The story of Orient, a human who has the ability to locate the missing, Finder begins with the title character being tasked to find the source of a new drug hitting the Borderlands streets. Emma Bull returns to the urban fae genre of her debut War for the Oaks, to lesser results.The most refreshing aspect of War for the Oaks was its sincerity, and lived-in quality. Bull's familiarity with the 80's struggling rock musician lifestyle came through, lending real charm and authenticity to what otherwise prosaic fantasy beats. In contrast, Finder's mystery procedural angle feels entirely boilerplate, even borderline parodic. This is most obvious in the "tough cop" character of Sunny Rico, whose romantic attraction to the main character is mostly inexplicable and entirely .Noir is a genre heavily dependent on its setting, and the Borderlands remain poorly defined compared to the Minneapolis of Oaks. Perhaps it's a function of the shared world, but the constant expositing "The Borderlands are this" did little to make it into an organism of moving parts -- an essential element of any "the corruption goes to the heart" story.What does work in the story is Orient himself, and his warm relationship with his best friend, the elf mechanic Tick Tick. The Borderlands, as the liminal space between Fairy and the human world, works perfectly for Bull's celebration of the city as a found home-- where the restless and misfit, human and elf, can find each other. The heart of Finder, therefore, is in such modest details as friends teasing each other or cooking together, in Tick Tick's spacious loft or Orient's inability to wear pants. Rating: 2.5 stars
I really like Emma Bull's books. That said, this one was not as awesome as War for the Oaks, in my estimation.This read a little like fanfic to me, so I was unsurprised to learn that it is technically set in someone else's universe. The world building is complete, but definitely feels like fanfic in that the reader is supposed to supply some of the background. With that missing, it makes a it more of a nice charcoal sketch instead of an oil painting. Which, interestingly enough, made the two initial characters stand out that much more against their background, but still. I should probably read the 'originating' book, and see what's what.Another slightly strange thing was that I kept forgetting that our protagonist was supposed to be male. It was really odd. It became especially odd when the 'romantic sideplot' kicked in. The subplot in and of itself was strange because it seemed semi-out of place, and never really went anywhere, which I am conditioned to expect. So, that part left me sort of 'weh?', but not in a way that ruined the book for me.Conclusion: I like, but she's done better. I'd like to reread at some point and see if I can figure out the whole narrator-gender thing. Is it just because in physical fiction I'm used to reading stuff with female protagonists? Is my female-as-default-assumption from eljay crossing over into my fiction-reading? Should I write more reviews and less journal entries? All this and more, when we return to I Write Cracked Out Reviews With Things That No One Cares About.
What do You think about Finder (2003)?
Posted at Shelf Inflicted Bordertown is a city between the Human and Fae worlds. While elven magic does not work in the human world and technology does not work in the Elflands, both work in Bordertown inconsistently and with interesting effects. Humans, elves, and halflings, troubled folks who are running away from their pasts, or have trouble fitting in anywhere else, inhabit the city of Bordertown. Orient is a human with the special ability to find missing things and people. His best friend is Tick-Tick, a highborn elf estranged from her family, and ace mechanic. Detective Sunny Rico enlists Orient’s help to find a killer, which leads them to a dangerous drug purported to change humans into elves. Meanwhile, a mysterious illness is endangering the elven population.I read this book for the first time in 1995. Though I have forgotten a lot of details over the years, I remember how it broke my heart. Little did I know that just six months later, I would suffer the same fate as Orient. Reading this book a second time brought back a lot of painful and wonderful memories of my close friend and made me all weepy. This story is riveting, fast-paced, magical, and heartbreaking. Not only is this a satisfying mystery and Borderlands a rich and vibrant city, it is a thoughtful and moving exploration of friendship, family, loss, grief, coming to terms with one’s past, and going forward. It broke me and stitched me back together.Warmly recommended to anyone who enjoys deeply character-driven, devastating, and hopeful urban fantasy.
—Nancy
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy with ElvesThis book vacillated between slow and being very very good. The mystery is introduced very early in the novel, our hero, Orient, is asked to help the local cops find the dealer & manufacturer of a new drug on the market (called passport, 'cause it purportedly will allow the users into the fairy lands) that supposedly changes a human into an elf. But in actuality seems to be killing the users. It's not really a fantasy version of a police procedural
—Sbuchler
I read this last year and didn't post a review. I think I was trying to process all the amazing and never got around to writing it down.There are several Borderlands books, none of which I've read, yet I understood this world, these characters, and the backstories on both the characters and the world they inhabit. Bull does it all without infodump. And she's not afraid to kill beloved characters.I've been reading some mediocre stuff lately; need a palate-cleanser. I have several of Bull's books; I think one of them will be next.
—Lynne
