Tuesday, June 13, 2017

The Boys Are Back In Town

Curtis, Anders, and Luc are back for a second round in ‘Nathan Burgoine’s Triad series. This time they’re trying to figure out why the bodies of dead demons keep popping up (something both physically and supernaturally impossible) and, more importantly, who’s killing them. More of a mystery than the first novel, Triad Soul has the trio racing across Ottawa to find the killer before they can attack again.

While the whodunit was fun and I had the satisfaction of guessing what was going on (OK, OK, I had a fleeting thought about a single clue, but I’m claiming total credit on that one) the continued development of the mythos was what kept me hooked through to the end.

As to mythos, I’m not sure if Burgoine had all the ‘rules’ of his magic figured out from the get-go, or if he keeps developing them as needed. Either way, he’s proven to be incredibly adept at it and consistent with how magic and the supernatural work in Ottawa. His rules make sense both individually and collectively as they continue to be revealed -- something not every author easily achieves in fantasy and urban fantasy.

The other thing that really pulled me in is the characters (no big surprise in a Burgoine novel). Not just Anders, Luc, and Curtis, all of whom I’m growing to appreciate more and more with each novel -- but the secondary characters. Some were flushed out from the first novel while others were new, but Burgoine gave each one of them unique life and motivation. Even when he’s writing scenes with talking heads (you know the kind I’m talking about) who could easily blend into nothing more than mush, Burgoine is gifted at making each one of them an individual with their own goals. It was also fun to see at least one, if not two, fellow authors make cameos in the book (and gave me pause to wonder what exactly Burgoine fantasizes about during his long days spent writing…).

The Triad series continues to entertain and surprise. Triad Soul is a worthy sequel. If you like your urban fantasy rich with character and fast on plot, this one’s for you.

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