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Snake Agent: The Detective Inspector Chen Novels, Book One Mass Market Paperback – 17 Jan. 2008

by Liz Williams (Author)

46 ratings

Book 1 of 5 in the Detective Inspector Chen Novels Series

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John Constantine meets Chow Yun-Fat in this near-future occult thriller! Detective Inspector Chen is the Singapore Three police department's snake agent - that is - the detective in charge of supernatural and mystical investigations. Chen has several problems: In addition to colleagues who don't trust him and his mystical ways, a patron goddess whom he has offended, and a demonic wife who's tired of staying home alone, he's been paired with one of Hell's own vice officeers, Seneschal Zhu Irzh, to investigate the illegal trade in souls. Political pressures both Earthly and otherworldly seek to block their investigations at every turn. As a plot involving both Singapore Three's industrial elite and Hell's own Ministry of Epidemics is revealed, it becomes apparent that the stakes are higher than anyone had previously suspected.

Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

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Product details

Mass Market Paperback : 384 pages
ISBN-10 : 1597801070
ISBN-13 : 978-1597801072
Product Dimensions : 10.8 x 2.54 x 17.15 cm
Publisher : Night Shade Books (17 Jan. 2008)
Language: : English

Best-sellers rank 2,985,241 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
14,516 in Crime & Mystery Graphic Novels
287,026 in Science Fiction & Fantasy (Books)

Customer reviews:
46 ratings

Product description

Synopsis

John Constantine meets Chow Yun-Fat in this near-future occult thriller! Detective Inspector Chen is the Singapore Three police department's snake agent - that is - the detective in charge of supernatural and mystical investigations. Chen has several problems: In addition to colleagues who don't trust him and his mystical ways, a patron goddess whom he has offended, and a demonic wife who's tired of staying home alone, he's been paired with one of Hell's own vice officers, Seneschal Zhu Irzh, to investigate the illegal trade in souls. Political pressures both Earthly and otherworldly seek to block their investigations at every turn. As a plot involving both Singapore Three's industrial elite and Hell's own Ministry of Epidemics is revealed, it becomes apparent that the stakes are higher than anyone had previously suspected.

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Customer reviews

5 star		65%
4 star		18%
3 star		9%
2 star		4%
1 star		4%

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

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Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 May 2019

Verified Purchase

Picked this up from twitter recommendations from other authors (always the way to go)
Enjoyed this so hard. It's got all the right boxes and ticks them all with aplomb.. some lovely style and craft in the writing and it rockets along with a good pace and plenty of subtle riffing on some old school themes.
Going to autobuy the others now, Kthxbai. :)

Comment

The wonderful world/s of Detective Inspector Chen

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 November 2014

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I have been reading a lot of short SF stories recently and wanted to try something completely different; Detective Inspector Chen has been around for quite some time but for whatever reason I hadn't come across him before now. I'm really glad that I finally found him because this is a wonderful character in a wonderful world; there are laugh out loud moments, and scary moments, and the supporting cast make you forget that they are the supporting cast by being obstinately human and/or demon with their own ideas of what is going on. This one is definitely a keeper...

Comment

Ordered by accident - so pleased I did!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 13 August 2020

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I ordered this book by accident but as I was bored in lockdown thought I'd give it a shot, and I am glad I did. I really enjoyed this, intelligent sci fantasy. I can't wait to read the rest of the books in the series.

Comment

Liz is a brilliant author and I loved this first Chen novel

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 July 2014

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Liz is a brilliant author and I loved this first Chen novel. She evokes the world of Detective Chen wonderfully - so much detail given but in such a way as to enhance the story, not detract from it. The world itself is original, morals are neither black nor white which convinces the reader or its 'reality'.The characters are deep, authentic and suitably complex (I love the Badger-Kettle). And, on top of all this, the story is fab! I can't wait to read the rest of these.

Comment

Great series of books

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 October 2019

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Such an unusual idea - well written, couldn’t put it down

Comment

Hell is bureaucracy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 24 May 2008

I greatly enjoyed Liz Williams' "Snake Agent", partially for the excellent characterization but also for the unique setting. Williams captures the Chinese atmosphere perfectly, and I've heard from other sources that she does it pretty accurately. I'm not that familiar with the details of Chinese culture, but it certainly seems accurate to my limited knowledge. Most importantly, it *feels* right. She gets the mood down perfectly, an oppressed city, stifling heat (it's unclear whether that's due to global warming or the proximity to Hell, or if that's just Singapore's climate) and a mix of high-end neighborhoods and downtrodden slums. Her version of Hell is wonderfully portrayed too, massively bureaucratic and structured, with various ministries in charge of doing things to keep evil in the real world. However, there are certain rules they have to follow, and they can't step on each others' toes. Zhu Irzh is on the Vice Squad not to prevent and control Vice, but to make sure that everything's being done properly. We don't see Heaven in the novel, but we do see how it interacts with the real world and with Hell, as Hell's minions do have to watch their step so Heaven's bureaucracy doesn't get involved. Williams' description of everything makes you feel like you're there, sweltering in the heat or down in Hell when Chen has to go there to finish his mission.

Chen is an extremely interesting character. He's married to a demon who has escape from Hell because of an attempted forced marriage (all of this happened in a previous unpublished adventure). He's world-weary, but he's definitely good at what he does. He's on the outs with his goddess right now, which will make visiting Hell a bit tougher because he won't have her protection. Zhu Irzh is a wonderful creation, a demon with a few ethics; he's not a "good" demon, but he wants to make sure everything runs smoothly and correctly. Chen and he form an interesting relationship of respect but distrust, and their interplay is a lot of fun to read. In fact, sometimes Zhu is a more interesting character then Chen, especially with little details such as how he keeps on getting his favorite coat messed up and how annoying he finds that. The ending of the book promises that in subsequent novels, we will be seeing more of Zhu, which made me very happy. I wasn't quite as impressed with Chen's wife, but she started to hold her own as her storyline moved forward. Williams also has a handle on her minor characters, making them distinctive even if they aren't a major part of the plot.

I really did enjoy Snake Agent, and would recommend it highly to any fantasy or science fiction fan looking for something just a little different. The book can be slow going at times, but that's usually because you're spending more time immersed in the setting and Williams' wonderful prose. I'm usually a quick read, and I was a bit annoyed at first that this book was taking me so long. Then I realized that I was enjoying my stay in it and it was all right. It's an interesting setting and a wonderful book.

David Roy

One person found this helpful

Comment

Andrew J. Codling

Interesting and Eastern

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 August 2006

It is sometime in the future, the internet has been superseded by the bioweb. But that doesn't really matter.

In Singapore 3 there is a policeman, who deals with the supernatural, this is Inspector Chen. The borders between Heaven, Earth and Hell are now more flexible than before, and he is blessed by one of the goddesses with some magic so that he can help the spirits of the dead.

Doesn't really cover it.

OK the Heaven and Hell are of the Chinese variety. We don't see Heaven at all, however Hell appears to be very bureaucratic there is a ministry for war, a ministry of epidemics, vice and so on. Into this walks Inspector Chen, originally to find out why a dead teenagers spirit destined for Heaven has ended up in Hell, however he eventually ends up involved in a struggle between two ministries aided by a demon, all the while trying to find his wife.

Cannot really do the story justice without revealing more than I would wish, however the book itself is well written, relatively light, and from my POV interesting in giving me a greater insight into Chinese beliefs. Recommended, however there is a lot of back story leading me to suspect that this may be the second book in the series, although if that is the case I have not yet tracked down the first.

9 people found this helpful

Comment

Fast-paced and fascinating, and even better, more to come

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 November 2006

Each one of Liz Williams' novels shows a different aspect of her apparently inexhaustible knowlege of different cultures and their mythology, which provide fascinating exotic backgrounds while never alienating the reader from her characters. Here a near-future Chinese nation-state is the setting for a novel with her other typical strengths of tight plotting and a tone that is light while never becoming flippant (some material is almost more like horror).

I'm really pleased that this author has found a setting and characters she likes enough to explore in more detail over several books. I've already ordered the second in the series.

5 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Terence Tan Co

Wonder novel, John Constantine meets Chow Yun Fat in Wicked City

Reviewed in Canada on 15 November 2008

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I was surprised that this is a wonderfully entertaining novel.

A mix of John Constantine and Chow Yun Fat by way of Blade Runner/Chungking Express and Wicked City anime. Great stuff, a very good detective plot and Liz Williams shines in her writing as she combines Asian culture/mystism/ and mythology...Bravo!!!!!

One person found this helpful

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Lou Jacobs

Mulligan Stew of a Novel

Reviewed in the United States on 27 April 2017

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Amazing Fun read ...pinch of fantasy, dash of science fiction, dab of supernatural, and topped off with a roller coaster of a mystery. The protagonist Detective Inspector Wei Chen investigates crimes of the supernatural . He has the ability to communicate between the realms of Hell and Heaven .. with his trustworthy rosary in his pocket. This investigation concerns the "ghost trade", where innocent girls are murdered and their souls are harvested for brothels in Hell. In order to unravel this conspiracy he joins forces with his counterpart in Hell ... Zhu Irzh , a Vice Detective who uncharacteristically has a conscience.
Chen's wife Inari, who happens to be a demoness is thrown into the fray, along with her protector - "teakettle" , who sometimes inanimate can when needed transform into a protective "badger from hell". The journey is stuffed with fleshed-out bizarre characters ... demon-hunters from Beijing, police department exorcists, and a myriad of characters from Hell. The prose and imagery sweeps you along effortlessly to a tasty conclusion - wanting for more. I'm anxious to delve into Wei Chen's further adventures.

5 people found this helpful

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lieu2010

Happy to have ventured out of my comfort zone

Reviewed in the United States on 23 June 2017

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I read this book for the Paranormal Romance book club that I'm in. I don't believe I would have ever picked this book on my own because I tend to shy away from anything that is outside of my comfort zone. While paranormal is not outside my comfort zone, the setting of the book (Singapore) is. I do want to make clear that I really enjoyed this story line. Loved the idea of the politics in each of the words. I especially loved that even a demon finds some of hell's creatures atrocious. That was funny to me. The only hard part for me, were the names. I had no clue how to say them and I didn't know if it was a street name, a place or an actual person. The great news is that is didn't take long to remember who was who and what they did.

Liz Williams did a wonderful job of dragging me in, keeping me intrigued and holding me there until the very end.

5 people found this helpful

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Andrea F. Ozment

Intriguing concept

Reviewed in the United States on 14 December 2017

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Inspector Chen is an unusual detective, in that he investigates otherworldly matters and has the freedom to pursue his investigations into Hell. I enjoyed the notion and the witty writing, but felt the story itself was subordinate to overly detailed descriptions of the denizens and locales of Hell, and of the futuristic city of Singapore Three. The action is grisly and somewhat confusing, and many of the characters are mere sketches. Imari, Chen's demon wife, the guardian badger/teakettle, demon investigator Zhu, Chen himself and a couple of other characters begin to achieve some complexity, but their personalities weren't developed quite enough to engage me. Again, the idea behind this detective series is intriguing, but I think the author's fascination with the creation of other worlds overwhelmed both plot and characters.

4 people found this helpful

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Carl V. Anderson

welcome new series

Reviewed in the United States on 22 September 2006

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Take a healthy dose of mythology and eastern religion, mix in the humor of Big Trouble in Little China and the buddy-cop banter of Lethal Weapon and adorn with a fantastic Jon Foster cover and what do you get? Well, you get the beginnings of an entertaining new mystery series by author Liz Williams.

The Snake Agent is a difficult book to categorize. A blurb from the publisher's website reads:

John Constantine meets Chow Yun-Fat in this near-future occult thriller. Detective Inspector Chen is the Singapore Three police department's snake agent, in charge of supernatural and mystical investigations.

Chen has several problems: In addition to colleagues who don't trust him and his mystical ways, a patron goddess whom he has offended, and a demonic wife who's tired of staying home alone, he's been paired with one of Hell's own vice officers, Seneschal Zhu Irzh, to investigate the illegal trade in souls.

Political pressures both earthly and otherworldly seem to block their investigation at every turn. As a plot involving Singapore Three's industrial elite and Hell's own Ministry of Epidemics is revealed, it becomes apparent that the stakes are higher than anyone had previously suspected.

"Constantine meets Chow Yun-Fat" is a tremendously accurate description of Liz Williams' protagonist, Detective Inspector Wei Chen. I recently re-watched The Replacement Killers and I could not help picturing Chow Yun-Fat as Wei Chen's adventures unfolded before me. If ever filmed he would be the perfect choice.

I said that William's novel is hard to classify and it is. The story abounds with magic as does a typical fantasy novel. It is a mystery, set in a near future science fiction universe replete with technology that would be at home in a story by Phillip K. Dick. It is also a primer for eastern mysticism and a view of earth, heaven, and hell steeped in ancient mythology. In addition there are elements of horror reminiscient of the aforementioned John Constantine and a wry humor similar to that in the very best cult classic comedies.

Having so many varied influences in the wrong hands could result in a mess of a story. Fortunately Liz Williams crafts her tale with deft hands making The Snake Agent a fun introduction to this series of detective novels. It is easy to see why she has been twice nominated for Phillip K. Dick awards. The Snake Agent unfolds at just the right pace to keep one engaged in the story without ever overwhelming the reader. There is a lot going on with the genre-mixing plot but the reader never feels lost.

At its core The Snake Agent is just pure fun. The best thing about the novel is the characters and their relationships. Wei Chen is a mortal man married to Inari, an denizen of the Underworld whom he rescued from an unwanted marriage. Inari has a protective animal companion that masquerades as a tea pot in earthly realms. On earth Chen has a law enforcement partner who is a perfect combination of Reginald VelJohnson's character in Die Hard and Danny Glover's in Lethal Weapon. Of course the nether realms have their own enforcement agencies and so Chen's counterpart, Seneschal Zhu Irzh, figures prominently in the tale as well. There is nothing better than a science fiction/fantasy tale flavored with chivalrous romance and solid friendships.

If you are a fan of any of the above mentioned films I would venture to say that you will enjoy Liz William's debut novel in the Detective Inspector Chen series. As of this writing the second novel in the series, The Demon and the City, is nearing release and I really look forward to rejoining Wei Chen in his investigative adventures. Funny, adventurous, scary and magical, The Snake Agent is a great opportunity to try something a little different in your reading. I tip my hat to you Ms. Williams. Well done.

14 people found this helpful

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