The Iron Hunt by Marjorie Liu

I’d read a short story of Ms. Liu’s in an anthology and fell in love with her writing. Crisp, striking, with compelling characters, a fascinating plot, and a great finish, I couldn’t wait to read another. (Holidays Are Hell: the best story in the anthology. The rest were something of a disappointment) So I picked up one of her Dirk and Steel series, and was disappointed. It read like formulaic romance novel fare with a paranormal patch. I wasn’t sure what to expect, then, when I picked up The Iron Hunt from Fictionwise. (Also available at Amazon in print and for the Kindle.)

Maxine Kiss, the heroine of The Iron Hunt, is a demon fighter in a long line of demon fighters. She and her mother, and so on through the generations, have been charged with killing the demons that break through the walls of their prison. She is tattooed, and her tattoos come alive after dark. They hunt with her and protect her, and will eat just about anything. Her tattoos were inherited from her mother, just as were her fighting skills and her preturnatural abilities.

It took me some time to accept that this is the first novel in the series. The reader is dropped in headfirst, with a boyfriend who does magic with a flute, demon inhabited dead bodies who are trying to reform, and other creatures she can’t understand. She’s hunted by things–some that look human, and some that could never be mistaken for human, even in a blind dark alley. I don’t want to say more, because part of the joy of this novel, in my opinion, is discovering the unusual ways that Liu approaches her subject.

The Iron Hunt is a very solid novel. I would compare the quality and style to Patricia Briggs’ work (one of my autobuy authors). Maxine Kiss is an intriguing character who stands out in the current glut of paranormal heroines. I enjoyed the unusual way Liu deals with the demons and the preturnatural world. You may find it a little frustrating because it most definitely reads like the second in a series. It’s obvious enough that I thought I was missing things, and was a little annoyed that the first book in the series wasn’t available on Fictionwise so I could start at the beginning, but I assumed I’d pick it up later. Still, by the end you have all the pieces you need, and it all adds up to a unique and entertaining story. I’ll be reading the next one.

Next issue we’ll have more ebook reviews for books available for purchase online, but we’ll also have ebook reviews from books available at your local public library.