Product Description

The second Detective Inspector Chen novel (after Snake Agent) returns us to Singapore Three. A mysterious murder sends Chen and his demonic partner Zhu Irzh on the trail of a conspiracy between hell and one of the heavenly hosts.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #874698 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 242 pages

From Publishers Weekly
The second Detective Inspector Chen novel (after 2005's Snake Agent) traverses a wildly imaginative landscape based on Chinese mythology, with humans mingling with demons, Celestials and the deceased. When rich girl Deveth Sardai turns up dead, the case goes to demon Zhu Irzh, recently of Hell but posted to Earth to assist the police department of the city of Singapore Three. Meanwhile, Deveth's girlfriend, Robin Yuan, frees Mhara, a demon Robin's research company has been experimenting on for defense reasons. Robin and Zhu Irzh's paths cross as they follow the trail of the killer, leading them to uncover a larger plot involving a goddess in Heaven's bid for power. As the end of the world beckons, Mhara, who is far more than he seems, offers his help, but Heaven, Hell, Earth and everything in between falls into chaos. Williams weaves a rich, complicated tapestry that merges life with afterlife, otherworldly with worldly and human with inhuman. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
The sequel to Snake Agent (2005) returns to Singapore Three, a twenty-first-century cityscape renowned for its ready access to the denizens of heaven and hell. While Detective Inspector Wei Chen takes a brief hiatus from his customary paranormal investigations, his underworld sidekick, vice-squad-specialist Zhu Irzh, stumbles on a tricky case involving the apparently demonic murder of a beautiful young woman. When the trail leads to the heiress of the powerful Paugeng Corporation, Zhu Irzh feels inexplicably drawn to this devilishly ruthless but very human woman and inadvertently implicates himself as a murder suspect. Chen's return to sort things out only complicates matters, however, as the pair tracks other suspects, including an enigmatic demon the corporation has been harboring for experimental purposes and a celestial goddess whose unlikely alliance with hell threatens to rain chaos down on the earthbound. Fantasy enthusiasts looking for something uniquely imaginative will find it in Williams' surreal fusion of Chinese mythology, paranormal high jinks, and satisfyingly suspenseful sleuthing. Carl Hays
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Not quite what I'd hoped for, but not bad
I loved the first Inspector Chen novel, Snake Agent. This one I just liked.

The central character for most of the novel seemed to be demon-in-exile Zhu Irzh. While I like this character (for some reason, my mental image is of a six-foot-tall version of the eraly 1960s movie monster "Gorgo."), the novel lacked some of the magic of the first. While probably important for establishing the demon character for later books, Chen's presence was missed. The Inspector didn't arrive on the scene until about the halfway point, and even then it seemed like he was being carried along by events, rather than mastering them.

The plot was suitably fantastic, the stakes are high, and there is a very satisfactory ending. It also leaves the reader wanting more information about the universe in which the characters reside. So don't get me wrong, it is a good read.

I'm not turned off by the book, but it didn't quite meet my expectations for being an "Inspector Chen" novel - more like a "Novel of Singapore 3."

I had the impression that there might have been more to the Chen-side of the story, but that a ruthless editor pruned the pages. Hopefully, Liz Williams has a more complete version that gives Inspector Chen more literary space. Hey, I'd buy an "unplugged" edition. I'm also ready to reserve the third book in the series.

Not as wonderful as the first, but pretty close
In August of last year I reviewed the first book in a new series by author Liz Williams, Snake Agent. My introduction to that review read:

"Take a healthy dose of mythology and eastern religion, mix in the humor of Big Trouble in Little China and the buddy-cop banter of Lethal Weapon and adorn with a fantastic Jon Foster cover and what do you get? Well, you get the beginnings of an entertaining new mystery series by author Liz Williams."

Described as "John Constatine meets Chow Yun-Fat", the series follows the exploits of Detective Inspector Wei Chen and his demonic law enforcement counterpart, Seneschal Zhu Irzh, as they solve occultic crimes set in a near-future city called Singapore 3.

The Demon and The City is the second in this series of buddy-cop/mythological/supernatural thrillers.

One of the things I mentioned in the Snake Agent review is that these books are pure fun, and that hasn't changed one iota. Liz Williams writes these novels in such a way that they feel like movies and comparisons to films like Big Trouble in Little China and any Chow Yun-Fat film make me long to see one of her novels translated to the big screen.

The Demon and the City starts off by focusing on the character of demonic detective Zhu Irzh, recently reassigned to the human realm because of events that occurred in Snake Agent. While I enjoy this character tremendously, the first novel hit its best notes when Detective Inspector Chen and Seneschal Zhu Irzh were together on the page, and that holds true for this novel as well. Although it takes awhile for Chen to make an appearance, the story flies by at a rollicking pace up to and following the point of his insertion into the mix. Liz Williams writes very short chapters, some a mere page in length, that dart back and forth amongst the various characters in the tale, deftly bringing them all together at crucial moments in the story. Reading a book like this is fantastic as there are so many natural stopping points that you can grab a few quick chapters throughout the day, making her books easy to read even with a busy schedule. If, however, you have the reaction I did to these books, you will get sucked right in and not want to stop until you see the words, "The End".

I won't reveal anything else about the plot, because to do so would ruin a very fun experience. Suffice it to say that Liz Williams is a very talented writer who mixes in a wide and diverse range of influences, genres, and plot devices to create a unique world in which to house her stories. In the Snake Agent review I said:

"...William's novel is hard to classify...the story abounds with magic as does a typical fantasy novel. It is a mystery, set in a near future science fiction universe replete with technology that would be at home in a story by Phillip K. Dick. It is also a primer for eastern mysticism and a view of earth, heaven, and hell steeped in ancient mythology. In addition there are elements of horror reminiscient of the aforementioned John Constantine and a wry humor similar to that in the very best cult classic comedies."

Being this type of book I can see it appealing to people with a broad range of interests. The Demon and the City is not as strong a novel as Snake Agent, in my opinion, as I felt that the opening novel contained a much more well balanced story. That being said, I would rate this second volume quite high on my list of recommendations. One of the things I really enjoyed about this book is that Williams resisted the urge to spend significant page time rehashing the events of Snake Agent. If you want an introduction to this world, you need to read the first book, it is as simple as that. And while I believe anyone could pick up Demon and enjoy it for what it is, it is a much more rewarding experience to read once you've grown attached to the characters in the first book.

I think that is my primary reason for seeing this second effort as a little less complete than Snake Agent. Snake Agent focused much more on characterization, in my opinion, whereas The Demon and the City goes right into the action. I would have liked to see a little more growth in the characters and their relationships in this one.

You should be reading this series. It is very good.

A wonderfully woven tale
Ironically it was the cover art that first drew me to this series. But I soon found the books to be as wonderful as the artwork on the cover. Liz's way with the written word weaves a beautiful and very detailed story. I enjoyed the demon's major role in this book and do not mind that Chen took a "back" seat. In fact I am greatly looking forward to the next book in this series and hope it is as wonderful and rich a world as this one.