Review: Nekropolis, by Tim Waggoner

Nekropolis
Tim Waggoner

August 2009 (UK), October 2009 (US/Canada) – Angry Robot Books

Matthew Richter is a former cop from Cleveland, now deceased and making a “living” as a private investigator (or rather, a Person Who Does Favors for People) in the underworld city of Nekropolis – a ghastly and fantastical realm filled with all manner of dark and undead creatures, where the “technology” is alive (in a gruesomely Lovecraftian way), and everything is lit by a reddish “sun” called Umbriel.

Hard-up for funds to pay for continuing voodoo treatments to keep his rotting zombie corpse from falling apart on him, Richter takes on a job helping the daughter of the vampire mafia boss to solve a theft from her father’s collection (of which she is the caretaker), and retrieve the stolen item before her father finds out.

But what starts out as what seems like a simple investigation turns up something far more sinister. Joined by a cast of lively characters, Richter must find a way to keep himself together (literally) in order to help foil a plot to destroy the entire city.

Nekropolis is the first in what is slated to be a three-book series from Tim Waggoner, whose body of work already comprises over a dozen novels and more than fifty short stories and novellas. Those familiar with his work may recognize this as an expansion of his 2004 novella, Necropolis (published through Five Star Press). The story is witty and engaging, seamlessly blending genres in a mix of urban fantasy, horror, a little bit of romance, and old-fashioned pulp detective mystery.

Nekropolis launches in August (in UK, October in the US/Canada) as part of the debut of Angry Robot – the new adult science fiction/fantasy imprint of HarperCollins.