REVIEW: Nightwise by R.S. Belcher

Nightwise by RS Belcher
Publishing Information: Hardback; 320 Pgs
Publisher: Tor; 18 August 2015
ISBN: 978-0765374608
Currently a standalone
Copy: Provided by publisher
Reviewer: Tyson

Amazon

Synopsis: "R.S. Belcher, the acclaimed author of The Six-Gun Tarot and The Shotgun Arcana launches a gritty new urban fantasy series set in today's seedy occult underworld in Nightwise.

In the more shadowy corners of the world, frequented by angels and demons and everything in-between, Laytham Ballard is a legend. It's said he raised the dead at the age of ten, stole the Philosopher's Stone in Vegas back in 1999, and survived the bloodsucking kiss of the Mosquito Queen. Wise in the hidden ways of the night, he's also a cynical bastard who stopped thinking of himself as the good guy a long time ago.

Now a promise to a dying friend has Ballard on the trail of an escaped Serbian war criminal with friends in both high and low places―and a sinister history of blood sacrifices. Ballard is hell-bent on making Dusan Slorzack pay for his numerous atrocities, but Slorzack seems to have literally dropped off the face of the Earth, beyond the reach of his enemies, the Illuminati, and maybe even the Devil himself. To find Slorzack, Ballard must follow a winding, treacherous path that stretches from Wall Street and Washington, D.C. to backwoods hollows and truckstops, while risking what's left of his very soul..."

I received Nightwise a long time ago and not long ago I also received his The Brotherhood of the Wheel novel and decided to read his first release that I own, first. Nightwise is a urban fantasy novel of a young magician named Laytham Ballard, who we are told is a legend, yet despite his legendary status, still has powerful individuals chasing him down and wishing him harm. Almost from the get-go I had a hard time liking Ballard. He is written as an anti-hero but I didn't care for him and early one when he is in the midst of saving a witness, he allows innocent people who were going about their day left to die in their place. Whatever goodwill Ballard performed after that was lost in the shuffle as I no longer cared. I don't see the death of innocents purposely caused by the main character as an ends to a mean. It just didn't work for me and left a sour taste in my mouth.

I did enjoy the various forms of magic and world building that Belcher created, it was interesting and dark. The mix of all the world's mythology and creatures exist in the world the author has created and the way in which he pulls from them all, was excellent. However, as deep as the world building was, the character of Ballard just ruined the story as he has no redeeming qualities.

While I didn't care for Nightwise, Belcher's writing is top notch and I do look forward to seeing what he comes up with in his Brotherhood of the Wheel novel, which should make its way back up to the top of the reading pile quickly.

Overall 6/10