Selene Shade: Resurrectionist for Hire

This is a reprint of the books essay from Issue #79 of Exploits, our collaborative cultural diary in magazine form. If you like what you see, buy it now for $2, or subscribe to never miss an issue (note: Exploits is always free for subscribers of Unwinnable Monthly). 

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What would the world be like if one day, we found out all things supernatural were true? If there was a public declaration and suddenly necromancers had to get a job and witches helped develop governmental policy? This is the world that Victoria Dalpe has imagined in her newest book, Selene Shade: Resurrectionist for Hire. Thirty years after the public acknowledgement of the supernatural, Selene Shade, a steely, blue-eyed resurrectionist, spends her days raising the dead and her nights alone, missing her recently deceased business partner. But that all changes when a handsome cop, who happens to be a vampire, knocks on her door asking about the recent spate of murders. Over the next 200 pages, Dalpe unveils a world of magic and fantasy, featuring weather elementals, shadow demons, doors to other worlds and, potentially, the apocalypse.

While Dalpe’s characters are well developed and engaging, her true mastery is the world building developed across the book. The dynamics between how non-magical humans have had to adapt to their new, openly supernatural neighbors builds moments of delight and terror. Meanwhile, the difficulties that the magical world has had adapting to actually being part of society, in the open, offers some timely commentary on contemporary social norms. Dalpe’s clear explanations of how magic functions in Shade’s world, showing how a resurrectionist’s magic differs from a necromancer’s which differs from a witch’s, helps weave a tight story that has a world that feels fully fleshed out. And that doesn’t even get into the other planes, the pale ones and the shadow demon attempting to connect the two. With such a clear vision of this world, its history and its rules, it’s no wonder that Clash Books signed up a three-book series.

Ultimately, I had a great time diving into Dalpe’s new world. Her writing feels fresh, alive with new ideas about the relationships between the occult and the world, between life and death. Selene Shade offers an engaging and horrifying gothic noir that is both enticing and unforgettable. To be honest, the vision is so clear and the writing is so fun that I’d be a little surprised if a streamer isn’t already looking at this for an adaptation. It would certainly move to the top of my queue!