My husband won't take a book I've recommended until I can convince him it has enough action to keep him interested. His movies must have at least one explosion and a fight scene, the more the merrier. Needless to say, I don't share his requirements. The only action I care about in a story is the interaction between characters. All the car-chases and explosions in the world won't do it for me if there isn't some corresponding sparks between the people driving the cars or setting off the explosions. That isn't to say I mind the excitement and thrill of watching something blow up. But without human interest, I lose interest. Both combined, though, makes for a completely irresistible tale. Patricia Briggs' book Moon Called has both in abundance.
It's got all the major supernatural creatures in it, as well as a few extras for fun: Werewolves, vampires, fae, and skinwalkers, or Native American shapechangers, which is what the main character, Mercedes Thompson, is. It's also got lots of action (nothing blows up, though). I guess part of the reason I like this book so much is because of the perfect blend of suspense, the supernatural, a hint of romance, and humor enough to keep the scary parts from going overboard. I enjoy anything done well, even something I don't normally go in for, like politics (who knew werewolf packs had politics- and that they were so interesting?). But I think the reason the action was so satisfying to me is that when you get together creatures like werewolves, vampires, and a feisty girl who can turn into a coyote, (and a father whose daughter has been kidnapped), you expect a little violence.
(It occurs to me that this is one of the reasons Twilight and its sequels were so unsatisfying. {Among many, many others.} You get a human girl who's torn between loving a werewolf and a vampire, and they never actually fight? What a rip-off. Even two human guys both interested in a girl come to blows a lot of the time. And don't even get me started on the lack of violence in the last book. Just don't.)
It's really satisfying to see so much world building, too. And I don't just mean fitting werewolves etc. into the human world. Even really good fantasy writers sometimes look a little too much like they're showing off how much work went into creating a world. (See The Rule of Cool for why this doesn't always bother me.) Here the world building looks more like character building. Every character has a rich, detailed history which also adds to the plot. It's not like those pitiful novels where you go the whole book thinking you know everything and then suddenly the main character knows exactly how to disable the bomb and then the credits roll, and you never even make it to the refrigerator. Instead, the author will teasingly mention that the main character was raised by werewolves, which explains why she knows so much about them, but then not say anything more about it for a whole chapter. Then she'll say something that explains a little more, but that brings up its own set of questions. By the end of the book the momentum you gained by wanting to know not just what happens next, but what happened fifteen years ago, launches you straight into the next book, which is what happened to me. My husband finished Moon Called, set it down, and gave me puppy dog eyes so pitiful we drove to Barnes and Nobles right then to buy Blood Bound and Iron Kissed.
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