Review: The Shadow Commission

The Shadow Commission by David Mack
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow. Note to self: don't read any more of this series. It's well written, well edited, well told, but the body count is really brutal. Not just in nameless mooks (though certainly that), but in people who matter very much to the main characters. Many, many people. So many.

The main characters, though flawed, are deeply principled, which is why instead of trying to buy them off, a reclusive billionaire who's trying to get a monopoly on magick orders them killed. That... doesn't work out well for anyone.

The series is gradually making its way through the decades; the first (which I haven't read) was in World War II, the second in the 1950s, and this one is in the 1960s, and involves a secret history of the Kennedy assassination. The historical side seems well handled, as far as I can tell, being no expert; no glaring anachronisms leaped out at me. The ceremonial/goetic magic(k) has a bit more colour and heft than the usual invented-out-of-nothing urban fantasy magic. The main characters' background as spies is well used. There's a heist, albeit a brief one. There are many, many desperate fights (with the aforesaid high body count), which are well described.

Even though it's much more violent than I prefer (with a large helping of swearing and some drug use), I never seriously considered stopping, because it's extremely well done. Just not the kind of thing I really like to read, sadly. I'm giving it four stars anyway, for quality.

I received a copy via Netgalley for review.

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