When Demons Walk (Sianim) [Paperback]

Patricia Briggs (Author)

Book Description

Series: Sianim | Publication Date: June 1, 1998

Sorceress. Lady. Mistress. Thief. Just call her an overachiever.

To survive, Sham has spent most of her young life stealing from Southwood’s nobility. Now, as the city’s nobles fall prey to a killer, Sham is called on to help—and must use all of her magical wisdom to send the demon away.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Enough twists and turns to keep readers' interest. (Voya)

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Ace; 17th Prtg edition (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441005349
• ISBN-13: 978-0441005345
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #182,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #91 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Magic & Wizards

More About the Author

Patricia Briggs is the author of the New York Times bestselling Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series. She lives in Washington state with her husband, children, and a small herd of horses.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

83 of 89 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining and exciting mystery!, November 9, 2001

By 

S. A. Cain "writer" (Indiana USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When Demons Walk (Sianim) (Paperback)

This is a fantastic book! I read it in less than twelve hours, and that's with working and eating in the middle of that!

Where to begin? The characters are wonderful. Sham is a complex character, with a painful past but the strong will to survive it and move on. She is wily enough to survive life in Purgatory, the Southwoods slum, yet tender-hearted enough to learn to care for people she was used to hating. Kerim is humorous, regal, dangerous, and intelligent--all the things we want from a hero! The supporting characters are wonderful; Dickon, Elris, Talbot, Lady Sky all make the story better with their special personalities.

The writing is great. The dialogue is excellent, with witty repartee between the characters that is absolutely believable and absolutely hysterical. The description of surroundings and clothes are wonderfully detailed. I could see the action in my mind as I read. My one complaint about the writing would be the infrequent shifts in the third-person point-of-view; usually the POV character was Sham, but very occasionally is changed to Kerim, the demon, and a couple others.

The plot is intriguing...a demon stalking the halls of the Castle, with a thief/magician hired to pose as the Reeve's Mistress in order to solve the mystery. And though you may have suspicions about the demon's identity, your first two guesses will be wrong!

I highly recommend this book, and I am actively seeking out others by this author!

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Enchanting, May 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: When Demons Walk (Sianim) (Paperback)

I've read this book several times, and am entralled. The characters are extremely well-rounded, and their ability to infuse a nearly hopeless situation with both comedic reparte and a budding romance is delightful. The plot is basically a light-weight mystery, but is carried off with panache. The resoltion is spectacular and logically devolved. The writing is fluid without being flowery, and the world is richly woven. Unlike many fantasy novels, magic and mundane forces are well balanced, and the magic is constrained to follow some (fairly simplistic) rules. The culture and events are believable, detailed and provide an excellent and engrossing backdrop. In summary, this is a great tale wonderfully told. Kudos to the author.

65 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing Take on a Well Worn Theme, March 26, 2003

By 

Sires "I enjoy mysteries, historical and proc... (Chesapeake, OH, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Demons Walk (Sianim) (Paperback)

In this book Patricia Briggs takes a old clunker of a romance theme-- the fake relationship-- and turns it into an engaging fantasy story with only one sour note.

Fake relationships litter the landscape in romance novels. It's a favorite way to get two individuals into proximity without too much work. Usually the reason for the masquerade is quickly forgotten and the snogging begins. However, Patricia Briggs uses this device instead to worm her engaging thief/mage into the Court and the company of the Reeve.

Bad things are happening at the Court and the Reeeve needs someone with Mage talent to help him ferret out the source of the trouble. Sham, who has her own agenda based on her past, agrees to masquerade as the Reeve's mistress in order to be brought inside the Court. During the masquerade she has to deal with the Reeve's mother, his best friends widow and assorted mysterious happenings.

The one sour note I mentions above happens late in the story and if the reader doesn't see it coming then the reader is asleep at the wheel. It does get the heroine where the author needs her to be but it definitely could have been better handled. However, after that misstep the book picks up and wends its way to a satisfying climax.

A happy combination of romance, politics and magery.