Monday 26 May 2014

Feel like something a bit…'Other'?

Written in Red (The Others Bk1) - Anne Bishop
Available Now and thankfully Book 2 has just hit the shelves!

Vampires, Shifters, elementals and magic but not like you know them, Anne writes a much darker depiction of these supernatural beasts. While in other stories things that are 'Other' are often depicted as dangerous yet somehow always end up just being misunderstood and gooey as caramel fudge deep down, right before becoming the perfect boyfriend, sigh, however in the world of Namid they only want to eat you, humans are literally seen as prey… trespass on their land - they tear you apart and eat you, swindle or trick them - they eat you, displease them - they eat you, really piss them off? they will turn your entire town into an underwater attraction…well I think you get the idea, just don't mess with the Others.

Our leading lady Meg Corbyn is a Cassandra Sangue or blood prophet, one of the rare girls who when cut can see a vision of the possible future pertaining to particular person willing to pay the exorbitant fee for such a service. These girls are kept tightly under lock and key while it is explained to the public as a kindness due to the nature of cutting which is so pleasurable the vast majority of girls get addicted and as with all addictions there can be dire consequences, in this case the possibility of bleeding out for example. Heavy stuff I know. So Meg makes the life changing decision to run away (thank goodness) and finds herself at the gates of the Lakeside Courtyard and at the mercy of the Others who watch over and govern the town of Lakeside from within.

What transpires next is a look into a fantastic new urban fantasy world, Anne sets a cracking pace for her characters who are endearing in their own quirky way and as more details are brought to light the plot thickens revealing a deep undercurrent of menace that follows through to book 2. As a new fan of Anne's I feel this is a perfect introduction to her work, it portrays her scope of world building and character design yet isn't quite as dark as her previous work. I am very much looking forward to diving into her extensive backlist. 

Also look out for Book 2 Murder of Crows also available.