Shadow Unit 7

Shadow Unit #7

by Emma Bull, Elizabeth Bear, Holly Black

     The FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit hunts humanity's worst nightmares. But there are nightmares humanity doesn't dream are real. The BAU sends those cases down the hall. Welcome to Shadow Unit.
     The Shadow Unit series was created by award-winning authors Emma Bull and Elizabeth Bear.

Contains
Smoke & Mirrors by Elizabeth Bear
Not Alone by Holly Black
and more by Elizabeth Bear, Emma Bull, & Chelsea Polk, and others.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Crime, Short Stories

227 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 4, 2011

About the author

Emma 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.

Reviews

[Lianne Burwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 7 includes 3 'episodes' as well as the extra scenes. The team is still rebuilding after the lead agent made a serious mistake, and after he was himself kidnapped and tortured. There is also the fallout from what happened after the kidnapper was caught.

The three stories includes a trip to Miami to deal with a pair of gammas who are killing people by making them think they are in a fire. It is also a chance for Reyes to build bridges with Chaz, who is still having problems based on Reye's actions previously.

The next story undid the rebuilding, but this time focussing on a different member of the team running into trouble, then running.

Finally was the 'very special christmas episode', which deals with Reyes and Todd's first case when the WTF unit was first being formed in '95. It involves two FBI agents and one of their cases in 1964.

Bit by bit, I am getting caught up on the 'show' (and have to keep reminding myself that there isn't an actual show to watch). It will be a rough day when I reach the most recent episode and I end up having to wait for the next one.

[K.S. Trenten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tragedy tears at the team with the fall of a hero, triggered by one of the worst villains they’ve ever faced. All of the pieces of magnificent character development are set to shatter, clues warning these formidable, yet fragile individuals. No one wants to believe what’s happening, yet they cannot ignore their fall.

Beautifully executed, yet excruciating, seeing as I’ve come to love this team. It was a relief to go back in time before Shadow Unit; when Stephen Reyes and Solomon Todd came to realize to understand they needed a team, as the anomaly forms a sinister shape in a serial killer whom the agents before them hunted; an unsympathetic monster in many ways, yet not utterly lost to humanity and created by all too human cruelty.

I’m not sure where we’re going next. (Yes, I’ve read these books before, long before I was posting reviews on Goodreads, but I no longer remember what happened.) I’m reeling from the events in this novel, but I cannot leave the team now. I enjoy the non-linear narrative, how it draws me into the character beats of the story, intensifying the plot, even as the character snapshot moments give me a chance to breathe. Given the stakes for the characters now, every breath is needed.

[Wetdryvac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still caught but good.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're at the seventh book in this series you already know what to expect. The continued growth of the characters is really engaging, however it would be nice to see some more normal interaction between the characters instead of just when something bad is happening or things are being switched up. I will still continue happily powering through this series though!

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was particularly excited because Holly Black joined in the fun. Satisfying, though unbalancing. Sort of a turning point in relationships and events, I guess. More please.

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting developments in the gammas and betas. Interesting stories about the early history of Reyes and Todd.

[~Anita~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The description of the goth club (in one of the vignettes) doesn't ring true. I'm not goth but i've been to a goth club or two in my time. My partner who is High Goth read it over and agreed.

[Lasciel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think this story will ever get old. The characters and their struggles are just so compelling and real. I just want to read more.

[Lotta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Approximate dates. I suck at reviewing lately. So this partly deals with the fallout after Reyes's capture, if I remember correctly.

[Nighteye]

Read part of it on their webb, good stories... :)

[Michele bookloverforever · Rating 4 out of 5]

really good series...read in order

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Think I'm starting to like these better than Harry Dresden.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whoa, unexpected dangling ending!