Kaufmann (Hunt at World’s End
) delivers gore, mayhem, and the occasional explosion in this novella, which is equal parts belabored metaphor and road trip from hell. Georgia Quincey is the latest in a line of dragon slayers, bound by destiny to battle the beast that has plagued her family for centuries. She’s also acquired a heroin addiction, which, paradoxically, may be the only thing keeping her alive and strong enough to meet her fate. Kaufmann weaves the two conflicts together skillfully, though with an excess of foreshadowing, until it is hard to tell where one issue begins and the other ends. The tale is fast paced and technically well crafted, but hints of a grander backstory leave the reader wanting far more than this slim volume delivers, and Georgia herself is emotionally flat and almost impossible to like. (Mar.)
