Robert S.
At a cool 155 pages, there's quite a lot to like in this tight and tidy package. I was captivated first and foremost by the language; the author is adept at deploying just a word or two to create a pithy turn of phrase or a deadpan observation. I found myself often taking a beat to appreciate the experience of reading the prose. The author's linguistic skill allows him to build a lived-in world and interesting characters in a small space. The setting is a secondary world (or alternate?) Roman-ish Empire, though we follow the navigating fox, Quintus Shu'al, from a colonial outpost into lands decidedly not ruled by the Empire. In this world, some creatures are voiceless while others, like our eponymous fox, the twin racoon cartographers Loci and Foci, and the strong-willed bison diplomat Walks Along Woman, are knowledgeable, more or less. The characters are deftly sketched, and their dialogue is always entertaining. The plot includes a quest, a mystery or two, a journey, and several good twists and turns. I did want to know what would happen next, but what really kept me turning the pages with glee was my desire to hear more of Quintus's voice and the conversations between the disparate human and non-human people. This was my first experience of Christopher Rowe's writing, and I am determined that it won't be my last.
At a cool 155 pages, there's quite a lot to like in this tight and tidy package. I was captivated first and foremost by the language; the author is adept at deploying just a word or two to create a pithy turn of phrase or a deadpan observation. I found myself often taking a beat to appreciate the experience of reading the prose. The author's linguistic skill allows him to build a lived-in world and interesting characters in a small space. The setting is a secondary world (or alternate?) Roman-ish Empire, though we follow the navigating fox, Quintus Shu'al, from a colonial outpost into lands decidedly not ruled by the Empire. In this world, some creatures are voiceless while others, like our eponymous fox, the twin racoon cartographers Loci and Foci, and the strong-willed bison diplomat Walks Along Woman, are knowledgeable, more or less. The characters are deftly sketched, and their dialogue is always entertaining. The plot includes a quest, a mystery or two, a journey, and several good twists and turns. I did want to know what would happen next, but what really kept me turning the pages with glee was my desire to hear more of Quintus's voice and the conversations between the disparate human and non-human people. This was my first experience of Christopher Rowe's writing, and I am determined that it won't be my last.
This was overall an enjoyable read with characters that I enjoyed getting to know and ended up caring about. The setting struck me as fairly typical urban fantasy à la Dresden Files or Valkyrie Collections, which, to be transparent, is not my favorite. In this world, magic folk exist in parallel to the mundane world, and there is some sort of sprawling magical law enforcement agency. Although the urban fantasy setting and tropes were well-executed, they didn't particularly grab me. The main POV character is Chinese, and so there was much more of an exploration of East Asian magic, mythology, and folklore than in many urban fantasies. I found those aspects really engrossing and wished there had been even more. The dialogue and banter were a lot of fun--snappy without being over the top. I found the plot propulsive and overall this was a read I consistently looked forward to. The romance element was more primary than I realized going in--this is really 50/50 fantasy-romance. Honestly, the romance didn't viscerally grab me, but it was definitely well-drawn and spicy. If there is a direct sequel, I probably won't pick it up, but I would definitely like to read more from this author.
This was overall an enjoyable read with characters that I enjoyed getting to know and ended up caring about. The setting struck me as fairly typical urban fantasy à la Dresden Files or Valkyrie Collections, which, to be transparent, is not my favorite. In this world, magic folk exist in parallel to the mundane world, and there is some sort of sprawling magical law enforcement agency. Although the urban fantasy setting and tropes were well-executed, they didn't particularly grab me. The main POV character is Chinese, and so there was much more of an exploration of East Asian magic, mythology, and folklore than in many urban fantasies. I found those aspects really engrossing and wished there had been even more. The dialogue and banter were a lot of fun--snappy without being over the top. I found the plot propulsive and overall this was a read I consistently looked forward to. The romance element was more primary than I realized going in--this is really 50/50 fantasy-romance. Honestly, the romance didn't viscerally grab me, but it was definitely well-drawn and spicy. If there is a direct sequel, I probably won't pick it up, but I would definitely like to read more from this author.
At a cool 155 pages, there's quite a lot to like in this tight and tidy package. I was captivated first and foremost by the language; the author is adept at deploying just a word or two to create a pithy turn of phrase or a deadpan observation. I found myself often taking a beat to appreciate the experience of reading the prose. The author's linguistic skill allows him to build a lived-in world and interesting characters in a small space. The setting is a secondary world (or alternate?) Roman-ish Empire, though we follow the navigating fox, Quintus Shu'al, from a colonial outpost into lands decidedly not ruled by the Empire. In this world, some creatures are voiceless while others, like our eponymous fox, the twin racoon cartographers Loci and Foci, and the strong-willed bison diplomat Walks Along Woman, are knowledgeable, more or less. The characters are deftly sketched, and their dialogue is always entertaining. The plot includes a quest, a mystery or two, a journey, and several good twists and turns. I did want to know what would happen next, but what really kept me turning the pages with glee was my desire to hear more of Quintus's voice and the conversations between the disparate human and non-human people. This was my first experience of Christopher Rowe's writing, and I am determined that it won't be my last.
At a cool 155 pages, there's quite a lot to like in this tight and tidy package. I was captivated first and foremost by the language; the author is adept at deploying just a word or two to create a pithy turn of phrase or a deadpan observation. I found myself often taking a beat to appreciate the experience of reading the prose. The author's linguistic skill allows him to build a lived-in world and interesting characters in a small space. The setting is a secondary world (or alternate?) Roman-ish Empire, though we follow the navigating fox, Quintus Shu'al, from a colonial outpost into lands decidedly not ruled by the Empire. In this world, some creatures are voiceless while others, like our eponymous fox, the twin racoon cartographers Loci and Foci, and the strong-willed bison diplomat Walks Along Woman, are knowledgeable, more or less. The characters are deftly sketched, and their dialogue is always entertaining. The plot includes a quest, a mystery or two, a journey, and several good twists and turns. I did want to know what would happen next, but what really kept me turning the pages with glee was my desire to hear more of Quintus's voice and the conversations between the disparate human and non-human people. This was my first experience of Christopher Rowe's writing, and I am determined that it won't be my last.
