by Terrance Mc Arthur
Details at the end of this review on how to enter to win a copy of The Witch with No Name, along with a link to purchase the book where a portion goes to help support KRL.
Ten years ago, Kim Harrison introduced her Rachel Morgan urban fantasy series with Dead Witch Walking, the title being a nod to the film works of Clint Eastwood. Now, she brings the 13-volume (plus short stories, a guide to the series, and graphic novels) saga to an end with The Witch with No Name, a riff on the character Eastwood played in his spaghetti Westerns.
Rachel has been a bounty hunter, a witch, and a day-walking demon. She loves a once-powerful elf (consorting with a demon is frowned upon in Elven circles) who once kept her caged in the form of a ferret (Is there an element of Stockholm Syndrome here?). A master-vampire wants her to find his soul in the ever-after and reunite them. An elf with power issues is making promises that he knows have ramifications that would harm all the supernaturals, except the elves. Demons won’t help her because they consider her a traitor for loving an elf (consorting with an elf is frowned upon in demon circles). A Goddess wants to kill Rachel on sight because some out-of-reality mystics (often manifesting as eyes with feathers) like Rachel better.
In other reviews, I have often told potential readers that picking up that series in midstream is okay because it’s easy to get up to speed. Here, I would recommend going back, because you face a dozen books worth of back-story and world-building. It can be done, but it’s like going over Niagara Falls in an inflatable wading pool. If you have followed Rachel’s trials and triumphs for a long time, this grand finale will be a joy as you see everything come to a satisfying conclusion, with the characters you love getting… and the characters you hate losing.
Harrison is confident in moving around her demons, elves, vampires, pixies, gargoyles, assorted creatures, and humans, putting them into jeopardy and working them out of it. Her creations swear inventively, and the snarkiness doesn’t have a sameness, as each voice has its own vocabulary, cadences, and favorite style of insult humor.
To enter to win a copy of The Witch with No Name, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Witch,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen November 15, 2014. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address.
Check out more fantasy book reviews in our fantasy and fangs section.
Use this link to purchase this book & a portion goes to help support KRL:
This is a charming series, well-beloved by other paranormal authors such as Charlaine Harris. I’ve been reading since the beginning, and seldom does Harrison strikes a wrong note – a real rarity in such an extended series. Definitely start at the beginning with this series – the in-jokes are one of the best parts!
We have a winner
Lorie Ham, KRL Publisher