Customer Reviews

Butcher Bird: A Novel Of The Dominion

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It appears that there is a Kindle version of this great dark fantasy/fiction book by the name "Blind Shrike", but it does not seem to be available at the moment on Amazon ... However, Kindle people can get this book for FREE.

A DRM-free, FREE download of "Butcher Bird" (that includes cover art and a working TOC), is available at the publishers website (Night Shade Books). Download the Enhanced MobiPocket version to your computer, then transfer it to your Kindle via the USB. DRM-free and legal from the publisher. Enjoy!

Richard Kadrey has been characterized as a 'poor man's Neil Gaiman'. Actually, the comparison does both writers a disservice: if Gaiman were a German Shepherd, cerebral, loyal and mostly friendly, Kadrey is a junkyard dog out to kick some...

The differences between the authors are more obvious than that, though: almost all of Kadrey's fantasy writing is firmly rooted in Judeo-Christian theology of angels and devils; Gaiman tends to write using Celtic and Norse mythology. Where Gaiman writes airy or bloody fantasy; Kadrey's writing reminds one more of grease and dirt.

Kadrey is what would happen if a J.D. Salingeresque novel tripped through tattoing and motorcycle mechanic school and accidentally ingested something slightly hallucinogenic. Indeed, this book was apparently partially self-published, which makes it all the more amazing that it's so engaging. It's well worth the ride.

When I had 50 pages left to go in this book, I put it down for two days. I knew I'd read those 50 pages at the same breakneck pace I had raced through the rest of the book. And I wasn't ready for this to be over - I wasn't ready to leave the world of Richard Kadrey's Butcher Bird, to leave Spider and Shrike and Lulu and all the rest, behind.

Of course, I finished the book and it ended exceptionally well, but I shouldn't have been worried. The world is so vividly realized that, as I pass the book on to other people, I get to visit it again every time we talk about the story.

Kadrey's prose is visceral, his characters utterly realistic. The magical elements of his world compel you to believe in them.

The editing on the book, however, could have been tighter. My copy was rife with typos and transposed words. It's a testament to how good the writing was that I was able to overlook the error rate and still enjoy - indeed, thoroughly love - the story!

A really interesting angle on religion is in the heart of this story. Genuinely original ideas consistently appear in it's pages and a solid plot twist or two make it a generally enjoyable read.

That said, it has some problems. Most prominent among them is the dialogue. It feels synthetic a lot of the time: Like the counterculture that the author is trying to embody - that of tattoo parlors, punk rock and erotica - is nothing but a caricature of the reality. References to sex and emotion are particularly hollow, and oftentimes forced in for no particular reason.

There is also a pretty serious editorial problem. There is a pretty high volume of typos and grammatical errors in the published text. Although one or two are forgivable, the amount in this book is sort of ridiculous.

All in all, a worthwhile read. I'm interested in the authors future, but for now he comes off as the poor man's Neil Gaiman.

Spyder Lee is an ink monkey just getting by. Putting tats on people during the day and drinking in oblivion at night. Until, a demon notices his mark on Spyder. Then all hell turns loose. Literally. Spider finds himself on a quest with a beautiful blind assassin, his junkie lesbian friend, and a friendly "monster" that can go "Hulk" when needed. There is a fifth in the quest, but I won't spoil it for you.

I really enjoyed this book. It is not for everyone. Spyder lives a rough life and it comes through in the language and imagery of the book. If you are not into the Hellraiser movies, then this may not be for you.

The book was well paced through most of the book but moved a bit too quickly after the main climax of the book. The book could have been fleshed out in several places, I like long books, but that is really not a complaint more than a wish for more.

The characters were believable, but maybe a little bit too "smartass" at times.

Give it a try.

Interesting. It was good. And I liked the trip to Hell - it reminded me of Milton. Language doesn't bother me - but if you have misgivings about reading things that might make a sailor blush, you might want to reconsider this one. Fu*# is in every third sentence (ok, that's an exaggeration, but there were times when it felt like it). I had 2 small problems with this book - first, the smoking is so in your face - I mean, I know people smoke and so do book characters. But every time I put the book down, I felt the urge to sniff my clothes to make sure none of the stench of cigarette smoke rubbed off on me. Second, the way I pictured the blind swordswoman (her name escapes me at the moment) originally, from Kadrey's description, was of this little old lady. So when she and Spider get intimate, well, I had trouble with that mental picture. But I assume that was just me. It was good enough that I am on the hunt for more of Kadrey's stuff. And I love the artwork on the cover - for me, that was well worth the $[...] bucks.

I think this is my favorite of Kadrey's books.

The flow of the story, the excellence of the ideas and the way the characters stay with you are all just amazing. This is a highly under-rated writer and you should go get this book now, especially if you are a fan of speculative fiction with a touch of counter-cultural horror. It will change the way you look at the world and make you want to go live in Kadrey's scary, sexy and beguiling brain.

My own brain is still reeling.

This book is amazing. I absolutely love it. Its not the romance kind of demon book which is what is in every book now a days. Its full out demon killing, hell loving fun. I ended up liking Lucifer by the end of the book:) FYI: I am a catholic and Do Not like the devil. I can differenciate between entertainment and real life. So if you are easily offended by things of that nature, then do not get this book. Otherwise, it is a must read. Kept me intrigued from the first page which was a complete shock to me. READ IT!! LOVE IT!!

This is the second book i have read by the author. A tattoo artist is accosted by a demon and suddenly sees the world for what it is. Demons, devils, mythology, the netherworld and a trip to hell all included. Plus a hot blind chick who is adept with a sword. Totally entertaining.

Spyder Lee is a tattoo artist and a happy man. Then he fights off a daemon and is forced to see the world as it truly is. His life is about to become an adventure in the weird and wonderful. I have to say I enjoyed this book, probably much more than the author's Sandman Slim: A Novel series.

It's billed as the first in the "Dominions" series but from what I've read on the net it seems like there may be no more books in the series after all, which is a pity as I enjoyed my adventure with Spyder much more out of the two and I'd love to see where the story went from here. Some plot points in the novel unavoidably reminded me of Aloha from Hell: A Sandman Slim Novel and the author seems to be treading over old ground or recycling themes with his new books. But I'd have to say this is the far more imaginative of the two series.