Low Town: A novel
Aug 2011 · Anchor
4.5star
21 reviewsreport
Ebook
384
Pages
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About this ebook
Drug dealers, hustlers, brothels, dirty politics, corrupt cops . . . and sorcery. Welcome to Low Town.
In the forgotten back alleys and flophouses that lie in the shadows of Rigus, the finest city of the Thirteen Lands, you will find Low Town. It is an ugly place, and its champion is an ugly man. Disgraced intelligence agent. Forgotten war hero. Independent drug dealer. After a fall from grace five years ago, a man known as the Warden leads a life of crime, addicted to cheap violence and expensive drugs. Every day is a constant hustle to find new customers and protect his turf from low-life competition like Tancred the Harelip and Ling Chi, the enigmatic crime lord of the heathens.
The Warden’s life of drugged iniquity is shaken by his discovery of a murdered child down a dead-end street . . . setting him on a collision course with the life he left behind. As a former agent with Black House—the secret police—he knows better than anyone that murder in Low Town is an everyday thing, the kind of crime that doesn’t get investigated. To protect his home, he will take part in a dangerous game of deception between underworld bosses and the psychotic head of Black House, but the truth is far darker than he imagines. In Low Town, no one can be trusted.
Daniel Polansky has crafted a thrilling novel steeped in noir sensibilities and relentless action, and set in an original world of stunning imagination, leading to a gut-wrenching, unforeseeable conclusion. Low Town is an attention-grabbing debut that will leave readers riveted . . . and hungry for more.
In the forgotten back alleys and flophouses that lie in the shadows of Rigus, the finest city of the Thirteen Lands, you will find Low Town. It is an ugly place, and its champion is an ugly man. Disgraced intelligence agent. Forgotten war hero. Independent drug dealer. After a fall from grace five years ago, a man known as the Warden leads a life of crime, addicted to cheap violence and expensive drugs. Every day is a constant hustle to find new customers and protect his turf from low-life competition like Tancred the Harelip and Ling Chi, the enigmatic crime lord of the heathens.
The Warden’s life of drugged iniquity is shaken by his discovery of a murdered child down a dead-end street . . . setting him on a collision course with the life he left behind. As a former agent with Black House—the secret police—he knows better than anyone that murder in Low Town is an everyday thing, the kind of crime that doesn’t get investigated. To protect his home, he will take part in a dangerous game of deception between underworld bosses and the psychotic head of Black House, but the truth is far darker than he imagines. In Low Town, no one can be trusted.
Daniel Polansky has crafted a thrilling novel steeped in noir sensibilities and relentless action, and set in an original world of stunning imagination, leading to a gut-wrenching, unforeseeable conclusion. Low Town is an attention-grabbing debut that will leave readers riveted . . . and hungry for more.
Ratings and reviews
4.5
21 reviews
A Google user
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January 31, 2012
(No Spoilers) Start with a traditional high fantasy, add a hefty dose of noir, mix it up with a dark protagonist and a compelling authorial voice, and you've got LOW TOWN by Daniel Polansky.
The story begins with The Warden, the otherwise unnamed protagonist, going about his usual day of slinging dope and running into trouble with the law (known as Black House), when he finds the body of a little girl. Now, The Warden may not be the best person on the planet, but there are some things he cannot abide. With a shove from his former coworkers at Black House, he enters into a web of criminal intrigue and magic in order to protect the slums he calls home.
LOW TOWN caught me by surprise. I picked it up on a whim after being enticed by the blurb, and I quickly found myself swept up in the world of The Warden. It is part mystery, part fantasy, and entirely wonderful.
The pace is snappy from the moment we meet The Warden and his city, and it drives you all the way to a twisty-turvy end. The plot should be fun for any mystery lover to play at-home detective, and the setting will keep dark fantasy lovers enraptured. Writing is from first person, past tense, and commands a strong voice. You can read an excerpt of the first 7 chapters on the author's website to see if it's your cuppa.
The city of LOW TOWN is a character within itself, and the setting was my favorite part of the book. It's a gritty, urban landscape. Those who appreciate more contemporary fantasy will find much to love about LOW TOWN's modern tone. While the fantastic and magical is present, it is not the focus of the book. Traditional fantasy lovers should be warned that you'll find no elves or spell-slinging wizards in LOW TOWN, and if you do, they are periphery at best.
At the end of the day, LOW TOWN was fun. From beginning to end, it pushed me to read. I had to know what happened next to The Warden. I had to know if I'd guessed right about who-dun-it. That compulsion to turn the page is what turns a good book into a great book. LOW TOWN kept me up late at night and made me forget to eat. It's bloody brilliant.
Content Warning: PG-13 (violence, language, drug use, mature themes)
Rating: 5 Stars
Amy Pippins
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August 23, 2013
Quick read and a page turner. Polansky makes you want to delve deep into his world and discover its mysteries. The characters are colorful and complex. A must read!
Matt Fries
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March 2, 2014
Kinda hard to get into at first but all together it was a good book
About the author
DANIEL POLANSKY is from Baltimore, Maryland. Low Town is his first novel.
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