Reviews of Child of Fire, part six

Standard

1) Matt at Robots and Vamps thought it was okay, but needed more humor and exposition: “The couple of items that really disappointed me most about this novel were that the magic system was only lightly touched upon and the Twenty Palaces society was briefly mentioned.

2) Not a review, but an interview with me, along with a contest to win a free copy of Child of Fire.

3) Chris Valin at Wax Tadpole liked it a lot: “This story grabs you by the throat on page one and doesn’t let up for a second.

4) Beth at Library Chicken says this: “I’m fairly happy with my reading; several nonfiction, some fun genre books (my favorite was Child of Fire), a core of kidlit. I’d better watch for my challenges; only two books weren’t from the library.” Okay. It’s not what you’d call an in-depth review, but I say it counts.

5) Charles A. Tan thought it was decent but nothing special: “I can see how Del Rey picked up this series, but right now, it lacks that extra effort which would make it stand out from the other urban fantasy novels out there. Which is a waste because the book does have something different to offer, but as it is, it’s simply good instead of being outstanding.

6) J. J. DeBenedictis liked it quite a bit: “Child of Fire, by Harry Connolly, is freakin’ great–one of the best urban fantasy books I’ve read.

7) Finally, a terrific review from William C. Martell at IF Magazine: “Harry Connolly’s new novel CHILD OF FIRE is like a Hammett Continental Op novel like RED HARVEST meets really dark H.P. Lovecraft horror – and is impossible to put down.

There’s an interview with me at the bottom of that review in which I address why there’s no “white” or “black” magic in the Twenty Palaces setting, why the Twenty Palace Society is not much discussed or explained in this book, and why Ray is probably the most true-blue, straight-arrow protagonist I’ve ever written.