Daw Paperback November 2012.
I’ve always enjoyed Tanya Huff’s work ever since I purchased her first book in 1989. Her work is always well written and although now and again I don’t like one of her series, it’s never because the work is of poor quality. The Wild Ways is the second in a possible new series, sequel (although it reads perfectly well as a standalone) to The Enchantment Emporium. Charlie Gale, (cousin to Allie from the previous book) is the main character and the book focuses on her external travels as a musician with a couple of bands, and her internal search for just what to do and who to be with the ‘wild power’ that is Charlie. As a nice change of pace to many urban fantasy books these days, Huff’s work in that sub-genre is set in Canada, and while she often incorporates well-known mythological species, they rarely appear as expected. I loved Jack, the Dragon Prince and his family, and the corporate activist selkies (very logical considering what they are.)
Huff writes some great stuff and is one of the authors whom I buy without question. In all 25 of her books I’ve purchased to date, there’s only been three that I didn’t love, the characters just didn’t resonate for me, but that wasn’t her fault and I have friends who did love them. My favourites have to be the ‘Summoning‘ trio, hotly pursued by the ‘Valor‘ series, and the single, Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light. And the ‘Gale‘ books may be right up there. I’ll know for sure once I’ve read them several more times. Because that’s the other thing I find about her work, it gets better each time you re-read it. I have the next of her books already on order, and I’m eagerly waiting for that to arrive – can you say a.n.t.i.c.i.p.a.t.i.o.n?