Evil Ways by Justin Gustainis
Series: The Morris/Chastain Investigations
Publisher: Solaris, 2009
Genre: Fantasy
Sub-genre: Occult, Urban fantasy
Read the full (spoiler-free) review here.
Written in the third person, the complex story is told from the perspective of all the major players, heroes and villains alike, which gives a lovely sense of depth and an emphasis on the mystery/crime aspect as well as a better understanding of what exactly is happening and what's at stake if Quincey and Libby fail to solve the mystery and stop the bad guys. Knowing not only who the villains are, but their plans and motivations helps ramp up the tension, although after awhile, I started finding the expression of just how evil these guys are to be over-the-top. They kick puppies for fun, mutilate babies and kill kittens, and after the first instance or two, the shock factor is gone and I'm sitting here going "yup, there goes another kitty." I am glad, however, that all the destruction of cute was done in the fade-to-black.
The heroes, on the other hand, don't fall into this sort of trap. I love Quincey and Libby, and I really really love the relationship between the two of them. There's no romance here. The two are very close friends, they've worked together many times before and as a result, they're able to read each other's moods and expressions, especially in a crisis. The banter between them is wonderful, and while they're protective of each other, neither is at all interested in starting up romance (or even a little sex). It strikes me as a little sad that this is such an unusual relationship to read about, but on the up side, it's handled very, very well here. I could probably read an entire book just about Quincey and Libby hanging out on their down time.
Something else that filled me with unspeakable glee? All the fictional character cameos. From Silence of the Lambs's Jack Crawford to Millennium's Frank Black to Harry Dresden, there's no shortage of genre-related in-jokes. These are hidden references of the best sort: anyone who gets them will get a giggle, but if you miss the significance, it won't hinder your understanding of the story.
Even better than the cameos is Gustainis's depth of understanding of his genre, both in the supernatural and mystery solving. I love that there isn't one type of mysticism; the witches studies and methods vary depending on what culture and background they come from, whether it be wiccan or shamanistic or something else entirely. The magic has complex rules and limitations, and stays within there. There's no "chosen one" for whom the rules don't apply.
I think it's safe to say I very much enjoyed Evil Ways (as well as its predecessor, Black Magic Woman). Alright, the line editing could have been a little tighter, what with minor characters randomly changing names in the middle of scenes and things like that, but we can't exactly fault the author for that. The fast pace, the depth of the world, and the wonderful sense of humour made for a book I stayed up too late on more than one night reading "just one more chapter." We all know it's never just one.
Publisher: Solaris, 2009
Genre: Fantasy
Sub-genre: Occult, Urban fantasy
Read the full (spoiler-free) review here.
Written in the third person, the complex story is told from the perspective of all the major players, heroes and villains alike, which gives a lovely sense of depth and an emphasis on the mystery/crime aspect as well as a better understanding of what exactly is happening and what's at stake if Quincey and Libby fail to solve the mystery and stop the bad guys. Knowing not only who the villains are, but their plans and motivations helps ramp up the tension, although after awhile, I started finding the expression of just how evil these guys are to be over-the-top. They kick puppies for fun, mutilate babies and kill kittens, and after the first instance or two, the shock factor is gone and I'm sitting here going "yup, there goes another kitty." I am glad, however, that all the destruction of cute was done in the fade-to-black.
The heroes, on the other hand, don't fall into this sort of trap. I love Quincey and Libby, and I really really love the relationship between the two of them. There's no romance here. The two are very close friends, they've worked together many times before and as a result, they're able to read each other's moods and expressions, especially in a crisis. The banter between them is wonderful, and while they're protective of each other, neither is at all interested in starting up romance (or even a little sex). It strikes me as a little sad that this is such an unusual relationship to read about, but on the up side, it's handled very, very well here. I could probably read an entire book just about Quincey and Libby hanging out on their down time.
Something else that filled me with unspeakable glee? All the fictional character cameos. From Silence of the Lambs's Jack Crawford to Millennium's Frank Black to Harry Dresden, there's no shortage of genre-related in-jokes. These are hidden references of the best sort: anyone who gets them will get a giggle, but if you miss the significance, it won't hinder your understanding of the story.
Even better than the cameos is Gustainis's depth of understanding of his genre, both in the supernatural and mystery solving. I love that there isn't one type of mysticism; the witches studies and methods vary depending on what culture and background they come from, whether it be wiccan or shamanistic or something else entirely. The magic has complex rules and limitations, and stays within there. There's no "chosen one" for whom the rules don't apply.
I think it's safe to say I very much enjoyed Evil Ways (as well as its predecessor, Black Magic Woman). Alright, the line editing could have been a little tighter, what with minor characters randomly changing names in the middle of scenes and things like that, but we can't exactly fault the author for that. The fast pace, the depth of the world, and the wonderful sense of humour made for a book I stayed up too late on more than one night reading "just one more chapter." We all know it's never just one.