Black City Demon

By: Richard A. Knaak

Narrated by: Joshua Saxon

Since he became the guardian of the Gate between our world and Feirie 1600 years ago, Nick Medea, once Saint George, has battled to keep the darkest Feirie - the Wyld - from invading the mortal plane. With the dragon an unwilling part of him, Nick maintains balance between realms, often at great cost to him and those nearest to him. Nick and his ragtag confederates - including the shape-shifter Fetch and Nick's reincarnated love, Claryce - have battled the Wyld, but mortals as sinister as the darkest Feirie.

Now, with Prohibition in full swing and bootlegger wars embattling Chicago, a murderous evil born of the mortal world has turned its attention to the power of the Gate...and Nick himself. Nick must turn again to his most untrustworthy ally: The dragon within. Yet even together they may not be enough to face what was once a man...but is now a creature even dragons may fear.

©2017 Richard A. Knaak (P)2020 David N. WIlson

Another fantastic Urban Fantasy tale!

Once again, Richad A Knaak delivers an amazing experience!
One part prohibition-era noir, one part mystery, one part fantasy adventure, this one will keep you guessing all the way to the end!

Now, let me talk about the audiobook narrator for a moment.
The majority of Joshua Saxon's work that I've heard has been read predominantly in his (presumably natural?) British accent, so even with having listened to the first book to prepare me, it was still a bit of a shock to hear him use an essentially neutral American accent (or lack thereof) for this book.

That being said, as always, Saxon's voices are excellently crafted with brilliant accents. His vocal inflections are near perfect, and his tempo changes are very effective.

This one picks up a short while after the previous book, but not too long. I was a bit disappointed to find that Nick has gone back to trying to keep Claryce out of harm's way, but I understand the deep seated personal reasons that he does so.

In terms of character, we get to know our existing characters a whole lot better in this book, Claryce, Fetch, and the detective in particular. I find myself really enjoying this diverse cast, and the way they have been brought to life for the audiobook is absolutely fantastic!

We are introduced to a few fascinating new characters, which was awesome, especially the ones that we've heard about before but are meeting for the first time.

In true Richard Knaak style, every time I thought I had figured out where things were going, some new piece of information would come to light that completely shakes up everything I think I know and paints the entire story in a whole different light!

If there's one thing I appreciate about Richard Knaak's writing, it would have to be that. The fact that there's always something deeper. There's always another layer to peel back, and when it happens your whole understanding of the story shifts.

This series has actually forced me to re-evaluate my aversion to fae-based stories.
I am normally quite averse to them as a general rule. I suspect it's because I've read one too many books about fae that was just full of cliches and over-used tropes and lacked any sort of originality.

Not so here. Knaak does something with the whole idea of fae and faerie that I've never seen before and I can't help but be fascinated by it.

If I had to choose something to critique in these books, it would probably be the stereo-typing of the fae themselves. There are a handful of exceptions, of course, but in the main the fae as presented here and universally self-serving and care nothing for humanity. Not that this is in itself bad or even unrealistic. Humans do this to pretty much everything that we consider beneath us. But I was hoping for just a bit more individuality among the fae. A nice mix of good, evil, and neutrality would have been an improvement.

But that's it.
Everything else about this series is absolutely fantastic. Definitely one of the two best Urban Fantasies I've ever read (and no, the other is NOT Jim Butcher).

I think this brings us to talking about the ending.
While it doesn't quite have the pomp, flair, or "blockbuster" quality of the ending to the first book, in many ways this one is superior. The ending felt much more personal, much more devastating, and vastly more satisfying in just about every way.

I cannot recommend this book and series highly enough.
I can't wait to see the final book out in audio!

Even better than book one.

I received a free audio copy from the author in return for an honest review. This in no way impacts my opinion.

I had the pleasure of reviewing Black City Saint on audio a while back, so I thought it something of a treat to get to review the sequel too. Nick and his motley crew have beaten the Wyld, preventing their descent into Chicago, and life has settled down. With no major threats on the horizon, Nick, Claryce and Fetch settle into a semblance of a normal life, which for Nick means ghost-hunting. Not real ghosts mind you, but things that go bump in the night. A debunker, so to speak. It might seem somewhat odd that a man who possesses the soul of a dragon and has fought creatures from Celtic mythology is debunking ghosts but just roll with it. Nick starts to discover some real ghosts – way too many real ghosts – and figures something is rotten in Denmark. It turns out Claryce has been doing her own investigations, and has the jump on Nick, but is now attracting the wrong kind of attention – perhaps an even greater threat than that they faced in the first book. Here are my thoughts on the story:

I preferred this book to the original. Maybe that had something to do with the fact that there was no need for exposition (not that it was done badly in BCS), but I felt more at home with everyone. Instead of a “happy ever after” approach, Nick avoids Claryce to keep her out of harm’s way. However, in true heroic style, she wasn’t interested in what he thought and had begun her own investigation into the growing ghost problem. Fetch is still Fetch, and we’re never 100% what side he is on, unlike the Dragon, whose favourite pastime seems to be possessing Nick – something that amps up in BCD
Did I mention there is a bad guy? While we had to deal with Feirie last time, they were creatures out of myth, and (subconsciously I guess) seemed less frightening for it (unlike the Dragon, our inner demon). This time we have a flesh and blood human, a serial killer, who flies under the radar in a time when we didn’t have an information superhighway to keep us warned. To compare to book one again, I like that the identity and “habits” of this antagonist are kept under wraps and slowly revealed, unlike BCS where it was more obvious from the start.
I continue to enjoy the setting. Prohibition is now in full swing, and the cops are too busy chasing smugglers and busting speakeasies to see what’s going on around them. What I particularly enjoy about “period” pieces like this, is how hard it is to dig up information. Nick and Claryce constantly have to question potentially unreliable sources, including an institutionalized man, or scan old newspapers and paperwork to find leads, adding a degree of complexity to their detective work. Knaak makes sure that the story oozes 1920s Chicago.
Finally, in this second part of the series, the Dragon starts to make his presence known more, and on these occasions, it becomes harder for Nick to regain control. This concept is my favourite part of the series and is quite unique. But there is an added catch this time. Dual personalities aside, the Dragon also fears the antagonist, adding a frightening dimension to Nick’s new foe. What kind of human is fearsome enough to frighten a dragon?
Verdict

Not many sequels surpass the first book. This is one of them.

Black City Demon

Very good,very intense book.I got a bit lost.Maybe I should have read the first book. Joshua Saxon was a terrific narrator.I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'

Always up for this Series.

Intense and full of action. I really love all the supporting characters. As far as the narrator goes, he's awesome.
This audio was given to me free and I voluntarily gave this review.