Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1)
by Patricia Briggs
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Book Reviews of Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1)
Book Review: Another Series I wish I'd read sooner
Summary: 4 Stars
Mercy's Garage. It seems like a ordinary place owned and run by an ordinary woman. But nothing and no one is what they seem in Mercy's life. She's not what she seems. Sure, she a great mechanic. She's also a skin walker but she won't tell you that. Just like she won't tell you her sexy neighbor is the local werewolf pack's alpha or the VW van at her garage is owned by a vampire. And her former boss is a Fae. No, Mercy likes to keep her secrets and is a just woman who sometimes changes into a coyote. Fluffy tail and all.
This is one of those series that has been sitting on my TBR pile for what seems like forever. After reading all the great reviews for Ms. Briggs latest book in the series, Bone Crossed, I thought it was about time to start reading Mercy's books before I got too far behind. Can I just say to anyone who's been putting off reading this series ~ start now!
Mercy is a woman that likes to "fly under the radar". She doesn't want to call attention to herself. She'd rather be left to work in her shop and mind her own business. In spite of this it was surprisingly easy to get to know and like her. Which is kind of strange since she likes to keep people at a distance. She seems to be wary of getting too close to anyone. It's not that she doesn't care about people, she just prefers to care from a distance. This all begins to change when a newly made werewolf comes by the shop looking for work. Mercy knows that she should send him on his way but she's a softy at heart. So she feeds him and gives him some work. She's able to send the new werewolf, Mac, to the local Alpha, Adam Hauptman, who can help Mac through his early years of learning to control his wolf.
Adam is such a multi-layered character. He's a Vietnam veteran who still holds many ideas from that era. Times have changed but Adam hasn't completely changed with the times. But he's learning. He is also a divorced father with a teenage daughter. Now how often do you hear about a divorced werewolf? But Adam comes complete with an ex-wife and a wonderful daughter named Jesse. She knows who and what her dad is and she's really cool about it. The other thing about Adam is that he reminds me of Roarke from the In Death series (this is a good thing). Both very alpha, smart, successful businessmen attracted to strong, independent women.
If things weren't getting complicated enough in Mercy's life there's Samuel. Samuel is the Marrock's son. The Marrock, Bran, is the Alpha over all of the North American Alphas. Bran is also the head of the pack that Mercy grew up in. So you could say that Samuel is Mercy's high school sweetheart, except that Samuel was long out of high school when Mercy came along. I'm not totally sure what I think of Samuel. He's a very old werewolf who is also a doctor. The thing about the werewolves in Briggs' series is that they all have regular jobs. Doctors, teachers, businessmen, computer techs... it just seems so normal.
The vampires in the series do not seem normal at all. Oh, they seem normal for vampires just not the types to take up jobs and blend with the human populace. The vamp with the van at Mercy's is Stefan. He's... not sure how to describe him. He's a kinder, gentler vampire. We don't see too much of him in Moon Called but what we do see is that he does have certain feelings for Mercy. He's still very much a loyal subject to his Mistress who is also his maker but he does look out for Mercy. Poor Mercy, two werewolves and a vampire after her.
The world that Briggs has created is diverse and complex with not only the weres but also vampires and beings of the Fae in the mix. The Fae came out to the world a few decades before. They downplayed their abilities and pass themselves off as harmless beings who only want to help mankind. The weres and vampires still maintain anonymity but the time for humans to find out who their neighbors really are is closing in fast.
Count me a fan of this series. I've already read Blood Bound, the second book and have Iron Kissed in my TBR pile and Bone Crossed on order from the library. I'm really looking forward to seeing what happened next to Mercy, Adam, Samuel and Stefan.
Book Review: Good start to a great series
Summary: 4 Stars
Mercy is a mechanic who happens to have a degree in history, but decided that working on VW's suited her better. She lives in WA state and can shape shift into a coyote whenever she sees fit, thanks to her father who was a Blackfoot Indian and is now regrettably passed away. She was raised in Montana by a foster family of werewolves and therefore spent a good amount of time around the Marrock (the Alpha of all werewolves in the USA), Bran, and his pack. She was sent away though when she was 16 to live with her biological mother because she was having an affair with Samuel, Bran's son, and the Marrock didn't approve of the pairing.
This first book in the series introduces Mercy's character of course. You can tell right of that she is down to earth, practical, and all and all very likable. Since she is now living in the tri-city area she is under the notice of Adam, the alpha in charge of the local pack. She belongs to no pack though, as she is a shape shifter and a coyote, she pretty low on the totem pole for Werewolves. Even though she seems a little bitter, mostly because of her youth, she's pretty content in the cards life has dealt her. Now you may think that shape shifters and werewolves is enough for one book, here is not the case, there is also Fea (fairies and elves), witches, and vampires. Some of which Mercy considers friends.
The story line is pretty involved for not being a novel, but Briggs is a natural talent. She has a easy flow to her fast paced writing that has you blazing through chapters; before you know what's happened you've finished the book. Her characters are all well developed, even those that aren't crucial to the story. Since this is the first in the series, Briggs does spend a good deal of time on character development. Normally this would annoy me, but Briggs pulls it off and I read every word.
The plot in a nut shell is below:
Mercy is working on a car in her shop when a scared, runaway, teenage werewolf shows up asking for a job. She knows what he is, but because of his young age he does not know what she is. She gives him work and takes him under her wing all the while knowing that she will need to tell Adam (the local pack Alpha) of him in order to make sure that on the first moon the kid doesn't go on a rampage and kill a bunch of people. Before she is able to do that though some strange men show up looking for the boy, a confrontation ensues where Mercy is forced to shape shift into a coyote to defend her and the boy. One of the visitors is a werewolf, Mercy kills him. She has to call Adam then. Adam shows up with a witch to clean up the mess. Adam takes the boy with him to his home. Turns out the boy was turned in Chicago and was sold buy the Chicago alpha to a man where he was experimented on with tranquilizers. Before anything else can be done Adams house is attacked by several strange werewolves and the young boy is killed; Adam's daughter is kidnapped. Mercy saves Adam's life, but because she is not sure how to handle things from there and thinks its unwise to notify Adam pack she takes Adams battered and half dead body to Montana to see the Marrock and ask for advise. When she arrives in Montana she has to confront her past, and Samuel her first love. Adam is nursed back to health and Samuel is sent with Mercy back to WA to figure it all out. Some time is spent around Mercy, Samuel, and Adam (love triangle). Samuel and Adam are both intriguing and completely different so admittedly it hard to choose. Mercy enlist the help of some Fea and her Vampire friend Stefan, who takes her and Samuel to meet the head Vampire mistress in the area. The last part of the book is a search and rescue theme in order to save Adam's daughter. As I mentioned before there are several characters, some of which I didn't write about above because I don't think my review should be 10 pages long and there is plot twists that you don't see coming - perfect almost.
If you are looking for any hot sex though, wrong book. Think Twilight, and Some Girls Bite. You don't need it here so it wasn't missed, the writing is that good and the story line flows so well. Not to mention the sexual tension.
Book Review: I Quit
Summary: 2 Stars
That's it. I've officially had it with paperback fantasy fiction. I will buy no more. And it is because of this book that I have arrived at such a glum conclusion.
The story centers on Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson, who is an auto mechanic with Native American shape-shifting abilities in her genes. Author Patricia Briggs plainly wants to give us a female fantasy protagonist who is not a shy violet just waiting for her prince to come. So instead she gives us the polar opposite: a man in drag. Oh, so many authors have tried to recapture the magic of Ripley from the Alien movies. This is just one more in a long list who have tried and failed.
Most of the narrative centers on a fantastic mystery. Who, we wonder, is performing experiments on werewolves, trying to control them with narcotics? And why might these culprits be so eager to keep their secrets that they will attack and kill older, stronger werewolves?
In pursuit of this mystery, a large chunk of this novel is a chase sequence. I happen to like well-written chase sequences, and this one is definitely well written. If only the author had stuck with what she was good at, this book might have been more successful.
Instead the author tries to bring in vampires, sprites, and mercenaries, oh my! Many of these characters, particularly the vampires, appear grafted on. When our heroes visit the vampire lair they meet a girl vampire who... well... I'm not sure what she does. Then they meet a male vampire who... um... doesn't do much. Then they meet the queen vampire, who attacks one of our heroes because... okay... the author never really explains why.
It was after our cadre of heroes extricates themselves from the vampires without doing anything to advance the story that I realized: the author wrote those scenes because she is introducing a plot thread to bring up in a later book. This is one of about half a dozen story elements that have little bearing on the central narrative, but which introduce themes that can be exploited in an ongoing novel franchise. In the same way, a handful of personal revelations salted in the early chapters, which don't much explain anything germane to the plot, are thrown in to give the author something to work with later in the series.
But to make up for all this toy narrative, Briggs is forced to compress the actual story. After the central characters bang their heads together trying to figure who's doing what and why, we suddenly have a new character dumped in our lap, over two-thirds of the way through the book, who hands our narrator her explanation on a silver platter. She then only has to plug in a couple of proper nouns, and the rest of the book is a mopping-up operation. Ho hum.
In fairness, the author has a lucid and engaging writing style. I was able to keep with the story because the promise that something substantive was about to happen didn't seem implausible, considering the obvious brio with which the author composed her story. If only her actual story had measured up to the love she visibly invested, then I wouldn't be ready to chuck aside paperback fantasy altogether.
Writing mentors tell young pupils that there are two rules if you want to be a good writer. Rule one: be new. Rule two: if you can't be new, be excellent. Unfortunately, this novel is not new, and it is merely capable. Like so much new fantasy being written and published today, it's nothing special in the end. And it's all the proof I need that, even if really good fantasy is still hitting the market, there's just too much dross to wade through for the real treasure to be worth my limited time and money.
New good fantasy has proven itself to be as elusive as St. Elmo's Fire. And I can't waste any more of myself trying to find it when all I really land on is filler like this. I'm through with paperback fantasy once and for all.
Book Review: A Shallow but Entertaining Read
Summary: 4 Stars
Moon Called, the first in a long line of books that follow the heroine Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson, the not even remotely believable, half anglo, half native american VW mechanic and "walker". The fact that the main character's every action and words strikes you as contrived and one dimensional is not a serious concern because that is clearly not the point of this series. This installment finds Mercy caught up, against her will, to foil a plot to cause major havoc with her local werewolf pack, and for their Alpha, Adam, a "sexy" werewolf that is also Mercy's next door neighbor. Mercy is in a unique position to help because she is a "walker" which is a sort of Native American shape shifter that can become a coyote at will. Her helpful meddling gets her into the thick of the action and stuck between her attraction and affection for two werewolves. When she is forced to turn to another pack for help, she is brought face to face with a love from the past who also becomes involved in unraveling the plot afoot.
Ultimately the book works because it is action packed. There is enough stuff going on and enough detail into the world that is being spun around the characters to distract you from some of the book's less charming aspects. All of the characters are caricatures, but lovingly so. Mercy follows an archetype that should be familiar to readers of this genre of the tough-as-nails but still vulnerable and feminine female lead. She doesn't get emotions and stuff most of the time, but she can deliver a round house kick easily. When "emotions and stuff" are front and center all of a sudden she's Scarlet O'hara, never knowing who to love or how she feels but acting every bit the girl.
There are things in this book that set it apart, but not in a good way. This book sets the stage for later installments in its questionable gender politics and its overt religiosity. This world, is grounded firmly in Christianity and has no qualms about it nor does it attempt to explain it. This may be fine for most readers, but I felt it was much too heavy handed and not in keeping with the airy tone of the rest of the book. As for the gender politics, the book brings this problem to light itself. The world of the werewolf is a sexist one in which women count for practically nothing. If this is a problem for the people who dwell in this world they never say so. On the plus side it is a problem for Mercy herself, which is a good sign but the slightly BDSM feel of the dynamics between the main love interests, because of the wolf/mate dynamic, is down right creepy when paired so clumsily with the Christianity of this book series. Not that those things can't go together (see Ann Rice's earlier career), just that neither is explained or examined and both leave you with questions that don't find well together. What kind of God wears the pants in this world, who can apparently repel vampires, but can't bother to delineate that female subjugation is wrong? Interesting to say the least...
If you aren't bothered by any of the above (I tried to ignore it) the book is fun. It doesn't spend a lot of time dwelling on anything and moves pretty fast. The plot is easy enough to following and the characters are memorable. The friendship dynamics in the book are the best part and real-ish affection shines through. The love triangle definitely feels flat but the rest of the book is worth a read. I liked way the author made this world internally consistent and nothing of the mythology of the series takes you out of it. This book to me is like an 80's action movie, entertaining, but not ground breaking and doesn't stand up to close scrutiny. That is not the point to begin with though. I say give this book (and subsequent series) a read if you'd like to be taken out of this world and into a more exciting one for a few hours.
Book Review: Fantastic Beginning to a Unique Paranormal Series
Summary: 5 Stars
"I didn't realize he was a werewolf at first. My nose isn't it's best surrounded by axle grease and burnt oil -- and it's not like there are a lot of stray werewolves running around. So when someone made a polite noise near my feet to get my attention, I thought it was a customer."
Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson knows a thing or two about werewolves. You see, she was raised by them. Mercy isn't a werewolf, though she does have the ability to change. She is a Walker, or "skinwalker", like the old Southwestern Indian witches. She can shapeshift into a coyote. Faster than a werewolf, but not nearly as strong, Mercy lived with the Marrok pack until she was 16 and went to live with her real mother. Now, she owns a garage (bought from a Gremlin named Zee) and works on German cars (like the VW Van outside owned by a Vampire).
So when Mac walked through her door looking for a job, she knew what he was. Mac couldn't have been more than 17 and looked like a runaway. He was hungry (not a good quality for a werewolf) and was looking for some work. And Mercy felt sorry for him. She knew she had to notify Adam, the local Alpha Werewolf and Mercy's next door neighbor, and she wanted to ease Mac into telling her his story first. But he was really skittish (another bad quality for a werewolf). So she gave him a job and a place to stay....he could sleep in the van. He seemed to be a scared kid, and all Mercy wanted to do was help him.
But when she showed up one night to see if he was ok, she heard voices outside the shop. Mac was there, along with a couple of humans and another new werewolf. They were trying to get him to come back with them, and he refused. When Mercy tried to help Mac out, a fight broke out, and the new werewolf ended up dead. It was time to call Adam.
Apparently someone had turned Mac, and had kept him prisoner in a cage. They were experimenting new drugs on him when he escaped. Adam was none too happy about it, but he offered to help Mac understand his change and help him. But just when Mercy thought everything was going to be ok, Mac's body was dumped on her doorstep. Adam's house had been broken into and he was left close to dead. And his teenage human daughter Jessica had been kidnapped. Mercy was the only one that could help now.
Smart, sassy and full of bravado, Mercy Thompson is my kind of heroine!! In a world where werewolves run in packs, fae are alive and living among us, and vampires haunt the night, Mercy can handle herself. She is gutsy and sarcastic, a true spirit. Adam Hauptman is dangerous and cool. Tough as nails, but with a soft spot for Mercy, he is plunged into a war that he never saw coming. With help from Mercy's old Marrok pack, they try to uncover what is really going on in world of werewolves. The wind is bringing change....and it isn't good.
Not only was there a fabulous "new" storyline, but enough back story so a person feels they can truly understand where Mercy came from and how the packs run. This is definitely a series I'm going to continue....in fact, Blood Bound, which is book 2 is staring at me right now!! If you are a fan of the OLD Laurell K. Hamilton books, you will definitely enjoy this series. Patricia Briggs has brought us a series that is a true page-turner....filled with fun, excitement and lots of things that go bump in the night.