I can see the small similarities between the Harry Dresden series and this one. There are differences though. I found Felix Castor more dark and grittier than Dresden. It definitely more "noir" and having the setting taking place in London is perfect. London is so dark and wet most of the time and cold. I think the setting fits well and is described perfectly for this novel. The world here is much different than present day. The dead and ghosts are actually out and we're aware that they are. Most of the time though, they actually don't bother us except for a select few that have risen up to settle some differences. There is plenty of magic but it's not in the way of Harry Potter it's more darker and more realistic.

I have to admit, it took me a while to get into this book. It started off a little slow and I had to nearly force myself to get into it. Eventually it started picking up and I got more interested. It was especially interesting that although it's paranormal in regards to ghosts and other creatures (there's a loup garou but not what you usually think it would be..it's different). There's also an underlying realistic element in it as naturally the ghost is there with a reason and has a story to tell (ie; how she became a ghost) so real life comes into play just as much as the paranormal side does in this book. Which is good it's a nice mixture and it's done nicely so that the magic parts come naturally and it doesn't seem so out of the ordinary, it actually feels like everyday life.

I think the other reason why it took me a while to get into it, is because in the beginning, Felix goes through a huge narration on explaining how he got to this point, and how he met certain characters and their background stories. He does this throughout the book and although the explanations are great and provides a nice depth to the novel, some of them are too detailed and rather long winded. Then I'm left wondering where did we leave off and what does this have to do with it? although the background information is nice, it should have been done in small specific paragraphs but not deviate entirely from the main plot. This could be a deterrent to some readers and those reading might feel like putting the book to the side and leave it for another day, but try and get through it. You'll find it connects the dots in one way or another and it leaves the story more complete and more detailed.

As for characters I like Felix. He's got wit and a dark sense of humor. I'm not sure if you could call him your typical detective in a noir book as although he does have an eye for the ladies I don't think he really has much of a charm or is that charismatic. To me he's more like a good guy friend who you'd have a drink with and just relax. He's likable, don't get me wrong and there are certainly parts in the book where I found myself laughing at him because of comments he's made either towards others or towards himself but he's lacking in something. He just falls short of standing out. I guess what I am trying to say is, it took me a while to warm up to him and even then although I like him, there's no strong attachment or anything.

The plot is great and albeit for the slow start, putting the pieces together was a puzzle for me and it was fun trying to guess what it was. You're left guessing what it is and in the end I was sort of right, but wrong as well. I had the wrong idea. It was well done with how the ends were all tied and no questions asked except in regards to Felix' past and what will happen next (there are more books to this series). The ending was great and I'm curious as to what will happen. I will be reading the second book definitely however I'm hoping it won't be as slow starting as this one.

Overall, it's not a bad book! give it a try if you're a fan of Harry Dresden but want something more realistic, more dark, and with more grit. You'll find it's actually quite good and well worth the wait. ( )

Pulpy supernatural fun for fans of Hellblazer (also at one point written by Carey) and demonic noir. ( )

http://lampbane.livejournal.com/588016.html

"I've seen the series compared to the Dresden Files but I've never actually read those books but now I might; I really enjoyed the mixture of occult and detective story. I've enjoyed mystery and detective novels in the past but never developed a yen for reading them. But science fiction and fantasy have always been easy for me to pick up, so maybe what I needed was to combine the two.

The main character was the typical "someone you find yourself liking even though you'd probably hate him in real life." He has a past that's briefly touched upon and acquaintances that make brief appearances in the book; it's definitely a "my life is a dark pit of darkness and here I am now, but this one case will start to turn everything around" scenario, which is very typical of a first novel. Like, you want a character with a past, but you need him to be at a place where the readers and jump in and feel like they're at the start of something. So the book followed a predictable path there. Heck, nothing was particularly surprising about the book, it's obvious from the start of the case that a simple exorcism isn't going to be so simple, and Felix was going to find out how the person died, but knowing that didn't make it less fun to read. It's deliciously trashy in all the right ways, but well-written. Which is funny, because I've never read Carey's Lucifer and I don't like his X-Men run at all. (I actually stopped reading X-Men.)"

This is the first book in Mike Carey's Felix Castor series. I thoroughly enjoy this book. there are zombies, ghosts, werwolves (a form of undead spirits in Felix's world) and demons inhabiting London alongside regular humans. Felix Castor is a ghost exorcist. Some people don't like him, some people do. He is hired to exorcise a ghost from a building that holds archives, but things don't go so smoothly. Felix ends up in danger, and finds that he wants to solve the mystery of why this ghost is a ghost afterall. Mike Carey is an extremely good writer. The dialogue is snappy, there are many twists and turns, and the main character is not a perfect male speciman, but a guy who makes mistakes and can admit them.
The book has very strong mystery elements, and is one of the few books that didn't have me saying, come on! figure it out already! to the character. I liked his original take on the undead, and the way the characters interact with each other.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series, which was also provided to me by a very sweet person.... (thanks sweet person!).

If I wasn't so tired I would put up links- I still might at a later date.

If you like paranormal mysteries, thick books, and down to earth characters...even the undead characters, you'll enjoy this one. One challenge I had (being an American) was reading the British idioms - which I plan to look up for a wider understanding. This wasn't an irritating challenge, just something that made me want to learn a little more about British slang and word usage- it's rare that a book makes me want to actually learn something, so this is a plus for me. ( )

What happens to ghosts once you exorcise them? Felix Castor, a professional "exorcist," has never spent much time pondering this question - he's simply whistled a tune (his preferred form of exocism), then collected his paycheck. Or, rather he *used* to - he's now semi-retired, and performing magic at birthday parties.

When he's asked to exorcise a ghost in a museum, he's intrigued (a little bullied) enough to look into it, but the ghost is not as easy to find as he first expected...

This is creepy and dark, with a charming, sarcastic, a bit tortured, and definitely reluctant hero. I *really* enjoyed it! ( )