Wicked Gentlemen by Ginn Hale

Title: Wicked Gentlemen
Author: Ginn Hale
Publisher: Blind Eye Books
Buy the book: Publisher

Blurb:

Belimai Sykes is many things: a Prodigal, the descendant of ancient demons, a creature of dark temptations and rare powers. He is also a man with a brutal past and a dangerous addiction.

And Belimai Sykes is the only man Captain William Harper can turn to when faced with a series of grisly murders.

But Mr. Sykes does not work for free and the price of Belimai’s company will cost Captain Harper far more than his reputation.

From 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.

His enemies are many and his only ally is a devil he knows too well. Such are the dangers of dealing with the wicked.

Review:

Wicked Gentlemen is a much loved and lauded book that languished in my TBR pile for far too long. Thankfully this wonderful steam punk fantasy lived up to its hype. The evocative descriptions and lush prose create an engaging story. The world building is unique, creative, and awesome, offering familiar elements and characters in a fresh new way. My only regrets are the short length of the two novellas, which limits the potential of both the characters and the stories.

The book actually consists of two shorter novellas, though I’m not sure why these weren’t combined into one, complete story. The two novellas would actually be better as a fully fleshed out story but even so the two offerings are interesting with a fascinating, creative fantasy setting. The first novella is in first person point of view told from Beliami’s perspective. Beliami is a demon called a Prodigal and is a very classic tortured protagonist. The second novella is told from William’s first person point of view, the priest interrogator that becomes Beliami’s lover. Both stories take place in a fantasy, steam punk world where demons have risen from hell to be given religious forgiveness. That forgiveness has been lost through the generations and priests have also become the police force using cruel, torture methods on demons for real and imagined crimes. Will and his brother in law approach Belimai for help finding Will’s missing sister. The second story picks up where the first book ended and focuses on a murder Will unwittingly gets involved in.

The two plots contain a bit of mystery but also focus on the intricate world created and the budding relationship between Will and Belimai. The mystery of Will’s missing sister is interesting with some surprising twists. The resolution is very well done with only a moment or two of suspended disbelief. The actual resolution is not so important as the journey the characters take while trying to find the missing woman. The second plot is more intricate and delves into the political and religious corruption of the time. The characters deepen and their relationship becomes more complex while the intricacies of the corruption start to have parallels to many other contemporary issues. However none of these issues are presented in a way to preach or educate readers. Here there are also a few antics that are over the top and stretch the plot slightly thin. Some of the escapes are a bit ridiculous, yet the great writing keep the stories fast and engrossing. The novellas shine in the personal connections between the characters, such as the scenes between Beliami and Savlti, which are especially poignant.

The characterization is well written and interesting, both point of views to further develop both men and their relationship. This allows the reader to see the men more fully and glimpse into the motivations and thoughts that are rarely ever vocalized. Both Beliami and William have savior/martyr complexes and it’s only together they are able to transcend their problems and work towards a solution. The emotional connection is intense and often seen in small moments.  For example, the scene where Beliami touches Will’s hands without the gloves. This scene shows the intimacy and honesty between the two as they struggle to break out of the molds society has placed them in. Over the course of the stories, their actions bring the men from well-known concepts into complex, complicated men. Neither expresses their emotions very well or easily and thus their actions and comments take on more importance. This level of subtly is deftly and masterfully handled within the great writing. There is no explicit sex and the one scene is likely to be considered tame by erotica readers, but it does show another welcome side of their relationship.

Beyond the solid writing and descriptive prose is the incredible world building. The stories occasionally lapse into too flowy or lush writing, as if the story is trying too hard, but thankfully there are very few instances of such. Instead the world building helps create an innovative new creation blending fantasy elements with an elaborate steam punk world. The setting is deeply complex as it incorporates familiar elements in a fresh, new way. Angels, demons, clergy, and the eternal fight of good versus evil are all well-known and well-used concepts. Just as the characters of a tortured demon and good hearted priest are nothing especially different. The great writing combines these elements into something not often seen. The setting is in the small details from the taste and smells of the street to the sharp, evocative colors and shadows littering the book. The steam punk additions are wonderful and add a unique twist to the classic elements, eventually forming a fantastic new setting.

Overall this easily is a must read book. There are a few qualms and most notably that these two novellas should have been combined into one fully developed story, but don’t let this stop you from discovering, or re-discovering, a fabulous setting. The characters could use more time and space on the page and they especially scream to be followed up but the strong happy ending may be enough for a lot of readers. I look forward to what other offerings from this author and can’t wait to tackle her backlist. I can easily suggest you do the same.