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Available
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Publication
Hodder (2012), Kindle Edition, 416 pages
Description
Bobby Dollar, an angel who has taken part in the long battle between Heaven and Hell, must figure out why there are suddenly an unprecedented number of souls missing from both sides and who summoned a Babylonian demon to kill him.
Media reviews
For me Tad Williams sits right up there with the very best fantasy story-tellers...
User reviews
LibraryThing member drneutron
Tad Williams is one of my favorite epic fantasy writers. His Memory, Sorrow and Thorn is a classic of the genre, and rivals Tolkien for depth, development, and characters. So I was intrigued and excited by his latest - of all things, a mashup of noir detective fiction and urban fantasy with angels
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and demons. Guess what? It works, and works pretty well. The world is as well developed as ever, the plot's as noir as it gets, and the characters are his usual well-done. Now, it's nothing ground-breaking; urban fantasy's been done lots lately. But if you're looking for an accomplished example of how it should be done, I'd start here. Show Less
LibraryThing member crazybatcow
It has taken me nearly 6 weeks to finish this book. That is about 5 weeks longer than most books. Why? It's well-written and the concept is interesting but... well... it just lacks something. There is not enough suspense, and there is too much "battling" going on - every chapter has the main
I needed the story itself to move forward, and the character to grow or change a bit... neither really happened, and when there was a change or a growth, it was followed by yet another "battle" scene... I'm not a 14 year old boy who gets excited when a monster chases someone down a street, so having this happen so frequently did not engage me in the story.
And I think Bobby was the only one who hadn't figured out who was behind everything by the end of the book.
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character in this book's version of a "car chase" where he escapes by the skin of his teeth, but the bad guy isn't stopped, just temporarily thwarted, so in the next chapter, the main character will have someone to chase him again.I needed the story itself to move forward, and the character to grow or change a bit... neither really happened, and when there was a change or a growth, it was followed by yet another "battle" scene... I'm not a 14 year old boy who gets excited when a monster chases someone down a street, so having this happen so frequently did not engage me in the story.
And I think Bobby was the only one who hadn't figured out who was behind everything by the end of the book.
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LibraryThing member Karlstar
This is a modern day urban fantasy with as you can guess, angels and demons. It hits just the right balance between too-good fantasy and gritty, dark fantasy, not too much of either. The 'hero' of the story is an angel named Dolorial, or his street name of Bobby Dollar. Angels appear to be normal
The story is mostly an urban fantasy detective story, as Bobby sets out to find out what's going on with the missing souls and ends up in the middle of a huge conspiracy. Mr. William's writing is excellent, the pace of the book is fast but not too fast and his characters are compelling. Unless you object to his 'objective' views of religion, which while somewhat Christian don't really favor one religion over another, there's nothing less than excellent about this book. Sure, at times it isn't 'realistic', but its a fantasy novel with angels and demons, what would be realistic about that? I enjoyed this very much.
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humans when seen around town, but are tougher and stronger than normal humans. Dolorial is an advocate, an angel that speaks for the dead when they are judged immediately after death (no judgement at the pearly gates here). Things start to get strange when a soul disappears while Bobby is advocating. The story is mostly an urban fantasy detective story, as Bobby sets out to find out what's going on with the missing souls and ends up in the middle of a huge conspiracy. Mr. William's writing is excellent, the pace of the book is fast but not too fast and his characters are compelling. Unless you object to his 'objective' views of religion, which while somewhat Christian don't really favor one religion over another, there's nothing less than excellent about this book. Sure, at times it isn't 'realistic', but its a fantasy novel with angels and demons, what would be realistic about that? I enjoyed this very much.
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LibraryThing member ThePortPorts
Oh, man. I barely managed to finish this book; I am loathe to DNF a book, but this one sorely tempted me.
Alas, I made it through. I don't know if the style actually got better (aka irritated me less) or if I just gave up and let the book wound my readerly soul.
I liked a couple things: Caz, the
I couldn't stand: The protagonist. The protagonist's "voice." The irritating way the protagonist kept telling me stuff he'd already told me just in case I wasn't paying attention earlier. The protagonist.
Can you tell I don't like Bobby Dollar? It's hard to love a book when the main character, who is also the narrator, hurts you like fingernails drawn across the proverbial chalkboard.
Far too clever for its own good.
I won't be reading more books about Bobby Dollar, public defender of the final kind.
Alas, I made it through. I don't know if the style actually got better (aka irritated me less) or if I just gave up and let the book wound my readerly soul.
I liked a couple things: Caz, the
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complicated romantic relationship, Sam.I couldn't stand: The protagonist. The protagonist's "voice." The irritating way the protagonist kept telling me stuff he'd already told me just in case I wasn't paying attention earlier. The protagonist.
Can you tell I don't like Bobby Dollar? It's hard to love a book when the main character, who is also the narrator, hurts you like fingernails drawn across the proverbial chalkboard.
Far too clever for its own good.
I won't be reading more books about Bobby Dollar, public defender of the final kind.
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LibraryThing member earthwindwalker
This is a Rip-Roaring Trip through the fields of Heaven with a quick detour across Purgatory back to the gritty side-streets of Earth. Tad Williams still remains one of my favorite authors and he doesn’t disappoint with this foray into urban fantasy. The first thing I was surprised at was the
The take on Heaven and Hell and everything in between was mind-bending and I especially liked Hell’s Prosecutors.
All is not what it seems and this is a common theme throughout the whole story.
Dollar is always on the run from the next baddie or Hell-beast while somehow invoking human emotions and concepts such as love, doubt, and passion. He can’t seem to get a break from demons, hellbeasts, angels, or spirits, makes you really feel for the guy and root for the underdog.
There are a lot of otherworldly visitors and that never ceases to fascinate me. Everything you thought was real is turned upside down, inside out and sideways. When you think you get an answer, another question pops up.
I would recommend this to urban fantasy fans. There are action scenes, love scenes, and surreal moments. It is what I always look for in a book and sometimes have difficulty finding. It really is a complicated case of Good vs Evil and you begin to wonder whose side you are on. The grey area between doesn’t seem so wrong.
I give this book 5 fairies for the complex array of supernatural elements, human emotions, and action packed scenes that keep you turning the pages and running through the book with Bobby Dollar.
Some of my favorite Dollar quotes:
“Outward appearances only seem to be important to earthbound types like me, staggering around in meat bodies all the time, living mostly in three dimensions.”
“There is no greater bliss than ignorance.”
“I called them bosses or employers, but unless you’re in the mob or an army under fire your bosses can’t usually kill you when they get pissed at you, and no other bosses but mine and my opponents’ can have your soul jerked out of your body and sent to the deepest fiery pits to suffer for eternity. Unless you work for Wal-Mart.”
“Jude is like one of those favorite books where you find something new every time you open it.”
“Either way, by the time the preliminaries ended a whole lot of nothing had been said, but the massive ballroom stank with the odor of violent subtext.”
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number of pages in this book. Not the typical Williams storyline but still had the descriptive elements that I’ve come to enjoy. It’s these exact elements that really help me jump into the story and get to know the people inside. Bobby Dollar is one of the characters you wish you could have a drink in a pub with and really listen to what he has to say. The human qualities are really striking and mask the fact that he really is an Angel. The take on Heaven and Hell and everything in between was mind-bending and I especially liked Hell’s Prosecutors.
All is not what it seems and this is a common theme throughout the whole story.
Dollar is always on the run from the next baddie or Hell-beast while somehow invoking human emotions and concepts such as love, doubt, and passion. He can’t seem to get a break from demons, hellbeasts, angels, or spirits, makes you really feel for the guy and root for the underdog.
There are a lot of otherworldly visitors and that never ceases to fascinate me. Everything you thought was real is turned upside down, inside out and sideways. When you think you get an answer, another question pops up.
I would recommend this to urban fantasy fans. There are action scenes, love scenes, and surreal moments. It is what I always look for in a book and sometimes have difficulty finding. It really is a complicated case of Good vs Evil and you begin to wonder whose side you are on. The grey area between doesn’t seem so wrong.
I give this book 5 fairies for the complex array of supernatural elements, human emotions, and action packed scenes that keep you turning the pages and running through the book with Bobby Dollar.
Some of my favorite Dollar quotes:
“Outward appearances only seem to be important to earthbound types like me, staggering around in meat bodies all the time, living mostly in three dimensions.”
“There is no greater bliss than ignorance.”
“I called them bosses or employers, but unless you’re in the mob or an army under fire your bosses can’t usually kill you when they get pissed at you, and no other bosses but mine and my opponents’ can have your soul jerked out of your body and sent to the deepest fiery pits to suffer for eternity. Unless you work for Wal-Mart.”
“Jude is like one of those favorite books where you find something new every time you open it.”
“Either way, by the time the preliminaries ended a whole lot of nothing had been said, but the massive ballroom stank with the odor of violent subtext.”
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LibraryThing member Capnrandm
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.
allthingsuf.com
Sam Spade with a tarnished halo, the dame who walks into Bobby Dollar’s life has a hint of brimstone to go along with her perfume. Though Bobby’s day to day angelic duties are more Law and Order than P. I. work, when a soul turns up
It took me a chapter or so to get used to Bobby’s noire point of view, but his turn of a phrase had me laughing out loud almost immediately. I was really hooked once the focus moved from how the immediately-after-life works to pounding the pavement in search of answers. Unfortunately, angelic politics frame the beginning and end of this book, which means I only found the middle completely engrossing.
Angels in urban fantasy are a tricky business for me, and while the character dynamic of THE DIRTY STREETS OF HEAVEN had me laughing out loud, the afterlife machinations that had Bobby Dollar on the run never really made sense. Williams writes convincingly of angels as “human” workers, advocating to win souls without nitpicking on moral matters, but it’s still unclear how these flawed foot soldiers fit in to the greater celestial picture. That uncertainty is find over the course of the series, but that meant that the mystery/action portion of THE DIRTY STREETS OF HEAVEN didn’t evoke an emotional response from me.
All of the supporting characters around Bobby are a little shady, from his buddy Sam to his ex-girlfriend to the new kid or the demonic temptress that he can’t stop thinking about. I liked the uncertainty of not knowing if Bobby were making the right decisions on who to trust. Williams doesn’t tie any of the these relationships up with a bow, which means all of the uncertainty and questions in THE DIRTY STREETS OF HEAVEN will provide character driven conflict for book two. Though book one wasn’t quite enough to have me emotionally on the hook, I’m definitely looking forward to HAPPY HOUR IN HELL next year.
Sexual Content: Sex scenes.
allthingsuf.com
Sam Spade with a tarnished halo, the dame who walks into Bobby Dollar’s life has a hint of brimstone to go along with her perfume. Though Bobby’s day to day angelic duties are more Law and Order than P. I. work, when a soul turns up
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missing he is forced to go off the reservation and start investigating things on his own.It took me a chapter or so to get used to Bobby’s noire point of view, but his turn of a phrase had me laughing out loud almost immediately. I was really hooked once the focus moved from how the immediately-after-life works to pounding the pavement in search of answers. Unfortunately, angelic politics frame the beginning and end of this book, which means I only found the middle completely engrossing.
Angels in urban fantasy are a tricky business for me, and while the character dynamic of THE DIRTY STREETS OF HEAVEN had me laughing out loud, the afterlife machinations that had Bobby Dollar on the run never really made sense. Williams writes convincingly of angels as “human” workers, advocating to win souls without nitpicking on moral matters, but it’s still unclear how these flawed foot soldiers fit in to the greater celestial picture. That uncertainty is find over the course of the series, but that meant that the mystery/action portion of THE DIRTY STREETS OF HEAVEN didn’t evoke an emotional response from me.
All of the supporting characters around Bobby are a little shady, from his buddy Sam to his ex-girlfriend to the new kid or the demonic temptress that he can’t stop thinking about. I liked the uncertainty of not knowing if Bobby were making the right decisions on who to trust. Williams doesn’t tie any of the these relationships up with a bow, which means all of the uncertainty and questions in THE DIRTY STREETS OF HEAVEN will provide character driven conflict for book two. Though book one wasn’t quite enough to have me emotionally on the hook, I’m definitely looking forward to HAPPY HOUR IN HELL next year.
Sexual Content: Sex scenes.
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LibraryThing member juhudo
Just finished this high-speed book. I had the pure imagination of a multi-part tv-show running inside my head.
I like the protagonist Bobby Dollar (Angel Doloriel) who isn't really an angel expected. Too, the problems he has to deal with are strange, quite human, but the enemies are from hell.
I
I like the protagonist Bobby Dollar (Angel Doloriel) who isn't really an angel expected. Too, the problems he has to deal with are strange, quite human, but the enemies are from hell.
I
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think this novel is quite different to Tad Williams' other books, but I love them all. Show Less
LibraryThing member LongDogMom
I loved it! Couldn't stop reading! Can't wait for more.
LibraryThing member hashford
This feels like a new kind of cross-genre book – detective story & adventure story all given a fantasy setting – and it makes for a fun read.
Bobby Dollar is an angel, but no ordinary angel. He lives on earth, he inhabits a human body and seems to have some very human vices and limitations. In
Bobby’s job is that of advocate. When someone dies, he rushes to the scene and tries to make the case for the recently deceased soul to be permitted to enter Heaven; he will, of course, have to counter the arguments put forward by his Hellish counterpart – the advocate arguing for the soul to be sent to Hell. But one day, the soul in question is missing – and Bobby finds himself caught up in a web of intrigue which threatens his own eternal soul.
I haven’t read Tad Williams before, but I do read quite a lot of sci-fi and fantasy, so I approached this book with interest. It certainly has an unusual setting, but once you take that on board (as with any fantasy you simply have to go with the flow), it’s a fairly standard detective adventure, with an intriguing love interest thrown in for good measure. Bobby Dollar is an interesting and empathetic character; I found myself identifying with him and wanting to know what happens next – so I was certainly drawn into the story, and this is why I have given it 4*s.
However, I do agree with an earlier reviewer that there is a lot of exposition about Heaven, and a lot of it is merely telling you what Williams is NOT going to tell you – for instance, Bobby doesn’t know why angels don’t remember their past lives, and he doesn’t know why he prefers being on Earth to being in Heaven (isn’t heaven supposed to be where everyone wants to go???) – which gets sort of irritating.
I guess much of this will be explained in subsequent Bobby D adventures; and although this story does come to an ending of sorts, there are certainly plenty of plot lines left open enough to make the reader want to come back for the next instalment.
Will I read more in the series? Probably. But I won’t be rushing out to get them.
Bobby Dollar is an angel, but no ordinary angel. He lives on earth, he inhabits a human body and seems to have some very human vices and limitations. In
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short we can identify with him. He is a pretty average guy, good at his job, conscientious (well, fairly), and likes to hang out with his mates in a seedy drinking establishment called The Compasses.Bobby’s job is that of advocate. When someone dies, he rushes to the scene and tries to make the case for the recently deceased soul to be permitted to enter Heaven; he will, of course, have to counter the arguments put forward by his Hellish counterpart – the advocate arguing for the soul to be sent to Hell. But one day, the soul in question is missing – and Bobby finds himself caught up in a web of intrigue which threatens his own eternal soul.
I haven’t read Tad Williams before, but I do read quite a lot of sci-fi and fantasy, so I approached this book with interest. It certainly has an unusual setting, but once you take that on board (as with any fantasy you simply have to go with the flow), it’s a fairly standard detective adventure, with an intriguing love interest thrown in for good measure. Bobby Dollar is an interesting and empathetic character; I found myself identifying with him and wanting to know what happens next – so I was certainly drawn into the story, and this is why I have given it 4*s.
However, I do agree with an earlier reviewer that there is a lot of exposition about Heaven, and a lot of it is merely telling you what Williams is NOT going to tell you – for instance, Bobby doesn’t know why angels don’t remember their past lives, and he doesn’t know why he prefers being on Earth to being in Heaven (isn’t heaven supposed to be where everyone wants to go???) – which gets sort of irritating.
I guess much of this will be explained in subsequent Bobby D adventures; and although this story does come to an ending of sorts, there are certainly plenty of plot lines left open enough to make the reader want to come back for the next instalment.
Will I read more in the series? Probably. But I won’t be rushing out to get them.
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LibraryThing member LITERALADDICTION
Our Review, by LITERAL ADDICTION's Guest Reviewer - Michelle M:
I have never really read a book about angels so I was definitely interested in reviewing this book. Although a little too detailed in some areas I did enjoy the story line. Heaven is a lot like our government in many ways and this is
Bobby Dollar is not your average angel, he cusses, drinks, loves women and is always getting himself into sticky situations. I honestly found him quite funny in a lot of the book and that was refreshing. The fact that he is an angel but in his "human" body and an average "bad boy" was a interesting concept. After a soul goes missing, Bobby questions the actions of both Heaven and Hell and it tends to bring some interesting characters to his door. You have his friend who can only talk while in pig form, a demon Countess that he is infatuated with and a guy that is a wanna be rapper/wanna be sidekick.
I tend to think of Urban Fantasy books as having a lot of action, this one didn't have as much as I would have liked. I would recommend this book to an Urban Fantasy lover and overall I give this book a 3 Skull rating.
I have never really read a book about angels so I was definitely interested in reviewing this book. Although a little too detailed in some areas I did enjoy the story line. Heaven is a lot like our government in many ways and this is
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where I found there were too many details and I wanted to skip ahead. When a soul breaks away from the body it was in, an advocate from Heaven and Hell tell a judge the "good and bad" about this person so it is decided where they shall go following their death. This is where Bobby Dollar comes in. Bobby Dollar is not your average angel, he cusses, drinks, loves women and is always getting himself into sticky situations. I honestly found him quite funny in a lot of the book and that was refreshing. The fact that he is an angel but in his "human" body and an average "bad boy" was a interesting concept. After a soul goes missing, Bobby questions the actions of both Heaven and Hell and it tends to bring some interesting characters to his door. You have his friend who can only talk while in pig form, a demon Countess that he is infatuated with and a guy that is a wanna be rapper/wanna be sidekick.
I tend to think of Urban Fantasy books as having a lot of action, this one didn't have as much as I would have liked. I would recommend this book to an Urban Fantasy lover and overall I give this book a 3 Skull rating.
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LibraryThing member washor
Back in ’98 or ’99 I was introduced to Tad Williams during deployment to Germany for infantry training. The Dragonbone Chair (and subsequently its two sequels) quickly committed me as a huge Tad Williams fan. I’ve read all of his fantasy novels and I collect his short story anthologies too.
The Dirty Streets of Heaven is a novel in the urban fantasy sub-genre. Most of the time when I first hear about a new UF novel I am thrown off. I like Jim Butcher – the quintessential godfather of UF – but something about the genre just doesn’t appeal to me as much as traditional fantasies do. I’ll admit, when I first heard Tad was writing a UF novel, I cringed a little. Not much though as I know he can write anything and write it damn well. Instead of doing my typical likening it to Twilight (yes without ever even having read Twilight or its comparison in question), I caught and reminded myself , “Hey! This is Tad Williams!” I’m glad I did.
The setting is in the fictional city of San Judas in southern California. The Dirty Streets of Heaven transpires in modern day with angels and demons communicating and recording events via smartphones and the like. The story is rather fast paced (also a bit shorter than much of Tad’s previous work) and this was one of those books I simply couldn’t put down. It follows a winding plot that is patterned a lot like a mystery novel. I suppose this is fitting as the protagonist is a lawyer. He runs about the story gathering evidence to both understand the strange events that are transpiring and to save his own immortal soul. I had correctly guessed a fair share of the outcome as I read, but I never knew if my assumptions were actually right until the end.
We follow one point of view which is told in the first person throughout The Dirty Streets of Heaven. Bobby Dollar is an angel in a human’s body. He is a good guy, but has a bit of a distrustful attitude toward other angels, especially those who are stationed up in heaven. He is a lawyer that fights for human souls after their bodies die. He defends to keep them from being successfully prosecuted against by one of hell’s own attorneys. Success and they get to move on to purgatory or heaven. Failure and they go to that other place. Sadly, the poor soul is completely at the whim of their defense, the prosecution, and ultimately the judge who is fallible, yet their decision is eternal law. This may sound awfully Judeo-Christian. And well, it sort of is, but the characters in the book make sure the reader knows not any one of the religions were actually correct. Heaven and Hell are set up a lot like in Dante’s Inferno and Paradiso, but there is no God’s law that states, “Thou shalt be a [INSERT YOUR FAVORITE RELIGION HERE] or burn in eternal hell-fire.” Quite the opposite is actually how Williams tells the story. In his words, anyone (even an atheist) who is a good person can move on to heaven. Being an agnostic atheist myself, I’m okay with that.
Tad William’s writing style is simply perfect and I challenge anyone to debate this in the comments section (No, seriously, I’d love to hear your own opinions). He makes sure that every sentence of his that gets published is well thought and better told. Tad uses the perfect amount of description to paint a scene but doesn’t bore his readers with endless details. His creativity lies in those details and they all come together like lavender and oil. I should mention that there are some graphic sexual scenes in this book. I’m a little embarrassed to say, but I really enjoyed them.
I proudly give The Dirty Streets of Heaven 5 out of 5 stars. I’m not surprised in the least and I can’t wait for the conclusion of this two book series, Happy Hour in Hell.
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Even his Sci-Fi works are on my to-read list, which is saying something as I am quite the fantasy snob. There’s a reason G.R.R.M. calls Tad one of his influences. His writing combines a deep creative genius with the prose and language to tell fantastic tales. As soon as I heard Williams was writing a new urban fantasy series, I got really excited and a little bit nervous too.The Dirty Streets of Heaven is a novel in the urban fantasy sub-genre. Most of the time when I first hear about a new UF novel I am thrown off. I like Jim Butcher – the quintessential godfather of UF – but something about the genre just doesn’t appeal to me as much as traditional fantasies do. I’ll admit, when I first heard Tad was writing a UF novel, I cringed a little. Not much though as I know he can write anything and write it damn well. Instead of doing my typical likening it to Twilight (yes without ever even having read Twilight or its comparison in question), I caught and reminded myself , “Hey! This is Tad Williams!” I’m glad I did.
The setting is in the fictional city of San Judas in southern California. The Dirty Streets of Heaven transpires in modern day with angels and demons communicating and recording events via smartphones and the like. The story is rather fast paced (also a bit shorter than much of Tad’s previous work) and this was one of those books I simply couldn’t put down. It follows a winding plot that is patterned a lot like a mystery novel. I suppose this is fitting as the protagonist is a lawyer. He runs about the story gathering evidence to both understand the strange events that are transpiring and to save his own immortal soul. I had correctly guessed a fair share of the outcome as I read, but I never knew if my assumptions were actually right until the end.
We follow one point of view which is told in the first person throughout The Dirty Streets of Heaven. Bobby Dollar is an angel in a human’s body. He is a good guy, but has a bit of a distrustful attitude toward other angels, especially those who are stationed up in heaven. He is a lawyer that fights for human souls after their bodies die. He defends to keep them from being successfully prosecuted against by one of hell’s own attorneys. Success and they get to move on to purgatory or heaven. Failure and they go to that other place. Sadly, the poor soul is completely at the whim of their defense, the prosecution, and ultimately the judge who is fallible, yet their decision is eternal law. This may sound awfully Judeo-Christian. And well, it sort of is, but the characters in the book make sure the reader knows not any one of the religions were actually correct. Heaven and Hell are set up a lot like in Dante’s Inferno and Paradiso, but there is no God’s law that states, “Thou shalt be a [INSERT YOUR FAVORITE RELIGION HERE] or burn in eternal hell-fire.” Quite the opposite is actually how Williams tells the story. In his words, anyone (even an atheist) who is a good person can move on to heaven. Being an agnostic atheist myself, I’m okay with that.
Tad William’s writing style is simply perfect and I challenge anyone to debate this in the comments section (No, seriously, I’d love to hear your own opinions). He makes sure that every sentence of his that gets published is well thought and better told. Tad uses the perfect amount of description to paint a scene but doesn’t bore his readers with endless details. His creativity lies in those details and they all come together like lavender and oil. I should mention that there are some graphic sexual scenes in this book. I’m a little embarrassed to say, but I really enjoyed them.
I proudly give The Dirty Streets of Heaven 5 out of 5 stars. I’m not surprised in the least and I can’t wait for the conclusion of this two book series, Happy Hour in Hell.
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LibraryThing member randalrh
It seems career-icidally ambitious to try to lay out the politics and personalities of heaven and hell. Not only do people get touchy about that kind of thing, it's really hard to spread some subtlety over Good and Evil. If someone's going to try, though, Tad Williams seems like a good bet. It's
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not clear how well he's succeeded with this first book, but I'll be reading the others to see how the eschatology plays out. My main disappointments are personal--I just don't care much for the hard-boiled softie meets wrong girl storyline, no matter who's writing it. Show Less
LibraryThing member JohnnyPanic13
The Dirty Streets of Heaven by Tad Williams
I'm giving this book high marks, but they are high marks that come with a qualifier. If you like this type of book, you will like this book in particular. The problem is finding the right shelf for this type of book. Urban fantasy? yes, that's part of it.
Jim Butcher's 'The Dresden Files' were previously the only other volumes filling that slim shelf. And I love those books. And as quickly as Jim Butcher births those slim volumed paper babies, there's still time between them. And like the addict that i am - the junkie addicted to first-person wise cracking detectives who don't play by the rules and always get the dames - I've been itching for a new one.
The Dirty Streets of Heaven fills that niche nicely. Starring Bobby Dollar, the angel with a few bad habits who doesn't trust anyone and throws out one-liners so bad they make the entire English language weep, this story has all the right ingredients. You've got your convoluted mystery that our hero is pulled in to, your cast of colourful characters both heavenly and hellish, your sub-mystery that may or may not have something to do with the main mystery, and you literally have a "and then she walked into the room" moment.
Williams gets all these things right. It's hard to believe this is the first novel he's written like this. I only have two complaints.
The first is the pacing near the end of the book. I might have been set up for this one. Someone had warned me that the chase scene near the end of the book seems to drag a bit. So maybe I was anticipating it. But I'm going to have to agree. Without giving anything away, there's a segment where our bad ass angel is being chased by badder-asser things. It seems to fall into this roving cycle of "hey we've got you, there's no way out" and then "ha ha, i found a way out, you're chasing me again!". The pacing just felt a little off here. It didn't ruin the book by any means. But in a story where pacing is so important it definitely stood out.
My second complaint would be the ending. It wasn't bad, but it was a smidge too much "tune in next time to follow the adventures of Bobby Dollar" for me. By this time I was hooked, so I will be picking up the next book. But still, a tighter, more complete ending would have made me happier.
In short, if you like The Dresden Files, or Noire mystery in general, you're going to enjoy this book. If you aren't sure, it's worth picking up and trying. It's a fun book, fast paced, and well written.
If you couldn't get into, or even disliked, the Dresden Files, you probably aren't going to enjoy this one either.
I'm giving this book high marks, but they are high marks that come with a qualifier. If you like this type of book, you will like this book in particular. The problem is finding the right shelf for this type of book. Urban fantasy? yes, that's part of it.
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But something of the mystery genre mixed in, specifically the noire detective novel. But with a supernatural twist to it too. Supernatural noire mystery. Ya, it's a pretty small bookshelf. Jim Butcher's 'The Dresden Files' were previously the only other volumes filling that slim shelf. And I love those books. And as quickly as Jim Butcher births those slim volumed paper babies, there's still time between them. And like the addict that i am - the junkie addicted to first-person wise cracking detectives who don't play by the rules and always get the dames - I've been itching for a new one.
The Dirty Streets of Heaven fills that niche nicely. Starring Bobby Dollar, the angel with a few bad habits who doesn't trust anyone and throws out one-liners so bad they make the entire English language weep, this story has all the right ingredients. You've got your convoluted mystery that our hero is pulled in to, your cast of colourful characters both heavenly and hellish, your sub-mystery that may or may not have something to do with the main mystery, and you literally have a "and then she walked into the room" moment.
Williams gets all these things right. It's hard to believe this is the first novel he's written like this. I only have two complaints.
The first is the pacing near the end of the book. I might have been set up for this one. Someone had warned me that the chase scene near the end of the book seems to drag a bit. So maybe I was anticipating it. But I'm going to have to agree. Without giving anything away, there's a segment where our bad ass angel is being chased by badder-asser things. It seems to fall into this roving cycle of "hey we've got you, there's no way out" and then "ha ha, i found a way out, you're chasing me again!". The pacing just felt a little off here. It didn't ruin the book by any means. But in a story where pacing is so important it definitely stood out.
My second complaint would be the ending. It wasn't bad, but it was a smidge too much "tune in next time to follow the adventures of Bobby Dollar" for me. By this time I was hooked, so I will be picking up the next book. But still, a tighter, more complete ending would have made me happier.
In short, if you like The Dresden Files, or Noire mystery in general, you're going to enjoy this book. If you aren't sure, it's worth picking up and trying. It's a fun book, fast paced, and well written.
If you couldn't get into, or even disliked, the Dresden Files, you probably aren't going to enjoy this one either.
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LibraryThing member JohnnyPanic13
The Dirty Streets of Heaven by Tad Williams
I'm giving this book high marks, but they are high marks that come with a qualifier. If you like this type of book, you will like this book in particular. The problem is finding the right shelf for this type of book. Urban fantasy? yes, that's part of it.
Jim Butcher's 'The Dresden Files' were previously the only other volumes filling that slim shelf. And I love those books. And as quickly as Jim Butcher births those slim volumed paper babies, there's still time between them. And like the addict that i am - the junkie addicted to first-person wise cracking detectives who don't play by the rules and always get the dames - I've been itching for a new one.
The Dirty Streets of Heaven fills that niche nicely. Starring Bobby Dollar, the angel with a few bad habits who doesn't trust anyone and throws out one-liners so bad they make the entire English language weep, this story has all the right ingredients. You've got your convoluted mystery that our hero is pulled in to, your cast of colourful characters both heavenly and hellish, your sub-mystery that may or may not have something to do with the main mystery, and you literally have a "and then she walked into the room" moment.
Williams gets all these things right. It's hard to believe this is the first novel he's written like this. I only have two complaints.
The first is the pacing near the end of the book. I might have been set up for this one. Someone had warned me that the chase scene near the end of the book seems to drag a bit. So maybe I was anticipating it. But I'm going to have to agree. Without giving anything away, there's a segment where our bad ass angel is being chased by badder-asser things. It seems to fall into this roving cycle of "hey we've got you, there's no way out" and then "ha ha, i found a way out, you're chasing me again!". The pacing just felt a little off here. It didn't ruin the book by any means. But in a story where pacing is so important it definitely stood out.
My second complaint would be the ending. It wasn't bad, but it was a smidge too much "tune in next time to follow the adventures of Bobby Dollar" for me. By this time I was hooked, so I will be picking up the next book. But still, a tighter, more complete ending would have made me happier.
In short, if you like The Dresden Files, or Noire mystery in general, you're going to enjoy this book. If you aren't sure, it's worth picking up and trying. It's a fun book, fast paced, and well written.
If you couldn't get into, or even disliked, the Dresden Files, you probably aren't going to enjoy this one either.
I'm giving this book high marks, but they are high marks that come with a qualifier. If you like this type of book, you will like this book in particular. The problem is finding the right shelf for this type of book. Urban fantasy? yes, that's part of it.
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But something of the mystery genre mixed in, specifically the noire detective novel. But with a supernatural twist to it too. Supernatural noire mystery. Ya, it's a pretty small bookshelf. Jim Butcher's 'The Dresden Files' were previously the only other volumes filling that slim shelf. And I love those books. And as quickly as Jim Butcher births those slim volumed paper babies, there's still time between them. And like the addict that i am - the junkie addicted to first-person wise cracking detectives who don't play by the rules and always get the dames - I've been itching for a new one.
The Dirty Streets of Heaven fills that niche nicely. Starring Bobby Dollar, the angel with a few bad habits who doesn't trust anyone and throws out one-liners so bad they make the entire English language weep, this story has all the right ingredients. You've got your convoluted mystery that our hero is pulled in to, your cast of colourful characters both heavenly and hellish, your sub-mystery that may or may not have something to do with the main mystery, and you literally have a "and then she walked into the room" moment.
Williams gets all these things right. It's hard to believe this is the first novel he's written like this. I only have two complaints.
The first is the pacing near the end of the book. I might have been set up for this one. Someone had warned me that the chase scene near the end of the book seems to drag a bit. So maybe I was anticipating it. But I'm going to have to agree. Without giving anything away, there's a segment where our bad ass angel is being chased by badder-asser things. It seems to fall into this roving cycle of "hey we've got you, there's no way out" and then "ha ha, i found a way out, you're chasing me again!". The pacing just felt a little off here. It didn't ruin the book by any means. But in a story where pacing is so important it definitely stood out.
My second complaint would be the ending. It wasn't bad, but it was a smidge too much "tune in next time to follow the adventures of Bobby Dollar" for me. By this time I was hooked, so I will be picking up the next book. But still, a tighter, more complete ending would have made me happier.
In short, if you like The Dresden Files, or Noire mystery in general, you're going to enjoy this book. If you aren't sure, it's worth picking up and trying. It's a fun book, fast paced, and well written.
If you couldn't get into, or even disliked, the Dresden Files, you probably aren't going to enjoy this one either.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Capnrandm
Sam Spade with a tarnished halo, the dame who walks into Bobby Dollar's life has a hint of brimstone to go along with her perfume. Though Bobby's day to day angelic duties are more Law and Order than P. I. work, when a soul turns up missing he is forced to start investigating things on his own.
It
Angels are a tricky business, and while the character dynamic of THE DIRTY STREETS OF HEAVEN won me over and had me laughing out loud, the afterlife machinations that had Bobby Dollar on the run never really made sense to me. Heaven erases angels' earthly memories, Hell does not, and it's not really clear to me which practice is being shown as "bad". Williams writes convincingly of angels as "human" workers, advocating to win souls without nit picking on moral matters, but it's still unclear how these flawed foot soldiers fit in to the greater celestial picture. If Bobby's fleshy body and work in the trenches makes him so relatable, I suppose it makes sense that Heaven, which Bobby himself has a hard time remembering, remains amorphous and mysterious. The unfortunate side effect is that the higher angels that reside in Heaven, and that are supposed to add half piece of the urgent plot driving Bobby, never emerge as effective characters.
Full review to follow.
Sexual Content: Sex scenes.
It
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took me a chapter or so to get used to Bobby's noire point of view, but I was hooked once the focus moved from how the immediately-after-life works to pounding the pavement in search of answers. Angels are a tricky business, and while the character dynamic of THE DIRTY STREETS OF HEAVEN won me over and had me laughing out loud, the afterlife machinations that had Bobby Dollar on the run never really made sense to me. Heaven erases angels' earthly memories, Hell does not, and it's not really clear to me which practice is being shown as "bad". Williams writes convincingly of angels as "human" workers, advocating to win souls without nit picking on moral matters, but it's still unclear how these flawed foot soldiers fit in to the greater celestial picture. If Bobby's fleshy body and work in the trenches makes him so relatable, I suppose it makes sense that Heaven, which Bobby himself has a hard time remembering, remains amorphous and mysterious. The unfortunate side effect is that the higher angels that reside in Heaven, and that are supposed to add half piece of the urgent plot driving Bobby, never emerge as effective characters.
Full review to follow.
Sexual Content: Sex scenes.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mrkleve
If you enjoy urban fantasy and detective novels then you will probably enjoy this book. Dirty Streets is a little bit of both.
This fits right in with my Dresden, John Taylor, and Shaman Bond reads! I am looking forward to the next one in the series with great anticipation.
This fits right in with my Dresden, John Taylor, and Shaman Bond reads! I am looking forward to the next one in the series with great anticipation.
LibraryThing member NCDonnas
The Dirty Streets of Heaven is quite different from what I had previously read by Tad Williams which was his Memory, Sorrow, & Thorn epic fantasy series. However, what was familiar was the solid storytelling, excellent world & character building and dialog. This was an angel themed urban fantasy
Angel Doloriel aka Bobby Dollar is a fast talking, snarky cynic who spends his days advocating for souls caught on the brink of heaven and hell. He finds himself in the middle of a dangerous situation that is likely far beyond his ability to handle and he's not really sure how he got there or how to get out of it. This first novel in the series introduces a quite array of quirky characters who were as abrasive as the dirty streets the title refers to, but satisfyingly so.. I've seen this compared with Jim Butcher's Dresden series and I would agree that fans of that series may want to check out this series.
I'm excited to follow Bobby Dollar's (mis)adventures in the upcoming sequel Happy Hour in Hell which should be released September 3! I would absolutely recommend this to fans of urban fantasy, noir fantasy, detective novels, and as I said above, fans of the Dresden Files.
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unlike most that I've read recently. Williams' imagining of the inner workings of Heaven and Hell were quite original and intriguing as well as including a fast moving plot that is not lacking in action or suspense. The Dirty Streets of Heaven definitely has all the ingredients for an exciting urban fantasy This almost had a noir feel to it with the heirarchy of both heaven & hell almost set up like a Godfather movie. Angel Doloriel aka Bobby Dollar is a fast talking, snarky cynic who spends his days advocating for souls caught on the brink of heaven and hell. He finds himself in the middle of a dangerous situation that is likely far beyond his ability to handle and he's not really sure how he got there or how to get out of it. This first novel in the series introduces a quite array of quirky characters who were as abrasive as the dirty streets the title refers to, but satisfyingly so.. I've seen this compared with Jim Butcher's Dresden series and I would agree that fans of that series may want to check out this series.
I'm excited to follow Bobby Dollar's (mis)adventures in the upcoming sequel Happy Hour in Hell which should be released September 3! I would absolutely recommend this to fans of urban fantasy, noir fantasy, detective novels, and as I said above, fans of the Dresden Files.
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LibraryThing member thatpirategirl
I like the idea of an angel/demon based urban fantasy, but this story didn't turn out to be particularly interesting in either its characters or worldbuilding. It feels a little too similar to the Dresden Files, and I think it missed out on an opportunity to give angels any really interesting
But the mystery aspect of the plot is pretty exciting at times, and teases at expanding the idea of the afterlife in interesting directions for the rest of the series. I doubt I'll continue reading, but more because the style bored me than because it was particularly bad overall. If you like urban fantasy with a gritty mystery element then you'll probably find something to enjoy in this one.
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otherworldly qualities. Somehow even when heaven and hell were facing problems they've never faced before, (a scary concept) the stakes felt low. I guess chase scenes seem less interesting when none of the characters can actually die. But the mystery aspect of the plot is pretty exciting at times, and teases at expanding the idea of the afterlife in interesting directions for the rest of the series. I doubt I'll continue reading, but more because the style bored me than because it was particularly bad overall. If you like urban fantasy with a gritty mystery element then you'll probably find something to enjoy in this one.
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LibraryThing member ahappybooker
The Dirty Streets of Heaven is quite different from what I had previously read by Tad Williams which was his Memory, Sorrow, & Thorn epic fantasy series. However, what was familiar was the solid storytelling, excellent world & character building and dialog. This was an angel themed urban fantasy
Angel Doloriel aka Bobby Dollar is a fast talking, snarky cynic who spends his days advocating for souls caught on the brink of heaven and hell. He finds himself in the middle of a dangerous situation that is likely far beyond his ability to handle and he's not really sure how he got there or how to get out of it. This first novel in the series introduces a quite array of quirky characters who were as abrasive as the dirty streets the title refers to, but satisfyingly so.. I've seen this compared with Jim Butcher's Dresden series and I would agree that fans of that series may want to check out this series.
I'm excited to follow Bobby Dollar's (mis)adventures in the upcoming sequel Happy Hour in Hell which should be released September 3! I would absolutely recommend this to fans of urban fantasy, noir fantasy, detective novels, and as I said above, fans of the Dresden Files.
Show More
unlike most that I've read recently. Williams' imagining of the inner workings of Heaven and Hell were quite original and intriguing as well as including a fast moving plot that is not lacking in action or suspense. The Dirty Streets of Heaven definitely has all the ingredients for an exciting urban fantasy This almost had a noir feel to it with the heirarchy of both heaven & hell almost set up like a Godfather movie. Angel Doloriel aka Bobby Dollar is a fast talking, snarky cynic who spends his days advocating for souls caught on the brink of heaven and hell. He finds himself in the middle of a dangerous situation that is likely far beyond his ability to handle and he's not really sure how he got there or how to get out of it. This first novel in the series introduces a quite array of quirky characters who were as abrasive as the dirty streets the title refers to, but satisfyingly so.. I've seen this compared with Jim Butcher's Dresden series and I would agree that fans of that series may want to check out this series.
I'm excited to follow Bobby Dollar's (mis)adventures in the upcoming sequel Happy Hour in Hell which should be released September 3! I would absolutely recommend this to fans of urban fantasy, noir fantasy, detective novels, and as I said above, fans of the Dresden Files.
Show Less
LibraryThing member ahappybooker
The Dirty Streets of Heaven is quite different from what I had previously read by Tad Williams which was his Memory, Sorrow, & Thorn epic fantasy series. However, what was familiar was the solid storytelling, excellent world & character building and dialog. This was an angel themed urban fantasy
Angel Doloriel aka Bobby Dollar is a fast talking, snarky cynic who spends his days advocating for souls caught on the brink of heaven and hell. He finds himself in the middle of a dangerous situation that is likely far beyond his ability to handle and he's not really sure how he got there or how to get out of it. This first novel in the series introduces a quite array of quirky characters who were as abrasive as the dirty streets the title refers to, but satisfyingly so.. I've seen this compared with Jim Butcher's Dresden series and I would agree that fans of that series may want to check out this series.
I'm excited to follow Bobby Dollar's (mis)adventures in the upcoming sequel Happy Hour in Hell which should be released September 3! I would absolutely recommend this to fans of urban fantasy, noir fantasy, detective novels, and as I said above, fans of the Dresden Files.
Show More
unlike most that I've read recently. Williams' imagining of the inner workings of Heaven and Hell were quite original and intriguing as well as including a fast moving plot that is not lacking in action or suspense. The Dirty Streets of Heaven definitely has all the ingredients for an exciting urban fantasy This almost had a noir feel to it with the heirarchy of both heaven & hell almost set up like a Godfather movie. Angel Doloriel aka Bobby Dollar is a fast talking, snarky cynic who spends his days advocating for souls caught on the brink of heaven and hell. He finds himself in the middle of a dangerous situation that is likely far beyond his ability to handle and he's not really sure how he got there or how to get out of it. This first novel in the series introduces a quite array of quirky characters who were as abrasive as the dirty streets the title refers to, but satisfyingly so.. I've seen this compared with Jim Butcher's Dresden series and I would agree that fans of that series may want to check out this series.
I'm excited to follow Bobby Dollar's (mis)adventures in the upcoming sequel Happy Hour in Hell which should be released September 3! I would absolutely recommend this to fans of urban fantasy, noir fantasy, detective novels, and as I said above, fans of the Dresden Files.
Show Less
LibraryThing member rivkat
Angels and demons advocate for the soul of each dead person; when the angels win it’s Heaven or Purgatory, and when the demons win it’s eternal damnation. Bobby Dollar is a hardboiled combat vet turned angel advocate, and my main reaction was that Williams was trying too hard for the noir
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narrative, even as the setting (sunny California) and the plot (corruption on high, lots of threats and beatings from bruisers, femme fatale with her own agenda despite her incredible attraction to our narrator) fit the bill to a T. Also, I was just creeped out by the narrator’s constant comparisons of his demonic lady love to a child, e.g., “With her youthful, wide-eyed face and long white-gold hair cascading over her naked shoulders she might have been a portrait of Alice that Reverend Dodgson would have kept locked away and shown to no one”—this, right after an explicit sex scene. Not my thing. Show Less
LibraryThing member MadameWho
I wanted to like this book much more than I did. While I didn't dislike it, nonetheless it failed to live up to its potential. Too many plates spinning at once, not enough payoff when the big reveal occurs. Williams is long-winded at times, and the "wise guy" narration felt forced at times. My
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biggest complaint with the book was the way the female characters (all two of them) were depicted. The women were not well developed and mostly existed to boink the main character. Caz could have been really interesting, and I hope that she has more to do beside frolic in bed with Bobby in the next book. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookwormteri
In the war between heaven and hell, some angels and demons are lawyers who will argue for your soul. But then the souls start disappearing and Bobby Dollar was there for the first one.
Very creative, well written and fun. Think pulpy detective who is actually an angel...mind you, not very saintly.
Very creative, well written and fun. Think pulpy detective who is actually an angel...mind you, not very saintly.
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I am looking forward to reading the second in the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member Carol_W
This is an example of what I choose to call the “worldly angel” sub-genre of urban fantasy that takes place in our contemporary world and draws on the Christian mythos of Heaven and Hell, demons and angels (fallen or otherwise). In Williams’ version, both Heaven and Hell draw their agents
Fair warning: This is apparently the first book of a trilogy. Its ending resolves the immediate conflicts but leaves significant things dangling. I should also warn that there is some fairly explicit sex. I could have used less detail on that, but it didn’t seem overtly exploitative in the sense that it fit the needs of the story. There is also quite a lot of violence and mayhem. If you like that sort of thing, this is definitely a book for you. I found it a bit excessive, especially since there were human witnesses to a lot of it which meant that a lot of cover-ups would have been needed – an issue that was barely touched on.
While it’s always clear that Bobby is working on the side of right – that he cares about humanity, for example – a lot of his behavior, and his language, is not very angelic. That’s a large part of the fun of this book. There’s a certain amount of dark humor and the thoughts and dialog of the angels are often hilariously irreverent. I cared about the central character and there were lots of other interesting characters, too, and plenty of action. The set-up was novel within the sub-genre, and the story certainly held my interest. I probably won’t read the sequels, partly because of the sex/violence factor, but also because I thought Williams pulled too many things out of a hat at the end of the book. One thing in particular really bothered me: I’ll try not to spoil anything for anyone who wants to read this book, but if an author is going to hide something in a given location and needs the thing to show up chapters and chapters later, he/she should be sure to make it plausible that the location would still exist after everything that happens in between.
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from among the spirits of dead humanity. Thus, the main character Bobby Dollar is an angel who started out as a human – although he’s not permitted to remember his human existence. His role is that of advocate, which means that he argues before the higher-level angels, who are the judges, on behalf of the souls of the recently deceased in an effort to win them entry into Heaven. That’s his job. But when one of these recently-deceased souls simply vanishes, things get interesting.Fair warning: This is apparently the first book of a trilogy. Its ending resolves the immediate conflicts but leaves significant things dangling. I should also warn that there is some fairly explicit sex. I could have used less detail on that, but it didn’t seem overtly exploitative in the sense that it fit the needs of the story. There is also quite a lot of violence and mayhem. If you like that sort of thing, this is definitely a book for you. I found it a bit excessive, especially since there were human witnesses to a lot of it which meant that a lot of cover-ups would have been needed – an issue that was barely touched on.
While it’s always clear that Bobby is working on the side of right – that he cares about humanity, for example – a lot of his behavior, and his language, is not very angelic. That’s a large part of the fun of this book. There’s a certain amount of dark humor and the thoughts and dialog of the angels are often hilariously irreverent. I cared about the central character and there were lots of other interesting characters, too, and plenty of action. The set-up was novel within the sub-genre, and the story certainly held my interest. I probably won’t read the sequels, partly because of the sex/violence factor, but also because I thought Williams pulled too many things out of a hat at the end of the book. One thing in particular really bothered me: I’ll try not to spoil anything for anyone who wants to read this book, but if an author is going to hide something in a given location and needs the thing to show up chapters and chapters later, he/she should be sure to make it plausible that the location would still exist after everything that happens in between.
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LibraryThing member SoubhiKiewiet
This seems really different for TW. The characters were great, I especially loved the demon's Outside appearances. I enjoyed the story, but was bored in a couple of spots... Which actually is normal for me in most TW books. Overall liked it, although I prefer the epic series he writes. Definitely
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would recommend to Urban Fantasy readers. Show Less
Language
Original publication date
2012-09-04
Local notes
Bobby Dollar is an angel—a real one. He knows a lot about sin, and not just in his professional capacity as an advocate for souls caught between Heaven and Hell. Bobby’s wrestling with a few deadly sins of his own—pride, anger, even lust. When the souls of the recently departed start disappearing, catching both Heaven and Hell by surprise, things get bad very quickly for Bobby D. Caught between the angry forces of Hell, the dangerous strategies of his own side, and a monstrous undead avenger that wants to rip his head off and suck out his soul, Bobby’s going to need all the friends he can get.