Harrison, Kim: Dead Witch Walking
Dead Witch Walking
Writer: Kim Harrison
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 416
Another one of emerald_ibis's dares, and a helluva good one too. I wasn't sure what to expect, because the only "supernatural" fiction (vampires, werewolves, witches, oh my!) I've read is Carrie Vaughn's. emerald_ibis recommended this book me because of Vaughn's stuff, and I have to say, I'm hooked.
For starters, I will always love the first person point of view, no matter what anyone says. I'll love it unless it's done piss-poorly, but I'll love it because it's natural to me. The POV is perfect for this book-it allows the reader to focus on the character of Rachel and her situation, fears, etc. Ultimately, it's very satisfying.
But the best thing about this book is the world-building. The devil's in the details, and the details here are wickedly creative, wonderful, and oftentimes, amusing. I'll always have a soft spot for writers who take ludicrous situations and steep them in reality, and by reality, you basically take the situation and say, "Okay, if this REALLY happened, what would the world REALLY be like?" It allows for wonderful bits of humor, and the ability to relate to the characters and the world to boot. Bravo on world-building. Anyone writing this kind of fiction should take note of Harrison-she knows what she's doing.
Plot-wise, it's strong. Rachel is an I.S. runner who quits her job, but no one's ever quit the I.S. without a contract being taken out on his or her life, and Rachel must find a way to survive through all KINDS of assassin attempts, supernatural attempts to boot!
And who knew I'd fall in love with a pixie? Jenks has got to be the best-sidekick-ever! The world-building alone that went into the pixies and revealed through Jenks is priceless and wonderful. And while I can't say I want a Jenks of my own, he sure is entertaining.
Yes, the book left me with questions: what's up with Nick, really? And Trent, what the hell? What exactly happened to Rachel's father (the book doesn't answer this in a way that satisfies me personally)? What will the demon require of Rachel? What's up with Ivy, and what did she wish for? And, while I know this was also answered in the book, I still wanted more: just why was Denon so intent of making Rachel quit to begin with? But none of these questions hindered my enjoyment of the book, and I'm just as happy to read the other books in the series to get my answers.
This is a great read. For anyone who's a fan of said supernatural creatures (hello, Buffy-fans), you must read this book. I should also note that fans of Janet Evanovitch will enjoy this as well, especially if you don't mind magic and such in their mysteries. The humor is definitely here. How original is it? I don't know, I'm not that steeped in the genre, but I enjoyed the hell out of it, and instinct tells me that what I consider gems in this book, others will too. I definitely plan on reading the other books in the series when I have the time, and I look forward to seeing where the series goes.