The Good, the Bad and the Undead (No spoilers, well... as far as I can notice.)

I first started reading Kim Harrison's the Hollows Series last month with Dead Witch Walking. I didn't introduce much about the series after reading it, coz it's good but not "make-me-crazy" kinda good.

What makes me start to talk about the series now? coz the second book in the series-- the Good, the Bad and the Undead, simply takes my breath away. WOW!

Let me start with the first though.



The storyline is complicated so I won't even attempt to summarise it because I'll either make it dull and boring OR reveal all the spoilers! haha! This is the introduction I found on HarperCollins website:

Rachel Morgan is a runner with the Inderland Runner Services, apprehending law-breakers throughout Cincinnati. She’s also a witch, one of the many Inderlanders who revealed themselves after a genetically engineered virus wiped out 50% of humanity. Witches, warlocks, vampires, werewolves-the creatures of dreams and nightmares have lived beside humans for centuries, hiding their powers. But now they’ve stopped hiding, and nothing will be the same.

On the run with a contract on her head, Rachel reluctantly teams up with Ivy, Inderland’s best runner…and a living vampire. But this witch is way out of her league, and to clear her name, Rachel must evade shapechanging assassins, outwit a powerful businessman/crimelord, and survive a vicious underground fight-to-the-death…not to mention her own roommate!

As I have said before, with the first book, once you got past the initial parts about how tomatoes almost wiped out the humans species (yeah, so human avoid ketchup and are scared of tomatoes =P), it's like a roller coaster ride.

With the second book, it's even better. The plot is better, the action starts from the very beginning, once I picked the book up, I couldn't stop reading. Plots are important, but if it's the most important for me, I would have liked the Da Vinci Code much more. =P (Although I read that book in one sitting, I'll never re-read it again! What's wrong with the Da Vinci Code? Read on...)

The characters become more multi-dimensional (I'm talking about Kim Harrison's book, in case you misunderstand), you can actually see the good and the bad side of everyone including the villains, even Piscary (who's the real bad violent master vampire who raped and killed and mutilated people). Not to mention Trent (the villain of the first book), wow! It's good to know much more about him, and I... like him... (!)

The only bad (not bad I guess, just disappointing for me) thing is the response of Nick (Rachel's boyfriend) to what happened near the end. (See? This is why I told you I'm NOT going to summarise it, coz when I tried not to reveal the plot, I sounded like an idiot.) I liked him a LOT! hmm... but WHY DID HE RESPOND LIKE THAT??!! (I think we'll see more of Nick in the later books.)

(Still don't know what's wrong with the Da Vinci Code?? The characters are like cardboards, flat! Can you tell me, what's his name, I forgot, whatever, the hero of the book is like? Not just stupid stuff like cool, calm, clever, but what he's REALLY like as a person, any special thing about him, other than being the brilliant guy who solved the riddle? And the heroine? Other than being the beautiful woman whom the hero... I'm not going to use that four letter word, not even with asterisks... =P I am going to stop rambling.)

Back to Kim Harrison's books, READ them and you'll not regret it. (The second book is actually more like the early Anita Blake books than Stephanie Plum books, which means it's a lot better for me. =) Yeah, it's like Anita Blake's book, so it's violent. Be forewarned. I think the level is acceptable, even for me who never watches horror movies.)

Added at 1938 (14/5)
Just found this on the back of the third book! Diana Gabaldon is really my fav writer, the comment written by her reflects EXACTLY what I thought about the series. If only I could write like that...

Discovering a new series like this is like finding buried treasure; you want to dig it all up at once and when you open each book, fistfuls of gold doubloons and jewels fall out sparkling into your lap. The world of the Hollows is fast-moving, funny, harrowing and scary, and — the greatest compliment to a fantasy — absolutely real.