Huff, Tanya: Summon the Keeper
Summon the Keeper (1998)
Written by: Tanya Huff
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 331 (Mass Market Paperback)
So, this was the first book club poll that resulted in a tie, which meant that all of YOU forced me to make the selection. So on one hand, if you participated this month and didn't like the book, it's on me. On the other hand, if you all hadn't given me a TIE, I would've never had to be the tie-breaker!
The theme, cats in fantasy, had been toying with me for a while. I mean, come on, I'm a cat person for goodness sakes. Some people show off pictures of their kids; I show off pictures of my cat. So why not marry my reading interest with my love of cats? I figured the middle of summer would be a perfect time to tackle such a theme, because if the book ended up being kind of silly and crazy, well, that's just perfect for airport/beach reading, now isn't it?
The premise: ganked from BN.com: Austin was a black-and-white, far-from-young cat. Not just any cat, mind you, he was the Keeper's cat, a very outspoken feline with extremely strong opinions he was always willing to voice. After all, who knew better then Austin what was best for the well-being of Claire--and for the not-quite-as-important rest of the universe?
Claire Hansen was a Keeper, a member of that select group which kept the universe in one piece. And now she'd been summoned to the Elysian Fields Guesthouse, a rundown bed-and-breakfast that seemed to attract the most unusual clientele. And Claire was not happy about this latest assignment, not happy at all.
Not when she'd been tricked into taking over here by a horrible little gnome of a man who'd abandoned his post before she'd even figured out who he really was . . . Not when room six held a resident who'd been sleeping there for so many years that she really needed a good dusting--except that it was far too dangerous for anyone to get that close to her . . . Not when the basement housed too much temptation for anyone's mental health . . . Not when she found herself surrounded by "helpers" as distracting as Dean, the hunky-yet-innocent handyman, and Jacques, a ghost with a real lust for life . . . And especially not when it looked like this might be not only her most challenging mission but one she'd be stuck handling forever . . .
Review style: There's a mishmash of things I want to discuss that may or may not make sense: seeing what I would now label as urban fantasy published back in 1998, before Buffy-Lit fiction took off and commandeered the sub-genre; what this book unintentionally reminds me of (and why that delights me); why this book seems to have romance roots, even though it's really not a romance; we'll discuss which is a better medium (fiction or television) for this particular book, the humor, and lastly, why cats are awesome. No spoilers, but if you're paranoid, just skip to the "My Rating" section of the review and you'll be just fine. :)
First and foremost, let me be honest: this book would make a far better television show than a book. Seriously. If you think about the plotting, and how everything's episodic, and how a lot of the characterization that comes off one-dimensional on the page could be infused with some real humor if you could see an actor/actress playing the role, it'd just make a really light, fun show. Of course, Austin could be a bit tricky to pull off, but they can do amazing things with CGI these days. Forget Avatar: anyone remember the Taco Bell commercials with the talking lions? Or for that matter, the talking chihuahua?
Anyway, I think it'd be a fun television show. The flaws would still be there, but they wouldn't be quite so transparent, I don't think. Because the characterization is pretty one-dimensional, and while I like that Claire is a very capable heroine, she did grate on my nerves, and I was glad when little sister called her out on the ageism. The episodic nature of the book meant that we didn't have a really strong story to pull us along. The story we had, well, that really could've been wrapped up pretty quickly without all of the adventures in between.
What kept me reading? The cat, of course.
But we'll get back to the cat later.
I keep finding myself surprised when I look at the time this book was published (1998). Let's see… Buffy the Vampire Slayer had been out since 1997 (1992 if you count the original film), Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series had been kicking around since 1993, and while I'm sure there's stuff out there at the time that we'd consider urban fantasy today, but I can't think of much off the top of my head save for the previously mentioned examples, which means this book was something of a unique bird at the time.
We've got the modern setting. Not urban really. It's more rural than anything, and very centric to a bed-and-breakfast. But we've got magic in the modern world, with creatures and demons that most people don't know about but a few select do. We've got a heroine who's capable of handling the things that go bump in the night (no, she's not a slayer or a hunter or any such thing), and she's got magic and a talking cat on her side. There's the urban fantasy ingredients, and then add the love triangle of Claire, Dean, and Jacques and the actual head-hopping POV between Dean and Claire, and you've got your paranormal romance ingredients.
I'm sorry it boggles my mind that this stuff was around so long before urban fantasy was a genre (though paranormal romance, I suspect, pre-dates our Buffy-lit by many years), but it does. And while it took some effort, I was able to be amused. I liked seeing all the random stuff that Huff threw into this world. Ghosts. Vampires. Werewolves. Hellhounds. Retired Greek Gods. Hell. Wardrobes (loved that shout-out to C.S. Lewis!). All the random stuff is what made me consider this a more episodic (read: television series) type of book rather than a cohesive novel, but once I got it through my head the type of book this would be, I just sat back and enjoyed myself. Is it great? No, not at all. Remember, one dimensional characters along with an episodic plot that lacks a solidly cohesive story, but it's still fun. You just have to accept that this isn't going to be one of the BEST URBAN FANTASIES EVER, but rather it's going to be a fun, fluffy beach read.
Oddly, part of my entertainment value in this book was a random comparison to the television show Lost. If you didn't watch the show, let alone the final season, then don't ask. But if you did and you read this book, PLEASE tell me I'm not crazy! :)
I do have a question though: I thought Canada's Thanksgiving was November 1st. Or 15th. At any rate, it's after Halloween, right? If so, then why in the world do we get Thanksgiving BEFORE Halloween in this book? Was Claire really there that long (and the book didn't make it seem like it was a full year either). Sorry, I know that's random, but it really pulled me out of the story.
But like I said, what kept me in the story was Austin. Easily the most fun part of the story, and Huff nails cat characterization down pat. I loved the attitude, I loved the mannerisms, and I loved his interactions with the various characters. His single-minded obsession with food cracked me up too. If I ever decide I need to shut my brain off for a book, I'll pick up the sequel to this for the cat alone. That's what made the book fun for me. Sure, I had a few laughs with the C.S. Lewis reference, with the retired Greek gods, and the occasional quip Hell made (but not all of them, and the ALL CAPS grated on my nerves a bit. And how pathetic was Hell in this story? Not scary at all, but then again, in a book like this, I guess I didn't expect it to be), but it was the cat that won me over.
What else is there to say? I read this book at the start of the month and it took me FOREVER to write this review because I kept wanting to review other things first, so forgive my lack of depth here. But really, do you NEED depth? We have talking cats, for goodness sakes! What more do you need? :)
My Rating
Give It Away: it's a fun book if you're looking for nothing more than a fluffy beach read. The humor is enjoyable, but rarely laugh-out-loud funny (though I did have a few LOL moments, all involving cat behavior). If you're a cat person, you'll certainly find SOMETHING to enjoy about this book, but be warned: the story itself is reactive and episodic without very much keeping the whole thing together in terms of theme. Characters are one-dimensional most of the time, and while that works for the humor, it can be grating and there's times you want to smack a few characters for their behavior. Honestly, Austin, the cat, is the most well-developed character of the bunch, and if I ever read the sequel (and I'm not dying to by any means), I'll read it for the sake of his character/humor. It is fun to see all these urban fantasy tropes published back before the urban fantasy tropes were TROPES, and what's great is rather than a damsel in distress, we have a hero in distress, and even that adds to the humor. Just don't come to this expecting Shakespeare (let alone the best urban fantasy ever). It's fun, but it's not great.
Cover Commentary: You all know I hate this cover, right? It's just so dated and cheesy, but the good thing about it is that you can't look at it and not know what you're getting into. A smart-aleck cat? Check. Something of a girly book based on the pinks and purples on the cover? Check. A freaky house? Check. It advertises itself well, but I still don't like the font or the art (it's a preference thing), and it weren't for the fact I was looking for something light-hearted this month, I might have not chosen this book solely based on the cover.
But still, gotta love the smart-aleck cat. :)
Further Reading: As usual, you're getting a couple of lists.
First, the theme: "Cats in Fantasy"
Peter S. Beagle: Tamsin
Erin Hunter: Warriors (click the link for all the titles in this series)
Ursula K. Le Guin: Catwings (and if you like that, check out the rest of the books: Catwings Return, Wonderful Alexander and the Catwings, and Jane on Her Own (I've read these and I adore them, it's just that I read them before I was reviewing)
Shirley Rousseau Murphy: The Catsworld Portal
Tad Williams: Tailchaser's Song
There's also a list provided at Tor.com, if you're interested: Dog-Eared Cat Tales.
Second, more books by Tanya Huff:
I've not read any of her books aside from this one, so I'm directing you to her entire bibliography. Take note that if you liked Summon the Keeper, there's two more books available featuring Claire and Austin: The Second Summoning and Long Hot Summoning. Tanya Huff Bibliography.
Third, and last, a list of urban fantasies I've reviewed that have a humorous bent:
Gail Carriger: Soulless
Kim Harrison: Dead Witch Walking
You could also make a case for Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire series (that's the True Blood series to those of you who are addicted to the HBO adaptation) is humorous, and indeed, it has humorous moments, so here's a link to all of my Harris reviews: Southern Vampire series.
More Reviews: check out the reviews book club participants have posted! If you reviewed this book but are not featured here, please comment below with a link to your review and I'll add it below.
pashte_chan: Review Here
pling: Review Here
starmetal_oak: Review Here
temporaryworlds: Review Here
Book Club Poll: this is the only way I can really track participation, so if you follow this journal, answer, okay? :) If, however, you participated but do not have an LJ account, please simply leave a comment saying so. :)
Please note: there's a new option if you've read the book prior to the challenge, so if you'd read the book prior to the challenge, but read it AGAIN for the challenge, please select the right option. :)
Poll July Participation
If you started but couldn't finish it, please comment and talk about the reasons why. What turned you off from the book? How far did you go before throwing in the towel?
And as you already know, the August Book Club selection is Catherynne M. Valente's Palimpsest. Some of you may have started it already, but if need additional details on the title, just click here. Look for a guest-blog on August 1st (I hope!), and then be sure to sign up on August 2nd!