New Tricks by John Levitt

From the back: Mason used to work as an enforcer, ensuring that magic practitioners walked the straight and narrow. But he gave all that up for a quiet life scraping out a living playing his guitar, keeping a low profile with Louie, his magical...well, let's call him a dog. Luckily, Louie has a sixth sense for danger, and Mason knows exactly how dead he'd be without him.

It's Halloween in the Castro district of San Francisco, which means that for once mason doesn't have to worry about the fact that vampires and ghost are stalking the streets. What he does have to worry about is how his old flame Sarah became the victim of an attempted possession-leaving her an empty shell. Mason's only clue is the green rune stone found in her hand...

Quote: Dhougras? They're like Ifrits, but not quite as pleasant. I know they help practitioners, at least the practitioners who know how to compel obedience. i don't know where they come from.

Why this book you might ask: It is the next book in the series and I liked the first book.

My Thoughts: I really enjoyed Dog Days and am pleased to say that I enjoyed this installment just as much. I like the characters. Mason is a brave & caring guy who combines understated charm, magic, music, good will, and at times ineptness to make him very likable. Lou, Mason's....ummm...dog.... makes the books for me, though. I did figure out early on who the bad guy was and kept wondering why Mason didn't see it. I'm enjoying this new to me urban fantasy series. I understand that something escaped from this book to lead into the next. Up next: Unleashed!

Links:
Interview with the author.
Read chapter 1.
John Levitt's website
John Levitt's online journal.

Paperback: 312 pages
Publisher: Ace (November 25, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0441016561
ISBN-13: 978-0441016563

Urban Fantasy, ifrits, San Francisco, mystery, murder, magic, Dog Days

Dog Days by John Levitt

From the back: You'd think that having magical talent would be a good thing, but it's not all it's cracked up to be. Sure, it can be useful.It's fun to pull off the occasional illusion. I've been told I'm not living up to my potential, but all I want is to keep my head down and play guitar. Unfortunately, someone in San Francisco has decided that's not an option.

Mason used to work as an enforcer, ensuring that those magic practitioners without a moral compass walked the straight and narrow. But he gave all that up for a quiet life, scraping out a living playing his guitar, keeping a low profile with Louie, his magical....well, let's call him a dog. Luckily, Louie has a sixth sense for danger, and Mason knows exactly how dead he'd be without him.

But there are some kinds of evil that even Louie can't sniff out. Leaving a club one night, Mason is attacked by an assailant who is most definitely of the supernatural persuasion. He realizes that someone wants him dead. To defend himself, he'll have to fall back on the one skill he's mastered in music and magic - improvisation...

Quotes: If a dog can shrug, that's what he did. I knew he understood; I just hoped he could contain himself. As was all to clear from his interactions with pancakes and squirrels, self-control is not his strongest attribute.

Why this book, you might ask: It was the glowing dog on the cover that reeled me in.

My thoughts: I really liked this book! I am a fan of urban fantasy generally and I enjoyed this one more than most. Urban fantasy with dogs (sort of) what could be better? The Ifrits, of which Louie (the sort of dog) is one, are magical companions (similar to familiars) to people with talent. They choose who they will befriend and it isn't always the most talented.

I like the magical world Levitt has created for his books. San Francisco seems real. The origins of the Ifrits is unknown, and why they choose who they choose, or why they leave when they leave is a mystery. I liked all the characters. They were very different from each other but worked well together. The story was suspenseful with some twists. One big surprise was where the jewels the bad guy has come from. The bad guy was really bad. Evil. Twisted. You would love to hate him. Good riddance.

Fans of Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series will enjoy this, I think.

Links:
Author's site.
John Levitt at Live Journal.
Preview chapter one here.
A review at the SF site.

Paperback: 297 pages
Publisher: Ace (October 30, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0441015530
ISBN-13: 978-0441015535

urban fantasy, mystery, ifrit, dog, familiar, magic