Full disclosure: I know the author, Lauren Roy. She and I attended the same writers workshop in 2012. That had a lot to do with getting the book in myFull disclosure: I know the author, Lauren Roy. She and I attended the same writers workshop in 2012. That had a lot to do with getting the book in my hands. It, however, had nothing at all to do with either my rating or this review.
Note: There are some very mild spoilers. I didn't flag the whole review "Spoilerific" because these are spoilers you'll encounter in the first few chapters.
For a debut novel, this is very strong. One of the better ones I've come across. The premise is simple: Night Owls is a book store in a college town where students hang out until the wee hours. The owner, Val, happens to be a vampire. Not a very old one, but old enough. She's been through a lot, and came to this small town to get away from all the big, hairy problems. To live peacefully, selling books, collecting rare books, and going about her unlife.
Until circumstances land those big, hairy problems right in her lap. A rare book with dangerous magic in it arrives at the bookstore in the wake of its owner's murder by Jackals, which are kind of like a cross between a vampire and a werewolf, but not as cuddly. Vampires and Jackals hate one another. More like loathe. And in Val's old life, she used to hunt Jackals down and kill them. Now, they want that book. Val's fine with giving it to them, if it will get them to leave her alone.
The problems start when one of her young employees accidentally reads the book . . . and the magic enters him instead of remaining in the book. The Jackals now want the young man, and will stop at nothing to get it.
Note: those aren't very big spoilers. Those are, like, chapter 3 spoilers at best.
I enjoyed the book thoroughly. It has good, believable, sympathetic characters who have strengths and weaknesses, and lives that don't seem to have just begun on page 1. The magic is believable and neither over- nor under-powered. The vampire lore is different to an extent that we only brush lightly in this first book. And the Jackals are, as far as I know, Lauren Roy's own invention. The world feels richer than is shown in this novel, and it's clear that there's more going on than is told in these pages.
The pacing is wonderful. The book is filled with action, but not so relentless that I felt out of breath. Nor are there lulls during which I was tempted to flip forward to find out when it was going to get moving again. In other words, just right.
A larger story is hinted at, tantalizingly, in this first novel, and there are definitely sequels coming. And I will eagerly pick them up. As I said, I bought the book because it was by a friend. I read the book because it was enjoyable. And I'm rating and reviewing the book because I think you will like it, too, if you like urban fantasy, vampires, shape-changers, magic, action, adventure, dark secrets, and a good dose of humor....more
I read this book right after it first came out. I thought I remembered the basic plot, but I had opportunity and need to read it again, so I took it oI read this book right after it first came out. I thought I remembered the basic plot, but I had opportunity and need to read it again, so I took it off my shelf, dusted it off, and dove in.
Turns out, I didn't remember the plot much at all except in vague terms. I remembered the "inciting incident" that causes the main character, David Rice, to learn about his ability to teleport. I remembered him testing the limits of what he could do. Something vague about a camera and teleporting to and from airports a lot.
And that was it. (I also erroneously remembered a scene that isn't in the book, and now I want to know where I read that scene, because I enjoyed it.)
It's a very enjoyable book, and a quick, satisfying read. The main character is a wee bit too good to be true, but if you were a well-read, intelligent, 18-year-old kid who suddenly discovered the ability to teleport, what would it do to your personality? I liked his ingenuity and resourcefulness coupled with his naïveté (he didn't know you could get a copy of your birth certificate). I enjoyed his relationship with Millie (his girlfriend) and his simultaneous disregard for authority and deep caring for other people in need. (He'll rob a bank without much remorse, but gives several thousand dollars to a disabled homeless man he happens to see on the street.)
The only thing I found annoying was the pat ending where everything wraps up nicely, the government promises to mostly leave him alone, and the bad guys get what's coming to them. I mean, that's what I wanted as a reader . . . but it felt a little hurried. It felt like he didn't have to work hard enough for it.
As I said, though, this did not detract from my enjoyment of the book, and I fully intend to get the others in the series and read them, as well. I'm glad I rediscovered Mr. Gould's work....more
This book really hit all thrusters with me. It's a space opera, but with elements of "magic" thrown in. It's got humans and aliens, fast spaceships, bThis book really hit all thrusters with me. It's a space opera, but with elements of "magic" thrown in. It's got humans and aliens, fast spaceships, betrayal, wholesale slaughter, fist fights, humor, hopeless situations, metaphysical battles, hidden identities, callous disregard for life, intrigue, blood, kidnapping, and probably a dozen more things I could type if I had a mind to. Oh, and a little sliver of romance, too. :)
Beka Rosselin-Metadi is the daughter of the Domina of Entibor, and she finds out her mother has been assassinated, which makes her the new Domina. But that's not what she wants. She just wants to be a space trader. But she does promise her father, the general of the Space Force, to find out who plotted to have her mother assassinated. She thinks it'll be difficult, but manageable.
But events conspire against her, and soon she's thrown head-first into a plot that only looks like an assassination, but is really a whole lot deeper. Someone tries to assassinate her. Her brother Ari Rosselin-Metadi, a Space Force Medic, is dragged in after someone tries to assassinate him as well. His best friend Nyls Jessan and an Adept named Llanat get pulled in. And a mysterious ally who knew Beka's and Ari's father from back before the Magewars. And through it all, Beka's and Ari's brother Owen (also an Adept "apprentice") moves mysteriously in and out doing...things. Oh, and someone tries to assassinate him, too. (Someone really has it in for the Rosselin-Metadi family. If they had had a dog, the poor thing would have probably been toast.)
The action is great, the characters are well done, and the overall arc of the story is satisfying, but with plenty of loose ends to carry forward into the next book and beyond.
All in all, very enjoyable, and I've already downloaded the next novel in the series....more
I read this book because later in the year I will be attending a workshop at which the author, Steven Brust, is an instructor. As a kind of game, I diI read this book because later in the year I will be attending a workshop at which the author, Steven Brust, is an instructor. As a kind of game, I didn't read the book's summary/blurb. I wanted to let the story engage me on its own merits without knowing what it was about.
It took me a while to put together the clues. Not long, but if I had read "This is a novel about a vampire..." it would have taken away some of the fun of not knowing, of having to piece together the clues, of figuring things out.
The main character in this book is very well developed, and I am sorry that Agyar is a stand-alone novel, even though that is why I chose it in the first place. I'd like to read more about him. Some of the other characters are less three-dimensional, but they are depicted through the eyes of the main character. A predator.
I don't normally like books wherein the character acknowledges writing the very book that I am reading, addressing the act of writing and conjecturing about who might be reading it. But...this really worked for me, in this case. I wasn't put off by it in the least. Well, maybe a little at the very beginning, but I got over it. :)
This is a vampire novel. And yet, it is not a Vampire Novel. It is not soaked in seduction, sex, and blood, although those definitely play a part. But they are not the part. The story is about Jack/John Agyar and what he must do to overcome the difficulty he finds himself in. If that occasionally involves seduction, sex, and blood, that's because it's what he must do to live.
It is a violent story, but told from the viewpoint of the creature who must commit violence or die. He seems callous at times, vindictive and cruel at others, but tender and regretful as well. He is a man of some honor, but it's an odd kind of honor that's a bit horrifying at times.
I look forward to reading more of Brust's work....more
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