Black City Dragon

September 17, 2018
Knaak’s snappy third urban fantasy (after Black City Demon) featuring Nick Medea, the Saint George of legend and lore, adds intriguing dimensions to the Prohibition-era Chicago of its setting and the bonds among its characters, particularly Nick and the dragon with whom he shares consciousness. Nick and his shape-shifter companion, Fetch, have guarded the gates between the mortal and Feirie worlds for over 1,600 years, and their task has never been more trying. More vicious, otherworldly Wyld and Feirie refugees are slipping through daily, and all the signs indicate that Nick’s ancient enemy, Galerius, is fomenting a plan to reclaim his lost power. This plot threatens not only Nick and his reincarnated love, Claryce, but also Chicago, the gates, and history itself. Knaak builds intrigue as Nick and Claryce explore the pasts that they have endured, but though Claryce is central to the story, she remains a largely passive companion in Nick’s world of masculine action and intrigue. The novel’s complexity may challenge newcomers, but series fans will have much to savor in this adventure through Nick’s myth-laden world.

October 15, 2018

Nick Medea has guarded the magical gate in Chicago for 1,600 years, keeping the dark Wyld of Feirie from hunting humans. But there have been more Wyld coming through the barrier since Nick took down Oberon, and it's all Nick and his Feirie companion Fetch can do to dispatch them. On top of that, Nick's old enemy Galerius may have returned: Galerius's sign, the Dacian Draco, keeps appearing in different places at different times, without a trace. Now Nick's reincarnated lover Claryce is being targeted, too. Claryce and Nick must look into their pasts to find out Galerius's plans for their present, even as the Wyld and Chicago (and Feirie!) gangsters are running rampant. If Galerius wins, not only will the gate be compromised but the entire world could be at stake. VERDICT This fantastical follow-up to Black City Demon slides Prohibition Chicago into urban fantasy territory with a fast-paced plot and intelligent characters who keep the pages turning until the very end.--Kristi Chadwick, Massachusetts Lib. Syst., Northampton

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