Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1)
by Patricia Briggs
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Book Reviews of Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1)
Book Review: "You don't attack the innocents."
Summary: 5 Stars
Patricia Briggs is no slouch as a storyteller. She doesn't always write the kind of fantasy I like, but I always enjoy her control of language and willingness to experiment with novel twists on old stereotypes. Moon Called demonstrates that she can go where many have gone before and come out with a winning tale. This is a werewolf story, with vampires, but it's star is Mercy Thompson, a 'walker,' kind of a were coyote, but not quite. She is also a car mechanic with a knack for restoring VW's.
In Mercy's world the lesser fae have come out of hiding and are trying to integrate into a human world which views the most innocent pixie with suspicion. Vampires and werewolves have yet to go public, but hiding from sight has gotten harder and harder in a world full of spy satellites and infrared spotters, the time is near. Perhaps too near for those who cling to the old ways. Mercy, who was raised by werewolves, walks a thin line but her coyote nature has a habit of getting her into trouble.
When Mac, a recently changed werewolf stumbles into her garage looking for a bit of food and a short term job, Mercy invites him in and suddenly finds herself in a fight in which she kills another werewolf. She calls in Adam, the local alpha, and trouble seems to grow by leaps and bounds. Mac is killed, and Adam wounded so badly that Mercy flees with him to the home of the Marrok, the chief of the wolves. The story grows increasingly complicated as pack politics, werewolf temperament, and vampire infighting build to a grim climax.
Briggs characters always ring true. Far from being cast from the same mold, each werewolf has a unique personality and, fantasy of not, the story has a gritty exterior that makes you want to believe it. Even if you are just a human and this new world is a scary one. Told as an intricate mystery story, this is the best novel I've read in this genre in a long time. I hope there's a sequel or two.
Book Review: A fantastic book with a wide variety of characters
Summary: 5 Stars
I loved this book! I first read it a couple of months ago and have read it twice again since - it's fun to revisit the characters and the events.
Mercy Thompson is a car mechanic who has a secret - she's a Walker, which means she inherited the ability from her native American father to turn into a coyote. This is unusual, but her neighbours and friends are even more unusual. Stefan is a customer in her repair shop - and he's a vampire. Her next door neighbour is a werewolf. She knows a Russian Witch and also a number of other fae people. The fae have come out into open society but the werewolves, vampires and some others are keeping quiet still, to see how it goes.
Mercy's life is turned upside down by the arrival of a young lad at her garage asking for work. Mac isn't all that he seems - pretty soon Mercy realises he's a brand new werewolf, and with his arrival in her life comes a great deal of trouble. Her next door neighbour, Adam, is seriously injured and Mercy has to rescue him at great personal danger. Mercy has to return to the place where she grew up, amongst werewolves, and there is murder and kidnapping and danger for her as she has to rely on other people to help her.
What's so brilliant about this book is the cast of characters and the way that Patricia Briggs portrays their lives. Yes, people are werewolves but she shows how they fit in to the modern world, how they try to maintain relationships with humans and yet the times when they know they have to keep separate. There's a slow-burn love story between Mercy and a very attractive character (I won't give away who it is!) and also an exploration of what it must be like for Mercy as a weaker shape-shifter than the werewolves around her. Her brush with the head of the vampires is pretty dodgy too.
I'm really looking forward to the next book in this series - if it's as good as this it will be brilliant.
Book Review: Superior contemporary fantasy
Summary: 5 Stars
Car mechanic and skin-walker Mercy Thompson is concerned when a new werewolf walks into her shop and asks for a job. Mercy suspects "Mac" will be dangerous--and that he'll cause troubles for her when the local werewolf alpha finds out he has an unregistered werewolf in the area, but Mercy enjoys pissing off alpha Adam. Games and car repair take a back seat, though, when Adam's home is attacked, his daughter kidnapped, and the werewolf himself left injured and near death.
To save Adam, Mercy heads for the mountains where she was raised and where her once-boyfriend still lives. Samuel still has feelings for Mercy and things get complicated as Adam heals enough to stake his own claim. Mercy, though, isn't (much) interested in being either werewolf's mate. Instad, she wants to find out what happened to Mac, where the kidnappers have taken Jenny, and most of all, who would be crazy enough to attack the local werewolf alpha.
Author Patricia Briggs combines interesting characters, a fast-moving plot, and excellent writing to deliver a fast-paced contemporary fantasy that doesn't disappoint. Mercy is a sympathetic character and I found myself putting myself in her place, trying to figure out what the clues meant, who could be behind something as crazy as attacking a man who was not only the local head of the werewolf clan, but one of the most powerful weres in the country.
Briggs' universe is interesting, with the lesser fae forced out of hiding by the Gray Lords, but the were, vampires, and the more dangerous of the magical still in hiding--but increasingly concerned that modern police forensics would eventually mandate their exposure. There's a lot of worldbuilding going on behind this story, but Briggs is careful only to give us what we need, teasing us with information to increase our interest. I hope Briggs writes more in this series--because I'd love to read them.
Book Review: If you don't read it you'll regret it
Summary: 5 Stars
I knew that I loved Mercy from the get go. She is a no bull $h!t kind of girl. She is strong willed and she has made her own slice of heaven for herself. She lives in a world where the human population knows that they are not alone. The fae (fairy folk) have made their presence known.
She herself isn't quite ALL human. She is a walker and when her mother found a coyote pup in her crib instead of a baby girl, Mercy was sent to live with the Marrok pack of werewolves. You start to realize that she has gone through quite a bit in her life which has made her strong but has tainted her views of the world and those old wounds still sway her.
The whole story has a lot of politics but I thought that was great. I always like to know the reasons behind the characters decisions. We are introduced to Adam who is the Alpha of the Columbia Basin Pack and his daughter Jessie. When Mac ends up dead and Jessie is kidnapped Mercy takes an injured and volatile Adam to the Marrok pack to get help.
Through this little road trip to the pack that raised her we learn a lot about Mercy and why she left. What it truly means to belong nowhere and be an outsider looking in. We also meet Samuel who is he Marrok's eldest son and one of the reasons that Mercy left.
So now it is up to Mercy to find out exactly what the heck is going on. We've got Mac dead, Jessie missing, Adam injured, Samuel sent back with her to help her.
I really loved this book I had been avoiding reading it and I totally regret it now. I read it in one day and then went on the 2nd one. You will fall in love with the wolves and the lone walker. You will love her for her courage to persevere, for surviving all she has; you'll root her on through every obstacle. You should give this book a chance so that you don't regret it like I did.
Book Review: Terrific Beginning to a Series
Summary: 4 Stars
Mercy Thompson isn't your run of the mill female protagonist; not only does she own and run her own car repair shop, she is what is known as a "walker"--she can shift shape into the form of a coyote at will. In her small town in the Pacific Northwest, she's one of a kind among witches, vampires, and werewolves. Comfortable in her own skin, Mercy's content with the way her life is until a young man shows up unexpectedly at her shop, looking for work, and Mercy, her animal instincts kicking in, recognizes him for a new werewolf in need of guidance. Unfortunately, the young man's not around long enough for her to make much difference in his life and when he turns up dead on her doorstep, a chain of events has been kicked off that will pull Mercy back into the world of werewolves that she thought she'd left behind years before.
With lots of plot twists and paranormal characters, Patricia Briggs's Moon Called is a terrific introduction into the series that finds a world of fey and other underground creatures existing just outside human knowledge. Mercy's ability to walk the line between the different creatures is her best asset, and her hard headedness holds her in good stead as she tracks down the killers of her new friend. Added into the mix is an old boyfriend to whom she must turn for help, and the local leader of the werewolf pack who seems to have some feelings for Mercy.
Ms. Briggs has an accessible, easy writing style that captured me very early in the book. Having previously set aside two different books that weren't engaging me, this one was a welcome surprise as I found myself intrigued by Mercy the tough girl from the first page. The story itself is interesting, piled high with pack politics and odd vampires with ulterior motives. I admit it; I'm hooked and I'll be looking for the next in the series as soon as possible.