Trickster

Feb 04, 2013 Experiment BL626 rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, netgalley, reviewed

For a book that has blood magic, human sacrifices, and explosion scenes, it was not highly exciting as I had expected. A book of master storytelling as blurbed it was not.

The story largely consisted of the good guys running away, from one place to another that made me think poorly of the characters and flashbacks that were so seamlessly written that it took me a few seconds to realize a few of them were flashbacks. The book kept my attention, but it was under a fog of boredom.

The Characters

+ th...more

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Mar 04, 2013 Alex McGilvery rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Trickster by Jeff Sommer is a gritty urban fantasy about a world in which magic is real, but all spells are powered by blood. The more blood one has to do magic the bigger the spells can be. Lem is a Trickster, one of the least of the magicians, because he refuses to use anyone's blood but his own to power his magic. That means he and his friend Mags get by by grifting normal people. They charm people to like them or to make dollar bills look like twenties. Lem squeezes some information from a f...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lem is a trickster, which means that he uses his own blood to perform magic. This usually amounts to conning the non magical around him. He is always looking for the next big score but when he follows up on a tip, Lem ends up on the magical radar of an archmage, who is far more powerful than him. Suddenly, Lem finds himself in way over his head. The archmage is planning a massive spell for which much blood must be spilled but Lem's interference, which led to the escape of Claire, one of the int...more Lem is a trickster, which means that he uses his own blood to perform magic. This usually amounts to conning the non magical around him. He is always looking for the next big score but when he follows up on a tip, Lem ends up on the magical radar of an archmage, who is far more powerful than him. Suddenly, Lem finds himself in way over his head. The archmage is planning a massive spell for which much blood must be spilled but Lem's interference, which led to the escape of Claire, one of the intended victims, has put everything in jeopardy. Lem must now balance his need to stick to his magical morals and his desire to stay alive. Will he turn Claire over to save his life?

I am going to admit that I didn't get very far in this book. After reading one hundred pages, in which women essentially were either whores or dead victims and Lem's sidekick person of colour reduced to a simpleton, I simply could not read another page. Though it is obvious that Claire's character is meant to evolve into something more, the treatment of the women who had appeared thus far in Trickster, simply didn't give me hope for a good portrayal. It felt like Claire was being set up to be a heroine that Lem saved.

Lem said repeatedly that he is different from the other mages because he only uses his own blood. It's clear that this a moral choice but at least as far as I had read in Trickster, no explanation was offered. We were told repeatedly that Lem's way of life is extremely difficult and it is clear that he is barely surviving and so I could not help but wonder why he remained involved at all? Would it really have been that bad to get a job? I think that question needs to be answered, especially because Lem outright refused to go any further in his training despite being told he is capable of so much more than the cheap tricks he engages in to survive.

Lem's side kick is Mags - an indigenous person. It's absolutely not original to have a person of colour reduced to a sidekick to a White protagonist. From Somers description, it's clear that Mags is meant to be viewed as neurologically atypical, yet throughout the book, he is described as a simpleton, who seems to be lucky be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. Throughout the novel, Mags is only praised for his strength and is continually attacked for his lack of intelligence. This is absolutely racist, abelist and offensive. In fact, Mags is essentially led around by Lem and seems to do his bidding like a helpless puppy.

This novel has been described as gritty, but from my understanding, all that makes it so, are the dead women and the disgusting treatment of Mags. Lem is drawn as a sort of anti-hero, but there is nothing that about him that is even remotely compelling. His constant treatment of Mag made him unlikeable.

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Feb 24, 2013 Sam rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Trickster is dark, brutal, gritty, and not for everyone. That said if you’re willing or able to look past these qualities then I say give it a shot.

At first Trickster was to much for me. The system of magic is a neat combination of language puzzles that are fueled by blood. It doesn’t matter who’s but from the way the story goes, it comes a lot from junkies, prostitutes, and people will to bleed themselves for a life of riches. The aspect that makes the protagonist, Lem, different from everyone...more

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Feb 17, 2013 Lindie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Trickster follows two down on their luck minor magicians, Lem, who has a lot of potential but doesn't believe in stealing "gas" from others, and his "nonbreeding lifepartner" Mags. The two met in their late teens when Lem apprenticed and the giant, slow-witted Mags imprinted on him like a baby duck and started following him everywhere. Including out into the streets where the two of them owned only the clothes on their backs and have to resort to glamour and charm just to stay alive.

Enter the d...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Douglas Meeks rated it 3 of 5 stars

What do you say about a novel that was gritty, well told, hooked you into the story with characters you were not really sure you even liked? This is Trickster by Jeff Somers.

The book starts slow and gritty, the characters border on disgusting and pathetic. Then miraculously the story gets better, the characters get a bit of personality and you are reading for the big ending. You got it all the big "evil thing" , the girl, the heroic sacrifice, impossible odds, tragedy ..... I mean , what could g...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, magic

In this gritty, claustrophobic, secret world, magic is fueled by gas - in other words blood.

Trickster is the first book in dark urban fantasy series. I found myself pulled into the depths of depravity that defines this hidden world of the magic. It was a grueling, unpredictable and thrilling read.

I've read a lot of fantasy and Jeff Somers' world is one of the grittiest I've encountered and his originality is not to be missed. For reference, Stacia Kane's Chess Putnam is probably the closest in...more

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Jan 17, 2013 PhoenixFantasy rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've got to start with the obvious, the cover art for Trickster is, imho, atrocious. Shallow, I know, but it does the book no favours whatsoever, and makes it look so very YA that this isn't one I could read at work without ridicule. Sulky emo teens and a muscle man? Not something you'd expect to see a serious Fantasy reader curled up with. The daft thing is that it's such a surprisingly good read that I can't help but wonder why it didn't get some proper cover love. Maybe that's how it goes wit...more I've got to start with the obvious, the cover art for Trickster is, imho, atrocious. Shallow, I know, but it does the book no favours whatsoever, and makes it look so very YA that this isn't one I could read at work without ridicule. Sulky emo teens and a muscle man? Not something you'd expect to see a serious Fantasy reader curled up with. The daft thing is that it's such a surprisingly good read that I can't help but wonder why it didn't get some proper cover love. Maybe that's how it goes with UF, I mean, take the pretty covers of someone like Benedict Jacka, they're hugely eye-catching but what's inside is massively disappointing, and with Somers it's the other way around. I'm whittering, I know, I just think it's a shame as I would imagine a lot of people who would potentially adore this will skip over it on the shelves. You'll just have to take my word for it that it's not a tale of sulky teens. And of course this is a perfect lesson in not judging a book by its cover.

I adored this book. It's intelligently written, pacey, action-packed, and the magic system is fantastic. That was by far the biggest win for me, I love how Somers has developed the concept of Blood Mages, I always enjoy reading Fantasy where the Magic system has a true and immediate cost, and that couldn't be more the case here. The characters are hugely endearing, and anyone who enjoys a Lenny/George style relationship will appreciate Lem and Mags. I really like how flawed Lem is, it made him so readable, so interesting. "We were not Good People", Lem says it more times than I can remember, despite his high moral ground on the subject of bleeding others for his own gain. Because on the flip side of that morality he scams people day in, day out. He's a complicated soul, and complex always makes for an interesting read.

As well as the physical aspect to the Magic, I also really like the accompanying language system, and Lem's approach to it. Any kind of scientific approach to language always fascinates me, and Lem cutting through language to pare it down as much as possible whist still retaining the essential meaning, like a programmer developing the most efficient program with a minimum amount of code, was brilliant. There are just 2 rules to the Magic here, the Rule of Perception and the Rule of Volume, it doesn't matter how good you are with words unless you have a lot of blood on hand to fire them. So for all of Lem's skill, he's going to be stuck running tiny scam spells with only his own blood to use. I thought that was pretty original, it doesn't matter how talented you are, unless you're properly ruthless you're not going to get anywhere. That said, Lem can pull off some pretty big wins with just the tiniest of spells, when he uses them wisely. It's very David and Goliath, and who doesn't love that? I thought it was a beautifully developed system, and definitely one I'd like to spend more time with. And I don't want to spoil anything for you, but the system devised to 'power' the spell at the heart of the storyline is a seriously terrifying work of disturbed genius.

If that isn't enough to convince you, the other great thing about Trickster is that it's really, really light on the romance angle, which is so refreshing in a genre full of endless Sexy Warlock-riddled Mills & Boon tat. Well played Mr Somers Sir, well played. I can't recommend this highly enough, especially if, like me, you're sick of the ongoing PNR contamination of UF. I will be eagerly awaiting the next in the series.

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Apr 20, 2013 Elizabeth rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, did-not-finish, 0-1-stars

I would give this 0 stars if that were possible.

This novel was described as gritty - which turned out to be quite true if gritty means filled with blood, grime and bad smells - but sadly lacked in anything to make me care about the characters or their plight. The main character seemed immune to good choices - if you choose to drink and gamble and still whine about feeling poorly from blood loss, I'm not likely to feel particularly sorry for you. Our whiny protagonist had a sidekick - a mentally...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Sheridan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

4.5 out of 5 stars.

The skinny: Magic is fueled by blood, and most mages will use anyone's blood, willing or not. Lem has committed to using only his own blood, and he's just barely getting by on it. When he finds a girl in the trunk of a car who's marked for sacrifice, he decides to save her -- and ends up fighting against the darkest blood magic the world has ever known.

What I liked: A lot! An interesting and endearing main character, a dark, unique fantasy world, fantastic writing and good pac...more

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Mar 01, 2013 Leeanna rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-review, e-book

Lem and Mags are not your usual all powerful, masters of the universe type of magicians. They’re Tricksters, grifters, the lowest of the low. They scrape by, gasing up dollar bills to look like twenties, and spending those twenties on booze and cheap hotel rooms. In the world Jeff Somers created, blood is the currency for magic, and unlike others, Lem made a vow to use only his own blood.

“We were fucking incompetent. In all things, we’d failed. We were wallowing in a nice, comfy pit of fucking

...more Lem and Mags are not your usual all powerful, masters of the universe type of magicians. They’re Tricksters, grifters, the lowest of the low. They scrape by, gasing up dollar bills to look like twenties, and spending those twenties on booze and cheap hotel rooms. In the world Jeff Somers created, blood is the currency for magic, and unlike others, Lem made a vow to use only his own blood.

“We were fucking incompetent. In all things, we’d failed. We were wallowing in a nice, comfy pit of fucking spectacular failure, deep black and hermetically sealed, me and Mags bound together forever and ever with deep fishhooked ties of ruin (p. 4, ARC).”

I can’t think of many characters that would willingly describe themselves like that! I’d also describe Lem as an anti-hero. As he says throughout the book, Tricksters aren’t good people. “We all preyed on regular people, people who didn’t believe in magic (p. 20, ARC).” But Lem does have one rule: he refuses to use the blood of others to power his spells, which makes him weak, but also lets him sleep at night. Most mages have no trouble bleeding others, and the most powerful ones take Bleeders with them everywhere, like living batteries.

The most powerful mage in the world, Mika Renar, is prepared to sacrifice thousands of women to power a spell. And that’s where Lem and Mags come in. After stumbling over a dead girl in a bathtub, and then finding a live girl in the trunk of a car, they get mixed up in Renar’s business. Notice I didn’t say rescue -- Claire, the girl in the car, is a spitfire. Whenever she gets a chance, she’s on the run or beating someone up. She’s not a damsel in distress that waits for the prince to rescue her, which is good, because Lem and Mags aren’t princes, or even very good magicians.

TRICKSTER is a dark and gritty urban fantasy. I think guys will like it, as the main characters are male, and it read like a guy’s book to me. I can’t pinpoint exactly why I’m saying that, because I can’t say for sure what a guy would like or not, but I just had that feeling. I didn’t mind, though, because it was quite nice to have a supernatural book where romance wasn’t the focus!

The world of TRICKSTER is easy to understand, and I thought the concept of blood magic was neat. I like when there’s a cost for magic, and with blood magic, that cost is immediate and has consequences. If you use so much blood that you’re ready to faint, what are you going to do when another fight comes hard on hard on the heels of the first?

The ending did disappoint me, because after all the buildup, I expected … more. However, the author did capture my attention with the story and conflict, so I will be continuing the Ustari Cycle when the next book comes out.

Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Review on my blog.

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Nov 02, 2012 Lexie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Prelim Review: I haven't read Somers before, but while at NYCC I saw the cover for this and as always Chris McGrath knows how to draw my attention. Talking with one of the attendants, I was given an ARC and I don't think I've ever been so happy for such a chance thing.

This isn't my normal brand of UF--I trend towards the strong female main characters, but I've read a few with male leads (Cal Leandros series or Simon Canderous books). Lem, our main character, and Mags, his very loyal companion, a...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Elena marked it as didnt-finish

I didn't finish this one. The writing was pretty good, but I stopped after three chapters when I realized that though we had already encountered a TON of characters, only four of them were female and they were, respectively: a naked dead girl in a bathtub, a hungover bartender who doesn't even get a line, a random poker player extra who likewise doesn't get any lines, and a naked girl tied up in the trunk of a car. There were also a few prostitutes wandering around, but they were mostly scenery...more

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Mar 16, 2013 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars

What to say about this book. I loved the characters and the story line, I thought the method of creating magic by using blood, or gassing as Jeff wrote it, was clever. It made a change to have a different method to create the magic.

I was shocked at the lengths some people would go to to live forever, all those girls that had been marked and snatched and prepared for a big ritual. The idea that over the centuries, wars and sacrifice's had been done to create major magic.

The friendship between L...more

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Mar 19, 2013 Patty Blount rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm biased; I love every word Jeff puts out. I've read his Cates series, I read his zine and his blog and no one has ever been able to make me physically react to a story the way he can. Jeff's writing is visceral -- he makes me feel, see, hear, taste, even smell what's going on in his books and Trickster is no exception.

I bought it Saturday, read it Sunday and like the main character in the Cates series, Lem and Mags are anti-heroes with a Lennie-and-George relationship; two guys just trying t...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Lauren Stoolfire rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads, fantasy, urban-fantasy

In the Trickster universe magic is very real and it is powered by blood, lots and lots of blood. That is if you want to be a great magician, but Lem is a trickster, the lowest level of magician, by choice and more than happy to use his own blood. Then he gets in the way of one of the most powerful magician's spells which will bathe the world in blood to make her dream of immortality real.

Trickster is a well-written dark and gritty urban-fantasy. The magic system is well developed and I would be...more

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Apr 24, 2013 Paul rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a featured book at my local library and I brought it home on a whim.
The early going was a bit rough for me. I found the basic premise that you need blood to make magic to be unpleasant. Still the characters were interesting and the writing was good so I forged on. It actually took about half the book for me to get hooked, and the final quarter was hard to put down.
This book belongs to the "urban fantasy" genre, which I had never heard of and would find amusing but for realizing that Ji...more

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May 13, 2013 Willy James rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, sci-fi

Jeff Somers is one of my favorite authors. I was a little nervous about this one. It was awesome! Turned magic from something that in most books is easy into something hard and with a seriously scary cost. Somers is the king of first person writing. I never get annoyed. There is horror embedded in this story. It's deep in the background. It doesn't drive the action but it oozes in the background as the action drives forward. Mr. Somers writes some of the funniest sentences, in context with the s...more

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Mar 23, 2013 Keilani Ludlow added it · review of another edition

Shelves: first-reads, objectionable-content-didn-t-finish

I received this book as a first reads give away. I thought the plot sounded fascinating, and flipping through it, I was intrigued. However, it was so full of graphic and foul language I had no interest in reading it. My son, a teen, picked it up before I did. Though he is less worried about content than I am, he also put it down and said it was too graphic in it's language. I tried the first several pages - done. No rating because I didn't actually read the story, though had I gotten it from a l...more

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Apr 02, 2013 Danette Somers rated it 5 of 5 stars

BEST BOOK EVER!!!

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Feb 25, 2013 Cat Russell (Addicted2Heroines) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: highly-recommend

Somers' urban fantasy debut is dark, gritty and suspenseful. The world he has created is filled with dirty magic fueled by blood. Those who can wield this magic, whether they're lowly Tricksters or high Archmages, all use it for their own selfish needs, caring little about the lives that are affected.

Lem is a Trickster who uses his magic for simple cons. He can make one dollar bills appear to be twenties or charm people into becoming more agreeable. But Lem refuses to use other people's blood to...more Somers' urban fantasy debut is dark, gritty and suspenseful. The world he has created is filled with dirty magic fueled by blood. Those who can wield this magic, whether they're lowly Tricksters or high Archmages, all use it for their own selfish needs, caring little about the lives that are affected.

Lem is a Trickster who uses his magic for simple cons. He can make one dollar bills appear to be twenties or charm people into becoming more agreeable. But Lem refuses to use other people's blood to gas up his spells, so he was left unable to continue his magical training. As a result, he never reached the full potential of his abilities.

Despite the talents that Lem possesses, he is poor and filthy and drifting from one place to another with nowhere to call home. But he isn't drifting alone. With him is Pitr Mageshkumar, better known as Mags. Lem often describes him as if he's a pet. He's loyal, friendly, and lacking in intelligence. He's also easily amused, easily distracted, and often quick to forget things. But he's all Lem has and he knows Mags would do anything for him without question.

Somers has taken these two very unlikely heroes with essentially nothing positive going for them and manages to write them in a way that has you rooting for them until the very end. Not because defeating the bad guys is the right thing to do and not because they need to save the girl, but because you genuinely like them and would be crushed if they didn't both make it through to the end.

Many of the details of the mystery are revealed fairly quickly and it isn't exactly shocking as much as it is disturbing. But what made this story line so thrilling and intense wasn't the actual mystery of the girls covered in magical glyphs. It was the question of how one lowly Trickster, who couldn't even follow through with his training, could possibly best one of the most feared Archmages alive.

The true bad guys (not just the characters with sticky fingers and loose morals) are as equally well-crafted as our heroes. One is suave, cunning, handsome and wears impeccable suits and a slick smile. The other is ancient and decrepit, practically a mummy, but more terrifying and deadly despite the frail appearance.

By the time the final showdown arrives and Lem's commitment and abilities are put to the test, I was on the edge of my seat and flying through the pages as fast as I could. I knew Lem would make it to the end, but I was desperate to know how many casualties there would be and what magic trick Lem would have to pull off in order to save the day.

Somers has a real talent for world building and crafting unique and colorful characters. For fans of dark urban fantasy and unconventional heroes, Trickster is a must read. (less)

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Mar 11, 2013 Jeff rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I've given this book 3 stars, its probably more like a 2.5 star rating.

While I am always glad to see a new urban fantasy with a male protagonist, and while I want to be able to say I loved this book - I just can't. I liked it but in its desperate need to be cool and different, the book misses something.... and that something is world-building. There is not enough of either the characters or their world to really hook me in. Having said that, there are some interesting ideas in the book that will...more

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Apr 18, 2013 Yair Bezalel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Years ago I was working an awful job at a supermarket the summer before I went off to college. While there, and while working, I read a lot. Partly to distract from my less than stellar days, and partly because I loved to read. Two of those books which, among others, I dusted off during breaks and deli lunches (I remember I was eating a lot of deli food at the time) were the first two books in Jeff Somers' "Avery Cates" cycle. The Electric Church and The Digital Plague.

While the plots were noth...more Years ago I was working an awful job at a supermarket the summer before I went off to college. While there, and while working, I read a lot. Partly to distract from my less than stellar days, and partly because I loved to read. Two of those books which, among others, I dusted off during breaks and deli lunches (I remember I was eating a lot of deli food at the time) were the first two books in Jeff Somers' "Avery Cates" cycle. The Electric Church and The Digital Plague.

While the plots were nothing spectacular Somers had a definite voice and a way with characters that carried and maintained one's interest through both stories. Also he had a way of building up scale that was surprising, especially in the case of the Digital Plague which I find reflected in his latest work 'Trickster'. He conveys a real sense of the world being pulled first gradually, then quickly, into catastrophe.

Lem Vonnegan (great name) is the eponymous Trickster, a low level magician using his powers to con people out of money and trinkets, with his slow witted colossus sidekick Mags. The magic in this world is powered by blood ('gas' as it's referred to here) where most characters either cut themselves to power magic (Lem for most of the novel) or bring designated 'Bleeders' with them, usually chubby or stocky people, whose entire existence is to cut themselves to power the spells of the magic users.

There's an almost 'Highlander' vibe to the world Somers has created here. Of super-powered beings operating just under the radar of normal humans while still affecting the course of human history, the later revelations about blood sacrifices really do ramp up the scale later in the story. But unfortunately, Somers suffers a few missteps.

The story is dirty. It's not dirty due to illicit conduct but rather it's just, at times, an unpleasant read. Everyone is covered in sweat, dirt, and grime. Characters are starving, desperate, and no one seems contented. Also, the basic idea of the magic being powered by blood, while interesting certainly, is very cumbersome when described in text and comes off as more trouble than it's worth.

Also, repetitious use of the word 'fuck' doesn't always a gritty realistic story make. There were too many instances where it felt like Somers was writing this in his notebook between periods in high school.

As the first in a projected series, 'Trickster' is a decent opening installment. But, ideally, even a novel in a series should be able to stand on its own merits, especially the first entry. Though 'Trickster' doesn't deliver on most of its ideas and some of the descriptions and imagery are less than graceful, there's enough good here to warrant a read. Especially towards the end, Somers seems to wake up and bring his talents to bear in creating a rushed, but sufficiently satisfying conclusion. Though I'd be remiss if I didn't say the ending didn't feel like a massive stall for the next work.

So, all in all, it's a decent read. Not a revelation, but there's definite potential for something greater here.(less)

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Feb 22, 2013 Anzu The Great Destroyer rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of the genre

Shelves: arc-galley, the-fantasy-of-urbans, excitement, ball-busting-chicks, dark-so-dark, dat-cover-goddammit, great-concept, hop-on-a-broom, paranormal-fix, second-best, yep-it-was-the-cover, reviewed-2013

We were not good people.

Trickster should be turned into a movie, and Tom Hiddleston should play Lem.

I really liked this book. At first I thought I will end up DNFing it because the start was rather strange, and I thought it wouldn’t be my kind of book. But after a while, as I read on, I started to care about the characters and the story didn’t bother me anymore. On the contrary, it became extremely interesting. The characters are the strong point of Trickster. Their complexity makes them feel...more

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Feb 20, 2013 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-are, netgalley-reviews

Trickster introduces a new dark and gritty urban fantasy series by Jeff Somers featuring Lem, a low level blood mage. A member of the Idimustari he scrapes by using his talent to fleece the 'normals' with a handful of illusions, refusing to enhance his power by using the blood of others.

Somers' world building is intricate and original. He takes his time establishing the boundaries of his lore and the limitations of magical system. There are just two rules of blood magic, the Rule of Perception a...more

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Feb 26, 2013 Deniz rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: netgalley, feb13, arc, magic, fantasy

For a book that promises lots of action and is full of this much bloodshed the first half was surprisingly slow going! I found it really hard to get into the book actually. The second half- once it was all set up and the action was unraveling was more fun to read. This is one of these books that left me totally divided- some parts are awesome, others just meh!

The story line while definitely interesting, was also quite predictable.
I didn't really mind that actually. It's in many ways your classi...more

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Jan 28, 2013 Christal rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs, urban-fantasy, 2013-rlftci-book-count, 2013-rlftci-covers, magic, male-lead, murder, witches-warlocks-and-mages, 2013-nbrc

See this mini review and others like it at BadassBookReviews.com!

Jeff Somers created a very unique world full of blood magic in Trickster, but I had issues with the pacing of the story. The beginning of the novel is filled to the brim with world-building. It is almost all necessary because Mr. Somers world is intricately crafted, but it does drag the flow of the action down and delays the readers’ entry into the actual meat of the story. Once we learn the history behind the world of the idimusta...more See this mini review and others like it at BadassBookReviews.com!

Jeff Somers created a very unique world full of blood magic in Trickster, but I had issues with the pacing of the story. The beginning of the novel is filled to the brim with world-building. It is almost all necessary because Mr. Somers world is intricately crafted, but it does drag the flow of the action down and delays the readers’ entry into the actual meat of the story. Once we learn the history behind the world of the idimustari and Lem and Mags find themselves on Mika Renar’s radar, the plot picks up quickly and becomes really fascinating. Lem was an interesting character — almost an anti-hero in the vein of Stacia Kane’s Chess Putnam. You want to root for him, but you want to smack him for doing stupid things at the same time. Mags was a 100% sympathetic character; you couldn’t do anything but hope someone was watching out for him. Cal Amir was a fairly straight-forward villain character, and his gasam Mika Renar was very, very evil, but she also had a fascinating character psyche. She was so powerful that she developed a fear of aging and death, and would stop at nothing to avoid it. The plot lines and magic usage did get a little convoluted sometimes, but it was still easy to follow the main story and the last few chapters read like a whirlwind. I was a little unhappy with the ending; it wasn’t a cliffhanger, but it was very abrupt. Trickster is just the first in an unnamed new series from Mr. Somers and that is probably why it ended like it did, but I still would have liked to have a little more closure on a few issues. All in all, Mr. Somers has created a uniquely fascinating world and I became really engrossed when the plot took off. I wouldn’t hesitate to pick up another of his books in the future and do hope we will see more of Mags and Lem in the near future. Mr. Somers is currently signed for one more book in this series which is set to release later this year.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Pocket Books for providing an ARC copy of this book!(less)

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Feb 01, 2013 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2013, r2r-complete

(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Pocket Books and Edelweiss.)
Lem is a trickster – someone who uses blood to perform magic. Lem’s magic is pretty basic – making dollar bills appear to be larger bills, and cheating at cards. He does have limits though, while others use other peoples blood – bleeders, to fuel their magic, Lem will only use his own, which often leaves him woozy, and limits how much magic he can do.

One day Lem and his best...more (Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Pocket Books and Edelweiss.)
Lem is a trickster – someone who uses blood to perform magic. Lem’s magic is pretty basic – making dollar bills appear to be larger bills, and cheating at cards. He does have limits though, while others use other peoples blood – bleeders, to fuel their magic, Lem will only use his own, which often leaves him woozy, and limits how much magic he can do.

One day Lem and his best mate Mags find themselves in a sticky situation. Not only do they have a dead body to dispose of, a priceless super-powerful artefact to deal with, and a missing marked-up naked girl on the run, but as it turns out, all three of these belong to the most powerful woman alive, who is, oh yeah… a serial killer.

Now Lem must figure out what to do next. He’s usually more concerned with finding some way to pay for breakfast rather than searching for a missing girl and trying not to get killed, but needs must.
Can Lem find the missing girl? Can he return her and the artefact without getting himself killed? And what sort of spell is the girl to be used for?

This book was pretty gritty, and although Lem could do magic he was known to be one of the lesser mages, and his magic was nothing compared to the stuff he’s inadvertently found himself mixed up in.

There were some moments I found odd in this book, right at the beginning Lem finds a dead girl in a bathtub and wonders how he can make money out of this discovery – what? And later, Mags comes back from the grocery store with bourbon, Lem comments how ‘liquor is not food’, and Mags says that he didn’t want to waste their last $40 on food!

The use of magic, and the environment that this book was set in kind-of reminded me of drug users – they stayed in some really nasty places, never had any money, and Lem was constantly cutting himself for blood to power his magic. They seemed to be always scared of those who had more magic than them, and after landing themselves in the mess they were in, they had the threat of this most powerful woman hanging over their heads too.

The ending left an opening for further books following this one, but I don’t think I’d want to read them to be honest, this was a little too gritty for me. It’s the sort of thing that I would expect my older brother to enjoy though.
Overall; gritty urban fantasy about blood magic.
6.5 out of 10.
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Jan 23, 2013 Melliane rated it 4 of 5 stars

3,5/5

Mon avis en Français

My English review

I was curious to read this novel when I discovered the cover. I did not really understand that Lem was a man, so it took me a moment to realize that in my reading. It was actually pretty funny to follow this wizard throughout the novel. I mostly used to read stories featuring women, or those where they always have a prominent place. This is not the case here. It is true that Claire is an important character in the story but she is still very much in the...more 3,5/5

Mon avis en Français

My English review

I was curious to read this novel when I discovered the cover. I did not really understand that Lem was a man, so it took me a moment to realize that in my reading. It was actually pretty funny to follow this wizard throughout the novel. I mostly used to read stories featuring women, or those where they always have a prominent place. This is not the case here. It is true that Claire is an important character in the story but she is still very much in the background compared to Lem and his apprentice Mags. It was a book quite different and enjoyable to read.

Mags and Lem are two persons well matched but they live in a fairly precarious way. I must say it is quite difficult to grow as a Trickster, especially when Lem refuses to cast any spells that are more powerful than what he can do. However, they live pretty quietly until they meet Claire, a young woman they save from a kidnapping. But strangely enough, she is tattooed all over her body with magic runes and they do not understand the meaning. But saving this woman has a significant impact on both their lives. Indeed, the most powerful mage needs her and she will do anything she can to get her back. Something that is not really to the taste of our heroes who decide to do their best to save her, especially good Lem who has a soft spot for Claire.

I liked all the characters we discover as they are all very complex. It is true that I may have loved to have more information about Claire, because we finally learn little about her. She only makes a few appearances here. Mags is cute, and we see that he would for Lem and only waits for him to ask. We understand that Lem has a concern without really knowing what it is, but they thus form a perfect duo together.

The story and plot are quite interesting although we expect the purpose and there are several lengths. Okay I admit it, I skipped a few passages when the action did not move enough for me. But then I think it’s something personal. Everything is offset by the world and the original characters that the author was able to feature.

This novel is rather an introduction to something bigger for the next one, allowing us to understand what is happening and why. A beautiful opening is announced in the last chapter. To be continued!
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Feb 25, 2013 Ornella rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs

This was definitely an interesting read if nothing else. The use of blood magic and using bleeders isn't exactly new but Somers used it well.

Our main character is a guy, which was a nice change of pace from all those 'kick-ass chicks' out there. I liked his quick thinking and taking action. He always had something to use or do. He always had at least one next step. He has morals as well which of course come to bite him in the ass and has to finally bend a little to really do anything. He is tale...more

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Trickster (Ustari Cycle #1)

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