Review: RAKESFALL by Vajra Chandrasekera

Sep 132024
 

New York Times: Rakesfall is Vajra Chandrasekera’s second book after last year’s magnificent “The Saint of Bright Doors,” and is fully as exciting though nowhere near as straightforward. A book in 10 parts, “Rakesfall” shifts wildly in structure and narration. Sometimes an audience watches a television show that is perhaps reality or perhaps a window to something beyond it. Other times different omniscient narrators cede to a play featuring beings who reincarnate over thousands of years. Or a cybernetically enhanced near-immortal wakes from an ancient sleep to solve a murder mystery.

Uniting these threads is a kind of oscillating theme: Souls return over time, sometimes as two people, sometimes four or more, engaged with each other over the thorny question of how to endure fascism and kill kings. The novel’s composition, too, has an element of reincarnation to it: Six of its chapters began life as short stories in various genre periodicals from 2016 to 2021. In an interview, Chandrasekera called the project’s initial phase a “patchwork,” and the finished work is very tongue-in-cheek about the need to “maintain narrative continuity and protect genre boundaries” while careening from life to life and world to world.

Review: THE NIGHTWARD by R.S.A. Garcia

Sep 122024
 

Library Journal: Luka is a bodyguard in the matriarchal, magical Gailand, named after goddess-founder Gaiea. His charge is nine-year-old Viella, princess and heir to Gaiea’s abilities and memories. When the queen is killed and the capital is raided by shadow mages, Luka flees with Viella across the allied queendoms to keep her safe. But why can’t Viella use her Gaiea powers yet, and who within the capital let the magicians in? This novel from Garcia (Lex Talionis), the first in a duology, is styled like a retro high fantasy. Character names include both Mordoch and Gretchen, there’s a nebulous source of all evil, and the background is vaguely Middle Ages—this time with more Caribbean and West African stylings, featuring a woman warrior caste named after the Dahomey Amazons. Fresh and inventive takes come through glimpses of the origins of Gailand: the evil might be an eldritch space god, magic is fueled by nanobots, and magic portals have brand names. The balance leans heavily high fantasy, but the possibility of breaking out of genre standards might keep readers hooked for the sequel. VERDICT An intriguing magi-tech high-fantasy series opener that paves the way for chaos in the follow-up.

Review: THE IMPROVISERS by Nicole Glover

Sep 112024
 

Library Journal: Velma Frye, aviator and magical investigator, finds herself in a deeply personal and intricate magical crime conspiracy. After picking up an enchanted pocket watch that initiated a heated brawl at one of her flying shows, she heads home for some advice. To her surprise, other magically tainted objects have been stolen from her family’s inn and are causing havoc and death throughout the United States. These objects are associated with a mysterious and deadly incident that happened at the inn in the 19th century. Flying coast to coast in her plane, she and nosy reporter Dillon Harris seek to find the objects as well as the story behind what happened at her family home all those years ago. But other shadowy and more pernicious characters are looking for the objects too and are set to unleash a possible magical apocalypse if obtained. This spin-off from Glover’s “Murder and Magic” series is a perfect stand-alone but will whet readers’ appetites to delve into Glover’s other books. VERDICT Fantasy fans and steampunk enthusiasts will enjoy Glover’s astounding, creatively envisioned Prohibition-era United States, where magical and historical events intertwine in a thrilling plot full of adventurous characters.—Laura Hiatt

Review: REMEMBER YOU WILL DIE by Eden Robins

Sep 102024
 

Booklist: In a spiraling saga of obituaries, sixty deaths slowly unravel the fate of Poppy and her AI mother, Peregrine. It is no surprise, then, that this grand scheme begins with grief: when “Computer Doctor” Matth Fletcher’s old friend dies, he decides to create a program with their messages. This leads to creating a humanoid body for the messages, crafted with the help of his sculptor husband, whom he eventually divorces to marry the AI. Even after Matth dies, the questions surrounding this controversy fail to disappear: How did Peregrine have the child, and where did they go? Separated by the occasional etymology guide, poem, or letter, the newspaper articles construct a timeline that jumps from the 1700s to the 2100s. Readers must repeatedly sift through the lives of scientists, artists, and actors, laid out in such detail that the pieces of the overarching puzzle can get lost. Provocative but at times meandering, author Robins’ second novel (after When Franny Stands Up, 2022) examines what remains after death: technology, art, and nature. An intriguing read for those who enjoy sf and innovative storytelling.

Review: THE HOLLOW AND THE HAUNTED by Camilla Raines

Sep 092024
 

Publishers Weekly: Raines debuts with an unexpectedly charming dark fantasy set in the fictional small town of Thistle, Wash. High school student Miles Warren is part of a psychic family capable of banishing evil spirits. It’s unusual that he would receive a death premonition for a stranger, but his latest vision is just that: a strange boy pleading for his help. During a party at the home of his family’s long-standing rivals, the Hawthornes, Miles is surprised to recognize the boy, Gabriel Hawthorne, heir to the cruel and calculating Hawthorne matriarch, Felicity. Setting aside their tumultuous, century-long family feud, the two work together to understand Gabriel’s death prophecy and possibly prevent it. Along the way, they discover the ugly history that led to the rift between their families. Raines seamlessly combines horror and fantasy as she gradually unravels the threat to Gabriel’s life. A slow-burning queer romance between Miles and Gabriel adds both tension and tenderness. This will leave readers eager for a sequel. (Oct.)

Review: THIS WILL BE FUN by E.B. Asher

Sep 052024
 

Booklist: Ten years ago, Galwell, his younger sister Elowen, Beatrice, and Clare saved the realm of Mythria from dark magic. But after Galwell sacrificed himself to ensure the success of their mission, the three friends went their separate ways. However, Beatrice, Clare, and Elowen now face a reunion when Queen Thessia, who was once engaged to Galwell, invites them to her upcoming wedding. Given their still unresolved romantic feelings for each other, the last thing Beatrice and Clare want to do is spend time together. Elowen is equally determined to keep her distance from professional assassin Vandra, who not only helped the trio on their last mission but also helped herself to Elowen’s heart. Then again, it is just an invitation to attend a wedding. What could possibly go wrong? With an abundance of winsome charm and wry wit, Asher—a pseudonym for the collaborating romance authors Bridget Morrissey, Emily Wibberley, and Austin Siegmund-Broka—fashion an enchanting tale of self-discovery and second chances that is a rare treat for both romance readers and fantasy fans.

Review: THE SWARM by Andy Marino

Sep 042024
 

Booklist: Marino is mostly known for his books for young readers (the Plot to Kill Hitler trilogy, for example), but he’s written a few solid novels for adults, the most recent being It Rides a Pale Horse (2022). His new novel is creepily good, a story of an apocalypse triggered by an unexpected swarm of insects. Why have they suddenly appeared, in the millions, without warning? Why are they behaving in such an uncharacteristic—even murderous—way? Who’s controlling them, and why? Marino juggles a great cast of characters (including a cop, an entomologist, and an ex-husband-and-wife combo who rescue people from cults) and does a superlative job of creating an atmosphere of fear, paranoia, and claustrophobia. His approach is rigorously logical; the story might be on the fantastic side, but it develops in a carefully structured, entirely plausible way. We really believe this could happen, which makes it altogether more frightening (and, it must be said, icky).

Starred Review: THE IMPROVISERS by Nicole Glover

Aug 292024
 

Publishers Weekly: Glover returns to the alternate 1930s America of her Murder and Magic series in this thrilling spin-off, an intoxicating blend of mystery and fantasy. Velma Frye’s days as a bootlegger of forbidden magic are behind her, and she now divides her time between performing high-flying aerial stunts and working as an investigator for magical rights group the Magnolia Muses. Trouble arises when a magic-fueled fight over a pocket watch breaks out after one of Velma’s air shows. She learns the pocket watch is one of many enchanted objects that have been causing unexplained violent incidents across the country, including one that led to a woman’s death. Velma sets off to locate the rest of the dangerous artifacts and gains an unexpected travel companion, the annoyingly charming journalist Dillon Harris. Dillon’s inquisitive nature and skills as a spellcaster prove useful for Velma’s investigation, and together they discover that the enchanted objects are part of a deadly conspiracy with unexpected ties to Velma’s family. The complex mystery keeps readers on their toes and the pages flying. The colorful cast, unique magic system, and slow-burning, enemies-to-lovers romance between Velma and Dillon add to the fun. New readers and returning fans alike will devour this.

Review: THE LOVERS by Rebekah Faubion

Aug 272024
 

Library Journal: When best friends Kit and Julia were 12 years old, a psychic told them that they were twin flames. At the age of 18, they developed romantic feelings for each other. However, Kit was not yet ready to accept her bisexuality and abruptly cut off contact with Julia, causing both of them immense heartache. Fast-forward about a decade, and Kit is now a New Age influencer and professional tarot card reader, while Julia is a successful and buttoned-up wedding planner. When Kit is invited to work a gig at a destination wedding in the California desert, the last person she thinks she’ll run into is Julia, who’s in charge of the event. As their paths continue to cross, they can’t ignore the feeling that fate has brought them back together. But Kit still isn’t out, and Julia doesn’t know if she can trust Kit with her heart again. The otherworldly Joshua Tree setting only enhances the mystical feeling of this sapphic rom-com. VERDICT Readers will enjoy Faubion’s (Ellie Is Cool Again, written under the name Faith McClaren) novel about living and loving authentically, whether or not they usually read books that feature spiritual plotlines.

Review: THREE KINDS OF LUCKY by Kim Harrison

Aug 232024
 

Locus: Petra Grady has the kind of dirty magical job that no one ever talks about when crafting big novels about monsters and mayhem and magic. As a sweeper, she cleans up the ‘‘dross’’ or magic detritus that is created when powerful folks (mages) cast spells. In Kim Harrison’s urban fantasy THREE KINDS OF LUCKY, Petra is eighteen, working hard for a living at a magic university outside of Tucson, Arizona, and trying not to get overly annoyed at the obnoxious mages who treat her like a janitor. She knows, and they know, that if sweepers don’t do their job the dross will become malevolent, shadows will be created and all sorts of chaos will ensue. (I am hugely simplifying the situation but you get the drift.)

What keeps Petra going while surrounded by some first class academic snobs is her colleagues, her nice-enough roommate, and her dog, Pluck. (As someone who survived watching Old Yeller on Wonderful World of Disney, I am honor bound to advise that you do not bond strongly with Pluck. This is a spoiler that I will not apologize for.) But Petra’s old friend, now professor, Benedict Storm has been trying to figure out a way for spells to be cast that mitigates the dross problem, thus negating the need for sweepers. As much as Petra isn’t happy about the ramifications of such research, (primarily because she doesn’t think they know enough about what they are doing to be tampering with powerful magic, but when has that ever stopped a determined bunch of scientists?), she grudgingly agrees to work with Benedict. It all seems academic until an explosion that might involve Petra and then a lot (A LOT) of magical waste erupts from the campus. (There’s a storage facility. Picture Ghostbusters and you get the idea of how badly this can go.) Folks are killed, the existence of magic might be revealed to the non-magic world, a lot of people in authority-type positions want Petra dead or imprisoned. Ditto Benedict. Ditto other folks they care about. Who do you trust? Where do you run? And what in the world does Petra have to do with the explosion? Well, buckle up as Harrison answers all these questions and more while taking her characters through an onslaught of tough situations (both physical and emotional) until they get to the truth and save the world. (Or at least save Tucson.)

THREE KINDS OF LUCKY is the first in Harrison’s new Shadow Age series and she sets things up very nicely for sequels. The core group, good and bad, is established, the worldbuilding is fantastic, and Petra is more than capable of anchoring a long run of books. I saw the villain coming a bit but enjoyed the ride to get to that first confrontation (and all those that followed) way too much to complain. This is solid urban fantasy and a fun read (mostly – remember Pluck!). Harrison fans will be delighted.

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