cover image Powers

Powers

James A. Burton. Prime (www.prime-books.com), $14.95 trade paper (312p) ISBN 978-1-60701-336-5

Two unlikely companions must join forces to foil a demonic plan in Burton's engaging but slow-paced contemporary fantasy. Master smith Albert Johansson has lived a long time%E2%80%94so long that he can't quite remember who or what he is, although he does know he has a special affinity for forging metal. But Albert's quiet world is upended when a demon named Legion appears in his kitchen and tasks him with a strange mission to repair a broken magical seal. Albert soon meets Melissa el Hajj, a tough police officer who has also been recruited by the demon. Together, they set out to discover the importance of the seal, even though neither one trusts the other%E2%80%94or the demon. Burton, a pseudonym for James A. Hetley (Dragon's Bones), has created two unusual and interesting characters in Albert and Melissa, and his narrative is peppered with a variety of religious, cultural, literary, and mythological references. However, lengthy descriptions and Albert's fuzzy recollections of his own memories slow down an already plodding story line. (May)