Wednesday 3 August 2011

Book Review- Nekropolis by Tim Waggoner

Title: Nekropolis
 Author:  Tim Waggoner
Series:   Matt Richter
Published:   2004, republished 2009
Length: 416 pages
Warnings:  vampires, zombies, lycanthropes, witchcraft. Just like you'd expect from a book set in the city of the dead. A LOT of profanity. Sex and drug references. 
Source: Library
Other info: There are two more in the series, Dead Streets and Dark War
Summary : My name is Matt Ritcher. Private eye. Zombie. The vampire lords have been running the city are planning to blow up the city. Over my dead body.
Review:  Parajunkee’s Vampire Challenge  Half vampires count. This follows Matt Richter, one of Nekropolis’ (ie City of the Dead) best private eyes. And he’s also a zombie. After walking into a bar and putting a girl’s soul into the body of the lycanthrope that killed her, he is followed out by Devona. Who is half human and half vampire, because her father is the ruler of the vampire’s part of Nekropolis. She wants Matt to help her find the Dawnstone, something fairly important to the ceremony that should be happening soon in order to renew Nekropolis’ equivalent of a sun. It has probably been taken so that whoever took it can rule Nekropolis, which probably wouldn’t be too bad. In addition to this, the restorative spells on Matt that
keep him in one piece are starting to fade. So theoretically, this will be his last case before he falls to pieces.
I love the world building in this. It took a while as each part of the world was introduced one at a time, which helped you remember. As I imagine it, there is the centre bit where the equivalent of the sun is renewed and surrounding it completely are five areas, around it in a circle. One for vampires, one for witches, one for demons, one for lycanthropes and one for the dead, ie zombies and spirits. This is very original, easy to understand and very fun.
Matt, for a zombie who has been dead and reanimated for a couple of years, is an incredibly nice guy. He doesn’t hesitate to help out with anything people ask him, and is always willing to pay cab fares, which is very nice considering said fares include his fingers. Which get eaten.  Devona I didn’t really have an opinion on. She compliments Matt well, but isn’t the most amazing character, although it wouldn’t be the same book without her sass. The rulers of each area of Nekropolis are well thought out with distinctive personalities. 
Waggoner put a lot of work into imagining all the characters. It’s not just your standard zombie and vampire and such and such. This is a zombie with a personality, even if it is one that is incredibly kind and not in any way "I want to eat your brains out". 
It's entirely from the perspective of Matt. It's filled with little sarcastic one liners that you are really funny, well at least for someone with my sense of humour. It's in all in the little things that don't make any sense to the story at  all, but upon reading you'll understand and laugh. 

Overall:  Strength 5 tea to this insanely funny series that the majority of you won't like or appreciate the humour, but I do and therefore this is one of my new favourite series.

2 comments:

  1. Love the sound of this one. You really want lots of humor in a book about the city of the dead and zombie private eyes. :) I'm struggling to finish Parajunkee's challenge so far, but hopefully I'll be there by the end of the year.

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  2. @Kat. The tagline of a zombie private eye and then "over my dead body" made it a must read for me. hope you enjoy it if you get hold of it!

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Thanks for taking time to read this!
Comments are much loved.
Nina xxx

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