(Urban Fantasy) Heath comes to a park in Portland, Oregon to rid a client of some sort of spirit that's been pestering him. Business has been bad, so he really needs this to go well. (5,148 words; Time: 17m)
Rating: ★★★☆☆ Average
"Conjure Man," by Stefon Mears [bio] (edited by Niall Harrison), appeared in Strange Horizons issue 02/01/16, published on February 1, 2016.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: The spirit-wrangler-as-businessman angle works well. Heath comes across as both knowledgeable and naive. Like a young man who really does know his trade but hasn't quite had enough experience to avoid problems. The scene-setting, the dialogue, and the narration are all very smooth, and the story has a natural beginning and end.
Con: We never learn why "His Nibs" is being followed by a major demon. And Heath's trick for getting rid of the demon seems a little weak.
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Con: We never learn why "His Nibs" is being followed by a major demon. And Heath's trick for getting rid of the demon seems a little weak.
Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites
Fun story which reminds me a little of the Dresden Files. While this stands on its own, I imagine the unanswered questions come from it being part of a series. The Patron Saint of Necromancers is the first novel in what is going to be the Ars Portlandia series.
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