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Staying Dead (Retrievers, Book 1) [Paperback]

Laura Anne Gilman (Author)
3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)


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Book Description

August 1, 2004

Manhattan's night life just got weirder...

It starts as a simple job--but simple jobs, when you're dealing with the magical world, often end up anything but.

As a Retriever, Wren Valere specializes in finding things gone missing--and then bringing them back, no questions asked. Normally her job is stimulating, challenging and only a little bit dangerous. But every once in a while...

Case in point: A cornerstone containing a spell is stolen and there's a magical complication. (Isn't there always?) Wren's unique abilities aren't enough to lay this particular case to rest, so she turns to some friends: a demon (minor), a mage who has lost his mind, and a few others, including Sergei, her business partner (and maybe a bit more?).

Sometimes what a woman has to do to get the job done is enough to give even Wren nightmares....

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Do you believe in magic? You will when Gilman's done with you." -- Edgar Award-winning author Dana Stabenow --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

About the Author

Laura Anne Gilman is the author of the Cosa Nostradamus books for Luna (the “Retrievers” and “Paranormal Scene Investigations” series), a YA trilogy for HarperCollins, and numerous works of short fiction. She also writes paranormal romances for Nocturne as Anna Leonard, and her e-book novella Dreamcatcher was released in August 2008.  A former executive editor at NAL, Laura Anne is an amateur chef, oenophile, and cat-servant.  She lives in New York City, where she also runs d.y.m.k. productions.  --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Luna (August 1, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0373802099
  • ISBN-13: 978-0373802098
  • Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,174,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

51 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (15)
3 star:
 (10)
2 star:
 (7)
1 star:
 (10)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.1 out of 5 stars (51 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

139 of 154 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful romantic fantasy, July 28, 2004
This review is from: Staying Dead (Retrievers, Book 1) (Paperback)
In a world in which most people believe that magic doesn't exist, there remains a sub-culture of Talent thriving. These folks use their powers in a way that keeps them hidden from the unbelievers. Wren Valere is a Retriever, a talent who locates things that have been missing for people who do not want the police involved. She returns the missing object to its owner for a fee negotiated by her partner and agent Sergei Didier. Both Sergei and Wren are loners who make a very good team professionally and personally even though neither wants to admit their feelings for one another.

A cornerstone with a spell of protection has been stolen from the Fronts building and the owner wants to get it back. Wren and Sergei intend to retrieve it from the collector who hired a rogue mage to steal the spell. Before they can accomplish the deed, they also must deal with a ghost that was freed when the spell was stolen. If Sergei and Wren want to collect their fee, they have to stop the runaway spirit, who is intent on revenge

Fans of Laurell K. Hamilton, Tanya Huff and Mercedes Lackey are going to love STAYING DEAD, a romantic fantasy that stirs the senses and creates a story that is both fulfilling and magical (no pun intended). Laura Anne Gilman makes the reader believe that magic exists and creatures of myth and legend inhabit the earth. It will be very hard to wait for the next Retriever's novel coming in the summer of 2005 because Laura Anne Gilman has cast quite a spell on readers.

Harriet Klausner
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118 of 134 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Just Fabulous, October 31, 2004
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This review is from: Staying Dead (Retrievers, Book 1) (Paperback)
I bought this book after seeing the author speak at Worldcon in Boston. She and her partner in self promotion, Keith DeCandido, had a pretty amusing schtick going, so I figured I'd buy both their books.

Gilman has written a great book here. I actually didn't like the opening few pages and darn near put it down -- but I was reading it on a plane, so I soldiered on. I'm glad I did. Within a few more pages I was hooked, and it really gathered steam as it went. Wonderfully developed lead characters, with well done romantic subplot (a feature that rarely interests me in a book). I think what I like best about it is that it offers a fully formed vision of an alternate New York where magic works and demons wander the streets, complete with prejudice, fanaticism, greed, foolishness and all those other human traits. Promises to be the start of a series, so more good stuff to come.
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41 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Meh...It's alright..., March 11, 2005
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This review is from: Staying Dead (Retrievers, Book 1) (Paperback)
The main beef other reviewers had with his book is that it didn't focus enough on the romantic relationship between the main characters. In my opinion the minimalist approach on the romance subplot was the best thing going for this book.

I REALLY dislike science fiction/fantasy books that have 90% of the book talking about the romantic relationship and 10% about the actual plot. If I wanted romance I'd read Harlequin, and since this book is in the SciFi/Fantasy section, I expect to get something along the lines of Sci/Fi Fantasy.

My real problem with this book, is the writing style. The author tends to start at the end of a scene and work backwards. Once or twice I didn't mind, but for EVERY SINGLE SCENE?! That's a little much. BAsically, in one chapter Wren would be trying to figure out what's going on and then in the next scene she's taking a course of action and while she's on this course she's leaving snippets of information on how she came to this conclusion. I'm not explaining it very well, but it made the story choppy and slow. I just found it made the story go 1 step forward and then 2 steps back.

The storyline was interesting, magic security block is stolen and it turns out that there is much more to this stone than Wren originally thought. Which is cool. I wish I could've learned a little more about what made Wren tick. I didn't feel like I truly got to know her in this book. I found Sergei a lot more interesting and I'm curious to see how his past will affect his new, "upstanding" life. But I don't know if I'm curious enough to buy the next book.

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