Genre: Fantasy
Description:
“Solomon Oni has taken a commission to
rob (sic) something of devastating power from the Smithsonian’s religious
artifact vault. His only friend, other than a magical tattoo artist and the odd
djinn, is a young misfit witch named Morgan. When supernatural thugs threaten
her, he demonstrates just how much a former servant of the underworld can do to
punish the wicked.”
Author:
“Scott Rhine wanted to find a job
that combined his love of reading with math problem solving, so he studied both
short stories and computer languages. When his third publication, Doors to
Eternity, hit #16 on the Amazon epic fantasy list, he decided to become a
full-time author. Since then, each book of his Jezebel's Ladder series hit the
high-tech science fiction top 100. His medical thriller, The K2 Virus,
is his highest-rated novel. His latest books are witch academy stories written
for his teenage daughter.”
For more, visit Mr Rhine’s blog.
Appraisal:
This tale of
monsters and magic begins with a fib. “However, instead of working to punish
the wicked, I became one of the wicked,” spoken by the narrator Solomon Oni
about himself. He is in fact a soft-hearted uncle figure, who is so sensitive
that he goes to physical pain to disguise his ugliness. His wickedness comes
down to thievery, but literature abounds with noble thieves from Robin Hood to
Jean Valjean. Solomon’s objective is to steal a magical object on behalf of the
Drinking God. How more noble can one get?
The narrative
may be stronger as a love story than a fantasy crime caper. “She doesn’t have
to love you back or even talk to you,” says the “wicked” Solomon to his
disciple, who adores a girl under the oni’s protection. Replies the disciple:
“I have to be there to see that flower open, even if she wakes up and realizes
I’m not worth her time.” Selfless love is something the world could use a great
deal, even an iota, more of. Solomon himself is so besotted by his love
interest, the girl’s mother, that he scarcely dares touch her least he be
overcome and reveal his true visage.
At least, I
think that is what is going on. I found the narrative too baroque. Magical
powers pop up without support from an underlying logic. Minor characters
appear, often unexpectedly, without benefit of background, introduction, or
often as not, even purpose. “Already taken care of,” I assured her. “I texted
your surveillance team too.” Where’d that team come from? Who are its members?
What are their capabilities? What exactly is their objective? There is no other
mention of the team, so why inject it? A good bit of writing, such as a
description of an ESOL class, are asides that do not advance the story.
Even a
fantasy needs accuracy in real world references. A bit persnickety perhaps, but
I was bothered by: “Then, I texted a contact at a Zen monastery to order a
saffron priest’s robe in his size.” Zen monks wear black, not the saffron of
Thai and other Buddhist monks.
It Takes
an Oni may still be
an enjoyable read. Like a good PI novel, it is driven by characters more than
plot. The characters are likeable and interesting, and this reader wants them
to win.
Buy now
from: Amazon US Amazon UK
FYI:
Not suited for young readers
Format/Typo
Issues:
None worth noting
Rating: ****
Four Stars
Reviewed
by: Sam Waite
Approximate word count: 90-95,000 words
1 comment:
I read about half of it. It's like a bunch of short story episodes turned into a novel. There's a lot of tough guy talk and a sort of gentleman's creed to some of the stories, but it's not consistent. Overall not smooth enough for me to finish, but part of that was because of the ridiculous sex scene and then the way women were portrayed. Even teenage girls know to put their pants on before appearing at breakfast. None of the women were admirable, at least in the first half.
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