Black Dog Blues

I really enjoyed this book. It made me think of something that would come on the Syfy channel. It has elves, monsters, battles and little romance. Most label it as M/M, but I would say the lead is bisexual. Things don't get to the erotic level, but the main character seems interested in both female and male partners. The storyline is leading toward him being with a certain male character though. I'm looking forward to book two.

I love urban fantasy, it's my favorite genre. So, I went all in and ordered the three books available in this series when I saw an ad for it in one of my feeds. I finished this book in a few days (minus a bout with the flu), the sequel in one mad binge, and started the third last night. Yeah, it was that good.The story is set in San Diego many years after “the Merge,” an event where the realm of the Fae combined with our world. You have the Sidhe, Unsidhe, dragons and various monstrous creatures that frequently pop up in urban fantasy. You also have the tried and true monster hunter, née Stalker, as the protagonist. Fortunately, the author provides enough invention to make the familiar tropes feel fresh. This isn’t the first series I’ve read that combined the realms; Marc delFranco’s Connor Grey series had “The Convergence”. However, that event was geographically limited, and the reason for it was an (ultimately disappointing) underlying plot. Where Ford provides something new is that our protagonist, Kai Gracen, is Elfin – and DESPISED for it. And though he is an excellent stalker, and has amazing healing abilities, he gets hurt, often and quite badly, and survives as much by luck as by skill. He’s a nice change from protagonists who are so badass nothing can beat them (cough*AnitaBlake*cough). Humans aren’t enchanted with the Fae; they were horrified by The Merge that caused cataclysmic shifts, wiped out whole cities, and remade the planet’s geography. Once the dust settled, humanity and the Fae went to war over just whose planet this is. Technology versus magic ended in stalemate, but tensions are still high.Kai was “raised” by a human stalker and sometimes forgets that he isn’t human. He hates the Elfin as much as humanity, but for more personal reasons. When a Sidhe Lord shows up and essentially blackmails Kai into helping him with a job, traveling into dangerous territory to retrieve a pregnant human woman, Kai is resentful and angry. The fact that Ryder makes his Elfin blood sing is entirely beside the point. This book has it all: a complex and engaging antihero, exciting action sequences and a colorful cast of supporting characters. Even more, the world building is excellent and comes alive on the page. Overall, this is a great series start and I really hope the author has more books planned beyond 3!

This is a novel that is more fantasy than romance. So for those who are expecting similar read as her Kiss series, they might be disappointed. For full disclosure this novel was given to me for review by the author, Rhys Ford. However, my review is unbiased and based on my opinion only.

Basic Plot:

Kai Gracen is a “Stalker,” a licensed hunter of bad things like Black Dogs, feral animals, mercenary for hire. When he gets a job he can not refuse to pick up a pregnant human, he finds more than he bargained. With him is a sidhe lord name Ryder of the Clan Sebac, High Lord of the Southern Rise Court and Third in the House of Devon. But with Kai’s help, the mission will fail and Kai must learn to rely on the help of Ryder.

Background:

The first thing with this book you have to understand is that there is much world building and back story. While the beginning of the book starts in action (a Ford trademark), there is a chapter or so needed to get into the world.

This is an alternate universe type world set in California. However, there are things like Black Dog (vicious killers created by the unsidhe folk for hunting), breeding dragons, magic, and elfin races.

Kai Gracen:

We see the story through Kai’s eyes. This is excellent in many ways, it heightens the mystery and increases the tension. However, it is also makes our understanding based on Kai’s views which is often tainted by his self-contempt. But what we get from Kai is a man who has learned to make the best out of what he has been given, yet never pushing for more of a life. He will be satisfied with his current life.

While Kai might be gorgeous on the outside, it is the quality of a man’s interior that he reflects:

A real Stalker knew all of the tricks and never played them. Having a firm reputation for being reliable and honest was nearly as good as being a keen shot.

As we see with Ryder’s character, a true hero is measured for what is within him not without.

Ryder:

We gain insight from Kai at first only by what he sees in Kai, which is superficial at first:

He was handsome and strong-featured. Eons of fine breeding carved his face into the beauty an elfin was known for; a sensual mouth and strong aquiline nose provided a foundation for his deep green eyes. In a human, they’d be unnatural, a fiery emerald with flickers of opal and black set into the folds of his pupil. For a sidhe, they were pretty but unremarkable, save for their thick dark lashes.

Ryder is at first someone who appears merely an ordinary side, but what because extraordinary is his devotion to his own mission and his friendship with Kai.

Strong Points:

The writing, as with all Rhys Ford novels is the strong point. She manages to give us a rich portrayal of the world around the heroes and yet does not make it bogged down with details. She gives us just enough detail to keep our interest, but doesn’t spoil the mystery. There is much I would like to put here that I can not because to ruin that would ruin the story. Needless to say, I suspected many things that were not uncovered until 2/3 of the way through the novel.

I also love the philosophical quotes sprinkled throughout demonstrating the Ford’s skill.

“Good luck with that,” I said. “There’s always crazy and mean in people. Doesn’t look like it matters if they’re elfin or human.”

What could be better?

A Five Star review gives me very little to find wrong with a novel. I suppose the only thing that I wish I could have the viewpoint of Ryder, but this one way perspective is the way Ford writes. So, there is very little that I would change about it.

Conclusions:

It is hard to really say how this will end as this is only the first book. While we are left with a “satisfactory” ending, it definitely is a cliffhanger ending. Also keep in mind that while there is a romance aspect to this book, it feels more fantasy than romance. I imagine that the relationship will build when we get into book two.

I very pleased with this book, as always I love how this author writes

Too much play in the worm gear.Let's talk about cars first.Kai Gracen is a Stalker, a guy who kills unnatural creatures for money. He has a murky past, an uncertain future and a 1969 Mustang Grande Coupe. Red.I and my family have owned >10 1960s Mustangs and the back seats, even of 1969 Grande Coupe (a hideous car, no idea why Ms Ford loves them) would not hold a hugely pregnant woman. And there is no quick climbing in and out. (The back seat of the early Mustangs was fine for kids, though, and I do remember some hot times back there.) A 1969 4-door Bonneville would have been a better choice if she wanted to stick to 1969 and cram a large someone in the back seat quickly. The Bonneville is a big, solid car that can go fast as hell and has a cowcatcher front, a longer-than-monster-arm trunk and would hold all the gear a Stalker needs. Best 1969 option for looks and not doors is a GTO, of course.Ms Ford should read more about electric cars before trashing them. They have very high torque and there is widespread speculation that it is high performance models and racing that will bring widespread US acceptance. Note Tesla upgrade this week. Faster off the line than Ferrari.Now about the book.The landscape is a SoCal where the land of faerie has breached and the landscape is twisted. Fae creatures get loose and licensed Stalkers hunt them down using guns and knives and good cars. Ms Ford does not break much new ground here.Kai Gracen is hired by an elf lord carry a pregnant woman through the badlands during dragon breeding season. The job sounds a bit fishy but it should be not take long and the money is good. Of course, nothing is what it seems and things go pear shaped very quickly. People are kidnapped and bad guys carry them deep into the elf lands.I would have stuck with this scenario for the first book but Ms Ford goes on and sends Kai off to the rescue. The rescue is successful and in the process we learn more about dragons and fae creatures. We also learn of Kai's secret past.The book is readable but not very thrilling, mostly because it is too similar to stuff we have read before. Ms Rhys has a big following, though, so sales should be good. She really needs to find some new pathways through the urban fantasy world. I doubt if wantonness as a plot device will be enough to see her through.Ms Ford should work harder on her name choices. Kai is so like Cal that at first glance I thought it was Kal. "Chimera" is Rob Thurman's book and not accurate for Kai if you read the technical def of chimera. Kai's childhood torture at the hands of non-humans too closely echoes Rob Thurman.I also have a strongly negative reaction to Ms Ford's choice of "elfin" as a race name for the folks in this book. First the "i" instead of an "e" but moreso because "elfin" is already an English word with a couple of meanings that are quite different from Ms Ford's.I received a review copy of "Black Dog Blues" by Rhys Ford (Dreamspinner) directly from the publisher because of my membership in NetGalley.com where the book had previously been available.