Hard boiled detectives aren’t only found in the pulps and can also be found on many a planet in the science fiction galaxy and fantasy universes. The uniform changes slightly between gumshoes, but the quick patter, ability to take a punch, and cynical streak of unbendable morality is consistent, even if it is in a galaxy far, far, away.
It’s been said that mystery and sci- fi/fantasy genres couldn’t be blended because you would naturally have situations or weapons that the reader had no reference to. The locked room mystery would be solved in 2 pages by the introduction of the Personal Transporter Pad, or the activated Heart Crush Spell of the Ancient Djooneormihntz. Anyways, they can be melded, and well.
Saddled with a ninety pound cat variant that only loves him when he’s promised her food, a magic mirror that plays dirty movies, and a partner that’s a former big game hunter with gryphon and unicorn heads mounted on her walls, John Justin Mallory is not in Manhattan any more. At least, not in his Manhattan. This one is full of vampires, wizards, goblins, and an Evil Incarnate with a moral streak. And it’s just those similarities that are making his adjustment easy. From tracking down a prize-winning show Chimera (Fluffy) before the Eastminster pet show, or locating a murderous vampire just over from the old country, Mallory does it all with wit and amazing patience. Mallory first appeared in Mike Resnick’s 1987 novel Stalking the Unicorn and, other than several short stories, didn’t show up in long form again until 2008’s Stalking the Vampire and 2009’s Stalking the Dragon.
When your roommate has been dead for 400 years (technically), your best friend is a vegetarian half-dark-elf killer, your elderly houseman is trying to hook you up with one of his spinster nieces (who may have ogre somewhere in their family tree), and the local Kingpin knows your name and isn’t sure if he likes you, then things like centaurs, elves, trolls, gods, or magic don’t much bother you. They certainly don’t bother Garrett, P.I., an ex-Marine and current hard boiled detective of the old style who wisecracks his way through saving stray damsels in distress to ridding the local theater of bugs. Garrett’s home town of Tunfaire is an eye-opener, flinging back the curtain on the seamy side of creatures we thought we knew; Unicorns gone bad (really, really bad), the bitchy side of Elven women, giant/troll offspring (grolls), professional thugs that scrupulously keep their word, and other rather unbelievable twists of character. Sweet Silver Blues is the first of a dozen books (soon to be a baker’s dozen) in the Garrett, P.I. series by Glen Cook.
A near-indestructible battle robot, Mack Megaton was built by an evil genius bent on world domination. That gig fell through when the mastermind landed in the slammer, so he became a cab driver to pay his electric bill. Because he has “The Glitch” of self-awareness he’s on probation to becoming a full citizen and in therapy. When the human family next door disappears, Mack knows something’s amiss and, using basic detective techniques he follows a bare (metal) -knuckled trail through (alien) crime syndicates, is dogged by a (3-foot tall and furry) police detective, is vamped by a (child prodigy genius) bombshell with great gams, and picks up a (mutant ape) sidekick. Unfortunately Mack inhabits only one book, The Automatic Detective by A. Lee Martinez.
These are only a few of the many sci-fi sherlocks out there, but I’ll leave it to you to sleuth the rest of ’em out.
~Jay F., Central Library
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