VENGEANCE
By Colin Harvey
Publisher: Swimming Kangaroo Books
Genre: Science Fiction
ISBN: Paper: 978-1-934041-25-3
Pages: Paper: 277
Price: Paper: $15.99
You’ve heard of the Hounds of Hell, the Hounds of Baskerville, now meet Spellhound and whatever you do, do not touch that spell.
I am not sure how to review Colin Harvey’s “Vengeance” because I didn’t quite understand it all. However, I loved the ending. Which, you know, I won’t share.
The basic premise is a detective story. The rich power hungry client wants his stolen spells back. The client is Stanislav Duff. Duff wants any who touches or uses his spells killed. The detective is Jocasta Pantile and her partner/tracker, the Spellhound.
Spellhound is also the killing tool. Each spell is imprinted with Duff’s scent and Spellbound will sniff down the individual smells. Spellhound is more possession than partner to Jocasta. One day he might be able to earn enough, along with the right, to buy his contract from Jocasta. Theirs is a complicated relationship.
Simple enough, right? And for the most part I got it; however, parts of the tracking storyline lost me. I became confused as to why and what was happening.
My gut reaction tells me there is something here for a science fiction fan; however, I didn’t get it. And, that happens; sometimes a reader just doesn’t get the telling whereas others do. Knowing Mr. Harvey’s writing I believe this is what happened here with “Vengeance” and me.
With that said, I suspected some of the end surprises, but Mr. Harvey blew me away with his final conclusion.
I want to say I enjoyed “Vengeance’ however, I did get a tad too lost in the spell hunting. I feel that is more me than Mr. Harvey’s writing.
“Vengeance” is a strange read, but there is something very secretive about the concept of vengeance. A little more than meets the eye, if you find it.