Lee Doty

I admit I was only half-listening to the Sword & Laser netcast when this book was recommended, and I didn't really hear much about the plot, just that this was a really good book by a new author. When it came up on my Amazon recommendations, I went ahead and bought it, again without knowing anything about the plot. So I was a few pages into it when I thought, "Damn. I've bought a vampire book." But no! It isn't a vampire book. It is an urban fantasy novel, though. So if you don't like that kind book, suck it up, Buttercup. This one is worth reading anyway. I won't try to synopsize the plot, except to say the narrative starts out as a lot of different strands that ultimately weave together. Doty also indulges in a little temporal back-and-forth on the narrative stream that can be disorienting, but he still pulls it off in the end. What is best about this book is Doty's narrative style and the way he can insert light-hearted quips into the thoughts and words of his characters even as they are facing dire circumstances. I like this because I find similar thoughts occur to me under stress. Consequently, I didn't find it distracting from the book's realism. (And rest assured: this is not a funny, ha-ha sort of book. It is more a Whedon-like, Buffyesque sort of book.) Second best about the book is the way Doty crams a lot of action into the story without swamping the character development. Instead of the action being something that interrupts the character development I love, the characters' natures are revealed by the way they deal with the action. Much as I enjoyed the book, I do hope Doty doesn't return to these same characters in his next effort. Don't fall into that trap! Branch out; stretch your wings, sir. We'll all be better off as you expand your considerable talent into different settings.… (meer)