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Hero Forged by Josh Erikson
I was most pleased by how nicely this fantastic “Hero Forged” urban fantasy handled so many different topics. The author didn’t lose sight of what makes wonderful and interesting heroes in a tale about soul-eating demons that sacrifice humans to bring ancient gods back from a vacuum plane of existence. The characters are likeable, and it is clear why they act the way they do.
There are shady outlaws with dubious morals who remind one of Elmore Leonard’s clever crime escapades. There is enough tension in the action scenes, and there are some intriguing secrets that make you want to stay up late reading a few more chapters. Even the romance subplot is flawless, with overt sexual tension developing between the two stars as the story progresses.
Overall, Erikson’s writing is imaginative and incisive, providing a variety of thought-provoking ideas while keeping the narrative clear and fast-paced. Before the material became too gloomy, steady humour counteracted the demonic influence and added lots of lightness. The conclusion should have been written a little more tightly, but other than that, it did a decent job of laying the groundwork for the numerous sequels that would follow.
I didn’t know what to anticipate going into this because urban fantasy isn’t usually my cup of tea, but Hero Forged has converted me to the genre. The lovely relationships Erikson has established took centre stage, and I am eager to learn more about them in upcoming volumes.
Now would be an excellent time to begin since the third book is now nearing completion and the sequel Fate Lashed has just been released. Hero Forged is a skillfully done genre mashup that is fast-paced, incredibly hilarious, and surprisingly heartfelt. Even for those unfamiliar to urban fantasy, this novel is quite simple to recommend.
About The Book
Gabriel Delling might call himself a professional con artist, but when walking superstitions start trying to bite his face off, his charm is shockingly unhelpful. It turns out living nightmares almost never appreciate a good joke. Together with a succubus who insists on constantly saving his life, Gabe desperately tries to survive a new reality that suddenly features demons, legends, and a giant locust named Dale—all of whom pretty much hate his guts.
And when an ancient horror comes hunting for the spirit locked in his head, Gabe finds himself faced with the excruciating choice between death…or becoming some kind of freaking hero.
Hero Forged is the first book in the new series, Ethereal Earth, a modern fantasy adventure that challenges the natures of myth, humanity, and what it means to be the good guy.
The Review
Hero Forged
9 Score
This is the story of Gabe Delling, who is a self-described conman living in Lincoln, Nebraska. One day, he is recruited by a contact of his to go on what seems like a pretty simple and straightforward job, which turns out to be a crazy summoning of a crazy evil god that ends up with Gabe having the aforementioned crazy evil god stuck in his head. He’s pretty partially possessed, as it turns out… and he finds out that he has to get the evil god out of his head before he goes insane or dies horribly… or both. This was a well written and really fast-paced urban fantasy which had plenty of twists and turns, ups and downs, and a few chuckles along the way. I cheered pretty hard for Gabe, who, for a conman, is actually quite an honorable and polite dude.
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