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Low Town by Daniel Polansky

Low Town

A Novel

by Daniel Polansky

  • Critics' Consensus (0):
  • Published:
  • Aug 2011, 352 pages
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Page 3 of 4
There are currently 23 member reviews
for Low Town
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  • Vicky S. (Torrance, CA)
    Great Descriptions
    The author does a great job of describing the environment and I could feel that I was there while reading the story. I liked the mixture of fantasy, adventure, relationships and mystery though the writing felt a bit affected at times.
  • Maggie R. (Canoga Park, CA)
    Low Town
    Elements that are interesting combine with others that are not so well developed. The result is a promising first novel by an author whose imagination should produce more consistent works over time.
  • Daniel A. (Naugatuck, CT)
    Low Town
    This first novel by the author is a cross-genre story; a science fiction and murder mystery. I found myself immersed into the plot until the very end. People have told me that I have an above average vocabulary, but I had difficulty in reading parts of this book. I'm sure if the author used simpler words, he would reach a wider audience. Overall, I enjoyed reading it.
  • Catharine L. (Petoskey,
    not for the faint-hearted
    The title, Low Town, describes exactly what the reader is in for. If you enjoy reading about drunks, druggies, and degenerates, this is the book for you. It is a mystery; and Warden, an ex-government detective, discovers the first of several murdered children and becomes involved. A glossary would have helped to define words - scryer, wyrm. Most of the characters had few redeeming qualities, and I didn't care what happened to them.
  • Melanie H. (Beaver, WV)
    Low Town
    This book is very dark and violent. I tried to finish reading it because the plot was intriguing but could not get past the violence and drug underworld characters. The unusual descriptive words prevented the story from flowing and made reading a little difficult.
  • Heather K. (Brooklyn, NY)
    The Road Well Travelled
    My feeling about Low Town is one of deja vu: I've been down this road before.

    Warden is physically and emotionally scarred by life, a loner, a drug addict and dealer who used to be on the other side of the law. And despite all he's seen, all he's suffered and lost, he still ... cares, looks to protect, seeks justice. He doesn't want anyone to know he still has a bit of a heart, nor that he yearns for some sort of redemption. He's not a likable individual: gruff, harsh, prone to violence, smart, canny, and lethal.

    And fiction abounds with precisely this type of protagonist. I wish I could say something about Low Town sets it apart from other similar novels, but there isn't anything particularly new about the author's approach to this theme. Except, perhaps, for the spurts of peculiarly contemporary language -- this is largely a medieval setting, so the vernacular was jarring. There's some small bits of humor (not nearly enough to offset the horrifying brutality), there's suspense, there's a conclusion, and a few of Warden's mysteries are, throughout, revealed. It is well written (despite my snarky comment above about the language), and much of the writing is beautifully crafted. But it wasn't much fun to read, and Warden wasn't much of a hero to root for, so for me it was a disappointment.
  • Kim L. (cary, IL)
    Grim tale
    Interesting characters. The author does a good job of describing the setting and the characters. It is a dark and grim tale. The author aptly brings this across through his use of words. I found it difficult to read only because the subject matter is sad.

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