Unclean Spirits

What do you do when the world you thought you knew turns out to be a load of proverbial BS? Jayné definitely knows how that feels. Starting with her Uncle Eric's mysterious death, it all spirals down from there. Family secrets anyone? I don't read a lot of Urban Fantasy normally, but I was willing to give Unclean Spirits a shot to step out of my box. Thank goodness I did! This book was everything I wanted it to be.

M.L.N. Hanover writes a character that is strong enough to face what comes, but still just flawed enough to be believable. Jayné isn't without her weak points. Love still affects her, as well as concern for her companions. She's just trying to get by the best she can. In fact, Jayné still isn't sure who her uncle was, or show more for that matter who she really is. I loved that she had the ability to go from normal to kick ass heroine in a matter of seconds when faced with danger. Unbelievable? Maybe a little, but this is fantasy! Jayné is my kind of woman!

There is just enough sizzle and motion to keep things interesting, as Jayné navigates her new upside down world. Her companions are just as well written and fascinating as she is, and that is a fact that I really fell in love with. Aubery, Chogyi Jake, Midian and Ex all have their own quirks and their own flaws. Each one of these characters is completely easy to become involved with. In fact, I read this book through nonstop because I absolutely had to find out what happened to them. Let's just say that this plot isn't just fast moving, it's like lightning. Strap yourself in.

For those of you who do read more of this genre, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what Hanover has offered up in this series. Sure there is your standard fare of vampires, demons and the like, but also a nice twist. These baddies don't just exist on their own. Oh no, they ride. Imagine being trapped inside your own body but unable to do anything at all of your own free will. Imagine if you will, a being that is hundreds of years old, bloodthirsty, and vengeful living inside your head. Anyone could be hosting a rider. Your mom. Your sister. Even your grandma. Welcome to Jayné's world.

As a reader who doesn't often read Urban Fantasy, mostly because I haven't really been introduced to any of it until recently, I have to say that M.L.N. Hanover definitely blew me away! If this is what all UF contains, count me in. Epic battles, a kick ass heroine, smoking scenes and, of course, a rip roaring plot line that keeps you reading well into the night. My hat is off to the author. I'm looking forward to some more Jayné and soon! show less

I don’t read urban fantasy – or so I thought. I tried a novel or two when the bookshelves started to fill up with covers depicting women scantily clad in black leather, all with tattoos on their lower backs and weapons of one sort or another in their hands, but they seemed rather generic and – at least the ones I read – not all that well-written.

Then I heard about that M.L.N. Hanover was actually Daniel Abraham, the author of the Long Price Quartet. So far I’ve only read the first in that series, A Shadow in Summer, but I admired it greatly, and am looking forward to reading the next three straight in a row when time allows. So much did I like Abraham’s work that I was willing to take another chance on urban fantasy and try show more out the two novels in the series titled The Black Sun’s Daughter, written by Abraham’s alter ego.

I’m glad I did. The two novels published in the series to date, Unclean Spirits and Darker Angels, are a kick to read, just pure adrenaline-fueled fun. I haven’t had this much pure entertainment since I rode the Screaming Eagle at Six Flags in Gurney, Illinois a million years ago. I wish there were more books in this series available right now, because I’d swallow them whole right this minute.

Unclean Spirits starts when Eric Heller dies and leaves his entire estate to his niece, Jayné Heller (her first name is pronounced zha-nay, but it’s frequently mispronounced as plain old Jane). Jayné is just a few days shy of her twenty-third birthday when she learns that she has suddenly become wealthy – the kind of wealthy that not only doesn’t have to worry about where the next meal is coming from, but doesn’t even have to worry about keeping a roof over her head, because she can always pay cash for a house if she needs one. She meets her uncle’s lawyers and his assistant, Aubrey, all of whom seem normal. Although she’s pretty dazed at her sudden good fortune – especially given that she’s just dropped out of college, has been disowned by her immediate family, and hadn’t figured out what to do with herself when this news came out of the blue – everything seems as normal as it can seem when you’ve essentially won the lottery but lost the only relative you cared about.

That is, it seems normal until Jayné goes to her uncle’s apartment in Denver and finds a corpse in the bedroom. Things quickly get worse when the corpse opens its eyes and speaks to her. But everything’s okay; Midian is simply very, very old. In fact, he was born the year they stormed the Bastille, he explains. And oh, by the way, it was a bunch of evil wizards who killed her uncle. Jayné is dubious until four figures break into the apartment and try to kill her, and she is able to fight with a great deal more ability than she ever imagined. Between the two of them, Midian and Jayné kill the four strangers – and Jayné is now deeply into something about which she knows nothing.

Unclean Spirits tells the tale of how Jayné begins to learn who her uncle was and what magic is, and a very little bit about who she is herself. She does this while attempting to destroy the magician who killed her uncle, working with his allies. There are a number of disasters along the way, including the near death of a young man Jayné finds herself beginning to love. Relationships with others begin for the sake of convenience and turn into strong bonds of friendship and sometimes enmity. As the book ends, Jayné is still alive and has accomplished what she set out to do, but she is still almost completely ignorant about her inheritance – both in terms of what material things are out there, and in terms of what she has gained by learning of the magical world she lives in. Jayné is strong, sexy and smart, but she isn’t too much of any of these; she is far more real and vulnerable than your average heroine.

Darker Angels opens six months later. During the interim, Jayné has had her staff – her uncle’s former assistant and two men who had helped him out from time to time, one an ex-priest known as Ex and one who is – well, Chogyi Jake is hard to describe, but the feeling emanating from the character is peace, even in the context of incredible violence. The group is in Athens, Greece, performing an inventory of Jayné Uncle Eric’s possessions in his house – now Jayné’s house – magical and otherwise. They’ve been skipping from city to city around the world doing the same thing, and they’re all exhausted.

Which means they’re not really in good shape to take on a new case. But when a call comes in to Eric’s cellphone (still programmed to say “Hey, you’ve got a call” in Eric’s voice, freaking out everyone who hears it) from a former client, asking for help in New Orleans, Jayné jumps at the chance to get more information about her uncle. If it means dealing with a supernatural beastie attempting to take over a teenager’s body, well, why not perform a good deed in the meantime?

But Jayné and her group are getting involved with New Orleans voodoo, and they don’t know the territory. Legba gives Jayné a good, strong warning early on that she barely survives; but Jayné is stubborn. The group fractures under the pressure, but still the notion of helping that teenager is so compelling that Jayné can’t help but soldier on.

In this second book, each of the characters becomes more clearly defined. Ex is no longer merely the one who performs exorcisms; he is a whole person, with his own loves and past and issues. Chogyi Jake becomes something more of a mascot to the group, with the way he exudes calm, though he is still more of a cipher than the others. Aubrey and Jayné both develop and retard their relationship, much like relationships usually work.

In the meantime, the reader gets a good look at New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. And the reader gets a lesson in voodoo and the power it gives its practitioners in this alternate universe, especially to women. And it’s all written with such tension that the book nearly vibrates in your hand. I read it in less than 24 hours, barely pausing to work, eat or sleep.

So I guess I read urban fantasy after all. At least, I read it when it’s written by M.L.N. Hanover. This is great stuff, and at mass market paperback prices, you can’t afford to pass it up. show less

This is a very fun urban fantasy! I don’t know why it hasn’t been on my radar sooner. Jayné is an engaging character and I love how she (and us readers) are tossed into the middle of things when her uncle Eric passes away. She’s surprised to learn that she was his sole heir and that gives her a chance to restart her life. Yet there’s a glitch – Randolph Coin! Let the badass magic and hand-to-hand combat start!

It was great that this story didn’t follow the standard urban fantasy Book 1 formula. Jayné and crew plan, practice, and go forth to battle evil… and things go wrong. We still have half the book to go! What will happen next? I loved it – I couldn’t guess how things were going to fall out. The team is breaking show more up, no longer acting like a team, and totally disheartened by their failure. Jayné will either rise, bringing them together, or take her inheritance and restart her life in some other city.

The side characters are all very interesting too. There aren’t many female characters, so I would like to see a better balance. The immediate team that worked with Eric are all guys (Ex, Aubrey, Midian, Chogyi Jake). Later on, a wife/husband team joins the group since Jayné did them a solid favor early in the story. For me, Midian and Ex were the most interesting side characters because they obviously have pasts and are conflicted over them.

In this tale, our heroes combat Riders, which are malevolent spirits that hijack human bodies. They come in different flavors and a few are explained in this book. I expect more will be explained later in the series. I like that this sometimes makes their job harder as they will try to save the human by expelling the Rider. This isn’t always possible, which causes some moral indigestion for some of our heroes. I love these complications.

There’s a side romance that was just so-so for me. It added some drama to the story, but I don’t feel the plot needed more drama. After all, we were saving the world! That’s drama enough. All together, 4.5/5 stars.

The Narration: Suzy Jackson was perfect for this story. She nailed Jayné’s voice. Jackson had distinct voices for all the characters. There were a few times I felt her male character voices needed a little more masculinity, like for Chogyi Jake’s soft voice or for Aubrey in quieter moments. Most of the time, her male voices were just fine. There were no technical issues with the recording. 4.5/5 stars. show less

Hugo-nominated author Daniel Abraham changes his name and changes his genre for the first book in his new urban fantasy series, “Unclean Spirits.” Abraham (writing as M.L.N. Hanover) is best known for his imaginative, Asian-inspired fantasy series The Long Price Quartet as well as for his collaboration with George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois on “Hunter’s Run.” This is the first book in Abraham’s The Black Sun’s Daughter series.

Jayné Heller is days from her twenty-third birthday, a recent college dropout, and struggling to find a direction in her life when she’s summoned to Denver to settle the estate of her uncle, Eric Heller. Only days prior Eric was murdered, his killer still at large. Jayné discovers her uncle show more was more of a Fairy Godmother though as she’s the sole heir of Eric’s immense fortune and innumerable properties scattered around the globe.

But Eric’s death left a few mysteries behind also. What’s the Invisible College and how are they connected to his murder? What’s behind the sudden development of Jayné’s awesome fighting prowess? What was her uncle up to and how does a rag-tag group of Eric’s acquaintances fit into the equation?

The answers will transform Jayné’s world forever as she’s plunged into a battle with vampires, evil wizards, and unclean demon spirits known as “riders.” Still Jayné’s greatest battle may be finding herself before it is too late.

I’m not a fan of urban fantasy, particularly of the majority of novels which devolve into paranormal romance. Other than writers like Charlie Huston, Mike Carey and Jim Butcher, the genre bores me. Too many urban fantasy writers are trying to steal the magical mojo from Joss Whedon’s television series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. (At least the first four seasons, it jumped the shark after that.) Whedon’s big idea was to transform the normally hapless damsel into an empowered fighting dynamo, prowling the streets and kicking supernatural ass. The prey becomes the hunter both literally and metaphorically. Considering vampires symbolize sex, Buffy is a reversal of sexual roles, empowering woman beyond traditional stereotypes. The main focus of the series was examining this role reversal, asking the question of whether romantic love can co-exist with female empowerment. Can you be empowered and selfless at the same time?

Urban fantasy writers quickly developed their own Buffy-inspired heroines, empowered and sexually aggressive. Some writers clearly took this for code as “getting-your-slut-on,” creating characters that drop their drawers more often than they drop demon bodies. They ignored the underlying nuances to this sexual empowerment. Instead urban fantasy became a fertile ground for veiled romance novels. Romance novels which generally reinforce common sexual stereotypes. Do you see the irony yet?

Despite its cover which features the ubiquitous “my butt and tribal tattoo is sexy” pose, “Unclean Spirits” takes a more thoughtful approach to urban fantasy. While Jayné’s physical empowerment happens early in the novel, she struggles to find herself throughout the book. The more unique aspect is though Jayné can kick butt, she’s not the aggressor in the novel. Instead she and her cohorts spend the majority of the novel hiding from the Big Bad in her house, tucked away behind the safety of magical wards. Despite her newly discovered abilities, Jayné is still low hanging fruit waiting to get plucked. Her one romantic opportunity in the novel (in which she initiates the encounter) turns out poorly, a veiled lesson, perhaps.

Abraham’s re-reversal of sexual roles is an ambitious and courageous choice, eschewing the Buffy model for a more passive approach that is both more believable and realistic. The downside is the novel may be too passive, too much sitting around waiting for something to happen. When Jayné and her friends venture out of the house, interesting things happen. They just don’t leave the house often enough. “Unclean Spirits” is not your typical urban fantasy as much as it’s Abraham’s rebuttal to the plethora of me-toos flooding the market. It’s a middle-finger to the rampant stupidity and an attempt to rehabilitate the genre. It should be celebrated for this.

Because so much of the novel is character-oriented, its success is dependent on the reader’s interest in them. Jayné is an intriguing character, flawed, undeniably naive and a bit clueless. She struggles for answers and has difficulty in assuming the mantle of leadership for the group. Her superpowers are not a cure-all. She’s as equally flawed before developing them as she is afterwards. She’s a spectator in crucial decisions made early in the novel (since she is the least knowledgeable about ongoing events) which is interesting since the narrative is told from her perspective. Her cast of supporting characters are all well-developed, the charming Aubrey, the cursed Midian, the meditative Chogyi Jake and the militant Ex. Each of them have their moments, particularly early on in the novel as they get Jayné caught up on events. However none of them are really memorable.

Last Word:
Abraham should be applauded for taking a different approach with “Unclean Spirits.” It must be extraordinarily difficult to write an urban fantasy in which the characters are passively hiding throughout the book. The whole idea is the antithesis of the empowerment one normally sees from the genre. While I think the story suffered because of his choice, it also was more realistic and believable (apart from the supernatural elements, of course) than the typical urban fantasy novel. Maybe the most intriguing question is where does Abraham go with this series now that he’s distinguished himself from the Buffy wannabes. I anticipate the answer. show less

Fantasy, in whatever nook or cranny, is a difficult genre to create because of the difficulty in striking a good balance between exposition and suspense. Every fantasy story introduces us to a new world and a new civilization. (Sorry, I just finished watching Star Trek.) In order to understand and connect with the characters and the world, the writer has to give the reader some basic information about how this new world operates and how the people who populate it interact with one another. Vomiting out such a cold description at the outset of a story tends to be off-putting. So, most good fantasy fiction drops the reader into the middle and explains what is necessary while on the ride. But drop too few details into the story, and the show more reader is left cold and unable to engage. M.L.N. Hanover’s first novel, [Unclean Spirits] never strikes that vital balance.

Jayné has come to Denver to execute her uncle’s last will and testament. She finds that he’s left her a fortune and properties around the world. But he’s also left her his life-long mission of destroying The Invisible College, a group of evil wizards bent on breaking down the barriers between the world we know and the world that exists underneath. Jayné joins her uncle’s band of eccentric warriors to fight the forces of evil with magic and élan.

Hanover has all of the right elements but they are too loosely fitted together. Starting appropriately in the midst of the action, with the murder of Jayné’s uncle, there is too little explanation for how this new world is different from the world we know. As the story progresses, Hanover focuses too much on Jayné and her difficulties assimilating her new knowledge and powers and too little time constructing the battle lines between the forces of good and evil. While it’s clear that the Invisible College are the bad guys, Hanover doesn’t spend enough time explaining why.

I wanted to like this book, principally because it was written by a local author and I always like to see locals succeed. There is nothing dislike, really. The book was a passable, readable story. There’s just not enough to draw me in for the two promised follow-on installments.

2 ½ bones!! show less

The premise: When Jayne Heller's uncle is murdered, she's shocked to learn that not only did he leave her EVERYTHING, but there was more to him than the millions upon millions he bestowed upon his niece. Eric was locked in a battle with the wizards of the Invisible College, and that battle got him killed. Jayne thinks it's all crap, and that her uncle's friends and colleagues are insane, but when the Invisible College targets her, she's got to do whatever it takes to survive.

My Rating

Must Have: I must admit, after reading the disappointment that was Hunting Ground, I was worried that my reading tastes were changing to the point that urban fantasy just wasn't going to do it for me any more. NOT SO. This is a solid book that takes the show more familiar conventions of urban fantasy and just does a great job with them. There's so much of this book that's made of win, but the heroine and her supporting cast just really shine. I can see these characters as real people, because they act as real people do, flaws and all. Most important, they're able to fail and get back up again, and I loved reading an urban fantasy plot that evolved out of the cast's actions rather than the cast reacting to actions completely outside of their control. This book is such a must have that I want to buy it again, and I'm not kidding: for whatever reason, book two, Darker Angels, will be released in mass-market instead of trade, and I want the mass-market copy of Unclean Spirits so my books look the same on the shelf. That's how much this book is worth it: I'm willing to buy it TWICE. So ignore the stereotypical cover, and don't fret over the prologue and seemingly more traditional UF elements in the book, because I promise, by time you're done, you're going to enjoy almost every second of the ride.

Review style: stream-of-conscious style, because there isn't a tangible divide between what I liked and what I didn't. I liked it a lot, and it's easy to explain why. Spoilers? Yes, because the spoilers help distinguish what makes this urban fantasy stand out from the rest. So if spoilers don't bother you, feel free to hop over to my LJ for the full review. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :)

REVIEW: M.L.N. Hanover's UNCLEAN SPIRITS

Happy Reading! show less

The premise: When Jayne Heller's uncle is murdered, she's shocked to learn that not only did he leave her EVERYTHING, but there was more to him than the millions upon millions he bestowed upon his niece. Eric was locked in a battle with the wizards of the Invisible College, and that battle got him killed. Jayne thinks it's all crap, and that her uncle's friends and colleagues are insane, but when the Invisible College targets her, she's got to do whatever it takes to survive.

My Rating

Must Have: I must admit, after reading the disappointment that was Hunting Ground, I was worried that my reading tastes were changing to the point that urban fantasy just wasn't going to do it for me any more. NOT SO. This is a solid book that takes the show more familiar conventions of urban fantasy and just does a great job with them. There's so much of this book that's made of win, but the heroine and her supporting cast just really shine. I can see these characters as real people, because they act as real people do, flaws and all. Most important, they're able to fail and get back up again, and I loved reading an urban fantasy plot that evolved out of the cast's actions rather than the cast reacting to actions completely outside of their control. This book is such a must have that I want to buy it again, and I'm not kidding: for whatever reason, book two, Darker Angels, will be released in mass-market instead of trade, and I want the mass-market copy of Unclean Spirits so my books look the same on the shelf. That's how much this book is worth it: I'm willing to buy it TWICE. So ignore the stereotypical cover, and don't fret over the prologue and seemingly more traditional UF elements in the book, because I promise, by time you're done, you're going to enjoy almost every second of the ride.

Review style: stream-of-conscious style, because there isn't a tangible divide between what I liked and what I didn't. I liked it a lot, and it's easy to explain why. Spoilers? Yes, because the spoilers help distinguish what makes this urban fantasy stand out from the rest. So if spoilers don't bother you, feel free to hop over to my LJ for the full review. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :)

REVIEW: M.L.N. Hanover's UNCLEAN SPIRITS

Happy Reading! show less