Customer Reviews

Unquiet Dreams (Connor Grey, Book 2)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm REALLY digging this series of urban fantasy novels. The characters keep getting more real, and delFranco's writing is great. Very reminiscent of Kim Harrison's novels, but with less angst and annoying soap-opera relationship drama. "Unquiet Dreams" has just the right blend of action and intrigue, a touch of romance, and the perfect dose of humor.

There are some pitfalls if some of the plotlines don't get a lot more development in the next novel: it's past time we learn more about the "dark space" in the protagonist's head, and his accomplishments don't seem to be respected enough (for good and bad) by other characters. But those problems are very minor so far, and I have faith that they'll be dealt with in a creative and entertaining way-- delFranco is a great writer. That "dark space" surely means important things for our man Connor Gray.

I really didn't want this novel to end, and I can't wait for the next one!

The previous book was full of promise. What made it really exciting, was the huge-big-problem the hero had: he'd fallen from grace, had completely lost all his magical abilities, his standing in the fey world and still managed to avoid the world from collapsing. Sort of.

This book explores more of the world of Connor. Which, in itself, is pretty okay as it's quite a wonderful, imaginative universe. The adventure is interesting, the characters familiar and yet there are still new angles to expand a world-of-promise.

Right. What really, really, really is a pity that we're not progressing on what's wrong with Connor. Not an inch. We're hardly progressing on Connor coming to grips with his downfall. We learn though, that he has a brother. Who he doesn't get along with.

The main story-line is about Connor not letting go, digging deeper into a crime hardly anyone (but one of his few friends) is interested in. The puzzle falls together quite nicely and Connor (of course) ends up being the hero. But the character-tension that made the first book so strong... I've missed it.

Unquiet Dreams is the second book featuring Connor Grey, the Druid without abilities. The first book was Unshapely Things. I recommend reading Unshapely Things first because there are some themes and plot elements that are linked in the two books. Both books are set in an alternate Boston and take place mostly within a portion of town labeled as the Weird, where magicals and non-magicals mix and often clash.

Unquiet Dreams starts of quickly with the murder of a young human boy in the Tangle, the roughest part of the Weird. This investigation is cut short by the discovery of another body, that of Guild director, Alvud Kruge- elf of international importance. The investigation of these two murders lead Conner and his friends on a chase around the Weird and into some of the darker parts of it, including some gang and drug running activity.

Like the first book, this one is very well developed and kept my attention. The plot and characters are strong and coupled with humor. I am eagerly awaiting the next book by Mr. del Franco.

A young gang member's dead in a field in Boston's Weird, the place where all supernatural breaks loose. Hot on its heels, Connor Grey and Detective Murdock get word that Alvud Kruge is murdered as well.

Who did the deed? And are the two killings related?

The mystery's solid in this second story from Mark Del Franco's series based on supernatural Boston. My only wish is that we could have explored more about Connor's loss of powers and how to restore them. We did learn that Connor has a brother, Cal, who he's not on such good terms. Does his brother's jealousy somehow play into his loss of power?

Del Franco's strength is his characters and ability to describe them. He writes with humor and compassion. "Unquiet Dreams" is not the page-turner I'd expected after reading and loving "Unshapely Dreams" in one fell swoop, but it's still a strong entry into the urban fantasy genre.

Rebecca Kyle, June 2008

Connor Grey used to work for the Guild. But as a druid who has lost his powers he's not much use to them anymore. They still play their silly games and politicking. When Connor comes in to consult on the murder of a young gang-member in the Weird he has no idea what a twisted web of intrigue he is about to get sucked into. A turf war between elves and fairies is brewing not just in the boardroom but in the streets and everyone caught in the middle is suffering. Just because Connor doesn't have his druidic abilities anymore doesn't mean he can't stop the madness.

I shouldn't have read this book. I had a hard time with the first in the series. Mostly because the author, in my humble opinion, hadn't seperated his own voice from that of his character. It happens sometimes in the first book of a series and then the author gets stronger in the second. Thankfully that was the case. Connor seemed more real to me this time around and I was able to get drawn into the story this time. Del Franco is a good writer, he can set a scene and I like his dialog.

What doesn't work for me as a reader is the plots of his stories. They feel muddled and patched together. I like Connor and his supporting characters but both books have left me with no sense of where this is all going. Will Connor ever get his powers back? At first I thought that was what was the ultimate goal of the series but now I am not so sure. I don't think I can remain interested if each book is just another weak drug related mystery. There are better stories of this ilk being told by other writers.

For now, I'm done with this one. If you like a male protagonist in a great urban fantasy series I would suggest trying Nightlife (Cal Leandros, Book 1) or WebMage (Ravirn, Book 1) which I enjoyed more.

The author needs to get off his butt, over come his writers block, attend creative writing night classes, pray to his chosen deity for inspiration, or just do whatever he needs to do to ACTUALLY DEVELOP the main character into the Third Dimension.

My sadness over the lack of better character development aside, I loved this book. The characters are genuinely engaging, the plot moves along at a great pace, and the *world* he's developed is fantastic.

This series still hasn't reached it's full potential, but the future looks good, and it IS a fun read.

P.S> Dear Mark, please, please, please have him hook up with Murdock instead? Because his current 'love interest' rocks my socks, but their relationship is so forced/unbelievable as to cause me physical pain upon reading. He's got more chemistry with Murdock, and you've definitely given Murdock better character development and description.

P.P.S> Why does this world have Buffy too? I'd *like* to think that Joss Whedon is a universal constant, even in the face of drastic continuity-altering magical intersection, but the likelihood seems slim for the price of a cute in-joke.

I had some reservations about this series after reading Unshapely Things (Connor Grey, Book 1)(in particular the Fey politics) that made me unsure of whether I would continue the series. When I started Unquiet Dreams, I thought I'd stop here since those same issues are suddenly the focus of the plot. However, Del Franco is an excellent writer. I was pleasantly surprised that I got caught up in the story, and blown away by yet another superb ending.

Instead of roiling in the background, Fey politics take center stage. Connor is called in on the murder of a sixteen-year old human boy. The scene indicates he was dropped in the center of a field by something with wings. Meanwhile, across town, a high-ranking elf and guild director is brutally murdered. Connor is sure the cases are connected, but the Guild refuses consider it. The annoying jurisdictional fighting between police and Guild from book one is now a plot tool that will shake the Guild to its foundations. In another twist, Connor is summoned to the Guild Master and asked to investigate another guild director. He's knee-deep in political maneuvering, and being treated as nothing more than a lowly pawn. Pawn is right on the mark, as a careful game of chess quickly ensues and draws the reader in. The surface similarities of fey politics to today's world are still there, but we get a deeper look at the divisions between the Fey and within the Guild itself. Yet, Connor never forgets the dead boy who deserves justice. In addition to a clever plot, several character developments made for great reading.

I loved the budding romance between Connor and Meryl. In addition to spicing up the book with witty dialog and flirting, Connor also gains another ally. His relationship with Murdock is strengthening, and the powering of Murdock's essence after the final battle of book one is a great new twist to the character. What does it mean and could it answer questions about Connor's own disability? Joe has solidly taken on the role of side-kick, adding a lot of humor, without weakening the character and some new players are introduced. The ending was fantastic. All the threads came together cleanly; I love a good battle and Connor's sharp comments about the Fey being blinded by their own power and arrogance were right on. Pawn takes king. The ending hints that maybe Connor is finally getting some grudging respect from those he used to hobnob with, which is a welcome development.

Though the ending of book one was excellent, the story was resolved by temporarily giving Connor his powers back which I thought was a bit of a cop out. Here, Connor comes out on top through strength and intelligence, despite his lack of power. But, the aftermath leaves his world changed. This book was excellent, but one thing kept it from being five stars. I really want to see some progress on Connor's power block. It's getting old that no one understands it, but yet it figures prominently in the plot. Connor's learned how the other side lives, he's learned some humility - it's about time he got his power back to truly shake up the Fey. Highly recommended series.

I read Unquiet Dreams for the first time on my honeymoon...well...at least in the airport waiting for the plane, and it completely sucked me in. I was a fan of the first book Unshapely Things, but felt like there were a few things which didn't quite gel for me there. Happily I can report that Del Franco has really raised the bar this time around and I'm definitely gelling now!

In the Boston of Unquiet Dreams the faery world and the real world have crossed over, tangling with each other and bringing elves, fairies, flits and druids across. Trapped here they are making their way in the world and coming to terms with the human's which already think they run the show. Connor Grey is a druid with a problem. Some number of months ago his ability to control Essence, the magic of this world, was fried. He's gone from being the big dog on the block to a charity case getting by on disability payments, but for Connor that's not enough, and when elves and fairies alike are found dead...well...you can bet he's going to get involved.

I really like Connor. He's a fresh voice in a genre which is dominated by the female smart mouth. Not to say he isn't a smart mouth, but he's not the toughest on the block and knows it, so his network of friends and a quick mind are his greatest assets. The secondary characters work beautifully and I believe the relationships which are developed between secondary and main characters. It was fun to get a glimpse into Connor's family life and the romance he's hoping for with a woman who is definitely not average.

All in all I'd definitely recommend picking this one up.

~Jana

After reading both UNSHAPELY THINGS and now UNQUIET DREAMS, Mark Del Franco's books have now become one of my favorite urban fantasy series along with Jim Butcher's DRESDEN FILES. I can only hope that Connor Grey can have as long a shelf-life as Harry Dresden obviously does.

Connor is an ability-impaired Druid who lost his powers and then his job at the Fey Guild after an encounter with a hostile Elf left him near death. Deemed useless by his old employers, he now spends his spare time working as a Fey consultant on homicide cases with his friend, Detective Leonard Murdock. As a human cop working in "The Weird" Murdock often finds himself at a loss while investigating cases involving the Fey (elves, trolls, druids, fairies, flits, etc.), so Connor's help and support become invaluable to him.

While the mysteries surrounding the cases Connor helps Murdock with are interesting and intriguing, what I like most about these books are the characters themselves - starting with Connor. He is a man who's hit rock bottom and is forced to start over. He could easily have fallen into depression and apathy, but he hasn't. Instead he's decided to not only get on with his life, but to become a better person while doing it. Before his accident, Connor was a fairly shallow and self-centered man who didn't care about much beyond his own little world. Now he's expanding his horizons and reshaping himself, becoming more compassionate and aware. He's not fighting for justice just for the glory anymore, but because it's the right thing to do.

The supporting players are also well characterized: My favorite is Murdock. I love the dynamics of their relationship and how well it works despite their differing backgrounds and political affiliations. The two work well together professionally and have a good balance of strengths and weaknesses; Connor's wannabe girlfriend and fellow Druid(ess), Meryl, is quite a hoot and I like that she's not just the damsel in distress. In fact, I'm fairly certain that there is a LOT more going on with her than is readily apparent. She's definitely got some kind of hidden agenda going on; and last, but certainly not least, is Joe. He's a foot-long "Flit" (his real name is "Stinkwort") who's been a part of Connor's family since before Connor was born. Flits attach themselves to Fey families and Joe is both protective of, and helpful to, Connor in many ways. These are just the main players, however. There are many more in the world of The Weird who are just as entertaining.

This book series is a fun read and an enjoyable series. I highly recommend it.

(I want to add that I agree with an earlier review by "Wakey" in thinking it would be much more interesting - not to mention a refreshing change from the norm - if Connor were to hookup with Murdock instead of Meryl. Whether deliberate on the author's part or not, their were several things indicated in the books about their characters which easily suggested this might not be as remote a possibility as it may seem.)

Well, this book was "recommended by Amazon" based upon my purchases of the Dresden Files and Simon Green's NightSide series. However, I have found that "urban fantasy" too often means poorly written "Vampire Romance"*. Not here.

Not that there's not a touch of romance later on. Well done too.

But here we have the fey, the Sidthe, faeries, not vampires. And, it's a pretty darn good mystery too.

I like the characters and the setting. This second book is better than the first which is suprising in a series, but I have now read 3 of them and ordered the 4th.

* and hey, if you like that sort of thing, fine by me.