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If you like Conan and are bought into the style and character, this was enjoyable. The writing was descriptive, the pacing brisk, and Stirling brought depth to what could have been a very one-dimensional character.

I enjoyed the premise of the book, and it started out very entertaining. Having played D&D during the Satanic Panic, there were a lot of callbacks to that time that rang true. As the novel progressed, however, the action became vaguer and hand-wavey. By the time of the climax of the action, no tension was left in the plot. You knew everything was going to be fine, it was, and ... what a letdown.

In a reprint, Kadrey is interviewed and admits freely that he borrowed and stole much of the book's elements and feel from Gibson and others. It's obvious to the reader, and sadly it's also obvious that the book suffers by comparison. It's too long, meandering, and seems like the first novel that it is. It's not completely terrible, but I forced myself to finish it without enthusiasm toward the end.

Secret Histories follows the Simon R. Green formula. If you like the formula, you'll like this first entry in the series and perhaps all that follow. The setting is alternate-London, and the conceit is a group of "Droods" keeping the world safe with a bunch of magic and tech. Strong protagonist, stronger but less wise female sidekick, insurmountable odds that you're never worried that the protagonist isn't up to. It's fun, but paint-by-numbers.

I've enjoyed reading all of the Vlad Taltos books, sometimes more and sometimes less, but always with enjoyment. This book is simultaneously one of the better ones--it's clever--and also perhaps a bit tired. The story is fun, but the idea of the main character being under some kind of doom for nearly the entire series is both a signature of the series and grounds for a complaint. There's no anxiety that he's not going to get out of it, it's more a question of how and when.

I usually don't like novellas, not because they're can't be good but rather the length is puzzlingly unsatisfying. This novella is a jewel, and it gripped me with tension and unease that never really dissipated until the end. Nothing went as I expected, but I was delighted how the storyline resolved itself. It's well worth a read.