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calistaw's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
nocto's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I pulled up the sample of this book on my iPad just on the basis that I've heard the author on various podcasts and was interested to see what he wrote, I wasn't expecting to get sucked in enough to actually read it, I guess I was just being polite! But it worked out ok...
For a long time I've not really been a fan of ghost stories, but I'm realising it's not the ghosts themselves that are the problem, it's the way they are often used where the boundaries of the fiction aren't clear to the reader and they just feel like a cheating device. That didn't feel like the case here, the supernatural and its limitations were pretty clear from the beginning. And the ghost tricks here tend to fail spectacularly creating mad problems rather than being the kind of *deus ex machina* devices that annoy me. It's fun.
The book is pretty much a tech thriller but set in a universe quite like ours where there just happen to be some other things going on beneath the surface. And some parts of the 'universe quite like ours' was a very thin name-changing veneer on the world we live in, but I'm fine with that.
A fun read, and I'm glad I picked it up and ran with it.
For a long time I've not really been a fan of ghost stories, but I'm realising it's not the ghosts themselves that are the problem, it's the way they are often used where the boundaries of the fiction aren't clear to the reader and they just feel like a cheating device. That didn't feel like the case here, the supernatural and its limitations were pretty clear from the beginning. And the ghost tricks here tend to fail spectacularly creating mad problems rather than being the kind of *deus ex machina* devices that annoy me. It's fun.
The book is pretty much a tech thriller but set in a universe quite like ours where there just happen to be some other things going on beneath the surface. And some parts of the 'universe quite like ours' was a very thin name-changing veneer on the world we live in, but I'm fine with that.
A fun read, and I'm glad I picked it up and ran with it.
maddawg's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
beckermanex's review against another edition
4.0
All Souls Lost takes equal parts Constantine and mixes in enough snark to overfill a swimming pool (maybe one of those haunted ones that are all the rage). The story establishes a world where people have the Knack (magic and supernatural sensitivity) and everything from warlocks, demons, psychics and beyond are all real. The whodunit type mystery initially centered around the death (and maybe demonic possession) of a high tech company employee doesn't stop there and the down-on-his-luck-supernatural-detective who spent the last two years on a beach. The world-building, or lack thereof, leaving the reader to fill in the gaps, but will surely be a nice setup for future adventures, is great.
The only knock is the paint-by-numbers villains and the dialog which tries too hard to be snarky and funny at times but it doesn't translate always to your internal voice as it may with perfect deliver in live-action. Still, this doesn't detract from the obvious fun you have while reading this brisk story and, as mentioned, here's to a few more adventures of Mike Lucifer.
The only knock is the paint-by-numbers villains and the dialog which tries too hard to be snarky and funny at times but it doesn't translate always to your internal voice as it may with perfect deliver in live-action. Still, this doesn't detract from the obvious fun you have while reading this brisk story and, as mentioned, here's to a few more adventures of Mike Lucifer.
violinknitter's review against another edition
5.0
✔️Noir detective
✔️With magic
✔️Facing down a tech company that definitely isn’t related to a company that rhymes with Snapple
✔️Lots of puns, corny asides, and over-the-top descriptions (“a smile crawling across his face like a colony of ants)
✔️A good amount of interesting side characters to help the detective along
➖ lots of viscera & getting beat up (yes, noir, but I don’t have to like it)
4.5 stars, lots of fun!
✔️With magic
✔️Facing down a tech company that definitely isn’t related to a company that rhymes with Snapple
✔️Lots of puns, corny asides, and over-the-top descriptions (“a smile crawling across his face like a colony of ants)
✔️A good amount of interesting side characters to help the detective along
➖ lots of viscera & getting beat up (yes, noir, but I don’t have to like it)
4.5 stars, lots of fun!
violinknitter's review against another edition
5.0
✔️Noir detective
✔️With magic
✔️Facing down a tech company that definitely isn’t related to a company that rhymes with Snapple
✔️Lots of puns, corny asides, and over-the-top descriptions (“a smile crawling across his face like a colony of ants)
✔️A good amount of interesting side characters to help the detective along
➖ lots of viscera & getting beat up (yes, noir, but I don’t have to like it)
4.5 stars, lots of fun!
✔️With magic
✔️Facing down a tech company that definitely isn’t related to a company that rhymes with Snapple
✔️Lots of puns, corny asides, and over-the-top descriptions (“a smile crawling across his face like a colony of ants)
✔️A good amount of interesting side characters to help the detective along
➖ lots of viscera & getting beat up (yes, noir, but I don’t have to like it)
4.5 stars, lots of fun!
amcintosh's review against another edition
5.0
Enjoyed this quite a bit and burned through it.
I've been a big fan of Dan Moren's other works and while this is a very different setting, it's still his voice and I loved it.
It's fast and funny. It's clever. I didn't really see where the story was going to go and was surprised a couple of times.
The main characters are great. Mike Lucifer is such a noir detective that he seems almost out of time in the setting, but in a humorous way. Then other characters are also quite memorable.
Thoroughly enjoyed.
I've been a big fan of Dan Moren's other works and while this is a very different setting, it's still his voice and I loved it.
It's fast and funny. It's clever. I didn't really see where the story was going to go and was surprised a couple of times.
The main characters are great. Mike Lucifer is such a noir detective that he seems almost out of time in the setting, but in a humorous way. Then other characters are also quite memorable.
Thoroughly enjoyed.
x0ps6327's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
cjkerr's review against another edition
4.0
A fun take on neo-noir that deftly maintains the vibe while leaving behind the most dated tropes. The fantasy elements are underdeveloped for my tastes - if this universe has rules, we don't learn them here - but this works as a gumshoe mystery in a heightened, high-contrast version of a real city.