Petty Pewter Gods: A Garrett, P.I. Novel

This series, written in the 1990s features a hard boiled PI in a fantasy world. Its great to have the series reprinted.

A bit of confusion reigns at the beginning. At the end of the previous book, Dean had come home, the Dead Man had woken up, etc, etc. All of a sudden, at the beginning of this book, we got a different version of the events at the end of the previous book. A sure sign that Cook does not keep track of what he is doing with these characters. Which explains all the inconsistancies that have crept in.

I read the Garret series earlier in my life and loved them. I am starting reading them all over by reading his newest in the series. There is wonderful humor in his writing of this series.

This is the latest installment in a series that is the best fantasy without walls (no swordsmen, no feminist sorceresses, no cats) since Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser stories. Can't wait until the next book, and can't imagine jaded science fiction fans not liking these tales. Sure, Garrett is politically incorrect. But so is real life

One of the strengths of Cook is to blend his fantasy with his Chandler-esque late 1930's form detective, Garrett. The result is another fine book in the well-crafted series. Short chapters keep the plot divided into almost episodic moments, much like that of a serial film or a Dickens story. Cook's writing has slipped a little from "Dread Brass Shadows" but everyone is allowed to slouch a little here and there. Overall, if you like to mix gnomes, elves and other stuff of fantasy with your noir, "Petty Pewter Gods" is a book that does it for you.