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Walker Papers #1
Urban Shaman
Joanne Walker has three days to learn to use her shamanic powers and save the world from the unleashed Wild Hunt.No worries. No pressure. Never mind the lack of sleep, the perplexing new talent for healing herself from fatal wounds, or the cryptic, talking coyote who appears in her dreams.And if all that's not bad enough, in the three years Joanne's been a cop, she's never seen a dead body-but she's just come across her second in three days.It's been a bitch of a week.And it isn't over yet.
416 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2005
644 people are currently reading
10417 people want to read
About the author
C.E. Murphy
97 books1,795 followersCE Murphy began writing around age six, when she submitted three poems to a school publication. The teacher producing the magazine selected (inevitably) the one she thought was by far the worst, but also told her–a six year old kid–to keep writing, which she has. She has also held the usual grab-bag of jobs usually seen in an authorial biography, including public library volunteer (at ages 9 and 10; it’s clear she was doomed to a career involving books), archival assistant, cannery worker, and web designer. Writing books is better.
She was born and raised in Alaska, and now lives with her family in her ancestral homeland of Ireland.
She also writes paranormal romance as Murphy Lawless and cozy mysteries as Catie Murphy.
She was born and raised in Alaska, and now lives with her family in her ancestral homeland of Ireland.
She also writes paranormal romance as Murphy Lawless and cozy mysteries as Catie Murphy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 904 reviews
March 21, 2009
Ms. Murphy managed to do something I didn't think could be accomplished. She wrote this incredible story that seamlessly intertwines Celtic and Native American folklore and mythology. Let me tell you this is a book you don't want to put down. It is so vivid it's like a movie, but I haven't seen a movie this cool. Hollywood doesn't like to take chances on women in high prolife action roles. And this is definitely a woman's story. Joanne Walker is running away from her dual heritage as a Cherokee Native American and a woman of Irish descent. She just wants to be one of the guys and work on cars in the police unit, although she is a cop. But our destiny calls us, and we cannot run away from it. It only runs right into us. She has to face her identity when the shamanic heritage that she inherited from her dad awakens within her. It happens at a good time, because she's having to deal with Celtic deities wreaking havoc in her city. I really enjoyed the folklore elements. It was so cool to see Joanne taking on Cerunnos, the Horned God of Celtic myths, and also Hearne the Hunter. She has to stop the Wild Hunt from occurring and taking human souls. This is a book that you might want to read along with a mythology encyclopedia, or at least zip over to Wikipedia, because you will find yourself reading about people and things that might not ring a bell, but they are definitely part of folklore. Or if you are inclined towards the myths, you will think it's pretty cool. Don't let me forget to tell you that her spirit guide is a Coyote Trickster, a nod toward the Native American folkore. He talks in her dreams. Pretty surreal.
Another thing I liked was there was no sex. Okay now I'm going to get laughed at. But it is refreshing to read a woman's book where the heroine isn't fixated on her sex-life or lack therof, or is in a relationship or between relationships. Woman are complex creatures and it seems as though in fiction and the media, we are defined too often by our sexuality. Joanne is not a sexless being, don't get me wrong. There is tension with Cerunnos, who is clearly digging on her, and there is an attraction between Joanne and her boss Captain Morrison, who sounds really hot to me. I pictured Hugo Weaving as Cerunnos, complete with horns around the sides of his head that resemble a crown, and Angus MacFadyen as Morrison. I really did like the fact that Joanne was comfortable in a man's world and got along really well with the men she knew, and how much they respected her abilties.
If you enjoy great urban fantasy and like to read about women saving the day and coming into their own, you would really like this book.
Another thing I liked was there was no sex. Okay now I'm going to get laughed at. But it is refreshing to read a woman's book where the heroine isn't fixated on her sex-life or lack therof, or is in a relationship or between relationships. Woman are complex creatures and it seems as though in fiction and the media, we are defined too often by our sexuality. Joanne is not a sexless being, don't get me wrong. There is tension with Cerunnos, who is clearly digging on her, and there is an attraction between Joanne and her boss Captain Morrison, who sounds really hot to me. I pictured Hugo Weaving as Cerunnos, complete with horns around the sides of his head that resemble a crown, and Angus MacFadyen as Morrison. I really did like the fact that Joanne was comfortable in a man's world and got along really well with the men she knew, and how much they respected her abilties.
If you enjoy great urban fantasy and like to read about women saving the day and coming into their own, you would really like this book.
August 11, 2007
In general I find that I like urban fantasy, so picking this book up was easy to do. Let's get quickly to the positives:
There wasn't a single anthropomorphic cat-person. A+++
The characters were well written, but often rendered a bit simplistically. I quickly gained a sense for who the characters were without feeling they were too one-dimensional. B
The friendly roster lists a cross-dressing police detective. A+
Now for the downers:
Murphy periodically seems to be someone who is operating just beyond the edge of her vocabulary. To be fair, this may be due to having an editor who is little more than a crack-monkey taking the first recommendation of Word's spellcheck feature. We're treated to the "basic tenements of shamanism", and we witness, in awe, a "torrent of infinitesimal power". Perhaps I'm oversensitive; common misuse of "ambivalent" makes me grind my teeth. Even if these faults originate with Murphy's editor (I suppose they must be considered editorial faults in either case), it doesn't make recommending this book any easier for that. If that sort of thing doesn't bother you, then this is not even a nit.
In this book, and the follow-on, Thunderbird Falls, Murphy has a tendency to wrap things up with too pat and just-so epiphanies of a "the answer was in me all along!" sort. While empowering and satisfying once in a while, that candied veneer wears off very quickly, and simply won't do if you expect to hold my interest.
In summary: pleasing and sometimes novel characters, annoying misuses of the English language, and overly pat resolutions.
There wasn't a single anthropomorphic cat-person. A+++
The characters were well written, but often rendered a bit simplistically. I quickly gained a sense for who the characters were without feeling they were too one-dimensional. B
The friendly roster lists a cross-dressing police detective. A+
Now for the downers:
Murphy periodically seems to be someone who is operating just beyond the edge of her vocabulary. To be fair, this may be due to having an editor who is little more than a crack-monkey taking the first recommendation of Word's spellcheck feature. We're treated to the "basic tenements of shamanism", and we witness, in awe, a "torrent of infinitesimal power". Perhaps I'm oversensitive; common misuse of "ambivalent" makes me grind my teeth. Even if these faults originate with Murphy's editor (I suppose they must be considered editorial faults in either case), it doesn't make recommending this book any easier for that. If that sort of thing doesn't bother you, then this is not even a nit.
In this book, and the follow-on, Thunderbird Falls, Murphy has a tendency to wrap things up with too pat and just-so epiphanies of a "the answer was in me all along!" sort. While empowering and satisfying once in a while, that candied veneer wears off very quickly, and simply won't do if you expect to hold my interest.
In summary: pleasing and sometimes novel characters, annoying misuses of the English language, and overly pat resolutions.
May 30, 2018
☠ DNF at: who the fish knows?
The end.
P.S. See bookshelves ⤴ for details.
February 24, 2008
This is the book I've had more people telling me to read--all independently of one another--in years. It certainly seems like it would interest me.
The genre is a common one for Luna. Strong female protagonist, modern fantasy/slipstream with the supernatural element hidden from most people, and a hint of sexual tension or romance.
Our protag is Joanne Walker, an Irish/Cherokee crossbreed trying to go as mainstream American as she can. She's a Seattle cop by vocation and a mechanic by avocation, so she works in the motor pool keeping the cruisers running. The department keeps her badged in a cynical attempt to up their apparent diversity (she counts as a woman and a Native American!).
As the story starts she begins to develop abilities she doesn't understand and doesn't want. She looks out the window of her landing plane and sees a woman about to be attacked; once the plane lands she feels compelled to go help, although no one believes she could have seen the detail she did from the plane.
So she's awakening abilities as a shaman, combining both the Celtic and Native American traditions. She acquires a spirit guide (Coyote, of course... it's always coyote in these books), comes back from the dead, loses her job (but not her place on the force) and becomes embroiled in a complex set of shenanigans between Cernunos, Herne, and the control and mission of the Wild Hunt.
A few things set Urban Shaman apart from lesser books in the same vein:
- Joanne doesn't ever embrace her role as a shaman and healer. She feels compelled at times, and when someone's life is at stake she doesn't consider whether she wants to use magic or not, but she really just wants to fix cars, preferably classic muscle cars.
- Joanne's shamanic path is 100% about healing. When investigating a serial killer who clearly uses magic, she wants to find him to heal him, although she willingly admits that the only way to heal him may involve killing him at the same time.
- There is a sidekick character, Gary the Cabbie, who holds enough surprises to keep us interested. I hope we learn a lot about his past in a later book. He confounds Joanne's assumptions repeatedly; she should challenge those assumptions at some point.
- Joanne's sexuality is present, but left very vague. As the narrator, she mentions when people (usually men) are very attractive but we get no sense of her actually having a romantic life. We also don't get the brooding, whining, "I don't have anyone because I work too much" complaint that many books of this ilk have.
- Her requisite antagonistic relationship with her boss (required in every story about a cop unless it's a procedural) is well drawn. They are well-matched adversaries and the sexual tension grows between them very nicely.
And especially:
- The take on shamanism is actually interesting. It's different from most forms of fantasy or slipstream magic. Joanne finds a metaphor that makes sense to her--repairing cars--and applies it to her healing. The metaphor is brought up often enough, and in enough detail, to remain interesting but never belabors the point.
- Her interactions with Coyote are excellent. She makes a comment at one point that she shouldn't trust him because he's a trickster. He replies that he's a teacher first and foremost. Being a trickster is one of his methods to teach.
So overall, it's noticeably better than you'd have any reason to expect, especially if you're interested in the magical side of the story. Compared to, say, the Patricia Briggs stories, the "woman mechanic" element is actually part of the story and not just some backstory. And the side characters--Gary the Cabbie and her boss--are compelling enough to hold up a lot more of the story than they do.
I'm not sure where the rest of the series can go without turning into "freak of the week," but we'll see. I started the second book yesterday.
... I'll detail why I may not bother to finish it in its review.
The genre is a common one for Luna. Strong female protagonist, modern fantasy/slipstream with the supernatural element hidden from most people, and a hint of sexual tension or romance.
Our protag is Joanne Walker, an Irish/Cherokee crossbreed trying to go as mainstream American as she can. She's a Seattle cop by vocation and a mechanic by avocation, so she works in the motor pool keeping the cruisers running. The department keeps her badged in a cynical attempt to up their apparent diversity (she counts as a woman and a Native American!).
As the story starts she begins to develop abilities she doesn't understand and doesn't want. She looks out the window of her landing plane and sees a woman about to be attacked; once the plane lands she feels compelled to go help, although no one believes she could have seen the detail she did from the plane.
So she's awakening abilities as a shaman, combining both the Celtic and Native American traditions. She acquires a spirit guide (Coyote, of course... it's always coyote in these books), comes back from the dead, loses her job (but not her place on the force) and becomes embroiled in a complex set of shenanigans between Cernunos, Herne, and the control and mission of the Wild Hunt.
A few things set Urban Shaman apart from lesser books in the same vein:
- Joanne doesn't ever embrace her role as a shaman and healer. She feels compelled at times, and when someone's life is at stake she doesn't consider whether she wants to use magic or not, but she really just wants to fix cars, preferably classic muscle cars.
- Joanne's shamanic path is 100% about healing. When investigating a serial killer who clearly uses magic, she wants to find him to heal him, although she willingly admits that the only way to heal him may involve killing him at the same time.
- There is a sidekick character, Gary the Cabbie, who holds enough surprises to keep us interested. I hope we learn a lot about his past in a later book. He confounds Joanne's assumptions repeatedly; she should challenge those assumptions at some point.
- Joanne's sexuality is present, but left very vague. As the narrator, she mentions when people (usually men) are very attractive but we get no sense of her actually having a romantic life. We also don't get the brooding, whining, "I don't have anyone because I work too much" complaint that many books of this ilk have.
- Her requisite antagonistic relationship with her boss (required in every story about a cop unless it's a procedural) is well drawn. They are well-matched adversaries and the sexual tension grows between them very nicely.
And especially:
- The take on shamanism is actually interesting. It's different from most forms of fantasy or slipstream magic. Joanne finds a metaphor that makes sense to her--repairing cars--and applies it to her healing. The metaphor is brought up often enough, and in enough detail, to remain interesting but never belabors the point.
- Her interactions with Coyote are excellent. She makes a comment at one point that she shouldn't trust him because he's a trickster. He replies that he's a teacher first and foremost. Being a trickster is one of his methods to teach.
So overall, it's noticeably better than you'd have any reason to expect, especially if you're interested in the magical side of the story. Compared to, say, the Patricia Briggs stories, the "woman mechanic" element is actually part of the story and not just some backstory. And the side characters--Gary the Cabbie and her boss--are compelling enough to hold up a lot more of the story than they do.
I'm not sure where the rest of the series can go without turning into "freak of the week," but we'll see. I started the second book yesterday.
... I'll detail why I may not bother to finish it in its review.
October 5, 2016
Finally! It's over!
I can't remember the last time I got so annoyed with a heroine. Oh yes...I can! It was a couple of days ago when I DNFed Heart of Stone, a book by this same author. It's clear that this author's ideas and mine don't match so this is the last book I'll read by her. (I finished this one because it fits two challenges I'm doing. Otherwise, I would have dnfed it too.)
The first thing that struck me about Urban Shaman was the similarities between Joanne and Mercy Thompson: both are half Native American, half Caucasian female mechanics. This book was actually published before Moon Called so I'm not accusing the author of plagiarizing, but it rubbed me wrong from the beginning.
But the similarities end there. Joanne is 27 going on 13, the kind of woman that thinks that infuriating people who have serious responsibilities is 'fun'. Her relationship with her boss seemed like that of a teenager with her principal. She was constantly doing dumb stuff and being called to his office while he yelled at her - I imagined her blowing a bubble and saying 'whatever.' I don't know if the author planned this to be a romantic relationship (there were a few hints) but she just acted so immature that you wonder why a man in his position would be interested in her.
The world was interesting but super convoluted. Joanne gained very sophisticated powers overnight and was able to figure out what to do just by using cars analogies. Every crazy thing that she was able to do didn't feel exciting but unbelievable. It's like a person who can't ride a bike one day but the next is piloting flyer jets for the US government. I mean really!
The tie with the Police Department and all those characters was completely unnecessary. She was able to do some crazy shit on her own so I'm sure she would have been able to figure out all the info needed in other ways.
The best part of the book was Gary but it's not enough for me to continue reading this.
I can't remember the last time I got so annoyed with a heroine. Oh yes...I can! It was a couple of days ago when I DNFed Heart of Stone, a book by this same author. It's clear that this author's ideas and mine don't match so this is the last book I'll read by her. (I finished this one because it fits two challenges I'm doing. Otherwise, I would have dnfed it too.)
The first thing that struck me about Urban Shaman was the similarities between Joanne and Mercy Thompson: both are half Native American, half Caucasian female mechanics. This book was actually published before Moon Called so I'm not accusing the author of plagiarizing, but it rubbed me wrong from the beginning.
But the similarities end there. Joanne is 27 going on 13, the kind of woman that thinks that infuriating people who have serious responsibilities is 'fun'. Her relationship with her boss seemed like that of a teenager with her principal. She was constantly doing dumb stuff and being called to his office while he yelled at her - I imagined her blowing a bubble and saying 'whatever.' I don't know if the author planned this to be a romantic relationship (there were a few hints) but she just acted so immature that you wonder why a man in his position would be interested in her.
The world was interesting but super convoluted. Joanne gained very sophisticated powers overnight and was able to figure out what to do just by using cars analogies. Every crazy thing that she was able to do didn't feel exciting but unbelievable. It's like a person who can't ride a bike one day but the next is piloting flyer jets for the US government. I mean really!
The tie with the Police Department and all those characters was completely unnecessary. She was able to do some crazy shit on her own so I'm sure she would have been able to figure out all the info needed in other ways.
The best part of the book was Gary but it's not enough for me to continue reading this.
January 24, 2018
What an unexpected read!
The blurb sounded decent, but I didn't expect to find such an awesome series.
This is my first read by C E Murphy, and she's great. She has an amazing writing style, it kept me hooked from the first few lines, I couldn't wait to see what happens and how Jo will get out of it alive.
The main reason I'm choosing to continue this story though is not the plot or the world but the main character, Joanne. She is great!
She's exactly how I want my characters to be, with a great auto-irony and an incredible sense of duty (although you only see her growing during the next books). Still, she's the kind of character who protects her friends, kicks everyone's a*s, and is, overall, a tough chick.
Worth reading this series.
The blurb sounded decent, but I didn't expect to find such an awesome series.
This is my first read by C E Murphy, and she's great. She has an amazing writing style, it kept me hooked from the first few lines, I couldn't wait to see what happens and how Jo will get out of it alive.
The main reason I'm choosing to continue this story though is not the plot or the world but the main character, Joanne. She is great!
She's exactly how I want my characters to be, with a great auto-irony and an incredible sense of duty (although you only see her growing during the next books). Still, she's the kind of character who protects her friends, kicks everyone's a*s, and is, overall, a tough chick.
Worth reading this series.
March 7, 2011
If I were thinking critically, I could criticize this book - and this series of books - to pieces, but for me all the books in this series are raw crack. I bought this book initially just due to idling around the bookstore and read it in 72 hours flat. The subsequent books in the series have been consumed, by me, in an equally addict-like manner.
Joanne Walker, as a character, engaged me immediately. I liked her skepticism and crabbiness immediately, and the character has a good "voice." I liked the fact that she disbelieved what was happening to her, even as it was happening, and I liked the fact that she didn't know what she was doing and made mistakes.
It's perfectly valid to object to the occasionally off plotting and the fact that somehow, Joanne beats the bad guy handily at the end in spite of all. (Then again, if she didn't, no point in making a series, yes?) But to me it hardly matters.
One of C.E. Murphy's gifts, in this book and this series, is to write lucidly enough about weirdness where you can see it in your mind's eye. She also has a gift for memorable characters with strong personalities, one that she uses to her advantage here. Even if you don't like the plot twists, you care about the characters.
Another gift she has is the ability to hook you into the story immediately. She always starts with a bang and keeps going. She doesn't waste a lot of time, and the story is a straight roller-coaster ride from the front cover to the back with no dull moments in between. It's only afterwards that you might say, "Buh?! wha?! Hey, wait a minute..." and even then, at least for me, it hardly seems to matter; I've had a great ride!
All fantasy literature requires a willing suspension of disbelief. No exception here. And I would never argue that this is "great literature," whatever that is. The Walker Papers is meant to compete with Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris, and other pop fantasy novels. No problem with me. I am not always of a mind to sit down and read Nietzsche and Margaret Atwood all the time, just the same way I will often pass up a "serious" Oscar-winning, critically acclaimed movie for one that features cave women, flying saucers, and radioactive zombies.
Urban Shaman is a tight, efficient, and fun read, and the subsequent Walker Papers books have not disappointed in that respect. Anybody can nitpick something to death, but there is a lot to be said for putting your brain on hold and taking a fast, fun ride with a skilled author. This book provides exactly that kind of ride.
Joanne Walker, as a character, engaged me immediately. I liked her skepticism and crabbiness immediately, and the character has a good "voice." I liked the fact that she disbelieved what was happening to her, even as it was happening, and I liked the fact that she didn't know what she was doing and made mistakes.
It's perfectly valid to object to the occasionally off plotting and the fact that somehow, Joanne beats the bad guy handily at the end in spite of all. (Then again, if she didn't, no point in making a series, yes?) But to me it hardly matters.
One of C.E. Murphy's gifts, in this book and this series, is to write lucidly enough about weirdness where you can see it in your mind's eye. She also has a gift for memorable characters with strong personalities, one that she uses to her advantage here. Even if you don't like the plot twists, you care about the characters.
Another gift she has is the ability to hook you into the story immediately. She always starts with a bang and keeps going. She doesn't waste a lot of time, and the story is a straight roller-coaster ride from the front cover to the back with no dull moments in between. It's only afterwards that you might say, "Buh?! wha?! Hey, wait a minute..." and even then, at least for me, it hardly seems to matter; I've had a great ride!
All fantasy literature requires a willing suspension of disbelief. No exception here. And I would never argue that this is "great literature," whatever that is. The Walker Papers is meant to compete with Patricia Briggs, Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris, and other pop fantasy novels. No problem with me. I am not always of a mind to sit down and read Nietzsche and Margaret Atwood all the time, just the same way I will often pass up a "serious" Oscar-winning, critically acclaimed movie for one that features cave women, flying saucers, and radioactive zombies.
Urban Shaman is a tight, efficient, and fun read, and the subsequent Walker Papers books have not disappointed in that respect. Anybody can nitpick something to death, but there is a lot to be said for putting your brain on hold and taking a fast, fun ride with a skilled author. This book provides exactly that kind of ride.
February 24, 2009
Eh. I'm only going with two stars because I actually made it through it. In the heat of the action complete confusion and chaos seemed to be all I got from it. The protagonist wasn't someone I would rally behind... she was too busy being sarcastic or dumb. Either way it wasn't endearing. Plus I always find it hard to get behind a lead who wears pants w/ elastic band and a fanny pack. Seriously?
December 14, 2010
Overall an enjoyable read. A reluctant mechanic in the police department is moved to help a woman she witnessed being attacked. She finds a cab driver to get her to the location and meets the woman, opening up a series of events that change her life. A reviewer characterized Joanne as a "reluctant heroine," and that captures the character mood well. She ends up involved in the supernatural, discovering shaman skills after a deadly meeting with the Wild Hunt. I enjoyed the introduction to her life and the back-and -forth struggle of needing to learn but not wanting to learn about her special powers. The underlying mystery that drives her is moderately interesting as she investigates a series of murders. The dialogue is snappy, if somewhat adolescent smart-ass. I enjoyed it, but won't add it to my permanent collection.
November 3, 2012
This book was not for me. I have had this series on my radar for maybe 3 years but kept delaying starting it. I wish I would have started it 3 years ago, perhaps I would have enjoyed it more.
It is really hard to write unique urban fantasy and I think this may be unfair of me to judge this story as it was written seven years ago when the genre was less saturated. I find that urban fantasy and paranormal books which catch my eye and pull me in are not a murder mystery with the same type of formula or plot that so many urban fantasy books follow. And it is getting harder and harder to find those books.
So this book has a uniquish type of mythology. A blending of celtic and native american spirituality. The heroine is not the typical petite and virginal waif appearing in most books in this genre. The side characters are interesting and funny. But those qualities couldn't save the book for me. This book is BORING. BORING. And I feel bad for saying it. I didn't care who died and didn't die as long as I was able to get to the end and move on to a new book. The only thing that helped me persevere through this book is that I read it for a challenge. Sorry, I won't be moving on.
It is really hard to write unique urban fantasy and I think this may be unfair of me to judge this story as it was written seven years ago when the genre was less saturated. I find that urban fantasy and paranormal books which catch my eye and pull me in are not a murder mystery with the same type of formula or plot that so many urban fantasy books follow. And it is getting harder and harder to find those books.
So this book has a uniquish type of mythology. A blending of celtic and native american spirituality. The heroine is not the typical petite and virginal waif appearing in most books in this genre. The side characters are interesting and funny. But those qualities couldn't save the book for me. This book is BORING. BORING. And I feel bad for saying it. I didn't care who died and didn't die as long as I was able to get to the end and move on to a new book. The only thing that helped me persevere through this book is that I read it for a challenge. Sorry, I won't be moving on.
April 23, 2017
Urban Shaman is the first in an urban fantasy series that may not stack up too well against ‘the greats’ of UF, but is entertaining none-the-less. And the series is finished, which is a plus. One thing it is not is Paranormal Romance. There is the slightest inkling of the beginning of interest between two characters, but that’s it. So if you’re looking for a UF series sort of in the middling range of quality that is not exclusively romance, this could be for you. (Although I can't speak for the rest of the series yet.)
The world has an interesting blend of Celtic and Native American mythology - again a refreshing change. I’m not sure this combination is completely pulled off, but it was definitely an interesting one.
Joanne is - sort of - a cop. She thinks more like a mechanic, and is a skeptic who is forced in a bloody way to come to grips with a world of myths and Shamanic powers. There is a very mystical feeling to the whole thing, with dream walking, near death experiences, healings, and spirit guides. At times the shifts between worlds were disorienting, and I had no clue what was going on in the beginning. Neither did Joanne, though, so I figured it out while she did.
Although Joanne is a cop, as the murders pile up, they are not solved in a true detective fashion, but through trips to the spirit world. I was a little disappointed because I was hoping for a good mystery with actual investigations.
I liked some of the supporting characters and hope they stick around in future installments. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything with a senior-aged ex-football player cabbie for a side-kick before. It actually created another dimension that I really enjoyed and added some humor to the mix.
I enjoyed reading this well enough to be wishing I could get back to it while I was at work. It definitely has some unique aspects to it, whether they work well or not. I’m looking forward to seeing if things come together more smoothly in the sequel, and for once I’m actually looking forward to seeing how the romance develops because it’s so subtle - just enough to pique my interest.
The world has an interesting blend of Celtic and Native American mythology - again a refreshing change. I’m not sure this combination is completely pulled off, but it was definitely an interesting one.
Joanne is - sort of - a cop. She thinks more like a mechanic, and is a skeptic who is forced in a bloody way to come to grips with a world of myths and Shamanic powers. There is a very mystical feeling to the whole thing, with dream walking, near death experiences, healings, and spirit guides. At times the shifts between worlds were disorienting, and I had no clue what was going on in the beginning. Neither did Joanne, though, so I figured it out while she did.
Although Joanne is a cop, as the murders pile up, they are not solved in a true detective fashion, but through trips to the spirit world. I was a little disappointed because I was hoping for a good mystery with actual investigations.
I liked some of the supporting characters and hope they stick around in future installments. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything with a senior-aged ex-football player cabbie for a side-kick before. It actually created another dimension that I really enjoyed and added some humor to the mix.
I enjoyed reading this well enough to be wishing I could get back to it while I was at work. It definitely has some unique aspects to it, whether they work well or not. I’m looking forward to seeing if things come together more smoothly in the sequel, and for once I’m actually looking forward to seeing how the romance develops because it’s so subtle - just enough to pique my interest.
September 28, 2009
The bad points outweigh the good with this book.
The good:
The supporting characters -
- Gary the taxi driver and Jo’s sidekick. My only problem with him was his age, I was unsure as to whether he would really be fit enough to keep up with Jo without stroking out.
- Morrison the police captain and Jo’s boss. Their antagonistic relationship was well done as was the underlying sexual tension.
The bad:
- Although Jo never fully embraces her magic she seems to automatically know what to do and when to do it and succeeds at everything she attempts. What were her limitations? In most magical stories there are limitations as to what magic can do for you but that was not the case here.
- Believability - the cops sticking around to watch Jo work her magic. I mean really. Cops are supposed to be rational beings believing only in cold hard facts. Though I can understand why Morrison believed after seeing the CCTV footage, after all seeing is believing.
- Confusion – the action was confusing. I had to re-read certain paragraphs to try to understand what was happening and even then I still wasn’t sure.
- The ending – it didn’t make sense to me. It just didn’t fit the build up in the rest of the book.
I'm unsure as to whether I will read the sequel, if I do I know it will only be because of Gary and Morrison.
The good:
The supporting characters -
- Gary the taxi driver and Jo’s sidekick. My only problem with him was his age, I was unsure as to whether he would really be fit enough to keep up with Jo without stroking out.
- Morrison the police captain and Jo’s boss. Their antagonistic relationship was well done as was the underlying sexual tension.
The bad:
- Although Jo never fully embraces her magic she seems to automatically know what to do and when to do it and succeeds at everything she attempts. What were her limitations? In most magical stories there are limitations as to what magic can do for you but that was not the case here.
- Believability - the cops sticking around to watch Jo work her magic. I mean really. Cops are supposed to be rational beings believing only in cold hard facts. Though I can understand why Morrison believed after seeing the CCTV footage, after all seeing is believing.
- Confusion – the action was confusing. I had to re-read certain paragraphs to try to understand what was happening and even then I still wasn’t sure.
- The ending – it didn’t make sense to me. It just didn’t fit the build up in the rest of the book.
I'm unsure as to whether I will read the sequel, if I do I know it will only be because of Gary and Morrison.
August 8, 2018
I wasn't sure how I was going to like this but I found it interesting and liked all the characters even the bad ones. Joanne a cop/mechanic is hit with a shocker but she handles it well even with the attempts on her life and the lack of sleep. Oh and so love Coyote. He always pops up at the right time.
May 1, 2022
Re read in 2022 and quoting Nan: “I just reread this one, and it was decent enough that I think I'll try at least the first sequel.”
Or at least I now remember why I never did :) It’s a good story without anything gripping about it. 20 years after it has been written it’s still fresh but there’s not much else I can say about it.
It’s mostly unbelievable, yes it’s a UF setting, but if you live in a normal world and you yourself are a non believer, I need some strong motivation not to call the white jacket people. You may understand the how and why she starts to believe in the magical (she doesn’t really have a choice), why the people around her don’t have her arrested and medicate though…
Thinking about it now, the hospital scene is jarring. She has executed a literal miracle and, nothing, really nothing comes out of it (except maybe a few hours in an interrogation room). Her chief kind of blindly believe her as there was a camera. I don’t know, camera or not, would you believe a magica accident all of a sudden? In your regular life/world?
Think about Gary and the taxi, in a real world again. Definitely meh
Or at least I now remember why I never did :) It’s a good story without anything gripping about it. 20 years after it has been written it’s still fresh but there’s not much else I can say about it.
It’s mostly unbelievable, yes it’s a UF setting, but if you live in a normal world and you yourself are a non believer, I need some strong motivation not to call the white jacket people. You may understand the how and why she starts to believe in the magical (she doesn’t really have a choice), why the people around her don’t have her arrested and medicate though…
Thinking about it now, the hospital scene is jarring. She has executed a literal miracle and, nothing, really nothing comes out of it (except maybe a few hours in an interrogation room). Her chief kind of blindly believe her as there was a camera. I don’t know, camera or not, would you believe a magica accident all of a sudden? In your regular life/world?
Think about Gary and the taxi, in a real world again. Definitely meh
October 29, 2018
🚬 BRed with tha MacHalos 🚬
3.5 Stars
Wowza! Ok this was unexpectedly a great read!
I don't recall who I "talked" to here that gave me the vague feeling that this was gonna be terrible. There's also a chance that I am mixing books. Oh well, either way I enjoyed. Immensely!
Jo was awesome. The sometimes dry sometimes black as my soul humour and sarcasm was delightful. Gary, Morrison & Cernunnos would've been hunted down by me if they were real peoples, like my friend Nancy said. Every single character that got some "screen time" was great! The actual writing was way above decent, although strange at times. Plot was also good but again kind of strange, never the less it kept you on your toes.
Can't wait for #2!
• Quotes:
3.5 Stars
Wowza! Ok this was unexpectedly a great read!
I don't recall who I "talked" to here that gave me the vague feeling that this was gonna be terrible. There's also a chance that I am mixing books. Oh well, either way I enjoyed. Immensely!
Jo was awesome. The sometimes dry sometimes black as my soul humour and sarcasm was delightful. Gary, Morrison & Cernunnos would've been hunted down by me if they were real peoples, like my friend Nancy said. Every single character that got some "screen time" was great! The actual writing was way above decent, although strange at times. Plot was also good but again kind of strange, never the less it kept you on your toes.
Can't wait for #2!
• Quotes:
June 21, 2007
I loved the first half of this book. Great characters, some very funny lines, nice plot set up. Somewhere in the last half, the plot got all fuzzy, the main character's talents were inexplicably good enough to whip the bad guy and she suddenly knew how to use them, and the ending didn't even make sense. What a letdown! I'll read another book about this character should one come out but I hope the sophomore effort is better constructed. It would be a waste of a great character if this is all there was of Joanne Walker.
April 6, 2018
Rating - "Am I supposed to rate books I DNF? If so 1 star."
I made it through the first chapter. Usually, that would not be something to boast about but in this case I consider it an accomplishment. Anyone who has read any of my reviews should know that I like things that make sense. Even though I love fantasy and magic, there still has to be some logic present in the story. The story starts with a woman who is coming back from overseas from a funeral (actually, I don't even know her name). She spends half of the first chapter bitching about her contacts and her seat, and how bad she looks, and how uncomfortable she feels. The plane is about to land but then has to fly around Seattle area one more time because another plane took its place. Next thing I know there is some dialogue about a person with a knife on a street with a church and a street light with only 1 light. Then there is a woman who is likely to be killed? At this point I am wondering if I missed something because I don't know how we got from the woman bitching about her plane trip to this. Then I find out this woman was describing what she saw from the plane! That she saw a woman who was going to be murdered from the plane. Then after the plane lands she is pissed off at the pilot, who does not believe her. At this point she tells the pilot she works for the police department (which is weird because I thought she said she was a 6 foot mechanic earlier in the chapter). Then she wants the pilot to tell her the altitude and rate of decent of the plane so she can figure out where this was happening. She leaves the airport and jumps in a cab (leaving all her belongings at the airport), so she can supposedly save this woman (whom she saw more than 30 minutes ago in the air).
Nothing I just wrote makes any sense. Even if a plane was flying low in preparation for landing it is still 3000 feet in the air (I should know because I am a pilot). Also, this is a airliner since she said she coming back from overseas, so the plane is moving at at least 180 miles an hour. So I am supposed to believe that as the woman looks out the window from her plane at night, 3000 feet above the ground, moving at about 180 miles per hour, she was able to pick out a man holding a knife and a woman down the street who was in danger? Then I supposed to believe that ANYONE would think they could go and find that person and save them, even though it had been more than 30 minutes since the plane landed? Bullsh*t! The premise here is so bad it actually is pissing me off! I don't think I have ever only made it through one chapter before I quit. I can usually make it a couple of chapters. I take that back, there was one book I stopped after the first chapter, but I stopped because the writing style was not for me and I did not want to invest more time into the book (I did not hate it, it just wasn't for me). This book (the first chapter anyway) I hated!
I made it through the first chapter. Usually, that would not be something to boast about but in this case I consider it an accomplishment. Anyone who has read any of my reviews should know that I like things that make sense. Even though I love fantasy and magic, there still has to be some logic present in the story. The story starts with a woman who is coming back from overseas from a funeral (actually, I don't even know her name). She spends half of the first chapter bitching about her contacts and her seat, and how bad she looks, and how uncomfortable she feels. The plane is about to land but then has to fly around Seattle area one more time because another plane took its place. Next thing I know there is some dialogue about a person with a knife on a street with a church and a street light with only 1 light. Then there is a woman who is likely to be killed? At this point I am wondering if I missed something because I don't know how we got from the woman bitching about her plane trip to this. Then I find out this woman was describing what she saw from the plane! That she saw a woman who was going to be murdered from the plane. Then after the plane lands she is pissed off at the pilot, who does not believe her. At this point she tells the pilot she works for the police department (which is weird because I thought she said she was a 6 foot mechanic earlier in the chapter). Then she wants the pilot to tell her the altitude and rate of decent of the plane so she can figure out where this was happening. She leaves the airport and jumps in a cab (leaving all her belongings at the airport), so she can supposedly save this woman (whom she saw more than 30 minutes ago in the air).
Nothing I just wrote makes any sense. Even if a plane was flying low in preparation for landing it is still 3000 feet in the air (I should know because I am a pilot). Also, this is a airliner since she said she coming back from overseas, so the plane is moving at at least 180 miles an hour. So I am supposed to believe that as the woman looks out the window from her plane at night, 3000 feet above the ground, moving at about 180 miles per hour, she was able to pick out a man holding a knife and a woman down the street who was in danger? Then I supposed to believe that ANYONE would think they could go and find that person and save them, even though it had been more than 30 minutes since the plane landed? Bullsh*t! The premise here is so bad it actually is pissing me off! I don't think I have ever only made it through one chapter before I quit. I can usually make it a couple of chapters. I take that back, there was one book I stopped after the first chapter, but I stopped because the writing style was not for me and I did not want to invest more time into the book (I did not hate it, it just wasn't for me). This book (the first chapter anyway) I hated!
February 5, 2014
Urban Shaman is what I like to call an “original” in the Urban Fantasy genre. One of the series that was out before the big boom. The blend of Native American lore and Celtic mythology is still something that is rarely found in the genre even after all of these years. The true testament is that 8 years after I originally read Urban Shaman I still enjoy it, and find to to be a unique story and concept.
Sure it starts of rocky with the main character Jo flying high in the sky about to land from a red eye flight back home. When she sees a crime taking place! It's brought up many times by other characters as to how she could have seen it, but never really explained. (I believe readers are to just assume it part of Jo's magic powers.) Soon Jo is dying, coming back to life with super-amazing abilities in the magical, being fired as a mechanic for the police department, and turned into a police officer. This book never lets up! In some cases that can be tiring, because it all happens unbelievably fast. For the most part, Murphy makes it work.
With that crazy pacing it seems like the story jumps around a lot and readers never quite know where the story will take them next. Jo is an interesting enough character. She's scared and it’s wonderful having a real character like that. She's been in denial about her Native American gifts and any ties to any funny business with magic. Overall her snark and caring nature is what really endeared her to me.
What I liked more was how interesting all of the characters are. Sure it was . . . unrealistic how the majority of the people Jo meets are willing to believe in the supernatural, or simply go along with it. The villains make up for that. Because in the end they're not really evil they're just Gods. Immortal beings who are doing what they are made for. It's beautiful to see Jo as a shaman heal someone who's done so many wrongs.
Urban Fantasy doesn't just blend different kind of mythologies well, the characters all interact splendidly and I loved the exchanges with Jo and her boss. There's plenty of room for Jo to get a love interest, with a diverse enough group of men! (Later of course, world building first.) Even better is how Jo is going to sink into her new job as a police officer of the law and a Shaman—or healer. Looking forward to more laughs, mystery, and simply more time in the Walker Papers series.
Sexual Content: Some frisky business, but really clean.
3/5- Adored it, just a few minor details held it back.
Originally reviewed at Book Whispers.
Sure it starts of rocky with the main character Jo flying high in the sky about to land from a red eye flight back home. When she sees a crime taking place! It's brought up many times by other characters as to how she could have seen it, but never really explained. (I believe readers are to just assume it part of Jo's magic powers.) Soon Jo is dying, coming back to life with super-amazing abilities in the magical, being fired as a mechanic for the police department, and turned into a police officer. This book never lets up! In some cases that can be tiring, because it all happens unbelievably fast. For the most part, Murphy makes it work.
With that crazy pacing it seems like the story jumps around a lot and readers never quite know where the story will take them next. Jo is an interesting enough character. She's scared and it’s wonderful having a real character like that. She's been in denial about her Native American gifts and any ties to any funny business with magic. Overall her snark and caring nature is what really endeared her to me.
What I liked more was how interesting all of the characters are. Sure it was . . . unrealistic how the majority of the people Jo meets are willing to believe in the supernatural, or simply go along with it. The villains make up for that. Because in the end they're not really evil they're just Gods. Immortal beings who are doing what they are made for. It's beautiful to see Jo as a shaman heal someone who's done so many wrongs.
Urban Fantasy doesn't just blend different kind of mythologies well, the characters all interact splendidly and I loved the exchanges with Jo and her boss. There's plenty of room for Jo to get a love interest, with a diverse enough group of men! (Later of course, world building first.) Even better is how Jo is going to sink into her new job as a police officer of the law and a Shaman—or healer. Looking forward to more laughs, mystery, and simply more time in the Walker Papers series.
Sexual Content: Some frisky business, but really clean.
3/5- Adored it, just a few minor details held it back.
Originally reviewed at Book Whispers.
August 22, 2012
Jo is returning to work after spending the last 4 months getting to know her mother before she passes away. Her mother is Irish and her father Native American. On her return flight as she is landing, she is able somehow to see a woman running from a pack of wild dogs toward a church and a guy waiting in the parking lot, of said church, with a switchblade knife. Once the plane lands she finds a cab and tells Gary, the cab driver, to head in the direction of the church. Gary thinks she is nuts, but drives her anyway. She finds the church and the woman.
She returns to the police precinct where she was the head and much beloved mechanic in their garage. She was given 6 weeks leave for her mother’s impending death or would run the risk of losing her job. However her Captain decides instead of firing her that he will put her on the streets as an officer. He knows she would rather work in the garage and is hoping she will just quit instead of being an officer. She knows what he’s hoping for however and decides that she will take the job just to irritate him. They have a bit of a love hate relationship going on. She loves to irritate the hell out of him and he hates dealing with her shit.
All of this leads up to her finding out that she has untapped powers that she tried to bury years ago. She has to stop Cernunnos an ancient God and leader of The Hunt, and his son Herne. Cernunnos wants her dead for interfering in his ride and Herne wants her out of his way from gaining power that could lead to mass deaths. She’s going to have to figure out her powers and prevent all of the destruction and keep herself alive.
I really liked this book. I enjoyed the mix of the Native American and Celtic legends. I really enjoyed reading about the hunt. I had some idea of it but this was fun to actually read something about it and not just hear it mentioned in passing. I’m looking forward to reading more of this series. I really enjoy Jo. She’s an equal opportunity smart ass to everyone. And I do enjoy a good smart ass, as everyone knows. It really is a good way to my heart. The more snark the better! I give this read 4 stars and would say to give it a go.
*Originally posted for Heartsonfirereviews.com. Check'em out!*
She returns to the police precinct where she was the head and much beloved mechanic in their garage. She was given 6 weeks leave for her mother’s impending death or would run the risk of losing her job. However her Captain decides instead of firing her that he will put her on the streets as an officer. He knows she would rather work in the garage and is hoping she will just quit instead of being an officer. She knows what he’s hoping for however and decides that she will take the job just to irritate him. They have a bit of a love hate relationship going on. She loves to irritate the hell out of him and he hates dealing with her shit.
All of this leads up to her finding out that she has untapped powers that she tried to bury years ago. She has to stop Cernunnos an ancient God and leader of The Hunt, and his son Herne. Cernunnos wants her dead for interfering in his ride and Herne wants her out of his way from gaining power that could lead to mass deaths. She’s going to have to figure out her powers and prevent all of the destruction and keep herself alive.
I really liked this book. I enjoyed the mix of the Native American and Celtic legends. I really enjoyed reading about the hunt. I had some idea of it but this was fun to actually read something about it and not just hear it mentioned in passing. I’m looking forward to reading more of this series. I really enjoy Jo. She’s an equal opportunity smart ass to everyone. And I do enjoy a good smart ass, as everyone knows. It really is a good way to my heart. The more snark the better! I give this read 4 stars and would say to give it a go.
*Originally posted for Heartsonfirereviews.com. Check'em out!*
August 24, 2007
I really enjoyed this book. Though sharing a lot of similarities with the numerous other paranormal-detective kind of books I've been into the past few years, it had some noticeable differences to help it stand out a bit.
One of those: no vampires! Yet, at least. And not that I don't like vampires; I do, but it's not untrue that so many other books in this genre have, and often focus on, vampires.
Another is how easily people seemed to accept that something out of the ordinary was going on. It bothered me at first, but actually became a relief compared to other books in which it seems everyone was a die-hard skeptic. I do get a bit tired of the general, "I just blatantly saw that happen, but it couldn't have. Must be some illogical yet rational explanation!" attitude. Characters in this book still think someone's a little nuts when they talk about demigods and the Wild Hunt and whatnot, but when they see it happen, they're a little more believing. If nothing else, it most certainly didn't take away from the enjoyment of the book.
Many books in this genre borrow from mythologies, which I always find absolutely fascinating, and this one is no exception, but it taps into some lesser-used ones. An example is the Wild Hunt, which plays an extremely important role in this novel, going into detail about this Celtic mythology that you don't hear about nearly enough. One of the Dresden Files incorporated the Wild Hunt, but it was a slightly different take than Urban Shaman.
Overall, C.E. Murphy is a new author to me, but the good news is that it seems she's already got two more books in this series out, and one in another series, so I definitely plan on checking out more of her books.
EDIT: I remembered one negative I had. The way some parts of it play out do take a bit more suspension of disbelief than I'm used to giving. Certain parts of the book are more intangible than I'm used to, and a little harder to visualize, but once you get used to it, it's not a big problem.
One of those: no vampires! Yet, at least. And not that I don't like vampires; I do, but it's not untrue that so many other books in this genre have, and often focus on, vampires.
Another is how easily people seemed to accept that something out of the ordinary was going on. It bothered me at first, but actually became a relief compared to other books in which it seems everyone was a die-hard skeptic. I do get a bit tired of the general, "I just blatantly saw that happen, but it couldn't have. Must be some illogical yet rational explanation!" attitude. Characters in this book still think someone's a little nuts when they talk about demigods and the Wild Hunt and whatnot, but when they see it happen, they're a little more believing. If nothing else, it most certainly didn't take away from the enjoyment of the book.
Many books in this genre borrow from mythologies, which I always find absolutely fascinating, and this one is no exception, but it taps into some lesser-used ones. An example is the Wild Hunt, which plays an extremely important role in this novel, going into detail about this Celtic mythology that you don't hear about nearly enough. One of the Dresden Files incorporated the Wild Hunt, but it was a slightly different take than Urban Shaman.
Overall, C.E. Murphy is a new author to me, but the good news is that it seems she's already got two more books in this series out, and one in another series, so I definitely plan on checking out more of her books.
EDIT: I remembered one negative I had. The way some parts of it play out do take a bit more suspension of disbelief than I'm used to giving. Certain parts of the book are more intangible than I'm used to, and a little harder to visualize, but once you get used to it, it's not a big problem.
February 7, 2012
Reread by audiobook. I also read the library paperback. This narrator, I'm thinking she might be the problem with this audiobook because I didn't enjoy it as much as when I read the book. There's a narrator change with book two, but I don't know if it's for the better.
Previous review on 06/02/10This is a 3.5 stars. The writing is okay. There's a LOT of similarities between her and Patricia Briggs' Mercedes books. A LOT. But this book was published before Patricia Briggs' so I'm not taking anything away from C.E. Murphy. Her problem though is that I can't help the comparison in the writing. Joanne is funnier than Mercedes but not by much. I love Gary, Morrison and Billy. I was going to immediately read #2 and #3 but I'm going to hold off and put a couple of books in between because it didn't hold my interest that much. Overall the book is pretty good and I feel sorry for Ms. Murphy because of the obvious comparisons.
Previous review on 06/02/10This is a 3.5 stars. The writing is okay. There's a LOT of similarities between her and Patricia Briggs' Mercedes books. A LOT. But this book was published before Patricia Briggs' so I'm not taking anything away from C.E. Murphy. Her problem though is that I can't help the comparison in the writing. Joanne is funnier than Mercedes but not by much. I love Gary, Morrison and Billy. I was going to immediately read #2 and #3 but I'm going to hold off and put a couple of books in between because it didn't hold my interest that much. Overall the book is pretty good and I feel sorry for Ms. Murphy because of the obvious comparisons.
May 29, 2008
Infantile characterization, and a plot that fits it. The second half of the book felt 'wrapped up' - in perhaps 2 weeks of writing. The less-powerful and experienced heroine wins over the hugely powerful bad guy - for no discernible reason... Miraculous healing that even the author can't explain, etc.
Probably wouldn't read anything else by the author.
Probably wouldn't read anything else by the author.
Read
August 27, 2015At this point in time I'm putting this book down. It's not that I don't like it, it's just not sitting right with me at the moment. I love this genre and I will pick this up at a later date and I will rate it once It's done.
July 5, 2015
After attending her mother's funeral, Joanne Walker hops on a plane to her home city, Seattle. As the plane is landing she notices something strange down below, a man with a knife, and a woman being followed by a pack of dogs. Once the plane touches down, Joanne rushes to the rescue with the help of an elderly cab driver, an act that tangles her life up in a world of dangerous gods, and and give her access to powerful shamanic magic she didn't know she had.
One of the things that drew me to Urban Shaman (despite the great cover) was it's unique premise that didn't involve the typical paranormal elements (vampires, werewolves, witches, etc). Murphy's mix of Celtic and Native American mythology is certainly a change from the norm. It's nice that in a genre that seems to require a minimum of one sex scene per novel, to have a book that focuses more on character growth, leaving romance behind. I also enjoyed the positive portrayal of older individuals in this book, and the fact that the male-female friendships didn't all feel like set ups to future romantic entanglements.
Unfortunately, despite it's original premise, the execution is sloppy. There's just too much going on at once here. We have a protagonist who's a mechanic but also a cop, two big bads to follow, multiple murders on top of a spiritual journey, and a plethora of side characters that often feel underdeveloped. I also found that I had a bit of a problem with the protagonist, who just seems to be a bundle of extremes. She spends the entire novel tripping over herself, cracking jokes, and acting like an all around space shot. It was impossible for me to comprehend how this woman, who didn't even seem to know basic police procedure, graduating in the top three at the police academy.
This brings us to the biggest problem I had with this novel: plausibility. I had a very hard accepting the initial set up of the exhausted Joanne being able to see a man with a knife, a pack of dogs, and a woman all on one street corner from the vantage point a commercial jetliner coming in for a landing. That did not seem physically possible without some sort of supernatural explanation, for which there is none. I also found the idea of the Seattle police department supporting Joanne's position as a cop to be a little unlikely, given how she acts like a crazy person for much of the book. The speed in which most characters accept the concept of the supernatural seems alarmingly fast to me. This only scratches the surface. This lack of plausibility really tainted my enjoyment Urban Shaman, constantly bringing me out of my reading experience and making me pause to over analyze many scenes. It also caused me to view the book with a bitter level of skepticism instead of the normally open and curious state I usually approach fiction with. This, as a result, probably made me dislike the book more than it deserved.
Urban Shaman was a frustrating read. I love how it's not afraid to take the less conventional route. As someone of Irish heritage, I was really looking forward to the Celtic elements. Unfortunately I just couldn't warm up to either the protagonist, or the plot, which despite it's occasional moments, ultimately proved to be overstuffed and unrealistic. I suspect most of these problems arise from the fact that this is Murphy's debut novel. Unfortunately, there's just not enough in here for me to give her further work another shot. I will be posting this book back on paperbackswap and hope that it finds a home with someone that will appreciate it more.
One of the things that drew me to Urban Shaman (despite the great cover) was it's unique premise that didn't involve the typical paranormal elements (vampires, werewolves, witches, etc). Murphy's mix of Celtic and Native American mythology is certainly a change from the norm. It's nice that in a genre that seems to require a minimum of one sex scene per novel, to have a book that focuses more on character growth, leaving romance behind. I also enjoyed the positive portrayal of older individuals in this book, and the fact that the male-female friendships didn't all feel like set ups to future romantic entanglements.
Unfortunately, despite it's original premise, the execution is sloppy. There's just too much going on at once here. We have a protagonist who's a mechanic but also a cop, two big bads to follow, multiple murders on top of a spiritual journey, and a plethora of side characters that often feel underdeveloped. I also found that I had a bit of a problem with the protagonist, who just seems to be a bundle of extremes. She spends the entire novel tripping over herself, cracking jokes, and acting like an all around space shot. It was impossible for me to comprehend how this woman, who didn't even seem to know basic police procedure, graduating in the top three at the police academy.
This brings us to the biggest problem I had with this novel: plausibility. I had a very hard accepting the initial set up of the exhausted Joanne being able to see a man with a knife, a pack of dogs, and a woman all on one street corner from the vantage point a commercial jetliner coming in for a landing. That did not seem physically possible without some sort of supernatural explanation, for which there is none. I also found the idea of the Seattle police department supporting Joanne's position as a cop to be a little unlikely, given how she acts like a crazy person for much of the book. The speed in which most characters accept the concept of the supernatural seems alarmingly fast to me. This only scratches the surface. This lack of plausibility really tainted my enjoyment Urban Shaman, constantly bringing me out of my reading experience and making me pause to over analyze many scenes. It also caused me to view the book with a bitter level of skepticism instead of the normally open and curious state I usually approach fiction with. This, as a result, probably made me dislike the book more than it deserved.
Urban Shaman was a frustrating read. I love how it's not afraid to take the less conventional route. As someone of Irish heritage, I was really looking forward to the Celtic elements. Unfortunately I just couldn't warm up to either the protagonist, or the plot, which despite it's occasional moments, ultimately proved to be overstuffed and unrealistic. I suspect most of these problems arise from the fact that this is Murphy's debut novel. Unfortunately, there's just not enough in here for me to give her further work another shot. I will be posting this book back on paperbackswap and hope that it finds a home with someone that will appreciate it more.
November 5, 2015
A 3.5 really, if I’d read this book at any other time I probably wouldn’t have rated it quite so highly, but Urban Shaman gave me my reading mojo back (I inhaled it in a matter of hours at the start of a day off) and so it gets a thumbs up from me.
When police force mechanic Joanne Walker spots a damsel in distress from her aeroplane seat (yeah, I know, stay with me) she feels compelled to track her down and help. Enlisting the aid of an ageing cabbie on landing, she soon finds herself confronting her Celtic and Native American heritage (and real name of Siobhan Walkingstick) and newly awakened shaman powers (yeah, I know, shut up). Which is handy, as it turns out some Celtic deities have decided that they’re relocating to Seattle.
While the writing wasn’t always spectacular, I liked the sarcasm on display from most of our characters at the situations they were finding themselves in (Gary the elderly cabbie was a particular favourite) as well as the characterisation of the deities, even if I didn’t always enjoy the way some of the magic scenes – with vague metaphors of fixing cars – were handled (these were especially vague to me as I know nothing about cars and have no wish to rectify this). That said, I did appreciate that Joanne’s magic skills were all about healing, rather than the killing skills the heroines of these types of book usually develop, and found it a refreshing change that I hadn’t been aware I’d wanted from this genre.
I won’t be adding the rest of the series to the top of my to-read pile just yet but they’re definitely in there somewhere, ready for the next time I need some brain candy.
**Also posted at Randomly Reading and Ranting**
When police force mechanic Joanne Walker spots a damsel in distress from her aeroplane seat (yeah, I know, stay with me) she feels compelled to track her down and help. Enlisting the aid of an ageing cabbie on landing, she soon finds herself confronting her Celtic and Native American heritage (and real name of Siobhan Walkingstick) and newly awakened shaman powers (yeah, I know, shut up). Which is handy, as it turns out some Celtic deities have decided that they’re relocating to Seattle.
While the writing wasn’t always spectacular, I liked the sarcasm on display from most of our characters at the situations they were finding themselves in (Gary the elderly cabbie was a particular favourite) as well as the characterisation of the deities, even if I didn’t always enjoy the way some of the magic scenes – with vague metaphors of fixing cars – were handled (these were especially vague to me as I know nothing about cars and have no wish to rectify this). That said, I did appreciate that Joanne’s magic skills were all about healing, rather than the killing skills the heroines of these types of book usually develop, and found it a refreshing change that I hadn’t been aware I’d wanted from this genre.
I won’t be adding the rest of the series to the top of my to-read pile just yet but they’re definitely in there somewhere, ready for the next time I need some brain candy.
**Also posted at Randomly Reading and Ranting**
March 25, 2010
Urban Shaman. C.E. Murphy. 2005. Luna. 344 pages.
Urban Shaman by C.E. Murphy is a book I wish dearly that I could have gotten into because I'm well aware of how the Walker Papers has gained popularity over the years...
Sadly, I lost interest in the near beginning.
Initially, I fell in love with Urban Shaman when Murphy makes a wisecrack about the vulgarity of Austin Powers' teeth in the very first paragraph! I thought to myself how could I not appreciate Murphy's humor?!
However, when we meet Marie and we are introduced to the story behind the Wild Hunt, I felt something was missing from the plot to fully involve the readers. It seemed as though our main characters Joanne, Gary, and Marie were in on some private or inside joke the readers are not made aware of, which gives the impression we are excluded from knowing about the story.
I tried very hard to give it a fair chance, but I simply just lost interest. I even flipped through the rest of the book to catch witticisms and interesting one-liners, but every time I came back to where I originally left off, I found my mind wandering and growing bored.
I'm sure Urban Shaman will be a delight to readers who just love the fantasy genre with all their heart. Fantasy needs to win me over a lot more.
Urban Shaman by C.E. Murphy is a book I wish dearly that I could have gotten into because I'm well aware of how the Walker Papers has gained popularity over the years...
Sadly, I lost interest in the near beginning.
Initially, I fell in love with Urban Shaman when Murphy makes a wisecrack about the vulgarity of Austin Powers' teeth in the very first paragraph! I thought to myself how could I not appreciate Murphy's humor?!
However, when we meet Marie and we are introduced to the story behind the Wild Hunt, I felt something was missing from the plot to fully involve the readers. It seemed as though our main characters Joanne, Gary, and Marie were in on some private or inside joke the readers are not made aware of, which gives the impression we are excluded from knowing about the story.
I tried very hard to give it a fair chance, but I simply just lost interest. I even flipped through the rest of the book to catch witticisms and interesting one-liners, but every time I came back to where I originally left off, I found my mind wandering and growing bored.
I'm sure Urban Shaman will be a delight to readers who just love the fantasy genre with all their heart. Fantasy needs to win me over a lot more.
August 25, 2015
Hm, can't really make up my mind about this one. I liked the pacing, the banter and the whole setting. The plot with The Wild Hunt was nicely done.
But it didn't 100% grip me - not like my favourite UF series did.
I am probably going to give the second installment a try, because I did like Joannie Walker. She seemed like a quite likable character.
I felt that the magic stuff came a bit too convenient and too easy, but at least it made for quick world-building without info-dump. Also Joannie had an uncanny nose for the solution (which was right around the corner every time...).
No romance so far.
But it didn't 100% grip me - not like my favourite UF series did.
I am probably going to give the second installment a try, because I did like Joannie Walker. She seemed like a quite likable character.
I felt that the magic stuff came a bit too convenient and too easy, but at least it made for quick world-building without info-dump. Also Joannie had an uncanny nose for the solution (which was right around the corner every time...).
No romance so far.
January 16, 2012
An interesting first book. I really like Joanne, Gary and Cernnunos. Plus, it had Coyote and I love Coyote. I think Morrison could grow on me. The book was heavy on descriptions, which I suppose was a good thing because Joanne's situation was a bit of a doozy. The magic went over my head a bit, though. A bit difficult to follow at times.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and will read the next one to see how it goes.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and will read the next one to see how it goes.
May 4, 2021
Not bad, kept my interest.
September 30, 2016
I don't give a one star review to a book very often. Usually, when a book is only worthy of one star in my opinion, it ends up in my DNF (Did Not Finish) pile, and I don't write reviews on DNF because it wouldn't be fair to the author if I reviewed something I didn't finish.
But I actually stuck around until the very end of Urban Shaman, because I kept hoping that things would get better. Sadly, they didn't, which is a shame, really, because the book is well written. There is plenty of action. I didn't particularly hate the protagonist, even though I didn't fall in love with her either. There are a few juicy pieces of worldbuilding that kept me interested and wanting to learn more… Problem is, the bad in this book outweighed the good, at least for me.
But first things first, Joanne Walker is a car mechanic working for the police department. She is also a mixt race, because her father was Native American and her mother Irish, though she knows little of either of those cultures (I'm not even sure it's mentioned which Native American tribe her father belonged to, just that Joanne spent some time with the Native Americans in North Carolina). While on a plane back from Ireland where she attended her mother's funeral, she spots a woman being chased by an armed man and decides to help as soon as the plane lands. This choice will change her life forever…
I can see you frowning in puzzlement and trying to re-read that last paragraph, but no, I didn't make a mistake. Joanne spots a woman running away from a man armed with a knife FROM A DESCENDING plane. Wow, even Hawkeye from the Avengers would be impressed with that! Not only that, but she manages to triangulate the part of the city in which it happened "using basic math she learned at school" (I didn't say that, the author did). Once again, I'm impressed. Even if I could see something this precise from a descending plane (again, the plane wasn't even landing yet, but executing the descending approach), I would only have a vague idea where it happened even if I'm familiar with the city.
I kept hoping that this miraculous ability would be explained later in the book, but like most of the perks Joanne acquires, the only explanation we get goes along the lines of "it's magic" or "it's part of her shaman abilities". I would be okay with that if there was a learning curve involved in discovering those shaman abilities, but that's where this book is severely lacking.
Every time Joanne encounters a problem, a new ability lands on her lap to bail her out. Pierced by a sword and dying? No problem, let's enter a trance and heal ourselves! Never mind that Joanne has never attempted a trance before or that healing people and repairing cars have very little in common.
Don't know why the killer is targeting certain people? Let's enter yet another trance, have an out of body experience and go talk to the ghosts of the victims. Never done that before? Not a problem. You're a shaman. You instinctively know how to do things like that.
It's that instinctive knowledge that I have a problem with. Shaman is like any other profession, if you think about it. Everyone starts not knowing what they are doing and become more and more proficient with training and experience. Knowledge doesn't simply land in your lap when convenient. That's lazy writing.
Another sign of lazy writing is how easily both Joanne and people around her accept the existence of the supernatural, even though this world is like ours - logical and materialistic, where supernatural elements stay hidden. Seriously, in the real world, the moment Joanne started spewing all that nonsense about the Wild Hunt and being a shaman to her direct supervisor, he would have called 911 and had her committed. Or he would have just driven her to the psychiatric ward himself, being a cop. Here, he just… accepts it. And he is only one in the long line of people who just take this in stride and roll with it. So much so that this complete non-resistance to the absurdity of the situation threw me completely out of the story on several occasions.
And finally, I find it extremely improbable that a person who, in her own words, has no knowledge of either of her parent's cultures, manages to become an expert in both Celtic myths and Native American shamanism after a few trance induced dreams and a couple internet searches…
So to sum this rather extensive review up, this is a very disappointing first book in a series. The world has potential, but I have no desire to stick around and watch Joanne put yet another new ability out of her butt anytime her own rash actions get land her in danger. There are a lot of exciting series that I eagerly follow, but this isn't one of them.
But I actually stuck around until the very end of Urban Shaman, because I kept hoping that things would get better. Sadly, they didn't, which is a shame, really, because the book is well written. There is plenty of action. I didn't particularly hate the protagonist, even though I didn't fall in love with her either. There are a few juicy pieces of worldbuilding that kept me interested and wanting to learn more… Problem is, the bad in this book outweighed the good, at least for me.
But first things first, Joanne Walker is a car mechanic working for the police department. She is also a mixt race, because her father was Native American and her mother Irish, though she knows little of either of those cultures (I'm not even sure it's mentioned which Native American tribe her father belonged to, just that Joanne spent some time with the Native Americans in North Carolina). While on a plane back from Ireland where she attended her mother's funeral, she spots a woman being chased by an armed man and decides to help as soon as the plane lands. This choice will change her life forever…
I can see you frowning in puzzlement and trying to re-read that last paragraph, but no, I didn't make a mistake. Joanne spots a woman running away from a man armed with a knife FROM A DESCENDING plane. Wow, even Hawkeye from the Avengers would be impressed with that! Not only that, but she manages to triangulate the part of the city in which it happened "using basic math she learned at school" (I didn't say that, the author did). Once again, I'm impressed. Even if I could see something this precise from a descending plane (again, the plane wasn't even landing yet, but executing the descending approach), I would only have a vague idea where it happened even if I'm familiar with the city.
I kept hoping that this miraculous ability would be explained later in the book, but like most of the perks Joanne acquires, the only explanation we get goes along the lines of "it's magic" or "it's part of her shaman abilities". I would be okay with that if there was a learning curve involved in discovering those shaman abilities, but that's where this book is severely lacking.
Every time Joanne encounters a problem, a new ability lands on her lap to bail her out. Pierced by a sword and dying? No problem, let's enter a trance and heal ourselves! Never mind that Joanne has never attempted a trance before or that healing people and repairing cars have very little in common.
Don't know why the killer is targeting certain people? Let's enter yet another trance, have an out of body experience and go talk to the ghosts of the victims. Never done that before? Not a problem. You're a shaman. You instinctively know how to do things like that.
It's that instinctive knowledge that I have a problem with. Shaman is like any other profession, if you think about it. Everyone starts not knowing what they are doing and become more and more proficient with training and experience. Knowledge doesn't simply land in your lap when convenient. That's lazy writing.
Another sign of lazy writing is how easily both Joanne and people around her accept the existence of the supernatural, even though this world is like ours - logical and materialistic, where supernatural elements stay hidden. Seriously, in the real world, the moment Joanne started spewing all that nonsense about the Wild Hunt and being a shaman to her direct supervisor, he would have called 911 and had her committed. Or he would have just driven her to the psychiatric ward himself, being a cop. Here, he just… accepts it. And he is only one in the long line of people who just take this in stride and roll with it. So much so that this complete non-resistance to the absurdity of the situation threw me completely out of the story on several occasions.
And finally, I find it extremely improbable that a person who, in her own words, has no knowledge of either of her parent's cultures, manages to become an expert in both Celtic myths and Native American shamanism after a few trance induced dreams and a couple internet searches…
So to sum this rather extensive review up, this is a very disappointing first book in a series. The world has potential, but I have no desire to stick around and watch Joanne put yet another new ability out of her butt anytime her own rash actions get land her in danger. There are a lot of exciting series that I eagerly follow, but this isn't one of them.
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