Working for the Devil (Dante Valentine, Book 1) (vuoden 2006 painos)

For the whole series: By the gods and kittens, that *censored* hurt.

Seriously excellent world building, really strong character development, a fascinating look at ethics without truth, and just... damn. An impressive and in many ways resonating construct, but I'm literally writing myself a note to never pick this particular series back up again because the price is so damn high.

And yeah, it gets five stars. Because it does what it does so very well. And because so many of the underlying structures are absolutely beautiful. ( )

Contrary to all (mine) expectations...I loooooved this book!!!
Dante is so not the Mary-Sue type which is not really funny you know?!...sure she's gorgeous and strong but she's also rude and doesn't really care what you think or what you want and most of the time if you told her not do to something she'll do it just to spite you!
Loved when she went on a ride with the slicboard to feel alive again after the necromance stuff ...totally understand it even if I don't go around risking my life when I need to prove myself I'm still in control...
I liked also the other characters and the story caught me from page one...now I only have to read the following four books of the series....
( )

Not for the faint of heart, but if you like gritty urban fantasy with loads of paranormal stuff going on, you will like this book. I bought a HUGE volume with the complete series between two covers early in the summer, and I'm finally getting to it. Fast-paced with nicely complex characters and lots of action. Moved on to the next book already! ( )

Picking up this series kinda blindly, I wasn't really sure where to categorize it in the UF world. Obviously, it's a kick-ass female with magic and blade, but you know how that is. Seen it on the shelves a MILLION TIMES. Huh. Even the blurb just tugs at my old heartstrings for Anita Blake and Rachel Morgan. I thought it was a throwaway blurb.

But then I learned how wrong I was.

Imagine this: It's bladerunnerish, high-tech noir with hovercraft, laser pulse rifles, juicy biotech implants, gene-splicing. It's also rune magic, Annubis-based necromancy, whole schools of magic, and even eclectic voodoo, ritual, and a lot more right out in the open. It's open trade for SF and Fantasy in this near-future overpopulated world.

So delicious.

And then there's Dante with her deep connection with Annubis and her dripping holy blue fire blade, her strong necromantic craft for sale for lawyers, the police, or anyone with the means to pay. And she's got a new job from a character she can't quite refuse: Lucifer. Who wants her to assassinate another demon. As a little backup, she gets a high-level demon as a backup... and as a familiar.

Holy crapola.

So wait a second.

Not only are we getting to levels of necromancy only seen 7-8 books into Anita Blake, but we're also moving ahead to powers equivalent to books 4-5 in Rachel Morgan. In Blade Runner.

OH, MY GOD, I AM SO IN LOVE.

And it's true. I slammed through this book kinda dancing with glee. And yes there's a bit of UF romance but it takes a back seat to the action and intrigue... just as I prefer it. And let me be a bit clear about where I place this in my favorite UF categories. I have some series I love for being imaginative and others for being super charming and classy, but my first love is for outright powerups and bitch'n kick-ass magics.

This one is pulling on those heartstrings HARD. :)

( )

Dante Valentine is the best necromance there is, and she is called by the Devil himself to do a job for him. This job is to kill the guy who just happens to be a demon that killed one of her friends. She is paired up with a demon named Jaf. She sets out on an adventure that takes her clear across the world to get this guy. Meanwhile she has a run on with her ex, a member of the MOB family. So between evading her old feelings for him, and finding her friends killer/demon, and figuring her feelings for Jaf, it turns into a wild ride all the way around for Dante. Great book, loved the world setting the plot and the character the ending left me a little sad though, but we will see how the other books go. ( )