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Garrett Files #5
Dread Brass Shadows
A treasure trove of sorcery is hidden somewhere in the city of TunFaire, and everyone wants to find it—a prize so rich it makes even a hard-boiled detective like Garrett nervous, especially when his beautiful red-haired girlfriend is attacked because of it. Garrett's thirst for revenge is quenched when two other redheads turn up at his front door—and he finds himself the center of unwelcome attention from every thug and would-be sorcerer in town.
Now, Garrett has to find what everyone is after—the legendary Book of Shadows, made of brass and holding secrets no mortal was ever meant to master—and make sure no one ever has the chance to work its spells on his unsuspecting and unprotected world.
Now, Garrett has to find what everyone is after—the legendary Book of Shadows, made of brass and holding secrets no mortal was ever meant to master—and make sure no one ever has the chance to work its spells on his unsuspecting and unprotected world.
304 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1990
48 people are currently reading
721 people want to read
About the author
Glen Cook
158 books3,709 followersGlen Cook was born in New York City, lived in southern Indiana as a small child, then grew up in Northern California. After high school he served in the U.S. Navy and attended the University of Missouri. He worked for General Motors for 33 years, retiring some years ago. He started writing short stories in 7th grade, had several published in a high school literary magazine. He began writing with malicious intent to publish in 1968, eventually producing 51 books and a number of short fiction pieces.
He met his wife of 43 years while attending the Clarion Writer's Workshop in 1970. He has three sons (army officer, architect, orchestral musician) and numerous grandchildren, all of whom but one are female. He is best known for his Black Company series, which has appeared in 20+ languages worldwide. His other series include Dread Empire and and the Garrett, P.I. series. His latest work is Working God’s Mischief, fourth in the Instrumentalities of the Night series.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/glencook
He met his wife of 43 years while attending the Clarion Writer's Workshop in 1970. He has three sons (army officer, architect, orchestral musician) and numerous grandchildren, all of whom but one are female. He is best known for his Black Company series, which has appeared in 20+ languages worldwide. His other series include Dread Empire and and the Garrett, P.I. series. His latest work is Working God’s Mischief, fourth in the Instrumentalities of the Night series.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/glencook
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
November 14, 2020
Garrett and a bunch of redheads
*** 4.00 ***
This was not the best book in the series so far, but even so, it was fun being in the world of Garrett P.I. once again. A magic book is causing some commotion in the city and Garrett is hired to find it by an attractive redhead. Meanwhile, the redhead who is his sometimes girlfriend, gets stabbed and he vows to find the culprit, which soon he deducted is connected to this cursed book. Then a third steamy redheaded lady joins in the such, while doing her darnest to muddle Garrett's brain by constantly smoldering and arousing all of his easily overwhelmed hormones and setting his senses on 🔥🔥🔥... Poor Garrett, just a slave to his biology... Good thing he has a dead partner and a wonderful house keeper, who are able to contain his enthusiasm by throwing some ice water on him to cook him down😎.
I enjoyed the book, but this was not the typical complicated plot and brilliant detective work we have come to expect from Glen Cook. The plot was kind of predictable and Garrett just never got into his groove. He himself stated on multiple occasions that his brain was asleep and he was out of ideas, this putting himself in the middle of the action steering things up, just so maybe something shakes out and an idea follows. Despite that, just being in this world with even only part of the gang, was a treat, and I am grateful for every opportunity I get to do it. Looking forward to the next book😀
*** 4.00 ***
This was not the best book in the series so far, but even so, it was fun being in the world of Garrett P.I. once again. A magic book is causing some commotion in the city and Garrett is hired to find it by an attractive redhead. Meanwhile, the redhead who is his sometimes girlfriend, gets stabbed and he vows to find the culprit, which soon he deducted is connected to this cursed book. Then a third steamy redheaded lady joins in the such, while doing her darnest to muddle Garrett's brain by constantly smoldering and arousing all of his easily overwhelmed hormones and setting his senses on 🔥🔥🔥... Poor Garrett, just a slave to his biology... Good thing he has a dead partner and a wonderful house keeper, who are able to contain his enthusiasm by throwing some ice water on him to cook him down😎.
I enjoyed the book, but this was not the typical complicated plot and brilliant detective work we have come to expect from Glen Cook. The plot was kind of predictable and Garrett just never got into his groove. He himself stated on multiple occasions that his brain was asleep and he was out of ideas, this putting himself in the middle of the action steering things up, just so maybe something shakes out and an idea follows. Despite that, just being in this world with even only part of the gang, was a treat, and I am grateful for every opportunity I get to do it. Looking forward to the next book😀
April 14, 2013
Let's meet (or get reacquainted with) the hero of the series. In his own words:
I'm what the guys who don't like me call a peeper. An investigator and confidential agent, the way I put it. Pay me - up front - and I'll find out things. More often than not, things you didn't really want to know. I don't dig up much good news. That's the nature of the racket.
In this episode Garrett is plagued by an over-abundance of redheads ( I'm a sucker for redheads. I've been known to favor the occasional blonde, brunette, whatever, too. ). It all starts with his gal Tinnie Tate getting stabbed in broad daylight on the street right in front of Garret's house, and continues with the entry of one appetisant flame haired beauty after another, as Garrett tries to understand why Tinnie was targeted.
The plot in this fifth books steers closer to classic hardboiled novels than usual, in particular to The Maltese Falcon where everybody is searching for a magical book that grants unlimited powers to its wielder. A major temptation that can turn the mind of good people and made the bad people worse than ever ( I'd started thinking about how I could use the book myself. I suspected anybody who heard about it would do the same. Human nature. How could anyone who possessed it resist abusing the power it would confer? ). Garrett finds himself caught between the factions fighting for the book : TunFaire underworld kingpin Chodo Contague and his minions, the Tate family bent on revenge for Tinnie, the dwarves clan under Gnorst son of Gnorst, redhead mystery woman Carla Lindo Ramada, Tunfaire version of the Fat Man named Fido Eastermann, a witch with a serpent tattoo and assorted wildlife that has recently invaded TunFaire (flying monkeys, thunder lizards).
- What was that? Carla Lindo finally managed.
- That was Winger. Try not no aggravate her. She's kind of like an earthquake. Not a whole lot of self-restraint.
Best newcomer to the series is Winger - a bountyhunter from out of town, as big as Garret in size, she gives him a run for his money in every department, including sarcastic remarks and leg pulling.
Before I start on the style and the fun quotes, I'll point out the book can be read as a stand alone, but it would make more sense to follow the publication order, as there are some plot lines developing over several volumes (the Glory Mooncalled war exploits in the Cantard in particular) , and a lot of character development from earlier books that is referenced here.
As usual Garret is a fountain of witty, sarcastic remarcs, more often than not aimed at his own persona. The light tone is prevalent in the opening chapters, but as the story unfolds, our hero gets darker and grimmer page by page. Here's a selection of his spiel, starting with the coming of spring in TunFaire, prompting the portly P.I. to try to get back in shape for romance:
Last lap. Beer ahead. Relief only a few yards away. I came off Wizard's Reach full speed, about a walk and a half, snorting like a wounded buffalo, listing from side to side, steering like a ship without a rudder. Only my neighbors watching me kept me from getting down and crawling the last hundred feet.
Some comments on the latest redhead to fall into his arms:
I'm immune to romantic notions, of course. I'm a block of heavy metal unshakably planted at the center of a plain of common sense, illuminated by the sun of reason.
Right.
Look up.
See the swarms of pigs flying south for the winter.
Next passage reads like a classic Philip Marlowe or Sam Spade, with the wild similes and bitter laughs :
You may have noticed that things have a way of catching up with me whenever I feel too positive. The god who hands out the towels in the heavenly loo has a sideline. Messing with Garrett. He's such a puny, useless god they couldn't find anything better for him to do. But he's really good at messing with me. He works at it so hard, I think he's bucking for a promotion.
The Dead Man is good for one repartee or two, when he feels Garret needs a little prep talk:
Ah. You begin to use the head for something besides a device which keeps your hair from getting in the way when you eat. Excellent.
I would not like to give the impression that the humor is the main attraction of the series. The plot is top notch, one of the best in the series so far, and behind the clown facade Garret is hurting as much as anybody else:
I was just in one of those moods where I start wondering about people. Where they come from, what they did when I wasn't looking, like that. It isn't a mood I enjoy. It gets me thinking about myself, my own lack of place and depth in the scheme. No family. Hardly any friends, and them I don't know that well. What I don't know about Morley and Saucerhead could fill books, probably. They don't know me any better, either. Part of being a rough, tough, he-man type, I suppose. On stage all the time, hiding carefully.
Is it all worth the effort, doing his bit to keep the streets safe and not give in to bullies and crooks? Hard question to answer, especially when you are in a tight spot and everybody looks the other way and pretends not to notice anything amiss:
These are the little people, the ones I thought needed a champion when I outfitted myself with creaky idealistic armor. Sometimes people make it damn hard to care about people. Sometimes they do their damnedest to make it seem they deserve whatever they get.
What Garret has though, in Glen Cook words, is stick-to-it-ivity , the mullish insistence to follow the dictates of his inner code of honor and not choose the easy way out:
We all have a bit of the Serpent in us, just waiting for the right moment to bloom. Witness all these characters who wanted the Book of Dreams. Not all of them had been bad to begin. We can't get shut of the Serpents but we can sure as hell lower the price in pain by snipping one off the social bush now and then.
I'll exercise my own stick-to-it-ivity and follow the series through as long as mr. Cook keeps writing it.
October 13, 2025
This is fifth in a fantasy mystery series that you don't really have to read in order. Character developments and some plot elements develop over time, but those aren't hard to catch up on. Still, I recommend reading in order because why miss out on all the good stories?
This one isn't nearly as resonant as the others so far. I didn't really care about the various bad guys and the McGuffin was so in the wind the whole time that I didn't really see much point in Garrett bothering to investigate stuff. Frankly, half the time going out just got him beaten up. Plus, I've never really liked Tinnie Tate and having her being assaulted as the instigating incident didn't really engage me as such.
This story does introduce us to Winger, though that's a dubious pleasure. She's pretty much a female Saucerhead Tharpe, only without the morals or charm. I'm not sure we need her as a milieu addition. I'd have much preferred more Maya but I can see why Cook didn't include her more (much more of her and it'd be hard not to let that relationship progress to an actual commitment).
Plus, Morley and Saucerhead are both shadows the whole story and I missed them.
So yeah, I'm going to maintain my old rating of four stars. Because even a less-good Garrett is still a pretty entertaining read. Plus, I like the interesting developments with the Kingpin stepping over the line and forcing Garrett to take unwanted action. Fallout from that will reverberate and I anticipate the repercussions.
A note about Chaste: Garrett only hound dogs the once in this story, though as always, there's nothing steamy on page. So this is pretty chaste. I do have to question Garrett's sense in . Lost some respect for him there, frankly.
This one isn't nearly as resonant as the others so far. I didn't really care about the various bad guys and the McGuffin was so in the wind the whole time that I didn't really see much point in Garrett bothering to investigate stuff. Frankly, half the time going out just got him beaten up. Plus, I've never really liked Tinnie Tate and having her being assaulted as the instigating incident didn't really engage me as such.
This story does introduce us to Winger, though that's a dubious pleasure. She's pretty much a female Saucerhead Tharpe, only without the morals or charm. I'm not sure we need her as a milieu addition. I'd have much preferred more Maya but I can see why Cook didn't include her more (much more of her and it'd be hard not to let that relationship progress to an actual commitment).
Plus, Morley and Saucerhead are both shadows the whole story and I missed them.
So yeah, I'm going to maintain my old rating of four stars. Because even a less-good Garrett is still a pretty entertaining read. Plus, I like the interesting developments with the Kingpin stepping over the line and forcing Garrett to take unwanted action. Fallout from that will reverberate and I anticipate the repercussions.
A note about Chaste: Garrett only hound dogs the once in this story, though as always, there's nothing steamy on page. So this is pretty chaste. I do have to question Garrett's sense in . Lost some respect for him there, frankly.
July 24, 2017
This is certainly not the place to start reading Cook’s novels of Garrett and his world of TunFaire. For you who are unfamiliar or those who want to refresh themselves on background to the Garrett novels, see my review of Cold Copper Tears. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Dread Brass Shadows has a complex plot featuring multiple red-headed girls and a book of powerful magic that are on the loose. Garrett (and thus we) can’t put the clues together to know why so many strange events are occurring in TunFaire all at the same time. The answer is much more complex than usual and provides insights into the limits of Chodo, Morley and the Dead Man. There several great scenes that invite comparison to The Maltese Falcon.
If all this doesn’t make much sense, you are not alone, but I enjoyed the ride. 4.5 for one who has read the previous books….probably no more than 3.5 for the rest of you.
Dread Brass Shadows has a complex plot featuring multiple red-headed girls and a book of powerful magic that are on the loose. Garrett (and thus we) can’t put the clues together to know why so many strange events are occurring in TunFaire all at the same time. The answer is much more complex than usual and provides insights into the limits of Chodo, Morley and the Dead Man. There several great scenes that invite comparison to The Maltese Falcon.
If all this doesn’t make much sense, you are not alone, but I enjoyed the ride. 4.5 for one who has read the previous books….probably no more than 3.5 for the rest of you.
March 25, 2022
The epic re-read of all Garrett Files books continues.
This time, Garrett doesn't really have an employer for the job. Heck, he doesn't even really have a job. But he has a personal involvement with the case of bizarre murders that are happening in the city, on the account of Tinny getting knifed almost at his doorstep. He also has a case of way too many redheads falling on his lap at once.
Garrett stumbles through this case in typical Garrett fashion - by kicking the hornet's nest and getting thoroughly beaten up a time or two. Then doing it again. Seriously, this man must be a cat with infinite lives, because how many hits on the noggin can you take before it does you in?
The story itself is fun, but it had a lot less emotional impact than the previous book, which might be good as well, because that book was dark.
My only compliant is that there was very little Morley Dotts in this story. I missed him. Wringer is fun to get to know, but she isn't half as interesting as our favorite dark elf half-breed with questionable morals. I also would like to see a bit more of Maya, since I kinda like her better than Tinnie. And call me crazy, but I really hope Chodo is still alive.
But despite those small gripes, this was a fun book to re-read, so I'm happily hopping into the next book in the series.
This time, Garrett doesn't really have an employer for the job. Heck, he doesn't even really have a job. But he has a personal involvement with the case of bizarre murders that are happening in the city, on the account of Tinny getting knifed almost at his doorstep. He also has a case of way too many redheads falling on his lap at once.
Garrett stumbles through this case in typical Garrett fashion - by kicking the hornet's nest and getting thoroughly beaten up a time or two. Then doing it again. Seriously, this man must be a cat with infinite lives, because how many hits on the noggin can you take before it does you in?
The story itself is fun, but it had a lot less emotional impact than the previous book, which might be good as well, because that book was dark.
My only compliant is that there was very little Morley Dotts in this story. I missed him. Wringer is fun to get to know, but she isn't half as interesting as our favorite dark elf half-breed with questionable morals. I also would like to see a bit more of Maya, since I kinda like her better than Tinnie. And call me crazy, but I really hope Chodo is still alive.
But despite those small gripes, this was a fun book to re-read, so I'm happily hopping into the next book in the series.
July 10, 2013
This book was really, really hard for me to get into. It was confusing, had too much of a cloak-and-dagger element where even I had no idea what anyone was doing, and Garrett whined incessantly. But by some miracle, Cook pulled it out of the fire at the end. I actually wound up liking it, not as much as previous books but enough that I will keep reading about old Garrett.
After I digest this thing some more, I'll write something coherent about Dread Brass Shadows, just not right now. I gotta go. A brunette is yelling at me to help do the laundry. *sigh* Marital bliss, ain't it grand.
After I digest this thing some more, I'll write something coherent about Dread Brass Shadows, just not right now. I gotta go. A brunette is yelling at me to help do the laundry. *sigh* Marital bliss, ain't it grand.
October 17, 2024
Na, mes jau žinom, kaip Garrettas reaguoja, kai reikalas darosi asmeniškas. O čia – tiesiog jam bematant kažkas baksteli peiliu jo merginą. Kas gali būti asmeniškiau? Net jei ją bakstelėjo per klaid��.
Ir tarsi Garrettas niekuo ypatingu neužsiima, bet visi įsitikinę, kad jis žino, kur yra į miestą atkeliavusi „Šešėlių knyga“ – itin galingas artefaktas. Arba, jei dar nežino, tai bent jau įtaria, kur jos ieškot. O ieško daug kas – ir nykštukų diaspora, ir nusikalstamo pasaulio vadovas. Garrettas pradeda suvokti, kad kas tą knygą beatrastų, geruoju tai nesibaigs. Belieka viena išeitis – atrasti ją anksčiau, nei kiti.
Gal kažkiek skystoka. Ypač po tokios stiprios ketvirtosios knygos. O ir detektyvinė intriga... Na, ok – Garrettas eilini sykį neblizga nuovoka. Bet Numirėlis... Kaip tas genijus nemato to, kas bet kuriam įdėmesniam skaitytojui aišku neperlipus ir ketvirčio knygos?
Ir tarsi Garrettas niekuo ypatingu neužsiima, bet visi įsitikinę, kad jis žino, kur yra į miestą atkeliavusi „Šešėlių knyga“ – itin galingas artefaktas. Arba, jei dar nežino, tai bent jau įtaria, kur jos ieškot. O ieško daug kas – ir nykštukų diaspora, ir nusikalstamo pasaulio vadovas. Garrettas pradeda suvokti, kad kas tą knygą beatrastų, geruoju tai nesibaigs. Belieka viena išeitis – atrasti ją anksčiau, nei kiti.
Gal kažkiek skystoka. Ypač po tokios stiprios ketvirtosios knygos. O ir detektyvinė intriga... Na, ok – Garrettas eilini sykį neblizga nuovoka. Bet Numirėlis... Kaip tas genijus nemato to, kas bet kuriam įdėmesniam skaitytojui aišku neperlipus ir ketvirčio knygos?
September 25, 2021
The Book of Shadows. A tome so evil dozens will die trying to find it. Each page a magical spell to change the user into whatever the enchantment state, wizard, dragon, giant, rat. Near unimaginable power and Garrett is in things up to his eyeballs. And of course there's a beautiful red-headed damsel in distress. . . two actually, because that's Garrett's luck.
February 21, 2022
🕵️ Sleuthing Mercenaries R Us Buddy Read (SMRUBR™) with The Overlord and My Dearest of Wives 🕵️
Cucumber Garrett, poetry in motion, cheerfully skipping from frying pans to fires. That's my Super Extra Scrumptious Boyfriend (SESB™) for you.
Also, dwarves and ogres and ratmen and mammoths and saber-tooth tigers and thunder-lizards and centaurs and unicorns and morCartha and gnomes and goblins and koboldsand redheads galore, oh my!
Hammer time. Now let's dance and stuff.
· Book 1: Sweet Silver Blues ★★★★
· Book 2: Bitter Gold Hearts ★★★★
· Book 3: Cold Copper Tears ★★★★
· Book 4: Old Tin Sorrows ★★★★★
· Book 6: Red Iron Nights ★★★★★
· Book 7: Deadly Quicksilver Lies ★★★★★
· Book 8: Petty Pewter Gods ★★★
· Book 9: Faded Steel Heat ★★★
· Book 10: Angry Lead Skies ★★★★
· Book 11: Whispering Nickel Idols ★★★★
· Book 12: Cruel Zinc Melodies ★★★★
· Book 13: Gilded Latten Bones ★★★★
· Book 14: Wicked Bronze Ambition ★★★
Cucumber Garrett, poetry in motion, cheerfully skipping from frying pans to fires. That's my Super Extra Scrumptious Boyfriend (SESB™) for you.
Also, dwarves and ogres and ratmen and mammoths and saber-tooth tigers and thunder-lizards and centaurs and unicorns and morCartha and gnomes and goblins and kobolds
· Book 1: Sweet Silver Blues ★★★★
· Book 2: Bitter Gold Hearts ★★★★
· Book 3: Cold Copper Tears ★★★★
· Book 4: Old Tin Sorrows ★★★★★
· Book 6: Red Iron Nights ★★★★★
· Book 7: Deadly Quicksilver Lies ★★★★★
· Book 8: Petty Pewter Gods ★★★
· Book 9: Faded Steel Heat ★★★
· Book 10: Angry Lead Skies ★★★★
· Book 11: Whispering Nickel Idols ★★★★
· Book 12: Cruel Zinc Melodies ★★★★
· Book 13: Gilded Latten Bones ★★★★
· Book 14: Wicked Bronze Ambition ★★★
October 22, 2009
Garrett's sometime girlfriend Tinnie gets knifed in a case of mistaken identity. The trail leads Garrett to a mysterious Dwarven book called The Book of Shadows and everyone that's after it, including a voluptuous rehead...
This was probably my favorite of the Garrett books so far. Garrett is in fine form, much more entertaining than the previous volume. Winger, an amazon of a woman, is introduced and fills the role Saucerhead and Morley normally take. Chodo Contague's top guys, Sadler and Crask, are fleshed out a bit and the amulet Garrett got in the third book finally comes into play. The story was better than usual although I thought the ending was a little on the cheap side. Still, there were some good surprises.
This was probably my favorite of the Garrett books so far. Garrett is in fine form, much more entertaining than the previous volume. Winger, an amazon of a woman, is introduced and fills the role Saucerhead and Morley normally take. Chodo Contague's top guys, Sadler and Crask, are fleshed out a bit and the amulet Garrett got in the third book finally comes into play. The story was better than usual although I thought the ending was a little on the cheap side. Still, there were some good surprises.
June 24, 2025
This series is fun read. Cook is great 👍
December 5, 2021
Solid read 👍
April 22, 2023
In the mood of the first book :D
Also an improtant key moment has been presented separately, and then completely ignored in the story, a bit cumbersome. Still super interesting
Also an improtant key moment has been presented separately, and then completely ignored in the story, a bit cumbersome. Still super interesting
November 8, 2020
Garrett is a little slow in the fifth volume of the Garrett Files. Admittedly, there is a lot of confusing and even traumatic things happening around him, but he misses a crucial fact early in the novel that would have potentially shortened the book by about two hundred pages. Not that that’s a bad thing—those two hundred pages are fun, packed with mayhem and mischief.
The novel opens with Garrett’s on-again off-again girlfriend, Tinnie Tate, getting stabbed as she walks up the road to see him. There’s no reason that anyone can figure for the attack until a woman comes to Garrett seeking his help to find a missing book. It turns out that just about everyone wants to get their hands on this book, a magical volume whose pages are made of brass. Most of the people searching for the book believe that Garrett has it and they spend a lot of time trying to coerce answers out of him, sneak into his house, or just straight up kill him. Then mob boss Codo Contague gets involved and the stakes are substantially raised with all sides still trying to recruit Garrett or wipe him out of the fight.
Most of the usual support cast is absent for most of the novel. The reason is a little weak, but it gives Cook an excuse for his big blow out ending—the conclusion of which sets the stage for more problems in future novels.
The best thing about this book is the fate of the book—which contains one of those images Cook paints so well that has hung in my mind for the thirty or so years since I first read it.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
The novel opens with Garrett’s on-again off-again girlfriend, Tinnie Tate, getting stabbed as she walks up the road to see him. There’s no reason that anyone can figure for the attack until a woman comes to Garrett seeking his help to find a missing book. It turns out that just about everyone wants to get their hands on this book, a magical volume whose pages are made of brass. Most of the people searching for the book believe that Garrett has it and they spend a lot of time trying to coerce answers out of him, sneak into his house, or just straight up kill him. Then mob boss Codo Contague gets involved and the stakes are substantially raised with all sides still trying to recruit Garrett or wipe him out of the fight.
Most of the usual support cast is absent for most of the novel. The reason is a little weak, but it gives Cook an excuse for his big blow out ending—the conclusion of which sets the stage for more problems in future novels.
The best thing about this book is the fate of the book—which contains one of those images Cook paints so well that has hung in my mind for the thirty or so years since I first read it.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
June 3, 2011
This series is not for everybody. There is a bittersweet undertone that makes them worth reading - and re-reading - but you have to have a certain amount of... life experience, I guess, to really get it.
The cynical take on war, immigration, and the economics thereof could have been written yesterday. Yet, the series began in 1987.
Very prescient, but then Glen Cook has an almost depressingly accurate understanding of human nature.
Also, although the dead Loghyr is supposed to be the center of the stories, Garrett quickly becomes the main character, and the star, of the series. The fact that he gets through the day without losing his humanity keeps you waiting to see what he'll live through next.
The cynical take on war, immigration, and the economics thereof could have been written yesterday. Yet, the series began in 1987.
Very prescient, but then Glen Cook has an almost depressingly accurate understanding of human nature.
Also, although the dead Loghyr is supposed to be the center of the stories, Garrett quickly becomes the main character, and the star, of the series. The fact that he gets through the day without losing his humanity keeps you waiting to see what he'll live through next.
January 27, 2012
Sydney Greenstreet should play Fido Easterman in the movie, Cooks dialogue between Garrett and Fido is pure Fatman and Sam Spade.
Another smile tried to break through and died young, smothered by fat. "Yes. As you surmise, my name is not Lubbock. No sir. That is merely wishful thinking, the heartfelt desire to walk the same path as the great Lubbocks of centuries past."
Fido doesn't have a large part in the novel but he's pure hard boiled fun, for a crazy man. This series get's better the deeper you go into it. While each case is separate they all tie together with many returning characters in each novel.
Another smile tried to break through and died young, smothered by fat. "Yes. As you surmise, my name is not Lubbock. No sir. That is merely wishful thinking, the heartfelt desire to walk the same path as the great Lubbocks of centuries past."
Fido doesn't have a large part in the novel but he's pure hard boiled fun, for a crazy man. This series get's better the deeper you go into it. While each case is separate they all tie together with many returning characters in each novel.
September 15, 2017
I "discovered" the Garrett, P.I. series by accident, decades ago, when I forgot to send in my monthly "I don't want these books" goodie from the Science Fiction Book Club. Thus, I got an omnibus of the first three books, and decided that I might as well take a look as long as I had it. After a couple of chapters, I was hooked, and I quickly read all three of those novels, and have been collecting new ones as they are published, as well as anything else that Cook has written. He became one of my favorite authors.
This particular book is not the best of the Garrett stories, but it is pretty high up the list. I have read it a couple of times in the past, and am now reading it for what likely will be the final time, as I work to reduce my personal library, by reading books and passing them along to Little Free Libraries and other places. Many of the Garrett novels are high in magic, sorcery, etc; this one is much less so, although the focus is a magical book that can be used to allow the reader to assume any of 100 possible guises. How people react to this ability, and how they might use it, is the subject of this morality tale. Cook, a keen observer of Humans and Humanity in adversity, has numerous pointed comments to make in all of his stories, but they are particular sharp in this novel. Strongest is the old saw about every person having a price.
My main reason for not giving this five stars is that the action is more subdued than in most of the other novels in this series, and some of the plot devices are more than a tad questionable. But the thing wraps itself up well, a new recurring character is introduced to further complicate Garrett's life, and we see the beginning of major changes in the lives of previously-introduced characters, making it clear that the series is not just a "mad sorcerer of the week" thing, but also has a long thread that will continue to wind itself throughout the series. While each novel can be read on its own, the running thread will make more sense if one starts with "Sweet Silver Blues".
This particular book is not the best of the Garrett stories, but it is pretty high up the list. I have read it a couple of times in the past, and am now reading it for what likely will be the final time, as I work to reduce my personal library, by reading books and passing them along to Little Free Libraries and other places. Many of the Garrett novels are high in magic, sorcery, etc; this one is much less so, although the focus is a magical book that can be used to allow the reader to assume any of 100 possible guises. How people react to this ability, and how they might use it, is the subject of this morality tale. Cook, a keen observer of Humans and Humanity in adversity, has numerous pointed comments to make in all of his stories, but they are particular sharp in this novel. Strongest is the old saw about every person having a price.
My main reason for not giving this five stars is that the action is more subdued than in most of the other novels in this series, and some of the plot devices are more than a tad questionable. But the thing wraps itself up well, a new recurring character is introduced to further complicate Garrett's life, and we see the beginning of major changes in the lives of previously-introduced characters, making it clear that the series is not just a "mad sorcerer of the week" thing, but also has a long thread that will continue to wind itself throughout the series. While each novel can be read on its own, the running thread will make more sense if one starts with "Sweet Silver Blues".
May 22, 2019
Dread Brass Shadows is the fifth book in the Garrett P.I. series written by Glen Cook and centered on the adventures of private investigator Garrett.
Tinnie Tate comes to visit Garrett at home and is stabbed in the middle of the street by an unknown assailant. Garrett and Saucerhead run down the would-be assassin, but before they can interrogate him, he is killed by a crossbow-wielding band of hooligans.
The only clue as to the villain's motive is mention of a book. Meanwhile, a woman named Winger visits Garrett and she too is looking for a book. When a third individual, a young woman named Carla Lindo Ramada, comes by in search of a book, at least she can shed some light on the mystery. They are looking for the Book of Dreams (or Book of Shadows), a magical tome that allows the user to take on a hundred different identities.
As word gets out about the power of the Book of Shadows, several parties become involved, each trying to obtain the book before the others. Among those involved are Gnorst Gnorst, head of Dwarf Town, Chodo Contague, Kingpin of TunFaire, Lubbock, a fat wannabe wizard and Winger's employer, and The Serpent, a witch partially responsible for creating the Book of Shadows.
Dread Brass Shadows is written rather well. Cook continues to expand the world of TunFaire, although the narrative is comparatively weaker than his previous installments. While the writing is wonderful, there are some parts that were a tad too confusing and needs careful reading to make sense of the scene, although these parts are few and far in-between.
All in all, Dread Brass Shadows is written rather well and is a good continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series, which I plan to continue in the very near future.
Tinnie Tate comes to visit Garrett at home and is stabbed in the middle of the street by an unknown assailant. Garrett and Saucerhead run down the would-be assassin, but before they can interrogate him, he is killed by a crossbow-wielding band of hooligans.
The only clue as to the villain's motive is mention of a book. Meanwhile, a woman named Winger visits Garrett and she too is looking for a book. When a third individual, a young woman named Carla Lindo Ramada, comes by in search of a book, at least she can shed some light on the mystery. They are looking for the Book of Dreams (or Book of Shadows), a magical tome that allows the user to take on a hundred different identities.
As word gets out about the power of the Book of Shadows, several parties become involved, each trying to obtain the book before the others. Among those involved are Gnorst Gnorst, head of Dwarf Town, Chodo Contague, Kingpin of TunFaire, Lubbock, a fat wannabe wizard and Winger's employer, and The Serpent, a witch partially responsible for creating the Book of Shadows.
Dread Brass Shadows is written rather well. Cook continues to expand the world of TunFaire, although the narrative is comparatively weaker than his previous installments. While the writing is wonderful, there are some parts that were a tad too confusing and needs careful reading to make sense of the scene, although these parts are few and far in-between.
All in all, Dread Brass Shadows is written rather well and is a good continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series, which I plan to continue in the very near future.
January 12, 2019
Эта часть опять про "приключения", когда Гарретт всё время бегает и ничего не понимает, поэтому мне не особо понравилось.
Дальше идут спойлеры:
Дальше идут спойлеры:
May 3, 2019
This one was alright. The story had a really cool concept with "the book" but there wasn't much else to this one. The characters had potential to be more interesting but kind of fell flat in my opinion and were mentioned shortly then never touched upon again until the end of the book (the dwarves). The absence of Morely and Tharpe was really intriguing at first however the climax of it just felt a bit lazy, like "oh yeah those guys, they were doing this" just to wrap it up quickly. there were a lot of things in this book that made me want more such as the flying thunder lizards, the dwarves, the fat crazy wannabe wizard who's name escapes me, Chodo's conclusion, Morely and Tharpes disappearance...but all felt half finished i suppose. I did enjoy the book, I just wouldn't rank it very high on the list to read.
August 25, 2022
We're back in the city of TunFaire again, this time searching for a sorcerous book before others (many different others) get their hands on it first and use it for various nefarious purposes. This one moved the big picture along, but it relied on the Dead Man again (which I always feel is a cop out) and it had Garrett leching at every good looking female that turned up (which gets a little off-putting after a while). It did end up leaving me wanting to know where the overall plot goes next, but that can wait for a while. I've had enough of this series for now.
(r/Fantasy 2022 Bingo squares: Urban Fantasy; No Ifs, Ands, or Buts (HM)).
(r/Fantasy 2022 Bingo squares: Urban Fantasy; No Ifs, Ands, or Buts (HM)).
January 29, 2023
DREAD BRASS SHADOWS is the fifth book of the Garrett PI series and a follow up to the fantastic OLD TIN SHADOWS. As the previous book was heavily influenced by THE BIG SLEEP, this is based on THE MALTESE FALCON.
Garrett's girlfriend, Tinnie, is stabbed by a mysterious assailant and this results in him becoming embroiled in a quest for a magical book wanted by multiple scheming factions. I really enjoyed it and was impressed by the results. It also upends the status quo that had held for five books previously.
If I have one complaint, it's the fact Tinnie remains completely underdeveloped despite five books of being Garrett's love interest.
Garrett's girlfriend, Tinnie, is stabbed by a mysterious assailant and this results in him becoming embroiled in a quest for a magical book wanted by multiple scheming factions. I really enjoyed it and was impressed by the results. It also upends the status quo that had held for five books previously.
If I have one complaint, it's the fact Tinnie remains completely underdeveloped despite five books of being Garrett's love interest.
December 17, 2018
It Is What It Is
A person probably won't start the Garrett series with this book, so by now the reader knows the series and its primary characters. And, like me, you've formed opinions. Either the characters are sufficient to keep you interested or not.
For me, they are. The parallels with one of my favorite series, Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe, are fun, though Garrett for me isn't as good a character as Archie Goodwin.
This one's a good read, shaking up the power structure of TunFaire a little and changing some relationships of the characters.
A person probably won't start the Garrett series with this book, so by now the reader knows the series and its primary characters. And, like me, you've formed opinions. Either the characters are sufficient to keep you interested or not.
For me, they are. The parallels with one of my favorite series, Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe, are fun, though Garrett for me isn't as good a character as Archie Goodwin.
This one's a good read, shaking up the power structure of TunFaire a little and changing some relationships of the characters.
August 3, 2018
Another Great installment. The author really mixes things up from book to book. There really hasn't been one that is like the other and this book is no different. Some characters are involves while others don't make any appearances. There is a new character introduced and it will be fun to see if she continues to be a part of the stories. I look forward to see how the world is going to shape up with all the changes that seemed to have happened. Can't wait for the next one.
May 8, 2023
After the excellent Old tin sorrows, 4th in the series, I may have been unfair to this book, as it is a quite typical Garrett book, with a bit more of an overarching story and less attention to the case, but nevertheless with the great instant characterization and easy violence with a touch of the supernatural that characterizes the series. There may be some shake ups among the recurring characters.
July 24, 2020
Another entertaining Sam Spade-esque mystery, with one of the last covers to show a woman really small in comparison with him. These are humans, but so oddly presented somehow--instead of a woman shorter than he is, she's not only shorter but the head looks oddly big for a regular old human, which is what she is supposed to be, and big compared to his. Oh well--interesting-enough to read--
March 26, 2024
Garrett is back on the case...even if he doesn't want to be. It's a race to see who can find the legendary Book of Shadows. A book of spells that no mortal was ever supposed to master. Dwarves, crazy "want-to-be" magicians, the kingpin and redheads galore...all wanting the book...What will Garrett do?
Another winner from Glen Cook.
Another winner from Glen Cook.
October 20, 2025
I'm still really enjoying this series. The break before coming back to it might have inflated my review.
Cook still does a great job of a Garrett book being somewhat formulaic while being totally unexpected.
It was interesting to have a book without certain characters appearing as much, and I enjoyed Winger.
Cook still does a great job of a Garrett book being somewhat formulaic while being totally unexpected.
It was interesting to have a book without certain characters appearing as much, and I enjoyed Winger.
December 27, 2019
Another several players at the time and treadcatching mystery. Intresting in its own way but can't help feeling Garrett don't do much but solve it anyway. He is a slacker and don't work when he can avoid it
January 3, 2020
Если честно - книга оставила после себя смешанные впечатления... Вроде бы и драйв сохранён, но в тот же момент всё слишком сумбурно. По факту, кроме беготни по городу, из книги ничего не вынести - постоянные перебежки заслоняют собой всё.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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