Snake Agent (Detective Inspector Chen #1)

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Snake Agent (Detective Inspector Chen #1)

3.73 of 5 stars 3.73 · rating details · 820 ratings · 144 reviews

Detective Inspector Chen is the Singapore Three police department's snake agent - the detective in charge of supernatural and mystical investigations. Chen has several problems: in addition to colleagues who don't trust him and his mystical ways, a patron goddess whom he has offended and a demonic wife who's tired of staying home alone, he's been paired with one of Hell's...more

Paperback, 264 pages

Published July 1st 2006 by Night Shade Books (first published 2005)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

Non-Caucasian Protagonists in Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, and Paranormal Romance

83rd out of 800 books — 621 voters

Tales Of The Otori Trilogy by Lian Hearn

Chinese and Japanese Fantasy

19th out of 124 books — 171 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 1,855)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Mar 19, 2012 Whitaker rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-read, fantasy-scifi

Update (19 March 2012)

For a science fiction story with truly authentic Chinese elements, check out "A Hundred Ghosts Parade Tonight" from Clarkesworld. Very highly recommended.

Original Review

Ah, Haw Par Villa. Such fond memories I have it. It used to be known also as Tiger Balm Gardens, and was built by the Haw Par brothers, the makers of Tiger Balm:
tiger balm products

As an act of civic goodness, the Haw Par brothers constructed Haw Par Villa. It’s a lovely little theme park in Singapore. Here, you’ll find dioram...more

17 likes · like · see review

Apr 03, 2012 Carol rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: urban fantasy lovers, hard-boiled detective fans

Shelves: urban-fantasy, mystery, male-lead, favorites, my-library, fantasy

Really loved it, but more like four and a half stars. I haven't read many books in an Asian setting, much less urban fantasy. Detective Chen is the familiar world-weary but still hopeful police officer who does his best to help people. Williams took that and turned it sideways in a most enjoyable way.

The world is something like modern Asia, only cities have been franchised, and Heaven and Hell are real stops on the reincarnation wheel. By the end, (view spoiler)...more Really loved it, but more like four and a half stars. I haven't read many books in an Asian setting, much less urban fantasy. Detective Chen is the familiar world-weary but still hopeful police officer who does his best to help people. Williams took that and turned it sideways in a most enjoyable way.

The world is something like modern Asia, only cities have been franchised, and Heaven and Hell are real stops on the reincarnation wheel. By the end, (view spoiler)

The book was filled with rich detail that created a vivid image of the environment--particularly the humidity and the desperately functioning air-conditioners--without so much world-building that readers will feel bogged by endless detail. Williams did use one of my unfavorite ploys of starting with a scene plucked out of the near end of the book that foreshadowed problems to come, but I forgive her, as the rest was so much fun. My only real criticism is the set-up of the book; we initially meet Chen in third person view, then his wife ("meanwhile, back at the ranch..."), then the demon Zhu Irzh, and then adds in a further perspective or two as the story progresses, which I felt might have jumbled the narrative unnecessarily. It would have been more fun seeing Zhu gain humanity through others' perspective, rather than reading him thinking about it.

But really, what can you say about a book that contains lines such as "Passers-by took one look at Detective Inspector Chen hastening down the road with a lobster on a string, like one of the more eccentric French surrealists, and gave him a very wide berth" or "You have my full and total support, as long as I don't actually have to go any nearer to this supernatural shit than I can help, and as long as you sort it out," followed by a discussion of how a Ministry of Hell uses pharmaceutical companies? Love it.(less)

9 likes · like · see review

May 09, 2009 Abigail rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Urban Fantasy Fans

Recommended to Abigail by: Sherri

Shelves: fantasy-sf, mystery

Review Temporarily Removed.

4 likes · like · see review

Apr 12, 2009 Terence rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Terence by: GR friend Felicia's review

Shelves: mysteries, sf-fantasy

It is unfair to any author to wander into a book expecting something and then being disappointed when it's not delivered but I'm human and I can't help it. Reading this book, I had hoped to read something like Barry Hughart's adventures with Master Li and Number Ten Ox (Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was et al.) or Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee stories (Judge Dee at Work: Eight Chinese Detective Stories et al.), except in this case the celestial and infernal bureaucracies...more It is unfair to any author to wander into a book expecting something and then being disappointed when it's not delivered but I'm human and I can't help it. Reading this book, I had hoped to read something like Barry Hughart's adventures with Master Li and Number Ten Ox (Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was et al.) or Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee stories (Judge Dee at Work: Eight Chinese Detective Stories et al.), except in this case the celestial and infernal bureaucracies are real. Or a mystery along the lines of Colin Cotterill's Sari Paiboun novels, where a Laotian coroner is the reincarnated soul of a Hmong shaman. With Hughart and Cotterill there's a spritely, lyrical quality to their writing that makes you believe (or want to believe) that what you're reading could really happen; van Gulik delivers interesting, Holmesian whodunits solved by a character I find delightfully fascinating.

Liz Williams manages to create moderately interesting characters but I didn't find the story terribly interesting or the execution distinctive enough to make the work stand out. The two chief characters are Chen Wei and Zhu Irzh. Chen's the human, and his dearest wish is to be just an average cop allowed to do his job with a minimum of interference from mundane or spiritual powers. Unfortunately, little in his life conduces to this aim: He has a near unique access a rapport with Heaven and Hell and he's married a fugitive demon (Inari) who hides out on his houseboat with her family's familiar - a spirit that alternates between posing as a tea kettle and ambling about as a badger). There's little explanation for Chen's uniqueness but I can put up with ignorance so long as it doesn't interfere with understanding the storyline. Besides, it's a series and presumably readers who continue to follow Chen and Zhu will have more revealed to them.

Zhu Irzh holds a similar position as Chen in the hierarchy of Hell - a middle-level functionary who'd like to get his job done without crossing the paths of his superiors too often. In many ways, Zhu was a disappointment. As Williams portrays him, he's a typical, swashbuckling rogue in the tradition of D'Artagnan and Han Solo. Essentially a human with strange eyes and a pointed tail. It would have been more interesting and challenging if his character really had been demonic and he became Chen's "friend" (or at least "ally") because of the logic of that nature. Not because he's been "infected" with a conscience as is intimated at one point in the book. This is one of the strengths in C.J. Cherryh's Pride of Chanur series: Pyanfar manipulates the unique psychology of the kif to get them into the Compact and obeying its rules; they're not just humans with prosthetic foreheads a la "Star Trek."

I could raise a similar objection to Inari, Chen's demonic wife. She's basically a human woman escaping an arranged marriage.

Without giving away too much, the story revolves around Chen and Zhu uncovering an unsanctioned plot by the Ministry of Epidemics to unleash a plague against humanity using stolen human souls (many intended for Heaven). It's not a bad plot but not especially remarkable, and Williams invokes a couple of deae ex machina (Kuan Yin and the Goddess of Plagues) to bring everything to a happy conclusion, which I found unsatisfactory.

I like Williams. It's been years since I read it, but I remember really enjoying Empire of Bones and saying to myself, "I'd like to see more of her stuff" but I don't think she's at her best in this book. I may pick up the further adventures of Inspector Chen if there's opportunity but they're "brain candy" - something to read when I need a break from "serious" novels or nonfiction.(less)

7 likes · like · see review

Mar 27, 2011 Kelly Maybedog Hawkins rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: what-modern-fantasy, what-male-protagonist

I wanted to love this book, I really did, but I am only giving it three stars instead of two because of the originality. I enjoyed some of it and hated other parts of it. I'm very frustrated with the author and can't believe it was written by an educated Western woman. But more on that later.

The good parts are the unusual premise: the detective, Chen, lives in a technologically advanced futuristic Shanghai as a supernatural detective, investigating those cases that involve demons, ghosts and the...more I wanted to love this book, I really did, but I am only giving it three stars instead of two because of the originality. I enjoyed some of it and hated other parts of it. I'm very frustrated with the author and can't believe it was written by an educated Western woman. But more on that later.

The good parts are the unusual premise: the detective, Chen, lives in a technologically advanced futuristic Shanghai as a supernatural detective, investigating those cases that involve demons, ghosts and the like. (Excellent to have a spec fic story written in English that takes place in another city and culture on Earth than Western!) He has occasion to go down to Hell sometimes which is as complex as the Earth. He has a patron Buddhist goddess, Quan Yin, who helps him out on occasion. I like the Buddhist stuff but wanted more and felt it was a little weak. This fusion of fantasy and science fiction is clever and interesting. The problem is in the execution.

There is lots of action and a fairly fast pace and the book opens with the hero in peril suspended in mid-air with a demon by his side. Sounds good so far but there are problems which weigh it down. The main character is boring and staid, way too much so for someone in his line of work, I think. I didn't find myself caring that much about him. I also didn't think he was that consistent. Sometimes he would comment on a demon's behavior as being bad (something pretty mild) and then later he would do something much worse. There was a cool hellion, a badger, who was interesting, although he was never explained.

Hell is supposed to be kind of an opposite to Earth (which doesn't make sense when there is a Heaven, too) and there a very complicated way souls get there (people have two souls and both move around a lot). But the reality is that Hell is much like Earth only a little nastier and more bureaucratic with a lot of magic thrown in. Again, I found the depiction inconsistent: sometimes the reader is told that everyone from Hell is evil and you can't depend on them, and then they act in ways that are fairly virtuous and the most likable character of all is Chen's demon partner, Zhu Irch.

The really odd thing was that from the very first page I felt that I was reading a book that was actually a sequel. The back story was a huge part of why things happen in this book and it just felt like they were speaking about stuff that happened as though the reader should already know. I found myself checking more than once to see that it was actually book 1.

But by far the worst thing is the really pronounced sexism. I could understand and even tolerate it if it were clear this were a product of the sexist Chinese society or part of why Hell were evil. But the women in the book were weak and vapid. The *only* two females with jobs were a receptionist and a secretary, both completely idiotic and ineffectual. Everyone else in the ministries, precinct and stores were men. At one point a character notices a female (demon of course) assisting some laborers and he is completely surprised. Later the author refers to her as the "female helper" much like white people always point out race when it's not their own. Even China nowadays has a much more egalitarian workforce. Women are construction workers and day laborers and do all sorts of typically male jobs. There is no indication the Shanghai of the future has been set back socially, it's supposed to be modern. Wouldn't women's rights have stayed the same if not progressed even a little bit?

There are very few female characters in the book and only two which make any kind of long term appearance: the goddess Quan Yin and Chen's weak and pathetic demon wife Inari. At one point she thinks to herself how ridiculous it is that men are always saving her and she vows to do better but it continues. (The only time she saves herself is when she runs away but even then someone else always rescues her or captures her because she is lost.) The sentence felt like an after thought because the author received criticism about it. At one point Chen (a human) and another demon struggle to move a huge piece of jade. Demons have superhuman strength but Inari just sits off to the side trembling. I wanted to throw up. Plus, she is kept in a houseboat and Chen is upset when she leaves it for any reason. What kind of life is that? It's the kind of thing abusive husbands do to their wives. It's positively revolting.

My other complaints are minor: pits of blood in hell come from "adulterers and abortionists." (Of course, in the book menstrual blood is a particularly hellish thing, too.) The author also has some weird metaphors that don't really work like when something "ringed a room like a migraine." Hunh? I have migraines several times a week and I don't understand the metaphor. Migraines are on one side of the head usually and are a stabbing, throbbing pain. They don't ring anything. They're not like tension headaches which can feel like a band is tightening around your head. In fact, the closest analogy is an icepick stabbed through your eye. Another weird one was when the night sky was like "illuminated dark glass." Er, what?

Another problem was that about a third of the way in, the detectives discover a truly heinous practice that they believe is the center of the mystery and that they need to figure out. It not only turns out not to be the center but not even related and they never bother to find out who is doing it or how to stop it. They don't ever even bring it up again. BIG plot hole.

Overall the writing was good, the plot carried along fine, and the characterization of the demon detective and other police officers was good. However the main character and his wife were inconsistent and confusing and the sexism was really irritating. I doubt I will read further into the series even though the concept is intriguing and I do want to know more.(less)

7 likes · like · see review

Cera I agree with a lot of your review, but there were a couple of points I thought I'd comment in. I mean this in the most respectful of ways, hoping to h...more
Jun 28, 2011 07:38pm

Kelly Maybedog Hawkins Thank you for your comments. I invite dialogue and I appreciate the thoughtful way you mention the areas you disagree with. Here are my thoughts in re...more
Jul 02, 2011 01:10am

Aug 18, 2008 Christine (AR) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery, urban_fantasy

Inspector Chen, the human representative of the divine, teams up with Shir Urzh, the demon sensechal, to stop a plague. Buddy cops in hell.

I loved this book. It's really,really well-written, with great characters, fantastic world-building, and a kick-ass plot that rocked along at a screaming pace. At one point, there were three story-lines following three sets of characters, leading to a big show-down at the end, and for me? The fact that I was never disappointed to switch to a different story a...more

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 23, 2007 Trin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, mystery, sci-fi, english-lit

Really fantastic fantasy/sci-fi/mystery fusion. Wei Chen is a detective in the slightly futuristic Singapore Three; his area of expertise is the supernatural, specifically dealings between Earth, Heaven, and Hell. Investigating the reappearance as a ghost of a rich girl who supposedly died of anorexia-related complications gets Chen involved with a conspiracy whose origins lie somewhere in the vast bureaucracy of Hell, and also finds him entering into a reluctant and wary partnership with a demo...more

4 likes · like · see review

Sep 16, 2007 Brownbetty rated it 5 of 5 stars

Basically, the sort of book that justifies entire genres. Love, love, love. First off, the prologue was genuinely interesting, and made me want to read the book. In general, I automatically skip prologues. Secondly, this marries myth and science in truly satisfying and creative ways. Thirdly, it has everything: Gods and demons in disguise, police procedure, uneasy alliances that turn to uneasy friendship, a man trapped between love and duty, but not in a stupid way.

The setting is the Singapore o...more Basically, the sort of book that justifies entire genres. Love, love, love. First off, the prologue was genuinely interesting, and made me want to read the book. In general, I automatically skip prologues. Secondly, this marries myth and science in truly satisfying and creative ways. Thirdly, it has everything: Gods and demons in disguise, police procedure, uneasy alliances that turn to uneasy friendship, a man trapped between love and duty, but not in a stupid way.

The setting is the Singapore of the future, or rather, a Singapore of the future: Singapore III, of a current five. The protagonist is Detective Inspector Chen, a man who is currently somewhat in his patron goddess's bad-graces for marrying a demon against Kuan Yin wishes. It comes to the attention of the police department that certain heaven-bound souls are not arriving there, and Chen is assigned the case. This probably gives you a fair idea of what to expect.

Several minor things threw me. One, Chen's wife is named Inari, which I kept reading as "Inara." This is my own fault, but did interfere a bit in the beginning. Two, the illustration on the cover made me immediately check to see if the artist was a man, and lo, he was. [http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I... if you can spot what pinged for me. Three, I have no idea to what extent the Chinese culture and myth depicted is accurate, but it's certainly detailed enough that if it's made up, it's a master-piece of world-building. Fourth, there was the occasional bizarre intrusion of Western culture, as when Chen reflects on the applicability of the Western aphorism, "Between the Devil and the deep blue sea," to his situation. It's my experience that figures of speech from one language/culture generally make no sense whatsoever when removed from that context, and besides, surely "the Devil" would be nonsense to Chen?

These minor points aside, (and despite how I harp on them, they were very minor to my enjoyment,) this is an excellent book. It made me kick my feet in delight. Highly recommended.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

view all 8 comments

Speedtribes regarding Chinese myth and culture-- what she's based her worlds on are actually quite accurate (with the understanding that she has applied some leve...more
updated Oct 19, 2007 09:14pm

Brownbetty Well, I wouldn't expect Chen to be completely unfamiliar with the Christian devil, but I wouldn't expect him to be so familiar it's what would leap to...more
Oct 19, 2007 09:20pm

Nov 30, 2011 Mick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-fantasy

The protagonist, Detective Inspector Chin, is forced to accept a demon partner from Hell in order to solve a crime that crosses the jurisdictional lines of Heaven and Hell. Chin is the sole "supernatural" investigator for his department and is regarded by his coworkers with fear and suspicion because of his ability to interact with ghosts, demons and divine beings.

DIC Chin is the stoic type, while his demon partner brings the comic relief. The book starts out a bit slow and steady (like Chin) an...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 22, 2008 Angela rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy

There are any number of reasons why Liz Williams' Snake Agent, the first book of her Detective Inspector Chen novels, is worth your time. The setting is refreshingly different for a supernatural mystery/thriller: futuristic China, where there's a blend of high tech and magic, but wherein the magic and the mythos are pulled out of Chinese sources. There's the hero, neither young nor particularly handsome or dashing, but certainly decent, and adamant about standing up for what he believes in--such...more

like · see review

Oct 14, 2011 Algernon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

[7/10] Interesting read, a good decision on the part of the author to base the story in Far East Asia and to tap the huge reservoir of chinese mythology for a noir-ish detective novel. The descriptions of the huge urban sprawl of Singapore Three and of the Hell undergound realm were well suited for maintaining the dark atmosphere of the novel, and the main characters were OK without shining. Humor was also treated right, in an understated way, relying more on the situational conflict and pointed...more

like · see review

Mar 15, 2011 Sensitivemuse rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked this book because it’s different from the myriads of urban fantasy novels I’ve read in the past. It’s different because it contains Eastern mythology, mysticism and religions. The setting takes place in Singapore (which earns bonus points from me, as this is the first book I’ve read with a setting there). Also, the story line is very dark, noir and very gritty. It’s an interesting blend of fantasy and science fiction and by putting to two together gives you a unique world. I also thought...more I liked this book because it’s different from the myriads of urban fantasy novels I’ve read in the past. It’s different because it contains Eastern mythology, mysticism and religions. The setting takes place in Singapore (which earns bonus points from me, as this is the first book I’ve read with a setting there). Also, the story line is very dark, noir and very gritty. It’s an interesting blend of fantasy and science fiction and by putting to two together gives you a unique world. I also thought it was interesting how characters can travel from hell, to Singapore, and back again.

The plot itself is interesting. There’s a lot of twists and turns and as Wei Chen investigates further into the mystery, he realizes there’s more to it than just soul trafficking. There’s also the second plot which involves Zhu Irzh and his case which takes place in Hell. I liked his plot more, as it had an element of intrigue and explained in detail the hierarchy of Demon politics and how they relate to one another. Zhu Irzh also provides the comic relief. Unlike Chen, his approach is more laid back and he provides a witty comeback every so often. It’s a well written plot and interesting enough to keep you reading. The action is good and makes the pace go faster, not to mention the sub plot involving Inari was also really interesting as well. I especially liked the overall tone of the story. It’s really dark and has a very ‘noir’ feel to it. The setting descriptions add more to the tone of the book - especially describing the humidity and heat in the city. It added more to the feeling of the story and takes the reader to the setting. So, it’s like you’re there following the characters.

It’s a great start to what looks like a really good series and I’m definitely going to continue reading it. It shows great promise and it looks like things could go really complicated with Chen and Zhu Irzh. I do recommend this to those that love Harry Dresden, and Felix Castor, but with an Asian setting and with a much more dark and grittier tone. Fans of urban fantasy should also get a good read out of this book.(less)

like · see review

Jan 07, 2010 Dan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: signal

Set in a bizarre futuristic China where demonology works. Apparently the devils' Ministry of Pestilence is creating a plague which will kill a lot of people, and the main character wanders about in Hell trying to prevent it.

It wasn't a bad book, but I felt it was a failure at world-building. Devils are presented as a mess of contradictions. Their entire bureaucracy is apparently built around the goal of annoying the humans, although it's never explained why they care. In the meantime, most of th...more

like · see review

Aug 23, 2011 Nikki rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, mystery, speculative-fiction, cyberpunk

Snake Agent is mostly urban fantasy, with a touch of cyberpunk if you think about the technology involved in the bioweb, which turned out not to be just background and world-building, but a serious part of the plot. It's notable because it relies more on Eastern mythology and culture than Western: however, as with Liz Williams' other book, Empire of Bones, it didn't feel all that different.

A couple of other reviewers note their problems with Inari, and the lack of importance of female characters...more

3 likes · like · see review

Sep 25, 2010 Princessjay rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-thriller, sci-fi-fantasy

3.5 STARS that I cannot justify rounding up to a 4

A typical Liz Williams work: solid world-building with interesting details, and good (even excellent) writing on a sentence-by-sentence, paragraph-by-paragraph basis. However.

She cannot create narrative tension for her life! Nor a real climax with an emotional "wowza!" that leaves you satisfied.

Herein are a myriad of story lines, of various levels of interest, involving a myriad of people. Each story, in and of itself, have the potential to fasci...more

like · see review

Nov 05, 2011 Mervi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, mythical-uf

This is a fun book. It’s set in China, in the future, and has Chinese demons and goddesses.

Detective inspector Chen works in Singapore Three which is one of the franchise cities in China. The city is huge and bustling, and has also quite a lot of supernatural activity: ghosts, demons, manifestations of goddesses, exorcisms. Chen is the police officer in charge of investigating the supernatural. Unfortunately, most his fellow officers don’t believe in the supernatural and so Chen is shunned by th...more This is a fun book. It’s set in China, in the future, and has Chinese demons and goddesses.

Detective inspector Chen works in Singapore Three which is one of the franchise cities in China. The city is huge and bustling, and has also quite a lot of supernatural activity: ghosts, demons, manifestations of goddesses, exorcisms. Chen is the police officer in charge of investigating the supernatural. Unfortunately, most his fellow officers don’t believe in the supernatural and so Chen is shunned by them and even his superior officer doesn’t really trust him.

When a wealthy industrialist’s wife comes to Chen telling that her daughter’s soul hasn’t reached Heaven, Chen takes the case even though his superior stresses that it must be kept quiet. Soon, the industrialist Tang himself phones Chen and Chen agrees to meet him. When the inspector comes to the industrialist’s house, he finds out that a demon has taken over the wife. When the police department’s exorcist, Lao, has banished the demon, the wife lays dead and her husband has fled. Chen suspects that the man knows far more than he tells. He traces Tang to an interdimensional nexus where Tang is keeping the soul of one unfortunate dead girl. There Chen also meets Zhu Irzh.

Zhu Irzh is a detective from the Vice Department from Hell. He got a wind of a smuggling operation from Earth to Hell: someone has been taking the souls of recently dead young girls who should be going to Heaven and snatched them to work in Hell’s brothels’. Vice is interested in the case because it could impact on Hell’s relationship with Heaven and because the brothels’ owners’ aren’t paying their taxes. It’s easier for both Chen and Zhu Irzh if they work together on the case although Zhu Irzh isn’t convinced that the girls’s souls should be sent to Heaven. The industrialist Tang manages to escape and make enough ruckus that the authorities summon an expert to the scene: the demon hunter No Ro Shi. This is, of course, a bit inconvenient for Chen since he happens to be married to a demon.

Inari, Chen wife, is a demon who managed to escape Hell and an arranged marriage with a high-ranking minion in the Ministry of Epidemics. However, she must keep her true nature a secret from everyone on Earth and also evade all attempts by Hell to capture her. She and her familiar, a teakettle which can turn into a badger, usually keep in Chen’s houseboat. But when the demon hunter comes calling, they must flee. Unfortunately, Inari is then captured by a demon and dragged back to Hell.

Meanwhile Chen and Zhu Irzh find out that there’s much more going on than a simple smuggling of souls. Zhu Irzh is temporarily employed by the First Lord of Banking to look into the matter while Chen decides that it’s best if his demonic “partner” doesn’t know much. But when Chen finds out that Inari has disappeared, he follows her to Hell.

The book has a complex mystery story with settings in both Earth and Hell. The world is a very interesting place. Even though most people don’t seem to really believe it, when human souls (or at least the souls which lived and died in the Chinese culture because there are hints that European afterlife is somewhat different) go the Heaven or Hell according to how well the surviving members of the family have dealt with the Celestial and the Hellish bureaucracy. If the right permits are signed and offerings made, a soul should go to Heaven. However, it’s also possible to get special visas for a living human to visit Hell. Chen has one.

There are places that act as nexus between the worlds. Where it’s possible to come from Hell (or Heaven) to Earth and vise versa. Most temples seem to be these and so are funeral houses.

Hell itself is, well, hellish. It’s a bureaucracy which has been divided into several Ministries: Vice, Epidemics, War… The demons work in terror of their superiors and in hope of getting a better job. The overwhelming majority of workers (except for secretaries) seem to be male and the most successful ones have several wives, whom they don’t seem to like much.

While Hell has demons Heaven has gods and goddesses. Chen’s patron goddess is Kuan Yin, the goddess of mercy and compassion. She demands honesty from her followers which is difficult for Chen in his profession and even more difficult as the book progresses. Kuan Yin considers Hell and demons her enemies so Inari is somewhat of a sore point between her and Chen. Kuan Yin has helped Chen in his previous battles but has grown tired of Chen’s deceptive ways and their relationship is strained at best.

Earth seems to also have more sophisticated technology than our current one. The newest craze is biotech where humans are the central processors of a sort for cell phones and internet connections.

The book has a fairly leisurely pace which fits both the tone and the story. In addition of Chen, Zhu Irzh, and Inari, there are two other point-of-view characters but they come along a little bit later.(less)

like · see review

Mar 23, 2009 Bruce rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009-reading, fantasy, groupreads, science-fiction

An engaging blend of mystery, science, fantasy and Chinese mythology that takes place in a unique and totally believable world. The principal character is a detective in the Singapore police station who has the ability to move between the real world and the afterlife. His wife is a demon who has escaped the underworld to be with him. The following paragraph about her comes from early in the book.

"She thought back to the market: a marvelous place, filled with lights. When evening began to draw c...more

like · see review

Mar 27, 2011 Keith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, crime-thriller, fiction, science-fiction, ebooks

This is a fairly standard police procedural. The protagonist is a detective with special gifts that evoke fear and avoidance from his colleagues, he does have a powerful protector, he pursues leads to people and places his superiors do not sanction and unsurprisingly he teams up with an oddball sidekick to solve a gruesome series of murders that lead into the highest corridors of power. Oh, and he's having troubles with his wife.

What enlivens Snake Agent to a very high plane is that Detective I...more

like · see review

Dec 04, 2012 Iza Moreau rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was led to this book while searching for the Inspector Chen mysteries written by Qiu Xiaolong, set in modern China. But I was intrigued by the blurb, explaining that this Chen worked on cases involving demons and ghosts. So I bought it and was well rewarded. Not only is the world a unique one, but the writing is much better than I expected.

What captivated me most, though, was the way that Williams drove me through the novel by adding new characters, each one more interesting and odd than the p...more

like · see review

Sep 07, 2011 Weasel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy, mystery

4 - 4.5 stars. Very enjoyable. I had bought this years ago because I liked the cover and never got around to reading it until I rediscovered it while reorganizing the bookcases the other day. Chen is a Detective in Singapore 3, a franchise city somewhere on the coast of the South China Sea, assigned to dealing with cases involving the supernatural, more specifically a very bureaucratic Chinese style Heaven and Hell to which the living can travel, providing they have the proper paperwork in order...more

like · see review

Jun 28, 2011 Cera rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was well-written, but I didn't like it as much as I expected to and I'm still trying to figure out why. I didn't quite manage to care about the characters, and I put together the mystery from setting clues in a way that I don't think Williams intended.

I've been thinking a lot about authors who write a genre they're not familiar with; there are huge risks to it, but also there's the potential for really exciting work. Genre is what tells the reader what to expect out of a book, and if an aut...more

like · see review

Mar 07, 2010 Julie Davis rated it 4 of 5 stars

I heard about this series on the horror podcast Pseudopod. The first of the series, the reader is plunged into action in progress so that I repeatedly kept checking for other books because I was sure there was a previous one that started off a bit slower and explained more. Nope. Set in 21st century Singapore, with Asian-flavored Heaven and Hell as mighty influencers of human life, Detective Inspector Chen and his sidekick, Demon Zhu Irzh, must traverse all areas to solve the mysteries that come...more

like · see review

Apr 27, 2008 Felicia rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: urban paranormal fans

Shelves: urban-paranormal, fantasy, mystery

I really really liked this book! There were some consistency problems with the end of it, but the journey was innovative. The world is really interesting, and the book combined several genres together with very good success! Refreshing to read an urban paranormal book without a tough-as-nails but emotionally-fragile heroine :) I'll be picking up the others!

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 25, 2009 Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Snail in Danger (Sid) by: Some random person on Goodreads? I think?

Shelves: fantasy-fiction, mystery-genre, theme-religion

A note to myself, for later: as might be expected, the Chinese characters on the title page are just a translation of the English title. The first character means "snake," the second two mean "police detective."

This is probably more like a 3.5. If you liked The City and the City, you'll probably like this. If you like Kim Harrison, you should give it a whirl. The characters are not very similar, but the settings have some things in common.

Some of the religious aspects are reminiscent of Lois McM...more

like · see review

Aug 10, 2011 Xin Tian rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

An awful book. Not sure if it's trying to be a kitsch social commentary, but if it is, it's not doing it very intelligently. The characters are quite plastic, there's nothing about any of them I can really sympathise with (even the damsel in distress, Inari) and there's nothing really gripping about the plot as Chen just zooms to one orientalised location after another. Probably not very well-researched, especially in terms of language.

Maybe readers in America/the UK would love this book. If yo...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 23, 2010 Sarah Kelly added it

More than half way through and I'm going to put it down. The book's premise has promise, but the delivery is muddled. I loved Williams' "Banner of Souls" and was hoping for the same kind of detail on and involvement of the crazy biotech and "haunt-tech" she imagined there. It hasn't shown up in this book, which focuses more on spells and spirits (which isn't my favorite kind of thing anyway), though the cover promises "heights of modern cybernetics." It's hinted at, maybe she goes more deeply in...more

like · see review

Mar 05, 2013 Vicky Loebel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Mild mannered, intensely moral Inspector Chin teams up with the roguish demon-with-a-(slight)-conscience, Zhu Irzh, to find out who's been sending the souls of innocent young girls to Hell.

Sly humor, great characters, and a fast-paced, well-constructed plot make this SF/urban fantasy/detective novel a remarkably fresh and enjoyable read.

There are a few small bumps - a couple of places where the blocking left me confused, and one of my least favorite publishing gimmicks, the inclusion of one of...more

like · see review

Jun 19, 2012 Matti Karjalainen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Viihteennälkäisille

Shelves: kotikirjasto, kauhu, scifi, aikuiset, 2000-luku, signeeratut, gbr-kans, aasia

Singapore 3:n kaupungin yliluonnollisten tapausten parissa työskentelevä komisario Chen ja helvetin siveyspoliisin palveluksessa työskentelevä demoni Zhu Irzh joutuvat molemmat tutkimaan erikoista tapausta, joka kytkeytyy äskettäin kuolleeseen, vaikutusvaltaisen liikemiehen tyttäreen tai oikeammin tämän haamuun. Käy kuitenkin ilmi, että taustalla on jotakin suurempaa ja infernaalisempaa kuin kukaan olisi osannut arvella.

Liz Williamsin "Aavekauppiaan tytär" (Like, 2012) on kohtalaisen älytöntä hö...more

like · see review

Aug 01, 2011 Wendy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed, mystery, sf-fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. As with The Iron Khan(the fifth book in the series, which I read first), I didn't like this book as much as I wanted to, although for rather different reasons. This book was less epic in scope, but richer in setting detail. It was also more strongly plotted, especially for the first half. I thought the first half of this book was a pretty darn good fantasy police procedural. I felt that the plot lost momentum when the bulk of the action moved to Hell, although part of my disenchantment with the...more

like · see review

Feb 25, 2011 Jenn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-sci-fi, mystery-suspense, highlyrecommend, vampiresupernatural

As the GR synopsis for the book states: "John Constantine meets Chow Yun Fat" - yes! I can definitely see that, and love both the films - and graphic novels - that this comparison evokes. But, more than that simple summary, what Liz Williams has created here is an incredible future where whole cities are franchised and mortals on Earth can regularly speak with - and sometimes visit - Heaven and Hell. This book combines elements from several genres I love, in a way that appeals to me so strongly...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 61 62 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (4)

Genres

Fantasy

145 users

Mystery

71 users

Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

58 users

Science Fiction

17 users

Fantasy > Paranormal

13 users

Mystery > Crime

10 users

Horror

8 users

Paranormal > Demons

7 users

Speculative Fiction

7 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

7 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Ghosts in the Snow
by Tamara Siler Jones
Child of Fire
by Harry Connolly
God Stalk
by P.C. Hodgell
Hard Spell
by Justin Gustainis
Bone Song
by John Meaney

About Liz Williams

Liz Williams is a British science fiction writer. Her first novel, The Ghost Sister was published in 2001. Both this novel and her next, Empire of Bones (2002) were nominated for the Philip K. Dick Award.[1] She is also the author of the Inspector Chen series.

She is the daughter of a stage musician and a Gothic novelist. She holds a PhD in Philosophy of Science from Cambridge. She has had short st...more

More about Liz Williams...

Books by Liz Williams

The Demon and the City (Detective Inspector Chen #2)

Precious Dragon (Detective Inspector Chen #3)

The Shadow Pavilion (Detective Inspector Chen, #4)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Snake Agent

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Snake Agent

“In the matter of prejudice...we are all the same. Goddess and demon, human and monster: none of us understand difference, but at least some of us make the effort to try.” — 5 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Snake Agent
avg rating	preview: Snake Agent Goodreads rating: 3.73 (820 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/429890.Snake_Agent?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347985008l/429890.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/429890.Snake_Agent?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Snake Agent by Liz Williams[/url]

Snake Agent (Detective Inspector Chen #1)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website