This is the second of the ‘Black Sun’s Daughter’ series of urban
fantasies, written under a pseudonym by Daniel Abraham. The first,
‘Unclean Spirits’, was a bit spotty, overfull of angst, shopping sprees
and housecleaning, not to mention a certain amount of breathless sex.
This one is a lot better in all respects. I find the three blokes a bit
hard to distinguish, though, and even though I know there’s an
ex-priest, a calm chanting one and the love interest, it still took me
most of the book to get straight which one was which.
The plot
this time involves an ex-FBI agent who’s been tracking down ‘riders’
(demons of some sort who latch onto a human, inhabiting their body), and
wants the gang to kidnap a child because... OK, never mind about the
plot. There are some dramatic encounters which never go quite the way
they’re supposed to and it makes for a solid, pacy read. There are also
the beginnings of depth to the characters and their relationships, and
now that Jayné (the heroine, and if you think that name is bad, the
sidekicks are called Ex, Chogyi Jake and Aubrey; but the FBI agent is
Karen, so make of that what you will). Where was I? Oh yes, now that
Jayné has calmed down a bit, she’s beginning to show signs of
intelligent life. She thinks the way to wind down after a close
encounter with a ‘rider’ is a night of heavy-duty clubbing, but it’s
better than break-the-bank shopping binges, I suppose. She’s still not
got much self-confidence, but the author is allowing her to grow rather
well from book to book, and the dynamic between her and the three
sidekicks is beginning to blossom nicely.
The story this time is
set in New Orleans in the wake of Katrina, and the setting is
beautifully realised, and feels totally real and atmospheric. I’ve only
been there once, many years ago, but some of the descriptions brought
back vivid memories. The voodoo background is perfect for the story,
too. There is some rather heavy-handed drawing of parallels between the
Katrina-wrought changes and the events of Jayné’s life, but it does give
the book a bit of much-needed depth.
A small quibble. I don’t
expect to see punctuation issues with a book put out by a major
publisher, but this one repeatedly had lines that went: ‘Blah blah blah,
I said. It drove me nuts. Hiring a decent editor is not just for
self-publishers. But it’s a minor point in a book which builds to a
terrific finale. Again, nothing quite goes according to plan, but (as in
the first book) I like the way that Jayné doesn’t quite turn into the
all-powerful kick-ass heroine, gets injured and needs help and support
from a few of her friends.
To be honest, I’m not much enamoured
with urban fantasy. I like the big sweep of a created world, and it
seems a little odd to me for characters to battle demons and then drive
off down the I10 or pop into a Starbucks to check their email. But I’m
very much enamoured of the writings of Daniel Abraham, so I’m definitely
on board for the whole series. This was a step up from the first book,
and the more credible heroine, evocative setting, breathless finale and
greater depth make it four stars.
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