Customer Reviews

Smoke and Ashes

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is the third in the series starring Henry Fitzroy's old sidekick Tony. Let me note that while the book is enjoyable as a standalone, you will get far more out of it if you have read the first two in this series, since there are quite a few references to the Shadowlord of the first book, Smoke and Shadows, and the haunted house of the second book, Smoke and Mirrors. You will get even more out of this series if you've read Huff's earlier series about Henry Fitzroy, romance writer, [...] son of King Henry VIII, and vampire. (If you check my profile, you can find reviews of all five books in that series.) Constable Jack Elson, for example, is an even more interesting character if you can also recall Mike Celluci, Vicki's fellow cop, and also the werewolf cop from "Blood Trail."

Since other reviewers have summarized the plot, I won't go into that. (Besides, those of you who read Huff know that many of her books have variations on the same plot: a hole opens up between hell and our earth, and our protagonists have to close it. This is not a complaint; I am continually amazed at how interesting she manages to make that same plot over and over.) Instead, let me tell you a few of the things I specifically enjoyed about this book:
* Huff's wonderful sense of humor. Examples: Tony turns on the TV and sees "some guy eating a bug on either the Learning Channel or FOOD - he didn't stay long enought to see if it came with a lecture on habitat or a raspberry vinaigrette" and the use of cherry cough syrup as a warding spell.
* The references to many classic science fiction and fantasy stories and books - not just well known ones such as LOTR, but also to stories that only literate and experienced SF fans are likely to have read; this isn't just catering to the reader who is currently reading urban vampire fantasy because it's "in" - although there's nothing wrong with that; welcome, new fantasy readers, and we hope you stay and enjoy the rest of the genre!
*The references also to many classic TV shows and movies, both SF and non-SF, everything from the coyote and the anvil to "Where castle?" to car chases.
*The characters who are neither all-bad nor all-good, but show signs that even though they are relatively "bit parts" right now, they have complex enough personalities that they might become more. Kevin Groves, the obnoxious tabloid reporter, for example, has a few good qualities, and shows some signs that in an emergency, he might be capable of doing good things. And Chester Bane, well, I have the feeling there's a LOT we don't know about Chester, and some of it will turn out to be supernatural sooner or later.

I do have a few small quibbles with the book: the Demon Lords' names don't sound right for demons to me. (Demons have first and last names? Really?) And Huff uses the phrase "red-gold eyebrows" too often, which is especially confusing since sometimes she is referring to Mason Reed, and sometimes to Henry. But those are pretty small change.

I will say that those of you who are squeamish about sex - although I doubt there are too many of such people reading urban vampire fantasies to begin with - would find some things to be squeamish about here. There is sex - gay, straight, and mixed. It's all necessary to the plot, appropriate in context, tastefully done, and not overdone - but it's there. So if that sort of thing bothers you... there is also a lot of use of four-letter words, again appropriate in context and not overdone, but if those bother you... They didn't bother me at all, because they went with the plot and characters so well, and let me tell you, I have a pretty short threshhold for unnecessary sex scenes and unnecessary vulgarity, so this must be well done, since I liked it. But you probably wouldn't want to give this book to a 12-year-old to read. I'd say 16 and up, at least, older if you really have hangups about your teenagers being exposed to anything at all graphic.

In summary: great continuation of the series, best enjoyed if you read all the others in order first; terrific characters, with lots of potential for more.

Tony Foster is now a TAD on the set of Canada's only syndicated vampire detective show, "The Darkest Night." Despite a hard life during his youth on the streets, he's working hard to make the director's chair.

The only problem is--real life supernatural events keep interfering. In this third book of the "Smoke" series, a Demonic Convergence threatens to loose the demons from hell and end the world as we know it.

This time--Tony's powers as a wizard are no secret. His boss, Chester Bane, actually gives him time off to stop the Convergence--not that he's got a choice, since it seems the focus spot for the demons to come in is "Darkest Night's" sound-stage. Also, the demon fighting team has a few more players: Amy, the odd but fearless secretary, Mountie Jack who's been following the oddness surrounding Tony for a long time, and even Lee--the 'human sidekick' of the TV show's vampire, Raymond Dark (Mason).

We also get a romance interest. Lee, who Tony previously believed was straight, is definitely putting his flirt on. Henry Fitzroy, a vampire and Tony's old love interest, is back and well, never gave up on him and Tony being together.

There are some slow spots at the end, but overall, this book is funny and fast-paced. The series is picking up and I certainly hope there are more of them.

This is my favorite of the series. Hands down.

I love Tony. And Lee. (Yum.) And this book has both of them in the action. Unlike the previous two "Smoke" books, where Tony only told the fewest people he needed to about the supernatural, SMOKE AND ASHES has most of the TV studio knowing about the problem, and quite a few helping to stop it. This makes an odd amount of sense... if any one group of people is going to accept the strange, it's going to be theatre people of one kind or another. And I have to say, it's very nice having someone know about the problems from the start.

The threat of demonic invasion makes a great adventure story, and fills up the pages quite nicely. But also nestled in there are enough relationship issues to make a book on their own. Tony and Henry. Tony and Lee. Not to mention Tony's friendships with Amy, Zev, and the cop Jack Ellison (who has been in and out investigating the deaths in the previous two Smoke books.)

I also like the way Tony has to develop his powers, with part instinct, part guess, part instruction, and part panic. It seems very realistic, at least to someone who hasn't ever tried to stave off a demonic invasion before. Tony finally comes into his own at the end, and in a very satisfactory way.

It has been almost two months since Tony Foster fought any supernatural entities so he enjoys the respite especially with his promotion to the Trainee Assistant Director on the set of Darkest Night, a TV show starring a vampire detective. Tony finds life ironic that he works on a vampire show when his lover, best friend, and father figure Henry Fitzroy (baseborn son of King Henry VIII) is a real vampire.

Tony's hiatus from the supernatural ends when he learns from stunt woman Leah Barrett who doubles as a Demongate keeping her demon out of our world that the Demon Convergence has begun. It is a time when energies are moving is such a way that the barriers between earth and the Hells are penetrable. Leah is 3500 years old and because her demon master miscast a spell she has been protected and he unable to breach the "walls". If he gains access as it seems likely he will, the demon master will dominate the world of humanity. His minions are coming for Leah and Tony, who still remains a tyro when it comes to using his wizard powers. With the help of friends like Henry, Tony knows he will stand brave and strong trying to stop the demon horde.

The hero has changed from a street hustler and prostitute to a courageous person willing to die to keep his friends and his world safe. This superb urban fantasy is at times funny, but mostly dramatic as there is plenty of action especially as Tony learns how to use his skills as he wars with demon assassins sent to kill Leah, considered by her kind as a traitor. Tanya Huff writes a spellbinding fascinating tale that fans of Laurell K. Hamilton and Jim Butcher will enjoy.

Harriet Klausner

I adore Tanya Huff. Her fantasy novels are among the favorite books in my collection. When she began the Smoke Series, I was thrilled to see Tony Foster, a supporting character in the Vicky Nelson books, suddenly thrust into the spotlight. I loved the Tony character, but would he be able to carry a book of his own?

Boy, can he!

I followed his story through Smoke and Shadows and it's sequel, Smoke and Mirrors. I loved both, and have read each numerous times. Tanya was able to dance a fine line between action, adventure, humor and sex (or at least sexual tension) in such a way that the books were impossible to put down.

Smoke and Ashes is no exception. I eagerly awaited the book's release for almost two months, and when it arrived in the mail I was forced to stay up most of the night reading it.

Although the tone is a little different from previous books, I think this book is the one where in many ways Tony shines the most. In Shadows, he was the reluctant hero, thrust into a dangerous situation with nothing but a pure heart and sarcastic tongue to carry him. In Mirrors, he stepped up closer to the plate, this time with a single spell to help him. With Ashes, Tony is now "the man".

Don't get me wrong... Tony is still very Tony. Things aren't perfect, and he falls on his [...] more than once. But in this book you can truly see how much he has grown since he was first introduced.

Although the supporting cast is still there, Tanya has drawn the focus back a little from the last book, where there were a lot of characters in play. To me, the characters spotlighted in this third book are Tony's Circle: the ones that mean the most to him, and those he depends on the most. Coincidently they are also my favorites ;).

I hope that this isn't the end for the Smoke series. This book makes me want more and more! And if you're reading this, Tanya, I still want a crossover between Smoke and the Keeper Chronicles. Diana and Tony would be a hilarious team! Please and thank you ;)

I'm happy to report that the latest addition to the "Smoke and..." series is as enjoyable as any in the "Blood..." series. The first "Tony" book was OK, but the second was so complicated and angst-ridden that I was debating whether to continue with the series. "Smoke and Ashes" has a lot more humor that the earlier books, and enough action to keep things moving. There are a fair number of characters to keep track of, and multiple references to the previous books, so they should probably still be read before this one, but at least there's something worthwhile at the end. I'm once again looking forward to the next book.

I've been a fan of "real-world" fantasy fiction before I even knew the term, and as a queer male, I have to implore Tanya Huff to keep writing this series. I'm currently researching a potential series that I want to write, and I've found no one else who is willing to work within the "everyday life" perspective - I have flat out not found anyone else who has been willing (or able) to approach fantasy fiction from an "altered now" perspective. We've got several authors who are willing to retreat into a world of their own making, but there isn't anyone else brave enough to take a contemporary context into their writing. And the fact that Ms. Huff is able to write from the opposite gender-perspective for the romantic-relations? Outstanding! (I can relate-- most of my friends are dykes, hags, and bi-chicks - I try to excel at avoiding gay drama...) I hope that I'm equal at writing a conflicted (parallel) female heroine. I'd be a poor reviewer if I off-sited a review of the book ("say 'hi' to Library School") - but this series is a mega-read for queer-teens, and a gratifying and better-than-beach-novel-read (harder to find in sci-fi/fantasy genre) for inclined gay men, and (as a veteran of the original Henry Fitz-Roy series)something that as a now aspiring-writer & English Professor (adjunct) I'd be beside myself if Ms. Huff chose to continue. We can only be so favored... How much intelligent gay fiction occurs involving the modern world rather than someone's not-so-attached-to-current-reality world? This is where some of us want Hamilton and Harrison to go to...

(N.B.: if you haven't read the original series with Vicki Nelson, *read them*! - well worth it! - mh.)

There is something missing on this book. For some reason, it is very hard to read. I was torn between a wish to jump ahead and to keep reading, at the same time. It was a hard book to read, and not in the Tolkien or Shakespeare way. The reading is just not as smooth as I am used to. Maybe because there's too much dialogue. If anyone can help me put this into words, I will really appreciate reading your comments.

I'd recommend reading the first pages on the "look inside" feature. If you understand what I am so poorly trying to express, skip this book. If you don't, go ahead. You might enjoy it more than I did.

I finished this book, and will not be reading the rest of the series. The premise is very interesting, the execution did not go so well.

Boring book. The whole thing is almost 100% dialogue which gets irritating very quick.
I didn't like Leah. Through the whole book I wanted to hit her in the face. She didn't add anything to the book other than sex - which didn't fit at all. And how cool is it to seduce people with your powers without their consent, not very cool. I don't understand how Tony can like Lee, but still be involved with Henry and then Leah.
The whole book is just one big 'plot what plot?'. Tanya Huff is not all that good at writing female characters.
I'm amazed how book 3 can be so bad, when book 2 was so good.
At least there was a good Tony/Lee ending.

Ahh. The long awaited third book in this series starring, quite frankly, my favourite character from the earlier 'Blood' series of Tanya Huff's. The main character in the 'Smoke' series is Tony, former street kid and one time rent boy, now assistant PA on Canadian film set of 'Darkest Night', a vampire detective show. Tanya Huff is arguably one of my favourite authors - her style of writing is here, now, intensely personal and can't help but draw you intimately into her characters' lives, loves and tribulations. The storyline of her third book in the 'Smoke' series has all the required elements needed to make it a Tanya Huff classic - a morally ambiguous 'helper' to the star of the series, Tony (I love Tony, I admit it, I can't help it! he's just too adorably human with all his self doubt and angst); A bad guy who is not just one shade of black; the ensemble of 'helpers' Tony has collected along the way through the last two books (I have to mention Amy, goth office chick, and Zev, Tony's ex); and last but not least, the requisite tension between Tony and his object of infatuation, Lee.
More of Tony's character is revealed in this further continuation of the series, and we start to see a balance (sort of) in his relationship with the star vampire of both series, Henry Fitzroy. Tony is growing up, basically. While I think it's not as good as the first book in terms of action and sheer excitement, it's pretty close and stacks up better than the original in terms of character development if not the action.
One last thing, suffice to say that the whole Tony-Lee tension goes to whole new heights in this book. I can't wait to see if there are more in the Smoke series coming out and certainly hope there is!