|
| The Devil You Know | 
 enlarge | Author: Mike Carey
Creator: Michael Kramer
Publisher: Tantor Media
Category: Book
List Price: $29.99
Buy New: $19.22
You Save: $10.77 (36%)
New (10) Used (2) from $19.22
Avg. Customer Rating:  41 reviews
Sales Rank: 2683611
Format: Audiobook, Cd, Mp3 Audio, Unabridged
Media: MP3 CD
Edition: MP3 Una
Number Of Items: 2
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.6
ISBN: 1400155150
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.92
EAN: 9781400155156
ASIN: 1400155150
Publication Date: September 3, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new Book, ALL days Low Price !
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Devil You Know by Mike Carey September 19, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Mike Carey, a well-known writer for the successful comic book series Lucifer and Hellblazer, makes his debut in the world of novel writing. The Devil You Know includes story and character elements from his comic book writing, but also has its own individual feel about it; Felix Castor is a similar character to John Constantine, but this is also Carey style's and one big reason why people enjoy his work.
Welcome to a somewhat alternate world where it seems to be the present day in cold and gloomy London, except that in this world ghost and zombies exist. Now I'm not saying they're walking around like ordinary people, well, actually, in some cases they do just that. It's a world where those who know about the reality of some of the dead coming back to life pretend it isn't going on. In most cases, the zombies are more dead people who aren't exactly sure why they're still alive, but keep themselves well hidden from being recognized for what they are; while ghosts have a reason for not being able to move on to the next life, are trapped where they are, to relive the suffering they experienced at their deaths.
Enter Felix Castor: a ne'er-do-well, down and out, alcoholic, depressed, impoverished exorcist who is currently taking a break from work after his last exorcism leaving a close friend doomed with a demon trapped inside him. And yet he needs money to pay for things like food and a place to stay, so when an opportunity is offered to him , he takes it and finds himself investigating a ghost sighting at the prestigious Bonnington Archive, where the incorporeal spirit has recently physically attacked one of the archivists.
The Devil You Know takes a few pages to get up and running, but as Castor puts more and more pieces together, the mystery expands and becomes more complex, as more characters and details are added, and the conspiracy begins to grow. Near the end it seems like anyone and everyone could be to blame, and it will be up to Castor -- who is everyone's enemy at the moment -- to solve the case and hopefully free the ghost. The Devil You Know is the first in the series with the recurring character of Felix Castor, much like Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, and with the second book in the series, Vicious Circle, already out in Britain, with third, Dead Men's Boots, due out in September, it's merely a case of time before they get published on the other side of the pond.
For more book reviews, and other writings, go to www.alexctelander.com
 Damn! October 21, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I just finished the book 10 minutes ago. Mike Carey hit on every cliche of the hard-boiled detective genre. And I mean that as the highest possible compliment. All the best hard-boiled detective stories are ultimately about the murder victim, and a flawed champion seeking to lay his or her troubled ghost to rest by exposing the culprit. (For the record, I'm aware of how pompous that last sentence was. I've got a few beers in me. Give me a freakin break.) Carey adds a new layer with the supernatural element, making the victim's ghost a real rather than a metaphorical presence. The casting of an actual succubus in the femme fatale role was a nice touch, too. And no matter how outlandish the story became, Carey's feel for realistic settings and characters kept the whole thing grounded. It was gritty, disturbing, funny and surprisingly tender. At the end, Carey seemed to be laying the groundwork for a continuing series. I hope I'm right, because I'd like to read more.
 good, but drags abit January 18, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
i'm a big fan of mike carey's comics (lucifer, crossing midnight, faker, stranded), so i thought it would carry naturally into his novel. at times its exciting and entertaining, but at other times, too many for my tastes, it drags and i had so much trouble going on or rather wanting to finish reading. so basically, it's ok, but not great. sorry mike.
What a great read! July 13, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
All you need to know about the plot line is above. I found myself laughing on the first page and only stopped chuckling here and there. This is well written with a light touch and a sense of an author having fun with his characters. I have never read Carey before and have just bought his adaptation of Gaiman's "Neverwhere" for my next adventure. Too bad the US is so slow to bring his books here from England.
I love Mike Carey, but.... September 24, 2007
2 out of 7 found this review helpful
I love Mike Carey, but....
The Bad: "The Devil You Know" is weak. There is nothing in this novel that hasn't been done better elsewhere. Carey sets up a interesting premise--the supernatural as a mundane fact of life--and then buries it in a noir procedural that keeps you two steps ahead of the protagonist. The fact is, and I know that this is a cheap shot, but this could have easily been a two issue JC story (funny, I never got that until now--I suppose credit goes to Alan Moore) instead of this bloated thing that only works as it ceases (the final chapter sets up a situation that might actually be interesting).
The Good: Carey has a darkly comic, and deeply empathetic voice. Also, he writes beautiful, witty, dialouge.
Although I was barely compelled to read this novel, I hope that Carey continues the series. One gets the sense that most of this novel is laying groundwork for something supremely creepy and entertaining.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
