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The Wizard of 4th Street #4
The Wizard of Rue Morgue
Darkness in the City of Light….
A beautiful model is found murdered with ancient runes carved into her body. An artist known for drunken rages is arrested and charged with ritual murder. As the bearers of the runestones --Wyrdrune, a dropout warlock; Kira, a cat burglar; Modred, the immortal son of the legendary King Arthur; and Billy Slade, a London punk possessed by the spirit of Merlin the Magician -- respond to a friend’s plea to help save an innocent man, Parisian street children start to disappear without a trace and a series of savage killings brings new horror to the Rue Morgue.
And beneath the streets of Paris, in the sewers and the Catacombs filled with the dusty bones of the victims of the guillotine, the immortal Dark Ones prepare a deadly plan to destroy the enchanted runestones and their avatars and unleash a bestial army that will drown the streets of Paris in a sea of blood….
A beautiful model is found murdered with ancient runes carved into her body. An artist known for drunken rages is arrested and charged with ritual murder. As the bearers of the runestones --Wyrdrune, a dropout warlock; Kira, a cat burglar; Modred, the immortal son of the legendary King Arthur; and Billy Slade, a London punk possessed by the spirit of Merlin the Magician -- respond to a friend’s plea to help save an innocent man, Parisian street children start to disappear without a trace and a series of savage killings brings new horror to the Rue Morgue.
And beneath the streets of Paris, in the sewers and the Catacombs filled with the dusty bones of the victims of the guillotine, the immortal Dark Ones prepare a deadly plan to destroy the enchanted runestones and their avatars and unleash a bestial army that will drown the streets of Paris in a sea of blood….
201 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1990
6 people are currently reading
98 people want to read
About the author
Simon Hawke
89 books238 followersAlso published as J.D. Masters.
He was born Nicholas Valentin Yermakov, but began writing as Simon Hawke in 1984 and later changed his legal name to Hawke. He has also written near future adventure novels under the penname "J. D. Masters" and mystery novels.
He was born Nicholas Valentin Yermakov, but began writing as Simon Hawke in 1984 and later changed his legal name to Hawke. He has also written near future adventure novels under the penname "J. D. Masters" and mystery novels.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 21, 2019
Don't judge this book by its cover. In fact, don't even really judge it by my rating. I haven't read the other books in the series (yet), but I will say that this is done better than I can imagine anyone else doing something of this sort. The world that Hawke has built here is exceptionally well put together, and there is a careful attention to detail in a way that puts this book almost out of its own league (see my second criticism). That having been said, there are two criticisms that I have:
1) My biggest complaint here is the characters. I feel like they act too rationally a lot of the time. Then, there are other times where they speak in melodramatic cliché. There's actually quite a bit of that. And because this is only 201 pages, there isn't enough book to really give much to character development than a few very, very well placed lines. Some of the characters are dangerously stock, but that's just one more of the book's incongruous points: like I keep saying, it's better than itself. On the one hand, the idea of Merlin's spirit being attached to a 14 year-old cockney punk, is pretty brilliant in terms of urban fantasy. Then, we have the Broom, who is clearly meant for comedic relief and gives this a Saturday morning cartoon feeling that doesn't work well with a lot of the other writing. That brings me directly to my next point:
2) This is suuuuuuuuuuper cheesy. And, that's fine. What makes it weird is that it's cheesy with elements in a novel that I could see taking itself far more seriously than one with a broom familiar who is based on a Jewish mother. It seriously ends with a sort of fade-to-black-whilst-group-laughing scene. Honestly, this may be more a criticism of my own prejudices than the book: after all, is it a fault of my own to not be able reconcile a cheesy novel that has some very well done writing? Simon Pegg said that we can have it all: our fanboy stuff that actually makes us think. Thematically, I'm not sure that this one digs into the human condition or any nihilist vs. existentialist values, but it does what it does better than any books that I think you might find on the same shelf.
1) My biggest complaint here is the characters. I feel like they act too rationally a lot of the time. Then, there are other times where they speak in melodramatic cliché. There's actually quite a bit of that. And because this is only 201 pages, there isn't enough book to really give much to character development than a few very, very well placed lines. Some of the characters are dangerously stock, but that's just one more of the book's incongruous points: like I keep saying, it's better than itself. On the one hand, the idea of Merlin's spirit being attached to a 14 year-old cockney punk, is pretty brilliant in terms of urban fantasy. Then, we have the Broom, who is clearly meant for comedic relief and gives this a Saturday morning cartoon feeling that doesn't work well with a lot of the other writing. That brings me directly to my next point:
2) This is suuuuuuuuuuper cheesy. And, that's fine. What makes it weird is that it's cheesy with elements in a novel that I could see taking itself far more seriously than one with a broom familiar who is based on a Jewish mother. It seriously ends with a sort of fade-to-black-whilst-group-laughing scene. Honestly, this may be more a criticism of my own prejudices than the book: after all, is it a fault of my own to not be able reconcile a cheesy novel that has some very well done writing? Simon Pegg said that we can have it all: our fanboy stuff that actually makes us think. Thematically, I'm not sure that this one digs into the human condition or any nihilist vs. existentialist values, but it does what it does better than any books that I think you might find on the same shelf.
March 17, 2022
Enjoyable but not progressing
Like an old childhood friend these books are fun to visit. I got them originally at a trading books store as a kid. I still remember searching through piles of paper backs and finding treasures. Glad these are on kindle now so I can read the whole series. Now it's just piles of internet I'm searching through. Doesn't smell as good as that old book store did.
Like an old childhood friend these books are fun to visit. I got them originally at a trading books store as a kid. I still remember searching through piles of paper backs and finding treasures. Glad these are on kindle now so I can read the whole series. Now it's just piles of internet I'm searching through. Doesn't smell as good as that old book store did.
February 17, 2021
Not as problematic as i was worried, w/r/t stereotypes of women and minorities. Originally read over 25 years ago. (will likely be the same review for each of the 4-5 books i'm currently re-reading)
May 31, 2009
Like the previous book: good characters, good story, but with a plot epic enough to warrant a more in-depth storytelling.
(again previous part is copy pasted from a previous review)
I think it was fairly predictable. I wish there was a bit more variation in the pattern. I don't really like the way he kills people off. It makes sense than someone would die in such a dangerous conflict, but it does not seem to really serve a purpose.
(again previous part is copy pasted from a previous review)
I think it was fairly predictable. I wish there was a bit more variation in the pattern. I don't really like the way he kills people off. It makes sense than someone would die in such a dangerous conflict, but it does not seem to really serve a purpose.
August 24, 2022
[2022] Working through the series again to help stave off reader's block. Plus finally get to a couple I never read. The formula here is formulaic, and thinning. As such, it tends to be less fun and more serious. Still, a diverting sidebar.
September 25, 2007
This is about my 5th or 6th time reading this book. It is one of my favorate brain candy books.
March 31, 2011
series settling into a formula but well humored
June 10, 2012
Another great book by Mr. Simon Hawke. Quick read, but very enjoyable.
May 25, 2015
3 1/2 stars actually.
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July 5, 2015When they get into tiny tigers and elephants in fish tanks... That's when you know you've stumbled upon a great mind.
September 1, 2015
These all pretty good and entertaining in this series.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews