Fantasy Noir Recommendation: Demon’s Ink by Clayton W. Snyder
Demon’s Ink by Clayton W. Snyder is a Fantasy Noir story that feels a lot like Constantine, except much funnier. Our hero Jack Nyx is a badass with a heart of gold, a delightfully cynical sense of sarcasm, and he’s on a mission to rescue a little girl. Oh and he’s also filled with demons, which is relatively fine because they are bound within him by tattoos. Hence the name Demon’s Ink.
This is a quick and fast-paced read. I mean, it’s only 222 pages, but a lot happens in those 222 pages. One important event leads into the next. Clayton Snyder does a great job of blending action scenes with a couple scenes of horror and other scenes that will hit you emotionally.
Demon’s Ink is hilarious. Clayton Synder has infused his own sense of sarcasm into Jack Nyx. I know. I asked him. You’ll be reading along, just vibing, enjoying the story, then boom. You get hit with a line like this, “The Car slid through traffic like shit through an angry Chihuahua.” Or you get hit with this, “Like a peanut butter cup, except the peanut butter cup is packed with heroin.” Or this, “Freddy Nine Fingers and Joe who ain’t alive no more.” That has to be a first law reference. It has to be. I have to point out that as hilarious as this story is, it’s never a tone killer. I know everyone hates when there’s a strong emotional moment that gets killed by a fart joke. No. The emotional parts hit here. There’s plenty of jokes, but always at the right moment. Say one thing for Clayton Snyder, say he understands comedic timing.
Demon’s Ink features a wildly creative soft magic system. Glitter bombs. Don’t question it. Just accept it and enjoy. This story features demons and angels and witches and… other things. Multiple other things. Again, it’s only a little over 200 pages. This little story is densely packed with fun.
Clayton Snyder is an underrated writer. I first came across his work in Norylska Groans, which recently became a finalist for the Self Published Fantasy Blog Off this year. That made me think, yeah, he can write. Demon’s Ink however, this showed some of his range. The characters he wrote in each story share a lot of similarities, but the tone is totally different.
I’m putting this in the top-tier of Fantasy Noir. It’s just a good time, start to finish.
If you’re interested in picking up Demon’s Ink by Clayton W. Snyder, you can find it here: https://amzn.to/3gd36Ph
*Disclaimer: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
I had a great conversation with Clayton Snyder, Slowly Red, and Raul Reads that you can watch here: https://youtu.be/MQ6OoWQ7Sd4
I recently started a discord! Here’s the invite: https://discord.gg/vsnFcUgjsf
