The thing I liked about it right off is that Alex is kind of a weird dude. He’s a guy who spends all his time coming up with new ways to kill people and never deals with any of his contacts face-to-face. He’s a twitchy guy with a strange sense of humor (one of his favorite places for a weapons drop is underneath a pile of manur), and I really like that he’s not idealized in any way. Alex’s only friend is his dog, and it’s a neat touch to have him talk to Tiger like a person.
I also really liked the inventive weapons. Frankly, I would read a whole book about a guy who assassinated people with bullets made of ice. There are so many cool ideas that the book could have just coasted on that. Heck, I found myself thinking I’d read a monthly series about the Blacksmith. But instead, it’s a story about his life unraveling when he’s branded a traitor. Not only does the CIA come after him, but the people who set him up are also on his trail. And again, this is a guy who doesn’t have human friends and has never met the people he works for – he’s all alone. Alex isn’t an immediate badass, either. He’s a tech guy with a lot of tricks, but he’s not going to win in a fistfight. It makes for some unconventional action scenes.
