Review: A Drink Before We Die (A Low Town short)

By Daniel Polansky

Ebook, out now via Amazon

The Warden deals with a threat as only he can…

If you’ve missed the Machiavellian machinations of Low Town’s Warden, then pick up this fun short story that slots neatly into the Low Town trilogy. Leslie Charteris used to say of his character the Saint that when people would go to hit him, somehow they’d find themselves hitting a wall instead, and the Warden ascribes to the same idea – although in his case, it’s more likely that they find themselves being cut into little pieces, and quite possibly used as pig-feed.

It’s a short but sweet tale – it wouldn’t surprise me if it was a small subplot from one of the first two books that was excised for length – but there’s plenty of action, and the usual laconic style of narration that almost but not quite hides the viciousness of what the Warden is actually up to. You’re actually never quite sure if he’s just stirring up those around him like a child playing with an ants’ nest, or whether he really is facing a serious problem – and that’s what makes him such an enjoyable character with whom to spend an hour or two.

Verdict: Hopefully just the first of some welcome reappearances for the Warden… 8/10

Paul Simpson

 

(NB This is currently free at Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk)