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A review by divapitbull
Friends of the Dusk by Phil Rickman
4.0
Review contains minor spoilers.
Friends of the Dusk is classic Merrily Watkins and a very enjoyable addition to the series. This time around Rickman takes on the vampire myth – Herefordshire style. So not a “classic” vampire exactly; more of a “peradventure the Lord has given power to the evil angel of the lost soul to move about in the dead corpse” sort of vampire. A possession of sorts. Perfect job for the local Deliverance Minister. Except of course nothing is ever straight forward in Merrily’s world.
It starts when Rajab Ali Khan - of the West Midlands cocaine chain fame - asks her to deal with the poltergeists in his cousin Adam Malik’s home. The ancient farmhouse was bought by Adam and his in-laws and is being lovingly restored by his father in law. The property was purchased from the scholar Selwyn Kindley -Price and seems to have come with a bit of baggage and a salacious history. It seems Selwyn connected a medieval vampire tale to the valley in which his farmhouse/castle sits and started churning out pre-Twilight era books aimed at the teen/tween set with the end goal of having as much sex as possible with very young girls. Seems like old lecherous Selwyn invited something nasty in and a Major E might be called for. Too bad Merrily can’t follow protocol and go to her Bishop. Poor old Bernie Dunmore’s had a stroke and his replacement Craig Innes is what Huw Owen unaffectionately refers to as “a cunt” so you know that can’t be good. Innes wants to do away with the Night Job and send it back where it belongs – to the psychiatrists – and so wants to oust Merrily in the process.
As if this isn’t all bad enough a hurricane has taken down an ancient tree at a historical site and it looks like we have a deviant burial – head chopped off and between the knees with a stone in it’s mouth to prevent Selwyn’s original evil angel from coming back. Enter Frannie Bliss because some people feel that ancient skull is worth killing for – brutally – and once again Bliss and Merrily’s paths cross as the mundane intersects with the metaphysical.
In this installment both Lol and Jane are home and do their part to support Merrily.
What I really liked:
-Anthea White batting for the side of light for her little clergyperson and condescending that perhaps a blessing would not cause offense.
-Sophie’s quiet yet respectably devious rebellion and loyalty to Merrily.
-Huw Owen’s very resourceful handling of Bishop Innes – what with all the falling on steps and falling into doors, phones getting nicked and Bishops with anger management problems getting blackmailed.
-Frannie and Annie
What I didn’t like:
-Jane’s coming of age crisis. Classic Rickman – leave the breadcrumbs and let you fill in the blanks. The way it was built up – with the apparent angst and turmoil and secrecy – my blanks pointed towards roofied gang rape on sacred ground. Actual blanks pointed towards….seriously, *that’s* your crisis? Underwhelming.
-Bliss’s visit to Charlie Howe. Once again…did he even know WHY he was going? Was there really something significant he hoped to accomplish or is he simply a masochist?
-The fact that Rickman is much smarter than me because I still feel like I need the ending spelled out…the connection between Selwyn and his Maleficus and his son’s behavior….contamination by approximation? Bad genetics? Aisha’s involvement – is she like Lucy Westenra – one of the possessed Brides of Dracula? And what exactly was she doing wandering around looking like a mature lady who’s been around the block? Or more specifically - *Who* was she doing?
What I can’t wait for (hurry up with the next book already)
-The shit-storm that accompanies the outing of Frannie and Annie (hope they make it)
-Craig Innes’s reaction to having his clock cleaned by Huw and having to suffer the ongoing presence of a Deliverance Minister.
What I hope for:
-Charlie Howe going down for all the dirt
-Lol and Merrily making it official
-Frannie and Annie making it official – unless that means they can’t keep working together; in which case making it a well known secret.
.
Friends of the Dusk is classic Merrily Watkins and a very enjoyable addition to the series. This time around Rickman takes on the vampire myth – Herefordshire style. So not a “classic” vampire exactly; more of a “peradventure the Lord has given power to the evil angel of the lost soul to move about in the dead corpse” sort of vampire. A possession of sorts. Perfect job for the local Deliverance Minister. Except of course nothing is ever straight forward in Merrily’s world.
It starts when Rajab Ali Khan - of the West Midlands cocaine chain fame - asks her to deal with the poltergeists in his cousin Adam Malik’s home. The ancient farmhouse was bought by Adam and his in-laws and is being lovingly restored by his father in law. The property was purchased from the scholar Selwyn Kindley -Price and seems to have come with a bit of baggage and a salacious history. It seems Selwyn connected a medieval vampire tale to the valley in which his farmhouse/castle sits and started churning out pre-Twilight era books aimed at the teen/tween set with the end goal of having as much sex as possible with very young girls. Seems like old lecherous Selwyn invited something nasty in and a Major E might be called for. Too bad Merrily can’t follow protocol and go to her Bishop. Poor old Bernie Dunmore’s had a stroke and his replacement Craig Innes is what Huw Owen unaffectionately refers to as “a cunt” so you know that can’t be good. Innes wants to do away with the Night Job and send it back where it belongs – to the psychiatrists – and so wants to oust Merrily in the process.
As if this isn’t all bad enough a hurricane has taken down an ancient tree at a historical site and it looks like we have a deviant burial – head chopped off and between the knees with a stone in it’s mouth to prevent Selwyn’s original evil angel from coming back. Enter Frannie Bliss because some people feel that ancient skull is worth killing for – brutally – and once again Bliss and Merrily’s paths cross as the mundane intersects with the metaphysical.
In this installment both Lol and Jane are home and do their part to support Merrily.
What I really liked:
-Anthea White batting for the side of light for her little clergyperson and condescending that perhaps a blessing would not cause offense.
-Sophie’s quiet yet respectably devious rebellion and loyalty to Merrily.
-Huw Owen’s very resourceful handling of Bishop Innes – what with all the falling on steps and falling into doors, phones getting nicked and Bishops with anger management problems getting blackmailed.
-Frannie and Annie
What I didn’t like:
-Jane’s coming of age crisis. Classic Rickman – leave the breadcrumbs and let you fill in the blanks. The way it was built up – with the apparent angst and turmoil and secrecy – my blanks pointed towards roofied gang rape on sacred ground. Actual blanks pointed towards….seriously, *that’s* your crisis? Underwhelming.
-Bliss’s visit to Charlie Howe. Once again…did he even know WHY he was going? Was there really something significant he hoped to accomplish or is he simply a masochist?
-The fact that Rickman is much smarter than me because I still feel like I need the ending spelled out…the connection between Selwyn and his Maleficus and his son’s behavior….contamination by approximation? Bad genetics? Aisha’s involvement – is she like Lucy Westenra – one of the possessed Brides of Dracula? And what exactly was she doing wandering around looking like a mature lady who’s been around the block? Or more specifically - *Who* was she doing?
What I can’t wait for (hurry up with the next book already)
-The shit-storm that accompanies the outing of Frannie and Annie (hope they make it)
-Craig Innes’s reaction to having his clock cleaned by Huw and having to suffer the ongoing presence of a Deliverance Minister.
What I hope for:
-Charlie Howe going down for all the dirt
-Lol and Merrily making it official
-Frannie and Annie making it official – unless that means they can’t keep working together; in which case making it a well known secret.
.