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wildfaeriecaps's review
5.0
Another great installment in this amazing world Craig Schaefer has created. I can't say enough how much I love seeing all the pieces lining up for the big battle that.. I've already read. It's weird knowing the outcome but still feeling so much excitement and anticipation. Schaefer is truly a masterful storyteller.
ashkitty93's review
5.0
You can definitely feel things ramping up for that upcoming Crossover Event trilogy :D The humor remains perfectly placed.
hpstrangelove's review
5.0
Audiobook review. Narrator: Adam Verner
See review of entire series in book 8.
See review of entire series in book 8.
zefrien's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
barb4ry1's review
4.0
Double or Nothing is the seventh book in Craig Shaefer’s Daniel Faust series. If you read it, I assume you have at least some prior knowledge of the series. Some mild spoilers may appear.
Daniel and Cait are a power couple now. A lot is happening in both crime/occult Las Vegas underground and in the Hell courts. Old friends (if you can call Navaarasi a friend) want old debts payed, cosmic threat becomes more real than ever and our couple has to sort some issues. And save the world along the way. Easy peasy.
As usual, Schaefer proves he’s skilled with wrapping –up plotlines. He doesn’t leave holes and in the same time, with each book, builds a bigger meta thread that connects all of his books. The story os well-balanced and the pacing is adrenaline-fuelled. A lot of favourite characters from previous books are involved in this one, and we Get full immersion In the world.
The plot is resolved organically, staying true to characters’ natures and Daniel Faust’s journey becomes even more interesting.
Daniel and Cait are a power couple now. A lot is happening in both crime/occult Las Vegas underground and in the Hell courts. Old friends (if you can call Navaarasi a friend) want old debts payed, cosmic threat becomes more real than ever and our couple has to sort some issues. And save the world along the way. Easy peasy.
As usual, Schaefer proves he’s skilled with wrapping –up plotlines. He doesn’t leave holes and in the same time, with each book, builds a bigger meta thread that connects all of his books. The story os well-balanced and the pacing is adrenaline-fuelled. A lot of favourite characters from previous books are involved in this one, and we Get full immersion In the world.
The plot is resolved organically, staying true to characters’ natures and Daniel Faust’s journey becomes even more interesting.
frogggirl2's review
3.0
I prefer the books in this series when they have one coherent plot throughout the course of a single book. When you've met The Enemy but he's not with the direct focus of the book everything else seems less important. I think I also prefer the books when Faust has I plan rather than just running and gunning.
mom2pcnl's review
5.0
Truly enjoy the Faust series and adore the tie-ins to the Harmomy Black series. Craig Schaefer never disappoints. Even knowing that more Faust stories were coming, I was biting my nails for him. Fantastic story through and through.
mjtolentino's review
5.0
This is one of my favorite books in the Daniel Faust series. I love the twisting plot and and turns and the ending is perfect. I can't wait for more!
kartiknarayanan's review
4.0
Read the full review at my site https://wp.me/p89tYT-g1
He held out his hand. “Give it to me,” he hissed as his fingernails lengthened into claws. “If you insist,” I said. Then I shot him in the face.
The "Daniel Faust” series, written by Craig Schaefer, is an urban fantasy starring an anti-hero. The series consists of 7 books and a novella so far. Unlike other urban fantasy series like The Dresden Files, this series is far more violent, gritty and is noir in its approach to this setting. The protagonist, the eponymous Daniel Faust, is a violent con-man and sorcerer who has few moral qualms remaining but guards those jealously. In one way, you could of this of as The Saint moved to modern times, with a lot of occult and magic thrown in. This series is also a backbone for the universe, Craig Schaefer is building, with multiple references to the 'Revanche Cycle' and 'Harmony Black' characters and series.
But enough about the setting and comparisons, what is this series really like?
I had a blast reading the series. It was unique, funny, violent and profane. It has all the elements that I now expect from the author. The pacing is brilliant and the characters are well fleshed out. You end up caring about all the main characters and even the ones on the sidelines.
Read the full review at my site https://wp.me/p89tYT-g1
He held out his hand. “Give it to me,” he hissed as his fingernails lengthened into claws. “If you insist,” I said. Then I shot him in the face.
The "Daniel Faust” series, written by Craig Schaefer, is an urban fantasy starring an anti-hero. The series consists of 7 books and a novella so far. Unlike other urban fantasy series like The Dresden Files, this series is far more violent, gritty and is noir in its approach to this setting. The protagonist, the eponymous Daniel Faust, is a violent con-man and sorcerer who has few moral qualms remaining but guards those jealously. In one way, you could of this of as The Saint moved to modern times, with a lot of occult and magic thrown in. This series is also a backbone for the universe, Craig Schaefer is building, with multiple references to the 'Revanche Cycle' and 'Harmony Black' characters and series.
But enough about the setting and comparisons, what is this series really like?
I had a blast reading the series. It was unique, funny, violent and profane. It has all the elements that I now expect from the author. The pacing is brilliant and the characters are well fleshed out. You end up caring about all the main characters and even the ones on the sidelines.
Read the full review at my site https://wp.me/p89tYT-g1
carol26388's review
4.0
Schaefer does the unthinkable in urban fantasy: he stays true to the beginning of his series while consistently writing satisfying stories that include new material and character growth. This series is one of only three I follow--and purchase--although it is a distant third to my deep affection for Peter Grant and Kate Daniels.
“I’m not…asking you to…do anything,” Seabrook said, choosing each word as if picturing herself repeating them in court.“
Double or Nothing is the seventh novel in the Daniel Faust series, and if you haven't started yet, don't start here. While the most basic plot stands alone, it is contextualized by politics in the demon realm, local Vegas politics and the larger unknown Enemy working to kill Faust. There's a new, nefarious drug in town, and as a condition for a streamlined liquor permit for Daniel's new lounge, he's tasked with figuring out who is trying to import a new drug into Vegas. At the same time, the minor deity/shapeshifter Naavarasi is calling in a debt, making a formal request that he retrieve an all-too-familiar knife.
And now we have to visit Naavarasi,” I said. “She eats people. So that’ll be fun.”
Action is fast paced, both literally and figuratively, as Daniel ends up going to Colorado, New Mexico and Illinois to pull pieces together. A lot of minor characters, both friends and adversaries are involved with minimal explanation--not a bad thing--but it again emphasizes the challenge of picking up the story here. There's a veneer of humor, both situational, such as a mention of Harmony Black, and in commentary. More than other books, this one is also about Daniel and Caitlin's relationship. As a reader, I enjoyed seeing the two work together professionally as well as personally, and it was a relief to resolve the mysterious hints Nadine had been dropping about Caitlin's past relationships.
“Sorry, sugar, you’re on the payroll now. Some days you get the cash and the cars and the good champagne…and some days you gotta go to Albuquerque.”
If I had any complaint about the book, it's that Daniel's research is task-focused, not background focused. He admits he knows Navaarasi is working an angle, but he doesn't take the time to figure it out until he's backed into a corner. I don't know, rather than Daniel being clueless, it could be a perspective issue, a particularly Vegas mentality Schaefer is trying to capture, that of the 'wheel-and-deal' where everyone is presumed to be working an angle. In some ways, that's the most frustrating aspect of the Faust character for me, that he usually ends up reacting instead of being the strategist using the big picture. This happens again when he fails to access/account for the 'resources' of the knife.
Still, those are minor quibbles in what was a solid, non-stop installment. Also worth noting that the writing and characterization hits absolutely none of my -ist triggers. Still such a sad rarity. I hope Schaefer doesn't move Faust too far from his humble upbringing, because those heist plots are part of what makes this series enjoyable.
“I’m not…asking you to…do anything,” Seabrook said, choosing each word as if picturing herself repeating them in court.“
Double or Nothing is the seventh novel in the Daniel Faust series, and if you haven't started yet, don't start here. While the most basic plot stands alone, it is contextualized by politics in the demon realm, local Vegas politics and the larger unknown Enemy working to kill Faust. There's a new, nefarious drug in town, and as a condition for a streamlined liquor permit for Daniel's new lounge, he's tasked with figuring out who is trying to import a new drug into Vegas. At the same time, the minor deity/shapeshifter Naavarasi is calling in a debt, making a formal request that he retrieve an all-too-familiar knife.
And now we have to visit Naavarasi,” I said. “She eats people. So that’ll be fun.”
Action is fast paced, both literally and figuratively, as Daniel ends up going to Colorado, New Mexico and Illinois to pull pieces together. A lot of minor characters, both friends and adversaries are involved with minimal explanation--not a bad thing--but it again emphasizes the challenge of picking up the story here. There's a veneer of humor, both situational, such as a mention of Harmony Black, and in commentary. More than other books, this one is also about Daniel and Caitlin's relationship. As a reader, I enjoyed seeing the two work together professionally as well as personally, and it was a relief to resolve the mysterious hints Nadine had been dropping about Caitlin's past relationships.
“Sorry, sugar, you’re on the payroll now. Some days you get the cash and the cars and the good champagne…and some days you gotta go to Albuquerque.”
If I had any complaint about the book, it's that Daniel's research is task-focused, not background focused. He admits he knows Navaarasi is working an angle, but he doesn't take the time to figure it out until he's backed into a corner. I don't know, rather than Daniel being clueless, it could be a perspective issue, a particularly Vegas mentality Schaefer is trying to capture, that of the 'wheel-and-deal' where everyone is presumed to be working an angle. In some ways, that's the most frustrating aspect of the Faust character for me, that he usually ends up reacting instead of being the strategist using the big picture. This happens again when he fails to access/account for the 'resources' of the knife.
Still, those are minor quibbles in what was a solid, non-stop installment. Also worth noting that the writing and characterization hits absolutely none of my -ist triggers. Still such a sad rarity. I hope Schaefer doesn't move Faust too far from his humble upbringing, because those heist plots are part of what makes this series enjoyable.