Death and the Devil: A Novel

Duller than the dullest ditchwater after it's been run through a Dull-O-Matic. Literally took me a year to read (iRead once prompted me to remove it, on the grounds it had been sitting untouched in my Reading pile so long), and I would have gleefully chucked it at the wall and given up if I hadn't paid for the stupid hardcover. A huge disappointment after the layered treat...more

Duller than the dullest ditchwater after it's been run through a Dull-O-Matic. Literally took me a year to read (iRead once prompted me to remove it, on the grounds it had been sitting untouched in my Reading pile so long), and I would have gleefully chucked it at the wall and given up if I hadn't paid for the stupid hardcover. A huge disappointment after the layered treat that was Schatzing's Swarm. I'd like to say that the dashes of history added to the narrative help redeem it, but since they're largely delivered in expository narrative by a blow-hard secondary character I can't even do that. One of the few books I can honestly say I wish I'd never met.   hide

Awesome. i loved it. I kept me hooked till the end. I love the main character, even if i got disappointed about his personal story and what took him to Cologne. Very well-written, dynamic, like a movie. I totally recommend it!

Great evocative book set in Cologne in the late 1200s when the cathedral was being built. Takes you to the streets and alleys of middle ages Cologne as a murder mystery is being played out amongst the patricians, the church and the lower classes. Jacob the Fox is the main character who witnesses the murder of the cathedral's architect (don't worry I haven't spoilt it) and he also goes through a...more

Great evocative book set in Cologne in the late 1200s when the cathedral was being built. Takes you to the streets and alleys of middle ages Cologne as a murder mystery is being played out amongst the patricians, the church and the lower classes. Jacob the Fox is the main character who witnesses the murder of the cathedral's architect (don't worry I haven't spoilt it) and he also goes through a great transformation through the people he meets as a result of witnessing the murder.    hide