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69th out of 383 books
—
153 voters
The Spiral Tattoo
by
Michael J. Parry (Goodreads Author)
Law comes in two sizes: six inches and eight feet.
Elanore, the eight-foot tall troll, and Gurt, the six-inch tall (don't you dare call me a fairy) Eleinu, both guardsmen in the city of Delvenport, tackle their most baffling case yet. When they find a dead waitress, naked except for an intricate tattoo in a spiral across her body, they're launched into an adventure in the s...more
Elanore, the eight-foot tall troll, and Gurt, the six-inch tall (don't you dare call me a fairy) Eleinu, both guardsmen in the city of Delvenport, tackle their most baffling case yet. When they find a dead waitress, naked except for an intricate tattoo in a spiral across her body, they're launched into an adventure in the s...more
ebook
Published
June 26th 2011
by Sky Warrior Books
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Not my usual fare and the combination of the busty troll on the cover and the first line ("the breasts were rather perky") made me wonder what I was in for.
Thankfully the rest of the novel is in the best tradition of unlikely crime fighting duos combining their mismatched abilities to solve a crime and kill all the baddies. It just happens to be trolls, elves and the like who are dealing drugs / picking fights / trying to police the city.
I enjoyed the first person narration. The passages where...more
Thankfully the rest of the novel is in the best tradition of unlikely crime fighting duos combining their mismatched abilities to solve a crime and kill all the baddies. It just happens to be trolls, elves and the like who are dealing drugs / picking fights / trying to police the city.
I enjoyed the first person narration. The passages where...more
Not just another elf opera with the same plot you've read a hundred times. Instead, a police procedural with a troll and a (let's be honest) pixie - ill-assorted partners who work together well in all senses.
Hints at a larger world and a complex history, without making us drink from the bucket-o-exposition, and I always appreciate that.
One of the small things I enjoyed was how Gurt, the don't-call-me-a-pixie, goes ahead and does something that he knows he'll regret. Real people do that.
The th...more
Hints at a larger world and a complex history, without making us drink from the bucket-o-exposition, and I always appreciate that.
One of the small things I enjoyed was how Gurt, the don't-call-me-a-pixie, goes ahead and does something that he knows he'll regret. Real people do that.
The th...more
The Spiral Tattoo by Michael J. Parry was a unique fantasy detective story following Elanore, an 8 foot tall troll and Gurt, the 6 inch tall Eleinu (a pixie/fairy character). Instead of completely redefining trolls, Elanore is a bit of a standout for her race. She is still very tough and you don't want to make her mad, but she is mostly calm and cerebral when investigating. Gurt is a bit of an enigma as well. Born into nobility he chose to leave it all behind when he got tired of all the politic...more
To see my full review:
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
This was an interesting novel, with an interesting premise, but I just didn’t care for it all that much. The writing was good, the characters were well done, but I never really connected with the story itself. Honestly, I don’t know why this is. I love first person narration, and Parry delivers just that in this novel. I enjoyed the characterization—both Gurt and Elanore have very human characteristics and they deal with real life pro...more
http://bookvacations.wordpress.com/20...
This was an interesting novel, with an interesting premise, but I just didn’t care for it all that much. The writing was good, the characters were well done, but I never really connected with the story itself. Honestly, I don’t know why this is. I love first person narration, and Parry delivers just that in this novel. I enjoyed the characterization—both Gurt and Elanore have very human characteristics and they deal with real life pro...more
Well that was damn good fun! Very clever, and the ending rocked. Looking forward to reading the next on the series.
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This is the first novel from Michael J Parry, based on a story originally released as a serial podcast, and it’s great; reading like a blend of Terry Pratchett and Kim Harrison, with fast paced action, witty dialogue and an interesting storyline.
The Spiral Tattoo is a fantasy murder mystery, not quite urban fantasy, but has a similar feel, set in a more traditional fantasy
...more
A decent read. Props to the author for creating such an interesting pair of main characters (the erudite female troll, especially, is nice and compelling) and a relatively interesting setting for a generic-fantasy universe. The prose is kind of stiff and inflexible, though, but at least the plot doesn't hugely Deus Ex Machina out of nowhere near the end. I'm not a huge fan of magic in these things, but at least the way it was portrayed here was internally consistent and I had a sense of how it o...more
Enjoyed it. Well done Michael!
The first person perspective is not my favourite, I'd rather have a mix of first and third, but really liked it was from the perspective of a crime fighting fairy who can fly and do magic, something I've never read before. Would like to know more about coping as a tiny being in a land of giants.
The editing was very good, the pacing about right.
As others have said, a map would be good, especially if more tales are to be set in the city.
I'd like to know more about th...more
The first person perspective is not my favourite, I'd rather have a mix of first and third, but really liked it was from the perspective of a crime fighting fairy who can fly and do magic, something I've never read before. Would like to know more about coping as a tiny being in a land of giants.
The editing was very good, the pacing about right.
As others have said, a map would be good, especially if more tales are to be set in the city.
I'd like to know more about th...more
An excellent read! Mix David Eddings with Jim Butcher and you can get a pretty good picture of this book.
A highly enjoyable, fun read for anyone that enjoys fantasy, humor, action, and mystery.
Very enjoyable twist on fantastical urban fantasy.
Loved it!!May I have some more please??
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I write fantasy and science fiction, mixed in with the occasional piece of contemporary fiction. I hope that people enjoy my stories.
When I am not writing, I live on a small block of land in the Tararua district of New Zealand, where me and my partner grow trees and our children. To earn a crust I work in a University library as the Digital Initiatives Librarian. I love social media, and use it as...more
More about Michael J. Parry...
When I am not writing, I live on a small block of land in the Tararua district of New Zealand, where me and my partner grow trees and our children. To earn a crust I work in a University library as the Digital Initiatives Librarian. I love social media, and use it as...more
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Jan 27, 2012 07:53pm