What do you think?
Rate this book
Joe Pitt #2
No Dominion
Joe Pitt’s life sucks. He hasn’t had a case or a job in God knows how long and his stashes are running on empty. What stashes? The only ones that count to a guy like Joe: blood and money. The money he uses to buy blood; the blood he drinks. Hey, buddy, it’s that or your neck–you want to choose? The only way to lay his hands on both is to take a gig with the local Vampyre Clan. See, something new is on the streets, a new high, a high so strong it can send a Vampyre spazzing through Joe’s local watering hole. Till Joe sends him through a plate-glass window, that is.
So it’s time for Joe to gut up and swallow that pride and follow the leads wherever they go. It won’t be long before he’s slapping stoolies, getting sapped, and being taken for a ride above 110th Street. Someone’s pulling Joe’s strings, and now he’s riding the A train, looking to find who it is. He’s gonna cut them when he finds them–the strings and the hands that hold them.
So it’s time for Joe to gut up and swallow that pride and follow the leads wherever they go. It won’t be long before he’s slapping stoolies, getting sapped, and being taken for a ride above 110th Street. Someone’s pulling Joe’s strings, and now he’s riding the A train, looking to find who it is. He’s gonna cut them when he finds them–the strings and the hands that hold them.
251 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
About the author
Charlie Huston
104 books1,213 followersCharlie Huston is an American author of Noircrime fiction. However, according to a recent interview with Paradigm, he prefers to be classified as a writer of Pulp, due to how he writes.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 241 reviews
June 6, 2013
This was the book that sealed the deal. If New York detective noir (with a vampire twist) is the kind of description that piques your interest, I strongly recommend this book. It's completely unlike most UF, nary a sparkle or wolf to be found, and owes most of its atmosphere to the Sam Spade tradition of the cold-hearted loner trying to retain some thin shred of his ideals. The plot appears to be a relatively straightforward investigation but has a whiz-bang reveal that floored me. When I realized what was going on--about the same time Joe did--it was like a slap upside the head.
It starts with a fight. First the physical kind (a plate glass window is involved, naturally), then the girlfriend kind (the things we do for reassurance). Day in the life of Joe Pitt. Joe's been scrambling for work since the last book, as events covered therein have negatively impacted his employability. Eventually he heads downtown to hit up Terry and the Society for work, but Terry's right hand man, Tom, gives him the bureaucratic run-around. Terry comes through, and Joe goes to work looking for the source of the new Vampyre drug on the street. Philip, the Renfield snitch, provides information and a contact. Joe stops at the Enclave, then hits the A train up to Harlem (cue the Duke), right through Coalition territory. From there, he's just trying to survive in a hostile land as he tries to uncover the source. As usual, Joe's technique doesn't consist of asking questions as much as being beat up while everyone conveniently explains themselves.
There's an interesting parallel to modern drug culture in the Vampyre world Huston has dreamed up, and the organization of a culture built around its distribution and control. Huston uses many of the traditional routes people get exposed to drugs to excellent effect: those that fell into it; the counterculture deviant; the hoodlum just struggling to survive; the accidental dose; the transformation-seekers; the runaway; the victim; the upper-class dallying in extremes; the sycophants. It works for me.
While it's a violent book, I never seem to think of it as despairing. Perhaps it's Joe's affection for Evie tempering his dispassionate violence. Perhaps it's his stubborn independence in the face of powerful factions. Whatever it is, it has me drawn in to the series and already onto the next book.
Cross posted at: http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/0...
It starts with a fight. First the physical kind (a plate glass window is involved, naturally), then the girlfriend kind (the things we do for reassurance). Day in the life of Joe Pitt. Joe's been scrambling for work since the last book, as events covered therein have negatively impacted his employability. Eventually he heads downtown to hit up Terry and the Society for work, but Terry's right hand man, Tom, gives him the bureaucratic run-around. Terry comes through, and Joe goes to work looking for the source of the new Vampyre drug on the street. Philip, the Renfield snitch, provides information and a contact. Joe stops at the Enclave, then hits the A train up to Harlem (cue the Duke), right through Coalition territory. From there, he's just trying to survive in a hostile land as he tries to uncover the source. As usual, Joe's technique doesn't consist of asking questions as much as being beat up while everyone conveniently explains themselves.
There's an interesting parallel to modern drug culture in the Vampyre world Huston has dreamed up, and the organization of a culture built around its distribution and control. Huston uses many of the traditional routes people get exposed to drugs to excellent effect: those that fell into it; the counterculture deviant; the hoodlum just struggling to survive; the accidental dose; the transformation-seekers; the runaway; the victim; the upper-class dallying in extremes; the sycophants. It works for me.
While it's a violent book, I never seem to think of it as despairing. Perhaps it's Joe's affection for Evie tempering his dispassionate violence. Perhaps it's his stubborn independence in the face of powerful factions. Whatever it is, it has me drawn in to the series and already onto the next book.
Cross posted at: http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/0...
October 27, 2018
I do like Joe Pitt ; a classic anti-hero with his own moral code. Add to that the fact that he's a Vampire makes for a very compelling character. No Dominion was a great addition to the series ; full of action and gore ! New York has been divided up by the Vampyre Clans and in this book Joe has to travel through the Clan areas ,unsuccessfully trying to stay safe. I don't think I've ever come across a hero who gets beaten up quite as much as Joe does ! I loved this part of the book as it reminded me of one of my favourite movies : the 80's classic " The Warriors ". A great read ,give the series a go.
November 17, 2018
This is the second book in the Joe Pitt series following
Already Dead
(my review). It remains a dark, engaging and gritty, noir detective/urban fantasy mashup. The major players, their relationship to each other and Pitt are defined. I think you can start to see the light at the end of the story-arc tunnel for this five-book series from here.
Note this book was a rather thin 275-pages. The author’s writing-style is rather terse. In addition, not a lot of prose is dedicated to backstory—its best to read the series’ books in sequence.
Prose is no different from the first book. The author is writing in the noir/hardboiled style of Hammett and Chandler, with Hammett winning-out. The Pitt protagonist’s POV is used throughout. Pitt is laconic in dialog and internal monologue. While I like the story’s dialog, for some reason the American, Black lingua franca that makes-up a good part of the story felt like it was written by a white guy. Descriptive prose was not as lovingly crafted as in the first book, which amounted to description porn, but I get it—I’ve been down those mean streets with Joe already. Action sequences are well done. As before the story can be wryly funny, if you have a macabre sense of humor.
This story includes very little sex, vampiric drug usage, and ultra-violence. Pitt makes a point of declining all offers of sex. Drug use and abuse is more muted than in the previous story. That includes alcohol. However, drug usage amongst vampires is a major plot element. There is graphic violence. Physical, edged-weapons, and firearms violence appear in some detail. Body count is moderately high. Note that violence against animals is included. I wouldn’t call this a YA read, particularly if you’re the least bit squeamish.
The main characters include: Pitt, Evie (no last name), Terry Bird, Daniel (no last name), DJ Grave Digga and Mrs. Vandewater. Pitt, Evie, Bird, and Daniel are carried over from the first book. They receive no real development. Grave Digga is the leader of the Harlem vampires in northern Manhattan. They’re the vampires-of-colour. They’re aptly called “The Hood”. Mrs. Vandewater is a Coalition vampire chieftain and a rival of Pitt’s Coalition nemesis Predo. She’s the nominal antagonist.
The territoriality of vampires plays an important part in the series. It’s further developed in this story. Manhattan vampire politics consume a large part of this story’s narrative.
Also important in the story is that very few vampires continue to live to a ripe-old age after being converted. (“New-fish” die young.) Bird, Daniel, Vandewater and Predo are old vampires. They're playing a very long-game. Pitt having died 30-years ago is a young buck, although he’s learning fast. Grave Digga is likewise young. The tension between the young and the old vampires as well as the black and the white is an important plot point in the story.
Plotting is good, although the double-cross at the end was predictable. In addition for such a slim book, the plot stays in low-gear for longer than I'd have wished. In a nutshell, an addictive heroin-like drug is introduced to the younger vampire population. Vampires can’t get high, but with this drug—they can. Bird sends Pitt out to look for the source of this “destabilizing” influence, which leads him into The Hood. Yet another Coalition conspiracy is found. (Coalition conspiracies are the bread ‘n butter of the series.) There is a moderately long expositional reveal at the end that could have easily been trimmed.
The NYC geography lesson is an edu-tainment plus with this series. World building was good, although with this book its mostly uptown geography. The story begins and ends in Pitt’s stomping grounds of the East Village. I ❤ NY.
This story did not leave me as excited as the first—it’s more of the same. Like its predecessor, it’s dark, gritty, but also not-too-deep. Unlike its predecessor, I didn’t find the story to be as funny. This story is about gaining momentum for the story arc. However, I liked it. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the Half the Blood of Brooklyn .
Note this book was a rather thin 275-pages. The author’s writing-style is rather terse. In addition, not a lot of prose is dedicated to backstory—its best to read the series’ books in sequence.
Prose is no different from the first book. The author is writing in the noir/hardboiled style of Hammett and Chandler, with Hammett winning-out. The Pitt protagonist’s POV is used throughout. Pitt is laconic in dialog and internal monologue. While I like the story’s dialog, for some reason the American, Black lingua franca that makes-up a good part of the story felt like it was written by a white guy. Descriptive prose was not as lovingly crafted as in the first book, which amounted to description porn, but I get it—I’ve been down those mean streets with Joe already. Action sequences are well done. As before the story can be wryly funny, if you have a macabre sense of humor.
This story includes very little sex, vampiric drug usage, and ultra-violence. Pitt makes a point of declining all offers of sex. Drug use and abuse is more muted than in the previous story. That includes alcohol. However, drug usage amongst vampires is a major plot element. There is graphic violence. Physical, edged-weapons, and firearms violence appear in some detail. Body count is moderately high. Note that violence against animals is included. I wouldn’t call this a YA read, particularly if you’re the least bit squeamish.
The main characters include: Pitt, Evie (no last name), Terry Bird, Daniel (no last name), DJ Grave Digga and Mrs. Vandewater. Pitt, Evie, Bird, and Daniel are carried over from the first book. They receive no real development. Grave Digga is the leader of the Harlem vampires in northern Manhattan. They’re the vampires-of-colour. They’re aptly called “The Hood”. Mrs. Vandewater is a Coalition vampire chieftain and a rival of Pitt’s Coalition nemesis Predo. She’s the nominal antagonist.
The territoriality of vampires plays an important part in the series. It’s further developed in this story. Manhattan vampire politics consume a large part of this story’s narrative.
Also important in the story is that very few vampires continue to live to a ripe-old age after being converted. (“New-fish” die young.) Bird, Daniel, Vandewater and Predo are old vampires. They're playing a very long-game. Pitt having died 30-years ago is a young buck, although he’s learning fast. Grave Digga is likewise young. The tension between the young and the old vampires as well as the black and the white is an important plot point in the story.
Plotting is good, although the double-cross at the end was predictable. In addition for such a slim book, the plot stays in low-gear for longer than I'd have wished. In a nutshell, an addictive heroin-like drug is introduced to the younger vampire population. Vampires can’t get high, but with this drug—they can. Bird sends Pitt out to look for the source of this “destabilizing” influence, which leads him into The Hood. Yet another Coalition conspiracy is found. (Coalition conspiracies are the bread ‘n butter of the series.) There is a moderately long expositional reveal at the end that could have easily been trimmed.
The NYC geography lesson is an edu-tainment plus with this series. World building was good, although with this book its mostly uptown geography. The story begins and ends in Pitt’s stomping grounds of the East Village. I ❤ NY.
This story did not leave me as excited as the first—it’s more of the same. Like its predecessor, it’s dark, gritty, but also not-too-deep. Unlike its predecessor, I didn’t find the story to be as funny. This story is about gaining momentum for the story arc. However, I liked it. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the Half the Blood of Brooklyn .
October 16, 2011
Joe Pitt gets mixed up in a nasty double-cross and, as usual, he's on the losing end of it...
There is a new drug going around the Island of Manhattan and it's causing havoc among the newly converted. Seems that this drug is the only way for a Vampyre to get high, or at least feel the high they did before the Vyrus. Terry Bird, head of The Society, asks Joe to "look into it" and find out where it's coming from and who's dealing it. This mission leads Joe on a journey Uptown which means he has to cross through Coalition territory and connect with someone in The Hood. To make matters worse, he must journey in daylight to avoid encountering Coalition enforcers if at all possible.
Another very fun entry in the Joe Pitt series. This one had me humming the theme song from that old movie "The Warriors" from the time Joe makes it to The Hood to the point where he manages to get back below 14th, back to Society territory. It was so fun, and I really love the pulpy-, noir feel these books have. The Vampyre twist just makes them even better!
On to the next one, "All the Blood in Brooklyn". Can't wait!
There is a new drug going around the Island of Manhattan and it's causing havoc among the newly converted. Seems that this drug is the only way for a Vampyre to get high, or at least feel the high they did before the Vyrus. Terry Bird, head of The Society, asks Joe to "look into it" and find out where it's coming from and who's dealing it. This mission leads Joe on a journey Uptown which means he has to cross through Coalition territory and connect with someone in The Hood. To make matters worse, he must journey in daylight to avoid encountering Coalition enforcers if at all possible.
Another very fun entry in the Joe Pitt series. This one had me humming the theme song from that old movie "The Warriors" from the time Joe makes it to The Hood to the point where he manages to get back below 14th, back to Society territory. It was so fun, and I really love the pulpy-, noir feel these books have. The Vampyre twist just makes them even better!
On to the next one, "All the Blood in Brooklyn". Can't wait!
September 7, 2012
If I ever get reincarnated as a fictional character, I do not want to end up in a Charlie Huston novel. Joe Pitt is a good example. In this second installment of the Joe Pitt Casebook, much like the first, Joe goes to a New York hell and back; gets beat up, burned up, tortured, passed around evil vampire clans like a ping pong ball and, unlike any other private investigator, still never gets to have sex with his girl. Joe is a vampire too and rather low on the social register. Yet what makes Joe Pitt so much fun is that he knows it. He's a survivor and we root for him to survive. The ultimate underdog. Throw in a dark and seedy New York loaded with vampires with agendas and double-crosses (not that kind of cross) and you might discover why this is my favorite adult series second only to Joe R. Lansdale's Hap and Leonard, another pair of underdogs. Not much else to say but on to book 3.
September 2, 2015
Oh, Joe! You have a totally unenviable life. I'm not sure I know another fictional character that gets abused as badly as you.
These books are gritty, full of twists and turns, and just plain fun. I know what you're saying: "I'm sick and tired of vampires." Well, tough. And, he's not that type of vampire.
The vampire aspect is just part of the scenery. The real fun is the plotting and the characters in this pulp/noir story. Get past your vampire prejudice and just enjoy the ride!
These books are gritty, full of twists and turns, and just plain fun. I know what you're saying: "I'm sick and tired of vampires." Well, tough. And, he's not that type of vampire.
The vampire aspect is just part of the scenery. The real fun is the plotting and the characters in this pulp/noir story. Get past your vampire prejudice and just enjoy the ride!
January 24, 2012
2/5; 2 stars; C
This started out really good. Edgey with a film noir feel. Kind of like The Maltese Falcon with vampyres and thugs instead of Bogart and dames. Then it dragged and there were big detours to fill in back story and then the really tough guys came into the scene and I just about keeled over from testosterone poisoning so I had to call it a day.
The narrator was really good, Scott Brick.
This started out really good. Edgey with a film noir feel. Kind of like The Maltese Falcon with vampyres and thugs instead of Bogart and dames. Then it dragged and there were big detours to fill in back story and then the really tough guys came into the scene and I just about keeled over from testosterone poisoning so I had to call it a day.
The narrator was really good, Scott Brick.
February 27, 2009
Nobody writes popcorn fiction like Charlie.
December 6, 2023
-Hey Jake.
-Hello, Pretend Me.
-Like gritty NYC crime novels?
-You bet I do.
-Like Charlie Huston?
-Read some of his books years ago. Loved em.
-Well guess what?
-What?
-Charlie Huston has a whole series of gritty NY crime thrillers.
-Awesome!
-And they’re set in the LES.
-Whohoo!
-Where the protagonist operates as a guy who does “favors for friends.”
-Can I get a Marc Albert YES!?
-There’s one catch.
-Okay.
-Just a small detail.
-Yeah.
-They’re vampire books.
-Oh.
-And while still gritty, they feature a lot of boring vampire stuff.
-Dangit!
-On top of that…
-It gets worse?
-…it has a plot in book two that addresses racism in this fantasy world…”
-Hey that’s not bad!
-But Huston writes Black characters in the laziest, most stereotypical way possible.
-That is bad!
-So it’s kinda like a vampire…
-Stop.
-Half alive and half dead.
-Damn you.
-You’re still gonna read the rest of the series, aren’t you.
-Sigh. Yes.
-Hello, Pretend Me.
-Like gritty NYC crime novels?
-You bet I do.
-Like Charlie Huston?
-Read some of his books years ago. Loved em.
-Well guess what?
-What?
-Charlie Huston has a whole series of gritty NY crime thrillers.
-Awesome!
-And they’re set in the LES.
-Whohoo!
-Where the protagonist operates as a guy who does “favors for friends.”
-Can I get a Marc Albert YES!?
-There’s one catch.
-Okay.
-Just a small detail.
-Yeah.
-They’re vampire books.
-Oh.
-And while still gritty, they feature a lot of boring vampire stuff.
-Dangit!
-On top of that…
-It gets worse?
-…it has a plot in book two that addresses racism in this fantasy world…”
-Hey that’s not bad!
-But Huston writes Black characters in the laziest, most stereotypical way possible.
-That is bad!
-So it’s kinda like a vampire…
-Stop.
-Half alive and half dead.
-Damn you.
-You’re still gonna read the rest of the series, aren’t you.
-Sigh. Yes.
May 11, 2009
Charlie Huston has another series of books (a trilogy) which consists of Caught Stealing, Six Bad Things, and A Dangerous Man. Go read those; they're pretty terrific. This is the second in his series about a loner noirish vampire sort-of P.I. who navigates amongst various clan factions of vampires who have territories in Manhattan, and it's got a Lower East Side attitude in spades, and not much else. There was an initial build-out of a mythos in the first book, but now in the second book, he has to spend half his time recapping the mythos for those who came in late or can't be bothered to have retained the details of all of his warring factions from a book published several years ago. Then we have a decent chunk of space devote to dribbling out a little more detail on these clans and their relationships to one another, plus some foreshadowing of things yet unrevealed, because, God help me, this is going to be a saga now, and we can't be shooting all of our expository wad at once. Daddy's got mortgage payments to make, so we'll be stretching this out over many books to come. That doesn't leave a lot of space for a compelling story, especially since you have to sift it all through a Nick Tosches attitude. So I'll be holding back my contribution to the mortgage in the future, thanks.
And while I'm ranting, when the fuck did every story about vampires turn into a complicated saga about warring factions within a vampire society, all with a complicated backstory of slights and treacheries committed over the centuries that I'm supposed to retain to make sense of the plot? Here's a hint to all the creators who have one of these in mind: I watched the Blade movies because I find Wesley Snipes and Kris Kristofferson masters of camp. I watched the first two Underworld movies because Kate Beckinsale's ass in latex....sorry, I lost my train of thought there. I have no interest in the Twilight series because I am not scared of penises and fluids, so I exist outside of the target demographic of Mormon housewives, teenage girls, and women who dress up their cats for whom those books appeal. I don't read Laurell K. Hamilton because I don't need the fig leaf of a vampire to hide my desire for porn. But let's detect the theme....NONE OF THESE CHOICES ARE PREDICATED ON THE MERITS OF YOUR COMPLICATED POLITICAL SYSTEMS. I'm not interested in your Beirut-like construction of warring factions. It's just the blah blah blah in between the biting, or the Kate Beckinsale picking something up off the floor, or the not-fucking, or the fucking. Just stop, please. Vampire story: one vampire, he/she bites people, it's a metaphor for sex, good people kill the vampire at the end so we can valorize repression. It's not fucking rocket science, people.
And while I'm ranting, when the fuck did every story about vampires turn into a complicated saga about warring factions within a vampire society, all with a complicated backstory of slights and treacheries committed over the centuries that I'm supposed to retain to make sense of the plot? Here's a hint to all the creators who have one of these in mind: I watched the Blade movies because I find Wesley Snipes and Kris Kristofferson masters of camp. I watched the first two Underworld movies because Kate Beckinsale's ass in latex....sorry, I lost my train of thought there. I have no interest in the Twilight series because I am not scared of penises and fluids, so I exist outside of the target demographic of Mormon housewives, teenage girls, and women who dress up their cats for whom those books appeal. I don't read Laurell K. Hamilton because I don't need the fig leaf of a vampire to hide my desire for porn. But let's detect the theme....NONE OF THESE CHOICES ARE PREDICATED ON THE MERITS OF YOUR COMPLICATED POLITICAL SYSTEMS. I'm not interested in your Beirut-like construction of warring factions. It's just the blah blah blah in between the biting, or the Kate Beckinsale picking something up off the floor, or the not-fucking, or the fucking. Just stop, please. Vampire story: one vampire, he/she bites people, it's a metaphor for sex, good people kill the vampire at the end so we can valorize repression. It's not fucking rocket science, people.
August 26, 2008
Got Blood?
Joe Pitt is the classic pulp fiction tough guy. Part private investigator, part leg breaker, all renegade. Joe Pitt is also a "vampyre".
Welcome to Charlie Huston's contemporary New York, a city where by night the undead walk among us, holed up in darkened Manhattan apartments by day. But But Houston's Dracula is about as similar to Bram Stoker and Transylvanian and bats as blood is similar to Kool Aid. Huston's blood-lusting wraiths of Manhattan are victims of an AIDS-like "Vyrus", aligned in cults operating in uneven detente in a twisted JR Tolkien nightmare society. Pitt, while living in the Greenwich Village turf of the politically correct and activist "Society" clan, remains independent, a rogue agent allowed to exist on the fringes of vampire-dom thanks to his rep for ridding the neighborhood of undesirables.
So following last year's "Already Dead", the tight-lipped Pitt returns, short of cash and more than a few "pints" low. It seems there is a new vampyre high loose on the streets of New York, wrecking some havoc within the clans. Pitt, desperate for work and in need of a new stash of hemo for the fridge, takes a contract from the Society clan's boss to track down the source of the strange and dangerous new drug. This leads Pitt to "the Count", a spoiled rich kid from Columbia playing vampire, complete with a trio of usually stoned vamp brides. Pitt's search for the stuff takes him north to Harlem and "the Hood" clan, home of the feared DJ Grave Digga and his Ecco Rhin-clad homeboys. With this backdrop, Huston spins a vicious - if somewhat convoluted tale - of inter-clan politics, setups, treachery and, true to the author's own rep, nonstop action. While "No Dominion" is not a sequel per se, it would be best to read "Already Dead" first, filling in some of the holes that Huston chooses not to repeat (at the risk of slowing down this episode).
Like his offbeat subject matter and anti-hero, Charlie Huston's lean prose, uncluttered by ordinary convention like chapters and quotation marks, follows no rules and, at least in terms of style, has no equal. Hip, irreverent, brutal, sometimes even thought provoking, Huston is not for everyone. But "No Dominion" is further proof that Huston, while unorthodox, is in a class of his own, and a very short list of today's top crime writers.
Joe Pitt is the classic pulp fiction tough guy. Part private investigator, part leg breaker, all renegade. Joe Pitt is also a "vampyre".
Welcome to Charlie Huston's contemporary New York, a city where by night the undead walk among us, holed up in darkened Manhattan apartments by day. But But Houston's Dracula is about as similar to Bram Stoker and Transylvanian and bats as blood is similar to Kool Aid. Huston's blood-lusting wraiths of Manhattan are victims of an AIDS-like "Vyrus", aligned in cults operating in uneven detente in a twisted JR Tolkien nightmare society. Pitt, while living in the Greenwich Village turf of the politically correct and activist "Society" clan, remains independent, a rogue agent allowed to exist on the fringes of vampire-dom thanks to his rep for ridding the neighborhood of undesirables.
So following last year's "Already Dead", the tight-lipped Pitt returns, short of cash and more than a few "pints" low. It seems there is a new vampyre high loose on the streets of New York, wrecking some havoc within the clans. Pitt, desperate for work and in need of a new stash of hemo for the fridge, takes a contract from the Society clan's boss to track down the source of the strange and dangerous new drug. This leads Pitt to "the Count", a spoiled rich kid from Columbia playing vampire, complete with a trio of usually stoned vamp brides. Pitt's search for the stuff takes him north to Harlem and "the Hood" clan, home of the feared DJ Grave Digga and his Ecco Rhin-clad homeboys. With this backdrop, Huston spins a vicious - if somewhat convoluted tale - of inter-clan politics, setups, treachery and, true to the author's own rep, nonstop action. While "No Dominion" is not a sequel per se, it would be best to read "Already Dead" first, filling in some of the holes that Huston chooses not to repeat (at the risk of slowing down this episode).
Like his offbeat subject matter and anti-hero, Charlie Huston's lean prose, uncluttered by ordinary convention like chapters and quotation marks, follows no rules and, at least in terms of style, has no equal. Hip, irreverent, brutal, sometimes even thought provoking, Huston is not for everyone. But "No Dominion" is further proof that Huston, while unorthodox, is in a class of his own, and a very short list of today's top crime writers.
October 6, 2011
If you asked me last night - when I read the last 60 some pages in one or two sittings - I would have said this was an awesome book and had lots of great urban noir style that The Dresden Files can only dream of. Even as late as this morning I was recommending this book as a great addition to the growing vampire (spelled vampyre in this book for no good reason at all) collection.
But right now, I don't remember much of it.
So, yeah, we have our Joe Pitt - cooler-than-thou vampire PI without any work - investigating a new drug that not only affects vampires, but can also make them uncontrollable. This investigation takes him through most of lower and upper New York City (don't listen to the editorial remarks, this is NOT near-future), interacting with the various head honchos of different Vampyre (man that's annoying to spell) clans.
All to lead to a giant conspiracy twist that ... I'm not sure.
And while I enjoyed this book and found it well written and gripping (I especially liked the way dialogue was handled ... think Hubert Selby Jr split into paragraphs with Elmore Leonard's voice), I'm not sure that I can remember enough of it to justify the time it took to read it. Of course, I was reading a few other books at the time and so there could be that.
Meh, if you're into the noir genre and you haven't given Joe Pitt a try, grab Already Dead and take it around the block. Chances are, you will be like me and a few months/years later find another Joe Pitt book and say, "Hey, I liked that one way back when. I'm gonna read this one too."
In another few months, I'll probably say the same thing and read the third in the series. I just hope I remember it better than this one.
But right now, I don't remember much of it.
So, yeah, we have our Joe Pitt - cooler-than-thou vampire PI without any work - investigating a new drug that not only affects vampires, but can also make them uncontrollable. This investigation takes him through most of lower and upper New York City (don't listen to the editorial remarks, this is NOT near-future), interacting with the various head honchos of different Vampyre (man that's annoying to spell) clans.
All to lead to a giant conspiracy twist that ... I'm not sure.
And while I enjoyed this book and found it well written and gripping (I especially liked the way dialogue was handled ... think Hubert Selby Jr split into paragraphs with Elmore Leonard's voice), I'm not sure that I can remember enough of it to justify the time it took to read it. Of course, I was reading a few other books at the time and so there could be that.
Meh, if you're into the noir genre and you haven't given Joe Pitt a try, grab Already Dead and take it around the block. Chances are, you will be like me and a few months/years later find another Joe Pitt book and say, "Hey, I liked that one way back when. I'm gonna read this one too."
In another few months, I'll probably say the same thing and read the third in the series. I just hope I remember it better than this one.
July 9, 2020
No Dominion is the second book in Joe Pitt series written by Charlie Huston. It centers on Joe Pitt, a private investigator and vampire who solves cases in a supernatural Manhattan.
When a fellow bloodsucker who seems revved up on drugs picks a bar fight with Joe Pitt, the detective discovers that a new drug has hit the street, one strong enough to cut through the vampire virus and make its users do unpredictable things, things that could bring unwelcome exposure to New York's vampire community.
Word has it that the drug, "anathema," comes from suppliers in Harlem. The leader of the Society Clan of vampires hires Pitt to investigate uptown, but the all-black vampire clan called the Hood, run by one DJ Grave Digga, has other plans in mind for the rogue detective.
Meanwhile, Pitt's HIV-positive girlfriend Evie, who's struggling with a new round of medication, is beginning to lose patience with Pitt's secrecy and disappearances.
No Dominion is written rather well. The narrative of the doomed love story at the heart of Huston's action-filled epic is what truly makes this a noir novel, and the undead microcosm of society he creates is both surprisingly relevant and entertaining. The underbelly of Manhattan is painted in broad, vibrant strokes and seemingly comes alive with stark description and hard action. Huston write crime noir story exceeding well filled with grimy streets and dives and working stiffs who can't catch a break.
All in all, No Dominion is written rather well and is a good continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series, which I plan to continue in the very near future.
When a fellow bloodsucker who seems revved up on drugs picks a bar fight with Joe Pitt, the detective discovers that a new drug has hit the street, one strong enough to cut through the vampire virus and make its users do unpredictable things, things that could bring unwelcome exposure to New York's vampire community.
Word has it that the drug, "anathema," comes from suppliers in Harlem. The leader of the Society Clan of vampires hires Pitt to investigate uptown, but the all-black vampire clan called the Hood, run by one DJ Grave Digga, has other plans in mind for the rogue detective.
Meanwhile, Pitt's HIV-positive girlfriend Evie, who's struggling with a new round of medication, is beginning to lose patience with Pitt's secrecy and disappearances.
No Dominion is written rather well. The narrative of the doomed love story at the heart of Huston's action-filled epic is what truly makes this a noir novel, and the undead microcosm of society he creates is both surprisingly relevant and entertaining. The underbelly of Manhattan is painted in broad, vibrant strokes and seemingly comes alive with stark description and hard action. Huston write crime noir story exceeding well filled with grimy streets and dives and working stiffs who can't catch a break.
All in all, No Dominion is written rather well and is a good continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series, which I plan to continue in the very near future.
July 29, 2024
I have really mixed feelings about this book. I really enjoyed the first book. Joe Pitt's noir vampire PI investigating a crime, who gets caught up in organized crime power structures. What's not to like? Huston pulled off reimagining Manhattan's underbelly in a legitimate way. As someone that lived in NYC at the time that these books were set in I feel like Huston really captured the sense of place and successfully applied the veneer of of vampire gangs cleanly on the reality. These have a real sense of reality that I love.
This book fleshed out the lore quite a bit more and I am totally down with it.
But it has serious problems. The biggest one is that the wyte author wrote this in 2006 trying to be edgy about Black culture and I don't think he was successful at it. He flexed his privilege and it felt like it was a writing exercise that might have been better vetted with actual Black people first. He tries to write in Harlem vernacular and at best it is passable, but frequently is just uncomfortable.
It doesn't help that Pitt is kind of a Byronic hero, and frequently is outright unlikable. I actually kind of enjoy that in most cases in these books, but it was made unwelcome when he was attempting to antagonize one Black character. He makes a completely unnecessary racist joke to piss off his captor and while it already sucks to make the joke, the joke wasn't even clever, so it just made the author look like an asshole. It totally comes out of left field. We live in the head of Pitt and despite having every opportunity to exhibit any racist thoughts, he never had. So, it just feels like the Huston decided to have the character say something edgy to piss someone off and that's all he could think of. UGH.
The other problem with the book isn't any kind of deal breaker for me, but it just got tiring. Joe Pitt gets captured and then people tell him stuff, then Joe Pitt gets captured and then people tell him stuff, then Joe Pitt gets captured and then people tell him stuff. Sometimes Joe Pitt captures other people and they tell him stuff, and other times people just tell him stuff without anyone getting captured. Lots of fun action happened. I legitimately had a great time reading it. But the heart of the book is driven by Bond villain exposition.
Anyway, I really liked it despite the warts, but boy does it have warts.
August 22, 2018
Charlie Huston, Autor der „Joe Pitt“-Romane, wusste früh, dass er seinen vampyrischen Detektiv nicht auf ewig begleiten würde. Obwohl er mit dem Gedanken spielte, die Reihe ohne festgelegten Abschluss zu konzipieren, langweilte ihn die Idee bereits, bevor er mit dem Schreiben begonnen hatte. Nach dem zweiten Band „No Dominion“ beschloss er, dass „Joe Pitt“ überschaubare fünf Bände umfassen sollte. Dadurch musste er harte Entscheidungen für seinen Protagonisten treffen, intensivierte aber auch seine Schreiberfahrung. Mich motiviert die Aussicht auf einen Abschluss, die Reihe konsequenter als bisher zu verfolgen.
Eigentlich möchte Joe Pitt nur in Ruhe gelassen werden. Leider ist er als unabhängiger Vampyr in Manhattan gezwungen, Aufträge der konkurrierenden Clans anzunehmen, um seinen Geldbeutel und Blutvorrat aufzustocken. Seit dieser schmutzigen Geschichte mit der Kleinen erlebt Joe allerdings eine Durststrecke. Ihm gehen die Ideen aus, also wendet er sich an seinen alten Freund Terry, Anführer der Society. Terry bietet ihm einen dubiosen Job an. Es kursiert eine neue Droge. Dass es überhaupt einen Stoff gibt, der nicht sofort vom Vyrus aus dem System gespült wird, ist überraschend genug, doch dieses Zeug hat es in sich. Falsch dosiert verwandelt es Vampyre in rasende Berserker. Joe soll herausfinden, wer die Droge herstellt. Bemüht, schnell Antworten zu finden, stößt er bald auf eine Spur. Diese führt tief in die Hood, in das Territorium von DJ Grave Digga. Sieht so aus, als wäre diese Sache deutlich größer, als er angenommen hatte. Aber Joe wäre nicht Joe, würde ihn das davon abhalten, einigen Leuten kräftig auf die Füße zu treten…
Joe Pitt ist eine der krassesten Romanfiguren, die ich kenne. Obwohl es über vier Jahre her ist, dass ich den ersten Band Stadt aus Blut (damals noch auf Deutsch) gelesen habe, rangiert er noch immer unter den Top 10. Man muss kein Genie sein, um zu begreifen, dass sich Joe als Antiheld qualifiziert, meiner Ansicht nach ist er jedoch ein ungewöhnlich extremes Exemplar. Charlie Huston versucht gar nicht erst, ihn als Sympathieträger zu verkaufen. Er poträtiert ihn als durchschnittlichen Typen, der von seinem gewalttätigen Umfeld geprägt ist und Konflikte diesem entsprechend löst. Mein Verhältnis zu Joe ist schwierig. Zwar habe ich eine Schwäche für ihn, weil er in meinen Augen der Inbegriff eines verlorenen Jungen ist, den ich gern retten würde, aber er ist auch schroff, destruktiv, abweisend und gibt trotz seiner Rolle als Ich-Erzähler wenig von sich preis. Er ist verschlossen wie eine Auster und mit Rasierklingen gespickt. Ich kam kaum an ihn heran. Er verströmt eine greifbare, einschüchternde Aura der Gewaltbereitschaft, die sich in einigen sehr brutalen Szenen in „No Dominion“ Bahn bricht und die die gesamte Handlung begleitet. Das Gewaltpotential der Geschichte brodelt permanent knapp unter der Oberfläche, was allerdings nicht ausschließlich Joe geschuldet ist. Die angespannte Situation der Clans dominiert das Buch. Im zweiten Band verdeutlicht Charlie Huston, wie sensibel das Patt zwischen ihnen ist; bereits eine Kleinigkeit reicht aus, um das prekäre Gleichgewicht zu stören. Das Auftauchen einer neuen Droge ist nun wahrlich keine Lappalie. Die Droge dient Charlie Huston als Gelegenheit, die Wirkungsweise des Vyrus näher zu beleuchten. Es handelt sich dabei um eine bemerkenswert ausgefuchste parasitäre Lebensform mit sehr spezifischem Verhalten. Es gefiel mir, dass Huston sich nicht auf der etablierten Faktenlage ausruht und seinen wissenschaftlich-pragmatischen Ansatz des Vampyrismus in „No Dominion“ weiterentwickelt, weshalb ich mich gezwungen sah, meine Genre-Zuordnung zu überdenken und die Reihe als Science-Fiction einzustufen. Auf der Suche nach den Verantwortlichen gerät Joe zwischen die Fronten der Clans, wird manipuliert, getäuscht, belogen und muss einsehen, dass er ihrem Netz nicht entkommen kann. Egal, wie sehr er sich anstrengt, als Vampyr in Manhattan kann er nicht unabhängig existieren. Die Clans lassen das nicht zu. Seine Nachforschungen führen ihn erneut in das Revier der Enklave, deren Anführer Daniel ein gesondertes Interesse an Joe hat. Es ist offensichtlich, dass sie eine spezielle Beziehung und eine gemeinsame Vergangenheit haben, aber natürlich offenbart Joe keine Details. Ich verstehe nicht, was zwischen ihnen läuft. Daniel glaubt, es sei Joes Bestimmung, als Teil der Enklave zu leben, zu fasten, das Vyrus nahezu auszuhungern und dadurch eine neue Bewusstseinsebene zu erreichen. Ich finde Daniels spirituelle Herangehensweise an das Vyrus faszinierend, weil sie Hustons rationalem Ansatz einen Hauch übernatürlicher Mystik verleiht. Ist das Vyrus vielleicht doch mehr als ein Parasit? Ist es ein Weg zur Erleuchtung?
„No Dominion“ ist kein typischer Vampirroman. Wer auf melancholische Romantik mit spitzen Zähnen, alabasterfarbener Haut und diesem unwiderstehlichen Kitzel der Gefahr hofft: Finger weg von diesem Buch. In der „Joe Pitt“-Reihe spielt Vampyrismus lediglich eine untergeordnete Rolle. Primär handelt sie von blutigen, hässlichen Gangrivalitäten, die das Leben des Protagonisten ungewollt verkomplizieren. Joe definiert sich nicht über seine Existenz als Vampyr. Dieser Typ, der er jetzt ist – der war er schon, bevor er sich infizierte. Durch das Vyrus wurden lediglich die Karten neu gemischt.
Ich mochte die kompromisslose Härte in „No Dominion“ und das komplexe Verhältnis der Clans, das jeder Zeit eskalieren könnte. Meiner Meinung nach muss sich Charlie Huston in den Folgebänden allerdings vorsehen, dass er seinen Protagonisten nicht allzu unnahbar präsentiert. Ich hatte während der Lektüre oft das Gefühl, dass Joe meine Anwesenheit nur widerwillig akzeptierte und deshalb kaum Persönliches preisgab. Diese Ablehnung darf nicht zu weit führen. Von mir aus kann Joe ein gewalttätiger Mistkerl bleiben – aber er darf Hustons Leser_innen nicht ausschließen.
August 1, 2018
This was really something. Joe is one cool sob.
December 19, 2023
There's a new addictive drug in town that only affects vampires. It shouldn't be possible, but Pitt sees the effects himself.
So he goes on a hunt for where it's coming from and who's responsible. The Coalition is already after him so what are a few more enemies?
A good enough story, but I don't think I will be continuing
So he goes on a hunt for where it's coming from and who's responsible. The Coalition is already after him so what are a few more enemies?
A good enough story, but I don't think I will be continuing
April 28, 2023
gonna be honest i don’t know what’s going on 👍
June 21, 2011
Second in the urban fantasy series, Joe Pitt, a new kind of paranormal crime fiction. Yup, the name says it all—gritty, pulp noir about a 17-year-old runaway who gets infected with the Vyrus turning him into a vampire. Spending the first 30 years, few for a vampire that is, learning the ropes and how to survive in his new unlife. Joe decides to go it alone, as a rogue living a precarious life on the fringe of various clans' territories. Tolerated for his fairness.
The Story
It's been rough in the months since that last job when he rescued the girl from her father, the doc who was experimenting with the thing, spoiling Dexter Predo's plans. No work means no money for rent, no blood. The most fun Joe's had was last night when he took care of the drugged-out vamp at Doc Holiday's.
Joe'll just have to bite the bullet and go talk to Terry over at the Society. See if there's any work he can do. Figures that any work Terry'll dole out comes with problems. Big problems. Figure out where the new drug is comin' from. Do it on the QT so no one, I mean no one knows Joe is workin' for Terry.
Wanting to keep himself as safe as possible, Joe uses his own connections to investigate even when the dirt he learns takes him through Coalition territory into the Hood. Where things just get worse the more he learns.
The Characters
The characters are so, well, true is the only word that works for me. Joe is a smart guy in many ways, but, oh so dumb, when it comes to betrayal, plotting, manipulation. He's a straight out guy who takes care of the people for whom he cares.
Evie is terrified, demanding, and proud. Either Joe's gonna be there for her as the HIV gets worse or he's not. And she wants to know now!
The wrap-up on the Count and his little harem. Brilliant exposé by Huston of a spoiled little sociopath. Sure never saw Joe's action coming on that one!
The gang leaders' characters were right on…and so very similar to our own political leaders.
My Take
This was good! I never saw it coming. The truth about Luthor X. How DJ Grave Digga fits into the whole. The past history between Vandewater, Terry, and Predo. Huston had me going back and forth like a ping pong ball! How Huston kept getting Joe out of one mess and into another and then the manner in which Huston wrapped it all up. Sneaky bugger. I ever do a job for him, I'm having my lawyer check out the contract! And all the tricks Huston thought up for how the drug is created….eeeeyew… He is a sick puppy!
The whole plot is a metaphor for how politics work in the real world with their maneuvering and manipulation. With each man's own private view on how to accomplish their particular goal.
If you start this book, don't plan on putting it down until you're done.
The Cover
It's a great cover—gritty, city, rain-slicked streets gleaming in the night with what I'm beginning to think is part of the trademark. A lit cigarette and a partial face showing lip with a fang. The title is perfect, for no clan has dominion in New York City.
The Story
It's been rough in the months since that last job when he rescued the girl from her father, the doc who was experimenting with the thing, spoiling Dexter Predo's plans. No work means no money for rent, no blood. The most fun Joe's had was last night when he took care of the drugged-out vamp at Doc Holiday's.
Joe'll just have to bite the bullet and go talk to Terry over at the Society. See if there's any work he can do. Figures that any work Terry'll dole out comes with problems. Big problems. Figure out where the new drug is comin' from. Do it on the QT so no one, I mean no one knows Joe is workin' for Terry.
Wanting to keep himself as safe as possible, Joe uses his own connections to investigate even when the dirt he learns takes him through Coalition territory into the Hood. Where things just get worse the more he learns.
The Characters
The characters are so, well, true is the only word that works for me. Joe is a smart guy in many ways, but, oh so dumb, when it comes to betrayal, plotting, manipulation. He's a straight out guy who takes care of the people for whom he cares.
Evie is terrified, demanding, and proud. Either Joe's gonna be there for her as the HIV gets worse or he's not. And she wants to know now!
The wrap-up on the Count and his little harem. Brilliant exposé by Huston of a spoiled little sociopath. Sure never saw Joe's action coming on that one!
The gang leaders' characters were right on…and so very similar to our own political leaders.
My Take
This was good! I never saw it coming. The truth about Luthor X. How DJ Grave Digga fits into the whole. The past history between Vandewater, Terry, and Predo. Huston had me going back and forth like a ping pong ball! How Huston kept getting Joe out of one mess and into another and then the manner in which Huston wrapped it all up. Sneaky bugger. I ever do a job for him, I'm having my lawyer check out the contract! And all the tricks Huston thought up for how the drug is created….eeeeyew… He is a sick puppy!
The whole plot is a metaphor for how politics work in the real world with their maneuvering and manipulation. With each man's own private view on how to accomplish their particular goal.
If you start this book, don't plan on putting it down until you're done.
The Cover
It's a great cover—gritty, city, rain-slicked streets gleaming in the night with what I'm beginning to think is part of the trademark. A lit cigarette and a partial face showing lip with a fang. The title is perfect, for no clan has dominion in New York City.
June 2, 2009
Joe Pitt returns for his second adventure, and author Huston continues to build his hard-boiled Manhattan vampire mythos. This time Joe is on the hunt for the origins of a volatile drug derived from the vampire Vyrus and the trail points uptown to Harlem. As a rogue who refuses to ally with any of the battling vampire clans, Joe runs the gauntlet as he crosses town on the A train.
Huston does a great job of continuing to develop the antagonisms and history between the clans he introduced in the first novel while introducing some truly creepy new groups, particularly the white Coalition enclave located around Morningside Heights near Columbia.
Joe Pitt is a marvelously ornery lead, a fixer who can't fix himself, who can't stop himself from yanking the chain of dangerous people if he doesn't like them. His relationship with HIV positive but not Vyrus-infected girlfriend Evie is in trouble in this book too. And the reader is left wondering how long he can go without explaining his nature to her. A great series so far. On to Half the Blood in Brooklyn.
Huston does a great job of continuing to develop the antagonisms and history between the clans he introduced in the first novel while introducing some truly creepy new groups, particularly the white Coalition enclave located around Morningside Heights near Columbia.
Joe Pitt is a marvelously ornery lead, a fixer who can't fix himself, who can't stop himself from yanking the chain of dangerous people if he doesn't like them. His relationship with HIV positive but not Vyrus-infected girlfriend Evie is in trouble in this book too. And the reader is left wondering how long he can go without explaining his nature to her. A great series so far. On to Half the Blood in Brooklyn.
July 7, 2009
I’d like to start this review with an exhortation to the horror-tinged-detective-novel-written-in-the-first-person-buying public: Drop that crappy Laurell K. Hamilton book and get on the Charlie Huston train!
With ALREADY DEAD, Huston took his already keen noir skills into the supernatural realm, populating Manhattan with a patchwork of rival “vampyre” clans and doing away with quotation marks altogether. His protagonist – undead sad-sack private eye Joe Pitt – was introduced with macabre magnificence, and bloody gobbets of praise rained down from every critical balcony.
ALREADY DEAD’s sequel, NO DOMINION, proves that Charlie Huston has got a lot of gas left in his chainsaw, and his work is far from done.
The thing about well-done noir is that the hero really has to get beat to shit before he’s allowed to accomplish anything, and this is true to a brutal degree in NO DOMINION.
http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/horro...
With ALREADY DEAD, Huston took his already keen noir skills into the supernatural realm, populating Manhattan with a patchwork of rival “vampyre” clans and doing away with quotation marks altogether. His protagonist – undead sad-sack private eye Joe Pitt – was introduced with macabre magnificence, and bloody gobbets of praise rained down from every critical balcony.
ALREADY DEAD’s sequel, NO DOMINION, proves that Charlie Huston has got a lot of gas left in his chainsaw, and his work is far from done.
The thing about well-done noir is that the hero really has to get beat to shit before he’s allowed to accomplish anything, and this is true to a brutal degree in NO DOMINION.
http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/horro...
August 17, 2012
The first one didn't quite do it for me. I thought it was a good story, good ideas, good characters, but I didn't connect to the series in the way I like to, and so I had this book sitting in my room for weeks. Finally, nothing else to read, sit down with this and am down for the count. This book right here is where Huston really introduces us to Pitt and the world he lives in, and this is where I fell in love with it. The story-line is compelling, the action was gritty and drawing and the characters were absolutely spot-on. He doesn't lose that hard-boiled edge, but Huston manages to make me care about the characters in a way I really didn't first time through Already Dead. An amazing addition to the urban fantasy genre without the whiny, guilt-ridden protagonist. Pitt is bad-ass, no apologies. Gotta love it.
April 25, 2008
This book is the 2nd in the series. Originally I picked up the 1st book because it looked like most of my current junk reading (vampires, etc).
This is not junk reading.
The series is very dark - it would be accurate to describe it as noir. And, its very well written. Think Dashiell Hammett mixed with a little bit of sad love. The protagonist's love life really sums it up. His girlfriend isn't big into touching him at all, because she is HIV+. He doesn't want to touch his girlfriend too much because he doesn't know how his virus (vampirism) is transmitted, and doesn't want to risk it. And so...they cling to one another.
Just a strong image left over in my mind after reading it.
This is not junk reading.
The series is very dark - it would be accurate to describe it as noir. And, its very well written. Think Dashiell Hammett mixed with a little bit of sad love. The protagonist's love life really sums it up. His girlfriend isn't big into touching him at all, because she is HIV+. He doesn't want to touch his girlfriend too much because he doesn't know how his virus (vampirism) is transmitted, and doesn't want to risk it. And so...they cling to one another.
Just a strong image left over in my mind after reading it.
July 22, 2019
I really like Huston's writing style. I read his Hank Thompson series first and still LOVE it and then I read the first Joe Pitt book. It took me a while to get around to this one not because the first wasn't great but because I've got so much on my TBR list.
This book did not disappoint. I really like Huston's version of vampires. I like how he delves into the vampire society and politics. It's rough, gritty and not in the least bit glamorous and he makes it work really well. I thoroughly enjoyed this and recommend it to people. It is not your fluffy, romantic, fun book. Huston's writing is much grittier and 'guy' style without being ridiculous.
This book did not disappoint. I really like Huston's version of vampires. I like how he delves into the vampire society and politics. It's rough, gritty and not in the least bit glamorous and he makes it work really well. I thoroughly enjoyed this and recommend it to people. It is not your fluffy, romantic, fun book. Huston's writing is much grittier and 'guy' style without being ridiculous.
February 16, 2009
Typical of the Joe Pitt series. A good, indulgent, fast read about a 'fictonal' NYC where the vampire underground is making trouble for itself again. If you are into vampire noir/manhattancentric books, you'll enjoy this. The prose is tight, the characters just believable enough. The references to very real bars and shops in and around downtown nyc make it especially enjoyable if you get the references. i can't wait for the next one: Half the Blood in Brooklyn. I can't wait to see what holes Pitt ends up in that i've been in also. This book is perfect for a plane ride or a long bus ride.
February 25, 2015
Dark but no fun :(
August 29, 2021
I've been rereading the Joe Pitt Casebooks. These are a series of 5 books released in about as many years by Charlie Huston, this being the second of them and upon recollection was the best of the series.
That's not to say the books that followed were bad, I found them highly enjoyable, brisk, fast reads, in the noir tradition, with the one speculative fiction twist being that Joe is a vampire in a world and city (NYC) where vampires do exist.
I want to repeat something I said in my first review and say I'm neither specifically a fan of noir or vampire fiction in general but this combo worked really well for me. Not only are all of these novels fairly short but Huston's writing is direct, but not in the sense of being mechanical or without style, they definitely have their own flavor but in the sense of things happen, Joe Pitt gets things done, and this novel adds some new characters and is more Pitt investigating a vampire situation in the midst of different clans, turfs, and personal relationships.
Huston is chiefly a crime writer, with strong pulp sensibilities, and the novel is written in that way with the added element of horror or fantasy of the vampires in a honed voice, not someone who is still trying to find one.
I'd also add, there is sneaky worldbuidling here. Usually when we discuss worldbuilding we are talking about fantasy or science fiction and it's usually a bunch of places on a map that each have a singular characteristic and we call it world building. This takes place in New York City, which on its own is a world of its own, sprawling, with life built on top of each other as it is. It's a spectacular diverse mecha of culture w/o the various supernatural gangs, organizations, operators, a living and at times running it within.
That's not to say the books that followed were bad, I found them highly enjoyable, brisk, fast reads, in the noir tradition, with the one speculative fiction twist being that Joe is a vampire in a world and city (NYC) where vampires do exist.
I want to repeat something I said in my first review and say I'm neither specifically a fan of noir or vampire fiction in general but this combo worked really well for me. Not only are all of these novels fairly short but Huston's writing is direct, but not in the sense of being mechanical or without style, they definitely have their own flavor but in the sense of things happen, Joe Pitt gets things done, and this novel adds some new characters and is more Pitt investigating a vampire situation in the midst of different clans, turfs, and personal relationships.
Huston is chiefly a crime writer, with strong pulp sensibilities, and the novel is written in that way with the added element of horror or fantasy of the vampires in a honed voice, not someone who is still trying to find one.
I'd also add, there is sneaky worldbuidling here. Usually when we discuss worldbuilding we are talking about fantasy or science fiction and it's usually a bunch of places on a map that each have a singular characteristic and we call it world building. This takes place in New York City, which on its own is a world of its own, sprawling, with life built on top of each other as it is. It's a spectacular diverse mecha of culture w/o the various supernatural gangs, organizations, operators, a living and at times running it within.
July 26, 2024
Charlie Huston's "No Dominion" is the sequel to "Already Dead" in the Joe Pitt series, continuing the misadventures of the vampyre private investigator. Set in the gritty streets of Manhattan, this neo-noir urban fantasy dives deep into the dark and dangerous world of vampyres and their cut-throat politics.
Joe Pitt, the tough yet morally complex protagonist, is once again at the center of the action. Tasked with navigating a volatile vampyre clan war, Joe's journey is filled with suspense, violence, and some unexpected twists. Sometimes the book reminded me of a "Sopranos with fangs" drama. Huston's sharp, fast-paced writing keeps the tension high, while his dark humor adds a unique flavor to the narrative.
The book is good at in blending the supernatural with noir elements. Joe's character development is compelling, making him a relatable and intriguing anti-hero.
Overall, I found "No Dominion" slightly under the bar set by its preceding book. Some of the developments are to be explored in the upcoming series, but the story is a bit in the middle of the road.
Fans of urban fantasy and noir will still appreciate it, especially if they read the first book. Huston's storytelling and world-building about a vampiric troubleshooter is a good material from start to finish.
Joe Pitt, the tough yet morally complex protagonist, is once again at the center of the action. Tasked with navigating a volatile vampyre clan war, Joe's journey is filled with suspense, violence, and some unexpected twists. Sometimes the book reminded me of a "Sopranos with fangs" drama. Huston's sharp, fast-paced writing keeps the tension high, while his dark humor adds a unique flavor to the narrative.
The book is good at in blending the supernatural with noir elements. Joe's character development is compelling, making him a relatable and intriguing anti-hero.
Overall, I found "No Dominion" slightly under the bar set by its preceding book. Some of the developments are to be explored in the upcoming series, but the story is a bit in the middle of the road.
Fans of urban fantasy and noir will still appreciate it, especially if they read the first book. Huston's storytelling and world-building about a vampiric troubleshooter is a good material from start to finish.
March 18, 2019
There’s a new drug on the street that can get Vampyre’s high. After one of them flips out inside of Joe Pitts hang out Terry Bird sends him out to find who’s making it. Joe goes up North to The Hood to investigate where he’s introduced to some hardcore dogfighting Vampyre’s, DJ Grave Digga and Papa Doc.
The second book in the Joe Pitt series is a fast paced hard boiled asskicker of a novel. We meet some new faces and get to know some old ones a little better. There’s more heart in this one where we see more of Pitts’s girlfriend Evie’s medical issues. We also get to know a little more history about the big players in The Society, Coalition, and The Hood.
At first I didn’t think I would like this as much as I remembered because it didn’t seem like there was as much going on. A big chunk of the book is Pitt finding a way to travel Uptown, and then the actual traveling, then meeting the new characters one by one. Once he gets to the root of the problem with the new drug, things go haywire and there’s plenty of action. Finally, at the end I found my heartstrings getting pulled when Pitt goes home to Evie. It really is a good story that ends with a ton of action and reveals. An old school noir story with new school blood.
The second book in the Joe Pitt series is a fast paced hard boiled asskicker of a novel. We meet some new faces and get to know some old ones a little better. There’s more heart in this one where we see more of Pitts’s girlfriend Evie’s medical issues. We also get to know a little more history about the big players in The Society, Coalition, and The Hood.
At first I didn’t think I would like this as much as I remembered because it didn’t seem like there was as much going on. A big chunk of the book is Pitt finding a way to travel Uptown, and then the actual traveling, then meeting the new characters one by one. Once he gets to the root of the problem with the new drug, things go haywire and there’s plenty of action. Finally, at the end I found my heartstrings getting pulled when Pitt goes home to Evie. It really is a good story that ends with a ton of action and reveals. An old school noir story with new school blood.
December 21, 2022
You gotta feel sorry for Joe Pitt. He can’t seem to help finding himself in serious trouble. Out of blood and out of cash and being behind on the rent Pitt needs a job. Though being a Vampyre and a Rogue it can’t be a 9-5 gig. Unfortunately he’s in the wrong place and the wrong time and a job finds him and it involves a trip Uptown.
Carrying on from the sucked dry Already Dead Charlie Huston delves deeper into the Vampyre Clans on Manhattan. Huston keeps it simple. We see it all from inside Joe’s head as follows the trail set out in front of him. But Huston isn’t a simple storyteller not by a long shot. He’s created a deep, dangerous and moral man in Pitt and throws that up against the different Clans who are more establishment than Pitt likes getting close to. And Huston plays on this tension, as well as tensions from the hunger for blood and from his girlfriend who needs him a lot right now.
Huston is a master of set-up and pay-off even if the payoff isn’t what it first appears and in most cases isn’t a pay-off at all but another set-up. Something is about to go down.
I can’t wait to get my teeth into Half the Blood of Brooklyn, which happens to be out now from Orbit.
Carrying on from the sucked dry Already Dead Charlie Huston delves deeper into the Vampyre Clans on Manhattan. Huston keeps it simple. We see it all from inside Joe’s head as follows the trail set out in front of him. But Huston isn’t a simple storyteller not by a long shot. He’s created a deep, dangerous and moral man in Pitt and throws that up against the different Clans who are more establishment than Pitt likes getting close to. And Huston plays on this tension, as well as tensions from the hunger for blood and from his girlfriend who needs him a lot right now.
Huston is a master of set-up and pay-off even if the payoff isn’t what it first appears and in most cases isn’t a pay-off at all but another set-up. Something is about to go down.
I can’t wait to get my teeth into Half the Blood of Brooklyn, which happens to be out now from Orbit.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 241 reviews