Snake Agent: A Detective Inspector Chen Novel (Detective ... (ISBN 1597801070)

Oh, Hell! I was hoping for something more.:
Williams created a very interesting near-future world. Unfortunately the story didn't live up to the environment. There were WAY too many coincidences to be believable. I was reminded of the old half-hour westerns where the sheriff always showed up at just the right second to set everything right. This was 375 pages of just the right character showing up in just the right place at just the right time - time after time after.... The style of William's writing was very good. I did finish it to see how she would resolve the crises. But, it was just more of the same - no surprises - merely a too obvious set-up for the sequel. The three stars are for the concept and the writing.

Not Charlie Chan:
I really wish the publisher would drop the Charlie Chan reference in the review, because it is not only inaccurate, it's outdated. It's also bigoted. I would never have thought of describing the main character of the book in that way. He is a police detective who apparently also knows a thing or two about magic and feng shui, and has -- literally -- traveled to Hell and back on more than one occasion. He also talks to goddesses. I thought Williams did a good job of describing the characters and the settings. One character, a demon hunter, appeared midway into the book and I expected his role to be that of a typical upstart, given the main character's thoughts about him. While Williams kept him from being too predictable, I don't think he impacted the story much except for being a guide to another policeman, so that the reader could learn some background to the story. I gave the book only 4 stars because I would have liked to gotten a little deeper into the character's motivations. I see that there are other books which follow this, so perhaps the characters grow in depth. Although the book is classified as science fiction, there is actually little science in the story, although what is there is intriguing. But, it's mostly a prop. I would probably say the book is more of a fantasy. There is some mystery, although the story isn't a classical who-dunnit. There is also a bit of humor. I wasn't disappointed with the outcome of the story, and I'm ready to read the next book in the series.

Interesting but a little slow:
I thought the premise was interesting, but I had a bit of trouble staying focused. Not a page turner for me, but maybe because of the cultural references I've not had exposure to previously.

Hell is bureaucracy?:
I greatly enjoyed Liz Williams' "Snake Agent", partially for the excellent characterization but also for the unique setting. Williams captures the Chinese atmosphere perfectly, and I've heard from other sources that she does it pretty accurately. I'm not that familiar with the details of Chinese culture, but it certainly seems accurate to my limited knowledge. Most importantly, it *feels* right. She gets the mood down perfectly, an oppressed city, stifling heat (it's unclear whether that's due to global warming or the proximity to Hell, or if that's just Singapore's climate) and a mix of high-end neighborhoods and downtrodden slums. Her version of Hell is wonderfully portrayed too, massively bureaucratic and structured, with various ministries in charge of doing things to keep evil in the real world. However, there are certain rules they have to follow, and they can't step on each others' toes. Zhu Irzh is on the Vice Squad not to prevent and control Vice, but to make sure that everything's being done properly. We don't see Heaven in the novel, but we do see how it interacts with the real world and with Hell, as Hell's minions do have to watch their step so Heaven's bureaucracy doesn't get involved. Williams' description of everything makes you feel like you're there, sweltering in the heat or down in Hell when Chen has to go there to finish his mission. Chen is an extremely interesting character. He's married to a demon who has escape from Hell because of an attempted forced marriage (all of this happened in a previous unpublished adventure). He's world-weary, but he's definitely good at what he does. He's on the outs with his goddess right now, which will make visiting Hell a bit tougher because he won't have her protection. Zhu Irzh is a wonderful creation, a demon with a few ethics; he's not a "good" demon, but he wants to make sure everything runs smoothly and correctly. Chen and he form an interesting relationship of respect but distrust, and their interplay is a lot of fun to read. In fact, sometimes Zhu is a more interesting character then Chen, especially with little details such as how he keeps on getting his favorite coat messed up and how annoying he finds that. The ending of the book promises that in subsequent novels, we will be seeing more of Zhu, which made me very happy. I wasn't quite as impressed with Chen's wife, but she started to hold her own as her storyline moved forward. Williams also has a handle on her minor characters, making them distinctive even if they aren't a major part of the plot. I really did enjoy Snake Agent, and would recommend it highly to any fantasy or science fiction fan looking for something just a little different. The book can be slow going at times, but that's usually because you're spending more time immersed in the setting and Williams' wonderful prose. I'm usually a quick read, and I was a bit annoyed at first that this book was taking me so long. Then I realized that I was enjoying my stay in it and it was all right. It's an interesting setting and a wonderful book. David Roy

A pleasant read:
Clever twist on the crime procedural with mismatched partners, but slow-paced, and rather flatly written. I enjoyed it well enough, but I won't be picking up another volume in the series.