The Chosen Seed
By: Sarah Pinborough
Pub: Gollancz
375 Pages
The third book in the Dog-Faced Gods trilogy brings things to a close in fine form.
The story has taken an interesting course across the three books, with the mix of crime and the supernatural initially weighted towards the crime end of the spectrum, and shifting over the course of the series to a considerably more supernatural footing.
After taking a bullet to the shoulder and being framed for murder Cass Jones is most definitely on the other side of the fence now. The former Detective Inspector’s old colleagues are on his trail and while some doubt his guilt, others are certain of it.
Cass is still after the Network, the organisation responsible for the kidnapping of his nephew. Headed by the elusive and ageless Mr Bright the tangled skein of the Network’s control runs deep, from their ownership of The Bank to the manipulation of governments. Despite this apparently overwhelming nexus of power around them Cass is none the less determined to bring them down.
Forced to keep away from his old haunts and colleges Cass has fallen back onto his criminal contacts to further his quest. There’s some honour between thieves but not quite enough to keep Cass safe it seems.
The Network is not the cohesive group it once was, and Mr Bright has to worry about internal politicking as well as his continuing plans for Cass. Not only are individuals challenging his power, but there are other more supernatural matters forcing his hand.
London is again at the heart of the book, and provides the hunting ground of a third serial killer, who’s infecting people with the lethal Strain II virus, filling hospital wards and spreading panic. This time the formula that’s been used in the last two books holds true but is presented in a different way, taking advantage of the readers shift in perspective over the series.
The final book really does bring things together very well. The tempo set in the series increases and there’s a feeling of foreboding that permeates the book. The bleakness of the world Cass inhabits only grows with the streets of London stewing in their own fear, as well as the more personal issues of Cass’s new status as a fugitive.
The plot brings in new threads that are integrated into the whole smoothly, but Cass remains the centre of the book. The hardened character introduced in the first book has become even more tightened down as the books have progressed, but there are chinks to be found in the façade.
The ending perhaps provides too much of a direct explanation of the world, but it does serve to tie the series off well.It’s certainly not the end to events that I envisaged, or when planned for by Cass or the Machiavellian Mr Bright.
If you’ve read the first two book this finishes them off very well indeed. If you’ve not read the series, go have a look at what your missing.
The Mangrove Legacy
