Recommended Reads: The Downside Series by Stacia Kane
Title/s: Unholy Ghosts, Unholy Magic, City of Ghosts (Downside Ghosts/Chess Putnam series, books 1-3)
Author: Stacia Kane (@StaciaKane on Twitter)
Type of UF: Dark, edgy, gritty, fast-paced, mystery
Paranormal Element/ Creatures: Ghosts, Magic
Publisher: US – Del Rey/ UK – Harper Voyager (see Stacia’s website for the UK covers)
Release Date/s: June, July & August of 2010
Back Cover Copy:
THE DEPARTED HAVE ARRIVED.
The world is not the way it was. The dead have risen, and the living are under attack. The powerful Church of Real Truth, in charge since the government fell, has sworn to reimburse citizens being harassed by the deceased.
Consequently, there are many false claims of hauntings from those hoping to profit. Enter Chess Putnam, a fully-tattooed witch, freewheeling Debunker, and ghost hunter. She’s got a real talent for nailing human liars and banishing the wicked dead. But she’s keeping a dark secret from the Church: a little drug problem that’s landed her in hot and dangerous water.
Chess owes a lot of money to a murderous drug lord named Bump. And Bump wants immediate payback. All Chess has to do is dispatch a very nasty species of undead from an old airport. But the job involves black magic, human sacrifice, a nefarious demonic creature, and crossing swords with enough wicked energy to wipe out a city of souls. Toss in lust for a rival gang leader and a dangerous attraction to Bump’s ruthless enforcer, and Chess begins to wonder if the rush is really worth it. Hell, yeah.
If you haven’t heard of Stacia Kane’s Downside books yet, you’re missing some really big news – both in urban fantasy and for genre books in general.
Let me give you a taste:
- Unholy Ghosts released to great acclaim in June (US May 25th) 2010.
- Unholy Magic released to even greater acclaim in July (US July 6th) 2010.
- City of Ghosts, rumored to be the best yet, is being released in August (US release NEXT WEEK – July 27th) 2010.
That’s right. Stacia’s first three books in the series are being released back-to-back-to-back right now (that’s how much the publisher believes in the series) and they’re causing quite a stir. Thanks to the unusual premise, the very-flawed-yet-’relate-able’ MC (particularly regarding her drug habit), the fresh and thorough world-building and the unique-yet-accessible vernacular, people everywhere are talking about these addictive books.
There are many reviews available online for the first two books (Stacia’s website HERE links to many) but I’ll include excerpts from just one thorough review to give you an idea:
(From “Raising Kane: Why the Summer of 2010 Will Be the Summer of Stacia for Paranormal Fantasy Fans” by Paul Goat Allen)
This is an ambitious novel, a novel that shuns the formulaic pitfalls and conventionality of other bestselling paranormal fantasy sagas. This is Stacia Kane at the top of her game—it is a writer evolved, a storyteller matured, an imagination fully unleashed upon the world…
… if you’re looking for something deeper and darker, I would highly recommend this novel. I loved the (what some would consider) audacious premise; the downright tantalizing glimpses into the otherworldly City of Eternity; the cool, punk rock undertones (at one point Chess is wearing a Dead Kennedys t-shirt); and the wonderfully intricate mystery that intertwines it all together.
Stacia Kane
Join us for our very first #UFchat on Saturday July 24th at 3pm PST/6pm EST for a special Q&A with Stacia Kane on her Downside series! Bring your questions or tweet me ahead of time so I can add them. See you there!
Gypsy (@inkgypsy)
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