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    Dancing on the Head of a Pin: A Remy Chandler Novel
    Unavailable
    Dancing on the Head of a Pin: A Remy Chandler Novel
    Unavailable
    Dancing on the Head of a Pin: A Remy Chandler Novel
    Audiobook7 hours

    Dancing on the Head of a Pin: A Remy Chandler Novel

    Written by Thomas E. Sniegoski

    Narrated by Luke Daniels

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Once he was known as the Angel Remiel, but generations ago Boston PI Remy Chandler chose to renounce heaven and live on earth, where he found a secure place among us ordinary humans.…

    But now, having lost the love of his life, Remy finds himself turning more and more away from his human friends and his everyday existence. He's begun to seek out dangerous jobs-those that involve the supernatural, those that bring him into contact with his past.

    Like his latest case: the theft of a cache of ancient weaponry stolen from a collector who deals in antiquities of a dark and dubious nature. The weapons, Remy knows, were forged aeons ago and imbued with unimaginable power. If they fall into the wrong hands, they could be used to destroy not only Heaven but also Earth.

    And to prevent that, Remy Chandler must decide whether he is willing to lose the last of his own humanity.…

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateApr 6, 2010
    ISBN9781441817624
    Unavailable
    Dancing on the Head of a Pin: A Remy Chandler Novel
    Author

    Thomas E. Sniegoski

    Thomas E. Sniegoski is the author of more than two dozen novels for adults, teens, and children. His books for teens include Legacy, Sleeper Code, Sleeper Agenda, and Force Majeure, as well as the series The Brimstone Network. As a comic book writer, Sniegoski’s work includes Stupid, Stupid Rat Tails, a prequel miniseries to international hit, Bone. Sniegoski collaborated with Bone creator Jeff Smith on the project, making him the only writer Smith has ever asked to work on those characters. He was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his wife LeeAnne and their French Bulldog, Kirby. Visit him on the web at Sniegoski.com.

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    Reviews for Dancing on the Head of a Pin

    3.5/5

    79 ratings13 reviews

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    • 3/5

      Still mourning his wife's death, fallen angel and private investigator of supernatural events, Remy Chandler, has been hired by a collector of antique weapons to recover five weapons of unimaginable power recently stolen from his collection. Remy shortly learns that others are also seeking these weapons, which if obtained first, could result in the freeing of Lucifer from Hell.

      I picked up this audio book, the second in a series, just to have something to listen to in the car. Although generally not my cup of tea I did enjoy the narration and Remy's Boston accent. I also enjoyed the voice given to Remy's pet, a black Labrador named Marlow. The interaction between the two of them was hilarious.
    • 5/5
      Very enjoyable
    • 3/5
      A follow up novel featuring Seraphim-in-disguise Remy Chandler, fresh from the battle at the end of the first novel. Remy is hired to find a cache of ancient weapons stolen from a rich owner, and finds out the weapons were forged in Heaven to aid Lucifer Morningstar. This eventually brings Remy into Hell itself. This book was darker than the first, and resulted in one character that I liked biting the dust. But Marlowe's still good, and I liked how the book ended on a hopeful note with Remy meeting a new woman. Makes me look forward to the next book. Three and a half stars.
    • 3/5
      I had gotten about halfway through this book several months ago and then forgot to pull it out of my travel bag to finish. Once I started packing for my next trip I saw the news that NBC picked this to shoot a pilot and now I want to read all of them. This book is several months after the first one and Remy is still grieving for his wife. He gets a case looking for some missing weapons and it turns out that the weapons are very special. Of course the fallen angels want them and so do the Nomads. The end goal again in this book seems to be trying to prevent events from reigniting the war between God and Lucifer and it doesn't look good by the end of the book. Looks like I will need to pick up the pace reading them.
    • 3/5
      Is there something wrong with the dog being my favorite character? Marlowe is written perfectly, especially for a Labrador!

      I think I liked the first one just a bit better, with it having Remy's problems in the human world complementing the action in the divine world. This one, while good, didn't quite have the same emotional impact, nor does it have a real resolution.
    • 3/5
      Like the first book of the series, Dancing on the Head of a Pin is a quick and easy read -- fluff, almost. I mean, okay, there's some gruesome bits, and it's an apocalypse, but it's still very easy to read.

      I sort of wish there'd been more to the mystery aspect, and also that there'd been more of a build-up. Once you've dealt with the apocalypse, how can you go back to figuring out who the banker's wife is screwing? Well, in real life, easily, but in fiction? I do wish there'd been some sort of reasonable escalation: now it pretty much has to be the apocalypse in every book.

      The best character is Marlowe. Hands down.

      Obviously, there's unfinished business in this book, and I'm interested in how that's going to play out. Not so interested I need to grab the next book right now, though.

      Have to say, though, it still makes me think this is professional Supernatural fanfic, starring Castiel -- uh, Remiel -- the private investigator, and Dean -- sorry, Steve -- the human with a "profound bond" -- sorry, "special bond" -- with him.
    • 3/5
      This was both less and more than what I anticipated. Less mystery, less interaction between Remy and his dog, less of characters I liked and remembered from previous stories in this series. More apocalyptic, if that's even possible considering what happened in the previous novel. More religion and traditional Biblical figures.

      I think I really enjoyed the first book more; there was less reliance on making things fit into a war between heaven and earth, and more on the emotional impact of things happening in the world. I'll pick up the next one (if there is a next one), but why does it always have to be about the world ending?
    • 4/5
      3.5 stars rounded up. This was a good follow up to the first book. This time around he has to deal with the death of his wife from the precious book. His grief is shown well and is believable. The passion and love that he feels for her is one of the most beautiful and tragic romances I've read in Urban Fantasy. 

      Again the mythos feels real to me. I often felt that what Sniegoski was portraying was closer to what was written in the old Testament than what I learned in Sunday school. I don't know how much is true and how much isn't (my degree focused on world religious thought and philosophy rather than Christianity) but so much felt right. I think that's  impressive in world building in this genre. 

      The situation this go round is even more dire then last time and I began to wonder how the next book could top this one. The final battle in this one is spectacular. 

      Of course on of my favorite parts is the interaction between Remy and his dog as well as the dogs and other creatures in the storyline. Marlowe is a little smarter than your average dog but his feelings and motivations are quite realistic. Remy's love and respect for the animal as well as the seriousness with which he takes his role as the digs caretaker is refreshing. He even stops to make sure his dog will be cared for when he goes into a situation where he could die. I think a detail like that is what makes  Sniegoski do good at characterization as he showed the angel's humanity and loyalty with this act. 

      However there were a number of things that detracted from the great aspects of the book such as the author over explaining things. For example, Remy is told to stay hidden when entering a crime scene the. The author spends a paragraph explaining why. Characters also repeat themselves without the description acknowledging that they are doing so and I such a way that it feels like it was a mistake that they did. 

      There are a couple of areas where something in the plot contradicts something that happened earlier. For example, at one point one of the characters has some critical objects. A few scenes later it is revealed he doesn't have them anymore but there is no part of the text that explains that he lost them let alone how. I reread the intervening chapters again and the scene where it must have happened and at no point does it mention that he put them down or anything like that. 

      Although Remy's a detective, he's not a very good one. Most of what he finds out is through things happening to him. When he is hired for the initial job, he doesn't ask any pertinent questions like specifics about how the incident happened, key questions that would have saved some time and effort. 

      There are other incongruities like something was created by an angel at one part and then attributed to a human later or a powerful weapon used only once that could have made a real difference, or the all to common to this genre that in one scene someone is really injured but a couple of scenes later is fine. 

      But Remy's humanity is beautifully obvious even as he struggles to fight his inner warrior of god and his love for his wife and dog are the things that make the story for me. I just wish that the editor would have caught the inconsistencies which would have moved the book up at least half a star for me. 

    • 3/5
      ** spoiler alert ** Dancing on the Head of a Pin is the second book in the Remy Chandler series and follows A KISS BEFORE THE APOCALYPSE. Chandler aka Seraphim Remiel, is a disillusioned former Angel of Heaven who was unhappy after the war between Heaven and those who supported Lucifer. He's now a Boston PI, with a dog named Marlow and a Detective friend named Steven Mulvehill; one of the very few who knows his real identity. (the others being his deceased wife Maddy and Marlow). In this book Remy gets a call from an antique collector named Alfred Karnighah, whose antique weapons have gone missing. Remy struggles to work on the case because he has been struggling with keeping his humanity (and repressing his angelic side) since his wife Maddie passed away several months previousy. When Remy goes to meet with the antique dealer he finds that the weapons missing were extremely powerful weapons called the Pitiless (which included a Colt Peacemaker, an Ax, and a Katana). Now Remy needs to find out how these weapons are tied in with the Nomad angels and how all of this ties in with the increased activity in Hell. Of course, if he can't figure it out the world as we know it will end. Remy's Flashbacks to when he met and revealed himself to Maddy were kind of sad, truth be told. He really truly put his heart and soul into loving her, and now he is having true self doubts about his ability to maintain his human facade. The Angel within is trying desperately to get out. It also longs to return to Heaven. Maddy, however, gets more storytime than Det Mulvehill does. Interesting. Things we learned from this story. 1. Remy search for the Pitiless, leads him to an all out war between the fallen, the Thrones (angels from the creator), a Nomad leader named Suroth who wants desperately to release Lucifer from his prison. 2. Remy loses his friend Francis, the Guardian of the gates between Heaven and Hell, in a showdown between the Nomads, the Fallen, and Denizens. However, what remains to be asked is...is he really dead, or was he allowed to go home? 3. We learn more about the Fallen from Heaven and Hell, and peek at Tartarus where a major battle takes place. 4. We see that Remy still has human emotions that his angel side cannot bury which leads him to return home. He refuses to return to Heaven when offered by the Archangel Michael who is in the process of leading the angels into war against Lucifer; again. Remy is truly sick of war and wants nothing to do with it. 5. Lucifer is free and planning a war on those who he claims betrayed him. He allowed Remy to live so that he could be his messenger to heaven while building his new kingdom of hell. 6. We learned that Blyeth, aka Satan of the Denizen, is in fact Lucifer encased in another skin. 7. We learned that the Pitiless were weapons built forged in heaven for Lucifer, but were never used. They fell to earth and were found by mortals. 8. We learned that this author doesn't mind killing of characters, including Remy's friend, to tell the story of Lucifers uprising. Next book in series: Where Angels Fear to Tread (2010)
    • 3/5
      At one point, I was so frustrated I almost threw this book across the room. An angel living as a human, and a private investigator, has a lot of potential. However, after finishing this I realized something. He's not really a PI. Every "case" is just another attempt to restart/prevent another war in heaven. Remy is pulled in to investigate; he fights with himself over the need to release his angel; and the bad guy is probably another angel. Remy doesn't investigate; he gets told what he needs to know (well after he needed to know it).A man contacts Remy about finding some stolen antique weapons. The weapons turn out to be "The Pitiless," powerful artifacts of evil (which came from heaven, don't get me started on that). The man knows this. He knows what Remy is. But, he doesn't tell Remy. He deliberately handicaps the one person here to help. Remy discovers the truth when he's beaten up by a fallen angel's henchmen (henchangels?). Oh, he gets beaten up a lot for a supposedly great warrior of heaven. Remy has to enter Hell to retrieve the Pitiless. He admits to himself that his human persona won't be enough. So, does he change into an angel before going? No. He jumps in and ends up hanging off a cliff. Does he change now so that his wings can save him? No. He falls a huge distance and is injured. Does he finally change in order to heal himself? Of course not! He waits until he's attacked by a mob of hellhounds to start what is an oddly long process. (This is where the book almost flew.) Now that he's finally an angel, he's still pretty well useless. You'd think his holy powers would be more than a match for fallen angels, cut off from their holy powers, who've been suffering millennia of torment. Nope. He's beaten back only to end up failing in his mission. Just what is the point of Remy Chandler?Like another reviewer, I felt the contradictions in the world-building hurt the story. Is God good and Lucifer evil? If so, how is it that God is served by war-hungry angels? When Remy ends up at the gates of heaven on the brink of another war he meets Michael. "How does it feel to abandon everything that you are?" the Archangel asked, malice dripping from each and every word. Malice?! From a servant of God, one of Remiel's brothers? And if preventing Lucifer's escape is so important, why was Remiel the only angel working on behalf of God? Remy's refusal to return to heaven has become the elephant in the room. If he believes Lucifer was wrong, then how can he continue to refuse to return to God? Who he loves and misses. But if he does return, no more Remy Chandler novels.There are good ideas here. Characters with internal conflict are usually interesting, especially Remy's grief over the loss of his wife and struggle to retain his humanity. The twist at the end with Madach was fantastic. I like the idea that hell is not for humans. Fallen angels operating on Earth like the Mafia is damn clever - and could have made for great cases. Sadly, I do not think the above issues can be resolved without a drastic change. And I don't like being frustrated with no payoff.
    • 5/5
      The second book in a wonderful series, Dancing on the Head of a Pin has our detective-angel hired to locate some lost antiques, only to discover that he is once again wrapped up in a supernatural mystery. If you have not read the Remy Chandler novels by Thomas Sniegoski, you are in for a treat. They are dark and gritty detective tales with a difference: the detective, Remy Chandler, is a Seraphim, a warrior angel who left heaven in search of his own humanity. Remy's angelic nature (and his wings!) are firmly held in check, until occasionally required - generally in battle. One delightful side benefit of an angelic nature is that Remy can speak every language on earth, including that of animals. He has great conversations with Marlowe, his black lab, and occasional (snobby) cats that he comes across. Remy's relationship with Marlowe is well done, and touching, as is his relationship with his best friend, Steven, a policeman.
    • 4/5
      This book is the second book in the Remy Chandler series by Sniegoski. Last I heard four books were sold in this series. The third one "Where Angels Fear to Tread" was released Mar. 2 2010. I liked this book more than the first one; it was more witty and the action scenes seemed tighter and more well written.In this book Remy gets a call from an antique collector whose antique weapons have gone missing. Remy struggles to work on the case because he has been struggling with keeping his humanity (and repressing his angelic side) since his wife Maddie passed away. When Remy goes to meet with the antique dealer he finds that the weapons missing were extremely powerful weapons called the Pitiless. At the same time Remy and Francis have found that someone is selling angel parts on the black market. Now Remy needs to find out how these weapons are tied in with the Nomad angels and how all of this ties in with the increased activity in Hell. Of course, if he can't figure it out the world as we know it will end.I liked this book better than the first book. Remy has a bit more wit to him and is not so depressed. Sniegoski does an excellent job of keeping the plotline sleek and fast-moving. There isn't a whole lot extra in this book, all of it deals with the main plotline directly which I liked. I thought Sniegoski also did a better job with the fight scenes; they seemed more crisp than the first book and grabbed my attention more. If you are looking for a lot of romance in your story, then you should look elsewhere. Other than pining after his deceased wife, there really isn't any romance here...which suited the story just fine.I love that Sniegoski deals with the angel and demons in a practical way and doesn't get too bogged down in religion. He also did a good job in bringing mythos from a variety of places into play in this book.All the side characters are well developed. This book did a good job of wrapping up the main storyline it followed, but left another storyline open to continue into the next book. Reading the first book would be helpful but not absolutely necessary to enjoy this book.Overall this was a great read. It is a quick, engaging, and fast-paced story that really grabs the reader. I think it was an improvement over the first book, and I am looking forward to reading the third book.
    • 3/5
      This second book in the Remy Chandler series has just come out, and I was lucky enough to read it right after reading the first in the series.Remy, who was and still can be the angel Remiel, is a private eye in Boston. A client hires him to search for several priceless weapons that have been stolen. It becomes clear quickly that the weapons and the thieves are supernatural, not of the nice kind, and things are going to get pretty bad.What I perceived in the first book to be weaknesses of the mythology here also translate into an inconsistent character. Sniegoski treats Remy the "human" and Remiel the angel as two entirely separate characters in one body, and Remy is by far the more honorable and compassionate of the two. It is the angel that hankers for war and blood, which doesn't make a lot of sense because it was the war in Heaven in which Remiel killed many of his brothers that caused him to leave Heaven and try to live as a human. If his angle nature was so bloodthirsty he wouldn't have gotten so soul-sick over the war.Interesting enough to read through, and there are characters I like, including Remy (not Remiel) and Marlowe the dog, but I'm not sure I'll read any more in this series.