A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison

[lightreads]

Fiction, urban fantasy. Just released fourth volume in her Rachel Morgan series. This is a road trip book, taking Rachel (witch), and eventually Ivy (living vampire), out of town with a newly reconciled Jencks (pixie) to chase after Nick (human) the ex boyfriend and thief, a potentially powerful artifact, and a lot of werewolves. It’s funny, because though things do happen here and the plot carries forward, I am left with the impression of a placeholder book. Which is still not a bad thing, mind you, and I think Harrison’s instinct to get the original three out of the Hollows for a while is a good one. She’s developing as a writer – the climax of this book has some lovely, aching thematic overtones as Rachel tries to save/kill a living vampire who is in constant, excruciating agony from an unnamed illness. I think this is the first time Harrison’s managed to weave plot and theme together so neatly – she’s getting the trick of letting the plot follow the heart of the story, rather than the other way around, I think. Also, the pixies are hilarious and fascinating – toothbrushes! Karaoke!

Still, I did miss the usual supporting cast, particularly Trent (please go there, you’d better go there) and I was not quite convinced by the evolution of Rachel and Ivy’s complicated relationship as friends/colleagues/potential lovers/savior and vampire supplicant. It’s one of those things that make sense on analysis, but which on reading is viscerally startling and out-of-left field. And I suppose that’s how it would feel, but in this case, my sense of literary form and my sense of how people operate were not both satisfied.

A good book, though, and I’m quite impatient for the next, which should plunge us solidly back into the Hollows and Rachel’s wider life there.

Comments

[minyan.livejournal.com]

Have you run across Robin McKinley's Sunshine? (Given that Bayleaf told me about it in the first place, I guess that's probably a yes... but the vampires made me think of it, and it's one of my favorite books by one of my favorite writers. Only it helps to have a good supply of sticky buns on hand, because the main character is a baker....)

[lightreads.livejournal.com]

I literally just finished scanning this, as B talked about it so much. Am excited -- I read her Beauty many years ago, loved it, but had no idea she was writing urban fantasy and other exciting things.