Genre

Fantasy, Mystery

Audience

Adult

Author’s Worldview

Catholic

Year Published

2022

Themes

Friendship, loyalty, doing what’s right, sacrifice, courage

 

Reviewed by

Corinna Turner

Private Investigator Vern is the only dragon on the Mundane side of the interdimensional Gap. When an apparently routine job tracking down a damsel-in-distress’s missing brother leads to his Faerie best friend and business partner, Sr. Grace, being shot with a poisoned dart and placed in a coma, he will risk almost anything to save her. But the artifact at the heart of the trouble is a threat to both the Faerie and Mundane worlds. Will Vern have to choose between Sr. Grace and the fate of both worlds?

The Lance of Longinus, neo-Nazis, and high stakes make for an entertaining fifth outing in the Vern series.

Racial bigotry in the form of neo-Nazism is a significant theme in the book. The hatred in the story is directed mostly at Faerie, but through this conflict, Fabian is able to critique racism and prejudice in our own real world.

Friendship is also a key theme. Although I did slightly miss Sr. Grace as an ‘on stage’ character, Vern’s loyalty to Sr. Grace and his attempts to save her are appropriately heart-warming and build to a satisfying moment of crisis for our winged hero, where he must decide whether he will do the right thing no matter the cost.

Fans of the series will find that this is not the very fastest paced of the Vern outings. Vern spends a lot of the book following lead after lead and failing to turn up anything, which gives the feel that our favorite drake is running hard in place rather than moving forward. Ultimately, at the end, it felt somewhat like God simply stepped in and solved all the problems, with little real input from Vern. This was very intellectually satisfying (at least for readers of faith) but less so emotionally. 

Regardless, like all the Vern outings, it’s a good, fun read, bristling with hilarious lines such as: “it was a couple of blocks before I realized I had a tail that had nothing to do with my anatomy.” Sometimes Fabian combines the comedy with more serious faith elements, such as after Sr. Grace’s “angel” wards scare a would-be intruder half out of his mind:

“What was that?” he rasped.

“Angels, kid.” Actually a kind of magical shadow of the real thing, but close enough.

“But I thought angels were…”

“There’s a reason why their first words are usually ‘Fear not!’ whenever they meet a human.” His eyes returned to their unfocused stare.

This book will particularly delight Catholics (church-going dragon sleuth, after all!) but will also be enjoyable to any Protestant or secular readers who don’t mind the odd mention of Catholic practice and the positive presentation of Catholic nuns, religious, and priests. Despite the Almighty’s role in the ending, faith actually plays a fairly backseat role in this Vern tale.

This fifth book in the Vern series puts a heartwarming theme about friendship front and center and will appeal to most fans of fun comic fantasy.

Murder in the Vatican by Ann Margaret Lewis

Sherlock Holmes teams up with Pope Leo XXIII to solve crimes in the Holy City.

Trapped in Time by Jerry J. Weis

Can a team of misfit teens save the day in this wholesome time-traveling romp?

Champion of Valdeor by Sandralena Hanley

Fed up with modern 1st person, present tense narratives bursting with ‘hip’ characters? Look no further!

Idol Speculations by Karina Fabian

Can a dragon take on a monster ten times his size?

Demons are Forever by Declan Finn

Marco flees from his fears of hurting Amanda by taking a job to train Vampire Hunters in San Francisco. Should be a quiet job right?

Coven (Book 7 of St. Tommy Series): By Declan Finn

St. Tommy fights the CPS and a group of pagans who have taken over a military base.

Crusader St. Tommy NYPD Book 5 By: Declan Finn

Detective Nolan embarks on a Crusade against demonic sex traffickers trying to raise a demon.

The Vines of Mars by A.R.K. Watson

While tracking down his sister’s murderer, a Martian farmer discovers a secret that may destroy his colony.

Desperate Forest: The Forest Tales Series, Book 1 By Cece Louise

This RomCom fantasy adventure explores a princess discovering the realities of life outside of her kingdom and what true love is really made of.

Christmas Spirits by Karina Fabian

A dragon PI and a Faerie nun try to save a businessman from the Ghosts of Christmas.

Murder Most Picante by Karina Fabian

The government can’t decide whether he is an illegal immigrant or invasive species. God expects a respectable dragon to find justice for others. This Dragon is not having a good time of it!

The Divided Kingdom by Allison Ramirez

What sinister secrets hide behind the walls of the Island of Mirror?

Night Prayer by Brother Bernard Seif, SMC, Ed.D., DNM

The Motto Suaviter Sed Fortiter (Gentle But Strong) informs this historical mystery novel about the founding of the Salesian spiritual family and its various branches.

Roland West Loner by Theresa Linden

When his evil brothers lock Roland up in a dungeon he finds a locked box hiding a mysterious treasure.

Rosaline’s Curse by Katherine Campbell

If Sleeping Beauty woke in 2017 and Prince Un-Charming was still after her… Sometimes it takes 800 years to find true love.

Death Cult by Declan Finn

St. Tommy continues his fight against the death cult, battling Voodoo priests and zombies along the way.

The Silence of Bones by June Hur

A young slave girl in ancient Korea investigates a murder & meets real life Korean Catholic saints

Leaf by Niggle…by J.R.R. Tolkien

Leaf by Niggle isn’t nearly as well-known as LOTR and The Hobbit, but it is as beautiful and moving in its own way.

Love, Treachery, and Other Terrors by Katharine Campbell

This quirky, fairytale fantasy is a fun and amusing read with a serious moral backbone.

Bonvida’s Awakening, by C.D. Smith

Can Atticus live up to the legacy of his birthright? An adventure fantasy novel for teens about good and evil, friendship, and identity.