Saturday, November 21, 2009

Skinner: Howling Legion-Marcus Pelegrimas

Skinner: Howling Legion
Marcus Pelegrimas
Eos, Nov 2009, $7.99
ISBN: 9780061463068

Cole was a video games designer at the top of his profession when he realized that creatures of myth and legend are real. There is a secret society that has fought the evil denizen of the dark especially vampires, who go by the nomenclature of Shifters. They fight Nymars (vampires) as well as were shapeshifters who prey on humans and don’t stay in their own territory. Cole joins the group and his mentor Paige places him under an intense training regimen physically and using magical weapons to restrain these creatures. He has become a Skinner enforcing the rules (see Full Blood).

A Full Blood werewolf who can change at will creates many half-breeds, who can only exist in wolf form, to take over Kansas City, Missouri. The Full Blood Liam knows that the Nymarr are unorganized so they cause him no concern and another Full Blood is harassing the Skinners. When he liberates his offspring to attack the city Paige and Cole lure them into a deserted area where they kill most of them. That fails to solve the problem because the Full Blood can make more hybrids; they know they must destroy Liam before he can create more Half Breeds, but he alos knows of the two Skinners are in his city so he plans to show them how a Full Blood deals with adversaries.

Part horror and part urban fantasy, Skinner: Howling Legion contains a fantastic world filled with a werewolf species that seems genuine as Marcus Pelegrimas provides his original take on the shapeshifting mythos living up to the motto of the “Show Me” state. Cole and Paige are resolute dedicated warriors who gave up their comfortable middle class lifestyles to risk their lives fighting malevolence. Exciting and thrilling from start to finish, the audience will enjoy a walk on the wild side of Kansas City. Karen Koehler fans will love this book.

Harriet Klausner

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