"A frightening, funny, moving, page-turning romp." (Steven Galloway, author of "The Cellist of Sarajevo" 20110402)
"Ambitious in scope and structure, the book speaks in pitch-perfect Victorian diction through a wide range of characters to relate the ultimate-stakes quarrel between the pugilist preacher
Daniel O'Thunder and his ultimate adversary: The Devil Himself." (
Vancouver Magazine 20090901)
"Laced with blood thunder, sex, murder, rape, mayhem and miracles,
Ian Wier's first novel is about good versus evil...from the outset, even if we haven't read the authors biography we know we are in skilled hands." (
BC Bookworld 20091001)
"If one unreliable narrator is enough to skew a book toward the fantastical, imagine the twists generated by four! In his first novel, veteran screenwriter
Ian Weir calls on a quartet of witnesses to deliver the story of godly pug Daniel O'Thunder, proud son of Cork turned evangelical sermonizer, and it's a sign of his sure command that all are engaging, even when spinning bald-faced lies or subtle prevarications...This is wonderful stuff." (
Georgia Straight 20091126)
"
Weir's plot steps smartly, and the language crackles with the immediacy of shifting first-person voices...There are murders, rapes, hangings, prizefights, a city-wide riot, and lots of thrilling escapes...By the time the novel reaches its dramatic conclusion...the story has landed in a place somewhere between dementia and the supernatural. All of which makes for an historical novel that is a lot more fun and thrilling than what we have come to expect." (
Quill & Quire 20091201)
"In this delicious jumble of a novel,
Weir has created an epic hero...Drenched in filthy Thames waters and coiffed in muttonchops, Weir's outlandish tale is a top-shelf page-turner." (
Publishers Weekly 20110302)
"The battle between the great Hammer of Heaven and the evil stalking him climaxes in a fight that will leave readers breathless. This robust historical novel by an award-winning Canadian screenwriter will captivate fans of Sarah Waters and Charles Dickens." (
Library Journal 20110304)
"'Dickensian' is an adjective too often misused in describing books set in Victorian England. It is, however, the perfect word for this superb novel, nominated for the Commonwealth Prize.
Weir, an award-winning screenwriter and playwright, takes us right to the centre of London in 1815 with as brilliantly constructed a band of reprobates as Dickens ever saw. Marvellous from the first paragraph." (
Globe & Mail 20100305)
"Charles Dickens meets Tom Jones...A knockout debut. (
National Post 20091026)
"A terrific, fast-moving narrative." (
Guardian 20090901)
"I haven't a enjoyed a novel so much since Benioff's
City of Thieves." (John Valliant, author of "The Tiger" and "The Golden Spruce" 20110401)
Ian Weir is an award-winning screenwriter, playwright and novelist. He is the writer and executive producer of the acclaimed crime-thriller Dragon Boys, a CBC mini-series that first aired in 2007. Other TV credits include episodes for more than 20 different series, including Flashpoint, Cold Squad, Edgemont, Odyssey, ReBoot, Beachcombers and One Life to Live.
Weir's stage plays have been produced across Canada as well as in the U.S. and England. He has won two Geminis, four Leos, a Jessie and the Writers Guild of Canada Screenwriting Award. He lives in Langley, British Columbia.
