Summon the Keeper (1998)

Plucky witch, smart-aleck talking cat, Tanya Huff, sold. ( )

I've been a fan of Tanya Huff's book since my high school days, but I started with her Fantasy series first, ( Fifth Quarter et al, Wizard of the Grove, Of Darkness, Light, and Fire ). You see some of her snarky humour in those stories, but nothing in them prepared me for the smiles and laughs I got out of Summon the Keeper. Huff always has amazingly real characters and she can have them fighting racist talking lizard people without missing a beat. Every character has their comedic moments and none are done in the same way. Being from Canada I might have gotten some extra mileage out of a few of her jokes =]. The story is in no hurry to get anywhere and that's more than fine because Huff sets out to entertain you every single page. The fantasy world has time to explain itself and many creatures make their way to "Elysian Fields Inn" which is especially fun for those of us who know their mythology. I feel I should mention that the blurb might promise more romance than really appears...I'm not sure if I'm spoiling anything by saying that there's more romantic tension than an actual love story. These days, I find we tend to expect a particular level of romance in our urban fantasy, but this is an older book (published in 1998), so it's fun to see what was going on in the urban fantasy genre when it was kind of in its "teenage" years, before it had the glut of established tropes that it has now.

If you want some light, endearing and incredibly entertaining reading then I highly suggest reading the entire trilogy, though Summon the Keeper is the best of the three (this review is actually the result of my third re-read). ( )

My older sister gave me the sequel, THE SECOND SUMMONING, which kept me laughing aloud. I'm pleased to say that the first book is just as funny. I went grocery shopping after I bought it and it kept me civilized while I waited in the checkout line. (I was kind to two of the other women in line and shared some of the snarky comments about the nasty thunderstorm at the beginning.)

Claire, the keeper, is stuck in a magical situation she considers a waste of her talents. Dean, the normal human employee of the Elysian Fields 'uest House, is obviously the hero of a book aimed at women because he's good-looking, well-built, super nice, patient, handy in the kitchen, a Mr. Fix-it, and a great housekeeper. Austin, Claire's talking cat, says the kinds of things one could imagine one's cat saying if the cat spoke Human. He also gives good advice, although he probably shouldn't tease the doberman next door. Is there an imp in the house, or is it just mice? No doubt you'll have your own list of people you wouldn't mind seeing ride the elevator. Claire's mother and younger sister are fun characters. Jacques the ghost reminds me a little of Pepe Le Pew. The guests who come to stay at the hotel are interesting. Mrs. Abrams could be considered the Neighbor from Hell, if a hole to Hell weren't already in the basement. (Hell has some great lines, by the way). Let me publically thank my sister for sharing this series with me. If you could use a laugh -- and who couldn't? -- treat yourself to both books. ( )

The premise: ganked from BN.com: Austin was a black-and-white, far-from-young cat. Not just any cat, mind you, he was the Keeper's cat, a very outspoken feline with extremely strong opinions he was always willing to voice. After all, who knew better then Austin what was best for the well-being of Claire--and for the not-quite-as-important rest of the universe?

Claire Hansen was a Keeper, a member of that select group which kept the universe in one piece. And now she'd been summoned to the Elysian Fields Guesthouse, a rundown bed-and-breakfast that seemed to attract the most unusual clientele. And Claire was not happy about this latest assignment, not happy at all.

Not when she'd been tricked into taking over here by a horrible little gnome of a man who'd abandoned his post before she'd even figured out who he really was . . . Not when room six held a resident who'd been sleeping there for so many years that she really needed a good dusting--except that it was far too dangerous for anyone to get that close to her . . . Not when the basement housed too much temptation for anyone's mental health . . . Not when she found herself surrounded by "helpers" as distracting as Dean, the hunky-yet-innocent handyman, and Jacques, a ghost with a real lust for life . . . And especially not when it looked like this might be not only her most challenging mission but one she'd be stuck handling forever . . .

My Rating

Give It Away: it's a fun book if you're looking for nothing more than a fluffy beach read. The humor is enjoyable, but rarely laugh-out-loud funny (though I did have a few LOL moments, all involving cat behavior). If you're a cat person, you'll certainly find SOMETHING to enjoy about this book, but be warned: the story itself is reactive and episodic without very much keeping the whole thing together in terms of theme. Characters are one-dimensional most of the time, and while that works for the humor, it can be grating and there's times you want to smack a few characters for their behavior. Honestly, Austin, the cat, is the most well-developed character of the bunch, and if I ever read the sequel (and I'm not dying to by any means), I'll read it for the sake of his character/humor. It is fun to see all these urban fantasy tropes published back before the urban fantasy tropes were TROPES, and what's great is rather than a damsel in distress, we have a hero in distress, and even that adds to the humor. Just don't come to this expecting Shakespeare (let alone the best urban fantasy ever). It's fun, but it's not great.

Review style: There's a mishmash of things I want to discuss that may or may not make sense: seeing what I would now label as urban fantasy published back in 1998, before Buffy-Lit fiction took off and commandeered the sub-genre; what this book unintentionally reminds me of (and why that delights me); why this book seems to have romance roots, even though it's really not a romance; we'll discuss which is a better medium (fiction or television) for this particular book, the humor, and lastly, why cats are awesome. No spoilers, so don't worry if you want to read the full review in my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :)

REVIEW: Tanya Huff's SUMMON THE KEEPER

Happy Reading! ( )

Claire, a Keeper, is summoned to a bed and breakfast and summarily tricked into ownership. She must try to close a hole to Hell, deal with a randy ghost, a too-sweet handsome handyman, fend off demons, monsters and a nosy neighbor, AND renovate, all while trying *not* to disturb the evil keeper sleeping upstairs. This was VERY funny - a charming, wonderful and entertaining read. ( )