Tomorrow the Killing by Daniel Polansky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have to admit I love this one a lot more than the first novel. It might be because I'm getting into Polansky's style or it could be because the Warden finally grew on me after the events finally played out in the first novel.

Either way, it doesn't really matter because this novel was perfectly awesome all on its own. It was riffing the horrors of World War I with a magical slant beautifully, even written as a slow reveal of the Warden's past as he goes about his dark days in Low Town in the present. I honestly loved getting to know him much, much better, learning that he was even more despicable and heroic than I had first gave him credit for. What a cool blend of regained conscience, doing the right thing, and bloody-minded and overwhelming revenge that takes on the whole damn world.

I mean, here we go from being nearly perfectly apathetic after being drummed out of the spy business, to feeling extremely guilty for a past wrong, to doing a half-assed job to make up for the guilt, to failing, and in failing, decide to make it right by burning the whole motherfucking world to the ground.

It actually turns out pretty much as epic as it sounds, too.

I'm SOOO tempted to start reading the third novel right away, not that there's a cliffhanger, because there isn't. I'm just that invested in the world, now. :)

Here's to the dirt and slime of the world! And let's hear it for our favorite drug-pushing, orphan-saving, black-hearted murderer, and pretty decent human being, the Warden. :) *clink*

Even if he's an asshole, he still has his good points. :)

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