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tquid's review against another edition
4.0
Superb debut. "Noir fantasy" would make you think of the modern settings with magic genre, but that's not it. It's what's going on in the seamy underground of a relatively straight, if dark fantasy setting. Perhaps more into the pre-Enlightenment era rather than the faux medieval that's standard, as people wear suits of some kind and there are artillery pieces (but not personal firearms). The protagonist's background suggests a war similar to World War I, complete with trench warfare.
Using noir-inflected language carries a strong risk of accidentally satirizing yourself. Polansky deftly avoids it, reminding me of Lew Archer's self-deprecating, but never silly, reflections as the first-person narrator. Warden is no classic good guy--he's an ex-cop turned drug dealer--but does fill a classic role as someone who almost never talks about doing good, but does it seemingly against his "better" (or at least, more self-interested) judgment.
The novel also avoids off-putting "grittiness" I find in a lot of fantasy attempts these days. The world is indeed nasty and uncaring in a lot of ways, but the police figures aren't all evil, and there is a believable sense of community to the underworld that is Low Town. They exist at the margins, but no one scoffs and sneers at the murder of children, and we get to see the uncertainty and pain of a tight-knit community reacting to inhuman horror. Rather than wallowing in it, this humanizes the characters.
On top of that, it's a ripping good read. I could criticize the ending a little--it wraps up rather too fast for such a breakneck surprise--but with all the rest of the strengths, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants some fantasy with a different outlook.
Using noir-inflected language carries a strong risk of accidentally satirizing yourself. Polansky deftly avoids it, reminding me of Lew Archer's self-deprecating, but never silly, reflections as the first-person narrator. Warden is no classic good guy--he's an ex-cop turned drug dealer--but does fill a classic role as someone who almost never talks about doing good, but does it seemingly against his "better" (or at least, more self-interested) judgment.
The novel also avoids off-putting "grittiness" I find in a lot of fantasy attempts these days. The world is indeed nasty and uncaring in a lot of ways, but the police figures aren't all evil, and there is a believable sense of community to the underworld that is Low Town. They exist at the margins, but no one scoffs and sneers at the murder of children, and we get to see the uncertainty and pain of a tight-knit community reacting to inhuman horror. Rather than wallowing in it, this humanizes the characters.
On top of that, it's a ripping good read. I could criticize the ending a little--it wraps up rather too fast for such a breakneck surprise--but with all the rest of the strengths, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants some fantasy with a different outlook.
cupiscent's review against another edition
4.0
This is so close to being really excellent that I'm possibly more disposed to be harsh on its flaws. It was occasionally a magnificent exercise in language (from the arch-Confucian slanging matches to the pithy reflections) but occasionally merely good. It's a charmingly complex and historied world, but a somewhat same-old urban setting. The Chinese-based race teetered alarmingly on the verge of racefail now and then; I'm quite uncomfortable with some of the decisions made there. But our "hero" is convincingly part of a really gritty underworld in a way that far too often thief-heroes aren't.
Overall, I feel like it was quite a short, sharp and simple story; done very well, but I would have really loved some complexity, complication, extrapolation... MORE. I'm really just terribly demanding.
Overall, I feel like it was quite a short, sharp and simple story; done very well, but I would have really loved some complexity, complication, extrapolation... MORE. I'm really just terribly demanding.
grilledcheesesamurai's review
4.0
I grew up in the country. Yup...a rural boy. I can't even count how many times I would be ripping down the gravel roads on my BMX and end up flipping over the handlebars, scraping my flesh across all the loose rock and stones. Those dirt rashes were always the worst.
So many times I would come rushing home a bloody mess, a big grin on my face, and hoping my mom wouldn't smack me upside the head for being an idiot while she tenderly dressed and cleaned my wounds.
No matter how much blood, no matter the size of the cuts, mom always made it better.
Which is good - cuz I did a lot of stupid shit while I was growing up.
That's what this book made me feel.
It's a dirty, dangerous, gravel road. But I'll be damned if I wasn't grinning from ear to ear as I turned those pages.
So many times I would come rushing home a bloody mess, a big grin on my face, and hoping my mom wouldn't smack me upside the head for being an idiot while she tenderly dressed and cleaned my wounds.
No matter how much blood, no matter the size of the cuts, mom always made it better.
Which is good - cuz I did a lot of stupid shit while I was growing up.
That's what this book made me feel.
It's a dirty, dangerous, gravel road. But I'll be damned if I wasn't grinning from ear to ear as I turned those pages.
selenajournal's review
3.0
Rare is the situation that requires the full range of one's perceptions, and in general the world is improved by being only dimly visible. -2%
The world is an ugly place, and we ought to be grateful for any blinders that limit our comprehension - better to scuttle along the surface than dive in the noxious waters beneath. -46%
It was the time of year when it pays to be conscious of every last ray of sunshine and gust of warm air, the fading heat soon to be submerged beneath winter's implacable thrall. -60%
"Don't you want to know what I saw?" she asked. "Everyone always wants to know what's ahead of them." "People are fools. You don't need a prophet to tell the future. Look at yesterday, then look at today. Tomorrow is likely to be the same, and the day after." -76%
murcatto's review
4.0
There is a lot to like here, especially the very scarred and grimdark main character, 'the Warden'.
The story focusses mainly on the main character but has a nice, but small, cast of interesting side characters. Top it off with a nice surprising ending and I'm satisfied.
I'd also like to mention the excellent narration by Rob Shapiro. It's a real shame that the second book doesn't have an audiobook version though. [edit: There now is an audiobook!]
The story focusses mainly on the main character but has a nice, but small, cast of interesting side characters. Top it off with a nice surprising ending and I'm satisfied.
I'd also like to mention the excellent narration by Rob Shapiro. It's a real shame that the second book doesn't have an audiobook version though. [edit: There now is an audiobook!]
lienemcs's review
5.0
Well done noir with supernatural elements, strong lead and supporting characters, executed extremely well in the audio book.
vhoss_bookgraph's review
5.0
I really like hard-boiled detective novels and film noir.
I also really like fantasy novels and morally gray protaganists.
This was an excellent combination of many of those elements.
I also really like fantasy novels and morally gray protaganists.
This was an excellent combination of many of those elements.
richardwells's review
5.0
Almost all the other reviews are going to tell you this book is a mix of noir and fantasy. Ok, fine, though I don't think the genre talk is all that illuminating. "Low Town," is a fantasy that looks to me like book one of a series, and is so good I hope there will be a series. Plot, character, language, and milieu are right on the mark, and it's a quick, humorous, and exciting read that doesn't take itself more seriously than necessary
The Warden was a street urchin saved from the streets by a master sorcerer. He's now all growed up to a life of crime after a horrendous stint in the army and an immersion in the intelligence service. He's a wise cracking addict, dealer, and hustler with a heart of gold who plies his trade in the streets of Low Town, the slums of Rigus. He knows just about everybody worth knowing, and quite a few characters who aren't. He's got partners who run his front business, and he's picked up on his very own urchin for pedagogy and profit, and that's his family unit.
Mayhem is an operating and organizing principle in Low Town, and it's pretty much eye-ball to eye-ball except when the sorcerers get involved and conjure spectral assassins to do their bloody business.
Daniel Polansky has done quite a job of conjuring himself. Like the best fantasy, "Low Town" creates a world with a class and power strata at all levels, customs, rituals, religion, argot, architecture, dress, and even a pharmacopeia of street drugs that seem quite familiar . He's written a hell of a first novel, visual in its own right, and ripe for a movie adaptation.
The Warden was a street urchin saved from the streets by a master sorcerer. He's now all growed up to a life of crime after a horrendous stint in the army and an immersion in the intelligence service. He's a wise cracking addict, dealer, and hustler with a heart of gold who plies his trade in the streets of Low Town, the slums of Rigus. He knows just about everybody worth knowing, and quite a few characters who aren't. He's got partners who run his front business, and he's picked up on his very own urchin for pedagogy and profit, and that's his family unit.
Mayhem is an operating and organizing principle in Low Town, and it's pretty much eye-ball to eye-ball except when the sorcerers get involved and conjure spectral assassins to do their bloody business.
Daniel Polansky has done quite a job of conjuring himself. Like the best fantasy, "Low Town" creates a world with a class and power strata at all levels, customs, rituals, religion, argot, architecture, dress, and even a pharmacopeia of street drugs that seem quite familiar . He's written a hell of a first novel, visual in its own right, and ripe for a movie adaptation.
evavroslin's review
3.0
If you’re looking for a crime-fighting, supernatural-investigating PI with an elf sidekick, fairy friends, and a doomed vampire boyfriend, Low Town is not for you. If on the other hand you’re looking for a noirish fantasy novel featuring plenty of crime, murders, and drug use, not to mention an addict for a main character who used to be a cop, you’ve come to the right place. Low Town, the debut novel from Daniel Polansky, who counts Dashiel Hammett and Raymond Chandler as well as George R.R. Martin among his influences, is a different kind of supernatural noir tale sans the supernatural baddies or the romantic subplots.
To read my full review, go here: http://thedarkeva.com/2011/08/book-review-low-town-by-daniel-polanksy/
To read my full review, go here: http://thedarkeva.com/2011/08/book-review-low-town-by-daniel-polanksy/
bent's review
3.0
This book was fine, fairly enjoyable. It's basically a mystery set in a fantasy setting, and since I'm not a huge mystery fan, the plot didn't engage me as much as it might have otherwise. But I have no other complaints, really, just not my cup of tea.