Saturday, May 13, 2023

Book Review: "Cult Classic" by Stephen Blackmoore

 

The ninth book of this dark urban fantasy series follows necromancer Eric Carter through a world of vengeful gods and goddesses, mysterious murders, and restless ghosts.

Eric Carter has a lot on his plate.

He's hunting the Oracle of Las Vegas, a literal talking head that manipulates the future to make its prophecies come true. But it has a new trick. It can change the past, too.

Now Jazz Age Los Angeles is invading the present. Long gone buildings suddenly restored, decommissioned Red Car trains appearing on paved over tracks, miles of the city changing back to orange groves.

Throw in a hundred-year-old doomsday cult, time magic, and a terrifyingly powerful spell to raise the dead and it makes for a busy week. Carter knows the Oracle is behind it all but he can't figure out how. Or why.

But he better figure it out soon or he, the city, and everyone he knows might be wiped from existence.

Cult Classic is noir urban fantasy at its finest, with a cutting voice, sharp wit, and a plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat. - from Netgalley.com

This eARC was provided from Netgalley.com and I am giving an unbiased review.

As stated above in the plot synopsis, this is the ninth book in the Eric Carter series. And for a bit of a spoiler, it is the final one as well, per the author in a tweet from Twitter, unless someone "pays me a lot of money". This saddens me quite a bit, as I have gotten to truly love this series, and was hoping for more, or maybe some other sort of world tie-in.

Our man of Death, Eric Carter is back, and as usual, the least-loved necromancer has his hands full. Between a poly-type relationship that is a work in progress, time flipping things around from a hundred years ago, and just trying to survive, Eric is hunting down the Oracle, a being he helped create in his younger, 'dumber' days. The story is full of the usual snark we expect from this character, and the usual 'I'm figuring out what I can do along the way' attitude. Having been a God, dead (literally), and brought back to life in your grandfather's body, can sure make for an interesting life.

As I stated before, I am pretty sad this is the last book. That being said, I think Blackmoore did a wonderful job wrapping up some little bits that have been floating out there, in regards to certain events. I'm not going to truly spoil them, but there is information about his Grandfather, and his Sister. If you have read the series, you'll probably know what I referring to. As usual, the author has done a wonderful job of creating and maintaining a possibility of what the southwestern US could be (mainly LA and Las Vegas) after a necromancer has had a few battles. His use of snark and sarcasm were spot on, and I just loved how the main character has changed since the first book, into someone that can actually care not only about what happens to them, but about others, whether he knows them or not.

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