Shortly after her sixth birthday, Patricia Briggs discovered there were dwarves living in the mines and elves in the forests of Butte Montana. The hob in the garage really startled her the first time she met him, but they've been good friends ever since. The urge to share her discoveries with the rest of the world led her to writing. Now she lives in Washington state with her husband, children, and a small herd of horses.
There is a nice resource for writers at Patricia Briggs' website.
Click covers to view available formats, including audio & Kindle.
The Sianim Series — (1993-1998) Publisher: When the peaceful kingdom of Reth is overrun by Geofrrey ae'Magi, the evil master of illusion, Aralorn, weaponsmistress of the shapechanging race, and her companion, Wolf, attempt to overthrow him.
Patricia Briggs writes wonderful urban fantasy. Until I read Masques, I had almost forgotten that she also writes really great classic fantasy as well. Masques is the first book in her Sianim series, which is being reprinted by Ace, and it is a great start.
Aralorn is a pretty cliché heroine for a fantasy novel except that she's not pretty. As the bastard daughter of a powerful noble, Aralorn has all the makings of your typical female hero. She follows the script pretty well: she's got magic, she's good in a fight, and she doesn't take orders from her boss. It's funny because it's the normal character sketch for an urban fantasy character as well. Briggs is so good at writing this character type, so Aralorn makes a great heroine.
Set in a classic fantasy world, Aralorn and her companion Wolf are faced with the task of spying on the most powerful Wizard, the ae'Magi. Using her magical powers, Aralorn discovers something about this powerful magic-user that forces her to oppose him. Along the way, Briggs gives us fairly straightforward plotlines to follow while keeping a good pace.
I really enjoyed Masques because it was like reading good urban fantasy without the urban. Patricia Briggs always creates interesting characters that you can really like, and for me that is central to a good story. Masques isn't truly high or epic fantasy because the level of plot complexity and the scope of events is pretty simple. This makes for a nice niche where you don't have to re-read things over and over to understand everything that’s going on. I am looking forward to Wolfsbane which will be re-released in November 2010. —John Hulet
Masques on audio
Aralorn, a short, plain, and outspoken young lady who always hated to “sit and sew” in her father’s court, works as a mercenary and spy. She’s not particularly good with the sword (the staff is her weapon of choice), but her shapeshifting ability is a pretty useful skill. She’s sometimes aided by the wolf she saved a few years ago. He comes and goes and Aralorn knows that he’s more than he seems. When the evil mage Jeffrey starts planning world domination, Aralorn and Wolf plan to stop him.
Masques kept me entertained for 9 hours and 48 minutes (I listened to Brilliance Audio’s version). Though there’s nothing new in Patricia Briggs’ debut novel, and not much that surprised or inspired me, it was pleasantly diverting. Masques is definitely predictable in places and it relies on a few too many convenient occurrences as well as several too-common fantasy elements, but Aralorn and Wolf are likable and well-developed. I’m not exactly attached to them, but I’d enjoy hearing more of their story in the sequel, Wolfsbane.
For me, one of the most interesting parts of Masques was the introduction by Patricia Briggs. She describes the history of the book (she started it in college), how she wrote it before she knew anything about writing, how she was shocked that it sold, and how poorly it did. It went out of print, but started selling for hundreds of dollars on the used market after she became successful with her other novels, including the very popular Mercy Thompson series. (I remember seeing those astounding prices for Masques when I constructed this page 3 years ago!). When Ace decided to publish Wolfsbane (out next week), they decided to reprint Masques (ha ha to all you folks who paid $250!) and invited Ms. Briggs to revise her debut novel. When she sat down to work on the first chapter, she was “squirming uncomfortably all the way through.” She makes it clear that she’s not completely enamored with her first effort, but that if she changed it to how she’d write it today, it would no longer be Masques. Thus, she polished it up a bit but left it mostly the same.
This audiobook was read by Katherine Kellgren who I admired when she read Tobias Buckell’s The Executioness. She has a pleasant enthusiastic voice and speaks at a nice quick pace. I especially like her female voices because they’re not too high-pitched. I didn’t care too much for her voice for Wolf, though. His voice is supposed to be rough, so I think that’s what she was going for, but it just sounded old to me. However, this issue is not enough to keep me from listening to Wolfsbane.
Masques is a must-read for Patricia Briggs fans — they’ll definitely be interested in this debut novel. It’s a fun story and makes a nice bit of history.
—Kat Hooper
Wolfsbane
Wolfsbane, the sequel to Patricia Briggs’ debut novel Masques, was written later in her career and just published last month. It continues the story of the shapeshifters Aralorn and Wolf, whose relationship has developed significantly since the beginning of Masques. Aralorn has been called home after a ten-year absence because her father has died. When she and her “pet” Wolf arrive, they find some evil magic at work and a mystery to solve.
As you’d expect, Briggs’ writing is better this time. She has a smooth style that I find pleasant to read (or in this case, listen to, since I read this on audio, again read by Katherine Kellgren). I enjoyed spending more time with Aralorn and Wolf and agree with Ms. Briggs who, in the humble introduction to the book, said she wrote Wolfsbane because these characters deserve further attention. They’re smart, witty, and good, and their relationship is believable.
Though Wolfsbane may be a better crafted book, I didn’t find its plot to be as compelling as the plot of Masques. This may be partly because it felt very much like a sequel — the characters and the world are no longer something new to explore, so enjoyment of the novel must come from either spectacular style or truly engaging plot and Wolfsbane, though it’s a pleasant read, has neither. There was a lot of talking through ideas and coming to conclusions by discussion or spying rather than by active investigation, so I was bored in spots (but not for long because Wolfsbane is short and quick-paced).
The evil magic that Aralorn and Wolf must overcome directly affects their relationship, and this is the true focus of Wolfsbane. For this reason, I think readers of romances will probably enjoy Wolfsbane more than I did. The plot lacks thrills, but the romance is sweet and satisfying.
—Kat Hooper
The Hurog Books — (2002) Patricia Briggs says she will probably write more Hurog Books. Publisher:
Most everyone thinks Ward of Hurog is a simple-minded fool-and that's just fine by him. But few people know that his foolishness is (very convincingly) feigned. And that it's all that's saved him from death at the hands of his abusive father — who's always seen Ward as a bitter rival for power. When his father dies, Ward becomes the new lord of Hurog. Until a nobleman declares that he is too dim-witted to rule. Ward knows he cannot play the fool any longer. To regain his kingdom, he must prove himself worthy-and quickly. Riding into a war that's heating up on the border, Ward is sure he's on the fast track to glory. But soon his mission takes a deadly serious turn. For he has seen a pile of magical dragon bones hidden deep beneath Hurog Keep. They are Hurog's most precious, powerful treasure-and Ward is certain his enemies will kill to possess them.
The Raven Duology — (2004-2005) Publisher: Tier, a baker’s son, goes off to war, and then meets Seraph, a Raven mage. They leave their homes behind to start a farm in a mountain land where the Shadow magic makes others fear to live.
The Mercedes Thompson Books — (2006-2011) A modern paranormal urban fantasy series. There will be at least seven of these. Dabel Brothers and Del Rey are producing a graphic novel based on the series. Publisher: Mercy Thompson's life is not exactly normal. Her next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a VW bus for a vampire. But then, Mercy isn't exactly normal herself.
Forthcoming:at least one more book
Available for download at Audible.com
Patrica Briggs reads from Silver Borne (first of six video clips)
Moon Called: Great story and more realistic than Anita Blake
Wow!! I sure hope that Mercedes Thompson will turn into a longer series because Patricia Briggs started off just right. The characters are believable, the way that Ms Briggs handles the various groups (fae, vampires, lycanthropes) is something that you can actually see happening. The situation just feels real.
My favorite part is the main character. Mercedes Thompson is a tough kid with a bad attitude who knows her limitations. Unlike Anita Blake, Mercy actually has limits and vulnerabilities that are real. She gets herself hurt like a normal person would and she's not able to just kill the bad guy despite it all. She's smart, she's talented, and she is realistic. The rest of the supporting cast fits in well around her and each is well developed.
Last thing: NO PORN!!!! Patricia Briggs delivers the sexual tension without having to fall into the trap that Laurell K Hamilton fell into and has not extricated herself from. I hope that Briggs can keep the tension without having to get into unnecessary detail... just leave it to our imagination and most of us will be fine!
Mercedes Thompson: What a little moonlight can do.
For a woman raised by wolves — OK, werewolves — Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson has turned out all right. Though Mercy's half-Native-American heritage allows her to shapeshift into a coyote, instead of a wolf, she's taken care of herself by working as a mechanic and keeping her nose out of supernatural matters. But her eastern Washington town has too many such matters: her former boss is one of the fae; her neighbor is the local werewolf Alpha; and her client with the Scooby-Doo-inspired van is a vampire. Moreover, times are changing, as the fae have made themselves known to humanity, which isn't accepting their existence with perfect grace. And though Mercy has found her niche between the natural and supernatural worlds, their slow collision threatens to crush her.
To date, author Patricia Briggs has published three novels starring Mercy (Moon Called, Blood Bound, Iron Kissed), and a fourth (Bone Crossed) is due soon. Each probably can stand on its own, but reading them in order is recommended.
Moon Called: The arrival of an unknown group of werewolves and werewolf hunters threatens the local pack, forcing Mercy to seek help from the local vampire seethe. Blood Bound: Mercy tries to pay off her debt to the vampires by helping them hunt a demon-possessed vampire. Iron Kissed: When Mercy's former boss is framed for murder, she defies him and the fae by seeking the true killer. (No vampires in this one.)
These quick synopses fail to do justice to the fast-paced, complex plotting in each book (and thought-out imagining of the structures and tendencies of werewolf, vampire, and fae societies). Each is told from Mercy's smart, no-nonsense perspective, and it's to the author's credit that, even though I usually like first-person narrators with above-average eloquence, I never tired of her voice. True, I have my quibbles (e.g. the first-person viewpoint is limited in its ability to present information, which is tough in novels that rely heavily on mystery; and also, there are a few long passages of deduction or conversation that seemed to go a bit too perfectly to get to the right outcome) — but overall, the writing is solid and keeps things moving. It's also mostly free of sex and profanity (though with regard to the latter, there are a few too many instances of someone starting to curse and stopping short).
Although these books lack that superior element of style, enlightenment, or brilliant plotting that would warrant a fifth star, they're solid modern fantasy/action/mystery entertainment. Granted, my offspring and work schedule have (temporarily, I hope) deprived me of the time and capacity for "weightier" works, but I read all three of these in less than two weeks (and just checked out Cry Wolf, the first in a related series).
Recommended as paperback purchases or library loans for fans of this genre who are at least of high school age. 3-1/2 stars for Moon Called; 4 for Blood Bound due to its plot; 4 for Iron Kissed due to a well-done climax (in which Mercy really suffers). —Rob Rhodes
Iron Kissed
This it the third volume of Mercedes Thompson and to this point Patricia Briggs has done a wonderful job of blending relationship stuff with some interesting, at times tense, urban fantasy. She has a great grip on the world she is writing and her heroine, Mercy Thompson, is very well developed.
Ok, here comes the reason this got 5 stars: Mercedes Thompson gets the crap kicked out of her in a major lasting way and it's completely her own fault. Talk about a great change from some of the other urban fantasy authors who let their characters get away with being stupid over and over again. The details would spoil the story, but let's just say that Mercy stays true to who she has been so far and pays for it big time. Warning... what happens to her is really harsh and for some people may be a bit too traumatic for easy reading. This is an adult series, so I don't have a problem with it, but keep that in mind.
Iron Kissed took a little while to really get going. There was a little more of the relationship/romance stuff than before, but it's not so cloying that it degrades the story into a romance. If you liked the first two Mercedes Thompson books, then Iron Kissed will be a treat, too. —John Hulet
Bone Crossed
In Bone Crossed, the fourth installment in the Mercedes Thompson series, Mercy is learning to cope with her new role as the mate of the local werewolf pack while still suffering the effects of a horrific assault that occurred at the climax of Iron Kissed. Complications from inter-species conflicts remain a central theme, and her relationship challenges don’t simply fade away, but Mercy Thompson does not cry mercy.
Patricia
Briggs keeps the story moving, introducing new plot elements which require Mercy to constantly re-evaluate and adjust. Another author might wave a magic wand and make things all better for Mercy, but Briggs doesn’t, and my respect for her writing deepens as a result. Too many authors leave their heroes static, allowing everything to magically work out right without much effort by the characters. But just as real life keeps tossing us problems, so Briggs doesn’t let Mercy rest. It’s not that she's on a non-stop wheel of pain — it’s just that she doesn’t get to skip through life without paying the bill for being an agent of change. New issues continue to pop up, and past choices by supporting characters come back to haunt Mercy and her friends. I love that Briggs makes her heroine deal with the second and third order effects of having broken with tradition and made enemies in the past.
Bone Crossed is not a long story, and Briggs doesn’t cover lots of new ground here, but there is still plenty to absorb in this well-written novel. Patricia
Briggs deserves high marks for maintaining a high level of realism (and high quality writing) in a genre that's not consistently known for that. Briggs keeps both feet on the ground while leading us on another exciting chase through an urban fantasy world that is better developed than any other I have read. —John Hulet
Silver Borne
Woohoo! Another Mercy Thompson book from Patricia Briggs’ is hitting the shelves. I had just finished book four (Bone Crossed) only a few weeks ago, so I was very happy to get a chance to read Silver Borne so soon afterwards.
I love the Mercy Thompson series. I started reading it while waiting for the next Dresden Files novel and they have been a worthy diversion. Silver Borne, the fifth book in the series, continues the story of Were-Coyote and VW mechanic Mercy Thompson. With each installment Mercy has found herself in deeper trouble, and Silver Borne carries on that tradition with enthusiasm.
This time, Mercy is on the outs with the local werewolf pack, and in the middle of a fae struggle for power. She holds an item that a fae queen needs and, in typical fae fashion, the queen has no problem taking down Mercy's friends in order to get it.
Patricia Briggs’ books are fast-paced, and Silver Borne reads as one of the fastest. The mystery begins almost immediately and leaves you sitting on the edge of your seat till the climactic conclusion. Mercy's adventures are always fun to read, but they have taken on a bit of a more serious tone in the last couple of books. Mercy always carries the consequences of previous encounters into the next story, and in Silver Borne you can be sure she gains a little more baggage to take into book 6. Some of the awkward romances and unresolved side plots get some much needed attention in this book as well.
Overall Silver Borne is highly entertaining. It’s a great book to read through in just a couple of sittings. (I would like it very much if Briggs decided to make subsequent books longer — they always feel too short.) Fans of the series will not be disappointed in Silver Borne, and new readers should start Mercy Thompson now before they get too far behind. —Justin Blazier
River Marked
Mercy Thompson has been through a lot. Patricia Briggs has not spared her heroine anything and, in River Marked, if feels like Mercy is finally going to get a break... This feeling, however, is not to last...
The first quarter of River Marked focuses on Mercy's plans to marry alpha werewolf Adam Hauptmann. She's also still dealing with some of the lingering problems from previous books, like the recovery of her vampire friend Stefan and her continued adjustment to being a coyote in a wolf pack.
After the wedding, Mercy and Adam head out on a honeymoon that is fated for disaster. With the usual lead-up, Mercy must eventually confront and defeat a truly Lovecraftian monster. I have to give Briggs credit for dreaming up such a nasty creature!
The best part of River Marked is the interaction between Mercy and Coyote, a legendary Native American trickster and hero. Mercy’s long-term issues regarding not knowing very much about her father and having been raised by a werewolf pack have been a recurring theme in this series. As she gets to know Coyote and finds out how her past has been touched by him, a lot of murky things start to clear up while Patricia Briggs gracefully ties up some loose ends in Mercy's history.
River Marked is a great installment in the Mercy Thompson series. Though Briggs spends a good deal of time developing the relationship between Mercy and her new husband, she doesn't neglect the importance of an interesting, dramatic story. As always, Mercy leads with her heart and pays the price... but that’s why we love her. —John Hulet
Alpha and Omega — (2008-2012) Publisher: Anna never knew werewolves existed until the night she survived a violent attack… and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she’d learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. But Anna is that rarest kind of werewolf: an Omega. And one of the most powerful werewolves in the country will recognize her value as a pack member — and as his mate.
Patricia Briggs has chosen to write a spin-off series during the middle of her very successful Mercedes Thompson series. I am not complaining, because Mercedes Thompson has been really good, but it’s something of a surprise to me.
Briggs opens Cry Wolf, the first installment of Alpha and Omega, without a lot of explanation of what has happened in the story so far. We are taken straight to a scene in Chicago where Bran, the Marrok (Werewolf Overlord), is cleaning up the mess caused by his son Charles rescuing Anna. Anna is a different type of werewolf than we have known before and it makes for some interesting diversity as her specialized abilities become clear. The first 60 pages or so are spent on establishing a relationship between Charles and Anna while providing a smattering of background information on how she came to be in the horrible situation from which she was saved.
The best parts of Cry Wolf are in the last half of the book as the adventure really takes off. There are some particularly well written moments as Briggs continues to build the world that we know from Mercedes Thompson. Anna provides a new set of experiences and a completely different personality through which to explore Briggs' world. Briggs' superb writing skills are clear and she never re-uses the same character types in her novels.
On the whole, Cry Wolf is a good book for a new reader of Briggs' urban fantasy work, but it’s a really good book if you have enough background information to appreciate what’s going on. For me, the additional insight into Mercedes Thompson's world and some of the history that is depicted more than made up for the rough first section of the book. Briggs is doing some really great stuff and for her fans, the addition of a parallel series is nothing less than a treat. —John Hulet
Cry Wolf: More than just huffing and puffing
Anna Latham may be a rare Omega werewolf (as opposed to an Alpha/pack leader), but it hasn't done her a bit of good. Abused and degraded by her Chicago pack, she's at once freed and claimed by Charles, a strapping son of the Marrok (the North American werewolf lord) with rare abilities of his own. Anna returns with Charles to the Montana wilderness, both eager and hesitant to begin her life anew; but even the Marrok's home territory isn't exempt from the prowling of a rogue werewolf — and an even older and more sinister evil...
Cry Wolf is the first book in Patricia Briggs's Alpha and Omega series. However, it's important to note that it's a spin-off from her Mercy Thompson series (which includes the Marrok and his sons and references the purifying of Anna's pack) and a continuation of the short story "Alpha and Omega" in the On the Prowl anthology; and even though it can be enjoyed on its own, I'd recommend reading at least Moon Called (Book 1 of Mercy Thompson) for an introduction to the normal/paranormal setting and the common characters.
One noteworthy difference between the two series is the viewpoint. Whereas Mercy narrates her own series, Cry Wolf is told from the third-person perspectives of Anna, Charles, and others — e.g. the Marrok (Bran) and Asil, a Moor, who are both extremely old, powerful, and savvy wolves. Asil's character in particular is well-developed, while a nice thread of history/myth is woven into Bran's background. The multiple viewpoints appear to allow for the story to develop in the most interesting and best-paced way possible; and if anything, Ms. Briggs's writing is both richer and smoother than in the Mercy books.
Overall, this is a solid, paranormal thriller with some nice touches of character (again, mostly from the older werewolves — I don't think Anna or Charles has quite found herself/himself yet, and Anna's just learning what an Omega is). Recommended as a new paperback purchase (perhaps for vacation) or as a library loan for fans of this genre (who, due to some sexual content, are at least of high school age). But again, the best starting point would be Moon Called or the "Alpha and Omega" short story. Four curiously large pawprints in the snow. —Rob Rhodes
Stand-alone novels:
The Hob's Bargain — (2001) Publisher: To save her village from ruthless raiders, Aren of Fallbrook strikes a bargain with the Hob, a magical, humanlike creature imbued with the power of the mountains. But the Hob will exact a heavy price to defend the village — a price Aren herself must pay.
The Hob's Bargain: Too short, but not bad.
I think that the ability to create a world that is filled with magic and unknown places is perhaps too great a task to do in one book. There is a degree of detail that we, as readers, have come to expect due to the growing trend of long multi-volume series.
In The Hob's Bargain, Patricia Briggs does a good job of telling a story within the constraints of a single volume. The heroine is interesting and relatively likeable, but not terribly believable. That's probably because there simply isn't enough space in a single short volume to do much in the way of character development.
The setting is a small village that goes through several disasters in a short time. The heroine loses her new husband and her family and is plagued by an onset of magical power in a community that equates magic with evil. Add to this mix the return of mythical magical creatures and you have a pretty good idea of what's going on.
Patricia Briggs is a great author whose work in other series I have really enjoyed. The Hob's Bargain is not herbest novel, but it works well if you need a good quick read. —John Hulet
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Shortly after her sixth birthday, Patricia Briggs discovered there were dwarves living in the mines and elves in the forests of Butte Montana. The hob in the garage really startled her the first time she met him, but they've been good friends ever since. The urge to share her discoveries with the rest of the world led her to writing. Now she lives in Washington state with her husband, children, and a small herd of horses.
There is a nice resource for writers at Patricia Briggs' website. 
Masques
Masques on audio
Mercedes Thompson
links. Or donate.
