As part of Self-Published Fantasy Month and the #SPFMChallenge, I will be posting reviews all month long (most of which are long overdue!).
First up is Hero Forged, by Josh Erikson.
The blurb:
Gabe thought he had covered all the angles, but it’s tough to plan a contingency for accidentally trapping an evil god in your brain.
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 is a study in contrasts.
It’s urban fantasy that’s set in Nebraska.
It features the panoply of creatures you expect from the genre but with trappings of an epic fantasy.
And it’s got a great mixture of heart and humor that makes for a great series starter.
Erikson throws us into the deep end right at the start, with an ominous and bloody prologue that is equal parts terrifying and intriguing. We then are introduced to conman Gabe as he takes a seemingly simple job that leads him directly into the hidden underworld of myth and mayhem.
Gabe is a complex hero, struggling to be a “good guy” while running cons and dealing with the weight of his past.
As an aside, each chapter is fronted by epigraphs from Gabe’s work-in-progress book CONscience about his life as a conman, and as a member of #TeamEpigraph, I am all on board.
Overall, Hero Forged is a great start to what is shaping up to be an awesome series.