Welcome to Friday Fiction where I hope to turn you on to cool authors/books/short stories or something else in the realm of speculative fiction (Science Fiction/Fantasy). Today I’m reviewing the latest Audrey Faye novel, Elder, Ghost Mountain Shifter Series – an urban fantasy with pathos.
If you’re unfamiliar with my book reviews…they’re not quite like what you’d find on Amazon. The point of a book review is to help you decide whether you’d like to read this book or not, right? So I’ve tried to offer a myriad of ways to evaluate this book.
My relationship with the author: I get her newsletter? And have read everything she’s published…
The subtext of the official blurb:
This is a book about werewolves. But not like that! This story is about a true family, probably more like a real wolf pack than anything else out there. It’s also one of the most perfect explorations of trauma and recovery that I have ever read. Inclusive of official books on trauma like “The Body Keeps Score.”
It’s unique and original, which can be punished by algorithms, so please take a chance because you’ll fall in love if you give it a chance.
2nd Grade book report version:
(Did you know you can pull 500 versions of a book report form off the internet? With every book I’ll choose a new one to fill out!) Thanks to Melissa Southern for this inspiration for this one.
Setting: The woods of Canada.
Describe it: I mean I grew up in Colorado, so to me it feels like reading about home.
Main Characters: (OOF – this is written in third person limited omniscient, meaning there a LOT of main characters.) And this is book seven so by now there are even more of them. I’m just going to go with – the entire werewolf pack.
The moral of the story: Deciding who you are and who you belong to is a lifelong quest.
How did this story end? I’m not going to tell!
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not? Absolutely, because it’s good.
What about the series?
This is book Seven. Each of them includes chapters from the point of view of a core group of wolves, but each also focuses on one story. Definitely, 1000% read them in order. Start with Alpha here.
What else does she got?
Faye writes broadly across genres and has a couple of series. Seriously though, anything she writes is worth it. She wrote Dragon Kin with her daughter about partnerships between dragons and elves and humans. Her KarmaCorp series is serious science fiction. But not like that! (In the same way, this is urban fantasy – but not like that!). All of her books are in Kindle Unlimited.
If you like X, you’ll love Y!
(Does this count as using algebra in my adult life?)
My other favorite werewolf pack with a similar ethos is Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson series.
Inspiring quote from the book:
“I keep trying to give up on hope. It would be so much easier to just roll out of my sleeping bag and live the life that I have.” – Audrey Faye
The first line of page 57 (or 57% if it’s a kindle book):
“Have we made anything that sounds like music yet?” – Audrey Faye
If this book was an ice cream flavor: Jalapeno – not what you’re used too. Still comfort food. But with a bit of a bite.
Ideal theme song while reading: Any folk festival recording. Guitars are big in this pack.
What I actually listened to while reading: Probably a Lone Bellow album, because those tend to get stuck on repeat in my house. Americana at it’s finest.
Existential crisis most likely to be inspired by this book:
Whether you’re stuck separated from your extended family at this time or you’re stuck with them you will see how we hurt and how we heal as families. And how we fit together or not. Or on a deep level, what is a family? Why do we need them? What if it is the thing that hurt us the most – how do we move on from that?
Elevator pitch to convince your friends:
It’s urban fantasy for people who don’t like urban fantasy about this family who also do magical things and turn into wolves. And also knit. A lot.
What you’re still reading? Can’t live without the good old Amazon review?
1 Star! Yes, there are werewolves, but everybody sneaks off to the woods to have sex while we spend the most time with the kids and the old folks! And there are no threesomes at all! How is this a shifter novel?
Just kidding.
Honestly, Audrey Faye is one of my automatic download authors. She’s good at her job, meaning I can be sure to find a well-edited, entertaining, affecting story, no matter what the genre. Plus, she’s got a pretty unique way of seeing the world and is absolutely fearless in what she puts out. The Ghost Mountain series follows one family’s attempt to put themselves back together, using the metaphor of a werewolf pack in the finest tradition of speculative fiction. It’s funny, it’s timely, and it’s unlike any fantasy you’ll read this year.
Kindle Unlimited, exclusive to Amazon, Ebook only.
Got a book I should review? Got a potential question to add to my book reviews? Let me know!
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