Book Review - The Last Hot Time by John M. Ford

Synopsis:  When Danny Holman leaves the cornfields of Iowa for the bright lights of Chicago, he expects his life to change. He just can't guess how much and how fast. A violent incident on the road brings Danny the favor of a man known only as Mr. Patrise, who gives Danny a job, a home, and a new identity.

The City is a different world from the one Danny--now called Doc--knew, and literally so. Long-vanished powers have returned, and more is going on in the streets than nightlife and street warfare. Power is gathering: a power rooted in terror, madness, and death. To fight it will require Doc to face what he fears most. To defeat it will take something more than courage.

First Line:  "The Triumph TR3 was running sweet tonight; Danny Holman had been fiddling with it for a week straight, but he'd tinkered with it near nonstop for the eight months he'd owned it without any really definitive results."

Random Quote:  "Anyway, Elfland's got a wide-open channel to the magic source.  They're bathed in it, like we get sunshine and cosmic rays, while we're insulated.  Sometimes, though - at least since Elfland punched the big holes - we can get into contact with the power."

Review:  How have I missed this author?

Sears Tower - Chicago, IL - Image via Wikipedia

There is a great tabletop role-playing game system called Shadowrun that was originally published in 1989. In it magic returned to the world in 2011, bringing with it mythological creatures and turning some humans into orks, trolls, dwarves, and elves.  In the gaming system it's initially 2050 and it's a cyberpunk urban fantasy world that prefigures a lot of the popular fiction being written now, where mega-corporations rule the world and operate sort of like organized crime syndicates - sort of William Gibson meets Tolkein.  It's an awesome gaming system and I've never understood why it isn't more popular.  Related to this are the Borderland Series based on a similar fictional universe and created by Terri Windling.  There are a number of collections of short stories edited by Ms. Windling and several novels of which my favorite is Finder by Emma Bull.

The Last Hot Time is set in a similar sort of universe.  Its Chicago and the elves have punched through into our universe bringing with them all kinds of magic and transitory places.  This is a coming-of-age story whose main character is plopped down into the middle of things in this alternate Chicago.  A paramedic by trade, training, and vocation, Danny Holmann becomes Doc and learns about life, friendship, and the possibility of love.

If you can imagine elements of high fantasy crossed with a film noir feel you'll get a sense of the flavor of this wonderful and original book.  Ford writes well and tells a great story and now I want to find everything he wrote.  As an aside, Mr. Ford is the person who introduced Klingonaase to the world in his Star Trek novel, The Final Reflection.  How geektastic is that?

Reading Challenges:  Once Upon a Time IV Reading Challenge, Speculative Fiction Challenge 2010, 2010 100+ Reading Challenge