To say I read a lot is an understatement. I read all the time, on my Kindle, from Audible, on paper. This one happens to be on my Kindle, but I read his previous novels in this series in other formats including audio.
The thing that is most noticeable about Carey's writing compared to almost any other current author I can name is that he is such a fine, literate writer. His words are so beautifully crafted that they are sometimes downright lyrical by which I don't mean sappy. Crisp. Wonderful word choices ... in fact occasionally actually using a word that is new to me. It has been decades since I learned a new word and I love it! Also noteworthy is that he does not repeat himself. He does not employ the same descriptive phrases repetitively nor does he, as many otherwise fine authors do, obviously copy and paste sections from one book to another to (I presume) save writing time. No short cuts for Mr. Carey. The result is a style that is rich in description, a wonderful counterpoint of gritty street slang banging head-on into literary English. Guttersnipe meets Jane Austen. It gives the narrative a texture that never becomes singsong.
There are many surprises in the book. The characters surprised me, despite ... or perhaps because ... I read the earlier books. His characters develop. Although many of them are not human, they grow in remarkably believable ways. This ought to be more common amongst authors than it actually is. Although the characters surprise you, it isn't surprise based on their doing something that doesn't jibe with their nature, but because the character has chosen a unique path or solution.
Mike Carey has a subtle and elegant sense of humour. No broad gaffaws here, but a sense of sharp irony pervades his prose. This is not, however, a funny book in the usual sense. There's nothing humorous or light-hearted about it. The humour is in the author's writing style, not the storyline. It is ironic and sometimes cynical and if you find that amusing, you will get some chuckles from it. But no smiles from the plot. That is dead serious, pun intended. Others have covered the story in more than sufficient detail, so I won't. Still, darkness notwithstanding, you can count on Mike Carey's signature plays on words and entertaining twists of phrase. It made ME smile.
The plot is alternately and sometimes simultaneously gripping and creepy which is, I believe, entirely intentional. I have rarely been better entertained by a book and look forward to the next installment. Two thumbs up for this one.
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