Nightlife (Roc Fantasy) [Mass Market Paperback]

Nightlife tells the story of two brothers. Cal - the younger brother who is half human / half 'monster' and Niko the older brother who will do whatever it takes to protect his sibling from the creatures that constantly pursue them.

The story is told by Cal the younger brother, who makes for a cynical protagonist, with an extremely cutting sense of humour. It's interesting how when the style of narration changes (Cal undergoes something of a transformation halfway through) that underlying humour is still there, albeit with a much nastier twist.

It does take a couple of chapters for the story to get going, but almost without realising it, you are slowly drawn into Cal and Niko's world. And once you are in there it becomes very hard to put the book down. Although the major focus of the story is the relationship between the two brothers and their struggle to survive, the world is populated with interesting and original secondary characters - Boggy, Georgina, Robin Goodfellow (yes, that Robin Goodfellow :) ), Promise and Abbagor. It's made very clear that these are creatures / people who all have their own agendas and problems to deal with and who don't necessarily have the welfare of the brothers at heart. It's refreshing not to have the good guys and the bad guys made completely obvious.

Because there is a major change in protagonist behaviour halfway through, this is a book of two halves. The change is very much a necessary part of the plot, but I did prefer the narration of the first half more, finding that because there was less interaction with other characters in the second half it did get slightly bogged down in exposition.

Having said that I recommend this book for anyone who's looking for something a little different in the Urban Fantasy line. (Definitely worth checking out if you like the Ukiah Oregon series by Wen Spencer.)

Moonshine the second book in the series is also available.

At first I thought the book a bit slow to start with a very gradual build up and there is a point in the middle where you just think "Get on with it!!" but the climax at the end of the book makes it all worth while.

A very good read. The relationship between Cal and his brother to me seems very believable having a brother of my own even if the dialogue does seem occasionally cheesy in the way the rib each other. At times the main characters arrogance gets a little irritating but by the end you cant help but like him.

Buy it. You'll like it!

In this gritty yet oddly colourful depiction of New York, there's a troll under the Brooklyn Bridge, a boggle in Central Park, and a beautiful vampire in a penthouse on the Upper East Side. Of course, most humans are oblivious to this supernatural underworld, but Cal Leandros is only half-human and very much in the thick of things (he wishes he wasn't). His true lineage is nothing short of inhuman -- so, when Cal and his brother Niko start seeing monsters everywhere they realise that it's fight or flight time once again. They've been running from their past for years, and now it might just be catching up with them...

This book was fantastic. I knocked off a star only because there's a significant alteration in narrator halfway through the book which got a little trying after a while. I enjoyed it initially, it was a clever move on behalf of the writer, but I did get tired of it! That criticism aside, I loved almost everything about Nightlife. I'd ummed and ahhed over this series for some time now, not wanting to waste my time picking up another long started series I might hate... so I read Thurman's other novel 'Trick of the Light', of which there is only one at the moment, thinking it'll be a faster read being only at one book. Unfortunately for me I disliked it and ignored this series as a result. However, I gave in (weak willed that I am when it comes to books) and bit the proverbial bullet: upon finishing 'Nightlife' I wondered why I hadn't started the Cal series sooner! Always the way!

Cal is the first person narrator of this novel and it's delightful to see the world through his eyes. Cal is 19, extremely lazy, half human and works in a dump of a bar. He has an older brother named Niko who is a stalwart warrior with a Roman nose who he's nicknamed 'Cyrano'. Heh. I loved the relationship between Niko and Cal. Niko is a warrior in the truest sense, reserved, guarded, heroic -- plus he has mad ninja skills. Cal is a typical teenager -- lazy, worships sleep and has a mouth on him that could outsnark even the wittiest of Urban Fantasy heroines. Cal is funny. And not in a trying to be funny way... he's actually funny and very witty with an awesomely wry sardonic outlook on life. He had me laughing out loud several times! Another character I was very fond of was Robin Goodfellow, who Cal hated, who clearly only wanted friends to distract him from his aching loneliness. What was nice about Nightlife was how much (and how quickly) I came to care about all the characters. Especially the trio of Cal, Niko, and Goodfellow.

The plot is twisty and exciting -- a very fast paced book. There's plenty of action and the worldbuilding is original and nicely done. Highly recommended.