Urban Fantasy is a challenging genre to stand out in. Whether you’re a diehard fan or a reader who avoids it, so much of what falls under the UF umbrella pivots on well-worn set pieces, storylines, magic systems, and interpersonal character dynamics. Niranjan’s Blue, an urban fantasy novella set in a secondary world, is distinct in its approach while also achieving a familiar and welcoming atmosphere that should appeal to UF fans and newcomers alike. It’s a fine balance, and one that Blue achieves. One part detective story, one part fantastical magic system (with a smidge of family drama thrown in), Blue nonetheless has a nearly science fictional atmosphere, its setting putting me in mind of many of the anime-inspired science fiction RPGs my partner plays, as well as edge-of-your-seat speculative thrillers. Its approach to 
what amounts to superpowers and superheroes is self-reflective in the vein of the show Misfits, and I appreciated its willingness to explore what would be the inevitable drawbacks of the supernatural abilities it establishes.
Set in a world wherein magical powers are common, but in which the exact nature of those powers is determined by eye colour, Blue centres on characters whose abilities mark them as dangerous within the rigid confines of their society. Aydin (AKA Blue) is one such person, his blue eyes indicating his ability to see deep inside the souls of those with whom he locks gazes. Unsurprisingly, people in Aydin’s world aren’t the most eager to have their darkest secrets probed by strangers, and so his power sets him apart and is a source of anxiety for both Aydin himself and those around him. Despite the disadvantages Aydin has faced all his life, however, he’s managed to carve out a social niche for himself, taking on the role of investigator as part of a law enforcement team. Aydin is joined on the team by a number of other magically gifted people, including a debutante with a power that’s just as reviled as Aydin’s own: the ability to compel people to like her. Notably, Aydin and the debutante (a woman named Alora) have a tense relationship. While the pair share common struggles, their lives couldn’t have been more different in other ways. Outside of the interpersonal concerns of Aydin, Alora, and the team, the majority of the novella concerns a particular murder case Aydin is working. The main suspect, a man named Joe, escaped Aydin years ago. The dynamic between Aydin and Joe–which we experience on page–teases a fun flirtation that I couldn’t help but want to see more of. Although Joe is thus off-page for the majority of the book, he’s sufficiently interesting that the promise of future scenes that feature the character is part of what had me turning the pages. Niranjan intersperses Aydin’s hunt for Joe and Alora’s attempts to navigate her family’s control with flashbacks to a pair of twins whose eye colour suggests they’re cursed rather than gifted. The fraught drama of the curse and the stakes involved in breaking it create a grounded conflict that’s juxtaposed well with the immediacy of Aydin’s search.
Blue is above all a fast read. The no-nonsense prose is well-suited to the thrilleresque pacing and does a good job making the magic clear without overburdening the story with too much technical detail. Along those lines, I particularly appreciated the approach Niranjan takes to magic, the premise of which gives them a lot of opportunity to comment on real-world bigotries. While readers who prefer a more elaborate, detailed approach to worldbuilding may find themselves yearning for more, the softer magic system comes across as appropriate for the novella’s focus on plot, pacing, and interpersonal dynamics.
“Amber looked up, his eyes met hers, and he smiled. There was no fear in him or nervousness. His brother was, while not precisely afraid, still in awe of her. How could she choose one to live? What gave her the right?”
Although I would characterize Blue as primarily plot rather than character focused, one of the elements of the story I most enjoyed was Aydin’s relationship with Alora. I’m a huge fan of stories in which characters dislike one another without either person being sadistic or malevolent. Niranjan writes this kind of dynamic very well, and the growth both Aydin and Alora make in terms of their attitudes toward each other feels realistic and well-earned. While Aydin doesn’t personally enjoy Alora’s company, when their boss suggests that she be forced off the team due to the nature of her powers, Aydin stands up for her, empathizing with her position and recognizing her as a competent teammate. For marginalized people in particular, there’s a recognition in this kind of dynamic of the ways in which community support often trumps personal feelings, and it resonated with me a lot. I found myself wanting to see where Aydin and Alora’s relationship goes and how it develops in future volumes, trusting wholeheartedly in Niranjan’s ability to render that development naturally and with patience. I was also personally taken with the questions Niranjan raises to do with autonomy and the rights of the individual when the freedoms of one conflict with those of another. While we’re compelled to sympathize with Blue and Alora insofar as their lives have been limited due to forces beyond their control, the nature of their abilities, which strip others of both privacy and self-determination, brings a lot of tension to the narrative.
In terms of plot, Blue positions itself as a mystery. While I had great fun mentally sketching potential connections between the parallel story of the cursed twins and that of the contemporary murder, I did find myself wishing by the book’s conclusion that we’d been given a little more background knowledge about the laws of Aydin’s world. There’s a popular genre of mystery fiction in which certain of the rules or elements of a case are withheld from the audience in order for a twist or answer to maintain its surprise, and Blue generally falls into that camp. This is not to say that there aren’t some satisfying puzzles to work out–there are–but one of the novella’s most major story developments didn’t hit me as hard as it could have if there’d been some subtle suggestions in the book’s early worldbuilding to let the reader know certain facets of the magic were possible. That said, without spoiling the particular plot point, the development in question is very cool and carries the potential for a big emotional impact. The plot twist was one I enjoyed, but I would have liked there to have been just a bit more foreshadowing of both it and a few adjacent plot developments. Similarly, characters who become very important to the resolution of the murder mystery play quite a small role in the story, and I felt this part of the narrative would have benefited from being expanded into a slightly longer novella (or a short novel).
That said, Aydin and Alora were enjoyable protagonists with enough personal foibles that I found myself comfortably rooting for them while also being able to imagine them as real people (supernatural abilities aside). As an introduction to Aydin’s world, Blue does a good job of establishing world and character while also setting up future character motivations that I expect will add a richness to the team’s adventures. Blue left me hypothesizing about its magic, as well as how some of the twists in the first entry might come into play later, and hoping there are certain characters and dynamics we haven’t quite seen the last of.
I’d recommend Blue to Urban Fantasy fans who are both looking for something different that engages with social commentary, and who appreciate a comfortable and familiar feel to the books they read. For me, it was a happy mix, providing a unique approach to magic that allowed Niranjan to use the supernatural to create in-story tension while also adding a level of realism and depth to their exploration of personal freedom. I’m looking forward to more of Aydin and Alora’s adventures!
