Stray Souls (Magicals Anonymous) [Paperback]

Kate Griffin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 2012 | Series: Magicals Anonymous (Book 5)

LONDON'S SOUL IS MISSING.

When Sharon Li unexpectedly discovers she's a shaman, it's not a moment too soon: London's soul is lost. Using her newfound oneness with the City, she sets about saving London from inevitable demise, but the problem is she has no clue where to start. Meanwhile, a mysterious gate has opened, and there are creatures loose that won't wait for her to catch up before they go out hunting. Now Sharon and her motley crew of magical misfits must find a way to save the world...

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Kate Griffin flawlessly balances horror and humor to... pull off a funny yet frightening read about the supernatural-induced demise of London... both unique and addictive." (SciFi Now)

Praise for the Matthew Swift series:

"London's magic has seldom if ever been brought to life so electrifyingly and convincingly." --- Mike Carey

"I'm fully convinced that Kate Griffin is a literary sorceress. She weaves the most intricate spells with clever, artful, snarky, luxurious prose, characters who are both painfully human and gloriously badass, and settings so magical you forget they're real places. When I get my hands on a new Kate Griffin book I put down everything else. She's just that good." --- N.K. Jemisin

"Griffin's novel mixes fantasy and reality into a plot that brings to mind Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere." --- RT Book Reviews

"Griffin's lush prose and chatty dialogue...create a wonderful ambiance." --- Publishers Weekly

"I love a lot of things about this book....the narration has meat and vitality, and it sings. Griffin's updating of magic is simply brilliant." --- Charles de Lint

"You need to read this series. Hands down." --- BSCReview.com

"Quite possibly the best urban fantasy novel I had ever read." --- Robwillreview.com

About the Author

Kate Griffin is the name under which Carnegie Medal-nominated author Catherine Webb writes fantasy novels for adults. An acclaimed author of young adult books under her own name, Catherine's amazing debut, Mirror Dreams, was written when she was only 14 years old, and garnered comparisons with Terry Pratchett and Philip Pullman. She read History at the London School of Economics, and studied at RADA. Find out more about the author at www.kategriffin.net.

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Orbit; 1 edition (October 30, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316187267
• ISBN-13: 978-0316187268
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 1.5 x 8.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #94,309 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars More British Comedy Troupe than Urban Fantasy December 2, 2012

By J. Markovic

Format:Paperback

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy

Defining your identity can be hard enough for any person, without magical "extras" making you feel all the more isolated and alone. Kate Griffin puts the epic and the mundane side by side in STRAY SOULS. As Sharon's support group bumbles through their neurosis in a crumbling city, a terrible magic is killing those around them.

Unfortunately, it was just this snapshot writing style that made it hard for me to get into STRAY SOULS. 100 pages in, Sharon was still a cypher and I resented only getting spare glimpses of the Midnight Mayor and his fight against the Dog. Sharon is a modern hero, armed with self-help books and Google, but I was more than ready for her to grow out of "overly earnest support group leader" into "kickass shaman" by the time she actually started driving the story.

I had to adjust my expectation from "Urban Fantasy" to "Hapless British Comedy with Magic" before I could enjoy this book. STRAY SOULS is a story of misfits, complete with point of view "confessionals" from supporting characters. I loved the dotty, powerful characters immediately, Dr. Seah ("...drugs are cool - I mean, like medicinal drugs - they're awesome."), Sammy the Elbow, and Matthew Swift. The neurotic members of Sharon's support group took a lot longer for me to warm up to. As Sharon's patience grows thin and her temper flares, however, I enjoyed her more and more. But even as the characters started to win me over, I still found myself skimming past most of the social commentary and therapy jargon.

This is a book that I liked despite itself.... The narrative style didn't click for me until about halfway through, and Sharon's self-help schtick never quick clicked, but almost against my will I found myself laughing along with Griffin's relentless humor. Where I had to be won over page by page, readers who like a little silliness in their urban fantasy will love this mix of danger and humor unreservedly.

Sexual Content: None. Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Five-star progression on the Midnight Mayor landscape November 30, 2012

By Patrick R. L. Henry

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Stray Souls is a brilliant progression on the Midnight Mayor landscape. While it can be enjoyed as a standalone, I would advise that readers will be denying themselves full enjoyment if they haven't read the predecessor Midnight Mayor escapades.

It is a riveting, funny, wonderfully-written romp that enhances Kate (Catherine Webb) Griffin's already enviable reputation for creating new, imaginative and thoroughly enjoyable excursions in urban fantasy.

Five stars for sure and I'll be standing in line for the Sharon Li's next jaunt.

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcome back to the Midnight Mayor's London! May 10, 2013

By Stephen M. Morris

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am so happy to find more about the magical underbelly of the London that Matthew Swift revealed to us. This exploration of the city from the viewpoint of other magical outsiders, as Matthew himself once was, is a great read!

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding book May 3, 2013

By Joseph Walsh

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a great book. I have enjoy all the books in this series. Kate Griffin is now without a doubt my favorite author. You should check out the Matthew Swift books as well. Time for a Movie (or three or four)!

4.0 out of 5 stars Fresh Start April 11, 2013

By Staci Beasley

Format:Paperback

You do not have to have read Kate Griffin's Matthew Swift series to get into Stray Souls. The lead character, Sharon, is well-established and her conflicts are compelling in their own right. The range of characters present an chaotic,lopsided vision of the modern magical realm. It is really good.

I loved Sharon's "deal with it as it comes" attitude. She is nervy and really funny. All of the supporting characters are given ample depth. The "groundwork" that Griffin lays to expedite the plot is rich and thorough. If you liked the Matthew Swift books, you will like Stray Souls. If you have not read the Matthew Swift books, then enjoy digging into Stray Souls and welcome to the universe.

4.0 out of 5 stars Missed Swift. March 25, 2013

By Elspeth

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book kind of makes me sad. I love the Matthew Swift novels, and it looks like these are taking over, which sucks. I want Swift back. I mean Griffin can do both, I will understand switching back and forth between series.
Please.
So in saying that, this is why I gave this book four stars. I liked it, but I didn't like it as much as the Matthew Swift series.
Sharon is not Swift.
Sharon (Hello Sharon) is a new age, walking self help book, which can be funny at times; did get a little wearing. I love her group Magical Anonymous, some more than others. I really loved Sally the art loving Banshee, Gretel the gourmet troll, and Kevin the OCD vampire with acute Mysophobia. These characters were fun, chock full of Griffins writing idiosyncrasies, her odd way of seeing things.
I also loved the running gags in this, Griffin is awesome with the running gags. I have been fond of them since The Great Muppet Caper (what color are their hand now), and there are two or three of them in this.
I also liked that you get another perspective on Swift, one where you are not in his head and you can see just how fallible he is. That he can't do everything, that he needs help sometimes, and that he is really not a people person.
I also liked the theory that every place has a soul, and that maybe the reason that no business can stay in business in certain buildings is because the soul is missing. We have a few buildings like that where I live, its a running joke to guess how long the new place is going to stay in business.
I digress, I really liked the melancholy ending with the big bad evil, the way Griffin made you think, and maybe feel just a little bit sad for him. Yes he was evil, but maybe there, just maybe there was a reason why.
Perhaps.
Just sayin'