Thursday, September 20, 2007

Coyote Season-Michael Bergey

Coyote Season
Michael Bergey
Five Star, Nov 2007, $25.95, 280 pp.
ISBN 9781594146107

Coyote the trickster is in his animal form in this incarnation learning about the human magic of science so when he passes over he will have a new tool to use. He doesn’t remember how to do magic or much before this birth but he has humans to trust like Mooney, John, and Mouse and he has cubs with Lazytail in a mating. He has five spirit children living with him at all times and they have his memories and magic but don’t tell him how to use the magic or what he did in previous lives.

Coyote learns the Iron Song which has the affect of making metal rust and he used it on a farmer’s tractor totally destroying the metal but leaving the other parts in tact. The CIA learns of this and arrives to figure out who has such a weapon. They take over the farmer’s home leaving Coyote and his crew sniffing around for information. Unknown to Coyote, he is heard talking to Mouse and agent Rick Molina believes that coyote can help and intends to use him. Coyote embarks on a series of dangerous adventures to get around those who would use his magic. These include government agents a magic practitioner who uses spells on the dark side to a demon. If he can remain free he has important information to tell the American government about Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.

This is a very creative urban fantasy that centers on a unique protagonist, a trickster Totem spirit who did some very bad things in his past lives and has an evil reputation because of it. In this life, he tries so hard to be good yet trouble seems to follow him like a plague but he always acts with honor and he knows how to love and not give in to mischief. The various spirit realms he visits in his attempts to escape enemies are well developed so that readers obtain a full Native American mythos in a modern day setting.

Harriet Klausner

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