Men of the Otherworld: A Collection of Otherworld Tales

By Kelley Armstrong

New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong has captivated readers with her spellbinding Women of the Otherworld series. In this collection of four tales, she gives equal time to the men who love these sexy, supernatural women—men who live on the wild side. 
 
As a curious six-year-old, Clayton didn’t resist the bite—he asked for it. But surviving as a lone child-werewolf was more than he could manage—until Jeremy came along, taught Clayton how to straddle the human-werewolf worlds, and introduced him to the Pack. So begins this tantalizing volume featuring three of the most intriguing members of the American Pack—a hierarchical founding family where bloodlines mean everything and each day presents a new, thrilling, and often deadly challenge. For as he grows from a wild child to a clever teen who tests his mentor at every turn, Clayton must learn not only to control his animal instincts but to navigate Pack politics—including showing his brutal archnemesis who the real Alpha is.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jan 27, 2009
• ISBN: 9780553905960

Kelley Armstrong

Kelley Armstrong is the author of over fifty novels, including the Rip Through Time mysteries and the horror novel, Hemlock Island. She lives with her family in Canada.

Reviews for Men of the Otherworld

[starknits_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Ok I'm not sure what it is but I kinda don't like Paige. Sometimes I do definitely by the end of the book I like her more. I love Lucas and Jamie

[carol420 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Starting life over after being exiled from her Coven hasn't been easy for Paige Winterbourne, but with the help of Savannah, her ward, and Lucas Cortez, her significant other, she is coping rather well until Lucas' father sends her a message, timed so that Lucas won't be there when she gets it. As far fetched as it might seem in the world of Cabal/Coven politics, Bennicio Cortez needs Paige's help. The Cabals and the witches are ancient enemies, you see, and Lucas has shunned his family. When Cabal children begin turning up dead, politics and family feuds are set aside. On the whole, I believe this book is really great, and quite original. I heartily recommend it to you, if you like to mix the supernatural/ horror theme with a little bit of romance and a whodunnit.

[comixminx · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Always a fun re-read.

[blueandgreen-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I have enjoyed the Women of the Otherworld series so far. This was my least favorite of the four. The last third of the book it seemed like Armstrong was working towards a page count. The reappearance of Elena, Clay, Cassandra, and other character was a much needed break from the Paige-Lucas dialogue. I am really interested to see if Eve reappears in later books.

[kayceel_4 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic! Paige and Lucas are back, this time to solve the murders of Cabal children. And soon Savannah is on the hit list. Smart, sexy fun!

[krumbs_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good mystery, good action, less teenager--good!

[shelleyraec · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed Industrial Magic. The combination of characters - not just their supe abilities, but the personalities, and I am especially pleased that Paige's behaviour is far less dimwitted than in Dime Store Magic. that may have turned me off the series if it had been the case.There is a lot going on with so many characters though the main focus is on Paige and Lucas's relationship and Lucas's relationship with his father. Savannah is largely absent in this book but that was fine with me because there were others to take her place, and it made sense that Savannah would be out of the way.Jaime and Cassandra were both well developed characters who bought some humour to the situations they faced. My guess is they will have their own books later in the series.This was just a fun, well paced read, on to Haunted now...

[sithereandread · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

INDUSTRIAL MAGIC, by Kelley Armstrong, is the fourth book in the Women of the Otherworld series. Paige is once again the narrator and she is on a case with Lucas revolving around the death's of supernatural teens who are linked to the Cabals. After skipping around the series for a bit I decided to read the rest of the books in order. I picked up where I left off with Paige, Lucas, and Savannah. The actual casework was very interesting and I liked only knowing as much as they did throughout. Armstrong definitely 'threw stones' at her characters and made them work to solve the murders. They didn't have an easy time finding the murderer and time ran out for many children who had been attacked. The revelation of the villian was a bit frightening and I applaud Armstrong for the detailed detective work she outlined for our protagonists. Coupled with an awesome plot, Armstrong brought back some of my favorite characters and introduced a couple of new ones. Elena, Clay, and Jeremy eventually joined in the fray (yummy Clay!) and I was so glad to read them again! We are introduced to Benecio Cortez, Lucas's father, and also a celebrity necromancer Jamie Vegas. I liked getting to know the rocky relationship between Lucas and Benecio and I actually hoped for the best between them. Jamie was fabulous! She is sassy, saracastic, and brutally honest. I look forward to seeing more of her in the future books. Overall, this was a fantastic installment to the series. I look forward to reading Haunted next which is focused on Savannah's mother, Eve Levine.

[reginar_447079 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3 stars for the beginning and middle, 4 stars for the ending (once Clay and Elena showed up for the 2nd time).

[brookeashley-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I'm going back and forth about whether to give this 2 or 3 stars. The writing is just so clunky. The paperback clocked in at over 500 pages, and I felt like if only it had been edited more, it could have taken up much less room. There is just so much unneeded exposition on mundane details. I still don't buy Paige and Lucas's romance (one of my complaints about Dime Store Magic) - unlike with Elena and Clay in Bitten, Kelley Armstrong just tells us over and over that Paige and Lucas love each other without ever really showing it. The relationship between Lucas and his father suffers from the same problems; we're told one thing about it but nothing that the characters actually do reflect what we're told.Paige doesn't narrate any of the remaining books in the series, so I think I'll keep reading in hopes that the switch to Eve or the return to Elena improves things. We'll see.

[perpetualrevision · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed Kelley Armstrong's young adult series as well as the first few books in this series, but I put off listening to this book for a long time because I didn't really care about the character of Paige. And even when I started listening, it was slow going at first.

But eventually I found things to like about Paige and became curious about the goings on of covens and cabals and so on. I'll consider listening to the next one in the series, but it isn't high on my list.

[rebeccaclaresmith-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Industrial Magic was so much more than Dime Store Magic. The relationship between the three main characters seemed to come to life more in this second outing. The story line was more complex and much more thrilling. I loved it.

[ravenswoodpublishi-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kelley Armstrong is a progeny when it comes to supernatural writing. Her books leave you breathless with their racy romances, the constant struggles, and the exciting stories. She does all of this effortlessly and you have no choice but to plummet without stumbling straight into her world. She has created such a strong presence in all of her characters that everything about them makes them seem real! You get so caught up in their stories that you feel you are a part of them. I cannot say enough good things about Kelley!

[suzanne520 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is my favorite in the series so far I think.This book continues to follow Paige, and the more I read about her, the more I love her. She is independent and strong, while maintaining such a strong emotional capacity that I can't help but to love her, and to love who she loves. I really loved her development through this series.I love how the characters are fiercely loyal, brave, interesting, and above all loving. You know you are reading a good book when it can be adventurous, funny and heartwarming all at once. This book brought tears to my eyes, smiles to my face, and had me on the very edge of my seat the whole time.I won't say anything else so as not to ruin it for anyone other than read it!

[cyndavaz · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

So far, I've really enjoyed Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series. However, by this, the fourth book, there are some things that are starting to annoy me more than I'd like (hence the 3 star rating, rather than my usual 4/5 for the series).One - the narrator for the 3rd and 4th book has some issues that I really wish she'd clear up: laughing ... she really must STOP doing the little chuckle or laugh sounds. I mean seriously, a narrator does NOT always have to literally laugh just because the author says a character has laughed. One has to be pretty gifted to pull off a fake laugh and this woman is not. I literally roll my eyes every time she does it. Another thing about her ... sometimes when she vocalizes Paige's voice, the character comes off as smarmy, or Pollyanna or something. I can't describe it, but it's really grating on me to the point that I'm beginning to dislike Paige herself. Also, the way she vocalizes when Paige says "Uh huh" is another annoyance. It's okay a time or two, but every single darn time, she uses the same snarky expression and it's like fingers down a chalkboard. With the other voices, however, she does a pretty good job (not counting the stupid chuckle sounds she makes whenever their character laughs).Two - the insertion of a political jab by the author at one point towards the end wasn't necessary, and ultimately added even more irritation to a growing aggravation towards Paige. Three - I'm picking up on some repetitive patterns of dialogue among different characters, so it almost makes them sound like the same person. This isn't anything major, but I definitely noticed it this time around.Anyway, I know there are a few more quibbles I've got about the book; granted most of my complaints here are regarding the narrator - and unfortunately, if a narrator goofs up badly, it does have an effect on the overall enjoyment of the book they're reading. I hope they changed narrators after this, but I doubt it. Guess I'll find out whenever I get to the next book.

[toxicmasquerade · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sometimes during the book, I felt like hitting someone. If you read it or have read it, then you might understand why. I felt bad for the people, even though it's a book. I don't like reading through Paige as much as Elena, but, Paige isn't all bad. I really love Savannah's character the most. But, still a great book.

[sch_94 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book had everything! I was pulled in from the very first pages and couldn't escape until I'd read the last word. Like all of Mrs. Armstrong's books, I'd say this one is definitely worth the time and the money!

[crazybatcow · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It's even slower than book 3 in this series was. Very dry and a bit on the boring side, though there were fewer 'lectures' on subjects in this book. Nothing very exciting happens - the characters, basically, spend the entire book 'investigating' so it's like a detective book, and they don't even use their supernatural powers very much. And this whole Cabal thing is just boring... we heard all about Lucas being such a "good guy" among all those evil sorcerers in book 3, why do we have to cover the same ground again in book 4?I think I'll skip the next book(s) in this series until they get back to some butt-kicking werewolf activities because if I wanted to read a mystery/detective novel, I'd go buy one of them.

[dbree007 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Paige Winterbourne, young witch forming new coven, falls in love with the enemy, mysterious murders of sons of the cabal.

[lisamaria_c · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series, which are mostly first person Urban Fantasies written from a female point of view. That said, I certainly have my favorites, and the two novels centering on Paige Winterbourne and Lucas Cortes definitely rank for me as the ones I loved the most. I could understand readers having other favorites, the novels are all good reads. However, I just happen to like Paige, and the themes of a "cabal" of male sorcerers organized in something resembling a corporation and the relatively less powerful female witches in opposition. Paige is a witch--Lucas, the romantic interest, is a sorcerer. The first novel involving them was Dime Store Magic which should be read before this one. I find both books a fun, engrossing read that combine urban fantasy with elements of romance and mystery. (And it's nice reading an urban fantasy not centered on vampires or werewolves.)

[bookwormteri · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An excellent piece of fantasy. I highly recommend this book and the others in her series.

[unreachableshelf · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The second of the Paige books, and the one that truly convinced me I need to read all the whole series, even if I don't buy all of them. Although the narrators change, the story and the lives of the characters progress through every book. This was also the first book I read featuring Elena except for Bitten, and I have to say that I like her a lot better through Paige's eyes than I do when she is the narrator. Unfortunately, this makes me skepitcal as to whether or not I will like Eve and Jamie as much in their own books as I do through Paige's eyes.

[cheriepie69_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow, Kelley's books just keep getting better and better. In this installment of the Otherworld series, which also features Paige as narrator as Dime Store Magic did, Paige and Lucas travel across the US hunting a murdering villian whose targets are the children of the Cabal. New characters are introduced, the action keeps up a good pace, and right up until the end, you're left wondering what will happen next. The only bad thing I can say is that since Kelley's writing style makes you not want to put the book down, I tend to get very little sleep when I'm reading one of her books! :)I'm looking forward to Haunted, book 5 of the Otherworld series, which features Eve as the narrator and is due in the US in June 2005.

[simonw11 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Children of members of the Cortez Cabal a sort of magical mafia are being killed.Paige Winterbourne a witch and and friends are manouvered into investigating.Well written fourth in a series that managed to supply all the back story I needed without being obtrusive

[tudorrl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

These books just get better and better. I hated having to put this one down for things such as work, food, sleep etc! Paige and Lucas are helping the Cabal as a serial killer is slowly working through the Cabal chilren - and its up to them to catch the killer.Plenty of twists and turns - and a welcome return for Elena and Clay (Yay!).READ THIS SERIES!! You have been told.....

[simmererdown · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really start to like Paige in this book.

[thebooknerd · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As this book focuses on Lucas and his family, you know I liked it.

[bluerose_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Haven't read in a while, I remember suffering a bit from middle-book-itis but ok as part of the series

[scarlett78_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked Dime Store Magic better, but getting to know the Cabals was pretty cool. I would love to see a future book with Savannah and her dealings with the Cabals.

[pacey1927 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Industrial Magic" is the 4th book in Kelley Armstrong's "Women of the Otherworld" series and the second of which to prominently feature witch and ex-Coven leader Paige and her boyfriend Lucas Cortez. The story here focuses on the Cortez Cabal run by CEO Benito Cortez, Lucas's father. Lucas is Benito's illegitimate but much loved son. Lucas tries to fight what the Cortez Cabal stands for. They are a `business' of supernatural species and they mainly concern themselves with not so legitimate acts in the name of supernatural self preservation. When Cabal teenager's start missing and soon turn up dead, neither Lucas nor his witch love can turn away the Cabal's plead for help. The mystery heats up as Paige and Lucas start their own brand of investigation. The plot is weaker here than in Dime Store Magic and I think the book took longer than it should have for me to get through it. Paige is tenderhearted, yet strong. Her capacity to love and her eye for injustice are admirable. Of course, we knew that a couple of books ago when she took in recently orphaned 15 year old witch, Savannah. Lucas is also high on my hero list, but I found him to be more bland here than usual. The introduction of a new female character was interesting and I look forward to reading a "Women of the Otherworld" title down the road, where it appears she is to be featured in a main role. We also get a closer look at several characters introduced previously. A visit or two from Elena, Clay, and Jeremy round off a huge assemble cast of characters. I do have to mention that while I enjoyed `their' books, "Bitten" and "Stolen", I like Paige and Lucas better as main characters. Another side note, in such a fantasy tale, readers have to be happy to suspend disbelief, but a negative I must mention is in regards to a scene that is far over the top, even for this series. I'm sure it is a set up for the next book, so I hope the idea gels better with me as the series progresses. Kelley Armstrong does a great job of pulling together a paranormal mystery with top-notch characterization. The fact that she changes points of view only keeps her from getting stale. Any of my complaints stand, but shouldn't lead you to believe this is anything but a great read.