Rating: 
Summary: Garrett is BACK! Finally.
Review: After too long, everyone's favorite fantasy gumshoe has returned. Many threads from the previous books are brought together as G gets pulled into a case of Human Supremacists by way of Old Man Weider, brewer extrordinaire. The book is fast paced, sometimes a bit too fast paced. People, plots and politics come and go at blinding speed, only occasionally making me think "Now who was that again?" Most refreshing is that Garrett has toned down his sourness and seems less estranged from Morley, Saucerhead and the Dead Man. The last few books have seemed to feature a more alienated Garrett, and I (for one) am glad to see a bit of the old man back. Rumor has it that Roc is sitting on another completed Garrett novel. Here's to hoping it sees the light of day faster than the last one did.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful, as usual
Review: As are all Glen Cook's books with the title format of [adjective][metal type][noun], this is an interesting, fun, action-packed read. For some reason, most of these books are out of print. I wish someone would produce a huge "collected" version of them (similar to the "Amber" book for Zelazny). Definitely a book to read (along with all the rest of the series).
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, as usual
Review: As are all Glen Cook's books with the title format of [adjective][metal type][noun], this is an interesting, fun, action-packed read. For some reason, most of these books are out of print. I wish someone would produce a huge "collected" version of them (similar to the "Amber" book for Zelazny). Definitely a book to read (along with all the rest of the series).
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: Bigotry and hate reign. Prejudice is rampant. Riots break out at the slightest provocation. So what's new? For Garrett, it is his world. Garrett is human, but he's living among a lot of beings who aren't. And being a human in a place like TunFaire means to watch one's back at every turn. And Garrett has more than one reason to watch his back. He's a private detective, whose cases seem to always be strange. Very strange. Now there are factions of humans and non-humans vying for position in the streets of TunFaire, and Garrett gets involved when one of the factions starts strongarming his employer. And when Garrett gets involved, things begin to get very involved. With his strange cadre of allies and helpers, Garrett plunges right into the middle of the chaos, trusting himself, the Dead Man, and Morley Dotes, but few others. Glen Cook has made a name for himself in the subgenre of SF/F called steampunk. Faded Steel Heat is the latest in his metallic-titled books about the incredibly lucky and amazingly smart-mouthed detective, Garrett, and his unlikely circle of friends. The prose is straightforward and full of grit, and the characters are captivating. There's nothing lyrical about Cook or Garrett, but anyone who enjoys a smart-mouthed, hard-boiled detective will have a great time. For those who can't get enough, there's plenty of backlist to catch up on. Rickey R. Mallory
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Summary: Continuing of the Raymond Chandler "The Big Sleep" genre
Review: Considering all the other reviews, my comment is only I regret Messr. Cook does not write more. Entertaining beyond comment. Garrett is the quintestial Marlow, who goes beyond the limits.
Rating:
Summary: Unique series--but where to from here?
Review: Cook's Garrett series, culminating in Faded Steel Heat, is some of the best and most unique fantasy I've read. The basic shtick of the series is that it places a cynical, film noir-style private eye in a setting of magic and monsters. Cook's attention to realism and detail make the juxtaposition believable and the plots are always suitably complex. There is also a large dollup of dry humor, the kind that makes you wince as much as laugh. I can't believe that the series was not more widely read; it's better, in my opinion, than Cook's much darker Black Company series. As you can tell, I'm a fan. So here's my concern: Now where? I don't want to give away the plot for those who haven't read Faded Steel Heat. But it seems to me that this novel, much more so than its predecessors, wraps up loose ends and would make the series difficult to continue. A few characters are left dead, and others seem defeated. The web of remaining characters may have become too tangled to draw out into further plot lines, or at least plot lines involving those characters. And what would a Garrett novel be without Morley and the Dead Man and Tinnie and company? Much less fun, that's for sure. Cook has written his way out of seeming endings before, but this sure felt more final than any of the previous books. I don't know. I do hope more TunFaire novels are in the works. But that's not for me to decide. Mr. Cook, if you read this, please give us more of Garrett! Any idiot could write hero-slays-dragon generic fantasy; but Garrett and his world are like nothing else out there. Let him tell us another tale from the Garrett files . . .
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Summary: Two more books to go...
Review: From what I understand, Glen Cook had finished the next Garrett book, due out in March 2002(?) and called Heavy Leaden Skies. He is planning one more Garrett book and then appearently the series will end. :/
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Summary: Garrett and the Parrot REALLY save TunFaire
Review: Garrett, P.I., is a series I have followed for years. Garret is an ex-Marine who spent time in a Viet Nam type war that dragged on and on consuming more and more young men. Now the war is over and the troops are coming back. The other races, (fairies, dwarves, ratmen, etc.) have taken the jobs and humans are being squeezed between an uncaring government and human rightsists (I fought, gimme the gold, and get lost, or else). In this episode, the human rightsists are up against Glory Moon-called, the genius that caused the war to end. Garrett has to walk a tight rope between more clients than he ever had all of them with different agendas. Somewhere in there is a set of shapeshifters, four or five VERY beautiful women, and a confused plot that somehow seems to work. I was unable to put it down. I kept thinking, "What the hell is going on?" Garrett didn't know, so neither did I. Oh, I forgot the beer. It's great. I mean what more could you want: Beer, babes, and bad guys?
Rating:
Summary: How can one rate an unpublished book?
Review: I am merely responding to the previous reviewer who clearly did not care for "Dread Brass Shadows" but did rate "Petty Pewter Gods" at 5 stars. I will take the opposite position since I found the "Petty Pewter Gods" slow, disjointed and not up to Cook's usual Garrett, P.I. quality and style. On the other hand, "Dread Brass Shadows" was tight, well-written, and left one wanting more - especially more about Chodo's daughter, Sadler & Crask, and Tinny Tate! Not to mention Morley, Waldo, and the mysterious resurretion of Puddle (described as expired in one book, but maybe this is another Puddle?) How could Cook leave us hanging with that explosive combination simmering? I highly enjoyed his Books of the North (Black Company) but have found the Books of the South to be less intriguing - perhaps because of the lengthy lead times. Although, it is a good excuse to start with the first of the series and re-read up to where the new book begins.
Rating:
Summary: How can one rate an unpublished book?
Review: I am merely responding to the previous reviewer who clearly did not care for "Dread Brass Shadows" but did rate "Petty Pewter Gods" at 5 stars. I will take the opposite position since I found the "Petty Pewter Gods" slow, disjointed and not up to Cook's usual Garrett, P.I. quality and style. On the other hand, "Dread Brass Shadows" was tight, well-written, and left one wanting more - especially more about Chodo's daughter, Sadler & Crask, and Tinny Tate! Not to mention Morley, Waldo, and the mysterious resurretion of Puddle (described as expired in one book, but maybe this is another Puddle?) How could Cook leave us hanging with that explosive combination simmering? I highly enjoyed his Books of the North (Black Company) but have found the Books of the South to be less intriguing - perhaps because of the lengthy lead times. Although, it is a good excuse to start with the first of the series and re-read up to where the new book begins.
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