The only angels we know are like us – ciphers with their memories wiped, working for the Man, down here on Earth or our bosses in Heaven. “For what? To become what? Our masters have made certain we don’t know anything for sure, kid. If he was as good as you say, then he went straight to Heaven.” “What do you mean?” Clarence sounded outraged. And, based on their experiences with the Harps, they both sometimes question those “in charge.” This experience has led them to be proficient with weapons, so they both carry a lot of hardware. They met in the Harps, a militant band of fighting angels doing the “dirty work” in Heaven’s battle to hold back Hell. 6)īobby Dollar is the earth name for the angel Doloriel. Can’t you smell the House on him?” That’s how Sam talks about what most people refer to as “Heaven” – “up at the House.” As in, the rest of us work on the Plantation. The advocate angels on Earth drink, cuss, smoke, and generally blow off steam. In Bobby Dollar’s world, the angels cannot remember who they were before they became angels. Quotes and spoilers from here down, so turn back now if you haven’t read the book and are planning on it. And while some of the rules follow the norm of the Western cultural definitions of Heaven and Hell, this is the unknown fringe that Williams enjoys playing in, and he definitely seems to enjoy himself. But rules that Dollar tells the readers in the beginning and what actually happens to Dollar turn the rules upside down. There is a mystery to be solved, and there is more than a bit of crime noir bent to the telling. With Bobby Dollar, an advocate angel, Williams explores the people and beings that populate Heaven, Hell and Earth and the rules that keep Armageddon from a’comin’.
TAD WILLIAMS OTHERLAND CLIFF NOTES SERIES
But Williams’ new Bobby Dollar series is different from all of the rest. I appreciate Williams thoughtfulness for those of us who can’t remember the last book…as he always adds in a Here’s-What-Happened-Before synopsis to the front of books that come later in his series. I’ve also read his short story collection A Stark and Wormy Night (no synopsis needed, they were short enough that they didn’t test my old memory). (And sometimes tempt me to re-read…but re-reading is a no-no…there are too many books in this world!) (And apparently he’s known for a cat book, which, since I’m a dawg guy, I probably won’t read.) One characteristic that runs through all of these is that Williams not only follows the “show don’t tell” writers’ philosophy, he also follows “show, but don’t show everything.” Both Otherland and Shadowmarch possessed some pieces that were never quite explained, which made me wonder about them even long after I’d finished. Tad Williams in known for his LARGE (door-stoppingly LARGE), genre-jumping, hard to categorize series: Shadowmarch Otherland Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. The rules seem cut and dried…but are they? A lot of telling of the rules a story-line that could be a series, but will hopefully tie up some loose ends without dragging them out.īOTTOM LINE: The first in the Bobby Dollar series is a fun, fast-paced read, with a protagonist that does what a lot of us do: questions the rules of Existence and his place in it while just trying to survive…but Bobby Dollar happens to be an Angel. PROS: Fiery demons! Sexy demons! Angels with assault weapons and cool cars! And just enough recitation of the rules to make the reader realize: there are no rules.ĬONS: Not many.
REVIEW SUMMARY: Author Tad Williams does a lot of things differently (and exceptionally well) than in his previous series in a crime-noir take on the concepts of Heaven and Hell, and Angels and Demons.īRIEF SYNOPSIS: Souls of the recently deceased begin to disappear and advocate angel Bobby Dollar has to solve the mystery before demons, his bosses in Heaven and the lords of Hell lay the blame and punishment on him.
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