Tombyards and Butterflies by Orlando A. Sanchez
Narrated by Kevin T. Collins
#1 Montague and Strong Detective Agency
Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Tantor
Audio
Published: 2.27.18
Time: 6 hours 42
minutes
Rating: 4
Format: MP3
Source: Tantor Audio
Available: AmazonAdd it to Goodreads
Book Deets
A Missing Ferryman. An Undead
Dilemma. An Immortal Detective.
An emissary from the Dark Council
has just materialized in the office of the Montague & Strong Detective
Agency, and makes Simon Strong an offer he can’t refuse. Charon is missing. The
legendary ferryman responsible for transporting sorcerer souls across the river
Styx hasn’t been seen in days. And with each passing hour, those unable to
cross the river are left to walk among the living, tilting the world further
out of balance.
Meet Simon Strong, an immortal, who
is also the best private detective in New York City. Together with his surly
partner-Tristan Montague, a mage of indeterminate age, they must find the
Ferryman and get him back to work before another Supernatural War ravages
the earth, destroys humanity, and Simon’s local coffee shop.
Time is running out. His landlord
wants the rent and Karma with a capital K is paying him a visit, and she can be
a real…
Join the Montague & Strong
Detective Agency and help them locate Charon, so he can restore balance to the
universe, put the dead sorcerers to rest, and maybe solve the age old
conundrum-coffee or tea?
Sophia's Review
I confess that it was the title that caught my attention
first. The author explains in the
beginning that it comes from a Ray Bradbury quote which intrigued me all the
more. So with eagerness, I pressed
forward and popped in my earbuds for a good time with this new to me urban
fantasy and author.
The beginning was a tad rough for me because I had the
disorienting sense that I'd somehow skipped the opening and dropped into the
middle of things. A quick check showed
that yes, there appears to be a prequel short story that likely introduces
matters. I haven't read it, but I'm
going to guess that this one probably wouldn't feel so disorienting if read
after the prequel. That said, the
confusion didn't last that long and I was soon cruising right along swimmingly
in this fun, madcap story about a pair of paranormal PIs who end up getting
tossed into the deep end of the pool more often than not.
Simon Strong tells the story. He's something of a loose cannon and brazens
things out when facing powerful vampires, powerful gods, or any authority
figures. Simon is a human immortal after
being cursed by a god. His investigation
partner is a reticent, powerful mage with a British stiff upper lip named
Tristan Montague. Monty and Simon
shouldn't get on. At all. But they are as
tight as can be and have each other's back during the course of their work and
in personal friendship.
Other quirky and fun characters were introduced even as the
pair tackle a few different cases and missions that usually involve near death
and lots of destruction. But, it’s the
rise of a god determined to end the world that has Simon and Monty pushed to
their extreme. I loved the snark,
action, and intensity as they somehow find their way out of some tight spots.
In summary, I had a good time with this sometimes humorous,
but very exciting first in series. It
will hold strong appeal for Urban Fantasy lovers who enjoy a blend of gods and
paranormal with an appealing pair of supernatural detectives and their quirky
acquaintance and friends.
My thanks to Tantor Audio for the opportunity to listen to
the book in exchange for an honest review.
Narrator Review:
4 stars
The narrator, Kevin T. Collins, was as new to me as the
author and the series. I thought he did
a decent job at both the voices and the action.
I think he did pretty good with genders and accents and catching Simon's
voice the best. It took me some
adjustment to get used to his way of narrating, but in the end, I got used to
it and settled in nicely.
Orlando Sanchez has been writing ever since his teens when he was immersed in creating scenarios for playing Dungeon and Dragons with his friends every weekend. An avid reader, his influences are too numerous to list here. Some of the most prominent are: J.R.R. Tolkien, Jim Butcher, Kat Richardson, Terry Brooks, Piers Anthony, Lee Child, George Lucas, Andrew Vachss, and Barry Eisler to name a few in no particular order.
The worlds of his books are urban settings with a twist of the paranormal lurking just behind the scenes and generous doses of magic, martial arts, and mayhem.
Aside from writing, he holds a 2nd and 3rd Dan in two distinct styles of Karate. If not training, he is studying some aspect of the martial arts or martial arts philosophy.
He currently resides in Queens, NY with his wife and children and can often be found in the local Starbucks where most of his writing is done.
Please visit his site at: OrlandoASanchez.com for more information about his books and upcoming releases. Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorOSanchez
Many thanks to Sophia for stopping through with the review!
Sophia’s Bio:
Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, and gardening. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate. GoodReads
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