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We Are Not Good People

Tekijä: Jeff Somers

Sarjat: Ustari Cycle (1)

JäseniäKirja-arvostelujaSuosituimmuussijaKeskimääräinen arvioKeskustelut
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Learn the Words. Get the blood. Rule the world. The Ustari Cycle starts here. From the "exhilarating, powerful, and entertaining" (Guardian) storyteller of the Avery Cates series comes a gritty supernatural thriller featuring a pair of unlikely heroes caught up in the underground world of blood magic. Magicians: they are not good people. The ethics in a world of blood are gray--and an underground strata of blood magicians has been engineering disasters for centuries in order to acquire enough fuel for their spells. Although in the modern world these mages stay in the shadows, their exploits have become no less bloody. Still, some practitioners use the Words and a swipe of the blade to cast simpler spells, such as Charms and Cantrips to gas up $1 bills so they appear to be $20s. Lem Vonnegan and his sidekick Mags fall into this level of mage, hustlers and con men all. Lem tries to be ethical by using only his own blood, by not using Bleeders or "volunteers." But it makes life hard. Soon they might have to get honest work. When the pair encounter a girl who's been kidnapped and marked up with magic runes for a ritual spell, it's clear they're in over their heads. Turning to Lem's estranged Master for help, they are told that not only is the girl's life all but forfeit, but that the world's preeminent mage, Mika Renar, has earth-shattering plans for her--and Lem just got in the way. With the fate of the world on the line, and Lem both spooked and intrigued by the mysterious girl, the other nominate him to become the huckleberry who'll take down Renar. But even if he, Mags, and the simpletons who follow him prevail, they're dealing with the kind of power that doesn't understand defeat, or mercy. (The first portion of We Are Not Good People was originally published in an altered form as Trickster by Pocket Books).… (lisätietoja)
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Requisite disclaimer: I work for Simon & Schuster, of which Gallery Books is an imprint, and that's how I got a copy of this book. I have paid no money for it and I have an interest in getting you to buy it, but I wsn't paid to write this review, I read it of my own free will, my views are my own and are not representative of those of my employer, and I honestly think it's worth a read if you're into gritty urban fantasy.

I sniffed this bad boy out earlier in the production cycle but decided to wait until we had finished books to read. I don't know why. I thought it might itch my chronic Dresden-files longing but I think I'm just introducing a new obsession.

The Dresden comparison really is apt, though. The magic works a little differently--while Dresdenverse spells are fueled by the energy or soul of the caster, ustari magic works on blood. Sometimes a little, but frequently oceans of it, sometimes spilled willingly but all too often gushing out to the bleeder's horror, to create commensurately horrible, delightfully inventive effects. Same idea, different execution.

Lem's got a way with the Words that turn that blood into magic, but unfortunately for him he has too much of a conscience to spill the blood of others. And idimustari, the kind of low-level trickster-mage he is as a result? Not a thing you can put on a resume for a white collar job application. Lem and his giant of a man companion/pet Mags end up getting wrapped in some big-time mage's attempt to basically bleed the entire world dry when all they wanted was to find enough cash to buy some McD's to keep Mags and his bottomless appetite fed for another few weeks, and things go about as well as you would expect from a book with a razor blade on the cover. There just wouldn't be a story otherwise, would there?

I like this for a lot of the same reason I like the Dresden books: you have a flawed hero trying (and often failing) to maintain his morals in a totally amoral world, trying to balance his own personal happiness with saving an uncaring world from the apocalyptic nightmares shaking down around him. The side characters are intriguing and mostly believable, though Somers's work suffers from the comparison--he just hasn't had the time and space to build these characters up. I honestly feel like Somers has created a stronger cast in less time.

Sure, sure, there's a save-the-girl, save-the-world plot going on, but at its core this book is about Lem's deep friendship and love for Mags, about how far he's willing to go and how much he's willing to give up to save a world that ostensibly hasn't done shit for him.

I did have some issues with the pacing, especially toward the middle, when things seem to somehow both whip around and stall out. Things happen! Confusing things! But wait, we aren't any closer to our goals! It shows that this used to be a series before being repackaged into a single book, unfortunately, though if you look at the cover of Trickster, the original stand-alone? God, no wonder we started over. It looks like something I would have made in middle school, totally derivative from genre conventions. I'm not totally fond of the new cover, but it is far and away better than what we did initially.

Somers has given Lem a great voice and a quick wit, and it was truly a pleasure to spend the 500-odd pages with him. This is some choice-grade entertaining fiction with just enough depth to keep my brain happy and entertained on my (extremely long and tiring) commute. I know I've already established that I have an ulterior motive in telling you to read this, but I honestly think it's worth it if you're into urban fantasy. I don't consume horrible books in two days even if they're free. ( )
  prufrockcoat | Dec 3, 2019 |
ei arvosteluja | lisää arvostelu

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Englanninkielinen Wikipedia

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Learn the Words. Get the blood. Rule the world. The Ustari Cycle starts here. From the "exhilarating, powerful, and entertaining" (Guardian) storyteller of the Avery Cates series comes a gritty supernatural thriller featuring a pair of unlikely heroes caught up in the underground world of blood magic. Magicians: they are not good people. The ethics in a world of blood are gray--and an underground strata of blood magicians has been engineering disasters for centuries in order to acquire enough fuel for their spells. Although in the modern world these mages stay in the shadows, their exploits have become no less bloody. Still, some practitioners use the Words and a swipe of the blade to cast simpler spells, such as Charms and Cantrips to gas up $1 bills so they appear to be $20s. Lem Vonnegan and his sidekick Mags fall into this level of mage, hustlers and con men all. Lem tries to be ethical by using only his own blood, by not using Bleeders or "volunteers." But it makes life hard. Soon they might have to get honest work. When the pair encounter a girl who's been kidnapped and marked up with magic runes for a ritual spell, it's clear they're in over their heads. Turning to Lem's estranged Master for help, they are told that not only is the girl's life all but forfeit, but that the world's preeminent mage, Mika Renar, has earth-shattering plans for her--and Lem just got in the way. With the fate of the world on the line, and Lem both spooked and intrigued by the mysterious girl, the other nominate him to become the huckleberry who'll take down Renar. But even if he, Mags, and the simpletons who follow him prevail, they're dealing with the kind of power that doesn't understand defeat, or mercy. (The first portion of We Are Not Good People was originally published in an altered form as Trickster by Pocket Books).

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