Dead of Night

Ghosts & Magic, Book 1

By: M.R. Forbes

Narrated by: Jeff Hays

Everybody hates necromancers.

Death magic? It’s disgusting.

And dangerous.

For Conor, it’s also the skill that pays the bills. The medication that keeps him cancer free is expensive, and he’s terrified to die.

He should be. Death doesn’t like being played.

When the promise of a big payout for a small bit of thievery presents itself, Conor is all in. But nothing comes easy when magic is involved, and it isn’t long before he’s caught up in the machinations of the most powerful wizards on Earth and left with only two ways out:

Will he cheat Death?

Or meet him?

If you like Dresden, Temple, or the Iron Druid, you’ll want to meet Conor Night.

©2014 Michael Forbes (P)2014 Michael Forbes

New series with some original ideas

Where does Dead of Night rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

With some stiff competition of the genre, Dead of Night holds its own with some original ideas and concepts. The world created allows much room for future development.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

A satifactory conclusion to the story while leaving many questions and much room for further books in the series.

What about Jeff Hays’s performance did you like?

Consistent and varied character voicing well suited to all the indiviual chactacters. Selective use of vocal effects later in the book added to the atmosphere.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I found the main protaginist, Conor difficult to like or empathise with. This probably subdued some of my reactions and enjoyment.

Not for me.

Any additional comments?

Unfortunately, this wasn't for me. I have tried listening to it 3 times now over the course of 2 months but just couldn't connect to the characters nor care about the story. I have to give it up and move to the next story.

I will say that Jeff Hays did an amazing job with the narration though. His intonations and characterizations were perfect. I'm kinda bummed that I didn't like the story because he was easy to listen to but you can't like every book!

*I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Creative, dark, and intriguing

Would you consider the audio edition of Dead of Night to be better than the print version?

I did not read the print version.

What did you like best about this story?

The story's creativity. It was action packed, which was a plus, but it differentiated itself from other action stories by asking relevant moral/emotional questions. At times, these questions were direct, and at other times they were implied...regardless, the story keeps the listener engaged and wonderstruck.

Have you listened to any of Jeff Hays’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The narrator did an amazing job - there were times that I could have mistaken him for the writer himself. He spoke with confidence and seemed highly familiar with the story and characters.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It's a challenge to identify a single part in the book that's moving because I felt I was constantly learning new information about the characters and the world they live in.

Any additional comments?

Dead of night is action packed from the first chapter, so be ready to jump in! The story combines the creativity of True Blood with the darkness of Underworld. At times, it can be gruesome - this might be my personal preference, but I found myself listening during my afternoon commute much more often than AM commute. The narrator made the writing flow...he spoke with confidence and you could easily mistake the narrator for the writer him/herself. The plot-line keeps you thinking with sensationalist (and interesting) dilemmas. Five stars says enough.

Fun Action and Plot

The only thing I have to criticize about this book is the love story plot. I get that it humanizes the protagonist and all, but I don't always need the main guy to have a relationship with the sexy elf. I'd rather just have a necromancer pulling heists and not worrying about the girl as a romantic interest.

Unique, Fascinating, and Dark!

One of the things I admire about Forbes writing, is his ability to create unique stories, and world building across the Sci-Fi, Urban Fantasy, and Paranormal genres. The plot, and characters in Dead of Night were original, and had a good mix of action, mystery and dry humor. I liked the main character, and his ability to raise the dead, and those deadly dice.

Jeff Hays does an amazing job narrating! He is very talented, and I love his ability to project a wide cast of characters, which makes following them easier and more enjoyable.

I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review, and while this is not my favorite story by Forbes, I really liked the originality and fresh concepts in the plot.