Atticus for the Undead

Hunter Gamble’s father was a lawyer, so perhaps it was inevitable that he himself became one. But where his father apparently only sees the money, Hunter is there to make a difference in a field where no one else seems willing to. His specialty: defending the werewolves, vampires, zombies, and other supernatural beings brought into the open by the Unveiling. The world may have changed, but both human nature and the law have not. The Arcanes are constantly, brutally persecuted, whether out of fear or simple, mindless hate, while the laws, based on precedents that had no comprehension of the Arcanes, are ill-suited to protect either the humans or the Arcanes. When a case becomes personal, Hunter will have to step into a hostile courtroom to save the life of an innocent zombie, but he will risk everything in the process and, regardless of the outcome, he will emerge a changed man.

The basic premise of the book is largely a what-if scenario: what if magic and vampires and werewolves were real and the world knew about it? What would the legal and social ramifications be? Abramowitz deftly presents his story while also unfolding his world. Though the intrusion of the magical into the everyday shapes the world, it does not dominate it, but at the same time the legal aspects are not overwhelming. Part of the strength of Atticus for the Undead is that it is neither simply a story of modern fantasy nor a legal thriller – in fact, it breaks away from the expectations of both those genres while still staying anchored in them. The story is about people, prejudice, and perseverance, about the qualities that make and break human beings. Atticus for the Undead is by turns thoughtful, moving, lighthearted, and serious; a great read.