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Path of Ra #2
Teeth of the Wolf
Scientific consultant Penny Yee has barely drawn breath before Detective Inspector Tanner assigns her another suspicious death, with Matiu tagging along for the ride. That's fine as long as he stays outside the crime scene tape, but when one of Matiu's former cronies turns up dead, Penny wonders if her brother might be more than just an innocent bystander. While she's figuring that out, the entire universe conspires against her, with a cadaver going AWOL, her DNA sequencer spitting the dummy, and the rent due any day. Even the weather has it in for her. But that's not the worst of it; Penny's parents have practically announced her nuptials to Craig Tong!
Still spitting the taste of sand from his mouth, Matiu's back on the case with Penny, and wouldn't you know it, his big sister is in over her head again, not that she has a clue. There's a storm brewing dark through the heat-haze on the horizon, and Makere isn't the only one of Matiu's friends from another life dogging his steps. Is this all because of what Mārama was trying to tell him earlier? About his heritage?
Meanwhile, Cerberus is only making things worse by losing his rag every time they cross paths with the elusive killer. Can the dog taste the hot sour reek of something trying to push through the veil and run its tongue and teeth across this world? What's calling them? What has changed? Matiu should probably check that out, if only his probation officer would quit calling...
Still spitting the taste of sand from his mouth, Matiu's back on the case with Penny, and wouldn't you know it, his big sister is in over her head again, not that she has a clue. There's a storm brewing dark through the heat-haze on the horizon, and Makere isn't the only one of Matiu's friends from another life dogging his steps. Is this all because of what Mārama was trying to tell him earlier? About his heritage?
Meanwhile, Cerberus is only making things worse by losing his rag every time they cross paths with the elusive killer. Can the dog taste the hot sour reek of something trying to push through the veil and run its tongue and teeth across this world? What's calling them? What has changed? Matiu should probably check that out, if only his probation officer would quit calling...
236 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2018
2 people are currently reading
29 people want to read
About the author
Dan Rabarts
39 books17 followersI am a writer of fantasy novels and speculative fiction, sometime narrator of podcasts (including stories for the Hugo award-winning StarShipSofa), occasional sailor of sailing things, and father of two wee miracles in a little house on a hill, under the southern sun.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 23, 2018
Disclaimer: I read this book as part of the editorial process; I look forward to purchasing a hardcopy to add to my collection.
I was honored to be one of the first people to read this book, and it blew me away even more than the first in the series. I didn't realize near-future noir was a thing I needed in my life until this series, and now I wish more of it existed. But I'm not sure whether any other attempts would measure up to the adventures of Penny and Matiu. This book ups the ante from the previous, with more action, more conspiracy, and more supernatural dread.
The highlights of this book are the characters and the research. Which sounds boring when laid out that way, but everyone from Penny to Matiu to secondary characters such as Penny's lab assistant, her erst-while significant other, Matiu's biological mother, the voices in his head, and even the bog bodies are fascinating supplementary aspects to the main relationship. Which is still that of brother and sister, a refreshing change from the typical.
This series is near-future science fiction that doesn't beat you over the head with shiny technology we should expect in the next few decades. Instead, the atmospheric dread evokes a future we're barreling toward whether we like it or not. I'm anxious to see what creepiness Rabarts and Murray introduce in this world next.
I was honored to be one of the first people to read this book, and it blew me away even more than the first in the series. I didn't realize near-future noir was a thing I needed in my life until this series, and now I wish more of it existed. But I'm not sure whether any other attempts would measure up to the adventures of Penny and Matiu. This book ups the ante from the previous, with more action, more conspiracy, and more supernatural dread.
The highlights of this book are the characters and the research. Which sounds boring when laid out that way, but everyone from Penny to Matiu to secondary characters such as Penny's lab assistant, her erst-while significant other, Matiu's biological mother, the voices in his head, and even the bog bodies are fascinating supplementary aspects to the main relationship. Which is still that of brother and sister, a refreshing change from the typical.
This series is near-future science fiction that doesn't beat you over the head with shiny technology we should expect in the next few decades. Instead, the atmospheric dread evokes a future we're barreling toward whether we like it or not. I'm anxious to see what creepiness Rabarts and Murray introduce in this world next.
November 15, 2019
Rabarts and Murray go from strength to strength in this second instalment, blending SF, Horror and Mystery in a murky, not-quite-dystopian New Zealand setting. Again, the story alternates between Penny and Matiu, two disparate but—to the authors’ credit—evenly balanced protagonists.
April 15, 2019
Thank you Raw Dog Screaming Press for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Teeth of the Wolf is the continuation of Hounds of the Underworld and I was pleasantly surprised how seamlessly it picked up where the previous story left off.The reminders and flashbacks never felt forced or out of place; like I was watching a recap of the previous episode. They were sprinkled naturally throughout the existing story. While it is basically a continuation of Hounds of the Underworld, this story really evolved into its own being. It is not just Hounds of the Underworld part 2, it's a story unto itself. Everything about it evolved - the characters, the storyline, the darkness, the horrors.
Teeth of the Wolf is part police drama, part crime thriller, part Lovecraftian nightmare. I loved how the cosmic horrors were partially revealed in the first book, they were there, slinking around the edges of the story, in the shadows, but they were much more in focus in this one. The veil has been lifted a bit more revealing the boiling sea, rolling black clouds, and the ancient evils clawing their way slowly into our world. The barrier between worlds is becoming so tenuous that if anyone looks too closely, they will be able to stare straight into the abyss. Rabarts and Murray really created this world full of atmospheric dread and darkness and monsters that is both terrifying yet captivating.
Character evolution was also a big theme in Teeth of the Wolf. I was so happy to see Penny become her own person a bit more and stop following Matiu's every whim. The brother/sister dynamic was still there and their relationship was stronger than ever, as was the comic banter, but she asserted herself more and was Penny Yee rather than just Matiu Yee's sister. I was so happy to see her growth. We were also given more information about Mārama and a bit of her history. She really shone as a force to be reckoned with as well.
More answers were revealed yet there's darkness still unexplored. Do these loose strings hint at a Chapter Three?! I'd love to see another step along this Path of Ra, heavy on the backstory of Mārama, Matiu, and Makere, and of course, the elder gods beyond the veil.
Teeth of the Wolf is the continuation of Hounds of the Underworld and I was pleasantly surprised how seamlessly it picked up where the previous story left off.The reminders and flashbacks never felt forced or out of place; like I was watching a recap of the previous episode. They were sprinkled naturally throughout the existing story. While it is basically a continuation of Hounds of the Underworld, this story really evolved into its own being. It is not just Hounds of the Underworld part 2, it's a story unto itself. Everything about it evolved - the characters, the storyline, the darkness, the horrors.
Teeth of the Wolf is part police drama, part crime thriller, part Lovecraftian nightmare. I loved how the cosmic horrors were partially revealed in the first book, they were there, slinking around the edges of the story, in the shadows, but they were much more in focus in this one. The veil has been lifted a bit more revealing the boiling sea, rolling black clouds, and the ancient evils clawing their way slowly into our world. The barrier between worlds is becoming so tenuous that if anyone looks too closely, they will be able to stare straight into the abyss. Rabarts and Murray really created this world full of atmospheric dread and darkness and monsters that is both terrifying yet captivating.
Character evolution was also a big theme in Teeth of the Wolf. I was so happy to see Penny become her own person a bit more and stop following Matiu's every whim. The brother/sister dynamic was still there and their relationship was stronger than ever, as was the comic banter, but she asserted herself more and was Penny Yee rather than just Matiu Yee's sister. I was so happy to see her growth. We were also given more information about Mārama and a bit of her history. She really shone as a force to be reckoned with as well.
More answers were revealed yet there's darkness still unexplored. Do these loose strings hint at a Chapter Three?! I'd love to see another step along this Path of Ra, heavy on the backstory of Mārama, Matiu, and Makere, and of course, the elder gods beyond the veil.
January 9, 2019
The Teeth of the Wolf – by Lee Murray and Dan Rabarts
In this sequel to Hounds of the Underworld, we join forensic scientist Penny and her spiritually touched brother Matiu (a mere year later) as they are faced with solving a rising number of crimes connected to a series of missing women. However, the story is not simply a ‘Sherlock holmsesk whoduit’, as the authors take us beyond the scary things that lay in the dark into the scary things they lay inside us all.
Throughout the novel the authors’ strive for a balance between the protagonists (Penny and Matiu), but as a female reader I was once again on Penny’s side, not only because of her drive for logic in an illogical world, but because she too has to put up with the obstacles that society only puts in front of woman (her parents expectations of a dutiful daughter, being taken seriously in her field of forensic science, and dealing with her egotistical ex-boyfriend).
For lovers of Monster horror this is no Little Red Riding Hood reimagining, rather a ‘if Lovecraft and Stephen King co-authored’ a novel. Set in the Auckland of the future, an energy starved darker version of itself, the story manages to seamlessly combine a nod to culturally insightful supernatural elements with the clarity that only science can provide. I was glad to be reading during the daylight so that I could put the book down and assure myself that the escalating horror was held firm on the page, though that didn’t stop me from eagerly reading each horrific death, near death and never dead incident with my heart pounding and the taste of metal in my mouth.
In this sequel to Hounds of the Underworld, we join forensic scientist Penny and her spiritually touched brother Matiu (a mere year later) as they are faced with solving a rising number of crimes connected to a series of missing women. However, the story is not simply a ‘Sherlock holmsesk whoduit’, as the authors take us beyond the scary things that lay in the dark into the scary things they lay inside us all.
Throughout the novel the authors’ strive for a balance between the protagonists (Penny and Matiu), but as a female reader I was once again on Penny’s side, not only because of her drive for logic in an illogical world, but because she too has to put up with the obstacles that society only puts in front of woman (her parents expectations of a dutiful daughter, being taken seriously in her field of forensic science, and dealing with her egotistical ex-boyfriend).
For lovers of Monster horror this is no Little Red Riding Hood reimagining, rather a ‘if Lovecraft and Stephen King co-authored’ a novel. Set in the Auckland of the future, an energy starved darker version of itself, the story manages to seamlessly combine a nod to culturally insightful supernatural elements with the clarity that only science can provide. I was glad to be reading during the daylight so that I could put the book down and assure myself that the escalating horror was held firm on the page, though that didn’t stop me from eagerly reading each horrific death, near death and never dead incident with my heart pounding and the taste of metal in my mouth.
June 19, 2019
Great fun and set in a gritty near future, Teeth of the Wolf is a must read for lovers of horror, murder thrillers, and dark fantasy.
Matiu’s a larger than life bad boy trying to make good, but is haunted by his past.
Penny, his sister, is a scientist, clever and practical and trying to make sense of a horrific crime as she's drawn into a shadow world of danger and protect her brother who seems to be a magnet for trouble.
In between the action are the niggling questions – what is the strange tattoo found on the wrist of a murder victim and the bog-body? Are the murders linked? And are there really monsters – or will Penny, like the famous Holmes, find a rational explanation for these disturbing events?
I absolutely loved it. Can’t wait to read the next one!
Matiu’s a larger than life bad boy trying to make good, but is haunted by his past.
Penny, his sister, is a scientist, clever and practical and trying to make sense of a horrific crime as she's drawn into a shadow world of danger and protect her brother who seems to be a magnet for trouble.
In between the action are the niggling questions – what is the strange tattoo found on the wrist of a murder victim and the bog-body? Are the murders linked? And are there really monsters – or will Penny, like the famous Holmes, find a rational explanation for these disturbing events?
I absolutely loved it. Can’t wait to read the next one!
November 3, 2018
This is the second book in the Path of Ra series and just as entertaining as the first. The near-future world (a New Zealand laid low by climate change and pollution - a future I pray isn't real, but fear might be) is skilfully rendered. The mystery is a fascinating interplay of noir and horror. I love the interplay between the two main characters: the OCD scientist Penny (Pandora) and her haunted and troubled brother Matiu. So nice to see characters that are multi-faceted - with elements of the characters dual Maori & Chinese heritages weaving through the story. While being dramatic and engaging, the story also had great touches of humour based on the fab interplay between the siblings.
September 7, 2022
Great mystery blending Māori spiritualism with near future reality in Auckland. Penny and her brother Matiu are drawn back into the dark by their nemesis from the first in this series while working on the cases of a dead body in the park and a missing person. Excellent story, lots of action, and interesting characters.
May 31, 2021
Series continues strongly. Likeable characters, lively scenes, coherent plot. and the uniqueness of the New Zealand setting adds plenty of colour. Love it!
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December 31, 2018Review Pending - I'm going to read 'Hounds of the Underworld' (The Path of Ra Book 1) before writing my review for Book 2.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews