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A review by markyon
The Devil's Detective by Simon Kurt Unsworth
4.0
Reading this one, I was tempted to imagine how its sales pitch went. “It’s a detective story, set in Hell – you know, the opposite of Heaven.” For it must be said that The Devil’s Detective is certainly original in that respect.
To this world we are introduced to Fool, occasionally named Thomas, one of three ‘Information Men’ – a detective whose purpose is to investigate those crimes that need to be examined. Fool (never ‘The Fool’) is our hero, of sorts, a character that is more than the usual thin stereotype. Plagued by constant self-doubt, he knows nothing of his own past, nor why he has been given this job to do this seemingly thankless task, yet feels he must.
The first part of the book sets the scene, creating a grisly, dark and depressing environment whilst multiple victims are discovered. There are times when the setting is gruesome, the events described are rather unpleasant and there are dead and decaying bodies throughout. As if you hadn’t guessed already, Hell is really not a nice place to be.
The book begins with the finding of a body which has been beaten up, possibly tortured, floating in Solomon Water. Further investigation by Fool and examiner Morgan at the Questioning House (think autopsy) leads them to discover that the body has been totally severed from its soul – not a usual occurrence, and clearly a deliberate action caused by somebody who does not want others to know anything about the corpse. As a result, there is no memory available to be recalled of the body’s death or its last sight and thoughts.
The setting has a certain imaginative touch. There are some wonderfully inventive ideas here, not all of which are pleasant. Fool spends much of his time wading through fluids and solids of indeterminate origin in his investigations. Indeed, much of the book can be described as grimy. This sense of decay pervades throughout the novel. The once-burning lakes are now creepily still, although in the lakes are skinless demons that occasionally appear from beneath to feed on the souls of the Damned. Limbo is an ocean that laps up to Hell, the bodies floating in it taken ashore when required. In the Flame Garden, flames burn things into existence, returning them to Limbo.
When more bodies are discovered, Fool finds himself on the trail of this multiple killer as the Information Men have been given the task of discovering the murderer. Helped by his colleagues Gordie and Summer, Fool’s investigations lead him to be summoned in front of Rhakshasas, the head of the archdeacons of Hell, where Fool is given an additional mission, to investigate Fool’s friend, The Man of Plants and Flowers. This may or may not conflict with Fool’s own feelings, as he realises that his friend, ‘The Man’ may have his own agenda that may conflict with that of the demons.
To this murk there is a political situation that hints at bigger things at stake. Whilst Fool is investigating the murder he also finds himself being conscripted by his boss Elderflower to assist with negotiations between the Bureaucracies of Heaven and Hell. This is an ongoing process when discussions occur, for reasons not known to Fool, between Heaven and Hell with consequently souls being ‘elevated’ or ‘Lowered’ as a result. Not only does Fool therefore have to deal with an increasingly complex investigation he also has to act as guide to two of Heaven’s representatives, Balthazar and Adam.
What I enjoyed most is the way that Simon has clearly thought out this imaginary world. For what could be such an undefinable place, there is a certain satisfaction in finding that Hell, as most places, has a structure. Not only is this structure physical, but bureaucratic in nature. And perhaps that is the aspect of Hell that is worst of all…
One of the saddest and memorable points made in The Devil’s Detective is that Hell, as a place, is not the traditional view of Hell that we might expect, with fire and brimstone everywhere, although it must be said that there is some should you wish to see it. The brilliance of this version is that Hell has and is changing, always evolving, and that is part of its hellishness. To make it worse, the fact that souls do ascend and descend gives many the hope that things may get better for them – but, of course, with this being Hell, the point is that for many it is hopeless. The consequence of this is the creation of The Sorrowful, groups of humans who wait quietly outside the place of negotiations, who have the temerity to hope that they may be chosen to ascend. Part of Hell is simply existing, without knowing what will happen in the future:
‘ They arrive as flesh from the seas outside, shriven not of their sin but only of their knowledge of it, knowing they are being punished for something without knowing why. They try to do good in the hope that it helps, living each day in the expectation of death or worse, watching as it happens to those around them. They see demons acting without consequence, see Elevations happen without apparent reason, and they suffer. Not the burning agonies of bodies chained to rocks or flesh afire or torn to pieces, no; something worse.’
It is not just this though which makes the story remarkable. Rather strangely, yet also rather understandably, Hell has a societal structure which creates an interesting dimension to the plot. Not only is there a trade between Heaven and Hell for souls, but there are other ways of signifying a soul’s arrival or departure. The demons and the human souls generally live apart, though there is a common social area (I’m tempted to say ‘Hunting Ground’) known as the Houska where the two meet, drink socialise and abuse each other. Fool’s status leads him to go to places previously off-limits to Humans, which are both physically unsettling and at times emotionally uncomfortable – as they should be.
The book draws you in to a rather good ending when there is a resolution (of sorts.) Weirdly, it all seemed rather Blade Runner to me in tone and denouement (which isn’t a bad thing, in my opinion.) The Devil’s Detective works quite nicely (and refreshingly) as a stand-alone novel, such that it would be rather perfect if there was no sequel. However, I suspect that this is not the last time we will get chance to look here.
In summary, The Devil’s Detective is a dark tale, filled with noir-like atmosphere, imaginative and intelligent in its development. I liked the at-times lyrical prose, the subtle characterisation and the rather unremittingly grim setting, the juxtaposition of which suggests that if/when we move onto other planes of existence there might just be hope – in the right circumstances. It’s not a place I’d personally like to stay, but I enjoyed this visit.
To this world we are introduced to Fool, occasionally named Thomas, one of three ‘Information Men’ – a detective whose purpose is to investigate those crimes that need to be examined. Fool (never ‘The Fool’) is our hero, of sorts, a character that is more than the usual thin stereotype. Plagued by constant self-doubt, he knows nothing of his own past, nor why he has been given this job to do this seemingly thankless task, yet feels he must.
The first part of the book sets the scene, creating a grisly, dark and depressing environment whilst multiple victims are discovered. There are times when the setting is gruesome, the events described are rather unpleasant and there are dead and decaying bodies throughout. As if you hadn’t guessed already, Hell is really not a nice place to be.
The book begins with the finding of a body which has been beaten up, possibly tortured, floating in Solomon Water. Further investigation by Fool and examiner Morgan at the Questioning House (think autopsy) leads them to discover that the body has been totally severed from its soul – not a usual occurrence, and clearly a deliberate action caused by somebody who does not want others to know anything about the corpse. As a result, there is no memory available to be recalled of the body’s death or its last sight and thoughts.
The setting has a certain imaginative touch. There are some wonderfully inventive ideas here, not all of which are pleasant. Fool spends much of his time wading through fluids and solids of indeterminate origin in his investigations. Indeed, much of the book can be described as grimy. This sense of decay pervades throughout the novel. The once-burning lakes are now creepily still, although in the lakes are skinless demons that occasionally appear from beneath to feed on the souls of the Damned. Limbo is an ocean that laps up to Hell, the bodies floating in it taken ashore when required. In the Flame Garden, flames burn things into existence, returning them to Limbo.
When more bodies are discovered, Fool finds himself on the trail of this multiple killer as the Information Men have been given the task of discovering the murderer. Helped by his colleagues Gordie and Summer, Fool’s investigations lead him to be summoned in front of Rhakshasas, the head of the archdeacons of Hell, where Fool is given an additional mission, to investigate Fool’s friend, The Man of Plants and Flowers. This may or may not conflict with Fool’s own feelings, as he realises that his friend, ‘The Man’ may have his own agenda that may conflict with that of the demons.
To this murk there is a political situation that hints at bigger things at stake. Whilst Fool is investigating the murder he also finds himself being conscripted by his boss Elderflower to assist with negotiations between the Bureaucracies of Heaven and Hell. This is an ongoing process when discussions occur, for reasons not known to Fool, between Heaven and Hell with consequently souls being ‘elevated’ or ‘Lowered’ as a result. Not only does Fool therefore have to deal with an increasingly complex investigation he also has to act as guide to two of Heaven’s representatives, Balthazar and Adam.
What I enjoyed most is the way that Simon has clearly thought out this imaginary world. For what could be such an undefinable place, there is a certain satisfaction in finding that Hell, as most places, has a structure. Not only is this structure physical, but bureaucratic in nature. And perhaps that is the aspect of Hell that is worst of all…
One of the saddest and memorable points made in The Devil’s Detective is that Hell, as a place, is not the traditional view of Hell that we might expect, with fire and brimstone everywhere, although it must be said that there is some should you wish to see it. The brilliance of this version is that Hell has and is changing, always evolving, and that is part of its hellishness. To make it worse, the fact that souls do ascend and descend gives many the hope that things may get better for them – but, of course, with this being Hell, the point is that for many it is hopeless. The consequence of this is the creation of The Sorrowful, groups of humans who wait quietly outside the place of negotiations, who have the temerity to hope that they may be chosen to ascend. Part of Hell is simply existing, without knowing what will happen in the future:
‘ They arrive as flesh from the seas outside, shriven not of their sin but only of their knowledge of it, knowing they are being punished for something without knowing why. They try to do good in the hope that it helps, living each day in the expectation of death or worse, watching as it happens to those around them. They see demons acting without consequence, see Elevations happen without apparent reason, and they suffer. Not the burning agonies of bodies chained to rocks or flesh afire or torn to pieces, no; something worse.’
It is not just this though which makes the story remarkable. Rather strangely, yet also rather understandably, Hell has a societal structure which creates an interesting dimension to the plot. Not only is there a trade between Heaven and Hell for souls, but there are other ways of signifying a soul’s arrival or departure. The demons and the human souls generally live apart, though there is a common social area (I’m tempted to say ‘Hunting Ground’) known as the Houska where the two meet, drink socialise and abuse each other. Fool’s status leads him to go to places previously off-limits to Humans, which are both physically unsettling and at times emotionally uncomfortable – as they should be.
The book draws you in to a rather good ending when there is a resolution (of sorts.) Weirdly, it all seemed rather Blade Runner to me in tone and denouement (which isn’t a bad thing, in my opinion.) The Devil’s Detective works quite nicely (and refreshingly) as a stand-alone novel, such that it would be rather perfect if there was no sequel. However, I suspect that this is not the last time we will get chance to look here.
In summary, The Devil’s Detective is a dark tale, filled with noir-like atmosphere, imaginative and intelligent in its development. I liked the at-times lyrical prose, the subtle characterisation and the rather unremittingly grim setting, the juxtaposition of which suggests that if/when we move onto other planes of existence there might just be hope – in the right circumstances. It’s not a place I’d personally like to stay, but I enjoyed this visit.