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The Prodigy
Connor "Constance" Christensen is far from your ordinary private detective. For one, her partner is a 1940's fedora-wearing ghost named Phil. And then there are the a regular day on the job could see the pair facing anything from fairies to vampires, werewolves to aliens. Some of these paranormal beings move on willingly. Others need a little...coaxing. Hunting down forlorn spirits in the local flea market on the weekend is one thing, but when Connor and Phil stumble into murder-soaked mystery, it quickly spirals out of control. Connor and Phil find themselves caught up in a case that may be a little too big for them. Between portal-hopping to Japan, pseudo-suave thugs, a library of knowledge past and present, and human possession, they will travel to places darker than they have ever been before. The question is will they make it back? The Prodigy is a genre-melding whirlwind that whips together equal parts macabre horror and tongue-in-cheek humor.
334 pages, Paperback
First published May 30, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 18, 2015
I came out the other end of The Prodigy a little confused, but with my imagination thoroughly worked over and my genre-hopping shoes worn through after unraveling the adventure. The novel is an awkward-yet-strangely-successful blending of familiar concepts that begins with ghosts and fairies afoot and ends on a note that resembles Japanese horror. It’s a weird, witty, and colorfully woven connect-the-dots mystery with an enjoyable “let’s have fun” fluff always around the corner.
Admittedly, the book starts on a wild mixed noted of Men in Black peppered with paranormal private investigator noir, complete with a fedora-wearing 1940s character. I was skeptical at first, but like a Grimm’s Fairy Tales episode of Law & Order, I was sucked in and had to know what the completed picture looked like after the first few puzzle pieces had been placed. Following the main character Constance/Connor and her phantom partner Phil from case to case, some of which added to the central mystery unfolding and others that felt like peripherals thrown in for kicks, was a whirlwind of filling in the blanks up through the final chapter. The Prodigy dips its toes into philosophical dream-like territory, uncomfortable nightmare scenarios, and traditional fantasy fringed with real-world drama and silliness.
It’d feel unfair not to bring up my honest confusion surrounding the Constance/Connor/Connie name of the main character. The author seemed to craft the various messages of the book in subtle-yet-understood tones and scenes, and it felt like she wanted to say something by having this character with feminine urges and internal dialogues continue to make it clear they wanted to be called “Connor.” There’s absolutely no explanation for the insistence, even though I kept thinking it was part of the character’s backstory that would be explained at some point, and it was just an oddity and an itch that was never scratched. If the name was meant to be a statement about sexuality and gender, the statement was never quite clear enough to come across as more than confusing.
That said, the book as a whole brought a few welcome new flavors to a fictional dish that could have been bland and Betty Crocker paint-by-numbers. Sure, the basic ingredients taste good, but adding metaphorical sprinkles and a bit of insanity-infused icing transforms the treat entirely. The mentions and appearances of things like vampires, aliens, ghosts, eternity, and the afterlife have a freaky frosting of unique interpretation and inspired explanation for the unusual that feels fresh. Lots of fun as genre fiction, and a must-read for those of us who can’t pass up a quick nibble on some sweet prose sprinkles when within reach.
Admittedly, the book starts on a wild mixed noted of Men in Black peppered with paranormal private investigator noir, complete with a fedora-wearing 1940s character. I was skeptical at first, but like a Grimm’s Fairy Tales episode of Law & Order, I was sucked in and had to know what the completed picture looked like after the first few puzzle pieces had been placed. Following the main character Constance/Connor and her phantom partner Phil from case to case, some of which added to the central mystery unfolding and others that felt like peripherals thrown in for kicks, was a whirlwind of filling in the blanks up through the final chapter. The Prodigy dips its toes into philosophical dream-like territory, uncomfortable nightmare scenarios, and traditional fantasy fringed with real-world drama and silliness.
It’d feel unfair not to bring up my honest confusion surrounding the Constance/Connor/Connie name of the main character. The author seemed to craft the various messages of the book in subtle-yet-understood tones and scenes, and it felt like she wanted to say something by having this character with feminine urges and internal dialogues continue to make it clear they wanted to be called “Connor.” There’s absolutely no explanation for the insistence, even though I kept thinking it was part of the character’s backstory that would be explained at some point, and it was just an oddity and an itch that was never scratched. If the name was meant to be a statement about sexuality and gender, the statement was never quite clear enough to come across as more than confusing.
That said, the book as a whole brought a few welcome new flavors to a fictional dish that could have been bland and Betty Crocker paint-by-numbers. Sure, the basic ingredients taste good, but adding metaphorical sprinkles and a bit of insanity-infused icing transforms the treat entirely. The mentions and appearances of things like vampires, aliens, ghosts, eternity, and the afterlife have a freaky frosting of unique interpretation and inspired explanation for the unusual that feels fresh. Lots of fun as genre fiction, and a must-read for those of us who can’t pass up a quick nibble on some sweet prose sprinkles when within reach.
July 10, 2015
Last words first: Forget Connor Christensen; Kelly Madden is the real Prodigy.
But don't really forget Connor Christensen, because she is the everywoman heroine who takes this series opener from fun to phenomenal (well, she and Kelly).
This had all the potential to be just another paranormal fluff piece, but there are many, many things about it that... stick with you. Hard.
Connor is clever, funny, and down-to-earth, while at the same time being nearly as mysterious as Phil, her ghostly partner-in-solving-crime. I know I'll enjoy learning about her backstory as a real person -- friend? -- would: in bits and pieces, as she's willing to tell it, because under her funny, tomboy exterior you know there's something... lurking... that she'll need to take her own sweet time to tell you.
The story moves seamlessly between comedy, paranormal, satire, chick-lit, and serious bloody mystery, splashing easily down a current that only a gifted author could follow without upturning their raft.
I'm ready for the next one.
But don't really forget Connor Christensen, because she is the everywoman heroine who takes this series opener from fun to phenomenal (well, she and Kelly).
This had all the potential to be just another paranormal fluff piece, but there are many, many things about it that... stick with you. Hard.
Connor is clever, funny, and down-to-earth, while at the same time being nearly as mysterious as Phil, her ghostly partner-in-solving-crime. I know I'll enjoy learning about her backstory as a real person -- friend? -- would: in bits and pieces, as she's willing to tell it, because under her funny, tomboy exterior you know there's something... lurking... that she'll need to take her own sweet time to tell you.
The story moves seamlessly between comedy, paranormal, satire, chick-lit, and serious bloody mystery, splashing easily down a current that only a gifted author could follow without upturning their raft.
I'm ready for the next one.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews