On The Nightstand – Fifth Ward: First Watch – 8/11/2018

So…how many times in Fantasy Novels does the author toss out a throw away line about the City Watch – almost always a nameless, faceless presence that’s mentioned in passing – included mainly for the purpose of setting the stage or because it’s an easily acceptable way to establish the atmosphere for a scene.  Here’s a novel idea – why not write a BOOK about those guys – and in the process make it fun freakin’ story – and let them be the heroes for once and not the guys that the heroes avoid, ignore, disrespect or put down with contemptible ease.  While we’re doing all that – here’s another neat idea – let’s make it a police procedural.

Dale Lucas has done just that and thanks to him for finally putting these guys at the center of the story.  Thanks also to FanFiAddict for pointing me in the direction of this book with his review of second book in the series – “Fifth Ward:  Friendly Fire”.  As I was reading this book, I couldn’t help but keep asking myself – why hasn’t someone done this before or, if they have, why didn’t I know about it.  I started this one Friday after work and I was done by about 3:00 on Saturday.  It was fast, fun and totally worth the price.  This is probably not a book that’s going to stand the test of time but it was still a real treat – just the thing I needed to break away from some of the heavier stuff I’ve been reading.

The two main characters, Torval and Rem, are an odd couple that works.  Rem may be just a bit too wide eyed and well-intended while Torval may be a bit too angry and formidable at times but overall, they’re well matched and, by the end of the book, they’re working well together as partners.  Rem toughens up and Torval softens and humanizes – odd thing to say about a Dwarf but true nonetheless.  I liked the way Lucas created his environment – the city of Yenara is a place that can, for its residents and its cops, easily become the object of a Love – Hate relationship.  The Ward (Precinct) approach is well-conceived and the way the non-human races fit within the legal system is unique and interesting.  The objects of Torval and Rem’s investigations start small and the larger crime is masked until the end of the book as the threads of those two investigations come together.  Magic plays a very small part in order to keep the focus on the police and the police work.  I really did  think the whole thing was well-constructed.

This one was a winner – Lethal Weapon with medieval weaponry – a book that I didn’t want to put down.  I’ve already purchased the second book and plan to jump into it as soon as I can.