R. A. MacAvoy
Death and Resurrection
Prime, $9.95/$4.95 digital, Dec. 20, 2011
The award-winning writer of Tea With the Black Dragon and other acclaimed novels returns to fantasy with the intriguing story of Chinese-American artist Ewen Young who gains the ability to travel between the worlds of life and death. This unasked-for skill irrevocably changes his life — as does meeting Nez Perce veterinarian Dr. Susan Sundown and her remarkable dog, Resurrection. After defeating a threat to his own family, Ewen and Susan confront great evils — both supernatural and human — as life and death begin to flow dangerously close together.
Note: This preview contains minor spoilers.
Death and Resurrection is the first novel by R.A. MacAvoy in quite a while, and although it is science fiction/fantasy, there is a romance subplot that becomes more rewarding as the novel proceeds, and I think that romance readers in general will be interested in MacAvoy’s work for its distinctive and likable characters.
The novel’s protagonist, Ewen Young, starts off the novel with two major skills: He’s an artist, and he has studied kung fu with an uncle since his childhood. He hasn’t much patience for being admired for these skills, though; they’re just part of his life, as is devoting time each day to Buddhist meditation. It’s possibly through his skill at meditation that he’s able to manifest some minor psychic abilities, as well.
Here’s a taste of how Ewen is first characterized for the reader.
The whole show was going well, except for the fact he had to be there…In his red silk turtleneck and black jeans, Ewen’s trim figure was utterly compatible with the gallery scene. That was his intent, but really he would rather have been standing in a pail of ice water. Ewen was seeming to be a part of this cultured scene only by light meditation and breath control. He lived daily in a world of paint, of shifting light and the smell of turpentine, but as for the rest of this “being an artist” he’d rather have been standing with his feet in a tub of ice water.
His life of paint is soon shaken, however, when as an indirect result of his uncle’s gambling debts, Ewen nearly dies. As a consequence, he develops unusual abilities to move between life and death, and to speak to the dead, abilities which drive the rest of the novel’s plot. It’s because of these unusual abilities that he meets Dr. Susan Sundown, who needs his help to try and locate her missing uncle.
On the doorstep stood a woman and a dog. The woman was striking, her long hair dark with blondish highlights and her face strong and interesting. Very interesting. She stood well, as though she might be a martial artist or a dancer...Under the incandescent lamp, she was not merely striking but beautiful…her eyes were the hazel brown that contains flecks of shining gold. Her mouth was generous and only touched lightly with lipstick. The names of colors—rose madder, viridian, sienna, golden ochre—ran through Ewen’s mind. He repeated them twice, silently, like an incantation. He knew he was staring.
What I most enjoyed about the romance element of the book was how much fun Ewen and Susan were together. They banter cheerfully, support each other, and suffer through hardships in their own unique way; they seem like real people. Though I was intrigued by the fantasy plot, I wished there had been even more of their relationship shown. Here’s an example of their relationship.
Susan grinned at him, and with her large, generous mouth the grin was intoxicating to Ewen. He realized he was in love; in love so deeply there was no surface to it….It occurred to him that if he had died this summer, or even this past weekend, he would have never known such a feeling, and he was grateful.
“What is it?” Susan asked, coming closer. “The way you’re looking at me. That expression.”
“What expression?”
“You look...you look like Yoda.”
This took a long time to sink in. “You know,” she explained. “Yoda from Star Wars?”
“I know Yoda,” he answered, and they both broke out in the usual giggles of people finding themselves deeply sunk in love.
If you’re new to MacAvoy’s work, and interested in her more romantic works, I’d recommend the following: Raphael, about an angel unexpectedly tossed into human form; Tea With the Black Dragon and its sequel, Twisting the Rope, about an older woman fiddler and a dragon in human form; and The Grey Horse, a historical with a fairy who changes from man to horse, and a woman ignorant of her own fairy heritage.
Victoria Janssen is the author of three erotic novels and numerous short stories. Her latest novel is The Duke and The Pirate Queen from Harlequin Spice. Follow her on Twitter: @victoriajanssen or find out more at victoriajanssen.com.
