Mercy Thompson's life is not exactly normal. Her next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a VW bus for a vampire. But then, Mercy isn't exactly normal herself.
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: At last a book that doesn't resort to porn instead of plot. Comment: In this book, Mercy Thompson is the save-the-world kind of girl, but she does it without becoming a martinet and walking all over people who care about her! What a concept! Her character is unique as well, being the lone "skinwalker" who turns into a coyote in a world of bigger, more powerful weres and other creatures.
The supernatural creatures in Patricia Briggs' book are interesting and unique - vampires and werewolves and fae with a strong culture and facinating interaction. The characters are extremely well developed and the plot just zips along. I wish I had happened upon this series when there were about 10 of them out - waiting for the next book is going to be hard! Customer Rating: Summary: Kim Harrison fan Comment: I bought this book because I am a Kim Harrison fan. The paranormal world in this book has the same positive qualities of the Rachel Morgan series. It was not my favorite paranormal book, but I liked it enough to buy Book 2. It's definitely worth a try. Customer Rating: Summary: Just enough to whet my appetite Comment: I absolutely enjoy stories about vampires, werewolves and supernatural creatures. I was a huge fan of Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake until the author decided to give her a sex life; indeed, a very active one which has made Anita under the mercy of her raging hormones. I have been looking for something similar to quench my thirst for dark urban fantasy. While Patricia Briggs is a new author for me, I decided to give this series a whirl after reading the great reviews. I am certainly glad that I did.
Mercedes Thompson is the heroine and narrator of the series. To the unknowing, she is simply a law-abiding citizen who operates her own garage. But to the preternatural community, she is what they call a Walker, a coyote with shapeshifting powers and uncanny sense of magic. Thus, she immediately recognizes the young werewolf that approaches her for work. Although it isn't wise to be around an untrained werewolf, Mercy senses his extreme anxiety and offers him a job. It doesn't take long before danger comes to her doorstep as Mac's background is revealed. And Mercy knows that she must enlist the help of her sexy neighbour who also happens to be the local Alpha. But shortly after Adam welcomes Mac to his pack, he is attacked by those who hunt Mac and left badly injured. Mercy has no choice but to take him to her adopted clan in Montana where the Marrok, the leader of all North American werewolves, lives. Not only do we get to meet other key players in the series, but we also learn about Mercy's childhood and her failed relationship with Samuel.
The plot gets complicated as Briggs brings in a whole heap of characters, vampires and werewolves alike, who all have an interest in solving this mayhem that has terrorized the werewolves of the Tri-Cities. I believe that this is where the author particularly excelled in, for instead of sending my head spinning, I was actually intrigued by these characters that hold promise for future stories. The characterization is good and the plot flowed smoothly ensuring a fast-paced and action-packed read. Mercy is a very likeable and believable heroine who comes across as modest, vulnerable and endearingly stubborn. I look forward to reading more about her world and the creatures that she shares it with. Customer Rating: Summary: I really liked it! Comment: I'm not usually into Fantasy, but was looking for books, and saw a lot in this category, and decided to try this one. As I started reading, I wasn't sure in the first 20 or so pages if I would like it (I usually read SF more than fantasy), but then I was hooked. I couldn't put it down, and ordered the next two books in the series. Customer Rating: Summary: Good entertaining book... Comment: So I always check a rating before buying or reading a book. You are always going to have those one or two people that really dislike books that get great reviews and then whine that they bought the book because of their reviews. So I always make a point to read those reviews AFTER I have read the book to ensure that I am able to form my own opinion about the writing. In this particular case, I really enjoyed this book. There was quite a bit of filler in the book that others felt unnecessary, but I feel that some filler is needed to ensure that the character and her habits are developed to give us a better sense of the character. I feel this book does well and doesn't go overboard. I personally feel that sometimes by putting in these mundane activities, it allows us to have a break from the action and helps humanize the character a bit. She can't be off fighting all of the time. Everyone needs to sleep and eat sometimes. If these things were omitted, someone would complain that the character was unbelievable because she never slept, or took a crap, or whatever people complain about.
Anyway, I personally enjoyed the book thoroughly. I read it all in one sitting. I will defiantly be purchasing the next books in the series as well. I really enjoyed the writing of this book. In most dark fantasy novels, the heroine is always making mistakes and bad choices - Mercy definitely has good instinct and she follows them. This is the first werewolf/shape shifter book that I have read. I really enjoyed the concept and I enjoyed that the heroine was a little more rough, harsh, and not overly girly. This is a character that I can see actually holding her own. I also enjoyed how the character didn't do anything super human - she has a good self-defense base, but overall didn't do anything unrealistic (she didn't get captured and fight a room full of men that obviously had her out-muscled, beat them all to a pulp, and walk away unscathed).
So, my verdict is - if you are looking for the next great American classic, look elsewhere. BUT if you want something entertaining to allow you to have an escape from reality for a few hours and like this genre this book may be for you.
