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lmurray74's review
5.0
It happened that I watched His House (Netflix) and binged Lovecraft Country before reading this and they set me up so well! This is a ghost story/horror/monster/add your own genre. I was up past midnight on a few occasions as I couldn’t put it down (or turn the iPad off). Breadcrumbs are laid down from the start. Moore starts the book where you’d think it might end, with the “rescue” of his granddaughter. But as soon as we think that’s that Ada is pulled back into a heaven that challenges common notions of the realm. Ray knows he has to rescue her again and he travels from Florida to his home borough of Brooklyn, NY. Here Ray meets with an angel and is tasked with killing a demon in order to bring Ada back. He is given a dagger with unusual powers that are put to the test when Ray meets and hooks up with a bartender with more going on that it first appears. (The dagger also plays a heart-in-the-mouth role in the finale).
Chains in the Sky is visceral on all levels. The gore of the monster/demon, popping heads off living people, dead people reassembled, sexual adventure, there is so much here. Ray has dreams that help him solve part of the mystery and he also meets up with an IT nerd who helps a little. The tension never lets up and the ghost of Ada appears on occasion and she is seamlessly incorporated into the story even though Ray is the only one who can see her.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I could tell Carl Moore had fun writing this. It is full of side-eyes while not falling into pastiche or cliché. He balances humor without negating the horror of the situation. It is full of strong visuals and I can see the scenes play out in front of me as I write this.
Chains in the Sky is visceral on all levels. The gore of the monster/demon, popping heads off living people, dead people reassembled, sexual adventure, there is so much here. Ray has dreams that help him solve part of the mystery and he also meets up with an IT nerd who helps a little. The tension never lets up and the ghost of Ada appears on occasion and she is seamlessly incorporated into the story even though Ray is the only one who can see her.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story and I could tell Carl Moore had fun writing this. It is full of side-eyes while not falling into pastiche or cliché. He balances humor without negating the horror of the situation. It is full of strong visuals and I can see the scenes play out in front of me as I write this.
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