The Bobby Dollar series by Tad Williams

[Werthead]

My review copy of The Dirty Streets of Heaven has arrived :)

The cover blurb is a bit unwieldy though:

"The new fantasy-fuelled thriller from the author GEORGE R.R. MARTIN cites as one of the major inspirations behind GAME OF THRONES."

On the back cover, this would be fine, but this is whacked on the front and takes up a whole chunk of the cover. Hope this won't be on the final version, as it looks odd.

Also, only 400 pages long. This feels way, way too short for a Williams book.

[Maester Joergensen]

Well. The sentence itself is a little clunky. I had to read it two times to get what it was saying:) First I thought it was about one of geroges books.

But I guess you can´t blaime the publisher. GoT is such a huge thing right now, and everyone want to surf the wave of the HBO show.

Basically one of the first things i did after becoming an aSoIaF fan some ten years ago was reading on Georges site how Tad Williams was an inspiration for the series, and I decided to check him out. Its been ten years. i really should get around to it:)

Hope you show the coverart when you put up the review on your page.

[Alytha]

Do you think Tad will manage to actually write a trilogy for the first time in his life? ;)

Looking forward to this new one. I really really like his stuff. I guess you're not allowed to pass your copies on when you're done with them?

[pat5150]

It just got a starred review in Publishers Weekly:

Epic fantasist Williams (A Stark and Wormy Knight) launches a noir fantasy series with a dark and thrilling story of Heaven and Hell battling for human souls. Bad-ass smart-mouth Bobby Dollar, an Earth-bound angel advocate for newly departed souls caught between Heaven and Hell, is appalled when a soul goes missing on his watch. Bobby quickly realizes this is “an actual, honest-to-front-office crisis,” and he sets out to fix it, sparking a chain of hellish events. A gruesome murder, cryptic messages from Heaven, a stolen object, a villainous grand duke of Hell, an elusive secret society, an irresistible succubus, and a dreadful primordial spirit provide the ingredients for a tightly woven, action-packed adventure. Bobby is a scene-stealer from the first page; his gutsiness, determination, and offbeat sense of humor add zest to the pandemonium that erupts around him. Exhilarating action, fascinating characters, and high stakes will leave the reader both satisfied and eager for the next installment.

[Olaf]

Hey Werthead...it is fast paced and reads very, very quickly. It is also quite different from what he has done before. For the first time, he might actually be on an annual schedule with this trilogy. The second book (Happy Hour in Hell) is almost done:-)

BTW, the UK ARC cover is not the final cover, and I don`t think the clunky GRRM sentence will make it on the final cover....

[aidan]

I got a copy a couple of weeks ago. Plan to tackle it as soon as I'm done my current read later this week. Always exciting to crack open a new Tad Williams book.

Hey Werthead...it is fast paced and reads very, very quickly. It is also quite different from what he has done before. For the first time, he might actually be on an annual schedule with this trilogy. The second book (Happy Hour in Hell) is almost done:-)

According to his Facebook account, he finished the first draft last night.

[Olaf]

I got a copy a couple of weeks ago. Plan to tackle it as soon as I'm done my current read later this week. Always exciting to crack open a new Tad Williams book.

According to his Facebook account, he finished the first draft last night.

So, it will be out in 2013! A first in his 25-year career as a writer:-)

[Calibandar]

Not sure whether to get this. One the one hand, it'sa new Tad Williams, which is at least interest. On the other, it's urban fantasy, and I only like a few of those, and not just that, having seen those few ( Connolly, Butcher, Pitt) I don't really gave much taste left for more.

Still, that review makes it sound quite nice.

[imladolen]

Well. The sentence itself is a little clunky. I had to read it two times to get what it was saying:) First I thought it was about one of geroges books.

But I guess you can´t blaime the publisher. GoT is such a huge thing right now, and everyone want to surf the wave of the HBO show.

Basically one of the first things i did after becoming an aSoIaF fan some ten years ago was reading on Georges site how Tad Williams was an inspiration for the series, and I decided to check him out. Its been ten years. i really should get around to it:)

Hope you show the coverart when you put up the review on your page.

Personally, I've always felt the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series (trilogy in hardcover) is one of the most beautifully written fantasies I've ever read. Haven't read much else by Williams though, to my chagrin.

[Sci-2]

Personally, I've always felt the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series (trilogy in hardcover) is one of the most beautifully written fantasies I've ever read. Haven't read much else by Williams though, to my chagrin.

Honestly, you can skip over the Otherland books. Or rather, I'd read 1 and 2 then wiki the plot summaries of 3 and 4.

[Isgrimner]

Personally, I've always felt the Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series (trilogy in hardcover) is one of the most beautifully written fantasies I've ever read. Haven't read much else by Williams though, to my chagrin.

I think his prose is among the best.

[Peter Ahlstrom]

I read the book—and it's actually my first Tad Williams book. It's a quick-starting, fast-paced page-turner, and I understand that's very unusual for Tad Williams.

I have read very little urban fantasy, so I'm not really the target audience, but I enjoyed it and am interested to see what happens next. I liked it a little less than the first Dresden Files book (which I read last year, and I haven't read the others) and a lot more than Thieftaker (which I also read last year). The voice is fairly strong, and the theological system and underlying mystery are interesting. The fight scenes and chase scenes are very good. The love interest/villain is well developed with a multifaceted backstory. The main character is not quite as likable as Harry Dresden for me, but YMMV.

[ylvs]

I really really enjoyed this book. It's a fast ride with the first serious fight on page three and has a good portion of dark humour. Add a dash of philosophical musing about life and death and an impossible love interest of the protagonist ... and it has a Balrog!

I could not put it down and can't wait for the second volume.

[aidan]

I'm about to finish it, too. A huge departure for Williams, and not suitable for all audiences of all age groups, like most of his other work, but very good.

[pat5150]

Because people swear and they have sex???

Patrick

[aidan]

Yep. Rather explicitly, too.

[Olaf]

I have spotted the first international copies (UK edition, trade paperback) in two German bookstores today. It seems that the export copies are being shipped quite early. and maybe the novel is available in other European countries as well.

[mjgambino]

I'm about to finish it, too. A huge departure for Williams, and not suitable for all audiences of all age groups, like most of his other work, but very good.

It's been a little while so I could be thinking of of different series, but didn't Otherland have a main character that filmed himself raping and killing women?

[Olaf]

You`re thinking of DREAD, one of the most disturbing villains Williams has ever created. But he is only a minor character in OTHERLAND and there are many, many other charatcers in that series who offer a lot of identification potential for a young-adult audience. With the exception of his ORDINARY FARM books, all of Williams`novels are for a grown-up audience, but have a lot of cross-over potential with younger readers. DIRTY STREETS, however, as others have pointed out, is very different in style and tone and has much, much less cross-over appeal.

[mjgambino]

So what's the verdict on this one from those of you that have read it? I loved Otherland, loved Memory, Thorn, and Sorrow, and loved Shadowmarch, but I have yet to find an urban fantasy series that holds my interest.