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Retrievers #3
Bring It On
Nobody said juggling a career and a relationship would be easy... Wren Valere used to have a simple life. Her partner Sergei would negotiate the terms of the Retrieval � all right, the theft � and she would use her magical Talent to carry it out. Paycheck deposited, on to the next job.
Now? Her relationship with Sergei is even more complicated (sex will do that). Her fellow lonejacks are trying to organize against the Mage's Council. The nonhuman population of Manhattan is getting fed up with being ignored and abused. And the Council? Well, they have an agenda of their own, and it's not one the lonejacks are going to like.
And Sergei is far too involved with the Silence, his former employers, for Wren's liking.
When it comes down to choosing sides, the first rule of the lonejack credo is "Don't get involved." But when friends are in danger, and the city you love is at risk, sometimes getting into the thick of things is all you can do.…
377 pages, Paperback
First published June 20, 2006
18 people are currently reading
645 people want to read
About the author
Laura Anne Gilman
123 books824 followersLaura Anne Gilman’s work has been hailed as “a true American myth” by NPR, and praised for her “deft plotting and first-class characters” by Publishers Weekly. She has won the Endeavor Award for THE COLD EYE, and been shortlisted for a Nebula, (another) Endeavor, and a Washington State Book Award. Her work includes the Devil’s West trilogy, the Cosa Nostradamus urban fantasy series, the Vineart trilogy, and the story collection WEST WINDS’ FOOL. Her upcoming move, UNCANNY TIMES, will be out from Saga Books in 2022.
She lives in Seattle with a cat, a dog, and many deadlines.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
December 3, 2007
This one is a little different from the first two in the series. The actual retrieval mission is a very small part of the book, with is starting up midway in, picking up in another chapter or two, and ending before the 2/3 point.
The main plot here is the vigilante attacks on the fatae (magical creatures)--and, possibly, on Talents (magic using humans). This merges into Sergei's plot with The Silence (his old secret society of agents that clean up magical and non-magical messes) as well as the Mage Council ploy whereby the local head of the council is consolidating power by absorbing other cities' councils.
So this isn't really about Wren as a retriever. Her "don't see me" powers are used, but mostly in spying type situations and to avoid boring meetings. She organizes the fatae and the mages--lonejacks, independents, and council alike--to work together to make the city safe from vigilantes, Sergei works his contacts to discover the truth behind a major shake-up in The Silence, we learn that someone is torturing Talents and to learn how to brainwash them, and Sergei and Wren have their first major fight since starting a non-professional relationship.
If you liked the first two, as yourself how you'd like them if they were about organizing a small-scale war instead of sneaking into buildings and stealing things. We do get some great fight scenes, including one mass battle involving all manner of fatae, Talents and Mages on both sides, and normal humans with weapons ranging from baseball bats to machine guns. We also get lots of good boardroom politics on several fronts (within The Silence, within The Council, and within Wren's "Truce committee.")
For me, the most fun plotline is the growing relationship between P.B. and Wren. In this book the meaning of his attention to her becomes evident and she becomes somewhat aware of the situation and what it means to her. She may be headed down a road of power that will blow apart her no-see-me shield. P.B. and Sergei's growing friendship is also great. It threatens to put P.B. in the middle of a Wren/Sergei breakup, but we know where P.B. loyalties lie. He may have actually given up the ability to have any other loyalties.
So, it's a good book; be aware that it's very different from earlier books in the series, though. It's hard to say which direction the next book will jump.
The main plot here is the vigilante attacks on the fatae (magical creatures)--and, possibly, on Talents (magic using humans). This merges into Sergei's plot with The Silence (his old secret society of agents that clean up magical and non-magical messes) as well as the Mage Council ploy whereby the local head of the council is consolidating power by absorbing other cities' councils.
So this isn't really about Wren as a retriever. Her "don't see me" powers are used, but mostly in spying type situations and to avoid boring meetings. She organizes the fatae and the mages--lonejacks, independents, and council alike--to work together to make the city safe from vigilantes, Sergei works his contacts to discover the truth behind a major shake-up in The Silence, we learn that someone is torturing Talents and to learn how to brainwash them, and Sergei and Wren have their first major fight since starting a non-professional relationship.
If you liked the first two, as yourself how you'd like them if they were about organizing a small-scale war instead of sneaking into buildings and stealing things. We do get some great fight scenes, including one mass battle involving all manner of fatae, Talents and Mages on both sides, and normal humans with weapons ranging from baseball bats to machine guns. We also get lots of good boardroom politics on several fronts (within The Silence, within The Council, and within Wren's "Truce committee.")
For me, the most fun plotline is the growing relationship between P.B. and Wren. In this book the meaning of his attention to her becomes evident and she becomes somewhat aware of the situation and what it means to her. She may be headed down a road of power that will blow apart her no-see-me shield. P.B. and Sergei's growing friendship is also great. It threatens to put P.B. in the middle of a Wren/Sergei breakup, but we know where P.B. loyalties lie. He may have actually given up the ability to have any other loyalties.
So, it's a good book; be aware that it's very different from earlier books in the series, though. It's hard to say which direction the next book will jump.
July 20, 2024
Great series
December 11, 2010
I gave up on this book and the entire series on page 170-I set it down two months ago and haven't wanted to pick it up since. The series has taken a turn towards supernatural political intrigue that has turned me off to it. My verdict: boring. Too bad. If it had gone more in an action and/or romance direction instead, I probably would have liked it.
I can't really tell you what it's about - I disliked it enough to forget. Something about the Cosa Nostra plotting and Wren getting sucked in to representing the lone jacks. And the fatae are being attacked and killed by an unknown element.
I can't really tell you what it's about - I disliked it enough to forget. Something about the Cosa Nostra plotting and Wren getting sucked in to representing the lone jacks. And the fatae are being attacked and killed by an unknown element.
September 8, 2019
This is one of those times when I wish we could give half stars-more than 3 but not quite 4 stars. The series takes a bit of a turn with this book and the transition was a bumpy read for me. In BRING IT ON, there are a lot of subplots happening in parallel, including paranormal politics within the Silence and Council, the evolving relationship between Wren and Sergie, interspecies tensions, and the vigilante violence threat. Only a small part of the story line involves one of Wren's retrievals. With all that going on, it was hard to feel the expected rise in tension moving through the book with the satisfying resolution towards the end. Each thread was interesting to read, and I love these characters, but felt more like a bridge to whatever is going to happen next.
December 23, 2017
Plot holds up
I enjoyed this but less than the first two in the series. I feel he attempted to blend in information and history from the prior 2 Novels way down the pace unnecessarily. Reviewing activities from prior books was tedious.
I enjoyed this but less than the first two in the series. I feel he attempted to blend in information and history from the prior 2 Novels way down the pace unnecessarily. Reviewing activities from prior books was tedious.
October 25, 2018
This continued to be a good series about Wren, whose magic leaves her unnoticed by most people, and her partner Sergei, who isn't magical at all. If you're looking for a series that shows relationship development and isn't filled with explicit sex scenes, this could be your lucky day. :)
October 29, 2017
third adventure of wren.
December 29, 2019
A fascinating mystery that left me wanting more.
August 28, 2022
Really enjoying this series.
July 26, 2019
Liked it, but not in a couldn’t put it down sort of way.
August 27, 2012
Our heroine is Wren Valere, a talented young woman in her late 20s who is a lonejack, a solo magic user raised up in a soloist tradition. She works as a “retriever” – essentially a thief with considerable magical talents. Someone stole something from you – something magical, dangerous, powerful? You pay Valere and her “manager” Sergei Didier, and she’ll steal it right back.
New York City is a vibrant place at any time, but in LAG’s world talents (those who feel and manipulate current) and nulls (those who neither feel nor manipulate current/magic) intersect constantly, and it’s not always a pretty sight. We have the Cosa Nostradamus -- the fatae who live their own magic, the nonhuman griffins, piskies, dryads, etc. – and those humans who are either lonejacks of varying power and skills, or members of The Council. The Council prefers to run everything in its own city. They want control of all magic-users – but they’ll settle for intimidation.
And then there are the humans who have no magic of their own, but know it exists and want to know what’s going on in every nook and cranny of the city. Among the most powerful are a group called The Silence. They hire lonejacks to work with them, their interface staff called “handlers” who manage the “talent.”
Wren, who specializes in never being seen, who keeps to herself and avoids all Council and fatae politics, slowly finds herself being drawn into the intricate games of The Council and The Silence. The first rule of the lonejacks is “Don’t get involved.” But Wren loves her city, her people – can she really step away from what is growing throughout Manhattan? And this time, Sergei may not be able to help her.
Laura Anne Gilman’s books are intricate, and she has a trick of dropping you into her characters’ lives so at first you can’t see the story for the trees, shall we say. But her work rewards patience. For intricate urban fantasy, give her books a try. There are benefits to starting with the first book, but I think they stand alone. They do get progressively darker, though.
New York City is a vibrant place at any time, but in LAG’s world talents (those who feel and manipulate current) and nulls (those who neither feel nor manipulate current/magic) intersect constantly, and it’s not always a pretty sight. We have the Cosa Nostradamus -- the fatae who live their own magic, the nonhuman griffins, piskies, dryads, etc. – and those humans who are either lonejacks of varying power and skills, or members of The Council. The Council prefers to run everything in its own city. They want control of all magic-users – but they’ll settle for intimidation.
And then there are the humans who have no magic of their own, but know it exists and want to know what’s going on in every nook and cranny of the city. Among the most powerful are a group called The Silence. They hire lonejacks to work with them, their interface staff called “handlers” who manage the “talent.”
Wren, who specializes in never being seen, who keeps to herself and avoids all Council and fatae politics, slowly finds herself being drawn into the intricate games of The Council and The Silence. The first rule of the lonejacks is “Don’t get involved.” But Wren loves her city, her people – can she really step away from what is growing throughout Manhattan? And this time, Sergei may not be able to help her.
Laura Anne Gilman’s books are intricate, and she has a trick of dropping you into her characters’ lives so at first you can’t see the story for the trees, shall we say. But her work rewards patience. For intricate urban fantasy, give her books a try. There are benefits to starting with the first book, but I think they stand alone. They do get progressively darker, though.
March 18, 2012
The overall plot arch is really beginning to thicken! Wren is in over her head with nowhere to go but with the current (pun-intentional) and do what it is she does best. I'm really curious to see where this series is going and what is going to put the kibosh on KimAnn. I'm not entirely sure what she's got up her sleeve, but it can't be anything good.
The retrieval in this book was almost too easy for Wren and she nearly failed, which is a first so far. I'm glad to see that she isn't perfect. Too much perfection and the character gets boring. There's no thrill to read. The retrievals are starting to take a back seat to the overall plot and while I was slightly disappointed in that, adding in anything more would have made the book too huge and too much to follow in one chunk. Gilman did an excellent job staying to task despite so much going on. Bravo!
My only complaints in this book was the snippets at the ends of the chapters leading into the next and the reptition. I think, from a perspective of flow, it would be better if the snippets were included in the next chapter and simply removed from the end of the previous. Minor complaint, I know. Since I've been reading the entire series back to back, the repetition is a little annoying, but it can't be helped. If I was coming in as they were being published, that reminder would be refreshing.
All in all, a good read. I'm looking forward to getting into the next book!
The retrieval in this book was almost too easy for Wren and she nearly failed, which is a first so far. I'm glad to see that she isn't perfect. Too much perfection and the character gets boring. There's no thrill to read. The retrievals are starting to take a back seat to the overall plot and while I was slightly disappointed in that, adding in anything more would have made the book too huge and too much to follow in one chunk. Gilman did an excellent job staying to task despite so much going on. Bravo!
My only complaints in this book was the snippets at the ends of the chapters leading into the next and the reptition. I think, from a perspective of flow, it would be better if the snippets were included in the next chapter and simply removed from the end of the previous. Minor complaint, I know. Since I've been reading the entire series back to back, the repetition is a little annoying, but it can't be helped. If I was coming in as they were being published, that reminder would be refreshing.
All in all, a good read. I'm looking forward to getting into the next book!
November 4, 2016
I reached the end and wondered where the rest of it went.
The Wren has a retrieval which wasn't very interesting, during which a twist happened that also wasn't very interesting. The author hints at a shadowy figure behind the retrieval request. The reader is given the impression that the client may be in danger from the shadowy figure. The client has been terrified! Threatened! Whatever. Let's just give her a fake to replace the item and hope that the shadowy figure who knows about magic doesn't take it personally. I'm sure it will all turn out well in the end.
Bigot violence against the fatae escalated. The betrayer character gets Sergei's-Contacts-ex-machina'd, then turned into a fine red mist in front of a policeman rather than taken away for questioning to follow up that link. The cop, correctly identifying the killers as "above his paygrade" makes the call not to freak the fuck out and attempt to shoot them. No other mundane witnesses panic either. This is perfectly believable.
The council are sneaky and not very nice.
The Silence's mission and society is corrupted somehow. This is also not news and not very interesting, though I suppose it should be. I'm not sure why Wren and Sergei keep them around. Vague assurances of "it would have been worse without us" are hot air and no proof, and our otherwise savvy characters just seem to take it on faith.
Nothing is resolved.
Bring it on: Less interesting than the movie of the same name.
The Wren has a retrieval which wasn't very interesting, during which a twist happened that also wasn't very interesting. The author hints at a shadowy figure behind the retrieval request. The reader is given the impression that the client may be in danger from the shadowy figure. The client has been terrified! Threatened! Whatever. Let's just give her a fake to replace the item and hope that the shadowy figure who knows about magic doesn't take it personally. I'm sure it will all turn out well in the end.
Bigot violence against the fatae escalated. The betrayer character gets Sergei's-Contacts-ex-machina'd, then turned into a fine red mist in front of a policeman rather than taken away for questioning to follow up that link. The cop, correctly identifying the killers as "above his paygrade" makes the call not to freak the fuck out and attempt to shoot them. No other mundane witnesses panic either. This is perfectly believable.
The council are sneaky and not very nice.
The Silence's mission and society is corrupted somehow. This is also not news and not very interesting, though I suppose it should be. I'm not sure why Wren and Sergei keep them around. Vague assurances of "it would have been worse without us" are hot air and no proof, and our otherwise savvy characters just seem to take it on faith.
Nothing is resolved.
Bring it on: Less interesting than the movie of the same name.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 13, 2020
Gilman has deftly created this rouge protagonist. Her characters are almost all unreliable narrators. Wren tells us she is a stand alone 'lone-jack', a person who uses current for herself. Sergei tells us he has left the Silence and will focus on Wren and his gallery. The Mage Council is totally smug. P.B. tells us ... not much. Perhaps demons in Gilbert's world are different.
Building on the shattering climax in Volume 2, Bring it on opens with Wren grief stricken. She is determined that the damage created by both the Silence and the Mage Council, and the fatae will not be ignored. It seems like the vigilantes are everywhere, the attacks against the Talent, those who can wield magic have accelerated. The hate crimes are beginning to drive wedges between the various groups of current users. Will this nasty push back succeed in destroying all Talents including the Old Ones?
The mcguffin is the B plot wherein Wren chooses a Retrieval job without Sergei's managing. We now know why their arrangement is so successful, and why this lone-jack should trust her instincts. The main story line continues the arc. It is all about power, who has it and how will it be used. In Book 3, Wren takes a dip into leadership waters, helping to form an alliance between the Talents; the enemy of my enemy is my friend it seems. The old adage, trust buy verify keeps dancing around the perimeters.
A satisfying middle passage book, leaving this reader eagerly waiting for volume 3.
Building on the shattering climax in Volume 2, Bring it on opens with Wren grief stricken. She is determined that the damage created by both the Silence and the Mage Council, and the fatae will not be ignored. It seems like the vigilantes are everywhere, the attacks against the Talent, those who can wield magic have accelerated. The hate crimes are beginning to drive wedges between the various groups of current users. Will this nasty push back succeed in destroying all Talents including the Old Ones?
The mcguffin is the B plot wherein Wren chooses a Retrieval job without Sergei's managing. We now know why their arrangement is so successful, and why this lone-jack should trust her instincts. The main story line continues the arc. It is all about power, who has it and how will it be used. In Book 3, Wren takes a dip into leadership waters, helping to form an alliance between the Talents; the enemy of my enemy is my friend it seems. The old adage, trust buy verify keeps dancing around the perimeters.
A satisfying middle passage book, leaving this reader eagerly waiting for volume 3.
February 22, 2008
Wow, I'm really liking this series. In this one, the politics intensify, and I might need to go back and read it again to make sure I caught all of who was betraying whom. It wasn't quite as upbeat as the previous ones, but part of that was the death of an important character in the previous book, and part was the difficulty of being upbeat in the face of major civil unrest and deadly politics. At the same time, Wren and Sergei are continuing to try to define their relationship, and P.B. and Wren are discovering that friendship between fatae and Talent is a bit complicated, and certainly rare. Oh, and her mother stops in to say hi. :) In some sense, this was a filler book (as many third novels in continuing series are) -- it finishes some old plot lines and starts some new ones, but mostly intensifies the situation. So it's probably not a good book to start reading the series with, but when I finished it I picked up the next one right away. :)
January 23, 2010
Just finished Bring It On (★★★★) by Laura Anne Gilman. Out of the nine books on my list, this might be the newest one. I discovered the series in spring of 2008, so it's only been on my TBR for about 20 months. The series so far is pretty solidly in the urban fantasy genre. The Retrievers series take place in a modern day version of NYC where magic & non-human beings called the fatae (fairy, mythological, demonic creatures) exist side-by-side with humans.
Our protagonist, Wren Valere, is a Retriever, a magical version of a cat-burglar for hire. And when you're a magical human in NYC you're either with the Mage Council or you're a lonejack against it.
I find these books somewhat similar in tone to the Greywalker series by Kat Richardson, the Mercy Hollings series by Toni Andrews, or The Negotiator series by C.E. Murphy - so if you like any of those, I would recommend this series to you as well.
Our protagonist, Wren Valere, is a Retriever, a magical version of a cat-burglar for hire. And when you're a magical human in NYC you're either with the Mage Council or you're a lonejack against it.
I find these books somewhat similar in tone to the Greywalker series by Kat Richardson, the Mercy Hollings series by Toni Andrews, or The Negotiator series by C.E. Murphy - so if you like any of those, I would recommend this series to you as well.
January 20, 2020
I first read this at least a decade ago, and was so put off by the purposeful poor communication between characters that I stopped reading this series until it pivoted to a different storyline, 4 books later. But at this point I’ve read everything else published in this series (7 books, umpteen novellas and short stories) except the next 3 books, so I decided to go back and re-read this series, as I really do like the character that stars in this portion of the series.
On rereading, though the poor communication is annoying, it’s not as bad as I remembered. Maybe I’ve mellowed? So, plus one star, which may be the first time I’ve ever re-read a book and added a star. And this book introduces Bonnie and Danny, characters that will lead the second and third portions of this series, respectively. I’m not sure I’ll ever read this book again, but it wasn’t enough to put me off continuing this time.
On rereading, though the poor communication is annoying, it’s not as bad as I remembered. Maybe I’ve mellowed? So, plus one star, which may be the first time I’ve ever re-read a book and added a star. And this book introduces Bonnie and Danny, characters that will lead the second and third portions of this series, respectively. I’m not sure I’ll ever read this book again, but it wasn’t enough to put me off continuing this time.
November 2, 2014
It feels like forever since I read Book 2 of this series, so I'd forgotten a vast amount of what had gone before. However, I felt like I managed to mostly piece it together as I read, and it didn't hold me back too much.
Once more, I love Wren as a character (and Sergei is one of the better rounded out boyfriends-of-female-leads I've come across in an urban fantasy series too) I love that she manages to be highly competent at what she does, but still be flawed enough to be human - and of course, PB steals pretty much every scene he's in.
The worldbuilding, and the intersecting politics of lonejacks, Council and fatae, are once again a big part of what I enjoyed here - in fact, it was really more interesting than the alleged A-plot.
Definitely looking forward to getting on with the next one!
Once more, I love Wren as a character (and Sergei is one of the better rounded out boyfriends-of-female-leads I've come across in an urban fantasy series too) I love that she manages to be highly competent at what she does, but still be flawed enough to be human - and of course, PB steals pretty much every scene he's in.
The worldbuilding, and the intersecting politics of lonejacks, Council and fatae, are once again a big part of what I enjoyed here - in fact, it was really more interesting than the alleged A-plot.
Definitely looking forward to getting on with the next one!
September 5, 2008
I like this series, so I'm a little biased. I like Wren & Sergei and I even like PB :)
Good story, interesting plot and subplot (with the Null client and the necklace) and I enjoyed finding out about Sergei's little secret in regards to his relationship with Wren (it's not a bad one!).
I'm looking forward to more of a character maturation because the relationship is becoming sort of "stuck". There's no movement on either side. Mainly, Wren needs to grow up a bit more and both need to stop compartmentalizing their issues hoping to talk about it when the 'dust has settled'.
Still a good read though.
Good story, interesting plot and subplot (with the Null client and the necklace) and I enjoyed finding out about Sergei's little secret in regards to his relationship with Wren (it's not a bad one!).
I'm looking forward to more of a character maturation because the relationship is becoming sort of "stuck". There's no movement on either side. Mainly, Wren needs to grow up a bit more and both need to stop compartmentalizing their issues hoping to talk about it when the 'dust has settled'.
Still a good read though.
June 11, 2015
I like this series. I love how you never know whats going on and you can feel the society of the city at large behind all of the politics. I like Wren and how her relationship with Sergi isn't perfect. I also enjoy how the author ties things together really well bringing places and feelings from other books back into play and characters who appear small into larger roles. It is a master piece of art just like all her other books but the little stories in each separate novel are enough to keep you interested. My favorite part is when Sergi nods to the pixie in the park after talking to Andre, it was just so powerful in so many ways.
July 23, 2011
c2006. First of all, I did not realise that this particular book was 3rd in a series. This obviously had a negative influence from the start as I don't think that this could be read as a stand alone. Next, one of the blurbs from SF Site said "I highly recommend this book to fans of urban fantasy, especially [to fans of] Jim Butcher, Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, or Laurell K Hamilton.". In my opinion, this is a pale imitation of those listed. Good for a light and quick read but not enjoyable enough to read any more of the series.
November 6, 2011
Where the first two books in the series had a primary story, with a secondary, larger background arc, this book is really about the larger arc with little-to-no primary story. This is a bit of a mixed bag, because while it moves the story as a whole into a larger framework, for quite a lot of the book very little seemed to happen and I felt that this book was much more about moving pieces about and setting up future events than actually accomplishing anything in it's own right.
October 20, 2016
Downgraded slightly because a whole heck of a lot happened between the second book and this one that is alluded to but sounds like it deserves a book all on its own...and where is THAT book?!? Otherwise there's some very interesting relationship development in this one that most books gloss over. I'm impressed that this author discusses it more thoroughly. Relationships are complicated and the one between Wren and Sergei are getting really appropriate treatment.
August 21, 2016
I have to start by saying that I didn't actually finish this book, so I feel a bit cruel giving it such a low rating.
It seems like it could be a fun, fluffy read, but I just had to give it up. I have way too many books I want to read and this one just couldn't catch my attention after 100 pages. Her writing style does nothing for me. It's too flat and stilted.
It seems like it could be a fun, fluffy read, but I just had to give it up. I have way too many books I want to read and this one just couldn't catch my attention after 100 pages. Her writing style does nothing for me. It's too flat and stilted.
July 17, 2009
In this book, a plot that has been simmering in the back during the previous two books comes now to the front and creates an intriguing story line. Also, the relationship between Gwen and Sergei continues to develop. My only problem with this book was that the ending was not as satisfactory as the previous two books.
March 18, 2012
Wren accepts the job without letting her business partner and lover Sergei Didier know as a way of asserting her independence. However, someone's trying to taker her out with psi-bombs. Many of the unaffiliated lonejacks are missing and the attacks on the fatae (nonhumans such as demons) are on the rise.
April 28, 2010
Great book! Kept the action moving, adding just enough character development and introductions of new characters to keep the complexity involving without overwhelming the reader.
I love the Retriever series and can't wait to see what's waiting for Wren and the gang.
I love the Retriever series and can't wait to see what's waiting for Wren and the gang.
August 30, 2016
Not as fun as others in the series; felt it wandered a bit and the ending was both anticlimactic and opened up a lot of loose ends. Felt more like a middle of a multi-book saga or story arc rather than a stand-alone entry...
November 15, 2007
read 02.21.07
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