Ari Marmell

I really enjoyed this urban fantasy about a fae detective in Chicago in 1932. It is told in the first person by Mick Oberon who walked away from faerie for reasons he doesn't share with us and who is surviving in Chicago as a private investigator. The mobs are very busy in Chicago and Mick isn't completely excited to work for a mob wife. However, he needs money to save the building where he lives and the mob has the money.

Mick is hired by Bianca Ottati to find his daughter. Bianca has come show more to believe that the child she knows as her daughter Adalina is actually a changeling; she wants Mick to track down the daughter that was exchanged for her. Mick has to return to faerie to try to track down the missing girl.

The story has all sorts of twist and turns. Mick is beaten up, shot, and otherwise damaged in many ways. Good thing the fae are tougher than the standard human. I loved Mick's voice as he talked about his life and the case. I enjoyed the juxtaposition of Chicago gangs and the fae.

I will be reading Mick's next adventure as soon as it is published. show less

Marmell is best known for RPG manuals and related novels (like for Magic: The Gathering) and this is his first original novel. It‰ÃƒÂ›Ã‚ªs an action fantasy on the sword and sorcery side of the spectrum and it has many traditional elements (ogres, gnomes, named magical swords, demon-infused pendants) without totally feeling like a retread. Sometimes Marmell avoids clichÌ© just by making fun, like Corvis‰Ûª reaction when he puts on his old armor for the first time in 17 years: show more the armor he used to think was awesomely frightening suddenly seems ridiculous and embarrassing, kind of like when you look back on old photos of yourself in junior high and cringe, and his wife laughs at him. I really like that scene. Other times, Marmell dives right in to clichÌ©, like the special weapons with silly fantasy names that change shape depending on the inner character of the wielder.

One of the things I liked about this book was how all of the characters are working a different angle, biding their time until each can bring his or her plans to fruition. Most of them are self-serving to some degree and few of them are loyal because they choose to be. On Corvis‰Ûª side, his powerful allies are being blackmailed or coerced and his grunts are being lied to. While Audriss‰Ûª powerful allies seem more loyal, I think it‰Ûªs only because they joined him to gain something (in the case of his supernatural allies, that‰Ûªs mostly violence, blood, or bodies) and Audriss is delivering what they want. Still, it‰Ûªs clear that he has a tenuous hold on them at best. Corvis and Audriss, of course, are the shiftiest; in fact, they both even have fake identities. The plot becomes increasingly twisty and chaotic as various characters‰Ûª machinations succeed or fail, and the mix of political intrigue, warfare, black humor, and magic keeps the story interesting and fast-paced.

However, one of the problems with this shiftiness is that none of the characters are likable, especially Corvis, who is deceitful and disloyal and self-serving and, worst of all, believes that everything terrible he does is in service to his well-intentioned plan to protect his family. I bought this for the first half of the book, but he grows increasingly Machiavellian and, while I do believe he cares for his family, I don‰Ûªt think that‰Ûªs really his motivation by the end. I‰Ûªm not sure it was at the beginning, either. Though it makes him intriguing, it was hard for me to care about him. It was hard to care about anyone actually, because they‰Ûªre all shades of the same person: terribly witty, opportunistic, despicable, and violent. After so many biting conversations and backstabbing, they all start to blend together.

My other big problem is the prologue. Prologues are one of those things you either love or hate, see the necessity of or think are pointless. I mostly think they are pointless, though I have read some good ones, and this one seems especially unnecessary. It covers the final events of Corvis‰Ûª first war, his search for the spellbook, and his desertion of his army. These are all things that are rehashed later, but that‰Ûªs not my main problem with it. My main problem is it‰Ûªs written differently from the rest of the book, and by differently I mean badly. It‰Ûªs full of grandstanding, overblown prose, with way too many adjectives and adverbs and one clichÌ© after another. The rest of the book is written in a more modern tone, much less high fantasy and much less purple. I don‰Ûªt know what happened. I can‰Ûªt decide if it‰Ûªs supposed to be an ironic contrast or if it‰Ûªs written that way in earnest. I can see it as a send-up of genre conventions, because of scenes like the one I mentioned earlier, where Corvis realizes how dumb his old armor is, but if so, it‰Ûªs not done well enough to be effective. It‰Ûªs still painful to read. If the whole book had been written that way, I never would have finished it.

I did not see the ending coming, however, and it was a perfect heist movie finish (such as, the criminal gets away with a big score, tricking his enemies, allies, and even the audience), so I will definitely have to read the sequel to see what Corvis does next. He makes for a very dark trickster figure, and that‰Ûªs enough to keep me interested in him, even if I also despise him a little. show less

Thief’s Covenant is an extremely fun ride. Marmell knows exactly how to set the scene with wonderfully vivid descriptions. There’s a number of very gory, creepy parts, and lots of characters die horrible, bloody deaths. At times, the bloodshed seems pointless; why kill off such great supporting characters? But it does raise the stakes and make the story that much more heartbreaking. I also love the banter between Widdershins and her divine companion Olgun. Overall, Thief’s Covenant is show more a highly entertaining read. To me, the book seems more adult-oriented than young adult, so I'd recommend it for either audience. show less

Darksiders: The Abomination Vault by Ari Marmell with Bob Walter (Reading) is the audio book I just finished and boy, it was AWESOME! The voice was perfect for this book! I felt I was there and in the battles, or in hell or heaven or where ever the trek lead. A fantastic story, a stand alone, of one of The Horsemen, Death, as he tries to solve a riddle before it sends Heaven, Hell, and everything created into chaos. Totally glued to my tablet the whole time! The plot had so many twist, show more surprises, and suspense, and even humor in there. Strange creatures along with known creatures helped created this strange world. The writing itself was so well done that I felt I could smell, feel, hear, see. and taste everything that was going on all the time. His words were magic in themselves. Wonderful! I have never even seen this game or played video games but it is suppose to be from a video game. show less