movement, and the Elders are watching humans closer than ever.
Like the original five books in the series, this book is slow going, and I don’t mean that in a bad way. I find this world and watching the people do their day to day tasks enthralling even if it doesn’t keep me on the edge of my seat. This book upped the ante in that it flirted a bit with horror; there were a lot of spooky scenes, and they were done well. Though I will say at the beginning of this book, I feel like there were parts of it that maybe mocked the beginning of the series, and it didn’t leave a very good taste in my mouth. If it wasn’t the same author, I think I would have been more angry, but I can’t imagine her mocking her own work.
While I did enjoy this story, it felt like this particular plotline was more par for the course when dealing with the terre indigene, and this could have been a side story to a more extraordinary plot. My final gripe is the cover - since Vicki is the only woman whose point of view we get in first person POV, I am guessing it’s supposed to be her on the cover. And if it is, I can’t help but feel like there was a missed opportunity here. So man women have body image issues and would be able to identify with Vicki, but there is nothing curvy, plain, or plump or particularly relatable about the woman on the cover. She looks sexy and alluring, and that’s not what I got from Vicki at all.
Overall, I thought Lake Silence was a good start to the next arc in The Others series. Elementals continue to be the standout characters for me (and we get to meet more of them!) and the line in the sand is even deeper now - the Elders and the rest of the terra indigene aren’t even playing nice with each other, and it makes me really excited to read what’s coming!

Vicki DeVine took one thing away from her divorce, the Jumble a resort on Lake Silence. Unused for years, Vicki renovates it and opens its cabins for rent. Her first resident is Aggie Crowe, an Other.

When Aggie finds a dead body, Vicki calls the human authorities. This brings the human authorities onto the Jumble, were Vicki quickly learns is an Other’s domain. Someone is after the Jumble and Vicki will do whatever she can to keep the Jumble and the inhabitants (the Others) safe. With her actions she quickly secures the respect and devotion of the Others.

Veering away from a story based in the Lakeside Courtyard with Meg, Cassandra Sangue, and Simon Wolfgard, as leads, Bishop delves in with a collection of fresh new characters, a few unfamiliar Other species we haven’t seen before and a riveting tale that will have you mystified. Don’t fret, Vicki, coming out of an abusive marriage and learning to stand on her own, is an outstanding, warm-hearted, and as genuine as the come; a lead you can really get behind. I have to admit I'm loving this new direction.

There is something about Anne Bishop's writing and The Others world that she has created that completely captivates me! Utterly Enthralling! It is one of the reads that you want to lock yourself away from the real world so nothing can distract you from immersing yourself deep into the story-telling.

When I finished Lake Silence, I immediately re-read the entire series ending with a second reading of Lake Silence, YES, it is that GOOD!

I received this ARC copy of Lake Silence from Berkley Publishing Group. This is my honest and voluntary review. Lake Silence is set for publication Mar. 6, 2018.

My Rating: 5 stars FAVORITE
Written by: Anne Bishop
Series: World of the Others, The
Sequence in Series: Book 1
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: March 6, 2018
Genre: Dark Fantasy | Paranormal

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I have been in love with Simon, Meg, Vlad, Tessa and all the vanguard in the Others series since the very first book and when Simon and Meg's journey ended at book five, I wasn't ready to say goodbye to them. I don't think anyone that has read the magical, slightly horrifying world that Bishop has created in the Others, was. How can one ever be ready to say goodbye to beloved characters?
Finding out book six would be a spin off of this amazing world was both a delight, elating and a bit terrifying.

How could I possible relinquish control of this amazing world to a different set of characters in a different part of the world that Bishop had us all both fearing and loving?

To say I was a little scared was an understatement.

With trepidation I opened Lake Silence and with a deep breath, a bag of chocolate near me and a blanket to snuggle up with, I took the plunge...slowly. A toe at first and then, yep, I was hooked and I jumped right in the rest of the way. All the apprehension and fear gone as I was once again immersed in this utterly terrifying and yet fascinating world.

I loved seeing some old faces and getting a lot of new ones. Even after my initial reaction of wanting this to be about the Others I already knew and loved, it really was so nice to see some fresh faces and more importantly to learn more about the Elders! I'm so glad that we really get to see these glimpses of more of what the Others are and how they think and feel about each other and humans. This was by far one of the more detailed and maybe even more interesting looks into how their hierarchy works and functions.

All in all, I am once again hooked and can't wait for more.

I read all of The Others first five books in the second half of 2017 and was really excited to see there was going to be more after the fifth book. I really enjoyed those stories and truly loved Meg and Simon. I had hoped we would see more of them together but the book ended faster than I wanted. I was hoping we'd get at least a few peeks of them in this but we didn't. But that isn't even my biggest complaint about this one.

My biggest problem is that ultimately, the characters were not nearly as charismatic or interesting at those in the original series. They were flat and stereotypical and just plan boring. Even the bad guys were one dimensional and all the same. I don't know what happened to the writing but the only characters I actually liked reading about were Ilya and Aggie. The rest I could have done without. Which is such a shame after having such a great cast of characters in the previous books. Because while I enjoyed the stories of the first books, it was the characters that really kept me reading and buying the books. The main character in this one, Vicki, is a lot like Meg in that she was mistreated by men in her past and is now very wary of them. And we hear about it quite often. Pretty much every time her POV comes around. I was hoping to find a little more depth to her as the book continued but that's about it, really. And if she said 'vigorous appendage' one more time, I might have actually given up on this one. Out of everything in this book, that was the most eye-roll inducing thing. The rest of the charcters are okay but I didn't feel like we actually got enough from Julian or Grimshaw to really know who they are yet. So far they're just old friends who are an Intuit and a cop and play their roles very well in the book. I think what I really need after this is just a book about the Sanguinati. They are, by far, the most interesting characters in any of these books.

As for the plot and suspense, nothing got really exciting until very close to the end. Before that, it's very repetitive about dangers near The Jumble and Yorick acting like an idiot. We get to see Vicki have panic attacks and the Sproingers watching the humans to see who is good and who is bad. But other than that, it's just a lot of "I have a bad feeling" and "what's going to happen?". And in the end, the Others just save Vicki from some very stupid men. There was nothing truly suspenseful or surprising about it at all. Even the bad guys weren't that interesting. They were just obvious jerks who said mean things and disregarded all of the rules. Even though they must have lived through the events of the last book. So I really didn't understand how they disregarded any and all warnings from the Others when they saw the destruction they can bring about. But I guess that just shows how egotistical they are? I don't know. It just created less tension and more eye-rolling for me.

And it didn't help at all that Vicki's POV is told in first person and all of the other POVs are told in third person. I don't think that's how it was for the other books and it really broke up the rhythm for me. It doesn't seem to bother most people but it was definitely weird for me.

In the end, I'm so sad that I didn't love this. I'm not letting it change my feelings for the first books but I'm not sure what I'll do in regards to future books in this series. I'm glad so many people are loving it already but for me, it just didn't have the same magic as the earlier books in the series.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher, Ace Books, in exchange for an honest review.

Lake Silence is part of an existing literary world, The Others, but it is its own entry into that world. As you begin to read Lake Silence, you have a feeling that some of unique characteristics of the world have been described elsewhere, but it doesn't create a block to the story. Anne Bishop lets the details of world unfold naturally as they are necessary to understand the story and the creatures within the story. On its surface, the story is about a woman trying to make a new life for herself while some try to thwart her. But the story has more nuances to it which make it a wonderful read. Vicki DeVine is a survivor struggling with her past experiences (she was a victim of abuse in her first marriage). And despite that, she is still a woman with a huge heart who is willing to accept and aid Others without question. It also references one of my favorite board games (and makes me want to create location specific versions).

For me the sign of a good book is wanting to know so much more about the world it is set in. Bishop does an amazing job of creating fully developed worlds that have a history that matters. I want to know so much more about the Human First and Last Movement and the establishment of the terre indigene settlements.

Another sign of a good book is an entire cast of fully developed characters with different motivations. Reading Lake Silence made me want to spend more time with the Crowguard, with the Sanguinati, with the Elders and the Elementals. I want to know about the tattoos and more.

I can say without hesitation that I would recommend Lake Silence to readers who enjoy paranormal fantasy novels. And I want to go back and read Anne Bishops other books in this world to perhaps fill in some gaps about the amazing world.

After the events in the other books set in this world (referred to as the Great Predation), the Elders tolerance for humans is quite low. It means that some are very aware of the low value of human life and some are too arrogant to believe that the Elders will bother with them. They are mistaken.

When Aggie finds a murdered man, Vicki discovers that the detectives who take on the case can not be trusted. Fortunately, the first at the scene was a patrol officer, Wayne Grimshaw, who is not in league with them. It turns out there is a secret society and connections to Vicki’s former life that led her to taking over the Jumble. The Jumble is a resort governed by strict rules through a deal with the Others. Unbeknownst to Vicki, it’s considered somewhat of a test ground for others to experience human life and behaviour. She is the caretaker that must make sure the rules are followed or she will lose the property to the Elders. Her friends Julian and Ineke are helping her as she sets up her new life in Sproing.

We see more of the Intuits out in the world alone, instead of in their own village, and learn more of their history. This village, Sproing, is quite remote. There is no dominant group of Others, though the Sanguinati are in charge of this area. There are crows, a bear and a panther as well. Comic relief comes in the form of Sproingers, whose antics will amuse you throughout the book. They’re isolated to this region.

Vicki DeVine deals with anxiety and panic attacks after her divorce – PTSD is implied. It’s interesting to see how the Others react to this because this is foreign to them and they work to understand and help her. The character development of Vicki, Wayne, and Julian is very well done as the reader also sees them through other character’s perspectives.

There is back and forth POV between several characters and at the beginning, during the introduction, it would have been easier to establish more consistency from one POV. Ultimately though it works very well to get the full picture of the ramifications of human actions.

My impression is that this is a standalone, and the storylines are concluded satisfactorily. If we get a chance for another glimpse at these characters, I would jump at it. Highly recommend if you are looking for a fantasy novel.

I’m pretty sure that Anne Bishop’s books should come with a warning. When reading the first five books, I somehow entirely lost track of time until I turned the last page. If I needed to stop for any reason, I counted the seconds until I could pick the book back up. Because of this, when I first started Lake Silence, I had extremely high expectations. Luckily, this installment, which is a standalone novel, was just as entirely addictive and excellent as the other books in this series.

I was worried when I saw that Lake Silence would center around an entirely new cast of characters. In the previous books, I had fallen in love with Meg, Simon, and the other members of the Lakeside Courtyard. I wasn’t sure that I would like a book that potentially wouldn’t have them in it. Silly me. Anne Bishop brought these new characters to life just as brilliantly. I absolutely adored all of the new characters introduced in Lake Silence. Well, at least the ones that weren’t evil.

It was fascinating to have a human as the main character, I appreciated the shift in perspective. I absolutely adored Vicki as a narrator. I actually found that I was able to identify more with her than I initially had with Meg. Vicki was entirely out of her depth but remained kind, empathetic, and determined. Her reactions to the Others felt so realistic. I actually ended up laughing out loud a few times. On a more serious note, Bishop does an excellent job of portraying the long-reaching effects of emotional abuse. My heart broke for Vicki even as I admired her incredible strength. One of my favorite things about Bishop is that she acknowledges that there are different kinds of strengths and that having scars isn’t the same as being broken.

The plot, as usual, was absolutely fantastic. It was the same mix of character-based action that I absolutely loved from the other books. I loved that I could understand the motivations of the villains, particularly because of how realistic and slimy they were. The Jumble was such a fun setting, I loved how it was reminiscent of a Courtyard and yet entirely new. Ilya and the other Sanguiniti were wonderfully morally gray. I also enjoyed seeing the evil lawyer trope turned on its head. (Well, I guess that depends which side you’re on). In general, there are enough similarities to previous characters that reading this book felt like coming home. However, Bishop also does an excellent job of making each new character feel entirely distinct and unique.

If you’ve the rest of this series, I would absolutely recommend picking this one up. If you haven’t read The Others yet, what are you waiting for? It’s one of the best urban fantasy series out there. Lake Silence can be read as a standalone but you’ll have a much greater appreciation for the world and the story if you’ve read the rest of the series first. I’m going to be crossing my fingers that Bishop decides to return to this world again, I’m still not quite ready to let go of it just yet.

Trigger warning: domestic violence (verbal), anxiety/panic attacks

Ms. Bishop's the Others series is, well, interesting. The world building is both very good and somewhat lackadaisical (computers and email exist even though most of America is covered in forest). Sometimes the characters do things for completely incomprehensible reasons, and there are frequently clunkily worded sentences. Also, the bad guys are very, very evil, and the good guys tend to be, well, Mary Sues. The plot lines are pretty simple. The main character, usually female, is hurt by a Very Bad Man, main character somehow ends up befriending the Others, Very Bad Man and friends do dumb stuff and then get eaten by the Others. It's basically justice porn. But, I mean, this book starts out with the main character walking in on her lodger microwaving an eyeball for lunch, so, I'm not going to really complain. They're fun, humorous, and completely over the top, and they're simply great fun to read.

This is the first in a new storyline with The Others universe, so I suppose someone could pick this up without prior knowledge of the Others, though I think they'd be a tad confused. Lakeside Courtyard, and cassandra sangue, are mentioned only in passing, so if you go into this looking for more Meg and Simon, you'll be disappointed. Instead, we have the town of Sproing (I know, I know, this is one of those things you just have to overlook with this series), which is controlled by the terra indigene, otherwise known as the Others, mostly wild creatures who can, if they wish, assume human shape, and Vicki, the new protagonist. Vicki received The Jumble - a village-size cluster of cottages with private beach access to Lake Silence - as part of a divorce settlement from her ex-husband. She's new to the village, but has spent the past few months repairing the cottages, and even has her first lodger - who just so happens to be a Crow terra indigene. Of course, things happen, and Vicki ends up the victim of a sinister plot, and somehow her ex is involved, of course. Luckily, she's got a highway patrol police officer, a "yummy" vampire lawyer, the former-police-now-bookstore-owner love interest, the boarding-house-owner-with-scary-tattoos, and a bunch of what I think are supposed to be kangaroos on her side.

“I looked at the screen door and wondered about something else. 'Do the Sanguinati have trouble with mosquitoes?'
'You mean, do the big bloodsuckers get pestered by the little bloodsuckers?'
Judging by my attorney’s laughter, if I failed to turn The Jumble into a viable business, I could always get a job as a standup comedian in a vampire bar.”


I sympathized with Vicki DeVine (and that's the last time I'll type out her last name, because good night that's awful). She's self-conscious of her looks (she's short and plump) and has deep emotional scars from her verbally abusive marriage. Raised voices, and men in general, can send her spiraling into a bad panic attack. Despite all that, she's worked hard to make a go of it with The Jumble, and has started to settle in with the rest of Sproing's inhabitants. Wayne Grimshaw is the highway patrol police officer from the nearest city who's sent to investigate Vicki's call about an eyeball, and he seemed generally nice, if a bit two-dimensional. Unlike the main cop from the previous set of books, there doesn't seem much else to him other than that he likes Vicki and wants to make sure she's treated fairly. Julian Farrow is the owner of the village bookstore, and also someone Grimshaw was friends with at the police academy, though he dropped out of police work after being attacked and nearly killed one night on patrol. It seems like Julian's being set up as Vicki's love interest (another bookseller, really?), which, well, whatever, but note that there's pretty much no romantic content in this book. As for the terra indigene contingent, we have "yummy" Ilya, the head of the Sanguinati lodge in Sproing, who own pretty much the entire town and Aggie, the crow guard lodger whose unconventional lunch starts the whole plot.

“'And while you and Grimshaw and Julian get this straightened out for silly, incompetent me, I’ll just sit in a corner somewhere and do nothing, because that’s all I’m good at.' I’d meant it to sound humorous—don’t ask me how it could—but even to my ears it sounded bitter. Defeated.
'Can you kill a human, Victoria?' Ilya asked.
'No.'
'Then let those who can deal with these predators.'
'That’s your plan? Kill Yorick and those other men?'
'Not if I can find a better way to solve the problem.'


As for the plot, well, it's predictable. I really wish Vicki had more agency in this book. I understand that that's probably unrealistic after being set up as son emotionally broken, and she does man up for the climatic bit of the book, but at a lot of times it felt like the Others were basically treating her like a pet and taking care of all her problems for her. Her worth, to them, is basically being the human caretaker of The Jumble and reading them stories three nights a week.

Now let's talk about ridiculous. Vicki refers to her ex, Yorick, and his Vigorous Appendage (yes, with the caps) several times, and people, I just can't. The next - the bad guys all belong to, I swear I'm not making this up, the Tie Clip Club. Originally, the good guys came up with this as sort of a tongue-in-cheek name to describe a secret club where the members are identified by wearing a specific tie clip, and I giggled at the name then, but no, really, that's what they actually call themselves. While there are multiple POVs in the story, most of them are told in third-person while Vicki's is told in first-person. While I actually prefer first-person POV, switching between the two types was jarring for me.

Overall, while I do complain a lot about the over the topness of these books, I keep picking them up every time a new one is released. Yes, they're predictable, and it seems like large chunks have been copy-and-pasted from the first set of books, but there's something to be said for knowing exactly what you're going to get when you pick up a book. They're ridiculous but enjoyable, so I'm going to say this falls somewhere on the 3-4 star scale for me, so I'll round up to 4 stars. Recommended for fans of word building who aren't afraid of Sproingers or Vigorous Appendages.

I haven't read any of the other books in the World of the Others, but I want to now! This is a great world filled with vampires, shape shifters and elementals, humans are the minority and if they go against the Others they usually wind up dead.

Vicki is an emotionally abused fragile woman who receives a property called the Jumble as part of her divorce settlement. What she doesn't know is that the Jumble is a settlement for the Others to learn and interact with humans. Her ex husband thinks he pulled a fast one by giving up the Jumble but his new wife and his business partners believe it could make them a fortune as a resort since it is one of the only properties on the Finger Lakes. However what the ex husband doesn't count on is that the terms of the land agreement are very specific and if you break those agreements you will be dealing with more than the police and the penalty might be more than you are willing to pay.

This book is filled with interesting characters and a great fast paced writing style. Vicki's world is turned upside down when she moves to Sproing, where she finds herself surrounded by strong men who appreciate her exactly as she is and are willing to protect her not tear her down.

I really enjoyed this book and want to go find some of the other books set in this world. This does seem to be a stand alone book just set in the world of the others not a part of the others series.

Lake Silence is the first book in a new series set in the same world as The Others. Taking place after the terre indigene decimated the Humans First and Last movement (HFL) reminding humans that they are not the dominant species on Namid. Vicki DeVine, our main protagonist, has received The Jumble, a rustic lake resort, in her divorce settlement. After spending a lot of money making it habitable she’s finally rented out one of the cabins. When she finds her renter, Aggie Crowgard, cooking up a human eyeball in the microwave she realizes there is a dead body on her property. Vicki calls it in and gets more trouble than help. That rather gruesome yet quick start sets the tone for the remainder of the story and I quickly ate it up (sans eyeball, thanks very much!)

Lake Silence is filled with a fantastic group of quirky characters. Vicki has self confidence issues stemming from the abused relationship she had with her ex. Seeing Lake Silence and the inhabitants through her eyes, you are given a very clear view of who are the good guys and who are the bad. When the police show up to investigate, Highway Patrol officer Grimshaw, reminiscent of Lt. Montgomery from the previous Others books, is completely honorable. Even in the face of the terrifying terre indigene, he looks past their scary faces and see’s the dangerous humans as more terrible. Ex-cop Julian, who previously worked with Grimshaw, is now a bookstore owner in the town of Sproinger. Friendly with Vicki, he becomes an integral part of the investigation and ultimately the conclusion. There is also a hint of a future romance between he and Vicki if he can get past her reticence to have any kind of relationship with a man. There are a couple of familiar characters, but other than a hint or suggestion of characters in previous novels, this is a whole new cast. I was disappointed at first but quickly became enraptured with being back in this fascinating world and meeting a new group of terre indigene and humans I could come to like just as well as Meg, Simon and the other inhabitants of the Lakeside Courtyard. Lake Silence is not just a quick fix but I can easily see it becoming another addiction.

I really don’t want to get into the plot of the story anymore than I already have since each element builds up to a great climax. I will say that at one point our characters play a game called Murder, which is similar to the game Clue that we all played as kids. When the terre indigene offer up their own version of the game you really see the contrast between being terre indigene and being human. I loved the dark humor that Anne Bishop added to that scene and Vicki’s internal dialog was pretty funny throughout the book. ❤❤❤❤❤
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest.

I love this series.

Lake Silence is a continuation of a series called The Others. The first five books took place in a town called Lakeside and revolved around a blood prophet living with the "others." This book follows Vicki DeVine, a human woman restoring a lakeside resort she got in her divorce. Things get real when her lodger, crow-shifter Aggie, finds a body on the property and suddenly they're rushing to find out why he was killed before anyone else gets hurt.

This book is told from several points of view but the transition is smooth and natural, never taking you out of the story. I could hardly put the book down while Aggie and Vicki were helping solve the murder and Vicki was discovering the true purpose of the resort. Anne Bishop writes the supernatural in such a natural way that you can't help but believe in this alternative world she has created. My favorite part of her writing is how she approaches utterly unique relationships in such a creative and thought-provoking way. I highly recommend this series.

She thought she had gained her freedom from a monstrous husband and a fresh start in life. What the kind-hearted, slightly klutzy Vicki discovered was a dead body and a world where human law was superseded by Others law and justice comes in many forms.

The Jumble was part of Vicki’s settlement, purported to be a potentially valuable resort lodge nestled in the woods near Lake Silence. It was in the fine print that Vicki learns she has been taken advantage of again, by her ex. Enter the Others and Vicki is about to learn just what makes them tick when their lives and land are threatened by human greed.

Anne Bishop’s LAKE SILENCE is a fascinating and fun look into a world of shapeshifters, vampires and more, including quirky crowgards, a tough cop and a sweet and well-meaning, big-hearted woman who has been used as a doormat one too many times. I loved the character interaction, unique personalities, and moments of humor, attitude and darkness as each scene plays out in one more battle between greed and honor!

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Berkley Publishing Group!

Series: The Others - Book 6
Publisher: Ace (March 6, 2018)
Publication Date: March 6, 2018
Genre: Paranormal Fantasy
Print Length: 414 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

I find it hard to review the books of this series because I have fallen in love with this world and the people that populate it to the point where I am not sure I am writing an unbiased review anymore. It still feels like I am reading a genre that is only populated by this series.

The writing alone is so exceptional that it pulls you in from the first page, I was addicted by the 15% mark and the story was revealed a bit at a time so you got to know the good, the bad and the Others a bit more intimately than before since in this book you are introduced to a new host of characters to love.

I have to say I was disappointed when I heard we were leaving the Lakeside community behind and all the wonderful characters we had come to know and was sure it would not be a good series without them ……. I was wrong.

In Sproing (no that is not mis-spelled and named after rabbit looking creatures that are probably NOT what they seem) we have an almost clear landscape for Ms Bishop to paint new stories in words and she gives us a bevy of new characters to root for or hate and the ever-present Others and we get to meet a few Elders (sort of) and our first male Elemental that we get just enough page time of to make me wonder if we shall see more of him in future books.

One of the few complaints I heard about the previous books was the romance or to be more exact, the lack thereof, this book is much the same, she plays with the reader to the point you are not sure if there is a small love triangle or just 3 people who become good friends as the story progresses. It worked wonderfully for me since I am curious to see if anything happens in that area in future books (assuming we stay in this locality for future novels). NOTE: As with Simon Wolfgard in Lakeside I get the vibe that perhaps down the road Ilya Sanguinati may be more involved with our heroine than at present but that is just my own imagination possibly but he is a true enigma in this novel as a bit Hannible Lector and White Knight wrapped up together with a positive result.

There are many mysteries and twists that you don’t see coming and I loved it all, but since I am a confirmed revenge-junkie, justice is served in a manner that put me into my happy dance.

Just for basic info we have a fairly large cast of characters but the plot revolves around these 4 mainly (bad guys not included):

Victoria “Vicky” DeVine – The slightly plump and mentally abused by her ex-husband for over a decade before getting a divorce and moving to Sproing to rebuild/manage The Jumble, a bit of a vacation cabin establishment.

Officer Wayne Grimshaw – Highway Patrol and temporary Chief of Police for Sproing (friend to almost everyone and really believes the “Serve & Protect” mantra)

Julian Farrow – Former cop, current owner of the local bookstore and keeper of a lot of secrets about himself.

Ilya Sanguinati – “Other” Attorney and seemingly mover and shaker for everything that goes on if he wishes to be. Only answers to the “Elders”

And as always, when I finished that line came to mind:

“So good I needed a cigarette when I finished”

I loved The Others, and when I saw that Anne Bishop was continuing the series with new characters, I was beyond excited. When I started reading Lake Silence, I was a little put off that Vickie’s chapters are 1st person POV,and everyone else is 3rd POV, but I quickly got over that. She is an emotionally wounded character, the 1st person POV let me empathize with her and her painful past. Once I started this book, I couldn’t put it down, and when I finished, I was bummed out. I did not want it to end, and I have come to like the citizens of Sproing and the Jumble, both human and Other. I wanted more!

The book starts out like all of Anne Bishop’s Others books – slowly, methodically introducing the new characters and fleshing out their backgrounds. Vickie is the victim of spousal abuse, and the rundown Jumble is part of her divorce settlement. Grimshaw is a cop sadly lacking in people skills. Julian, owner of Sproing’s bookstore, is an Inuit and an ex-cop who was almost murdered on the beat – but he was saved by one of the Others. Ilya is a vampire who wants to see the Jumble restored and made into an outpost for the Others again.

Vickie’s trouble begin with an eyeball, a wave cooker, and murdered man. Thanks to Grimshaw’s timely appearance to investigate the murder, Vickie isn’t completely at the mercy of the bad guys. And the bad guys here are bad. Selfish, mean-spirited, willing to sacrifice their own family to get ahead in the world. The thing I love best about this series is that the horrid, evil villains always get their comeuppance. After trying to screw over the Others, they learn the error of their ways, far too late, when the Elders take umbrage with their behavior. In the real world, where victories by the good guys seem fewer and farther between, it’s reassuring to know that evil does not triumph in these books.

If you enjoyed the previous Others books, you will enjoy Lake Silence. If you haven’t read the first series, this is a good jumping on point, as it is mostly a stand-alone. I loved this book and I’m counting down the days until the next book.

Grade: 4.75 stars

As a reader who mostly enjoyed the original five stories of The Others, I was both hopeful and concerned about the direction the author might take as the series continued. Having finished Lake Silence, I still feel somewhat conflicted, even though there was quite a lot of time spent establishing the new environment and characters that will make up this part of the same universe. The glimpses of the wild country that were given before were both distant and brief, and there were even fewer details about what life would actually be like in small human (or intuit) villages, like Sproing.

Overall, I liked Vicki quite a lot. She’s strong, clever, has an internally snarky—if slightly manic—sense of humor that I appreciated, and does her best to deal honestly with everyone around her. She’s also survived an awful divorce from an unrepentantly loathsome and emotionally abusive scumbag whose arrogance is as inexplicable as it is intolerable. With that in mind, I found her wariness of men, in general, to be completely understandable, but I was impressed that her acknowledgement of her own limitations was rooted more in her ability to be logical and rational than any perceived powerlessness.

And that’s where parts of the narrative became problematic for me. Even though they have Vicki’s best interests at heart, I couldn’t shake the feeling that the “good guys” in the story—with the exception of Julian Farrow—“handled” her a lot during the course of the story. Vicki does have a moment or two of somewhat childish lashing out, but these instances are few when compared to her deliberate internal consideration of each increasingly alarming situation she finds herself in. Most often, she readily accepts that she needs help, and willingly lets her allies (nearly all men) take the lead. The Others, in particular, have never tried to assist any human, especially an “emotionally-scarred” one, but I think it would have been reasonable (and beneficial to Vicki in the long run) to treat her as a fully aware participant from the beginning, rather than a helpless victim.

As mentioned above, Julian, one of my favorite characters in Lake Silence, points out that very problem fairly early in the story. As an Intuit and former policeman, not to mention the ties he has to the terra indigene and humans alike, he’s a key element throughout the narrative, and one I came to respect a great deal. Other characters I liked tremendously included Aggie and the other Crows, Ineke Xavier, Cougar and Conan, the Lady of the Lake—and the Sproingers.

Despite a few issues that made it difficult for me to become completely engaged in Lake Silence, I think it has significant potential as a continuation of the world of The Others. While none make a direct appearance in this story, the residents of the Lakeside Courtyard/Ferryman’s Landing are still present in other ways, which I was very happy about—though I’d love to see even more of them. I also strongly recommend reading the other books in the series first, since that prior knowledge is necessary to understand the rules that govern this narrative and its characters. Given the previous stories’ focus on larger human cities, Lake Silence is a new beginning, and it’s something I’ll keep in mind as more are written in the future.

I'm going to be honest, when I saw that Lake Silence wasn't going to be about Meg and Simon I was kind of upset. Not upset enough to not pick up the book the first chance I had, Anne Bishop's novels are always at the top of my TBR pile. But I was still kind of sad that we weren't going to be following the characters that we have come to know and love.

Having said that Lake Silence exceeds my expectations and I was hooked from the beginning. Lake Silence only vaguely references character's from the novels BUT it is just as interesting. The wolfgard take a back seat to the crowgard and the sanguinati and the humans play a much larger role.

ake Silence, by author Anne Bishop, is the 6th installment in the Others series. Bishop leaves Meg Corbin and Lakeside Courtyard behind for an entirely new cast of characters including Vicki Devine, Agatha "Aggie" Crowgard, Ilya Sanginati, Julian Farrow, and Wayne Grimshaw, while also introducing a few new and terrifying terra indigene including the Lady of the Lake and the Sproingers. Let's start out by introducing Vicki first since she gets most of the storyline.

She's the current custodian of what the author is calling The Tumble near Sproing & Lake Silence in what is actually the Fingerlakes Region of NY State. The Tumble may have a few humans interspersed here and there, but it is a terra indigene community. As part of her divorce settlement, Vicki is supposed to have the property free and clear. She knows that she can only managed to upgrade the property, but not actually go any further since the land isn't hers. Then one day, her renter, Aggie discovers a dead body on the property.

One thing leads to another which leads to a whole lot of trouble for Vicki and a rallying cry, of sorts, for those who refuse to allow anyone to damage someone who is already damaged and has her fair share of panic attacks after years of abuse. Let me just say that Vicki is NOT Meg Corbin. While the Others seem to gravitate towards her and protect and support her, she has no special powers to see into the future, nor does she have the ability to become a Terra indigene.

I have to admit that I loved Ilya Sanguinati, leader of Silent Lodge and Vicki's knight in shining armour. He's a fantastic character who takes zero prisoners and makes the most stoic character tremble in their feet. Yes, he does in many ways remind me of Vlad, but Ilya is a strong presence throughout the story. Wayne Grimshaw is a high patrol officer and the first on the scene after Aggie discovers the dead body.

Thanks to some political nuisances, Grimshaw ends up temporarily assigned to Sproing Station where his friend, Julian Farrow, owner of the book store called Lettuce Read, is currently living. Julian is a former cop & Intuit who has the ability of sensing danger. An ability that actually saved his life. Grimshaw and Julian are thrown together when things seem most desperate for Vicki thanks to a nasty group of humans.

There is no romance between any of the characters in this book. This is no Meg and Simon who eventually get together as a couple, although an argument could be made for Ilya and Vick if this becomes a series. This is a cast of characters who have live in a wild country where the terra indigene and elders have a tendency of playing with their food, and protecting what is theirs. When outsiders arrive in an attempt to disrupt things, well, I shall leave you to your imagination.

In the end, Lake Silence is a predictable story in many ways. You also have a lead character who isn't perfect in any way or shape. Yes, that's what I said, shape. Vicki is a character that will appeal to those of us who have a bit of cushion to our bodies, and that is absolutely okay. In many ways, Lake Silence could be a standalone. I am not sure what the author's plans are, or if she intends to write another trilogy, but I'd be fine either way.

Fabolous beginning!

When Meg and Simon's arc was done, I was so sad to see one of my favorite series EVER come to an end. So many of the characters had endeared themselves into my heart but Anne Bishop knew she had gold in her hands (or I should say in her brain) and she was willing to continue the series to the great happiness of this reader.

I have anxiously been waiting for Lake Silence, a continuation of the same world with different main characters. My first shock was that the main character is nothing like I thought she was going to be. Next, the main three characters are all human. So different than life in the Lakeside Courtyard!

When a woman named Vicki DeVine obtains a property, The Jumble in Lake Silence as part of her divorce, she pours all of her energy, resources, and money into fixing the resort to open it up to the public. Now, the property is in a town not controlled by humans but by the Others. Vicki has been careful about following the rules and so far she only has one guest, Aggie Crowe. Soon after, Vicki discovers that Aggie is not human. When a dead body is found close to her place, and detectives come asking questions, Vicki's anxiety and distress escalate. Thankfully, she will get the help of many new friends: humans and non-humans too.

I was completely lost in the story. I loved Vicki, her sense of humor, her innate understanding of how to handle the Others without trying. In a way, she exudes the same innocence that Meg had. As with Meg, the Others take an unusual interest in Vicki and her protection becomes a priority.

"he was so yummy. And really, what's a pint or two of blood between a girl and her attorney when she gets to have her neck nibbled by that mouth."

What was not to like? I enjoyed it all! Love the new characters and the plotline. In the end, Julian Farrow, Officer Wayne Grimshaw, Aiden, Robert "Cougar" Panthera, Conan Bearguard, Ilya and Natasha Sanguinati, Ineke Xavier and her family, The lady of the Lake, the ponies, all contributed to the success of the story.

I wanted the Others to grab the bad humans and destroy them. Yes, I was clamoring for the Terra Indigene type of justice.

"So they're what, the world's hitmen?

I'm dying to read the next book in this series. I hope a year goes by fast.

Cliffhanger: No

5/5 Fangs