Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Ill Wind -- Rachel Caine

Everybody talks about the weather, and some people do something about it. Who? The weather wardens, that's who. They don't have total control, of course, but they do what they can to keep natural disasters from destroying the world.

I'd been meaning to start this series for several years, since I've enjoyed being on panels with Rachel Caine (or Roxanne Longstreet Conrad, if you prefer) at a lot of conventions. I'm glad I finally got to it. I was reminded a bit of the kind of novellas that used to appear in Imaginative Tales back when I was a youth, strong science fantasy, with plenty of action and characters you care about.

Joanne Baldwin is a weather warden, and she's in a heap of trouble. Just how much, the reader learns about only gradually, but even at the beginning she's fleeing from a murder rap. Things just get worse as she crosses the country from New Jersey to Oklahoma, where the wind (and plenty of other weather disasters) comes sweeping down the plain. You've got mystery, Djinn, and weather galore, not to mention plenty of surprises along the way.

Rachel Caine (or Roxanne) is challenging James Reasoner as Texas' most prolific writer, and if you'd like to try her work, this is a great place to start.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

"murder wrap"?

Time to proofread, Bill.

I thought Caine's story about the Texas town controlled by vampires was the strongest in that anthology, Bill (no offense).

Jeff Meyerson (who still can't comment directly)

Unknown said...

Proofing done, and thanks, Jeff. I loved that story, too, by the way.

Cap'n Bob said...

The Murder Wrap, a killer new sandwich from Subway. I recommend it.