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A mixture of urban fantasy with deeper myths of cultures from Scandinavia to the high Afghan hills, this is a story that is that rare combination of fast-paced action and excellent characterisation underpinned with literate and intelligent investigation of mythology and religion.
When Albert meets a demon in his kitchen, he's not fazed by it. He knows something of demons even if his memories are patchy. Albert's lived a long time, no wonder he can't keep all his experiences in his head. All he really knows about himself is that he's a smith, a damned good one, better than any human could ever be... oh, yes... and he doesn't trust gods. Currently he's living successfully under the radar and dirt-poor, so the demon's gold, bright shiny metal (Albert's weakness) in return for one little job, is very tempting.
So he goes to investigate the scene of a fire and accidentally stumbles into arson detective Melissa El Hajj – and not in a good way. In fact Albert's pretty sure he's split her skull open. It turns out she's not dead, but she's as mad as hell and out for his blood. It seems, however, as though the demon is pushing Albert and Mel to work together. A salamander has been tortured, but worse than that something metallic and ancient that has been hidden for thousands of years, had been stolen and damaged. It's leaking its ancient secrets about the nature of godhood into the world and it's calling out to Albert for repair. The artifact must be found and repaired or the old gods will reawaken.
Following the trail together, but still not trusting each other, Albert and Mel chase from the real world to somewhere else entirely in pursuit of the thief, someone Albert knows very well – or does he? Albert and Mel learn a lot about themselves, each other, their family and their origins during a fast-paced chase to save not only the artifact, but ultimately the world.
I expected this to be good as James A Burton is none other than Jim Hetley with a new pseudonym, and I've always loved Jim's Maine books. Highly recommended.
When Albert meets a demon in his kitchen, he's not fazed by it. He knows something of demons even if his memories are patchy. Albert's lived a long time, no wonder he can't keep all his experiences in his head. All he really knows about himself is that he's a smith, a damned good one, better than any human could ever be... oh, yes... and he doesn't trust gods. Currently he's living successfully under the radar and dirt-poor, so the demon's gold, bright shiny metal (Albert's weakness) in return for one little job, is very tempting.
So he goes to investigate the scene of a fire and accidentally stumbles into arson detective Melissa El Hajj – and not in a good way. In fact Albert's pretty sure he's split her skull open. It turns out she's not dead, but she's as mad as hell and out for his blood. It seems, however, as though the demon is pushing Albert and Mel to work together. A salamander has been tortured, but worse than that something metallic and ancient that has been hidden for thousands of years, had been stolen and damaged. It's leaking its ancient secrets about the nature of godhood into the world and it's calling out to Albert for repair. The artifact must be found and repaired or the old gods will reawaken.
Following the trail together, but still not trusting each other, Albert and Mel chase from the real world to somewhere else entirely in pursuit of the thief, someone Albert knows very well – or does he? Albert and Mel learn a lot about themselves, each other, their family and their origins during a fast-paced chase to save not only the artifact, but ultimately the world.
I expected this to be good as James A Burton is none other than Jim Hetley with a new pseudonym, and I've always loved Jim's Maine books. Highly recommended.
