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theburnedhand's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
wildfaeriecaps's review against another edition
5.0
I finally know the story behind Daniel driving a bus from the Wisdom's Grave trilogy! Only, now I can't remember why I needed to know that. Guess it's a good thing I'm reading everything over again!
queenterribletimy's review against another edition
4.0
This review was originally posted on Queen's Book Asylum with my choice of song!
Actual rating: 4.5*
Since we are talking about the 5th book in a series, I think it’s safe to say this review for The Killing Floor Blues will contain mild (or not so mild) spoilers for previous books. So, if you haven’t read the series yet, or want to at one point, I will have to ask you to proceed with caution. I will do my best not to spoil the events in The Killing Floor Blues, nor in the previous books, but it might happen.
Now that’s out of the way, let’s talk about our boy, Danny. (I’m pretty sure I would be flayed alive if I called him Danny boy to his face, but here we go.) Things aren’t looking up for him, that’s for sure. By the end of book 4, Daniel Faust got himself into a pretty tight spot, and it’s going to take him a bit more than his charming personality to get out of it. Preferably alive. The odds aren’t in his favor, but then again, when were they? Still, prison life does not suit him, and so he does his best to find a way out. Making friends and enemies left and right as he adjusts to the hierarchy within the walls. Business as usual. And the Chicago mob is just all too happy to use this opportunity to create some more mayhem. Because that’s Vegas needs, obviously.
I think this is the first book in the series, where a good portion of the plot is contained to only one place, in this case, the Iceberg (or officially known as Eisenberg Correctional). In a less skilled hand, this could have gone wrong pretty quickly. Sure, predictably, Daniel does try to break out using any and every trick up his sleeve. And yes, he makes allies to make it happen. There is a hierarchy and you either have to pay up and be protected or be alone against this small, closed world. A tale as old as time.
What makes it entertaining in this case is the plot twists I should have seen coming and didn’t, the characters – Daniel especially, but also the well-crafted side ones -, and the occasional use of magic. I think what I like about Faust, and in this series in general is that magic is not a solution, but a tool. It’s fun to see how Daniel deals with a situation where he can’t rely on his usual sources. Where he needs to use his wit more than anything else. And Schaefer does not make it easy for him. There are hard decisions to make and near impossible situations to get away from. Maybe a tiny bit predictable, but still fun as hell.
I’m sure I mentioned this before, but I just love how Schaefer links his books together. They are all set in the same universe, and sometimes characters from different series cross each others’ paths. Like Harmony Black and Daniel Faust who both have their own series. But later they also cross paths with Nessa and Marie from The Wisdom’s Grave trilogy (I reviewed Sworn to the Night, Detonation Boulevard, and Bring the Fire on the blog previously), which also ties to the Ravenche Cycle. Why I’m bringing this up is because both in A Plain-Dealing Villain and The Killing Floor Blues a mysterious figure called The Smile pulls the strings from the background who goes on about a Story. In The Wisdom’s Grave trilogy the central mystery is set around the same Story. And I’m ashamed to admit that this didn’t click for me until Daniel meets Buddy. I’m not sure if this will be significant to the Daniel Faust series as a whole from here on, but personally, I could have kicked myself why I didn’t see that coming. It’s an interesting tidbit nonetheless if you are familiar with Schaefer‘s universe.
My only complaint – and this is a teeny tiny one – is that events in the last 20% or so go down really quickly. I felt like there could have been a bit more build-up maybe. But I’m really just nitpicking here because I can’t always write 100% glowing reviews for this series.
I always go into a Craig Schaefer novel with high expectations, and so far he never failed to deliver. But I also never know what to expect and I guess that’s what makes this series so damn addictive. I wouldn’t say The Killing Floor Blues was my favorite so far, but that doesn’t mean it’s not up to par with the rest. I can’t wait to find out who wins the war over Vegas.
Actual rating: 4.5*
Since we are talking about the 5th book in a series, I think it’s safe to say this review for The Killing Floor Blues will contain mild (or not so mild) spoilers for previous books. So, if you haven’t read the series yet, or want to at one point, I will have to ask you to proceed with caution. I will do my best not to spoil the events in The Killing Floor Blues, nor in the previous books, but it might happen.
Now that’s out of the way, let’s talk about our boy, Danny. (I’m pretty sure I would be flayed alive if I called him Danny boy to his face, but here we go.) Things aren’t looking up for him, that’s for sure. By the end of book 4, Daniel Faust got himself into a pretty tight spot, and it’s going to take him a bit more than his charming personality to get out of it. Preferably alive. The odds aren’t in his favor, but then again, when were they? Still, prison life does not suit him, and so he does his best to find a way out. Making friends and enemies left and right as he adjusts to the hierarchy within the walls. Business as usual. And the Chicago mob is just all too happy to use this opportunity to create some more mayhem. Because that’s Vegas needs, obviously.
I think this is the first book in the series, where a good portion of the plot is contained to only one place, in this case, the Iceberg (or officially known as Eisenberg Correctional). In a less skilled hand, this could have gone wrong pretty quickly. Sure, predictably, Daniel does try to break out using any and every trick up his sleeve. And yes, he makes allies to make it happen. There is a hierarchy and you either have to pay up and be protected or be alone against this small, closed world. A tale as old as time.
What makes it entertaining in this case is the plot twists I should have seen coming and didn’t, the characters – Daniel especially, but also the well-crafted side ones -, and the occasional use of magic. I think what I like about Faust, and in this series in general is that magic is not a solution, but a tool. It’s fun to see how Daniel deals with a situation where he can’t rely on his usual sources. Where he needs to use his wit more than anything else. And Schaefer does not make it easy for him. There are hard decisions to make and near impossible situations to get away from. Maybe a tiny bit predictable, but still fun as hell.
I’m sure I mentioned this before, but I just love how Schaefer links his books together. They are all set in the same universe, and sometimes characters from different series cross each others’ paths. Like Harmony Black and Daniel Faust who both have their own series. But later they also cross paths with Nessa and Marie from The Wisdom’s Grave trilogy (I reviewed Sworn to the Night, Detonation Boulevard, and Bring the Fire on the blog previously), which also ties to the Ravenche Cycle. Why I’m bringing this up is because both in A Plain-Dealing Villain and The Killing Floor Blues a mysterious figure called The Smile pulls the strings from the background who goes on about a Story. In The Wisdom’s Grave trilogy the central mystery is set around the same Story. And I’m ashamed to admit that this didn’t click for me until Daniel meets Buddy. I’m not sure if this will be significant to the Daniel Faust series as a whole from here on, but personally, I could have kicked myself why I didn’t see that coming. It’s an interesting tidbit nonetheless if you are familiar with Schaefer‘s universe.
My only complaint – and this is a teeny tiny one – is that events in the last 20% or so go down really quickly. I felt like there could have been a bit more build-up maybe. But I’m really just nitpicking here because I can’t always write 100% glowing reviews for this series.
I always go into a Craig Schaefer novel with high expectations, and so far he never failed to deliver. But I also never know what to expect and I guess that’s what makes this series so damn addictive. I wouldn’t say The Killing Floor Blues was my favorite so far, but that doesn’t mean it’s not up to par with the rest. I can’t wait to find out who wins the war over Vegas.
ashkitty93's review
5.0
Good gravy, this series stays interesting. I never did watch Prison Break, but now I'm thinking I definitely want to check it out. I know it won't have Caitlin, but I'll just have to suffer without her.
I really appreciated the chance to let Dan shine on (mostly) his own terms as far as thinking outside the box; I remember the flashback to learning sleight-of-hand tricks fondly, and it was put to good use in forcing him to MacGyver his way out of things here. Of course magic is still in play, but not nearly as much as it has been in previous installments.
And I'm fairly certain Cait let the Balrog borrow her whip, because that's definitely how these things work, right?
I really appreciated the chance to let Dan shine on (mostly) his own terms as far as thinking outside the box; I remember the flashback to learning sleight-of-hand tricks fondly, and it was put to good use in forcing him to MacGyver his way out of things here. Of course magic is still in play, but not nearly as much as it has been in previous installments.
And I'm fairly certain Cait let the Balrog borrow her whip, because that's definitely how these things work, right?
glimnore's review
5.0
At this point, I am honestly not surprised with the sheer quality of work Schaefer has managed to put out. The Killing Floor Blues (Book 5 of the Daniel Faust) has become my number 1 book in the series so far. The paradigm and patterned story that Schaefer has held through the previous 4 books is turned on its head and we are thrown into a new, darker, and grittier environment, with a darker and grittier Daniel than what has been seen in the previous novels.
The story winds through its main plot and then continues on to a bubbling subplot and begins to legitimately tie in elements of Schaefer's other works into the mix. And now things have started to get interesting. Very, very interesting!
For now, being blown away by Schaefer, I feel as if I need to clean my palette before diving back in to his prolific multiverse. And so, I can say with a heavy heart, that I will return to his work soon, after I am ready for another few rounds of brilliant writing.
The story winds through its main plot and then continues on to a bubbling subplot and begins to legitimately tie in elements of Schaefer's other works into the mix. And now things have started to get interesting. Very, very interesting!
For now, being blown away by Schaefer, I feel as if I need to clean my palette before diving back in to his prolific multiverse. And so, I can say with a heavy heart, that I will return to his work soon, after I am ready for another few rounds of brilliant writing.
hpstrangelove's review
5.0
Audiobook review. Narrator: Adam Verner
See review of entire series in book 8.
See review of entire series in book 8.
liz7kathleen's review
5.0
This is my favorite so far. I am amazed at the imagination, ingenuity, and capacity of Craig Schaefer. I love his writing skills when it comes to Faust. Every character is believable and developed for me, the plot is well paced and more than interesting. I eat all of these books up.
queenterribletimy's review
4.0
This review was originally posted on Queen's Book Asylum with my choice of song!
Actual rating: 4.5*
Since we are talking about the 5th book in a series, I think it’s safe to say this review for The Killing Floor Blues will contain mild (or not so mild) spoilers for previous books. So, if you haven’t read the series yet, or want to at one point, I will have to ask you to proceed with caution. I will do my best not to spoil the events in The Killing Floor Blues, nor in the previous books, but it might happen.
Now that’s out of the way, let’s talk about our boy, Danny. (I’m pretty sure I would be flayed alive if I called him Danny boy to his face, but here we go.) Things aren’t looking up for him, that’s for sure. By the end of book 4, Daniel Faust got himself into a pretty tight spot, and it’s going to take him a bit more than his charming personality to get out of it. Preferably alive. The odds aren’t in his favor, but then again, when were they? Still, prison life does not suit him, and so he does his best to find a way out. Making friends and enemies left and right as he adjusts to the hierarchy within the walls. Business as usual. And the Chicago mob is just all too happy to use this opportunity to create some more mayhem. Because that’s Vegas needs, obviously.
I think this is the first book in the series, where a good portion of the plot is contained to only one place, in this case, the Iceberg (or officially known as Eisenberg Correctional). In a less skilled hand, this could have gone wrong pretty quickly. Sure, predictably, Daniel does try to break out using any and every trick up his sleeve. And yes, he makes allies to make it happen. There is a hierarchy and you either have to pay up and be protected or be alone against this small, closed world. A tale as old as time.
What makes it entertaining in this case is the plot twists I should have seen coming and didn’t, the characters – Daniel especially, but also the well-crafted side ones -, and the occasional use of magic. I think what I like about Faust, and in this series in general is that magic is not a solution, but a tool. It’s fun to see how Daniel deals with a situation where he can’t rely on his usual sources. Where he needs to use his wit more than anything else. And Schaefer does not make it easy for him. There are hard decisions to make and near impossible situations to get away from. Maybe a tiny bit predictable, but still fun as hell.
I’m sure I mentioned this before, but I just love how Schaefer links his books together. They are all set in the same universe, and sometimes characters from different series cross each others’ paths. Like Harmony Black and Daniel Faust who both have their own series. But later they also cross paths with Nessa and Marie from The Wisdom’s Grave trilogy (I reviewed Sworn to the Night, Detonation Boulevard, and Bring the Fire on the blog previously), which also ties to the Ravenche Cycle. Why I’m bringing this up is because both in A Plain-Dealing Villain and The Killing Floor Blues a mysterious figure called The Smile pulls the strings from the background who goes on about a Story. In The Wisdom’s Grave trilogy the central mystery is set around the same Story. And I’m ashamed to admit that this didn’t click for me until Daniel meets Buddy. I’m not sure if this will be significant to the Daniel Faust series as a whole from here on, but personally, I could have kicked myself why I didn’t see that coming. It’s an interesting tidbit nonetheless if you are familiar with Schaefer‘s universe.
My only complaint – and this is a teeny tiny one – is that events in the last 20% or so go down really quickly. I felt like there could have been a bit more build-up maybe. But I’m really just nitpicking here because I can’t always write 100% glowing reviews for this series.
I always go into a Craig Schaefer novel with high expectations, and so far he never failed to deliver. But I also never know what to expect and I guess that’s what makes this series so damn addictive. I wouldn’t say The Killing Floor Blues was my favorite so far, but that doesn’t mean it’s not up to par with the rest. I can’t wait to find out who wins the war over Vegas.
Actual rating: 4.5*
Since we are talking about the 5th book in a series, I think it’s safe to say this review for The Killing Floor Blues will contain mild (or not so mild) spoilers for previous books. So, if you haven’t read the series yet, or want to at one point, I will have to ask you to proceed with caution. I will do my best not to spoil the events in The Killing Floor Blues, nor in the previous books, but it might happen.
Now that’s out of the way, let’s talk about our boy, Danny. (I’m pretty sure I would be flayed alive if I called him Danny boy to his face, but here we go.) Things aren’t looking up for him, that’s for sure. By the end of book 4, Daniel Faust got himself into a pretty tight spot, and it’s going to take him a bit more than his charming personality to get out of it. Preferably alive. The odds aren’t in his favor, but then again, when were they? Still, prison life does not suit him, and so he does his best to find a way out. Making friends and enemies left and right as he adjusts to the hierarchy within the walls. Business as usual. And the Chicago mob is just all too happy to use this opportunity to create some more mayhem. Because that’s Vegas needs, obviously.
I think this is the first book in the series, where a good portion of the plot is contained to only one place, in this case, the Iceberg (or officially known as Eisenberg Correctional). In a less skilled hand, this could have gone wrong pretty quickly. Sure, predictably, Daniel does try to break out using any and every trick up his sleeve. And yes, he makes allies to make it happen. There is a hierarchy and you either have to pay up and be protected or be alone against this small, closed world. A tale as old as time.
What makes it entertaining in this case is the plot twists I should have seen coming and didn’t, the characters – Daniel especially, but also the well-crafted side ones -, and the occasional use of magic. I think what I like about Faust, and in this series in general is that magic is not a solution, but a tool. It’s fun to see how Daniel deals with a situation where he can’t rely on his usual sources. Where he needs to use his wit more than anything else. And Schaefer does not make it easy for him. There are hard decisions to make and near impossible situations to get away from. Maybe a tiny bit predictable, but still fun as hell.
I’m sure I mentioned this before, but I just love how Schaefer links his books together. They are all set in the same universe, and sometimes characters from different series cross each others’ paths. Like Harmony Black and Daniel Faust who both have their own series. But later they also cross paths with Nessa and Marie from The Wisdom’s Grave trilogy (I reviewed Sworn to the Night, Detonation Boulevard, and Bring the Fire on the blog previously), which also ties to the Ravenche Cycle. Why I’m bringing this up is because both in A Plain-Dealing Villain and The Killing Floor Blues a mysterious figure called The Smile pulls the strings from the background who goes on about a Story. In The Wisdom’s Grave trilogy the central mystery is set around the same Story. And I’m ashamed to admit that this didn’t click for me until Daniel meets Buddy. I’m not sure if this will be significant to the Daniel Faust series as a whole from here on, but personally, I could have kicked myself why I didn’t see that coming. It’s an interesting tidbit nonetheless if you are familiar with Schaefer‘s universe.
My only complaint – and this is a teeny tiny one – is that events in the last 20% or so go down really quickly. I felt like there could have been a bit more build-up maybe. But I’m really just nitpicking here because I can’t always write 100% glowing reviews for this series.
I always go into a Craig Schaefer novel with high expectations, and so far he never failed to deliver. But I also never know what to expect and I guess that’s what makes this series so damn addictive. I wouldn’t say The Killing Floor Blues was my favorite so far, but that doesn’t mean it’s not up to par with the rest. I can’t wait to find out who wins the war over Vegas.
herbalmoon's review
2.0
I just realized the other night that if it wasn't for Caitlin, I wouldn't like this series very much...which is crazy, because I thought I liked Daniel just fine!
-----
Anyway, a few bits here and there that I've noticed and for some reason not commented on before:
• The guards should be called "corrections officers", not "correctional".
• The incarcerated are always referred to as "inmates", not "prisoners".
(Of course, the Iceberg is run by a private company and isn't a state prison, so I suppose they could call it whatever they liked.)
A couple of blips that involve the actual story:
•Time doesn't match up: when Daniel goes to Doc Savoy to get patched up, he tells him about Jake, Westie and Buddy escaping the day before he did and that Daniel should've gone with them. But a lot more time has passed than that.
- The final battle was on a Wednesday
- It was said that Daniel had at least five days to prepare after going up against Simms, so that must mean the first fight was on Saturday
- Daniel spent four days in the Hole before that, which means if the fourth day was Saturday, he must have gone in on Wednesday
- Which means JWB escaped at least a week before Daniel, not simply a day.
-----
Anyway, a few bits here and there that I've noticed and for some reason not commented on before:
• The guards should be called "corrections officers", not "correctional".
• The incarcerated are always referred to as "inmates", not "prisoners".
(Of course, the Iceberg is run by a private company and isn't a state prison, so I suppose they could call it whatever they liked.)
A couple of blips that involve the actual story:
Spoiler
• Jake and Westie say that Winslow told them they could help a friend of theirs with a "weird stuff" problem, but they never specify who it is that needs help. (It might have been their friend[s] disappearing into hive B, but I didn't entirely understand that part.)•Time doesn't match up: when Daniel goes to Doc Savoy to get patched up, he tells him about Jake, Westie and Buddy escaping the day before he did and that Daniel should've gone with them. But a lot more time has passed than that.
- The final battle was on a Wednesday
- It was said that Daniel had at least five days to prepare after going up against Simms, so that must mean the first fight was on Saturday
- Daniel spent four days in the Hole before that, which means if the fourth day was Saturday, he must have gone in on Wednesday
- Which means JWB escaped at least a week before Daniel, not simply a day.
zefrien's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25