Snake Agent

I thought I would start reviewing novels--both urban fantasy and mystery--that I've been reading lately on the blog. It's nice to give props to fellow writers, and since my roommates don't want to hear about my book opnions, maybe the internet will. Oh, internet. You're like the cozy lover I always wanted as a teenager, before I became cynical and redirected all my love towards pets and cinema. The first book is Snake Agent (2008 reissue, Night Shade Books) by Liz Williams. Essentially, all the positive raves you've heard about this book are true. It was published in 2005 by Night Shade in cloth, and then reissued as a mass-market in 2008. People will often tell me that they don't especially like urban fantasy, but they loved Snake Agent.

The plot is layered and delicious. Detective Inspector Wei Chen works for the Singapore Three Police, and is involved in a "ghost-trafficking" investigation--good spirits being sent against their will to hell instead of heaven--which brings him into contact with his demonic counterpart, Seneschal Zhu Irzh, a vice detective from hell. Williams deftly combines noirish elements and sharp dialogue with unexpected bits of humor, especially surrounding celestial (and infernal) matters, which helps ferry the plot along. The chapters are quite short, and after a while, I found myself reading less for the story and more for the delightful character interaction. Zhu Irzh, especially, has to be one of the most fascinating detectives in the genre--a polite and debonair demon who's afflicted with a conscience.

As expected, hell in this book is far more interesting than heaven. Williams paints the infernal realms with a delectable palette, introducing demons and other uglies that will make you shudder despite yourself, even as she relaxes you with lovely descriptions of blooming night orchids, blood candies, and a ferry to the otherworld that exists everywhere and nowhere at once. Wei Chen's wife, Inari, is interesting as well, although I didn't feel she held her own compared to the two male protags. I fell in love instantly with her only friend, a teakettle who can turn into a badger (or a badger who can turn into a teakettle).

Snake Agent is part noir, part comedy (but not slapstick or Xanthian), part urban fantasy, and part science-fiction with its emphasis on organic technology. It appeals to a lot of different readerships, although this hybridity also makes it difficult to classify, and die-hard UF or mystery readers may find themselves disappointed when the genre keeps shifting. But once the characters are in your head, all you'll be able to think about is sharing a box of blood-tarts with Zhu Irzh or vacationing in hell (just stay away from the long lines at the Ministry of Epidemics!)

Order Snake Agent from Amazon here