Dead Man's Hand
By James J. Butcher
- Release Date: 2022-10-11
- Genre: Fantasy
Description
In the tradition of his renowned father, James J. Butcher’s debut novel is a brilliant urban fantasy about a young man who must throw out the magical rule book to solve the murder of his former mentor.
On the streets of Boston, the world is divided into the ordinary Usuals, and the paranormal Unorthodox. And in the Department of Unorthodox Affairs, the Auditors are the magical elite, government-sanctioned witches with spells at their command and all the power and prestige that comes with it. Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby is…not one of those witches.
After flunking out of the Auditor training program and being dismissed as “not Department material,” Grimsby tried to resign himself to life as a mediocre witch. But he can’t help hoping he’ll somehow, someway, get another chance to prove his skill. That opportunity comes with a price when his former mentor, aka the most dangerous witch alive, is murdered down the street from where he works, and Grimsby is the Auditors’ number one suspect.
Proving his innocence will require more than a little legwork, and after forming a strange alliance with the retired legend known as the Huntsman and a mysterious being from Elsewhere, Grimsby is abruptly thrown into a life of adventure, whether he wants it or not. Now all he has to do is find the real killer, avoid the Auditors on his trail, and most importantly, stay alive.
Reviews
Good characters, tedious battle after battle
3By frkeeI know he’s the son of Jim Butcher but for a short book a significant portion of the pages describe battle and injuries followed by more battle and somehow the character stand up and go about their day. For me it got tedious. I like the story and I like the characters. The names need some work, I stumbled over Mansgraf (I just call her Magrat) and even Impetus. I’m still looking forward to how he evolves the story and his writing.15!?
1By NoahRosenrosenJim’s name is all over the description, the hero’s name is Grimshaw Griswald Grumblebutt, so hacky. The whole thing feels entitled and cringy. “In the gritty underworld of Chic— wait, uh… Boston! Yeah, Boston, that’s original…” Now make it cost four times as much as any other author’s debut novel and watch the money roll inFans of Harry Dresden urban fantasy rejoice!
5By Elric38If you like Jim Butcher, Simon Green, and/or Benedict Jacka...then you’re probably not reading this review! If you are then stop reading this review and start enjoying this novel!