Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Army of Golems: An Unconventional Heroes Publisher's Pack
By: L. G. Estrella
Narrated by: Fred Berman
Series: Unconventional Heroes, Book 1-2
Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
Release date: 05-26-20
Publisher: Podium Audio
Genre: Humorous Fantasy
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.
Publisher's summary
Contains Books 1 and 2 of the Unconventional Heroes series.
Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Elf, book 1:
Two necromancers, a bureaucrat, and an elf - it sounds like the start of a bad joke, only the joke is on Timmy.
Timothy Walter Bolton - better known as Timmy - has spent most of his life as a necromancer. When he isn't terrorising his enemies, he's plotting inside his castle, which is built on top of lightless chasms filled with nameless horrors and beings of a generally malevolent and megalomaniacal nature. But after one of his latest creations, a zombie hydra-dragon-bear, tries to eat him, he decides that maybe it's time to find a new, less dangerous, career.
But that's easier said than done. He's a wanted criminal with no shortage of powerful (and crazy) enemies, and he has a bone or two to pick with the Everton Council of Mages.
It's a good thing that he's got some help: an obnoxious 10-year-old apprentice who thinks that pink glasses are appropriate for a budding necromancer and a bumbling bureaucrat who may or may not make it through their first real fight without puking his guts up. Wonderful.
Two Necromancers, an Army of Golems, and a Demon Lord, book 2:
Two necromancers, an army of golems, and a demon lord - it sounds like a recipe for trouble, and for Timmy, it definitely is.
To earn his pardon and avoid horrible torture and/or gruesome execution, Timmy has to complete every mission the Council throws his way, most of which seem to involve extremely scary things trying to kill him. At least he’s got help - sort of. His help consists of an apprentice with designs on his castle (and her plans may or may not involve overthrowing him), a bureaucrat whose two greatest skills are fainting in the face of trouble and using people (usually Timmy) as human shields, and an elf with the world's worst case of pyromania and enough magic to level a mountain.
Somehow, Timmy's got to get this bunch of unconventional heroes to work together. Trouble is coming, and it's trouble of the kind that only a necromancer like Timmy could possibly find himself in the middle of.
©2014 L. G. Estrella (P)2020 Podium Audio
By: L. G. Estrella
Narrated by: Fred Berman
Series: Unconventional Heroes, Book 1-2
Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
Release date: 05-26-20
Publisher: Podium Audio
Genre: Humorous Fantasy
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 4.5; Narration 4.5.
Publisher's summary
Contains Books 1 and 2 of the Unconventional Heroes series.
Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Elf, book 1:
Two necromancers, a bureaucrat, and an elf - it sounds like the start of a bad joke, only the joke is on Timmy.
Timothy Walter Bolton - better known as Timmy - has spent most of his life as a necromancer. When he isn't terrorising his enemies, he's plotting inside his castle, which is built on top of lightless chasms filled with nameless horrors and beings of a generally malevolent and megalomaniacal nature. But after one of his latest creations, a zombie hydra-dragon-bear, tries to eat him, he decides that maybe it's time to find a new, less dangerous, career.
But that's easier said than done. He's a wanted criminal with no shortage of powerful (and crazy) enemies, and he has a bone or two to pick with the Everton Council of Mages.
It's a good thing that he's got some help: an obnoxious 10-year-old apprentice who thinks that pink glasses are appropriate for a budding necromancer and a bumbling bureaucrat who may or may not make it through their first real fight without puking his guts up. Wonderful.
Two Necromancers, an Army of Golems, and a Demon Lord, book 2:
Two necromancers, an army of golems, and a demon lord - it sounds like a recipe for trouble, and for Timmy, it definitely is.
To earn his pardon and avoid horrible torture and/or gruesome execution, Timmy has to complete every mission the Council throws his way, most of which seem to involve extremely scary things trying to kill him. At least he’s got help - sort of. His help consists of an apprentice with designs on his castle (and her plans may or may not involve overthrowing him), a bureaucrat whose two greatest skills are fainting in the face of trouble and using people (usually Timmy) as human shields, and an elf with the world's worst case of pyromania and enough magic to level a mountain.
Somehow, Timmy's got to get this bunch of unconventional heroes to work together. Trouble is coming, and it's trouble of the kind that only a necromancer like Timmy could possibly find himself in the middle of.
©2014 L. G. Estrella (P)2020 Podium Audio
Review:
Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Elf, book 1:
Timmy is supposed to be a harsh Necromancer, but he is really sort of a good guy. Not that he doesn’t battle, terrorize, and kill his enemies…but they are really the bad guys. And he does live in a cursed castle with an army of created servants and a rat colony, not to mention the indescribable monsters living under the castle. And as a wizard who has to dig a lot in the dirt it is a bit alarming at first when others learn that Timmy’s weapon of choice is a magical shovel rather than a good sword. As a successful Necromancer he has learned to think on his feet and to create living - or animated dead – creatures who help him. He loves blending new creations although not all of them work out.
Timmy has taken on a 10-year-old apprentice, Katie, who was abandoned by her parents and community when she brought her dead puppy back to life. Eventually Katie will learn all that Timmy can teach her and then she will kill him and take over the castle. But that is still a long time away.
Timmy has been ousted from the wizardly community but there is a way he can have his past crimes pardoned and get back in good standing. He just has to meet certain conditions and succeed in some assigned quests as directed by the Council of Mages. What’s a Necromancer to do when his tomb raiding jobs are limited and he needs funds to maintain his experiments and his killer ninja rat colony who eat, unlike his zombie armies.
Timmy and Katie agree to work for the Mages and they set off on their first assignment with an unimpressive, bumbling bureaucrat from the Council who is apt to faint or hide when trouble comes. They must convince a powerful, malevolent, fire throwing elf to join them, or they must capture her. Either choice may prove fatal.
Two Necromancers, an Army of Golems, and a Demon Lord, book 2:
After successfully completing their first mission, Timmy and Kate, have returned to the castle accompanied by Avraniel, the still angry and fiery elf, and the bumbling bureaucrat, Gerald. Soon they are assigned the next mission which sets them off to face an army of golems controlled by a demon lord. And there is a massive dragon involved too. Golems and dragons and demons, oh my! What fun – but not without edge of death experiences for the unlikely heroes.
These stories are creative and entertaining. I will certainly want to continue the adventures. Although I appreciate getting two books included in the volumes, I may listen to one at a time as 13 hours of magical dangers and death defying escapes seemed a bit too much at one sitting. I highly recommend this to fans of fun, magical adventures.
Audio notes: Fred Berman is a skilled narrator who adds to the enjoyment of this work. He provides distinct voices and shares the humor of the characters. I enjoyed the audio presentation.
Source: March 2022 Free Audible Plus. This qualifies for 2023TBR, 2023Audiobook, and my 2023Numbers goals.
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