By now you’re probably aware of how the bog standard urban
fantasy steals its bones from Detective novels.
The protagonist is in the role of the classic private eye, trying to
unravel some sort of mystery, and the cast is populated with an assortment of
vampires/werewolves/whathaveyou. In The Blue Blazes, Wendig sidesteps this generic setup, borrowing instead from
the crime novel.
The protagonist, Mookie Pearl, works for the mob (or The
Organization, in Wendig’s world). He runs
crews who mine Blue Blazes, a powder that makes you feel invincible and lets
you see the terrible things that live deep in the Earth below New York
City. Unfortunately for Mookie, the head
of The Organization is dying, and there’s a succession problem. And oh yeah, his teenage daughter is working
on the outside to seize control of the whole thing.
The Blue Blazes
was my first experience reading one of Wendig’s books. I was delighted to discover his lean and mean
style. Short sharp sentences combined
with a propulsive plot push the reader along making the book harder and harder
to put down. Great worldbuilding
combined with selective usage of tropes from crime and urban fantasy novels
make this a unique, fun read.
But what really sets The
Blue Blazes apart from the competition is its heart. Sure Mookie is a big lug who does bad things
to bad people. That’s not so uncommon to
read about. What makes Mookie a great
character is the great big heart inside this big scary guy. His loyalty to The Organization and his boss;
his love for his daughter; his desire to protect the innocents who get caught
in the crossfire of this whole mess; these things give Mookie a depth that make
him sympathetic and the story engaging on an emotional level.
It’s not all hugs and kisses, however. Be prepared.
If you have problems with offensive language, or violence, this won’t be
a book you’ll enjoy. It’s big and bold
and profane. But if you can handle that,
Mookie will take you on a ride to hell and back.
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