The introductory scene takes your breath away and the overall concept of the Grey is interesting. But it's hard to get interested in Harper herself. She hates the Grey so much that she resists learning about it, but then when a vampire shows up, she is willing to be his best protector--huh? The series has promise and I hope subsequent books improve. A tangent: I was struck by how quickly plot elements can become dated. This book was obviously in the works for years prior to its 2006 publication--e.g., (1) Harper relies on a pager (!!) (2) Cameron, a college student, normally writes checks for everything (3) Harper spends lots of time at the courthouse to look up records, rather than checking an internet dbase. Next thing you know, she'll be adding to her collection of 45s. ( )

An urban fantasy set in Seattle, I liked it. The hero, Harper Blaine, is a Private Investigator, and finds out suddenly that she has an unusual power -- one she did not seek, but is the result of being clinically dead for a few minutes. I can see her coterie of friends knowledgable about this Grey world being formed for future adventures. There is a witch, a vampire, a techo-geek, an antiques dealer, and her - the Greywalker. There is very much a feeling of "day in the life" about this, which is what is true of reality and less true of novels, as she figures out what she is and who these paranormal people are. There are two or three strands of story that eventually resolve as different aspects of a common problem. Much of this book seems to be setting the stage for the series. ( )

On the negative side, the climactic battle in the book was over something that really would affect only undead creatures, so I didn’t really care about it much. The main character, Harper Blaine, is partially undead and my level of caring toward her is partially attributable to the relative lack of depth of her character. On the positive side, it’s one of the few books I’ve read where normal people run into vampire types and the normal people’s reactions seems reasonable. Also, despite the author being a transplant, I think she portrayed the feel of Seattle better than most books set around here.

(Full review at my blog) ( )

In Greywalker, Blaine learns how to see the Grey better and walk in it while trying to minimize the physical risk to herself. She’s a normal private investigator who has suddenly found herself working with and for the paranormal. It’s not something she asked for and it’s not something she embraces more than she feels is necessary. The characters are complete even if Richardson doesn’t give away all of their secrets. This book sets up the series and features vampires. I found the world building information about the Grey and the various users of magic interesting.

See full review at http://www.amberstults.com/?p=327 ( )

I’m still technically reading Greywalker by Kat Richardson, but it’s not really doing anything for me. I am halfway through the book and the only conflict going on is the main character’s reluctance to accept what has happened to her. So far, there isn’t a concise villain and the plot is really weak.

The premise of the book involves a private investigator, Harper Blaine, who dies for two minutes and comes back a Greywalker. The idea is there is this thin veil where all the monsters and magic live, the Grey, and she can now navigate through it. She learns to deal with it while also taking on a couple of cases, which ironically enough, leads her to becoming more involved with the Grey.

The book seems well-written, but there’s nothing pulling me in. The two cases are ordinary and a true villain has yet to make an appearance. I’m starting to get to the point where I want to be finished with it and move on to something else. Again, I’m halfway through the book, so many it will get better, but at this moment, it’s moving really slow. I’m not sure if it’ll keep my attention for too much longer. When (if) I finish it, I’ll let you know what I think.

—Update—
I’ve finished the book and my initial assessment still works I think. When I was at the point of setting it aside, the action in Greywalker picked up a lot. It almost seemed like Richardson knew something was missing and just started throwing in obstacles and mayhem. The last half of the book went a lot faster than the first half, but it still seemed lacking. We were finally introduced to the vampires, but we really weren’t given too much information on them. The one thing Richardson did do different than most other authors was that she made her vampires more monstrous, less glamorized. They weren’t pretty and sensual, but indifferent and ruthless. They don’t care for the “warms” and they have no problem showing their true colors.

Overall, the book was good, but a little slow for me. I could think of other novels I would rather spend my time on.

http://www.literaryescapism.com/2008/... ( )