So, this book is not for the highly religious and/or sensitive person due to the language and nature of the world the book takes place in; saying that, it is truly an urban fantasy book (maybe even a little futuristic) and I definitely liked it a lot. Dante Valentine is a messed up girl with a dark past, but its just made her super tough, and completely able to take care of herself. However she gets forced into a difficult situation and some interesting stuff occurs. Once I started reading it I pretty much was completely obsessed with finishing it, although the ending was VERY upsetting! I'll still read the next one with high hopes. Recommended to any fans of urban fantasy. ( )

I was only going to read a _little_ of the book, and finish it tomorrow. Now it's 0130… That's quite a story. It's still the one story Saintcrow writes - powerful woman and man (more or less) protecting her - then falling for her. But here there's a lot less of the mutual lack of self-esteem, not to mention that Dante is as capable of taking care of herself as Jaf is - in some ways more so. She's a licensed Necromance, armed with blessed sword, knives and guns when appropriate and with magical powers - he's a greater demon with all the powers inherent in that. The universe is truly weird - sort of Shadowrun, magic and tech quite thoroughly intermingled. The names and languages are just enough different that I don't know if it's supposed to be an alternate future (it used to be this world, in its past) or it split much longer ago (when it passed through now, it was already different). No way to tell, really. And it's based in Saint City, with Abracadabra making a brief appearance. All that aside - major changes, physical, emotional and mental, for several of the main characters. And I wonder if the end is as final as it sounds - there's hints of something more. Guess I need to hunt out more Dante Valentine stories…too. I should just give up - I want everything by Saintcrow, no exceptions. Yay, found it at a booksale! Want more... ( )

Any fan of the urban fantasy genre knows how difficult it can be to
find books with romantic elements in them without tons of sex(Patricia
Briggs is a wonderful exception).

It looks like I may have found another non-pornographic series.
Unfortunately, this book can't get my endorsement due to prolific use
of the f-word (almost on every page), and a fair amount of religious
bashing towards Christians ruined an otherwise solid urban fantasy.

Sexual Content:
One or two vague and brief descriptions of sex. A past lesbian
relationship is mentioned in a flashback with some description. ( )

It took me a couple of chapters to get into this one but once I was hooked I had a hard time putting it down. Now I'm anxious to get the rest of the books in the Dante Valentine series.The only thing that kept this from being an "amazing" read was my consistent confusion about how Dante's powers worked and exactly what was going on as she was using them. It wasn't until near the end of the book that it didn't take me out of the book while reading those sections. I think it's intentionally jarring but I'm noting it because I don't want others who might it confusing to think they're alone.Other than that, I really dug Dante. I always enjoy a strong female lead and she definitely fits that bill. And, like I said, I can't wait to read more about her. ( )

Ok series, not the best but will pick up the next sometine ( )

Early Anita Blake.

Oh. Utter crap. Slecht geschreven en oersaai. ( )

Most amazingly bad. I have thrown the book out, but put it on my LT library so I can review it. I got it in an airport when I was deperate to have something to read. No, really.

It's about a woman who is pressured into chasing down a demon for Satan. I forget why Satan needs this task done, by a mortal no less. Anyway, he sends along his right-hand demon, Satan's personal assassin, as a minder.

This is the "heroine's" reaction when her friends offer to help her: "Fuck off." She is constantly swearing at people who offer to help her. She also is prone to saying things like "I gave him a look that would have cut glass." Huh? That's not for you to judge; it's for the person you're looking at to judge.
Anyway, the book goes along, the incredibly annoying "heroine" being incredibly annoying, until near the end of the book, when the stupidest thing of all happens. I suppose that technically, I should include a "spolier" warning here, as if you could spoil crap.
Satan's assassin falls to his knees and confesses his hopeless love for her!!!! LOL!!! A demon, yes a demon is madly in love! And not just any old demon, mind you, but Satan's second-in-command and personal hit man! LOL! Sums up the idiocy of this painful novel perfectly.
Buy it if you want, but only for the laughs. ( )

One of the new authors I’m checking out is Lilith Saintcrow and her series involving Dante Valentine. The premise is even more futuristic than Keri Arthur’s Riley Jenson novels and a slight take from the Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series.

The first novel Working for the Devil introduces us to Dante Valentine, a Necromance-for-hire who gets hired by the Devil. Not that she really wants to work for him, but he made her an offer she couldn’t refuse. The series was actually pretty good. It can be a little confusing when Saintcrow describes her inventions for the world Dante lives in, but I was able to figure everything out once I continued reading. Once I read what it was, then it was understandable, but she doesn’t always explains things right away. Saintcrow also plays with the “supernaturals” or the Psions in her world. So far I haven’t come across any vampires or werewolves, but there are Magi, Shamans, and Skinlins (which, in layman terms, are earth witches). The one thing she does point out is nobody gets to decide they are a Psion, but it’s part of their genetic code.

The one thing I haven’t made my mind up about yet, is that fact that she made one thing very obvious in the beginning of the story. I’m not going to say what it was, but I was not surprised when, what I thought was going to happen, actually did happen. Although I do have to say, it was nice watching the situation unfold. It wasn’t something that happened within a chapter or two, but it wasn’t dragged out or anything either. Everything Dante went through seemed right. It wasn’t hurried or just thrown in for an added benefit. I think that is why I haven’t made any decisions regarding it yet. While it was glaringly obvious, it was really well done. And you really can’t argue against that.

This novel is borderline too futuristic for me, but it’s still a good read and I’m willing to try the second book Dead Man Rising. Either way, if you like the Riley Jenson or Anita Blake series, check this one out. This first novel was good and it kept me interested.

http://www.literaryescapism.com/2007/... ( )

Dante Valentine is hired by the devil to kill a demon, and given another demon as a familiar to help keep her alive. She calls in all her markers and goes hunting. The action is non stop, the plot just twisty enough, and Dante is an engaging hero. The other characters are sketchier, and the relationships are tenuous, but it was a fun read. ( )

No one ever markets books this way, but there are whole bunches of books that are pure, sweet brain candy. They’re not great works of fiction; you won’t find Mary Shelley, David Mitchell or even Philip K. Dick in this particular stack. Brain candy requires a small bit of thinking, but only as much as it would take to choose what you want in the candy store. Most mysteries fit this description, especially those that are part of a series, where you already know the characters and the setting; the exceptions are those those usually explicitly known as “literary,” like Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose. Many comics – oops, sorry, graphic novels – fit here, too, like Hellblazer most of the time -- but not Alan Moore’s From Hell or any of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman series. Some SF warrants the label, and generic fantasy is almost always in this category. These are the books you tend to read on your commute. They’re all enjoyable, fast reads, with memorable characters and strong plotting.

There’s a whole other category, though; books that you wouldn’t want anyone on the subway to catch you reading, and that you shove under the couch cushions when your sweetheart walks into the room. These books are guilty pleasures. They require no brain work at all beyond the effort to move your eyes from left to right. They can be read in an hour or two, cover to cover. You don’t expect – and you certainly don’t find – exciting prose, fully formed characters, or a plot that makes sense. What’s on offer is fast reading, a story you don’t have to think about – indeed, it helps if you don’t think about it, because otherwise it seems kind of silly – in short, pure brainless entertainment. It’s like eating that entire chocolate Easter bunny in one sitting.

A subgenre of romantic horror has developed in recent years that fits squarely in the guilty pleasure category. Some of it can be quite good, like the early Laurel Hamilton novels. Some of it amounts to nothing but Harlequin romances with monsters included. And some falls in between, solid efforts often by first-time authors, like Working for the Devil by Lilith Saintcrow (Warner, $6.99, March 1, 2006).

Working for the Devil features Dante Valentine (the heroines of these novels – and they’re almost always heroines – always have amazingly romantic names, as, indeed, the authors seem to as well), a Necromancer – that is, someone who can talk with the dead (a trait shared with the Violets of Stephen Woodworth’s novels, about which more soon). The story isn’t about her ability to speak with the dead, however, but with the fact that that ability makes her something not quite human and not quite demon, and therefore the perfect person to assassinate a demon who has escaped from Hell. Lucifer himself hires her, after having had her escorted to Hell for a job interview by a gorgeous green-eyed, golden-skinned, human-shaped demon known commonly as Japhrimel (not his full name, of course, because knowing a demon’s full name gives you complete power over him; only Dante learns it in the course of the book).

Dante is not a nice person. She is tough, sarcastic, bitter, and unpleasant to friends and enemies alike. She’s a bitch on wheels to her ex-sweetheart, who, it turns out, left her in order to save her life when his family – one of the crime families that appears to rule this world – decided she had to go. She’s not particularly friendly to her friend Gabe, a police officer who assists her in tracking the demon, who coincidentally happens to be the head of the very same crime family that Dante’s ex saved her from. She’s downright horrible to the demon who has been assigned by Lucifer to protect her, despite the fact that she feels (of course!) strangely attracted to him.

The novel is violent, with fights breaking out here and there for no apparent reason except to allow us to imagine the blue light flowing along the blade of Dante’s sword, the gleaming of the emerald embedded in her cheek, and the charge of Power in the air around her. The plot is slower than it ought to be; where political complications could rear their ugly heads, or relationships develop, instead we have incident – another visit to another sort of oddity who can provide information through another mystical means, for instance, or a ride on a “slic,” a sort of skateboard that flies.

Despite the numerous flaws in this novel, I kept reading. No, I didn’t read it on the bus; I read it while I was holed up in my home on a rainy reading vacation, where no one had to see the flaming red and yellow cover featuring a gorgeous long-haired woman and a shadowy man (really, a handsome demon, as all romance readers know that men really are) in the background. I felt guilty to be reading such delicious trash, but it was just as pleasurable as the pizza I ate while I read it. Really, what other kind of book goes better with pepperoni?

This book has a real Shadowrun feel - it's more clearly than most UF set in the near(ish) future - hovercars, levtrains and the like, but there's an outbreak of Psi activity that manifests in various ways. Dante is a Necromance which is not quite a necromancer in the current normally used way - but she does go visit the halls of the dead and bring them back to talk in the mortal world.

The Devil hires her to track down a missing demon and gives her a companion demon too. There's a lot of intrigue, a fair bit of fighting, some magic, betrayal, crime lords and more.

There's also a lot of Spanish that is supposed to be Portuguese, but that's a minor gripe in a book I otherwise enjoyed very much. ( )

Not your typical necromance novel. I liked the main character. She is tough and talented. I was very disappointed that the demon *******SPOILER******* died by the ending. I liked his character even from the beginning. I was happy to see Dante warm up to him. I am hoping he comes back in some way. I am running out to get the second book right away. There is a lot of action so it keeps you up really late, not wanting to put the book down. Every character is interesting. I am dying to see what comes of Eve too. ( )

I went into this one thinking it had tremendous potential, but was sorely disappointed.

It is a first person narrative told by Dante Valentine, our badass heroine and "necromance" (fancy word for necromancer). Yes, she's pretty much an exact rip-off of Anita Blake, minus the charm. Here's where we get to my first major problem with the book: the protagonist is completely unlikeable. I mean, unlikeable in every conceivable way. She has the emotional maturity of a six year old, is arrogant, impetuous, and all-around bitchy. Not a fun combination. Dante is hired by Lucifer (yes, that one) to retrieve a McGuffin, and he sends along his chief assassin -- a demon -- to accompany Dante on her mission which we all know won't turn out well.

My second major beef with the book is the setting. It's set in the future -- how far we really don't know -- for little apparent reason. All we really see are some alternative brand names for stuff we use in 2008, there are versions of cars and skateboards that hover, and drugs have been legalized. The "future history" of the setting is told in somewhat slapdash fashion and no exact date for the present is given. At the start of the book, it's not even immediately clear that it *is* set in the future. Honestly, I don't really think it being in the future does much for the plot. It might as well have been set in an alternate present where magic and demons are known to exist by the world at large. Magic and psionics are blurred, and it's not clear if the "magic" in the setting is really just psionics. The setting is a bit of a New Age / Wiccan wet dream, where Christianity and the other organized religions have been proven false and paganism is ascendant. Yay. That aspect combined with the bad-assitude of the protagonist makes me think this is more or less an author wankfest. I don't find those very enjoyable.

I had thought this would be the start to a fun series, but after reading it, I don't plan on picking up any of the sequels. The premise had potential, but it just comes off trite and largely as a rip-off of Anita Blake and a mish-mash of other paranormal romance novels.

Review copyright 2008 J. Andrew Byers ( )

http://olvasonaplo.freeblog.hu/archiv... ( )

The beginning of a - so far - well written and engaging urban fantasy series. Told in 1. person by the usual powerful and strong female hero battling her inner demons while she saves the world.

Dante Valentino - an accredited Neuromance and bounty hunter - is hired at gun point by the devil to kill a demon and recover a stolen artifact. As part of the deal she is equipped with a demon familiar who is to help her and protect her while doing the job. Dante has a personal score to settle with the demon, making the job mean more to her than just staying on the good side of the devil.

The details of the world-building are convincing and engaging. The dark and gritty futuristic setting makes for an excellent backdrop for Dantes exploits. The technological details are a bit vague, but not in a way that matter or detract from the story.

I like Dante as a character. I like her ressourcefulness, the fact that she wears sensible clothes for the job instead of the to ohigh heels, too short and too tight clothes of many of her fellow urban fantasy series protagonists. Her inner demons are realistically portrayed, and her response to them ring true. ( )

You know sometimes when you read a book, and you get that choked feeling of frustration at wasted potential? The I-wanna-tear-my-hair-out kind of frustration?

This is exactly how I feel about Working for the Devil.

This book taps into the Anita Blake, badass paranormal heroine genre--which is totally cool. I'm a fan of the genre, and of badass heroines in general.

The story is pretty simple. Dante Valentine is a freelance necromance, and is at home watching her soaps on a slow weekend. A big, hulking demon named Japhrimel lands on her doorstep, points a gun in her face, and lets her know that Lucifer himself demands an audience with her. Jaf drags her to Hell with him, and the Devil forces Dante into a job. A demon has stolen an egg from Hell, which could unleash some nasty shit on earth. Dante, who has a history with said demon (he murdered her old lover), takes the job, and is assigned Japhrimel as her familiar.

I'll start with the good stuff. I actually really like the cover art (which is exceedingly rare for me in this genre--usually the covers look like crap and I just can't like them). It's kinda pulp-y, in a good cheese kind of way. I love our heroine's name: Dante Valentine (Danny for short). The Dante allusion, working for Lucifer, it's just...cool. I was excited to get into this new leading lady.

Until I read the first chapter.

My initial impression of the first 200 pgs of the book goes something like this:

Growl! Chillfreaks I hate Chillfreaks!...slicboard...gene splicing...Growl!...sparkling magic...Anubis! Anubis et'her ka!...I was being rude! He was being rude!..f-bomb...chillfreak...Growl!

That probably doesn't make sense to you if you haven't read the book, but those that have know what I'm talking about.

Perhaps the biggest failing of this book was that there was nothing really to LIKE in Dante Valentine. She was, in plain terms, a bitch. Which is ok, but she had absolutely no redeeming qualities, or anything really relateable about her. Furthermore, she was like a cheap Anita Blake knockoff. Anita is a necromancer, Dante is a necromance. Instead of Anita's trusty .9mm Browning, Dante has a Katana. The general tone of writing, the character's thoughts and first person narration--all very Anita Blake. Right down to the "Bully for me"'s, "Me and my big mouth"'s, etc. At least early Anita had a sympathetic side (you know with her penguins). Dante Valentine? Not so much. I guess Ms. Saintcrow thought that the comparisons wouldn't be seen because Dante is Anita Blake IN THE FUTURE! On a SLICBOARD! GENE SPLICING!

The futuristic setting was a bit much for me. In a book that is pushing the fantastic with necromances, magi, witches and demons, it was a bit much to also throw hoverboards, plasguns and such on top of things. Though, to be fair, I probably would have been much more receptive to the futuristic, post-apocalyptic setting had things been better explained or described. The vague notions of "plugging in" to the net or medscanners just don't quite cut it for me.

Things were exacerbated by the fact that the writing in this book is mediocre at best. Nothing ever really makes sense--these characters, Danny included, don't have "real" reactions to anything. It felt like someone was trying to write a story, not like someone telling a story. Danny growled a lot, Jaf's cheek twitched a lot, Eddie scowled a lot, and so forth. Ms. Saintcrow is at her best when detailing action sequences, and witty banter between Gabe and Danny (they curse fluently, which isn't a bad thing). Unfortunately, everything else plain sucks. Non-existant character development, shoddy descriptions, weak dialogue...you get the picture.

About 2/3 through the book, I actually started to (finally) get into it. The action sequences were strong, building up to the book's climax, and the unfolding love story between Japhrimel and Dante was sweet--it cut down on Danny's sharp edges. I was even considering purchasing book 2.

Unfortunately, the ending of the book totally blew it for me. Any goodwill I may have developed instantly evaporated.

I put down the book frustrated, and honestly feeling a bit exploited and disgusted.

However, I just checked out Ms. Saintcrow's site, and it seems that the ending for book 1 may have been a 'fakeout'. I hate feeling exploited...but I might just pick up book 2 to see what happens. Might.

Notable Quotes/Parts: I liked that Ms. Saintcrow wasn't afraid to show Dante had a mouth on her. Her fluency with cursing was cool, and probably the most genuine thing about her as a character. For example:

My emerald spat a single spark out into the night, a brief green flash making his pupils shrink. "I am going to find Santino and kill him. It's my revenge. When I tear his spleen out through his nose, you can have your fucking Egg and go back to your fucking Prince and stay out of my life. But until then, quit fucking up my hunt! You got it?"

He stared at me for another ten seconds, that muscle in his cheek twitching. "As you like," he finally grated out.

"Good," I said. "Now follow me. And keep your goddamn motherfucking mouth shut."

Additional Thoughts: Reading the favorable quotes from reviewers on the inside cover, I see that one recommendation is from Anne Bishop, author of the lamentable Black Jewels trilogy. Ugh. Now that should have tipped me off.

Verdict: Read at your own peril. I have some hope that Ms. Saintcrow's writing improves in the next book, and if the ending was indeed a fakeout, I'll be glad. I guess I'll give her one more shot...but she's gonna have to do a lot to gain my admiration as a fan.

Full Review at:

http://thebooksmugglers.blogspot.com ( )

I am a sucker for paranormal romance, and while I knew from reviews that it was quite light on the romance, I was still very interested. Luckily, I was not disappointed at all.

Dante is a very strong female character, but she feels more real than other similar characters I've read (Anita Blake, Mercy Thompson). She's tough, but it's not unbelievable. She gets tired, pissy, and has moments where she needs to cry. I like that mix.

I also like that the book was obviously set in the future but it didn't feel like "oooh, look, I'm talking about fancy things I know nothing about cuz it's the FUTURE". The talk about slicboards and hovers and tattoos on the cheeks to identify psychically gifted folk were placed where it needed to be and not trying to take center stage.

The relationship aspect of the book was a bit weak, but I felt like it took the space it needed in the book. I do wish that it was developed better somehow. It seemed slightly forced at times that they would be together. You could see slight hints of Jaf becoming connected to Dante, and those felt realistic. But from Dante's side, it just seemed somewhat unnatural.

I also really liked the dialogue. When you're in the middle of a fight for your life with demons, I would imagine there would be cussing and frustration. Maybe it's just because I swear like a sailor myself, but I liked that her language seemed to match her "profession". Other books in similar genres that I've read seem to go into Ye Olde English land, or Hip-Hop street slang. This was definitely more ME, and it helped me get into the story more.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The world that was created was very well thought out, the characters were interesting, and there was definitely no Happily Ever After. I dug it. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.

http://www.sfreader.com/read_review.a... ( )

I admit it. I'm an urban fantasy junkie. So, this new offering from Lilith Saintcrow caught my attention. And happily, it was worth more than a look. Danny Valentine is a Necromance - able to commune with the dead via her god, Anubis. Necromances are one of several paranormal species now known to humanity. But Danny has attracted the attention of the Devil himself, and no one refuses a job offer from him. Great action, well defined plot and a great heroine all make Saintcrow's new series a winner. ( )

See also 'Dead Man Rising: A Dante Valentine Novel' by Lilith Saintcrow. ( )

Awesome book. Jaf is so adorable. I was so upset when he died!! ( )

For a book that looks like it is supposed to be a romance type novel, it is actually pretty light on the mushy stuff, so much so that is is almost absent. More towards the early Hamilton or Harrison books, and fairly straight urban fantasy.

The main character is a Necromance. This does mean what it suggests. She is a very low rent necromancer. She carries a sword. Your average powerful wizard type doesn't need to bother.

The plot could be straight out of Hellblazer. Lucifer wants something done, the demons are trying to play each other over a mystic object and a breeding scheme for power.

She is hired to get in the middle, and ends up working with a demon partner.

http://superprose.blogspot.com/2007/0... ( )

New author for me, very happy to have found her! The vampire slayer theme is getting real old, but Saintcrow has rejuvenated it, with a fast paced, exciting novel, the start of an excellent series. ( )

With a slightly futuristic feel this is an interesting read that isn't all it appears to be at first glance. I was expecting pretty shallow but it isn't, the main character actually is trying to live her life by the rules but power can cause problems. The end was quite a surprise and I did like Japhrimel ( )