Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Book Review: Where Angels Fear To Tread

I'm not sure I would have picked this book up on my own. I found out about the series while reading the book "Mean Streets". I picked the book up for the Dresden Files and Nightside short stories, but also found the Remy Chandler story interesting.

Remy is a private investigator. Tends to pick up some of the more unusual cases. Remy is also short for Remiel, as in the Archangel. He's been on Earth for several centuries in human form. He's got a dog that he can talk with, a wife who recently passed away, some friends, and a seraphim nature that he has to fight to keep under control. Kinda the same way Bruce Banner has to keep the Hulk under control. It's really a whole other personality that wants to come out and go into battle. When it does it's wings and the whole get up.

Some years back a cult that worshiped a lesser god created a new vessel for him to inhabit. That vessel was in the form of a baby. But their plans were foiled and something else filled the child when the godling was unable. This something was a fragment of creation. A burning ember from the Big Bang. A drop of God's power. And now everybody wants it. The godling wants the body. The power is just a bonus. Delilah (as in Samson and...) has been kept alive by God as punishment for what she did to Samson and she wants the power to allow herself to die (so she says). Samson wants to kill Delilah. The child's mother just wants her daughter back. The child's father figures his life will be better if he repents and brings the girl back to the church. And Remy just wants to get the kid back from her father and give her back to her mother.

It's more light hearted than the Nightside books. Remy has some good banter with his friends. His dog can be pretty entertaining, too. It's not really a mystery book in that you can try to outthink the detective. But then, I suppose few of the books about PIs really are. This, like most of the others I've read have been the sort where you watch the story unfold.

The book does alright by itself, but I really do want to go back and read the first two books in this series.

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