Sunday, October 17, 2010

Game of Cages or Ray Lilly Needs A Hug

Cover of Game of Cages
Ray Lilly is the main character of Harry Connolly's outstanding Twenty Palaces series.  This ex-car thief was introduced in Connolly's first book Child Of Fire.  He's a pawn of the Twenty Palace Society which you think would bother him more.  Except he only feels alive when he's running down "predators" for the society.  This is one of the many cool things about Connolly's novel.  His monsters-the predators- are not your run of the mill claw, fang or hairy baddie.  Instead they are so alien, so unfamiliar to the human senses that you are horrified and attracted at the same time.  This novel also deals with the accumulative weight that violence adds to a hero's soul.  No act can be easily discounted.  Also if you like your story spoonfed to you while you're wearing a bibb, don't read this novel.  Mr. Connolly deftly weaves a story by putting you into the action and never dumps useless info on you.  But if you like tautly crafted hardboiled magic tales, go out and get this book.
http://www.harryjconnolly.com/

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