Author Joab Stieglitz has seamlessly taken reader favorite Dr. Anna Rykov straight out of his Utgarda series and made her the lead of this next series, The Thule Trilogy. Kicking off with book one “The Hunter in the Shadows” readers are reintroduced to familiar names and characters such as Dr. Rykov, Eliezer Feldman, and Sobak, Anna’s fictional sister. But we are also given new, intriguing, and mysterious characters such as Dr. Cornelius Lyton, Dr. Wolfram van Juntz, and my favorite Ogden Shroud.
With her dog Cletus by her side, Anna sets off for Boston to eliminate the Xuxxaax on behalf of the Collective to rescue Sobak from capture. Set in the period of the Great Depression, “The Hunter in the Shadows” takes on a more historical feel than Stieglitz prior work. Showing the poverty and homelessness present in Boston immediately upon Dr. Rykov’s arrival and the lengths people will go to survive, readers are endeared to Anna as she uses her wealth and fortune to further her cause.
“The Hunter in the Shadows” felt more emotionally enduring than Stieglitz prior reads. Firmly planting readers in familiar Boston soil, we encounter a more sensitive side of Anna, even glimpsing some romantic tension between our scholarly lead and a certain Boston resident she encounters. Using the locals for assistance in her quest, Anna takes on a more relatable quality to readers, further cementing her as a favorable central character.
Anna’s work for the Longborough Foundation really spearheads this latest series as readers are promised more action, more fantastical creatures, and more ties to other realms. Stieglitz imagination is vividly captured on the pages of this read. Transporting readers right into the action, the chase, and the promise for more.
For The Love Of The Page 