Poltergeist

Poltergeist (2007) Kat Richardson

I enjoyed Greywalker enough that I pre-ordered Poltergeist when I came across it.

This was a decision I did not regret. I liked Poltergeist even better than I liked Greywalker. Harper Blaine is still coming to terms with her ability to see and move into the Grey, the paranormal realm populated by ghosts and other supernatural beings.

Harper has been hired by a psychologist interested in studying parapsychology and who is attempting to recreate the Phillip Experiments in which a group of subjects created a ghost by giving it a backstory and history. Unfortunately for the researcher, the experiment seems to be spiraling out of his control, and he has hired Harper to look for a saboteur.

This story was fascinating on many different levels. They mystery was very interesting, and kept me guessing. The characters were also well done and realistic–especially the bad guys, who were complex and had reasonable motivations for their actions. Although I have to admit a fondness for Quinton. He’s a true geek without falling into that unpleasant trope that fictional geeks sometimes fall into. In fact he reminded me more of some of the characters in Cryptonomicon than most of the other geeks I run into in fiction.
But what I liked best were the theories that were expounded upon to explain effects in and upon the Grey, that would make sense in explaining some of the folklore that surrounds some supernatural creatures, even though this was not the focus of the discussion. The discussion about glass, mirrors and the supernatural got me thinking about folklore surrounding different supernatural creatures.
I also enjoyed the way that Kat Richardson wove real history and science into her fantasy, such as the Phillip Experiment and the history of the area in which Kat lives. I really like it when an author is willing to work to create an urban fantasy world–that is strongly based upon our reality and history.
And of I love the fact that Kat Richardson is a strong woman who can take care of herself, but is learning again to lean upon others.

If you have any interest at all in supernatural fantasy, then I strongly recommend Poltergeist. Of course I recommend reading Greywalker first, as it will give you Harper’s backstory and explain who all these different characters are, but you could most likely read Poltergeist without that. You’ll just like it better having read the previous book is all.
Rating: 8/10

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