California Bones by Greg van EekhoutWhen Daniel Blackland was six, he ingested his first bone fragment, a bit of kraken spine plucked out of the sand during a visit with his demanding, brilliant, and powerful magician father, Sebastian.
When Daniel was twelve, he watched Sebastian die at the hands of the Hierarch of Southern California, devoured for the heightened magic layered deep within his bones.
Now, years later, Daniel is a petty thief with a forged identity. Hiding amid the crowds in Los Angeles—the capital of the Kingdom of Southern California—Daniel is trying to go straight. But his crime-boss uncle has a heist he wants Daniel to perform: break into the Hierarch's storehouse of magical artifacts and retrieve Sebastian's sword, an object of untold power.
For this dangerous mission, Daniel will need a team he can rely on, so he brings in his closest friends from his years in the criminal world. There's Moth, who can take a bullet and heal in mere minutes. Jo Alverado, illusionist. The multitalented Cassandra, Daniel’s ex. And, new to them all, the enigmatic, knowledgeable Emma, with her British accent and her own grudge against the powers-that-be. The stakes are high, and the stage is set for a showdown that might just break the magic that protects a long-corrupt regime.
Did you already read the first sentence of the synopsis? If you, as a fantasy reader like me, don't want to pick up this book I don't know whats wrong with you. How cool is the promise of California Bones with the synopsis alone? Eating bones fragments to give you magical powers, that sounds pretty awesome! Added to this comes the idea of the heist theme in the story which only further makes California Bones a cracking read. California Bones is written by Greg van Eekhout who is well know for his children book The Boy at the End of the World and his adult book Norse Code.
The story of California Bones picks up when Daniel Blackland was still a young boy. Daniel and his father, Sebastian, take a short stroll and by chance stumble upon a bone fragment, it isn't a plain rodent bone fragment, it's part of a kraken spine one of the most powerful bones for an osteomancer. From the moment that Daniel consumed this bone, he felt different, more alive, more stronger and his father did everything to make him into one of the most powerful osteomancers around. Just after the introduction of how Daniel came to be the Daniel in California Bones, you get a scene where the idyllic picture of Daniel´s that he had family is being torn apart right in front of his eyes. The Hierarch of Southern California dines (yes) on his father. All that Daniel can do is to run away, leaving the sword of his father behind. After this scene you are again fast forwarded to the current situation where you find Daniel living as a thief on the street of Los Angeles. Daniel has been doing pretty well for himself but never had the big, big chance to really proof himself. As fate would have had it he is presented with just such an opportunity, but it is also a reality check to his past. Daniel get the job to steal from the Hierarch the sword of his father... or should I say, retrieve what was his in the first place? Another question also remains, how on Earth do you break into one of the best protected warehouses of one of the most dangerous men alive? In order to succeed, Daniel calls in the help of his friend who have, just like Daniel, more than a few tricks up their sleeve (they aren't quite normal as well).
Besides following Daniel and his crew in California Bones there is a second storyline where you follow Gabriel Argent an agent of the Hierarch of Southern California. Gabriel get involved in the story because specific evidence comes to surface that shows that Daniel isn't dead... Daniel and his mother staged their deaths after Sebastian got killed. Gabriel is now on the hunt for Daniel, aided by a special tracking dog called Max. There are many motives that drive Gabriel to hunt for Daniel, some put upon him from up high but there are also personal motive for Gabriel. Introducing this second narration to the story of California Bones gave a nice change of scenery and added a lot of extra flavor.
In during the story both storylines have a nice interplay, taking place both "individually" but also with some chance encounters gearing up the tension nicely. In the end of the story several things do become more clear about Garbriel's stakes and the higher motive of Daniel.
The characters of the book are really something. Next to Daniel and Gabriel there are plenty other characters that you get introduced to. But first let me begin with Daniel. Daniel is an osteomancer, meaning he is able to draw magic from bones, I will go into more detail on osteomancer later. Daniel isn't only able to use magic, he is magic. His father made well sure of that fact, constantly giving him distilled extracts of bones and recycling bits and pieces. It is clearly notable that Daniel's past has made what his character is today. What happened with his father made sure for Daniel to disappear in the background and keep an low a profile as possible. He is a smart and resourceful kid that knows how to get the job done when required, Daniel makes up for a strong leader who can keep his patience for when the job requires thinking through but is also able to act in the spur of the moment, giving his decisions an electrifying twist! So now if you thought Daniel was special wait till you meet his crew: Moth, he is the brawn and the muscle, he is virtually indestructible superfast healing. Emma, the inside man, or actually women, she knows everything that goes on that is required. Cassandra, a locksmith, not lock how advance it may be will keep your treasures safe for her and last but not least Jo, the shape shifter or illusionist able to deceive just about anything and everyone. The crew of Daniel is very well developed, in their team meetings you clearly see that Greg van Eekhout had it planned to tell a lot about their pasts and how they acted in the past. Just this extra elaboration about them, helped to establish them as great secondary characters.
As for the bad guy of the book, the Hierarch of Souther California, I have to admit that Greg van Eekhout nailed his character and personality on the spot. Since the story does have an emphasis on the Hierarch, from the earlier introduction you know that this guys is dangerous and means business but it's only after the halfway mark of the book that you really get to have more emphasis on his character. However I did have the constant thought that he could appear at any moment again, he is all powerful and dangerous. Later in the book you do get to see what the Hierarch is all about, there are some great revealings paired with it in the end. Which I won't spoil, but that are now also important for Daniel... Greg van Eekhout produces this lurking sense around the Hierarch that readily leaves you clued to the pages to find out just what his dealings are. A big plus.
Now for one of the coolest things of the book, MAGIC. For those who have read some of my previous reviews might know that I am a sucker for magic. What Greg van Eekhout introduces in his story of California Bones, osteomancy is just awesome. If you aren't drawn by the synopsis with the bone eating part I don't know what will cause you to start reading fantasy. Brandon Sanderson introduced us to allomancy in his mistborn books, and osteomancy is quite similar to that. When Daniel ingests bones he get special powers, he "becomes" the source. These sources of magic vary, when he was young he was given a piece of kraken spine, other sources of the bones are those of griffins, wyvrens, cerebrus wolves, holo stints and many more, actually every bone holds a specific power. Even that of your fellow osteomancers. And when they are stronger than you, it is inviting to try to get hold of them... yes it is quite gruesome as to how you get these powers. I found this magic system directly to my liking and even though Daniel might come over as very powerful magic user there are some built in limitations that put some restraints on using the magic.
In the wake of all the fantasy books that are coming out, California Bones offers a refreshing view. Greg van Eekhout blends "the perfect heist story" with magic and not just swinging a wand no, using the ancient power that is hidden within ones or anothers bones. Osteomancy. Though the osteomancy is mentioned a lot in this review ( it is still pretty awesome), Greg van Eekhout doesn't let this take over his story of California Bones, he uses it as an essential part of the story but deftly builds his story around it keeping the emphasis on the characters and the world itself. The characters of the book and mainly Daniel and Gabriel take to the forefront, their personalities had several layers and though they were both on some field familiar on other they were quite the opposite. In order to show them both in the best of possible lights Greg van Eekhout involves besides the determined character trait also enough of an emotional undercurrent which will help you to relate to them even more. Next to the characters Daniel and Gabriel, the secondary cast, Daniel's Crew and Hierarch are also very well developed which only help to add much more flavor to the story. California Bones is the first in a series and Greg van Eekhout is already off to a great start. The sequel to California Bones, Pacific Fire, is set to be released in January 2015, mark it on your list! It's unleash the kraken from here on out!
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