Sweet Silver Blues: Glen Cook

Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook  is a cross-genre book, combining fantasy and a detective novel. It is the first in a series of fourteen books, published between 1987 and 2013.  Cook has written many books in both the science fiction and fantasy genres, but he is most well known for his Black Company fantasy series.

In this novel, Garrett is approached by the family of an old friend of his, Denny Tate. The friend died of natural causes, but he has left a fortune to a woman unknown to his family. They want Garrett to find her and let her know of her inheritance. The catch is that she is in a war-torn area called the Cantard. Both Denny and Garrett served five years fighting in the Cantard and made it out alive. Garrett has no desire to return. And there is another catch: the woman he will be looking for was once his lover. Of course, he ends up making the trip, with some hired companions to help out. He will earn a huge fee if he succeeds, but it is mostly curiosity about how Denny acquired the fortune that drives his decision.

Garrett is a private detective along the lines of Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe, although he seems to me more an adventurer sort of like Travis McGee. Although that may be more true of this book than the later books in the series. He is working in a world not so different from our own, which has not reached our level of technological development and which includes fantasy elements. His world is inhabited by elves, dwarves, vampires, grolls (a mixture of human, troll, and other things) and even stranger beings.

The reviews I read seem to be mixed on whether the blending of hard-boiled detective fiction and fantasy works in this case. I fall somewhere in the middle. I did not like this one as much as some other books that blend fantasy and detective fiction, yet it was very entertaining and I do want to come back for more.

These are the reasons I am going to read more of the series: (A) I have an omnibus with the next two books in the series; (B) I find the premise interesting and I expect improvements in later books; (C) I have read comparisons to the Nero Wolfe series. I did not notice anything like that in this first book, but now I am curious. [I have now read several comments in reviews about the Nero Wolfe connection, so it must be obvious to others. I do prefer homages that don't hit you in the head with the similarities, so I guess he did it right.]

This was the first book I read for the Once Upon a Time Challenge. I am currently reading The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett and I am loving it.

See reviews at Battered, Tattered, Yellowed, & Creased and at Black Gate.


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Publisher:   Published in the omnibus ed. Introducing Garrett, P.I., by ROC, 2011. 
                    (Sweet Silver Blues orig. pub. 1987.)
Length:       220 pages

Series:       Garrett, P.I. #1
Format:      Trade paperback
Setting:      The city of TunFaire, in a fantasy universe.
Genre:        Fantasy / Mystery
Source:      I purchased this book.

Once Upon a Time X: Reading Fantasy, Folklore, and More

(Art by Melissa Nucera)

The Once Upon a Time Challenge, hosted by Carl of Stainless Steel Droppings, takes place during the months of spring. Carl has been hosting this challenge for ten years. He describes this event thusly:

This is a reading and viewing and gaming event that encompasses four broad categories: Fairy Tale, Folklore, Fantasy and Mythology, including the seemingly countless sub-genres and blending of genres that fall within this spectrum. The challenge continues through June 21st and allows for very minor (1 book only) participation as well as more immersion depending on your reading/viewing/gaming whims.

Check out the post for Once Upon a Time X to read various options and suggestions for participation.

The option I have chosen is The Journey. I want to participate but not commit to reading a specific number of books.

These books were on my list last time but did not get read:

• The Black Company by Glen Cook
• Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams
• Land of Dreams by James P. Blaylock
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling
• Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook
• The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett

Other possibilities are:

• The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin (2nd book of the Earthsea trilogy)
• Declare by Tim Powers (blends a spy story with fantasy)

I may also read some short stories if I find that they fit in with this event.

The Dark Side of the Road: Simon R. Green

Brief introduction at Goodreads:

A Country House Murder Mystery with a Supernatural Twist

Ishmael Jones is someone who can't afford to be noticed, someone who lives under the radar, who drives on the dark side of the road. He's employed to search out secrets, investigate mysteries and shine a light in dark places. Sometimes he kills people. Invited by his employer, the enigmatic Colonel, to join him and his family for Christmas, Ishmael arrives at the grand but isolated Belcourt Manor in the midst of a blizzard to find that the Colonel has mysteriously disappeared. 

Simon R. Green, the author of this book, is a very prolific science fiction and fantasy author. Many of his series also have an element of mystery.

I have enjoyed several books that mix mystery with fantasy or science fiction. Green's books are a little too heavy on the fantasy side for me, but I still found this to be a very enjoyable  read. I love the way Green tells a story, and I have no problem suspending my disbelief. In The Dark Side of the Road the pacing was good; the story never drags. There are touches of humor, although not the laugh out loud type. However, the story does turn dark fairly quickly. There was too much of a romance element for me, but it did not take over the story. A plus is that it is set at Christmas, and I always love a Christmas story, even in mystery novels where the crime usually overpowers the joys of the season.

I have read two other books by Green, both from the Secret Histories series. The main character in that series is Eddie Drood, a secret agent also known as Shaman Bond. My review of Daemons are Forever is here. I liked this book better than the book in the Secret Histories series, probably because of the setting, a large mansion out in the country in the middle of an impenetrable snowstorm. They are similar in many ways. This book is not totally serious, but it relies a lot less on humor than the Eddie Drood books.

This is the first book I have read for the Once Upon a Time Challenge, hosted by Carl of Stainless Steel Droppings. 

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Publisher:   Severn House, 2015
Length:      224 pages
Format:      e-book
Setting:      UK
Genre:        Fantasy /  Mystery
Source:      Provided by the publisher for review.

Once Upon a Time IX: Reading Fantasy, Folklore, and More

The Once Upon a Time Challenge, hosted by Carl of Stainless Steel Droppings, takes place during the months of spring. As usual, I have a stack of books I have been saving to read at this time of year.

Carl describes this challenge thusly:

Saturday, March 21st marks the official start date of the ninth annual Once Upon a Time Challenge. This is a reading and viewing and gaming event that encompasses four broad categories: Fairy Tale, Folklore, Fantasy and Mythology, including the seemingly countless sub-genres and blending of genres that fall within this spectrum. The challenge continues through June 21st and allows for very minor (1 book only) participation as well as more immersion depending on your reading/viewing/gaming whims.

Check out the post for Once Upon a Time IX for an explanation of options for participation and sign-ups. The option I have chosen is The Journey. I want to participate but not commit to reading a specific number of books.

These books have been on my list for a long time:

• The Black Company by Glen Cook
• Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams
• Land of Dreams by James P. Blaylock
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

Other books I would like to read are:

• Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook
• Callahan's Crosstime Saloon by Spider Robinson
• A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
• The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett

Four of these books are mine; four come from my son's bookshelves. Sweet Silver Blues by Glen Cook is the first book in the Garrett, P.I. series, which blends mystery and fantasy elements.

Other options that I might participate in would be reading short stories or watching movies or TV shows in one of these genres. I am especially interested in trying some short stories, but we will see if I have time or the inclination in the next three months.