Harm None (Book One in the Rowan Gant Investigations) by M. R. Sellars © 2000

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Harm None  (Book One in the Rowan Gant Investigations)  by  M. R. Sellars  © 2000   Willow  Tree Press   ISBN  0-9678221-0-6  378 pages   paperback               $8.95 (U.S.)

I owe a debt of gratitude to a young lady that, less than two months ago, I didn’t know.  We were chatting at a function in Salem, Massachusetts and I told her I was looking to review more Pagan-friendly fiction.  She asked if I had ever read any of M. R. Sellars’ novels.  I hadn’t, so I did a Google search to see if I could find out who to contact.  I found the publishers (Willow Tree Press) and they responded favorably to my request for review copies.

Mr. Sellars writes from experience, that much is obvious from the very first pages of this book. Of course, in the “Author’s Note” before the start of the book he makes it clear that what follows is a fictionalized story, but that much of the information is factual.  I can agree with that, even if I don’t see eye-to-eye with him.  Anyone who has been in the Craft for any length of time will recognize these truths.

Previous reviewers have compared Rowan Gant to Mercedes Lackey’s “Diana Tregarde” and I have to agree with them.  The story is told crisply and efficiently.  The hero is very human in that he struggles to find the answers and blames himself when he fails to live up to his own expectations (while reminding others not to do the same thing).

By the end of this, the first book in the series, he finds himself cast in a role which he had not anticipated.  He finds that his religious beliefs have made even deeper inroads into his day-to-day existence than he had thought.  He finds his mundane job of protect8ing others’ computer systems has prepared him for a job of protecting other members of the Craft.

He and his wife, Felicity, help to solve a series of murders and then have to assume the leadership of a coven left suddenly leaderless.  He finds himself going from relative obscurity to being a police consultant.  He confronts prejudice and manages to change a few perceptions.  It doesn’t happen instantly, it isn’t total, and it comes with hidden costs.

 

As an introduction to a new series, I found it entertaining.  It lays the groundwork and makes you want to see more of Mr. Gant.  It is well worth the money and effort to add this book to your fiction collection.  If you enjoy good mysteries, add this to your list of books to read.

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