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A review by rdominick
Hunting Season by Annie Bellet
4.0
Originally, I was reading these in an omnibus edition of 1-3, and wasn't going to put them in as three books, and then I changed my mind. I'm going to put the same review on all three books, so, sorry if you see this multiple times.
Urban fantasy is now as codified a genre as cozy mysteries or or Regency romances. (And oh, man, when will someone write the cozy urban fantasy novel? We've already got the Regency fantasies, thanks to Mary Robinette Kowal, among others.) And there are things about the template that I have definite problems with. The only books I read like this any more are the Dresden Files books, which avoided those pitfalls until I was attached enough to look past them.
So it's a good thing that this series wears its inspiration on its sleeve. The narrator voice is fun, and most of the geek references are kept for banter. Power escalation is slow, and earned through hard work or as the consequence of a choice. Events are never terrible or cruel just to provide drama; if something happens, there's a reason for it. There's a romance element but it's kept a background part of what's going on instead of dominating.
None of these books are long, but the first two are exceptionally short. I chewed through these four in almost no time at all, and started the fifth this morning. I got books for Christmas, and some used Iain Banks that I ordered so that re-read could continue, but I'm reading these instead. That should say something.
Urban fantasy is now as codified a genre as cozy mysteries or or Regency romances. (And oh, man, when will someone write the cozy urban fantasy novel? We've already got the Regency fantasies, thanks to Mary Robinette Kowal, among others.) And there are things about the template that I have definite problems with. The only books I read like this any more are the Dresden Files books, which avoided those pitfalls until I was attached enough to look past them.
So it's a good thing that this series wears its inspiration on its sleeve. The narrator voice is fun, and most of the geek references are kept for banter. Power escalation is slow, and earned through hard work or as the consequence of a choice. Events are never terrible or cruel just to provide drama; if something happens, there's a reason for it. There's a romance element but it's kept a background part of what's going on instead of dominating.
None of these books are long, but the first two are exceptionally short. I chewed through these four in almost no time at all, and started the fifth this morning. I got books for Christmas, and some used Iain Banks that I ordered so that re-read could continue, but I'm reading these instead. That should say something.