Welcome back to Oculus Reviews, everyone.
You know, I perfectly understand why, given the social climate of today, some people are uncomfortable with reading or watching stories about heroic cops. I'm not gonna go deeper into it because this is a fun genre fiction blog, and I'd like to keep it that way. But we all know that regardless of the country, real-life police work isn't like the idealized version you can see in detective shows, and the gazillion crime fiction books where tough, relentless peacekeepers with a heart pursue justice no matter what it costs them. Still, I grew up with exactly this kind of literature and TV, and while I acknowledge the reality of the world we live in, the "tough, relentless peacekeeper" archetype still is my guilty pleasure I sometimes indulge in. And if there's anything I love no matter the context, it's fantasy and murder mysteries. Put these three things together, and you get the book of my dreams...
Okay, maybe not.
Before we dive into Simon R. Green's first book of the Hawk & Fisher series, can I just say how much I love this cover of my well-loved copy - gritty, atmospheric, showing the reader just what kind of no-nonsense badasses the leads are. I especially love the boobtacular outfit on Fisher - lady hero or not, it was still the 90's when this book came out. My respect to Luis Royo (credited in the book as Royo) for this fantastic work.
Haven is a dark city. The home to wizards, politicians, struggling poor people, prostitution rackets, murder and all sorts of not-so-benevolent mystical creatures, it's a place of sleaze, slime and dark magic. Captain Hawk and his wife and partner, Captain Fisher, are the city Guard's best-known and most feared peacekeeping couple; they patrol the streets with an axe and a sword at their sides, keeping the folk safe from criminals of the mundane and the supernatural kind. (They kind of suck at it, but they try. You'll see.) After getting rid of a hungry vampire terrorising the streets, they get assigned to bodyguard duty to a party thrown at a powerful wizard's house, babysitting a politician widely hated for being honest and dedicated to social reform. Alas, the politician gets murdered in his bedroom while Hawk and Fisher are downstairs taking a rest (told ya), and because Hawk wisely decides to seal off Wizard Gaunt's house with an isolation spell while the killer is still inside (double told ya), it's up to him and Fisher to find who did in William Blackstone, and stop them before they strike again. (No luck there.)
As I said, I know perfectly well that this is an idealized cop story, and boy howdy did I wince sometimes when it got especially blatant, such as when Hawk states that not cooperating with the police- I mean, Guard is grounds for arrest. And as for one of the characters stating that he wanted to protect one of the suspects/witnesses because Hawk and Fisher have a reputation for violence... Oh, man, I ain't touching that one with a ten-foot spork. Yes, Hawk & Fisher is very much a product of its time, and I understand why that would put some off from reading it; but I for one don't regret that I did. I mean, it's true enough that it's not exactly a lost classic. The characters (honest politician, less honest politician, shy witch, Conan the Barbarian-type swordfighting hero, snotty aristocrats with a grudge against Hawk and Fisher, and so on) are just about two-dimensional, and that, sadly, does include the leads, who are basically Tough Cop and Tough Cop But Girl. Still, I found myself quite liking these two by the time the book wrapped up: as flat as they are, they have some good banter and chemistry, and I could genuinely believe that these are married people who are very fond of each other. I realize that's kind of a low bar to clear, but I'm sick of troubled and bickering married people in my reading, so it's always refreshing to see a genuinely affectionate couple.
As for the mystery and the general plot, it's... so-so. Hawk and Fisher make some truly unjustifiably stupid decisions: see above for locking up a houseful of guests with a murderer, or letting the guy they were supposed to guard out of their sight long enough for him to get murdered. Even if they repeatedly say that Gaunt's house is very heavily protected, one would think that the best cops- I mean, Guards of the city would know better. And if these are the best Guards the city of Haven can offer, I... kind of understand why it's in such a state. There are also two big plot twists, one of which is telegraphed from so far away you could spot it from the Moon without a telescope; but the actual, final twist and the identity of Blackstone's killer is genuinely well-built up, foreshadowed and explained, and fits in with the fantasy setting perfectly. Bravo, Mr. Green.
Still, what left me with a bit of a frown after reading was the ending of the book itself. I'm going to dip into a bit of a spoiler here to discuss; not gonna reveal the identity of the killer, don't worry, but I'm gonna drop a hint, so head to the next paragraph if you want to experience this book entirely for yourself. Basically, the message of the final twist seems to be that no matter how hard you try to be good, being born into a bad family means that you yourself will succumb to evil sooner or later, because there's no escaping the bad tendencies and leanings inherited from your forebears. Now, I know perfectly well that upbringing, transgenerational patterns and hereditary traits (guess who's a freshly minted psych student) are very important to a person's development and identity; but still, to think that you're entirely determined by them leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. I like to believe that we humans are better, more complex, and have more free will than that.
So yeah, as a whole, the themes of this book are rather... uncomfortable for me. (Trigger warning: if you're sensitive to child abuse, there's also that, and not briefly either.) And I'm very sorry about that, because as a fantasy-crime novel it's a perfectly adequate read: quick, airy, not too deep, but still entertaining and absorbing enough to make me finish in one go without groaning aloud once. (Internal groaning, though...) I spent a fun, if not very mentally taxing evening with it - I guess it's up to you whether that sounds like a recommendation.
Writing: Kind of dry and flawed sometimes (I caught a few word repetitions a more thorough editor would have probably vetoed), but quick enough and easy to follow, without cruelty to the English language. I know that's faint praise, but I've read worse. Much worse. 3/5
Availability: No ebook of this, I'm afraid, but used copies can be found for under ten dollars if you know where to look, and there's an audiobook too if you wish to liven up your morning commute. 4/5
Entertainment value: Fun enough if you're into this kind of storytelling, but definitely not one of the more brilliant books I've read. Still, I'd be up for reading more of this series because I do like our main couple. 3/5
Do I recommend it?: I... guess I do? The premise of a fantasy crime novel is certainly original enough, and it makes for a light and entertaining read even if it's a bit of a groaner sometimes; but I don't feel like anyone would be missing out on a life-changing reading experience if they decided to skip this one. 3/5
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