Book Log 2011 #35: Procession of the Dead by Darren Shan


A young man named Capac Raimi arrives in the City - that's all we're told of it, no idea of where or when this city is located - to start work with his uncle's minor criminal enterprise. He finds the City disagreeable, between the noise, the occasional green fog, and the micro-rainfalls that attract blind people. But he goes on his first job for his uncle, only to have everyone killed but him, so he can be taken to the Cardinal, the crime lord who essentially runs the city. The Cardinal wants to talk to him because Raimi is slated to take the Cardinal's place - someday.  From this point, Raimi enjoys a meteoric rise in the City's hierarchy, but questions linger. Who is the Cardinal? Why did he pick Raimi to be his successor? What's the deal with the green fog, the rain, and the blind guys?

All of this is answered, to varying degrees of satisfaction. There's an intent to make this some sort of fantasy noir, and I can't say that it fully succeeds in either case. The fantasy aspects of the book is more solid than the noir aspect - not surprisingly, as Shan made his name in young adult fantasy.  The fantasy aspects of the book also feel a little rough, which I suppose is also not surprising, as Shan wrote the book early in his career and saw it re-released when he became better established.

It's not a bad book, but there's an ambiguity in the story line that can make things confusing and, at times, a little ponderous. It's the first book of a trilogy, which makes me wonder if there was a focus on establishing things that took away from the book. Anyway, read with caution.