A fun story with quirky characters set in an interesting time, but the style was impossible to get used to. It's not just 1920s chicago slang or dialect, nearly every sentence is oddly structured, has an unusual rhythm, or straight up violates the 'rules' mentioned in a book called The Elements of Eloquence: How to Turn the Perfect English Phrase. Adjectives, writes the author, professional stickler Mark Forsyth, “absolutely have to be in this order: opinion-size-age-shape-colour-origin-material-purpose Noun. So you can have a lovely little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife. But if you mess with that order in the slightest you’ll sound like a maniac.”


I do intend to read through to book 3 since I received it in a goodreads giveaway. ( )

I received this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Urban Fantasy went a long way, lately, to disavow readers about the beauty and charm of the Fae world, and while Black City Saint is no exception, this book manages to bring the concept several steps further into darkness – and terror. If we had any residual delusion about these creatures, after reading this novel we will never look at queen Titania or king Oberon in the same way: at some point their Shakespearian counterparts are mentioned, but only to stress they are as far from the characters portrayed here as possible, and the Bard is shown as the fallible reporter of imperfect information.

The Gate separating Faerie from the mortal world used to be guarded by a powerful creature, a dragon, the very same that was slain by legendary Saint George who, in so doing, exposed the world of men to the dangers of contact with Faerie: the dragon slayer, now forever joined to the creature he vanquished – or what remains of it – is now both duty-bound and cursed to guard the portal between the two realms and as the story opens lives as occult investigator Nick Medea in the Chicago of the ‘20s, keeping watch for the creatures escaping though some crack in the Gate and hunting them without mercy.

There is a fascinating juxtaposition here between the fell denizens of Faerie and the Chicago underworld of gangsters and bootleggers, giving the story a peculiar noir feeling with a twist, a danger that remains unseen to most of the population but still affects their lives and the destiny of their city: the terrible fire that consumed most of it in the second half of the 19th century, for example, was in truth due to the dragon’s fiery breath as Nick battled with Oberon, king of Faerie, and destroyed him – or so he thought.

As the story opens, Nick Medea perceives that something is terribly wrong, that darkness and danger are looming over his city, and the terrifying discovery is that Oberon survived and has been planning his return for long decades, intending to use Chicago as the battleground for his clash with queen Titania: here lies the true horror of the premise, that humanity is nothing more than collateral damage between two opposing forces of evil, one bent on conquest and the other driven to maintain her power, no matter the cost. Nick must act both as guardian and as balance between those powers, but he’s dangerously distracted by the re-appearance of his love Cleolinda, the woman he already lost to death several times over the course of the centuries. When she contacts him to engage his professional skills, she appears as Claryce, a young woman worried about some strange events she witnessed, but Nick sees behind the façade and recognizes his many-times-lost love, deciding that this incarnation must survive, no matter what.

Despite the “damsel in distress” premise, Claryce is anything but: strong and determined she constantly refuses to be left behind or to stay safe, on the contrary she demands to be part of the action, especially when her feelings for Nick start surfacing. This is indeed a refreshing approach both for the genre and for the time period chosen as background: even when the truth about her nature and the past she doesn’t remember are revealed, she wastes no time in needless lamentations, showing a remarkable backbone that makes her stand out in interesting light and ultimately reveals her for the bold fighter she is, a true warrior princess of old.

Curiously enough, the main character Nick Medea is less defined than his companions: apart from his history, that comes up in bits and pieces over the course of the book, little is revealed about him beyond his determination to fulfill his task and the terrible memories that haunt his days and his tormented nights. Moreover, events tend to depict him as somewhat easily deceived, since more than once he falls prey to others' machinations: true, heroes don't have necessarily to be perfect, but poor Nick Medea sometimes fails to connect the dots…

Much more interesting is Fetch, his lycanthrope side-kick, an exile from Faerie who can talk when in proximity with Nick and expresses himself in an entertaining mix of old-fashioned language and contemporary slang that manages to define his mercurial personality in sharp relief: I can say with certainty that he’s the character that most appealed to me, the one that felt more real and three-dimensional, even in the surprising developments centered around him in the course of the story.

Equally interesting – in a disquieting sort of way – are Diocles (the ghost of former emperor Diocletianus, and Saint George’s executioner) and Kravayik, another exile from Faerie: this creature, draping himself in human form that can barely disguise his otherwordly origins, is one of the most intriguing figures, a staunch observer of the commandments of the Church after his conversion to religion. His total devotion and subservience to Nick, coupled with hints about his true nature, make him one of the creepiest figures in this novel, as fascinating as a caged anaconda - a creature best observed from a safe distance.

The story is an absorbing and swift read, and only sags slightly in the central segment, where the narrative hits a sort of repetitive loop: it takes flight again shortly after, though, and reaches its apex in the last fifty-odd pages, where the action speeds up at a breakneck pace through sudden betrayals, about-faces and the climax of Oberon's decades-long plan for conquest, closing the book with a very satisfying ending that hints at possible sequels. Something I would be quite interested in…

My thanks to Pyr Books and Edelweiss for the opportunity to read and review this novel.



Originally posted at SPACE AND SORCERY Blog ( )

Let’s keep it short, shall we? If you like the combination of historical-urban-fantasy, stop reading this review and start reading the book.
Still not convinced? Let me share some more details then.

What to Expect

Black City Saint is the first novel in the series from Richard Knaak. Set against the back-drop of Prohibition-era Chicago, Nick Medea is a private detective of sorts, dealing with paranormal cases.

Not that it’s as straightforward as that. Nick has a checkered past, and some unusual companions. He’s also tasked (cursed?) with a larger-than-life role in this universe, which is built up and explained as the novel progresses.

What I liked

The attention to detail. If you know me, you know my love of little historical trivia that goes into world-building. Black City is rife with such details, to the point that even though the date is not specified you can get a pretty exact estimate based on what is happening in the bootlegger wars in the background. There are also plenty of other little tidbits – such as arts, architecture, sports, politics, slang – that makes you love the realism and richness of the setting.

The pacing is wonderful. The plot slowly builds up over the course of the novel, continually picking up pace through twists and reveals, till you just can’t let go. Between the bootlegger wars of Capone, Bugs Moran, et al, purloined Christian hagiography, and Feirie Court politics there is plenty of material to provide unexpected developments.

What to be aware of

This is a noir mystery, set in the classical era for such stories. It’s written in first-person POV with the protagonist narrating events. Don’t expect the touchy-feely characters in contact with their inner child. Men were men, and women wore skirts. (Not that the women in the story lack spunk – but the story and characters fits the era and genre.)

The foremost topic are the Feirie creatures – this isn’t the place to learn about the gang wars of the Outfit, nor about Christian mythology. Those play an important role, but not the main one.

Summary

Unsurprisingly, I love the combination of history, mystery, and fantasy. The 1920’s were a fascinating era, and Mr Knaak makes full use of that background. From the Art Deco elevator doors on the cover, to the slang of the low-lifes, the world in Black City Saint is alive.

Amongst the ranks of historical-fantasy-detectives (or any two out of the three – you know I’ll read anything from Ruth Downie’s Medicus Roman Mysteries to Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files), Nick Medea and Richard Knaak deserve a place of honour. This is fast becoming one of my favourite series.

So what are you waiting for? yourself a favour, and get a copy Black City Saint now. You won’t regret it. Me, I’m just going to keep on reading with Black City Demon.

---
Assaph Mehr, author of Murder In Absentia: a story of Togas, Dagger, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Urban Fantasy, and Detective mysteries. ( )

I was lucky for once and won a Kindle copy of Black City Saint by Richard A. Knaak. It was just after I had received my first ARC for a review. That one was being released soon and they asked the review go up on release day and the same thing happened again and again so I kept putting Black City Saint on hold. I still have a few books, well, 6 or 7 books that I have been asked to review. But I needed a break to read something Just for me. And It had me from the first page.

I never read a review of a book beforehand. In fact I try to not read anything about a book before I read it. I find the less I know what to expect the better I enjoy it and the better my review. But there is always an authors past books that can sway your expectations of what a book might be about. So I was expecting a swords and sorcery book with dragons. That is what I got. I wasn't expecting it to take place in Chicago during the Roaring Twenties.

How could I have got both? Oh you always ask the best questions. Well ok so the Dragon is just a spirit His soul bound to the Protagonist, Nick Medea. He is the gatekeeper ("Are you the Keymaster?" sorry couldn't help myself) Where was I ? Oh yeah He is the Gatekeeper tasked with keeping faerie creatures out of our world. I am not talking about Tinkerbell either. No i am talking about the Fae Court that wants to kill all humans type. And he has been doing it a long time.

Richard Knaak always does a great job. Writing great characters and good story lines. But you could tell this was something he had worked extra hard on. The Characters are excellent and fully fleshed out. The opening scene makes you feel the rain wet sidewalks of a Chicago night. I was instantly immersed in the story, and I didn't want to leave it. Throughout the book it seemed every time one question was answered two more were asked. So I had to just read one more chapter to find out what happened next.

I Want more and will have to wait until March for Black City Demon to be released. To help hold me over till then I wrote my summery in 20's slang Enjoy it

Hot dawg* This book really is the Bee's Knees* and that ant no applesauce* with Characters that are hip to the jive*. And real bug-eyed Betty* type of monsters that will give you the heebie-jeebies*, All in a real swell* setting. This book is the cat's meow* And how*. Well worth a few clams* Knaak hit on all sixes* and I am not chewing gum* here. Black City Saint is sitting pretty* with 4.25 out of 5 stars.



And yes your grandparents or great-grandparents probably talked like that.

The review on my Blog has the definitions so go read it there if you are confused https://thebloggoblin.com/2016/11/06/hobs-review-of-black-city-saint-black-city-... ( )

I purchased Black City Saint when it first came out because urban fantasy in 1920's Chicago—oh, yeah! Plus the lovely art-deco cover. As happens with many books, however, I didn't get to it right away. But the next book, Black City Demon comes out in March and I wanted to be ready. I'm glad I did; Black City Saint is a great read.

Mix a little bit of Christian mythology and Roman history with a little bit of Faerie and Prohibition-era Chicago, and you have an idea of what Black City Saint feels like. Richard A. Knaak, whose name may be recognized by table-top and computer gamers alike, has created a new world just for readers that is gritty, magical, and full of the romance and intrigue of the Roaring '20s.

Nick Medea guards the gates between our world and Feirie. His job is to keep the two worlds separate and eliminate those things that slip through. Masquerading as a ghost breaker, he hunts down creatures who have slipped through the gate, keeping the humans on our side safe.

However, Nick has a lot of challenges. First, there is a dragon residing in his head, one whose agenda is often at odds with Nick's duty. Second, he's haunted by the ghost of his murderer who needs his forgiveness to pass on to Heaven. Third, the few "reformed" creatures from Feirie he has allowed to live in our world see him as some sort of savior and lord, which sounds nice, but often makes him feel guilty. And finally, the love of his life keeps reincarnating, only to die over and over and over, and Nick can't seem to stop it.

On top of all that, someone is trying to open the Way between our world and Feirie, to meld the two worlds together, subjugate humans, and claim both worlds as his own; and Her Majesty, Queen of Feirie, is royally pissed. Poor Nick has his hands full!

Black City Saint is a great introduction to a new UF series. I had a ton of fun reading it, and can't wait to see what challenges Nick has to face in Black City Demon. ( )