Finn and Randy

A couple of weeks ago I spent 3 days sitting at the feet of gods, listening to panel after panel of words uttered by people I had adored from afar.  Now I was on the front row, trying to absorb the wisdom of the likes of Jim Butcher, Robin Hobb, Carol Berg, Kevin J. Anderson, Todd Lockwood.  Among these god-like writers was a young gentleman (at 58 I can say that) who I felt I was stalking.  He was on EVERY panel it seemed.  And he gave handouts!

Yep, handouts!  I have paper given to me by an author!  And the Virgo in me is happy too!  (The handout on goal setting I really loved.)

But Randy Henderson, the young man in question, I later accused of being 'to energetic" as I dragged into an afternoon panel and he was still bouncing around like Tigger on crack. (And he's cute too!)

He was great on every panel.  Humorous, insightful and just a joy to listen to.  And, as we found out, was working on final edits during the convention for his third book.  Unfortunately, my funds and the books I had set out to buy during the convention ran out before I could pick up his book to have him autograph (maybe next year - fingers crossed).

When I got back to Helena, I immediately set about to get the first book, Finn Fancy Necromancy from the library.

It came in last Wednesday, but I saved it for my weekend reading.

Now there are a couple of authors (Laurell K. Hamilton and Jim Butcher to name names) that when I get their latest book, I know I am going to be exhausted after reading.  Not because the books are long, or I stay up late (yeah, those reasons too).  But because so much happens in a 24 to 48 hour period in the book!  Well, Randy (since he's so much younger than me and I stalked him in Missoula, I'll be informal) falls in that same category.

Imagine you are following someone down a gravel road at 80 miles an hour.  All those rocks being thrown up at your are the nuggets of information about the world he has created and the people in it.  You are being bombarded constantly, but you need to keep following, because you just know there is a great party at the end of the drive.

Finn Fancy Necromancy is set in our world, but the Fey, gnomes, trolls, and witches are also there, on the fringes, hidden from the non-magical.  Finn, the main character, has just been released from 25 years in exile for a crime he didn't commit and just wants to get on with his life.  After all, he left his Commodore 54 behind and needs to get busy catching up.  Did I mention the family business is necromancy and siphoning off the magic from deceased magical beings and Finn is a 'talker', someone who can speak to the dead?

Upon leaving the Other Realm where he had been for 25 years, Finn is immediately attacked, barely escapes with his life and none of the memories from the past 25 years which were suppose to be exchanged and has Arcane Enforcers after him.  To send him right back where he has been.  And, once again, for something he didn't do.

So Finn, with the aid of family and friends (sometimes reluctantly) has three days to figure out what is going on before he has his memories probed, yet again.  Thus the wild car ride through 400 pages.

My only problem with the book?  I had to take rest periods to catch my breath.  Not only does Randy have a great voice (all authors are told to find their 'voice'), but he has magically infused the book with his own energy as well.  If you could plug him in, you wouldn't need to pay an electric bill for years.

Now my problem is I HAVE to get book 2, Bigfoot and Finn Fancy Free.  After all, I need to find out how the dating service Finn wants to set up goes and I already know it's going to be another fast ride.  And I need to get my hands on it quickly, because Randy's third book in the series, Smells Like Finn Spirit will be out next year.  Hopefully, I will have all three and he will join the cast of writers at next year's MisCon so I can get him to autograph the books.  And I can gush a bit like some fangirl.

So if you want a great read this summer, pick up Randy Henderson first two books and then wait impatiently for the third one to come out.