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ragsr's review
1.0
Reads like a poorly written cross between Simon R Green and the infinitely better Atrocity Archives series by Charles Stross. Read those instead and save your time.
akagingerk's review
3.0
Not bad, not amazing. The jokes are funny, the situations moreso. The some of the characters fall a bit flat, and the protagonist is slightly self-contradictory. (He's only been on the job a few months--and yet he's seen it all before. That combination of world-weary and naive is a hardsell.) And, again, I noticed some gender issues, particularly in the first chapter. Apparently, that's my new thing.
But again, it's funny. Really, really funny. And not afraid of making the stupid joke, which I admire.
If you're all caught up on Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and Simon Green's Nightside, this might tide you over.
But again, it's funny. Really, really funny. And not afraid of making the stupid joke, which I admire.
If you're all caught up on Jim Butcher's Dresden Files and Simon Green's Nightside, this might tide you over.
brownbetty's review
A potentially interesting book (which seemed vaguely as if it might be a sequel, but I couldn't find out whether or not this was the case) which ended up being disappointing.
The story is told in first person by Simon Candorous, who is an unreliable narrator: and not the literary sort of unreliable, where he tells you untrue things because he's got a secret, or is interestingly deceived, he's just the sort of unreliable which forgets to pick you up at the bus station because he thought that was yesterday, or tomorrow, and anyway, his show was on.
Simon works for the Department of Paranormal Affairs, whatever name it's being called in this book, and is new, and somewhat uncertain in his position, and his interactions with the paranormal. He's a touch-psychic, but he's not really used to foiling zombie invasions. The action begins when he and his partner find themselves dealing with a ghost who just isn't as dead as she should be.
Where the story fell apart for me is that the author doesn't seem aware of the mismatch between what the narrator is telling the reader, and what is actually taking place on the page. For example, at one point Simon says of his 'good cop' role in the partnership, "I knew the routine, something so simple even I could handle it given my limited amount of fieldwork at Connor's side." And then he does it really badly.
Simon finds Irene, the ghost they are investigating fascinating, and the books wants me to believe that he is smitten with her. But their flirtation was so awkward as to be creepy. Here's the passage where I gave up:
"She floated off, laughing, and in that moment, I desperately wished that Irene were alive. Not because of my strange attraction with her, or that she was someone I could picture myself dating, but because it would be easier to strangle her smart ass that way."
Granted, Irene had been performing the obnoxiousness that the author seems to feel counts as flirting (and I guess it was flirting in high school), and I'm pretty sure actual domestic violence is not part of Simon's character. But he just wished that a dead woman were alive so he could strangle her: how am I supposed to like this man enough to keep reading about him?
The story is told in first person by Simon Candorous, who is an unreliable narrator: and not the literary sort of unreliable, where he tells you untrue things because he's got a secret, or is interestingly deceived, he's just the sort of unreliable which forgets to pick you up at the bus station because he thought that was yesterday, or tomorrow, and anyway, his show was on.
Simon works for the Department of Paranormal Affairs, whatever name it's being called in this book, and is new, and somewhat uncertain in his position, and his interactions with the paranormal. He's a touch-psychic, but he's not really used to foiling zombie invasions. The action begins when he and his partner find themselves dealing with a ghost who just isn't as dead as she should be.
Where the story fell apart for me is that the author doesn't seem aware of the mismatch between what the narrator is telling the reader, and what is actually taking place on the page. For example, at one point Simon says of his 'good cop' role in the partnership, "I knew the routine, something so simple even I could handle it given my limited amount of fieldwork at Connor's side." And then he does it really badly.
Simon finds Irene, the ghost they are investigating fascinating, and the books wants me to believe that he is smitten with her. But their flirtation was so awkward as to be creepy. Here's the passage where I gave up:
"She floated off, laughing, and in that moment, I desperately wished that Irene were alive. Not because of my strange attraction with her, or that she was someone I could picture myself dating, but because it would be easier to strangle her smart ass that way."
Granted, Irene had been performing the obnoxiousness that the author seems to feel counts as flirting (and I guess it was flirting in high school), and I'm pretty sure actual domestic violence is not part of Simon's character. But he just wished that a dead woman were alive so he could strangle her: how am I supposed to like this man enough to keep reading about him?
jen1110's review
2.0
This was entertaining. I liked the premise, but the main character annoyed me. There are only two characters with any depth, but we don't see it until the last couple pages. I probably won't be reading the sequel any time soon.
weremallard's review
2.0
I wanted to like this book. I really did. And the story line was interesting. Sadly, though, it wasn't interesting enough to save the book from the misogynistic and blatantly chauvinistic tone or the fact that Simon is an asshole. I finished it to see what happened, but wow.
pauliree's review
4.0
This is more three and a half than four stars but again that bugbear with Goodreads about not having the half star. I really enjoyed this book. Simon is quite the lovable rogue, an ex-thief now using his powers for good, in a great romp set in NY. The supporting characters are quirky, the love interest is feisty, the baddies are sufficiently evil while being politically correct. All in all a lot of fun.
wyvernfriend's review
This is an interesting read.
Simon Canderous used to be a petty thief, he's a psychometrist who now works for New York's underfunded and mostly secret Department of Extraordinary Affairs. He finds himself involved in a murder mystery when he spills coffee through a ghost. Things turn into a roller-coaster ride for the characters and the reader.
I really did like the convoluted and complicated situations and charcters, it wasn't perfect, but it does show a lot of promise.
Simon Canderous used to be a petty thief, he's a psychometrist who now works for New York's underfunded and mostly secret Department of Extraordinary Affairs. He finds himself involved in a murder mystery when he spills coffee through a ghost. Things turn into a roller-coaster ride for the characters and the reader.
I really did like the convoluted and complicated situations and charcters, it wasn't perfect, but it does show a lot of promise.
annampiranha's review
2.0
I enjoyed this somewhat. The hero was a bit awkwardly drawn at times and the secondary characters were pretty flat. The plot clipped along nicely. I will read the author's next installment in the hope that he improves.
mercwolfmoor's review
3.0
I loved the corniness of this novel. It wasn't terribly deep and I didn't quite care about the characters, but it was fun. I absolutely ADORE all the titles of the offices, the pamphlets and seminars, and just the general way the bureaucracy was set up--cultists having their own government divisions, the Fraternity of Goodness (F.O.G.), and the rest were my favorite bits. And the killer bookshelf. It was a breezy, entertaining popcorn novel. I'd read the next books for the same elements.
kimberlybea's review
3.0
This one has been sitting on my TBR shelf for awhile, patiently waiting for me to pick it up. It was in good company , among a lot of other urban fantasy novels waiting to be read, but what finally convinced me to pick up Dead to Me was a. Strout's interview at Bitten by Books and b. my reading of Ann Aguirre's Blue Diablo, which also involves a psychometrist---I was curious to compare the two. Psychometry is the ability to read the history of an object solely by touch; it's an ability that I haven't seen crop up too much in urban fantasy, and Strout and Aguirre both handle it well, in distinctly different ways (yeah, I was worried, I'll admit it). For Simon Canderous, psychometry is both a burden that prevents his having ordinary relationships and a gift that led to his joining New York's Department of Extraordinary Affairs. Previously a petty thief, Simon has been working for the bureau for seven months, mentored by the older, somewhat more conservative Connor Christos, when he spills his drink through a beautiful woman. Irene Blatt doesn't remember how she died, and of course it falls to Simon and Connor to solve the mystery, though they'll have to face down the powers of darkness to do so.
Reviewing this book reminds me in a way of grading a B paper; although B is a good grade, I find myself having to defend it by pointing out all the reasons I didn't give it an A. Similarly, Dead to Me was an enjoyable read, though it falls short of amazing; enjoyable enough that i am now reading the second book to see if any of the issues I had with book one will have been resolved. I really like Simon for both his personality and his ability, which has the drawback of making him terribly hypoglycemic. I also really like the world of the DEA, which has its headquarters behind a coffee shop called Lovecrafts (hee hee!), officers known as Inspectres and Enchancellors (hee hee hee!), and subdivisions like Things that Go Bump in the Night. I giggled at every reference to the workshops and pamphlets the Department has to offer (e.g. Deadside Manner: Staying Cool in Troubled Times), and I agree with those who have compared the the department to something out of Men in Black. So those are the things I liked about the book.
The things I dislike about Dead to Me are all more or less connected and relate to how Strout portrays the female characters in this book: that is, not well. I have no problem with Irene being as damsel in distress---since she is non-corporeal and an amnesiac, it makes sense that she would need Simon and Connor's help. I'm less willing to make allowances for Tamera, a minor character with whom Simon has an abortive attempt at intercourse at the beginning of the book----in her position, feeling like my date has been spying on me, the last thing I'd do is call him fifty times demanding explanations (I'd get as far away as possible). However, the worst example of a poorly portrayed female character is Jane, about how I can't say too much without revealing spoilers, but who really struck me as both incompetent and juvenile. Most of the urban fantasy I read features strong female characters, and in some of those I'll admit the male characters seem to be there mostly for the heroine to ogle. However, I don't enjoy those one dimensional male characters anymore than I do one dimensional female characters, although the former at least are usually good at their jobs. I am hoping that as the series continues and Strout grows as a writer, the women in his books will become more realistic, and what I've read of book 2 suggests that they might.
Reviewing this book reminds me in a way of grading a B paper; although B is a good grade, I find myself having to defend it by pointing out all the reasons I didn't give it an A. Similarly, Dead to Me was an enjoyable read, though it falls short of amazing; enjoyable enough that i am now reading the second book to see if any of the issues I had with book one will have been resolved. I really like Simon for both his personality and his ability, which has the drawback of making him terribly hypoglycemic. I also really like the world of the DEA, which has its headquarters behind a coffee shop called Lovecrafts (hee hee!), officers known as Inspectres and Enchancellors (hee hee hee!), and subdivisions like Things that Go Bump in the Night. I giggled at every reference to the workshops and pamphlets the Department has to offer (e.g. Deadside Manner: Staying Cool in Troubled Times), and I agree with those who have compared the the department to something out of Men in Black. So those are the things I liked about the book.
The things I dislike about Dead to Me are all more or less connected and relate to how Strout portrays the female characters in this book: that is, not well. I have no problem with Irene being as damsel in distress---since she is non-corporeal and an amnesiac, it makes sense that she would need Simon and Connor's help. I'm less willing to make allowances for Tamera, a minor character with whom Simon has an abortive attempt at intercourse at the beginning of the book----in her position, feeling like my date has been spying on me, the last thing I'd do is call him fifty times demanding explanations (I'd get as far away as possible). However, the worst example of a poorly portrayed female character is Jane, about how I can't say too much without revealing spoilers, but who really struck me as both incompetent and juvenile. Most of the urban fantasy I read features strong female characters, and in some of those I'll admit the male characters seem to be there mostly for the heroine to ogle. However, I don't enjoy those one dimensional male characters anymore than I do one dimensional female characters, although the former at least are usually good at their jobs. I am hoping that as the series continues and Strout grows as a writer, the women in his books will become more realistic, and what I've read of book 2 suggests that they might.
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