Hope the drunken migrant worker wasn't rabid:

Reviewed for Front Street Reviews

The Medici Giraffe and Other Tales of Exotic Animals and Power by Marina Belozerskaya
Little, Brown and Company

Don't be fooled by the title, this book is not filled with cute stories featuring fluffy animals. Instead it is a scholarly treatise in which the author explores the role of exotic animals in international politics from ancient times to the modern day. The animals appear in the stories but more as backdrops than as main characters, even the titular Medici giraffe receives only a few paragraphs.

Marina Belozerskaya has chosen seven such instances and devoted a chapter to each. Beginning in Alexandria, Egypt we learn about elephants as war machines. From there, Ancient Rome where exotic animals are used for entertainment in the arenas. The more exotic the animal the better it is received by the crowds. Then comes the Medicis and their giraffe, and how it (and other animals) turned their family from merchants into nobility. Next stop, the New World and the Aztecs where the kings kept extensive private zoos - that included albino humans among the exhibits. The next chapter details the menagerie of Rudolf II, a strange and eccentric king who often ran out of money to feed his wild cats, yet still gave them free run of the palace grounds. There is also the story of the Malmaison collection, where Empress Josephine (wife of Napoleon) kept her collection, including her favorite black swans, the descendants of which can still be seen today. Animal welfare advocate William Randolph Hearst's ranch at San Simeon where he kept herds of exotic hoofed stock roaming freely to the delight of the guests. And the final chapter details the giant pandas given to First Lady Pat Nixon by Chairman Mao Zedong as a diplomatic gift.

The author hopes that by telling the stories, it will show that the way we perceive and treat animals illuminates our own values, concerns and aspirations. And that by pondering these relationships, we may discover something about ourselves. Altogether an erudite and well-polished window into the world of animals in politics, this book should interest both history buffs and animal lovers alike.

Some people will do anything to avoid having to write their latest book, including one of my husband's favorite authors John Scalzi, as shown by this post to his blog.

http://www.scalzi.com/whatever/004457.html

This is a pretty cool service that Petfinder offers, if anyone in the South Dallas, Ellis County area is interested in any of the animals give the shelter a call.

A review for Front Street Reviews This is one of the books from Warner.

Dead Man Rising by Lilith Saintcrow
Published by Warner Books (released on Sept 1, 2006)

A relative newcomer to the Dark Fantasy genre, Lilith Saintcrow pens a tale that will seem superficially familiar to the aficionado. Protagonist Dante (Danny) Valentine is a necromance, a half-demon and a bounty hunter. Beginning where “Working for the Devil” the previous (and first) novel in the series left off, we find Danny immersing herself in her work collecting bounties nonstop as a means to forget about the death of her lover. Japhrimel a full demon, is the reason that Danny now finds herself to be semi-immortal, inhumanly beautiful and nearly invulnerable.

Danny receives a call from close friend and fellow necromance, Gabe, who asks for her help in investigating a series of killings. The victims are seemingly unrelated, with two being psions and one a normal, until Danny using her talents calls back one of the murdered spirits, and is told “Remember Rigger Hall. Remember. REMEMBER!” Aided by former lover, Jace, the shaman who taught her almost everything she knows about bounty hunting, Danny begins an investigation that will tear her apart by forcing her to confront her tortured childhood at Rigger Hall.

When she starts receiving letters and phone calls from The Devil asking where Japhrimel is, since he can’t seem to locate him in hell, Danny begins to wonder if she is losing it. She knows Japhrimel is dead she witnessed Lucifer kill him with her very own eyes. Now the voices in her head tell her she could have brought him back if only she knew how.

It’s a story that melds a little bit of cyberpunk, with a dash of paranormal romance, and then brings that together with just enough thriller/horror elements to satisfy the reader. This reviewer would suggest reading “Working for the Devil” first for the full effect. Fortunately a glossary is provided, as the author not only uses Egyptian phrases, but also makes up many of her own names for common things – such as werecain instead of werewolf or lycanthrope and nichtvren for vampire.

This series should be immediately and immensely popular with fans of Laurell K. Hamilton, Kim Harrison and Charlaine Harris. A powerful urban fantasy, with a strong female lead wielding immense power, but who has the sensitivity to question her own humanity.