Pleasingly the darkness is balanced with a lot of dry humour and some genuinely laugh out loud moments. Much of it stems from The Warden himself: his cynical wit is (straight) razor-sharp and he has a great habit of using it to make his troubles worse. He’s a brilliant character – a sour, savage, sharp-minded sap, mired in darkness and disillusionment. He might not be a good man but he’s a survivor, an anti-hero you can get behind. He takes so many beatings, so many harsh hands of fate that you will him to win through. We seek redemption for him even if he feels beyond saving. “It’s a dangerous thing, pretense. A man ought to know who he is, even if he isn’t proud to be it.”
Geek Syndicate
If I have one criticism of the book it’s that some of the characters get short shrift. Longrunning sidekicks Adolphus and Wren feel just as one-note as in the previous book. We see more of Adolphus as a soldier and a man, but we learn little new, whilst orphaned Wren has moved from taciturn child to taciturn teenager with nothing but strops to mark the difference. It’s a shame, as they both play an enormous part in what keeps The Warden connected to humanity. In many ways they (and Adolphus’ wife) are his family, but they pale in memory compared to newcomers Mazzie of the Stained Bone and Asidu The Damned. Anyway, quibbles… quibbles… It may be a hard, bleak and twisted noir but Polansky’s
writing is disturbingly like the Warden’s “merchandise”. Take a good hard hit and you’ll see the whole world differently for a while. It may be ugly, but it’s dangerous and exciting too. Sure, you may feel a bit rough when you come back out of it but trust me, it won’t be long before you’re twitching for another hit.
Dion Winton-Polak
Rating
GGGGG
INTERVIEW - Daniel Polansky
a crackling read, and I’m pleased to say that his follow up, Tomorrow, The Killing is even better. Due to be published in October 2012, it returns us to the sordid environs of Low Town and the dubious company of Polansky’s weary protagonist, The Warden. GS: Daniel, welcome back to the Geek Syndicate. DP: Good to be back. Back in March 2012 we featured an interview with Daniel Polansky on the second episode of Geek To Geek. In it we discussed his debut novel, a noir fantasy called The Straight Razor Cure. It was GS: For our readers who maybe haven’t yet picked up your books, what can they expect from your stories and the world you set them in? DP: The Low Town series details the adventures (mis?) of the Warden, an ex-intelligence agent turned small-time criminal whose penchant for trouble and half-hearted attempts at morality continually threaten to doom him, the people he cares for, and the city he lives in. I like to think anyone reading it will find a fast- paced, darkly funny story with some parallels to our own world. GS: Your books seem to be pretty well self-contained, even though most of the characters have cropped up in both. What are the benefits for you in writing standalone pieces, how does it go down with your publisher and are there any down-sides? DP: Coming from a classic
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