Thursday, December 4, 2008

Good Reading



I've heard Lilith Saintcrow mentioned in paranormal/urban fantasy circles for a while, and always with something close to awe. Since I'm working my way through a batch of new-to-me writers in this genre, I picked up her latest--Night Shift, the first in the Jill Kismet series--and gave it a whirl.

Short story: Wow.

Long story: Ms. Saintcrow is an accomplished writer, blending vivid, sensory descriptions with non-stop action and heart-tugging emotional conflicts. Her world-building is nearly flawless and there's enough meat in the story to keep even a gobble-a-book-a-day reader like me busy for a while. I was completely entranced and am adding Ms.Saintcrow to my list of must-read authors.

The few details that didn't quite work for me were basically more of a style preference, with the exception that I never learned the name of the city Jill protects. That bothered me because, description or no, I wanted a clear idea of where I was.

What I truly loved was Ms. Saintcrow's portrayal of Jill as working on the side of God while she fought awful aberrations spewed onto earth by the denizens of hell. It's rare to find an urban fantasy where faith in God is portrayed as good, and Jill's struggle to believe and rely on God while questioning if the actions she had to take would keep her from heaven added depth and emotion to a character I already loved.

I also enjoyed how Ms. Saintcrow's world swallowed me whole within the first chapter and never hit a false note. I can't wait to get my hands on book two!

Verdict: A must read for all urban fantasy/paranormal fans

8 comments:

  1. I haven't read her stuff yet either, but I was looking for a new author to enjoy and if you like her, I probably will too.

    Is this her first novel or does she have a backlist to read through if I like her?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm working on her Dante Valentine series.

    Her blog is pretty awesome, too: www.lilithsaintcrow.com/journal

    ReplyDelete
  3. Book reviews. I voted for taht one. Cool.

    I don't think I've read her either so I'll have to check her out.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mayberry - She has a nice solid backlist for us newbies to enjoy. I'll be working my way through it soon.

    Kerry - Yay! I'll have to check out her blog.

    Anon - As always (well, as usual...oh, fine...SURPRISINGLY), I live to please.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yes! I love Lilith Saintcrows books. It's action, action, action and really cool weird stuff going on.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I adore her books. LS made it onto the small list of authors I'll buy without question.

    The Dante Valentine series is one of my all-time favorites and though I haven't picked up the Jill Kismet series yet I'm sure it's just as good.

    I did snag her newest book - Steelflower, but I haven't cracked it open yet. It's more fantasy-ish than UF from my understanding.

    Katy

    ReplyDelete
  7. Katy - I didn't realize this wasn't her latest. Nice. I'll look forward to reading that one too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Also, if anyone wants to try before they buy, she recently posted a free serial novel here:

    http://www.lilithsaintcrow.com/selene

    (I feel like such a pimp.)

    ReplyDelete

People who comment are made of awesomesauce with a side of WIN!

Harry Potter Trailer & More!

The final trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 has been released, and I'm not going to lie. I get choked up every ti...