cajunliterarybelle's review
3.0
Great story. Had a slow section that delayed me in finishing as fast as I did with the first two Joe Pitt casebooks. .
litwrite's review
3.0
2.75 stars. This time, Joe Pitt has to track down a particularly deadly 'Van Helsing', a human that has found out about the existence of Vampires and has taken on the task of destroying them, while simultaneously acting as Terry Bird's new enforcer. He and Lydia take meetings with important Clans in Brooklyn in an effort to expand Society territory. Unfortunately their foray into Brooklyn ends up a deadly mess.
Okay, Huston has been watching way too much Santa Sangre. This book really is stretching the edges of the 'noir' tone that the first book in this series did so well. I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I mean come on. Midget freakshow vampires and undead Orthodox Jews? Sounds awesome right?
Unfortunately I think that the awesome was actually strained by the writing style. Noir just did not suit the subject matter here. You have something so patently absurd, but the exposition is replayed in such a downtrodden, no frills style that it's hard to get excited about it.
As far as expanding the larger plot that Huston has been building regarding turf wars in the New York area, this felt a bit like an unecessary road trip. I didn't really get where this was going.
There is also one very important sentence in this book - a sentence that I felt really invalidated the entire last novel of this whole series. I'll mention it in my review of number 5.
Okay, Huston has been watching way too much Santa Sangre. This book really is stretching the edges of the 'noir' tone that the first book in this series did so well. I really wanted to like this book more than I did. I mean come on. Midget freakshow vampires and undead Orthodox Jews? Sounds awesome right?
Unfortunately I think that the awesome was actually strained by the writing style. Noir just did not suit the subject matter here. You have something so patently absurd, but the exposition is replayed in such a downtrodden, no frills style that it's hard to get excited about it.
As far as expanding the larger plot that Huston has been building regarding turf wars in the New York area, this felt a bit like an unecessary road trip. I didn't really get where this was going.
There is also one very important sentence in this book - a sentence that I felt really invalidated the entire last novel of this whole series. I'll mention it in my review of number 5.
csdaley's review
3.0
Quick read which I enjoyed. Although never as much as I think I am going to. I will keep reading the series though.
gavreads's review against another edition
He’s back. Actually Joe’s been back since I wrote the last review in February 2008. Now this might sound a little strange seeing as I enjoyed the last one so much. And you might be right but before I started blogging about books my usual way of reading was to always have the next one in reserve. The next one, Every Last Drop, has just been released so on this occasion I’ve fallen into my old habits and now I’m back to having Every Last Drop to look forward to.
Half the Blood of Brooklyn changes the game for Joe Pitt in lots of ways and from what I can tell none of them are that positive.
It seems a war is coming. Manhattan is getting crowded. New alliances are needed. So Joe Pitt’s next assignment is to escort someone over the bridge to Brooklyn to see a Clan called The Freaks. This is very much alien territory for both the series and Pitt.
Huston introduces another aspect of religion to the series which is a surprising twist for a series based on the fact that the Vampires here are infected with vyrus, which is seen as something that science can cure but at the same time seen by some as something that has a more spiritual base.
So there is a strange clash going on between science and religion. Pitt’s status quo is tested severely and he has some choices to make.
For a novel of 221 pages of mostly dialogue and sparse description it’s denser and more packed than novels of 3 or 4 times its size. Huston has a mastery of dialogue, storytelling and atmosphere that a lot of other writers could learn a lot form when creating lean and crisp prose.
I’m sorry that I waited so long to read this but the great news is that Every Last Drop is out now and I’m not waiting that long again before reading more Charlie Huston.
Half the Blood of Brooklyn changes the game for Joe Pitt in lots of ways and from what I can tell none of them are that positive.
It seems a war is coming. Manhattan is getting crowded. New alliances are needed. So Joe Pitt’s next assignment is to escort someone over the bridge to Brooklyn to see a Clan called The Freaks. This is very much alien territory for both the series and Pitt.
Huston introduces another aspect of religion to the series which is a surprising twist for a series based on the fact that the Vampires here are infected with vyrus, which is seen as something that science can cure but at the same time seen by some as something that has a more spiritual base.
So there is a strange clash going on between science and religion. Pitt’s status quo is tested severely and he has some choices to make.
For a novel of 221 pages of mostly dialogue and sparse description it’s denser and more packed than novels of 3 or 4 times its size. Huston has a mastery of dialogue, storytelling and atmosphere that a lot of other writers could learn a lot form when creating lean and crisp prose.
I’m sorry that I waited so long to read this but the great news is that Every Last Drop is out now and I’m not waiting that long again before reading more Charlie Huston.
ellisgoldstein's review
1.0
Extended fantasy of murdering an entire orthodox Jewish community, a Jewish woman says she’d rather die than rejoin any Jewish community before helping murder said Jews, weird psychosexual fixation on trans women, all around yikes
knallen's review
4.0
This guy really is one of my favorite authors. he keeps the story moving from beginning to end. You're never sure what to expect from him and he's got characters that are interesting, easy to root for and likable despite all of their flaws.
This book delivers all of that along with a twisted plot where everyone is playing everyone and you're never sure how it's going to turn out except you know it won't be good for Joe. It never is. He's definitely the underdog. Always.
This book delivers all of that along with a twisted plot where everyone is playing everyone and you're never sure how it's going to turn out except you know it won't be good for Joe. It never is. He's definitely the underdog. Always.
verkisto's review
3.0
Do I need to go into Charlie Huston’s brutal, compelling, post-noir world of fiction again? Probably not. This is the seventh book of his I’ve read, and the seventh that I’ve reviewed here. Regardless, I shouldn’t gloss over the most important point whenever I talk about his novels: Don’t read them if you’re squeamish. The graphic violence is one thing, but the cruelty is another. I think a lot of people would be put off by the terrible, awful things that happen to people for (sometimes) no good reason.
That being said, though, if you’ve read his previous works, and can tolerate the content, then by all means, read this one, too. This is the third book in the Joe Pitt series, the vampire-slash-hitman-slash-boyfriend-slash-sociopath who’s the titular, sympathetic character of the series. It doesn’t break any new ground, either in the vampire or post-noir genres, but it’s a good, compelling story nonetheless.
My biggest complaint? That stupid cover. I’m not sure which graphic artist thought that some pudgy dude with fangs painted on his lips and holding his gun sideways screamed “ultra noir,” but he needs to be fired. It looks like something you might find on the Cracked Website.
That being said, though, if you’ve read his previous works, and can tolerate the content, then by all means, read this one, too. This is the third book in the Joe Pitt series, the vampire-slash-hitman-slash-boyfriend-slash-sociopath who’s the titular, sympathetic character of the series. It doesn’t break any new ground, either in the vampire or post-noir genres, but it’s a good, compelling story nonetheless.
My biggest complaint? That stupid cover. I’m not sure which graphic artist thought that some pudgy dude with fangs painted on his lips and holding his gun sideways screamed “ultra noir,” but he needs to be fired. It looks like something you might find on the Cracked Website.
joelipsett's review
3.0
The basic plot isn't as interesting as the first two books, although by the end it's clearly been in service of setting up more significant plot developments to come in future books. I'm definitely excited to see what comes next.
melissamilazzo's review
3.0
Not my favorite of the Joe Pitt series, but I'm still totally in love with the world that Huston created.