And just when I say I’m sick of memoirs by white people, I get to enjoy The Liminal People, which is decidedly not. The book is a variation on Wild Cards or Heroes: people with phenomenal powers who are simply people: good, bad, psychotic, noble… and everything that happens next without invoking aliases or Lycra.
The story is simple with depth. Our protagonist is a man who controls the human body, healing or killing or changing with a thought. He works for an international criminal organization (more than a gang, less than a cabal) but is called back to London by a woman he loved in his youth. She had powers too but denied them. Her daughter has powers but has run off. And things spiral from there in a rapid but not breakneck pace as revenge gets complicated and powers reveal themselves.
It’s Le Carre meets Lee? Bourne Identity with a shake of Wild Cards? This is a refreshing book, multi-cultural because that’s how the world works, complex as chaos and simple as revenge. It’s the first book of a trilogy but it ends well, y’know? I could stop here but I’m glad to find the third just came out. Sweet!
–Chris Blakeley, Seattle, WA
One Nightstand is a reader-fueled feature, and you can be a contributor, too. Simply click the “What are you reading?” button in the sidebar and share your thoughts. Tell us your latest great reads or all-time favorites! If you mention your favorite independent bookstore, we’ll link to them.