26 July 2010

Book Banter -- Chimera


Title: Chimera
Author: Rob Thurman
Length: 331 pages
Genre: crime/sci-fi
Where Word Nerd's Copy Came From: Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library

Plot Basics: Stefan Korsak's younger brother, Lukas, was abducted when he was a kid and he has spent the rest of his life vowing to find his brother. He's got the contacts too to keep up an unofficial search for a missing person, since he joined the family business -- a bodyguard for a Russian mobster in south Florida. When a contact finally spots a teenage boy fitting Lukas' description, Stefan will stop at nothing to rescue his brother and keep him out of his captors' hands. Only the Lukas he finds is less than enthusiastic about getting rescued and possesses a deadly talent that will keep them on the run.

Banter Points: So, it's not Cal and Niko, or Trixa, but it's a Rob Thurman book, so thumbs-up right there. While the exploration of family dynamics felt a little familiar (a la Cal and Niko), this book was cool because it was different from Thurman's other stuff. Rather than an urban fantasy book, this is pretty much a straight-up mystery/thriller with just a dash of sci-fi twist. It's nice to see an author go a very different route with a story. Plus, Thurman writes great action sequences and the chases and escapes pulled off by Stefan read like an action movie.

Bummer Points: According to Thurman's website, there may only be one more book in the Chimera-verse, which is a bummer of a slightly different sort. As far as the story-telling went, there were a few places were the plot skipped forward and back that felt a little jerky, but once Word Nerd got used to the style, it was fine.

Word Nerd Recommendation: If you are expecting kick-butt urban fantasy, you aren't going to find it here. However, if you just like good story-telling, no matter the genre, then check it out.

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