White Trash Warlock-Review

Intro

I didn’t expect to enjoy White Trash Warlock as much as I did; because of the name, I was going to get a fun dumb mindless fantasy story about warlocks in rural America. I didn’t expect a thriller, expertly told with originality, empathy humanity, that one wouldn’t expect from a title like that. We shouldn’t judge a book by its cover/name, right?

Writing

The reason I love White Trash Warlock can be boiled into three significant aspects. The first is the setting; the second is the story and the third of the characters.

Let's start with the setting; most urban fantasy tends to occur in major metro areas, normally Los Angles, New York, etc. White Trash Warlock alternates between Denver and Rural America. A refreshing setting considering how few books within the Urban Fantasy genre leave the jungle. While secret magic world strick is still present here, David R Slayton twists his fantasy creatures into new versions of themselves. Elves, for example, are closer to the mythical Fae than the common garden Diet Toliken elves. They are tricksters, often very mean-spirited and cruel, and will only help you if there is something in it for them. They also love the 1940s/1930s aesthetic and culture, creating a surreal and memorable society that values history as much as their entertainment. I love how the time jailer is made of clockwork or how the gnomes have batlike ears. Like any good author, Slayton uses pre-existing creatures and monsters and adds his spin to them, providing originality in the underused setting and the otherworldly stuff.

The second is the story, which in comparison to most urban fantasy (or fantasy, for that matter), is rather lowkey. Adam has to save his brother’s wife (Annie) from some otherworldly force that is trying to possess her, all while trying to come to terms with his trauma after a difficult childhood and family troubles. As a result, the story feels more personal, dealing with genuine abandonment issues and failed dreams/relationships that tend to get either ignored or not explored in other fantasy works. I wanted to see Adam happy and with a new boyfriend (more on that later). I loved how the family might be hostile to Adam, but it isn’t just because he is different. Instead, the failure to communicate and past trauma leads to misunderstands and long-standing grievances. This is much more interesting to the right when Adam discovers he is gay, and the whole world plots to destroy him.

Adam is one of the best characters who happen to be gay. I have seen so few characters in western media defined by more than their minority status. He is also the opposite of what is depicted in the media; he is poor, underweight, has no fashion sense, and is a mechanic. His homosexuality is a part of him, but it isn’t at the expense of his humanity. He has flaws and struggles with himself as much as anyone, and I am all for that. Same with Vick, whose masculinity compliments his desire to protect, and Bobby’s desire for an everyday life hides the fears and anxieties over not being successful. Each character feels human and distinct, something many authors, including myself, struggle to get right. I will commend David R Slayton for this; well done.

Conclusion

White Trash Warlock engaged me from start to finish, utterly absorbed into its strange and wonderful world. I loved how real the characters felt, how human Adam and Vick were to me in a media landscape crowded with stereotypes and shallow icons. I already have the next book in the series downloaded.

Acknowledgments

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