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cait_s's review
4.0
Book 7 of the Secret Histories.
It seems like Eddie Drood is always cleaning up the messes he caused--whether he wants to or not. Undercover as Shaman Bond, working with the witch Molly Metcalf, he's assigned the impossible job of breaking the bank at the Shadow Bank. Crow Lee, The Most Evil Man in the World, is dead, but he left behind an Inheritance that many are willing to kill to get their hands on.
To keep it away from those who would misuse it, Eddie and Molly will destroy the bank that finances the darkest deeds and blackest hearts--The Shadow Bank, which launders money and the real currency is souls.
They must work their way up the levels of Games to reach that goal--and even the smallest Games have death as the price of defeat. And there's plenty of people there who'd like to see them die, simply for the fun of it.
Eddie and Molly deal with the forces arrayed against them with their usual black humor and cheerful violence. Much is accomplished in the book, and even more is left to be done. It seems like the Drood family hasn't run out of dark secrets, no matter how many Eddie uncovers.
It seems like Eddie Drood is always cleaning up the messes he caused--whether he wants to or not. Undercover as Shaman Bond, working with the witch Molly Metcalf, he's assigned the impossible job of breaking the bank at the Shadow Bank. Crow Lee, The Most Evil Man in the World, is dead, but he left behind an Inheritance that many are willing to kill to get their hands on.
To keep it away from those who would misuse it, Eddie and Molly will destroy the bank that finances the darkest deeds and blackest hearts--The Shadow Bank, which launders money and the real currency is souls.
They must work their way up the levels of Games to reach that goal--and even the smallest Games have death as the price of defeat. And there's plenty of people there who'd like to see them die, simply for the fun of it.
Eddie and Molly deal with the forces arrayed against them with their usual black humor and cheerful violence. Much is accomplished in the book, and even more is left to be done. It seems like the Drood family hasn't run out of dark secrets, no matter how many Eddie uncovers.
rosalindmgh's review
3.0
3.5 stars. A rush of in-the-nick-of-time saves and "You don't want to know how I did that" solutions, with nearly every moment struggling to be a blockbuster moment. Though it could be a fun ride, a lot of potential storyline was glossed over along the way.
kathydavie's review against another edition
4.0
Seventh in the Secret Histories urban fantasy series and revolving around Shaman Bond/Eddie Drood and Molly Metcalfe as they save the world yet again.
And it slides in right after The Bride Wore Black Leather (Nightside, 12).
My Take
A comically disguised metaphor for the greed and insanity behind gambling in Green's inimitable style with a currency that begins in cash and quickly proceeds to souls.
Well, that settles it...anyone who loves Ngaio Marsh has to be great… Well, Green is also incredibly amazing for his out-of-this-world imagination. He simply has too much fun, as he pokes fun back at the world.
I never did find out why Molly's memories got suppressed. Admittedly, the trauma of it was probably enough to do it, and what we learn does explain why Molly has pursued this path and made all these deals.
Step one of Molly's memories is a meeting with the new leaders of the faction with which her parents were involved, and it is iffy with them not trusting this brand of Molly who would ally herself with a Drood.
It's all violent action and terrifying magic with the Droods willing to do anything to anyone to achieve their aims. And yet, Green tosses in those silly one-liners and contemporary entertainment references that remind you of the fun. Mary Poppins, anyone? And he never ceases to crack me up with new craziness. A Summit Meeting on Mars?
Oh, I want the food dispenser in the Martian Tombs! No cooking, no dishes...ooh...
Uh-oh...Eddie's lost his torc, and he'll have to cope with being vulnerable without his suit of Drood armour! Truly scary when you realize that everything, and I mean everything is a challenge and a trap at the Casino Infernale, and each level finds the stakes higher. It's a strategy that exposes the inner man---or woman---in their true colors, and Eddie's feeling quite grateful to the Serjeant-at-Arms. Which tells you just how vicious it is.
Whew, lucky that Eddie had his uncle's pack of cards and that Parris had an ego with ambition to match.
Green's over-the-top style keeps it fun with, oddly, no sense of melodrama. It's James Bond in a very wicked wonderland.
The Story
The Regent has promised Molly that if she and Shaman take on this mission to Trammell Island, she'll learn the truth of what happened to her parents. A truth that is so horrible, that Molly has blocked out all memory.
Shockingly, this mission was simply to give Molly closure…Droods just don't do nice! The true mission of Casino Infernale is to prevent Major Players and Individuals of Note from gaining access to Crow Lee's "hoard of secrets, unimaginable wealth, objects of power, blackmail material ... etc." Whoever gains access to this much power could destroy the world. An ambition which the Droods will fight. Or, rather, they'll send Eddie to fight for them...to gamble their souls...and break the Shadow Bank.
The Characters
Eddie Drood has given up on the Drood Family again and gone to work for the Department of the Uncanny, headed up by his thought-to-be-dead grandfather, the Regent of Shadows, Arthur Drood. The same department that employs his not-actually dead parents: Patrick and Diana. Shaman Bond is Eddie's alter ego and completely detached from anything Drood-ish with a reputation for showing up anywhere, anytime, knowing any thing.
Molly Metcalf, the Wild Witch of the Wood, has a traumatic past which includes the last days of the White Horse Faction, a terrorist group intent on remaking the world. Jake Metcalf is Molly's dad. Louise is Molly's whacked sister.
The original Droods were Druids back at the beginning of time. After making a deal with an alien entity, the family has watched over the world, ensuring its survival. According to Drood lights, anyway. Uncle Jack is the family Armourer. Ethel is the new Entity who normally hangs in the Sanctity room. Caradoc is in charge of the costume department.
The Scarlet Lady, a 1958 scarlet and white Plymouth Fury whom we first met in Live and Let Drood, 6, will be their backup.
Hadrian Coll, a.k.a., Trickster Man, is one of the Grey Bastards, Molly's parents' friend, and an advisor for the Faction. The Red King's Ruby was a magical artefact that exists only in dreams. Stephanie Troy, Phil Adams, and Joe Morrison are the leaders of the new White Horse Faction.
The Martian Tombs are the locale for Summit Meetings. This meeting will include Sir Parsifal of the London Knights, an organization which protects Earth from otherworldly enemies; J.C. Chance of the Ghost Finders at the Carnacki Institute; Dead Boy shows up from the Nightside, leaving the Eddie and Uncle Jack wishing they'd sent their new Walker; Bruin Bear, whom everyone can't help but love, and Sea Goat represent Shadows Fall, where legends go to die; and, Natasha Chang of the Crowley Project, Crow Lee's organization. The generic people are cloned and serve the Shadow Bank, and in turn, the Casino Infernale.
The Shadow Bank holds all the cards, in every sense of the word. Even the Droods are afraid of them! François Greyson, alias Fun Time Frankie, will be Eddie and Molly's guide at Casino Infernale. Pan's Panzerpeople are the Fourth Reich Femmes, the Bitches From Hell with a contract on Eddie and Molly. Franklyn Parris is running the Casino Infernale this year. The Jackson Fifty-Five are providing security. Jonathan Stott is the hotel manager. Eiko is head of hotel security and capable of her own transformation.
The gamblers include Jacqueline Hyde, an original party girl, who is desperate to separate from her lover Edward Hyde; Earnest Schmidt currently leads the reformed Brotherhood of the Vril---Hitler supporters; Father Leopold, the gambling priest, represents the Vatican; Junkie Jules; Thirtieth Century Man; Nigel, a.k.a., Déjà Fu the Dancing Fool, is looking for revenge; Little Lord is a tranny looking for a way home; the Bones Man; and, the Card Shark, a ringer brought in by Parris.
Herbert Gregory Walliams was the first (and last) Lord of Trammell who built his own private kingdom on Trammell Island. The Great White Horse is a living god, imprisoned in a Barrow mound before being released.
The Cover
The cover has a pink haze glowing to illuminate the high stakes gamblers in this gaming room and lending to the sense of great depth in the room with its coffered ceiling and pillars. I'm not sure who is the figure silhouetted in pink, clutching a claw-like device in his left hand, but I'd bet anything the lady in the red backless dress is Molly.
The title is where the challenge is, at the Casino Infernale.
And it slides in right after The Bride Wore Black Leather (Nightside, 12).
My Take
A comically disguised metaphor for the greed and insanity behind gambling in Green's inimitable style with a currency that begins in cash and quickly proceeds to souls.
Well, that settles it...anyone who loves Ngaio Marsh has to be great… Well, Green is also incredibly amazing for his out-of-this-world imagination. He simply has too much fun, as he pokes fun back at the world.
"Hmm, there's that whole trust issue:
'...it must be a London Knight. Because only we are true and pure of heart… We can be trusted.'
'Yeah, but can you play cards.'
'Even the least of us is more trustworthy than … a pagan witch who chooses sides more often than her underwear.'"
I never did find out why Molly's memories got suppressed. Admittedly, the trauma of it was probably enough to do it, and what we learn does explain why Molly has pursued this path and made all these deals.
Step one of Molly's memories is a meeting with the new leaders of the faction with which her parents were involved, and it is iffy with them not trusting this brand of Molly who would ally herself with a Drood.
It's all violent action and terrifying magic with the Droods willing to do anything to anyone to achieve their aims. And yet, Green tosses in those silly one-liners and contemporary entertainment references that remind you of the fun. Mary Poppins, anyone? And he never ceases to crack me up with new craziness. A Summit Meeting on Mars?
Oh, I want the food dispenser in the Martian Tombs! No cooking, no dishes...ooh...
Uh-oh...Eddie's lost his torc, and he'll have to cope with being vulnerable without his suit of Drood armour! Truly scary when you realize that everything, and I mean everything is a challenge and a trap at the Casino Infernale, and each level finds the stakes higher. It's a strategy that exposes the inner man---or woman---in their true colors, and Eddie's feeling quite grateful to the Serjeant-at-Arms. Which tells you just how vicious it is.
Whew, lucky that Eddie had his uncle's pack of cards and that Parris had an ego with ambition to match.
Green's over-the-top style keeps it fun with, oddly, no sense of melodrama. It's James Bond in a very wicked wonderland.
The Story
The Regent has promised Molly that if she and Shaman take on this mission to Trammell Island, she'll learn the truth of what happened to her parents. A truth that is so horrible, that Molly has blocked out all memory.
Shockingly, this mission was simply to give Molly closure…Droods just don't do nice! The true mission of Casino Infernale is to prevent Major Players and Individuals of Note from gaining access to Crow Lee's "hoard of secrets, unimaginable wealth, objects of power, blackmail material ... etc." Whoever gains access to this much power could destroy the world. An ambition which the Droods will fight. Or, rather, they'll send Eddie to fight for them...to gamble their souls...and break the Shadow Bank.
The Characters
Eddie Drood has given up on the Drood Family again and gone to work for the Department of the Uncanny, headed up by his thought-to-be-dead grandfather, the Regent of Shadows, Arthur Drood. The same department that employs his not-actually dead parents: Patrick and Diana. Shaman Bond is Eddie's alter ego and completely detached from anything Drood-ish with a reputation for showing up anywhere, anytime, knowing any thing.
Molly Metcalf, the Wild Witch of the Wood, has a traumatic past which includes the last days of the White Horse Faction, a terrorist group intent on remaking the world. Jake Metcalf is Molly's dad. Louise is Molly's whacked sister.
The original Droods were Druids back at the beginning of time. After making a deal with an alien entity, the family has watched over the world, ensuring its survival. According to Drood lights, anyway. Uncle Jack is the family Armourer. Ethel is the new Entity who normally hangs in the Sanctity room. Caradoc is in charge of the costume department.
The Scarlet Lady, a 1958 scarlet and white Plymouth Fury whom we first met in Live and Let Drood, 6, will be their backup.
Hadrian Coll, a.k.a., Trickster Man, is one of the Grey Bastards, Molly's parents' friend, and an advisor for the Faction. The Red King's Ruby was a magical artefact that exists only in dreams. Stephanie Troy, Phil Adams, and Joe Morrison are the leaders of the new White Horse Faction.
The Martian Tombs are the locale for Summit Meetings. This meeting will include Sir Parsifal of the London Knights, an organization which protects Earth from otherworldly enemies; J.C. Chance of the Ghost Finders at the Carnacki Institute; Dead Boy shows up from the Nightside, leaving the Eddie and Uncle Jack wishing they'd sent their new Walker; Bruin Bear, whom everyone can't help but love, and Sea Goat represent Shadows Fall, where legends go to die; and, Natasha Chang of the Crowley Project, Crow Lee's organization. The generic people are cloned and serve the Shadow Bank, and in turn, the Casino Infernale.
The Shadow Bank holds all the cards, in every sense of the word. Even the Droods are afraid of them! François Greyson, alias Fun Time Frankie, will be Eddie and Molly's guide at Casino Infernale. Pan's Panzerpeople are the Fourth Reich Femmes, the Bitches From Hell with a contract on Eddie and Molly. Franklyn Parris is running the Casino Infernale this year. The Jackson Fifty-Five are providing security. Jonathan Stott is the hotel manager. Eiko is head of hotel security and capable of her own transformation.
The gamblers include Jacqueline Hyde, an original party girl, who is desperate to separate from her lover Edward Hyde; Earnest Schmidt currently leads the reformed Brotherhood of the Vril---Hitler supporters; Father Leopold, the gambling priest, represents the Vatican; Junkie Jules; Thirtieth Century Man; Nigel, a.k.a., Déjà Fu the Dancing Fool, is looking for revenge; Little Lord is a tranny looking for a way home; the Bones Man; and, the Card Shark, a ringer brought in by Parris.
Herbert Gregory Walliams was the first (and last) Lord of Trammell who built his own private kingdom on Trammell Island. The Great White Horse is a living god, imprisoned in a Barrow mound before being released.
The Cover
The cover has a pink haze glowing to illuminate the high stakes gamblers in this gaming room and lending to the sense of great depth in the room with its coffered ceiling and pillars. I'm not sure who is the figure silhouetted in pink, clutching a claw-like device in his left hand, but I'd bet anything the lady in the red backless dress is Molly.
The title is where the challenge is, at the Casino Infernale.
jkusters's review against another edition
3.0
I felt that this was one of the weaker Secret History books. It starts with what really felt like a stand-alone shirt story that offered tantalizing glimpses of Molly's history, but that glimpse was all we got for the rest of the novel. The remainder of the book dealt with Shaman's and Molly's infiltration into Casino Infernale and the Shadow Bank. It started off feeling somewhat formulaic, but there were some twists that kept it from becoming completely stale. (There unfortunately were some elements that were completely predictable, like flunkies turning traitor.) It was nice to see what Eddie was capable of without his torc, and it's always a pleasure to see Molly let loose, at least when she wasn't made nearly useless by far too frequent use of "null zones." Overall a pleasurable read in the series but not up to the standards of previous books.
texaswolfman's review against another edition
5.0
Great addition to the series. Spy's, mercenaries, monsters, Gods, aliens and crazy shenanigans. I am in love with Molly the wild witch of the woods.
rbdcaanada's review against another edition
5.0
another excellent entry in the Secret Histories tales.
preiman790's review
4.0
After several lackluster books from MR. Green this came as a welcome surprise. Casino Infernale is something of a return to form for the series and the author in general. Sent on a mission to break the Shadow Bank Eddy must play at the famous Casino Infernale where you play not for money but for immortal souls. And if the stakes weren't high enough already, Eddy must do this mission without the golden armor his family is famous for.
Casino Infernale promises healthy measures of action humor and Simon R. Green's trademark weirdness and it delivers on all accounts. I honestly don't know what was going on before, But I am sincerely glad to see the old Green magic back again.
Casino Infernale promises healthy measures of action humor and Simon R. Green's trademark weirdness and it delivers on all accounts. I honestly don't know what was going on before, But I am sincerely glad to see the old Green magic back again.
lauraakersauthor's review
5.0
Simon R. Green is a prolific writer and the grind of turning out numerous novels can sometimes take away from the quality of the writing. That said, Casino Infernale is top notch. Number 7 in the Secret Histories series, it continues to follow the adventures of Eddie Drood and his wild witch girlfriend, Molly Metcalf.
Without giving too much away, Eddie & Molly are tasked to "break the bank" of the Shadow Bank, a nefarious institution secretly financing the dark side of life and its players. In order to do so, they must compete against the major players in a series of games at Casino Infernale.
The casino scenes and games are flat-out fun. Roulette takes on a new meaning, games are literally life and death and the protagonists are constantly confronted by traps and near-death experiences. Eddie Drood is also hampered by a new, devastating limitation of his powers.
This book is a page-turning, fun read. I would highly recommend it!
Without giving too much away, Eddie & Molly are tasked to "break the bank" of the Shadow Bank, a nefarious institution secretly financing the dark side of life and its players. In order to do so, they must compete against the major players in a series of games at Casino Infernale.
The casino scenes and games are flat-out fun. Roulette takes on a new meaning, games are literally life and death and the protagonists are constantly confronted by traps and near-death experiences. Eddie Drood is also hampered by a new, devastating limitation of his powers.
This book is a page-turning, fun read. I would highly recommend it!
sgilbert3114's review against another edition
4.0
Like all the books in this series, this was a fun read, but I was a little disappointed. It felt like an interlude book, filler, and considering the title, there was actually very little "casino" in it. To read my full review, please visit my blog: https://allyouneedarebooksandcats.wordpress.com/2022/02/10/casino-infernale/