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Review and Book Tour: Shadow of a Dead God (Mennik Thorn #1) by Patrick Samphire

February 16, 2022 by Seanchalant 1 Comment

Rating: 9/10

Synopsis

I was a grown man, damn it, and a mage of Agatos. Armies fled before me. Demons quaked in fear. Small animals gave me a wide berth. Babies cried when I smiled at them.

Mennick Thorn is a broke mage for hire with an attitude problem and a tendency to make all the wrong enemies. So when one of his few friends comes to him for a favor, of course he’ll help out. But when a simple heist escalates to him being framed for magical murder, Mennick is going to have to get serious…or die trying.

Review

Shadow of a Dead God by Patrick Samphire reads like the best urban fantasy out there. The twist? It’s set in an original, high fantasy world with dead gods, ghosts and fascinating magic. Samphire manages to balance the world building and the suspense of the ever-escalating murder mystery perfectly.

Mennick Thorn is the central character, it’s told in first person through his POV. Very quickly, you’re sucked into his world and can’t help but be intrigued and like him right away. Mennick has all the charm and sarcasm of the giants in Urban Fantasy but never sounds like an imitation.

Mennick doesn’t get the whole spotlight, though. Benny, his best friend, and Sereh, Benny’s daughter, feature throughout quite a lot of the novel. Benny’s friendship with Mennick feels very authentic and believable. The dialogue between them is quippy and often hilarious. Sereh is an odd one, I feel the less known about her going in, the better. But she does offer some moments for Mennick to show some heart, as well as scare the shit out of him. Dammit, I’ve said too much.

We spend the entirety of the novel in one city and by the end, you’ll feel like, if not a resident, you’ve vacationed there a few times. The layout and breakdown of classes is explained as we explore the cities and unfolds in a very natural and organic way. Never does it feel like info-dump, and never does it feel like you’re lost.

Other than UF, I would recommend this series to anyone who enjoyed Luke Arnold’s The Last Smile in Sunder City. Shadow of a Dead God is a fast-paced, laugh-a-minute, whodunnit set in a rich fantasy city steeped in lore and dirty politics. Nectar for the Gods is now in my top anticipated reads and Mennick Thorn has serious potential to become a favorite series of mine.

Filed Under: Adventure Fantasy, Book Tour, Comic Fantasy, Fantasy, High Fantasy, Reviews, Urban Fantasy

About Seanchalant

Sean Conley (not Connery) aka Seanchalant is an proud father of three little nerds, AnaMaurin Victoria, Landyn Lawrence, and Raylan Aviendha Mae. He is a stay at home dad while his hardworking and wonderful fiancée,
Gabriella Oropeza brings home the 🥓 and he always has a book on his person. On the autism spectrum, he has a tendency to become an encyclopedia on things he enjoys. Raised on horror films (The Evil Dead series is #1) and Stephen King, his love of fantasy was born from Army of Darkness and Tad Williams; cultivated by John Gwynne and Mark Lawrence. He enjoys everything from epic fantasy to urban fantasy, grimdark to high fantasy. His favorite bands are The Beatles, Wu-Tang Clan and Built to Spill.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ellie says

    February 18, 2022 at 2:46 pm

    Fab review!!!

    Reply

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