Vicious Circle

In my seemingly hopeless attempt at finding a good paranormal detective series that (1) is NOT a thinly disguised romance novel; and (2) has a "male" leading character instead of the now cliche tough and horny female, I somehow managed to stumble across Mike Carey's "Felix Castor" series. Felix Castor is a professional exorcist living in London who recently had a bout with his conscious. You see, with the help of a tin whistle, Felix hires himself out to hunt down and vanquish the pesky ghosts & various demons and such which have recently begun to manifest in increasingly disturbing numbers around town. He never really gave much thought to what he did beyond the fact that it was a good way to make a living until one day somebody asks him "where" it is that he's sending these wayward spirits and if it's the right thing to do. This, combined with his own overwhelming guilt over his disasterous attempt to exorcise a viciously evil demon out of his best friend, compels him to try and use his gift only for good (and if he can make a profit in the process, that's good too). I love characters who are both more AND less than who they think they are. Felix Castor considers himself an average Joe with a special (if not singularly unique) talent. He's not the nicest, smartest, fastest, strongest or anythingest ... he's just a guy trying to do right by both his clients and the spirits he's asked to exorcise. The big questions for him are "Who are the true victims here? The clients that hire him? Or the ghosts he's asked to hunt down?" The answers to these questions are never easy for Felix to find out. In fact, they're downright dangerous! But that doesn't stop him from doing everything he can to see the case through - even if it could lead to his own death! I won't give anymore of the plot away, but suffice it to say that Mike Carey sure knows how to spin a good tale. He mixes horror, humor and action in a wonderful way and Felix and the other characters come to life as you read. Once I started reading these books it was almost painful for me to put them down. So if you're like me and enjoy a good urban fantasy detective novel with a great male lead and little to no romance, then give Felix Castor a try.

Felix Castor is back in Vicious Circle. Once again the exorcist for hire is working in a London where the dead walk among the living. While politicians are trying to decide on what rights the dead should have, Felix is trying to change the focus of his life. After the experiences detailed in the first book, The Devil You Know, the exorcist for hire is no longer so sure that what he is doing is the right thing. So when a couple asks him to rescue the kidnapped ghost of their child, he is unable to resist the challenge. Yet as always, appearances are deceiving. Felix soon finds himself in deep water as he chases the exorcist who abducted the ghost. He in turn, is being tailed by a pair of weres that begrudgingly obey their orders to leave him alive-for now. Throw in murders, riots and a haunted church, and Felix learns that he may be the only thing standing between the world and the apocalypse. Mike Carey has taken the complex world he introduced us to in the first Felix Castor novel and expanded its borders. None of the characters are simple. Each person struggles with the burdens that have been dropped on them. Whether it is a succubus trying to fit into human society or the leader of an ex-communicated secret order, Carey fleshes them out and makes them real. Along the way he drops hints about ethics and responsibility, leaving us to wonder who the real monsters are. Vicious Circle is a terrific book. It will stand comfortably on it own, but is also a rock-solid follow up to the first Felix Castor novel. Armchair Interviews says: Count on Felix Castor to fill in a good story.

After reading the first Felix Castor novel, "The Devil You Know" I went scouring the internet to see if Mike Carey had written any others. Eureka! His writing is superbly engrossing. His main character, Felix, is refreshingly realistic and sarcastic about his adventures. This is a dark novel that is not without great moments of hilarity in the form of dry cynicism, making it more accessible and infinitely entertaining. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who is sick of the old "grr, I'm a scary (insert ghost and/or goblin name here)" and is looking for something with a little more substance. I too, cannot wait for another Felix Castor novel to arrive on the market.

Felix Castor returns in a dark sequel to The Devil You Know. This time he is trying to contact the ghost of a girl on her parent's behalf, and disentangle his friend Rafi from a rather nasty demon, and pay his rent, and cope with a succubus who wants to be his sidekick. This is edgy, intelligent writing. In spite of, or perhaps because of(like Neil Gaiman), his background in graphic novels, the Felix Castor novelss are not an easy read. I loved it and hope the third one comes out soon.