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someonetookit's review against another edition
4.0
Alan Baxter once again knocks it out of the park with this instalment in his repertoire. Having only met the man last year at Supanova GC, I was a little dubious to read his work but dove into his [b:Bound: Alex Caine Book 1|35284343|Bound Alex Caine Book 1|Alan Baxter|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1526081895l/35284343._SY75_.jpg|41295043] series with zeal after making a spur of the moment purchase. Then he tweeted that he was sell personalised and signed copies on his Twitter and I got all the grabby hands for this one.
FInally I have read it and I was super impressed. Usually Baxter's novels are very much horror (I try to limit my horror intake coz im a big chicken) but this one had a great mix of pithy humour, magic, mayhem and adorable pets. There's a cute love interest, come killer fungi and a in the final pages, the big bad feels a little like a good boss fight from any rpg. Also that ending almost caused my book to become a paper plane coz why'd he have to make that sacrifice!
Spinning a narrative that draws you in and doesn't let go, its definitely a must read. I will say however that it felt a lot longer than its 261 pages. I'm not sure if this is a good or a bad thing but its overall a pretty enjoyable read nonetheless.
FInally I have read it and I was super impressed. Usually Baxter's novels are very much horror (I try to limit my horror intake coz im a big chicken) but this one had a great mix of pithy humour, magic, mayhem and adorable pets. There's a cute love interest, come killer fungi and a in the final pages, the big bad feels a little like a good boss fight from any rpg. Also that ending almost caused my book to become a paper plane coz why'd he have to make that sacrifice!
Spinning a narrative that draws you in and doesn't let go, its definitely a must read. I will say however that it felt a lot longer than its 261 pages. I'm not sure if this is a good or a bad thing but its overall a pretty enjoyable read nonetheless.
pbanditp's review against another edition
4.0
I am not one for magic, or so I thought. This is a great variation on the hidden magical realm just beneath everyone’s nose. When the city starts falling apart because people are becoming fibrous killing machines that spread their sickness with just a touch then I’m all in.
blatdriver's review against another edition
4.0
I tend to read horror more that anything else, and this one is more urban fantasy than horror, but I liked it a lot, it was easy to read, good story with a bit of light humour, and a bit of horror. I will have to see if I can find more Alan Baxter books.
failbluedot's review against another edition
5.0
This book takes the premise of the city being a protagonist quite far but succeeds. Enjoyable apocalypse story that had me really rooting for the main characters.
kateofmind's review against another edition
5.0
Alan Baxter gets better with every book, and with this one he nears perfection. While lots will want to regard Hidden City as a Dresden Files also-ran, they'll realize how wrong they are when they read it. Sure, we've seen seedy magical detectives before, but Steve Hines is his own kind of hero, whose magical connection to his native city is satisfyingly perverse and highly original, as is the threat he and childhood friend Abby Jones (a police officer) ultimately face. Lovers of fungal fiction will be as happy as those who just like a good crime story. Great stuff!
tamarareads's review against another edition
5.0
I should know by now. Don’t read Alan Baxter in the dark. Especially not when you’re home alone. It will not end well for you, Tamara. This book is very Baxter - really smart, thoughtful and clever dark urban fantasy. I’m always intrigued by non-typical characters, and Cleveport, the eponymous “City” of the title, provides a new and fascinating version of this. I love the way that Baxter takes the supernatural, the fantastical, the flat out weird in his worlds, and cements them beautifully in a reality that’s recognisable to an urban audience. I want to read more from this world, please, Alan!
shambolick's review against another edition
4.0
First off let me get this out of the way right from the start. Hidden City is great! It’s dark and gritty and there is an element of unspeakable horror that gives you the creeping sensation way down in your gizzards. I loved it! Several times during my reading I kept going over some of the lines and dialog. Not because they were difficult to understand but because the descriptions and prose were so cool. This drove me headlong through the story loving every second of the journey. If I had to compare this to any other writer (and I don’t like to because this stands on its own) I’d say a mix of Dresden files by Jim Butcher and The Rook by Daniel O’Malley. Very enjoyable, can recommend, but not late at night, in the dark if you ever want to sleep again.
errantdreams's review against another edition
5.0
Alan Baxter’s paranormal/urban fantasy novel Hidden City absolutely intrigued me with its worldbuilding. Steven is a citymage, a man with some small “talent” who’s able to commune with Cleveport City, his jealous mistress. His best friend Abby is a cop who doesn’t really believe in magic, but sometimes has to admit that reality can get a little weird around the edges. Right now she has six mysterious bodies with no obvious cause of death, and she thinks they may be “his kind of people.” Gina Baker is a young woman with a small talent in illusions, and she watches her boyfriend Trev die from an overdose of a magical drug that shouldn’t be able to cause overdoses. Jerry Rundle is an entirely ordinary cop who finds himself caught up in a mystery of naked people running around attacking folks, and turning into fibrous masses. There are pools of tiny fungi sending up spores and turning people into these lunatics. He’s doing everything he can, but magic is definitely not his forte. Add in a Russian mob boss irate over the loss of his drug shipment, and things start going to hell quite rapidly!
One of my favorite details of this book is a tiny throw-away thing near the front. Steven and Abby have been friends since they were 8 years old. At one time they tried out having a fling, but it didn’t work out and they mutually went back to being best friends/adopted family. Nowhere is there any hint that Steven feels he has somehow been “friend-zoned.” I am so grateful to Baxter for not including that all-too-common crap, and it makes Steven all the more likable.
The characters in general have a lot of depth to them. Abby is a smartass. Gina puts on a hard exterior, but is intelligent and street-smart. Jerry is starting to think that early retirement might be a good idea, and he happily adopts a dog he finds at one of the crime scenes. There’s a group of technomages who feel they’re better than other mages–more “evolved”–but our rag-tag group of heroes will need their help before long.
There’s a lot going on in here! The fungal infection and the lunatics spreading it, mysterious bodies with no obvious injury or poison in their system, a harmless high that suddenly isn’t harmless any more, and the magic level in the city is climbing fast. Steven and Gina find their abilities growing–this is very handy in places, but it could also be a problem. The biggest questions are how are these things related (if they are), and what’s the source of it all? There’s a ton of action built around answering these questions and more.
My only wish is that there were more books in this universe. The concept of a citymage is fascinating, and I’d like to see more of it.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/06/review-hidden-city-alan-baxter/
One of my favorite details of this book is a tiny throw-away thing near the front. Steven and Abby have been friends since they were 8 years old. At one time they tried out having a fling, but it didn’t work out and they mutually went back to being best friends/adopted family. Nowhere is there any hint that Steven feels he has somehow been “friend-zoned.” I am so grateful to Baxter for not including that all-too-common crap, and it makes Steven all the more likable.
The characters in general have a lot of depth to them. Abby is a smartass. Gina puts on a hard exterior, but is intelligent and street-smart. Jerry is starting to think that early retirement might be a good idea, and he happily adopts a dog he finds at one of the crime scenes. There’s a group of technomages who feel they’re better than other mages–more “evolved”–but our rag-tag group of heroes will need their help before long.
There’s a lot going on in here! The fungal infection and the lunatics spreading it, mysterious bodies with no obvious injury or poison in their system, a harmless high that suddenly isn’t harmless any more, and the magic level in the city is climbing fast. Steven and Gina find their abilities growing–this is very handy in places, but it could also be a problem. The biggest questions are how are these things related (if they are), and what’s the source of it all? There’s a ton of action built around answering these questions and more.
My only wish is that there were more books in this universe. The concept of a citymage is fascinating, and I’d like to see more of it.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/06/review-hidden-city-alan-baxter/
lauriereadslohf's review against another edition
4.0
4 1/2 Stars
If you’re in need of a fun, slightly gross, imaginative tale of magic and gritty urban fantasy with perfect little touches of horror and sarcastic humor sewn in, do I have a book for you! I needed this book after reading a downbeat, depressing one that threw me into a funk and I’m glad Hidden City called to me from the to-be-reviewed pile at exactly the perfect moment in time.
Steven Hines is a private eye with magical powers that connect him to the city. But as he says, “His city was a psychopath.” But don’t let him fool you, he loves her anyway, haha. His best friend Abby is a police officer with a big problem on her hands. The police have six unexplained corpses and three of them had “special abilities” like Hines. So she calls in a favor and they pair up to do a little investigating. But what they find is very odd. Very odd, indeed. It seems there is some sort of musical, magical fungi infestation that is cropping up and making people go murderously insane – after they strip down to their birthday suits! As if that weren’t enough, everyone who has magical powers is getting a power boost, there’s a crazed drug lord wreaking havoc and a once safe street drug is causing overdoses in alarming numbers.
Steven Hines will not abide this crazy in HIS city!
This book was an action packed, entertaining read. I enjoyed the characters and Steven’s well timed sarcasm as well as the gross knarly bits of the plot. And there were plenty of them! The relationships between the characters were very well written and I was SO thankful that Steven and Abby got their sexual antics done and over with way before the story began and that they discovered they weren’t compatible that way. I like romance, don’t get me wrong, but it would’ve been a bad fit in a story like this one. The true beautiful love story that left me holding my breath is between a man and a dog named Barkley. Their connection might’ve even made me go all misty eyed. I’d like to say much more but I fear I will ruin all of the dark little surprises for you and I don’t want to do that. Just know that it all ends perfectly.
If this imaginative, wild, fungus-filled ride of a story sounds like good fun to you, do yourself a favor and get to reading it!
*Thank you Alan Baxter for providing me with a copy of the book. This in no way alters any of my thoughts about the book. If it had been stinky I’d still you – thankfully it wasn’t!
If you’re in need of a fun, slightly gross, imaginative tale of magic and gritty urban fantasy with perfect little touches of horror and sarcastic humor sewn in, do I have a book for you! I needed this book after reading a downbeat, depressing one that threw me into a funk and I’m glad Hidden City called to me from the to-be-reviewed pile at exactly the perfect moment in time.
Steven Hines is a private eye with magical powers that connect him to the city. But as he says, “His city was a psychopath.” But don’t let him fool you, he loves her anyway, haha. His best friend Abby is a police officer with a big problem on her hands. The police have six unexplained corpses and three of them had “special abilities” like Hines. So she calls in a favor and they pair up to do a little investigating. But what they find is very odd. Very odd, indeed. It seems there is some sort of musical, magical fungi infestation that is cropping up and making people go murderously insane – after they strip down to their birthday suits! As if that weren’t enough, everyone who has magical powers is getting a power boost, there’s a crazed drug lord wreaking havoc and a once safe street drug is causing overdoses in alarming numbers.
Steven Hines will not abide this crazy in HIS city!
This book was an action packed, entertaining read. I enjoyed the characters and Steven’s well timed sarcasm as well as the gross knarly bits of the plot. And there were plenty of them! The relationships between the characters were very well written and I was SO thankful that Steven and Abby got their sexual antics done and over with way before the story began and that they discovered they weren’t compatible that way. I like romance, don’t get me wrong, but it would’ve been a bad fit in a story like this one. The true beautiful love story that left me holding my breath is between a man and a dog named Barkley. Their connection might’ve even made me go all misty eyed. I’d like to say much more but I fear I will ruin all of the dark little surprises for you and I don’t want to do that. Just know that it all ends perfectly.
If this imaginative, wild, fungus-filled ride of a story sounds like good fun to you, do yourself a favor and get to reading it!
*Thank you Alan Baxter for providing me with a copy of the book. This in no way alters any of my thoughts about the book. If it had been stinky I’d still you – thankfully it wasn’t!
maisiesleepywiredstudios's review against another edition
5.0
Hidden City is about a man with supernatural ties to a dying city and a race against time to save Cleverport and her residents. and it was bloody awesome! it was fast-paced and thrilling as the various twists and turns came up and the story unfolded.
Alan Baxter does it again.
Alan Baxter does it again.