Friday, March 10, 2006

Review: _The Myth Hunters_ by Christopher Golden

A man sits in the parlor of his home reading a book while a blizzard rages outside. He looks up to see a face of ice in the window. Glass shatters and the man finds himself pulled into a fight between rival supernatural creatures. The Myth Hunters by Christopher Golden is a Dark Fantasy tale with elements of myth mixed in it. An imaginative setting, gripping plot and memorable characters makes the book an exciting read.

The author creates an imaginative setting for the book. Maine, London and a Scottish island village are the prominent parts of the modern world where strange events occur. Mr. Golden juxtaposes this with his world of the Veil. That world is where all the magical beings retreated behind a magical barrier so they cannot mix with our world. Consisting of two kingdoms, the Veil world is inhabited by gods, mythical creatures, demons, humans, etc. A strong sense of reality is fostered by the author’s vivid descriptions.

Next, the author provides a gripping plot that creates a suspenseful book of adventure. On the eve of his wedding, Oliver Bascombe is having misgivings about his marriage when he meets Jack Frost. While helping the wounded ice man, they are attacked by the Falconer, a myth hunter from the Veil world. Frost takes Oliver across the Veil with him to save their lives. Oliver now finds himself in a world of magic where he is considered an intruder, subject to execution. He also finds out that Frost belongs to the Borderkind, beings able to cross the Veil border at will. Someone has set hunters on the Borderkind to eliminate all of them This plot is kept at a fast pace my Mr. Golden with tense action and dark elements.

Finally, the memorable characters in the book keeps it exciting. Oliver Bascombe wanted to be an actor but became a lawyer due to his overbearing father. His only comfort is his sister Collette. He finds himself in dangerous situations as he deals with the world of the Veil and trying to save his sister’s life. These events change him, causing Oliver to grow. The myth characters are memorable too. Kitsune the fox woman teaches Oliver wisdom and courage. Jack Frost inspires friendship by his loyalty to help Oliver despite wanting to stop the murders of his fellow Borderkind. The Sandman is a creepy, dark character who victimizes children in a horrible way. Mr. Golden creates strong characters with flaws that leaves them in readers’ memories after the book is finished.

The Myth Hunters by Christopher Golden is an entertaining Dark Fantasy. Suspense builds in the book through its imaginative setting, gripping plot and memorable characters, making the book an exciting read. First book of a trilogy, it will be followed by The Borderkind. Readers will be anxious for the continuation of the story. Hope we do not have long to wait.

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