The Iron Hunt (Hunter Kiss, Book 1)

"Silver smoke winds around my torso, peeling away from my ribs and back, stealing the dark mist covering my hands and lower extremities...tattos dissolving into demon flesh, coalescing into small dark bodies. My boys. The only friends I have in this world. Demons. "I am a demon hunter. I am a demon. I am Hunter Kiss." These are the words on the back of the book to intrigue a potential reader into buying and reading. Plus, look at the cover illustration--the woman covered in tattos. Doubly intriguing. I bought the book and here I am reviewing this supernatural thriller or urban fantasy. Take your pick. I am not particularly a fantasy fan, but when Maxine Kiss's tattos came to life and slithered off her body into their unique demon forms, I was totally mesmerized. Such imagination hooks me every time. Several reviewers wrote about the confusing elements of the story. Indeed, things seems to be left out or unexplained, but I figured there must be sequels to carry forth. This first volume in the Hunter Kiss series is all about Maxine, the last Hunter. When the story begins she has already done major battle, but this story is about Maxine's developing powers. Long ago, demons were locked in this prison away from humans, but the veil is coming up and demons are escaping. It is a hunter's job to kill them. Marjorie M. Liu, the writer, is a wonderful craftswoman of style and use of language. When Maxine's lover moves a stack on books on Mesopotamia, Liu is inserting a basic piece of information. The great epic about Gilgamesh plucking an eternal life-giving plant after an impossibly long swim references Maxine's equally long swim and gaining of the eternal ring so important to later events. Like Gilgamesh she "loses" it as well. The only reference to this ancient story is that stack of books. The reader must be well-read enough to know the story. I like that. Some reviewers found the story confusing, as did I, but I liked that mix of story elements that didn't quite make sense. Oturu is a horrible demon with knives for feet, but he is also a friend and keeper of the ring. Maxine herself is a demon and demon hunter. No one is ever what they seem in this story which references real life. Are we ever really what we seem? The demons who live in her tattos keep life-threatening secrets from Maxine, but their job is to protect her. Contradictions. The second most interesting character is Grant, a human--is he?--Maxine's lover, who can alter a being's personality and life flow by the music from his flute. We never learn why he limps. I was fully engaged in this novel from beginning to end. At the conclusion, I thought how well-ended this is. It was satisfying as a book unto itself, or as an introduction to a whole series. Thank goodness there will be a Book 2. Can't wait!

Probably 4.5 stars rather than a full five. The author's ambitious use of heroic archetypes make this one roller coaster of a ride through various eras and cultures. If you don't like references to Sumarian demi-gods, complex plots and chthonic journeys to rebirth, then this may not be the book for you. However it is not necessary to appreciate all of the nuances to enjoy the adventure. Without going into too much detail, Maxine Kiss is the latest of a long line of female Hunters. As a child she was tested by ritual agreement and alarmed the demons who tested her. They in fact suggested that her mother "kill this one" and have another daughter as a replacement. Maxine's mother, who was at that time the Hunter did not think this was a good idea-- even though Maxine's maturation would pretty much garantee her death. The book is loaded with references to the Labyrinth, Enkidu (the Tracker-- check out the Sumerian story of Gilgamesh for this one), promises and bargains made to and by demons. I enjoy trying to put puzzles like this together. Recommended for people who also enjoy the obscure corners of Urban fantasy.

If you are looking for a soppy supernatural romance with a bitchy heroine and a alpha male love interest don't get this book! You, like some of the other reviewers, will be dissapointed. I've read all of M. Liu's books and have always found her prose beautiful. This one took my breath away. I read it in one sitting. Unlike her other books, which bordered on romance, this one strays much more into the horror arena. The first person viewpoint is intense and startling. It's IS a little confusing, but it's meant to be. The reader must put the pieces together just like the heroine does. And this is no swooning heroine. She's not looking for a prince charming. She's got the world on her shoulders and demons at her back and she knows she'll win simply because she must. The description of the demons and other supernatural characters are guttural and poetic. Think more Dante's Inferno than Anita Blake. If you're tired of bland prose and want something more etheral, more guttural. If you're tired of flighty heroines whose only determined quest is to sleep around. And if you're tired of heros who are full of the same annoying, macho blandness then you will like this book. Be aware though... it's more epic poem than bodice ripper. And that's a really good thing!

Long ago demons walked the earth killing anything foolishly that got in their way. The humans exploded on the planet leading to war over which species would dominate the orb; mankind won and established a prison of sorts to keep the demons away forever. Over time the Great War has been forgotten lost in the myths until one last demon hunter Maxine Kiss remains. The veil has weakened and been breached with those demons who have come home by using a human as a zombie-host. Maxine wears tattoos of demons as armor in daylight; at night they leave her to become separate alive entities; they are her family until she births the next generation female who will inherit them while Maxine dies just like her mother did. One day, Maxine feels something different has made it through the veil. Not a zombie demon, but Ahsen wears the shape of Maxine the child. Stunned the last protector learns she is an Avatar capable of destroying the world as Maxine knows it. Readers who love urban fantasies like those of Charlaine Harris or Kim Harrison will relish Marjorie M. Liu's excellent adventure. The protagonist is an interesting character who has always been lonely as her companions ironically are demons. She courageously accepts her fate to protect humanity but never be part of humanity and to always be alone until her death when her yet to be conceived daughter replaces her. However she finds herself for the first time fascinated with a male, but she also knows that theirs is relationship doomed to heartache. This is the superb start of a dynamic looking saga. Harriet Klausner