After injuring his friend Flynn Michaels in a joust, Boone Daniels, a renaissance fair performer and singer, has no idea what will ensue when he fills in for Michael’s upcoming band gig. Daniels’ life has by no means been uneventful; after all, his parents disappeared when he was a boy, and he has been stalked by a wendigo since. Performing for the band The Village Idiots should present no problems for a part-time handyman and swordsman, or so he thinks. Nevertheless, he still gets caught by surprise when his contact, Professor Stone is murdered and falls out of a window alongside a piano. With Professor Stone’s assistant, the beautiful and mysterious violinist, Sapphire Anjou, Daniels embarks on a quest to unravel his past and save New York City from a terrifying war between feuding secret societies. Through the book’s pages, Central Park’s Belvedere Castle and Manhattan’s Trinity Church become the stage for a battle between good and evil. But, at the heart of the story is the search for a lost composition by the notorious composer and violinist Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840). This missing composition can only be revealed with special ink during a particular blue moon. Moreover, no one is quite sure what will happen after playing the work. As Daniels and Anjou search for the missing piece, their search widens through multiple memorable places and characters. The quest involves major New York City landmarks, supernatural creatures including Baba Yaga and the goblin-like domovoi, and pocket universes which enable time travel. Zarek typically draws the novel’s monsters from Slavic mythology, and many of them can shapeshift.
Filled with vivid characters and spine-tingling escapades, The Devil Pulls the Strings is sure to delight and thrill readers. Zarek’s writing is sharp, engaging and fast-paced, plunging readers into a story filled with many unexpected twists and turns. In addition, Zarek’s world-building is commendable. The characters and settings are unique, memorable, and fantastical, bringing readers into a world in which nothing is quite as it seems. Friends can turn unexpectedly into enemies and vice versa, a famous building can prove the headquarters of a society bent on evil, and sudden sword fights break out at any moment. What truly stands out about the book is Daniels’ character development. Along his journey, we see Daniels wrestle with panic attacks, guilt, fear and self-doubt which goes a long way in humanizing a story with so many otherworldly elements. Another standout feature of the book is Zarek’s focus on music. As the book progresses, music becomes a force to be reckoned with—a well-written plot device that propels the narrative forward and keep readers on the edge of their seats the whole way through. Ultimately, Zarek’s passion for music—both contemporary and classical— shines through, adding to the book’s intrigue and originality.
A must-read for fantasy enthusiasts seeking a fresh and thought-provoking narrative.
