Krazykiwi @ Kiwitopia

Markhat is a Finder, charged with the post-war task of tracking down sons and fathers gone suddenly missing when an outbreak of peace left the army abandoned where they stood. But now it’s ten years on after the war, and about all he’s finding is trouble..

 

Short review: This is novella length, and either #1 or #2 in the series depending who's numbering you go with. I liked it either way, and found myself managing to understand the world just fine. 

It reads a little like dropping Felix Castor into a Victorian era city, after a war against trolls. It's a place where Vampires exist, but the only ones who are allowed are the rich ones who don't eat too many people. Trolls pull dray carts through the city, and Goblins make the clocks, and yet Markhat can't quite bring himself to believe in an actual revenant. So he sets out to find out who is really terrorising his employer, and why. 

I liked this character, he has a light veneer of snark, covering up a very tired and world-weary soul, he's seen far too much, and he's a little damaged by it all, but he's a good man. And he loves dogs, and dogs love him, enough to provide a little ghostly help in a time of need. I can't help but like a man who understands dogs better than people, and knows it.

This was a good introduction. I'll certainly be reading more of this series. 

ETA: I wrote Felix Carey heh. I meant Felix Castor, written by Mike Carey. I guess y'all knew that.