A review by nghia
Bitter Gold Hearts by Glen Cook
3.0
I have a (almost entirely unsatisfied) sweet tooth for alt-noir detective stuff like this. That is, I like it in theory but the reality never lives up to what I crave. The Garrett Files aren't as good as Raymond Chandler. I realize that's about as cutting a criticism as saying a play isn't as good as Shakespeare.
There is nothing terribly bad about Bitter Gold Hearts. The weaknesses are the same weaknesses that all detective series have: the same sidekicks get recycled every book, for instance. The author cheats with the first person point of view in order to have a "surprise" for the reader. (i.e. "And then the witch gave me three spells and told me how to activate them" without telling the reader what the spells are)
These aren't great literature. They aren't pretending to be, though. They are acceptable entertainment for a few hours. I'll probably read the other books in the series over time but I don't exactly have a craving to read them RIGHT NOW.
There is nothing terribly bad about Bitter Gold Hearts. The weaknesses are the same weaknesses that all detective series have: the same sidekicks get recycled every book, for instance. The author cheats with the first person point of view in order to have a "surprise" for the reader. (i.e. "And then the witch gave me three spells and told me how to activate them" without telling the reader what the spells are)
These aren't great literature. They aren't pretending to be, though. They are acceptable entertainment for a few hours. I'll probably read the other books in the series over time but I don't exactly have a craving to read them RIGHT NOW.