Ill Wind

Ill Wind, Rachel Caine, Roc Books, 2003

Joanne Baldwin is a Weather Warden, someone who can control the weather at will. She is part of a secret group called the Wardens Association, people who control earth, fire, wind and weather. They have been around nearly forever, keeping Mother Nature from wiping humanity right off the map. At the moment, Joanne has a much more immediate problem.

She is on the run from the Wardens, accused of killing Bob, a Senior Warden. He may have been an arrogant you-know-what who few people are sorry to see dead, and it may have happened in self-defense while Bob was transferring an alien being into Joanne's body that is slowly taking her over, but Joanne is still in deep trouble. Her only hope is Lewis, the only Warden who can control earth, fire and weather. But, he is also on the run, having stolen three bottles of djinn (the only being more powerful than a Warden), which makes him the most wanted person on Earth.

During Joanne's mad dash across present-day America, followed by all sorts of "freak" weather, she meets David, your average cross-country hiker. But he is actually a djinn, who may or may not be working for the Wardens. The big confrontation comes in an average-looking house in Oklahoma City, with Lewis and Estrella, an old friend and former Fire Warden, who has her own agenda.

This one is quite good and it is worth reading. It has plenty of action and tension, and the possibility of human control over Mother Nature will keep the reader thinking. It certainly puts the local weather forecast in a whole new light. Keep an eye on this series.