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Jay Russell - Page 2
Jay Russell
Celestial DogsCelestial Dogs
BloodBlood


British Pbk Original - Robinson (1996)
Celestial Dogs
See Review by Liz Lees
From a new name in the fantasy/crime genre comes this fast-paced thriller set in LA with a private eye embroiled in a cocktail of mystery, conspiracy, ancient Japanese cults and demons.
Marty Burns was famous once. Now he's just another fallen star earning his keep as a low-rent private eye, chasing one day to the next. But when hired to find a missing Hollywood hooker, he stumbles into a mystery and conspiracy that shatters everything he has ever believed in.
In darkness it sleeps. An evil as pure and ancient as the first sin. Waiting for its moment to rise again. Now darkness has come to sunny Los Angeles. Missing girls, a dead client and a string of savage murders. Ensnared in an epic confrontation between ancient cults whose eternal battle has brought them from the mystic mountains of Japan to the seedy streets of Los Angeles, Marty must confront vicious pimps, suspicious cops, Hollywood mega-moguls and all-powerful demons out of the pages of mythology. His beliefs, his life and his very soul are at stake as the world he'd known is turned inside out. He is forced to confront that most difficult, but fundamental of existential questions: what do you believe in?
Once again two supernatural forces will battle for the soul of humanity. Only this time there's Marty Burns, who is about to become famous ..... again.
"Celestial Dogs is a heady, entertaining mixture of fantasy, horror, and hardboiled. Marty Burns bulls his way through L.A.'s cesspool like some bad-dream bastard son of Philip Marlowe. Jay Russell pulls it off with brutality, wit, and adrenaline." George P.Pelecanos, author of The Big Blowdown
"This is the ultimate Raymond Chandler with-attitude-read. Sharp, dark and savagely readable. A treat. Jay Russell is a fresh talent to watch" Peter James, novelist
"part supernatural thriller, part hard-boiled detective yarn, part comic Hollywood novel, and all page-turner - Celestial Dogs hits a bullseye on every target at which it takes aim" Peter Atkins, novelist and screenwriter of Hellraiser II - IV
"An acerbically funny collision between Hollywood lowlife and the gods and demons of Japanese mythology that's as stylishly gritty as Dashiell Hammett. Jay Russell is a major new talent" Paul J. McAuley, novelist
"Russell's prose snaps, crackles and pops" Ellen Datlow, Omni Magazine
"a winner... very entertaining and enjoyable" David Howe, Shivers
"its our stuff. .. a good read and there are occasional moments of genuine brilliance" SFX magazine
"Jay Russell has achieved something quite extraordinary - a unique combination of crime, horror and humour" Tangled Web UK
"Intense, fast paced, convincing, and filled with interesting characterisations." Don D'Ammassa, Science Fiction Chronicle
"Great fun... a lively, likeable, slightly demented hybrid of a book." Cemetery Dance
"This may not be the first time that hell has been used as a Hollywood metaphor, but Russell really makes it work. Pay attention to the name. This is J. S. Russell's first novel. If Celestial Dogs is any indication, it should be a major success." Rocky Mountain News
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British Pbk Original - Robinson (1996)
Blood
See Review by Liz Lees
A designer virus, an unstoppable evil a city in terror . . . The streets of Los Angeles are slick with blood. Vicious gangs from hell are slaughtering each other for control of an addictive new designer drug called Tunnel which has terrifying side-effects. Only two people know that Tunnel is the route of transmission for a deadly virus that turns a man into a vampire-like killing machine. As Reagan and the other harassed cops try to piece together the trail of carnage, from the sidewalks to the sterile rooms. of a research laboratory to a place no human has ever been before, the scene is set for a titanic, terrifying struggle. Two mysterious figures play a demonic game of cat and mouse: a creature of darkness who holds the keys to the Tunnel empire and Greymarch, an avenger of awesome savage powers.
‘Russell's near-cinematic evocation of Los Angeles and the street gang milieu is shrewd and razorsharp.’ Interzone
‘If your stomach can take the twisting roller-coaster ride, Blood's a hell of a lot of fun.’ Locus
‘Unputdownable, breathtakingly violent and downright scary. I loved it! If you only read one horror book this year - make this it!’ Tangled Web
'Blood marks the second remarkable novel from one of the greatest talents the horror industry has produced for some time… this is an amazing piece of fiction which speeds along without remorse, spectacularly. I expect much from this man in the future' Black Tears
'Celestial Dogs and Blood have achieved great critical acclaim… and are highly recommended' the Alien Has Landed
'(Blood is) taut and well written… Russell's near-cinematic evocation of Los Angeles and the street gang milieu is shrewd and razorsharp… there is much to enjoy along the way' Interzone
'(Blood) crackles with energy. If it were a dog it would be a Pit-Bull terrier with a large bulldog clip firmly attached to the more tender parts of its anatomy. This is Anne Rice with PMT. More please, I love it' Andrew Haigh in Samhain
'fans of the really, really nasty will lap it up' Manchester Evening News
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