The Pawns
What's It About?
“This is a scorcher of a story...and while it explores themes of magic, revenge, and survival, it brims with realism and humanity.” —The Book Commentary“A brisk, enjoyable supernatural tale of black magic and powerful spells.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A suspenseful urban horror sequel with magic, devilry, and inspired surprises.” —Booklife
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Get ready for a suspenseful ride into a dark, sometimes gruesome tale in Ron Gabriel’s The Pawns (Gramercy Fiction), one that will keep readers captivated with a twisty plot, intriguing magic, fierce battles and tension so thick you could cut it with a knife.
Set four years after The Banished, the first novel in The Bucharest Witches series, Travis Coman — an immortal Bucharest-based witch and psychologist — has his hands full as he tries to lead a more humane existence. In order to live, witches need to consume something called “mortal essence.” Normally, extracting mortal essence is a process fatal to humans; however, Travis’ innovative witch technology circumvents this dilemma.
Through the use of a progressive feeding technique of his own making — a crystal ball-like orb imbued with ancestral magic — Travis can extract power from the negative emotions of humans, convert it to mortal essence and ingest it, all without lethal consequences. The added benefit? His subjects are able to share their past traumas and repressed memories, much as they would under hypnosis.
As always, unfortunately, all new technology needs testing, and when Travis decides to run a trial on his patients, mortal essence isn’t the only thing that he invites into this world …
A TALE THAT STRETCHES FROM EASTERN EUROPE TO NEW ENGLAND
Much to Travis’ dismay, a murderous demon possesses two patients — a young boy named Andrei and a nursing home resident named Marku. Additionally, and unbeknownst to Travis at the time, the demon also infects Andrei’s father, Stefan. Before Travis is able to put the metaphorical genie back into the bottle, Stefan announces a family trip to Vermont, a place rife with unpleasant memories that Travis would rather not return to.
Ultimately however, Travis realizes that this is his mess, and it’s his responsibility to set things right. Thankfully, he’s not alone. With smart and reliable fellow witch Sorinah, often the voice of reason (even when using witches’ telepathic “transference”), and Rachel, a budding psychic, at his side, Travis may stand a chance after all.
While The Pawns may be a sequel, it possesses all the key elements of a memorable witchy tale — a gripping plot, a good dose of ambiance, and a strong cast of characters — and new readers won’t be lost if they haven’t read the first book, The Banished. Gabriel does an excellent job of catching the reader up on what they need to know in unobtrusive ways.
OCCULT, HORROR, MYSTERY, OH MY!
I’m also a sucker for the good versus evil theme, as well as a “moral question” or two being thrown into the mix. In this case, we are made to ponder on the relative merits of virtuousness amid the need for survival, and the nature of revenge and redemption. If it wasn’t clear already, this book is also chock full of the occult. This is, unsurprisingly, another plus for me as I do love a good demon possession story.
That being said, horror readers aren’t the only ones who will find enjoyment from The Pawns. Fans of mysteries and those who love a good thrill will eagerly turn the pages of The Pawns to see if Travis can stuff the demonic cat back in the bag.
This contemporary urban horror novel is a gem that will be perfect for readers itching for a book along the lines of The Witching Hour by Anne Rice, The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson, and Intercepts by T.J. Payne. It will leave you waiting eagerly for the next installment of the series.
Learn more about Ron Gabriel on his BookTrib author profile page.
