Flight into Fantasy

Title: Benighted
Author: Kit Whitfield
Genre: Urban fantasy
Source: I bought it.
Reason for Reading: Ms. Whitfield is a regular contributor to the comments at Slacktivist, which is one of my favorite blogs ever. I always think her posts are clever and insightful, so I was curious about her fiction.

Synopsis from Fictionwise:

It is a world much like our own, with one deadly difference: ninety-nine percent of the population is lycanthropic. When the full moon rises, humans transform into lunes, bloodthirsty beasts who cannot be reasoned with or tamed. Those few born unable to change are disparagingly known as barebacks, and live as victims of prejudice and oppression. All too often, they are targets of savage mauling and death by lunes who break the law to roam free on full-moon nights. Twenty something bareback Lola Galley is already a veteran of the Department for the Ongoing Regulation of Lycanthropic Activities. When her friend loses a hand to a marauding lune, then is murdered before the attacker is brought to trial, Lola is desperate to see justice prevail. But the truth is seldom simple–and Lola may not like the shocking answers she uncovers.

My Thoughts: First of all, you should know going into this book that this is not your standard, run-of-the-mill urban fantasy. Lola, our heroine, is an ass-kicking chick with something of a snarky sense of humor and a bad attitude, but from there, the similarities end. You’re not going to find shallow motivations and annoying love triangles here, and when Lola fucks up–as she does quite often–she really fucks up. I liked that Ms. Whitfield chose to make her characters completely accountable. All of their actions had consequences, and I never felt like she was piling on the angst for the sake of angst.

This is also not your typical UF because it’s not an easy book to read. It’s long, for starters, and it deals with some weighty issues, namely the actual, real consequences of prejudice, what it’s like to live as a minority, and how we can justify torture and mistreatment, even and most especially to ourselves. And in my book, actually having something to think about other than what love interest I should root for when it comes to my urban fantasy heroines is an awesome thing.

The plot unfolds gradually, at a pace that felt very organic to the story. The solution to the murder of Lola’s friend Johnny surprised me, and I appreciated that Lola was proactive when she went about doing her investigation, rather than simply letting things happen to her. However, what the plot doesn’t do is wrap everything up in a nice tidy ending. Some people will find that frustrating, but for me, it worked. While there are other questions that could be answered about Ms. Whitfield’s world, Lola’s story was done.

As for Lola the character, I’ve said a lot about her, but I don’t think I can sing her praises enough. It’s not that she’s especially likeable, but she is an antiheroine, and the world needs more of those. She actually reminded me quite a lot of Sirantha Jax in Ann Aguirre’s Grimspace books. Both women are profoundly messed up in the heads, both have undergone a lot in their short lives, and both of them have a lot of growing up to do during the course of their books. However, for Lola there really isn’t a happy romance. I know that’s a bit of a spoiler, but if you’re a romance reader picking this book up, you will probably want to know you’re not going to like the way her relationship turns out. I know I didn’t, but I also don’t think the story could have gone any other way, and I’m grateful that Ms. Whitfield chose a more realistic ending rather than going for something that would appease readers.

The world Ms. Whitfield created is also interesting. She never out and out uses the term “werewolves”, and I think that’s an interesting choice, because of the fact that everyone in this world with very few exceptions are lycanthropic, and they probably wouldn’t identify themselves as particularly monstrous. I also found the Department of the Regulation of Lycanthropic Activity, where Lola, being a non-lyco, works, to be an interesting place. The life of a non-lyco is very grim and nightmarish. (The descriptions of what goes on in the creches where non-lyco children stay during full moon nights are absolutely chilling.) And the absolute, blatant misuse of DORLA’s power is all the more chilling in general because it makes sense and feels like something that could happen in the real world.

Final Thoughts: Obviously, I loved this book. I am dying to read Ms. Whitfield’s second novel, because I really like what she has to say. If you’re looking for a dark, non-fluffy urban fantasy, I highly recommend it.

Final Grade: A

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