Basilisk (Chimera#2) by Rob Thurman
Urban Fantasy
Paperback
August 2, 2011
Roc

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “It was five months later that I finally admitted defeat, finishing what I’d started more than half a year ago, and was at my laptop, hacking into Lolcats, crashing the site, and removing any mention of it from the Net. It was evil and had to go."

Basilisk picks up 3 years after Chimera ended. Lukas-now called Michael or Misha depending on his mood- and Stefan are living in a small town under assumed names, trying to blend in and stay out of sight of the Institute. When they receive word that their father has died a violent death, Michael and Stefan know that the government may have found them and the time has come to take down the Institute and free the rest of the children there. Trying to stay one step ahead of the government agent chasing them, Stefan learns just what Michael has been up to the last three years as Michael reveals what he has really been up to in the garage. Michael has come to the conclusion that he’s a man now, albeit a 19 year old man, and must protect Stefan as Stefan has done for him the last three years. When Michael and Stefan reach the Institute they find a massacre and realize that the children have staged a coup and are taking their games out into the world. Calling in Stefan’s buddy Saul, the three of them begin a dangerous game of hide and seek with the remaining children of the Institute. The children want Michael back and will take out anyone and anything to get him.

Basilisk is the long awaited sequel to Ms. Thurman’s dynamic and enthralling Sci-Fi fantasy-Chimera. A steady paced read that focuses on the relationship of these two brothers and the war they face against an amoral entity that will do anything to achieve their goals. Though we see the same sarcastic humor and high octane scenes in here as in Chimera, I found this one to be tamer in comparison. I think it is because we see everything through Michael’s eyes and while he is definitely dangerous-he’s not the one you need to fear. Stefan’s voice was more mature and heartfelt as he struggled to find his brother and himself in Chimera.

I found Michael’s voice entertaining with his dry humor and unsettling logic that are a little off; a gentle reminder of his years growing up in the Institute. He has settled down in the last 3 years; gaining trust and affection for Stefan and those around him. He tried very hard to understand and adapt to this world he lives in. Michael reminds me a lot of Zeke from Ms. Truman’s Trickster series.

"Things are never as easy as they appear on the Net or in instructional videos. I blamed an imperfect world for that. I was a genius – I wasn’t blaming myself, because it obviously was not my fault."

His inability to understand the humor of LOLCATS is hilarious. He likens it to brussel sprouts in that he knows people eat them but hasn’t figured out why yet. But he will, he assures us, because he’s a genius.

Once again I enjoyed the easy camaraderie between Michael and Stefan. You can truly feel the love between these two. Ms. Thurman has a gift when writing about family and the lengths they will go to keep them safe. Your quickly drawn into the relationship and dynamics that this storyline is built upon. I like the way Stefan not only plays the big brother role but also a pseudo father figure and the problems he encounters when he doesn’t see Michael as the adult he is.

"What happened to that agreeable kid who used to be afraid of grocery stores? Who only scared me when he wanted the sex talk? Where did the pipe bomb–building drug lord come from? Where did I go wrong?"

Saul is back and as obnoxious as ever. I love Saul. Frequently alluding to the fact that while Stefan is his “bff” he will still outlandishly charge for services rendered and it confirms that Saul’s moral compass is still skewed yet his altruism remains strong. Hailing from Miami, Saul has quite a bit in common with the hit tv show on Showtime-Dexter. Remember, Dexter has to kill, but chooses to only kill those who do wrong. And he dresses bad. Ms.Thurman makes a faint reference between the Saul and Dexter in here and it made me giggle. He ribs Michael but once he sees what’s happened in the labs, it finally hits him exactly what Michael is and what he is capable of. He and Michael kept me in stitches with their bickering.

New characters are introduced who are just as solid and engaging as our protagonists. We get more background into the Institutes’ training methods and you see more of what Michael endured there. One new introduction, Ariel, is quite the chameleon and I look forward to seeing more of her in the future. The sub plots and story lines entangle and slowly reveal themselves as Ms. Thurman’s Machiavellian twists and turns leave you scrambling to figure out who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. You never know till the end and even then your left with a faint feeling that you may have it all wrong. While I found the main conflict resolved itself quickly and without much fanfair, I was still happy with the results.

All in all Basilisk is a wonderful follow up to Chimera and I look forward to seeing more of the Korsak brothers in future books.

Rating: B

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