Description:

They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions, but if you ask Castor he'll tell you there's quite a bit of arrogance and reckless stupidity lining the streets as well. And he should know. There's only so many times you can play both sides against the middle and get away with it. Now, the inevitable moment of crisis has arrived and it's left Castor with blood on his hands. Well, not his hands, you understand; it's always someone else who pays the bill: friends, acquaintances, bystanders. So Castor drowns his guilt in cheap whisky, while an innocent woman lies dead and her daughter comatose, his few remaining friends fear for their lives and there's a demon loose on the streets. But not just any demon - this one rides shotgun on his best friend's soul and can't be expelled without killing him. Looks like Felix Castor's got some tough choices to make, because expel the demon he must or all Hell will break loose. Literally . . . ** ### From Publishers Weekly Starred Review. The pulse-pounding pace never slackens as Carey's superlative fifth supernatural thriller featuring London exorcist Felix "Fix" Castor picks up where its predecessor, Thicker Than Water, left off. Castor's closest friend, Rafi Ditko, who's possessed by the demon Asmodeus, has escaped from his jail cell and begun killing off people close to Ditko, starting with his former girlfriend, Ginny Parris. In order to thwart the evil spirit, Castor must be careful about his choice of allies, even as he struggles to predict his adversary's next move. Amid the grimness, Carey manages to slide in flashes of humor, as in his portrayal of the difficulties the British legal system faces with the increasing numbers of the dead and the undead, whose civil rights also need protecting. At this rate, Carey could give Jim Butcher more than a run for his money as the best living writer of dark urban fantasy. (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. ### Review A welcome return for Felix Castor... You'll literally find hours disappearing when turning the pages of The Naming of the Beasts, and afterwards you'll be clamouring for more. Carey's unique and eminently readable style, with his excellent command of concise description and dialogue lends itself perfectly to the pacing of the book, one that we found ourselves wanting to re-read as soon as we finished it. It's highly recommended for fans of the Castor books, and for those that aren't familiar with the character, we'd be amazed if it didn't entice you to pick up earlier entries from this grim and depressing, yet wholly engrossing series. At the very least, you might not look at London in the same way again.―**SciFi Now** There are some authors that guarantee a good read. Mike Carey is one of them. His Felix Castor novels are edgy and realistic, portraying London and its surroundings in a way that makes you hurry past dark alleyways even faster than usual, your back hol Mike Carey's Felix Castor novels are something special . . . the writing is just brilliant with each volume jam-packed with vividly descriptive prose, witty dialogue, clever phrases and some of the best similies/metaphors I've had the pleasure of reading . . . Mike's books possess remarkable depth which applies to both the aforementioned characters and prose as well as dense plotting and highly creative supernatural elements that have their own scientific logic. In other words, reading most urban fantasy nowadays is like watching a movie trailer on your computer - short and fun, but unsatisfying - whereas the Felix Castor novels offer the full IMAX experience . . . Mike Carey's Felix Castor novels are simply one of the best urban fantasy series on the market today . . . ' FantasyBookCritic.blogspot.com: reviews of all five books―**`The Naming of the Beasts is Mike Carey?s best outing yet for Felix Castor. Book six cannot come soon enough as far as I?m concerned!? Graeme?sFantasyBookReview.com** Like Humphrey Bogart meets John Constantine, Felix Castor makes for an enjoyably, untrustworthy guide through the undead-filled streets of London, as painted by Mike Carey . . . huge verve and energy . . . engaging and vivacious . . . Carey has a fine e―**SFX**