Phaedra Weldon, Wraith

Wraith

Phaedra Weldon

Ace, Jun 2007, $14.00

ISBN: 0441014976

By no stretch of the imagination does Zoe Martinique have a normal life. Her mom has mysterious powers she refuses to talk about; her home is inhabited by two ghostly gay lovers who died there; and her mother's co-worker is a computer geek expert on the occult. Zoe is an astral Traveler who offers her services on EBay for a fee. Since she can see and hear on the astral plane, but not be seen or heard by others, her information is astute and accurate so her clients willingly pay for her services via Paypal.

Zoe's life turns strange and dangerous when she sees another Traveler, whom she calls Trench Coat, kill a man. She didn't think it was possible because Travelers are not corporal on the astral plane. When Trench Coat threatens and touches her, Zoe turns corporal on the astral plane. It turns out that Trench Coat is a Symbiont created by a Phantasm on the Abysmal plane for an unknown purpose. His touch turns Zoe into a wraith that can be corporal on all planes, but is also a harbinger of death. She becomes involved with an evil televangelist and a Japanese businessman who use otherworldly creatures to obtain what they want including the deaths of rivals. Zoe is incensed as a young child's life is at stake and so she will do whatever to turn the tables on the malevolent humans and their paranormal minions.

Phaedra Weldon is the newest star in the supernatural fantasy realm if WRAITH is any indication of her talent as a storyteller. The storyline is original with strange and interesting creatures that make the other planes seem normal while Zoe is a one-of-a-kind heroine. Strong willed and courageous, she works in a world of multiple grays using her beliefs as a moral compass to anchor her even when her activities require a dark solution she always thinks of the outcome to benefit others.

Harriet Klausner