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The Case of the Perambulating Hatrack
She was trouble, and from the moment she sailed into his office in search of a PI, Soldagh Dennessey was caught in her wake. In a city where the streets started mean and went worse, Soldagh had carved a relatively solitary existence out between the goblins in their dens of minty iniquity, and the gnomes who'd snitch on their own mothers for rent money. Rough as it was, he'd come from worse family, and had no intention of going back. As the case grows tangled and terrifying, Soldagh is starting to suspect the past he's been avoiding lies at the bleeding heart of the matter. And only the few friendships he's made and an unexpected ally might be enough to save them now...
292 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 31, 2021
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7 people want to read
About the author
Cedar Sanderson
128 books59 followersI hate writing bios, even though I love to write. If you're that interested, read my blog, where I natter on at length on writing, publishing, research, and life in general.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 17, 2021
This is the fifth volume by Sanderson that I have read since I first encountered her works in Cracked: An Anthology of Eggsellent Chicken Stories, and after reading her piece there knew I had to track down and read something else from her pen. And to date everything I have read has been worth reading and entertaining. But this story threw me for a bit of a loop. For as I was reading it I could not help but feel that it was a ‘fix up’ novel The definition of which is:
“A fix-up (or fixup) is a novel created from several short fiction stories that may or may not have been initially related or previously published. The stories may be edited for consistency, and sometimes new connecting material, such as a frame story or other interstitial narration, is written for the new work.”
Now there is nothing wrong with a fixup. In fact J.F. Powers won the National book award twice and both were fix up novels. And there are several other books that come to mind that I know were fixups. But reading this story I was not expecting that. I picked this up because it was the latest release from an author I have grown to respect and whose stories I have enjoyed greatly. Now if I had read the dedication I might have guessed at a fix up earlier:
“This book is dedicated to the MOTE crew. The Hatrack would never have come to life without the weekly prompts and encouragement of the Odds.”
And Sanderson confirmed the fixup theory I had in the afterwards:
“Last year, the year I wrote this book, was 2020. 'Nuff said, yes? But the Hatrack, which began as a thousand words or so of fluff and nonsense, kept me company all year. From one prompt to another, a Drunkard's Walk of mathematical improbability that a coherent novel could be woven of such variable strains. And yet... It happened.”
And to answer her musing, yes it does become a coherent novel and a very fun one at that. It sort of reads like Mike Hammer set in a noir urban fantast story. Humans, orcs, trolls, magicians, a possessed hatrack, and a fedora with the personality and memories of the owner. A lot of action. An ever deepening mystery. And a whole lot of fun. Oh and a budding relationship between an orc and a … Well to be honest to find that out you will need to read the story. A few explosions, many destroyed domiciles, and a realm hopping adventure. So much packed into one story. And yet Sanderson pulls it off. And pulls it off very well. The description of this one is:
“She was trouble, and from the moment she sailed into his office in search of a PI, Soldagh Dennessey was caught in her wake.In a city where the streets started mean and went worse, Soldagh had carved a relatively solitary existence out between the goblins in their dens of minty iniquity, and the gnomes who'd snitch on their own mothers for rent money. Rough as it was, he'd come from worse family, and had no intention of going back. As the case grows tangled and terrifying, Soldagh is starting to suspect the past he's been avoiding lies at the bleeding heart of the matter. And only the few friendships he's made and an unexpected ally might be enough to save them now...”
There is that fixup feel, but it is a good read. And an expansion of my working through Sanderson’s canon of work. If you dig Urban Fantasy or PI Noir definitely give this tale a try.
“A fix-up (or fixup) is a novel created from several short fiction stories that may or may not have been initially related or previously published. The stories may be edited for consistency, and sometimes new connecting material, such as a frame story or other interstitial narration, is written for the new work.”
Now there is nothing wrong with a fixup. In fact J.F. Powers won the National book award twice and both were fix up novels. And there are several other books that come to mind that I know were fixups. But reading this story I was not expecting that. I picked this up because it was the latest release from an author I have grown to respect and whose stories I have enjoyed greatly. Now if I had read the dedication I might have guessed at a fix up earlier:
“This book is dedicated to the MOTE crew. The Hatrack would never have come to life without the weekly prompts and encouragement of the Odds.”
And Sanderson confirmed the fixup theory I had in the afterwards:
“Last year, the year I wrote this book, was 2020. 'Nuff said, yes? But the Hatrack, which began as a thousand words or so of fluff and nonsense, kept me company all year. From one prompt to another, a Drunkard's Walk of mathematical improbability that a coherent novel could be woven of such variable strains. And yet... It happened.”
And to answer her musing, yes it does become a coherent novel and a very fun one at that. It sort of reads like Mike Hammer set in a noir urban fantast story. Humans, orcs, trolls, magicians, a possessed hatrack, and a fedora with the personality and memories of the owner. A lot of action. An ever deepening mystery. And a whole lot of fun. Oh and a budding relationship between an orc and a … Well to be honest to find that out you will need to read the story. A few explosions, many destroyed domiciles, and a realm hopping adventure. So much packed into one story. And yet Sanderson pulls it off. And pulls it off very well. The description of this one is:
“She was trouble, and from the moment she sailed into his office in search of a PI, Soldagh Dennessey was caught in her wake.In a city where the streets started mean and went worse, Soldagh had carved a relatively solitary existence out between the goblins in their dens of minty iniquity, and the gnomes who'd snitch on their own mothers for rent money. Rough as it was, he'd come from worse family, and had no intention of going back. As the case grows tangled and terrifying, Soldagh is starting to suspect the past he's been avoiding lies at the bleeding heart of the matter. And only the few friendships he's made and an unexpected ally might be enough to save them now...”
There is that fixup feel, but it is a good read. And an expansion of my working through Sanderson’s canon of work. If you dig Urban Fantasy or PI Noir definitely give this tale a try.
April 4, 2021
So much fun! A perfect blend of old P.I. noir and new urban fantasy. If Spillane and Butcher had a love-child, it would be Solly. Who would've guessed I could fall in love with an orc? Oh, I loved all the other characters, too. (Nettle was my favorite after Solly.) I loved the plot and the mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed the world-building. Definitely different in a totally good way. I can't wait to read another one of these.
November 28, 2021
Quirky and Engaging
Really enjoyed this “film noir” twist on the adventures of a fantastical cast of characters. Wry and quirky, they were entertaining in their other-worldliness, at the same time they were relatably human. Looking forward to the Case of the Missing Lynx!
Really enjoyed this “film noir” twist on the adventures of a fantastical cast of characters. Wry and quirky, they were entertaining in their other-worldliness, at the same time they were relatably human. Looking forward to the Case of the Missing Lynx!
June 15, 2021
Nice comfort read with a cheeky plot in a "noir-y" setting. Fun and not very long.
July 20, 2021
A hilarious, romping read.
August 29, 2022
This is a fun one!
Cedar works in a similar space as "Bright," "Shadowrun," and the old "Borderland" series, with hits of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" and "Howl's Moving Castle." An uplifting mystery whose real theme is family, she also performs a very clever, and hopeful side-step to the question of "orcs and the problem of inherent evil nature."
Cedar works in a similar space as "Bright," "Shadowrun," and the old "Borderland" series, with hits of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" and "Howl's Moving Castle." An uplifting mystery whose real theme is family, she also performs a very clever, and hopeful side-step to the question of "orcs and the problem of inherent evil nature."
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews