Sidhe-Devil [Mass Market Paperback]

Aaron Allston (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 22, 2001

Zeb Poole is transported to the fair world, a place that is half magic and Celtic myth. In the city of Neckerdam, a mad genius destroys the city's skyscrapers, and plots the death of the city's protector, Doc Sidhe. And in a land that would be Germany in Zeb's world, a dictator begins a campaign of racial purity that is chillingly familiar.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Baen (May 22, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671319930
• ISBN-13: 978-0671319939
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,048,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Aaron Allston is the New York Times bestselling author of the Star Wars: Legacy of the Force novels Betrayal, Exile, and Fury; the Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Enemy Lines adventures Rebel Dream and Rebel Stand; novels in the popular Star Wars X-Wing series; and the Doc Sidhe novels, which combine 1930s-style hero-pulps with Celtic myth. He is also a longtime game designer and was recently inducted into the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design (AAGAD) Hall of Fame. He lives in Central Texas.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Sequel! But not quite perfect..., July 5, 2001

By 

K. Weld "Kaltros, Bandit King and General Nui... (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sidhe-Devil (Mass Market Paperback)

Doc Sidhe and his associates are out to discover who is behind Doc's kidnapping and attempted murder. Zeb Watson, a fight manager from the grim world (our world) is introduced to the fair world (a 1930's fantasy world, more or less) by the protagonist from the first book, Harris Greene. The story progresses as Zeb discovers that both worlds have racism and bias, hatred and isolation, love and kindness. The fair world's history following the grim world's (in a loose way) has begun to develop a Nazi movement of their own, backed by the powers of a never-before-seen sun god.

Don't worry if you haven't read the first book, because this one stands alone quite well. No, wait. If you missed Doc Sidhe, run out and get it. You're really missing something! Having read Doc Sidhe, (and having been entranced by it) I couldn't wait for Sidhe Devil to hit the stands. The humor is still strong, and the characters are still enjoyable. The story MOVES like you won't believe, and visualization is easy enough through-out.

As I said, the story moves very well, the writing style is fluid and the interactions are very real. I can imagine people saying these things to each other, and getting angry, laughing, being touched, etc. But I found myself put upon to enjoy the climactic conflict between Good and Evil as much as I had hoped to. The bad guys in this story are strangely under-developed, and in fact remain unknown for most of the novel. Allston typically shows his antagonist's motives and thoughts in excellent interactions with their henchmen. With this element missing, the impact of the finale seemed diminished. Everything else is in place, though. Intelligence on the parts of all the characters, no "typical" mistakes, and just when you think you can predict the next chapter, you're off in a new direction.

All in all, a great book and really enjoyable. Once again, Aaron made me laugh out loud while reading. But just shy of Five stars. This time.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great fun!, June 4, 2001

By 

Rory Coker (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sidhe-Devil (Mass Market Paperback)

Once one gets past the terrible pun imbedded in the title, this book is a wonderful throwback to the justice-figure pulps of the 1930s. Doc Sidhe is the equivalent of Doc Savage in the "fair world," a parallel universe where science and magical "devisement" uneasily coexist. Here Doc and his assistants battle the fair world equivalent of Nazis, neutralize a superweapon that could be used to conquer the world, end a plan to breed a race of supermen, and defeat a new-born Sun God in single combat.

The novel manages to open with a completely gratuitious sex scene (!) and never lets up from then on. There's a battle every chapter or so, in true Lester Dent style. Also welcome is the appearance of a fair-world equivalent of The Shadow!

If I have any criticism of this, or the earlier novel in the series, DOC SIDHE, it's that not all of Doc's aides are up to snuff. A couple come pretty close to being liabilities, specifically the largely personality-less Gaby and Ixyail. To balance that weakness, though, we have the fair world equivalent of Carl Barks' Beagle Boys, namely the Bergmonk Boys.

You'll have fun.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Adventure Continues, January 29, 2003

By 

W. Boyd (Down South) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Sidhe-Devil (Mass Market Paperback)

This second installment is every bit as good as the first book. The story is starts off running and never slows down. Allston does an excellent job of conveying the characters emotions, and does it without interrupting the flow of the story. The story is clear and easy to follow despite the various subplots and numerous characters. I highly recommend the two books in this series, and I am keeping my fingers crossed that there is a third, and fourth, and...