Gale Force | ||||||||
Rachel Caine | ||||||||
Roc, 320 pages | ||||||||
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A review by Michael M Jones
Joanne and David, determined to go through with their union -- an unprecedented event in its own right -- soon find themselves
battling trouble on multiple fronts, and it's rapidly clear that what they're facing could be catastrophic, if left
unchecked. Once again, someone's got to save the world, and once again, it's up to Joanne to figure out how to pull off the
wedding of the millennium, including finding a dress, even as she avoids the inevitable attempts upon her
life. Unfortunately, it looks as though the secrecy of the Weather Wardens may be a thing of the past, with reporters
sniffing around the edges and the multi-faction conflict heating up. To save the day, Joanne and her allies will have
to do the unexpected, but can they survive the repercussions? Nothing will ever be the same after this
wedding... assuming Joanne and David ever get to say "I do."
Gale Force is the seventh book in the Weather Wardens series, and Rachel Caine is still going strong,
throwing one curveball after another as she continues to shake up the status quo. She successfully maintains a sense
of impending doom and escalating tension as the stakes get ever-higher. As always, I'm impressed with the way she's
unafraid to make significant, sweeping changes in her world and characters for the sake of story, with such changes
coming about organically through cause and effect. It makes perfect sense for things to go as they do, with lasting
consequences (I really do hope that she won't find a way to hit a reset button later on) and interesting developments all around.
Joanne Baldwin continues to be an enjoyable protagonist, practical and determined, resourceful and savvy, and always
adaptable. It's easy to see her as a world-saving heroine, if only because she needs somewhere to keep her shoes and
car... which isn't to say she's shallow, just that she has priorities, and priorities. I'd want her on my side
any day. Of course, if there's ever a spin-off of this series, I hope it stars Cherise, her best friend, a former
weather girl who hides a quirky intelligence behind a beach bunny kind of beauty. I suspect Cherise could definitely
carry a story on her own merit, with or without her boyfriend, the ever-sullen Kevin to back her up.
I really like this series, because it's urban fantasy that steers far clear of the usual vampires, werewolves, witches,
and so forth, telling something exciting and original and ever-changing in the process. In particular, Caine is a whiz
at using the weather as a character in its own right, describing it quite adeptly and letting it breathe. When she says
that lightning is angry, I can believe it.
I thought Thin Air, the sixth in the series, was one of the weaker offerings, in part due to the main character's
amnesia throughout much of the story. Gale Force, however, is definitely a return to the series' strengths, and I
thoroughly enjoyed it. I wouldn't recommend it to newcomers, just because there's so much back-story at this point, and
one of the major revelations in this book hinges upon things set up way back in the first book, Ill Wind. However,
as the newest installment of an excellent urban fantasy series, it's bound to please existing fans. I can hardly wait
to see where Rachel Caine takes this story in the next book.
Michael M Jones enjoys an addiction to books, for which he's glad there is no cure. He lives with his very patient wife (who doesn't complain about books taking over the house... much), eight cats, and a large plaster penguin that once tasted blood and enjoyed it. A prophecy states that when Michael finishes reading everything on his list, he'll finally die. He aims to be immortal. |
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