November 12, 2006

Book of the Week: DARKFEVER by Karen Marie Moning

Karen Marie Moning is known primarily for her HIGHLAND series, and I’m sure a lot of you have read those. I just read her new book, DARKFEVER, and I really thought it was great. I’ve read a few of the Highland books and enjoyed them, since Moning has a great talent for interesting characterization; but I have to say I think DARKFEVER was head and shoulders above her previous work.

Mackayla Lane, whose short life has been spent definitely “in the moment,” suffers a terrible blow when her sister is killed. MacKayla flies to Dublin from her home in the U.S. because she can’t move on; the death of her sister preys on her mind and spirit, and she can’t let her sister’s memory go. In the process of investigating her sister’s death, Mac learns a lot about herself, of course; and she learns that her sister’s death was even further from being a mugging than she had at first suspected. She also meets a hostile, autocratic book dealer named Jericho Barrons, who is other than human. He knows more than he’s telling Mac, and he knows she’s more than she herself can imagine.

This book is a definitely cliff-hanger, and though it seems at least possible a relationship will develop between Jericho and Mac, it’s not an event in this book; so if you’re expecting the usual opposites-attract-really-quickly formula, brace yourself. Delightfully, it doesn’t happen in DARKFEVER. That’s one of the most bracing things about this book – every expectation is knocked down. Give yourself a treat, and read outside the box.

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I had a very good time at World Fantasy Convention, this year held in Austin, Texas. I’d never been to that particular convention, and it was a real pleasure meeting so many people I read, myself.

E.E. Knight’s Vampire Earth books have been top favorites of mine for years, and it was super to meet Eric and his wife Stephanie in person. He was kind enough to give me a signed book for my son in the Army, and to cement his good character, Eric and Stephanie gave me a ride to the airport very early in the morning in their rental car. I love it when the people I think are excellent writers turn out to be nice people, too.

I also met Caroline Stevermer, Ellen Kushner, Holly Black, Alma Alexander, and several other writers I’ve read and admired, along with chatting with long-time friends and acquaintances like Bill Crider, Carol Nelson Douglas, Rachel Caine, Lee Killough, Lee Martindale, Elizabeth Moon, and several others. I should have written this last week, when my memory was fresher! I wish Rachel and I had had more time to talk, but there were several people sitting between us at the banquet table, and I left very early the next morning.

I think I enjoyed this convention more than World Science Fiction, because it was easier to find people and not so huge and overwhelming. The good things about World conventions (like the Science Fiction one and Bouchercon, the world mystery convention) is that they’re so big you can simply miss catching a glimpse of people you wanted to meet. (On the other hand, if you check your panel schedule carefully, you can at least see a favorite writer from a distance.)

I’m glad to be home for the rest of the year. There may be family stuff that takes me away, but as far as professional travels, I’m done. Yay!

Of course, this means now I have to turn my attention to some house projects that have been on the back burner . . . . yuck.

Charlaine Harris