Book Review: A Grim Pact by Adam Slade

A Grim Pact by Adam Slade

Adam Slade returns us to the urban fantasy world we first came to love in A Reaper's Tale. Mal the Grim Reaper is back in this tale which begins the day after the previous story's end.

This book opens to yet another intrusion into Mal's private life (and living room), when he is handed an assignment by his new apparition (or handler), a demon named Rufus. And then Xyla, Mal's new live-in girlfriend drops a bomb on him... Death is awake. Yes, THAT Death.

Things quickly go from bad to worse... demons are being offed and no one knows why. It's up to Mal and his band of friends to figure this one out, and quickly. Help comes from unusual places and Mal is never one to run from a challenge. (Not that he can run, his leg is still broken from his previous adventures.)

We see most of the characters from the first book returning in the second and their stories are expounded. The interpersonal relationships between the characters is extraordinary and none of these people are superfluous to the plot. My personal favorites are D'agryn and O'Hara, a demon couple defying conventions. And Charlie the Cat. Can never forget Charlie the Cat!

My favorite line in the whole book? "Nobody puts Xyla in a corner."

Mr. Slade guides this book from plot point to plot point with ease, never leaving us wondering where we've been, but rather where we're going. This story is told flawlessly and hilariously.

I absolutely recommend this tale to anyone who enjoys urban fantasy or who simply likes to read well written, involved and seriously funny stories. Personally, I can't wait for the next installment!

On a zero to five scale with zero being the worst, this book gets FIVE STARS!

A Grim Pact by Adam Slade is available for Kindle on amazon.com. Available in most other digital formats at SmashWords.

Book Review: A Reaper's Tale by Adam Slade

A Reaper's Tale by Adam Slade

One of the best things a writer can do, in my opinion, is to create, inside our mundane world, a place a lot less ordinary.  Adam Slade has accomplished this feat with ease and delivered a tale that is alternately intriguing and laugh-out-loud hilarious.

In A Reaper’s Tale, we are introduced to Mal, a Grim Reaper who manages to efficiently bumble his way through employment with The Company, and he is immediately likeable. Mal’s “bosses,” Xyla (a succubus complete with tail and horns) and Morgana (the ever-grumpy) make unscheduled appearances in Mal’s living room to hand out his assignments. Rounding out the cast are several demons, a few humans, some fresh souls and a cat named Charlie.

Mal is given an unusual reap in which the soul of the recently departed is an “undecided” that must face a tribunal to determine its final destination. The reap goes wrong and Mal ends up with the soul of his most recent assignment actually bonded to him. The soul that has been fused with him is apparently valuable to the Black Market and other nefarious villains and Mal soon finds himself running for his (un)life. What follows is unpredictable, hilarious and well written. Mr. Slade not only successfully develops his characters, but he manages to put them through plot twists that even seasoned readers won’t see coming.

A Reaper’s Tale is an awesome read from start to finish and I highly recommend it to anyone wanting a well told story. This book is hard to step away from and I actually found myself going back and re-reading my favorite passages.

On a zero to five scale with zero being the worst, this book gets FIVE STARS!

The Kindle version of A Reaper's Tale is available from Amazon.com. Other digital versions can be found at Lyrical Press.