War Lord (John Constantine Hellblazer)

This was a Fast and Brutal Read ! Shirley did Justice to Hellblazer

This is a great book for fans of Hellblazer - that's Hellblazer the Comic book. Forget all about that movie and harken back to Jamie Delano and Garth Ennis, back when folks were doing something with this character. John Shirley is a visceral writer who's prose is sharp and exacting, he tells a great romp of a story that leads J.C. thru a very current tale of war and horror. The reviewers that are bent on trashing this book seem to be sychophanticlly dogmatic about their own misguided perceptions of the character. This novel would have made an excellent story-arc in the comic itself. It's a great read. Enjoy it!

If you want a great read, this book is it. I am new to the Constantine universe, but I must say, this book has drawn me into it. Shirley has created a story that draws you in, filled with action, adventure and humor. Sometimes tie-in books seem directed strictly to a small audience of fans. This book is written for all of us. I highly recommend it!

I am not sure what book some of these people were reading. While not exactly perfect John Shirley's novel takes what could have been a standard boring Comic book tie-in and raised the bar. This novel spans the globe and takes Constantine out of his stomping grounds puts him at the center a demonic attempt spread conflict in the middle east. As fan of the comic since the first issue and of the author I was very excited about this book. Warlord not only meant all my high expectations but exceeded them. If you are familiar with John Shirley the author it might help you understand who is at the helm here. Shirley is considered by many to be the godfather of cyberpunk with his mind bending `City come a-walkin' and more recently with apocalyptic thriller `Demons' which took issue with environmental destruction and corporate responsibility in way no one imagined a horror novel could. Vertigo appear to be more clever than many of the people posting reviews because this kind of political challenge is a great way to move Constantine into the novel format. Constantine always challenged the boundaries of taste, we've been there and done that. By working with ongoing political nightmares that are still evolving in Iraq and in Africa this novel courageously explored issues that few authors have the guts to do. An early chapter that involved a suicide bomber in Iraq is by far one of the most powerful pieces of fiction I have seen painting us a picture of issues that are in the news(at least in the foreign press). The writing itself is inventive and engaging. Indeed the setting is not typical for the character but my question is must all media-tie in novels be boring carbon copies of the source material? I think not. The suggestion that you could put any hero into this story sounds like the words of a person who has not read the book. Could you see James Bond teaming up with ghosts of psychic Iraqi- war vets? Could you picture John Rambo doing rituals to conjure demons? This was a Constantine novel. Rich in Constantine's history, early in the book Shirley did a great of outlining his history the idea that Shirley didn't research his history or make it a part of Constantine's world is simply Bollocks. I found myself dog earing pages that moved me and that doesn't happen when often when you read media tie-ins. Thank you Vertigo for hiring a writer of John Shirley's caliber. You have raised the bar for Constantine and for media-tie ins in general.

One reviewer stated: "Much of the military hiearchy, rank and equipment is poorly researched." Dude, its a horror/sifi/fantasy novel based on a comic book about some neo-noir exorcist hunting demons! The next time you want to bore yourself with weapon and rank details, browse the "military history" section or attend your local NRA meeting. "War Lord" is a nice and enjoyable piece of genre fiction that at least tries to say something meaningful about the current geo-political situation. More than I expected from any comic book novelization.

In this, the first prose novel recounting the adventures of our man John Constantine, author John Shirley delivers a credible, engaging and powerful story. Perhaps surprisingly, War Lord addresses some of the most profound issues facing the world today, spinning an allegory about manipulation, religious fanaticism and the impulse to violence. Of course it wouldn't be Hellblazer without the benefit of scheming demons, ancient gods, astral projection and the occasional elemental, but Shirley does not dissapoint. It's a failry quick read and don't be intimidated if you don't have an encyclopedic knowledge of the comics. Such a background is not needed to enjoy the story or Shirley's sharp style.