"Stigmata" is the third book of Karen Koehler's unique Slayer series.Book one of the series, Slayer, introduced us to the dhampire (half human half vampire) Alek, and brought us to a pinnacle moment in his life when he questioned everything he'd been taught to believe.
Book two of the series, Slayer: Black Miracles, was actually two novellas in a single volume. Both of them allowed us to ride along with Alek in his present condition as the Rogue, a Slayer without a Coven, a dhampir hunted by all. The second book of the series was less brooding than the first, concentrating highly on Alek's ability and knowhow when it came to what he did best: eliminating vampires and vampire-like threats. The tone of both stories in Black Miracles was - in my opinion - much more fun than the first book. Black Miracles was more about Alek's procedure as a Slayer, and less about his inner conflict.
Stigmata covers the gambit. Let me first say that this is a monstrous book; it comes in around 560 pages, but that's deceiving. So much of the book is written as a reflection, with little dialogue, that its got to be around 250,000 words - but before you get discouraged, let me tell you that it's well worth it. What to compare it to? For lack of a better comparison, Stigmata is to the Slayer series is what Wizard and Glass was to King's Dark Tower series; it's a reflection of things past. But whereas King keeps to the past in book four of his epic, Koehler ties in the past with a major event in the present. We look through "someone's" eyes (I'm not going to tell you who, because that would spoil the surprise) into the past, into the very creation of the Coven System at the Vatican. We see the evolution of the Coven over time, we see how it came to the new world, and why. Koehler's descriptions of these places and times are perfect. I found myself unflinchingly believing every word I read, and had no doubt of its authenticity. Interspersed with these reflections, we read about Alek and the latest (and possibly greatest) challenge placed in his path in the form of a young girl name Damia. As usual with Alek, things quickly turn violent and fast paced. In this way, Koehler moves us back and forth between a rich, engaging look at the origins of the coven, and a slice-em-up storyline that keeps you on the edge of your seat. The novel culminates with a spine tingling narrative that involves Alek venturing into the heart of the lion's den... and doesn't stop there.
Koehler expands upon what is possible in her Slayer universe without ever breaking the suspension of belief she's strung out of your mind in the previous two books. I read the last seventy or so pages of this book in a single sitting, as I couldn't wait to see what would unfold next. Karen Koehler's Slayer: Stigmata is the masterpiece of the Slayer series to date, (rumor has it that we are supposed to see Slayer: Armageddon, eventually, so we'll see if she can top herself). I've rarely read a more engaging and entertainaing book, and I can't give it a high enough recommendation, though I recommend reading the previous two Slayer books first, to get the full effect. Slayer: Stigmata is published by Black Death Books.
Rated 4.5 out of 5
(Originally reviewed in "The Daily Cave" on June 19th, 2006)
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