Review: Fans are still enamoured with this series
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 13, 2012
Simon Fitzgerald is living on borrowed time - and that's just the way he likes it. He has recklessness in the blood and defies fate at every turn. So his natural enemies are prognosticators - harbingers of death and future. And Simon's number one frenemy of late is Fawna Brady - Otto and Packard's old farsighted friend from their days as gang kids, and the best prognosticator in Midcity.As a child, Fawna was stolen away from Midcity and taken to a lab for a few years. . .  before being `rescued' by Bobby Barrington - and made to hedge his bets and get him big gambling wins. Fawna didn't get a childhood, but now she's making up for that. She wears a coat with a collection of memories stuck to it - a doll's head for what she was denied, a gold coin from Barrington's casino. . .  and in trying to live her life to the fullest, Fawna is trying desperately to cut back on her visions and peeking into the future.Simon is a reckless spirit, too beautiful to ignore. He and Fawna are natural enemies - one is ruled by fate, the other defies it at every turn. But when Fawna's foresight sees Simon in grave danger, she has to do everything in her power to help him. . .`Devil's Luck' is a Disillusionists novella from Carolyn Crane.The `Disillusionists' trilogy is done and dusted, but fans are clearly still lusting after a few beloved characters . . .  like reckless maniac Simon, and elusive Fawna. I have been seeing reviews for `Devil's Luck' popping up all over the place. And with a cover model who reminds me a little of Michael Fassbender, I just couldn't resist revisiting Midcity one more time!At 32k words, `Devil's Luck' is short but packs a punch. Carolyn Crane does a masterful job at getting to the crux of these two very complicated characters. Simon's recklessness is explained with surprising clarity, and even though `recklessness' always seemed like the most insubstantial of zinging powers, Crane gives us a peek into just how this wild and rash thinking has been Simon's saviour for many years.On the other side we have Fawna - who peeks into people's futures against her psychiatrist's orders. Fawna is addicted to her own foresight - particularly as it affirms her `doom or gloom' predictions of love, life and humanity in general.Simon and Fawna are natural enemies for their clashing ideals, and their push-and-pull gives readers some delicious tension early on.Simon and Fawna are a delectable couple. Opposites do indeed attract; Simon and Fawna fall into an unlikely but heated connection after a drag race goes wrong. . .  and with his feelings, Simon experiences a new sort of recklessness. He is utterly charming and endearing in his sudden, blazing feelings for Fawna, and what he wants to do for her.The Disillusionists trilogy is over, and I can't wait for Ms Crane to release her new `paranormal romance spy series' and `urban fantasy adventure series'. But as reception to `Devil's Luck' illustrates, fans are still enamored of Crane's debut series. . .  Simon and Fawna are certainly scratching a collective itch we all still seem to have for those neurotic superheroes.