A Kiss Of Shadows
A novel by Laurell K. Hamilton

Laurell K. Hamilton is best known for her Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter books. A Kiss of Shadows is a departure from that world, the first book in a new series. While there are similarities between the Anita Blake books and A Kiss of Shadows, it is a completely different universe. In this world it is the Fey or Fairie Folk that walk among us instead of vampires and werewolves. The heroine of this tale is as an actual Fairie princess living in modern America.

Merry Gentry, a.k.a. Princess Meredith NicEssus, is descended from both the Seelie and the Unseelie Court, and is second in line for the Unseelie throne. She is part Sidhe, Brownie and Human. Her human blood has made her mortal and therefore vulnerable to the Courts deadly political maneuverings -- maneuverings that could well get her killed. She flees the Court and ends up hiding in Los Angeles, employed as a magical consultant for the Grey Detective Agency. While working on a case, she is outted as the missing Sidhe princess and that's when the adventure really begins.

As Merry returns home at the emphatic request of her Aunt, The Queen of Air and Darkness, we are introduced to the members of the Unseelie court -- some are her childhood friends, more are her enemies. Most are immortal and have been worshipped as gods in the past. It is an impressively vivid cast, one you'll want to know more about.

Those readers familiar with the Anita Blake series know there is an underlying element of sex mixed in with the magic and violence. Well, Ms. Hamilton has out done herself in A Kiss of Shadows. The drool factor is high as we meet the Ravens, the Queen's guards. It seems the Queen has made the guards endure a thousand years of celibacy. She rescinds this order for Merry alone. Determined to have her bloodline continue she declares that whoever has a child first, Merry, or her son Cel, will be named heir. Merry's mature attitude towards this arrangement make the encounters work as part of the plot and not some device to introduce gratuitous sex.

However, it's not just the sex that makes this book stand out, though the high sexual content will ensure the word "erotic" is somewhere on the dust jacket. It is the fact the princess saves herself without the aid of a knight in shinning armor. She does it by out-thinking her opponents, always finding a way to turn a difficult situation to her advantage. A determined survivor, Merry realizes that coming out of this latest game alive is far more important than winning the throne.

Despite its modern setting, A Kiss of Shadows has all the elements of a traditional dark fantasy book: a throne to win, an evil prince to defeat and a generous smattering of enchanted objects with cool names. Its darker aspects include powers that turn the flesh inside out, various members of the Host, and one of the guards has a few extra surprises. The Unseelie Court is simply not a place that gives you the warm fuzzies. Overall, A Kiss of Shadows proves Ms. Hamilton as an exceedingly imaginative story-teller who does her job well in setting the stage for her new series.

Re-Read Factor: I flew through this book in a little less than twenty-four hours and was rereading within the week. You are going to want to go back find all the things you might have missed, like the Abyss of Despair or Bearer of the Painful Flames.

Sequel Factor: This is the first book in a six-to-eight book close-ended series.

Strong Chick Factor: They don't come much stronger than Princess Meredith NicEssus. Comfortable with a sword, gun or evening formal wear, she's a woman ready for any situation. As Merry says, you can never have too much jewelry or too many weapons. And while the Queen of Air and Darkness may be a little less than sane, she rules the Unseelie Court with admirable strength.

-- Torrey Daily Simms

A Kiss of Shadows, published by Ballantine Publishing Group, will be available in hardcover October 3, 2000.

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