Review: Something More Than Night by Ian Tregellis

[wshaffer]

Something More Than Night by Ian Tregillis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the kind of book that really seems like it could only have been written by someone who really loved both Raymond Chandler and John Milton. Since that also describes me, I was quite eager to read it, and I wasn't disappointed. Basically, the story starts in the aftermath of the murder of the angel Gabriel. Bayliss, an angel who strangely speaks almost entirely in the dialect of noir detective fiction, has to find a replacement for Gabriel. He accidentally ends up with a young woman named Molly, and the two of them begin an uneasy partnership to solve Gabriel's murder and follow up on what he was working on when he died.

Molly makes a terrific protagonist: she's brave and outspoken, but also struggles realistically with adapting to her new role as an angel and the powers that come with it. Bayliss is…well, let me just say, if you get through this book without ever saying, "Jesus, what is with the Sam Spade schtick?", then maybe you're an even bigger fan of noir than I am. That question does get answered, though, and the mystery gets wrapped up very satisfyingly in the end.

I do wonder if the noir pastiche element will put off just as many people as it attracts. I would recommend giving this book a try even if it doesn't quite seem like your kind of thing - it is a really imaginative and well-written fantasy.



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Comments

[onetarot.livejournal.com]

I've never heard of this. I am intrigued.

For a mix of Raymond C. and relatively hard sci-fi, may I recommend Deepdrive by Alexander Jablokov.

[wshaffer.livejournal.com]

Thanks - Jabolokov has been somewhere on my "must read someday" list for a while. Just moved him up a few notches.

[wordweaverlynn.livejournal.com]

This sounds like my kind of book.

[wshaffer.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I think you'd get a kick out of it. I'll try to remember to bring it to FOGcon so that you can borrow it if you want.