Search - Working for the Devil (Dante Valentine, Bk 1)

Recommended - tired of the continuing turgidity of Hamilton, or the mediocrity of a Carrie Vaughn? Does Kim Harrison or Jim Butcher talk to you? Give this one a read.

In a futuristic society where paranormals and psionics have been revealed to the general population but still feared and outnumbered, Dante Valentine is a necromancer with a complicated past and a lot of issues. The story starts out with a knock on Dante's door - a summons by the Prince of Hell himself to track down Santino - a demon who has stolen something from him. It gets more complicated because Dante has tangled with Santino before and lost (her friend was viciously murdered). On top of that Lucifer has given Dante a demon assassin as a familiar (Japhramel), and Dante isn't sure about how much she can trust anything a demon would tell her. I enjoyed the world building and the slow-growing relationship between Dante and Japhramel, but there were many scenes where I was left confused by how extremely Dante seemed to react to other characters. I felt like she was being a drama queen who didn't know how to see the world in a mature, logical way - it all came from a self-centered, childish perspective (you hurt me, now I'm going to hurt you and everyone else, and my huge reactions to everything won't make sense). This felt very strange in the context of the storyline. I have read the second book though and I would say certain things about her personality make more sense to me now, but I'm still not sure I like her. I will continue reading and give her a chance, because I do like the world and I do like the plots in these books.

I was very disappointed with this book during the first hundred pages or so. Saintcrow created a very different world as the setting for this story and I think that she could have explained some things a little more in depth. Another thing that really bothered me was that some names for things were a thinly disguised name for things in our world, like Rebotnik sneakers, which is too much like Reebok, and pulled me out of the fictional world that she created. This happened four times that I can remember right in the beginning.
If her world and it's non-human inhabitants had not been so original and interesting I would have put the book down and sent it on to someone else. I am glad that I kept reading. The story picked up and the things that I found to be clumsy went away or at least faded into the background of how much fun the story was.
If some of the weak points in this book are ameliorated in the second, this series could turn into a new favorite for me.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Review: Set an an unspecified point in the future, humans have found magic is real. Shamen, Necromances and other magic users all practice openly. They are feared and regulated, marked by tatooes and gems on their cheeks. At the same time they can make a very good living by hiring out their powers.

This book follows Dante Valentine, a powerful Necromance with a big reputation. Big enough that Lucifer has heard of her and "hires" her to help him track down a rogue demon who stole something important. The hunt for the missing demon brings Danny a chance to finally catch the guy who killed a friend/lover a long time ago.

I found the magic system very interesting. I liked the different types of magic users and their ranking system. I was very interested in a secondary character who comes into the book partway through - an ex-boyfriend of Danny's. He was probably the most interesting character for me. I very much enjoyed the authors writing style, especially during action scenes.

However, the story didn't hold my attention. I almost couldn't put the book down during the first quarter of it, but then it's ability to hold my attention weakened, and I almost stopped reading it halfway through. Then the ex-boyfriend showed up and things got interesting again. However, I'd been having problems with the fact that Danny is a very unlikeable person. She doesn't seem to be able to get along with anyone. She even fights with those that she calls "friends" constantly and can't seem to let go of her hang-ups long enough to have a civil conversation with anyone. A more minor concern, but one that was annoying, just because I was always being reminded of the inconstancy - Christianity has apparently been disproved, but everything Danny thinks or says while dealing with Lucifer and other demons comes straight out of Christian mythology. And if that's the case, how in the world has Christianity been "disproved"? Finally we hit the final straw for me.

Spoiler Alert:




Danny has been captured by the bad guy and he's explaining to her why he's done everything that he has. And during this it comes out that Demons apparently genetically engineered humans.





End Spoiler Alert:

Now, I have no problem with technologically advanced races interfering with humanity. And I have no problem with magically powerful races (which Demons also are) interfering with humanity. What I have a problem with is a race that is both extremely technologically advanced and magically powerful. I just dislike the idea immensely - basically I think you should get one or the other. I will admit that this is entirely a personal preference, and people who don't have a problem with this will probably like the book. But I was already on the boarder between liking and disliking the book and this pushed me over the edge.

The first Dante Valentine book introduces us to the character & her world. Set in an exotic, futuristic version of Earth,
where all strains of the major religions have died out & supernatural creatures roam the earth such as demons, werecreatures &
vampires (called Nichtrevin). Dante Valentine is a necromancer-for-hire, a person who can bring a dead person's soul back
for a chat.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. There were a few points in the book where it lagged a little, but I liked how imaginative
the world was. This is urban fantasy that makes you think. The world is rich, the writing tight, the plot interesting
and intriguing. The charcters are complex and fascinating. I have to hand it to Ms. Saintcrow in that she definitely has
written a worthwhile series.

This is one of Saintcrow's earlier books, which sort of shows at times when the writing gets a little less polished than some
of her later works. (Devil's Librarian was released rather recently.)

I have read a wide variety of paranormal books as well as general fiction and I found this one to be a cut above.
For once there is a tough, capable heroine that isn't a commitment-phobe and who hasn't completely shunned her femininity.

This is a great start for a series and I have already ordered the sequels.