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The Clown Service by Guy Adams
Sep. 17th, 2014 03:32 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
”If the Security Service is The Circus, then Section 37 is where we keep the clowns.”
Toby Greene has been reassigned.
After one screw up too many, he finds himself at a largely forgotten branch of the British Intelligence Service, working for August Shining, a Cold War relic, and charged with defending the country from paranormal terrorism.
But when an ex-Soviet-era enemy return with an insidious plan to raise the dead and destroy London, it seems Toby’s impossibly job is to save Great Britain – whether he believes it or not.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Guy Adams’s fantasy spy thriller combines a Le Carre cold war spy thriller with a Ben Aaronovitch attention to paranormal world-building in an entertaining romp with a nice spin on zombies. Although Toby’s a lightly sketched character, I wasn’t too worried about that given that this is the first in a series and I liked the hints of a troubled background, notably his PTSD suffered after something happened during a mission in Iraq and his burgeoning relationship with August. My favourite scenes are August’s flashbacks to the 60s and particularly his relationship with his paranormal assets (whose abilities I won’t spoil, although Cyril is probably the best), but August himself plays second fiddle to his indomitable sister, April, who moves through political circles and espionage rings like a force of nature. I also liked Tamar, August’s upstairs neighbour and self-appointed protector who has a troubled background but wish that Soviet spy, Krishnin, had been a little more rounded in terms of motivation. The plot rolls along nicely with plenty of action to keep me entertained and Adams also introduces a background arc that has promise of more complicated long-term shenanigans. All in all, it’s a fun read and I’ll definitely check out the sequel.
Toby Greene has been reassigned.
After one screw up too many, he finds himself at a largely forgotten branch of the British Intelligence Service, working for August Shining, a Cold War relic, and charged with defending the country from paranormal terrorism.
But when an ex-Soviet-era enemy return with an insidious plan to raise the dead and destroy London, it seems Toby’s impossibly job is to save Great Britain – whether he believes it or not.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Guy Adams’s fantasy spy thriller combines a Le Carre cold war spy thriller with a Ben Aaronovitch attention to paranormal world-building in an entertaining romp with a nice spin on zombies. Although Toby’s a lightly sketched character, I wasn’t too worried about that given that this is the first in a series and I liked the hints of a troubled background, notably his PTSD suffered after something happened during a mission in Iraq and his burgeoning relationship with August. My favourite scenes are August’s flashbacks to the 60s and particularly his relationship with his paranormal assets (whose abilities I won’t spoil, although Cyril is probably the best), but August himself plays second fiddle to his indomitable sister, April, who moves through political circles and espionage rings like a force of nature. I also liked Tamar, August’s upstairs neighbour and self-appointed protector who has a troubled background but wish that Soviet spy, Krishnin, had been a little more rounded in terms of motivation. The plot rolls along nicely with plenty of action to keep me entertained and Adams also introduces a background arc that has promise of more complicated long-term shenanigans. All in all, it’s a fun read and I’ll definitely check out the sequel.
