Life and Limb

August 5, 2019
In this passable urban fantasy series opener, a biker and a cowboy learn that they’re “born of heavenly matter,” sealed by blood and bone, and charged with battling the forces of hell on behalf of heaven. Now Gabe Harlan and Remi McCue must learn to work together while battling ghosts, demons, monsters and worse. Luckily, they have the Morrigan as their armorer, an African volcano-singing Orisha as their ally, and their angel “Grandaddy” as their advisor. Even so, with all the forces of evil freshly manifest and gunning for them, the job has a steep—possibly fatal—learning curve. This initial installment is primarily setup and worldbuilding as the two heroes come to terms with their new powers and responsibilities and undergo numerous trials by fire. There’s a kitchen sink approach to the cast: “all those ghosties, ghoulies, things that go bump in the night are now very real,” and representatives from multiple cultural traditions make appearances. Roberson (Sword-Bound) takes a good-natured approach to the ambitious concept, but the leads feel like amiable strangers, and the narrative lacks tension. This feels like a television pilot: the potential is there, but Roberson hasn’t found her groove yet.

September 1, 2019
Two sort-of angels reluctantly join the fight against the forces of hell. Gabriel and Remi were raised separately with the same purpose in mind. Their Grandaddy, who wasn't really their grandfather by blood, promised them both they'd grow to become soldiers with "the fate of the world" on their shoulders. Still, when grown-up biker Gabe meets Remi for the first time and hears he's going to partner up with a cowboy, he's skeptical. And when Grandaddy tells the two of them they were "born of heavenly matter" and they've got to start killing demons disguised as werewolves, black dogs, and other mythical creatures, he's downright incredulous. All while learning to trust a man he doesn't know--a man who likes country music. To be fair, it is a lot to take on board, but Gabe takes a tediously long time to accept his new destiny. Gabe is a likable enough protagonist, and the world Roberson (Sword-Bound, 2013, etc.) has created is rich with colorful characters and exciting beasties. But Gabe and his partner have no clear goal of their own aside from the demon-killing charge they've reluctantly accepted, so they spend all their time reacting to events, sapping the plot of momentum. The book ends up feeling mostly like a setup for a supernatural mystery Gabe and Remi look set to tackle in the next volume of this planned series. A meandering plot weakens what could have been a fun yarn about heaven-sent ghost hunters.

COPYRIGHT(2019) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.