Miles to Go

Sylvan Investigations #1

by Laura Anne Gilman

The person you pass on the street…may not be human. They are known as the fatae, the various non-human species that make up the Cosa Nostradamus, the magic-using community. And they could be your neighbors, your teachers, your fellow commuters. Your local PI. Meet Danny Human mother, faun father, 100% attitude. For the most part, Danny’s made his own way, straddling the line between human and supernatural in his job the way he does in his life It’s an ordinary — for Danny — job, when he’s approached by a young woman who has information he needs to solve a missing person’s case. All she wants to do is help. But the cost of that information will change Danny’s life…forever.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery, Novella, Fiction, Magic

72 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Laura Anne Gilman’s work has been hailed as “a true American myth” by NPR, and praised for her “deft plotting and first-class characters” by Publishers Weekly. She has won the Endeavor Award for THE COLD EYE, and been shortlisted for a Nebula, (another) Endeavor, and a Washington State Book Award. Her work includes the Devil’s West trilogy, the Cosa Nostradamus urban fantasy series, the Vineart trilogy, and the story collection WEST WINDS’ FOOL. Her upcoming move, UNCANNY TIMES, will be out from Saga Books in 2022.

She lives in Seattle with a cat, a dog, and many deadlines.

Reviews

[ᴥ Irena ᴥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

I have to admit bias here. I love this world so keep that in mind.
Miles to Go takes place in the world of Paranormal Scene Investigations and Retrievers.

I would suggest reading Paranormal Scene Investigations series first because there is a huge spoiler for the fourth book here. I loved all the mentions of the Wren and Sergei, Venec and Bonnie, fatae, Talents and so on.
Even the protagonist of this story Danny Hendrickson, a half-faun/half-human, is not new to me. He helped Bonnie from PSI a couple of times. I liked him a lot. I was really glad to see the author chose to write a series featuring him.

In Miles to Go Danny is faced with his worst nightmare when it comes to cases he solves as a P.I. Missing children and teenagers are Danny's weakness. With the help of a young Talent he will do his best to solve the mystery.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good paranormal suspense series about half faun former cop and current private investigator Danny, who suddenly finds he has an employee - a powerful seer with self-esteem issues.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Danny's always been a favorite from the other Cosa Nostradamus stories (was he in both Wren's and the PSI books?) so I wanted to read the novellas about him for a long time. But they're independently published and not available from the library (or most sources) and I couldn't afford them. I was very happy to see that this story, at least, turned up on the Viggle website, where I have tons of points that are good for pretty much nothing but books and music now (it's an iPhone/android app). Gilman has a lot of experience writing mysteries, both in this world and under a pen name, from what I gather, and it showed in this tight little mystery. Was it surprising or thrilling? No, it felt familiar in it's format and tone, but not in a bad way. The point of it was more to introduce or re-introduce Danny and Ellen and this world through the mystery than it was to write and edge-of-your-seat thriller. A typical gumshoe investigation but with the issues of dealing with the fatae and Talent was interesting. And I enjoyed Danny and Ellen very much and was left wanting to read more about them and their world. Admittedly, my memory is truly awful and I really didn't remember Ellen at all, so she was basically a new character to me, but I liked what I saw here a lot. She's certainly different from Wren and Bonnie. And it was nice to get a bit of background on Danny and more of a sense of who he is. And fans will like the little glimpses of other old friends and the interconnections between the books and the stories, none of these people live in isolation, a nice perk. Gilman is smart to plan this series of novellas (she calls them that, this one didn't seem much longer than a short story to me, but there's probably a technical definition including word length that I'm sure she's aware of and I'm not) about Danny and his investigations, fans of Wren and Bonnie's world are sure to enjoy visiting again through these stories and new readers might be drawn into reading the books. (You should, they're very good, start with the Retriever series/Wren.) I hope I get a chance to read the second story, which is already available, and I see on her website that she has at least two more already planned as well.

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of three books currently out in Laura Anne Gilman's Sylvan Investigations series. I've read all three now, and am hoping for more. The book is in the world of the Cosa Nostradamus, first introduced in her Retriever books. Some characters from both the Retriever series and the Paranormal Investigations series make appearances. I was excited to find more books in this world. This series follows Danny, a half Faun/half human character introduced in the earlier series, and Ellen, a Storm Seer also first seen in the earlier series, and tells the story of how she comes to join Danny's PI business. My only complaint about all three of the books is that they are TOO SHORT, and I want more! Highly recommended for fans of urban fantasy. One small note of warning - the copy editing in these books was a little weak, and occasionally something jumps out. The characters and story lines are so strong that I really don't care, but your mileage may vary.

[Scott James · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Kickstarted this project based solely on the author (whom I have always liked in person), and the concept.

It may well have been the best investment I made last year, for both of us. I am thoroughly entranced by the Cosa Nostradamus, and intend to buy as many of the stories as I can read without going blind.

And since my latest eye exam >decreased< my prescription, this could take a while.

Buy with confidence, read with pleasure.

[Az Vera · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun novella that you can breeze through in a few lunch breaks or bus rides that's just really well put together.

The writing perspective smoothly switches between first person for the attitude-packing private detective and a limited third person perspective focused on his new partner/client. The characters themselves are all fleshed out and fun, they all have their quirks and feel multi-dimensional with room to grow.

The setting is part of Laura Anne Gilman's established Cosa Nostradamus universe but you don't have to have any previous experience with it to just jump right in. It gladly shows (rather than tells) all the small facets of the world as they're needed, perfect for first time readers. It's also incredibly well thought out too.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Enjoyable, comfortable read. Some odd POV shifts, but other than that, a quick read. I'm glad this story was handled in a novella and not a novel. This is my first book by Laura Anne Gilman. Pleased to discover there are so many additional choices.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Urban fantasy noir, makes me want to retry reading Hard Magic.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short read that's along the lines of many buddy detective/fantasy stories. Here the head P.I. is half faun with a human seer as a sidekick. Well written and good entertainment.

[Tonya Nardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, more like a novella but the noir detective trope is well done.

[Wetdryvac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much fun.

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this author's blog, but whenever I try to read her work, I tend to appreciate the short fiction more. I'm not sure why that is. As a result, I was a little confused, because I forgot to read Dragon Justice, the book where one of the main characters first appears. You CAN read this story without having reading Dragon Justice or any of its prequels, but you might be confused, and I'm not completely sure why you would want to use this as your jumping-in point for the setting. Not that this is bad — I backed the Kickstarter with the expectation that it would be good, and I don't feel disappointed — but I'm not sure what the attraction would be for the average person who's never heard of Laura Anne Gilman before.

[Alice Bentley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice mix of scene setting, character development and action. There was enough background information for someone new to the series while not feeling like a retread for those of us who have every book and story.
I particularly enjoy stories like this one where the fantasy element is understated but still has a critical part to play.

[MLL · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book except for the end. Spoiler!!! Lives were not saved and Justice was not served. It was unhappy and unsatisfactory.
As for the Audible it was difficult distinguishing between when the characters were talking or merely thinking. The narrator didn't vary his voice enough. Sometimes it was hard to tell one character from another as well.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I think I would have enjoyed the book more if I had read the retrievers series recently. Still, I want to read more. And maybe go back and reread the rest of Laura's books over the holidays:)

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Danny gets his own story, and it's a doozy. Gilman's world is buzzing with current and excitement. Her characters are varied and intense. Miles to Go is a great introduction to the world of the Cosa Nostrodamus, or a tasty accompaniment to the full length novels in the series.

[Ming · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Jenn Hanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

so happy that there are more books for this series. I love these books

[Liza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story. Narration was a little uneven, with no explanation for why one character gives another a nickname and then uses it a ton in some scenes and not at all in other scenes.

[Bri Valentine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about a single investigation by a paranormal duo.

I enjoyed this story. I plan to read any books in this series that I can find. I hope there will be many.

[Bea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. I still like this world but the first two series, Retrievers and PUPI, were more interesting.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really love this world

[Bethany Tomerlin Prince · Rating 3 out of 5]

Allrightish

I am a sucker for a happy ending so maybe that is coloring my view of theirs work but I really expected more from a story involving a faun private investigator.

[Helen Fleischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting blend of fantasy and private investigation.

[James Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great quick read. If you like Hard Magic you will like this.