Heat Stroke (Weather Warden book 2) by Rachel Caine
01/08/2004 . Source: Jennifer Howell 

pub: ROC. 336 page paperback. Price: $ 6.99 (US), $ 9.99 (CAN). ISBN: 0-451-45984-9.

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check out website: www.penguin.com and www.rachelcaine.com and http://www.livejournal.com/users/rachelcaine/

Joanne isn't exactly having a good week. Despite having the ability to deflect a hurricane without even thinking about it, she's been infected with a demon mark, chased halfway across the country by her own employers, fallen for a really cute guy who isn't what he seems, betrayed by her best friend and that was all before she died, got turned into a Djinn and showed up at her own (very tasteful) funeral...

All of the pre-death stuff having happened in last year's 'Ill Wind', most of Joanne's traumas should have been out of the way for 'Heat Stroke'. Aside from the whole being dead thing, of course, but hey, a girl can't have everything. What she can have now that she's a Djinn is a nice pair of strappy lime-green Manalos at her disposal. Assuming she can remember them, along with her clothes, every time she materialises.

But, sadly, being an all-powerful Djinn isn't all it was cracked up to be. Not only does she have most of the problems she had as a human Weather Warden, but now she has to learn to deal with all of the Djinn issues, too. The main one being to avoid being forcibly stuffed into a bottle/lamp at all costs, because you can never quite be sure what the person holding said bottle/lamp will ask you to do/get you to wear.

All it takes is one nasty encounter dressed in a PVC French maid outfit for Kevin the teenager (seriously making me wonder if the author has ever watched Harry Enfield...!) and Joanne is thoroughly off the idea of Djinn-hood. Having to obey Kevin's sadistic, homicidal Evil-Bitch stepmother and fellow Warden Yvonne, though, is worse than anything Kevin could dream up.

Oh, not to mention the end of the world approaching. Again!
Working from the original premise that all that stands between humanity and disaster (think: 'The Day After Tomorrow' kind of disaster) are a dedicated group of wardens controlling the world's weather systems.

'Heat Stroke' takes the lead from the preceding book and presents a neat, stylish and very witty addition to the genre, all wrapped up in a narrative voice to die for. Joanne being addicted to fast cars, Manalo Blahniks and Ralph Lauren's summer collection (except the Capri pants, for some reason) probably suggest more of a chicklit influence than is strictly true.

Like Kelley Armstrong, another strong new author in the 'girlie' end of the fantasy scale, the 'Sex And The City'-inspired trappings add colour and camouflage to the bigger issues deftly woven through underneath, plus a dollop of sweet, sexy romance. Never let it be said that the characters gets let off easily or that books like this should merely be categorised under 'fluff'. Not with writing this strong and such an effective dark streak underlying proceedings.

The trump card 'Heat Stroke' holds, besides a wise-cracking heroine worthy of Buffy at her best, is the fact that the weather is a magic system that can't be cheated. There is another magic system in play - the one the more elemental Djinn tap into - seeing the weather manipulated on both a literal and metaphysical level lends weight and credence to the talent Joanne has been dealing with all her life.

Managing to be hugely entertaining and highly informative in terms of the weather-science stuff, it's mainly just a really good read. Did I mention it was funny? Added to such neat touches as an epilogue listing all the music the Rachel Caine played whilst writing the book and an author website that expands on the mythology nicely and it doesn't take much to win me over again.
Anyone who's missing how Laurell K Hamilton used to write or loves Kelley Armstrong or Tanya Huff cannot go wrong with this.

It's perfectly possible to read Book Two without having read the first one (you even get a snazzy 'story so far') but you'll probably get more out of it if they're read in order. With the good news that the series has been commissioned up to book five, it looks as though we're off to Vegas next time around. Can't wait, personally.

Jennifer Howell