Black Magic Sanction, 9780061138034, published by HarperCollins Eos Publishers. To browse inside before you buy, go here. To buy the book, go here(US) or here(CDN).

The first paragraph of urban fantasy mainstay Kim Harrison’s newest Rachel Morgan adventure, Black Magic Sanction, the eighth in her Hollows series, gives both devoted fans and intrigued newcomers a hook they can really sink their teeth into (pardon the pun). Although this book starts, appropriately enough, in a demon’s kitchen where Rachel is scribbling a spell, or “black curse” in her own blood, it’s enough to make even the most seasoned curmudgeon so narrow in his or her definition of what constitutes good urban fantasy to read on. Therein lies the magic in Harrison’s prose. As one reads on in the first chapter, she moves the plot forward with good storytelling and a fast pace.

Harrison’s protagonist, Rachel Morgan, provides the story with a worthy main character, someone who has morals (I’m a white witch, damn it, not a black witch) but who also has the same jaded outlook on life that comes from dealing with harrowing life-and-death situations, of which Rachel has had her fair share. And even though she’s dealt with some of the worst monsters in the past, it turns out that the coven of white witches who is pursuing Rachel may be the worst she’s ever encountered.

This action-packed rollercoaster ride tests the bonds of friendship between Rachel and her companions, smart aleck pixie Jenks and not-quite-dead vampire, Ivy. The book launches us into a series of meetings and attacks between Rachel and a few members of the coven of moral and ethical standards, a group of white witches who know how to use magic which, although it’s white, still packs quite a powerful punch, as Rachel sees in her first encounter with one of the witches, Vivian.

Harrison also does a good job of weaving in the events of previous novels into the narrative, and using Rachel’s gut reactions to remind us of the actions of characters, like Nick, who many fans will despise for having betrayed Rachel in the previous instalment of the series. In terms of the worldbuilding, the Hollows is as clear as ever and very easy to imagine, although we don’t get a glimpse into the cleverly-titled ever-after in this novel.

Although there is the occasional mention of sex, fans who prefer their urban fantasy to focus more on plot and less on canoodling can breathe a sigh of relief for Sanction, which is decidedly more toned down than the previous books (*SPOILER ALERT*: until the end, that is). You’ll see what I mean.

However, and this is no fault of Ms. Harrison’s, I found the coven of white witches to be too similar to the council of wizards in Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files series (in Butcher’s Chicago, the wizard Harry Dresden must always contend with the threats of the council of white wizards, whose duty it is to make sure that all wizards abide by their code, and those who violate it get punishment. Severe punishment), but the use of coven-type groups in urban fantasy is common.

The other quibble I had while reading the book was Rachel’s constant assertion that she isn’t a demon. I found myself confused several times, both at Rachel and other characters’ dialogue, because at times, some character would say that Rachel is not a witch and she’s a demon, then Al, the demon (who calls Rachel ‘itchy witch’) would say that Rachel isn’t a demon but she’s demon born, and Rachel’s ongoing declarations that she’s not a demon soon became bothersome. If you’re not a demon, but you are a witch who can do demon magic, but others call you demon spawn and you’re demon born, what are you, I wondered.

This issue also led me to speculate as to why demons would be in a war with elves (Lord of the Rings tall, blond, and willowy sort of elves, not the short little Santa’s helper variety), which, although it’s certainly an interesting idea, had me puzzled a bit. As well, while Al’s goat-shaped pupils were a nice touch, demons with forked tails seemed, by contrast, uninspired and clichéd. And ley lines that Rachel rides get a lot of description, which, in terms of the magic, I found it to be believable. The Latin invocations were a nice touch, too. But why, when dealing with magic users, would Rachel carry a gun, when we’ve previously seen that she doesn’t have to rely on physical weapons but rather on spells?

Another little nitpick I had was Jenks’ exclamatory phrases, like “Tink’s tits, Rachel, what do you mean?” or “Tink’s a Disney whore, Rache, what were you thinking?” or “Tink’s thong” or Tink’s anything. I realize that to some people, this may seem amusing, but I personally didn’t find it so.

Although the coven’s leader, white witch Brooke, does put Rachel in danger several times and poses a great threat as a constant manipulator, at times, she seemed too melodramatic and over the top with her screaming. No doubt, a person in her situation would be frustrated to no end at having to deal with (and failing to use) Rachel the way she wants to, but her screaming could have been toned down just a wee bit.

When we finally reach the end, we find that, like most ongoing urban fantasy series, there is no end in sight. The book ends on a cliffhanger, plain and simple, and fans will squeal in disappointment that they have to wait for the next book.

It should be noted that fans expressed disappointment toward White Witch, Black Curse, the previous book in the Hollows series. They complained that some of the plot’s events seemed random and that the introduction of a new romantic subplot in the seventh book of a series that shows no signs of slowing down may not have been the wisest of decisions. Many fans found themselves wanting Rachel to shack up with the demon Al, while others lamented at the sexual attraction and feedings between Rachel and not-quite-dead vampire partner in crime, Ivy.

However, die-hard fans will be pleased with Black Magic Sanction, which is something of a departure from its predecessor. You’re not going to be disappointed with this one.

Watch this video where Kim talks about the series:

To learn more about Kim Harrison, go here.