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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Very promising opening book in Golden's dark fantasy trilogy., September 21, 2006
This review is from: The Myth Hunters (The Veil, Book 1) (Paperback)
This looks to be yet another winning series for the hard working Christopher Golden. The Myth Hunters isn't horror as much as it is dark fantasy, but there are still ample bloodcurling moments written in to satisfy your inner ghoul. Golden's suspenseful, no frills writing style lends itself really well to the sense of soul-numbing terror, grave jeopardy, and harrowing adventure which permeates the book. Beneath the surface chase scenes and vicious battles, you can sense shadowy forces and vile machinations at work. I couldn't get enough of The Myth Hunters and devoured it in a mere seven hours (I'm usually a more slow reader). The opening set up in which the book delves into Oliver Bascombe's priveleged background and his feelings of helplessness in the wake of his father's domineering ways admittedly moves a bit sluggishly. It's the eve of Oliver's wedding day and, outside, a blizzard rages. Oliver loves his fiancee Julianna, but fears that marrying her will set him on an irreversible path to a regimented life he doesn't want. Thus, it is with a sense of escape that he answers the grieviously wounded Jack Frost's call for help. Jack Frost, an icy figure of longtime legend, has been terribly hurt and is being stalked by a ferocious Myth Hunter called the Falconer. Myth Hunters are relentless monsters who are bent on the destruction of all the Borderkind, fabulous figures of mythology who are still remembered by humans and who can, therefore, still cross back and forth between the Veil, the barrier which separates our normal reality from the magical world. Why are they hunting the Borderkind? Well, we don't find out in this book. But Oliver makes a fateful decision when he aids Jack Frost, as he becomes ensnared in the perilous doings of the Two Kingdoms beyond the Veil. Back here on earth, Oliver becomes a suspect in a rash of grisly murders involving the ripping out of victims' eyes, most of whom are children. This then draws the keen interest of Police Detective Ted Halliwell, who was initially assigned to the Oliver Bascombe missing persons case. Oliver's actions also unwittingly places his family and fiancee in immense peril. As it turns out, Oliver Bascombe's part in all this may have already been pre-ordained. Before it's all over, Oliver just might have an important role to play in deciding the fate of the world's enduring mythological figures. Meanwhile, the Myth Hunters and the original and very scary Sandman (Geez, he's a great villain!), released from agelong captivity, continue to wreak terror and destruction to victims from both worlds.
This book is a very promising start to The Veil series. It's a mishmash of well-beloved fantasy folklore, bloody horror, and even a bit of police procedural thrown in (but only a bit). I've always enjoyed fantasy books grounded in contemporary times, and this is a great example. The only catch is that Oliver Bascombe, our protagonist, isn't a very intriguing person. I actually found myself empathizing more with the gruff and world weary Ted Halliwell. Oliver's somewhat pallid personality reduces him to the fourth most interesting character, behind Halliwell, the stern and commanding Jack Frost, and the mysterious, alluring fox-woman Kitsune. I also enjoyed the arrogant Gong Gong, Black Dragon of Storms and wished he had been in the book more. Anyway, hopefully, Oliver will become more fleshed out as the series goes on. But, honestly, there were moments in the book where I found him annoying.
I didn't recognize half of the mythological creatures Golden unleashes on the reader. He cheekily mines the folklores of various countries to present here a cohesive magical universe co-habitated by fairy tale denizens, from Red Caps and Sandmen, to mazikeens and demons and gods of the Harvest. I mean, how many of the following legends are you familiar with? La Dormette, Jenny Greenteeth, the Kornboche, Johnny Appleseed, the Kirata...the list goes on, and I expect Golden to only add more to it with the advent of the two sequels.
Yet another cool thing about The Myth Hunters is that the passages dedicated to mere mortals Detective Halliwell and Julianna Whitney are as involving as Oliver's wondrous odyssey in the Two Kingdoms (which, by the way, is roughly aligned with our geography). But the more staid goings-on involving Halliwell are probably so engrossing because the no-nonsense, middle-aged cop is such a sympathetic character. Christopher Golden nicely paces Ted Halliwell's storyline, making sure that the detective only gradually comes to realize that the baffling case he's trying to solve doesn't have a mundane solution, that the solution, in fact, resides in the fantastic. As for the action-fantasy fanatics, no worries. There are enough intense, frenetic magical confrontations scattered thru the length of this book that the reader is never quite left with enough time to be bored (some of the sequences describing Oliver and his group's sneakings and skulkings about were somewhat pedestrian). The frenzied melee at the finale serves to punctuate the drive of the story and whets the appetite for the next book installment in this planned trilogy. So, c'mon, month of March, get here already! (That's when book 2, TheBorderkind, comes out, you see.)
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Go Beyond the Veil with Christopher Golden, February 23, 2006
This review is from: The Myth Hunters (The Veil, Book 1) (Paperback)
Oliver Bascombe lives a normal life. He has caring sister, a domineering father and he is supposed to be getting married tomorrow. All of that changes when an old man claiming to be the spirit of Winter itself comes calling on Oliver to get him back across the Veil and a away from the Thing hunting him down.
THE MYTH HUNTERS is the first book of a new dark fantasy trilogy The Veil by award winning horror author Christopher Golden.
When referring to H.P. Lovecraft, Neil Gaiman has said that "Fantasy and Horror are linked...twin cities separated by a dark river." He went on to describe Lovecraft as beginning as a dark alley way that grew into a major four-lane highway. To continue the metaphor, Christopher Golden's THE MYTH HUNTERS is a dark path through the woods that both cities share. It is dark, twisting with half remembered tales and warnings from our childhood. There are creatures there, beautiful, fantastic and very deadly.
In this new dark fantasy with a twist, Golden hones his finely tuned horror-craft on a fantastical world where the myths of our childhood are real, but darker than we have ever imagined. It is "Thomas Covenant" meets "The Tales of the Brothers Grimm", the original versions. Golden has mixed horror and fantasy before with tremendous success in GHOSTS OF ALBION. MYTH HUNTERS is the other side of the coin. While GHOSTS was horror with a fantastical twist, MYTH HUNTERS is fantasy tinged with horror. The result of this chilling alchemy is an extremely satisfying read and tale that immediately pulls you in.
Like Oliver, we get pulled into a fantastic landscape where things are oddly familiar, yet far more dangerous. The result is equal parts enjoyment of the tale itself and enjoyment of seeing how familiar myths fare under Golden's craft. Golden gives us carefully measured doses of this new world. Again, like Oliver, we have learn on the run, and the effect is perfect.
Unlike other "Stranger in a Strange Land" tales, we also get to see the fallout of Oliver's disappearance. The actions of his sister, his fiancé, and the police detective charged with finding him and finding the answer to the grisly murders left in his wake. This part of the book was equally enjoyable and followed more conventional horror fare; which I believe is the point. Golden contrasts and compares the two worlds with a variety of parallels that are both subtle and rewarding. Are they two worlds that are the same and have grown apart or are they two worlds that different but linked? We the reader see them sooner than Oliver, but only because we have a foot in both worlds, or both "cities" as the case may be.
My biggest gripe about this book is I now have to wait for book two!
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Love a Good Myth, February 28, 2006
This review is from: The Myth Hunters (The Veil, Book 1) (Paperback)
Oliver Bascombe has already become a lawyer because that is what his father wanted. Now, he is about to get married to a woman that his father approves of, and though he loves her, he is having second thoughts. The night before his wedding, Oliver finds himself watching the blizzard outside when Jack Frost himself blows in and asks for help.
Before he knows it, Oliver is taken behind The Veil and into another reality where characters from myths of long ago live -- and die. Oliver must embrace this new world and conquer his old fears and new foes.
The Myth Hunters is urban fantasy defined: detailed, engrossing, twisting the myths of yesteryear with contemporary characters. This fast-paced novel, the first in a promised trilogy, is quite the page turner. Readers will root for Oliver and be intrigued by the multitude of characters, the vivid imagery, and the storylines taking place on both sides of The Veil.
Christopher Golden, as always, is an amazing author. I cannot recommend his works highly enough. Fans of Charles deLint and Neil Gaiman (especially American Gods) must read this book -- then check out his previous books, if they haven't already!
Join Oliver on this magical, mythical journey. You won't be disappointed.
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