Karen Healey is a fresh and original voice in the world of Urban Fantasy! Her debut novel Guardian of the Dead is a remarkable foray into both Greek and Maori mythology while also being a bloody good read.

Ellie provides the voice of the book. She’s a brilliantly created character – immensely ordinary in that she stoops because she’s too tall, has pimples and is overweight. But she also is witty, intelligent, sometimes socially inept and is sensible enough to be scared of the things that really are scary. Basically she’s a bright 17 year old who’s awkward in herself but loyal and compassionate to others. So yes, she’s ordinary as in being an ‘Everyman’ teenager. But she’s so very much more than that. She has hobbies, a few friends, a mother in remission from cancer and a clear and observant attitude to the world around her.

In fact Ellie is one of the main reasons why this book works so well. Her character is consistent throughout the book and while she’s able to use her tai kwon do skills when needed, she’s just as likely to trip on tree roots at inopportune times.

The other powerful element of the book is the premise that mythology lives around us, but that we also shape mythology through our own beliefs. Karen Healey introduces the concept to us initially through Shakespeare. As the Uni students prepare to put on A Midsummer Night’s Dream we start to suspect that the lines between magic and reality are not as clearcut as we’d believed. Titania, Puck, Oberon … these are characters that many of us are familiar with and using Shakespeare this way is a very clever introduction to the suspicion that the world is not all as it seems.

From school studies and university drama productions we are thrown into increasing tension and a pervasive sense of danger lurking, felt, but unseen. And the monsters in the mist are straight out of Maori mythology.

I knew very little about Maori mythology prior to this book, but there are various elements of creation myths that are similar across many cultures, so that the ideas weren’t completely new. What was surprising was how primal the imagery was – hoo yeah – you’ll know what I mean when you read it!

Ellie loves the Classics, particularly Greek mythology, and this is another successful way of helping newcomers to Maori culture (‘bro’) develop a level of comfort. It is fascinating how Karen Healey weaves both the Greek and Maori worlds together while allowing each their own complexities and intrinsic identities.

I can see how the Maori elements could be a challenge for a lot of readers. For me it was exotic and sometimes confronting – but a parallel reality that had to be accepted for the story to work. One thing though – I think it would have really helped some people to have a map of New Zealand at the front of the book so we could visualize the North and South Islands relative to each other. The geography is so vital to the story that I can’t imagine a reader understanding the central myth without picturing the islands.

Unfortunately there is a great deal to set up in part one of the book and this makes the pace quite slow. It’s interesting getting to know the characters, but I didn’t feel a great connection to them. In fact, at times I was quite happy to put the book down and do other things. However I persevered and I’m glad that I did.

The second half of the book is remarkable. All the elements come together and suddenly we’re on an heroic quest with Ellie, fraught with increasing complexity and danger where the consequences of either inaction or action can be dire. The elements that have all been introduced earlier weave together in surprising and fascinating ways.

This probably isn’t a book for everyone, but it’s definitely a book that engages your mind and is immensely intriguing.Three and a half stars.