I stay clear of horror or suspense stories, no matter if they are in the fantasy genre. For good reason: I scare way too easily. Blame it on my watching "Alien" when I was eleven, or any other number of factors. Horror and I do not mix. However, after hearing about the book that is the topic of this review - a book that was recommended to check out by none less than the author herself - and actually reading one of the author's short stories in the anthology "Elf Fantastic," I shoved fear aside and took a chance.

Now, I'm glad I did.

This book is one mix of modern fantasy, horror, suspense, mythology and humor; a combination that isn't easy to pull off, but one that writer Tanya Huff seems to have found a knack for. Author of such titles as "The Fire's Stone" and "Gate of Darkness/Circle of Light", Tanya takes fantasy that would have found a good home in ancient times and drops us smack into the modern world-cum-fantasy/reality with her title "Summon The Keeper."

The story revolves around an ensemble cast, headed off by a woman named Claire Hansen. Claire is a "Keeper;" a person who is part of a select number of people, whose sole duty is to keep the universe intact. Traveling to trouble spots all over the world, she fixes "problems" and then moves on to the next. Claire is accompanied on her journeys by Austin, an opinionated cat who has no trouble expressing himself. They get tricked into running a run-down bed and breakfast called The Eylsian Fields Guesthouse, formerly run by a little old man who vanishes before Claire can figure out who he is. (I'll leave his identity for the reader to find out when they read it - SRS)

Now Claire must deal with the ranks of unusual clientele that come to stay, and many other unusual things that surround this B&B. There's the fact that a guest has been sleeping in one of the rooms so long she's collecting dust, and the elevator goes to paralell dimentions. She also has to contend with a basement filled with too much devilish temptation; her handyman, Dean, an innocent young man who could turn out to be an asset or a distraction; and the ghost of a French sailor that has a real lust for the living. In short, this could be Claire's most challenging mission ever…since it might be one she could be handling forever.

Now, again bear in mind, I'm no big fan of suspense or horror books. However, Tanya has taken a plot paired with an ensemble of characters - one that would have become rather mundane in the hands of any other author - and turned it into an engaging read. Funny at most times, with nuggets of danger and suspense-filled terror, this story will have you gasping in fear, then gasping from laughing so hard that you'll never put it down. Claire is an incredible heroine; stern and unwavering, but prone to lapses in conscience (especially where Dean is concerned) while maintaining her sanity in a situation that would most likely drive most people crazy by the time the third chapter hit them.

This book has no real weak points, but some people might not care for some of the humor later in the book; some of which gets into the gray area of adult bawdiness - especially during parts where the tension in the Claire-Dean-Jaques triangle come to light. But, considering this comes from the same author that wrote the short story "A Midsummer Night's Dream Team," it's something one can expect of Tanya's modern-period works.

Overall, if you are looking for a nice change of pace, pick this one up and give it a chance. I did, and I haven't regretted it since.

by Stephen R. Sobotka, Jr.

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