Lex Trent: Fighting with Fire by Alex Bell

February 2011, Harper Collins
Paperback, Review copy

Summary from Harper Collins
Lex Trent is reigning champion of The Games contested between fickle Gods using human playing pieces.

He has it all: Fame. Glory. Wealth. An enormous ego. 

But The Games are about to begin again and the Goddess of Luck wants Lex to defend their title. A challenge he can't resist, despite the risk of death, because the final round will take place in the Wild West, giving Lex the chance to claim the legendary Sword of Life (who wouldn't want that?). With Lex's mix of skill, quick wittedness and no small amount of outright cheating, he can't lose! Can he?

Luck may usually be a lady to Lex...but in the Wild West they play by their own rules...and Lex has never been that good with rules. 

This is the second book in the series: the first is Lex Trent Versus the Gods. The whole concept behind his character is highly entertaining - he is a crook, and is highly indignant when other people diddle him. He has to be a little careful of what he says because the gods are prone to taking offence, but he doesn't think so hard on how he deals with people. He always tries to get the best deal, he acts mostly to save his own skin and to better his plans. He's definitely not someone you'd set as a role model. Or anyone I'd associate with. For such a con artist he does have some morals - he doesn't want to kill people, which is a nice trait to have.

There are virtually no females in the book, which makes it an odd one for me to like. But I adore it. There's so much humour in it. It's quite refreshing to have a scoundrel as a main character. He can't get away with bluffing because cowboys are very astute. As Lex soon learns with his new partner. As much as it pains him to ask for help, Lex sets out to become a cowboy, so he can pretend to be one long enough to find the legendary sword. Naturally it's not all plain sailing. The cowboy double crosses him (which is funny because usually it is Lex doing the double-crossing) and yet Lex still respects him. The other players in the game are quite a character. I loved the little Sprite and the girl - the former because my mental image was entertaining, and the latter because considering who her brother is, she's very sweet.

I'm pretty sure there is going to be another Lex book, because of the way the book ends. It uses a story plot which quite easily could (and did) become material for another adventure. There are quite a few questions at the end which I wish to know the answer to, and only by following Lex will I gain them. One of them is: are there ice-breathing bunnies as well as the fire-breathing bunnies? Those little bunnies get mad very quickly, and I was smiling heaps when I read about them, even though Lex was in danger I thought they were cute!

I give this book a 10/10.

Be sure to check out book one, Lex Trent versus the Gods