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Snake Agent
Snake Agent
Snake Agent
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Snake Agent

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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Introducing Singaporean DI, Wei Chen. “This exotic amalgam of police procedural, SF, comic fantasy, and horror is a delight from start to finish” (Locus).

When the fourteen-year-old daughter of Singapore Three’s most prominent industrialist dies of anorexia, her parents assume that Pearl’s suffering has come to an end. But somewhere along the way to the Celestial Shores, Pearl’s soul is waylaid, lured by an unknown force to the gates of Hell. To save their daughter from eternal banishment, they come to Detective Inspector Wei Chen, whose jurisdiction lies between this world and the next.
A round-faced cop who is as serious as his beat is strange, Chen has a demon for a wife and a comfort with the supernatural that most mortals cannot match. But finding Pearl Tang will take him further into the abyss than ever before—to a mystifying place where he will have to cooperate with a demonic detective if he wants to survive. It’s easy, Chen will find, to get into Hell. The hard part is getting out.
Snake Agent is the first of the five Detective Inspector Chen Novels, which continue with The Demon and the City and Precious Dragon. 
LanguageEnglish
Release dateSep 17, 2013
ISBN9781480437982
Snake Agent
Author

Liz Williams

Liz Williams is a science fiction and fantasy writer living in Glastonbury, England, where she is codirector of a witchcraft supply business. The author of seventeen novels and over one hundred short stories, she has been published by Bantam Spectra and Night Shade Books in the US, and by Tor Macmillan in the UK. She was a frequent contributor to Realms of Fantasy, and her writing appears regularly in Asimov’s and other magazines. She is the secretary of the Milford SF Writers’ Workshop and teaches creative writing and history of science fiction. 

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Reviews for Snake Agent

Rating: 3.717898779766537 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

257 ratings28 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Detective Inspector Chen serves in Singapore Three with a particular focus. He can travel between this world and Hell (all levels) and has a partner demon named Zhu Irzh. He is even married to a demon named Inari and they live on a houseboat with a badger/teakettle.Chen and Zhu are called on to investigate the mysterious disappearance of an industrialist which calls attention to the disappearances of many young women in recent days. Williams gives us a totally new world with new situations which play on Oriental theologies. There is no lack of gore, horrid smells, and terrible characters as you might well expect. Through it all Chen banks on his relationship with the goddess Kuan Yin who helps in travel between worlds.Something different.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I read this back in 2006 and just reread it for a review for a reissue.

    here is the original review I had on my journal.

    Well reading the short story that composes part of this novel sent me reading the full length novel ASAP. I had it but had been saving it. I don't know why I do that but sometimes I do, silly yes I know. Well I liked it so much that I got the paperback so I could finish reading it on the plane without dragging the hardcover with me and having something happen to it. I really like the world setup in this. The in depth setup of the underworld's government and dealings was wonderful. As much as I liked Chen, the hero I really liked Zhu Irzh, the cop from the underworld. He almost seems to be more of a fish out of water than Chen. Of course it is just manifesting with him versus Chen who has been dealing with being on the fringe for a long time. Now to find where I left the sequel somewhere around the house.

    And now reading it 7 years later it was just as fun and now I want to dive right back into this world.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a mystery/fantasy novel, set more or less in the Chinese pantheon. The Chinese concepts of Heaven and Hell don't map exactly onto the Western concepts, so this makes for a nicely off-kilter setting. The protagonist, Chen Wei, is a detective inspector in Singapore 3, in a reality not quite ours. He solves cases which involve incursions into the human realm from either Heaven or Hell, with the occasional assistance of Kuan Yin. As goddess of mercy, she has compassion on all victims, but as a goddess, her decisions on who receives compassion don't always make sense to humans. Chen is trying to figure out who is mis-routing souls who should be in Heaven to Hell, and finds himself working in tandem with a demon who is trying to find out who is creating problems for his patron noble. As Chen starts putting the pieces together, he finds himself hiding out in Hell. In the meantime, his wife is kidnapped, Kuan Yin stops speaking to him, and his demonic "partner" clearly has his own agenda.I enjoyed this, and immediately ordered the next volume in the series from interlibrary loan.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    An enjoyable first foray into a fantastic alternative world, in which the realms of heaven, hell, and earth - and their inhabitants - are closely linked in an unending dance of conflict, confrontation, and negotiation. On earth, in the city of Singapore Three, Detective Inspector Chen Wei is the police department's specialist in mystical investigation. When a case involving the ghost of a young girl - meant for the Celestial Shores, but somehow trapped in Hell instead - comes to his attention, Chen finds himself caught up in a shadowy conspiracy involving the theft of innocent souls, and the creation of a sinister new drug. Now, with the help of Seneschal Zhu Irzh, of Hell's Vice Squad, Chen must confront the immensely powerful Ministry of Epidemics, with the safety of his own demon-wife Inari, as well as the balance of the Tao itself, at stake...I found Snake Agent, the first of Liz Williams' Detective Inspector Chen Novels, to be an engaging story - highly readable, with interesting characters. Chen was likable, if a little bland, and Zhu Irzh was entertaining, in that "seductive sophisticate with a well-hidden heart" kind of way. I know that some thought Inari's characterization was somewhat lacking, but I myself found her sympathetic and believable - she was a being out of her depth, struggling to do the best she could with the circumstances in which she found herself. Her guardian teapot-badger was completely adorable - particularly as he remained (cat-like) aloof and unknowable.I wouldn't say that this was a terribly well-written book, as I found the narrative somewhat uneven, but there were moments where I needed to stop and reread some particular passage, and think about what Williams was saying. When she writes: "Yet Chen suspected that Hell lay somewhere contained in the group soul of a people, delineating its pathways in accordance with their dominant beliefs," I found myself nodding in agreement. It is clear that the author worked many Taoist and Buddhist beliefs into her story, but as someone with only a passing familiarity with those religions, I am unable to really comment on her understanding of them, although I definitely feel that they gave the story added intellectual depth.My only real complaint lies in the occasional feeling, especially when her characters comment disparagingly about western beliefs, that Williams intruded too much on her narrative. But that is a minor irritation, and all in all, I am glad to have read this, and thank my friend Sherri for recommending it
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Really more like a 3.5 stars for me. An interesting mix of a police procedural, magic and mythology that didn't completely gel for me. I was interested and entertained enough to finish and will read the next one in the series, but it was a bit of a slog in places.

  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    For whatever reason, I never connected to Snake Agent. Even when there was something about it that I normally would have found interesting, it just never drew me in.Snake Agent is an urban fantasy, science fiction, mystery mash up set in an alternate universe where Singapore’s started franchising. Detective Inspector Chen handles supernatural cases for the Singapore Three police. He regularly deals with Heaven, Hell, and the spirits of the deceased. He soon becomes unwittingly embroiled in an investigation involving the trafficked souls of young girls and a conspiracy within Hell’s Ministry of Epidemics.The part that I would normally find interesting was the world building. Even from the brief description I gave above, it’s clear that there’s a lot going on within the world of Snake Agent. Probably my favorite detail was that modern technology has speed up the bureaucratic processes within Heaven and Hell. I could imagine the settings clearly, and Hell was inventively disgusting. However, none of this really got me engaged with the book. And unfortunately, I never connected well enough to the characters or cared enough about the plot for those aspects to make the book worthwhile for me.Chen was the normally by the books detective who was becoming conflicted due to associations with those who would normally be his opponents. In this case, it was primarily Seneschal Zhu Irzh, his counter part in Hell who he winds up working with as a partner, and his demonic wife Inari. Zhu and Inari both had POV sections in addition to Chen, as well as even some more minor characters like Sergeant Ma. I don’t think all of these POV characters were necessary to the book. In particular, I don’t know what Inari’s POV sections added as they didn’t tie strongly to the plot and Inari herself was not a very active character. In the end, I’m not sure what Inari contributed, besides having her existence be a conflict for Chen.The plot has many different threads to it, and it did end up coming together as I predicted. However, I was hoping that the book would become more exciting or that I would care more once it drew closer to the climax. Neither occurred. I also wasn’t fond of the device where the author shows a snippet of the climax right at the beginning to try and get the reader immediately involved. It feels like clumsy manipulation. Obviously, a book should be manipulating a reader’s emotions (or else what is the point?), but in this case I found it blatant and ineffective.I don’t think Snake Agent was bad exactly; I just didn’t find it very interesting. It’s unlikely to be a book I recommend in the future, and I’m not planning on continuing with the series.Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Decent writing and a novel concept, that the substance between one world and the next are infinitely thinner than we could ever imagine them to be.

    The detective story itself is a bit blasé, but the colorful cast of characters and scenery that envelopes the reader is thrilling. There's more backstory I'd like to hear about Detective Inspector Chen (and his wife), so I guess you might say I'm looking forward to the next book.

    The backdrop of modern China also leads this American reader to feel like I'm exploring a place not just supernatural, but exotic.

    (This review is based on an advance review copy supplied through NetGalley by the publisher.)
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Snake Agent is mostly urban fantasy, with a touch of cyberpunk if you think about the technology involved in the bioweb, which turned out not to be just background and world-building, but a serious part of the plot. It's notable because it relies more on Eastern mythology and culture than Western: however, as with Liz Williams' other book, Empire of Bones, it didn't feel all that different.

    A couple of other reviewers note their problems with Inari, and the lack of importance of female characters in the book. I have to say, I see where that's coming from. Inari spends most of her time running away and longing for someone else's protection; the other women are mostly dead or inconsequential, aside from two goddesses who do play important roles. Also, menstrual blood is a hellish, hellish thing in this world. Women's bodies are so icky, right?

    Anyway, nonetheless I found it quite fun, and I loved the badger-teakettle. I wish there'd been more with the demon hunter and the naive sergeant -- they felt very incidental.

    I'll be reading more of Liz Williams' books, I think -- unless the same problems just keep coming up again and again.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Confession. I bought this book for the cover. But have you seen the cover? it's frikkin gorgeous. Maybe the most beautiful book cover I've ever seen. The book was good, it might not have been one of my all time favorites, but the plot was good the characters had a little depth - though I'd argue they could have evolved more as the book(s) progress.

    And the world that Liz Williams creates is one that sticks with you.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    in asia's future, successful cities have franchised, and singapore appears to be doing quite well at it. the 3rd iteration of the city lies somewhere on mainland china overlooking the south china seas, and has everything you'd expect a modern chinese metropolis to have: banks, city officals, temples, portals to hell...

    chen is the occult specialist for singapore 3's police force, which means he spends plenty of time filling out the bureaucratic paperwork for posessions or hauntings in the city, with the occasional side trip to purgatory or hell under the protection of his patron goddess. lately, he's offended her, though, and has to figure out this current case about soul trafficking and plagues without her help.

    the near-future asian setting gives this UF a cyberpunk flavor rather unique to the genre, with bonus points for the atypical protagonist (neither a sardonic loose-cannon PI nor an ass-kicking leather-clad badass). most of the characters are fleshed out nicely, with only a very few of the minor ones feeling like stock archetypes. the prose has that particular depth of description that i like to call "cinematic;" it's easy to imagine this made into a very fun movie. williams has a real gift for dangling out snippets of detail into what feels like a richly imagined back story, and definitely leaves you wanting more - as soon as i finished, i ordered book 2.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This book is delicious. I read it with a group last year and we had a lot to talk about it, which I won't recount here. I'll just list off what I liked about it (enough to buy the next 3 books in the series).

    First, I enjoyed a book set in a mythos/culture not my own. I can't speak to how accurately this mythos is represented, but it is markedly different from the Western based ones usually found in similar novels. I really found delight in the way the supernatural was interwoven in the lives of the characters.

    Second, I loved the SF elements, which kept the book from falling completely over into fantasy. They are small, tucked in here and there, sometimes quite subtly, which made them all the better. I liked the 'weird fiction' vibe, the refusal to be easily tossed into a genre hole.

    Third, I really enjoyed how the characters interacted with each other. I loved their alien-ness, their ways of viewing the world that were not predictable for me or even all that familiar to me.

    I haven't dived into the rest of the series yet, but they sit on a shelf awaiting their turn.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    All you need to know about Snake Agent is: Bladerunner meets Bridge of Birds. If the idea of of dystopian near-future merged with the Chinese afterlife appeals to you, the book won't disappoint.Detective Inspector Chen works out of the city of Singapore 3, but he's not your usual Inspector. Chen covers the supernatural. Between the circles of Hell and the Celestial Plains, there's a lot of places a soul can go astray, and the wandering spirit of a wealthy industrialist's daughter is just the latest.Williams has done a wonderful job of world-building in Snake Agent. As reader, you feel plopped down amidst a story already in motion. Chen - and the city of Singapore 3 - have their own narratives and problems well underway by the first page. In addition to a sense of nascent possibility, it gives the book a very nice pace that rarely lets up. Indeed, this pace, coupled with Williams' affectionate and largely understated characterisation, and finally the beguiling nature of Singapore 3 and Hell, disguise a few coincidences and some raggedy plotting. Some may find it bothers them - especially a deus ex machina at the end. But personally, I found these weaknesses minor and *most* of the plotting is definitely up to scratch. But really, the pleasure of Snake Agent is in the world Williams creates, and her weary, jaded - and surprisingly funny - characters. There's a jovial humour running through the novel that rarely breaks out into jokes but maintains a nice sense of the inherent insanity of the Chinese Afterlife and the fervid pace of life in Singapore 3. Ultimately, Snake Agent is a great introduction to a fabulous and potential-filled setting. Satisfying in its own right, at the conclusion I nonetheless wanted more time with these people and their realms. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Initially, I chose Snake Agent because of the cover. It's a fantastic image and reveals more detail as you look into it. I was hoping that the contents would live up to the jacket.It took me a little while to get into the setting, which is very different from either the modern western setting of most Urban Fantasy or the pseudo-medieval setting of heroic fantasy. It does grow on you, though, and the book is very atmospheric. Williams stays away from the temptation to make Inspector Chen a martial arts expert or to endow him with magical powers. Instead, Chen relies on his charm, wit and the protection of his beliefs to preserve him against powerful foes.One of the things that I really liked was the way Williams uses humour in the book. There are some wry moments. Also, the way certain aspects of the story emerge (I'm avoiding spoilers at this point) is handled with a beautifully light and subtle touch as we gradually see deeper into Chen's complex motivations. He makes a very believable hero.I found the book a very enjoyable read, refreshingly different with both a male protagonist and an Oriental setting, well paced and full of interesting characters that lives up to the subtle splendour of its cover.It's in my list of best books of 2010.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked this book because it’s different from the myriads of urban fantasy novels I’ve read in the past. It’s different because it contains Eastern mythology, mysticism and religions. The setting takes place in Singapore (which earns bonus points from me, as this is the first book I’ve read with a setting there). Also, the story line is very dark, noir and very gritty. It’s an interesting blend of fantasy and science fiction and by putting to two together gives you a unique world. I also thought it was interesting how characters can travel from hell, to Singapore, and back again. The plot itself is interesting. There’s a lot of twists and turns and as Wei Chen investigates further into the mystery, he realizes there’s more to it than just soul trafficking. There’s also the second plot which involves Zhu Irzh and his case which takes place in Hell. I liked his plot more, as it had an element of intrigue and explained in detail the hierarchy of Demon politics and how they relate to one another. Zhu Irzh also provides the comic relief. Unlike Chen, his approach is more laid back and he provides a witty comeback every so often. It’s a well written plot and interesting enough to keep you reading. The action is good and makes the pace go faster, not to mention the sub plot involving Inari was also really interesting as well. I especially liked the overall tone of the story. It’s really dark and has a very ‘noir’ feel to it. The setting descriptions add more to the tone of the book - especially describing the humidity and heat in the city. It added more to the feeling of the story and takes the reader to the setting. So, it’s like you’re there following the characters. It’s a great start to what looks like a really good series and I’m definitely going to continue reading it. It shows great promise and it looks like things could go really complicated with Chen and Zhu Irzh. I do recommend this to those that love Harry Dresden, and Felix Castor, but with an Asian setting and with a much more dark and grittier tone. Fans of urban fantasy should also get a good read out of this book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Book jacket describes it as John Constantine meets Chow Yun Fat. I think that says it all. This is book 1 of 4 in the series. Detective Inspector Chen is a snake agent. He investigates cases that have supernatural or mystical origins. His latest case starts out investigating the disappearance of a young girl’s ghost. Aided by Seneschal Zhu Irzh, a demon vice cop from Hell, Chen journeys to the depths of Hell itself to solve the mystery.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Detective Inspector Chen of Singapore Three has a special assignment: deal with problems arising from Hell. In this high-tech future, email and other innovations make communicating with Heaven and Hell much easier. Chen has personal troubles: abandoned by his goddess for taking a demon as his bride, Chen (and his wife) are now the target of a powerful vendetta. But Chen does his duty when a young girl’s ghost turns up in a brothel in Hell, rather than safely in Heaven as she was supposed to. He teams up with demon Vice cop Zhu Irzh (Vice cop meaning rather the opposite in Hell of what it means on earth) to solve the mystery. Both Hell and Singapore Three feature very traditional gender roles, which made me a bit itchy, but the combination of tech and myth was intriguing, and I will probably check out the next book in the series.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I really wanted to like this book, but unfortunately, it was only just so-so for me. I don't know if was because I wasn't in the right state of mind to appreciate it, or if it was not my kind of book.The writing was complex, not too slow, not too fast. The characters were very human. Its an odd thing to say, but most of the humans just wanted to go home to their significant other, or were concerned about the daily grind of life. And Chen, our hero, is such a sweet person. He worries so much about being good for his Goddess, but he is also willing to make the sacrifices needed to keep the love of his life. I also quite liked the demon, Zhu Irzh. He reminded me a lot like Algy, form the Importance of Being Earnest (an unusual comparison, I know). Maybe that the story seemed to go on and on forever that I felt this way about this book or maybe it was the characters names- The characters kept combining into a different person, and only half way through the story was I able to put them in the right setting. My one and only big critique is the prologue- I'd skip it completely. It doesn't really add anything to the story, and you encounter, almost word for word later in the book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Got this on bookmooch and I'm really liking it so far other than the occasional modern element connected with the spiritual elements (like sending the government in hell an e-mail).This was a fun romp through hell with a well developed comological scheme. It's funny because it was a dark plot but never seemed to get too serious or disturbing. It was more like an action adventure novel than anything deep. The characters and magic were interesting though.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Interesting premise, but it didn't hold my interest.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Detective Inspector Chen Wei is Singapore Three’s snake agent, the police officer who deals with the city’s supernatural crimes. He is approached by the wife of a prominent citizen whose daughter, a young girl who ought to be among the peach orchards of Heaven, has instead been photographed in Hell. Investigation at the funeral parlour shows that all Pearl’s paperwork seems to have been in order, her entry visa properly filed, so Chen has no doubt that something sinister is going on. He teams up with an agent from Hell’s Ministry of Vice, while his wife, Inari, deals with problems of her own.Snake Agent isn’t quite like anything I’ve ever read before. It blends elements from a number of genres—mystery, fantasy, science fiction, horror—into a cohesive whole. The story takes place in the near future, in a modern city, but with a background of Chinese Taoist culture and beliefs. While this isn’t the best book I’ve read recently, the sheer novelty of the setting and some of the characters more than made up for it, and there are even a few funny moments.I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for the next books in the series.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The setting is A Singapore of the future: Singapore III (There are 5-6 I think.) The protagonist is Detective Inspector Chen who is currently not-so-favored by his patron goddess Kuan Yin because he went against her wishes and married a demon woman. Being that this focuses on the Asian style of bureaucratic heaven and hell, it has come to the attention of several authorities that souls are ending up where they shouldn't be. Chen is sent to investigate, and along the way, picks up a demon adjunct who helps his investigation.I will add that Snake Agent (and sequels) are one of the few Chinese themed English language books I've read that is written by a Westerner that manages to bypass some of the "exotic orient" pits that tends to leave me with a strong sense of distaste. Williams avoids the 'suffering women' Joy Luck Club tones, the 'crazy/exotic/totalitarian/dominating orientals!', or any Confucious-style speech patterns that set my teeth on edge. Any passive traditional women also have their own Asian brand of strength that often gets ignored in stories. There isn't a single samurai sword in sight! No Way Of The Warrior!This is a story about persons in a futuristic alternate Singapore, dealing with non-Western mythologies in a straight and authentic manner.The fact that this book exists at all has me curling my toes. The fact that it's an engaging and well written story has me ecstatic. I'm in love with Chen and the Demon-- Irhz(?) and their interactions/chemistry.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I'm still not sure about this one. One of the comments on the cover describe it as "John Constantine meets Chow Yun-Fat" and that's not completely unfair. It's a futuristic world, a world with liquid computers (a wonderful sequence) and franchised cities but also a world where the paranormal is closer than might be comfortable, where Heaven and Hell are a few blood-drops away and the Gods animate their statues in temples.In the middle of this is Detective Inspector Chen, the Singapore Three police department snake agent, the detective in charge of supernatural and mystical investigations. A man hiding a demon wife, and trying to keep on the good side of his patron goddess Quan Yin. He ends up helping a vice officer from Hell to investigate some illegal soul trafficking.Interesting but it somehow lacked something. I'm not completely sure what it was that it lacked. It was almost that the author had a great idea for characters but couldn't work out a great way to get them together. There were things left hanging that may be resolved in the next but might be left for a while and all in all although a good read not a great one although it did show a lot of potential to be a great read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Really enjoyable setting, plus a talking badger. What's not to like?Ok, so there were some coincidences, but it was a terrific tale.It does leave me really looking forward to the next book in the series...
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I love the world creation and the characters in this book, but was annoyed by the plot. Now, it might just be me, but it seemed like "coincidence" played too big a role in the book. [Spoiler]For instance, when Inari is rescued by the mysterious monk woman, who later turns out to be the Goddess of Plague. First of all, that was very lucky. Secondly, why the heck would the Goddess of Plague care about Inari at all? It just doesn't make sense.I would have liked to see Chen make his own luck more often, but it seemed like there was a lot of "he is stuck in an awful predicament when someone/something arrives to save him."Still, I have to say that the combination of chinese fantasy with SF is pretty fun. I just wish that I had been able to invest more in the story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked this mix of modern-day setting with Chinese myth and legend a great deal. However, the folks who found it disconcerting that the initial mystery was tossed over the side in favor of a more apocalypic plot have a point. This is not to mention that it just seemed as though the book should really be a bit longer, even with the nifty little twist that Williams gives to the conclusion. Perhaps this is the downside of starting out to write what appears to be intended as an open-ended series; the author just winds up holding back developments that seem as though they organically belong to a given book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Barry Hughart's Bridge of Birds meets the police thriller in a near-future world where the detective handling supernatural crimes regularly phones and e-mails with colleagues and bureaucrats in Heaven and Hell.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I just finished The Snake Agent by Liz Williams. It was ok, but for some reason it just never grabbed me. The writing was good, and the setting was interesting, I don't know if the story wasn't right or the characters were a little off.It is the first book in a new series about Detective Inspector Chen, a franchise police officer. It is set in the future where successful cities have franchised themselves. The story takes place somewhere in China on the coast in a franchise called Singapore 3. Chen is not merely a police officer, he is their supernatural liaison. So he gets any crime that involves the supernatural, the gods or goddesses, or heaven or hell ( the Chinese versions). Both places exist and are run by bureaucratic ministries. Chen is feared and avoided by his co-workers, and has a complicated personal life with a big secret. He isn't a bad character, but is rather featureless and bland - perhaps he isn't the best choice of POV.He works with a demon from Hell, Zhu Irzh, who is with the Vice Squad - they encourage it, but want to make sure all the taxes are paid. The demon is a good character, as is Chen's wife, and her servant. The story is lacking in focus - first it is a murder and then it becomes soul stealing, then it becomes a plague that some in hell are planning to unleash on humanity, then it becomes about Chen's wife who takes off, and then it becomes a chase when Chen and the Vice Cop are tracking the criminals and his wife in hell. There is a mad human demon-killer that is running around the city while Chen is away, and the whole plot involves the Bio-Web, like our internet but channeled through the brains of drugged and sleeping humans.It took me a while to finish it, the story just had no traction. Still it wasn't bad, it just wasn't as good as I was hoping for. It was billed as police procedural, SF, Comic Fantasy, and Horror all in an exotic futuristic, Far Eastern setting.I will probably try the next one, The Demon and the City, when it goes into paper, I think Zhu Irzh, is the POV for it.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    It's nice to read a book that doesn't use Western mythology for a change. It was a little confusing at times, I'm guessing because Eastern mythology/religions aren't my thing, but it was a nice change from the usual fairy/vampire/werewolf fare. Good.

Book preview

Snake Agent - Liz Williams

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PRAISE FOR THE WRITING OF LIZ WILLIAMS

Williams has an astonishing ability to create strange worlds and complex characters with only a few words. She finds new tangents with standard myths … and uses non-Western concepts … to great effect.Publishers Weekly

Snake Agent

This exotic amalgam of police procedural, SF, comic fantasy, and horror is a delight from start to finish.Locus

Williams joins A. A. Attanasio and China Miéville as one of the best contemporary practitioners of a kind of imaginative literature that fuses the intellect of SF with the heart of fantasy. —SciFi.com

"Williams’s language is lyrical and elegant… . The dialogue has a patina of Britishness about it that adds to the feeling of other that permeates the book. The first in a series, Snake Agent set the pace for what will no doubt be an exciting and worthwhile series. I am looking forward to the next … Inspector Chen novel." —Bookslut

The Demon and the City

Like all of Williams’s work, this is a smooth, sharp read. She turns the conventions of good and evil on their ear and gives them a good sharp boot in the rear. —Jay Lake, author of Mainspring

The Snake Agent

A Detective Inspector Chen Novel

Liz Williams

Contents

Prologue

PART ONE

1

2

3

4

5

Interlude

PART TWO

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

PART THREE

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

Interlude

PART FOUR

42

43

44

45

46

Interlude

PART FIVE

47

48

49

50

51

52

Interlude

PART SIX

53

54

55

56

Epilogue

Preview: The Demon and the City

About the Author

PROLOGUE

Hell

Hanging by his heels and twisting slowly in the draught that slipped beneath the crimson door, Detective Inspector Chen tried desperately to attract the demon’s attention. Yet despite his whispered pleas, the demon’s eyes remained tightly shut, and his wet, black lips moved faintly, as if in prayer. Hearing the alchemist’s heels retreating down the passage, Chen tried again. Tso! Listen to me!

The demon’s only response was to squeeze his eyes even more firmly closed. Chen sighed. Tso had never liked to confront uncomfortable realities, and had gone to some lengths to avoid them, but now he, too, was dangling by his heels from a hook in the ceiling and—thought Chen, bitterly—the truth of what the demon had done must finally be faced.

Tso, I know you’ve probably had a bang on the head, but I’m quite well aware you’re still conscious. We have to find a way of getting down, Chen insisted.

No use, the demon whined, without opening his eyes. There’s no way out of here.

Nonsense, Chen said, more firmly than he felt. The blood was rushing to his head and making him dizzy: the metal walls of the chamber seemed to tilt and spin. Reflected within them, his face was no more than a blurred, unhappy moon. He tried not to think about Inari, but it was hard to keep anxiety at bay. Stop fretting about your wife, he told himself. The badger will look after Inari; all you have to do is worry about getting down and getting out of here. To the demon he said, The alchemist will be back in a little while, and then we’ll really have problems. Now, listen. My rosary’s on the table to your right—can you see it? I want you to try and reach it.

The demon’s eyes opened at last, dazzling and sudden. Chen stared, blinking, into the hot-coal heart of the demon’s gaze.

Reach your rosary? Tso said, nonplussed. How? My hands are tied.

You’ll have to swing over and see if you can grab it with your tongue.

But my tongue will get burned!

When that nightmare of an alchemist comes back you’ll have a damned sight more to worry about than a sore tongue, Chen said with barely restrained patience. The demon’s mouth opened and Tso emitted a long, hissing breath that stank of offal. Chen was unable to repress a shudder.

Oh, very well! the demon complained. I’ll try.

He began to swing, dangling like some monstrous piece of bait from the hook in the ceiling. Chen watched, holding his breath, as the demon came within a couple of feet of the table. The long, black tongue shot out and flickered over the surface, missing the rosary. Tso tried again, anchoring himself to the table-leg with his tongue. The barbed, sensitive tip probed over the surface of the table, flicked the rosary, and recoiled.

"Hurts!" the demon said, indistinctly.

I’m truly sorry. But if we don’t get out of here …

Tso tried again, and this time flicked the rosary off the table with all the neatness of a toad catching flies.

Well done! Chen enthused. The demon hissed with pain as the rosary seared the end of his tongue, but the barbs held it securely. Swinging back, Tso flicked the rosary in the direction of Chen, who lunged for it with his teeth and missed. The rosary, detaching itself from Tso’s tongue, wrapped around an ornately carved pineapple that decorated the edge of the alchemist’s desk, where it hung, dangling tantalizingly out of reach just as the alchemist stepped back through the lacquered door, ceremonial machete in hand.

PART ONE

1

Singapore Three,

Earth One Week Earlier

Detective Inspector Chen brushed aside the chaos on his desk and carefully lit a single stick of scarlet incense. Smoke spiraled up into the air, contributing to the brown smear that marked the ceiling like a bloodstain immediately above Chen’s desk and adding to the heat of the city outside. The air conditioning had failed again, a lamentably regular occurrence in the steamy South China summer. Chen bent his head in a brief prayer, then picked up the photograph and held it over the stream of smoke. The girl’s face appeared by degrees, manifesting out of a dark background. She was standing in the doorway of a go-down, gazing fearfully over her shoulder. Her hair was still scraped back into its funeral braids, and her white face gleamed out of the shadows like the ghost she was. Studying the photo, and the expression on the girl’s face, Chen was aware of the sudden hot glow of rage in his heart. How many more young women might have gone the same way after their deaths, unnoticed and unmourned? But whoever was behind all this had made a mistake this time, choosing the daughter of Singapore Three’s premier industrialist rather than some nameless prostitute. Chen held the photograph out to the woman sitting on the other side of the desk and said gently, Let’s begin at the beginning, Mrs Tang. Are you sure that this is your daughter?

Mrs Tang’s grip tightened around the handle of her Miucci handbag as she studied the photograph. In a little whispery voice she said, Yes. Yes, that’s Pearl.

Now, you say someone sent this to you?

Yesterday. I didn’t go out of the house, and I’m sure no one came in—it was the servants’ afternoon off. But when I walked into the living room, the photo was sitting on the bureau. In a red envelope. I didn’t know what it was at first. There was a note, telling me what to do. She gestured towards the spiraling incense. You can see her face for a little while, but then it fades again.

And did you notice anything—strange? Apart from the envelope?

Mrs Tang moistened dry lips. There was some ash. Like dust. At first I thought the maid hadn’t been cleaning properly, but it was white and soft. Like incense ash.

I see. Mrs Tang, I know how hard this is for you, but at least we have a lead. You must try and be hopeful.

Mrs Tang’s face began to crumple.

You will find her, won’t you?

Reaching across, Chen patted her hand. Don’t worry. We’ll find your daughter, and we’ll make absolutely sure that this time she completes her journey to the afterlife. He did his best to sound reassuring.

Thank you, Mrs Tang murmured. She pushed her expensive sunglasses to the top of her head and rubbed her eyes; they were rimmed with redness. I’d better go. I couldn’t tell my husband I was coming here; he’d be furious if he knew I’d gone to the police. I told him I was going shopping.

Chen sighed. This was an added complication, but hardly an unfamiliar one. Is there anything you can do to change your husband’s mind?

I don’t think so. H’suen’s a hard man to talk to sometimes. I’ve tried discussing it with him, but he won’t listen. Mrs Tang gave a brittle, bitter smile. "He says it doesn’t make any difference; Pearl’s dead and that’s that. You see, he adored Pearl. At first, anyway. She was such a sweet little girl, but then she started growing up. I mean, she was always a—well, she was a lovely, lovely girl, but she could be a little bit difficult. Willful. She was fourteen, and I used to say to him: ‘What do you expect these days?’ They all go out with boys, and Pearl was very popular. He used to get so angry … And then he found out that she’d been charging money for what she did and of course he was furious, we both were, but I said Pearl needed help, not scolding … And I think her eating problems started around then …"

She seemed to have forgotten that she had been on the point of leaving. Patiently, Chen listened as she talked, building up a picture of the dead girl. Disobedience, anorexia, promiscuity and what amounted to prostitution did not make a pretty picture, but Chen said nothing. Years of police work had taught him that sympathy won more confidences than judgment, and anyway, it came more naturally. Chen didn’t feel that he was in any position to judge anyone else, certainly not these days. He sat gazing at Mrs Tang, making sympathetic noises while she rambled on about her daughter, and occasionally handing her a tissue to dry her eyes. Yet despite the tears, Chen was increasingly beginning to feel that there was something not quite right about this exhibition of maternal consideration. It was a little too artless, a little too staged. He could smell a lie, somewhere, like the stink of rotting meat beneath spice, but he did not yet know where it lay. Perhaps it related to nothing more than guilt over the peculiar combination of self-indulgence and neglect that the rich habitually displayed towards their offspring, perhaps to something darker. What had driven the fourteen-year-old daughter of one of the city’s most privileged households not only to provide sexual services, but to seek payment for them? Chen mentally ran through possibilities with the hard-won objectivity of a man who has seen much to revolt him. At last Mrs Tang wiped her eyes and said, You’ve been very kind, Detective Inspector. I know you’ll do your best in finding Pearl. She looked momentarily embarrassed, as though she’d said too much. She leaned forwards, peering curiously at the framed photograph that sat on Chen’s desk. Oh, she’s pretty. Is she your wife?

That’s right. Once again, Chen cursed the impulse that had led him to place Inari’s photo on the desk. Everyone noticed it and this was a problem, but it made his job easier, somehow, if he could glance at her face occasionally. He should just keep a picture in his wallet—but that made him feel as though he was shaming her somehow.

What’s her name? She looks Japanese.

She’s called Inari. Chen shifted impatiently in his chair. He got the impression that Mrs Tang was delaying her return home, but then again, it didn’t sound as though she had a lot to look forward to.

Mrs Tang said, She’s lovely, even behind those big sunglasses. Is she a model? You know, my sister runs an agency and she’s always looking for people. If you like, I could take your wife’s number.

Chen said hastily, I think maybe not. It’s very flattering, but actually Inari doesn’t really like going out all that much and—anyway, thank you.

What a pity. She really is beautiful.

Chen allowed himself a small, smug smile, then stifled it. It didn’t do to dwell too much on his marital luck.

I’m very fortunate, he murmured. Mrs Tang sighed, no doubt thinking of her own lack of fortune in that department.

I really should go now, she said reluctantly, and rose from her chair.

Chen saw her to the door of the precinct, then made his way slowly to the vending machine. Sergeant Ma was bending over it, thumping the side with an immense fist.

Damn machine’s not working again. I—oh. He stood hastily back as he saw who it was.

Take your time, Chen said politely.

No no no no no. It’s quite all right. It’s all yours, Ma muttered, and made a rapid, waddling exit in the direction of the canteen. With a resigned sigh, Chen managed to extract a paper cup of green tea from the machine, and carried it back to his desk. As he turned the corner, he saw that Sergeant Ma had come back and was surreptitiously waving a blessing paper over the vending machine. Chen was used to being a pariah, but some days his colleagues’ aversion to him got him down. He sipped his scalding, tasteless tea and contemplated the girl’s photograph for a few moments longer, then collected his jacket from the back of his chair and left the precinct.

It was only the beginning of summer, but already the heat had built to oppressive levels. Despite the heat of the precinct, stepping out onto Jiang Mi Road was like diving into a warm bath. Chen glanced at the pollution meter on a nearby wall, but the results were too depressing to take seriously. He walked slowly down towards the harbor, lost in thought. By the time he reached the edge of the typhoon shelter, the weather had grown a little cooler. There was a storm building out over the South China Sea, and the air tasted of lightning and rain. Chen smiled, picturing Inari resting her elbows on the windowsill of the houseboat, waiting for the thunder to break. His wife loved storms; she had once told him that they reminded her of her home. The only good thing about the place, she had added bitterly. The ferry terminal lay a short distance along the quay, and Chen sat down on the bench to wait. Someone had left a newspaper, and he picked it up, beginning idly to read. Singapore was opening yet another franchise city, this time along the Myanmar coast. Chen could remember a time when Singapore Three was the last in the franchise line; this new development would be the sixth city. Chen read on, learning that this version of Singapore would be developed along the same lines as all the others, and he smiled again, fancifully imagining another Detective Chen sitting on an identical ferry terminal bench, several thousand miles to the south.

A distant humming interrupted his thoughts and he looked up to see the wallowing shape of the ferry as it approached the terminal. Fifteen minutes later Chen stepped off at the opposite dock and into the labyrinth of streets that constituted Zhen Shu Island.

This was a rough area, and Chen walked warily, but no one bothered him. He supposed that he was anonymous enough: a middle-aged man wearing unfashionable indigo clothes. But occasionally he would see someone start and shy away, and realize that he, or at least the aura of his profession, had been recognized. No one liked policemen, and cops who were in league with Hell were doubly unwelcome. So Chen walked unmolested through the narrow streets of Zhen Shu until he found himself standing in front of Su Lo Ling’s Funeral Parlor.

Unlike the neighboring shops, the funeral parlor was a magnificent building. A black faux-marble facade boasted gilded columns on either side of the door, and red lanterns hung from the gable in a gaudy, tasteless display. This was hardly inappropriate, Chen reflected, given the number of citizens who met their end in a similar manner. A narrow alleyway ran along one side, leading further into the maze of Zhen Shu. The sign on the door proclaimed that the funeral parlor was closed. Undeterred, Chen kept his finger on the bell until blinds twitched from the shops on either side. Over the insistent jangling of the doorbell, he could hear footsteps hastening down the hall. The door was flung open to reveal a short, stout gentleman in a long, red robe.

What do you want? This is a place of rest, not some kind of—oh. His eyes widened. Chen never knew how people could tell; it must be something behind his eyes, some inner darkness that revealed his close association with the worlds beyond the world. When younger he had spent hours peering into the mirror, trying to detect what it was that made people so afraid, but even to himself his round, ordinary face seemed as bland and inexpressive as the moon. Perhaps this very impassiveness was what unnerved others.

I’m sorry, the stout man said in more conciliatory tones. I didn’t realize.

Chen displayed his badge. Franchise Police Department. Precinct Thirteen. Detective Inspector Chen. Do you mind if I come in? I’d like to ask you a few questions.

With many protestations of the honor done to the establishment, the stout man ushered Chen inside. The interior of the funeral parlor was as ostentatious as the facade. Chen was shown into a long, mirrored room with a scarlet rug. Carp floated in a wall-length tank at the far end of the room, their reflections drifting to infinity in the multiple mirrors. The stout man clapped his hands, twice, summoning a small, wan maid.

Tea? whispered the maid.

Thanks. What sort do you have?

The maid closed her eyes for a moment and recited:

Jade Dragon Oolong; Peach and Ginseng; Gunpowder Black … She rattled through a list of some fifteen teas before Chen could stop her. Evidently the funeral parlor was not short of funds.

I’ll have any of the oolongs. Thank you.

Now, Detective Inspector. The stout owner of the funeral parlor settled himself into a nearby armchair. I am Su Lo Ling, the proprietor of this establishment. What can we do to help?

I understand you handled the funeral arrangements for a ceremony a week ago, for a girl named Pearl Tang. The daughter of someone who needs no introduction from me.

Indeed, indeed. So very sad. Such a young woman. Anorexia is a most tragic condition. It just goes to show, and here Mr Ling shook his head philosophically, that not even the materially blessed among us may attain true happiness.

How very wise. Forgive me for asking such a delicate question, but were there any—irregularities—with the funeral?

None whatsoever. You must understand, Detective Inspector, that we are a very old firm. The Lings have been in the funeral business since the seventeenth century, in what was then Peking, before I moved the business here. Our connections with the relevant authorities are ancient. There have never been any difficulties with the paperwork. A small pause. Might I ask why you pose such a question?

Your establishment does indeed possess a most honorable reputation, Chen said. However, I fear that an irregularity—doubtless nothing to do with the manner in which Pearl’s funeral was handled—has nonetheless occurred.

Oh? There was the faintest flicker of unease in Ling’s face, which Chen noted.

You see, it appears that the young lady in question did not in fact reach the Celestial Shores. A ghost-photograph of her has been taken, revealing her current whereabouts to be somewhere in the port area of Hell.

Ling’s mouth sagged open in shock.

"In Hell? But the payments were made, the sacrifices impeccably ordered … I don’t understand."

Neither does her mother.

The poor woman must be distraught.

She is naturally concerned that the spirit of her only child is not now reclining among the peach orchards of Heaven, but currently appears to be wandering around a region best described as dodgy, Chen said.

I’ll show you the paperwork. I’ll go and get it now.

Together, Ling and Chen pored over the documents. To Chen’s experienced eyes, everything seemed to be in order: the immigration visa with the Celestial authorities, the docking fees of the ghost-boat, the license of passage across the Sea of Night. He felt sure that the explanation for Pearl’s manifestation in the infernal realms could be traced back to Ling, but the parlor owner’s round face was a paradigm of bland concern.

Well, Chen said at last. This is indeed a tragedy, but I can see nothing here that is at all irregular. I realize that you operate a policy of strict confidentiality, but if you should happen to hear anything—

Your august ears will be the first to know, Ling assured him, and with innumerable expressions of mutual gratitude, Chen departed.

He returned to the precinct, intending to make some additions to his report, but on arrival he was summoned to the office of the precinct captain. Sung eyed him warily as he stepped through the door. Captain Su Sung looked more like one of Genghis Khan’s descendants than ever, Chen reflected. Sung’s family was Uighur, from the far west of China, and he was known to be proud of the fact. A subtle man, Chen reflected, a man who looked like everyone’s notion of a barbarian and capitalized upon it to hide a quick intelligence.

Afternoon, Detective Inspector, Sung said now, with civility.

Good afternoon, sir, Chen said with equal politeness.

H’suen Tang’s wife has been to see you. It was a statement rather than a question.

That’s right. This morning. Her daughter’s gone missing.

And her daughter’s already dead, right?

That’s correct, sir.

Captain Sung sighed. All right, Detective. I leave all this supernatural business to you, as you know, and I’d prefer to keep it that way. But I’ve had an e-mail from the governor’s office this afternoon. The governor’s a friend of the Tangs, it seems, and apparently Mrs Tang hasn’t been—well, quite right in the head since her daughter died. In fact, she’s evidently been behaving strangely for months, and Tang’s naturally concerned. The last thing he wants is a scandal.

Su Sung sat back in his chair and contemplated his subordinate through half-closed lids. The air conditioning was still down, and the captain’s office was as hot as an oven. A thin thread of sweat trickled down the back of Chen’s neck.

Scandal? Chen said with careful neutrality. Perhaps you might elaborate?

Do enough work to keep Mrs Tang happy, but don’t start shit-stirring. The last thing anyone wants is for the press to get hold of the fact that H’suen Tang’s fourteen-year-old daughter was working as a cut-price whore.

I’ll be discreet, Chen said. Unexpectedly, Sung smiled, which transformed his heavy features into something resembling menace.

Make sure you are, the captain said.

Chen went back to his desk, pretending not to notice that his colleagues hastily drew coats and papers aside as he passed by. He sat down, reached for the little phial containing the flatscreen, then poured its contents carefully over the desk panel. The thin nanofilm of the flatscreen oozed across the panel like watery slime, and Chen wondered again whether he’d done the right thing in choosing this particular color scheme. When the new technology had been introduced, most of Chen’s colleagues had selected lucky red as their flatscreen color, but Chen had chosen green, feeling in the back of his mind that the less resemblance the thing bore to blood, the better. Now, he watched suspiciously as the flatscreen settled into its panel and its programs started to run. He did not trust all this new biotech, no matter how much the media raved about it. What was wrong with good, old-fashioned electronics, and a nice colored box like a large, boiled sweet that you could turn on and off with your finger? As for the technology that lay behind it—using actual human beings as interface nexi for this new equipment, let alone subjecting them to supposedly benign viruses—it all sounded deeply unnatural to Chen. Then again, the nexi volunteered, and they were certainly rumored to be well paid. Well, that was progress for you. Chen heaved a sigh of relief as the data scrolled across the screen; at least he’d done it properly this time and the screen hadn’t ended up oozing onto the floor.

Moving the pen with care across the surface of the screen, Chen called up a list of the city’s death records over the course of the last month. Pearl Tang’s name was among them, and so were the names of a number of young girls. Chen frowned, and scrolled through the records of the spring, summoning up coroners’ reports and trying to discern patterns. Anorexia was reported in a number of cases, but then, this was hardly unusual. If he really wanted a lead (which given the captain’s warnings, Chen was not sure that he did), it would make sense to call up the Celestial records as well.

Sighing, Chen scribbled a note on a piece of red paper and took out his cigarette lighter. At least this was technology that he could understand. He folded the note into an intricate octagon, muttered a brief prayer, and set the note alight. Then he waited as it crumbled into fragrant ash and dispersed into whatever airs existed between Heaven and the world of Earth. Time for another cup of tea, Chen decided, and made his way as unobtrusively as possible to the vending machine.

When he returned, the requested data was already scrolling down the screen: some conscientious Celestial clerk in the Immigration Office, Chen supposed. He was rather hazy about the modus operandi of communications between the other realms and the world of the living; once upon a time, the mandates of the gods would have been made known through signs in the heavens or from the lips of prophets, but now that the People’s Republic of China was a modern twenty-first-century state, who knew how deities and demons alike managed the interfaces? One thing was certain, however: this new method of bio-communication was a lot faster than the old system. In the old days—that is, up until a year ago—he would have had to wait over an hour before the required data was transmitted. Now, it had come through in minutes.

Sipping his tea, Chen began cross-referencing the names of the girls who had died against the names of those spirits who had actually arrived in Heaven. The Celestial Immigration Department was a body of legendary pedantry and thoroughness, and Chen was sure that no one would have slipped through the net. Yet at least five of the names on the deceased list were not matched by corresponding records in Immigration. This might mean, of course, only that the spirits had been destined for Hell, not Heaven; getting hold of Hell’s records would take longer, and would also mean calling in several favors. Chen glanced at the clock. It was already close to seven, long after the end of his shift. If he could get hold of his contacts this evening, he thought, pressure might be brought to bear … He was about to pick up his jacket and leave the precinct house when the large and tremulous face of Sergeant Ma manifested like an apparition over the partition of the cubicle.

Detective Inspector?

Yes?

There’s a phone call for you. From H’suen Tang. He says it’s urgent.

Chen was suddenly aware of a cold constriction in his chest, as though his lungs had begun to crystallize. He said, Okay. Thanks for telling me. Put him through.

At the other end of the line, H’suen Tang’s voice sounded tinny and distant, as though he were speaking from the bottom of a well. The industrialist said without preamble, Chen, isn’t it? My wife came to see you this morning. Your name and number were written in her diary. He paused, expectantly, but Chen said nothing, deeming it better to await developments. Besides, he resented the industrialist’s preemptory tone, and he’d long since ceased to be impressed by the power wielded by other human beings. In terms of the larger metaphysical picture, Tang was a very small fish indeed. But Tang’s next words surprised him. The industrialist said, Look, I need your help. I think something’s happened to my wife.

What do you mean?

I think you’d better come over and see for yourself. Tang sounded both afraid and irritable, as if annoyed by the unfamiliar phenomenon of his own fear. Calmly, Chen took the details of the address and hung up. He considered calling a taxi, but the traffic situation in Singapore Three was so dire at rush hour that it was quicker to go by tram. Chen left the precinct house at a brisk trot and headed for the nearest stop, where he found a disconsolate queue of people waiting for the next available tram. It was, if such a thing were possible, even more humid than the afternoon. Chen mopped his brow with a tissue, but was instantly moist once more. He thought with longing of his home: the houseboat swaying gently in the currents of the harbor, and the breezes from the South China Sea like the breath of water dragons, spice-laden and cool. He closed his eyes and pictured Inari as she pottered about the houseboat: watering plants; humming to herself beneath her breath as she selected ingredients for the hot dishes she loved to make, as close an approximation as she could to the meals of her native home. Chen hoped he wouldn’t be home too late, and wondered with unease precisely what Tang had meant by something.

A rattling roar from around the corner and the singing of the rails in the heat signaled the approach of the tram. Two elderly ladies elbowed Chen out of the way and sat down in the only free seats like a pair of collapsed puppets, smiling in triumph. Chen didn’t begrudge the seats, but he wished that the tram was not quite so steamy and crowded, and did not smell so pungently of garlic. Hanging grimly to a

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