Return of the Trickster

Trickster #3

by Eden Robinson

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

In the third book of her brilliant and captivating Trickster Trilogy, Eden Robinson delivers an explosive, surprising and satisfying resolution.

All Jared Martin had ever wanted was to be normal, which was already hard enough when he had to cope with Maggie, his hard-partying, gun-toting, literal witch of a mother, Indigenous teen life and his own addictions. When he wakes up naked, dangerously dehydrated and confused in the basement of his mom's old house in Kitimat, some of the people he loves—the ones who don't see the magic he attracts—just think he fell off the wagon after a tough year of sobriety. The truth for Jared is so much worse.

He finally knows for sure that he is the only one of his biological dad Wee'git's 535 children who is a Trickster too—a shapeshifter with a free pass to other dimensions. Sarah, his ex, is happy he's a magical being, but everyone else he loves is either pissed with him, or in mortal danger from the dark forces he's accidentally unleashed, or both. The scariest of those dark forces is his Aunt Georgina, a maniacal ogress hungry for his power, who has sent her posse of flesh-eating coy-wolves to track him down.

Even though his mother resents like hell that Jared has taken after his dad, she is also determined that no one is going to hurt her son. For Maggie it's simple—Kill or be killed, bucko. Soon Jared is at the centre of an all-out war—a horrifying place to be for the universe's sweetest Trickster, whose first instinct is not mischief and mind games but to make the world a kinder, safer, place.

Genres: Indigenous, Fantasy, Fiction, Canada, Young Adult, Magical Realism, Urban Fantasy

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 2, 2021

About the author

Eden Victoria Lena Robinson (born 19 January 1968) is a Canadian novelist and short story writer.

Born in Kitamaat, British Columbia, she is a member of the Haisla and Heiltsuk First Nations. She was educated at the University of Victoria and the University of British Columbia.

Reviews

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this trilogy. Is it technically perfect? Not at all. But it is so incredibly original and engaging. It is everything. It is funny and scary and suspenseful and violent and disturbing and emotional and fun and sad and weird and happy and magical and every other adjective one could use to describe a story all at the same time.

On the one hand it's a story about Jared but on the other hand it's a story about all the badass magical grannies in Jared's life and I'm here for it.

I don't read many trilogies so I'm not sure if this trilogy really follows the typical trajectory but I suspect it doesn't. Book 1 was mainly world building, Book 2 was really Jared's trickster origin story, and Book 3 was his reckoning with what that meant. Eden Robinson is a very experimental and artistic writer and it totally works for me.

Other reviewers have said the ending was rushed. Maybe it was but I think that is pretty standard for all of the books in the trilogy and honestly I think it's just Eden Robinson's style to end her stories somewhat abruptly without much denouement. See above: experimental/artistic. I still loved it.

I have said in another review that her books and this series especially just have so much heart, and I think that's what really sets it apart from everything else out there and why people connect with it so much. The characters are so complicated and messy but you feel attached to them somehow as if they're you're own family and you can't help but care deeply about every single one of them.

This is my grownup Harry Potter - what I mean by that is this series, this world Robinson has created, is my happy reading place, that I'll look forward to revisiting over and over for years to come.

Read it! I want to shout my recommendation for this trilogy from the rooftops.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

The transforming raven was speaking to him as magical beings speak to one another, sharing thoughts. The insanity of the magic Jared had unleashed left him with no way to deny he was a Trickster himself, that he was a part of the crazy, that his amateur dabbling had created the shitstorm that had eventually landed him in Emerg. Again.

Return of the Trickster is a completely satisfying conclusion to Eden Robinson’s Trickster series. Once again, teenaged Jared Martin faces unspeakable dangers with love, courage, and above all, decency. He is also snarky and irreverent and this is probably the funniest volume in the trilogy. As in any good Fantasy finale, Robinson brings back old characters, reveals the history behind long standing feuds, and marches her characters towards an epic showdown between shades of good and evil. Maybe I can agree with others who think the ending and epilogue are a little rushed, and maybe I would have liked for Jared to be less drained and helpless than he was through most of this, but I leave this book, and this trilogy, feeling entertained and satiated; I can ask for no more.

Not a single person he knew was going to be happy about his new shape-shifting ability. No one liked his biological father. Not his mom, not his grandmother, and not his new friend, Neeka, whose otter people had a bad history with him. Certainly not the thing that had been claiming to be his aunt. Was she really? He hadn't thought to ask, being in the middle of a kidnapping and then a torture session that had apparently only lasted a weekend but had felt like forever.

After being sucked into another dimension in Trickster Drift — where he was repeatedly killed, eaten, and brought back to life to be killed and eaten once again — Jared finds himself in a hospital room at the beginning of Return of the Trickster, his organs trying to escape his body. Getting back to our dimension apparently drained Jared of his Trickster magic, and as enemies and their henchmen escalate their threats against him and his loved ones, Jared is forced to accept alliances that feel out of his control, recommit to his sobriety, and attempt to protect his family while swooning around without power, energy, or a clear mind. Being a newly confirmed Trickster alienates Jared from his mom and both of his grannies (who all have history with his father, Wee’git), but when the danger escalates, Jared will find himself surrounded by strong allies (mostly women, mostly family). The heart-thumping, gruesome conclusion sees a showdown between: Tricksters and witches and a Wild Man of the Woods; fireflies and otters (even though they’re not really fireflies or otters); coy wolves (disguised in stolen human skins); ghosts and poltergeists and other ultradimensional beings; a toe-sucking Sorcerer (“raw need in a skin-suit crawling around in the dark”); an insatiably power-hungry Ogress; and perhaps most frightening of all, Jared’s own grandmother, the Halayt Sophia.

The root of supernatural ability is simply the realization that all time exists simultaneously. Encoded memories so frayed you think they’re extinct, but they wait, coiled and unblinking, in your blood and your bones. When you shift out of our dimension, you run the risk of dispersion so profound even the memory of you is obliterated. Universes are stubbornly separate. You are the wet and pulsing distillation of stars, a house of light made bipedal and carbon-based, temporary and infinite. You are also the void.

I love this world that Robinson has built out of her Haisla and Heiltsuk First Nations’ traditions, and while I am fascinated by the supernatural entities at the center of this story, I appreciate that Robinson also brings in details from real Natives’ lives — from the rez to environmental activism to dissatisfaction with attempts at reconciliation for residential school survivors. Jared’s snark keeps all of this light, though — he and his cousin, Kota, think that you could make a decent soap opera out of their family drama, As the Bannock Burns — and I think the most entertaining thing about this book was flipping back to read Robinson’s ironic chapter titles at the end of every one because they only make sense in hindsight (my favourite was “Cthulhu Do Do Do Do Do Do”). I’m completely satisfied with the whole trilogy and if Robinson decided to write some spinoffs, I’d read those, too.

[Chloe Halpenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

brb mourning the end of my favourite series ever - i read this so slowly to try to prolong it hahaha

i think the second book in the trilogy stands as my favourite, but i love these characters and this world so much there was no way i wasn’t going to adore this book as well. this definitely felt like the most fever dream-y of all three. a lot going on, much confusion in my small brain, and a rushed ending and very tied-up epilogue mean this wasn’t quite a full five stars from me. still, i don’t care. i love jared and i love eden robinson.

[Justine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid ending to an amazing series, with a seriously badass magical showdown. Even though I didn't love this final installment quite as much as much as the first two books, it was still excellent, and it brought the Trickster story to satisfying close.

Eden Robinson is a fantastic writer. The whole series was a joy to read.

Time doesn't march. Time is an endless ocean. We swim through it, caught in its inescapable tide. All time that has ever existed still exists. She is there, in that distant present, weaving between the kelp trees, breaking the surface to laugh at you. Air slides like silk. The ocean is not the sky, the friction heavy, ponderous; water is a womb.

[Natasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the first two books and had high hopes for this one as well. But while the first books felt real and raw, with distinct voices, this book felt more like a detached retelling of a story - it was difficult for me to emotionally connect with the narrative. Occasionally there were glimpses of old Jared, whom I loved - the wit, the sarcasm, the honesty, the pain. But in general, his voice was completely missing from this book. It felt like the fog he ended in when he woke up never dissipated, and he completely lost control of his life. Even the Epilogue-ish was disappointing, because other then him staying alive and in rehab it didn’t tell what he ended up doing with his life. Did he finally start living? Did he learn to be a Trickster? Did he put himself back together? I found frustrating that none of these questions were truly answered.

[CaseyTheCanadianLesbrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an awesome finale to this trilogy about Jared, an Indigenous young adult who learns he's the son of a trickster. I love how Robinson manages to fill the book with wonder and magic while addressing dark topics, body horror, and harsh realities. Jared is a wonderful character (his superpower is both being annoying and being incredibly tenderhearted). There is a great cast or magical and non magical Indigenous characters surrounding Jared too.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

What follows is not objective in any way so be forewarned. I LOVE this series! I LOVE Eden Robinson! I really, REALLY love Jared. Yes, the ending pages felt rushed, yes another chapter would have been good, but I don’t care. I wanted to spend more time in Jared’s magical world and if there is a price to pay, so be it. I have never wanted to write fanfic before ... but these characters linger in my imagination long after I finish the book!!!

I deeply respect the Trickster Series and the way Robinson approaches character, community, and constant pain. There is such a rich wealth of lived experience in these pages. In addition to addiction and trauma there is deeply felt and often expressed genuine love. The kind of love that is difficult to articulate. The kind of love that takes courage to admit because the risk of loss is so very present. The kind of love that just shrugs at the idea of “happy endings” knowing that nothing is permanent and change is constant. Did I mention I love and respect these books? They’re also really funny! Talk about a dark comedy.

To sum up: I LOVE this Trickster Series!

[Ashley Daviau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have so many things to say after finishing this book and with it, the series. The whole trilogy has catapulted to the top of my ALL TIME favourites list and that is some serious business. All three books were perfect from start to finish and every little thing about this stunning conclusion is as well. My feelings are most definitely NOT okay after finishing this book. My mind is just reeling and trying to process all the different emotions I went through and the wild ride I was just on. I went through it all; from fear and wonder to grief and happiness, from tears and laughter to heart palpitations and shivers down my spine. This whole series and this book just goes beyond words for me. It’s a beautiful and weird as FUCK coming of age story blended with the most fascinating Indigenous folklore in the strangest and darkest way and it will just shatter your world. That’s what it did to mine anyways and I’m still trying to pick up the pieces.

[Allison ༻hikes the bookwoods༺ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a bit disappointed with this book. The first two in the series were great as they were really more about Jared than all the fantastical things happening around him. This one, however, was just the opposite. It was a wild ride from the start with too much craziness and not enough character. Overall, a wonderful series.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Was it perfect? No. Did i read the last 100 pages in one sitting? Yes. That deserves 5 stars in my books.

[Andrea McDowell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very satisfying end to a groundbreaking fantasy trilogy.

First off, I love Jared. What a gift he is to the literary world. He is so gentle and kind, and he tries so hard to do the right thing and take care of people; he's such a true realization of the child of a dysfunctional family and addicted parents, struggling with people pleasing and enabling; and all he wants is to be a normal person with a regular job living in a decent house paying bills and he keeps getting drawn into these alternate realities due to inborn traits he has no control or influence over.

The entire cast of characters is a gift. Every one of them felt fully realized. The dialogue was brilliant. The short italicized chapters about physics and life and magic and the anthropocene (particularly in the first two books; in the third they brought in the storylines of other characters) were treasures, and all ended up linked to the plot and storyline at some point. The writing was beautiful.

It was often a difficult read. There is violence, and the violence is realistic. You can tell these scenes were told by someone who has thought long and deep about violence and its impacts and after-effects. Characters become traumatized and act like traumatized humans, rather than stoic emotionless monoliths, ready for the next battle after a sarcastic quip.

But what I valued most, and what made the violence worthwhile for me to deal with, was that the story is ultimately about love. And it's not a facile or trite love. It's a complicated, messy, deep familial love between people who have been damaged by genocide and generational trauma; they don't always express it well and often cause each other harm. Not everyone is forgiven, not every relationship is repaired, but both the love and the harm are shown and described in ways that are real and compelling. And ultimately, Jared prevails not because he is the biggest, the strongest, the smartest, the trickiest, but because he loves and is loved.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review coming soon. Strong end to a wonderful series and a new favorite for me. There were several moments here I had to take pause on because as humored as some parts of this were, they also hurt and I really felt for Jared.

[Sheldon Wiebe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eden Robinson's Return of the Trickster concludes what may be the the most consistently excellent trilogy I've read since Lord of the Rings.

Robinson's epic, but firmly grounded, trilogy concludes with Jared Martin still trying to deny (or at least ignore) his Trickster heritage - even though his stalker, David, is still lurking about.

Then there's Wee'git's sister (and Jared's aunt), Jwasins/Georgina, who seems helpful and a host of other interesting characters who may or may not be good for our Baby Trickster, including Charles (a Wild Man of the Woods aka Sasquatch); Neeka (an otter girl), and Mallory, a girl who keeps popping into Jared's life.

Then there's Olive and her daughter Eliza (and Eliza's friend, Shu, a ghost) and a couple of ghostly friends in Huey (a disembodied head) and Bob (an octopus-like ghost).

It's hard for Jared to figure out what's going on in his life (natural and supernatural) because he's gone so far out of his way to avoid the latter that it's affected the former). He can't even talk about his problems with his Aunt Mave (his mother's sister) because she doesn't believe in the old ways/magic.

Most importantly, there's his friend and neophyte witch, Sarah - and, of course, his mother, the indomitable Maggie.

Where the first two volumes of the trilogy have been pretty deliberate in their pacing, gradually making the read familiar (if not comfortable) with this version of the supernatural, Return of the Trickster picks up the pace about a third of the way in and continues to speed up right to the end (though there's an adorably 'Epilogue-ish' two page summary of the consequences of the trilogy for those characters who remain alive at the end.

Usually, I read a trilogy over a period of weeks, reading something else in between volumes to give my mind a palate cleanser.

Not here.

The Trickster Trilogy is as unputdownable as any trilogy or series I've ever read.

Now to find a copy of Robinson's Monkey Beach, to read at some point in the near future (the movie was really good...).

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this trilogy very uneven. I think what saved this book for me was the chapters from other character’s perspectives, where things actually happen or are explained. My main issue is that Jared doesn’t seem to have any agency, things just happen to him. And other characters go and do things off screen, and we briefly hear about it later. By the end of the series Jared still hasn’t learned much more about being a Trickster, or how to do magic, or really anything about himself and his family. Honestly, I feel like this could have been one book but there’s so much filler padding it out into three (a lot of it being rehashing what happened in previous books, Jared cooking, descriptions of characters clothing and accessories, or Jared being drunk and feeing sorry for himself). I would love to see a book from Maggie’s perspective, or Sophia, or Anita, or Sarah (or really any of the other characters who actually get to do stuff). I still enjoyed this one more than the second one, which really suffered from middle-book-syndrome.

Oh also, the epilogue-ish was nice and succinct. So that was good.

[Jalilah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Return of the Trickster is the third and final novel of Eden Robinson Trickster series and brings a perfect closure to the story.
After waiting several years for this instalment, I now envy everyone who can read all three books of this series right away for the first time!
To describe the events in this novel would give away spoilers for anyone reading the first 2 novels, so I can just say this has got to be my all time favourite trilogy! I love Jared, his family and friends and the world Eden Robinson has created!
I recommend this book for everyone who likes fantasy, mythology and folklore that is also rooted in reality and touches upon real life issues.
Thank you Eden Robinson for writing this series! I will read everything you write!

[Kimberlee Feick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm. I wanted to love this book so much. It came to me as a lovely surprise early birthday prez from a friend, and I dove into it with giddy excitement. Turns out, it's my least favourite of the trilogy and the ending just didn't do it for me. (Eden Robinson, please don't curse me out or make my fingers rot off for typing this)

That being said...Jared is still one of my all-time favourite fictional characters. I just love that snarky kid. He feels so incredibly real to me. And the wealth of powerful, flawed, funny and fierce female characters in this book is deeply satisfying. So, there's that.

Sarah felt somehow muted, though; I had hoped to see her come into her power in the finale, not to mention rekindle her relationship with Jared. Instead, she just seemed to sleep a lot. Dammit, baby witch. WAKE UP.

Was glad to see Huey again, but really missed Dent and Shu. Dead Aiden and Bob were not very gratifying replacements.

Still, giant dollops of magical reality is totally my jam, and no one does Canadian magical reality better than Eden Robinson.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

...And the award for the most abrupt ending goes to... All the bullet point-like wrap-ups in the "epilogue" warrant expansion, dammit. Eden Robinson could write a collection of short stories and vignettes for all of those ideas and I'd gladly read them all.

The characters, especially Jared, are all over the place in this instalment- not only because they must work through a heartbreaking amount of trauma, abuse, and death, but also because Eden Robinson chooses to stylistically wrap this trilogy up at a neck-breaking speed. There's little to no breathing room here, or a chance to linger and reflect, and I'm incredibly sad about that.

[Joel Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really struggling to put into words how great these books are. What a fantastic trilogy!

But seriously, I think I just need to talk to someone else who's read the Trickster trilogy because I keep writing paragraphs and deleting them because my words aren't coming out right, haha.

Just read the books, sooooo good.

[Jennifer (formerly Eccentric Muse) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great end for the trilogy. Such great fun! I laughed out loud a few times. That epilogue!! Omg!!! I’ll miss Jared and this cast of quirky characters.

[Brahm · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I really liked this series overall, but the characters are just so hard to like it pushes me away. Definitely a series worth checking out but damn.

MILD SPOILERS FOLLOW

A lot of the plot in this final book was advanced with this repetitive cycle:
Anyone: "Jared, do not leave the apartment! Whatever you do. You're in danger!"
Jared: "Okay"
Jared:
Jared: *leaves apartment*

[Kara Babcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s always satisfying when a trilogy comes to a full-stop close, loose ends wrapped up and most questions answered. In Son of a Trickster , Eden Robinson introduced us to Jared Martin, a Haisla/Heiltsuk boy on the cusp of manhood and also learning about his magical heritage. Robinson could have stopped there—nearly did, by her account, not being much of a series writer—yet she didn’t. Trickster Drift followed Jared’s move to Vancouver, his attempts to stay sober, and his encounters with more threats both magical and mundane. This book had a more open ending, so I was very excited when I learned Return of the Trickster had come out. Robinson delivers the closure we want and need—but of course, it doesn’t come easily.

Trigger warnings in this book for alcoholism, blood, body horror, torture, death, murder, violence, sexual assault … a lot of stuff. This is a heavy book, seriously.

Spoilers for the first two books but not for this one.

Jared wakes up in a hospital in Kitimat, where he used to live with his mom, Maggie. His dad Philip takes care of him. Jared now knows that Philip isn’t his biological father—that honour belongs to Wee’git, a Trickster, currently deceased but still all-too-capable of causing mischief and annoying the living, Jared included. Jared’s misadventures in Trickster Drift have burnt out his power temporarily. On the bright side, his Aunt Georgina is stranded in an inhospitable universe. On the less bright side, Jared still has many enemies gunning for him, including Georgina’s minions, the coy wolves. He returns to Vancouver and his aunt Mave’s place, but it’s not safe for him or any of his loved ones. And so Jared must navigate increasingly violent threats with the assistance of all sorts of magical players, from his own mother to Chuck (a Wild Man of the Woods) and Neeka (an otter woman in human form).

While I wouldn’t say Return of the Trickster moves at a breakneck pace, it definitely builds towards the climax with an inexorable confidence. Notably different in this book, in contrast to the others, is the use of interstitial chapters told from the second-person perspective of other characters (Jared’s chapters are third person limited), including Maggie, Wee’git, and Anita. These chapters provide information that Jared would never have access to, allowing for a deeper mythos than the first two books could have (I particularly liked Anita’s brusque and honest chapter). Meanwhile, Jared’s chapters never stand still: new developments constantly throw a wrench into existing plans, so Jared and his allies must regroup.

It doesn’t help that these allegiances aren’t always built on solid trust (I’m thinking here of the uneasy relationship between Jared and Neeka). Jared has inherited the reputation of his father, who was … well, he was a Trickster. Something that Jared insists upon, but others have a hard time believing at first, is that he isn’t Wee’git—not literally, and certainly not figuratively. In some ways, as many characters point out, this makes him a bad Trickster. He is too earnest, too straightforward to truly inhabit the Trickster mantle the way someone like Wee’git could. At the same time, this proves Jared’s greatest strength: everyone is expecting him to zag when, nope, he really is going to zig and do what he told you he would do.

As I mentioned earlier in the trigger warnings, there is a metric shit tonne of violence in this book. This is not a departure from the previous books, which after all included Maggie stapling David’s feet to the floor with a nail gun. Nevertheless, if you are upset by on-page violence, this is going to mess with you. The death toll is high, the casualty count even higher, and Robinson doesn’t sugarcoat it. I admire this decision even if it’s not exactly my cup of tea. The brutality feels quite natural within this world that Robinson has created. I hesitate to call it “necessary” because I don’t believe grimdark is necessary for telling an authentic, real story—Game of Thrones is a wonderful example of something that seems to delight in gratuitous violence. Rather, what Robinson has constructed here is a universe (or multiverse, I suppose) that is full. It has its grim, dark moments of violence and fear. It has its hilarious moments, like chicken Georgina and Bob the tentacle monster. This ability to balance her darkness with a staunch kind of humour is one of Robinson’s best qualities as a writer, in my opinion.

You’re going to see a lot of people who praise these stories as a great example of Indigenous literature and put Robinson on a lot of lists featuring Indigenous authors. Cool—she definitely deserves the recognition! However, I want to stress that Robinson is a great writer full stop. Her stories should be taught in courses not just because they are Indigenous literature but because they are damn fine storytelling. The fact that Robinson has chosen to share from elements of her culture is a gift to us, and it is our duty not to colonize that gift by siloing it away under the flattening label “Indigenous.” This is a story of a Haisla/Heiltsuk man/Trickster who nevertheless is undergoing very recognizable struggles with mortal problems like alcoholism, family issues, and finding his purpose.

I loved the ending. I loved the epilogue. I’m not sure I loved this book as much as the first two, hence why I’m not giving it 5 stars right away (maybe, if I revisit the first two and then this one, I will change my mind one day). Regardless, if you have read the first two books of this trilogy, Return of the Trickster will not let you down. If you haven’t … well, get on it.

And I will forever be mad at Michelle Latimer for allowing her ego to result in the cancellation of Trickster, the CBC series, before it could translate this incredible story to screen.

Originally posted on Kara.Reviews, where you can easily browse all my reviews and subscribe to my newsletter.

[Anne-Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

Damn what a finale to this trilogy. I’m sad it took me 3 years to finish this series because I read this last book in 3 days! But glad I finally did.

I know almost everyone in the novel thinks Jared can be the most annoying person ever (and dude can be oblivious, sassy, or just unaware) but he’s well-meaning, kind, and honestly I just wanted to wrap him in a blanket and tell him everything was going to be ok. Dude has had a rough time.

I think one of the things I appreciate most about this book and series in general is Robinson’s range of female characters. Jared is surrounded by women - many family - and they are all unique, with full personalities and lives/relationships. Some are ‘likeable’, some aren’t, and all are strong and powerful in their own ways (magic or not).

I won’t say much about the plot because it’s very much a direct continuation of the second book. How it all comes together was incredibly satisfying. And Robinson pulled no punches with the violence and consequences. The Epilogue-ish was satisfying and wrapped up loose ends, though I wish it was more show than tell.

It’ll take me a while to look at chickens and deep fryers the same way again, I have to say (separate incidences believe it or not).

CW: violence, gore, cannibalism, alcoholism/addiction and sobriety relapse, death, murder, homophobic relative, stalkers and mentions of domestic abuse/rape, and probably more

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great ending to an awesome trilogy.

[Moe Chowdhury · Rating 5 out of 5]

Its been year since i anticipated a sequel. Thank you miss Robinson, for giving me back a part of my youth that i didnt realise id missed.

[Mallory Whiteduck · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

It felt like no time had passed when I picked up Return of the Trickster and joined Jared and his eclectic group of family, friends, ghosts and creatures from the beyond. In Robinson’s signature weird and funny style, the first chapter (this is not a major spoiler) finds Jared puking his guts out. Literally. His liver and other organs come out, sprout limbs and try to run away from him.

This book had me laughing out loud, brought tears to my eyes and, at times, had me scratching my head as Robinson moved between worlds. It introduced my favourite character of the series, Wild Man of the Woods, and I could read a whole book starring him as protagonist. But I felt like something was missing. As I read on, it seemed Jared lost a bit of his spark as the main character. He spent a good portion of the novel confused and lost, and as a result, so did I as the reader.

This is a genre-bending book and series. Like trickster stories, it leaves the readers laughing, crying and sorting out its lessons for themselves. Definitely worth the read and Robinson’s storytelling prowess continues to wow.

[Samantha Trillium (Just Reading in the Rain)☂ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this trilogy so much!!! This last book is definitely the darkest out of the three, and had the most magic, so if you have read book 1 and 2 and thought there wasn't enough Trickster or magic, I think you'll be very happy with this one.

I have to point out the skill that Robinson has in her writing because almost all her characters end up coming together in this one for the final stand off, so to speak. And at times when this happens in conclusion trilogies it can get very repetitive and slow the pace down if the author is jumping between POVs and/or having to tell the read where everyone is and what is happening to them. But in this book, I never felt like the pace slowed or that it dragged. In fact, I was constantly stressing over how much of the book I had left because I wasn't ready for it to be over. This is a series that I would be happy for another three books!

If you have read any of Robinson's previous books you also know that this series is kind of "light" on the aspects of horror that she has been known to write about. Well, she absolutely made up for it in this book, and I was really worried about the outcome of the characters lives.

My only complaint about this has to do with the audiobook. The first two books were narrated by the same person, and this one was done by someone new. I don't know why the first narrator didn't come back but I was really disappointed because I had really come to know his voice as Jared. That being said, the new narrator did do a great job, but it's kind of like when you buy physical copies of a series and then the publisher decides to change the look of the books for the final installment. Super annoyed. I did not let that affect my rating of this story though.

This has become one of my all time favourite series. The fact that it is written by a Canadian author is just icing on the cake. I have reread book 1 so many times, I keep finding new things I love about this story. Jared and his mother Maggie are two of my all time favourite characters. They are just so perfect, I can't even tell you why they have stuck out to me after all these years.

Still pissed at CBC for cancelling this show, the adaption of season one was so incredible. But that's a different rant for a different time...

[Alecia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I so wanted to love this. The first book was a slow build but I appreciated the attention to detail. I thought things would pick up in the second book, and when the climax didn't hit until the very end I just knew I was in for an action packed final installment. Instead it was more talking and thinking and thinking and talking and thinking until Jared almost gets himself killed for the fifty-leventh time, someone close to him gets murdered and his mom gets kidnapped and tortured. The final confrontation ends abruptly, and that's the end of it all other than an epilogue featuring a short paragraph dedicated to the fates of the main characters.

What this series has in its favor is a microscopic attention to emotional motivation; nuanced portrayals of addiction, grief, and intergenerational trauma; and an authentic, non-stereotyped portrayal of modern Native American identity. But after three whole books I was left wanting more. This was a slow moving, slice of life story where the life in question just so happens to come from a seriously dysfunctional magical lineage. I would have been okay with that had Jared taken any initiative to learn about that part of himself. Instead we follow him to AA meetings, and to the coffee shop after the meetings, and back home to stew in his feelings and pretend there's no ghost in his apartment.

There were so many cool ideas but we don't get to see them fully play out because our protagonist spends the whole series running away from everything supernatural. He won't even learn basic protection spells in the interest of his own survival. He just buries his head in the sand until the bodies start dropping. And even though the books are about a Trickster, there's precious little background given about the Trickster's role in Native mythology.

[Mindy McAdams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The title of the third and final book in the trilogy about a young Native and Canadian man, Jared, means it's not a spoiler to tell you he's back in the world after the nail-biting cliffhanger that ended the second book. But he's damaged, and he's not safe, and neither is his unusual and endearing extended family.

It's a good wrap-up to the story, not exactly disappointing, but maybe a bit less wonderful than the other two books — just because it is wrapping things up, and not very much that is truly new appears here. We do get more of his "bio dad" Wee'git's backstory, including an explanation concerning otters. We get a fuller picture of how the evil Georgina became so evil. Both of Jared's grandmothers and even a sister grandmother come into the action here, although I was not always clear on what was happening with Sophia.

There's one wholly new character who even gets a special mention from the author after the end of the story, and frankly, I would have enjoyed seeing more of him. He has the capacity to teach Jared how to muster and shepherd his power, but that doesn't get a chance to happen because all the spillover danger from book two has to be dealt with here. I feel bad for Jared that he's got no great mentors, and he's still just thrashing about in his ignorance.

As before, Jared remains an empathic and sweet-hearted character, often helping others because he just can't see any other way to be.

Books 1 and 2:

Son of a Trickster

Trickster Drift

.

[Jasmine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Eden Robinson, and overall, I enjoyed her Trickster series. But with Return of the Trickster, I'm torn between liking it and not liking it -- I'm not quite sure. First, it had been so long since I had read Trickster Drift (over two years!), that I couldn't remember all the details and who was who, so I was lost (it also didn't help that in the Trickster TV series -- which I highly recommend, by the way -- Sophia was portrayed as Maggie's mother, not Phil's mother), and there was too much magic for my liking. (Bob the octopus "ghost"?!) And the ending, WTF? It was almost as bad as the ending in Stephen King's It; it seemed like Robinson didn't quite know how to end a good story.

Overall, it was an enjoyable series, and I may re-read it in the future. I give Return of the Trickster somewhere between 3 and 3.5 stars -- I'm not quite sure.

One niggling question that I had throughout the book -- what the hell are coy wolves?!