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gnashchick's review against another edition
4.0
Hiram Grange and the Digital Eucharist is book 3 in a 5-part series of novellas detailing, “The scandalous misadventures of Hiram Grange”. I was skeptical about jumping into the middle of a series, worried that the story wouldn't stand alone. I was wrong.
When I first met Hiram, he and two others are in the middle of carnage. They’ve interrupted a demonic summoning and getting down to the business of sending the surviving demon back to hell. Hiram is fighting many demons in that subway, the least of which is the one standing in front of him. Prepared by the prologue, I was well prepared and able to dive into the rest of the tale without hesitation.
The rest of the story does not disappoint. Years after the incident with the demon in the subway, Hiram is urged by his employer, Mrs. Bothwell, to take another job, telling him it’s a “routine job”. The investigation involves a new celebrity cult, an outbreak of “microconfluences” and a technological mindware device that could be controlling thousands of cult recruits. He accepts, knowing that he has to move on to clear the memories of the past that haunt him.
Hang on for a fast-paced, tightly written story that is a fantastic mash-up of horror, paranormal, science fiction and urban fantasy. While Hiram is a generally unlikable man, addicted to booze, drugs, porn and guns, he has enough hangups to make him sympathetic. The new-age cult-leader/corporate overlord/mad scientist antagonist left me wanting a little more detail on what they were up to, but the plot revealed through the investigation is chilling enough. As Hiram’s job progresses, it’s obvious that he’s not just the right man for the job -- he’s the only one who can pull it off.
One benchmark of a good horror story is whether or not it actually scared me. I’m happy to report that I read the last half of the book with the lights on. Oh, yes, it is gory, bloody, and cringe-inducing. There are descriptions of things that made me flinch and shudder and pray I never walk into anything like that in my lifetime.
Even though this is the third in the series, it easily stands alone. I recommend this book for readers who like paranormal horror, mad scientists, demons run amok and a whole lot of bloody trauma along the way.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
www.bookie-monster.com
When I first met Hiram, he and two others are in the middle of carnage. They’ve interrupted a demonic summoning and getting down to the business of sending the surviving demon back to hell. Hiram is fighting many demons in that subway, the least of which is the one standing in front of him. Prepared by the prologue, I was well prepared and able to dive into the rest of the tale without hesitation.
The rest of the story does not disappoint. Years after the incident with the demon in the subway, Hiram is urged by his employer, Mrs. Bothwell, to take another job, telling him it’s a “routine job”. The investigation involves a new celebrity cult, an outbreak of “microconfluences” and a technological mindware device that could be controlling thousands of cult recruits. He accepts, knowing that he has to move on to clear the memories of the past that haunt him.
Hang on for a fast-paced, tightly written story that is a fantastic mash-up of horror, paranormal, science fiction and urban fantasy. While Hiram is a generally unlikable man, addicted to booze, drugs, porn and guns, he has enough hangups to make him sympathetic. The new-age cult-leader/corporate overlord/mad scientist antagonist left me wanting a little more detail on what they were up to, but the plot revealed through the investigation is chilling enough. As Hiram’s job progresses, it’s obvious that he’s not just the right man for the job -- he’s the only one who can pull it off.
One benchmark of a good horror story is whether or not it actually scared me. I’m happy to report that I read the last half of the book with the lights on. Oh, yes, it is gory, bloody, and cringe-inducing. There are descriptions of things that made me flinch and shudder and pray I never walk into anything like that in my lifetime.
Even though this is the third in the series, it easily stands alone. I recommend this book for readers who like paranormal horror, mad scientists, demons run amok and a whole lot of bloody trauma along the way.
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
www.bookie-monster.com
angielisle's review
4.0
This third installment of the Hiram Grange series is a hard book to review without giving away spoilers.
There were fewer drug references than I expected, given everything Hiram went through in the last book. In this installment, drugs save Hiram like penicillin to an infection.
The plot is fast-paced and the chronology is twisted up, emphasizing cause and direct effect of the action-based plot. This is also the goriest book so far - I'm not complaining, just putting the fact out there. I'm eager to read the next installment - I want to know what's going to happen to Grange in the long-run.
There were fewer drug references than I expected, given everything Hiram went through in the last book. In this installment, drugs save Hiram like penicillin to an infection.
The plot is fast-paced and the chronology is twisted up, emphasizing cause and direct effect of the action-based plot. This is also the goriest book so far - I'm not complaining, just putting the fact out there. I'm eager to read the next installment - I want to know what's going to happen to Grange in the long-run.
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