Carmichael Library Sci-Fi (Virtual) Book Club discussion

Since Sacramento Public Library canceled all events before our regular March meeting, here is a place for general discussion of the book.

The book is so-so. I'm all for a misunderstood heroine but this was a lot of too much. Just when people like her (and I don't understand why they disliked her so intensely to start with), everything blows up in her face. And why does her mentor and coyote have to be so evil. That doesn't make sense to me from everything I've ever read about them. So, anyway, an okay book but I'm not sure I'll read the rest of the series.

Since Coyote is a mythological character in many Native American cultures, did you feel then that he was not similar to either what you might know of the general mythology and/or representations of Coyote you may have read about in other books? For example, I know you are familiar with "Joe Coyote" from the Mercy Thompson books. (Moon Called and so on by Patricia Briggs.)

Yes, from all the stuff I've ever read he's a trickster but not evil. I have a tiny smidge of American Indian so when I was younger I was reading all sorts of American Indian mythology. I'm far from an expert but this author seemed to go way beyond bad for the stuff I've read about him.

Finished the book. While I really enjoyed the novelty of the setting, the plot didn’t seem to go anywhere. It seemed most of the plot involved just driving around, chasing the random monster outbreak, and Maggie obsessing over how much of a monster she was and that no one could like her. I did like how the various clans had “powers” and can see how that might develop more in the series but I probably will not continue.