Title: Greywalker Series: Greywalker #1
Author: Kat Richardson
Published: October 3, 2006
Genre(s): Urban Fantasy
Page Count: 352
Rating:
Summary from Goodreads: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.
One of Private Investigator Harper Blaine’s cases takes a nasty turn, and she ends up legally dead for two minutes. When she’s released from the hospital, strange shadows and scents seem to follower her, and she’s sure she’s going crazy until some newfound friends inform her that she’s a Greywalker—someone who can go between the human and paranormal worlds. Soon ghost and vampire are flocking to her for help, and she winds up in a jam with Seattle’s undead underbelly and a vengeful necromancer.
Kat Richardson’s Greywalker was much better than I’d anticipated. I’d heard around the grape vine that this series starts off really bad but quickly improves, so I’d expected to not like this book so much, and just sort of muddle through. Surprisingly, Harper Blaine’s paranormal adventures and newfound abilities made a much better impression on me that I’d anticipated. Sure, I didn’t outright love this book, but I thought it was entertaining, enjoyable, and posed a very promising start for this urban fantasy series.
As a protagonist, I was very happy with Harper Blaine, even though Richardson’s characterization isn’t very involved or in-depth. Harper has a good head on her shoulders, she’s capable and gutsy, and has a pet ferret and a healthy interest in romance. Greywalker also sees Harper be vulnerable, as she’s just had a near-death experience and is dealing with the paranormal blowback from that, in addition to the usual trauma of such an encounter. Though I wouldn’t say she was exceptionally well-developed, I think the book has made a good start toward that end.
The paranormal aspects were also quite promising. I enjoyed the way the book handles the paranormal and the “divide” between our world and the world of ghosts and the like. Harper’s ability to see into and walk through the “Grey” (the transition zone between the two) was well-explained without being info-dumpy, and some seeds were planted for the series’ long-term plot arc that I can see going well. The short-term plots that Greywalker dealt with were also good, and showed a full variety of creatures: vampires, witches, revenants, necromancers. I see a lot of room for expansion here, and I think Richardson has set herself up for a successful series. The love interest(s) were also intriguing—particularly the mysterious longer, Quinton, who I’m sure we’ll be seeing more of.
At the same time, the author’s writing itself was a bit suspect. Sentences like “The stuff around that doorway was dense as smoke and dark, but chill as fear.” are just, in my opinion, really bad writing. Weird descriptions were a frequent trend in Greywalker, and while it wasn’t a huge issue for me, it was definitely worth a few laughs. Hopefully the author will mature and get a better hang on her craft over the course of the series. One can only hope.
Overall, I think Greywalker was a very successful series opener. I have a good handle on the main character and the rules of the paranormal world, and things have been left open for many future installments. I’m hoping that over the next few books, Kat Richardson will really solidify her grasp on this world she’s created, but honestly, Greywalker is perfectly fine as is. This book was a very enjoyable urban fantasy.
