Jeff Mariotte – who had teamed with Nancy Holder on Buffyverse guidebooks and will go on to be a reliable author – makes a respectable debut in the “Angel” novel line with “Close to the Ground” (August 2000). I like how this novel is – pun kind of intended — grounded in the meat-and-potatoes aspects of Angel Investigations’ work, rather than veering into the life story of an ancient demon.
“Close to the Ground” gives us a good sense of the logistics of how Angel travels through the sewer tunnels, using the convenient egress from his basement apartment. We learn that while the apartment and the office above are in a bad neighborhood, Angel likes it there. It suits him. Those are his people anyway, not hotshot studio executives like Jack Willitts.
Still, Mariotte highlights a reality of Angel Investigations (something the TV show briefly tries to address with a benefactor in Season 2): The cash and clients aren’t pouring in. So while we still get some mystery threads here, such as serial bank robbers who are monopolizing Kate’s attention, Angel and Cordelia take side jobs. Cordelia’s gig as a tour guide for Jack Willitts’ Monument Pictures, as you can imagine, provides humor. We’re talking about the tact-challenged Cordy at the microphone, trusted to say just the right PR things.
Angel’s side job provides a mystery element (which I did solve early on, although I didn’t predict the specifics). He is hired as the bodyguard for Jack’s daughter, Karinna, whose behavior is even more troubling than that of a typical teenager. She parties all night (which fits well with Angel’s hours, natch) and wears clothes and perfume more befitting an older woman.
Doyle, meanwhile, holds down the fort and serves as a liaison for his two colleagues. He’s not the center of the action, but he’s in character. Kate fans will also like “Close to the Ground,” as we get into the thick of her pursuit of the bank robbers.
Understandably since this was an early novel, Mariotte spends a lot of time in the heads of the three main characters as they reflect on their recent pasts and the current state of their lives (for example, Doyle thinks about Cordelia a lot). But it’s mostly breezy reading. When Angel compares a past acquaintance to Karinna, it feels a bit forced and redundant, since he’s been drawing parallels between current clients to past encounters in all the “Angel” novels – and this hook isn’t as well-set as Mel Odom’s in “Redemption.”
The Big Bad of “Close to the Ground,” the sorcerer Mordractus, is somewhat refreshing because his scheme – although sweeping – can be outlined point by point. Despite what Angel claims, this villain is sane; he just has evil goals. I like that the sorcerer doesn’t carry the weight of the whole story, though, as Karinna and the bank robbers share the burden.
I suspect Mariotte will do tighter work later, but for a first-timer, this is a strong “Angel” novel that demonstrates his knowledge of the Angelverse.
Click here for an index of all of John’s “Buffy” and “Angel” reviews.