The Man with the Golden Torc (Secret Histories, Book 1)

I read Green's Blue Moon Rising years ago, and it was an instant favorite. I'm not sure why I never read anything else by him, but when I saw another book by him in a used book store I picked it realizing it was part of the Secret Histories series. I grabbed this one so that I could start the series at the beginning. I really loved this book. I read fiction and mainly fantasy, because I want to be entertained and the less it has to do with the real world the better. Eddie Drood (AKA Shaman Bond) is is estranged from his family. That family happens to be secret guardians of humanity. His family declares him rogue and orders him to be killed on sight. There is plenty of action, witty writing, and unrealistic gadgets galore.

No need to give a plot summary--others have done that. I have been a great fan of Jim Butcher's DRESDEN FILES, and only a couple of pages into THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN TORC we are SUDDENLY in the same kind of world...London version, with Edwin Drood a field agent for the most powerful family on earth. They just work behind the scenes, sort of. Others here have mentioned how they felt this new series is a rehash, or revision, of Green's NIGHTSIDE series. I wouldn't know, I haven't read any of that series. This is my first reading of a Simon Green book and I'm now a fan. Edwin Drood...aka Shaman Bond...is a great new character who lives in a rich world of good vs. evil, magic, creatures, ghosts, etc. I still give the edge to Dresden, but I'll be reading every book of this new Edwin Drood series--it's that good.

The title and name (argh! Shaman Bond!!!) is meant to slap one in the face to bring it to your attention that this is some sort of supernatural take-off on the Bond/Spy thing. It was almost enough to make me stop reading, but not quite. Like the Bond films, we meet our hero in the midst of a mission... lots violence and gun-toting action that pretty much continues non-stop, facing greater and greater odds and organizations out for world domination. But Bond is just an alias for Edwin Drood (a borrowed name almost as bad, but at least bringing in a different literary reference). Eddie is a bit of a maverick to his Family, but he hasn't been leaving sexy, shady ladies scattered amongst the body-count. He's been brought up by the Family to be a field agent against supernatural bad guys but his past is more the rebellious teenager and grieving orphan than cool hero. And he has a glamorous uncle who is more the James Bond-type. Plus, it seems as if his Family isn't really the defenders of the Realm as he was taught to believe. Furthermore, he is mysteriously declared Rogue and his family is out to kill him. The lone hero against the world was an enjoyable scenario and worked well with Green's penchant of throwing even the kitchen sink into battles and other confrontations with endless enemies. Like James Bond, Eddie does acquire a female companion--but no sex and barely a kiss, although there is a relationship growing (rather obviously). I think the story doesn't need the James Bond hook, and things veer off enough to make such a tie-in awkward during most of the book. Although I admire the author for the silly gutsy-ness of just using Shaman Bond as an alias to begin with (even if it still makes me groan and doesn't really go on much beyond that spy reference... and some supernatural gadgets he gets to use... and Penny, passes on communications from his home base). No new ground here (with the author boldly claiming its derivative bits, how can it be?), but the writing is sound, the characters engaging enough to make me care, the action just insane and the overall experience fun enough for me to be happy that there will be a sequel.

With THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN TORC, it looks like British sci-fi/fantasy author Simon R. Green is set to embark on yet another tremendous and nutty series. With the sequel to this one being tongue-in-cheeked titled DAEMONS ARE FOREVER, we easily note the Ian Fleming connection. But the James Bond ties are tenuous, at best. True, the lead character is a superspy, but that's about the only thing Edwin Drood and 007 share in common. Oh, and the cool gadgets. But no matter. Going by this first entry and by how consistently demented and fertile Green's imagination is, this series (dubbed The Secret History) is going to be a wild ride. Plot SPOILERS begin: Edwin Drood, known to the outside world as Shaman Bond, is the maverick son of the powerful, very secretive Drood family. For centuries, the Droods have made it their clandestine mission to protect humanity from the monsters of the world. Equipped with an arsenal of arcane gadgetry, mystical and scientific (mostly provided by the Armourer, or "Uncle Jack"), the family's most invaluable asset is the golden living armor bonded to the souls and nervous systems of its many agents. When not activated, the armor becomes a golden torc fastened around the bearer's neck. Edwin, or Eddie, has been the only Drood member to somewhat break away from the family and gain a measure of independence. Still, he winds up undertaking missions for the Drood Matriarch now and then, which he doesn't mind. After one such mission, he's urgently summoned to the Hall, headquarters and bastion of the Droods, a place Eddie hasn't seen in ten years. There, the Matriarch (Eddie's grandmother, in fact) tasks him with playing courier to a very potent artifact. But, en route, Eddie ends up having to go thru a gauntlet of malevolent phantoms, magicians, and otherworldy creatures, all bent on kicking the crap out of him. Somehow, Eddie survives the all-out assault, only to discover, to his shock, that he's been branded a traitor to the family and declared a rogue agent. He now finds that he's become a target for pretty much every wicked, would-be-world-ruling faction and cabal out there, who desperately craves the secrets of his personal armor. His family, however, just wants him dead. And, with the Droods' connections, it's only a matter of time. In urgent need of answers, Eddie is forced to forge alliances with the oddest, most dubious of ilk, from the unkillable serial killer, Mr. Stab, to the luck-pilfering Subway Sue, to the wild witch Molly Metcalf, his bitter, longtime enemy. But, in a world where you don't know what to believe in anymore and you've lost faith in your own flesh and blood, how much can he really count on his new friends? And how long can he beat the odds? Because, seriously, everyone's gunning for him... SPOILERS end. Simon Green. Simon Green. Simon Green. Just persists in shying away from moderation. He bludgeons you (willing victim that you are) with rampant and often disturbing images culled from the

Take James Bond, add a pinch of James Dean, sprinkle in a bit of irony, enrobe in impregnable living armor (the Golden Torc) and you have Eddie Drood - the hero of THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN TORC. The Drood Family has been charged with protecting humanity from ill-intentioned supernatural creatures. Eddie, the black sheep of the family, just wants to do his job as a field agent. He couldn't care less about power or family intrigues. Unfortunately, the latest family intrigue involves him: Someone has convinced the family he is a traitor. The Matriarch of the Drood clan sends Eddie on a mission certain to end in his death. Eddie survives the wave of attacks-for the time being. Unfortunately, an arrow laced with "strange matter" penetrates his "impenetrable" armor, and is gradually poisoning him (reminiscent of that old Dennis Quaid movie, D.O.A.). But Eddie isn't going down without a fight. He's determined to learn why his family wants him dead. In the spirit of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," he teams up with the wild witch Molly Metcalf, an ardent foe of the Droods. Eddie finally closes in on the awful secret at the heart of the Drood's power - The Heart. This entity from another dimension provides the Droods with their Torcs, their living armor. As Eddie uncovers the terrible price The Heart demands in exchange for Torcs, the Droods learn that a man with nothing to lose is a dangerous man indeed. Fans of Green's "Nightside" series will feel right at home in the world of Eddie Drood. Several elements from the Nightside books make cameo appearances, including a Hand of Glory and sentient, meat-eating cars. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN TORC provides a deeply satisfying read. Green does a wonderful job of world building without too much back story and has endowed Eddie Drood with a dry wit that leavens even the darkest moments of his journey. Green also gets bonus points for naming Eddie after the title character in Charles Dickens's last, unfinished work. THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN TORC is the first book in Green's new series, and readers will look forward to rejoining Eddie Drood in DAEMONS ARE FOREVER. Reviewed by Deb Gross 07/11/2007

That's Eddie Drood's code name. All his family has them. You see, all the stories are real--from the monster under the bed, to demons, and what these creatures can do to humanity is a lot worse than we could ever imagine. The only thing that stands between us and ruination is the Drood (Druid) family. Eddie (aka Shamus Bond) is one of the younger members. He wears the Golden Torc in order to truly see through the veneers of creatures. The Drood family knows everything. They have to in order to do their jobs. As Eddie says, you don't want them mad at you. The problem is--they are worried that Eddie's got too much power and he's going to be dangerous. He's got to get away from them and use whatever he can to keep away.... "Torc" is a brand new series for Green that brings his "Nightside" elements into the mundane world. You've probably picked up on the fact that the series is a take-off on Ian Fleming's James Bond series. The book's well-written with that 'insider gossip' feel that's going to draw readers in. In the first few pages, Shamus-Eddie has to abort a demon pregnancy in the President, who got shagged by a demon 'ladything' on a foreign mission--"no, not the one you're thinking of," he says. Still, I couldn't help laughing as I let my imagination play through the scenario. I think this series is going to be a lot of fun for everyone from young adult readers on up. Green's 'voice' as Eddie is one of his deft and he knows how to keep us amused and reading. While the parody seems a bit heavier-handed than his "Nightside" stories, I'd give this book a solid 4.5 and say it's well worth getting in the hardcover edition.