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jodicleghorn's review
4.0
My only regret is that I didn't have a weekend to curl up on the couch and read it cover to cover.
madgee's review
3.0
Certainly fresh, but slow paced and a little distracted. The happily-ever-after ending was a disappointing conclusion to an otherwise somewhat dark novel. Had promise to be more of a brothers Grimm fairytale... alas.
blodeuedd's review
3.0
This could be UF, but I do not want to group it with that, because it is just so much more and different. The author herself says she writes dark fantasy, so dark urban fantasy mystery then. If you read UF you know how those go, kick-ass, fast etc etc. But this was fiction traced with the weyrd. Read it find out.
First we do have to start with Fassbinder, I had to google it, it means Cooper. What? I had to, mostly to see if it had something do do with her dad's occupation. Ahem. No, but he was a kinderfresser, and if you want to know what that is then you have to read this book. If you are well versed in German myths you might have heard of them.
When I have that out of the way. Verity can walk both worlds, Weyrd and Normal. She is the one the Weyrd sends out to deal with things, she is the one that deals with the cop that knows about them. The two mysteries she has to solve is who is stealing children and who is killing sirens. The first one brings her back to her past, the second one, well who can make a woman with wings fall to her death? Intriguing. It was a good mystery, and it brought us deep into this world. Which was great because I wanted to know more about the Weyrd and I did.
Verity herself was a nice heroine, mostly because even though she has quite the strength inherited from her dad, she was just normal you know. There are those heroines that are all kick-ass, but Verity felt normal. Which is why this book was more fantasy fiction in that aspect. It felt like there are this underworld to the streets of Brisbane. Oh, which I totally loved too.
I lost my train of thought, in the middle of my review!
It was a good book, one that you have to take your time with. Some books should not be rushed, which does not mean that I did not read it in a day. Sure I read it in a day, but I took it slow.
I look forward to more in this world. Great potential there.
First we do have to start with Fassbinder, I had to google it, it means Cooper. What? I had to, mostly to see if it had something do do with her dad's occupation. Ahem. No, but he was a kinderfresser, and if you want to know what that is then you have to read this book. If you are well versed in German myths you might have heard of them.
When I have that out of the way. Verity can walk both worlds, Weyrd and Normal. She is the one the Weyrd sends out to deal with things, she is the one that deals with the cop that knows about them. The two mysteries she has to solve is who is stealing children and who is killing sirens. The first one brings her back to her past, the second one, well who can make a woman with wings fall to her death? Intriguing. It was a good mystery, and it brought us deep into this world. Which was great because I wanted to know more about the Weyrd and I did.
Verity herself was a nice heroine, mostly because even though she has quite the strength inherited from her dad, she was just normal you know. There are those heroines that are all kick-ass, but Verity felt normal. Which is why this book was more fantasy fiction in that aspect. It felt like there are this underworld to the streets of Brisbane. Oh, which I totally loved too.
I lost my train of thought, in the middle of my review!
It was a good book, one that you have to take your time with. Some books should not be rushed, which does not mean that I did not read it in a day. Sure I read it in a day, but I took it slow.
I look forward to more in this world. Great potential there.
micahhortonhallett's review against another edition
3.0
Paranormal romance that starts after the romance is over. Nice move. Solid prose, a snarrative that moves, an effective semi-twist on the paranormal detective/urban magic deal and it is really nice to read a novel set in Australia that isn't swimming in literature's bleak end. (Not that there is anything wrong with bleak/cathartic literature- we do it well, but we do it a lot.) But why did it have to be Brisvegas?
pilebythebed's review
4.0
Angela Slatter, who has won a number of international awards for her short fiction, goes to Brisbane, or Brisneyland as she prefers to style it, for her first full length novel. Vigil is an urban fantasy which sees the streets of Australia’s third largest city shared between the Normals and the supernatural Weyrd. As is often the case, only a select few Normals are aware of this sharing arrangement. The Weyrd community keeps very much to itself and has put limits on the excesses of its members, which previously included preying on the Normal population.
Enter Verity Fassbinder, half-human, half Weyrd able to walk in both worlds, with super-strength from her Weyrd side. Verity works as a freelance investigator, partly in penance for the sins of her Weyrd father Grigor, a kinderfresser, who killed normal children for the highborn Weyrd. Verity is tasked by the Weyrd Council to investigate when children once again start going missing. Soon her troubles mount, with dying sirens (the avian kind), a monster roaming the streets, rampant angels and the search for the missing son of a millionaire.
While in genre terms this is strictly fantasy, Vigil plays out strongly along crime fiction lines with Verity’s actions and first-person narrative placing her squarely in the noir private detective mold. And like all good noir detectives Verity gets into plenty of scraps and when she is stuck she just pushes until she gets a reaction. True to the crime genre the action is tightly plotted and the weary narration gives a solid feel to some fantastical going-on.
Overall, Vigil is a great start to a fascinating new series for both urban fantasy and crime fans with a refreshing Australian voice, setting and style. It will be interesting to see where Slatter takes both her characters and her world in future volumes.
This review first appeared in Aurealis #92, Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine, http://www.aurealis.com.au.
More fantasy review on http://www.pilebythebed.com
Enter Verity Fassbinder, half-human, half Weyrd able to walk in both worlds, with super-strength from her Weyrd side. Verity works as a freelance investigator, partly in penance for the sins of her Weyrd father Grigor, a kinderfresser, who killed normal children for the highborn Weyrd. Verity is tasked by the Weyrd Council to investigate when children once again start going missing. Soon her troubles mount, with dying sirens (the avian kind), a monster roaming the streets, rampant angels and the search for the missing son of a millionaire.
While in genre terms this is strictly fantasy, Vigil plays out strongly along crime fiction lines with Verity’s actions and first-person narrative placing her squarely in the noir private detective mold. And like all good noir detectives Verity gets into plenty of scraps and when she is stuck she just pushes until she gets a reaction. True to the crime genre the action is tightly plotted and the weary narration gives a solid feel to some fantastical going-on.
Overall, Vigil is a great start to a fascinating new series for both urban fantasy and crime fans with a refreshing Australian voice, setting and style. It will be interesting to see where Slatter takes both her characters and her world in future volumes.
This review first appeared in Aurealis #92, Australian Science Fiction and Fantasy Magazine, http://www.aurealis.com.au.
More fantasy review on http://www.pilebythebed.com
rosemarieshort's review against another edition
4.0
Vigil is not what I expected. After being a long time fan of Angela Slatter (I adored Of Sorrow and Such), I was surprised to find that this, her first novel, is an urban fantasy. However my surprise soon morphed into pleasure - boy, can Angela Slatter world build.
Brisneyland (as she so fondly calls Brisbane) is now turned into a place with an incredibly dark underbelly. Slatter has already proven herself in her other works as a master of the macabre when she wants to be - and the creatures which stalk Brisbane are certainly macabre. However all is lightened with a sarcastic sense of humour accompanying the whole, chiefly coming from Verity - the main character.
I liked Verity - I would probably like her more after reading a sequel and getting more character development. Her interaction with both Wyrd and Normal characters were great - I especially enjoyed Ziggy, her chauffeur come Father figure. I wasn't one hundred percent sold on her love interest, but I think with time I could really come to enjoy the couple. It wouldn't be a Slatter offering without a plethora of strong female characters and Verity was just one of many women who made their mark in this book (both for better and for worse!)
Occasionally the story could become a little messy - perhaps one too many plot strands woven together for a perfectly seamless offering. However Vigil definitely kept me gripped until the final page. I am eagerly looking forward to the upcoming sequel!
Brisneyland (as she so fondly calls Brisbane) is now turned into a place with an incredibly dark underbelly. Slatter has already proven herself in her other works as a master of the macabre when she wants to be - and the creatures which stalk Brisbane are certainly macabre. However all is lightened with a sarcastic sense of humour accompanying the whole, chiefly coming from Verity - the main character.
I liked Verity - I would probably like her more after reading a sequel and getting more character development. Her interaction with both Wyrd and Normal characters were great - I especially enjoyed Ziggy, her chauffeur come Father figure. I wasn't one hundred percent sold on her love interest, but I think with time I could really come to enjoy the couple. It wouldn't be a Slatter offering without a plethora of strong female characters and Verity was just one of many women who made their mark in this book (both for better and for worse!)
Occasionally the story could become a little messy - perhaps one too many plot strands woven together for a perfectly seamless offering. However Vigil definitely kept me gripped until the final page. I am eagerly looking forward to the upcoming sequel!
raven_morgan's review against another edition
Review forthcoming, assuming this will be a likely Aurealis Awards entry this year, so review will be added after the awards period finishes.
feelingferal's review
3.0
I wanted to like this more than I did. I didn't really find myself caring about the characters until the very end of the book. The plot line was a bit too cluttered. The feel was a bit too noir for me. The style of writing that I loved so much in Slatter's other books wasn't working here.
But objectively, there isn't really anything wrong with the book. This is much more of a personal preference thing. For people looking for a Urban Fantasy/noir-esque mystery, this would probably be a great fit. Just not what I'm into.
But objectively, there isn't really anything wrong with the book. This is much more of a personal preference thing. For people looking for a Urban Fantasy/noir-esque mystery, this would probably be a great fit. Just not what I'm into.
tehani's review
5.0
Half-breed “Weryd” Verity Fassbinder has the unenviable task of ensuring the human world and the Weyrd in Brisbane don’t trouble each other. It’s not easy and has already almost got her killed, despite her unusual strength. So when sirens start dying and children disappearing (again), alarm bells ring and Verity is on the job to try to solve the mysteries before more people die, especially those closest to her.
Building on Slatter’s story “Brisneyland by Night”, first published in the Twelfth Planet Press anthology Sprawl, Vigil expands Verity’s life and crime-solving journey far beyond that short (somewhat incorporated) piece into a rich and dark world that hides in the shadows of the almost-real. With several seemingly unconnected cases on her hands, Verity bounces from one mystery to another, often slightly behind the eight ball but trying desperately to prevent disaster, while at the same time managing to get involved in a relationship with a wonderful and entirely normal man …
… Slatter has proven herself in the short form (and in extended interconnected world building with several excellent linked story collections), and I trust that the seeds sown in Vigil will bear fruit in the books to come …
Read the rest of my review here.
Building on Slatter’s story “Brisneyland by Night”, first published in the Twelfth Planet Press anthology Sprawl, Vigil expands Verity’s life and crime-solving journey far beyond that short (somewhat incorporated) piece into a rich and dark world that hides in the shadows of the almost-real. With several seemingly unconnected cases on her hands, Verity bounces from one mystery to another, often slightly behind the eight ball but trying desperately to prevent disaster, while at the same time managing to get involved in a relationship with a wonderful and entirely normal man …
… Slatter has proven herself in the short form (and in extended interconnected world building with several excellent linked story collections), and I trust that the seeds sown in Vigil will bear fruit in the books to come …
Read the rest of my review here.
jm_donellan's review
4.0
I am a real sucker for stories set in my own city, and that cover is pure magic so I was drawn to this book from when I first heard about it. Slatter creates a wild, colourful world populated by creatures of myth, legend and her own invention that was thoroughly entertaining. If you're a fan of urban fantasy with sassy dialogue and a touch of detective stylings thrown in for good measure then this is for you. I'm looking forward to the next book.