May 16, 2005
Smart-mouthed Eve Levine, a witch with a reputation for breaking the rules, may be dead, but as she proves in this overstuffed paranormal romance (a follow-up to Industrial Magic
), she can still raise hell in the hereafter—which, in this case, is a curiously ordinary dimension in which ghosts like Eve and her also deceased former lover, a sorcerer named Kris, can bicker, have sex and use their paranormal powers. The Fates, three elusive sisters, are the rulers of this otherworldly dimension, and they have a job for Eve. If she can defeat a demonic Nix who's wreaking havoc in the human realm by inducing people to kill, she'll earn her wings—literally. The catch: she can't capture the Nix without the powers that angelhood affords. Eve surmounts this hurdle by teaming up with a hunky and humanlike angel named Trsiel, but her quest, which is fraught with obstacles as well as unnecessary distractions, is lengthy and meandering. In addition, Eve's kick-butt-ask-questions-later attitude, while amusing, can be wearying, and the rules of Armstrong's alternate world seem conveniently changeable. Still, those who appreciate heroines with a good measure of spunk, sass and strong-arm savvy will find this a fun if fitful read. Agent, Helen Heller
.
January 1, 1991
When Flapping Eagle, the immortal hero of this fantasy, tires of existence, he travels to Calf Island, home of Grimus, the man who granted him eternal life, and shakes things up a bit. In its 1979 review, PW termed this an ``artful first novel. . . . There are a few passages where Rushdie seems to be trying too hard, but in general, after a slow start, the book takes off like Flapping Eagle's namesake.''