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    Black City Saint
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    Black City Saint
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    Black City Saint
    Ebook439 pages6 hours

    Black City Saint

    By Richard A. Knaak

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    For more than sixteen hundred years, Nick Medea has followed and guarded the Gate that keeps the mortal realm and that of Feirie separate, seeking in vain absolution for the fatal errors he made when he slew the dragon. All that while, he has tried and failed to keep the woman he loves from dying over and over. Yet in the fifty years since the Night the Dragon Breathed over the city of Chicago, the Gate has not only remained fixed, but open to the trespasses of the Wyld, the darkest of the Feiriefolk. Not only does that mean an evil resurrected from Nick’s own past, but the reincarnation of his lost Cleolinda, a reincarnation destined once more to die. Nick must turn inward to that which he distrusts the most: the Dragon, the beast he slew when he was still only Saint George. He must turn to the monster residing in him, now a part of him...but ever seeking escape. The gang war brewing between Prohibition bootleggers may be the least of his concerns. If Nick cannot prevent an old evil from opening the way between realms...then not only might Chicago face a fate worse than the Great Fire, but so will the rest of the mortal realm. From the Trade Paperback edition.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPyr
    Release dateMar 1, 2016
    ISBN9781633881372
    Unavailable
    Black City Saint
    Author

    Richard A. Knaak

    Richard A. Knaak is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of The Legend of Huma, World of Warcraft: Wolfheart, and nearly fifty other novels and numerous short stories, including “Black City Saint” and works in such series as Warcraft, Diablo, Dragonlance, Age of Conan, and his own Dragonrealm. He has scripted a number of Warcraft manga with Tokyopop, such as the top-selling Sunwell trilogy, and has also written background material for games. His works have been published worldwide in many languages. His most recent releases include Shade—a brand-new Dragonrealm novel featuring the tragic sorcerer—Dawn of the Aspects—the latest in the bestselling World of Warcraft series, and the fourth collection in his Legends of the Dragonrealm series. He is presently at work on several other projects.

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    Reviews for Black City Saint

    4.5/5

    3 ratings3 reviews

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    • 4/5
      You could call this book historical urban fantasy noir. Set in Chicago in the 1920s, the narrator is a sort of exorcist. He puts ads in papers that only those who need him can see, then goes and removes the ghosts and demons that are haunting them. His unusualness goes beyond this, though; his body is host to the dragon that he slew 1,600 years ago- he is, in fact, Saint George. He and the dragon share an uneasy alliance. Also, he is the guardian of the gate that separates our world from that of Feirie. His companion is a shapeshifter who can no longer shift, trapped in his canine form.The hero finds himself set up against Oberon, long exiled from Feirie. Oberon plans on taking over again, conquering his former mate Titania. This will drag our world into the the fight, something Nick, the protagonist, must stop at all costs. He finds himself fighting demons, speaking with the ghost of the Emperor who ordered his execution, trying to avoid bootleggers and Al Capone’s gang members, trying to protect a woman from his past who won’t agree to stay where it’s supposed to be safe, and battling with magically enhanced goons before actually getting into it with Oberon.Nick narrates almost like your typical hard-boiled noir detective, except he’s frequently talking about magical things. The pace moves quickly and never lets up; Nick can’t even sit down to rest without the house turning into something else or demons coming to the door. There is a lot we don’t find out about Nick, Claryce- she really doesn’t get a chance to develop her character-, Fetch, and the ghost of the Emperor Deocletian; the ending leaves it possible that there will be a sequel. I would definitely read a sequel; I liked the characters (particularly Fetch the shapeshifter) and like the era. It’s fast and fun.
    • 5/5
      Let’s keep it short, shall we? If you like the combination of historical-urban-fantasy, stop reading this review and start reading the book.Still not convinced? Let me share some more details then.What to ExpectBlack City Saint is the first novel in the series from Richard Knaak. Set against the back-drop of Prohibition-era Chicago, Nick Medea is a private detective of sorts, dealing with paranormal cases.Not that it’s as straightforward as that. Nick has a checkered past, and some unusual companions. He’s also tasked (cursed?) with a larger-than-life role in this universe, which is built up and explained as the novel progresses.What I likedThe attention to detail. If you know me, you know my love of little historical trivia that goes into world-building. Black City is rife with such details, to the point that even though the date is not specified you can get a pretty exact estimate based on what is happening in the bootlegger wars in the background. There are also plenty of other little tidbits – such as arts, architecture, sports, politics, slang – that makes you love the realism and richness of the setting.The pacing is wonderful. The plot slowly builds up over the course of the novel, continually picking up pace through twists and reveals, till you just can’t let go. Between the bootlegger wars of Capone, Bugs Moran, et al, purloined Christian hagiography, and Feirie Court politics there is plenty of material to provide unexpected developments.What to be aware ofThis is a noir mystery, set in the classical era for such stories. It’s written in first-person POV with the protagonist narrating events. Don’t expect the touchy-feely characters in contact with their inner child. Men were men, and women wore skirts. (Not that the women in the story lack spunk – but the story and characters fits the era and genre.)The foremost topic are the Feirie creatures – this isn’t the place to learn about the gang wars of the Outfit, nor about Christian mythology. Those play an important role, but not the main one.SummaryUnsurprisingly, I love the combination of history, mystery, and fantasy. The 1920’s were a fascinating era, and Mr Knaak makes full use of that background. From the Art Deco elevator doors on the cover, to the slang of the low-lifes, the world in Black City Saint is alive.Amongst the ranks of historical-fantasy-detectives (or any two out of the three – you know I’ll read anything from Ruth Downie’s Medicus Roman Mysteries to Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files), Nick Medea and Richard Knaak deserve a place of honour. This is fast becoming one of my favourite series.So what are you waiting for? yourself a favour, and get a copy Black City Saint now. You won’t regret it. Me, I’m just going to keep on reading with Black City Demon.---Assaph Mehr, author of Murder In Absentia: a story of Togas, Dagger, and Magic - for lovers of Ancient Rome, Urban Fantasy, and Detective mysteries.
    • 4/5
      Nick Medea lives in Chicago during the Prohibition years but he is not quite what he seems. Some 1600 years ago, his name was Georgius and he fought and defeated a dragon. The dragon’s consciousness was trapped within Georgius’ mind and body and constantly struggles to get out. Then Georgius, in turn, was slain by the Roman Emperor Diocletian for refusing to revoke his religion but gained immortality. Georgius became known as St George and Diocletian’s ghost haunts him, begging for forgiveness which Georgius/Nick refuses to give. Nick is now the Gatekeeper between the human and fairy realms and he earns a living by helping people rid themselves of what they think are ghosts but which in fact are evil denizens of Feirie who have managed to breach the Gate. But now Oberon, former Lord of Feirie has plans to merge the two realms which will have devastating consequences for both and it is up to Nick with the aid of Fetch, a shapeshifter from Feirie who passes as a dog and Claryce who, in many incarnations, has been Nick’s lover through the ages, to stop him. Black City Saint by author Richard A. Knaak is a fun urban fantasy with plenty of action. Nick is, for the most part, typical of the heroes of urban fantasies but without the humour that usually marks them - I guess one can’t expect a saint to be all sarcastic wit but given that the time and place seems to demand a noir treatment including the cynical witty inner dialogue that is the trademark of noir, the lack of it seems particularly unfortunate. Oberon is sufficiently evil. Claryce, on the other hand, seems to have very little purpose except as love interest throughout the ages at least until the end. The most interesting characters, though, are Fetch and the dragon and they definitely make up for what is lacking in the rest. In fairness, this feels very much like the beginning of a series. We are introduced to the characters and given their somewhat complicated backstories, but, with all the action and general mayhem, there is little time to flesh them out. That goes for the era as well. On the upside, there are hints, by the end of the book, that this will be rectified in future installments of the series. Overall, I quite enjoyed this story and would recommend it to fans of the Dresden Files or urban fantasies in general.