Witchblade: Talons by John DeChancie

 

Book Name: Witchbade Talons

Author: John DeChancie

Comic Series: Witchblade

Original Story or Adaptation: Original Story - Prose Novel

Official Synopsis: Her name is Sara Pezzini. A New York City homicide detective with a deadly secret: A few years ago, she came into the possession of the Witchblade, a mystic weapon of unknown origin that has existed for centuries. Grateful to have first used it when her life was in danger, Sara soon learned the lesson every owner of the device has been taught through the years: The Witchblade is not controlled by anyone -- it does the controlling... A series of brutal murders have been committed in New York, and the trail of bodies seems to lead back to Russian mob boss Lazlo Kontra. But are the killings really gang-related, or the work of a mysterious group called the Order of the Raven -- a group that seems to know all about Sara Pezzini's secret...? At the moment, though, the Order and the Russian Mafia are the least of Sara's problems. Rumors have been spreading through the NYPD about cops on the take, and one of the accusatory fingers has been pointed directly at Sara. Now Internal Affairs is looking into her activities, and they've taken a particular interest in the more unusual aspects of her past cases -- situations in which Sara had been forced to use the Witchblade to bring murderers to justice. Caught between special prosecutors, gangsters, and mystical killers, Sara must once again call upon the Witchblade in order to survive -- but will it answer that call when she needs its power the most...?

Review: Talons is an excellent example of the urban fantasy genre that also just happens to be a comic and/or television show tie-in novel. This is the initial entry to Witchblade prose novels, and overall, it does a good job of being entertaining, well-written, and action-packed. It definitely helps having knowledge of the Witchblade character, as not much background information is given on the characters and the nature of the Witchblade gauntlet itself. However, the story is clearly written, with my only issues being that the action is hard to follow at times. I particularly enjoyed the blending of the police procedural aspects that could be straight out of a crime novel, and how they mixed with the more supernatural elements of the story. Talons also features strong worldbuilding as DeChancie fleshes out the aspects of the protagonist's life, including her career as a police officer, her personal life, and the aspects of the magical Witchblade gauntlet.

What Works: Excellent pacing for most of the book. Clear plotline with multiple threads that are woven together well at the climax.

What Doesn’t: Sometimes the action is a little hard to follow and for a book that otherwise had excellent pacing the ending seemed a little rushed.

Rating: 4 out of 5 mystical gauntlets

MISC

Version Read: Mass Market Paperback

How Acquired: $4 from a used book store

About the Author: John DeChancie is a fantasy and science fiction writer with over 2 dozen credits to his name. This includes the Castle Perilous series and the Skyway series.