Thunderbird Falls (Walker Papers, #2)

Jun 18, 2007 Holly Booms Walsh rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, paranormal-fiction

Although I like this main character for a lot of reasons, C.E. Murphy's descriptions of the magic Joanne does leaves me feeling confused and unsatisfied. It's a lot of talk about energy and fire and force, and I never get what happened after the big scene is done. This is the second book of hers I've read and I think I'll pass on the rest of the series. The Joanne, Morrison, and Gary characters are so strong that I feel very sad to leave them behind.

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 10, 2012 Carolyn F. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-book, urban-fantasy, audiobook-and-owned-book

Re-read by audiobook. I also read the library paperback. I'm not liking this book as much as the first time, but I think that was because of the change in narrators. The first narrator was okay but this one made every man sound so marble-mouthed, slow talking, it was a little ridiculous. And speaking of ridiculous, I'm not exaggerating when I say that Joanne woke every morning after passing out and not knowing where she is. Every morning. Passing out is bad, so I'm thinking brain damage and not...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 27, 2008 CD rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: nobody

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The first book in this series was not especially fascinating, but because I liked the author's Gargoyle series, I wanted to give it a second chance. I shouldn't have. The entire premise of this book is that Joanne Walker is a dumbass and doesn't know what she is doing. In fact, she has to be so incredibly stupid because EVERY sign points to her being set up and doing a BAD thing. But she doesn't see it. It is outrageously annoying. In the final chapter when she does realize that she has been pla...more

4 likes · like · see review

Mar 14, 2008 Seth rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: modernfantasy, sf-f-h

Again, a whole stack of friends are telling me to read this series. I tell them to read or see all sorts of crap, so I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt.

This was a definite drop back from the pretty-good first book (Urban Shaman). Our heroine, forced in the first book into awakening latent shamanic powers and now trying not to use them, is told to find a teacher as well as to fix the large climate shift she generated in the first book. Meanwhile, there will be at least one mystery for her t...more Again, a whole stack of friends are telling me to read this series. I tell them to read or see all sorts of crap, so I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt.

This was a definite drop back from the pretty-good first book (Urban Shaman). Our heroine, forced in the first book into awakening latent shamanic powers and now trying not to use them, is told to find a teacher as well as to fix the large climate shift she generated in the first book. Meanwhile, there will be at least one mystery for her to solve in her police duties. Sounds like a fine set-up for a book.

Unfortunately, it's handled poorly. Not badly enough that I put it down, but I was impatient to finish it given the many good books I have waiting to be read.

First, the "teacher" plot is pretty awful. This is another case of an author chickening out and having a strong-willed heroine do something against her will for no reason at all. Joanne has standards and shows her backbone when pushed; when Judy (the teacher) appears she gives Joanne no reason to like--much less trust--her and basically bullies her way into Joanne's life. Joanne takes it and ignores the out-of-character behavior. I really hate this in a story; it's auctorial laziness and cowardice.

The "clean up your mess" plot comprises the bulk of the book. It's so-so, but better than the teaching plot. Joanne works with a coven of witches to contact and manifest a spirit that will help them. Joanne does some diligence on the spirit and the group, at least, unlike on the teacher. The real problem with this storyline is the limpness of it. Every night she goes and does a ritual with them, with the rituals becoming progressively weirder. Some of the rituals are very well-told (the second, out in a park, is quite nice), but they have limited tension until the climax of the book.

The police mystery is basically nonexistent. Unfortunately, this means that her boss is also mostly missing, leaving her to think about him a lot (and become uncomfortable with how much she thinks about him, furthering the tension between the two), but would you rather read a scene with two characters or one with one character thinking about the other? They aren't even detailed fantasies; they're of the "if he were here he'd yell at me" sort.

The other saving-grace character, Gary the Cabbie, is only in and out of the story occasionally (for a good plot reason that is completely ruined by a weak attempt to tie it in to the rest of the story at the end). With both Morrison and Gary gone, we're left with Joanne trying to play off throw-away characters with no personality. It's not successful.

Some half-hearted attempt to tie the story in to the Seattle environmental protests and just maybe with an ecological agenda appear in a very small frame story bookending the plot. That and constant references to events in a short story in some anthology somewhere (I hadn't read it)[1] keep the book from feeling like it's whole.

I'll read the third, mostly because my friends handed me at least that many. Hopefully this is the low point of the series.

1 - The story is "Banshee Cries" and appears in Winter Moon. Unfortunately, I couldn't find this information anywhere in Thunderbird Falls frontmatter.(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jun 22, 2008 Holly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

I've come to the conclusion that I'm just not all that interested in shamanism. I'm not all that into druids, either. Good old fashioned sorcery is more my taste.

Most of the characters were irritating, and more than once I sort of sighed and set the book aside. There are a lot of passages that just seem to ramble on. I find the author has a tendency to get a little too caught up in her own mysticism.

Ah well. I['m still interested in the whole Morrison relationship, and will read the final book o...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 10, 2012 Beth Cato rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: in, 2009, urban, fantasy, walker-papers

Despite having a massive backlog of books to read, Urban Shaman snared me so utterly that I had to go out and buy the sequel, Thunderbird Falls. I think this was a wise decision.[return][return]Thunderbird Falls picks up Joanne's story just three months after the end of the first book. Jo grudgingly accepts her shamanistic powers and knows she saved the world, but can't let go of her cynicism. Then, as luck would have it, she finds another dead body. Then her spirit guide vanishes. Adrift and de...more

like · see review

Jan 01, 2013 Leiah rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you have a daughter, a niece, a daughter of a friend, I highly recommend this series. Joanne is flawed, without a doubt. She is low on confidence, but high in sense of self, and her journey is a fascinating one. Unlike a lot of the series out there that feature women leads, Joanne admits her flaws, but stands, for the most part, on her own. She accepts, and appreciates, the help of her friends, including a 70 year-old mentor whom you can't help but come to love, (yes, I would run away with Ga...more If you have a daughter, a niece, a daughter of a friend, I highly recommend this series. Joanne is flawed, without a doubt. She is low on confidence, but high in sense of self, and her journey is a fascinating one. Unlike a lot of the series out there that feature women leads, Joanne admits her flaws, but stands, for the most part, on her own. She accepts, and appreciates, the help of her friends, including a 70 year-old mentor whom you can't help but come to love, (yes, I would run away with Gary in a heartbeat) but she never just lays down and becomes a damsel in distress. She may wind up in distress multiple times during the series, but by golly, she can haul her own ashes, thank you very much. If someone else is around to assist, well, great, wonderful, but this is NOT the "Oh, help me, someone, I am so weak and helpless!" main character written by a lot of women authors who should know better. Neither, thank goodness, does Joanne hop from bed to bed, taking advantage of what each can give her. She is stronger than that, and a terrific role model for today's modern girls.

Neither does Ms. Murphy write an 'unbelievable' character. Yes, Joanne has powers, but she takes that power for her character and grows it within a series of logical boundaries, built on an understanding of Native culture and belief systems. She doesn't grab a new superpower every new book that comes out, which makes her strengths believable within the development of an urban fantasy, and gives you an insight into the character. It is a great deal of fun to watch Joanne grow and change, and begin to understand her own personal potential as the series develops.

The secondary character development is marvelous. There is a core group of secondary characters, whose development is very well managed - you come to know them as people, and truly like them. Additional players are added, whether good, bad, or indifferent in character, when needed. Each has their own series of quirks which make them great additions to the story lines.

Overall, this is a marvelous series of books, well worth adding to anyone's library. I have read them all multiple times, and can hardly wait for the next!

Urban Shaman (The Walker Papers, Book 1)
Coyote Dreams (The Walker Papers, Book 3)
Walking Dead (The Walker Papers, Book 4)
Demon Hunts (The Walker Papers, Book 5)
Spirit Dances (The Walker Papers, Book 6)
Raven Calls (The Walker Papers, Book 7)

And also, don't forget to check out C.E. Murphy and Faith Hunter's
Easy Pickings

I highly recommend this whole series - I go back to it over and over.(less)

like · see review

Nov 29, 2012 Angie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I want to like this more, but there's a bit of repetition (that continues to the third book) that's awfully distracting- I'm not going to make the effort to go check, but it seems as though the author actually cut and pasted some of the explanations from the prior book into this, in order to give the past history/setting for the character and the story. It's clumsy and distracting, though overall the characters are still jaunty and generally likable and the story is fine. There's an art, though,...more

like · see review

Jul 17, 2012 Fangs for the Fantasy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Joanne Walker, or Siobhan Walking Stick and reluctant shaman, returns to face her powers that she can’t keep running from. After the vast events of Urban Shaman, she is intimidated by the power and the responsibility that comes with it – but she can’t deny the damage she did in saving the city last time, nor can she deny her urge to heal. After months of neglect, she’s finally acknowledges she needs to learn more, she needs to explore her powers and she needs to use them – to heal, to help and t...more Joanne Walker, or Siobhan Walking Stick and reluctant shaman, returns to face her powers that she can’t keep running from. After the vast events of Urban Shaman, she is intimidated by the power and the responsibility that comes with it – but she can’t deny the damage she did in saving the city last time, nor can she deny her urge to heal. After months of neglect, she’s finally acknowledges she needs to learn more, she needs to explore her powers and she needs to use them – to heal, to help and to fix what has been broken.

Thankfully, she finds a teacher who is willing to pull her stubbornly through the nature of her powers, allow her to explore them further and develop them to their potential regardless of Joanne’s reluctance; though Joanne still has a lot of trouble accepting – her power and her teacher.

And she can hardly focus on her power alone. Her friend, Gary, is in the hospital after a heart attack, giving her more impetus to learn to heal. There’s a mysterious murder in her gym which, her boss is thrilled to learn, has a supernatural element; and she is approached by a local witch coven who are uniting their powers to try and help fix the damage to the city and summon an ancient shaman from the spirit world

But the witches may be in over their heads, things are moving too fast for Joanne to keep up and she’s not sure who to trust or what to do as more and more demands are put on her, not all of which she is comfortable with. But is this reasonable or her own reluctance to accept the supernatural getting in the way?

Storywise I had a little bit of a genre-savvy moment that almost detracted a fair bit from the book for me. I basically pegged the villain long before the villain was supposed to be obvious. As I saw Joanne become ever more involved in the villain’s plans it was frustrating to me because the villainous intent was pretty obvious to me.

I can’t say it was unrealistic storywise, though. Joanne, because of her interactions with Coyote, had reason to trust the people she did. I think she threw herself too quickly and too deeply into the plans of the coven, but even then she did some basic fact checking before. There was no reason for Joanne to not do what she did, her every action was reasonable, even if mistaken, and it didn’t require foolishness or spunkiness for her to do what she did. Though, it did require a little naivety. I’m torn because I’m not sure how much of my objection is based on, as I say, genre-savviness and pattern recognition because internally, within the book, there is no real reason to be suspicious.

Read More (less)

like · see review

Feb 01, 2012 Bridgette Redman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Does faith and purity alone make one free from the necessity of judgment? In the battle of thinking and feeling, is there danger in doing too much of either?

Joanne Walker is a woman who thinks that she thinks too much. In the sport of mind games, she’s an all-star athlete. The reader is inclined to forgive her. A mechanic cum beat cop who thrives on cynical rationalism, she made the discovery that she is a shaman whose psychic powers are needed to save the world over and over. That she resists...more Does faith and purity alone make one free from the necessity of judgment? In the battle of thinking and feeling, is there danger in doing too much of either?

Joanne Walker is a woman who thinks that she thinks too much. In the sport of mind games, she’s an all-star athlete. The reader is inclined to forgive her. A mechanic cum beat cop who thrives on cynical rationalism, she made the discovery that she is a shaman whose psychic powers are needed to save the world over and over. That she resists this calling doesn’t seem too outrageous.

What’s a woman to do when all she has scorned—from Tarot cards to gods to witchcraft—turns out to be real? Perhaps we can even forgive her that she would begin to trust those who rely solely on their feelings and emotions more than she trusts herself and her rational approach to life.

Thunderbird Falls is the continuation of the story that began in Urban Shaman and continued in the novella, “Banshee Cries”, one of three published in Winter Moon. In this novel, Joanne Walker (whose birth name was Siobhan Walkingstick) discovers she’s responsible for changing weather patterns in Seattle. A coven enlists her aid to fix things by helping a 3,000-year-old spirit, Virrisong, cross over into the modern-day world of Seattle.

Author C.E. Murphy brings back many of the continuing characters that made her first two offerings in this world so delightful. There is the superhero-gone-to-seed Captain Morrison; the cross-dressing Billy Holliday who is married to a stunningly beautiful wife and is father to a household of kids; Grizzled Gary, the true-believing cab driver whose age is exceeded only by his wisdom, and Thor, the blond mechanic who took Joanne’s job.

Thunderbird Falls is published by Luna, a Harlequin imprint that publishes fantasy literature with strong central female characters. There’s an interesting twist in this particular novels. Typically one of my biggest complaints with romance-genre books is that the protagonists go through the stages of “oh, I love you” and “now I hate you” ad nauseum at such a dizzying pace that I typically want to slap the characters. In this novel, Joanne doesn’t do that with a lover, but with her powers. No matter how many times she says she is going to accept them and start learning about them, she keeps pushing them away.

However, it is Joanne’s lack of belief that makes this book readable by cynics and rationalists. If she surrendered too easily to the bizarre turns that her life has taken, we might be somewhat reluctant to follow. Murphy takes advantage of this hesitation in this novel and forces both Joanne and her readers to determine where on the scale of acceptance and cynicism it is healthiest to fall.

Murphy really can tell a story that is fascinating, though there are a few hiccups along the way. A few of the spirit world scenes become tedious. Joanne’s lack of sleep is described so well that it often leaves the reader fatigued out of empathy. Joanne also throws out a line at some point that witchcraft is good and sorcery is bad. For a woman who has eschewed all such things for most of her life, one wonders how she came to that conclusion and what the basis for it is.

For a character who is primarily non-religious and definitely not a monotheist (it is hard to be a monotheist when you’ve met other gods and those gods have tried to kill you), it almost seems hypocritical the number of times she uses the names of Jesus Christ and God as interjections.

Forgive the geek reference, but you also have to assume that Joanne has never watched the Star Wars movies, because she doesn’t flinch when the coven talks about the need to resurrect Virrisong to “bring balance” to the world. Don’t we all know by now that “bringing balance” means putting the bad guys on an equal footing with the good guys?

However, those are minor complaints compared to the delightful storytelling found in Thunderbird Falls. I’ve found that I’m interested in Joanne Walker and what is going to happen to her and her world next. I’m still wondering with whom she is going to end up having a romance. While traditional signs point to Captain Morrison, I wouldn’t be terribly surprised if it ended up developing with Gary instead. Murphy has left just enough open-ended that I’m going to keep reading the books to find out what happens.

I’m also fascinated by the themes that Murphy continues to explore, especially those related to faith, judgment, and acceptance.
(less)

like · see review

Aug 25, 2011 Dlora rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, murder-mystery, paranormal

I liked and disliked this book for the same reasons as the first in the series, Urban Shaman. C.E. Murphy does a fantastic job describing alternate worlds but I got lost at times when reality's rules are discarded. Murphy did a great job in one scene describing the effects of heat, sunburn, dryness, dessication... Wow, she can describe things well. In our hero, beat cop Joanne Walker, begins to realize that she really needs to accept that she is a shaman and learn to control her powers. She agre...more

like · see review

Aug 15, 2011 Chichipio rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy, walker-papers

Murphy tried to write one of those stories where nothing is as it seems, and then a big revelation at the end changes everything. She failed. Hard.

Imagine watching The sixth sense with Bruce Willis's character looking like Casper the friendly ghost; or if you still want him to be Bruce Willis instead of some cheap CGI, how about trying to picture him walking through solid objects and winking in and out of view in the middle of a scene without any of the characters acknowledging the oddity of nor...more

6 likes · like · see review

Mar 12, 2011 Tracy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Joanne Walker, aka Siobhan Walkingstick, is back in the second installment of The Walker Papers. Unfortunately, the force of her personality and the awesome cast of secondary characters introduced in Urban Shaman and back in this installment isn't quite enough to put Thunderbird Falls on my "must not be missed" list.

There's good stuff here, most significantly the growing emotional tension between Joanne and Captain Michael Morrison. I swear, I just love every second they're in each others' compa...more Joanne Walker, aka Siobhan Walkingstick, is back in the second installment of The Walker Papers. Unfortunately, the force of her personality and the awesome cast of secondary characters introduced in Urban Shaman and back in this installment isn't quite enough to put Thunderbird Falls on my "must not be missed" list.

There's good stuff here, most significantly the growing emotional tension between Joanne and Captain Michael Morrison. I swear, I just love every second they're in each others' company. There's real magic sparking between the two of them and it's very patiently and subtly drawn. I adore Gary - and there's a comforting sense of continuity in the faux-familial bond between them. It's nice to see two characters who genuinely adore one another like they do and not have it be in any way romantic. Billy Holliday is back, too, and while not quite as out there as he was in the first book, he's definitely one of the most joyously unique characters I've read in a book in a long time. And I love Joanne's internal monologue. She's sarcastic and self-deprecating and her observations often make me chuckle.

What I don't love, though, is that despite the impressive goings on in Urban Shaman and all the challenges Joanne Walker triumphs over there, she seems to have not only stagnated in her shamanic development, she's actually regressed and is back to that annoying "oh no, I don't want to be Shaman" whining. It doesn't stop her from using her abilities, it just makes every time she does turn into a paragraph about why she doesn't want to. That got old in the first book. To have it carry over into this one after everything she accomplished previously is tedious. I think there may have been some progress in that regard by the end of Thunderbird Falls, but I'm not sure how much.

Then there's the central plot. Joanne stumbles across a dead body and ends up mixed up in coven with dubious motives and questionable sanity. She loses Coyote in there somewhere, and I have no idea why or how. She sure doesn't seem at all bothered by it, despite the fact that there are things going on around her that point to the fact that her fight against Cerrunos in Urban Shaman threw things severely out of whack in the astral realm and it's bleeding over into this one (or visa versa...not totally clear on that) and she's not got the first clue how to fix it. Seattle is sweltering and drought stricken, nature is out of balance, and it looks like it might be all Joanne's fault. And nothing in any of that is anywhere near as compelling or dangerous as anything in Urban Shaman. Until the last quarter of the book, in fact, there's nothing even alluding to daunting, then the last quarter was a mishmash of big reveals and final showdowns that weren't very clearly written. Not to mention that by that point I can't say I cared that much about it, however it concluded.

I'm going to give Coyote Dreams a try because the parts I did like in this book I liked very, very much. I still think C.E. Murphy has a unique gift for writing secondary and ancillary characters, and I truly like Joanne when she's not going the "poor me" route. Plus, I've just got to see what develops between her and Morrison. I just hope for a cleaner, less meandering, tauter plot.

~*~*~*~
Reviewed for One Good Book Deserves Another.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Oct 23, 2009 Zephfire rated it 5 of 5 stars

The welcome return of Joanne Walker/ Siobhain Walkingstick!
This sequel takes place three months after the first book, apparently there was a mini story released in between that centres on an encounter with a banshee, but I haven't read that story and did find the references to that encounter confusing. That being said, I enjoyed this book as much as I did the first.
Some of Joanne's dabblings in the spirit world (as she fought to save the world) from the last book have caused repercussions for...more

like · see review

Mar 05, 2012 Douglas Meeks rated it 4 of 5 stars

Well finally finished Thunderbird Falls (The Walker Papers, Book 2) and I will have to say by the end of the book I would give it a solid 4 Star rank, it continues the story of Joanne Walker and her coming to grips with her Shaman powers, this series is one where you have to grow with the heroine and at times its a bit frustrating for readers like me who want to just point a finger and all bad guys blow up. not gonna happen here but she gets a bit smarter (unlike Rachael in the Hollows) with eac...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 27, 2011 Marsha rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Adults

Thunderbird Falls is a good story with poor execution. In this installment, Joanne Walker has to face her ambivalence with her new Shaman powers. She has not been studying her craft and her spirit guide, Coyote goes silent. However, a new guide, Judy shows up and begins teaching her how to use her power. While all of this occurs, her friend Gary the cabbie has a heart attack and is in the hospital trying to recover.
After finding a dead girl,Cassandra in a locker room shower Jo attemtps to disc...more

like · see review

Dec 11, 2010 Carol rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy, female-lead

I'm continuing to struggle with reading this book. The main character is so flawed, I find it hard to be sympathetic to her, although it could be because her character is inconsistent. At one moment, she is wanting to use her power to heal, at another supposedly afraid to acknowledge it exists. If she is scared of it/ refuses to acknowledge it, why does she keep doing things like looking in the spirit realm for someone who recently died? It's also surprising that instead of believing her teache...more

like · see review

Jul 18, 2012 Kate Sadler rated it 2 of 5 stars

I love the characters in this series. Gary, the 70-year-old cab driver, is fantastic. Murphy does a great job bringing her characters to life and making me want to read about them. Which is good, because I never would have finished this book otherwise. Aside from a tendency to describe EVERYTHING in intimate detail, I enjoyed URBAN SHAMAN. This book didn't live up to the first. As far as I could tell, there was no actual plot and I felt the choices Joanne made were completely out of character --...more

like · see review

Feb 27, 2013 Deva rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: multiethnic-paranormal

Full review at http://urbanparanormal.blogspot.com

The main thing that really stuck out to me was Gary. Gary is this 70something year old cab driver that Joanne met in book 1. Apparently, over the course of book 1, they forged kind of a BFF/FatherDaughter type of relationship that speaks volumes. I love how beautiful it is without it being weird or awkward. Secondly, their is Detective Billy Holliday and his family. Billy is a crossdresser who is married with 4 children (and 1 on the way). What I...more

like · see review

Feb 13, 2013 Susana rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, c-e-murphy, urban-fantasy

2'5 stars

In truth, i wanted to have really liked this book. The author createad a set of characters that completely grabbed my interest since book one, and i was really looking forward in reading this.
But, honestly, most of the times while reading this story, i got lost.

I couldn't visualize most of Joanne's shamanic "experiences" and i found the descriptions confusing and quite long.
In this book Joanne will have to accept her responsabilities as a shaman. And understanding, once and for all,...more

like · see review

Jan 28, 2013 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: walker-papers

The Walker Papers causes me the same problem that the World of the Lupi sereies by Eileen Wilkes does - the magic and the opponents are so trippy/metaphysical that I don't comprehend it fully. Both series also have interesting character that keep me coming back for more. I like Joanne and I love Gary and Billy. I read a lot of paranormal and urban fantasy and I find Billy to be one of the more unique characters in the genre - he is an openly cross-dressing, happily married father and respected p...more

like · see review

Dec 03, 2011 Lynsey (The Demon Librarian) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: magic-tastic, kick-ass-chicks, romantic-elements, rotflmao, sexual-tension-torture-device, urban-fantasy, shifter-ific, heroine-i-love, girl-power, fantasy

I have to confess to finding this a slightly disappointing entry to the series after the strong start of book one: Urban shaman. Essentially, the main problem for me was that for the first three quarters of this book, there just wasn't enough going on. I didn't feel engaged in the mystery element of the story, which is unusual for me because I'm normally keen to pick up on any clues left for the reader, and often, (sometimes annoyingly so) work out who the "bad guy" is way ahead of the big revea...more I have to confess to finding this a slightly disappointing entry to the series after the strong start of book one: Urban shaman. Essentially, the main problem for me was that for the first three quarters of this book, there just wasn't enough going on. I didn't feel engaged in the mystery element of the story, which is unusual for me because I'm normally keen to pick up on any clues left for the reader, and often, (sometimes annoyingly so) work out who the "bad guy" is way ahead of the big reveal. But in this case, when there was a big ta-da! moment, I was completely taken by surprise, but I think this was more to do with there not actually being any breadcrumbs left for me to follow prior to this, than me just not observing them. I hadn't been looking in that direction for anything untoward. So on the one hand it was nice to be surprised for a change, but on the other hand, my inner smug know-it-all missed out on being able to say "Ha! I knew it!"

Joanne also spent a large portion of the book bemoaning her new shamanic abilities or wishing them away all together, which I found very contradictory to the way she'd accepted them without question in book one. What she really needs is to learn how to properly use her abilities instead of just bumbling around, but unfortunately, her spirit guide and mentor, Coyote, was noticeably absent for most of the book. Something Joanne barely seemed to register.

I did, on the plus side, really enjoy seeing more of the great characters I had met in book one. For me- at this point in the series, anyway- the best thing about this series is the strong characterization. Her secondary characters are exceptionally well written and I'm developing a big old soft spot for a couple of them in particular. And Joanne herself is growing on me as well. Aside the girlie whining about her magic in this book (which I hope was simply added to show character growth later on and that I won't have to suffer too much more of in subsequent books), she is mostly a cool and collect, dry-humoured kind of gal, and I love her tom-boy nature and her deep love for her car, Petite. She's also taken up fencing (she might as well since she stole an immortal warrior's sword, right?) so I'm hoping this means she'll become even more of a badass without her magic, as she is with it.

The last quarter of the book was very exciting, although it can get very confusing at times when Joanne is out of her body or on another plane of existence. I'll confess to only just barely following what was going on during these end scenes, but they were fascinating nonetheless. I'm hoping as the series progresses I'll be able to wrap my tiny brain around the different realities Joanne can exist in and it will all make way more sense to me.

Here's hoping!

Originally reviewed for Urban Fantasy Book Reviews
http://urbanfantasybookreviews.blogsp...(less)

like · see review

Apr 12, 2012 Alyssa Ricks rated it 3 of 5 stars

I like Joanne, even though she's just as likely to destroy the world while she tries to save it. She's an interesting character and we get to find out a little more about her as we go. I'm interested to see how things progress with Morrison and love her relationship with Gary.

While I thought I must have missed a book between this and the first of the series, I eventually remembered what she was talking about and bought the third installment in the series as soon as I finished this one.

UPDATE:
S...more

like · see review

Apr 09, 2013 Patricia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Patricia by: Wanted to read 2nd book

So Joanne is making a small bit of progress accepting her life has changed but she has a long way to go.
She still pines for the job of mechanic but is beginning to like walking her "beat".
In the previous volume she was fatally stabbed through the lung by the leader of the wild hunt. She accepted that she wanted to live and was healed by her spirit guide. She didn't really accept the changes in her life and has been fighting her destiny with every thing she's got.
This book takes up with Joanne...more

like · see review

Dec 17, 2012 Ana rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

like · see review

Oct 05, 2009 Sbuchler rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Sbuchler by: Madeline

Shelves: scifi-fantasy, read-in-2009

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Meh. I'm not sure why I picked this up. I was not enthralled with the first book, and this one was even less gripping. But I've had multiple unconnected people sing the series' praises, so I thought I'd give it another try...the concept seems like something I'd like. But no; it still doesn't feel like a character-driven story, and the main character’s hang-ups still seem superficial - not that they don't have the potential to be gripping, it just seems like we're told they're...more

like · see review

Jan 13, 2012 Lady Jaye rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012, stars-3, pb-other, fantasy-urban-fantasy, liked-it, part-of-a-series, slap-this-heroine

I rated this a 3 stars because I felt it was much better written than the first one, and I liked it better. What kept me from liking it even more is that better writing notwithstanding, many of the same problems from the first book plague this one too.

The biggest problem is Joanne herself. In beginners' Spanish class, we learned a phrase: cabeza dura. Joanne tiene cabeza dura. That's the only explanation for how someone can be so dense, so incredibly stupid (her words, not mine. I just happen t...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 01, 2011 Yolanda Sfetsos rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I REALLY enjoyed the first two instalments of the urban fantasy series, Walker Papers. They were both a lot of fun and filled with some very intense action and interesting plots about Seattle cop, Joanne Walker.

This one was no different! It continued the story of how Joanne has to deal with her new status as Shaman. There are some ups, and a lot of downs as she finds out more and more about how her power can be used - for both good and bad.

Anyway, I'm actually finding it hard to summarise the pl...more

like · see review

Aug 12, 2011 Jenn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

I am loving this series with Joanne reluctantly embracing her powers.

She's tough without being too tough and I like that she doesn't have it all figured out. Was some of it predictable? (ie who was the bad guy? Yeah.) but I still like how spunky Joanne is and the secondary characters are fantastic.

Coyote is one heckuva sexy spirit guide, Billy the cross dressing cop is a nice balance for Joanne - providing the support and encouragement she can't give herself and Morrison is just hella sexy perio...more

like · see review

Apr 11, 2009 The Flooze rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy-paranormal, vanquished_2009

This installment of The Walker Papers was more confusing than the first. But I still enjoyed the cast of characters and the overall storyline. I felt that the writing could have been tighter, but with the amount of time Joanne spends in the Spirit World, many events are understandably abstract. Murphy draws heavily on the nature of Faith and of expectations and their impact on the world, making this a more heady and serious tale than Urban Shaman. But part of that somber feel comes from the fact...more

like · see review

title link	preview: Thunderbird Falls
avg rating	preview: Thunderbird Falls Goodreads rating: 3.84 (3070 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26689.Thunderbird_Falls?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347716035l/26689.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26689.Thunderbird_Falls?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Thunderbird Falls by C.E. Murphy[/url]

Thunderbird Falls (Walker Papers #2)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (9)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About C.E. Murphy

Books by C.E. Murphy

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Thunderbird Falls