Black City

by Christian Read, Gestalt Publishing, 2013

Reviewed by Kyla Ward, 2013

"Immigrants beaten and used condoms outside my door, and cops beating children. Ask me why I wanted magic.
"And I am a sorcerer. The mediation between these worlds is my true work. Behind the atomising veil of my meditation, I see that I am righteous to set myself against the Old Man.
"But not fucking smart."

Black City cover This is a novel about a magician. Not the teenage scion of a magical family or a boy who went to wizard school, or any of that shit. A practitioner. In this city, parts of which will feel terribly familiar to almost everyone, he's occupying more or less the position of a P.I. in your average noir, but it's a bit of an accident and this book isn't that either. You see, you can't investigate magic or even really read about it. You have to live it.

Not that life's been all that easy for Lark since he left the shelter of the Library -- one of the city's largest and best-organised covens. He lost a lover there, as well as a best friend (one of whom is no longer even remotely human) and there's a serious difference of opinion as to who betrayed who. But something's happening now that's got every cover, cult or indie thoroughly spooked and sniping at each other: there's even some totally mundane intelligence operatives poking around. There's no sitting on the sidelines; especially if, like Lark, you can't cross them due to an old geas. When even his psychic refuge, the Black City, is afflicted by graffiti that can drive the viewer insane, he's damn well going to call up his undead bodyguard, summon the Ultrascorpions and hit what he must, be it streets, books or people.

This book contains some of the best down-and-dirty occultism I've seen in an aeon...

for the complete review, see here.