Game of Cages

I love this series and I'm only two books in. We meet up with Ray Lilly several months after Child of Fire. He's working at a grocery store and trying to forget about the events in Hammer Bay when an investigator with the Twenty Palaces Society shows up. A group is auctioning off a predator, and they're being sent in to gather information.

On the one hand I'm disappointed by the fact that we see less of Annalise in this book, as I find the interaction between she and Ray a lot of fun. On the other hand, we get to see Ray flounder about on his own without any magical backup, making his own mistakes and coming into his own. I'm also pretty intrigued by the insinuations that Ray is something more than your average Wooden Man. It's a bit show more obvious, or he wouldn't be our main character, but hints are definitely being dropped that Ray might be something special, or have more of a future in the Twenty Palaces Society than as low tier cannon fodder. It's a great hook and I'll definitely be coming back for more. show less

The next in my streak of reading books I’d rather not be reading. Remember when I said, “I don’t know why I do this to myself, I really don’t”? I still don’t know the general answer, but in this particular instance, I suspect the combination of series OCD, a suspicion that the books weren’t nearly as good as GR reviews claim, and Connelly’s strangely successful $50,000 kickstarter despite his publishing house dropping this series.

Second in the “Twenty Palaces” trilogy by Harry Connolly, Game of Cages essentially recycles the first book. If that distilled assessment sounds strangely similar to my review of Caliban’s War (which recycles Leviathan Wakes), that’s because it is. Authors! Something a little different show more for your sophomore effort, please! Since we’re all just recycling hacks here, I’ll just click over to my other review and cut and paste a bit…

Kidding!

I’d never do that to you. Or to me. Because I don’t ever want to read this again, so I have to remember what I didn’t like: everything but the ghost knife and a blue dog with stars in its eyes, who must have escaped from the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine movie (which was one of the funniest, most trippiest movies I ever saw [finally explaining “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds]. Mostly because of being under the influence, which is clearly the only way one is supposed to see it).

Plot synopsis: Ray, former convict and part-time grocery clerk, is picked up by Catherine, a member of The Twenty Palaces Society, a group dedicated to killing predators. Catherine states they have a mole that passed on a tip about a predator auction. Since predators are beings from another dimension that feed on humans, it’s generally assumed Very Bad Things Happen when they are around. In a surprising display of incompetence, they are extremely late to the auction–the predator has already been sold and managed to escape the winners as they attempted to leave the remote estate. No worries! Ray and his new friend split up (because that’s what you do in enemy territory right after you discover a supernatural being has escaped, natch!) and he witness a murder, gets in fights, has bizarro conversations, blah blah.

Problem number one–seriously clunky plotting. A small instance early on foreshadows future inconsistencies. Stymied by a locked gate, Ray shows off by cutting it with his secret ghost knife instead of simply using the bolt cutters Catherine brought along. Although Catherine is an investigator with a secret magical society, she is confused by the spell knife, so clearly she hasn’t been debriefed on his assets. She asks for it and he refuses. She doesn’t even exert her authority to take possession though he is a ‘wooden man,’ which means disposable asset. Literally. Yet why doesn’t she know everything about him or use her authority? If she’s an investigator, why doesn’t she know more about spells? If he wants to be discreet about his prize possession (as he will continue to state later in the book), why does he flaunt it when an easier solution is available? It’s inconsistencies such as these that prevent me from losing myself in the world. The author tells one thing through overview, dialogue or first person thoughts, then has his characters do another. It makes plotting seem forced, like no matter what characters claim, they will need to do particular actions in order for the plot to move forward.

Plotting is further complicated by the ghost knife’s awesome abilities. The knife is actually a paper spell that can cut through anything inanimate, and when passed through animate beings, normally robs them of strong emotions, leaving them weak and drained. As if Connolly is aware that it is potentially a spell that could make all the difference in these altercations, Ray frequently makes excuses as to why he won’t use it against antagonists. He usually states he “wants to keep it in reserve,” but occasionally varies that justification with “I don’t want it to get taken away” or “I don’t want it to get stuck in the wall (although it goes through walls),” or even “I don’t want it to burn” (there’s a surprising amount of fire in this book). In one particularly incongruous moment, he states “Of course, I also had my ghost knife. It would hit whatever I wanted it to hit, but it was just a piece of paper. Cutting into the edge of a moving tire would probably tear it apart.” Sure, that’s believable. Because he used it on the steel chain at the beginning, and embedded it in a concrete floor earlier. You want magical tools? Fine. Use them consistently.

Problem number two–seriously clunky characters. I can’t decide if Connolly meant for Ray to be a manipulative, craven ass or he is carelessly inconsistent. I happen to hate the “I’m sorry” phrase unless it is actually apologizing for a wrong. When Ray and Catherine disagree over anything (and Ray and Annalise in the prior book), he immediately responds with “I’m sorry.” It appears Ray is aware he is doing it manipulatively, as at one point he complains that although he said ‘I’m sorry,’ Catherine doesn’t open up to him (the ultimate ‘sensitive man’ manipulation). It’s a verbal conversation strategy that Ray frequently uses.

Furthermore, Ray debates the “killing is bad” but “bad guys are bad and are trying to kill me” argument with himself ad nauseam. He agonizes over how to immobilize people that are trying to kill him, and but then, when on the run from a pair shooting at him and Catherine, lures the predator towards them so that it attacks them instead. Unsurprisingly, Catherine is pissed and Ray apologizes. He is also very judging about the Society’s use of lethal force, even as he wishes they would use it: “But still I felt ashamed, because I knew, at the core, the Society was vigilantes. I believed they had good reason to do what they did, but their day-to-day work was finding people and killing them.” I honestly can’t tell if that is meant to be a character trait or sloppy writing, because it seems to me after you’ve killed your first five or so people (all Bad Guys, mind you), you get past the guilt. But I’m guessing.

Clunky characters include the antagonists, who initially consist of a group of Chinese, a group speaking some other foreign language (Russian or German, he can’t tell, although a prisoner earlier told him German), a fat, rich Silicon Valley guy and a bunch of magic-users that call themselves “The Fellows” (no rings are presumed involved). Very stock, right down to the moment the groups of foreigners have multilingual conversations in front of a concealed Ray, in which one of them conveniently speaks English.

Lastly, it’s just sloppy. There’s one page where Ray is speculating about the blue dog, decides he “doesn’t have time for speculation” (which is exactly what investigating needs, bonehead), but then goes back to his speculation two paragraphs later. I seriously don’t understand–was that meant on purpose to show irresolute purpose/weakness of character, or did you not understand the meaning of ‘investigate/find’ or of ‘speculation?’ Why do you not have time for speculation when you are tracking something?

Don’t even get me started on how he’s always rescuing Annalise despite her amazing powers and her willingness to use lethal force.

Fine, so what was redeeming? Why’d I keep reading? Well, if it isn’t clear already, I have a book OCD–I hate not knowing the ending.

But seriously, the ghost knife is a cool idea.

The supernatural metaphysics are also vaguely interesting. The idea of the powers beyond our world trying to get in, but seemingly trapped in a particular metaphysical construct on arrival is an interesting one. I mean, what would choose to be a blue, starry-eyed dog? In this book, it’s a predator that has escaped after 22 years of incarceration. Is it starving? What’s it’s ultimate goal? Why does its behavior change? Unfortunately, while Ray speculates, he never actually gets answers to most of the questions. Even a token debrief at the main office would have provided more resolution.

So, as book compulsive as I might be, I know when to call it quits. I won’t be picking up book three, because there really are too many good books out there. Glad Connolly got his kickstarter funded, and equally glad I’m not involved. show less

I just finished Child of Fire and Game of Cages, the first two books in the Twenty Palaces Society series by Harry Connelly.

I thought they were both fabulous. Hard to define...horror?Lovecraftian?-urban fantasy/scifi paranormal mystery? Regardless of the genre, they were hard to put down and I wish I had a third book to start! (I did read the teaser for an unamed third book in the back of Game of Cages and of course that just makes me wish it was on my night table already! LOL).

The books slowly reveal tidbits about the Twenty Palace Society and its hierarchy of members -investigators, "Peers" and others, as well as the dangers of doing magic, famous outlawed Spellbooks, and the inter-dimensional Predators from "The Empty Spaces" who show more "love to be summoned, but hate to be held in place" that the Society pursues and destroys. We learn these tidbits along with "wooden man" Ray Lily, the main character that finds doing what is best for the world isn't always black and white or easy. He struggles with a lot of emotion and moral questions along the way, as he fights to do what is right no matter what, even if it means his own demise, or turns him into someone he isn't sure he even likes anymore.

I'm really looking forward to learning more about the Society and Annalise, Ray's "Boss", who is likeable even though she's a stonecold killer who, unlike Ray, isn't bothered by empathy or individual's motivations. And the Predators...so unique and interesting and unexpected...one is a "moving storm" that kills by hitting its enemies with lightning, another is a "sapphire dog" with circles of stars for eyes and rotate and entrance those who gaze on it, making them love it so completely that there's no room for any other feeling except maybe jealousy and hatred for anyone else the "dog" looks at. I can't even imagine what kinds of Predators Ray may face on his next adventure!

I dare anyone to read the first chapter of Child of Fire and not want to keep on reading to see what happens! :-) And when you're done with Child of Fire I suspect you won't hesitate to pick up Game of Cages and jump right in, alongwith Ray, who is also excited to get back into his next Society "job".

Suzy show less

With Game of Cages, the sequel to the debut Twenty Palaces novel Child of Fire, Harry Connolly has not only avoided the sophomore slump, but exceeded even my high expectations for this story. The book, which continues the adventures of Ray Lilly, a “wooden man” working for a mysterious organization of sorcerers, is even better than its “Publisher’s Weekly Best Books of 2009″ predecessor. As with Child of Fire, the plot moves forward at a brisk pace and the world is populated with interesting characters spouting crisp dialogue.

Where the sequel surpasses the first book is in the fleshing out of both the main character and the world in which he lives. Connolly gives us just enough information about the Twenty Palaces Society, the show more Empty Spaces, and the way magic works to keep the reader wanting more. It’s a great read that raises my anticipation level for the third book even higher than it was for this one. show less

This is the second book in the Twenty Palaces series by Harry Connolly. It was a great read and a fast-paced follow up to the first book. In general the book is pretty contained and you wouldn't have to read the first book in the series to enjoy reading this book.

Ray Lily is out of jail and eking out a living working at a grocery store and living in an apartment above his aunt's house. Things are going pretty well for him, but he misses the action that the Twenty Palaces Society brought to his life. Then Catherine drops into his life. She is an investigator for the Twenty Palace Society that was told to use him for backup if she needs it. There is a mysterious auction happening in a small town and rumors are that it involves a Predator; show more Catherine's job is to check it out and report back to the Society. Catherine is dismayed when she finds out that Ray isn't an Apprentice or a Peer but merely Annalise's Wooden Man. When Catherine and Ray get dragged out of the investigation and into a hunt for the Predator , Ray (his only tricks being his ghost knife and his protection tattoos) ends having to be resourceful in ways he wasn't planning on.

There is a lot I liked about this book. It is actually very similar to the first book in that it takes place in an isolated small town and Ray ends up hunting another predator. The action is again very well written and relentless. This is a book that is hard to put down, it shoves you from one action scene to another and leaves you breathless. We get to learn more about Ray as a character in this book and a little more about the Twenty Palaces Society as an organization. We also learn a smidgen more about the other evils in Ray's world.

So overall I enjoyed it, but I have some complaints...which are still the same complaints that I had with the first book. The action is so dense, we never really get to learn much about the characters or the world. This was a little less true for this book than the first book; but I still wish we had more face time with the characters in non-life-threatening situations. Also we get a tiny glimpse into the further structure of the Twenty Palaces Society but not much more than that...I really want to learn more about the Society and meet more people from it.

Catherine was an okay character but kind of weak. I really missed Annalise and was thrilled when she showed up again towards the end of the book. Annalise is such a kick-butt character; her and Ray play off of each other really well. You gain more insight into Ray as a character in this book. At times he reminds me of Harry Dresden; he has the same dry wit and willingness to get his butt kicked to accomplish what needs doing. Ray is different in that he has a lot less resources and he is more self-deprecating.

Overall, I enjoyed this installment in the series. I really, really want to learn more about this world though and with the non-stop action scenes there wasn't time for that in this book. The plot was tight and the writing incredibly readable and engaging. I just hope the next book brings us deeper into this world so we can meet more of the Twenty Palaces Society. I also hope the next book has more Annalise in it; her and Ray make an awesome fighting team. I am eagerly awaiting the next installment in this series. show less

Another action-packed, magic-filled, thrill-ride. I like the way Mr. Connolly is only slowly doling out Ray's history and information about magic, spell books, the Twenty Palaces Society, etc. The Sapphire Dog was an interesting critter, as were the bad guys/gals interested in owning it.

My only complaints about this book are that Ray is sometimes too meek when mouthed off to by the Society investigator and, also, every once in a while (though not that often), the dialogue just doesn't flow quite right and, in my opinion, people sometimes don't act in a manner I would consider to be "normal" given the situation (bit of a run-on sentence, I know, but what the hey, I'm too lazy too fix it). Still, these are really minor quibbles and I show more eagerly await the next volume in the series.

This book has earned a very solid show less

I liked Child of Fire so much so that I almost immediately downloaded the sequel, Game of Cages. Ray’s on his own for this one. Well, almost alone - he’s been sent with a researcher, Catherine, to check out an auction for very wealthy individuals for what can only be one of those creatures from another world (yes, the ones that like to eat us) and report back. That’s all they’re supposed to do.

Of course, that’s not what happens. With Ray’s usual run of luck, they find themselves trying to track it down in a sleepy town without getting all the locals killed or driven crazy. Or themselves.

Like Child of Fire, it’s got great pace and I quickly wanted to know what happens to these two. The twists are pretty good and the little show more details are very convincing. I particularly like Ray’s “ghost” knife (wishing I had one!).

By all means go, read some sample chapters and you’ll be hooked, too. show less