John Taylor's immersion in the Nightside and his command of his world is deeper and more convincing. To be fair, and it pains me to write this, Skulduggery's sarcasm and repartee is sharper and edgier. Every character is there for a reason, and characters are allowed to have bits, set pieces and funny throwaway lines that keep the action briskly paced. And when you have all that, well you have something. Faz isn't an unreliable narrator, but he's a cagey one, and reading bwteen the lines adds a bit of mystery and spice to the story.įaz is surrounded by the three essentials - an antic plot with bizarre sub-plots, an unattainable, dangerous, manic pixie dream girl vampire femme, and a galaxy of colorfully weird, dangerous and differently talented magical weirdos of every color, stripe, form and degree. The book is narrated by Faz and that confessional, first person style suits the material. And he has style and personality that shines through even the most bizarre story developments. In other words he's a classic comedy/action/suspense magic enforcer/detective. He alternates between cool competence, bemusement, desperation, depression, ruthlessness, and a certain amount of self-deprecation and restraint. Faz is wry, sarcastic, has a bit of a temper, and doesn't take any guff. Can you have a dark magic procedural? That's a little bit like what you get here.īut, no quibbles - this book delivers where it's important. This book breaks out of the mold a bit in that Faz has a boss, a number of bosses actually, and he's more of a guy caught in the middle than he is a lone wolf enforcer who plays by his own rules. Line's Faz Pound, (aka Black Spark), is a dark magic enforcer, tasked with keeping magic users in line and punishing those who break the magical rules. ![]() Landy's Skulduggery is an undead, skeletal, sorcerer and detective who fights magical dark villains. Green's books feature John Taylor, a private investigator with a special gift, who is based in the Nightside, a dark, hidden part of London. I am a loyal and devoted fan of Simon Green's Nightside books and Derek Landy's Skulduggery Pleasant set, and this new series fell right in line with those books, in terms of both strengths and weaknesses.Īll of the books feature witty, wisecracking heroes who call upon magic, sometimes dark magic, to fight evil. Snappy Patter, Twisty Plot, Dark Magic, Weird Secondary Characters and an Engaging Sarcastic Hero/Narrator - Yeah, I'm In Black Spark, Dark Magic Enforcer, and time is running out. Easier said than done as I deal with angry mages, bitey zombies, oversexed imps, creepy necromancers, and grumpy trolls-and those are just my friends!-all while trying to stop myself falling in love with my best friend, Kate, who just so happens to be a hot vampire. Time is running out as I battle to make things right and exact revenge on those that took so much from me. ![]() Well, it is, but I like me, and I like being alive. How was I to know I was a dark magic enforcer, tasked with keeping magic hidden from the world? Yeah, total noob move, I know.īut my memory is returning, and the Hidden have given me twenty-four hours to make amends. I didn’t know my name, let alone that I had such power. I watched in horror as dark magic sprang from my hand faster than an imp after your socks.
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