Fantasy Book Critic: Uncanny Collateral by Brian McClellan (reviewed by Lukasz Przywoski)

Official Author Website
Order Uncanny Collateral over HERE (directly from the author)

AUTHOR INFORMATION: Brian McClellan is an epic fantasy author. He studied writing under Brandon Sanderson and Orson Scott Card and was an honorable mention in the Writers of the Future Contest. Brian is an avid player of video games and reader of epic novels and history. His hobbies include making homemade jam from local berries and tending to his hive of honeybees. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio with his wife, two dogs, and cat.

OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: Alek Fitz is a reaper, a collection agent who works for the supernatural elements of the world, tracking down debtors and solving problems for clients as diverse as the Lords of Hell, vampires, Haitian loa, and goblins. He’s even worked for the Tooth Fairy on occasion. Based out of Cleveland, Ohio, Alek is the best in the game. As a literal slave to his job, he doesn’t have a choice.

When Death comes looking for someone to track down a thief, Alek is flung into a mess of vengeful undead, supernatural bureaucracy, and a fledgling imp war. As the consequences of failure become dire, he has few leads, and the clock is ticking. Only with the help of his friend Maggie—an ancient djinn with a complex past—can he hope to recover the stolen property, save the world, and just maybe wring a favor out of the Great Constant himself.

It’s a hell of a job, but somebody’s got to do it . . .

CLASSIFICATION: Urban fantasy.

FORMAT: Uncanny Collateral was self-published by the author in April 2019 and is the first volume in Valkyrie Collection series. It'a available in an e-book, paperback and hardcover format.

The book is 151 pages long.

OVERVIEW: Alek Fitz works as a Reaper - he tracks down debtors and solves various supernatural problems. He’s well equipped for the task - as a tall, strong guy covered in magical tattoos giving him cool (and lethal) powers he commands respect. When a fight starts, Alek turns into an animal. Well, mostly. His ancestors mixed with Trolls, and such genetic heritage gives Alek cool upgrades like strong retractable tusks and preternatural strength. He also wears a ring in which lives a powerful djinni - Maggie. All things considered, Alek has a lot of raw power and magical tricks up his sleeves.

It makes him fit for the most challenging jobs and when Death himself approaches his boss - Ada, she flings him into a case unlike any other. He has to recover stolen souls, survive a fledgling imp war and save the world. Easy.

In just 150 pages, Uncanny Collateral throws the reader into a relentless, straightforward action. Thanks to an excellent pacing and fun twists it’ll keep you glued to the pages. It doesn’t treat itself too seriously, and that makes it even more fun. I mean, imagine a half-blood Troll covered in magical tattoos (including Mjolnir that, when activated, allows him to punch through stuff, bodies included) riding a truck and smoking cigars. His best friend is a female Djinni trapped in a ring on his finger. They exchange quality telepathic banter all the time and their relationship is the highlight of the book.

I liked Alek as a protagonist - he’s dangerous but he’s not an assassin or a thug. Troll blood flows in his veins and makes him prone to the outbursts of a berserk rage in times of danger, but it doesn't define him. He remains likeable and caring. Both he and Maggie have secrets, hinted here and there. I can’t wait to explore them in the sequels. We learn enough to understand what’s going on, but not enough to feel overhelmed with the details. Secondary characters and the world entertain as well. McClellan has a knack for characterisation - he introduces a retired and greedy angel, Death who looks almost like Keith Richardss, and pissed undead.

I loved it. I feel tired of oversized epics with billions of POV characters and convoluted plots. I crave good entertainment and McClellan delivers precisely this. Uncanny Collateral is short, entertaining and fast-paced. It ends with no cliffhanger, but with enough hooks to make me impatiently await the sequel.