geekyHarperCollins, hardcover
400 pages, urban fantasy/horror/young adult romance
Currently in print
***
You may have noticed a tropism towards YA reviews around here recently. That's because I was lucky enough to meet the authors of both The Summoning and Wicked Lovely at a local signing recently, and that's put their books at the very top of my 'to read' stack. Not that The Summoning wouldn't have been there anyway: Kelley Armstrong is one of only three authors that I reliably buy in hardcover. As the other two are Stephen King and Terry Pratchett, this should tell you something of where she ranks with me. I was very excited about this book, and not just because it was another dose of the Otherworld this year!
I was also somewhat leery of this book, because The Summoning is a) Armstrong's first novel for a young adult audience, and b) Armstrong's first book for a new publisher. Despite sharing a universe with her Women of the Otherworld books, The Summoning -- and the entire Darkest Powers series -- is from a different house, thus forcing her to find a way to summarize her entire world as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Honestly, I shouldn't have worried.
The Summoning is the story of Chloe Saunders, a normal teenage girl with a love of cinema -- she wants to be a film director -- attending an exclusive school for art geeks. (Having been a big art-and-drama geek in high school and college, I use the term with pride.) Her life is pretty darn good...at least until death starts getting in the way. Because, you see, Chloe sees dead people. And those dead people, once they realize she can see them, have a lot to ask from her.
Quick as you can make a bad movie joke, Chloe finds herself institutionalized, locked up in a home for 'disturbed teens.' And that's when things start getting really bad. Are the doctors actually trying to help, or are they following some other, darker agenda? What about the other kids? Why does it seem like all of them have their own version of seeing the dead -- are they really crazy? Or are they something more?
The Summoning is well-written, fast-paced, and solid. Armstrong has been working in this world for a while now, and her familiarity has made her comfortable enough to take risks that an author with less knowledge of their own universe might well avoid. It's stable and internally consistent, enough so that I -- with my own familiarity with her work -- was both comforted and surprised by the tricks she chose to pull. The Summoning is a fun, fleet read, and I heartily enjoyed it.
A word of caution, however: The Summoning is very much the first story in a larger arc, and it leaves off in a place that basically screams 'sequel coming soon.' As The Summoning is currently available only in hardcover, this could be frustrating for readers in both the book's target age range and on the slightly older end of the spectrum. I'm absolutely not sorry that I bought the book; it's just the sort of ending that one should be warned about. I can't wait to see what happens next. If you're a fan of Armstrong's work, or just a fan of solid dark fantasy/horror aimed at a slightly younger audience, you'll probably enjoy this.
I know I did.
***
(*A brief footnote: when I review books, I provide links to their Amazon.com page, largely so that you can see what the cover looks like and get an idea of what other people -- who will presumably have biases that don't exactly match mine -- are saying. Please, support your local bookstores. If you're lucky enough to have specialty shops, shop there. That's what keeps them around, and gives authors like me -- and the ones I review -- a place to do signings and readings and other awesome stuff. Also, many independent bookstores have store cats, and you wouldn't want to make them sad, would you?)
August 13 2008, 06:56:30 UTC 8 years ago
Have a great day!
August 13 2008, 14:22:25 UTC 8 years ago
We shall find a way, even if the way is me attending WorldCon naked, because my suitcase is full of paperbacks...
You, too!
August 13 2008, 22:13:01 UTC 8 years ago
August 14 2008, 06:28:46 UTC 8 years ago
August 14 2008, 12:19:00 UTC 8 years ago
August 14 2008, 07:00:55 UTC 8 years ago
The only problem is that trade paperback and hardback books cost too much, no matter where they're available.
Lol about WorldCon, btw.