#BookReview: Fae Hunt, by Nicholas Woode-Smith

Urban Fantasy Epidemiology

Being the offspring of a medical educator and a laboratory tech, I have a disproportionate fondness for fantasy medical situations. Most of the standout episodes of Grimm had a solution right out of The Andromeda Syndrome, and about as innovative.

The Fae Hunt, Kat Drummond book #9, wasn’t as good as all that, but it may be the best book of the series to date, making use of every single element from previous novels.

Previous reviews of this series include: Part-Time Monster Hunter, Blood Cartel, and Darkness Beckons. I should have reviewed The Silver Brotherhood, but life got busy.

The Story

After felling The Silver Brotherhood (no, I did not review that one. My mistake) Kat Drummond has put together an interesting team, and has made friends with orcs and werewolf packs, and even friends in other dimensions.

When a warning comes from one of those dimensions that a great evil from the North is coming, that doesn’t narrow it down much. There are more horrors in this world’s Africa than are dreamt of in your philosophy. And with the novel set in South Africa, the warning narrows down even less.

But soon, a plague hits, and then the excrement hits the air impeller. When the government concludes that the fae are responsible, everything really goes sideways. It’s up to Kat Drummond and her people to come to the rescue of the city, and probably the world.

As I said above, this must be one of the better Kat Drummond novels. The solution is less hack and slash, and the book is more of a detective procedural than an urban fantasy thriller. Frankly, I think that added to the story, and allowed for more worldbuilding. Even elements that are blind alleys in the investigation end up adding to the overall plot.

The Characters

Since this is book #9, Drummond is well-developed at this point. She would rather be a hack and slash heroine, but her problems insist on making her use her brains, even though she’d rather not. Granted I do miss her interacting with college classes while holding down the day job, but killing a necromancer on the campus will put a damper on things.

The World

It is quite clear that Nicholas Woode-Smith has a Tolkien-level about of world-building, but is doling it out only as the plot requires it. The reader is not buried alive under appendices, nor is anyone left confused by what’s going on at any point. Heck, even world elements from previous books come into play in the finale.

Frankly, the world of Kat Drummond may be the most interesting character in the books.

Politics

Most of the politics of this book are in-world. Kat Drummond hates government so much, she will go on beyond the point of endurance. I agree with her, but we only need a few pages at a time.

Though it is amusing that she learns how to play her own kind of politics. It’s definitely part of her evolution and I want t see how it develops in future novels.

Content Warning

There are some horror elements. And the epidemiology involves a disease that has people coughing up blood. I’d say give this to only mature teenagers at the earlier.

Who is it for?

Take the open world of the Witcher, the world building of Tolkien, and the firefights of Harry Dresden.

Why buy it

Because The Fae Hunt is a smart, tightly written novel where even “the boring parts” are still enjoyable.