Jim's Books

The Dirty Streets of Heaven

Tad Williams

The Dirty Streets of Heaven
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ISBN: 9781444738575

Description

Bobby Dollar isn't your average angel. Sure, he takes the occasional trip to Heaven, but his job as an advocate - arguing the fate of the recently deceased - keeps him pretty busy on Earth, and he's more than happy to spend the rest of his time propping up the bar with his fellow immortals.

Until the day a soul goes missing, presumed stolen by 'the other side'.

A new chapter in the war between heaven and hell is about to open. And Bobby is right in the middle of it, with only a desirable but deadly demon to aid him.

Reviewed on 14th April 2014

Tad Williams' latest series kicks off with this story about an angelic lawyer on earth, arguing against hell's representative to get souls into the right afterlife. It feels much grittier than his longer fantasy and science fiction that've read before: it's contemporary, urban and feels like a private detective's mystery with some fantasy elements.

The character is almost a walking archetype of the cynical investigator, with a mysterious background that's hinted at occasionally but not explored in massive detail. Similarly the relationships feel similar from other novels of similar setting. The situation is what makes this book unique, and even then I felt it was underdone and actually detracted from by the plot, which quickly separated itself from some of the most interesting elements.

I felt the plot dragged, particularly in the centre of the book where one subplot got out of hand for a couple of chapters that I was almost embarrassed to read on the train, and during the repetetive action sequences where I found my mind wandering away from the book.

Overall, I didn't find this a particularly captivating book, and I'm in two minds over whether to bother with the sequel.

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