Damiano

This is a really strange book, and I'm not sure what I think of it yet. I rate it 5/5 for its themes and characters, but 3/5 for my personal enjoyment.

Content warning: the dog dies, on-page, and it's terrible. She comes back in the end as a ghost.

It was first published in the early 80s but doesn't feel dated at all. I wasn't surprised because I loved another book by this author, Tea with the Black Dragon.

The first half of the book is pretty idyllic, although there are hints that things will turn darker. Damiano, along with his talking dog, goes on a quest through the countryside of Northern Italy in order to stop bandits from occupying his city. The dog is a wonderful character; she seems like a dog, even though she can speak, and not like a furry human.

I think the blurb mentions faith-based magic and that isn't true. The magic in the book is standard elemental stuff, for the most part, although a lot of people believe it's evil, and Damiano struggles with that question himself. Where it comes from is unclear, which is a plot point. But Damiano's Christianity is a very important part of the book. It's all real, too; the angel Raphael is his best friend, and eventually, he meets with Satan.

After the idyllic opening, Damiano becomes obsessed with a female witch, and the book takes a very dark turn. Then, Damiano is saved from his own opinion of himself as damned. The plot makes sense, and I was happy with the resolution. It was a really big tonal shift, though, and I feel unsettled.

This is the start of a trilogy and I'm curious to continue it at some point. I didn't love this book, but I'm glad I read it. I think it's one I might appreciate more with a reread in the future.