Name: Low Town
Rating: 4 (2 reviews)
Author: Daniel Polansky

About this book

Summary

Book Summary

Drug dealers, hustlers, brothels, dirty politics, corrupt cops... and sorcery. Welcome to Low Town.

In the forgotten back alleys and flophouses that lie in the shadows of Rigus, the finest city of the Thirteen Lands, you will find Low Town. It is an ugly place, and its champion is an ugly man. Disgraced intelligence agent. Forgotten war hero. Independent drug dealer. After a fall from grace five years ago, a man known as the Warden leads a life of crime, addicted to cheap violence and expensive drugs. Every day is a constant hustle to find new customers and protect his turf from low-life competition like Tancred the Harelip and Ling Chi, the enigmatic crime lord of the heathens.

The Warden's life of drugged iniquity is shaken by his discovery of a murdered child down a dead-end street... setting him on a collision course with the life he left behind. As a former agent with Black House - the secret police - he knows better than anyone that murder in Low Town is an everyday thing, the kind of crime that doesn't get investigated. To protect his home, he will take part in a dangerous game of deception between underworld bosses and the psychotic head of Black House, but the truth is far darker than he imagines. In Low Town, no one can be trusted.

Daniel Polansky has crafted a thrilling novel steeped in noir sensibilities and relentless action, and set in an original world of stunning imagination, leading to a gut-wrenching, unforeseeable conclusion. Low Town is an attention-grabbing debut that will leave readers riveted... and hungry for more.

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Media Reviews

"Low Town is a fine debut, and readers will want to see what Polansky does for an encore." - Booklist

"Sharp, noir-tinged dialogue and astute insights into class struggle mark Polansky as a writer with a future." - Publishers Weekly

"Noir fantasy, indeed, with a reading group guide, lots of promotion to mystery, thriller, and fantasy sites, and five foreign rights sales so far." - Library Journal

"A strong debut novel with a hero who doesn't waste time worrying about the moral implications of cutting someone's throat." - Kirkus Reviews

This information about Low Town was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own review

Linda W. (Riverview, Florida)

A great read! Daniel Polansky I am a fan!
Daniel Polansky has created a dark, gritty place filled with demons, magic, murder and treachery. He also creates characters; some menacing some complicated; all interesting and multilayerd. You care about the central characters and want them to rise above it all. I hope this will be the first of many novels to come from Mr Polansky. I am a fan.

Gail G. (Northbrook, Illinois)

LOW TOWN A MYSTICAL MYSTERY by Daniel Polansky
The story takes place in a city called Rogus which is a part of the city of Thirteen Lands. This place is populate by many divergent cultures. The period of the story is not relevant. The story covers several genras--mystery, noir and fantasy.

The story moves along quickly but for some reason I didn't feel closure with the story's ending. It may be possible for a sequel to arrive within the next year or so?

Jill S. (Eagle, ID)

Great summer read
Low Town is a great book! Be forewarned, once you start it, you won't be able to put it down. This book has a little bit of everything--fantasy, action, and suspense. Mr. Polansky's descriptions and well developed characters make readers feel that they are actually with the Warden. The ending doesn't even disappoint. I hope to read more of the Warden in the future. Enjoy!

Dana W. (Elbridge, NY)

Low Town
Low Town presented itself as a mystery/lite sci-fi /adventure story. Daniel Polansky does a masterful job of describing both the look and the feel of Low Town and does the same with all of the characters involved with the story. It was an excellent read that I hope will be followed by many more.

Debi B. (Charleston, SC)

A Most Excellent Thriller
Low Town is a gritty, fast-paced, action-packed adventure which takes place in another time and place. Mr. Polansky is very descriptive, which made me feel I was with The Warden every step he took. I couldn't put this book down. I hope this is the first of many adventures for The Warden.

Les G. (Fort Collins, CO)

Excellent fantasy/thriller
Low Town by Daniel Polansky is a very well written fantasy/thriller. The fantasy elements are relatively minor, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. It is an action-packed, fast-paced, thriller with an excellent conclusion. Palansky's vivid writing makes the scenes come alive, and the action never stops.

Thanks to BookBrowse First Impressions for a chance to read the ARC of this wonderful book.

...17 more reader reviews

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