Butcher Bird: A Novel Of The Dominion (Paperback)

~ Richard Kadrey (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Buffyand Angel fans are likely to enjoy Kadrey's offbeat supernatural romp, which blends demonic evil and quirky humor. The relatively normal life of San Francisco tattoo artist Spyder Lee goes thoroughly crazy when he's rescued from a mugger by Shrike, a mysterious blind woman who reveals that Lee's assailant was actually a demon. The wounds he suffered in the assault give him the ability to see the Dominions, other spheres of existence that regular mortals are unaware of. Soon Spyder finds himself hip-deep in demonic trouble, protecting his friend Lulu by offering his body to the organ-collecting Black and then dragging her off to join Shrike on a madcap journey to Hell, where they encounter monsters, Lucifer and even an alternate-time version of Lee himself. Kadrey (Kamikaze L'Amour) juxtaposes gore and brash insouciance in the face of apocalyptic evil, a blend that may not suit everyone's taste. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description

Spyder Lee is a happy man who lives in San Francisco and owns a tattoo shop. One night an angry demon tries to bite his head off before he's saved by a stranger. The demon infected Spyder with something awful - the truth. He can suddenly see the world as it really is: full of angels and demons and monsters and monster-hunters. A world full of black magic and mysteries. These are the Dominions, parallel worlds full of wonder, beauty and horror. The Black Clerks, infinitely old and infinitely powerful beings whose job it is to keep the Dominions in balance, seem to have new interests and a whole new agenda. Dropped into the middle of a conflict between the Black Clerks and other forces he doesn't fully understand, Spyder finds himself looking for a magic book with the blind swordswoman who saved him. Their journey will take them from deserts to lush palaces, to underground caverns, to the heart of Hell itself.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Night Shade Books; Stated First Edition edition (August 8, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597800864
• ISBN-13: 978-1597800860
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #335,028 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More, more, more!, July 19, 2009

By	Lisa M. Mims (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wow!, April 11, 2008

By	Trevor Gardner "SF Guy" (Bristol, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Too Good To FInish, November 12, 2007

By	Marianne Kirby (Orlando, Florida United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!