When Demons Walk

Good story. It is more interesting now that I've read Masques and Wolfsbane - though I desperately want a map! Everything seems to be "beyond the Great Swamp" - but then, it would be beyond from either side, wouldn't it? I like Sham - I'm glad we get to know her only as she's losing the anger and hatred that have clearly driven her for a long time. It's fun to watch her discover that not every Easterner is a bloody barbarian, and Altis is willing to compromise...Dickon is fun, too. And Kerim...where's the rest of the story? The author could have ended it right there, with another half-page of writing - as she didn't, I have hope for another story that deals properly with all the objections Sham came up with talking to Halvok. The demon show more is very cleverly structured - strengths and weaknesses, desires and feelings. That final gift added a great deal to it as - well, a person. An apology isn't something you expect... Good story, glad I read it, I will reread - I didn't remember it very well from my first reading - I had no idea who the demon was nor how they dealt with it, not the scene in the Temple, nor - basically anything but Maur's death. Oh, and I was slightly distracted throughout the book by the name - Maur is a giant, purely evil black dragon in Robin McKinley's Hero and the Crown. That aside - fun read, now for Steal the Dragon. I suspect I will want to read all the Sianim books any time I read one, though they're not closely connected. show less

When Southwood lost the war, young Shamera lost her mother, father, and a secure place in the lower court. Now the magician-thief Sham slips out of the wretched streets of Purgatory to steal a bit of revenge on the conquering nobles, specifically targeting those responsible for blinding and crippling her old Master, the former King's Sorcerer. When an invisible presence begins attacking and slicing Eastern nobles to pieces and subsequently targets and kills her Master in front of her, Sham accepts an unusual offer from the King's Reeve. If she becomes his mistress, in name only, and takes a place at court, she can use her unusual skills to sniff out the murderer.

Early Briggs, this re-print received a new cover and another trip onto show more store shelves due to the success of her Mercy Thompson series. I'm glad it did. While the plot might be a bit tired, it goes to show what a creative touch can do. Great dialog and excellent supporting characters made me wish the story was longer. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and hope Briggs considers revisiting Sham and the Reeve in the future.

The only serious complaint I have is the book's new cover -- the black negligee clad blond on the front looks far more modern-modelesque than medieval-times thief turned courtesan. I suspect the original cover suited the plot better. show less

Great fantasy with an enjoyable hero and heroine from the conquerors and the conquered! I don't think I've run across this particular method of getting rid of a demon before, but I liked it. I also enjoyed the reactions from said hero and heroine when confronted with the reality of what they assumed wasn't real.

Royo is the artist for the cover showing a blonde on a rope and wood ladder with rock above, rocks below, and crashing waves. Shamera isn't as pretty as depicted, and she was more sensibly dressed (not to mention that she didn't have her knife in her teeth), but I give the artist credit for mostly capturing a scene from the book.

I really enjoyed this story of a woman surviving in a world where everything has changed, where an invasion has created instability and where she has gone from being a magic apprentice to hiding out in the poor quarter of town, robbing from the people who conrtibuted to the blinding and disability of her master, and incidentally leaving behind some bad luck runes.

When something kills her master, in front of her, something that her master identifies as a demon, she has to act. Lord Kerim, Reeve of Southwood asks her to help him find out what's going on, this is not the first death and it seems to be happening very often. She poses as his mistress and finds herself pushing her skills beyond where she thought she could go.

I liked the show more story, found it very interesting and entertaining. There were moments where I almost felt like I was missing a step but otherwise it was quite enjoyable. I was surprised to find that this was part of a series, it reads quite well as a stand-alone. show less

Re-read #5 (4/17/2012): I tend to skim the opening, read every word in the palace, and follow the demon mythology closely. This is a fantastic mix of mystery and mythology. Sham is among my favorite heroines, she's funny and complex and utterly capable. I would have loved to see more of her and Kerim, but this book is very satisfying on it's own.

When Demons Walk was the first of Patricia Briggs' books I had ever read, and it instantly hooked me on the author. I've since reread it several times, and it has yet to get old for me. Like Briggs' other works, this book has a little bit of everything going for it: great chemistry between characters Sham and Kerim, plenty of magic, a little mystery, even a few chuckle-worthy moments. I also think this is a good book for introducing people to the fantasy genre, as it keeps one big toe a modern, realistic atmosphere.

This takes place in the same world as "Steal the Dragon", but with different characters and locations. Our heroine, Sham, was noble-born, but since her country were conquored by another when she was a teen, she now makes her living as a more than decent thief, helped by her knowledge of magic. Her mentor, the former King's Wizard, is killed under mysterious circumstances, and she wants to find the murderer. The Reeve of the the city, Lord Kerim, wants to find who is murdering members of the court, under similar mysterious circumstances.

Kerim imports Sham to investigate, disguised as his mistress. The story very much feels like a romance novel setup, though it never quite has the romance novel payoff. It does, however, have a demon, and show more she finally figures out how to give it what it really wants, and also survive the solution. A better than average sword and sorcery tale, with a different solution than one might expect. show less