Dead Things by Stephen Blackmore (Eric Carter Book #1) - REVIEW

Synopsis: 

Necromancer Eric Carter returns home to Los Angeles looking for answers following the brutal murder of his sister. He figures it’s the least he can do after abandoning her fifteen years earlier. After reconnecting with old acquaintances and crossing paths with powerful gangsters — both alive and dead — he soon realizes his return was never mere chance. 

Review:

Published in 2013, this was a more recent read for me, and I was pleasantly surprised. It’s one of the better urban fantasy books I’ve read in a while. I’m also a sucker for a Chris McGrath cover, so that definitely didn’t hurt either. There are about nine books in the series so far so it is nice to know there are quite a few to get onto in the future.

Dead Things is a dark, gritty noir-style urban fantasy packed with intriguing magic and necromancy. There is plenty of violence and action, and just the right amount of grim humour and sarcasm. It has a very fast-moving feel to the story that kept me engaged throughout, I’ll definitely be checking out the rest of the series at some stage.

The story is written in first person and it is tight and fast-paced. There is not really much in the way of subplot which in this case and that actually worked well, it made for a more streamlined and focused narrative. It still has a few of those typical “first book in a series” issues, but overall I was interested and engaged right to the very end.

I enjoyed the magic system, world-building, and especially the different types of ghosts featured in the story. I also liked the investigative aspect of the MC’s necromancy — the way he communicates with the dead and gathers information using his abilities added to that supernatural detective vibe which is sometimes hard to find in a lot of urban fantasy these days.

Eric Carter himself is the quintessential urban fantasy protagonist: a reluctant good guy wrapped in the shell of a cynical badass. I did end up liking him a bit more than I expected compared to other similar UF main characters. He’s angry, flawed, and a bit of an arsehole, but I appreciated that he didn’t spend the entire book whining about his problems like so many protagonists in the genre are apt to do. However, it did sometimes feel like he really only stumbled into success, and he does get beaten up, knocked unconscious, or tasered every few pages — but he always manages to rally.

The final big showdown was good, although the conclusion wrapped up quicker than I expected. Still, the author does a solid job wrapping up the main storyline while leaving enough threads open to set up future instalments.

Overall, this is a fast and furious, action filled urban fantasy mystery full of dark magic, necromancy, and violence. If you can’t handle a bit of gore, this might not be the book for you, as there are definitely some scenes that may not appeal to everyone. However, if you enjoy gritty noir UF with morally grey characters and plenty of supernatural action, this one isworth checking out.