Uncanny Collateral
Valkyrie Collections • Book 1
by Brian McClellan
Why You'll Love This
A debt collector who works for Death, vampires, and the Tooth Fairy — McClellan makes urban fantasy feel genuinely fresh again.
- Great if you want: snappy urban fantasy with real supernatural world-building depth
- The experience: fast, punchy, and fun — reads in a single sitting easily
- The writing: McClellan keeps his world-building tight without slowing momentum
- Skip if: you prefer novels with room to breathe — this is lean
About This Book
In a Cleveland where supernatural factions operate just beneath the surface of ordinary life, Alek Fitz makes his living as a reaper — a collection agent for clients ranging from the Lords of Hell to the Tooth Fairy. When Death itself hires him to recover stolen property, Alek finds himself tangled in vengeful undead, an imp war brewing on the fringes, and a bureaucratic nightmare that spans multiple supernatural jurisdictions. The stakes are genuinely dire, but what keeps you turning pages isn't just the ticking clock — it's Alek himself, a man whose sharp wit and complicated loyalties make every negotiation feel personal.
McClellan keeps the story lean and purposeful at 145 pages, which is exactly the right length — no filler, no wheel-spinning, just confident momentum from first page to last. His prose is direct and dry without ever feeling thin, and he builds a surprisingly rich supernatural ecosystem through implication and texture rather than exposition dumps. The friendship between Alek and Maggie, an ancient djinn with layers of her own, gives the plot its emotional grounding. This is tight, assured urban fantasy that knows precisely what it wants to be.