Guest Review: Resurrection (Demon Squad #2) by Tim Marquitz

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We at FanFiAddict want to thank Steve Caldwell (aka The Bookwyrm Speaks) for his review of Resurrection.

Make sure to give him a follow on Twitter, @Sandman_Slim101, or on his blog, The Bookwyrm Speaks.

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Rating: 9.0/10

Synopsis

Armageddon averted, the world returns to business as usual. Unfortunately for Frank “Triggaltheron” Trigg, business as usual sucks.

His night out interrupted by a horde of kidnapping zombies, what could possibly be worse? The resurrection of the Anti-Christ, that’s what. Caught in the middle of a supernatural pissing match between the Devil’s wife, a legion of undead, and an overachieving necromancer, Frank must survive long enough to stop Hell from being unleashed upon humanity; Again.

Review

It was almost a decade ago when I discovered this series, one of the series that got me hooked on indie fantasy. Instead of the usual wizard detective or immortal druid hero, this series involves the devils own nephew, the man who refused to be the Anti-Christ, who is now working for DRAC, the organization that is the line the sand between regular humans and the freed demons of hell, as well as other supernatural baddies. Instead of the hero with a heart of gold, we get an-anti-hero with feet of clay and snark.

There is an impressive amount of world building for an urban fantasy story. Set in the Texas city of El Paseo, which bears a striking resemblance to El Paso, warts and all, we get a fully realized setting for the story to take place in. The author does a great job bringing the reader into the gritty post-deity world he has created, with demons vying for control of the city, and a new outside force trying to enact a plan centuries in the making to fill the vacuum of power left by the departure of God and Satan.

The characters in this book really shine, particularly the main character, Frank Trigg. The devil’s favorite nephew, he has struggled losing his place of protection with his uncle’s power behind them. Considering he has no filter on his mouth, he keeps talking himself into trouble even his enhanced body has trouble dealing with. Snarky and irreverent, he still tries to do the right thing, even if it costs him. He gets a nice growth arc throughout the story, although he is still snarky. The secondary characters are a lot of fun as well, ranging from a vampire hero, an angel warrior who is Trigg’s cousin, to a talking zombie head named Bob who’s a fan of heavy metal. If that sounds strange or goofy, it’s really not, and fits into the kind of story this is. As the story progresses, the characters all seem to grow in various ways, especially as the story reaches it’s conclusion.

The villains are a bit of a mystery at the beginning of the story. Frank and company are dealing with the dead rising throughout the city, and are unsure who’s raising them. When they finally get to see who their master is, it’s a shock to them, and a real challenge for their abilities. The necromancer’s partner, a warrior all in black who seems to have Frank’s number, is even more of a mystery, but has a tie to Frank’s past he could never have imagined. The final revelation of what their plan entales is so well done, and creates an interesting arc for these mysterious villains.

The narration is handled by one of the best in the audio book business, Noah Michael Levine. This series is easily my favorite of his audio work. He does such a great job creating voices for each of the characters that fit their personalities, especially Trigg. Just so world weary and snarky all at the same time, it fits how you see the character in your head. The secondary characters all get their own unique voices though various accents and cadences, and his narrative pacing is exceptional. You are fully drawn into the story the entire time.

I think this story has appeal for fans not only in fantasy but for fans of action-adventure as well. It’s definitely not a Dresden knockoff, and is one of the early indie urban fantasies, so it avoids a lot of the tropes so many books fall into today. I highly recommend this book, and the rest of the series.

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If this review has you interested in the series, Book 1, Armageddon Bound, is currently FREE on Amazon and with Whispersync, you can add the audio for only $1.99!

Click the artwork below to check it out!