Speculation, Fact and Fiction

I've mentioned this before and once again, I find it to be true. This time it's apparent in Kelley Armstrong's "Living with the Dead", hot off the presses in hardback from Orbit (in the UK anyway).

Robyn (non-supernatural but caught up in such stuff) decides she really should be taking lessons, when she sees how effectively Hope (half-demon, tabloid reporter, aikidoka) can get herself out of trouble. I particularly like this: 'And that is when the Aikido lessons paid off, Hope's body instinctively recognising the hold and reacting without instructions.' Yup, it's all about the muscle memory.

I'm also wryly amused by the next paragraph. "At that moment, someone decided to notice ... A woman being forced along a motel sidewalk hadn't been worthy of his attention but apparently that same woman pinning a man twice her size was somewhat suspicious."

Which also nicely sums up the appeal of Kelley Armstrong's writing for me. It's pacy, fun, very astutely observed and intelligently plotted. So "Living with the Dead" has been a real post-writing-of-book reading treat for me. All the more so since "Personal Demon", now out in paperback...

Um, it's hard to know what to say here. I didn't not enjoy it, because all the astute observation, fun writing, neat plotting etc certainly applies. Everyone enjoying The Women of the Otherworld series should find it an eminently satisfactory read. But... and speaking entirely for myself here, I didn't get quite the buzz from it I was expecting. So I've thought long and hard about why and concluded it's the passive/reactive nature of the supernatural protagonist's power that just rubbed the shine off that particular book for me. It's a personal bugbear - I really do prefer active central characters who instigate stuff.

Which erm, brings me back to "Living with the Dead" where there's a lot of reacting to unforseen circumstances... You see, Robyn's boss is murdered and she's rapidly the prime suspect. She's got to work out who really dunnit, while staying one step ahead of the police and ideally two or more steps ahead of well, who exactly is chasing her and why? And this whole Otherworld business? You're kidding, right? No, Robyn soon realises it's deadly serious. So she - and Hope come to that - soon start showing plenty of initiative. It's either that or end up dying themselves.

For those who are reading and enjoying this series, I'd also like to flag up "The Summoning", in case it's been filed under Young Adult/Teen fiction wherever you buy your books and you've missed it. Yes, okay, it's a teen book in terms of intensity of sexual content etc, but in showing another facet of the Otherworld, it's a powerfully intriguing read for fans of all ages.

Where the other books deal with adults who've come into their supernatural powers (whether to good, bad or troublesome extent), "The Summoning" deals with a teenager facing all the usual stresses along with an ability to see ghosts that soon sees her in a special school for troubled teens. Chloe's perspective, especially on the ways adults treat adolescents, makes this a very good read. With, it has to be said, an edge-of-the-cliffhanger. Something I usually really dislike. This time around, I'll live with it for the sake of what's gone before - and await "The Awakening" next year with keen interest.