The Demon's Apprentice (The Demon's Apprentice series) by Ben Reeder

First off, I did not expect to enjoy The Demon's Apprentice by Ben Reeder as much as I did. I admit I was enticed as book one was included (no doubt a loss leader for the rest of the series) in my Audible subscription, but there you have it, folks. Hooked. I immediately went and downloaded book two the moment I was done with book one.

Maybe it's because Chance Fortunato, our plucky main character, reminds me so much of Jamie, the protagonist in my Books of Khepera, that I took an instant shine to him. But I'll come out this much and say, that if you're a fan of series like Supernatural, chances are, ahem, high that you'll enjoy The Demon's Apprentice. I know, I did, and I haven't even managed to watch all the seasons of Supernatural. My bad, I know.

Look, contemporary fantasy has many stock-standard hallmarks if you're adding fantasy creatures to the mix, so it's difficult to make the world building shine in terms of originality. Let's face it, we've seen enough vampires, demons, werewolves, gremlins – a veritable bestiary of critters – a gazillion times. And even though the who's who of traditional publishing will sing the song that paranormal goings-on are so yesterday, there's a reason why this sort of world building remains popular. Ben Reader is proof that the genre very much lives and breathes.

Chance isn't your everyday fifteen-year-old. When he was young, his dad sold him into bondage to a demon, and for the past few years he's been serving the Count Dulka, helping him gather souls for whichever nefarious purposes he intends to use them for. Essentially, Chance is a dealer in curses and charms. As a warlock (not of his own choosing, mind you) he's also in a bind, because the black in his aura mean that others who see themselves on the side of goodness and light, will hunt him down and end him, given half a chance.

Not just that, but Chance is so over serving Dulka, and the opening scenes start with a real cracker – how he's working to free himself from slavery. All he wants is to have a normal life, in freedom, but all those years of serving darkness have left their mark on him, which means he's going to have to work three times as hard as anyone else to find his place in the world.

And yet, despite the bad start he's had in life, Chance is a good bloke with a surprising amount of common sense for someone so young. He's *trying* to do the right thing. Except trouble has a way of finding him, as well as the unlikely band of comrades he picks up along the way. What I like about Chance is his decency. This counterbalances all the bad stuff that happens around him as he works hard to redeem himself and solve a gruesome murder. 

This book, wonderfully narrated by Charlie Thurston, hits all the right notes and sweeps you along. Yeah, I'd say it's most certainly not the paragon of high-brow literature, but if you're in the mood for fun, action-packed, and somewhat crunchy occultnik hijinks, then this book will scratch the itch. 

Three Bodies by NR Brodie

Crime novels aren't my usual fare, but I read them when I like the author, and I'm rather fond of NR Brodie. Three Bodies follows on from her occult-noir novel Knucklebone, where we meet Reshma Patel and Ian Jack, who initially work together to solve crimes related to an animal poaching ring. Both realise that there is more to reality than meets the eye, though. Then again, if you tangle with sangomas, expect things to get a bit strange.

Three Bodies is no different. At the outset, when drowned women start showing up, Ian is roped in to investigate, despite no longer having an interest in police work. Reshma finds herself drawn into an elite crime-fighting unit – with a bunch of tough cops who work against the cash-in-transit heists that are so prevalent in South Africa. It's scary, high-stakes stuff. And here Brodie has done meticulous research to offer an authentic ring to the police work. 

But then a sinister link between the drowned women, dark muti, the cash heists, and old-guard apartheid officials who were never brought to book, is formed, and Reshma and Ian find themselves racing to solve a case of a missing woman before she, too, ends up drowned.

Overall, I found the gradually unfolding pace a little on the slow side, but things picked up a lot quicker near the end. Reshma is one hell of a tough woman, and it shows, and Ian's quiet empathy with others also shows that he possesses qualities that complement Reshma's. They team up with an unlikely bunch for the finale, and then ... well. I'll leave it up to you to find out what happens. As always, the whiff of the supernatural is just a taste. Perhaps too light a touch that may have required smidge more foreshadowing, but I loved it anyway. I'm reminded of an old HP Lovecraft quote:

The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents.

Which will make sense for those who've read the book and understand how Ian must struggle with what he sees unfold at the satisfyingly cataclysmic ending. Gritty, dark, and somewhat weird, this novel is definitely an enjoyable read, and it's great seeing fantasy elements creep across genres.

The Illusions of Eventide by Sarah M Cradit #review

Title: The Illusions of Eventide (The House of Crimson & Clover #2)
Author: Sarah M Cradit, 2013

At a glance, The Illusions of Eventide by Sarah M Cradit is exactly the kind of book I enjoy reading – it is set in the American South and is flavoured with aeons-long conflict involving a race of immortal beings.

No, not vampires, as one would immediately suspect, but Empyreans, which I would best describe as somewhat angelic, rather. We get to explore their world through the eyes of Mercy, who is at the end of her allotted life span of around three thousand years and who is preparing to “ascend” to her Father Emir.

From what I can gather, the Empyrean race subscribes to a fervent belief system that sees them succumb at a preordained time – and Mercy is particularly devoted to her faith.

We also meet the human Nicolas Deschanel, who is the disaffected, self-absorbed heir to a family fortune, and much like Mercy, his life no longer holds meaning to him; he has secluded himself so that he may take his own life. That is until his discovery of Mercy trespassing on his land, which bollockses up his plans.

Other, somewhat secondary characters are the apostate Empyrean Aidrik, who has been keeping a watchful eye over Mercy for quite a long time, and Nicolas’s cousin Anasofiya, who is running away from herself, though she’s not quite that self aware.

Things come to a head at the old family plantation house, and much will be revealed of the Deschanel family past (and why they’re all so damned peculiar) and the machinations within the Empyrean race.

My main feeling after completing this novel was that although Cradit’s writing is detailed and rich, the progression of the narrative was a little too slow for my liking. She offers a glimpse into a fascinating world, but most of the action takes place in the last few chapters, and even then, the ending felt a bit anticlimactic. I finished reading with the sense that I’d just gotten through a quantity of back story.

That being said, it’s clear from existing reviews that this is just the sort of thing Cradit’s readers love about this book, and if you’re already invested in the characters, then the slow pace will not provide an obstacle to your enjoyment. Since I came in from the cold (this was offered as a review copy) I struggled to relate to the characters, and I suspect that many of the story’s nuances were lost on me for not having read earlier works.

Those who do, however, enjoy a gradually unfolding family saga filled with supernatural elements (and here I’m casually going to toss in a reference to Anne Rice’s Mayfair witches) then The House of Crimson & Clover series might just bite you in the right spot.

About bloody time ... Finished season 1 of Supernatural

I am a terrible person because I only finished watching Supernatural Season 1 this month, and the darn thing came out in 2005 already. As an editor and author of chiefly fantasy and horror, and whatever other sub-genres you care to basically split these into, I guess it was about high time that I got into Supernatural, if only to catch any references to this when reading submissions.

And now I'm chiefly reminded of Anna Dressed in Blood, a recent YA paranormal novel by Kendare Blake which, now that I look at it, has all the hallmarks of an extended Supernatural episode – just sans the bromance elements we've come to know, love and expect with Sam and Dean.

There's no doubt that Supernatural has had a massive impact on urban fantasy an paranormal fiction. And perhaps there's a bit of bio-feedback happening by now, I'm sure.

But getting back to Season 1. I'll start with the uglies. The dialogue and the writing for the episodes feels very hit and miss for me. The first half of the season mostly limps along like a monster-of-the-week kind of scenario. We have everything from vengeful spirits, demon possession and bugs to such urban legend stalwarts like Bloody Mary. Don't forget ancient pagan gods that require blood sacrifice or ... yes. Vampires. This latter thread was left open and I'm curious to see whether our fanged buddies will show up again. (No! Don't tell me! I want to find out for myself!)

Character motivation to behave in certain ways tends toward sketchy. How many times when the brothers split up to do stuff and shit goes wrong... Or just weird dialogue. Or insane leaps of logic.

But yeah. This didn't bother me too much because I was looking for a fun paranormal fix for the same reason that I often love watching classic horror films.

Plainly put, Supernatural is just fun. The Sam/Dean dynamic is just that – dynamic. It's abundantly clear that the actors are having *fun*. The writers play with just about every trope in the horror genre you can imagine, so there's often instant recognition if you're up to speed with your assorted trivia.

If I have to peg a favourite episode from Season 1, it's definitely #19 "Provenance" which features the haunted painting. I think this was the only episode that had me even the tiniest bit anxious. And the writers did a really good job with their misdirection on this one.

Of course I did love the vampires in #20 "Dead Man's Blood". Luther was suitably slinky and schmexy, and I do hope we get to see Kate again. Also, I dig the concept of that magical Colt with its enchanted bullets.

So far everyone tells me things get better from Season 2, which is next up on my TBW list. I'd love to know from you what your favourite episodes from Season 1 were, however.