“I am a demon summoned from hell and she is a Saint returned from the outskirts of heaven. We work for the Holy Roman Inquisition and are humanity’s greatest and perhaps only hope for survival as we approach the coming apocalypse. Our primary job is protecting humans from supernatural entities that grow stronger by the day. Oh yeah, I am also a singer in a rock and roll band that plays in a bar off of 38th, maybe you have heard of me?”
Silas Robb is an ancient demon summoned by the Vatican to protect humanity from the strengthening forces of the supernatural realm, known as “The Pale”. There is only one problem. Silas doesn’t particularly care for humans and prefers sex, drugs and rock and roll to saving humanity.
This time Silas’s mission sounds simple: find out what is killing or abducting the homeless and other street people of New York city. But this might prove to be his biggest challenge yet because he has been assigned a partner. She is a Saint, a being that was once human who, after being killed, never made it beyond the fringe of heaven.
Together they must form an awkward partnership and track down a renegade sorcerer bent on bringing New York city to its knees. Their mission will take them through the city that never sleeps to the depths beneath it, where a world of the supernatural and violence lays hidden from most mortals.
Erik Lynd, my hat is off to you! I was expecting super-serious slasher fiction and what I got was a very well written urban fantasy. And I do mean urban fantasy. Silas Robb: Of Saints and Sinners is incredibly true to that genre title. Silas Robb: Of Saints and Sinners is the type of book you should get when you pick up an urban fantasy. It’s smart, edgy, fantastic (in the truest sense of the word) and filled with the things that go bump in the night. Now that we’ve gone over that, let’s get to the really fun stuff.
I badly want to hang out with Silas. I want to get drunk with Silas and watch him bring a bar to rubble. He’s like a rapid bull in a china shop. You cant help but want to wind him up and just watch him go, carnage and all! What an incredibly fun character to get to know!! Silas is a demon in a mortal body. He was called up and brought back from the pits of Hell to play the good little foot soldier for the Vatican in their war against the little beasties that threaten humanity. However, in his spare time, he likes to go to the local bar, get shnockered and play loud, obnoxious rock’n’roll. He’s just awesome!
I spent a good portion of this book smiling. At times, I actually started laughing out loud! What Silas brings to the table in smarts and brute force, he severely lacks in manners and common courtesy. He was a constant source of completely smart-ass humor and I loved it.
Here’s one of my favorite moments:
“Lead on, oh bespectacled one,” he said. “What’s you name?”
“Harold, I’m Brother Harold.”
“Oh, your parents must have hated you,” Silas said.
Another…
“David, you leave the nice man alone,” the boy’s mother said and she pulled him close to her. “He doesn’t mean to bother you…”
“Listen, kid, I’m what happens when you skip school, stop listening to your parents, listen to rock and roll, and do drugs.”
It was the closest Silas had come to a public service announcement.
The boy’s eyes grew wide.
“Cool!”
Silas smiled, “Yeah it is.”
And another…
Damn this guy was tough! But then he was Silas-mother-f*cking-Robb.
Snarky little comments like these are sprinkled all throughout this book and they are unbelievably entertaining!
The overall content of this book is something that any guy could totally get down with. Silas’s non-stop uncensored thoughts and all-around badassery take you on a testosterone-fueled thrill ride. Well, that is, if demons have testosterone. Not sure how that works. Anyway, guys, you will NOT be disappointed.
Between Silas and the supernatural story element, this book is one that almost anyone could get into. It’s a very well-woven fast read with action from page 2 (page 1 is spent getting to know Silas a bit). There’s also a great cast of characters. Mort is one you get to know right away. Mort is what would happen if Bruce Wayne’s Alfred decided to start working for the Catholic Church. He knows that Silas will always do what has to be done but tries with all his might to act as the little angel on Silas’s shoulder whispering what he should and shouldn’t do. There are quite a few other characters that I absolutely love but I don’t want to blow any story line or surprises by going into who they are. Just trust me, they’re fabulous.
In the end, I give Silas Robb: Of Saints and Sinners 5 stars. I cant think of a single thing I disliked about this book! And I hear word from a little birdy…ok, not a birdy….the author, actually….that the 2nd book in the series is coming along nicely. I will most definitely be reading/reviewing it and I cant wait!
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