Review: A remarkable achievement
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 13, 2014
Having read and immensely enjoyed Wagner’s ‘Legendary Detective at the World’s End’, the logical next thing for me is getting my hands on the second book, ‘Legendary Detective in the City of Kings’. And I must say this: if you enjoyed the first book, then you’ll enjoy the second one even more.Basically, this book consists of four more adventures for Detective Kirin—a character that is reminiscent of the Japanese anime Detective Conan, although with his own distinct wit and eccentricity. The city is still Teigen, yet Kirin sinks his arms way down in the seedier parts of the city—he deals with all sorts of shady characters. I couldn’t even pick any one of the four stories—I like “The Big Bad Wolf” as much as “Shadows,” and I’m sure many would disagree if I relegate the intriguing “Game of Love” to any place other than on the same level as the others.Wagner is more confident here and, at certain times, more playful—the way she crafts the conversations even with minor characters brim with that sly sense of humor. And obviously, this second book is also written with Hollywood in mind—the scenes are more edge-of-your-seat visual, “cinematic” even, that you can’t help but think of Steven Spielberg optioning this one for the big screen.Overall, ‘Legendary Detective in the City of Kings’, if anything, shows that Wagner’s destined to write many more books about this legendary boy detective—it’s only getting better, and it would be a terrible thing for the literary world if Wagner does not follow this up with another one—and soon. A solid five-star rating for this one.