These Elves Are Uncommonly Bad
05/15/2007
Thurman, Rob. Nightlife. New York: ROC- New American Library, 2006. 339 p.
Elves are mean.
In fact, elves are very, very mean.
Or at least that is the premise put forth in Nightlife, the debut novel from author Rob Thurman. Well, to be fair, Thurman’s creatures are not elves at all; they are auphes, and they, along with vampires, werewolves, banshees, trolls, giant bog monsters and all manner of other mythical and supernatural creatures, populate this story, set against the backdrop of New York City. Here, Thurman portrays the efforts of these heroes to save mankind from utter destruction at the pointy little hands of the elves and their evil allies. The good news is that, somehow, Thurman manages to tie it all together and make it work (for the most part).
Not only does Thurman tirelessly milk the mythological aspects of the story, but literary allusions to Shakespeare abound throughout the book. The hero of the book is a half-human, half-auphe named Cal, which is short for “Caliban.” If you were to miss the significance of that, well, the author helpfully points it out for you almost immediately. Another principle character is Robin Goodfellow (yes, that Robin Goodfellow), who is now a used car salesman in New Jersey. And if that all seems a bit precious, then you haven’t even considered the relationship between Cal and his martial artist, human half-brother Niko. The two carry on like dueling Holden Caulfields throughout the first half of the book, which is told from Cal’s vantage point. Most of the second half of the book is told through another voice, which is, if anything, even more irritating than Cal’s is at times.
Having said this, I must say that the book is for the most part hugely entertaining, despite what could be fatal flaws in the hands of a less accomplished author. The pacing and flow of the story keep the energy level high throughout, and even though the author does get a bit carried away at times, some of the references are quite amusing. I must admit I smiled while reading the book more often than I groaned.
I predict that this will be an extremely popular series, and deservedly so. The sequel to Nightlife, called Moonshine, came out this year, and fans of the first book have high praise for the second title as well, noting how their favorite characters, Niko and Cal, are the focus of this installment as well.