Summer Knight by Jim Butcher
After finishing Grave Peril, I remarked that I wished Harry Dresden wouldn’t always get the crap beaten out of him quite as frequently and badly as he has in the previous novels – and then I read this one, and he doesn’t. Now there are still plenty of fights and action, but Harry manages not to get quite as badly hurt which was nice. I didn’t have to spend various pages reading about how he was too tired to act but had to use up his last ounce of energy to do a spell.
There’s a lot going on in this one as well. The Red Court, a faction of vampires located mainly in South America, and the White Council (the official governing body of the wizards) are at war due to something Harry did. The Red Court promises to end the war if the White Council gives him up, which some would be more than willing to do. Additionally, the White Council needs to get passage through the Never-Never controlled by the faerie world to effectively move during the war, and the only way the Winter Court would be willing to do this is if Harry would do a certain something for them.
Harry doesn’t want to work with the faeries because they aren’t very nice or trustworthy but he has no other choice if he wants to prove himself and not be turned over to the vampires. The Summer Knight, representative of the Summer Court, has been murdered and his power stolen. The Summer Queen suspects the Winter Queen Mab, who is the faerie now holding Harry’s contract (he made a deal with a faerie when he was much younger). He needs to find the murderer and the power to avert a war between the two courts, which would affect the real world very badly, starting with out of whack weather, including raining toads.
Adding to his complications, his presumed dead ex-girlfriend Elaine is back in town, still alive and also embroiled in this case. I really enjoyed this one. Many old characters are back, including Billy and the pack of friendly werewolves, and after being stuck in a nightmare world in the last novel, Murphy gets to fight back in this one.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Book 29: Black Hills
Black Hills by Dan Simmons
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the very generous Hachette Book Group.
I have wanted to read Dan Simmons since I first heard about Drood but I’ve been waiting for it to appear in paperback (that hardcover looks like it could also serve as a murder weapon or doorstop). As a result, this is actually the first Simmons novel I’ve read, and my views are mixed, to say the least.
The premise sounded intriguing though if I’d actually read it before just hearing "free book by Dan Simmons," I’m not sure I would have gotten it. Black Hills is a young Lakota (also known as Sioux) boy who becomes inhabited by General George Armstrong Custer’s ghost, since he touches him as he dies. Black Hills (or Paha Sapa) has already shown a certain supernatural gift, since he occasionally gets flashbacks or flash forwards when he touches people, thus knowing their past or future. For the most part, it’s just small glimpses but there are a few people where this touch leads to him knowing their entire life, Crazy Horse included.
The novel flashes back and forth between that summer in 1876 when Paha Sapa first comes into contact with the ghost and 1936 when he works as a dynamite person on the building of Mt. Rushmore. The novel also takes a look at other times in his life, but these are the major focuses of the novel. In between, there is also Paha Sapa’s stint with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show and his domestic life. Paha Sapa, or Billy Slow Horse as he goes by (or Billy Slovak at other points), wants to destroy Mt. Rushmore, and when he hears that the president, FDR, will come to see the completion and revealing of the second head, Thomas Jefferson, Paha Sapa decides this would be the perfect opportunity.
It took me a little bit of time to get into this novel for several reasons. First of all, I felt like the explosion plot had very little tension to it – I could definitely understand Paha Sapa’s desire to destroy the monument in progress, but it’s Mt. Rushmore – I’m pretty sure I can say we’ve all seen pictures of it, so it’s not like his plot is going to succeed. Maybe if Simmons had used a less well known artifact that actually would have required some googling, it would have been more effective tension-wise, but it wouldn’t have had the same meaning as destroying Mt. Rushmore.
I mentioned earlier that I would have been hesitant to buy this based on the plot description and this is due to the fact that I can occasionally be skeptical when it comes to whites writing about other cultures – granted, I’m sure an actual Lakota wouldn’t be able to completely accurately represent life within the tribes over a hundred years ago either, but that person would still possibly have a better understanding. With white authors, I just fear there is always the chance of slipping into the “noble savage” stereotype. I’m not sure if Simmons avoided that or not (while I definitely enjoyed the later part of the novel, certain parts of the ending and Paha Sapa’s last vision revealed in the novel just irritated me and seemed to take the whole noble savage thing to an extreme).
A few of the chapters are also General Custer’s ramblings – he addresses himself to his wife Libbie, reminiscing about their lives and all the sex they had, especially in the beginning before he realizes he is a ghost trapped in someone’s head rather than just sleeping to recover from his injuries. Towards the end of the novel, his character actually makes a few statements that make some sense (I read Stephen Ambrose’s biography Crazy Horse and Custer years ago, and completely hated Custer as an arrogant bastard that led his men to death for glory – this novel makes the point that he was simply acting on strategies that had never failed in the past) but in the beginning? I really could have passed on all the sex scenes. It’s not that I have a problem with sex scenes but I didn’t need to read about Custer and Libbie having sex on a horse. I guess one of the reasons this bugs me is that these are real people and there are certain things I don’t think we need to imagine about historical figures, sex on a horse being one of them and whether or not Libbie shaved her vagina being another.
The parts I enjoyed the most actually concerned Paha Sapa’s life in the middle, describing the few opportunities he had after that one summer, and his domestic life. To me, it was much more interesting to see how his life developed and what led him to a place where he would want to blow up Mt. Rushmore rather than reading about him plotting it. I’m not sure how this compares to the author’s other novels, but if I had to make a choice, I guess I would recommend this novel to anyone interested though I would probably point out all the things I said above while making the recommendation (and I’d probably only remember to recommend this if it happened to come up in conversation somehow, not in response to “hey, what should I read?”).
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the very generous Hachette Book Group.
I have wanted to read Dan Simmons since I first heard about Drood but I’ve been waiting for it to appear in paperback (that hardcover looks like it could also serve as a murder weapon or doorstop). As a result, this is actually the first Simmons novel I’ve read, and my views are mixed, to say the least.
The premise sounded intriguing though if I’d actually read it before just hearing "free book by Dan Simmons," I’m not sure I would have gotten it. Black Hills is a young Lakota (also known as Sioux) boy who becomes inhabited by General George Armstrong Custer’s ghost, since he touches him as he dies. Black Hills (or Paha Sapa) has already shown a certain supernatural gift, since he occasionally gets flashbacks or flash forwards when he touches people, thus knowing their past or future. For the most part, it’s just small glimpses but there are a few people where this touch leads to him knowing their entire life, Crazy Horse included.
The novel flashes back and forth between that summer in 1876 when Paha Sapa first comes into contact with the ghost and 1936 when he works as a dynamite person on the building of Mt. Rushmore. The novel also takes a look at other times in his life, but these are the major focuses of the novel. In between, there is also Paha Sapa’s stint with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show and his domestic life. Paha Sapa, or Billy Slow Horse as he goes by (or Billy Slovak at other points), wants to destroy Mt. Rushmore, and when he hears that the president, FDR, will come to see the completion and revealing of the second head, Thomas Jefferson, Paha Sapa decides this would be the perfect opportunity.
It took me a little bit of time to get into this novel for several reasons. First of all, I felt like the explosion plot had very little tension to it – I could definitely understand Paha Sapa’s desire to destroy the monument in progress, but it’s Mt. Rushmore – I’m pretty sure I can say we’ve all seen pictures of it, so it’s not like his plot is going to succeed. Maybe if Simmons had used a less well known artifact that actually would have required some googling, it would have been more effective tension-wise, but it wouldn’t have had the same meaning as destroying Mt. Rushmore.
I mentioned earlier that I would have been hesitant to buy this based on the plot description and this is due to the fact that I can occasionally be skeptical when it comes to whites writing about other cultures – granted, I’m sure an actual Lakota wouldn’t be able to completely accurately represent life within the tribes over a hundred years ago either, but that person would still possibly have a better understanding. With white authors, I just fear there is always the chance of slipping into the “noble savage” stereotype. I’m not sure if Simmons avoided that or not (while I definitely enjoyed the later part of the novel, certain parts of the ending and Paha Sapa’s last vision revealed in the novel just irritated me and seemed to take the whole noble savage thing to an extreme).
A few of the chapters are also General Custer’s ramblings – he addresses himself to his wife Libbie, reminiscing about their lives and all the sex they had, especially in the beginning before he realizes he is a ghost trapped in someone’s head rather than just sleeping to recover from his injuries. Towards the end of the novel, his character actually makes a few statements that make some sense (I read Stephen Ambrose’s biography Crazy Horse and Custer years ago, and completely hated Custer as an arrogant bastard that led his men to death for glory – this novel makes the point that he was simply acting on strategies that had never failed in the past) but in the beginning? I really could have passed on all the sex scenes. It’s not that I have a problem with sex scenes but I didn’t need to read about Custer and Libbie having sex on a horse. I guess one of the reasons this bugs me is that these are real people and there are certain things I don’t think we need to imagine about historical figures, sex on a horse being one of them and whether or not Libbie shaved her vagina being another.
The parts I enjoyed the most actually concerned Paha Sapa’s life in the middle, describing the few opportunities he had after that one summer, and his domestic life. To me, it was much more interesting to see how his life developed and what led him to a place where he would want to blow up Mt. Rushmore rather than reading about him plotting it. I’m not sure how this compares to the author’s other novels, but if I had to make a choice, I guess I would recommend this novel to anyone interested though I would probably point out all the things I said above while making the recommendation (and I’d probably only remember to recommend this if it happened to come up in conversation somehow, not in response to “hey, what should I read?”).
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Book 28: Devil in the Details
Devil in the Details: Scenes from an Obessive Girlhood by Jennifer Traig
I picked this up after reading a review of it on Pajiba (I think it was the first selection from this year's Cannonball Read to make it onto the main page). In this memoir, Traig details her experiences with obsessive compulsive disorder as a child and teenager. Her OCD takes a very specific turn as well since she also has scrupulosity, a rather religious form of OCD (and trying to be a strict, Orthodox Jew definitely comes with a lot of rules which appeals to her disorder). Despite all the problems she has had, she approaches her life and her disorder with a sense of humor and there were quite a few very entertaining and funny parts.
While this was all well done, this wasn't a book that kept me gripped in my seat, wanting more. In fact, I was kind of ready for it to end because while her approach and lack of self-pity are very admirable, it also became repetitive. I guess that is rather fitting for a memoir about obsessive compulsive disorder. She also doesn't tell her story in linear fashion which works in some ways but not in others. It is interesting how she discusses different types of her disorder and different symptoms that flare up at separate times (or sometimes all together) but since she lists them all in separate chapters, I think it disguises just how bad it got to an extent. At some points, she seems merely eccentric, at others, it is surprising how her parents even put up with her. Of course, since she grew up in the '70s and '80s, the medical community was not aware of the actual causes and treatments for OCD (chemical disorder and the right drugs respectively).
Overall, it was an interesting view of OCD, especially since I am not too familiar with it beyond the stereotypes. However, to me, after a while, the joke became a little bit old, and I wouldn't have minded something slightly more linear to understand the progression of her disease (even though she did state that it would come and go at times for undetermined reasons).
I picked this up after reading a review of it on Pajiba (I think it was the first selection from this year's Cannonball Read to make it onto the main page). In this memoir, Traig details her experiences with obsessive compulsive disorder as a child and teenager. Her OCD takes a very specific turn as well since she also has scrupulosity, a rather religious form of OCD (and trying to be a strict, Orthodox Jew definitely comes with a lot of rules which appeals to her disorder). Despite all the problems she has had, she approaches her life and her disorder with a sense of humor and there were quite a few very entertaining and funny parts.
While this was all well done, this wasn't a book that kept me gripped in my seat, wanting more. In fact, I was kind of ready for it to end because while her approach and lack of self-pity are very admirable, it also became repetitive. I guess that is rather fitting for a memoir about obsessive compulsive disorder. She also doesn't tell her story in linear fashion which works in some ways but not in others. It is interesting how she discusses different types of her disorder and different symptoms that flare up at separate times (or sometimes all together) but since she lists them all in separate chapters, I think it disguises just how bad it got to an extent. At some points, she seems merely eccentric, at others, it is surprising how her parents even put up with her. Of course, since she grew up in the '70s and '80s, the medical community was not aware of the actual causes and treatments for OCD (chemical disorder and the right drugs respectively).
Overall, it was an interesting view of OCD, especially since I am not too familiar with it beyond the stereotypes. However, to me, after a while, the joke became a little bit old, and I wouldn't have minded something slightly more linear to understand the progression of her disease (even though she did state that it would come and go at times for undetermined reasons).
Saturday, January 09, 2010
Because Things Just Can't As Planned, Of Course
I moved out of my apartment on Thursday and will be staying at a hotel on post till Tuesday which has free internet - that naturally I can't get to work on my computer, hence I'm restricted to a quick session at the library at the moment (and I'm four reviews behind, so I could have really used the internet connection). And the library computer won't let me on facebook.
I was supposed to have my final out yesterday at 1230, which would have involved driving to Vilseck for an appointment with finance and getting my final signatures. Unfortunately, the weather stations were predicting a huge blizzard for yesterday so they closed post down at 1200, including finance. Fortunately I called before driving there, but they unceremoniously told me to come Monday at 1230, which also happens to be when we scheduled my farewell luncheon (I'm hoping that if I show up at 8 and beg, they might let me do it then).
Still, as a result, I had to extend my rental car since I need to drive the half hour to Vilseck still. Also, the post office didn't even bother to open on Friday, and I had a few packages I needed to send to myself. Of course, it turns out that might have been a good thing since I just got an email from the apartment building I will be living in, telling me they are putting me in a different apartment than they originally told me - apparently, I just never got the email. Too bad I already tried to be proactive and set up my utilities and my internet for the apartment number they originally told me, and I no longer have free calling to the States (and I am also having problems getting the phone in the hotel room to let me dial). And my current/former landlord called to tell me I owe him an extra 450 Euro for heating and water that wasn't covered in my rent because things have gotten so much more expensive (not to mention that I had to keep the heat on high because my apartment is cold as hell otherwise).
The best part? The blizzard? Yeah, we got like an inch or two tops. And the only thing we got before 5 pm yesterday was a slight dusting. Nothing like going overboard for nothing - I understand we don't people driving on bad roads but couldn't we wait till it actually starts snowing before freaking out? Maybe?
I was supposed to have my final out yesterday at 1230, which would have involved driving to Vilseck for an appointment with finance and getting my final signatures. Unfortunately, the weather stations were predicting a huge blizzard for yesterday so they closed post down at 1200, including finance. Fortunately I called before driving there, but they unceremoniously told me to come Monday at 1230, which also happens to be when we scheduled my farewell luncheon (I'm hoping that if I show up at 8 and beg, they might let me do it then).
Still, as a result, I had to extend my rental car since I need to drive the half hour to Vilseck still. Also, the post office didn't even bother to open on Friday, and I had a few packages I needed to send to myself. Of course, it turns out that might have been a good thing since I just got an email from the apartment building I will be living in, telling me they are putting me in a different apartment than they originally told me - apparently, I just never got the email. Too bad I already tried to be proactive and set up my utilities and my internet for the apartment number they originally told me, and I no longer have free calling to the States (and I am also having problems getting the phone in the hotel room to let me dial). And my current/former landlord called to tell me I owe him an extra 450 Euro for heating and water that wasn't covered in my rent because things have gotten so much more expensive (not to mention that I had to keep the heat on high because my apartment is cold as hell otherwise).
The best part? The blizzard? Yeah, we got like an inch or two tops. And the only thing we got before 5 pm yesterday was a slight dusting. Nothing like going overboard for nothing - I understand we don't people driving on bad roads but couldn't we wait till it actually starts snowing before freaking out? Maybe?
Saturday, January 02, 2010
Book 27: Grave Peril
Grave Peril by Jim Butcher
I was a little bit disappointed with this novel, if only because I was expecting something slightly different from the blurb on the back: "the spirit world has gone postal . . . these ghosts are tormented, violent, and deadly. Someone - or something - is purposely stirring them up to wreak unearthly havoc." And while overall, this is an accurate description, I was a little bit disappointed with the motivation behind it all when it was revealed - I was just hoping for something bigger, or something that would involve more and larger revelations about Harry's past than are given in this novel.
Also, based on that, I was expecting to see Harry battling a bunch of different ghosts, and while the novel tells us he has been doing this for the past two weeks, at the point where the novel begins, he is dealing with one creature in particular. It's been happening in all the novels, but especially in this one, I just couldn't believe how much and how often Harry gets the crap beaten out of him - can't there be one novel that involves action and adventure with only a few punches and beatings rather than one insane, crushing pummeling after another?
The novel introduces a few new characters, Michael, a knight, and Lea, Harry's faerie godmother, which is not a good thing. Additionally, Bianca, a vampire that Harry pissed off quite a bit in the first novel is back, and having a party to celebrate her recent promotion. Since in this novel, Harry is working on his own, Karrin Murphy doesn't make too much of an appearance. Susan and Harry's relationship is also getting more serious though his unexpected work schedule is beginning to get to her a little bit.
The ending leaves quite a few things to be taken care of in the next novel so it should be interesting. Butcher hasn't been overdoing the amount of characters he introduces in each novel but this novel felt oddly crowded, for some reason. Maybe it was the godmother in addition to everything else going on. I'm not really sure.
I was a little bit disappointed with this novel, if only because I was expecting something slightly different from the blurb on the back: "the spirit world has gone postal . . . these ghosts are tormented, violent, and deadly. Someone - or something - is purposely stirring them up to wreak unearthly havoc." And while overall, this is an accurate description, I was a little bit disappointed with the motivation behind it all when it was revealed - I was just hoping for something bigger, or something that would involve more and larger revelations about Harry's past than are given in this novel.
Also, based on that, I was expecting to see Harry battling a bunch of different ghosts, and while the novel tells us he has been doing this for the past two weeks, at the point where the novel begins, he is dealing with one creature in particular. It's been happening in all the novels, but especially in this one, I just couldn't believe how much and how often Harry gets the crap beaten out of him - can't there be one novel that involves action and adventure with only a few punches and beatings rather than one insane, crushing pummeling after another?
The novel introduces a few new characters, Michael, a knight, and Lea, Harry's faerie godmother, which is not a good thing. Additionally, Bianca, a vampire that Harry pissed off quite a bit in the first novel is back, and having a party to celebrate her recent promotion. Since in this novel, Harry is working on his own, Karrin Murphy doesn't make too much of an appearance. Susan and Harry's relationship is also getting more serious though his unexpected work schedule is beginning to get to her a little bit.
The ending leaves quite a few things to be taken care of in the next novel so it should be interesting. Butcher hasn't been overdoing the amount of characters he introduces in each novel but this novel felt oddly crowded, for some reason. Maybe it was the godmother in addition to everything else going on. I'm not really sure.
Book 26: Fool Moon
Fool Moon by Jim Butcher
I ended up going back to the PX, and it turned out they did have the second novel in The Dresden Files series after all, they just didn't have it out before or it was in a different section (while the PX book section is smaller than at a Walmart, they still managed to have three different displays for the series - I guess they were excited about the shipment).
As might be expected from the title, in this novel, Harry is called on a case dealing with werewolf attacks. Karrin Murphy, the head of special investigations, has not called him in a while, and their relationship has still not healed from the rift caused by Harry withholding information. While I could definitely understand her distrust, her quick willingness to arrest him a few times in the novel just didn't seem realistic to me ("you didn't tell me something! You're under arrest for murder" - alright it wasn't quite that extreme but the point still stands).
His date with Susan has also developed further into a kind of relationship though they are both very wrapped up in their jobs. While the case was interesting enough, a few more clues are dropped about Harry's past that really leave me wanting to know the whole backstory. A demon also hints to Harry that there are a few things he doesn't know about his mother and even his father. It's the ongoing connections in the series that really have me interested, more so than the actual cases from one novel to the next.
As Harry discovers on this case, there is actually more than one type of werewolf, all of which are created in different ways, including magic, curses and pacts with demons. The mobster John Marcone also makes an appearance since once again, some of his employees are among the victims. This time, the FBI is also involved in the case, and Murphy is rather limited since she has been under investigation from Internal Affairs. As usual, Harry manages to piss everyone off by his inability to play nice - I understand having morals but he might want to figure out a nicer way of saying no to powerful people that could have him killed. That's just me - in fact, maybe I should take a page out of his book since everyone at work describes me as "nice."
I actually did like this novel and I am enjoying the series, even if it doesn't sound like it in my review. The novels are fun reads and at least they keep me interested even if they aren't perfect (in fact I'm reading two different novels right now, neither of which is doing a good job of keeping me interested - or not pissing me off every few chapters).
I ended up going back to the PX, and it turned out they did have the second novel in The Dresden Files series after all, they just didn't have it out before or it was in a different section (while the PX book section is smaller than at a Walmart, they still managed to have three different displays for the series - I guess they were excited about the shipment).
As might be expected from the title, in this novel, Harry is called on a case dealing with werewolf attacks. Karrin Murphy, the head of special investigations, has not called him in a while, and their relationship has still not healed from the rift caused by Harry withholding information. While I could definitely understand her distrust, her quick willingness to arrest him a few times in the novel just didn't seem realistic to me ("you didn't tell me something! You're under arrest for murder" - alright it wasn't quite that extreme but the point still stands).
His date with Susan has also developed further into a kind of relationship though they are both very wrapped up in their jobs. While the case was interesting enough, a few more clues are dropped about Harry's past that really leave me wanting to know the whole backstory. A demon also hints to Harry that there are a few things he doesn't know about his mother and even his father. It's the ongoing connections in the series that really have me interested, more so than the actual cases from one novel to the next.
As Harry discovers on this case, there is actually more than one type of werewolf, all of which are created in different ways, including magic, curses and pacts with demons. The mobster John Marcone also makes an appearance since once again, some of his employees are among the victims. This time, the FBI is also involved in the case, and Murphy is rather limited since she has been under investigation from Internal Affairs. As usual, Harry manages to piss everyone off by his inability to play nice - I understand having morals but he might want to figure out a nicer way of saying no to powerful people that could have him killed. That's just me - in fact, maybe I should take a page out of his book since everyone at work describes me as "nice."
I actually did like this novel and I am enjoying the series, even if it doesn't sound like it in my review. The novels are fun reads and at least they keep me interested even if they aren't perfect (in fact I'm reading two different novels right now, neither of which is doing a good job of keeping me interested - or not pissing me off every few chapters).
Friday, January 01, 2010
Book 25: A Dirty Job
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
I probably never would have heard of this author if it hadn't been for the Cannonball Read. I noticed quite a few people were reading novels by Moore, especially Bloodsucking Fiends. However, the novel with the concept that sounded most intriguing to me was reviewed by one of the people that didn't make the cut off, and was reading on his own. As a result of that review, I picked up A Dirty Job. The reason this one appealed to me might also have something to do with the fact that I watch Supernatural and the idea reminded me slightly of the Grim Reapers (and I liked Tessa, the one that was supposed to help Dean).
First off, the novel was hilarious. While there might have been a small detail here and there that I didn't really agree with or thought was over the top, it didn't bug me because it was such a fun read, and light-hearted, especially considering the topic of death. This statement might cause a few people to disagree with me, but something about Moore's style reminded me of Neil Gaiman. I'm not saying they are copying each other at all, but both have a kind of dry approach to a quirky world, and Charles Asher, the kind of average everyman character of this novel certainly shared certain similarities with Richard of Neverwhere or Charlie of Anansi Boys.
Shortly after his wife Rachel gives birth to their daughter, Charles watches her die. The doctor say it was a blood clot that traveled up to her brain and caused an aneuryism but Charles watched a man come into her hospital room as she died. Except no one else saw him. The doctors and everyone else write it off as stress but other weird things start occuring to and around Charles as well until he finally realizes that he is death. Well, one of his helpers. And it's not so much that he helps people die as that he helps their souls move on.
Still, something is brewing. There are dark forces which are trying to gain power, and while they were driven underground long ago, the scales might be tipping in their favor, possibly having to due with a prophecy concerning the Illuminatus, the original big Death that has been absent for a long time.
While Charlie is trying to deal with his new position as a "death merchant," he also still has to run his second hand store with two crazy employees (Ray, an ex-cop, and Charlie both suspect each other of being serial killers), deal with his sister's occasional antics and raise his daughter as a single father with the help of his upstairs neighbors (the neighbors, one Chinese and one Russian woman, while entertaining, were played for laughs and portrayed as stereotypes - one of those things I probably would have normally had more of an issue with). Charlie attempts to raise his daughter as normally as possible given the circumstances, going through extreme troubles to make sure she has pets but they have a tendency to drop dead in the apartment.
On occasion, Charlie seems rather dense about things, and I think Moore expects the reader to fgure things out before Charlie does - I mean, it's spelled out rather obviously. As much as Charlie occasionally gets things wrong, he is a very likable character that tries to do the right thing and the best that he can with the tools he has.
I probably never would have heard of this author if it hadn't been for the Cannonball Read. I noticed quite a few people were reading novels by Moore, especially Bloodsucking Fiends. However, the novel with the concept that sounded most intriguing to me was reviewed by one of the people that didn't make the cut off, and was reading on his own. As a result of that review, I picked up A Dirty Job. The reason this one appealed to me might also have something to do with the fact that I watch Supernatural and the idea reminded me slightly of the Grim Reapers (and I liked Tessa, the one that was supposed to help Dean).
First off, the novel was hilarious. While there might have been a small detail here and there that I didn't really agree with or thought was over the top, it didn't bug me because it was such a fun read, and light-hearted, especially considering the topic of death. This statement might cause a few people to disagree with me, but something about Moore's style reminded me of Neil Gaiman. I'm not saying they are copying each other at all, but both have a kind of dry approach to a quirky world, and Charles Asher, the kind of average everyman character of this novel certainly shared certain similarities with Richard of Neverwhere or Charlie of Anansi Boys.
Shortly after his wife Rachel gives birth to their daughter, Charles watches her die. The doctor say it was a blood clot that traveled up to her brain and caused an aneuryism but Charles watched a man come into her hospital room as she died. Except no one else saw him. The doctors and everyone else write it off as stress but other weird things start occuring to and around Charles as well until he finally realizes that he is death. Well, one of his helpers. And it's not so much that he helps people die as that he helps their souls move on.
Still, something is brewing. There are dark forces which are trying to gain power, and while they were driven underground long ago, the scales might be tipping in their favor, possibly having to due with a prophecy concerning the Illuminatus, the original big Death that has been absent for a long time.
While Charlie is trying to deal with his new position as a "death merchant," he also still has to run his second hand store with two crazy employees (Ray, an ex-cop, and Charlie both suspect each other of being serial killers), deal with his sister's occasional antics and raise his daughter as a single father with the help of his upstairs neighbors (the neighbors, one Chinese and one Russian woman, while entertaining, were played for laughs and portrayed as stereotypes - one of those things I probably would have normally had more of an issue with). Charlie attempts to raise his daughter as normally as possible given the circumstances, going through extreme troubles to make sure she has pets but they have a tendency to drop dead in the apartment.
On occasion, Charlie seems rather dense about things, and I think Moore expects the reader to fgure things out before Charlie does - I mean, it's spelled out rather obviously. As much as Charlie occasionally gets things wrong, he is a very likable character that tries to do the right thing and the best that he can with the tools he has.
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