Half-Resurrection Blues, Daniel José Older
This book is made awesome by the setting and cast — it’s full of detail that places it exactly in time and space, in Brooklyn and in the ghost/s of Brooklyn; it’s full of characters with all kinds of origins and all kinds of stories, all of which is supplemented by the kind of details that make them feel real. Mannerisms, foibles, culture-specific ways of speaking or thinking… and it’s never some kind of monolithic culture, but all sorts of cultures in a melting pot, a dialogue. The background of the story was interesting, too: the halfies, the Council of the Dead, the ngks, house spirits… it comes together into a pretty interesting mythology in general.
In terms of the plot, I was less enthused, though it’s certainly not a chore to read. It’s just a little bit predictable; I was constantly reminded of other books while I was reading it, constantly a couple of steps ahead of the plot. Like, come on, who wouldn’t guess that with the ability to kind of read thoughts, a woman would figure out you killed her brother? And that wouldn’t go down well with her? I’m hesitant to even call that a spoiler, that’s just human.
I’m planning to read Salsa Nocturna anyway, and to read more of Daniel José Older’s work, but I wasn’t blown away. It’s more solid fun than something that swept me off my feet.
Rating: 3/5
Hmmm…not a fan of the predictable, but at least it wasn’t a completely bad read. Maybe the later books will show more pizzazz.
I did like the setting a lot; that aspect isn’t predictable, it’s just the actual events seem obvious as they’re unfolding… Hopefully, yeah, later books will be more surprising!
Still kinda excited about reading this, even though I was hoping it would be as creative as his short stories.
I think the setting/characters are — it’s just that the plot seemed a lot like other urban fantasies I’ve read…
Different readers different impressions. I didn’t find it especially predictable.
Hmm, maybe it was because aspects of it really reminded me of Chris F. Holm’s work.
That might make sense since I havent read any of it so wouldnt be reminded
There are some things that are very different, of course, but that was definitely one of the comparisons I had in mind.