Ed's Mini Book Review - The Kill Society: A Sandman Slim Novel

I love me some Sandman Slim. Let that be known up front. Full of witty, smarmy-ness and sometimes obscure, pop culture references. But, to be honest, I couldn't tell you much about the story line of the last few books. I chewed them up for Stark (Sandman Slim) and the pop culture references.

This go around, I was all in. I dug the story and various plot lines and legit wanted to see how it all turns out. Who is the mysterious leader of Havoc, The Magistrate and what is behind his "quest"? Is Stark going to get a new hook-up? I was there, pillar to post and my only big knock is that I think it ended too quickly. There I was, 400 pages in and I still felt cheated. I wanted more, I wanted to see where things took Stark next, but I guess I have to wait until next year.

Overall, an excellent outing for Sandman Slim and I can't wait for the next one.

My Grade: A-

LL

Ed's Mini Book Review - Vicious Circle

Something I want to get in the habit of doing is write a little review when I finish a book. I did this for a couple of movies on Facebook but didn't keep up with it but no I am determined with the books.

First on tap is Vicious Circle by Mike Carey and is the second of his books featuring Brit exorcist Felix Castor. Fans of the film Constantine will probably like the Felix Castor books as the two are similar in concept. Heck, Mike Carey even wrote the comic Hellblazer that the Constantine film was based on.

Felix, or Fix as his friends call him, is an exorcist who uses music to work his mojo, in particular he plays the flute to bind spirits and dispatch of them. In this go around, Felix is brought in to track a ghost, one of a child that has been kidnapped by another exorcist. Of course with all good mysteries, nothing is what it seems and a number of good twists and turns are abound.

Compared to the first Felix Castor book, The Devil You Know, this outing moves at more of a crisp pace and has the energy and feel of a good old mystery just with a bit of the supernatural kicked in for good measure. Carey does an excellent job of tying in the supernatural world of Felix Castor with the storytelling progression that may bog down lesser books and keeps up the action even while delving into the minds of the various characters in the book.

All-in-all, Vicious Circle, was right up my alley. I like my mysteries with a bit of the macabre or the supernatural and this one is a good one. Well written, moves at a brisk pace, has great dialog, and Fix is a protagonist that shines. I look forward to the next case taken by Felix Castor.

A-