So in this posting I'll be putting my thoughts up on Eric Nylund's Mortal Coil series... Mortal Coils and All that Lives Must Die. I found Mr. Nylund's work after reading his imaginative development of the Halo universe for Bungie. And having tried out these two novels, I've got to say, for a chemist he's got a heck of a talent for writing.
This series takes advantage of the new "Urban Fantasy" trend that's been developing over the last 8 years or so and combines it with traditional story fare of the hero's journey, temptation, meetings with monsters and gods, and most other tropes of the sub-genre. While the story isn't necessarily exceptional, it is fun and with the development of some very entertaining villains, does bring some feelings of apprehension for the characters living it. One of the things that spoke the most to me, was the finales of both pieces...primarily because while they do end each story, they don't end on a saccharine high note. So... while the books are entertaining... don't go into them looking for a great many twists or surprises. There is also a fun Reader's Guide to go with both books... If you can manage to tempt a friend or two to read your copy or grab one from the library, I'd imagine you could have a great discussion about your shared thoughts on the stories.
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