by
Glen Cook
ISBN: 0-451-45479-0 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com
Another installment in this hard-boiled noirish mystery pastiche set in a fantasy world, this adventure continues with beautiful dames, hard fights, bitter sarcasm, a dash of magic, and an old-fashioned stubborn detective.
Reviewed by David on May 18, 1999 (rev. 1)
Genre: Fantasy (Private Investigator, Mystery)
Synopsis: In an alternate world shared by elves, dwarves and other magical hybrids, the humans are the most highly organized and best armed of the many races. In the slums of Tunfaire, a tough human private detective, Garrett, is being courted by the new human supremacist movement. Fueled by the thousands of out-of-work soldiers returned from a long war, the Call (as in the call to arms) is bent on unleashing violence on the streets of Tunfaire, and in the meantime, confiscating as much loot from the non-humans as possible.
One of Garrett's clients is suffering from the Call's excessively aggressive donation drive, almost indistinguishible from extortion. Add to this some shifty characters, several young women, human and non-human, and a terrifying pair of thugs determined to pay Garrett for past debts, and our tough-boiled PI with a romantic heart is in trouble. But that is even before the secret police, the organized crime and a curious wizard start taking an interest in this investigation.
Full Review: This is the latest in a series of noir-ish hard-boiled detective novels featuring Garrett by Glen Cook. The earlier books were:
This one features all the usual characters: the Nero Wolfe-like Dead Man (an ancient and massive telepathic non-human who lives with Garrett), Morley Dotes, a not entirely honest half-elf and a fellow veteran, the prim cook Dean, the Goddamn Parrot (a curiously obnoxious bird—a gift from Morley) and Garrett's inflammable girlfriend Tinnie.
As Garrett strides around the town, getting thumped and occasionally thumping, he has to cope with unfriendly librarians, old farts who may have useful information, but only when drunk, ogres, and most frequently, pretty girls. As before, he seems almost mobbed by woman of several races, some of them more dangerous than the ogres.
Cook has created an interesting an unusual world, unique in modern fantasy. An humorous pastiche of several masters of the hard-boiled detective story, the gritty feel and the skillful writing make these novels anything but farcical. Filled with sarcasm, and occassionally bitter cynicism, the books are enlivened by a very solid world, at once familiar and exotic.
Cook uses magic very skillfully. Unlike some other authors, here magic is rare but very potent. Most people have no skill in sorcery, but the handful of aristocratic mages are terrifyingly good at their skill. Garrett himself is a classic detective, hiding honor, courage and gentleness beneath the truthful but superficial veneer of lust, sloth and cynicism.
The series, skilled and enjoyable as it is, suffers from its static nature. There is little development from book to book: Garrett continues in his role with little change of character or circumstance. While pretty standard for a detective series, there is progressively less fascination with the world, and the lack of personal development makes the books repetitive (compared to, say, Brust's Vlad Taltos series).
For new readers, or those for whom it has been a while since the last Garrett book, this novel will provide an original, rich experience. For those more familiar with its predecessors, Heat is still pretty solid entertainment, in line with the other "metal" books.
Overall: 6.5; Plot: 5; Characters: 6.5; Style: 6.5; World-building: 7; Originality: 6.5;
Copyright date 1999, Penguin Group (Roc), June 1999, Mass-market, 356 pages
ISBN: 0-451-45479-0 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com