Blogetary (Weblog + Commentary = Blogetary)

For Christmas a friend of mine sent me a copy of Murder by Magic: Twenty Tales of Crime and the Supernatural (2004), an anthology edited by Rosemary Edghill. This friend of mine knows how much I love fantasy AND murder mysteries AND anthologies and this was a treat! I could tell it was a book when it arrived on my doorstep so I opened it a few days before I left for Christmas in case I wanted to take it along with me to read over Christmas. You know how when you were kid sometimes the most special books were the ones read over Christmas vacation? This was one of those.

A lot of discussion about cross-genre writing and story telling has littered the literary landscape lately. Some people grumble about it – old diehards not wanting to mix traditional scifi/fantasy with more literary story telling and newcomers frustrated with the lack of acceptance in a genre that grew out of a need to write something new that would encompass another way of expressing the human story. Personally, I love cross-genre stuff. Like the mutt at the pound, it seems to be a lot stronger and more hardy. The only reason we assign genre designations in the first place is so librarians and book sellers can figure out where to shelve books so people can find them. But the last thing readers and writers should do is fall into the trap of thinking they have to stick to one genre. That’s no fun at all! Much more fun to mix things up a little — like sprinkling a little pepper in your chocolate or a little cinnamon in your savory stew. It’s amazing what experimenting can do.

That being said, even Edghill decided to take this mix of tales and split them into categories for the reader. There are five categories: Murder Most Modern, Murder Unclassifiable, Murder Most Genteel, Murder Fantastical, and Murder Most Historical. In her Introduction, Edghill said that when she sent out her call for submissions she requested only that 1) a crime (preferably murder) be committed and 2) magic and/or the supernatural be somehow involved “either in the commission or the solution of the crime” (p. 1). Her mix of authors go from heavy hitters like Mercedes Lackey, Laura Resnick, Esther Friesner, and Jennifer Roberson to relative newcomers like Will Graham. The tales range from absolutely fantastic to pretty darn good. I have to say I was rarely disappointed in this anthology. I was a LITTLE disappointed that Rosemary Edghill herself did not enter a tale. But, oh well, there ya go.

Because there are twenty (count’em – 20) tales and people’s eyes get tired when reading long missives on the computer my comments on each will be relatively brief.

Piece of Mind – Jennifer Roberson

Whether because of the setting (Los Angeles) or the attitude (crotchety middle-aged dude) I found it easy to slip into the point of view of Roberson’s protagonist. She was able to intertwine the hard-edge of an ex-cop who is constantly worrying at an old cold case with a New Age animal psychic and that is so totally LA. The ex-cop is a bit stereotypical (divorced, cranky, estranged from his own emotions). But I found the psychic to be a refreshing mix. Roberson gives her the typical LA actress/model/trainer exterior, but for entirely different reasons. While I wasn’t charmed by the story of how the psychic is able to make the ex-cop face his demons, it did grab me emotionally.

Special Surprise Guest Appearance by… – Carole Nelson Douglas

This was a very clever story, I thought. Anyone who has seen the movie The Prestige or has studied magicians at all knows about how magic tricks have three stages: The set up, the performance, and then the “prestige” or the effect. Douglas has taken this form of the magic trick and incorporated it into her tale of an egotistical Vegas magician who meets his match as he agrees to become a rival’s mark for the evening. Again, I wasn’t charmed by this tale, but I did appreciate the clever Twilight Zone effect of it.

Doppelgangster – Laura Resnick

This story made me laugh. The protagonist, Vito, is your stereotypical wiseguy existing in the world from hit to hit, living by his own mafia code. And while he was telling side stories about various hits while also relating the arc of the story to the reader (i.e. tracking down who was taking down wiseguys in two rival gangs) I found myself laughing out loud at his comments and observations. The story was clever, but what kept me reading was Vito’s voice.

Mixed Marriages Can Be Murder – Will Graham

I LOVED this story. Can’t tell you why because that would be giving away some of the twist, which I figured out fairly early in the story. That I figured some of it out in the beginning didn’t spoil anything for me though. Just made me want to read more to see how Graham was going to use it. Suffice it to say that Mr. and Mrs. Steele are kind of a mix between John Steed and Emma Peel of The Avengers and Nick and Nora Charles of the Thin Man series. They solve crimes together while exhibiting impeccable, sophisticated, cosmopolitan taste. I really enjoyed this one.

The Case of the Headless Corpse – Josepha Sherman

I have a weakness for cop shows, especially the partnered kind like Rosemary & Thyme, The Inspector Lynley Mystery Series or Law & Order or anything like that. And I think that is one of the reasons I enjoyed this story. I really did want to find out who committed the murder and was intrigued in following the threads of the investigation. This was a good old-fashioned mystery that just happens to take place in a world where magic is taken for granted. I really appreciated that.

A Death In The Working – Debra Doyle

I enjoyed this story because of the way it was framed and the style in which it was told. It was framed as part of a historical anthropological text with all sorts of academic footnotes that anyone who has done any kind of academic research can appreciate. Similar in style to HRF Keating’s Inspector Ghote mysteries, this particular story investigates the death of a mage during a magical circle working and whether or not there was criminal intent in that death. It wasn’t one of the stories that stood out for me, but I did appreciate the style.

Cold Case – Diane Duane

Cold Case tells the tale of an inspector who is kind of an investigator into crimes in a Ghost Whisperer kind of way. He gets the ghosts at a crime scene to open up and tell about their murders so he can help them cross over and also track down the killers. This inspector has been visiting this particular home for a while trying to get the ghost to open up and let him know about the day she died. When he finally is able to initiate contact and establish what happened, he is met with very surprising results. It’s a little sad, but also a little happy at the end.

Snake in the Grass – Susan R. Matthews

Normally I’m not a fan of any stories that use Voodoo or Voodoo-like elements as the magical basis. Not judging it in any way; it’s just not my magic of choice. But it can be a very useful magic to use (as with Doppelgangster above) because of the elements involved in the workings. They can be spooky and cruel and vicious and oddly just all at the same time. In Matthews’ tale, a young woman’s mentor has been killed and that mentor’s pet or familiar set up to take the blame. It is up to the woman to overcome her distaste for her mentor’s rituals and to investigate what exactly happened. Not my favorite and I got a little confused reading it, but over all it was well done.

Double Jeopardy – M.J. Hamilton

Double Jeopardy is another one that confused me slightly. I got the feeling that this is a world the author has already established and knows very well. Could be she has readers who know that world very well also. But it was my first time stumbling through it so I tripped up a few times while reading it. In this story a young woman has to figure out not only who killed her twin, but also who ordered the hit, and then mete out cosmic justice. One of the things I appreciated about this story was Hamilton establishing that while the protagonist was comfortable with hunting down criminals and investigating crimes, she was not comfortable with being the one to administer justice. The main character understood full well that in order to do this correctly she had to be able to be impartial and not just be doing it for vengeance’ sake. I really liked that about this story.

Witch Sight – Roberta Gellis

This story kind of reminded me of Anne McCaffrey’s tales about Pern. Not that it had anything to do with dragons, but it did have to do with self-serving adults who take advantage of the naivety of children and adolescents. There was also a little bit of the Salem Witch Hunt feel in this story, but as if it were a far off historical notation. It was a nice story. It didn’t stand out for me, but I enjoyed it.

Overrush – Laura Anne Gilman

I was confused and befuddled by this story. I couldn’t quite grasp the point or whether or not the mystery was actually solved. It was my least favorite in this anthology. That doesn’t mean I didn’t like it at all or enjoy parts of it, just that if I had to put them in order, this would be last on the list. However, one of the aspects of the story I did like was the side-effect that magic has on the user – as a kind of drug rush. This means that contrary to other worlds where magic seems to give the Adept or Mage longer life, magic actually may shorten the life of those who use it. I liked that twist because I can see the logic of it. In this particular story a young woman’s mentor dies ostensibly from an overdose of magic and she wants to track down where the overdose came from. One of the twists is that the more she tracks down his killer, the more she suffers as well and gets closer to death. Interesting view.

Captured in Silver – Teresa Edgerton

Edgerton’s tale mixed the feel of a Sherlock Holmes mystery with a world she created in The Queen’s Necklace. So, if you’re not sure whether or not to enter that world, this might give you a smattering of a taste for what it might be like. In this tale an inspector looks into the death of a man whom NO ONE mourns. In fact, most people in the city would probably reward whomever it was that killed this particular person. However, murder is murder and justice must be done so our intrepid investigators look into every possibility both magical and mundane until they finally track down the killer. I enjoyed the style of this story and it did pique my interest about the rest of Edgerton’s world.

A Night at the Opera – Sharon Lee and Steve Miller

While one of the tales above hinted at Nick and Nora Charles, this one uses them purposefully and mixes a smattering of Dashiel Hammett in as well. Imagine one of the Thin Man tales in a magical universe. The plot is a little thin in my opinion, but it’s meant to be. You’re meant to enjoy the world the story is in and appreciate the people in it. I liked this story.

A Tremble in the Air – James D. Macdonald

This story’s protagonist is a little like Hercule Poirot, from Agatha Christie. Macdonald uses that method where he portrays the viewpoint of the protagonist from a very tight third person, while never revealing what’s going on inside the protagonist’s head. That way the reader continues guessing as to whodunit until the very end at the final reveal. This was a little thin, a little predictable, and the magic element was small, but the protagonist was enjoyable as was Macdonald’s writing. He was very good at crafting his scenes. I could feel the settings.

Murder Entailed – Susan Krinard

This was one of my favorite tales as it’s one of those murders in a manse type of things that needs to be solved before the police get there. Imagine Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover, where the inheritance of “gifts” is assumed and even bred for in the aristocratic lines. Then imagine a murder mystery where someone is murdered because of and for and through those very gifts. I didn’t feel like the pay-off was good enough for me in the end (though it was very revealing), but I still really enjoyed the story.

Dropping Hints – Lawrence Watt-Evans

This was an interesting tale of logical deduction. A young duke visits a wizard to cement a strong relationship between his family and the wizard. In the process of the visit, however, a murder is committed and the duke uses logical deduction to figure out who the murderer was. I liked this one because while magic was inherent to the setting, the solving of the crime was pure mundane police work and logic.

Au Purr – Esther Friesner

Friesner is always good for me to read and she didn’t disappoint me this time either. She combined several of the elements I like most in stories: cats, interesting women, murder, unsuspected friendships, and at least one character who is uber-sarcastic. In this case, a witch’s sister is found dead. So the witch disguises herself as a cat to investigate the murder. There was one part where I thought – “oh no – but that makes it so sad” but then she brings it about to make it happy again. It’s all good. All Friesner. Really enjoyed it.

Getting the Chair – Keith R. A. De Candido

De Candido’s story is another where it’s a pair of detectives (one of whom is half elf) investigating a murder and playing off of each other in the course of the investigation. In this particular case they are investigating the murder of pretty inept and useless wizard with his own set of phobias, such as the phobia of fresh air. There was a great sense of humor to the whole thing, especially if, like me, you really have a weakness for crime shows. I hope De Candido writes more in this particular world because I found it pretty entertaining.

The Necromancer’s Apprentice – Lillian Stewart Carl

Set during the earlier part of the reign of Elizabeth I, this tale is about how an apprentice, despite a few mishaps, helps solve a particularly sticky murder mystery. Carl sets the scene well, so I wasn’t pulled out of the story by any niggling little things. In other words, she did her research. She also likes colorful language, which was fun to read. I think she’s making a little fun of her Shakespeare as well. It was a little thin in my opinion, but I enjoyed it.

Grey Eminence by Mercedes Lackey

I loved, Loved, LOVED this story! It made me cry and want to pick up more stories in this same world if Lackey would write them. If you’ve ever read The Little Princess, or watched the movie, then it has that type of turn of the century feel, only in this story the school really is a nice school run by a very kind matron. Nan and Sarah Jane are two special little girls with unique talents that the matron is helping them to learn about. Sarah Jane is from an upper middle class family while Nan is of the servant class, yet they have become best friends and work well together. Nan is more careful and cautious – more aware of the type of trouble they can get into. Sarah Jane might be a little more “bright” and book smart, but is not as street smart as Nan. Both of them have other special friends that help them with their talents. I really liked this story. I was sad when it ended because I wanted to read more.

Phew! Now that’s done!

So, on the whole, I highly recommend this book. It was a good read that offered a variety of tales that slipped from one thing to another and kept me entertained. I think you’ll enjoy it if you decide to pick it up and read it, too.