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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/663098.The_Devil_You_Know?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="The Devil You Know" border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1176895901m/663098.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/663098.The_Devil_You_Know?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">The Devil You Know</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/9018.Mike_Carey">Mike Carey</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3568475?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 4 of 5 stars Very simply, this is a kick-ass novel by a first-time novel author. Carey's done a ton of graphic novels, X-Men, Hellblazer and the like, but this is his first novel, and boy is it a doozy! Hooked me from the very first page and didn't bloody let go until I was done with it. Castor, Carey's main character, is an exorcist, but there isn't much of the way pertaining to religion, except that his brother is a priest, which is fascinating and kinda funny at the same time. Felix's approach to his job is interesting, seeing as how what he does is not a talent, but a gift bestowed upon him at birth, kinda like Constantine could always see demons, even when he was little. But Castor sees ghosts, and can feel their presence even when he can't see them, and the world Carey has built (a London, England, and a world, that knows ghosts exist and sees exorcists as an evil necessity) is fascinating. Castor is entirely snarky, and while not as bumbling as Butcher's Dresden can be, he still maintains a sense of real-ness that is striking. If Felix Castor walked by me tomorrow, I'd know it was him just from Carey's description, it's that good. :)
 
 The Devil You Know throws you into Castor's world from the first paragraph and doesn't let go. A bit of an eccentric (which makes sense, given his profession and state of mind), Castor doesn't have the ego or air about him of someone who knows he's good at what he does; I mean, he is good, but he certainly manages to get himself into some serious shit. And, of course, no job can be taken at face value. Castor gets more than his fair share of shit when he takes on a ghost at an archive building in downtown London. Like the Pied Piper for the dead, Castor calls ghosts with tunes he plays on a tin whistle, and when the music stops, the ghost disappears and never returns. Or, at least, that's the idea. So what happens when the music doesn't work, and the ghost doesn't disappear, but starts reappearing more often?
 
 If you need something to read, something that is fun, funny, fast-paced, hard-boiled, and with enough snark and actual thoughtful moments to make you re-read paragraphs, I HIGHLY recommend Carey's novel. It stands out in a crowd of occult/sci-fi/fantasy literature that, like every other genre, tends to spit out the same plot lines over and over again. Carey's novel is a breath of desperately needed fresh air.
 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/224242?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Pinkdoom's review
rating:

bookshelves: read-enjoyed
recommended for: anyone who likes a fast-paced horror/fantasy novel
status: Read in July, 2007

Very simply, this is a kick-ass novel by a first-time novel author. Carey's done a ton of graphic novels, X-Men, Hellblazer and the like, but this is his first novel, and boy is it a doozy! Hooked me from the very first page and didn't bloody let go until I was done with it. Castor, Carey's main character, is an exorcist, but there isn't much of the way pertaining to religion, except that his brother is a priest, which is fascinating and kinda funny at the same time. Felix's approach to his job is interesting, seeing as how what he does is not a talent, but a gift bestowed upon him at birth, kinda like Constantine could always see demons, even when he was little. But Castor sees ghosts, and can feel their presence even when he can't see them, and the world Carey has built (a London, England, and a world, that knows ghosts exist and sees exorcists as an evil necessity) is fascinating. Castor is entirely snarky, and while not as bumbling as Butcher's Dresden can be, he still mainta...more Very simply, this is a kick-ass novel by a first-time novel author. Carey's done a ton of graphic novels, X-Men, Hellblazer and the like, but this is his first novel, and boy is it a doozy! Hooked me from the very first page and didn't bloody let go until I was done with it. Castor, Carey's main character, is an exorcist, but there isn't much of the way pertaining to religion, except that his brother is a priest, which is fascinating and kinda funny at the same time. Felix's approach to his job is interesting, seeing as how what he does is not a talent, but a gift bestowed upon him at birth, kinda like Constantine could always see demons, even when he was little. But Castor sees ghosts, and can feel their presence even when he can't see them, and the world Carey has built (a London, England, and a world, that knows ghosts exist and sees exorcists as an evil necessity) is fascinating. Castor is entirely snarky, and while not as bumbling as Butcher's Dresden can be, he still maintains a sense of real-ness that is striking. If Felix Castor walked by me tomorrow, I'd know it was him just from Carey's description, it's that good. :)

The Devil You Know throws you into Castor's world from the first paragraph and doesn't let go. A bit of an eccentric (which makes sense, given his profession and state of mind), Castor doesn't have the ego or air about him of someone who knows he's good at what he does; I mean, he is good, but he certainly manages to get himself into some serious shit. And, of course, no job can be taken at face value. Castor gets more than his fair share of shit when he takes on a ghost at an archive building in downtown London. Like the Pied Piper for the dead, Castor calls ghosts with tunes he plays on a tin whistle, and when the music stops, the ghost disappears and never returns. Or, at least, that's the idea. So what happens when the music doesn't work, and the ghost doesn't disappear, but starts reappearing more often?

If you need something to read, something that is fun, funny, fast-paced, hard-boiled, and with enough snark and actual thoughtful moments to make you re-read paragraphs, I HIGHLY recommend Carey's novel. It stands out in a crowd of occult/sci-fi/fantasy literature that, like every other genre, tends to spit out the same plot lines over and over again. Carey's novel is a breath of desperately needed fresh air.
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