My name is Nate Temple, and I’m secretly a wizard. I ride a foul-mouthed unicorn, I drink with Achilles, and I’m pals with the Four Horsemen. I’ve even cow-tipped the Minotaur. I understand the theory of following the rules…I’m just not very good at the application.
Because rules were meant to be broken.
Especially when I find out a monster just murdered my parents. Now all I can hear is the sweet, soothing song of vengeance in my ears, playing on repeat.
But when shifter dragons come to town, I’m forced to step away from hunting down the scumbag murderer. Because I know the cure for a reptile dysfunction, and the dragons aren’t going to like it.
This fight soon opens up Pandora’s Box, and suddenly every flavor of supernatural thug is after me. The only way out of it—to save my city—is to murder my best friend.
I didn’t want, ask for, or start any of this. But I will finish it. It’s time I show St. Louis that magic is very, very real. And that an angry wizard is truly something to see—at least once in your life.
You know, right before he puts you and everyone you've ever met in the grave...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
My Review:
Both Virdi and Shayne Silvers write in the similar genre of "paranormal/urban fantasy."
Both men are heavily inspired and influenced by Jim Butcher's Dresden Files--but in the grand scheme of things, Nate Temple has a bit more in common with Harry Dresden than Vince Graves does, since both Nate and Harry are "wizards working in a criminal consultation capacity" and Vince... isn't that.
On the other hand, comparing Nate Temple and Harry Dresden is a bit like comparing Dorothy Sayer's Lord Peter Whimsey and Sherlock Holmes, respectively speaking. One is a man of modest means who gets by and succeeds out of pure skill and a healthy respect for the great responsibility that comes with his great powers, a sense of professional obligation to apply his superior knowledge to assist others (Sherlock)--and the other is rich, bored, more annoying than admirable, and gets by on a surplus of the power with very little of the restraint or responsibility (Lord Peter).
Bottom line, I had fun with this book, I enjoyed the characters, and yes I did stay up past 1 AM to finish it because I couldn't put it down... but holy heck, is this a CW/Starz/HBO show with how much nudity and sensual arousal there is in this? *sigh*... I mean, a bit I can understand, a character here and there... but literally everyone?? Come on!
The mystery itself was intriguing enough, and the twists were all there to throw suspicion in all the wrong directions. I mostly kept reading because I wanted to find out how things tied together and resolved, more than I felt any kind of connection to the characters.
Obsidian Son is a romp, pure and simple. It's flashy, it's got fistfights and dragon fights and flashy cars and parties and a whole lot of magic--but at it's core, the story stuck to the tropes and played up the "entertainment value" more than the "heart and soul" that gives a story actual meaning. It grazed over the surface and took the imagination on a thrill ride with big explosions, high-speed chases, eye-popping visuals--and when it was over, the reader climbed out of the ride and moved on.
Obsidian Son earns itself a ****4 STAR**** rating. It wasn't terrible, and I might be tempted to pursuing the rest of the series at some point in the future... But as far as being "committed" to the series, as I have been with other books--Nate Temple hasn't quite won me over just yet!
Bottom line, I had fun with this book, I enjoyed the characters, and yes I did stay up past 1 AM to finish it because I couldn't put it down... but holy heck, is this a CW/Starz/HBO show with how much nudity and sensual arousal there is in this? *sigh*... I mean, a bit I can understand, a character here and there... but literally everyone?? Come on!
The mystery itself was intriguing enough, and the twists were all there to throw suspicion in all the wrong directions. I mostly kept reading because I wanted to find out how things tied together and resolved, more than I felt any kind of connection to the characters.
Obsidian Son is a romp, pure and simple. It's flashy, it's got fistfights and dragon fights and flashy cars and parties and a whole lot of magic--but at it's core, the story stuck to the tropes and played up the "entertainment value" more than the "heart and soul" that gives a story actual meaning. It grazed over the surface and took the imagination on a thrill ride with big explosions, high-speed chases, eye-popping visuals--and when it was over, the reader climbed out of the ride and moved on.
Obsidian Son earns itself a ****4 STAR**** rating. It wasn't terrible, and I might be tempted to pursuing the rest of the series at some point in the future... But as far as being "committed" to the series, as I have been with other books--Nate Temple hasn't quite won me over just yet!
Further Reading: (Supernatural/Paranormal/Urban Fantasy/Compelling Series/Great Characters)
The Chronicles of Lorrek--Kelly Blanchard
-Someday I'll Be Redeemed
-I Still Have A Soul
-I'm Still Alive
-Do You Trust Me?
-You Left Me No Choice
-The Truth Behind: A Short Story Collection
-Someday I'll Be Redeemed
-I Still Have A Soul
-I'm Still Alive
-Do You Trust Me?
-You Left Me No Choice
-The Truth Behind: A Short Story Collection
The Firebird Fairy Tales--Amy Kuivalainen
-The Cry of the Firebird
-Ashes of the Firebird
-Rise of the Firebird
Lord of the Wyrde Woods--Nils Visser
-Escape From Neverland
-Dance Into The Wyrd
-The Cry of the Firebird
-Ashes of the Firebird
-Rise of the Firebird
Lord of the Wyrde Woods--Nils Visser
-Escape From Neverland
-Dance Into The Wyrd
The Books of Winter--R. R. Virdi
-Dangerous Ways
-Dangerous Ways
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