Silver Borne

Silver Borne (2010) Patricia Briggs

The fifth Mercy Thompson book finds things slightly settled down after the events of the previous two books, but there are two problems: first is that Adam brought Mercy into the pack, and many of the wolves are deeply unhappy with that, and the second is that Samuel is tired of living.

There are a lot of events that have repercussions throughout this series: Mercy’s angering of Sylvia (Gabriel’s mother), Samuel’s attempted suicide, members of the pack attempting to harm Mercy. And the Fairy Queen.

I don’t like to kill quail. The way the lone feather sticking up on top bobs in opposition to their heads when they walk makes me smile. And they are silly, without a sporting chance against a coyote, at least not against me. I suppose they can’t be that vulnerable because I’m not the only coyote around, and there are a lot of quail. But I always feel guilty about hunting them.

As I finished my second kill, I planned what I’d do to the person who made me so hungry I had to eat quail.

“Samuel?” I asked. “Why are you speaking Welsh? I don’t understand you unless you talk a lot slower. And use small words.” It was kind of a joke. Welsh never seems to have small words.

Plus, many amusing bits.

“Piece of junk,” groused Zee. “What’s not rusted to pieces is bent. If you took all the good parts and put them in a pile, you could carry them out in your pocket.” There was a little pause. “Even if you only had a small pocket.”

I patted the car. “Don’t you listen to him,” I whispered to it. “You’ll be out of here and back on the road in no time.”

Zee propelled himself all the way under the car so his head stuck out by my feet.

“Don’t you promise something you can’t deliver,” he snarled.

I raised my eyebrows, and said in dulcet tones, “Are you telling me you can’t fix it? I’m sorry. I distinctly remember you saying that there is nothing you can’t fix. I must have been mistaken, and it was someone else wearing your mouth.”

He gave a growl that would have done Sam credit, and pushed himself back under again, muttering, “Deine Mutter war ein Cola-Automat!”

And I also like how Ben is ever-so-slowly being redeemed.
Rating: 9/10

Published by Ace

• Browse the archives:
  
• Shifting Shadows: Stories from the World of Mercy Thompson » »
• « « Bone Crossed