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Chelsea (449 KP) rated The Call in Books

Sep 7, 2017  
The Call
The Call
Peadar O'Guilin | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy
7
8.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
25 years ago all of Ireland was cut off from the rest of the world and were made to endure the revenge of the fairies or the Sídhe who were driven into a terrifying alternate dimension by Ireland's ancestors. Now, all children at some point are called, one by one, into this dark world of the Sídhe to be hunted, mutilated, and tortured before being sent back to their world dead. Sometime between the ages of 10 and 17, the call happens unannounced. You disappear from this world, leaving behind nothing but a pile of clothes for 3 minutes. However, you awaken in a dark, stinking, murderous, gray world alone and naked. Your time here will be much longer than 3 minutes. You have a whole day to run and fight for your life in a world where beasts made from human bodies will either turn you in to the Sídhe for torture, or eat you themselves. The odds of survival are now 1 in 10 instead of 1 in 100 thanks to survival schools that take in and train all youth, but is it ever enough?
  
A very odd mix of stories that feature a harvest moon and only the first by Lackey fits the cover, of which makes me think of fairies and moonbeams.
Overall: <b>3.5 stars</b>

<i>A Tangled Web</i> by Mercedes Lackey (Light Fantasy)
A retelling of the Greek myth pertaining to Persephone and Hades, with some added Norse mythology. A cute story, if a little thin on actual plot. I'll probably forget it by next week.
<i>2.5 stars/5</i>

<i>Cast in Moonlight</i> by Michelle Sagara (Fantasy/Urban Fantasy hybrid)
Fascinating mythology and world-building, intriguing characters and races. If I hadn't already been interested in reading the Chronicles of Elantra series, this would have done it. Pretty much a perfect story that stands alone quite well.
<i>5 stars</i>

<i>Retribution</i> by Cameron Haley (Urban Fantasy)
A solid short story dealing with a sorcerer and enforcer for a mob boss. Has some interesting ideas and is a promising beginning to a new series. While it does have cursing, it feels authentic and fits the scenes and characters. This is definitely not a story for the faint of heart.
<i>3 stars</i>