Chuck Wendig
Angry Robot Books
UK Print
Date: 6th June 2013
ISBN: 9780857663344
Format: Medium (B-Format) Paperback
R.R.P.: £8.99
US/CAN Print
Date: 28th May 2013
ISBN: 97808576633518
Format: Small (Mass-Market) Paperback
R.R.P.: US$7.99 CAN$8.99
Ebook
Date: 28th May 2013
ISBN: 9780857663368
Format: Epub & Mobi
R.R.P.: £5.49 / US$6.99
Chuck Wendig's latest novel is the first in new series, about a gangster named Mookie Pearl. It's an over the top blend of fantasy, horror, and noir wrapped inside a family drama. This is what urban fantasy for guys looks like, although I'm sure a number of ladies will enjoy it as well.
Mookie is a gangster who has a special skill set. He deals with problems the Organization has with the Great Below, the underworld where several supernatural races live and scheme against humanity. He's divorced, hasn't spoken to his ex in years, and is trying to build a relationship with his estranged teen daughter who's building a criminal empire of her own. Somehow she's learned that the head of the Organization, The Boss, is dying of cancer. This is not yet public knowledge.
When the Boss's appointed heir and nephew asks Mookie to try and find a way to cure The Boss in the Great Below, Mookie knows it's a fool's errand, but really, what choice does have? The Blue Blazes of the title refers to a blue powder mined in the Great Below. When rubbed on the temples, it allows a person to perceive the supernatural world around them. There are other substances, all of them with colors in the name, that are rumored to exist but by and large believed to be mythical by most people. It's one of these the nephew wants Mookie to find in order to save his uncle.
The task would be bad enough, but there are other who are also aware of The Boss's impending demise. And they're moving to take advantage of it. Including Mookie's daughter.
The action in this one moves fast and furious. Wendig has crafted a compelling mystery, a suspenseful thriller, and a gritty urban fantasy with a dash of Lovecraft. And along the way he manages to make Mookie Pearl a sympathetic character in spite of the fact that Mookie isn't the sort of man who would want to invite to dinner.
The secondary cast are well developed. While the story is told primarily from Mookie's viewpoint, Wendig shows us the other characters' thoughts and motivations. Mookie's friends and enemies are an assorted lot, including mobsters, ordinary, humans, and even a dead man (that Mookie had killed).
The major plots lines were all resolved, but things won't be going back to the status quo. It's going to be interesting to see where Wendig takes this one. And in case you're wondering, no, he hasn't abandoned the Miriam Black series (reviewed here and here). There's an announcement of the next one, The Cormorant, in the author bio.
I'd like to thank Angry Robot for the review copy. Below is an excerpt. Check it out.
So urban fantasy is reaching out for male readers now, eh? I guess Jim Butcher's stuff was somewhat this way as well.
ReplyDeleteThat's how I interpreted it. Others may have different opinions. Wendig's work is very different from what I've read of Butcher's, although they're both enjoyable and well-done.
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