[Book review] Heaven's Spite by Lilith Saintcrow

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Not being much for horror novels, it took a while for me to make the transition to reading dark fantasy.  But eventually I did.  Now, a lot of what we might call “dark fantasy” has transitioned into what we now call “paranormal fantasy”.  Vampires, werewolves and demonic creatures are a staple for many authors nowadays.  One of the most creative authors in the genre is Lilith Saintcrow, and her latest Jill Kismet book showcases her unique world.

Hunter Jill Kismet knows how to deal with Perry, the hellbreed that she’s bound to.  But when rumors surface of a new hellbreed attempting to infiltrate Santa Luz—one that’s heralded by butchered bodies and unholy altars—she has to make alliances with the likes of Perry and MelisandeBelisa, the Sorrows priestess who killed her mentor.

But anything involving a hellbreed is treacherous.  Jill must constantly question if what she finds out about the situation is the truth, or nothing more than elaborate ruse.  When people close to Jill begin to suffer as she gets closer to the truth, it may be the final straw that pushes her to damn her soul forever.

One of the things that I tend to dislike about dark fantasy is that many authors, despite the horrors they portray, still give a veneer of glamour to that which is monstrous.  One of the most egregious examples, of course, is the Twilight saga.  It glorifies vampirism to the point that the main character Bella is willing to do anything to get Edward to turn her.  But Saintcrow rarely makes the things that go bump in the night anything but frightening.  Even when the hellbreed are in human disguise, the author makes it clear that there’s something horrible about them that’s plain to be seen.

She also makes it clear that being a warrior fighting against the darkness isn’t glamorous.  Even though Jill is enhanced by the power she can draw through the scar that connects her to Perry, she still takes enormous amounts of physical damage and suffers excruciating pain.  There is no easy path to glory for hunters—many of them die young, and in horrible ways, and the Church considers them damned for the sin of killing.

Saintcrow paints the different kinds of nightside denizens in vivid detail.  Whether they’re human or not, it’s easy to distinguish between them.  The culture of the hunters is laid out as well, letting readers know what they wear, how they fight, and what they believe in.  Jill herself is a complex character, having been put in an untenable situation.  Her conflicts of conscience become more and more pronounced as the series progresses.

The relationship between Jill and Perry is an interesting one.  It has changed over the course of the series, with Jill finding a way to bend the hellspawn to her will in an earlier novel.  But a lot of machinations have been set up throughout the course of the story, and some of them are bearing fruit in this next-to-last book.  I liked the twisted way that, by the tale’s end, Perry had regained some semblance of control, only to have Jill wrest it back in the only way she can. 

The unfortunate thing that I’ve found is that the Jill Kismet series shares a lot of elements with Saintcrow’s earlier Dante Valentine series.  Both Dante and Jill hunt supernatural creatures, both are tied to a demonic being, both are attacked through those they care about, both have a prominent scar, both wear some sort of wrist cuff, and both end up in Hell temporarily.  This wasn’t so obvious in the earlier Jill Kismet books, but it’s getting harder to ignore in these later ones, as the series winds down to its close with the next novel.  I suppose that it’s a formula that works, but adhering so closely to the details takes some of the punch out of them the second time around.

The other minor quibble I have with Saintcrow is that she’s started using what I call “go-to” phrases, certain little expressions that are unusual, stick out, and show up randomly throughout the series.  I’m very glad that she’s dropped the habit of having Jill think to herself “Get it, Jill?  Like (fill in the pun here)?  Arf, arf,” because it was getting annoying.  However, this book describes firing a weapon as the gun “speaking”, calls parts of Jill’s body “bits”, and describes taking something away from someone as “subtracting” it from them.  I don’t think any of those expressions (with the possible exception of the speaking guns) have shown up before, but they’re odd enough to stick out.

On the whole, this novel is packed with enough action and demonic politics to make me mostly overlook these little things.  I’m looking forward to the final novel, Angel Town, to see how Jill’s story finally plays out.  Heaven’s Spite is a pedal-to-the-metal thrill ride through a house of horrors, packed with enough gunfights and flashing swords to satisfy the most ardent literary adrenaline junkie.

Also by this author: Dead Man Rising, Saint City Sinners