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Finn Fancy Necromancy by Randy Henderson (view source)
Revision as of 19:48, 29 August 2020
, 19:48, 29 August 2020no edit summary
The breezy fantasy comedy is perhaps not the most common, but fans of Tom Holt and Andrew Harman will know of its existence. Balancing the supernatural with humour is no easy mix; the genre can quickly descend into a level of geekery that baffles the average reader. In ‘Finn Fancy Necromancy’ author Randy Henderson is looking to write something that will appeal to all reader types, but never manages to achieve this goal.
The story of ‘Finn’ is an intriguing one. A necromancer is imprisoned at the age of 15 for a crime he did not commit. Now nearly 40 years old he returns home still living in the 1980s, whilst his family has moved on. The book is part coming of age (for a 40 -year -old), part crime investigation and part fantasy. On their own, all three elements work. Finn Gramaraye is an interesting character who is very likablelikeable; reading about him missing signals from the women around him is particularly amusing. The crime is also well thought through; you really want to know who would condemn a 15 -year -old to decades in prison. Finally, the fantasy is fun in parts – but there are so many parts.
The life of the Gramaraye family appears on the surface to be pretty normal. They have all the trappings of a slightly messed up bunch; sibling rivalry, an ignored sister etc. However, their life is far from mundane as they deal in magic. A world of hidden alchemy, necromancy and wizardry is a compelling one for any fantasy fan, but Henderson tries to fit in a little too much into one book. There is magic, but also fairy folks, gnomes and sasquatches. Ideas explode off the page and the heart of the book is lost as Henderson is once again distracted by telling the reader about another fantasy element.