Short Book Reviews: Stealing a Human/Alien Hybrid Ghost

 Not of This World, by Simon R. Green (SevernHouse)

Gideon Sable--master thief, con artist, and self-proclaimedvigilante--faces a challenge he can't resist: to break into the British Area 51and steal a ghost. Not just any ghost, but a hybrid between a human astronautand an alien utterly bent on destruction. Although Gideon suspects the motivesand veracity of his would-be client, he gathers his crew, lured with thepromise of being able to walk off with whatever ultra-secret, ultra-valuable gadgetsthey can lay their hands on. His crew includes The Damned, armored by thehaloes of two dead angels; Switch-It Sally, who can switch out just aboutanything; a werewolf; and Annie Anybody, capable of fully embodying an array ofpersonas (in this case, Melody Mead, Girl Adventurer). Of course, nothing goesas planned, and this volume is, like its predecessors, jam-packed with plot twists,treachery, and revelations.

Gideon and his crew have come a long way since he first convincedthem to join up with him, progressing through suspicion and animosity togrudging respect and, now, the bonds of family. In the last episode, The Damnedand Switch-It Sally not only fell in love but also informally adopted the youngwerewolf. Gideon himself has gone from being a nameless man who inherited alegend to the emotional glue and super-planner brains holding it all together.In this sense, the book is as much about loyalty and family as it is about thepresent adventure. This gives a supernatural spy/con-man romp satisfying depth.I hope there will be many more books in the series.