Contents:
Night of the Owls. No Man's Land No Man's Land Gallery. No Man's Land Secret Files. Our Worlds at War. Prelude to the Wedding: Prelude To the Wedding: Riddler - The Riddle Factory. Road To No Man's Land. Room Full of Strangers. Scar of the Bat. Seduction of the Gun. Shadow of the Bat. Sins of the Father. Son of the Demon. The 12 Cent Adventure.
The Blue, The Grey, and the Bat. The Book of Shadows. The Brave and the Bold. The City of Owls. The Court of Owls. The Dark Knight The Dark Knight [I] The Dark Knight [II] The Dark Knight Returns. The Dark Knight Strikes Again. The Dark Prince Charming. The Doom That Came to Gotham. The Golden Age Omnibus. The Golden Streets of Gotham. The Man Who Laughs. The Order of Beasts. The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul. The Return of Bruce Wayne.
Two-Face - Crime and Punishment. Under The Red Hood. Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? Year Zero - Dark City. Zero Year - Secret City. Battle for the Planet of the Living Dead. Warriors of the Chaak. Battle of the Planets. Battle of the Planets Battle Book. Battle of the Planets: Streets of Fire -- SHI. Battlestar Galactica BSG vs. Batwoman by Greg Rucka and J. What The Cat Dragged In.
Beauty and the Beast. Beauty and the Beast Beep Beep The Road Runner. Before the Fantastic Four: Ben Grimm and Logan. Berger Books Sampler Ashcan. Master of the Macabre. Best of Zenescope Special Edition. Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes. Queen of the Nile. Betty and Veronica Betty and Veronica Double Digest. Betty and Veronica Summer Fun. Betty 'The Slayer' Mitchell.
Beware the Batman [I]. Beyond the Grave Bible Tales for Young Folk. Big Bang Comics Big Bang Comics Summer Special. Big Bang Presents Ultiman Family. Round Table of America. Big Hero 6 Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Big Trouble In Little China. Big Trouble in Little China: Sword of the Earthman Biker Mice from Mars. Billy the Kid's Old Timey Oddities.
Birds of Prey Birds of Prey Secret Files Black Betty HCF Black Canary and Zatanna: Black Death in America. Black Is the Color. Black Panther and the Crew. Black Panther Start Here! Flags Of Our Fathers. Long Live the King. Soul of a Machine. The Man Without Fear. The Most Dangerous Man Alive.
The Sound and the Fury. Legend of the Pyrate King. Blackest Night Director's Cut. Tales of the Corps. The Final Glory of Deacon Frost. Blockbusters of the Marvel Universe. More Guts, More Glory! Blood of the Demon. Revenge of the Butcheress. Bloom County Episode XI: Brand Spanking New Day. Blue is the Warmest Color. Blue Ribbon Comics Bob Powell's Complete Cave Girl.
Bob Powell's Complete Jet Powers. Bob, the Galactic Bum. Bomb Queen versus Blacklight. Bongo Comics presents Comic Book Guy: Collide, Nine to Five. Boo, The World's Cutest Dog. Boof And The Bruise Crew. Fall of X-O Manowar. Legends of the Geomancer. The Fall of the Valiant Universe. Box Mix Tape. Studios Summer Blast. The Fall of Fyrestone. Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery. Boris the Bear Instant Color Classics. Box Office Poison Color Comics. The Men from G. A Tale of the Golem. Brian Pulido's Killer Gnomes. Brian Pulido's Lady Death: Brian Pulido's Medieval Lady Death: War of the Winds.
The Search for Swamp Thing. Legends of the Deep. Brother Power the Geek. Walk of the Dragon. Way of the Dragon Boy. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine. Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The High School Years. The Adventures of Forager. Bullet to the Head. The Thousand Yard Stare. Tales of the B. Bureau of Mana Investigation. The Way of the Warrior. Butcher Baker, the Righteous Maker. Cable - Blood and Metal. Call of the Suicide Forest. Cannons In the Clouds.
Captain America 65th Anniversary Special. Captain America And Batroc. Captain America And Black Widow. Captain America And Bucky. Captain America And Crossbones. Captain America And Hawkeye. Captain America And Iron Man. Captain America and Namor. Captain America and the Mighty Avengers. Captain America Comics 70th Anniversary Edition. Captain America Comics 70th Anniversary Special. Who Will Wield the Shield? Civil War Prelude Infinite Comics. Man Out of Time. The First Avenger Adaptation. Who Won't Wield the Shield? Captain Britain and MI Captain Britain and the Mighty Defenders.
Invasion Canada Day Captain Carrot and the Final Ark.
Captain Marvel by Jim Starlin. Carol Danvers — The Ms. The Death of Captain Marvel. Captain Paragon and the Sentinels of Justice. Captain Planet and the Planeteers. Captain Savage and his Leatherneck Raiders. Running Out of Time. Captain Victory and the Galactic Rangers It's a Wonderful Life. Cartoon Network Action Pack. Cartoon Network Block Party. Casper and the Spectrals. Casper the Friendly Ghost. Casper the Friendly Ghost Castle In the Stars: The Space Race of The Ultimates' Last Stand. Catwoman Secret Files and Origins. Cautionary Fables and Fairy Tales. Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye.
Cavewoman the Mature Version. Sisters of the Arena. Chakan the Forever Man. Challengers of the Fantastic. Challengers of the Unknown Chamber of Chills Child of the Storm. Child of the Sun. Children of the Voyager. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Chilling Archives of Horror Comics. Sorrow of the World's Worst Face. Chip 'N' Dale Rescue Rangers. Christmas With the Super-Heroes. Chronicles of the Dragon Knights. To See the Sun Again. A Samurai in New Spain. Cinderella Serial Killer Princess.
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Comic Book History of Comics Volume 2. Conan and the Demons of Khitai. Conan and the Jewels of Gwahlur. Conan and the Midnight God. Conan and the People of the Black Circle. Conan and the Songs of the Dead. Conan the Barbarian Death Covered In Gold. Flame and the Fiend. Lord of the Spiders. The Book of Thoth. The Daughters of Midora and Other Stories. The Phantoms of the Black Coast. The Weight of the Crown. Think Like a Mountain.
Conqueror of the Barren Earth. Contest of Champions Contest of Champions II. Convergence Adventures of Superman. Convergence Batman and Robin. Convergence Batman and the Outsiders. Convergence Green Lantern Corps. Convergence Justice League International. Convergence Justice League of America. Convergence Justice Society of America.
King For a Day. The Teasdale Imperative, part 1 of 4. Bane of the Demon. Creature of the Night. Army of Darkness vs.
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Cowboy Ninja Viking Deluxe Edition. Cowboy Western Comics Creature From The Depths. Creatures of the Night. Creatures on the Loose. The Five Lessons of Blood. A Cal McDonald Mystery. The Eyes of Frankenstein. The Last of the Innocent. The Battle for Bludhaven. Crisis on Infinite Earths Crisis on Multiple Earths. Crossed Dead or Alive. Crossed Plus One Hundred. Wish You Were Here - Volume 1. Wish You Were Here - Volume 2. Wish You Were Here - Volume 3. Wish You Were Here - Volume 4. A Nick Travers Graphic Novel. Cryptic Writings of Megadeth. Curse of the Spawn.
Covert Vampiric Operations - African Blood. Covert Vampiric Operations - Artifact. Covert Vampiric Operations - Human Touch. Covert Vampiric Operations - Rogue State. Johnny Blaze - Ghost Rider. The AD Years. Danger Girl 3-D Special. Danger Girl and the Army of Darkness. A Touch Of Typhoid. Blood of the Tarantula. Road Warrior Infinite Comics. Daring Mystery Comics 70th Anniversary Special.
Godzilla - King of the Monsters. Dark Horse Number Ones. Dark Horse Presents The Master Race Director's Cut. A True Batman Story. The Batman Who Laughs. A New Orleans Story. The List - Amazing Spider-Man. The List - Avengers. The List - Daredevil. The List - Punisher. The List - Secret Warriors. The List - Wolverine. The List - X-Men. Dark Side of the Moon. The Drawing of the Three - Bitter Medicine. The Drawing of the Three - House of Cards.
The Drawing of the Three - Lady of Shadows. The Drawing of the Three - The Prisoner. The Drawing of the Three - The Sailor. The Gunslinger - The Battle of Tull. The Gunslinger - The Journey Begins. The Gunslinger - The Man in Black. The Gunslinger - The Way Station. Pages from the Book of Sins. The Tragic Life of Matilda Dixon. Daughters of the Dark Oracle: The Curse of Ragdoll. Daughters of the Dragon. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes: The Return of the Goddess.
Day of Judgment Secret Files. Day of the Dead: Day of the Magicians. DC Page Super Spectacular. Darkseid War Page Super Spectacular. Justice League of America. DC Holiday Special ' DC Holiday Special DC House of Horror. DC Infinite Halloween Special. DC One Million DC Rebirth Holiday Special. Batman - The '70s. Batman - The '80s. Batman - The '90s. Flash - The '70s. Flash - The '80s. Flash - The '90s. Green Lantern - The '70s. Green Lantern - The '80s. Green Lantern - The '90s. JLA - The '70s.
JLA - The '80s. JLA - The '90s. Superman - The '70s. Superman - The '80s. Superman - The '90s. The Return of Donna Troy. DC Super Hero Girls: Out of the Bottle. Past Times at Super Hero High. DC Universe by Alan Moore. DC Universe Holiday Bash. The Masters of the Universe. Last Will and Testament. DC Versus Marvel Comics. DCU Halloween Special DCU Holiday Special Dead of Night Featuring Devil-Slayer. Dead of Night Featuring Man-Thing.
Dead of Night Featuring Werewolf by Night. Dead or Alive -- A Cyberpunk Western. Deadly Foes of Spider-Man. Deadly Hands of Kung Fu. Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love. Split Second Infinite Comic. Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe. Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe Again. Last Days of Magic. Merc With a Mouth. The Gauntlet Infinite Comic. Deadpool's Art of War. Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars. Death of the New Gods. The Weapon X Program. Death Talks About Life. Death To the Tsar. The High Cost of Living. The Time of Your Life. Rage Against the Machine. Death's Head Graphic Novel.
Death's Head II vol. House of M - The Day After. Defenders of Dynatron City. Defenders of the Earth. From the Marvel Vault. Dejah Thoris and the Green Men of Mars. Dejah Thoris and the White Apes of Mars. Dejah Thoris, Volume 2. A Little Endless Storybook. A Grimjack Graphic Novel.
Quiet Of The Grave. A Chronicle of Deaths Foretold. Dethklok versus The Goon. Dia De Los Muertos. To the End of Time, Like. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency: A Spoon Too Short. The Salmon of Doubt. Fatal But Not Serious. Run From the Future. Disney Big Hero 6: Heroes of San Fransokyo. Disney Giant Halloween Hex. Disney Great Parodies Vol. Seekers of the Weird. Disney Magic Kingdom Comics. Disney Pixar Finding Dory. Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Disney's Darkwing Duck Limited Series.
The Forces of Evil. Disney's Tale Spin Limited Series: Disney's The Little Mermaid. Aric, Son of the Revolution. Escape From Gulag Shadowman and the Battle for New Stalingrad. DmC Devil May Cry: The Chronicles of Vergil. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: Curse of the Fire God. Doctor Doom and the Masters of Evil. Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom. Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom Master of the Occult. Doctor Strange and the Sorcerers Supreme. The Last Days of Magic. Magic Bullets Infinite Comic. Avenger of the Supernatural.
Doctor Who Event Doctor Who Supremacy of the Cybermen. San Diego Comic Con Exclusive. The Eleventh Doctor Year Three. The Eleventh Doctor Year Two. The Lost Dimension Alpha. The Lost Dimension Omega. The Ninth Doctor The Ninth Doctor Special. The Only Good Dalek. The Tenth Doctor Archives. The Tenth Doctor Year Three.
The Tenth Doctor Year Two. The Twelfth Doctor Year Three. The Twelfth Doctor Year Two. Don Bluth Presents Space Ace. Donald Duck and Friends. Donald Duck Beach Party. Donald Duck's Halloween Scream! Donatello The Brain Thief. Doom Patrol and Suicide Squad Special. Dracula vs King Arthur. The Company of Monsters. The World of Thedas. Time of the Twins. The Legend of Huma. Defenders of Berk Collection: Drinking at the Movies. Dropsie Avenue, The Neighborhood. Duncan the Wonder Dog. Evil At Baldur's Gate.
Legends of Baldur's Gate. The Legend of Drizzt: Dykes to Watch Out For. Dynamite Convention Cosplay Cover Special. Sins Of The Father. E E is for Extinction. Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan: Burne Hogarth's Lord of the Jungle. The Rivers of Blood. The Land That Time Forgot: Elf Cat In Love.
Kings of the Broken Wheel. Siege at Blue Mountain. Sailor on the Seas of Fate. Weird of the White Wolf. Elseworlds 80 Page Giant. Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Elvira's House of Mystery. Emily and the Strangers. Emily and the Strangers: Road To Nowhere Tour. Empire of the Wolf. Empowered and the Soldier of Love. Mazer in Prison Special. Enter the Heroic Age. The Punisher - Return to Big Nothing. Tales of the Wasteland. Escape from Jesus Island. Escape from Monster Island.
Escape from New York. Escape From The Dead. I have re-read it now partly because I have a bad memory and I knew the details had escaped me but that I loved it; partly because it's Angela Slatter and she always withstands re-reading; and partly because it was sent as a review copy, so of course I had to.
It was mostly the first two, though. Verity Fassbinder "has her feet in two worlds" - that of the Normal, where there is definitely no magic and the only things that go bump in the night are trees in the wind and possums in the bins, and that of the Weyrd. With the Weyrd, things going bump in the night may well be very old, very cranky, and very powerful. Her father was Weyrd; he could change shape and he was a criminal, against both Normal laws and Weyrd customs. Verity is a wonderfully attractive heroine.
She inherited strength from her father but violence is not always her first recourse in a dangerous situation; she's got a pretty short temper and little patience with bureaucracy and authority; she's a fierce friend and protector of her neighbours, single mum Mel and daughter Lizzie; she lives in a clapped-out old house in Brisbane's suburbs.
She has little interest in fashion, she's stubborn and determined, she's willing to compromise and admit when she's wrong. Basically she's human, with flaws and problems and the sorts of characteristics I would absolutely love in a friend. Slatter's plot is not at all straightforward.
She starts with the scenario from "Brisneyland" - children going missing - and builds layer upon layer of Weyrd problems that may or may not be connected. The death of a siren hence the cover image , the disappearance of a young man, possibly random other deaths - all of which Fassbinder must solve, with varying levels of help and hindrance from a range of friends, acquaintances, enemies and bystanders. It's a detective story with paranormal elements, and while that's not a unique proposition it's the setting and the side characters and of course Verity herself that make this wonderful.
Brisbane is by no means a fast-paced city. Slatter has jokes about the places that do or do not get flooded; there's jokes and having to eat out before 8. Moving this to an American city would make it very different, and lose a lot of its charm; I hope that translates to non-Australian readers. Verity is aided by Ziggi, driving an entirely disreputable taxi and watching her with his third eye; she's employed, kind of, by a Weyrd ex-boyfriend, Bela, who has some hidden depths and unexpected shallows. She's helped and hindered in sometimes equal proportions by the Norn sisters - home of an addictive caramel marshmallow log that I wonder whether Slatter has actually made - and has all-too-frequent dealings with Normal Detective Inspector McIntyre, who may very well be my favourite of all the side characters sorry Ziggi for her 'whisky-and-cigarettes voice' and her even lower interest in putting on a good appearance than Verity.
I really hope she continues to turn up throughout the series. I would swap her for Bela any day. Vigil is fast-paced, quirky, full of twists, and thoroughly grounded in Brisbane even if it is a somewhat imaginary Brisbane and the reality of immigrant Australia. I love it and I want more Verity. I love a dark gritty fantasy and Vigil delivered this with a witty, cynical heroine, Verity Fassbinder at its helm. With a displaced childhood where her father betrayed her and his community, she's extremely protective of kids going missing, which is where the plot of the book is centred.
As she navigates the supernatural underworld of Brisbane, she encounters a ra I love a dark gritty fantasy and Vigil delivered this with a witty, cynical heroine, Verity Fassbinder at its helm. As she navigates the supernatural underworld of Brisbane, she encounters a range of magical creatures, from golems, to witches, angels and sirens. I loved seeing my city transformed into this gritty underworld and it was interesting seeing landmarks that I know dearly, which enraptured me to the story further.
There's a lot packed in here with a mystery surrounding a missing child leading Verity all over the supernatural city, and some of the politics of the Weyrd committee kind of went over my head at times. Overall, I ended up enjoying this darker urban fantasy reminiscent of some of my favourite shows combined Angel, Jessica Jones and Veronica Mars.
Check out Happy Indulgence Books for more reviews! Jun 18, Bec rated it really liked it. I didn't realise how much I would enjoy this book, otherwise I would've picked up this proof a lot sooner! It was a tantalising mixture of crime combined with the supernatural and I loved it! Verity is sarcastic and driven, and often I'd find myself laughing aloud at her observations or comments.
Plus, the supporting characters Bela, David, Ziggi, Mel and Lizzie and a whole host of others were incredible; all had their own quirks and personalities, I could visualise them alongside Ve 4. Plus, the supporting characters Bela, David, Ziggi, Mel and Lizzie and a whole host of others were incredible; all had their own quirks and personalities, I could visualise them alongside Verity without a problem. It was also refreshing to read about mythological creatures like sirens, especially the way they're conveyed in Vigil: Not romanticised at all, especially by Verity's blatant, sarcastic voice.
Overall I was thoroughly captured by this! I loved the mythology, the writing was excellent and engaging, and the story twisted in ways I didn't expect. I'll definitely be picking up the sequel when it comes out, but for now it looks like I'll have to wait!! Vigil is out this month! If you enjoy crime, urban fantasy, or the supernatural, I am positive you will love this. View all 3 comments. The Verity Fassbinder series! Verity Fassbinder is the bomb!
With her sarcastic wit, her deadpan humour and her sharp as a tack intuition, not to mention her resilience in the face of injury, near death and disgusting encounters, well, she really is a heroine worthy of some serious book stalking. The interactions between her and the other characters she deals with in the Weyrd world were all so on point and effortlessly entertaining. I liked the little bit of romance that wove its way in for Verity, nothing too steamy, just meaningful and nice.
My attention never wavered, this is one novel that held me captive from beginning to end and I am so keen to get cracking on the second instalment. The setting of Brisbane really grounded this novel for me, with the familiar landmarks and local lingo. I just felt like I was able to connect so much more to the characters and the story than what I ever have before in an urban fantasy novel.
If Vigil is anything to go by, this is a series I am going to willingly lose myself in. Fingers crossed Angela has plans to keep it going beyond book three. Thanks is extended to Hachette Australia for providing me with a copy of Vigil for review. View all 4 comments. Dec 16, Lindsay rated it really liked it Shelves: An urban fantasy novel set in my hometown of Brisbane and written by one of my favourite writers who's also a local.
Verity Fassbinder is a half-blood in a city with a large Weyrd population. She's also what passes for the law in the Weyrd community, working indirectly for the local Council of Five and responsible for keeping the Weyrd out of the public eye of the Normal population. All of which gets very difficult with a spate of missing children and the body of a dead winged woman found outside An urban fantasy novel set in my hometown of Brisbane and written by one of my favourite writers who's also a local.
All of which gets very difficult with a spate of missing children and the body of a dead winged woman found outside one of the city's most prestigious addresses. I'm a huge fan of Slatter's other work, most notably her Sourdough stories, so my expectations were quite high coming into this. A little bit too high unfortunately. This is a competent urban fantasy book that features my home city as an almost tangible character, but it never really rises above the ordinary for the genre, and my familiarity with the setting blunts an element that's likely to be a little fantastic in itself.
It's still pretty good, with a compelling main character and I'll most likely continue with the series. This isn't a genre that I usually read, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story is well-crafted and tightly written, with a good dose of humour. Exposition of the other-worldly aspects is integrated well into the story. The central character of Verity is believable and likeable, and other characters are also well-drawn.
I'll certainly be seeking out the next book in this series. Jul 26, Mara rated it liked it Recommended to Mara by: I owe it to her for a new and exciting UF. Please read her review: I agree to the word to what she says. A good story, a better heroine, uneven pacing. To me there were some plot points that weren't that clear, mostly the reason why she keeps working for them a degree in art isn't a good excuse Plus some side characters were a bit too shallow, namely her boss and past lover.
I'm keen to read the next. Jul 08, Linda rated it really liked it. It's set in Brisbane, a welcome departure from the usual US-based stories. Verity, the protagonist, is a mixed blood, half Normal and half Weyrd. The fact that her We 3. The fact that her Weyrd father was a child-eating monster makes her a bit of a pariah in both worlds. Well, it's more the fact that her father got caught and that she's half-Normal that damns her on the Weyrd side. She's brave and pretty kick-ass but has no real powers other than an unusual strength inherited from her father.
So when her ex-lover and now boss sends her to investigate a series of disappearances and the murder of a siren, Verity has to use her smarts and some standard investigating techniques rather than any woo woo powers view spoiler [until she is given a powerful knife by the Boatman hide spoiler ]. Verity is quite likeable and smart.
Add to that the fact that the book is well-written I do enjoy an author who correctly uses words like puissance and I'm well on my way to giving it four stars. The pacing was uneven at times but not enough to detract much from my enjoyment. I look forward to reading the next book, coming out later this month. View all 5 comments. Jul 20, Christine Bongers rated it it was amazing Shelves: Cracker of a read with kick-ass half-breed heroine Verity Fassbinder protecting the humans of Brisbane from the unseen Weyrd that dwell amongst us. Not sure if it's destined for cult or classic status, but it's smart, sassy and wickedly funny and I can't wait for the next in the triology.
Jul 18, Alan Baxter rated it really liked it Shelves: A superb urban fantasy with wonderful characters and a unique Australian voice. The setting of Brisbane is great and a really refreshing change. The first of a potential trilogy, I'm really looking forward to more. Jun 02, Mike rated it it was amazing Shelves: This book had the potential to end up as just another cookie-cutter urban fantasy, with a kickass heroine of mixed human and magical descent in the noir PI role, getting beaten up by monsters and eventually making the city safe for the innocent again.
Fortunately, the author is skilled enough to lift this classic formula to a new level, not just executing it flawlessly but adding a layer of depth that the thousands of UF clones out there seldom achieve. Primarily, I think, she achieves this by m This book had the potential to end up as just another cookie-cutter urban fantasy, with a kickass heroine of mixed human and magical descent in the noir PI role, getting beaten up by monsters and eventually making the city safe for the innocent again.
Primarily, I think, she achieves this by making the characters' relationships rich, varied, powerful, and fundamental to the plot. The protagonist's mother was missing from her life, and her father got arrested for the literal monster he was when she was still very young; she was raised by her grandparents. So far, nothing we haven't seen before. But then we get the solo mother next door and her daughter, who's a kind of niece to the protagonist, and whose actual aunt is toxic and crazy, and then we meet people who have dysfunctional families, who have happy families, who are alienated from their families, who have no families but have people they love who aren't genetic relatives Family, in all its many forms and manifestations, ties the whole story together and drives the plot, along with a theme of caring for and protecting the young, and what happens when you don't.
I did feel that the protagonist's own romantic relationship was underdeveloped, as was her love interest; he ended up, for me, being a genderflipped damsel in distress though the protagonist, to the author's credit, is not just an example of the Man With Boobs trope; far from it. I noticed in the afterword that he shares a name with the author's husband, so perhaps she has fallen into the trap of introducing someone she knows into her book and, therefore, not making them sufficiently real to the reader, who doesn't know them and can't fill in all the details for themselves.
That's a minor flaw, though, more than made up for by the book's many virtues. For example, it has a strong sense of place, as urban fantasy should. It's set in Brisbane, where I lived for most of a year albeit more than 25 years ago , so I have some sense of the city; the centrality of the river, the history of flooding, the different suburbs and their character all come through strongly.
Not only that, but the tough, no-nonsense protagonist feels somehow Australian to me. I've met a number of Australian women like her, and she comes across as fully authentic and real. All of this is conveyed through excellent prose, too. I received an advance copy via Netgalley for review, which often means wading through multiple typos and a swamp of homonym errors that haven't yet been through final copy edit, but I spotted very few issues indeed.
And the author is capable of a sentence like this: I had to look up "horrent" which means "like hair standing on end" , so this is an example of an author using a word I don't know rare , using an obscure word correctly also rare, sadly and doing so with a touch of clever wordplay. Overall, this is a fine start to a new urban fantasy series, which I'll be following with great interest. Nov 25, Ian Mond rated it really liked it. These days urban fantasy does very little for me.
I blame Jim Butcher and Laurell K. Twenty years later and we've well and truly reached peak urban fantasy to the point that calling the elements that make up the sub genre cliched is, in itself, a cliche. In fa These days urban fantasy does very little for me. In fact remarking that you're not keen on urban fantasy is a bit of a critical yawn. Angela Slatter's Vigil - a follow up to the short story Brisneyland by Night - does not pretend to reinvigorate or subvert the genre.
Most of the familiar tropes are present - a cynical, take no shit protagonist with a fucked up childhood, sexual attraction to a powerful, enigmatic creature of the night, a reworking of some well worn myths, a tour guide of the shadier parts of the city, the magical living side by side with the normal.
But if that all sounds a tad too familiar, a tad too cut and paste, fear not because while Vigil doesn't upset the urban fantasy apple cart there's still quite a bit going on under the engine apologies for the mixed metaphor. Oh her early childhood was awful - even if she never experienced personal abuse, retroactively discovering what her father was taints how she was brought up - but Verity is still someone who can love and laugh and not dwell on the past.
When her friends are under threat she forgoes the woe-is-me attitude of so many hard bitten heroes and goes out and saves their arses. Because while Verity might care for Bela she knows that together they don't work. And her relationship with the very non magical David is a delight as a result. Look - I loved the golem. And amongst all this smart subtlety is a plot that moves like the clappers, that does that neat thing where two unrelated investigations somehow link together and is written in a version of Angela's gorgeous prose that's been pared back to capture the noir elements but not so much that Slatter's distinct touch is missing.
Her sense of humour is certainly present. If all urban fantasy was written like this I'm sure I'd be a fan. Jul 06, Ginger Nuts rated it it was amazing. Many people read to escape from the reality of the modern world, a lot of them pick Urban Fantasy as their preferred genre of escape, the appeal and lure of a mythical and mystical world manifesting itself alongside our mundane world is one to understand easily. Wouldn't it be fabulous if a fantasy land lived just at the corner of our eye, or hiding behind the Wainscot borrowing the things we leave behind, or lurking at the end of the dark alleyway that you will only ever find if it wants you to Many people read to escape from the reality of the modern world, a lot of them pick Urban Fantasy as their preferred genre of escape, the appeal and lure of a mythical and mystical world manifesting itself alongside our mundane world is one to understand easily.
Wouldn't it be fabulous if a fantasy land lived just at the corner of our eye, or hiding behind the Wainscot borrowing the things we leave behind, or lurking at the end of the dark alleyway that you will only ever find if it wants you to. While they are all wildly different in style, most of them had one thing in common, in that they had a real sense of fantasy and wonder, where the denizens of The Land Beyond the West shine like a beacon in the darkness of our world. Respecto a la trama, iba con pies deplomo. Verity is a Brisbane investigator who focuses on magical crimes.
But this was a very mature urban fantasy as we have a lead character a lot more in tune with her emotions and skills than a certain Mr Dresden. The world building from one book is packed with depth to explore and I loved how even minor characters and settings stood out. Also a huge number of different female characters used across the story. Looking forward to book 2 now! Apr 08, Neil Snowdon rated it it was amazing Shelves: Rich and heady as honey mead, potent and earthy as great Scotch, the sublimely dark tales of Angela Slatter are an addictive delight. Take a sip and let the pleasant buzz enhance your world, or guzzle the lot and get drunk.
The only hangover you might feel will be the disappointment of returning to the real world… and the hankering for more. Indeed, of the way I processed the world when I was young — where the tangible reality of my day to day and the imaginative world through which I filtered it, bled together into something that made each one… more… As ever when I find a new voice that excites me, I went on a spree.
Right now I think that Angela is one of the finest writers working in the world today. Each and every story a tile in a bigger picture, each and every story unique; but chosen and placed in careful sequence to compliment and juxtapose in such a manner that they enlarge upon the stories before and after them.
Individually, the stories tell of characters and situations, of lives lived and loved and lost… but stepping back, we see the bigger picture. As in life, individual lives interact with others. A collection of individuals becomes a society; a community; and the totality of the mosaic becomes the story of a world. The cumulative effect is immersive, and sometimes overwhelming. To delve into these books is to venture deep into the forest of classic fairy tale, but experience those primal, archetypal stories, with an emotional and psychological depth that is by turns, breathtaking, delightful, painful, shocking, hilarious and true.
A different form, a different shape, a different voice. It took a few pages to stop seeing the words and fall into the story beyond. But when I did I fell hard. I no longer get the time to just curl up with a book and get lost whenever I feel like it a four year old child is a merciless boss.
I took a vacation in Brisneyland, and I had a ball. And more often than not in this kind of story it makes you catch your breath, gets your heart pumping, tightens the scalp or makes you snort on the bus so that everyone stares at you. It also makes you love these characters. If this were a box set, I would have binged on it. I want to hang out with these characters, eating pancakes and syrup, having coffee and cake while they explain how they came to be so battered and scuffed, praying they let me in on their next job, to join their adventures.
Get in on the ground floor and act smug when the rest of the world catches on. This is going to be BIG. This novel has reminded me of how much I enjoy good paranormal mystery. Now on to book 2 in this series. Jun 24, Lily rated it liked it Shelves: The first — the normal, mundane, human society — lives blissfully unaware of the presence of a second secretive, hidden population of Weyrd creatures and those gifted with magic that make up a shadowy supernatural underbelly.
The story follows Verity Fassbinder, born to one human and one Weyrd parent and therefore able to walk between both worlds. Verity is a paranormal private investigator for the Weyrd Council, a go between who sorts out trouble before it comes to the attention of the humans. Just not a standout for me. There is a dark, gritty realism to the urban setting which I liked and the mythology was really enjoyable.
However I wanted more from this component of the story… I wanted more magic and mysticism and fantasy. That was really why I wanted to read this book. I LOVE urban fantasy. I love the idea of hidden magical societies living in our very real world. I felt like the main focus in this book was on the detective fiction elements. The actual plot also felt quite slow to me with only a few decent action sequences. It all felt just a little… sedate… for me. I never felt much tension in the plot, even when massive things would occur there never seemed to be much motivation to find answers or solve the problem quickly.
I mean, it was intriguing, I wanted to find out how everything would piece together, but I never felt completely hooked into the story or invested in the characters. Verity herself is an odd character, I felt like so much could have been done with her; a half-blood with one foot in each world but belonging completely to neither, daughter of a murderer but with few powers of her own.
However, on the whole, she fell a little flat to me. I was expecting someone a little Anita Blake or Veronica Mars, but it all felt a bit watered down to me. However, I do think this is a book with a lot of merit for the right reader. The actual writing was generally good, capturing the feel of urban Australia and bringing to life this paranormal underbelly in a way that felt darkly real and undeniably intriguing.
There are a lot of elements to the plot that made the mystery really compelling and the author did a great job tying the story together at the end. The secondary characters are all solidly written with the glaring exception of the male romantic interest , creating an interesting and generally fun cast, and the almost gloomy, noir atmosphere brings a unique feel to the world building. I will be keeping an eye out for the sequel, despite my somewhat middle of the road review. I'll admit the only reason I managed to finish this book was because it's loosely based in my place of residence Brisbane and I was intrigued.
It was interesting to see how the author views the place we both live so differently to me, clearly a city girl who spends a lot of time at Kangaroo Point which does have a beautiful view. Anywho even though I did at times struggle with finishing Vigil I can't say it was a bad book as I did enjoy it. I think the reason why it was so easy to put down is I'll admit the only reason I managed to finish this book was because it's loosely based in my place of residence Brisbane and I was intrigued.
I think the reason why it was so easy to put down is more due to the pacing, there were times when there was a clear pause in the story, like a mini-finish where I could easily put the book down or would be bored enough to go off and do other things, plus the descriptions were a bit long for my taste, I prefer the minimalist amount. I have a good imagination my brain will do the rest. The creatures where great, loved how they were dark and deadly. Characters were alright, I didn't really care for any of them or click with them.