As I stumbled around the bookshelves at a local bookstore a few months ago, I happened across a book with a very interesting premise- Black City Saint by Richard A. Knaak. Urban fantasy, dragons, Noir, 1920's Gangsters like Al Capone, ancient Roman Emperors?!? What more could a girl ask for? And that's exactly what this book brought to the table.
Black City Saint focuses on Nick Medea, who for the last 1600 plus years has served as the protector of the Gate that separates the world of the Faerie from the world of man- which could cause world shattering results if it was ever permanently opened. In his down time he serves as an "exorcist" of sorts, stopping mischievous fae trapped on our side from causing problems. However, trouble arises when his long lost love reappears, not in the way you'd think either, a pawn in a wicked plot to destroy the balance between the two worlds. His only allies are his wits, a handful of outcast fae, and the soul of the Dragon he killed 1600 years ago trying to gain control over his body, when he was better known to the world as Saint George. (Not really spoiling stuff here, the book's back cover has all of this and more on it :/ )
Now, while I am by no means an expert on the Urban Fantasy genre, I am a long time fan of the Dresden Files, so perhaps my high standards biased me to this "first in a series" novel. While I thoroughly enjoyed the rich tapestry Mr. Knaak wove for his world's history, and for his believable delivery of 1920's gangster culture, this book was by no means perfect.
The Good-
As I said, Black City Saint brings with itself a rich history, that is dispersed in delicious little tidbits throughout the novel. I give ample credit for Mr. Knaak for being able to blend so many things together so successfully: his world is truly believable and not overwhelming. Not many authors could bring together Ancient Rome, Christian theology, and fantasy elements like Dragons and fae all in one neat 1920's Chicago package.
The Fae characters are also very well done. Fetch, Nick's loyal lycanthrope always brighten up any page he's on and honestly became one of my favorite characters. Krayavik is also a highlight. A complicated creature trying to better himself, even if he comes off a bit staunchy and a tad bit too dedicated to being forgiven for his past misdeeds.
The Bad-
Honestly, my real main problems are in regards to the two main characters- Nick Medea and Claryce. Nick is actually very interesting when on his own doing the P.I. thing and when interacting with the dragon in his head. When he's with Claryce or reminiscing about how he blames himself over the events of her past lives- not so much. Knaak is trying to build tension and a weakness for Nick, who really has no attachments to the world anymore, but the interactions between the two always came off flat to me. This could just be because I found Claryce endlessly annoying. If I had to hear her scold Nick for trying to "leave her behind" one more time I might have stopped reading the book completely. I wish Knaak had given her a role more akin to film noir, not necessarily as a femme fatale, but as is she is very bland. Hopefully future books will flesh her out and give her a personality. When together they always brought the plot to a screaming halt, making the story drag on and on.
There also isn't enough about bootlegging and speakeasies. Not really much of a critique, but I'm a sucker for gangster stuff like that cough *gotta finish Boardwalk Empire* cough.
Overall, I'd probably pick up the sequel when it comes out, but as is I don't really see much re-reading potential in this book. But hey, the first Dresden Files also had some glaring issues, so I do have hope for the series once Knaak has time to flesh it out more. Plus, I think the world Knaak has built here has a lot of potential once the kinks get worked out.
I give it 2.5 out of 5 Bob the Skulls
