Smoke and Ashes (The Smoke Trilogy, Book 3) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)This book is the third in the series starring Henry Fitzroy's old sidekick Tony. Let me note that while the book is enjoyable as a standalone, you will get far more out of it if you have read the first two in this series, since there are quite a few references to the Shadowlord of the first book, Smoke and Shadows, and the haunted house of the second book, Smoke and Mirrors. You will get even more out of this series if you've read Huff's earlier series about Henry Fitzroy, romance writer, [...] son of King Henry VIII, and vampire. (If you check my profile, you can find reviews of all five books in that series.) Constable Jack Elson, for example, is an even more interesting character if you can also recall Mike Celluci, Vicki's fellow cop, and also the werewolf cop from "Blood Trail."
Since other reviewers have summarized the plot, I won't go into that. (Besides, those of you who read Huff know that many of her books have variations on the same plot: a hole opens up between hell and our earth, and our protagonists have to close it. This is not a complaint; I am continually amazed at how interesting she manages to make that same plot over and over.) Instead, let me tell you a few of the things I specifically enjoyed about this book:
* Huff's wonderful sense of humor. Examples: Tony turns on the TV and sees "some guy eating a bug on either the Learning Channel or FOOD - he didn't stay long enought to see if it came with a lecture on habitat or a raspberry vinaigrette" and the use of cherry cough syrup as a warding spell.
* The references to many classic science fiction and fantasy stories and books - not just well known ones such as LOTR, but also to stories that only literate and experienced SF fans are likely to have read; this isn't just catering to the reader who is currently reading urban vampire fantasy because it's "in" - although there's nothing wrong with that; welcome, new fantasy readers, and we hope you stay and enjoy the rest of the genre!
*The references also to many classic TV shows and movies, both SF and non-SF, everything from the coyote and the anvil to "Where castle?" to car chases.
*The characters who are neither all-bad nor all-good, but show signs that even though they are relatively "bit parts" right now, they have complex enough personalities that they might become more. Kevin Groves, the obnoxious tabloid reporter, for example, has a few good qualities, and shows some signs that in an emergency, he might be capable of doing good things. And Chester Bane, well, I have the feeling there's a LOT we don't know about Chester, and some of it will turn out to be supernatural sooner or later.
I do have a few small quibbles with the book: the Demon Lords' names don't sound right for demons to me. (Demons have first and last names? Really?) And Huff uses the phrase "red-gold eyebrows" too often, which is especially confusing since sometimes she is referring to Mason Reed, and sometimes to Henry. But those are pretty small change.
I will say that those of you who are squeamish about sex - although I doubt there are too many of such people reading urban vampire fantasies to begin with - would find some things to be squeamish about here. There is sex - gay, straight, and mixed. It's all necessary to the plot, appropriate in context, tastefully done, and not overdone - but it's there. So if that sort of thing bothers you... there is also a lot of use of four-letter words, again appropriate in context and not overdone, but if those bother you... They didn't bother me at all, because they went with the plot and characters so well, and let me tell you, I have a pretty short threshhold for unnecessary sex scenes and unnecessary vulgarity, so this must be well done, since I liked it. But you probably wouldn't want to give this book to a 12-year-old to read. I'd say 16 and up, at least, older if you really have hangups about your teenagers being exposed to anything at all graphic.
In summary: great continuation of the series, best enjoyed if you read all the others in order first; terrific characters, with lots of potential for more.

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This third novel in Tanya Huff's action-packed series features Tony Foster and the crew of "Darkest Night," a TV series about a vampire detective. This time they find themselves facing another supernatural menace, a Demonic Convergence. Tony-with the help of vampire Henry Fitzroy and Leah, a stuntwoman who is the last surviving priestess of a sex demon, plus a tabloid reporter and a Canadian Mountie-must keep the key to the convergence alive to prevent a demonic invasion so large scale that it could be the finale-for the whole world.

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