j_kent_holloway's review
5.0
The first book of the Midnight Eye Files, The Amulet, blew me away. Seriously. This book and author is the perfect example of why indie authors can be just as competitive and awesome as authors from the Big 6 Publishers. Blending elements of the classic hardboiled detective story (think Philip Marlowe, Mike Hammer, and Sam Spade) and nightmarish legends and monsters straight from the mind of H.P. Lovecraft (C'thulu anyone?) and you'll have a pretty good idea of what you're in store for.
As most people know, I'm a huge Jim Butcher fan...Harry Dresden, the wizard P.I. from Chicago, is one of my favorite fictional characters. Meikle's detective really isn't anything like Dresden at all. He's no wizard. Heck, the only magic trick he knows is seeing his cigarettes and booze disappear. No, he's just an ordinary guy who's been hired to find a most extraordinary object...an amulet that opens a portal to another dimension. A dimension where the creatures inside want to come through. And Derek Adams has to figure out a way to stop an evil cult from doing just that.
With a mixture of intense action scenes, smart and witty dialogue, good looking femme fatales, and horrendous monsters with one too many tentacles growing out of their head...this book is a rip-roaring good time. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!
As most people know, I'm a huge Jim Butcher fan...Harry Dresden, the wizard P.I. from Chicago, is one of my favorite fictional characters. Meikle's detective really isn't anything like Dresden at all. He's no wizard. Heck, the only magic trick he knows is seeing his cigarettes and booze disappear. No, he's just an ordinary guy who's been hired to find a most extraordinary object...an amulet that opens a portal to another dimension. A dimension where the creatures inside want to come through. And Derek Adams has to figure out a way to stop an evil cult from doing just that.
With a mixture of intense action scenes, smart and witty dialogue, good looking femme fatales, and horrendous monsters with one too many tentacles growing out of their head...this book is a rip-roaring good time. I can't wait to read the rest of the series!
trevert's review
3.0
Lots more fun than my 3 star review might suggest. It isn't high literature or anything, but it's good fun pulp fiction, HP Lovecraft meets Raymond Chandler as narrated by Billy Connolly. I'll definitely read more of this series.
xanderbernhard's review
3.0
I wanted to like this more than I actually did. The ideas were fun, the execution was clumsy at times. Usually it was just little things, awkward phrases, over-writing. My bigger problems were that female characters were under-served and over-sexualised. On the flipside there were to many non-descript male characters whom I had trouble distinguishing between. It certainly didn't help that at least four of them had names that began with 'D'.
I think this is one of the writer's first books, so I may give him another go in the future,
I think this is one of the writer's first books, so I may give him another go in the future,
adubrow's review
4.0
(Originally posted @ CSI:Librarian.)
The Amulet has a very compelling main character with a very authentic, engaging voice. Derek Adams is a fairly normal man confronted with fairly odd situations. His detective agency has been set up to stave off despair as well as his sense of helplessness and futility when confronted with his past. Needless to say, this makes him perfect for a Lovecraft-ish tale, but unlike many of Lovecraft's "heroes," Derek has more of a spine. The setting of the book is also really fascinating not only because it is set in Glasglow but because Meikle has a real way with dialogue and detail.
In terms of atmosphere and plot, I think the mystery and horror elements were well done. I really, really liked the backstory behind the amulet and the creepy Elder God who wielded it. At the same time, I felt a certain loss of momentum as the story was moving towards its final confrontation. Maybe it was Derek being mostly normal and not equipped with his own high-powered abilities that made it fairly jarring to suddenly have him working with two people who were. Maybe I was a bit too concerned about what had happened to Doug at that point, to care about learning much about Dunlop or his lovely wife. I definitely didn't care much about about their well-being. I sincerely appreciate Mielke providing Derek with secondary characters who know what they're doing if only to keep Derek from meeting a grisly end... But I can't help thinking I would have rather read about Derek finding a way to take out a cult and its monster all on his own.
Aside from that somewhat minor complaint, The Amulet is a book that I could honestly kick myself for not reading sooner, and one that I really enjoyed. Derek was a really perfect noir PI who cared about his friends and not too much about himself. He's a character that mattered to me from beginning to end and one I definitely was relieved to find more books for. I liked that he wasn't as tough as he wanted to be. I liked most of the people he met, particularly Jimmy and Doug, as well as Derek's take on them. I liked all the little details Mielke added, I loved the Derek's sense of humor, and am still quite amused by the Gilbert & Sullivan references.
In conclusion, a really good read and introduction to a very cool character. I dug the mystery, the horror, and the slight urban fantasy vibe reminiscent of Simon R. Green's Tales from the Nightside. And I have a feeling I will be acquiring more William Meikle books in the near future. In the mean time, I would definitely recommend The Amulet to readers who pine for Lovecraft meets Chandler storylines, or to readers who simply wish their urban fantasy-tinged fiction took more risks.
The Amulet has a very compelling main character with a very authentic, engaging voice. Derek Adams is a fairly normal man confronted with fairly odd situations. His detective agency has been set up to stave off despair as well as his sense of helplessness and futility when confronted with his past. Needless to say, this makes him perfect for a Lovecraft-ish tale, but unlike many of Lovecraft's "heroes," Derek has more of a spine. The setting of the book is also really fascinating not only because it is set in Glasglow but because Meikle has a real way with dialogue and detail.
In terms of atmosphere and plot, I think the mystery and horror elements were well done. I really, really liked the backstory behind the amulet and the creepy Elder God who wielded it. At the same time, I felt a certain loss of momentum as the story was moving towards its final confrontation. Maybe it was Derek being mostly normal and not equipped with his own high-powered abilities that made it fairly jarring to suddenly have him working with two people who were. Maybe I was a bit too concerned about what had happened to Doug at that point, to care about learning much about Dunlop or his lovely wife. I definitely didn't care much about about their well-being. I sincerely appreciate Mielke providing Derek with secondary characters who know what they're doing if only to keep Derek from meeting a grisly end... But I can't help thinking I would have rather read about Derek finding a way to take out a cult and its monster all on his own.
Aside from that somewhat minor complaint, The Amulet is a book that I could honestly kick myself for not reading sooner, and one that I really enjoyed. Derek was a really perfect noir PI who cared about his friends and not too much about himself. He's a character that mattered to me from beginning to end and one I definitely was relieved to find more books for. I liked that he wasn't as tough as he wanted to be. I liked most of the people he met, particularly Jimmy and Doug, as well as Derek's take on them. I liked all the little details Mielke added, I loved the Derek's sense of humor, and am still quite amused by the Gilbert & Sullivan references.
In conclusion, a really good read and introduction to a very cool character. I dug the mystery, the horror, and the slight urban fantasy vibe reminiscent of Simon R. Green's Tales from the Nightside. And I have a feeling I will be acquiring more William Meikle books in the near future. In the mean time, I would definitely recommend The Amulet to readers who pine for Lovecraft meets Chandler storylines, or to readers who simply wish their urban fantasy-tinged fiction took more risks.
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