The Good, the Bad, and the Undead

Rachel Morgan returns in the series as eager as ever to bring Trent Kalamack down while she makes small runs on the side (hey, a witch has got to eat!). When a string of witches are murdered for reasons unknown, human cop-shop calls her in as a "consultant"... as if she was ever one to stand around and give advice without doing it herself. This second book in the series is even better than the first. With the I.S. off her back, she doesn't have to worry (much) about booby-trapped charms and interlander feds out to kill her, now she can concentrate on more important things, like saving her soul from demons, keeping her blood from vampires and preventing a witch-killer from slaying anybody else. She has her work cut out for her. "Dead Witch Walking" and "The Good, the Bad and the Undead" are a fresh read to smart-aleck bad-guy hunters. Where Hamilton takes Anita seriously and makes her scarier than she's supposed to be, Harrison has made Rachel way more accessible; a lot less perfect. Rachel Morgan is good at her job, except when she's being clumsy, or when she's jumping to conclusions, or bumbling by selling her soul to a demon... not to mention her un-hunky, geek of a boyfriend who's addicted to demon summoning. Did I mention that Rachel dresses a tad like a slut? Oh, and she wears stinky perfume to ward off her vampire partner-housemate who "vants to suck her blood" because really, as a vamp living with a witch, it's the proper thing to do. But what really sucks is when Rachel does a "run" or a job and she doesn't get paid for it. Apparently, that happens a lot with her. Hilarious, but creepy. Serious but irreverent. And unlike most bloodthirsty slayers, Rachel is sort of a monster-cop more intent on arresting them than staking them through the heart, but she does that anyway, but more out of self-defense. Honest! And by the way, she's still broke. The plot is straightforward, realistic. Not too many twists, but the simplicity of it raises questions that keep it interesting. I didn't expect to enjoy this series so much, but wow, I'm totally tagged. I give this book five stars.

The Good, the Bad, and the Undead is Kim Harrison's wonderfully funny follow-up to Dead Witch Walking staring our favorite witch Rachel Morgan. Rachel is once again upto hear neck and sinking fast, as the dead lay-line witches start to pile up. Rachel thinks City Counselman Trent is once again up to no good and this time he's killing off witches, sooner or later its going to be her turn. Ivy Rachel's roomate and potential vampire master has her own problem. The sire of her line wants her to make sure she's got a handle on Rachel, either that or he'll do it for her. But Rachel's luck seems to be holding...to bad-to-worse as usual. Something has felt her playing with the Lay-lines and would like very much to own her body and soul. Once again Ms. Harrison takes us back to the Hallows situated in Cincinnati, OH here the paranormal freely mixes with humanity, its going to be a hot, deadly night in town tonight. Take it from me if you like Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Series, Laurell K. Hammiltons Anita Blade series or MaryJanice Davidson's Undead and Un..... series. This is another wonderfully vampire/paranormal series you definately do not wanta miss!!!

I accidentally came across The Good, the Bad and the Undead and right away it hooked me on the series (after I read this I immediately bought Kim Harrison's first book, Dead Witch Walking). Innovative, interesting, a new twist on the paranormal -- I found it was well written (especially in terms of the originality of the story -- though it could have used some more editing), definitely superior to recent works by Laurell K. Hamilton and MaryJanice Davidson. Harrison doesn't just write about the usual mix of werewolves and vamps -- characters in this series also include witches, demons, pixies, elves, fairies (even leprechauns) and the like. I particularly enjoyed the mix of action and witchcraft as well as the dry and witty protagonist, the witch and detective Rachel Mariana Morgan. She happens to live in the Hollows (Cincinnati's supernatural hub) in a church that she shares with a vampire, she's partners with a pixy and the familiar of a very crafty demon (the series is almost worth reading for the demon alone, talk about diabolical!). Rachel faces everyday problems (working cases, paying rent, dealing with her boyfriend) as well as the unnatural (how do you deal with a demon without getting killed?). Though some of this may sound like other vamp/supernatural books, it's actually very inventive (esp. the emphasis on witchery -- white as well as black ). I'd have to say that I haven't truly read or enjoyed any recent work of supernatural fantasy as much as this book and its predecessor. Harrison is a unique author and I recommend this book to everyone who is interested in this genre...

The Good, the Bad, and the Undead is Kim Harrison's follow-up to Dead Witch Walking. The world of this duo is a future Cincinnati which has survived a genetically engineered tomato plague that has exposed `supernaturals' to the world. The supernaturals have staked out a community called the Hallows. To humans, the Hollows is like Vegas or New Orleans during Mardi Gras - a definite walk on the wild side and tourist trap. Rachel is back with a vengeance along with Jenks, her pixie sidekick, and Ivy, the living vamp. The story begins about a month after the conclusion of Dead Witch Walking. Rachel is still struggling to earn her half of expenses at the church with Ivy. Rachel's new association with FIB - the Federal Inderlander Bureau, police force for humans, finally pans out. On the surface the case appears simple - Sara Jane's warlock boyfriend has disappeared. Normally IS, police force for supernaturals, would handle the case, but they have a 72 hour waiting period. Rachel jumps at the chance to be involved for the money and Sara Jane is Trent Kalamack's secretary. As normal, nothing is as it seems. Dan, Sara Jane's boyfriend, may be one in a string of grisly murders of ley line witches. Ley line witches tap into the Ever-After using ley lines for their power. Rachel is at a disadvantage as she failed the ley line witch class she took in college. She is also very leery of the Ever-After due to the demon attack in Dead Witch Walking and the death of her father. Rachel finds many links to Trent, but is unable to find hard proof to satisfy Detective Edden of the FIB. The Hallows is the incredible world created by Kim Harrison. The alternate world of the Ever-After with a demon city is very interesting. Rachel finally takes us to Pizza Piscary and we get to meet the master vampire Piscary himself. Kist and his motorcycle are back to torment Rachel. During the course of the novel, we finally get a much clearer picture of what Trent Kalamack is and what his motives are. The Good, the Bad, and the Undead far exceeded my expectations after Dead Witch Walking. The storyline branches out in many directions that are unexpected and thrilling to read. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride and am anxiously awaiting the third installment, Every Which Way But Dead due out in July of 2005. Kim Harrison describes herself as born in the Midwest. She has been called a witch, among other things, but has never seen a vampire (that she knows of). She loves graveyards and midnight jazz, and wears too much black. Please be sure to visit her website at: http://www.kimharrison.net/

Wow! I thought Dead Witch Walking was excellent, but GB & U knocked my socks off. The events of this book take place a scant few months after DWW, so there is a high degree of continuity to the story line. Several of my niggling questions left unanswered in DWW were resolved nicely. We find out who called up that nasty demon and why. And I was happy to learn that my suspicions about Trent's species were correct. The relationships and interactions between the growing cast of characters are more complex and interwoven than in the first installment, and Rachel learns that there are so many more shades of gray than she'd like to think about. The mystery is solid and intelligent. The urban fantasy elements are richly textured. Rachel is impetuous and prone to jumping to conclusions (sometimes correctly, sometimes not), but she's still young and those flaws make her character more believable. All in all, I give this book my highest recommendation, and I can't wait until the third in the series, Every Which Way But Dead, comes out this summer.