Michael

Best Book Yet

Reviewed: 03-12-25

Although there were a few of the inevitable Heist tropes, I thoroughly enjoyed Cold Oron Task. James Butcher's alt Boston continues to get fleshed out and the characters are as well written as ever. Every book the story gets better and I can't wait to see what's next for Grimsby and Mayflower.

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Good Story, some flaws

Reviewed: 09-11-24

All in all, this was another good story by Simon Green. A bit lighter than his Nightside series, but with a lot of the same good character creation, humor, and story (that ends with some slightly convenient good luck). My biggest issue was the Main Character's "Gideon Sable" identity. For someone who took on a new identity to hide himself/start a new life, it kind if defeats the purpose if 9 out of 10 characters introduced already know who he really is. But! it was still a fun listen and I look forward to the next one.

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Good Intro Anthology

Reviewed: 04-24-24

As always, Roger Wayne does a fantastic job narrating. the stories are interesting and the world building, whole a bit inconsistent in a "the supernatural is hidden but not really" kind of way. Mark is an i terestinf character and I'm looking forward to getting into book two. my only real issue is the Anthology style. if you like this kind of thing then you'll rate this higher than I have. It's just not my kind of thing. but if your on the fence, I encourage you to give this a shot.

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Interesting start

Reviewed: 01-03-24

I enjoyed the story and the characters and am looking forward to the next book. At first I was worried the story would be a little too much of a cottoncandy, PG urban fantasy story. While it is a little lighter than the stories I usually listen to, the stakes and some aspects of the story are serious enough that it never gets too...kid-like of a story.

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4 people found this helpful

Magic Alt-History at its Best

Reviewed: 07-14-23

I'm not usually a fan of alternative history books, but this one caught my eye. I'm glad I took a chance. the characters were great, and the magic system's quirks were believable and thought out. Especially concerning its pros/cons with standard technology. The story itself was engaging, and the narrator really brought the whole thing to life. if you're interested in the Cold War Era, or magic, or both, this book is for you.

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1 person found this helpful

Quality Urban Fantasy

Reviewed: 10-18-22

I want to start by saying I've listened to all the Dresden novels and am a huge fan. When I heard James was releasing a book a was a little skeptical. While there are a few instances of repeated dialog, and obvious attempts to separate his story from his father's, this was a thoroughly enjoyable story. The characters were distinct, the world was fleshed out and the overall story was distinct. I have no doubt I would have bought this book (and future ones) even if the author had no connection to an author I already enjoy. I really enjoyed what the author created and look forward to more installments.

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18 people found this helpful

Great Story w/ a few production issues.

Reviewed: 08-10-22

Book 5 of Spells, Swords, and Stealth is the longest book of the series so far, which is awesome. In Noble Roots, Adventurers on both worlds advance, Divine origins are uncovered, and hidden connections revealed. I loved this installment and can't wait to see where it goes. My only criticism is with the production. Like previous books, there is little to no pause when switching character viewpoints during chapters and, in Noble Roots, there's an entire dialogue section between two characters where the voices are swapped. This leads to some confusion throughout the story and can take a listener out of the flow of the story. However, these issues aside, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to anyone interested in the genre or Spells, Swords, and Stealth.

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1 person found this helpful

Amazing prequel to a hopefully long series

Reviewed: 05-27-22

According to Audible, this book is 0 in the Lord Baltimore series. It doesn't feel like that at all. The book introduces three characters who have all interacted with Lord Henry Baltimore, and proceeds to explain how they met him, and their own experiences with the supernatural. Although it can be viewed as a prequel book, the story gets a hold of you early on and you forget that it's anything but an amazing, terrifying and engrossing anthology of supernatural creatures, all with the looming spector of the Red Death hanging over you. Colin Mace does an amazing job narrating and I am ready to Pre-order the next books as soon as Audible will let me.

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2 people found this helpful

Wait for book two before listening.

Reviewed: 05-25-22

Although I enjoyed the worldbuilding, and characters, the story itself feels more like the first act of a book, rather than a book in itself. It builds and gives background but nothing really happens. Things start to ramp up in the last part of the book but then it ends and you need to wait till volume 2 to see how things continue. It's like a cliffhanger before ypu actually get to the cliff. It's fine, but I'd wait until book 2 comes out before listening to this.

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Different story style, Same Fetch Phillips

Reviewed: 05-24-22

While the first two books in the series were Noir Detective story with the added aspect of a world reeling from the loss of magic, this book is more of your classic fantasy quest story with some Noir narration for flavor. Not to give anything away, but this is even commented on near the end of the book. However, I think that was the point, and what occurs has a major impact on Fetch, his world view and his actions going forward. Although I am hoping the next book is more of a detective story, I did really enjoy "One Foot in the Fade" and recommend it to any Fetch Phillips fan.

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