Cover Artist: Unknown
Ah the Urban Fantasy cover... Admire it in it's generic beauty. Attractive White Female? Check. Uncomfortable Pose? Check. Tattoo? Check. Bare Midriff? Check. Weapon that may or may not appear in the book? Check. Random Gust of Wind? Check.
All joking aside, these covers are constructed to convey one simple message: "Look! Urban Fantasy! Right Here!" And there is no denying that they do that. I would even say that the red tint provides a vibrant touch and the rifle is not your trademark sword. And is that symbol of the Galactic Empire in the background? [Ok, I'm not done with the kidding yet]
But ultimately, it's not what's on the cover that counts, but what's inside it. Inside this cover is Vicious Grace. Vicious Grace is Book Three of M.L.N. Hanover's The Black Sun's Daughter Sequence, one of my favorite Urban Fantasy series alongside Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and Mike Carey's Felix Castor books. Black Sun's Daughter features Jayne Heller, your typical kick-ass heroine. In the first book, Heller inherits her uncle's friends and fortune and discovers the mysterious world in which he made his millions. The books are fun, fast-paced, and the cast of characters is one of the best ensembles outside of Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. You can read my reviews of Darker Angels (Book 1) and Unclean Spirits (Book 2).
Here is what Jayne (don't ask me to pronounce that) is up to in her latest adventure:
For the first time in forever, Jayne Heller's life is making sense. Even if she routinely risks her life to destroy demonic parasites that prey on mortals, she now has friends, colleagues, a trusted lover, and newfound confidence in the mission she inherited from her wealthy, mysterious uncle. Her next job might just rob her of all of them.
At Grace Memorial Hospital in Chicago, something is stirring. Patients are going AWOL and research subjects share the same sinister dreams. Half a century ago, something was buried under Grace in a terrible ritual, and it's straining to be free. Jayne is primed to take on whatever's about to be let loose. Yet the greatest danger now may not be the huge, unseen force lurking below, but the evil that has been hiding in plain sight all along - taking her ever closer to losing her body, her mind, and her soul...
And if you didn't know M.L.N. Hanover is a pen name for Fantasy Author Daniel Abraham. There is only one day left to enter the contest for Abraham's complete fantasy series The Long Price.
Vicious Grace will be out from Pocket Books on Nov. 30th of this year.
Uncomfortable pose? You mean women don't stand around with their hips thrust forward trying to touch their elbows together behind their back?
ReplyDeleteI only know Abraham as a short story writer, but I've been meaning to check out this series for awhile now. I have some friends that are quite hot for it and for me, it would be something different.
FWIW, the shotgun actually does make a guest appearance in the book, and the deign in the back is the black sun.
ReplyDeletedesign. I meant design.
ReplyDelete