In the second novel, we learn that Castor's made quite a name for himself, not because his method is unusual-many exorcists use music-but because he's very good at it. He plays music on his tin whistle to bind and banish spirits you might say that every soul connects directly to a certain song. Carey's matter-of-fact approach to imaginative horrors makes them powerful without seeming lurid or voyeuristic.Ī great deal of these novels' appeal lies in Felix Castor himself. The situations and setting-no matter how fantastic or horrific-always feel real as well. Even Ajulutsikael, who could easily be described in quickly dulling superlatives, comes across as solid and intriguing. 58) and fleshes them out with sharp dialogue and realistic motivations. He describes characters in clever and vivid ways ("she looked like a warden for the kind of immaculate women's prison that only exists in Italian pornography," p. His plotting is tight, and his dialogue crackles. It even picks up minor points from The Devil You Know and expands on them, suggesting that the series may have some overarching plot as well as these self-contained stories.Īnyone who enjoyed Carey's writing in his Lucifer and Hellblazer graphic novels will not be disappointed by his first two prose novels. Although it's enjoyable and easy to follow on its own, the second book builds on events from the first. His chief challenge is getting to the ghost before any of the various antagonists out for his blood get to him. Castor's sense of right and wrong sends him to seek a fugitive exorcist and the help of the friendly undead. But this apparent business boom is no consolation when a psychometric reading of the girl's belongings shows a deep and inexplicable sadness. Another exorcist calls him in on a different case, asking his opinion about a church that appears to be possessed. In the second novel, Vicious Circle, Fix accepts a well-paying commission to locate the missing ghost of a young girl for her grieving parents. It's not much of a spoiler to say that Castor can't stay away from professional exorcism. Castor must also dodge murderous visits from the succubus Ajulutsikael and a huge loup-garou (French for "werewolf," the word here refers to a human ghost that's possessed the body of an animal). Ghosts and demons pursue him too, starting with his friend Rafi's cryptically taunting passenger, Asmodeus. It's more trouble than he technically needs to go through just to exorcise a ghost, but the deeper he gets into the case, the deeper he finds the wrongness to be. Nothing is as simple as it appears, though, and Castor-"Fix" to what friends he has-pursues the ghost's past and his own demons through the archive and the seamy side of London. A museum archive administrator asks him to rid the stacks of a faceless ghost, and he reluctantly accepts. But there's no way he's making a career out of that, so when his office phone rings, he can't help answering it. Carey deftly melds gripping plots, memorable details, and dark humor, making Felix Castor and the beginning of this series irresistible.Īt the beginning of The Devil You Know, Castor's lack of cash has driven him to a new low: performing stage magic at a sullen adolescent's birthday party. Armed with little more than a tin whistle and a smart mouth, Castor takes on nasty foes both living and dead in the name of truth, justice, and scraping together the rent. In Mike Carey's supernatural noir novels The Devil You Know and Vicious Circle, almost everybody can see ghosts and zombies-but only an exorcist can banish the spirits. At least, Castor would like to stay out of it, but the business isn't letting him go. But, in the long run, it gets to you.įelix Castor got out of the exorcism business a year and a half ago, after he accidentally wove a demon into his friend Rafi's soul. You do it because it's something you can do, and because once you've started, there's something about it that doesn't let you stop. Exorcism is both more and less than a job.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |