Helpful Score: 9
Cal (short for Caliban, not Caleb) is only half-human -- and his non-human sire wants him for a mysterious purpose likely to leave Cal very much dead. His fully human half-brother Niko has devoted his life to protecting Cal, but their past catches up finally in New York, where the supernatural rub shoulders with the human with an alarming frequency. There are trolls, vampires, boggles, werewolves, and Grendels, which is what the brothers call elves... elves so dark and twisted they'd have Legolas run screaming for his mother. Oh, and there's also Robin Goodfellow, the original puck, cocky, smarmy and utterly adorable with his fastidious fashion sense, over-inflated ego and a sex drive in permanent overdrive.
First-time novelist Rob Thurman's style is similar to that of Simon R. Green's Nightside series but -- much like its lead characters -- Nightlife is edgier, slicker, at times obnoxious but always oodles of fun.
First-time novelist Rob Thurman's style is similar to that of Simon R. Green's Nightside series but -- much like its lead characters -- Nightlife is edgier, slicker, at times obnoxious but always oodles of fun.
Helpful Score: 6
This is the best urban fantasy I have ever read. The story is told first person, by Cal, a teenager with more than the usual reasons for angst and snark. Cal and his brother Nic are standing together against a host of problems, but most specifically the Auphe, and it's the devotion of the two to each other that is solidly at the center of these books. As baddies go, the Auphe are pretty bad. There's gore, but it's surprisingly well written gore that never goes completely over the top, and there's language appropriate to the situations (meaning that while there's cussing, you can't really fault the characters for it. You'd cuss, too, if somebody was trying that hard to kill you!). This series has new twists on your usual monsters, and the werewolves especially make interesting characters. My only (minor) complaint so far is that Cal's body seems to be able to take abuse and keep going when it really should not, but I'm hoping this proves to be an aspect of his not-all-human heritage.
Helpful Score: 5
I enjoyed the story but at times it bogged down. The characters were interesting and likeable. New York City always makes a great setting and I enjoyed reading about the Boggle and Troll - their descriptions were detailed and had a good amount of "yuck" value!
Helpful Score: 4
If you like the tv show supernatural, you'll love this book.
Just be aware that this is more coarse in terms of language and violence.
Just be aware that this is more coarse in terms of language and violence.
Helpful Score: 4
One of the most interesting books I've read in a long time. Two brothers, one a half breed, fighting against evil. Extremely well written, I had a hard time putting it down!
