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A review by dlbvenice
Snake Agent by Liz Williams
3.0
An innovative and fascinating universe with characters and a story that didn't quite live up to the possibilities inherent in it. The concepts of a Heaven and Hell folded together with reincarnation and the ability of being to move between the mortal and eternal worlds - with bureaucracies in any and all realms - provides a fertile field for the imagination. The hero is a humble detective with a backstory involving sponsorship by a goddess and a demon wife. Paired with a demon detective from Hell, who seems more good-adjacent than evil, he unwinds a conspiracy that starts with the single thread of a missing girl. Or rather, with the girl's soul, which was supposed to be in heaven but has somehow ended up in the other place.
All this makes for an entertaining story, but little or no character development. Yes, the hero learns a valuable lesson at the end, but it feels as though little or no growth was involved. He might as well have read the lesson off a chalkboard. The detective's wife is a potentially interesting character, placed in some potentially interesting situations, but does little except to escape, hide, follow others, or proclaim her willingness to sacrifice herself for her husband. There are some promising conflicts set up for the demon detective, but they go nowhere.
As for the plot, the ending ties up a large number of loose threads, but it resembles a hasty knot more than a neatly tailored garment. Without providing details, I'll simply note that there are enough character entrances and exits for farce, but many lack any discernible dramatic (or comedic) intent. The heroes make a dramatic escape via means that lack internal consistency and appear to violate what natural laws exist in the author's universe. And major catastrophes in the mortal realm are simply announced to have been resolved within the space of a sentence or two.
As a book for the beach or to curl up and read during a snow day (or sick day), this is fine entertainment. But if you're looking for something a bit more, keep searching.
All this makes for an entertaining story, but little or no character development. Yes, the hero learns a valuable lesson at the end, but it feels as though little or no growth was involved. He might as well have read the lesson off a chalkboard. The detective's wife is a potentially interesting character, placed in some potentially interesting situations, but does little except to escape, hide, follow others, or proclaim her willingness to sacrifice herself for her husband. There are some promising conflicts set up for the demon detective, but they go nowhere.
As for the plot, the ending ties up a large number of loose threads, but it resembles a hasty knot more than a neatly tailored garment. Without providing details, I'll simply note that there are enough character entrances and exits for farce, but many lack any discernible dramatic (or comedic) intent. The heroes make a dramatic escape via means that lack internal consistency and appear to violate what natural laws exist in the author's universe. And major catastrophes in the mortal realm are simply announced to have been resolved within the space of a sentence or two.
As a book for the beach or to curl up and read during a snow day (or sick day), this is fine entertainment. But if you're looking for something a bit more, keep searching.