Despite being an avid Shadowrun fan for years, I’ve never taken the time to read any of the novels set in the universe. Over the holidays, I found myself at my in-laws’ amidst an army of dogs, children, and family. Searching for an escape, I scoured the bookshelves of the family enclave and found a worn, well-read copy of Never Trust An Elf by Robert Charrette, the sixth installment in a series of novels that take place in the Shadowrun milieu. Originally published in 1992, at this moment in 2017 my anticipation was rewarded as I climbed into a comfortable chair surrounded by chaos and opened the book, allowing the pleasant scent of aged paper to waft over me and dove into this fun adventure. The story begins with two elves torturing a shadowrunner, a person who acts as a deniable asset, for information. This information leads to the inciting incident where Kham, an orc, is recruited along with his own group, also compromised of orcs, and handful of other runners. The group travels into the forest alongside two elves, the Light One and the Dark One, who have hidden their faces with magic. Then Neko, a Japanese runner who was specially conscripted for the job, crawls into a cave filled with magical crystals and obtains a specific one inscribed with runes. All the while, the rest of the team is bombarded by magical creatures that are attempting to prevent the theft of the crystal. Successful in their heist from this cave in the forest, events unfold rapidly as the characters are drawn into a conflict that involves high-tech mercenaries, elves, dragons, megacorporations, and powerful magics. The highlight of the book really is the relationships between the characters. Kham was a leader of a gang before becoming a shadowrunner, and most of his compatriots came with him when he decided to change careers. There is more to this though, one of the reasons that people join gangs, in reality, is that they are looking for a sense of belonging and family. Kham has that with his followers, and this is even more apparent in the fact that they all live together in a derelict tenement building called a ‘hall,’ or a place that orcs live together free of the stigmatization of the rest of meta-humanity. When one of his friends dies, it feels like it really matters. He just lost a member of his family. Beyond this, Kham also has relationships with other runners like Sally Tsung, someone who he trusts implicitly, and Dodger, another elf that he has come to trust. Dodger though, doesn’t come through as Kham expects seemingly due to elven politics, which creates fantastic tension. Neko is an outsider that sides with Kham and his people. Watching them become closer is a real treat. Then there is Kham’s own “real” family. Lissa, his wife, is stereotypically critical of him and worried that his life of crime is eventually going to catch up with them and their family. When it does, it feels like it matters, because we know everyone that is being affected by it. However, the book isn’t perfect. The ending is a thrilling climax, but there is no resolution. It really feels like there needed to be another chapter to resolve Kham and Lissa’s relationship, not to mention the fallout to all of those who live in Kham’s Hall. I felt promised an explanation for the immortality that some elves possess (this is the result of elves and dragons interbreeding in the Fourth World for those who are interested – not really a spoiler for the book as it isn’t actually explained), but that point was discussed at length without a payoff. One of the runs featured in the book wasn’t wholly believable due to it’s small scale and lack of support, especially when we learn that one of the megacorporations is bankrolling the operation. Never Trust An Elf is a fun novel to read, has good pacing, and despite it’s flaws I didn’t walk away regretting have read it. Go in for the characters and the setting though, because the overarching plot really is the story’s weakness. Don’t expect any earth shattering revelations about society or Shadowrun universe, but if you want to read a Shadowrun book, and have some time to kill, you won’t waste it with Never Trust An Elf. You can get a mass-market copy here or pick up the e-book re-print here. Never Trust An Elf – 5/10 Some of the links included in this article are Amazon affiliate links. If you would like to purchase these items, consider using the links provided and help support Neon Dystopia.