Five Reasons You Should Read Kim Harrison’s The Undead Pool
Kim Harrison’s beloved Hollows series is drawing to a close, with just one installment to go since the recent release of penultimate volume The Undead Pool. Our vicarious sojourn in the Hollows of Cincinnati, among all of its supernatural creatures, is coming to an end.
Debuting in 2004 with the release of Dead Witch Walking, Harrison’s series, featuring witch and day-walking demon Rachel Morgan, hit shelves just as paranormal fantasy was finding unparalleled commercial success, toward the beginning of a golden age during which countless new series (among them Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series, Kat Richardson’s Greywalker novels, Nicole Peeler’s Jane True series, Stacia Kane’s Downside books, and Jaye Wells’ Sabina Kane series) radically expanded and redefined the boundaries of the subgenre.
If you have yet to pick up The Undead Pool, here are five reasons it’s worth reading all the way through the 12th installment of Harrison’s 13-volume saga, featuring Rachel Morgan and company.
1. The series is groundbreaking
I can always tell that a novel or series has become truly iconic when I I’m inundated by other novels that have “borrowed” its blueprint—be it in the portrayal of the main characters, the construction of the worlds and magical systems, or in other, more subtle ways. The influence of the Hollows can be seen far and wide among other series in the paranormal fantasy genre.
2. The one and only Rachel Morgan
There have been a lot of extraordinarily well-developed heroines in paranormal fantasy over the last decade: Sookie Stackhouse, Chess Putnam, Anita Blake, Mercy Thompson, Maxine Kiss, and Jane Yellowrock, to name a few. But Rachel Morgan stands out among them as much more than just a heroine—she is multifaceted and real. And as we share her failures and triumphs, we learn more about our own lives.
3. The “message”
There are those who mock paranormal fantasy as being mindless literary escapism, but the truth is that many series have deep themes and messages. Harrison’s endearing heroine has taught me much over the last decade, particularly about the importance of having a network of good friends. In The Undead Pool, Trent Kalamack states it perfectly: “I think it’s amazing that when your world collapses, you have people falling over themselves to help you, and when mine collapses, I have people fighting among themselves to get the scraps.”
4. Jenks
Although this series features an incredibly strong and diverse cast of characters, the one that steals the show is a little, ill-tempered pixie named Jenks. The one-liners from Rachel’s winged sidekick are priceless—although decorum prevents me from sharing them here.
5. It’s Brilliantly Written
The meticulousness and depth of description in Harrison’s world-building are simply amazing, her character development is second to none, and the plot twists are jaw dropping. And consider this: how many series can go 12 novels deep and still continue getting better with each new novel? This series is archetypal in many ways—it’s the perfect example of the genre-blending storyline. Its appealing fusion of fantasy, horror, alternate history, and romance has resonated with a diverse audience of readers.
If you’re a fan of this series, you’ll agree that it’s all about evolving—“becoming,” as they say in The Undead Pool. Since the first novel, exactly 10 years ago, Harrison has evolved tremendously as a writer, Rachel Morgan has evolved as a character, and this entire series has evolved from an unassuming paranormal fantasy to an existentially profound blockbuster.
Have you read the Hollows books?