Thursday, August 25, 2011

Low Town by Daniel Polansky

The Warden is very, very cynical and has a very good reason to be that way.  His life is bleak, he sells drugs, and he tries to live and let live, but he's not beyond killing if he needs to.  His life changes when someone starts murdering young children on the streets he controls...

Doubleday published this book August 16th and sent me a copy for review (thank you).  You can snag a copy at your local bookstore now.

This is a debut novel from Mr. Polansky and I hope he will be writing more.  This is a heavy story, but there's strength in the main character (even if he's tried to drug itself out of him).  The Warden saw more than he should during the war and ended up a disgraced intelligence agent.  He walks the fine line between the Black House (intelligence agency) and the power men of the mean streets.  He prefers to be left alone to ply his trade, to make a few bucks, and to be able to sink into a drug-induced sleep each night.  However, his friends won't let him occupy that role once a child dies.

He's smart enough to think he's smarter than he is, and that gets him in trouble.  He has old friends and old enemies; there's magic involved; and those he trusts and loves aren't free from the mess of life in Low Town.

This is an excellent read.  It's dark, morbid, and almost without hope, but it's an excellent story.  The words flow well, the story isn't so far out it's not believable and I was anxious to work my way through to the end.  The best part was that the ending was completely unexpected on my part.  I love ironic endings!

Get yourself a copy and dig in.  I don't think you'll be disappointed by this fantasy tale.

Happy reading.

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