"Minion" by L. Banks

Suffered by comparison. -- 2 Stars (Originally written October 31, 2005)

Whenever I read any book, I try to remain completely objective, to judge the novel by its own merits and not how it might, or might not, stand against other books. Unfortunately, with "Minion," I was not able to help myself.

First off, I don't think I would have really liked this book, no matter what. I could not identify with most of the characters. I got tired of all the "fist-tapping" (that "cool" thing that "cool" guys do because they think hugging, or even shaking hands, might appear "gay"), tired of the main character's obsession with barbeque potato chips. The group of good guys are also musicians, but they held their music in such high regard, calling the main character a "spoken word artist," that I was never quite sure WHAT form of music they played. Given the clubs and record label names, I am assuming that it was either rap or hip-hop, but it's never spelled out for certain.

Unfortunately, what made for a double whammy against this book was the fact that I had JUST finished "Pandora's Game" by Christopher Andrews. Believe me, if you are looking for a non traditional vampire/supernatural novel to read, THAT is the book to buy. It is one of my favorite recent books, and "Minion" suffered by comparison.

I CAN say that the SUBPLOT of this book held my interest a lot more than the main plot and characters. In fact, it is the story of Carlos Rivera that prompted me to give this book the two stars instead of just one.

BUT, this book ended with a cliffhanger, so I'm afraid that I will not find out what becomes of Carlos, because HIS story alone is not enough to interest me in buying the sequel. Too bad.