The Last Hot Time

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Kelly Rae Cooper - Romantic TimesA superb urban fantasy, The Last Hot Time is a walk on the wild side with elves and humans somewhat co-existing in pockets of civilization. Danny's life is transformed when he treats a woman injured in a drive-by shooting. He becomes Doc Hallownight and the house medic for Mr. Patrise, a powerful leader in the shadowlands of Chicago. John M. Ford has a refreshing, unique writing style that vibrates with energy. He introduces a large company of players and skillfully weaves his complex plot into a fascinating account of what happens when the fay of old meets contemporary humanity. Publisher's WeeklyBrilliant is as brilliant does, and Ford's first excursion into enigmatic, offbeat speculative fiction in seven years bids fair to win him yet another World Fantasy Award, as did The Dragon Waiting. In this mesmerizing near-future scenario, most of Earth's technology--man's "magic"--has been destroyed by the immortal Elves who once coexisted with primitive hominids, then vanished back into the parallel universe of Elfland. When the Elves return a generation after JFK's assassination, they witness, horrified, what man has become, and they strike out in panic, blasting most of Chicago. Young paramedic Danny Holman, heading toward Chicago's Elf-gang-ridden heart, saves the life of a young woman wounded severely in a drive-by shooting. The mysterious Mr. Patrise rewards Danny with a new identity--"Doc Hollownight"--and a job as house medic to Patrise's web of underground nightclubs. Danny also gets involved in Patrise's clandestine operations against Whisper-Who-Dares, the loathsome Elf who fuels his insatiable lust for power by flaying humans alive, feeding off their unspeakable agonies. Whether human, minor Elf nobility (the Ellyon) or Highborn Urthas Elves, Ford's generous cast of characters continually surprises, intrigues and pulses with life, a tribute to his power as a storyteller. Haunting, puzzling, even unsettling and deliberately obscure, this improvisatory jazzlike riff of good and evil in the context of a most unusual growing-up story is bittersweet as first love and loss, a minor-key elegy for the death of youth and innocence. (Jan.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.VOYAThis fantasy is set in the near future in a part of Chicago that has become a buffer between the land of the elves and the world of humans. In this zone of shadows dwell humans, elves, half-breeds, and Vamps-those humans who have been infected with elf blood and have grown dependent on it as a narcotic. It is a region of nightly life-and-death struggles, with drugs and illegal gambling and extravagant parties designed to be a respite from life on the Levee. Because no one keeps his true name here, the protagonist becomes Doc Hallownight upon his arrival. His training as a paramedic proves invaluable from the onset, and he is taken under the protection of one of the most powerful men in Chicago. The terror that awaits him as he embarks on his journey of discovery and self-discovery forms the core of the book. Written for adults, this novel's extreme violence and immorality will be disturbing to most teenage readers. The story is well written except for some confusing gaps that seem designed intentionally to keep the reader off balance and firmly in place as an outsider looking in. Fans of Ford's work and mature fantasy buffs in the upper high school grades will find this novel appealing. Library JournalWhen he stops to administer first aid to a gunshot victim, paramedic Danny Holman steps out of his old life and into a bizarre underworld of fast-talking, magic-wielding elves who dub him Doc Hallows and promise him a future beyond his wildest dreams. Ford depicts a modern-day world inhabited by supernatural creatures who enjoy fast cars, hard liquor, and the sound of money even as they keep alive the old traditions of fairy curses and otherworldly magic. By turns violent and funny, the latest novel by the author of The Dragon Waiting delivers a rapid-fire modern fantasy suitable for most libraries. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.