“I did warn you things were going to get weird.”
– Seawitch by Kat Richardson
After reading the seventh installment of Kat Richardson’s Greywalker saga (Greywalker, Poltergeist, Underground, Vanished, Labyrinth, Downpour, and the recently released Seawitch) – which features Seattle based private investigator Harper Blaine who, after being clinically dead for almost two minutes, can now see into the Grey (the realm of ghosts and other supernatural beings) – I find myself at a loss for words as I sit in front of my computer attempting to write a review. Honestly, over the last six years, I’ve said it all before:
• “These novels are no flash and all substance – deeply contemplated storylines powered by labyrinthinely plotted mysteries featuring a cast of supernatural monstrosities… This series isn’t just good – it’s instantly classic.” – from my “It's Black and White: Kat Richardson's Greywalker Saga is "Instantly Classic" Paranormal Fantasy” blog, posted 8/12/2011
• “I have a hard time ranking any of the current elite paranormal fantasy series ahead of Richardson’s saga…” – from my “It's Blaine As Day: Is Kat Richardson's Greywalker Saga Paranormal Fantasy's Best Series?” blog, posted 8/11/2010
• “Since the release of her debut novel back in 2006, Richardson has… done something very few paranormal fantasy authors have accomplished – she has made the jump to hardcover.” – from my “Year of the Kat: Why Kat Richardson is Paranormal Fantasy's Next Superstar” blog, posted 8/24/009
This series is nothing short of breathtaking – and here’s why. Richardson has written a saga that is clad as an urban fantasy but is ultimately timeless supernatural fiction à la Algernon Blackwood (1869-1951), who has fittingly been called the foremost paranormal fictionist of all time. Read Blackwood’s stories featuring psychic doctor/paranormal investigator John Silence and you’ll see undeniable parallels (both writers are meticulous literary craftsmen – the narratives read more like literature than genre fiction – and both writers utilize their intelligence to construct a decidedly understated story; there is no sensationalized sex or violence). The Greywalker novels are certainly appealing to urban fantasy and paranormal mystery fans – Richardson injects irreverent humor and pop culture references into her supernatural-charged storylines – but the depth and richness of narrative make this series potentially palatable to just about anyone who enjoys paranormal-powered stories.
In the recently released Seawitch, Blaine teams up with Seattle Detective Rey Solis to solve a mystery surrounding a “ghost ship” that disappeared 27 years earlier and has inexplicably turned up in the harbor that it sailed from decades ago. As they dig deeper in history of the spooky ship, Solis finally comes to an understanding regarding Blaine’s abilities – “Welcome to the freak show.” – and they begin to piece together a scenario that includes infidelity, potential homicide, and Dobhar-chú, the mythical water hounds of Irish folklore.
The mystery is impressively knotty but it’s Richardson’s brilliantly developed characters that power this novel. In many ways, this is Solis’ story; readers will find out revelations about his personal life and get glimpses into his family's heartrending history.
Seawitch is yet another example of Richardson’s timeless, intelligent, almost hypnotic, writing style. Here is just a taste:
“Puget Sound is a strange thing – almost an inland sea full of islands and deep saltwater crevasses carved by passing glaciers eons ago. In some places the depth at the bottom has never been mapped, only guessed at, and ships or planes that fall into those underwater canyons never come back – not even as broken bits of flotsam. Seattle lies on salt water so deep that it remains cold year round, yet it’s sixty miles or more from the Pacific coast while still touching the same water that eventually passes Alaska and California. Some of its islands are rocky tumbles of cliffs rolled up from the depths, while others are mere piles of sand that sink away at high tide…It’s seductive in its beauty and sudden isolation but not a safe place for a stranger to go alone.”
The bottom line is this: Kat Richardson is an extraordinary writer (arguably the next coming of Algernon Blackwood), her heroine Blaine is equal parts Philip Marlowe and John Silence, and her Greywalker saga is classy and classic – the crème de la crème of supernatural fiction.
Paul Goat Allen has been a full-time book reviewer specializing in genre fiction for the last two decades and has written thousands of reviews for companies like Publishers Weekly, The Chicago Tribune, Kirkus Reviews, and BarnesandNoble.com. He is a member of the National Book Critics Circle. You can follow him on Twitter at @paulgoatallen and get all the latest Barnes & Noble book news from @BNBuzz.
