CHARMING
Elliott James
Orbit
Sept. 24, 2013
A vampire and a blonde walk into a bar......and John Charming knows that something is up, something that he really doesn't need to get mixed up in. John is one of a long line of Charmings who have fought and died to uphold the Pax Arcana, essentially a spell which keeps the human population unaware of the things that go bump in the night. The mission of the Knights is not to kill all monsters, but only those who behave badly enough to expose the existence of supernaturals. After decades in the order, John has become one of the monsters (at least according to the Knights) and he has been on the run. After a close encounter with an order death squad in Alaska, John has ended up tending bar in a small Virginia town. Despite being under a death sentence, he still tries to uphold the Pax Arcana and knows this vampire is up to no good. What is an ex-knight to do but team up with a motley crew of monster hunters which includes a Valkyrie, a Slavonic psychic, a cop, an exterminator and a female Episcopalian priest. The question is: who is going to kill him first, the Knights, the vampires, or someone from his own team?
Charming is a very promising new entry into a crowded urban fantasy field. Fans of Jim Butcher and Kevin Hearne will enjoy the humor and action particularly. John Charming has an innate core of goodness that makes him easy to cheer for, even though John himself doubts the health of his own soul. There is just enough twist on the standard vampire and werewolf lore to make it all interesting. I enjoyed Charming greatly and look forward to the next book. Thanks to Orbit and netgalley.com for an advance digital copy.
RATING- 4 Blades.
No comments:
Post a Comment