Hetley, James A. The summer country.Berkley, Ace. 361p. c2002. 0-441-00972-7. $14.00. SA In this urban fantasy Urban fantasy is a subset of contemporary fantasy, consisting of magical novels and stories set in contemporary, real-world, urban settings--as opposed to 'traditional' fantasy set in wholly imaginary landscapes, even ones containing imaginary cities, or having most of their action , Maureen notices a strange man stalking Criminal activity consisting of the repeated following and harassing of another person. Stalking is a distinctive form of criminal activity composed of a series of actions that taken individually might constitute legal behavior. her while she is walking home from her job at the Quick Shop. Just before she fires her gun at the attacker, another man appears behind the so-called mugger mugger: see crocodile. and destroys him. Maureen's savior is Brian, a man with magical talents who appears from another world known as the Summer Country. Unbeknownst to her, Maureen is a powerful witch whose strange abilities have been attributed to mental illness in her own world. While growing up, Maureen envied her sister who was always the confident and independent one. In the Summer Country, Maureen's magical prowess is strongly envied. Haunted by childhood rape, Maureen struggles with her romantic feelings towards the otherworldly Brian and discovers that Brian is on the run from his evil siblings, Fiona and Sean. Both of Brian's siblings are masters of the Summer Country with ambitious plans to increase their magical power. Dougal, a torturous ruler of the Summer Country, along with Fiona and Sean, enacts a plan so that Dougal can gain Maureen's power while Fiona can control Brian's abilities. Sean entices Maureen to the Summer Country where Dougal imprisons her. Fiona captures and seduces Brian while Maureen's sister Jo, and Jo's boyfriend, become sacrifices to the earth. Maureen must summon up the strength to survive in order to save her sister and her friends. With a basis in Celtic myth, The Summer Country evokes a brutal but entrancing world. As Maureen vanquishes Dougal, the violence escalates in a flash. Nature is controlled by the magically inclined, with a particularly gruesome scene in which Jo's boyfriend is consumed by the earth. Fans of urban horror and fantasy will appreciate the gritty nature of the magical sequences. YAs looking for Looking for In the context of general equities, this describing a buy interest in which a dealer is asked to offer stock, often involving a capital commitment. Antithesis of in touch with. a strong female heroine beating the odds will appreciate Hetley's creation of the spunky spunk·y adj. spunk·i·er, spunk·i·est Informal Spirited; plucky. spunk  i·ly adv. yet vulnerable Maureen, and will be able to relate to the insecurities and alienation that Maureen feels and the dominant theme of the struggle to find oneself Verb 1. find oneself - accept and make use of one's personality, abilities, and situation; "My son went to Berkeley to find himself"find maturate, mature, grow - develop and reach maturity; undergo maturation; "He matured fast"; "The child grew fast" . Readers who enjoy Celtic language Noun 1. Celtic language - a branch of the Indo-European languages that (judging from inscriptions and place names) was spread widely over Europe in the pre-Christian era Celtic and legend will absorb the novel's atmosphere. This novel takes readers for a wild ride, immediately grabbing them and not letting go. Ginger Armstrong, Prin. Lib. Assoc., County P.L., Chesterfield, VA |
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