Review: "Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid" (R.Chandler)
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 19, 2014
This project was launched as a serial. Season One has nine episodes, and it is available as a full set, as single episodes, or as mini sets of three episodes each. This review is of the first three episode set, and that's the site you're at now. These episodes completely set up the story frame and the character. Episode one is fully contained. Episodes two and three pause with a resolution, but then continue on to later episodes. So, you can try this as a sample without being left hanging at the end. That's a nice touch.Here's the deal on the premise. A Debt Collector visits a person who is about to die and collects that person's last remaining life energy. He draws the energy into his own body and carries it away. That's where the massive life energy hit comes from. He reports to the office to have the draw confirmed and then visits the high potential recipient to deliver the life energy, less a ten per cent commission. The delivery is the high in reverse and leaves the debt collector exhausted and shattered. (It's sort of the reverse of, or a variation on, the old sin eater folktale.) We follow one Debt Collector, Lirium, (short for Delirium), on a complete assignment. There are dozens of little details about the job that are woven into Lirium's description of the job and this gives the whole concept a realistic and convincing weight and plausibility that is truly remarkable.As to the plot, NO SPOILERS HERE. But, it's classic noir - doomed and noble. Think along the lines of films like Mitchum's "Out of the Past" and you'll get the idea.Admirable though the premise may be, and this is totally convincing and immersive world building, the story is carried by the voice and style of Lirium. The overall feel is conflicted Grim Reaper confessional, with a side of weary despair and a spark of hope. Lirium comes across as a complete and fully realized character, not just some type, and that's quite an accomplishment.Lots of commenters refer to this as futuristic noir, and I suppose that's correct enough. But, often noir is just an excuse for a lot of hard boiled dialogue and snappy one-liners. That can be fun even when it's forced or over the top. This story is not written that way, though. It is very restrained, and mood is established through the slow accumulation of numerous details and small observations that add up to a weary, resigned and melancholy, perhaps even despairing, vibe. That's the kind of literary noir we have here, and it is perfectly executed. In the first scene of the book, Lirium visits an old man to collect his life force. The exchange between the two is tense, gentle and deadly, and yet there is not a single snappy line or raised voice. This is good stuff.If you like your Raymond Chandler filtered through a "Blade Runner" sensibility, this could be a very nice choice.Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book in exchange for a candid review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.