3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum bibliosanctum/2016/02/04/aDrake is a darkly humorous urban fantasy about the unfortunate misadventures of a hieromancer hitman named Don Drake, though I must say, labeling him a “hitman” is greatly simplifying the kind of work he does. With the help of a nine-inch tall animated idol representing the earthly form of a bound archdemon—which he calls “The Burned Man”—Drake is able to summon forth demonic creatures from hell to sic on his victims, kill [...]

I was recommended this as a darker and grittier kind of Harry Dresden.It is, and it isn't! It doesn't feel like a copy of Dresden, but it is a really entertaining, fast paced and gritty urban fantasy. The main character is not a hero in this one - he gambles, he's broke, he drinks way more than is good for any human - and for a living he summons demons and kills people. Oh and he also is quite used to using people. And still, you can't help but like him, and cringe whenever he's followed by bad [...]

Solid urban fantasy without amazing me too much. Drake was a decent character but didnt do much more for me than Dresden did. I really enjoy Urban fantasy alot but this didnt seem to excite me all that much. Definitely has potential. The burned man was very funny but I found his jokes a little repetitive after awhile. Good villains and decent magical world. Flawed main character but nothing overly exciting about him either.

Well that was interestingDrake is pretty much an alcoholic, british version of Harry Dresden, but with less smarts and less likableness. I still enjoyed the story, but not enough that I feel excited about the next book at all. *cuts ties Fare thee well.

Magic is a tricky beast, what with all the subtle intricacies and specifics that have to be just so. It’s hardly a surprise then that the powers the magic can offer are open to a certain amount of abuse. For every good miraculous thing that can come from magic, there is an evil, violent opposite. The key lesson? Practitioners of the arcane arts needs to be wary, what goes around comes around. Don Drake, the magically imbued hitman, is going to learn that the hard way. He is about to have what [...]

At first I didn't like Don at all but I grew fond of him throughout the book. The story starts where everything just goes terribly wrong for Don, hitting lower than low.The book has a dark and gritty feel to it, which truly entertained me throughout the story. I liked the second half of the book better where the pace picked up and I grew fond of Don. I very much enjoyed experiencing everything through the eyes and thoughts of Don, which are explicit and brutally honest. That's how you realise he [...]

lynns-books/2015/12/31/dra3.5 of 4 starsDrake is a new urban fantasy written by Peter McLean and set in a gritty London underground where gambling and gangsters, demons and other ancient creatures stalk the shadows.Don Drake is essentially a hitman, he calls himself a ‘Hieromancer’ but basically, in his own words, he ‘summons and sends’ demons and other nasties to do the dirty work he’s been contracted to do by the local mob. He has a little helper, a rather repugnant and vile mouthed [...]

A reallyreallywell written debut - gripping urban fantasy at it's finest. An intriguing tale of black magic and the price one pays for the same, an unforgettable anti-hero Don Drake whose sniveling cowardly behavior combined with a warped sense of righteousness & gentleman-liness leads him into all sorts of trouble. As promised, detailed review: Angry Robot holds the open door submission almost every year towards the fag end. And from the slush pile, some genuine gems emerge – who go onto [...]

Imagine if John Constantine from Hellblazer was a REAL bastardThat's Don Drake. A magical hitman( summoning demons to kill)Drake lives on the absolute seedy end of the magical worldScrewing up a job Drake finds himself in deep troubl. Can the Angel Trixie get him out of it?Or like any PI in a noir mystery (for vaguely disreputable urban magicians are surely the direct descendants of PIs like Marlow & Spade)should he know that when a good looking dame comes into your officeit's ALWAYS trouble [...]

Pecka, tenhle žánr asi úplně nevyhledávám ale jaká škoda! Když jsem četl různá doporučení, tak mi přišla nadhodnocená Avšak dle mého, "Constantin se dostal fo spárů Guy Ritchieho" a funguje to krásně; nemohu se dočkat dalšího dílu

tak tohle byla superjizda. kniha neuveritelne frci, dej nema zadna slepa mista. drake je neuveritelna postava, propletajici se pribehem budto opily, nebo zmlaceny, v nejhorsim pripade oboji a navic sjety :)doufam, ze brzy vyjde druhy dil.

Drake es la novela debut de Peter McLean, libro de fantasía urbana que inicia la serie Burned Man y que se ha puesto a la venta hace solo un par de días (el 5 de enero concretamente). Este libro lo conseguí gracias a la página NetGalley y la verdad que simplemente lo pedí por su portada (no sé porqué pero este estilo me atrae) y por algún post en la página web sfsignal donde sin ponerla bien ni mal si que hablaban de ella como una novedad a tener en cuenta. Así que sin casi ninguna ref [...]

Don Drake, a down and out diabolist/hitman, has feelings for his ex-girlfriend, drinks a lot, gets in serious trouble with the Furies (who are extremely unpleasant), has to deal with an angel who is a bit less angelic then she used to be, has to face off against various demons, magic users, and more. To say he's having a bad time of things would be a massive understatement. Don is not truly a bad guy, but he does have a tendency to make very bad decisions.He lives in a seedy part of London and e [...]

Disappointing, unoriginal and repetitive.It's not an awful book. If you're looking for some light, fast paced, dialogue and action centered read, this one might do the trick. As for me, "Drake" proves once again that Urban Fantasy is definitely not a genre for me.

Drake je skvělá a zábavná oddechovka hlavně proto, že ačkoli to ze začátku vypadá, že protagonista bude bad ass z hard boiled žánrovky, ve skutečnosti je to permanentně vylitej lůzr, kterej se jen náhodou připletl mezi síly, kterejm nerozumí a který ho při každý příležitosti semelou. Drake dělá jedno špatný rozhodnutí za druhým, padá do fakin obvious pastí a stejně mu fandíme - sice je to kretén, ale trochu sympatickej nakonec je.

Yep, I enjoyed it and will pick up the sequels!Can't get a better recommendation than that.

Irreverent, foul mouthed, morally low protagonist oh, and a smartass demon. My kind of book.

If Harry Dresden was a shorter, alcoholic supernatural hitman who channels power from the effigy of a high-powered denizen of Hell, he might be Don Drake, the protagonist (I'm not sure anyone would be comfortable describing him as a hero, least of all himself) of Drake.In Drake, the first in the prospective Burned Man series, Drake makes a mistake on a hit that accidentally results in the death of an innocent - a five-year old boy. This brings him into conflict with the Furies of legend. Even be [...]

Rounded up to 4GR* - 7,5 out of 10.From the first sentence 'He saw my warpstone and raised me an angel’s skull, and there was no way I could cover that bet.' you know you're in for a treat. And oh boy what a ride. A detective noir thriller with demons, (fallen) angels, the furies, Very well put together. I can't wait for the next installment.Highly recommended for all urban fantasy fans.

A book that opens with tarot card poker, being played for an angels skull, you expect a certain kind of book. What I got was a hellfire charge version of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Don Drake fucked up, on such an epic scale that he rated a personal from Lucifer, and now a few nice people want him dead, and a few very pleasant, charming people want him to pay his debts. now. with interest.Have fun cookies!

A wonderfully deranged urban fantasy that's darker and cruder than Dresden or Sandman Slim. The pace is rocket-fast. Most of the characters are fleshed out well. The one-liners are razor-sharp.Also, the magic theory is spot on.While many of its elements are nothing new, DRAKE takes the genre to deeper pits for a devilishly fun ride.

Drake, první díl urban fantasy série Spálený muž, je debutovým románem Petera McLeana, který nám přineslo vydavatelství Host. Příběh nás zavede do současného Londýna se vší jeho špínou a magií, kde se potlouká diabolista Don Drake. Jeho specialitou je vyvolávání démonických bytostí a plně tuto schopnost využívá ke své obživě. Kniha na každé stránce čpí nádechem noirové detektivky, postavy jsou drsné, dějiště temné a nebezpečné, plné mlhy, vyk� [...]

I have to start reading more fantasy if it can be as hilarious and well-written as DRAKE.Drake, our protagonist, is no 'chosen one' or a noble knight on a quest to retrieve an ancient artifact. He's a bit of a cock (it's okay - he admits it) whose ancient artifact calls him a pillock and says things like, "Oh, cock me silly. Did you try to fuck a bear or something?" and who women are definitely not falling over themselves to rumble in the hay with. In fact, somebody has vandalised his shop sign [...]

Please give my review a helpful vote - amazon/review/R1N6IHOI found myself drawn into this book as a fun, easy read that I knocked off in a few hours. I was fully prepared to dislike this book, but I found myself liking it despite my initial expectations.Honestly, this subgenre has tipped over into formula and cliches. So, we have a magic user - in this case a Diabolist/Summoner - living in a run-down part of London with a snarky/smart-alecky magical prop - in this case, a nine-inch tall fetish [...]

Myslíte si, že kúzelník, ktorý privoláva démonov, padlý anjel a fúrie sú poriadna dávka klišé a táto kniha vám už nič nemôžete ponúknuť? Mýlite sa. Najprv sa zdá, že dej ťahá humor, ale potom – je jedno, koľko podobných diel ste čítali a filmov videli – sa na to „namotáte“ a budete čítať do noci. Priznávam, že spisovateľ si s originalitou hlavu nelámal, no vytvoril taký návykový príbeh, že vám to bude úprimne jedno, pretože postavy všetko vy [...]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, particularly the deftly painted seedy world of Drake’s London. Drake might drink too much, swear too much, throw up and get beaten up a lot, and not be a particularly nice person, but I quickly got on board with his terrible situation and had to keep reading to find out if he could climb out of his hole.The plot wasn’t the type to take me on a huge emotional ride, but it was sound and satisfying, and after reading it the sequel to Drake has jumped to near the [...]

I heard a lot of good things about this trilogy. I'm one book in and very happy with what I've read so far. McLean spins an engaging tale with his clear, fast-paced storytelling. Got the next book on order at my local book store (hurry, you guys!).

Detektivky drsného amerického střihu jsem nikdy moc nemusel. Ale i když Drake může připomínat Phila Marlowa, nesmírně mi teď sedl.Možná i proto, že je to Brit.Drsná ulice, alkohol, krásné i nebezpečné ženy a hlavní hrdina na pokraji bankrotu. Stereotypní a nudné?Přihoďte Londýn, démony, anděly a magické amulety a o zábavu máte postaráno.Příběh jsem si užil, i když šlo vidět, že překlad zápasí s cockney a češtinou. Je fajn, že se překladatelka nebál [...]

Devoured on a train journey out. Glad I bright a second book as I went through this I've really quickly

It's pretty much what you would expect from this type of book: down-on-his-luck magic detective-type (although this twists that trope on its head right off the bat by making the lead a magic hitman instead) gets into more trouble than he's worth, leading into a downhill slide that makes him question his life choices and whether it's too late to turn back. Easy to read, tough to pick the main plot out, but it's gripping enough to keep you reading to find out what exactly is going on and how all t [...]