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The Right Hand Man #1
Demons Run
A nobleman and a thief join forces to reclaim justice in a city of power and secrets.
When Lord Aiden buys Dare out of prison, the thief finds himself indebted to a member of the ruling class he has hated all his life. To redeem this debt, he swears Lord Aiden seven days of service—and rapidly finds himself caught up in a deadly game of vengeance.
Lord Aiden is a man of vast wealth and high rank. Yet he lives as a near outcast. When a commoner girl is found dead, the victim of dark sorcery, he turns all his considerable intellect towards finding her killer.
Working together, the two follow a trail of death from the lowest of dockside taverns to the highest levels of society. In a decadent portside city where deception is the norm, Dare must learn the hardest lesson of all—trust.
When Lord Aiden buys Dare out of prison, the thief finds himself indebted to a member of the ruling class he has hated all his life. To redeem this debt, he swears Lord Aiden seven days of service—and rapidly finds himself caught up in a deadly game of vengeance.
Lord Aiden is a man of vast wealth and high rank. Yet he lives as a near outcast. When a commoner girl is found dead, the victim of dark sorcery, he turns all his considerable intellect towards finding her killer.
Working together, the two follow a trail of death from the lowest of dockside taverns to the highest levels of society. In a decadent portside city where deception is the norm, Dare must learn the hardest lesson of all—trust.
- GenresFantasyScience Fiction
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 10, 2013
55 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 6, 2013
I enjoyed this hugely. The hero (though Dare wouldn't call himself that) is engaging and imperfect, and the situation he gets himself into challenges his beliefs about others at the same time that it imperils his life. His unlikely alliance with Lord Aiden is fascinating as we get to watch Dare struggle with the contradictions it causes.
The story is set in the great port city of Saldominia, a world in which the nobles have magic, and the commoners don't. It's rich with wealth, privilege, poverty, and abuse of power. I felt as if I could walk down the streets, marvel at the grandeur, smell the salt air of the docks and the dank reek of the tunnels under the city.
The secondary characters feel as real as Dare and Aiden - they have their own points of view and motivations. Dare's relationships with them are convincingly complex.
I'm looking forward to more of Dare in future books!
The story is set in the great port city of Saldominia, a world in which the nobles have magic, and the commoners don't. It's rich with wealth, privilege, poverty, and abuse of power. I felt as if I could walk down the streets, marvel at the grandeur, smell the salt air of the docks and the dank reek of the tunnels under the city.
The secondary characters feel as real as Dare and Aiden - they have their own points of view and motivations. Dare's relationships with them are convincingly complex.
I'm looking forward to more of Dare in future books!
May 13, 2013
Tremendously entertaining fantasy, wonderfully written, and completely engrossing. I bought this book on a Saturday afternoon, and read until going out with friends that evening. Sunday morning I picked it up with breakfast and literally did not stop reading until I finished the book that afternoon.
The characters are complex and believable, the world they inhabit is rich and interesting, and the tale swerves in interesting and unexpected directions without ever seeming random or bizarre. And while we learn a lot about the protagonist (often while he's learning about himself), enough mysteries remain unexplained that I'm eagerly waiting for more.
I'm hard pressed to think of the last time I enjoyed a fantasy novel this much.
The characters are complex and believable, the world they inhabit is rich and interesting, and the tale swerves in interesting and unexpected directions without ever seeming random or bizarre. And while we learn a lot about the protagonist (often while he's learning about himself), enough mysteries remain unexplained that I'm eagerly waiting for more.
I'm hard pressed to think of the last time I enjoyed a fantasy novel this much.
March 2, 2013
An excellent tale with plenty of twists and turns. Enjoyed the setting, and had great fun trying to guess where the inspiration for some of the places and people might have come from.
Looking forward to the next one.
Looking forward to the next one.
August 20, 2014
A very enjoyable first book. Two interesting and complementary main characters and a world with some original twists. Roll on the next one in the series.
December 11, 2013
This is an excellent first novel. I like all of the characters involved and am very curious to find out what happens next.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
September 8, 2015
Originally posted to MasterofBooks
Title: Demons Run
Series: The Right Hand Man Series
Author: Amy Wood
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Horror
Rating: ★★★☆/5
"It wasn't supposed to end like this."
Accused of a crime he didn't commit, Dare is about to face a punishment that will leave him maimed. Instead he is saved by the strange nobleman Lord Aiden, whose notions of aristocracy and justice conflict with the harsh realities of Dare's experience. As payment for his rescue, he offers his services to Lord Aiden, one day for each coin spent to secure his release. However as Lord Aiden's investigation leads him deep into a conspiracy of murder and dark magic, Dare finds that he is loathe to leave the honorable nobleman on his own, with no one to watch his back.
Tensions and bodies start to mount and Dare is forced to use his own budding abilities and face the shadows he sees moving in the nighttime. The more he discovers about himself, the more he begins to unveil the dark secrets that follow Aiden and his strange magic....
The Good I liked this book. It was a fun, easy read - a little pottering journey into a world that isn't unknown to fantasy readers. I love mysteries and in particular detective style stories with magic so in that regard it was a real treat.
The exploration of the two main character's relationship was interesting. A lot of books shy away from exploring friendships and instead deal specifically with a romantic aspect. I've recently been reading a few LGBT books in order to write a post about its emergence in modern YA literature and this book is beautiful in that it sits somewhere in between. Reminiscent of Victorian era ideology, there is no outright confirmation of homosexuality in Demons Run. It is still considered a deviant act but the perspectives of the main characters are such that it becomes a non-point. It's hard to explain without giving too much away (I try to withhold spoilers), but this book promotes friendships regardless of sexuality and shows blatant acceptance.
I find it fascinating how novels reflect societal views and in previous posts I have talked about how YA is developing a strong feminist movement. This is just another example which I hope is reflecting of reality.
Moving away from my hopes and dreams...This book had style of a mystery (multiple mysteries), magic, intrigue and an ingrained societal structure based on the ability to wield magic against others. In Robin Hood tradition, we find a noble who unlike his societal brethren adheres to a code of nobility. Not only is he powerful magically and socially - he cares about the common folk. This immediately endears him to the reader, if not our main protagonist - a thief who rightly loathes the aristocracy and their nonchalant abuse of their magic.
The manner in which other nobles react when Lord Aiden defends those of lower class speaks volumes. Amy Woods did a fantastic job allowing the events to unfold and wrote in scenes that gave the reader satisfaction that 'justice was served'.
From a perspective of character growth, I'm not sure how much actually occurred within this novel. We definitely see different aspects of both the main protagonists - but nothing that I felt was an evolution of their innate characters. While both of the protagonists fear that inwardly they are monsters, the author juxtaposes this against the aristocracy who are always (in both Demons Run and the sequel Standing Dark) shown to commit far more villainy with disregard than either of the protagonists are capable of.
The Bad The writing style...at least initially. It was awful. More akin to a lab report, it lacked the sophisticated flow of a career writer. I'm always critical of a writing style when it jerks me back into the real world, whether a spelling mistake, or poor turn of phrase, to me it signals a writer who didn't consider their reader. This is bad naturally because writing is for the reader. To convey a story, for their pleasure, enjoyment or enlightenment. I believe this was a first time novel and the author is obviously intelligent as the plot was well paced and measured - so I was willing to forgive a bit. She didn't let me down. The second book in this series is a testament of the author's growth and it flows much more smoothly. I felt much more engaged.
The downside to this series is that it starts poorly but please bear with it. While it could have benefited from better editing to rearrange the first few opening chapters, the story itself is worth reading. Eventually it becomes absorbing and you'll feel less like a reader jerkily being pulled along on a chain.
I'd like to add a small note about the supernatural elements in this book too. I like how they've been introduced and interacted with the main characters so far, but I'm feeling apprehensive about their role. I understand it's important to make the main characters interesting - they must have something special about them for their journey to be worthwhile reading - however I'm worried that this book will fall into the fantasy trap of making the main character too powerful. Demons Run doesn't show any of this but The Standing Dark starts to reveal some of the more frustrating elements of a power arms race...
The Verdict 3.5/5 Stars. That's my verdict. There was enough that I enjoyed it thoroughly but I couldn't quite forgive the initial pacing and writing style. As a series my verdict is much higher and the second book in the series settles into a smoother style, without sacrificing on plot.
Recommendations There were definitely elements of this book that put me in mind of a Sherlock Holmes adventure with magic but I think if I was going to recommend something to readers who enjoyed this book, it would be Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. Not quite the exact same style but elements for me reverberated.
Title: Demons Run
Series: The Right Hand Man Series
Author: Amy Wood
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery, Horror
Rating: ★★★☆/5
"It wasn't supposed to end like this."
Accused of a crime he didn't commit, Dare is about to face a punishment that will leave him maimed. Instead he is saved by the strange nobleman Lord Aiden, whose notions of aristocracy and justice conflict with the harsh realities of Dare's experience. As payment for his rescue, he offers his services to Lord Aiden, one day for each coin spent to secure his release. However as Lord Aiden's investigation leads him deep into a conspiracy of murder and dark magic, Dare finds that he is loathe to leave the honorable nobleman on his own, with no one to watch his back.
Tensions and bodies start to mount and Dare is forced to use his own budding abilities and face the shadows he sees moving in the nighttime. The more he discovers about himself, the more he begins to unveil the dark secrets that follow Aiden and his strange magic....
The Good I liked this book. It was a fun, easy read - a little pottering journey into a world that isn't unknown to fantasy readers. I love mysteries and in particular detective style stories with magic so in that regard it was a real treat.
The exploration of the two main character's relationship was interesting. A lot of books shy away from exploring friendships and instead deal specifically with a romantic aspect. I've recently been reading a few LGBT books in order to write a post about its emergence in modern YA literature and this book is beautiful in that it sits somewhere in between. Reminiscent of Victorian era ideology, there is no outright confirmation of homosexuality in Demons Run. It is still considered a deviant act but the perspectives of the main characters are such that it becomes a non-point. It's hard to explain without giving too much away (I try to withhold spoilers), but this book promotes friendships regardless of sexuality and shows blatant acceptance.
I find it fascinating how novels reflect societal views and in previous posts I have talked about how YA is developing a strong feminist movement. This is just another example which I hope is reflecting of reality.
Moving away from my hopes and dreams...This book had style of a mystery (multiple mysteries), magic, intrigue and an ingrained societal structure based on the ability to wield magic against others. In Robin Hood tradition, we find a noble who unlike his societal brethren adheres to a code of nobility. Not only is he powerful magically and socially - he cares about the common folk. This immediately endears him to the reader, if not our main protagonist - a thief who rightly loathes the aristocracy and their nonchalant abuse of their magic.
The manner in which other nobles react when Lord Aiden defends those of lower class speaks volumes. Amy Woods did a fantastic job allowing the events to unfold and wrote in scenes that gave the reader satisfaction that 'justice was served'.
From a perspective of character growth, I'm not sure how much actually occurred within this novel. We definitely see different aspects of both the main protagonists - but nothing that I felt was an evolution of their innate characters. While both of the protagonists fear that inwardly they are monsters, the author juxtaposes this against the aristocracy who are always (in both Demons Run and the sequel Standing Dark) shown to commit far more villainy with disregard than either of the protagonists are capable of.
The Bad The writing style...at least initially. It was awful. More akin to a lab report, it lacked the sophisticated flow of a career writer. I'm always critical of a writing style when it jerks me back into the real world, whether a spelling mistake, or poor turn of phrase, to me it signals a writer who didn't consider their reader. This is bad naturally because writing is for the reader. To convey a story, for their pleasure, enjoyment or enlightenment. I believe this was a first time novel and the author is obviously intelligent as the plot was well paced and measured - so I was willing to forgive a bit. She didn't let me down. The second book in this series is a testament of the author's growth and it flows much more smoothly. I felt much more engaged.
The downside to this series is that it starts poorly but please bear with it. While it could have benefited from better editing to rearrange the first few opening chapters, the story itself is worth reading. Eventually it becomes absorbing and you'll feel less like a reader jerkily being pulled along on a chain.
I'd like to add a small note about the supernatural elements in this book too. I like how they've been introduced and interacted with the main characters so far, but I'm feeling apprehensive about their role. I understand it's important to make the main characters interesting - they must have something special about them for their journey to be worthwhile reading - however I'm worried that this book will fall into the fantasy trap of making the main character too powerful. Demons Run doesn't show any of this but The Standing Dark starts to reveal some of the more frustrating elements of a power arms race...
The Verdict 3.5/5 Stars. That's my verdict. There was enough that I enjoyed it thoroughly but I couldn't quite forgive the initial pacing and writing style. As a series my verdict is much higher and the second book in the series settles into a smoother style, without sacrificing on plot.
Recommendations There were definitely elements of this book that put me in mind of a Sherlock Holmes adventure with magic but I think if I was going to recommend something to readers who enjoyed this book, it would be Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. Not quite the exact same style but elements for me reverberated.
February 18, 2014
Summary from Amazon:
A nobleman and a thief join forces to reclaim justice in a city of power and secrets.
When Lord Aiden buys Dare out of prison, the thief finds himself indebted to a member of the ruling class he has hated all his life. To redeem this debt, he swears Lord Aiden seven days of service—and rapidly finds himself caught up in a deadly game of vengeance.
Lord Aiden is a man of vast wealth and high rank. Yet he lives as a near outcast. When a commoner girl is found dead, the victim of dark sorcery, he turns all his considerable intellect towards finding her killer.
Working together, the two follow a trail of death from the lowest of dockside taverns to the highest levels of society. In a decadent portside city where deception is the norm, Dare must learn the hardest lesson of all—trust.
__________
Amy Wood is a friend. So, when I got this book, I only did so because of that. I have to admit that despite my respect and friendship for Amy, I didn't have high expectations of a self published novel.
Amy, forgive me! I should have known that you wouldn't publish something lame or half-assed. It's a brilliant first book, and I'm proud to know you!
The characters are all interesting and well developed. What may seem improbable relationships become not just possible, but intriguing. I very much like the main character. He is a study in contrasts, but one which I think that many people can relate to, or at least find interesting. His occupation is counter-balanced by a sometimes abrasive honesty; his hatred of nobility by obligation to a noble...
Besides the character development, I appreciated the generally economic use of words and excellent description. The description seemed to effortlessly conjure the images that were the setting of the story.
The setting was so well done it went almost unnoticed, except as the backdrop. Most books I read have some detail that seems out place, or even jarring; something that makes me think I would build the world a little differently, or that something about the culture and politics don't quite mesh. Not with this book. It seems more like a real place that Amy has simply described to us, one I would liek to know more about...
A nobleman and a thief join forces to reclaim justice in a city of power and secrets.
When Lord Aiden buys Dare out of prison, the thief finds himself indebted to a member of the ruling class he has hated all his life. To redeem this debt, he swears Lord Aiden seven days of service—and rapidly finds himself caught up in a deadly game of vengeance.
Lord Aiden is a man of vast wealth and high rank. Yet he lives as a near outcast. When a commoner girl is found dead, the victim of dark sorcery, he turns all his considerable intellect towards finding her killer.
Working together, the two follow a trail of death from the lowest of dockside taverns to the highest levels of society. In a decadent portside city where deception is the norm, Dare must learn the hardest lesson of all—trust.
__________
Amy Wood is a friend. So, when I got this book, I only did so because of that. I have to admit that despite my respect and friendship for Amy, I didn't have high expectations of a self published novel.
Amy, forgive me! I should have known that you wouldn't publish something lame or half-assed. It's a brilliant first book, and I'm proud to know you!
The characters are all interesting and well developed. What may seem improbable relationships become not just possible, but intriguing. I very much like the main character. He is a study in contrasts, but one which I think that many people can relate to, or at least find interesting. His occupation is counter-balanced by a sometimes abrasive honesty; his hatred of nobility by obligation to a noble...
Besides the character development, I appreciated the generally economic use of words and excellent description. The description seemed to effortlessly conjure the images that were the setting of the story.
The setting was so well done it went almost unnoticed, except as the backdrop. Most books I read have some detail that seems out place, or even jarring; something that makes me think I would build the world a little differently, or that something about the culture and politics don't quite mesh. Not with this book. It seems more like a real place that Amy has simply described to us, one I would liek to know more about...
February 3, 2013
I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read the next one! (Hope it will be out soon...)
Dare is a professional thief and, when he is framed for a crime he didn't commit, his hand is saved at the last moment by the mysterious Lord Aiden. He finds himself indebted to the noble and agrees (although reluctantly) to work for him for a few days.
In a city where power and nobility are based on mind-controlling magical capabilities and the crime life is governed by the frightening demon lord, Dare and Aiden will defy social differences and together they will solve the heinous murders of low class people which are being perpetrated. The way the characters interacted was well written and the characters themselves were wonderful. The relationship between the protagonist and Aiden reminded me a bit of that between Watson and Sherlock Holmes, in a very good way.
Aiden is a social outcast, shunned by his peers because of his unusual capabilities, and seems to be quite cold in the beginning: I loved how his true self slowly emerges while he realizes he has actually got friends and he is not alone. The blossoming of their friendship was marvelously developed :)
The world-building is well done, although I hope to come to know more in the future: all the story happens inside a city so we don't get to know a lot about what's outside, we know how society is organized, how rank is determined and how things are run inside of the city and that is enough for this book. I appreciated that descriptions were not overwhelming but placed in that way which permits you to visualize quite well what is around the characters in all situations: I think a good description is one you don't notice until you realize you are inside the story you are reading.
I was totally sucked into the story and really want to know what happens next! So many mysteries are still unsolved! What about Dare's powers? And Aiden's house? I have to know! At the end of the book is written that the second one will be out soon...how soon? Next month? Next season? Next year? Hope I will not have to wait too much :)
PS. Sorry if there are some errors but this is not my native language.
Dare is a professional thief and, when he is framed for a crime he didn't commit, his hand is saved at the last moment by the mysterious Lord Aiden. He finds himself indebted to the noble and agrees (although reluctantly) to work for him for a few days.
In a city where power and nobility are based on mind-controlling magical capabilities and the crime life is governed by the frightening demon lord, Dare and Aiden will defy social differences and together they will solve the heinous murders of low class people which are being perpetrated. The way the characters interacted was well written and the characters themselves were wonderful. The relationship between the protagonist and Aiden reminded me a bit of that between Watson and Sherlock Holmes, in a very good way.
Aiden is a social outcast, shunned by his peers because of his unusual capabilities, and seems to be quite cold in the beginning: I loved how his true self slowly emerges while he realizes he has actually got friends and he is not alone. The blossoming of their friendship was marvelously developed :)
The world-building is well done, although I hope to come to know more in the future: all the story happens inside a city so we don't get to know a lot about what's outside, we know how society is organized, how rank is determined and how things are run inside of the city and that is enough for this book. I appreciated that descriptions were not overwhelming but placed in that way which permits you to visualize quite well what is around the characters in all situations: I think a good description is one you don't notice until you realize you are inside the story you are reading.
I was totally sucked into the story and really want to know what happens next! So many mysteries are still unsolved! What about Dare's powers? And Aiden's house? I have to know! At the end of the book is written that the second one will be out soon...how soon? Next month? Next season? Next year? Hope I will not have to wait too much :)
PS. Sorry if there are some errors but this is not my native language.
August 4, 2014
I was recently directed towards Amy Wood's book Demons Run, and I am so very happy to have gotten in early on reading her work. This book is set in a really interesting locale where magic, aristocracy, criminal undergrounds, high culture and much more are all interwoven and sometimes violently collide. The story mainly follows a pretty cool identifiable main character charged with helping solve a dark mystery and the action goes from there. If you'd like to read my full review and get really sold on picking this book up, you can find it here at http://thenerdemp.com/demons-run-review/
Hope you enjoy!
Hope you enjoy!
December 24, 2013
It was slow to draw me in , but I finished it in a rush which is always a good sign. I wished we had leaned more about the history of the protagonists. This book had been in my Kindle que for a while and I had forgotten why I had purchased it, Amy Wood is an acquaintance of mine. Props Amy, good work, let me know when I can buy the next book!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews