A missing mobster. A bizarre spiritualist society. And three deaths, linked by a chilling forensic detail. Working as an enforcer in London's criminal underworld brought Dan Shaper to the edge of a breakdown. Now he's a private investigator, kept perilously afloat by a growing cocktail of drugs. He needs to straighten-up and rebuild his life, but instead gets the attention of his old gangland masters and a job-offer from Mr George Glass. The elderly eccentric claims to be a New Age Messiah, but now needs a saviour of his own. He's been marked for murder. Adrift amidst liars and thugs, Shaper must push his capsizing mind to its limits: stalked not only by a unique and terrifying killer, but by the ghosts of his own brutal past.
A Serpent Uncoiled
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About the Author
Simon Spurrier was born in 1981. A graduate from S.I.A.D's Film and Television degree course, he's received screenwriting bursaries at both the National Academy of Writing and the Met Film School, and has worked with the BBC as an Art Director. He's since become an award-winning graphic novelist - writing for Marvel, D.C. and 2000AD - and has penned several licensed prose novels. He lives in North London and is active in online and new-media communities. Visit www.simonspurrier.blogspot.com for more, or follow Twitter's @sispurrier.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant new voice in the urban fantasy scene,
By
This review is from: A Serpent Uncoiled (Kindle Edition)
Every occult detective has his or her point of differentiation. Race. Gender. Exorcist. Demon. Slayer. Vampire. Teenager. Ageless. Sex addict. Zombie. Immortal. The list goes on and on - somewhere in the human subsconscious there's a dartboard of adjectives and, if and when this trend limps into retirement, it will be well-perforated.
However long the list may stretch, it may never turn out a character as far out on the edge as Simon Spurrier's Dan Shaper. Shaper, the protagonist of A Serpent Uncoiled (2011), is a "fixer". The sort of jack of all trades, no-problem-too-hard-ass problem-solver that's familiar to readers of F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack or Lee Child's Jack Reacher. Shaper was once connected to one of London's dominant crime families, but, as of the start of the book, is eking out a sorry career as a freelancer - catching petty thieves in brothels. He's not a "bad guy", but he is a grimly amoral realist that's seen enough of the world to understand how things really work. Not quite an outsider, as his profession insists that he maintain his connections in the system. Still, Shaper's liminal (and criminal) status isn't purely about his job. Due to the copious amount of drugs he consumes, Dan's only fully plugged in to reality about half the time. He takes uppers until he's twitchy, then downers to keep him from flipping out. His entire daily routine is based on careful - and continuous - medication with fistfuls of multi-coloured pills. Shaper's main concern is that he may become resistant to his drugs. As a result, after he finishes a job, he locks himself up in his grim little flat (with his pet iguana) and painfully, resolutely, filthily detoxes. It ain't pretty, but it keeps him alive and his drugs effective. A Serpent Uncoiled catches Shaper at the start of a new case. He could really use a break, but there's a lot appealing about this one: mostly the vast amounts of cash involved. An eccentric old man named George Glass has been getting scary letters. He wants Shaper to figure out a) if he's in danger and b) if so, can Shaper sort it out. Glass is a soothing and benevolent figure, but he's clearly insane. He claims to be over a thousand years old and - just maybe - some sort of Messiah. Shaper's unimpressed, but Glass is free with his money and his assistant, Mary, is seriously attractive. The case has a certain appeal. Shaper's already strained sense of the real is stretched further during the course of his investigations. Glass' strange assertions are one thing, but between the side-effects of the drug abuse and a series of occult-themed murders, Shaper starts doubting the world around him. And, given the state of that world, that's no bad thing. The most impressive part of Dan Shaper? He's empathetic. Worryingly so. Like Mr. Spurrier's most recent books like Contract (2007) and The Culled (2006), A Serpent Uncoiled showcases a testosterone-fueled, messy, dodgy, semi-feral character. Unlike those earlier books, Shaper never crosses the line into becoming a parody. His excesses are exhausting, but they're never so great that he alienates the reader. His motivations, as they become unveiled, are tangible and understandable. And Mr. Spurrier's writing has evolved to the point where, like the better works of Jonathan Lethem, the detective's disjointed perspective becomes disturbingly infectious. In another contrast to Mr. Spurrier's earlier books, A Serpent Uncoiled is set in London - at least, as far as we can tell. Contract was an ambitious book that wore its supernatural heart on its sleeve. The Culled was post-apocalyptic splatterpunk mayhem. Although Shaper's world is a little odd (his allies and enemies are all a little bonkers), it is firmly rooted in the dirty mundanity of life - down to the details of messy flats and greasy diners. Mr. Spurrier establishes the everyday in order to emphasize the wrongness of Shaper's perspective. Whether its origins are internal (drugs!) or external (mysterious occult forces!) or an unknown combination of the above (crazy!), whenever there's an odd note, the reader can hear it. Mr. Spurrier's restraint with both Shaper's excesses and the overt "weirdness" of the book both show a certain maturity as a writer. Whereas previously he'd demonstrated a vast amount of imagination, it ran unfettered and often amok. His books were fun and they were ambitious, but they weren't always cohesive wholes, or featuring compelling protagonists. A Serpent Uncoiled addresses those concerns and steps beyond them. Mr. Shaper is a dynamic, flawed and, ultimately, charismatic protagonist, one that lives in a world that, although disconcerting, never threatens to steal the show. A Serpent Uncoiled is a book about a man on the edge - of society, of self-destruction and of reality - but not over it. With it, Mr. Spurrier proves he's on the edge as well, taking the step from a promising talent to a great writer.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Crime Fiction with a New Age Twist,
By Kamvision (Bucks - UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Serpent Uncoiled (Hardcover)
I don't read as much crime as I do, say, horror or sci-fi, but even so, I can't imagine there are too many crime novels quite like A Serpent Uncoiled. For one thing the writing is brash and funny, full of urban wit and cynical humour, but most especially because, well, because of its theme - death by chakras!
Chakra is a Sanskrit term that means 'wheel', and the chakras referred to here, are the seven centres of the subtle energy body as described in the practice of yoga and other Eastern Traditions. The chakras, along with various New Age ideas and spiritualist practices are all an integral part of A Serpent Uncoiled. The titular serpent being a reference to the raising of Kundalini energy, which is described in yoga and Vedanta as being a serpent coiled at the base of the spine. All of this gives the book a very unique flavour. Spurrier has done an excellent job of crafting a plot in which these themes are totally crucial. They are not just tacked on to the story to give it a bit of colour, they are completely fundamental. Main man, Dan Shaper is an excellent lead, and I love that he has experiences the nature of which you're not always clear about - this is a man who's had a near mental breakdown previously, and who takes any kind of chemical hit he can get his hands on - so that for the most part, all the New Age nonsense is presented as exactly that, but there are also hints that perhaps something more substantive could be occurring. A fact which keeps you guessing as far as the plot is concerned, but which also adds a cool element of nuance and mystery by itself. I also totally enjoyed the writing of Shaper, his inner dialogue had me chuckling away to myself on numerous occasions. All of the supporting characters are interesting and stand out on their own. There are none that seem in any way superfluous, except perhaps one, but this one is actually my favourite. Now, I have a 'thing' for small critters in films and books, especially ones that provide humour with their nonchalance towards the actions of the main protagonist. You know the kind? The various bug-eyed, exasperated animal side kicks, that populate Disney films for example. Anyway, little things like this amuse me, and so it is with Ziggy in A Serpent Uncoiled. Ziggy is a lizard that roams around Shaper's apartment, and does nothing other than be a Lizard and wear a look of contempt for everything that Shaper feels or does - and I loved him for it. Aside from the characters, the depiction of London and its nefarious haunts is thoroughly convincing. The elements of the underworld, the various spiritual traditions, all of it feels authentic despite being a deliberate caricature a lot of the time. Spurrier has clearly done his research, and it shows. A Serpent Uncoiled is original and written with great verve. The plot twists and turns and keeps you guessing just as a classic private eye novel should. The murders are gruesome too, so those that enjoy the darker side of crime fiction should be more than happy. Imagine an early Guy Ritchie film fell into a vat of evil hippy shenanigans and you're close to picturing the kind of tale told here. Smart, funny, and highly recommended - go read it!
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