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Shadow Unit #4
Shadow Unit 4
Contains "Lucky Day" by Emma Bull and Elizabeth Bear, "Sugar" by Leah Bobet, and more.
189 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 3, 2011
6 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
Emma Bull
83 books690 followersEmma Bull is a science fiction and fantasy author whose best-known novel is War for the Oaks, one of the pioneering works of urban fantasy. She has participated in Terri Windling's Borderland shared universe, which is the setting of her 1994 novel Finder. She sang in the rock-funk band Cats Laughing, and both sang and played guitar in the folk duo The Flash Girls while living in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Her 1991 post-apocalyptic science fiction novel Bone Dance was nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards. Bull wrote a screenplay for War for the Oaks, which was made into an 11-minute mini-film designed to look like a film trailer. She made a cameo appearance as the Queen of the Seelie Court, and her husband, Will Shetterly, directed. Bull and Shetterly created the shared universe of Liavek, for which they have both written stories. There are five Liavek collections extant.
She was a member of the writing group The Scribblies, which included Will Shetterly as well as Pamela Dean, Kara Dalkey, Nate Bucklin, Patricia Wrede and Steven Brust. With Steven Brust, Bull wrote Freedom and Necessity (1997), an epistolary novel with subtle fantasy elements set during the 19th century United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Chartist movement.
Bull graduated from Beloit College in 1976. Bull and Shetterly live in Arizona.
Her 1991 post-apocalyptic science fiction novel Bone Dance was nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards. Bull wrote a screenplay for War for the Oaks, which was made into an 11-minute mini-film designed to look like a film trailer. She made a cameo appearance as the Queen of the Seelie Court, and her husband, Will Shetterly, directed. Bull and Shetterly created the shared universe of Liavek, for which they have both written stories. There are five Liavek collections extant.
She was a member of the writing group The Scribblies, which included Will Shetterly as well as Pamela Dean, Kara Dalkey, Nate Bucklin, Patricia Wrede and Steven Brust. With Steven Brust, Bull wrote Freedom and Necessity (1997), an epistolary novel with subtle fantasy elements set during the 19th century United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Chartist movement.
Bull graduated from Beloit College in 1976. Bull and Shetterly live in Arizona.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 13, 2025
Much needed time to process what’s happened to Chaz was taken, both by Chaz and the team, but gammas still hunt, Shadow Unit is needed to hunt them, and Chaz strives to do what he can, even as he’s forced to accept a new normal of nothing being normal again. Hafidha Gates and Daphne Worth are drawn together by sorrow and anger at seeing him struggle, striving to prove themselves out of frustration, a frustration shared and expressed in various ways by other members of Shadow Unit. Hafidha and Daphne, on a first name basis at this point, discover they have differing opinions about the mystical beyond science. Daphne Worth has a past, which comes to play in a surprising way against a gamma, surprising a cynical Hafidha. Another case tries Esther Falkner as both an agent and a mother, bringing up some of her fears about Chaz and her own family. In spite of all this change, Daniel Brady has an opportunity of allievating his loneliness, due to a happy accident.
Giving Chaz and the Shadow Unit a chance to think, feel, and grieve about everything which happened in the previous volume while pushing forward struck an earnest balance between the emotions and the professionalism of the characters. The last case the Shadow Unit solved was a gut-wrencher, showcasing a real problem in society, how dangerous peer pressure and body shaming can be, providing a striking contrast to the case before it.
This may have been less intense than the previous volume, yet it was no less rich or deep; beginning with Chaz coping with the aftermath of what happened to him, fragmenting and spreading out to the rest of team, before the Shadow Unit plunged back into the fray. I’ve gotten very attached to these characters and feel all the more attached to them now. Sometimes, I ache for the gamma as much as the gamma’s victims, depending upon the gamma and their mythology.
This is a very addictive series. I’m glad there’s more.
Giving Chaz and the Shadow Unit a chance to think, feel, and grieve about everything which happened in the previous volume while pushing forward struck an earnest balance between the emotions and the professionalism of the characters. The last case the Shadow Unit solved was a gut-wrencher, showcasing a real problem in society, how dangerous peer pressure and body shaming can be, providing a striking contrast to the case before it.
This may have been less intense than the previous volume, yet it was no less rich or deep; beginning with Chaz coping with the aftermath of what happened to him, fragmenting and spreading out to the rest of team, before the Shadow Unit plunged back into the fray. I’ve gotten very attached to these characters and feel all the more attached to them now. Sometimes, I ache for the gamma as much as the gamma’s victims, depending upon the gamma and their mythology.
This is a very addictive series. I’m glad there’s more.
August 28, 2014
"Lucky Day" -- Man, I hope the FBI doesn't really waste this amount of resources investigating accidental deaths that could possibly be homicides of complete assholes.
"Sugar" -- This seems like a perfect opportunity to see if there is a solution other than locking the gammas away for life. Also, random different author huh?
"Sugar" -- This seems like a perfect opportunity to see if there is a solution other than locking the gammas away for life. Also, random different author huh?
August 28, 2021
Timing flops got me a couple times in this one, but it's bloody well done.
March 3, 2022
Here we go with the start of "season two" of Shadow Unit. Chaz Villette is still recovering physically and mentally from his ordeal at the hand of his uncle/father in the season one finale, and the rest of the team are also working on recovering.
The first 'episode' has part of the team back to Texas (where Chaz's torment happened) investigating the freak deaths of very unpleasant people. The second 'episode' has Chaz back in the office, although not the field, as the team investigates a string of bizarre deaths of teenagers, losing weight for reasons other than just anorexia, in Cape Cod.
The second story especially gives us a look at Esther Faulkner, the 'mother' of the team, and her personal life as a mother.
As usual, the thing that really fleshes out the series is all of the 'extras'. Posts from the characters' livejournals (and the replies). Through these, we get a real good look at how damaged by his experiences have left Chaz.
I'm trying to pace myself going through the series so that I don't catch up to the current episodes at the Shadow Unit website. I really hate waiting *g*
The first 'episode' has part of the team back to Texas (where Chaz's torment happened) investigating the freak deaths of very unpleasant people. The second 'episode' has Chaz back in the office, although not the field, as the team investigates a string of bizarre deaths of teenagers, losing weight for reasons other than just anorexia, in Cape Cod.
The second story especially gives us a look at Esther Faulkner, the 'mother' of the team, and her personal life as a mother.
As usual, the thing that really fleshes out the series is all of the 'extras'. Posts from the characters' livejournals (and the replies). Through these, we get a real good look at how damaged by his experiences have left Chaz.
I'm trying to pace myself going through the series so that I don't catch up to the current episodes at the Shadow Unit website. I really hate waiting *g*
December 30, 2012
Sugar sells it for me. If there were DVDs, I would buy them. Since there aren't:
Read it. Just read it. Start here or at the beginning. Read it if you're a Jew, a lapsed Catholic, or an other. Read it if you're alone, together; however you've been hurt. Read it if you're a parent, or if you want to be. Read it if you're afraid of having someone who needs you.
There is something in this team, their facets, stories, and personalities for all of us. The vision from the start holds true.
Read it. Just read it. Start here or at the beginning. Read it if you're a Jew, a lapsed Catholic, or an other. Read it if you're alone, together; however you've been hurt. Read it if you're a parent, or if you want to be. Read it if you're afraid of having someone who needs you.
There is something in this team, their facets, stories, and personalities for all of us. The vision from the start holds true.
February 28, 2012
I ran out of books on vacation and went back to this on my kindle. Season 2 of the novelizations of a show that doesn't exist. Still a little too far on the horror side for me, but still interesting to see what these authors are up to.
January 8, 2013
This one really revolves around the mindset of Chaz after the events of the season finale.
Through a series of live journal updates, and the two short stories, you see the team try to work without his aid, and you see just how hard it can be if one cog in the well oiled machine is displaced.
Through a series of live journal updates, and the two short stories, you see the team try to work without his aid, and you see just how hard it can be if one cog in the well oiled machine is displaced.
December 17, 2014
3.5 stars. However realistic, still not enjoying the prolonged (LiveJournal-heavy) aftermath of last book for Chaz. As usual, however, the lengthy case stories themselves are excellent and keep me coming back for the next book.
October 28, 2015
Muldaur and Skully meet Reyes and Faulkner
This offering in the series didn't feel quite as complete as some of the other episodes but I remain hooked on the characters and watching then deal with all that is coming their way.
This offering in the series didn't feel quite as complete as some of the other episodes but I remain hooked on the characters and watching then deal with all that is coming their way.
February 29, 2012
Villette works on recovering from events in the last book. The Unit works cases and tries to also recover balance.
June 14, 2012
Continue to enjoy the characters, watching them change and deal with life. One of the interesting things is that there isn't an actor interpreting what the writers create.
April 5, 2013
too much time spent on torture and the mental results thereof. well, for my tastes -- obviously your mileage may vary. But I think i'm done with this series.
December 5, 2013
I don't know if this is really all of Season 4 or not. Anyone know what's happening with Shadow Unit?
August 4, 2015
Less intense than part 3, but really good. I enjoy the relationships between the agents and how they shift, besides the regular cases, that is.
August 28, 2013
Better. More story, fewer distractions.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews