Pyres is a problematic book that shows a lot of promise but also seems to have an identity crisis.
Pyres doesn’t know what it wants to be – a literary novel or a crime novel and rather then strike a nice balance between the two it veers wildly from one to the other. Each of the two styles works in its own way but when the abrupt change over occurs it can be a bit distracting. Nikitas has a fierce novel in his future when he can blend the two better.
The final section of the book is titled Ragnarok, so we know there is going to be a battle and there will be death. Typically the final run of a book is when plot lines start to come together and connections are made. The finale will have a lot of action and a great pace as the quickening occurs. By titling this final section Ragnarok these expectations are reasonable. But again the old dichotomy rears itself and, literally the climactic finale is continuously broken up by a walk in the woods. The action was broken up so severely that most all of its drive was rendered impotent.
**spoiler alert**
One specific thing bothered me about the climax. Sometimes an author has a really dark violent moment then seems later to regret it instead of just trusting themselves and their original instincts. In this case Nikitas had a teenage captive escape and shank her full term pregnant captor who was going in to labor. On top of that she’s left to bleed out and then the house catches fire. Talk about a HOLY SHIT! moment that I didn’t quite see coming. But then the effect was diluted by having the baby turn up alive.
**end spoiler**
The three female characters whose lives are set on a course to intersect were beautifully and tragically rendered. They are real, they are vibrant and they don’t live in a neighborhood inhabited by clichés and stock female characters. Some of the scenes were so tense and fraught with peril that you almost averted your eyes from the page.
Pyres is a book of hits and misses but the hits really do stand out making Nikitas one to watch in the future.
The City in These Pages by John Grant
The City in These Pages is a mix of SF/F and a McBain-esque police procedural. Mixed in with this is a healthy dose of absurd. Most of the story is like an oil & vinegar dressing that has been shaken really well because the elements of the story are blended really well. But the separation of the dressing occurs when the story takes a veer at the end that may shake some readers; It’s a fairly abrupt moment that changes the story into something else entirely. I was able to hang on for the change but some may not. An interesting story that feels like it could use some more room to breathe.
Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell
Beat the Reaper is a crime novel that is drenched in over the top antics and delivered in a near deadpan voice. The main 
character is a Doctor who was a former Mafia hit man who entered into Witness Protection after testifying against certain members of the family and in the opening section he beats up a mugger while giving us a dry lesson as to the injuries he is inflicting and what his actions are doing to the muggers body. You see, Josh Bazell is a doctor and this is his first novel, hence the big marketing push (don’t know if Bazell was a hit man or not).
The book is filled with footnotes that offer casual asides that find a way to deal with exposition in a way that makes it palatable.
Beat the Reaper is an absurdly over the top, story that strains the levels of credibility and a readers willingness to accept but, if that reader is willing to give themselves up to the insanity then a fun story is to be had. While this book was at times very entertaining I would feel confident saying wait for the paperback.
(To purchase any of the above titles click on the cover image)
