joanne walker aka siobhan walkingstick a 1/2 indian 1/2 irish & now she's seeing the dead, ancient gods & dreaming. also she's a mechanic turned cop & newly appt. shaman. great read, fast-paced, action filled. brought on by a near death exp w/wildhunt ( )

wish fulfillment fantasy? ach, Mary Sue, i fear she is alive and all too well. not really badly written otherwise, but a bad case of it. warning sign: a heroine who acquires power suddenly that is infinitely greater than that of her god opponent. can we say sustainability issues? net result: instant discard pile. ( )

I was impressed with this debut outing by C. E. Murphy, convincingly bringing together a half American Indian, half Irish mechanic/cop Shaman with a 6 century old feud between a God and his demigod son throw in some ancient legends and a Seattle cabbie and you've got Urban Shaman. One of the better paranormal fiction series first books I have read in a while. It usually takes more than one book for a series to really get good but this one, given it's break neck pace and the authors deft skill and research, really kicks it out well. I will be looking forward to reading the next one in this series. ( )

I've wanted to read this book for ages, and I'm so glad I finally acquired and devoured it.

Joanne Walker's having a lousy week. On a return flight to Seattle, she notices something peculiar in the street below - a woman fleeing a pack of dogs, and a sinister man with a knife. Super-rational Jo has trouble believing what she saw, much less convincing anyone else so she sets out to find the woman on her own, and finds her own share of trouble. The Wild Hunt is on the loose. They want that woman. And now that Jo's in the way and manifesting some peculiar powers of her own - like instant healing from fatal wounds - they want her, too. Oh, and then there's the dude with the knife. He's even worse.

I loved this book! It was a fast, enjoyable, yet intelligent read. A few things were obvious, but the ending still surprised me and made it all the more delightful. Jo is a spunky and modern woman, but thoroughly like-able and easy to relate to. I can't wait to read the rest of the series and Murphy's other books. ( )

http://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2009/03... ( )

Joanne Walker is returning to Seattle from her Mother's funeral in Ireland. As the plane makes its final pass into the city, she sees a woman being attacked by a pack of dogs near a church. As soon as the plane lands, Joanne is off to help - and is plunged into a mystical adventure that doesn't ever seem out of place. After almost being killed - she is turned into a shaman by a coyote - oh I know this this seems silly to read - but it so fitted into the story. Joanne's mother is Celtic and her father is an American Indian - Shaman's are found in both belief systems - so she has both blended into her. She finds that 5 people who have been recently murdered were all shamans - and she has to fight in the supernatural world to save this world - and three days to do it.

This book had it all - a fast paced plot, humour, a budding love interest which didn't intrude into the storyline and wonderfully descriptive prose. The author successfully merged Celtic and American Indian mythologies into the tale - without getting too mystical. The only thing that stopped this from getting an 'A' is that on one or two occasions I got lost in the battle descriptions. Hey a niggle in the overall wonder of the book. ( )

It takes a different take on trend of Chick Lit plus Urban Fantasy because there are no vampires, no werewolves, just a few old age Gods. The biggest issue is the way the secondary characters seem to just accept Joanne's new abilities as Shaman, and that Magic Exists. I did like the randomness of the Wild Hunt and how they just appear in Seattle, rather than actually targeting Joanne because of her powers - in real life, crime is random. ( )

I liked this urban fantasy featuring Joanna Walker who has to learn quickly how to harness her shamanic powers while trying to save the city from the Wild Hunt. I look forward to Joanna's next storyline in the anthology, Winter Moon. ( )

The premise: after witnessing a woman in danger, protagonist Joanne Walker sets out to find this woman and make things right. Naturally, Jo finds herself entangled in a world she didn't know existed, where gods and godlings roam the Earth, banshees exist, and people are shamans.

The kicker is, she's just learned she's one of them.

With such a cool premise, I wish I liked the book more. But the plot didn't have a solid sense of direction, the villains' motivations were questionable, and to be honest, I didn't much care for the protag at the start of the book. There's a difference between ass-kicking and annoying, and unfortunately, Joanne's voice read to me as annoying. But that's me. What makes urban fantasy work for me is voice, and the voice just didn't appeal to me personally, but it might appeal to someone else. I don't mind having read this book, but I'm not interested in the rest of the books in the trilogy, even though I wouldn't mind reading some of Murphy's later, unrelated work.

The full review is in my journal if anyone's interested. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome.

REVIEW: C.E. Murphy's URBAN SHAMAN

Happy Reading! :) ( )

OK...I'd been actively ignoring Murphy's books despite repeated recommendations, then I read the short story Winter Moon (in the book by the same title) and decided that yes, I did want to read this. My sister lent me her copy (and was, as usual, somewhat amused/annoyed to get it back the next day) and I read this - and wow. Yes, I like this. Like Joanne, like Gary, like Morrison, like enemies (they're much better than the ones in Winter Moon, that's a book compressed to a novella and a lot left out). Lots of threads to explore, and unlike Briggs' Mercy, no-one's throwing themselves at the heroine...much better. I re-read Winter Moon too and understood it much better. Ok, get the rest of the series... ( )

I'm stunned that this is a first novel. I was engrossed in the world from the first page and ripped through it. I love Gary the cabdriving-septagenarian accidental sidekick. Joanie is an incredibly strong character and the "villians" are remarkably sympathetic. I find it amazing that Murphy has made her "bad guys" so easy to forgive. I honestly have to say that this is one of the few books I've read where I've only wished for good things to happen to every character. I cannot wait to start the next one! ( )

I found C.E. Murphy's Urban Shaman to be quite unique. Joanne Walker AKA Siobhan Walkingstick is heading home after her mother's funeral. She sees a woman being chased by a pack of dogs towards a man with a knife. Despite jet lag and the fact that she'll most likely be fired from her job as a mechanic in the Seattle police department, she hops into a cab and races out to rescue the woman.

I wasn't sure I was going to like the story at first, but it grew on me. I liked that her fact that her heroine isn't some overly beautiful petite woman. Joanne is a tall, not skinny lady and seems like a regular person. She just doesn't know when to keep her mouth shut. The cab driver, Gary, becomes her sidekick in this adventure. They have a wonderful banter back and forth as he can see her inner beauty even if she can't. The possible romantic tension between Joanne and her boss is realistically handled.

The book fuses Celtic and American Indian mythologies competently without being preachy. I've added her next two books to my wish list. ( )

http://nhw.livejournal.com/866174.htm...

The first of C.E. Murphy's stories about Joanne Walker, policewoman and reluctant gateway to the spirit world. I had previously read the next two in the series, which is certainly the wrong order; while the others are self-contained narratives, there is important back-story here which would have helped me enjoy the other two even more. (Also I hadn't picked up on Joanne being unusually tall from the other two - in my mind's eye she looked rather like her creator!)

Anyway. What I particularly like is that the spirit world of Murphy's books is a cheerful synthesis of Celtic and native American mythic elements, not making the mistake of being earnestly evangelical about any particular pagan mythos. Here she has the Wild Hunt spilling onto the streets of Seattle, with Coyote as her heroine's spirit guide. Also the family and professional dynamics she describes are perfectly believable once you accept the supernatural edge to the setting.

Great fun. ( )

Joanne Walker is a normal, logical minded lady and honorary mechanic at the Seattle Police Department. Until the day she is flying back from her mother's funeral and witnesses a woman being chased by a pack of dogs towards a nefarious looking man with a butterfly knife. Joanne immediately feels an instinctive need to find out what happened to the woman glimpsed through the airplane window and help her if possible. This starts her on a journey during which she will discover truths about herself and the world around her she never would have believed before.

This urban fantasy was an enjoyable read mixing Native American and Celtic mythology together in a blend which was exciting and appealing. I enjoyed all the collection of unusual characters and was surprised by all the different twists and turns in the plot. I would certainly not hesitate to suggest this story to lovers of urban fantasy or Celtic mythology. ( )

Quick fluff read. A bit juvenile, but good to read between the more substantial, taxing, and involved books (like ASOIAF). The best part was the narrative style, worst part was the believability and I didn’t like how it started. ( )

Nicely written, urban fantasy of the mythical hunt and the powers needed to stop it attacking our world. Joanne Walker, is a good heroine, works for the police, but not as a cop, as a mechanic, and is pleasantly quirky. ( )

I made the mistake of picking this book up just after finishing another before going to sleep and found myself caught up in Jo's adventures and wishing I could meet her. Joanne Walker has been running from her abilities and past and now that it's caught up with her she needs to face the fact that normal is not going to be a permanent home for her.
Fairly light and with some characters that do stretch belief it's a fun engaging read that I would go back to again. ( )

I had already selected this book when 'Barbara-the-pusher' told me it was great and I should read it. This is a case where both of us were right. This was a well placed, very enjoyable story that kept me fascinated. I'm already waiting for the next one.

Joanne is a well created character, more of a smart ass than kick-ass and great with it. She gets tossed into the worlds beyond this one like being tossed into the deep end of a pool. While she does some sinking, she also learns how to swim. She's a novice and she knows it, but she manages to muddle along in a believable way. Murphy's metaphor of using shamanic healing power as a mechanic would fix a car is new and well-envisioned. Joanne sees her own scars and deep-seated issues as cracks in a windscreen, that being to be repaired as she discovers her own powers and place in the world.

Murphy has created a nice blend of Celtic and Native American traditions here, although this one focuses more on the Celtic side, especially as the main enemies are Celtic gods and demigods. All the same, her Cherokee heritage is well documents and I'm hoping we'll see more of that side of her in upcoming books. I'm also hoping to see more of Coyote in future as he's lovely fun.

I guess, ideally I would have given this book 9½ out of 10, but since I set myself to integers I decided to err on the side of generosity and give the book a 10. ( )

This is the first book in a series telling about Joanne Walker, who gets entangled in magic after she goes to help the woman she saw from a plane running from a pack of dogs. Joanne has a job at the police department, but she mostly works as a mechanic and not in any real police work. She highly resents her new role as a shaman and the mystical things that invade her life, but once in, she can't back down from any of it. She is a complex (and contary) character who has had deep hurts in her past and is now scrabbling for the answers before things go from bad to worse. ( )