Hoboken Library Staff Picks

The Hexologists
by Josiah Bancroft
I loved The Hexologists by Josiah Bancroft. The Hexologists has a lot to recommend with its mystery, magic, witty banter, clever characters, humor, and plenty of plot twists. The Hexologist of the title is Iz Wilby who along with her husband Warren, help solve clients besieged by a variety of supernatural conundrums. I especially appreciated the sweet romance between the happily married couple; Iz is a smart and independent woman whom Warren respects, but the novel depicts their relationship as partnership of equals and Warren is also shown as competent and compassionate. This adventure starts when they are approached about the current King wanting to be baked in to cake and a mandrake runs amok inside their home. There are plenty of plot twist and although some supernatural creatures are based on familiar fantasy favorites, there is a lot of originality in what Bancroft has created, my favorite of which is a dragon gourmand. Not only is Iz skilled in her use of hexes, patterns that she is able to create for magical purposes, but she also has inherited a bag dubbed the portalmanteau from her explorer father that leads to a variety of cursed objects that frequently come to the Wilbies’s aid when they need it the most. I am definitely hoping for more adventures with The Hexologists in the future. This novel is highly recommended to fantasy fans and general readers who love creative, funny fiction.

Starter Villain
by John Scalzi
I had very much enjoyed Scalzi’s novel The Kaiju Preservation Society, which I read with our Library’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Discussion Group, so was excited to check out his latest work Starter Villain. There are a lot of similarities between the two with both starting out with a well meaning young adult who has failed to achieve the level of success they had hoped for and who gets swept up in a worldwide conspiracy in this case it is a league of super villains rather than monster preservationists. Both novels play with the typical clichés of the genre like a volcano lair, in the case of Starter Villain, and champion the proletariat over the larger conglomerates that have been increasingly common in our world. The ending felt a bit predictable, but if you enjoy referential geek humor and clever twists on genre conventions than this will charm you. Amongst the fun are also some interesting questions about what in today’s society truly makes a villain and how much of our lives are shaped by outside forces. Plus as the cover hints at there are genetically modified sentient cats as well as dolphins who are both hilarious.

I received an advance copy of The Hexologists and Starter Villian from Netgalley and the publisher in order to provide an honest review.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

Tags: John Scalzi, Josiah Bancroft