Thursday, December 11

Laura Anne Gilman: Staying Dead

A retriever specialises in finding things of a magical nature that have gone missing and returning them, discretely, efficiently and with no questions asked. It is the perfect way for a highly talented thief to channel her energies and keep herself on the right side of the law. But when a simple job goes terribly wrong this girl needs all the help she can get from anyone willing to give it. Even if that means doing deals with demons, insane mages and secret government organizations of a very shady nature or admitting that her feelings for her long time business partner might be more than merely friendly.
Fast paced and action packed this story was a real page turner. The plot was intricate and a number of separate threads were introduced (I smell a series coming on) without becoming confusing or appearing irrelevant to the story at hand.
I particularly liked the world building. The overlay of magic on modern society worked really well. Magic, what it is and how it worked, was explained in easy to believe terms.
The romance, though secondary, was satisfying and I think all the more believable for not being fast tracked. One of the things that appeals to me least about urban fantasy is the tendency for authors to substitute sex for intimacy. It was refreshing to find a pair that weren’t at it before the end of chapter 3. I anticipate these two characters developing a relationship over the course of several books. At least I hope there will be several books because I so enjoyed this one.
Definitely looking out for more of Ms Gilman’s work-Lynn.

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