URBAN FANTASY CRIME REVIEW: Gods and Monster 1: Unclean Spirits - Chuck Wendig

Release Date: 09/05/13
Publisher:  Abaddon

SYNOPSIS:

Five years ago, it all went wrong for Cason Cole. He lost his wife and son, lost everything, and was bound into service to a man who chews up human lives and spits them out, a predator who holds nothing dear and respects no law. Now, as the man he both loves and hates lies dying at his feet, the sounds of the explosion still ringing in his ears, Cason is finally free.

The gods and goddesses are real. A many-headed pantheon—a tangle of divine hierarchies—once kept the world at arm's length, warring with one another for mankind's belief and devotion. It was a grim and bloody balance, but a balance just the same. When one god triumphed, driving all other gods out of Heaven, it was back to the bad old days: cults and sycophants, and the terrible retribution the gods visit on those who spite them.

None of which is going to stop Cason from getting back what's his...


REVIEW:

I love an Urban Fantasy Story that’s a little different to the norm, some are cutting edge, some take the reader into a world that they never expected and some lead the way in a new direction. What this title by Chuck does is delivers a murder mystery to the reader by bringing in a whole set of characters that leaves the reader feeling uncomfortable, not purely because of the otherness about them but because of their abilities to mess with the minds of mankind.

It’s hard hitting, it’s straight to the point and thrusts the reader into a tangled web right from the get go. It’s definitely hardcore and whilst this book wasn’t for me, I think that there will be a fair few out there that will love this style (perhaps the best way to describe it is a Marmite book, you’ll love or hate it.) The lead character within has flaws, he’s made hard choices, sacrifices and above all else indentured himself into this dark world for pure motives.

Throw him into the darkening despair that the opening sequence gives to him alongside the wonder of whether he’s mad or not all round gives the book a flair for the dramatic.