Chimera

This is one of those rare times where I desperately hope a book is a one shot (an ever so rare occurrence in the Urban/Fantasy genre). The book is perfect as it stands, and I am happy where it left the characters. That, again, not does happen very often. If you are familiar with Thurman's work, you will recognize a familiar brotherly dynamic at play (a fun, snarky, fantastic brotherly dynamic) but that is where any similarity with previous work ends. In Chimera the reader finds itself in a soothingly normal contemporary setting, right until the protagonist stumbles across his Holy Grail. Take our mafia grunt protagonist, allow him to find the brother he has been obsessively looking for, and have that brother being held in a sketchy establishment that seems to be creating killing machines using shady genetics/medicine/brainwashing. Cue one excellently planned break out, and the rest of the book is a rush of close calls and bitingly witty dialogue. Chimera is a break from the urban fantasy I am used to reading from Thurman, instead settling on a setting that contains just enough skewed science and bizarre skills to have it just crossing the line into urban/scifi. But it is a close call. The science used is well explained, and close enough to believable to add a nice bit of tension to the book itself. And a science villain. Have I mentioned how much I adore science villains? Complete with skewed morals and an appropriately hideous methodology. Oh, and the ending. What a brilliantly executed few chapters that was. I was actually grinning to myself as I read. Had I a glass in hand, I would have offered a toast to Thurman on the spot. Well played, Ms. Thurman. Well played. A fast paced, highly enjoyable read. And hey, I think I picked up enough rude Russian from reading this book to get me in some fantastic linguistic trouble. What more could a reader want?show more