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Greywalker #1
Greywalker
Harper Blaine was your average small-time P.I. until a two-bit perp's savage assault left her dead for two minutes. When she comes to in the hospital, she sees things that can only be described as weird-shapes emerging from a foggy grey mist, snarling teeth, creatures roaring.
But Harper's not crazy. Her "death" has made her a Greywalker- able to move between the human world and the mysterious cross-over zone where things that go bump in the night exist. And her new gift is about to drag her into that strange new realm-whether she likes it or not.
But Harper's not crazy. Her "death" has made her a Greywalker- able to move between the human world and the mysterious cross-over zone where things that go bump in the night exist. And her new gift is about to drag her into that strange new realm-whether she likes it or not.
341 pages, Paperback
First published October 3, 2006
About the author
Kat Richardson
32 books1,246 followersBestselling author of the Greywalker paranormal detective novels. Former theater brat, singer, dancer, gemology and jewelry course-writer, liveaboard boater, and editor. Currently lives in the wilds of far-western Washington with her husband and dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,228 reviews
January 6, 2016
2.5 stars rounded up to three because it's Seattle and you know it's Seattle even though it's only a small area of Seattle. I can say Seattle a few more times if you'd like. :)
This series has a lot of potential. I think this is a good start but it's still rough. Something about the book was off and I can't tell you exactly what. For one thing, even though this was published in 2006, it felt more like it was written in 1995, specifically around technology. (She's a PI but uses a pager and doesn't have a cell phone? And her printer uses fanfold paper so it can't be more sophisticated than a bubblejet.) She also refers to the Bon Marche which went out of business in 2005. I know it takes some time for a book to go from draft to published but the buyout by Macy's was well known for quite awhile before it happened.)
The explanations for and descriptions of the paranormal in this world are way too convoluted, long, and mostly unnecessary. The action is all too similar and a couple of loose ends were never tied up. I think she tried too hard at first to make Seattle feel real. She didn't get anything really wrong but it didn't feel right to me as a native either so I wasn't surprised to find she moved here later in life. Her descriptions of Pioneer Square were really good, though also a little off, like she drove through it a couple of times rather than being personally familiar with it. (I used to work down there and FYI, although the Frontier Room is as awesome as she describes, it's in Belltown not Pioneer Square.)
Harper is a strong woman but quite stubborn and not that bright. She's pretty cowardly in many parts, too reckless in others but amazingly rational in one scene when she realizes she shouldn't confront the men breaking into her office. She accepts the paranormal too quickly but it takes her too long to acknowledge what has happened to her. She doesn't want to accept it so she fights to avoid her powers even when it's obvious even to her that ignorance is going to get her killed. Ostrich-->sand.
I wanted more variety in the action, especially with her taking an active role rather than having things happen to her. In fact, in one extremely important sequence she spends most of the time just watching and then tries to run when she's needed. (Another reviewer pointed out that this scene was unintentionally comical genius. I agree that it wasn't meant to be but was.
But in her world, men and women were equals without gender stereotyped roles. The love interest is a great guy and it's just a part of the story; she's not constantly pining and fantasizing. Nor is she worried about clothes and makeup all the time although just about every one of plethora of characters in the novel are tall and thin/skinny/slender/anorexic except for three really annoying jerks. This is Seattle. We usually are more worried about whether someone looks like they are healthy and a good hiker or biker than whether they're tall and skinny. Think outdoorsy, organic-eating coffee drinking REI types rather than rail-thin models. It's a stereotype, true, but a pretty accurate one for the types of people in the parts of town in which everything in the story happens. I think it's her California transplant showing.
I definitely feel there are characters who have potential to be quite interesting in future books. The story itself was good and though I figured the mystery out much before all was revealed, the plot was still all right. I do plan to read the next one. Some day.
This series has a lot of potential. I think this is a good start but it's still rough. Something about the book was off and I can't tell you exactly what. For one thing, even though this was published in 2006, it felt more like it was written in 1995, specifically around technology. (She's a PI but uses a pager and doesn't have a cell phone? And her printer uses fanfold paper so it can't be more sophisticated than a bubblejet.) She also refers to the Bon Marche which went out of business in 2005. I know it takes some time for a book to go from draft to published but the buyout by Macy's was well known for quite awhile before it happened.)
The explanations for and descriptions of the paranormal in this world are way too convoluted, long, and mostly unnecessary. The action is all too similar and a couple of loose ends were never tied up. I think she tried too hard at first to make Seattle feel real. She didn't get anything really wrong but it didn't feel right to me as a native either so I wasn't surprised to find she moved here later in life. Her descriptions of Pioneer Square were really good, though also a little off, like she drove through it a couple of times rather than being personally familiar with it. (I used to work down there and FYI, although the Frontier Room is as awesome as she describes, it's in Belltown not Pioneer Square.)
Harper is a strong woman but quite stubborn and not that bright. She's pretty cowardly in many parts, too reckless in others but amazingly rational in one scene when she realizes she shouldn't confront the men breaking into her office. She accepts the paranormal too quickly but it takes her too long to acknowledge what has happened to her. She doesn't want to accept it so she fights to avoid her powers even when it's obvious even to her that ignorance is going to get her killed. Ostrich-->sand.
I wanted more variety in the action, especially with her taking an active role rather than having things happen to her. In fact, in one extremely important sequence she spends most of the time just watching and then tries to run when she's needed. (Another reviewer pointed out that this scene was unintentionally comical genius. I agree that it wasn't meant to be but was.
But in her world, men and women were equals without gender stereotyped roles. The love interest is a great guy and it's just a part of the story; she's not constantly pining and fantasizing. Nor is she worried about clothes and makeup all the time although just about every one of plethora of characters in the novel are tall and thin/skinny/slender/anorexic except for three really annoying jerks. This is Seattle. We usually are more worried about whether someone looks like they are healthy and a good hiker or biker than whether they're tall and skinny. Think outdoorsy, organic-eating coffee drinking REI types rather than rail-thin models. It's a stereotype, true, but a pretty accurate one for the types of people in the parts of town in which everything in the story happens. I think it's her California transplant showing.
I definitely feel there are characters who have potential to be quite interesting in future books. The story itself was good and though I figured the mystery out much before all was revealed, the plot was still all right. I do plan to read the next one. Some day.
January 22, 2009
I picked this up after reading the short story by Kat Richardson in Mean Streets, which also featured Ms. Blaine. First off, it's nice to see a female paranormal detective character whose actual cases seem to have more weight than her love life. Normally there seems to be a strict gender divide in these things -- men like Harry Dresden and John Taylor occasionally have girlfriends and occasionally have horrible luck with women*, but generally that's not a major focus of the books' attention. Female urban-fantasy detective-types, like Vickie Nelson or Jill Kismet, tend to meet some hottie on a case in their first book and then most of the time the two are in the same room we switch modes so quickly I can hear the brakes squeal. And Vickie and Jill are the ones I remember because they weren't as bad as many. It seems like Men are from Noir and Women are from Romance.
* Few main characters seem to be gay or bisexual in these books. The only exception I can think of is Lilith Saintcrow's Dante Valentine, who had a female lover in the past and a male lover in the present. Even then, the gay relationship ended Badly. But, that has nothing to do with anything, unless you count the fact I spent ten pages thinking Harper was male in Mean Streets, well past a date with a guy.
I didn't notice this with Harper, in that she strikes up a date with an auctioneer she meets in passing, notes that she wants to keep things low-key until the case she's working on ends, and the book makes it clear that he's not True Love, or even that Harper is going to meet some guy and do the mode switch like that. (I have a soft spot for some romance, but boy am I picky about it.)
Anyway, to actually talk about the plot and not vent about My Thoughts on Romance, after an accident, Harper develops the ability to see into the supernatural world and manipulate it. She thinks she's going crazy until a sympathetic doctor steers her towards some friends that specialize in weird stuff.
On the job side, Harper takes a job to track down a missing college student, and locate an old piece of furniture for an elderly man. It was nice to see the cases weave together, in that there was no plot-related reason to think they were connected, but Harper uses information from both to connect them. It also gave a better sense of 'this person has a real job', and doesn't just get weird cases dumped on her doorstep one at a time by the Paranormal Fairy. (I think that Storm Front did that too, only the cases were actually connected.)
One of the flaws is that I think the book tried to push Harper's powers as 'too much, too soon'. There are a lot of info-dumpy things from Harper's teachers, and thanks to some Trouble Harper gets into, she gets a boost to her powers (with unknown side-effects). I'd rather see her powers, and Harper's initial skepticism towards them, develop a bit more slowly. The book also introduced a lot of supernatural beasties at once.
The ferret scenes were also adorable, in that Chaos acted like a ferret, and not some kind of fuzzy prop. I have a soft spot for animals, and my sister owned a ferret for years when we were kids.
* Few main characters seem to be gay or bisexual in these books. The only exception I can think of is Lilith Saintcrow's Dante Valentine, who had a female lover in the past and a male lover in the present. Even then, the gay relationship ended Badly. But, that has nothing to do with anything, unless you count the fact I spent ten pages thinking Harper was male in Mean Streets, well past a date with a guy.
I didn't notice this with Harper, in that she strikes up a date with an auctioneer she meets in passing, notes that she wants to keep things low-key until the case she's working on ends, and the book makes it clear that he's not True Love, or even that Harper is going to meet some guy and do the mode switch like that. (I have a soft spot for some romance, but boy am I picky about it.)
Anyway, to actually talk about the plot and not vent about My Thoughts on Romance, after an accident, Harper develops the ability to see into the supernatural world and manipulate it. She thinks she's going crazy until a sympathetic doctor steers her towards some friends that specialize in weird stuff.
On the job side, Harper takes a job to track down a missing college student, and locate an old piece of furniture for an elderly man. It was nice to see the cases weave together, in that there was no plot-related reason to think they were connected, but Harper uses information from both to connect them. It also gave a better sense of 'this person has a real job', and doesn't just get weird cases dumped on her doorstep one at a time by the Paranormal Fairy. (I think that Storm Front did that too, only the cases were actually connected.)
One of the flaws is that I think the book tried to push Harper's powers as 'too much, too soon'. There are a lot of info-dumpy things from Harper's teachers, and thanks to some Trouble Harper gets into, she gets a boost to her powers (with unknown side-effects). I'd rather see her powers, and Harper's initial skepticism towards them, develop a bit more slowly. The book also introduced a lot of supernatural beasties at once.
The ferret scenes were also adorable, in that Chaos acted like a ferret, and not some kind of fuzzy prop. I have a soft spot for animals, and my sister owned a ferret for years when we were kids.
February 26, 2016
After a 'near' death experience, private investigator, Harper Blaine, gains the ability to see and travel in the 'grey,' that intermediate zone between our reality and the reality of the supernatural. I liked the premise; however, not everything worked as well it could or should have. Still, the book had a nice pace and was fun.
February 28, 2011
It's very hard to write a helpful review of Graywalker. It simply didn’t leave any kind of impression on me – good or bad. The first half was far more interesting than the second. It had the tone of a hardboiled detective novel and it was quite refreshing, so I was more than a little disappointed when it all went straight to hell in the other half.
Harper Blaine is a good, strong character, but some of her choices weren’t quite clear to me, and the love story (well, lust story, to be precise) was weird and unconvincing. And let me just say that I like my male characters tall, strong and dominant (don’t we all?), but Richardson gave us a love interest who is ordinary, not too handsome and very whiny at times. I meet guys like that every day. Why the hell would I want to read about them, too?!
The worldbuilding was unimaginative and colorless. I really wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone except avid urban fantasy readers (Ooooops, I’m alone on that island, and I’ve read it already, so no… I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone at all). There were some good moments, but all in all, it just wasn't good enough.
Harper Blaine is a good, strong character, but some of her choices weren’t quite clear to me, and the love story (well, lust story, to be precise) was weird and unconvincing. And let me just say that I like my male characters tall, strong and dominant (don’t we all?), but Richardson gave us a love interest who is ordinary, not too handsome and very whiny at times. I meet guys like that every day. Why the hell would I want to read about them, too?!
The worldbuilding was unimaginative and colorless. I really wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone except avid urban fantasy readers (Ooooops, I’m alone on that island, and I’ve read it already, so no… I wouldn't really recommend it to anyone at all). There were some good moments, but all in all, it just wasn't good enough.
November 1, 2014
This was a Vaginal Fantasy pick from Bonnie! I enjoyed the book, although I hear the subsequent installments really exceed the quality of 1, so I'm excited to go deeper into the series. Nothing 100% innovative here, but had a nice tone that isn't quite as twee or cliched as other books in the genre. I enjoy the main character because she was believable in an interesting way. For VF readers, this one to explore! (No racy stuff tho, heads up!)
June 30, 2013
Following the resounding success of my Locus Quest, I faced a dilemma: which reading list to follow it up with? Variety is the spice of life, so I’ve decided to diversify and pursue six different lists simultaneously. This book falls into my FINISHING THE SERIES! list.
I loves me a good series! But I'm terrible for starting a new series before finishing my last - so this reading list is all about trying to close out those series I've got on the go.
2.5 rounded up to 3 because my wife and my mother-in-law both love it (and they might use tea-spoons to pop out my eyes if I give it a 2).
It’s a solid urban-fantasy effort with a good, strong female private detective (Harper Blaine) for a lead. She lives in Seattle, has a pet ferret, and is generally a likeable broad. The fantasy element is OK, but I didn’t find it inspiring – Harper got killed by a client, and although the medics brought her back she can now see ‘the grey’. The grey includes ghosties, vamps, warewolves, etc – the usual bunch. It also includes misty visions of the world beyond death, or some-such. Good for atmosphere, bit vague for specifics.
It was a fun and easy read, very much a scene setter for the series. Lots of effort put into grounding the story in Seattle (rather than generic American city as some UF is) – lots of resistance on Harper’s part to accepting her new role as a ‘greywalker’, which kind of emphasises that this is a nice, normal gal who’s doing her best to muddle through this otherworldly madness. Obviously the real fantasy hoodoo can’t kick-off until she’s accepted and embraced her ghostly powers. I’ve been told this aspect picks up in books two and three of the series, which makes sense.
There was one specific thing that annoyed me. People are revived by medics every day. What is it about Harper that makes her special? Why does she become a greywalker, and the next guy to get revived just get brain damage? It was all a bit wishy-washy and coincidental to keep my disbelief suspended.
Maybe I’ve just been spoilt by coming in at the top end of the UF market? Compared to Dresden, Castor, Grant and Swift... Blaine is too much the UF ‘girl next door’. I’ve no doubt there’s more substance there if you get to know her – but in a crowded genre, Greywalker doesn’t make a strong enough first impression.
Having said that – I will continue to read the series because my wife already owns them – but they’re certainly not top of my wish-list...
After this I read: A Clash of Kings
June 21, 2009
Harper Blaine is a private investigator. In the first few pages she is brutally attacked by a man she was tracking down for a client. After she leaves the hospital, Harper begins to see strange shapes and disorienting mists all around her. Thinking she is experiencing the lingering effects of head trauma she returns to the hospital. Once there, her doctor informs her that she actually died for two minutes as a result of her attack. He thinks the new sensations she is now having are not medical at all, and refers her to some people he thinks can help her. From them, she learns that she is a Greywalker. She has become one of the rare people who can physically exist in our world and in the supernatural world, which is called the Grey.
Ok. Great premise! I think this series has a lot of promise and I will certainly read the next book in the series.
However,I did have a few problems with the book.
First, when Quentin installed a security system in her computer, he used a floppy disc. I checked, and the first printing of this book was 2006. Can anyone tell me the last time someone used a floppy disc? Do they even make them anymore? This guy was suposed to be some kind of James Bond with electronics. It made no sense. Maybe she could unwind at night by playing her state-of-the-art Atari, too. Sorry. Maybe I'm just being too picky.
The second thing I thought was a little disjointed was her love affair with Will. I kept thinking that it would somehow become relevent. It didn't. It was just an annoying distraction to the story...and then he left.
Ok, this last thing really did get under my skin. She was constantly disoriented. I mean all the time. Yes. All. The. Time. It seemed like every page was a description of her getting sick. If she wasn't clutching her stomach or swallowing bile, she was throwing up or falling over with vertigo. I understand that she would have had a hard time getiing used to the two realities, but still. I kind of expected it to get a little easier for her by the end of the book. It never really did, and to be honest, I felt a little ill myself by the time I was done reading it.
Having said all of that, I think this series has real potential and I'm anxious to see where the author goes with the story.
Ok. Great premise! I think this series has a lot of promise and I will certainly read the next book in the series.
However,I did have a few problems with the book.
First, when Quentin installed a security system in her computer, he used a floppy disc. I checked, and the first printing of this book was 2006. Can anyone tell me the last time someone used a floppy disc? Do they even make them anymore? This guy was suposed to be some kind of James Bond with electronics. It made no sense. Maybe she could unwind at night by playing her state-of-the-art Atari, too. Sorry. Maybe I'm just being too picky.
The second thing I thought was a little disjointed was her love affair with Will. I kept thinking that it would somehow become relevent. It didn't. It was just an annoying distraction to the story...and then he left.
Ok, this last thing really did get under my skin. She was constantly disoriented. I mean all the time. Yes. All. The. Time. It seemed like every page was a description of her getting sick. If she wasn't clutching her stomach or swallowing bile, she was throwing up or falling over with vertigo. I understand that she would have had a hard time getiing used to the two realities, but still. I kind of expected it to get a little easier for her by the end of the book. It never really did, and to be honest, I felt a little ill myself by the time I was done reading it.
Having said all of that, I think this series has real potential and I'm anxious to see where the author goes with the story.
February 21, 2016
2.5 stars, rounded up because the series has potential (I hope)
- - - - - - - - -
I enjoyed the first half of Greywalker more than the second: I think the author is getting her head around the paranormal world (The Grey) she creates through the first half and hasn't quite gotten a handle on getting the rest of us into this world. I have high hopes for the next book but still think this is a worthy read.
The opening scene is one of the truest descriptions of a violent encounter that I've read in a very long time and is what sold me on the read. Harper Blaine is getting the bejeezus beaten out of her by a large, enraged man she's dealing with as part of her PI work. It's terrifyingly vivid and the accuracy with which Richardson depicts a fistfight is admirable, as is her depiction of the amount of damage such an assault can cause to the human body. It's grim and frightening but it's absolutely grounded in reality: none of this Hollywood 'shaking off' powerful head blows or self-defense via a groin kick. She's beaten badly and dies from her injuries for 2 minutes, thus setting the premise for the story, and takes a while to recover. To be clear, it wasn't her getting beaten up I enjoyed: I appreciate a realistic, well-written fight scene.
The tone of the book is hard-boiled private detective which is another point in its favor. There is a love interest but he's another element of Harper's life, she doesn't moon over him, he's not constantly intruding on the action. She's a whole person, a person with problems for sure but she doesn't need someone to complete her. And she has a pet ferret named Chaos, which I frankly just adore!
Aside from 2nd-half problems there was an element of the story that Made.Me.Crazy. After Harper starts seeing & experiencing things that shouldn't exist she meets Mara, an Irish witch, who tries to help her. Two problems there: 'Mara' isn't an Irish name, it's an adjective meaning 'marine' as in of-the-sea: 'salainn mara' is sea salt, 'téad cáilíochta mara' is marine-quality rope, so this isn't some poetic rendition of 'of-the-sea.' Irish is required in school so mara isn't an unknown word in Ireland - it's a name in the English-speaking world probably from a Latin title of the Virgin Mary. The bigger problem is Mara's speech pattern, Nauseatingly Irish Cute, seemingly based on Maureen O'Hara in The Quiet Man:
What really bogs down the book is how Harper is constantly experiencing the paranormal but still refuses to believe it. This very practical, self-reliant woman digs in her heels around this matter, over and over and over again, and behaves entirely contrary to the rest of her actions in the book. She's upset, nauseous, frightened, freaked out and she's been told, by someone who proves it to her, that not accepting her new reality is only making the negativity of her response to The Grey worse.
I get that Richardson is trying to convey how weird and creepy The Grey is and trying to make Harper vulnerable and sympathetic but there's too much of it. There's also a disconnect in how The Grey is portrayed vis-a-vis reality.
So the concept needs a little work. If she can't make Harper more accepting of her new reality and able to deal with it the way she deals with the entire rest of her life then the series isn't going to get much traction.
- - - - - - - - -
I enjoyed the first half of Greywalker more than the second: I think the author is getting her head around the paranormal world (The Grey) she creates through the first half and hasn't quite gotten a handle on getting the rest of us into this world. I have high hopes for the next book but still think this is a worthy read.
The opening scene is one of the truest descriptions of a violent encounter that I've read in a very long time and is what sold me on the read. Harper Blaine is getting the bejeezus beaten out of her by a large, enraged man she's dealing with as part of her PI work. It's terrifyingly vivid and the accuracy with which Richardson depicts a fistfight is admirable, as is her depiction of the amount of damage such an assault can cause to the human body. It's grim and frightening but it's absolutely grounded in reality: none of this Hollywood 'shaking off' powerful head blows or self-defense via a groin kick. She's beaten badly and dies from her injuries for 2 minutes, thus setting the premise for the story, and takes a while to recover. To be clear, it wasn't her getting beaten up I enjoyed: I appreciate a realistic, well-written fight scene.
The tone of the book is hard-boiled private detective which is another point in its favor. There is a love interest but he's another element of Harper's life, she doesn't moon over him, he's not constantly intruding on the action. She's a whole person, a person with problems for sure but she doesn't need someone to complete her. And she has a pet ferret named Chaos, which I frankly just adore!
Aside from 2nd-half problems there was an element of the story that Made.Me.Crazy. After Harper starts seeing & experiencing things that shouldn't exist she meets Mara, an Irish witch, who tries to help her. Two problems there: 'Mara' isn't an Irish name, it's an adjective meaning 'marine' as in of-the-sea: 'salainn mara' is sea salt, 'téad cáilíochta mara' is marine-quality rope, so this isn't some poetic rendition of 'of-the-sea.' Irish is required in school so mara isn't an unknown word in Ireland - it's a name in the English-speaking world probably from a Latin title of the Virgin Mary. The bigger problem is Mara's speech pattern, Nauseatingly Irish Cute, seemingly based on Maureen O'Hara in The Quiet Man:
"Behave, y'monster, or it's you I'll be turning green and warty. And you can be sure I'll not be kissing you anytime soon for that."Fingernails on a blackboard. Fortunately Mara only seems to talk like that when the editors missed a line or two of dialog and the Faux Irish slows down a lot as the book goes on.
What really bogs down the book is how Harper is constantly experiencing the paranormal but still refuses to believe it. This very practical, self-reliant woman digs in her heels around this matter, over and over and over again, and behaves entirely contrary to the rest of her actions in the book. She's upset, nauseous, frightened, freaked out and she's been told, by someone who proves it to her, that not accepting her new reality is only making the negativity of her response to The Grey worse.
I get that Richardson is trying to convey how weird and creepy The Grey is and trying to make Harper vulnerable and sympathetic but there's too much of it. There's also a disconnect in how The Grey is portrayed vis-a-vis reality.
So the concept needs a little work. If she can't make Harper more accepting of her new reality and able to deal with it the way she deals with the entire rest of her life then the series isn't going to get much traction.
July 1, 2019
3.5
Really nice start of a series!
So, I'm writing this review after having read the next 5 books as well and all I can say is that it's worth starting this one.
So maybe the characters don't seem that interesting right now, but they will get better as the series goes on.
This chick made me really want a pet ferret! I had no idea they were so popular in the US. I wonder if it would get along with my cats... Hmm, but that's a topic for another day.
Yes, the book. The series, actually. It keeps getting more and more interesting the more books you read. The character grows and so do the people around her. The plot is fun and interesting and well, I've always loved a good mystery to do with my UF.
I don't know why there aren't more people reading this series. It's a really nice one, especially for all those UF lovers out there.
Worth reading!
Really nice start of a series!
So, I'm writing this review after having read the next 5 books as well and all I can say is that it's worth starting this one.
So maybe the characters don't seem that interesting right now, but they will get better as the series goes on.
This chick made me really want a pet ferret! I had no idea they were so popular in the US. I wonder if it would get along with my cats... Hmm, but that's a topic for another day.
Yes, the book. The series, actually. It keeps getting more and more interesting the more books you read. The character grows and so do the people around her. The plot is fun and interesting and well, I've always loved a good mystery to do with my UF.
I don't know why there aren't more people reading this series. It's a really nice one, especially for all those UF lovers out there.
Worth reading!
November 23, 2008
Supernatural fiction is on the rise. Unfortunately in literature, a rising tide lifts all boats, even those of less than stellar construction.
Greywalker is an ok premise with faulty execution. The pacing is off, the story jumps around like a 9 year old on a sugar high. And it's set in Seattle - which would ordinarily be great, except that even as someone who lives in Seattle, I can tell you that this is one vast injoke of locations and happenings that people outside Seattle won't enjoy.
Characterization is a bit weak, too - we're introduced to neat characters like a locksmith with an eye on the supernatural, but get no depth on him.
It's not bad, it's just not good enough to pay trade paperback prices on.
Greywalker is an ok premise with faulty execution. The pacing is off, the story jumps around like a 9 year old on a sugar high. And it's set in Seattle - which would ordinarily be great, except that even as someone who lives in Seattle, I can tell you that this is one vast injoke of locations and happenings that people outside Seattle won't enjoy.
Characterization is a bit weak, too - we're introduced to neat characters like a locksmith with an eye on the supernatural, but get no depth on him.
It's not bad, it's just not good enough to pay trade paperback prices on.
July 9, 2014
Overall, a pretty good book. Richardson definitely knows her way around a well-crafted sentence and a well-imagined world. But definitely, progressively, weird and dark.
I like Harper for the most part; she's complex and not a cliche. Aspects of the story reminded me of the Harry Dresden novels, although Harper is not nearly the smart-alec Harry is. A little more humour would've been nice. Harper is the first character I've ever seen with a pet ferret, and that added a few moments of much-needed levity. I thought it was interesting how Richardson starts with the incident that causes Harper to become a "Greywalker" and takes Harper through the process of trying to learn to adjust, instead of starting with the weird occult talents already established.
While we're told that Harper is pretty much shell-shocked and falls back on her private detective habits as a coping mechanism, there are a few things to which she seems to under-react in a manner that Fox Mulder would commend. But at other times, we see her literally gutwrenching, skincrawling reactions in Technicolor.
Mara and Ben are interesting characters, although a few of their conversations seemed to go on a bit too long without making as much progress as I would've liked.
From the blurb, I didn't expect the novel to be so thick with vampires; but they were rather different from other vampire depictions I've seen, and they weren't one-note.
I hope for a little more romance in the Will situation.
Quinton is definitely useful but a mystery.
I like Harper for the most part; she's complex and not a cliche. Aspects of the story reminded me of the Harry Dresden novels, although Harper is not nearly the smart-alec Harry is. A little more humour would've been nice. Harper is the first character I've ever seen with a pet ferret, and that added a few moments of much-needed levity. I thought it was interesting how Richardson starts with the incident that causes Harper to become a "Greywalker" and takes Harper through the process of trying to learn to adjust, instead of starting with the weird occult talents already established.
While we're told that Harper is pretty much shell-shocked and falls back on her private detective habits as a coping mechanism, there are a few things to which she seems to under-react in a manner that Fox Mulder would commend. But at other times, we see her literally gutwrenching, skincrawling reactions in Technicolor.
Mara and Ben are interesting characters, although a few of their conversations seemed to go on a bit too long without making as much progress as I would've liked.
From the blurb, I didn't expect the novel to be so thick with vampires; but they were rather different from other vampire depictions I've seen, and they weren't one-note.
I hope for a little more romance in the Will situation.
Quinton is definitely useful but a mystery.
January 23, 2015
In the interest of full disclosure I have to start with a note: I'm so sick of vampires that I'm considering going full Van Helsing on the next person who even recommends a freakin' vamp story to me. Old style Van Helsing too; not pretty, Hugh Jackson in a floppy hat Van Helsing. I'm talking head chopping, mouth stuffed with garlic, burned up at sunrise. I need another vampire book in my life like I need to test drive a late model AMC Gremlin. At this point, anything I read that is going to have vampires in it better have something brand-spanking new about it: vampire bunnies that shoot lasers out of their eyes, a mamma vampire who throws her babies like ninja stars, a vampire colony on Mars that's terrified of an alien invasion from Earth mutants. (Hm. I kinda like that last one....)
This book has vampires, and while there are some tweaks, they don't transform into monkeys or wear power armor, so it's going to annoy me right off the bat. It didn't START with vampires, though, so when the hints of their existence began coming in, my reaction was to roll my eyes, and by the time they actually became a major feature I was close to calling it a day. To me, vampires make everything worse because they are so cliche that I just don't want to bother. If you're not done with vampires, then you'll probably have a better reaction than I did.
Other than vampires, where this book stands out is in Ms. Richardson's strong, and even elegant prose. Upon occasion she goes a bit overboard and dips into strangely clausal sentences, but for the most part her prose and vocabulary have a distinct and entertaining flair. Apparently, some readers have felt she uses too many "SAT words" but I found that vocabulary apt and referential to certain noir detective stories. A comparison to Hammett or Chandler is high praise--but not unwarranted.
The world building is solid and interesting, if a little abrupt. What I mean by that is that there are several "mentor scenes" in which the dynamics of the world are explained more or less in exposition outright. The protagonist doesn't "discover" the world, but is guided through it, meaning the reader gets it as a sort of instruction manual. The idea of a world behind the world we live in isn't particularly new, but Ms. Richardson does have a flavourful take on it, and her version of the spirit world accompanies her prose in an effective, descriptive way. Getting that information expressly in lectures and monologues rather than having the lead experience it herself is more often than not a missed opportunity.
The physical structure of the book is sometimes a bit odd. Chapter breaks occur in the middle of the action, while more natural breaks are sometimes ignored. So, some chapters are quite short while others quite long, making the book as a whole sometimes feel terse and at other times meandering. This isn't really a problem with the plotting, however, but with the book's physical layout, which makes for a sometimes strange reading experience. I can't say if that was entirely intentional on the author's part, but I have noticed several big names doing something quite similar, and having a lot of success with it. The books themselves don't differ significantly from earlier books in terms of plot and pacing, but the chapter breaks just appear in strange places... so it seems to be something of a writer/editor/publisher thing.
There are three storylines going on in this book; the heroic journey/discovery of the Grey by the protagonist, a vampire/missing persons case, and a search for a lost artifact. For the most part, they interact smoothly, though on occasion the transition is a bit jarring. Waking up next to her lover (part of the heroic journey storyline) after having had a particularly devastating interaction with a vampire (the vampire/missing persons storyline) was a little awkward. The comments/reviews I've seen from other readers have expressed some concern with elements of consent in that sequence, but it really just read as a jump cut in the plot to me. However, most books can't manage two storylines with any particular depth. Given that there are three storylines going on here, and all three are pretty involved, I think we can overlook a single stutter.
The action sequences read particularly well, especially the opening sequence in which the protagonist, Harper, is assaulted, dies for two minutes and is brought back to life, now with the ability to see into The Grey. (That's not a spoiler--this is chapter 1) Ms. Richardson captured several elements of that sequence that are apt for a female leading character (in particular, getting her hair caught in the elevator) that might not occur to a male writer. Tapping into that creates an interesting level of anxiety that I think many male readers might find surprising and female readers particularly pointed. For some reason, "death by ponytail" is more horrifying to the fairer sex, where being killed by one's coif just isn't an issue for we tripods. It likely has to do with our relationships with our respective hair care professionals, and the looming specter of male pattern baldness....
I did find it a little strange how often people did things for free. A nightclub bouncer just calls her up and gives her information for no compensation; a widow digs through files for old receipts (who keeps that kind of thing?) make copies of them (widows have Xerox machines in their homes, I guess) and gives her cups of coffee because she's lonely, apparently; paranormal experts/scholars are just waiting around for the chance to help her out with her whole existential crisis--and they feed her home made pie. That ability does move the plot along, but it would have seemed more likely had she glad handed a few folks.
Personally, I found the love interest more obligatory than anything else. Most of the secondary characters had distinct, interesting personalities, even the minor ones. I got more of a feel for the character and personality of Harper's pet ferret, Chaos, than I did for Will. Tall, white haired and a knowledge of antiques doesn't really set my panties on fire, but I guess that may be why I prefer boxers. Your mileage may vary.
I like that Harper is not a kick-ass-and-take-names-later, hard-boiled super-hero cum detective. Two guys bust into her office, and she calls the cops. Nice. A little action sequence is good from time to time, but similarly it's interesting to get the opposite.
With those things in mind, this is an early novel for Ms. Richardson, so there are a few problematic sequences and story dynamics. For instance, I had some trouble with what I call "the metasuspension of disbelief." That's the moment when the characters of an urban fantasy see through the "real world" into the supernatural aspect of the world they inhabit. In that moment, the reader must be able to accept that supernatural aspect right along with the characters, but also must be able to believe that the characters can believe it. In this case, Harper's struggle isn't so much with the reality of the situation, but whether she's going to accept being on her hero's journey (as Joseph Campbell would say.) She has little problem with the idea that there's a whole world existing as an alternate dimension parallel to our own, even though that's the kind of information that would put most folks in a padded room right next to the Joker. Instead, she just doesn't want to deal with it. Rather than "I can't believe it" we get "I don't wanna." That isn't a great reaction to getting a glimpse behind the curtain at the fundamental nature of the universe. That section read as either very rushed or a pat, obligatory interaction meant to tick the "Refusal of the Call" box for the Monomyth. (Campbell again... sorry for the academia.)
Meeting a real life vampire is similarly a fizzle. And it's a fizzle for everybody. Her instant friends are cool with letting a classic monster archetype into their house--a house with a newborn baby in it, mind you, which seems like the kind of thing social services would get involved in: "Do you have any dogs, exotic pets, or blood-sucking murderous undead monsters in the house? Oh, yes, those kinds of things are sometimes child welfare and safety hazards. Yes, yes, I know, I love dogs too...."
Instead, they're fine with it, even though they don't know enough about that kind of thing not to offer him some pie. They just assume that if the ghost that lives in the house (a sort of silent guard/messenger/pet) is cool with the vamp then it's all good. "Here's some tea, you can stay in our basement." Really? Later, we get an explanation (their house is on a sort of magical nexus and protected by wards) but--again--they weren't real clear on how vampires eat, and he's a twitchy, shaky, unpredictable newly undead, so where's the new parent angst? No second thoughts at all about the vampire in a house with your child? I've seen mommies and daddies be more concerned about the style of bottles they're going to use.
Overall, I can recommend this book if you're looking for something relatively light, AND not sick to death of vampires. I'll happily give it a star for the writing and another for the complexity of the plot. I can't really go more than that for a vampire book in the 21st century, but I'll readily admit that's something of a foible, so ignore it at your discretion.
This book has vampires, and while there are some tweaks, they don't transform into monkeys or wear power armor, so it's going to annoy me right off the bat. It didn't START with vampires, though, so when the hints of their existence began coming in, my reaction was to roll my eyes, and by the time they actually became a major feature I was close to calling it a day. To me, vampires make everything worse because they are so cliche that I just don't want to bother. If you're not done with vampires, then you'll probably have a better reaction than I did.
Other than vampires, where this book stands out is in Ms. Richardson's strong, and even elegant prose. Upon occasion she goes a bit overboard and dips into strangely clausal sentences, but for the most part her prose and vocabulary have a distinct and entertaining flair. Apparently, some readers have felt she uses too many "SAT words" but I found that vocabulary apt and referential to certain noir detective stories. A comparison to Hammett or Chandler is high praise--but not unwarranted.
The world building is solid and interesting, if a little abrupt. What I mean by that is that there are several "mentor scenes" in which the dynamics of the world are explained more or less in exposition outright. The protagonist doesn't "discover" the world, but is guided through it, meaning the reader gets it as a sort of instruction manual. The idea of a world behind the world we live in isn't particularly new, but Ms. Richardson does have a flavourful take on it, and her version of the spirit world accompanies her prose in an effective, descriptive way. Getting that information expressly in lectures and monologues rather than having the lead experience it herself is more often than not a missed opportunity.
The physical structure of the book is sometimes a bit odd. Chapter breaks occur in the middle of the action, while more natural breaks are sometimes ignored. So, some chapters are quite short while others quite long, making the book as a whole sometimes feel terse and at other times meandering. This isn't really a problem with the plotting, however, but with the book's physical layout, which makes for a sometimes strange reading experience. I can't say if that was entirely intentional on the author's part, but I have noticed several big names doing something quite similar, and having a lot of success with it. The books themselves don't differ significantly from earlier books in terms of plot and pacing, but the chapter breaks just appear in strange places... so it seems to be something of a writer/editor/publisher thing.
There are three storylines going on in this book; the heroic journey/discovery of the Grey by the protagonist, a vampire/missing persons case, and a search for a lost artifact. For the most part, they interact smoothly, though on occasion the transition is a bit jarring. Waking up next to her lover (part of the heroic journey storyline) after having had a particularly devastating interaction with a vampire (the vampire/missing persons storyline) was a little awkward. The comments/reviews I've seen from other readers have expressed some concern with elements of consent in that sequence, but it really just read as a jump cut in the plot to me. However, most books can't manage two storylines with any particular depth. Given that there are three storylines going on here, and all three are pretty involved, I think we can overlook a single stutter.
The action sequences read particularly well, especially the opening sequence in which the protagonist, Harper, is assaulted, dies for two minutes and is brought back to life, now with the ability to see into The Grey. (That's not a spoiler--this is chapter 1) Ms. Richardson captured several elements of that sequence that are apt for a female leading character (in particular, getting her hair caught in the elevator) that might not occur to a male writer. Tapping into that creates an interesting level of anxiety that I think many male readers might find surprising and female readers particularly pointed. For some reason, "death by ponytail" is more horrifying to the fairer sex, where being killed by one's coif just isn't an issue for we tripods. It likely has to do with our relationships with our respective hair care professionals, and the looming specter of male pattern baldness....
I did find it a little strange how often people did things for free. A nightclub bouncer just calls her up and gives her information for no compensation; a widow digs through files for old receipts (who keeps that kind of thing?) make copies of them (widows have Xerox machines in their homes, I guess) and gives her cups of coffee because she's lonely, apparently; paranormal experts/scholars are just waiting around for the chance to help her out with her whole existential crisis--and they feed her home made pie. That ability does move the plot along, but it would have seemed more likely had she glad handed a few folks.
Personally, I found the love interest more obligatory than anything else. Most of the secondary characters had distinct, interesting personalities, even the minor ones. I got more of a feel for the character and personality of Harper's pet ferret, Chaos, than I did for Will. Tall, white haired and a knowledge of antiques doesn't really set my panties on fire, but I guess that may be why I prefer boxers. Your mileage may vary.
I like that Harper is not a kick-ass-and-take-names-later, hard-boiled super-hero cum detective. Two guys bust into her office, and she calls the cops. Nice. A little action sequence is good from time to time, but similarly it's interesting to get the opposite.
With those things in mind, this is an early novel for Ms. Richardson, so there are a few problematic sequences and story dynamics. For instance, I had some trouble with what I call "the metasuspension of disbelief." That's the moment when the characters of an urban fantasy see through the "real world" into the supernatural aspect of the world they inhabit. In that moment, the reader must be able to accept that supernatural aspect right along with the characters, but also must be able to believe that the characters can believe it. In this case, Harper's struggle isn't so much with the reality of the situation, but whether she's going to accept being on her hero's journey (as Joseph Campbell would say.) She has little problem with the idea that there's a whole world existing as an alternate dimension parallel to our own, even though that's the kind of information that would put most folks in a padded room right next to the Joker. Instead, she just doesn't want to deal with it. Rather than "I can't believe it" we get "I don't wanna." That isn't a great reaction to getting a glimpse behind the curtain at the fundamental nature of the universe. That section read as either very rushed or a pat, obligatory interaction meant to tick the "Refusal of the Call" box for the Monomyth. (Campbell again... sorry for the academia.)
Meeting a real life vampire is similarly a fizzle. And it's a fizzle for everybody. Her instant friends are cool with letting a classic monster archetype into their house--a house with a newborn baby in it, mind you, which seems like the kind of thing social services would get involved in: "Do you have any dogs, exotic pets, or blood-sucking murderous undead monsters in the house? Oh, yes, those kinds of things are sometimes child welfare and safety hazards. Yes, yes, I know, I love dogs too...."
Instead, they're fine with it, even though they don't know enough about that kind of thing not to offer him some pie. They just assume that if the ghost that lives in the house (a sort of silent guard/messenger/pet) is cool with the vamp then it's all good. "Here's some tea, you can stay in our basement." Really? Later, we get an explanation (their house is on a sort of magical nexus and protected by wards) but--again--they weren't real clear on how vampires eat, and he's a twitchy, shaky, unpredictable newly undead, so where's the new parent angst? No second thoughts at all about the vampire in a house with your child? I've seen mommies and daddies be more concerned about the style of bottles they're going to use.
Overall, I can recommend this book if you're looking for something relatively light, AND not sick to death of vampires. I'll happily give it a star for the writing and another for the complexity of the plot. I can't really go more than that for a vampire book in the 21st century, but I'll readily admit that's something of a foible, so ignore it at your discretion.
September 14, 2014
I'm sad to say that I lemmed Greywalker at 84%. It's the first time in many, many, many years that I couldn't face finishing a book. I was actually really drawn in at the beginning and found the concept of the Grey really intriguing, but the plot went all sorts of downhill from there.
The characters are all really flat, and Harper was so one-dimensional I found her scenes painfully awkward to read. You know nothing about her backstory really, and her whole persona simple revolves around her being a badass. Except, that really isn't enough to carry the book, and made understanding her motives near-impossible. Bearing in mind she was a private investigator, you'd think she would have bothered to investigate the person who attempted to run her down or break into her office or trash her house... hmm? Instead she ended up helping Cameron, who she owed absolutely nothing to, and threw herself voluntarily into the vampire world, deciding to take down the head-honcho who wouldn't teach vampire-stuff to Cameron. I mean, couldn't Cameron learn that from anyone else, at all? Also did the other vampires really need to wait for someone like Harper to come along to wage their little war against Edward?
Harper also took an extraordinarily long time to get used to the idea of being a Greywalker, yet didn't bat an eyelid at the existence of vampires. The married couple she seemed to visit every 5 minutes were pretty much useless, and despite their connection and knowledge of the Grey, weren't really able to offer her any assistance. By 84% I had no clue why she still kept going around there... Mara even admitted to knowing about the weird magic piece of furniture yet didn't think to tell anyone that it was pretty much sucking the life out of everything. Urgh.
Harper was also a complete jerk to Will, Quinton and Albert, who had all been nothing but nice to her.
In short, I didn't really enjoy Greywalker. Its premise sounded exciting, but it didn't deliver for me.
The characters are all really flat, and Harper was so one-dimensional I found her scenes painfully awkward to read. You know nothing about her backstory really, and her whole persona simple revolves around her being a badass. Except, that really isn't enough to carry the book, and made understanding her motives near-impossible. Bearing in mind she was a private investigator, you'd think she would have bothered to investigate the person who attempted to run her down or break into her office or trash her house... hmm? Instead she ended up helping Cameron, who she owed absolutely nothing to, and threw herself voluntarily into the vampire world, deciding to take down the head-honcho who wouldn't teach vampire-stuff to Cameron. I mean, couldn't Cameron learn that from anyone else, at all? Also did the other vampires really need to wait for someone like Harper to come along to wage their little war against Edward?
Harper also took an extraordinarily long time to get used to the idea of being a Greywalker, yet didn't bat an eyelid at the existence of vampires. The married couple she seemed to visit every 5 minutes were pretty much useless, and despite their connection and knowledge of the Grey, weren't really able to offer her any assistance. By 84% I had no clue why she still kept going around there... Mara even admitted to knowing about the weird magic piece of furniture yet didn't think to tell anyone that it was pretty much sucking the life out of everything. Urgh.
Harper was also a complete jerk to Will, Quinton and Albert, who had all been nothing but nice to her.
In short, I didn't really enjoy Greywalker. Its premise sounded exciting, but it didn't deliver for me.
January 27, 2015
2.5 stars. Not uninteresting, and I quite liked the concept of the Grey, but overall I found the plot muddled, and Hqrper too passive at times, in stark contrast with the "hardboiled detective" feeling I got from the beginning of the story.
October 30, 2007
I really enjoyed this book. I liked the protagonist. I wasn't really sure of her age. Usually in urban fantasy books like this one the protagonist is early to mid twenties but I think Harper may have been more in her thirties. That, or she doesn't have a problem with dating people much older than she is who she believes to have a teenage son.
I really liked all of the second tier characters. They were fun, interesting, and seemed to have some depth.
I do have a few concerns though. First, I'm a little tired of the protagonist having to be just a little more special than everyone else. She's not only supernatural herself, she's the extra special kind. But all the other urban fantasy books are doing it so it's not fair to single out Kat Richardson.
I did wonder more than once if this was a manuscript that had been worked on for several years and not updated. There were a couple of minor but glaring things. Most people would not use a "floppy disk" to transport programs these days, they'd use a USB Flash drive. Hell, some computers don't even have floppy drives anymore. There was one other general thing, which escapes me, it may have been a reference to videotapes rather than DVDs.
I'm from the Seattle area so there were a few irritating things there, too. Safeco Field was named in June of 1998 but is only referred to as "the new baseball stadium" in the book (twice). I'm not sure she really gets the feeling of the place either. If it weren't for a couple of landmarks I wouldn't have known it's Seattle. Yeah, there's a lot of coffee being drunk, but no mention of Starbucks, SBC or Tully's. And at one point she mentions the city continuing to get rich off sin, which I don't get. Maybe if you're talking heroine use, but she was talking about strip clubs and I dare you to try and get a strip club started around here. There was an illegal ten year moratorium on them that just ended and they're still fighting about it in court. It says in her bio that she's a recent transplant from CA and I think maybe she just hasn't plugged into the culture all the way yet.
Still it really was quite an enjoyable read and I'll definitely read the rest of the series
I really liked all of the second tier characters. They were fun, interesting, and seemed to have some depth.
I do have a few concerns though. First, I'm a little tired of the protagonist having to be just a little more special than everyone else. She's not only supernatural herself, she's the extra special kind. But all the other urban fantasy books are doing it so it's not fair to single out Kat Richardson.
I did wonder more than once if this was a manuscript that had been worked on for several years and not updated. There were a couple of minor but glaring things. Most people would not use a "floppy disk" to transport programs these days, they'd use a USB Flash drive. Hell, some computers don't even have floppy drives anymore. There was one other general thing, which escapes me, it may have been a reference to videotapes rather than DVDs.
I'm from the Seattle area so there were a few irritating things there, too. Safeco Field was named in June of 1998 but is only referred to as "the new baseball stadium" in the book (twice). I'm not sure she really gets the feeling of the place either. If it weren't for a couple of landmarks I wouldn't have known it's Seattle. Yeah, there's a lot of coffee being drunk, but no mention of Starbucks, SBC or Tully's. And at one point she mentions the city continuing to get rich off sin, which I don't get. Maybe if you're talking heroine use, but she was talking about strip clubs and I dare you to try and get a strip club started around here. There was an illegal ten year moratorium on them that just ended and they're still fighting about it in court. It says in her bio that she's a recent transplant from CA and I think maybe she just hasn't plugged into the culture all the way yet.
Still it really was quite an enjoyable read and I'll definitely read the rest of the series
July 17, 2009
I'm 63% into the book (ebook, sorry, no page numbers) and I don't hate it, but I don't really like it either. I like Harper, and her ferret, and some of the supporting characters, but there is a lot of weird, disjointed stuff going on and the pacing and transitions are jarring and odd. She resists and resists getting pulling into the paranormal, and boy is it a slow first 1/3 of the boom, but suddenly she's deliberately stirring up trouble for the most dangerous guy in town and associating with seriously scary and creepy people. The author throws in big words unnecessarily, awkwardly introduces background/reseach about Seattle, and introduces the concept of The Grey in a way that doesn't make sense to the characters or me. At 2/3 through the book, the story is focusing on her client and the trouble he's in but I still have no idea why she's bing attacked repeatedly, what her unusual Grey power is, why she's in danger in the Grey when the oddly overly informed but still completely wrong witch tells her she isn't, etc. I just keep making notes about things that are throwing me off and don't make sense. There are way too many coincidences and easy outs (she happens to get treated by a doc who takes this stuff seriously, who happens to know the couple of profs who study this stuff, she suddenly has a bunch of clients who have paranormal connections...) I like Harper somehow, but I'm only mildly curious to find out what happens. If I were reading a print book I'd just flip to the end and wrap it up. I may go find it in a bookstore or library at some point so I can do that. Maybe it will inspire me to try the book again, but for now I have so many other books I'm eager to get to that I don't want to spend more time on this confusing and only mildly interesting story.
August 29, 2013
Harper Blaine is a PI who in the first few pages of this book gets attacked and badly beaten. She dies for two minutes and when she comes back she can walk through The Grey. The origin of all the things that go bump in the night.
There are interesting elements in the worldbuilding but because the protagonist spends the first 80% of the book alternating between flailing around in The Grey or simply denying everything as hard as she possibly can it's hard to see the mist for the fog. This is not helped by the info dumping from a witch and parapsychologist. The worldbuilding is the only slight positive I can find in this book.
The writing and pacing is disjointed, the supporting characters are barely there and just people who supply information to Harper with no sense of connection - don't even get me started on the anaemic love interest. This is not surprising as it appears that Harper did not have a life before she died - there are no previous connections (friends, sister, brother, regular barkeeper) so even she isn't fleshed out beyond someone that this stuff happens to. The flow of the book is not helped by the style in which it's written because Harper tends to just state things "On Wednesday I went here. I threw my bag in the car and went to the club." I think this is supposed to play into her supposed characteristic of being rational but is just boring. I've read 300+ pages of Harper and I've got absolutely no idea who she is at all.
I'm debating on picking up the 2nd book, cause it's got to get better, right?
N
There are interesting elements in the worldbuilding but because the protagonist spends the first 80% of the book alternating between flailing around in The Grey or simply denying everything as hard as she possibly can it's hard to see the mist for the fog. This is not helped by the info dumping from a witch and parapsychologist. The worldbuilding is the only slight positive I can find in this book.
The writing and pacing is disjointed, the supporting characters are barely there and just people who supply information to Harper with no sense of connection - don't even get me started on the anaemic love interest. This is not surprising as it appears that Harper did not have a life before she died - there are no previous connections (friends, sister, brother, regular barkeeper) so even she isn't fleshed out beyond someone that this stuff happens to. The flow of the book is not helped by the style in which it's written because Harper tends to just state things "On Wednesday I went here. I threw my bag in the car and went to the club." I think this is supposed to play into her supposed characteristic of being rational but is just boring. I've read 300+ pages of Harper and I've got absolutely no idea who she is at all.
I'm debating on picking up the 2nd book, cause it's got to get better, right?
N
July 11, 2008
Once again, the cover struck me first. She looked interesting to me. Like she knew things. And I liked the slanted city she leaned up against, looking like a character in its own right. I love it when a particularly city or a particular building is a main character in a story. The whole thing is that much richer for it. The good news is I wasn't wrong. Harper Blaine does, in fact, know things. Things she'd rather not know, as it turns out, but know things she does. And the Seattle of Greywalker is a dark, wet, teeming character, and you can tell Kat Richardson knows her way around the place and loves it for all its dark, wet, teemingness.
Harper Blaine is a P.I. who finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and winds up dead. For two minutes. After she comes to in the hospital things are....different. Suddenly she sees shadows and outlines of figures who aren't there. At least not on this plane. And just like that, she's forced to accept a whole new worldview. One in which the creatures of nightmare and fairy tale drift along beside the living. They exist in an alternate plane known as the Grey and Harper is a greywalker, a mortal who can cross planes. What that ultimately means is up to Harper to find out. Fortunately, she has a few good friends to help her figure things out, including a witch, a ghost, a couple of vampires, and one extremely tall auctioneer with silver hair.
In case this description sounds like the last urban fantasy you read, let me dispel that thought. Greywalker reads like Raymond Chandler meets Charlaine Harris' Harper Connelly mysteries. The emphasis is on the noir, hardboiled private investigator about town. At first, the paranormal events are almost an afterthought. They come to play a much larger role as they begin to alter Harper's life, but the mystical never overshadows the gritty, real feel of the book. It was a nice surprise, different from what I was expecting, and I enjoyed getting to know Harper and how refreshingly adult she was about things--her job, her relationships. Not always trying to prove her worth to anyone and everyone who crosses her path. I look forward to following this series as it develops.
Harper Blaine is a P.I. who finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and winds up dead. For two minutes. After she comes to in the hospital things are....different. Suddenly she sees shadows and outlines of figures who aren't there. At least not on this plane. And just like that, she's forced to accept a whole new worldview. One in which the creatures of nightmare and fairy tale drift along beside the living. They exist in an alternate plane known as the Grey and Harper is a greywalker, a mortal who can cross planes. What that ultimately means is up to Harper to find out. Fortunately, she has a few good friends to help her figure things out, including a witch, a ghost, a couple of vampires, and one extremely tall auctioneer with silver hair.
In case this description sounds like the last urban fantasy you read, let me dispel that thought. Greywalker reads like Raymond Chandler meets Charlaine Harris' Harper Connelly mysteries. The emphasis is on the noir, hardboiled private investigator about town. At first, the paranormal events are almost an afterthought. They come to play a much larger role as they begin to alter Harper's life, but the mystical never overshadows the gritty, real feel of the book. It was a nice surprise, different from what I was expecting, and I enjoyed getting to know Harper and how refreshingly adult she was about things--her job, her relationships. Not always trying to prove her worth to anyone and everyone who crosses her path. I look forward to following this series as it develops.
July 24, 2012
Honestly the worst book I have read in a long time. I go into horrific detail in my status updates, as it was all I could do to remain sane, writing those out after ever chapter or particularly ridiculous section, so I am not going to force myself through everything again.
I did really, truly, try to get through this. If only for the entertainment value of the reviews and me getting angry and stomping through the house trying to find people to read parts to, I wanted to finish it. But I couldn't, because on top of being horribly written and edited, it was repetitious and boring. Mind-numbingly boring.
The plotting was insipid and circular. The character was beyond uninspired. There was no conflict to speak of. Mystery, non-existent. I couldn't tell you what, exactly, Richardson was trying to do with this book, but I can assure she failed. Utterly, completely, irrevocably failed at whatever it was she was engendering. Seriously, don't. For the sake of the children, put this book down.
I did really, truly, try to get through this. If only for the entertainment value of the reviews and me getting angry and stomping through the house trying to find people to read parts to, I wanted to finish it. But I couldn't, because on top of being horribly written and edited, it was repetitious and boring. Mind-numbingly boring.
The plotting was insipid and circular. The character was beyond uninspired. There was no conflict to speak of. Mystery, non-existent. I couldn't tell you what, exactly, Richardson was trying to do with this book, but I can assure she failed. Utterly, completely, irrevocably failed at whatever it was she was engendering. Seriously, don't. For the sake of the children, put this book down.
September 14, 2018
I’m late in reading this, but I liked it. I like paranormal stories, (of course there are very few genres I don’t like) so I was predestined to like this book.
In the beginning our heroine dies, for a few minutes. When she wakes up in the hospital her world has changed. Now she can see into the netherworld. She can interact with ghosts and supernatural beings. Although this seems like it would be helpful in her PI business, she seems to have a tough time trying to deal with the grey world.
So, since this is the first book it introduces the world and the characters with haunted stuff. There is a romance but it feels unnecessary to the plot.
In the beginning our heroine dies, for a few minutes. When she wakes up in the hospital her world has changed. Now she can see into the netherworld. She can interact with ghosts and supernatural beings. Although this seems like it would be helpful in her PI business, she seems to have a tough time trying to deal with the grey world.
So, since this is the first book it introduces the world and the characters with haunted stuff. There is a romance but it feels unnecessary to the plot.
April 9, 2017
4 Stars
Greywalker by Kat Richardson is a fun and interesting start to another cool urban fantasy series. As I have said so many times, I can't get enough adult urban fantasy these days. Richardson throws in a atypical heroine as our protagonist and it really works. There isn't really anything new in Greywalker but there is plenty of awesome things to enjoy.
Great characters.
Greater setting.
A familiar feel.
The writing is good and the pacing is fast.
I really enjoyed it. So much so that I wanted to immediately go on to book two.
Cool cool.
Greywalker by Kat Richardson is a fun and interesting start to another cool urban fantasy series. As I have said so many times, I can't get enough adult urban fantasy these days. Richardson throws in a atypical heroine as our protagonist and it really works. There isn't really anything new in Greywalker but there is plenty of awesome things to enjoy.
Great characters.
Greater setting.
A familiar feel.
The writing is good and the pacing is fast.
I really enjoyed it. So much so that I wanted to immediately go on to book two.
Cool cool.
September 3, 2009
Very enjoyable. Strong writing. She has harsh situations as well as humor along with a bit of romance hovering about the edges. I was very engaged the entire time I read it and immediately started the second book. I like the way she uses light to accentuate the dark and vice versa. I recommend this book highly.
August 12, 2014
Harper sees the other world, the world of ghosts. She died once and got that ability. Now that ability is there to open a new world for her: world of witches, magic and vampires.
October 8, 2020
This was a solid three star read. The writing was fine and I liked the action but otherwise it was a rather boring and slow book of nothing I haven't seen done already in terms of the paranormal. I doubt I'll continue the series.
January 18, 2014
This book was just one big bag of meh.
Harper Blaine is a private investigator who generally deals with pretty boring cases that involves a lot of paperwork and foot work. Suddenly though one of her normal cases goes wonky and she is killed - but only for 2 minutes. When she is brought back to life she can see things like ghosts, weird creatures, and a parallel type world called the Grey.
Then she is hired to find a missing boy who is in fact hiding out, not missing - not her normal case. Simultaneously she has another case from some creppy Russian guy who wants her to locate a parlor organ - more her typical speed you'd think, only it's way weirder than expected.
I had several issues with this book because the premise seemed exciting enough and the cases interesting enough but the whole thing just feel flat.
1. There is too much going on and because of that the author doesn't have enough time to adequately flesh out the issues. The 2 cases could have been elaborated on so much more, but then would have made the book too long. Honestly each case was interesting and could have been a book unto themselves and separated the cases and given them different lynch pins plot wise. The cases depended on one another which was interesting, but still just too much going on.
2. Even though the book was written in first person from Harper's perspective she still kept so much information from the reader. How fucking annoying is that!? Harper would have this amazing epiphany that was integral to the story, but totally not allow the reader to experience it with her even though we are reading the damn book as her! This happened multiple times and was more and more annoying each time it happened.
3. No one reacts like they should! Oh vampires exist? That's cool. Of witches exist. Awesome. Necromancers too? Cool! WTF?? Seriously, this is a universe like ours were the paranormal is not seen as real. So any normal person, even one who believes these things do exist (which Harper didn't) would still express some amount of surprise to learn for sure that the creatures live alongside them. The only reaction I found to be accurate was Cameron's mom (Cameron was turned into a vamp and told his mom about it and naturally she thought he was lying and was on drugs or something.)
Anyways, guess I am glad I tried the series out so I know to cross it off my list, but I don't ever see myself reading any more of Harper's escapades.
Harper Blaine is a private investigator who generally deals with pretty boring cases that involves a lot of paperwork and foot work. Suddenly though one of her normal cases goes wonky and she is killed - but only for 2 minutes. When she is brought back to life she can see things like ghosts, weird creatures, and a parallel type world called the Grey.
Then she is hired to find a missing boy who is in fact hiding out, not missing - not her normal case. Simultaneously she has another case from some creppy Russian guy who wants her to locate a parlor organ - more her typical speed you'd think, only it's way weirder than expected.
I had several issues with this book because the premise seemed exciting enough and the cases interesting enough but the whole thing just feel flat.
1. There is too much going on and because of that the author doesn't have enough time to adequately flesh out the issues. The 2 cases could have been elaborated on so much more, but then would have made the book too long. Honestly each case was interesting and could have been a book unto themselves and separated the cases and given them different lynch pins plot wise. The cases depended on one another which was interesting, but still just too much going on.
2. Even though the book was written in first person from Harper's perspective she still kept so much information from the reader. How fucking annoying is that!? Harper would have this amazing epiphany that was integral to the story, but totally not allow the reader to experience it with her even though we are reading the damn book as her! This happened multiple times and was more and more annoying each time it happened.
3. No one reacts like they should! Oh vampires exist? That's cool. Of witches exist. Awesome. Necromancers too? Cool! WTF?? Seriously, this is a universe like ours were the paranormal is not seen as real. So any normal person, even one who believes these things do exist (which Harper didn't) would still express some amount of surprise to learn for sure that the creatures live alongside them. The only reaction I found to be accurate was Cameron's mom (Cameron was turned into a vamp and told his mom about it and naturally she thought he was lying and was on drugs or something.)
Anyways, guess I am glad I tried the series out so I know to cross it off my list, but I don't ever see myself reading any more of Harper's escapades.
December 20, 2010
Synopsis: After being dead for two minutes and then revived as a result of a clobbering by an angry perp, Harper Blaine discovers side effects that complicate her Seattle life in unexpected ways. She now sees ghosts and attracts otherworldly business as she pops in and out of a shadowy overlapping world. Harper seeks the assistance of Ben Danziger, self-proclaimed "ghost guy" and linguistics professor, and his wife, Mara, a witty Irish witch. They educate Harper on the Grey, "a place between our world and the next." Harper tries to maintain a normal life, dating a sexy antiques expert while battling wits with Seattle's vampire king, but being a Greywalker means she can only "pass for human."
The Grey is a place where ghosts live, and all times overlap the present. There are hungry creatures in the Grey, too, and Harper's ignorance of what is going on there threatens to kill her again, this time permanently. There's a subtle hint in the book of a family connection of being a Greywalker. Obviously the more you read this series, the more we learn about Harpers new abilities.
The heroine, Harper Blaine, is a very likable character who draws you into the story. Richardson does a fine job in portraying the tension between Harper's new life and her nostalgia for the simpler more clear cut world she inhabited before her injury. Several sub characters are also nicely portrayed - the young college student (Cameron) who has gone missing and bitten and turned into a vampire; Quinton the computer 'geek' who matter of factly helps Harper even as he perceives the truth of her situation, and Will an attractive antiques dealer who hopes to be a permanent romantic person in Harper's life.
There are a number of other supernatural forces dealt with in this book; primarily necromancers, witches, and ghosts that are all part of Harpers attempt to find Cameron and locate a missing antique which is cursed. There was also brief mention of werewolves and the inclusion of the Guardian of the Grey.
Overall a 3.5 rating
The Grey is a place where ghosts live, and all times overlap the present. There are hungry creatures in the Grey, too, and Harper's ignorance of what is going on there threatens to kill her again, this time permanently. There's a subtle hint in the book of a family connection of being a Greywalker. Obviously the more you read this series, the more we learn about Harpers new abilities.
The heroine, Harper Blaine, is a very likable character who draws you into the story. Richardson does a fine job in portraying the tension between Harper's new life and her nostalgia for the simpler more clear cut world she inhabited before her injury. Several sub characters are also nicely portrayed - the young college student (Cameron) who has gone missing and bitten and turned into a vampire; Quinton the computer 'geek' who matter of factly helps Harper even as he perceives the truth of her situation, and Will an attractive antiques dealer who hopes to be a permanent romantic person in Harper's life.
There are a number of other supernatural forces dealt with in this book; primarily necromancers, witches, and ghosts that are all part of Harpers attempt to find Cameron and locate a missing antique which is cursed. There was also brief mention of werewolves and the inclusion of the Guardian of the Grey.
Overall a 3.5 rating
October 11, 2014
Ok random book choice again. Well I have mixed opinions on this one and here is the reason why. Ok its not the first "I see dead people" book and certainly will not be the last. Ok it makes are bit more of a refined approached to it with (and no pun intended) fleshing the idea out more. There is more to the "Grey" than just ghosts - but that is as far as I will go without giving things away. However the book feels like the main character Harper the Greywalker spends more time refusing her gift than getting to deal with it - her idea of a solution seems to run away and pretend it does not exist. Ok human reactions I know but when it is repeated through the book it does get a little tedious (not often I want to slap a character) that said I am sure in later books (and there are several) things will change.
Then there is the back story already there are hints that there are longer story arcs in the wings than just the crime of the week that Ms Blaine is getting pulled in to - of course involving the grey however again this is to be explored in later books.
Then there was the storyline - I found at times to get in to - ok when I was reading I could not put the book down but in passing when I looked at the book and thought do I want to read some more its like hmmm possibly, ok what else have I got on the go.
So here is my dilemma - do find the next book (considering this was a charity show give away) and risk wanting to slap her again or do I walk away and thinking not bad with some good ideas, ok whats next!
Then there is the back story already there are hints that there are longer story arcs in the wings than just the crime of the week that Ms Blaine is getting pulled in to - of course involving the grey however again this is to be explored in later books.
Then there was the storyline - I found at times to get in to - ok when I was reading I could not put the book down but in passing when I looked at the book and thought do I want to read some more its like hmmm possibly, ok what else have I got on the go.
So here is my dilemma - do find the next book (considering this was a charity show give away) and risk wanting to slap her again or do I walk away and thinking not bad with some good ideas, ok whats next!
August 16, 2014
This book is just... not good. It mistakes confusing for mysterious and dramatic tension, so it winds up tedious and difficult to read and just... bland. There were a few time where the main character had apparently decided something off-stage and then this information was presented to us as something we should have already known. There are a ton of characters I had trouble keeping straight - probably because they had the depth of a sheen of oil on a puddle. There are long passages that attempt to explain "The Gray" (which, who stole from whom; that's a term Kay Hooper uses in her SCU books AND DOES MUCH BETTER WITH FYI) which are nearly painful to read. They're like an infodump, but not actually informative. Halfway through the book the author tries to bring in political intrigue, muddying the waters further - especially since Our Heroine is far, far from the savvy, capable type I get the feeling she's supposed to be. The setting should be awesome, and it feels like it could be set anywhere.
This book SHOULD be right up my alley. Instead I'm sneaking in to someone else's alley to throw in their dumpster.
This book SHOULD be right up my alley. Instead I'm sneaking in to someone else's alley to throw in their dumpster.
January 21, 2019
When Harper Blaine dies for two minutes something happens. She doesn't remember dying, and in fact, had to be told that she did by a doctor. She sees things out of the corners of her eyes like a mist, or fog. She finds finds out that what she's seeing is the Grey. The Grey is the energy between death and moving on. Other things live there too, like ghosts and vampires and other things Harper never believed in. While working a case, (she's a PI) Harper ends up tangling with vampires, and if she doesn't figure out how the Grey works either the vampires or whatever is after her in the Grey is going to kill her.
June 3, 2013
Yeah, so I did read this, and I just finished it yesterday, but I had to sit and think a little bit to remember what it was about....
It isnt a bad book. The premise is interesting, the plot moves in a mistly forward direction, but it just didnt execute very well. The sentences are all properly honed and all, I just wanted to skip most of them.
It might just be because the protaganist was so confused about her situation that it really was hard to make sense of her motivations. She would plan out these big bravado moments and then just sit there and let her friends and helpers deal with her mess. That was annoying.
So, mostly just a good premise....
It isnt a bad book. The premise is interesting, the plot moves in a mistly forward direction, but it just didnt execute very well. The sentences are all properly honed and all, I just wanted to skip most of them.
It might just be because the protaganist was so confused about her situation that it really was hard to make sense of her motivations. She would plan out these big bravado moments and then just sit there and let her friends and helpers deal with her mess. That was annoying.
So, mostly just a good premise....
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