Pimping my favorite things

Ilona Andrews’ newest book, Magic Strikes, will be released on the 31st and I would be derelict in my self-assumed duty to educate the masses on awesomeness if I didn’t post about it. Because Ilona is probably my favorite new author of the year. Her first two books, Magic Bites and Magic Burns, have been out for sometime now, and despite the unfortunate titles, the series is the best new fiction you are likely to find for the next two years.

Yeah, the cover art is pretty deplorable. But if you wisely choose to ignore the cover and the title, and actually read the books… Let’s put it this way, I defy you to find another series that is as imaginative, witty, and badass.

The Magic series is categorized as urban fantasy, or romantic fantasy… whatever. Sure, there’s magic. And yes, there is flirtation. But it is not these things that leave you drooling for more: its the characters, and rightly so. The fact that its set in a post-apocalyptic Atlanta is pretty much incidental to Kate Daniels, the heroine, who is not only admirable for her moral code and her stress-managment skills, but also for her ability to laugh at herself, and make you laugh right along with her.

When I first picked up the series, I expected nothing more than a rehash of the bad-ass-chick-fights-evil-vampires-with-magic-and-knives trope that Anita Blake and Buffy spearheaded. I essentially expected the all too common fantasy chick lit stuff (girl is continuously seduced by hot vampire/werewolf, and though she wants to maintain her independence she eventually succombs to a couple of paragraphs of badly written sex that makes one wince, and then kills the bad guy by stragically stabbing him both with knives and sarcasm): a fun romp that would be entertaining, but ultimately easily digested and subsequently forgotten. What I got instead was intricate and complex characterization with (thank god!) original plots twists that take you to places you wouldn’t even expect to imagine, all in a fantasically rich world. That Kate Daniels also manages to kick evil ass with magic and knives is just the cherry on top, or rather its the cookie crumble part of oreo ice cream, because I hate cherries, and the way Kate manages to kick ass while still feeling like a real person (she WORKS for a living, dammit) is much more like a satisfying crunch than some gooshy fruit.

The only thing I didn’t like about these books was that they’re too short. Oh and that the main character’s name is Kate – its just disconcerting.

Anyway, read ‘em.