Review of The Devil Pulls the Strings

[Cathy Colleach]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Devil Pulls the Strings" by J. W. Zarek.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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3 out of 4
Orphaned at a young age by a terrifying and mystifying event, Boone Daniels has never been able to shake the nightmares that wrack him, and why do they feel so real? Unable to afford a college education Daniel earns a living as a cowboy jouster at medieval fairs in the Midwest until one day his musical gifts give him a rare chance to play at a gig in New York. But is it really a good start to the trip to narrowly miss having a piano fall on his head from a balcony? Especially when it is followed by the body of the man who is his only contact in the city? Boone is quickly drawn into a world of magical musical mayhem with only his new friends to help him, and a prophesy that seems to have been unravelling though time to land him in bigger trouble than he has ever been in before...

I enjoyed this madcap questing through the ages to save various random things such as his new girlfrield who may or may not have been around for a couple of hundred years, a blue gremlin called Pip,and heh New York City as well.

This book is a genuine mashup of genres that defies pigeon holing which you'll either like or find a bit dizzying. It was a bit comic fairy tale meets the Davinci Code with some Gothic Horror and time space vortexing scifi as well as heaps of other supernatural randoms. I personally loved the modern fairy tale elements which are not done enough, so this fills a real gap in the shelves that I hope this emerging author will continue to explore and fill. Move over Terry Pratchett? Some great laughs, I look forward to more.

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The Devil Pulls the Strings
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