Review Wrap: Paranormal Fiction

I consider it to be urban fantasy, but it's now been labeled paranormal fiction.  I'm not a fan of the moniker, but I'll go with it, because this sub-genre has ensnared me in its narcotic grip and I can't get enough of it.  Upcoming in the summer, we'll even have a week dedicated to the women of the genre (which that gender seems to dominate).

I was onboard with Anita Blake when Laurell K. Hamilton introduced her to the world.  I was even excited with Meredith Gentry (though, truth to tell, that interest waned two books in; it took eleven for my interest in Hamilton to completely vanish).  Laurell K. Hamilton was a pioneer in this movement (sort of), but there are thousands upon thousands in the genre now - some good, some not.  Charlaine Harris swapped her mystery novels for a Louisiana waitress known as Sookie Stackhouse.  It's fair to say that it was a good move.  Males in the genre - most notably Simon Green and Jim Butcher - took the same ideas and began to work different types of characters into the stories.

Here's the point: Urban Fantasy Mysteries (or Paranormal Fiction) are like zombie or vampire tales - they're not original.  It's what you do with the landscape, the characters, the protagonists that makes it all unique.  That's why I'm pretty picky with the books that fall into this genre. 

I recently had the privelege to read two new releases, and I'm happy to report, neither disappoints.

Marjorie M. Liu: Hunter Kiss Series

Marjorie Liu has a huge following with her Dirk and Steele series, of which I do not follow, so I have no way of attesting to their merit.  However, I became intrgued by Liu over the past couple of years.  I spotted some of her work in two different anthologies: Hotter Than Hell and Holidays Are Hell.  At the time I was a huge Kim Harrison fan (well, still am) and enjoyed short stories by Marjorie.  Then I noticed an X-Men novel penned by her.  I do not follow comic books (or their novels), but was remarkably surprised to see this.  Needless to say, I put Marjorie M. Liu on my radar screen.

Not wanting to jump on with the Dirk and Steele books already 9 books in, I eagerly awaited the release of Darkness Calls, the Hunter Kiss series.  A Wild Light is the latest in the series, and you should pre-order it now.

Looking at the cover, I know it's a little hard to take the book seriously.  Personally, I spotted the cover of the first book and thought: Really?  This could be really bad or really good.  Fortunately it was the latter.

If you're unfamiliar with the Hunter Kiss series, here's the skinny:  Maxine Kiss is your protagonist and she's one of the most unique protags out in the paranormal fiction genre.  She's a demon hunter - and before you utter "we've heard it", allow me to finish.  Maxine Kiss is covered, head-to-toe, with tattoos that protect her by day and come alive by night.  At night she's vulnerable, but the demons help her.  It sounds slightly off kilter, granted, but you'll have to trust me when I say, I really love these books.

A Wild Light is the latest chapter in the Maxine Kiss series (it's released July 27th, and can be preordered by clicking the link below).  In A Wild Light (Hunter Kiss, Book 3), Maxine Kiss is back doing what she does best - vanquishing evil and kicking ass.  In this one though, we get an interesting plot twist when Maxine wakes up from a bad dream (one of the many that plagues her nights) and finds her grandfather dead...with her holding the knife.  Oh, and there's the little case of amnesia that is preventing her from remembering Grant.

Even for all it has going for it, this is not the most original story you'll read.  The merits, though - Maxine Kiss herself, Marjorie Liu's writing ability, and the well-defined characters - make it feel fresh, complete with that new-book smell.  And make no mistake, Marjorie Liu is a damn fine writer.  "A Wild Light" is not the best of the Hunter Kiss series, thus far, but for some reason it is my favorite. 

What's good:  Just about everything.  The pacing is solid (except for one area that I'll mention below).  This is, in my opinion, the strongest book for Maxine.  She seems more real than in previous pieces, more defined.  The dialogue is pitch-perfect, an area that Liu excels at.  The emotions run high and don't venture too far into cheese, something that books in the genre end to encroach on.


Also, the climax is satisfying (which is more than a compliment coming from my mouth) and left me longing for more of the series.

What's bad:  I'm going to use the phrase "not-so-good" over bad.  The plot point of memory loss is one that I hate in a series.  All of sudden the characters that you know and love have to spend countless pages rehashing backstories.  This device stops the action in its tracks.  Fortunately Marjorie is a solid enough writer, whose writing sounds and reads like poetry, that this isn't as bad as it could be, but it stalls the action (unnecissarily).

I'm going all out and giving it a solid 4.5 out of 5.

Blood on the Moon: The Daywalker Chronicles by S. M. De Silva

Every once and a while I'm sent a book that I'm not uber-excited about.  Blood On The Moon: The Daywalker Chronicles Volume 1 was one of these.  I was unfamiliar with the publisher, the writer, and found myself staring at yet another vampire book.  (Who am I to judge, though?  My book "Naked Metamorphosis" was another Shakespeare retread, so I'll shut up now)  Still, committed as I am to read and recommend good books, I delved into this one and was pleasantly pleased that I did.

"Blood on the Moon" is another vamp novel in a sea of plenty of competitors.  It's nothing unique, but like Ms. Liu's latest, DeSilva takes her game up with strong writing and some new devices that keep it original.

The action starts the instant we're introduced to our protagonist - Alegria, a supernatural species consultant in Singapore.  She receives a parcel that contains a ring...and a severed finger.  Her sister's finger to be precise.  Upon examination of the package's origin, Algeria is determined to rescue her sis from the kidnappers in Sleet City. 

All this sounds well and good and makes for an Eh-Eh story.  The real superstar here is Sleet City.  Much like China Meiville's New Corbuzon (in Perdido Street Station) the city is the real gem here.  S.M. DeSilva illustrates a seedy locale that's plunged into dystopian debauchery.  Hollywood runs part of the game; Organized (or in many cases, disorganized) crime runs the rest.  Of course, weres and vampires have "come out of the closet" (a theme that needs to be improved upon in these books; it's becoming a little uoriginal) and  are now all the craze.  Still, cliched as it may seem, Sleet City is a pretty radical creation.

What's good:  The action and pacing are top notch.  S.M. DeSilva wastes no time applying foot to the pedal and accelerating.  The pacing doesn't let up.  It's kind of like S.M. DeSilva wants thisto be made into a movie, and wants those that read it to read it like a movie.  Well, mission accomplished (though, not without a cost...see below).

Also, the afforementioned Sleet City is a wonderous creation.

While not terribly original, the overall story offers some touches that we've not yet seen.  Rather than spilling the beans, these touches are best discovered for yourself.  And when you do, they're nice surprises.

What's bad:  The writing isn't bad, but the action comes fast and furious and because of that some other areas suffer.  The narrative, for example, suffers in some areas that are far more focused on action and less on character...or in a flip, too much on character when it's been action all around (does that make any sense, 'cause after re-reading the sentence I'm not sure it does).  However, the dialogue isn't bad, so my literary assessment may just be nitpicky.

The other thing (my only other complaint) is a handful of paragraphs that make up the Prologue.  It was out of place and pointless, as it's explained within Chapter One.  Still, a very minor detail that did not distract from an otherwise worthy book.

4 out of 5.
S.M. DeSilva is a new writer that I welcome to my bookshelf.  Currently, "Blood on the Moon" is available from Amazon at about a 30% discount!