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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
Well-written fantasy noir - dark as you'd expect, with an interesting blend of influences and big things at stake. I enjoyed the main character and am looking forward to the follow ups.
4.5 stars. Fantasy meets crime noir. Quite enjoyed the story; can't put my finger on what the minor detracting point was, but it was certainly there.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a mix of fantasy and murder mystery. It centres around Low Town and Warden who is a drug dealer with a past. When he discovers the dead body of a missing child,that past comes back with a vengeance. Its a darker fantasy story than I usually read,but I really liked it.
The book is written through Warden's P.O.V and I think his voice is what kept this book from being too dark or depressing for me. He has a sarcasm and wit that he uses with relish to help him get out of or into situations depending on his need. He has a dark and sardonic sense of humour I that kept me entertained throughout. I found his investigation interesting,though I knew who the perpetrator was early on. I believe this was intentional to add to the tension for the reader. All in all a very entertaining read,and I will be reading the others in the series.
The book is written through Warden's P.O.V and I think his voice is what kept this book from being too dark or depressing for me. He has a sarcasm and wit that he uses with relish to help him get out of or into situations depending on his need. He has a dark and sardonic sense of humour I that kept me entertained throughout. I found his investigation interesting,though I knew who the perpetrator was early on. I believe this was intentional to add to the tension for the reader. All in all a very entertaining read,and I will be reading the others in the series.
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Now this is my kind of dark fantasy! Low Town is classic noir with a fantasy gloss. Warden is an independent operator, a drug dealing middleman with an abrasive streak a mile wide. Before his fall, he used to be the Ice, a skilled detective, before that, a soldier in a brutal war, and before that, a street urchin. When children begin disappearing from Low Town, Warden is dragged from his comfortable criminal rut and into an investigation that reaches into dark and dangerous places. Because the kids aren't being snatched by slavers or pedophiles, they're being sacrificed. And the Void awaits for everybody.
Warden is a great protagonist, but there's some unevenness in tone and characterization. Polansky has trouble in the middle range between James Ellroy broken-glass rage and sarcastic obsequiousness. Secondary characters are a little thin. Warden is an unrepentant asshole, and if you need to like your protagonist this is not the right book at all. That said, I enjoyed the worldbuilding, which is close enough to the real world to feel authentic while being distinct enough not to be a direct copy. Polansky is a hair short of five star greatness, but this book is strong enough to get me to pick up #2 in the series.
Warden is a great protagonist, but there's some unevenness in tone and characterization. Polansky has trouble in the middle range between James Ellroy broken-glass rage and sarcastic obsequiousness. Secondary characters are a little thin. Warden is an unrepentant asshole, and if you need to like your protagonist this is not the right book at all. That said, I enjoyed the worldbuilding, which is close enough to the real world to feel authentic while being distinct enough not to be a direct copy. Polansky is a hair short of five star greatness, but this book is strong enough to get me to pick up #2 in the series.
Check out my latest review - https://www.alwroteabook.com/2019/04/22/review-low-town-by-daniel-polansky/
This was a cross between the King's Landing parts of A Song of Ice and Fire, The Wire, and a cheap airport paperback. I wanted to like it, but I felt like the author focused on the least interesting parts of the story.
There are a few interesting characters, especially the protagonist, but it's not enough to rescue the plot. Villain monologues galore, which I suppose is necessary when the hero is a better criminal than sleuth.
There was a little too much going on in this book. There was too much world building for a first book and the antagonist was predictable about half way through the book.