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The first in a new series of novels by Mike Carey, whose Lucifer and Hellblazer runs I really like. The series is set in a world very like ours—except a few years ago, the dead started to come back: as ghosts, as zombies, and as were (possessed and altered animals). Our narrator and guide to this world is the improbably named Felix Castor, an exorcist who's always been able to see dead people and who communes with them through music—his exorcism ritual involves a tin whistle; he's like the Pied Piper of the deceased. I'll admit I had kind of expected Felix to be a somewhat disguised John Constantine—and actually, I would have been totally okay with that, because as far as I'm concerned, anyone who wants to write a series of novels about a somewhat disguised John Constantine should have free reign (as long as they preserve the cool comics version and don't buy into that wussy movie idiocy). But Felix is actually quite different—much less cocky and confident, more a person who's just trying to survive than someone who's out there willingly taking on the world. Carey has an engaging writing style, full of wit and clever similes. The plot...is somewhat less engaging; it's actually a rather standard murder mystery, only with supernatural trappings. The "surprise!" bad guy is exactly who you would peg as the bad guy if you've read much of anything at all, and there's a very annoying chapter of exposition/confession that interrupts the action toward the end. All in all, I was left with the feeling that the world Carey has created is deserving of a more interesting storyline. The ending—the "Hey, in case you didn't catch it, this is the start of a series" ending—teases of one, and I would very much like to read the next book. Of course, it's not available in the States. Pooh.

The author has chosen ten thought-provoking poems, which he then writing narratives about. Interesting, but a bit like being back in English class. Also, none of the poems had that much of an impact on me.

This is the fourth book in the series. I haven't read any of the other books but I understood it completely. I guess you don't have to read them in order.