Thraxas and the Dance of Death (Thraxas) [Mass Market Paperback]

An amusing novel in a series of books about a private investigator in a fantasy version of ancient Rome called "Turai".

A little like Glen Cook's "Garrett P.I." series, but this reminded me even more strongly of Lindsey Davis's "Falco" novels about an informer in the real Rome.

This is the fourth and most recent to date in a series comprising

Thraxas

Death and Thraxas

Thraxas & the Sorceres

Thraxas & the Dance of Death.

Like Marcus Didius Falco, the hero of this book, Thraxas, is an investigator with a lot of enemies. Like Falco, he has a lovely associate, though instead of a razor-sharp senator's daughter, Makri is a part human, part Elf and part Orc, lethal with a sword, and sometimes wears a chainmail bikini described as "one of the smallest garments ever seen in the civilised world."

Like Garett but unlike Falco, Thraxas lives in a city where sorcery and magic add their dangers to the usual crop of merely human villains.

In this fourth book in the series, Thraxas is hired to recover an extremely important magical jewel which has gone missing. But every time he gets close to the missing item, he finds a collection of dying or recently killed victims instead. Soon everyone from senators to the press is blaming him for a mysterious wave of murders, and the public are making bets with bookmakers on how many people will get killed before Thraxas's latest case has been resolved.

Meanwhile Makri is falsely accused of theft and Thraxas is falsely accused of cowardice. With his licence to investigate suspended, Thraxas is in big trouble - but not nearly as much trouble as the city of Turai will be in if he doesn't find the stolen jewel before certain other people do ...

Entertaining if a little silly. If you have read and enjoyed either the Garett P.I. or Marcus Didius Falco series, and don't object to a little escapist fantasy, you will probably enjoy the Thraxas books.

If you enjoyed this or other books about Thraxas, have not previously heard of Falco, and would like to read an even better series about a similar character in the real world, then I recommend you take a look at the Falco novels, the first of which is, "The Silver Pigs" by Lindsey Davis.

Thraxas returns in 'The Dance of Death' and once more the fantasy PI is in a bad way. In debt and living above a pub he finds himself in desperate need of work. Luckily then that the head of the Sorcerer's Guild needs him to discreetly find a jewel of immense power that has gone missing. Unfortunately, wherever this jewel seems to appear people end up dead! Thraxas must investigate against an ever increasing tide of bodies whilst also looking into allegations against his friend the female warrior Makri. Can he succeed before someone else gets their hands on the jewel?

For the vast majority of the book I really enjoyed 'Thraxas and the Dance of Death'. Thraxas and Makri are great comedic characters and very different from what you usually get in fantasy fiction (even Pratchett). I particularly liked their relationship based on trust and loathing. However, the book did not actually go anywhere in the end and the conclusion felt a little flat to me. I enjoyed the journey only to discover there was no destination. In the end it was a fun quick read that would provide good entertainment for a fantasy fan looking for something a bit different and nothing more.

Sometimes it's just not worth it. Life always looks better after 15 ales, and 5 meals at each sitting. Unfortunately for Thraxas, Investigator of Turai and occasional Tribune (when anyone remembers) wants a quiet life, the annual winnings at the chariot races, and his "Ignore Me" spell to keep working, things are not working out that way.......again.

Sorting out other people's problems may pay the bar bill, but his sometime assistant Makri, is getting in trouble for being a swot, his landlord is getting between him and a good dinner, and the Next Great Orc War still hasn't started....

Thraxas isn't back at the Avenging Axe, he's working an unpleasant case, is the subject of an interesting bet, and isn't enjoying it at all...again