The moment when Belimai meets Captain Harper is sharp, focused and dark. I found him to be an enjoyable, cynical, dry, self-destructive and flawed character. Indeed with a bit of a twist, Belimai would make an excellent villain. The first part of the book - "Mr Sykes and the Firefly" - is told through Belimai's point of view and as we get to know his thoughts, we see he is not exactly the nicest of creatures. However as we go along, although these characteristics are very much a part of Belimai, he emerges as a unique and arresting individual. All these facts together with his occupation, that of a detective, help with this sense of familiarity.
Almost immediately, as part of his personality, we encounter a dry, almost morbid sense of humor and are exposed to his shameful addiction.
The setting where we first meet him is a dark library in his home, in what seems like an alternate dark London with gaslights on the streets. After three hundred years the Prodigals are no longer magnificent and that promise is now a double edged sword.Īt the beginning of Wicked Gentlemen, Belimai Sykes seems almost familiar, someone reminiscent of an Arthur Conan Doyle character. It was the promise of Salvation for themselves and their descendants that made them leave their dark kingdom below. Hale's Prodigals are descendants of the original fallen Demons who abandoned Damnation (or hell) by signing the Covenant of Redemption. A familiar setting becomes otherworldly and dark. Christopher's Park" in Crowncross, the Holy Capitol and "High Tangle," "Low Tangle" "Underchapel Parish," and "Good Commons," in Hopetown (also called Hells Below), we get a sense of an alternate London and its surrounding Parishes. Hale builds her world through the first half of the book and using names like "Brighton House of Inquisition," "White Chapel," and "St. Such are the dangers of dealing with the wicked.Using heavy atmosphere, unforgettable characters and excellent prose, Ginn Hale builds a world in Wicked Gentlemen that grabs you from the beginning and stays with you even after you turn that last page. His enemies are many and his only ally is a devil he knows too well. He is also a man with a brutal past and a dangerous addiction.Īnd Belimai Sykes does not work for free and the price of Belimai's company will cost Captain Harper far more than his reputation.įrom the ornate mansions of noblemen, where vivisection and sorcery are hidden beneath a veneer of gold, to the steaming slums of Hells Below, Captain Harper must fight for justice and for his life. Belimai Sykes is many things: a Prodigal, the descendant of ancient demons, a creature of dark temptations and rare powers.
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