Book 34, 2022 (Cats liked me. But then cats liked to play with their food while it was still alive.)

Nevermore by Rob Thurman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I began reading Nevermore, the 10th and final(?) book in the "Cal Leandros" series by Rob Thurman, last night and I finished it tonight. Story is told wholly in Cal's first-person point of view.

When Cal gates out of the Ninth Circle to get the pizzas he forgot to buy for the celebration within, he gets to see his world end before his very eyes. The Vigil, who've been gunning for Cal since he outed himself as not-human, have made a final attempt on his life by ramming the bar with a truckload of explosives. Cal wasn't inside, but everyone he ever cared for was. Cal is about to eat his gun when he learns that Robin had one last trick up his sleeve. The Vigil have sent an assassin back in time to eliminate a younger, more vulnerable Cal. If Cal can go back and prevent that, he may also be able to prevent the tragedy that happened in his own time. To do so, however, he'll need his big brother's help, never mind that Niko is now six years younger than Cal is. He also must deal with his annoying younger self and a Robin who can't leave well enough alone when trickery may be involved.

It's up to Cal to convince Niko who he is and that he's telling the truth, fend off Robin's brand of help, locate and exterminate a supernatural assassin, deal with the fresh hell of seeing everyone he loves die in a fiery explosion, and oh yeah, refrain from killing himself in the process.

I knew going in that reading this would not be pleasant. Cal just wants to fucking die, but he's holding it together for Niko and Robin. His Niko and Robin, because the eight-years younger versions just aren't quite the same. It really reminded me of what Niko went through when Cal had his bout of amnesia in Blackout: it was Cal, but not quite his Cal. A lot of the book was consumed with flashbacks, not just of the events leading up to the explosion, but also of past lives. There was a lot of introspection and angsting on Cal's part, and the fact that he managed to cling to his sanity was amazing. Cal did manage to give Niko some serious shit about his sex life, which was epically hilarious. However, Cal spent the majority of the book hurting (physically, mentally, emotionally) and exhausted, and my heart ached for him. I knew the story would end on a cliffhanger, and hell yeah, I'm bitter. I'm bitter, because the author wrote the sequel to this, but she never published it. My understanding is, she pulled the ultimate fandom flounce and refused to publish until people bought more of her other series of books. Sooooo, does she know what it means to "cut off your nose to spite your face"? Because that's exactly what she did. Not only did her fans deserve better, but her characters did, too. Perhaps even more so. Robyn Thurman, you officially suck.

Now, let's examine the illogical premise behind the story:( Meandering Middlings on Time Travel + Spoilers for the Series )

The only author I ever saw handle time-travel well was Dean Koontz in Lightning, in which it was only possible to travel into the future as it was not yet set. That makes far more sense than traveling back in time.

This story was an emotional minefield. Am I sorry I read it? Yes and no. I'm going to soothe my pique and my psyche by clinging to my belief that the events in Thurman's short story, "Impossible Monsters", took place after Everwar, the unpublished 11th book in the series. That being the case, I can then presume Cal saved the day. Hell, he told Ishiah in that story, "I saved the world, saved your life, saved everyone you ever knew or will know." Bet you didn't think of that either, when you wrote/published "Impossible Monsters", did you, Rob Thurman? Hah! That sucking sound coming from Indiana is still you, though.

( Favorite lines )

This one had my feelings all over the place: angst, genuine laughter, despair, hope, and yeah, some teeth-grinding anger at the author for the shabby way she left her characters hanging while she held them hostage (and continues to do so, it seems) in an effort to force readers to buy her other books. That's okay. Have your titty tantrum, bitch. We have fanfic. Hah!

I'll be generous and give this a four.


Banner found on Pinterest; will credit artist if I find out who it is