The Chosen (1997)

The Chosen was the only Night World novel that I had vivid memories of reading in my adolescence; I'm fairly certain that it's the first one I found, in K-mart, without a doubt. I remember the cover, with Rashel lifting her wooden sword over her head, well. At twelve, I only read a few in the series. My reading habits were not nearly as methodical in those days; I had no problem with reading books out of order--in fact, I preferred it--or not finishing a series entirely, or even skipping a book if it struck me as subpar. I remember that none of the other books in the Night World sequence captured me the way The Chosen did, so I didn't read much further after that, instead moving on to Smith's now soon-to-be-rereleased Dark Visions books.I had assumed, in those days, that the rest of Night World seemed less well-written and dangerous because I read The Chosen first. Having worked my way through five of these books as an adult, I can say with certainty that The Chosen seems better written because it is.Rashel, a vampire hunter seeking revenge for the death of her mother when she was five, isn't quite as vividly drawn as some of Smith's other heroines. However, the narrative doesn't rest so squarely on Rashel's shoulders as it does on the heroines of other Night World stories, either. This novel traces her exploration of a secret vampire enclave, where teenaged girls have been kidnapped. It's the most action packed of the Night World novels so far, and it's filled with werewolf-battles, wooden-sword-fights and explosions. Smith could have easily let the action sag during the novel's more tender moments, when Rashel discovers her vampire soulmate, Quinn. But instead, their romantic encounters are set during the action, an appropriate choice considering their violent back stories. The lively movement of the plot also lessens what I've come to see as painfully stilted and slightly didactic world building within the Night World universe. Up through The Chosen there is always a requisite scene where the action stops completely in favor of awkward conversations about "the soulmate principle" and "Circle Daybreak." Smith doesn't linger on these fairly simple ideas here, and it's to the credit of the novel. If you want to try just one volume in the Night World series, I'd easily recommend The Chosen. The fast pace helps to smooth over the series' larger flaws. ( )

This has always been my favourite Night World book. The characters are strong and the plot is compelling. It begins the process of the series moving to explore the intricacies of the world it presents, especially its politics. ( )