Definitely one for the urban fantasy fans.
Co-written by Megan Lindholm (Robin Hobb) and Steven Brust, the book mixes Hungarian folkloric archetypes with a story of modern police and teens. I suspect that Lindholm wrote the folklore-inspired characters, because some of them, especially the title character, reminded me of her early book "Wizard of the Pigeons." There are a few references to tie this in to Brust's 'Taltos' series, which fans of his will likely appreciate.
Overall, though, this isn't a major work by either of these authors. It's all right, but I wanted a little more depth to it. The main villain didn't seem to have any motivation for her deeds other than that "well, she's Pure Evil," and her minions/henchmen were kinda stereotypical, like "the bullied child who turns bad due to his resentment," and "the girl who goes bad 'cause she wants to grow up too fast and be cool" It also could have done a bit more delving into actual Gypsy culture, rather than just dealing with figures of folklore.
I guess there's a companion musical album that goes with this book, which I haven't heard. The chapters all are headed with lyrics from the songs - and they all rhyme really annoyingly. Maybe they're great in their musical context, but many lyrics just do not work as written poetry.
Just thinking about urban fantasy in general.. I love the idea of myth and magic mixing with the modern world, the whole idea of gritty "faerie-punk." The Bordertown series did it particularly well. But very often, I find myself unsatisfied by many books in the genre, and I've been trying to put my finger on why. I think it's because these stories so often deal with the disenfranchised and/or troubled, and too often, one feels like it's coming from an outside, even preachy (or at least message-y) perspective. I didn't feel like the authors of this book really knew (or if they know, it didn't really come through) what it's like to live as a gypsy, always suspected of crimes. Or as a punk teen. Or as a 'reformed' prostitute. Or even as a cop.
I feel a little unfair, complaining here, because the book really isn't that bad, and I do like both of these authors - but I also really like believable, convincing characters, and stories that really let you understand someone from the inside out.
Co-written by Megan Lindholm (Robin Hobb) and Steven Brust, the book mixes Hungarian folkloric archetypes with a story of modern police and teens. I suspect that Lindholm wrote the folklore-inspired characters, because some of them, especially the title character, reminded me of her early book "Wizard of the Pigeons." There are a few references to tie this in to Brust's 'Taltos' series, which fans of his will likely appreciate.
Overall, though, this isn't a major work by either of these authors. It's all right, but I wanted a little more depth to it. The main villain didn't seem to have any motivation for her deeds other than that "well, she's Pure Evil," and her minions/henchmen were kinda stereotypical, like "the bullied child who turns bad due to his resentment," and "the girl who goes bad 'cause she wants to grow up too fast and be cool" It also could have done a bit more delving into actual Gypsy culture, rather than just dealing with figures of folklore.
I guess there's a companion musical album that goes with this book, which I haven't heard. The chapters all are headed with lyrics from the songs - and they all rhyme really annoyingly. Maybe they're great in their musical context, but many lyrics just do not work as written poetry.
Just thinking about urban fantasy in general.. I love the idea of myth and magic mixing with the modern world, the whole idea of gritty "faerie-punk." The Bordertown series did it particularly well. But very often, I find myself unsatisfied by many books in the genre, and I've been trying to put my finger on why. I think it's because these stories so often deal with the disenfranchised and/or troubled, and too often, one feels like it's coming from an outside, even preachy (or at least message-y) perspective. I didn't feel like the authors of this book really knew (or if they know, it didn't really come through) what it's like to live as a gypsy, always suspected of crimes. Or as a punk teen. Or as a 'reformed' prostitute. Or even as a cop.
I feel a little unfair, complaining here, because the book really isn't that bad, and I do like both of these authors - but I also really like believable, convincing characters, and stories that really let you understand someone from the inside out.
