I know this narrator isn’t actually Charlie Sheen, but that’s exactly who he makes MC Connor sound like. It always takes me a moment to move past that. The narrator also makes all women sound like teenage girls and has this weird thing for saying “he laughed” and then making a laughing sound (one or the other, buddy). On the other hand, Mr Hay’s ability to narrate a huge variety of men and monsters to fantastic effect makes up for all of those trifling quirks.
Add in a fresh UF-noir story featuring both magic and tech, not to mention a willingness to sacrifice characters and alliances, and you’ve got a darkly engaging listen. Although there are recaps, you really need to start with book 1 to get the biggest impact from the twists in this book.
As much as I am fascinated by Connor, it’s really Amos, the fat, lecherous, Afro sporting racist (against magic users) who steals the show. Amos’ character just begs for a few novella side-stories. Between Amos’ mouth and the occasional F bombs, this falls more on the Quincy Harker/Sandman Slim rather than Dresden/Alex Verus end of UF.