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However, I can't help but like the Garrett series, even if we're now at 14 books with no real end in sight. There's just something oddly charming about them, and about Glen Cook's often peculiar, and quite stylish (not always good, mind you), way of writing. The language is interesting, even if it sometimes skews a little aggressively modern ('oh snap' does not feel natural here) and at times a touch experimental, but that's all part of the charm. The one thing I didn't like, in this book specifically, was the subplot with Hagekagome, which felt a bit superfluous, and at times a bit creepy. Which is a shame, since Cook doesn't generally seem afraid of writing strong, or interesting women – even if Garrett's attitude to them should be ignored at all times, of course. A grand underground tournament has been set up and is meant to be a battle-royale type: the kids are in it if they want to or not and whether they have actual magic powers or not. This case gets very close for Garrett personally because someone he loves has died and now he is out for revenge. Unrelated to the action of the story is the idea that this is a second re-positioning novel for Garrett. Cruel Zinc Melodies (#12) seemed like it was putting the final touches on the Garrett series. Its conclusion had Garrett and Tinnie Tate moving in together. At the same time, Garrett had recurring, steady work that didn't involve him getting beaten up and with enough money that he didn't have to hustle anymore. All in all, a nice capper to a long running series.
Seriously, Garrett's fiancee/wife is murdered and the emotional fallout is less than when he broke up with Tinnie Tate. I kept waiting for some kind of emotional breakdown, but ol’ Garrett just plods on. He does have a single night’s drinking, but even that doesn’t hurt; magical hangover medicince mitigated the effects. But I still prefer her MatteTrances – they are bomb. One application over liner (either PMG or Charlotte Tilbury) can last me 8 hours and one lasted through a 1hr hot yoga class where we sweat like pigs. It’s no joke. The pigment is out of this world. But my presence might be a function of my perception that mattes stay on reliably longer than glitter/shimmer/satin formulas. Let me preface by saying that I love the Garrett series. I liked him when he was a head-thumping alcoholic, and I still like him as he’s becoming less of a smartass and more of an adult. I liked his riotous, 12-book affair with Tinnie Tate, and I like that he’s moved on, left her behind and gotten engaged. On the plus side: this is a Garrett novel. It's funny, fast-paced, full of interesting characters and odd quirks and the vibrant, so-weird-I-want-to-go-there city of Tunfaire. I mean, if you liked the previous Garrett books, you're going to read this one and you're probably going to enjoy it.On the middle (?!) side: There are some, er, inventive language choices that I don't think worked all that well. (Mad skills? Really?) and there are some intriguing new mysteries and characters that are only teased at. But there is also quite a bit of character growth; Cook has obviously given some attention to each of the main supporting casts' roles and growth and it plays well. So does Playmate sometimes, though he's been a bit laid up with the cancer. And what was the point of giving him cancer if it didn't mean anything? Before the cancer he ran his stable and wanted to put some brains into his brother in law. After the cancer, he runs his stable, and wants to put some brains into his brother in law. Nothing functionally changed in the man, he's still strong as an ox, he still holds firmly to his beliefs, as far as we can tell. Don't give the man cancer if you're not gonna do anything with it!!! Hey Christine, I probably overshot it with getting all the Blitz. Some of them are terrific but there are colors that don’t really fit my complexion, like the orchid. Otherwise, it’s a terrific formula. I’ve layered it over the Matte lippies and it looks terrific. First of all, ‘P.I.’ in this book didn’t stand for ‘Private Investigator.’ It stood, instead, for ‘Public Investigation.’ Historically, Garrett has relied on his friends for assistance in his investigations. In this book, Garrett starts the investigation, and then everyone else takes it from there. And while i'm on the subject of Garrett's inner thoughts, what was up with everyone breaking him out of his thoughts all the time? His thoughts never really took up real time before, and honestly they don't really have to, so why now? He was broken out of some genuinely insightful thoughts for no real reason. It wasn't humorous and i honestly didn't appreciate everyone stopping the investigator from y'know, investigating. And then people had the nerve to roll their eyes at him for being slow!? Let the man think, you dinguses!
As a side note: this recent trend of closing a novel as soon as the action finishes is really tiresome. I get the idea behind it - close on an emotional high point where the story is finished - but in practice, well, I read these novels because I love the characters. I have loved them for over twenty years at this point and I've read each novel multiple times. Give me the dammed epilogue that fulfills the emotional connections beyond those served up in the narrative action. Editors at Tor and Roc, I'm looking at you.) Another thing that made this book hard to follow at times is the sheer size of the cast. Over the series, a lot of characters have been introduced into Garrett's life. It seems every single one of those characters made at least an appearance in this story. Plus a whole bunch of new characters are introduced.A magical contest is threatening the young of the more wealthy families in Tunfaire. Garret's new family ties have dragged him into the conflict. Now , he and his friends and a few other assorted allies have to stop the madness before too many people are killed. Plots within plots within plots will have to be untamgled to get to the truth. P.P.S. The more I think of this book, the more disappointed I am and the more I consider lowering my rating. The main plot is one big pointless mess, there are way too many pointless subplots and the (very extended) cast of characters has a combined I.Q. of 1.23659 (and the detecting skills of juvenile dinoflagellates on codeine). But don't tell Glen Cook anyone I said that.
We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when This would all be compelling enough to watch unfold in third person where we could follow some of these other characters, but instead we get Garrett in first person. Garrett does nothing, NOTHING!!!! Other people do his work for him. Important developments take place off camera. Climaxes come together with all these characters but with zero context, because Garrett's dull as all hell and doesn't have all the pieces cause he didn't do any of the work--we don't have any of the pieces cause we're watching through Garrett's eyes!!!! We're just as frustrated and confused as he is. I think that's all i have to say. This only stays at three stars because i have a lot of respect for what this series was--a chronicle of a hard boiled detective in a fantasy world. Something of a counterpoint, to me at least, to Butcher's Dresden Files. It isn't that anymore, and i don't know if i care to read further. As it is, the previous book felt more like an ending than anything else, and maybe that's telling. Other reviewers have noted that the series seems to have overreached a little. Maybe they're on to something. answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but Which, honestly, was a bit of a disappointment in itself. I mean, hung-over Garrett is a delightful common theme in these books. What is the world coming to when hangovers are just medicated away?)I have followed this series for many years. It is one of the original fantasy noir series to mix magic and hard boiled mysteries. It is very good at what it does. But this installment does have some problems. And that brings me to the biggest problem i have with this book and, really, the last several entries in the series--ever since Singe showed up, really. Garrett isn't an investigator anymore. And ever since book 13, he doesn't even delegate anymore.
I think that this subplot actually detracted from the end of the book. I mean, having one girl die in Garrett’s arms would make a decent, emotional ending. Having two girls die in his arms, one after the other, seemed a little like overkill. Especially when the main emotional blow of Hagekagome’s death was something along the lines of: ‘What? His dead brother’s dog? Uh, that’s... sweet? I guess?’ Glen Cook was born in New York City, lived in southern Indiana as a small child, then grew up in Northern California. After high school he served in the U.S. Navy and attended the University of Missouri. He worked for General Motors for 33 years, retiring some years ago. He started writing short stories in 7th grade, had several published in a high school literary magazine. He began writing with malicious intent to publish in 1968, eventually producing 51 books and a number of short fiction pieces.Not the best of the series, but not the worst by any means. Either way, this appears to be the *last* of the series :-( It's been six years since this was published. In the past, a new Garrett, P.I. novel showed up every 18 months or so. Sad, but every well runs dry, eventually. I usually dislike 'urban fantasy' series that run too long, or that stray too close to the tropes of that sub-genre as they are almost universally terrible. I'll spare you a rant about Jim Butcher, here. But instead she's killed off, to literally no effect. No one emotes. Sure, Shadowslinger says something to the effect of 'take time to sort out your feelings' and there's a minor time skip and all, but it isn't enough. Not for me at least. And then she's replaced like fifteen percent of the way by another sorceress off the Hill palling around with Garrett, guiding him through all these various interactions and getting him debugged after his run in's with Relway and company. Why the hell couldn't that have been Strafa!? Maybe let us get to know the woman who ousted Tinnie in the span of one fetching book! Was. Pointless. It was only peripherally tied to the plot by three or four points where Garrett reminisced about his brother.
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