Jacqueline Carey's AGENT OF HEL SERIES

Author:  Jacqueline Carey  
Series:  AGENT OF HEL SERIES  
Plot Type:  UF  
Ratings:  V4; S2; H3
Publisher and Titles:  Roc
          Dark Currents (10/2012)

         WORLD-BUILDING         

The goddess, Hel

     Set in the Michigan resort town of Pemkowet, this world includes a human population that is aware of, but doesn't completely believe in, a supernatural society that includes fairies, sprites, vampires, naiads, ogres, and a lot more—all of whom are called eldritch folk, or the  "underworld community." These communities are located in various places in the U.S. and throughout the rest of the world, and each one is headed by its own god or goddess. In Pemkowet, that goddess is Hel, the Norse goddess of the dead. Pemkowet is located in the sand dune area near the shores of Lake Michigan (Manistee County). Hel lives the realm of Niflheim, which is located deep underground in the ruins of Singapore, an actual 19th century lumber town that was built on, and then swallowed up by, the dunes.

     Hel's liaison between the human citizenry and the eldritch community is Daisy Johanssen (aka Daisy Jo, aka Daise, aka Pixy Stix), a young woman who works as a file clerk for the Pemkowet Police Department. When Hel assigned Daisy as her liaison, she placed a silvery rune on Daisy's palm that can be seen only by the eldritch community and which represents Hel's authority—like a police officer's badge. Daisy is half human and half demon. Here, she explains: "For the record, I'm not actually the spawn of Satan. My father's name is Belphegor, lesser demon and occasional incubus. Here's another piece of advice: If you're vacationing in Pemkowet, or anywhere on the planet with a functioning underworld, do not mess around with a ouija board. The spirit you summon might just pay a visit. Mom learned the hard way, and I'm living proof of that. Daisy Johanssen, reluctant hell-spawn, that's me." (p. 10) Here, she describes herself: "No horns, no bat wings, no cloven hooves, and Mom swears I don't have a birthmark that reads 666 on my scalp...But I have my father's eyes, which are as black as the pits of...well, you know. And a cute little tail, which I've learned to tuck as carefully as a drag queen tucks his package, only back to front." (p. 10) That tail has made Daisy self-conscious enough that she's hasn't gotten involved in any intimate relationships. Despite the fact that the circumstances of her conception were devilishly violent, Daisy has been raised by her mother, Marja, in a loving household, and they are very important to one another. Unlike most of the supernaturals in town, Daisy and her demonic heritage are well known to almost everyone, which made her childhood a hellish time, with lots of Satanic name-calling and bullying.

     In this world, the barrier between the mortal plane and the supernatural dimension is called the Inviolate Wall. In eldritch terminology, that Wall "is what divides the mortal plane from the divine forces of the apex faiths, the major living faiths: Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. In theory, it means that the divine forces of the major living faiths can't act directly on the mortal plan, only indirectly through their millions of adherents. But in places like Pemkowet, the wall is thinner, not so inviolate. There are cracks, and things slip through them. kind of like my father slipped into my mother." (p. 34) Daisy has a critical connection to the Inviolate Wall. "If I were to supplicate my father...for my demonic birthright, it could cause a full-blown breach and unleash...well, hell on earth....If an immortal deliberately caused my death, it could also bring on Armageddon, because in accordance with ancient laws, my father would have the right to seek vengeance on earth, thus creating a significant breach in the Inviolate Wall." (p. 34) Daisy has a tough time controlling her temper, and she is constantly tempted to claim her birthright by just letting that temper go. Daisy's father occasionally shows up as a voice in her head, tempting her with "great powers of temptation, seduction, and destruction," (p. 59)  with men falling at her feet in adoration. So far, she's been able to hold him—and her temper—off.

     Daisy's long-time BFF, Jennifer (Jen) Cassopolis, is really her only friend and confidante, and she knows all the details of Daisy's heritage. Another friendly character from Daisy's childhood is the beautiful and glamorous Lurine Hollister, a lamia who grew up in Pemkowet and lived in the same trailer court as Daisy and her mother, where she became Daisy's part-time baby sitter and confidante. Lurine eventually became a B-movie star and married a rich man who subsequently died, after which she moved back to Pemkowet, bought a mansion, and now lives a relatively reclusive life.

     Daisy's long-time, unrequited love interest—actually, a childhood crush—is Cody Fairfax, an in-the-closet werewolf who is a Pemkowet police officer. Cody nicknames Cody "Officer Down-low" and contents herself with worshipping him from afar.

Marsh Hag

     Among the huge cast of supernaturals are such colorful characters as Gus, the friendly and protective ogre, who has a crush on Daisy's mother; Mikill the frost giant, who is Hel's messenger; Garm the hellhound, who chows down on fresh loaves of French bread; Mrs. Brown, the friendly brownie baker; the Fabulous Casimer, a flamboyant, cross-dressing witch; and Meg Mucklebones, a green and slimy marsh hag.

     The tourist business is extremely important in Pemkowet as summer visitors flock into town looking for photo ops with supernaturals. Excitement peaks when naiads are sighted in the river and fairies are glimpsed in the woods. Naturally enough, the Pemkowet Visitors Bureau (PVB) tries to maintain a peaceful coexistence between the humans and the supernaturals. The citizens of near-by towns, however, are not so friendly towards supernaturals, viewing them as satanic abominations or worse.

     Carey has also written two historical fantasy series: KUSHIEL'S LEGACY and THE SUNDERING. She has also written the dystopian fantasy duology, SANTA OLIVIA. Click HERE to read my review of SANTA OLIVIA.

         BOOK 1:  Dark Currents         

     As the first book opens, Pemkowet's citizens and tourists are enjoying a peaceful summer evening until the body of a male college student is found drowned in the river, with evidence pointing towards eldritch involvement. The police chief assigns Cody and Daisy to investigate in the usual police procedural manner, and the clues lead them to the local ghoul community, which is led by a new guy in town: Stefan Ludovic, a tall, dark, and pale-but-sexy biker-type guy to whom Daisy is immediately attracted, and vice versa. In this world, ghouls were formerly humans who died at the height of passion and were then rejected by both Heaven and Hell. They are immortal beings who survive by drinking the emotions of others. 

     Early on, Daisy's mother does a card-reading for Cody and Daisy, and the clues in her cards begin to play out in a literal manner: a bottle, a spider, a mysterious woman, and some arrows. This case is the most important and dangerous of any case to which Daisy has been assigned, so Hel gives her a magical dagger called the Dauda-dagr, which means "death day," which will allow her to kill immortals—and that includes ghouls.

     As the story proceeds, Daisy finds herself attracted to three very different men: Cody the werewolf, Stefan the ghoul, and Sinclair Palmer, a faux-Jamaican tourism entrepreneur—the only human of the three (although Sinclair can see auras). Each one offers his own unique characteristic to Daisy. Cody is her long-time crush, and they share nostalgic childhood experiences. Plus, he makes her feel safe and protected. Stefan has the ability to help Cody manage her anger (and other strong emotions) by drinking them away. He makes her feel calm. Sinclair's humanness makes Daisy feel like a normal person, and as a bonus, he shares her love of old movies. None of these relationships moves toward any kind of commitment or culmination in this book, but they're all open to further development.

     This is a terrific start to a series that I'm really looking forward to reading. The mythology is fresh and inventive, the plot is suspenseful and relatively unpredictable, and the action just keeps on coming. The quirky characters add interest and depth to the story. Daisy makes a fine heroine, with her intelligence, feistiness, and adaptability to any situation (although her tail-wagging gets to be a bit much). The author is a good story teller who has full control over the first-person voice through which Daisy tells her story. Click HERE to read the first chapter of Dark Currents.