Title: The Dead Trees (The Stalker Chronicles Book Two)
Publisher/Author: Erik Buchanan
Pages: 97pp
Price: $2.99US

Abyowith is an apprentice Stalker. As the niece of a powerful mage, she was expected to become a Paladin. But she has absolutely no magic of her own. As such, she has opted to join the Stalkers, learning to hunt the often dangerous hybrid animals created by malicious magic — and sometimes to hunt murderers, as well …. When a call for aid takes Abyowith and Lieutenant Kalitith to a small village two days’ ride from the capital city of Abraniotok, they expect to find a few tree eaters threatening the local orchards. Instead, they find an increasing infestation of the voracious lizard-squirrels and a murderer intent on covering their tracks through any means necessary … even mind magic ….

The Stalker Chronicles is one of my pick-me-up series.** Whenever I’m feeling down, a quick re-read of an older book or a new read of a new book is just what I need to lift my spirits. While they are definitely fantasy, the books cross multiple subgenres: they are murder mysteries, police procedurals, adventure tales, monster hunting romps, and sweet romances. They are also queer-friendly, and are set in a society that practices gender equality and has no sexual violence. The Stalker Chronicles are a breath of fresh air next to so many grimdark tales filled with gore, sexism, and sexual assault.

Abyowith is terrific. She is well aware of her own limitations; but she is determined to learn and to be useful. She listens to those who are more experienced than her, but is not afraid to speak up when she uncovers something important or dangerous. She willingly throws herself in harm’s way to protect others, but she is not stupid about it. And she is deeply empathetic: she understands why the parents of the murder victim act as they do, even if those actions put the family at odds with the law.

I really like the magic philosophy of The Stalker Chronicles, as well. At one point, Cloetinush (the village mage) asks Abyowith “What’s the most important skill for a magician, aside from magic?” To which Abyowith replies, “Observation. Seeing things as they are so one can align one’s energy to reality before changing it to suit one’s needs.” The magical practitioners of this fictional universe are, in their own way, scientists, studying and learning from the world around them.

And that’s not even getting into the action sequences and fight scenes, and the fantastical creatures.

Highly recommended to fans of epic fantasy and fantasy-mysteries. The series does have to be read in order, though: start with The Trials of Abyowith, followed by The Wire Noose, The Dead Trees, and then the most recent, A Festival of Magic.

** Some of my other pick-me-up series and stand-alone novels include The Terra Haven Chronicles and The Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles by Rebecca Chastain; The Harwood Spellbook series by Stephanie Burgis; almost any gothic romantic mystery by Mary Stewart; and the two Conquer collections by Edward M. Erdelac.