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The Midnight Scoop #2
The Wise Men of Gotham
When a daughter of Hekate is gunned down outside a Brooklyn bodega, reprisal comes by moonlight: one by one, the victims of a spreading curse fall into a deep sleep, lost in inescapable visions. And their numbers are growing.
Seelie Rose knows a thing or two about visions. As a fledgling witch and the inheritor of a magical legacy, it's her duty to watch over the dreamscape of New York City. Usually that means battling errant nightmares; now she's facing down alien intelligences, incursions from other realms, and the dawning suspicion that she isn't the only dream-witch in town.
Meanwhile, creatures of the night are turning up dead, and the ghoul princess lurking in Seelie's closet wants a favor. Not the kind she can refuse, unless she wants to be next on the princess's macabre menu. If Seelie plays her cards just right, she may uncover a conspiracy, stop a deadly plot, and survive...at least until graduation.
Seelie Rose knows a thing or two about visions. As a fledgling witch and the inheritor of a magical legacy, it's her duty to watch over the dreamscape of New York City. Usually that means battling errant nightmares; now she's facing down alien intelligences, incursions from other realms, and the dawning suspicion that she isn't the only dream-witch in town.
Meanwhile, creatures of the night are turning up dead, and the ghoul princess lurking in Seelie's closet wants a favor. Not the kind she can refuse, unless she wants to be next on the princess's macabre menu. If Seelie plays her cards just right, she may uncover a conspiracy, stop a deadly plot, and survive...at least until graduation.
476 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 28, 2023
62 people are currently reading
68 people want to read
About the author
Craig Schaefer
43 books1,332 followersCraig Schaefer's books have taken readers to the seamy edge of a criminal underworld drenched in shadow (the Daniel Faust series), to a world torn by war, poison and witchcraft (the Revanche Cycle), and across a modern America mired in occult mysteries and a conspiracy of lies (the Harmony Black series).
Despite this, people say he's strangely normal. Suspiciously normal, in fact. His home on the Web is www.craigschaeferbooks.com.
Despite this, people say he's strangely normal. Suspiciously normal, in fact. His home on the Web is www.craigschaeferbooks.com.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 31, 2023
Yet another Slightly Glorious Schaeferistic Patreon Serial Turned Book (SGSPSTB™) that is due for a reread pronto.
· Book 1: The Hungry Dreaming ★★★★★
· Book 1: The Hungry Dreaming ★★★★★
June 11, 2023
4.5/5
Schaefer once again delivers a thrilling ride. Her talent for seamlessly blending noir, horror, occult, and fantasy elements with high-octane action is truly commendable. I thoroughly enjoyed diving into another installment of the series and eagerly anticipate what she has in store for us next.
Schaefer once again delivers a thrilling ride. Her talent for seamlessly blending noir, horror, occult, and fantasy elements with high-octane action is truly commendable. I thoroughly enjoyed diving into another installment of the series and eagerly anticipate what she has in store for us next.
July 25, 2024
4 a Deconstruction of Alice in Wonderland Stars
Wise Men of Gotham picks up not long after the events of The Hungry Dreaming. Seelie is staying with Tyler who has basically adopted her. Nell and Tyler still work together but the paper has been bought out and they want fluff pieces no hard hitting journalism anymore. All three are pulled into a new mystery when one of the daughters of Hekate is gunned down. Was it for her job because she was a cop, or was it because she was a witch? The team is going to have to figure that out.
This takes us on another adventure through New York as Seelie explores the different powers she has and finds out maybe she isn't the only dreamer in the city. Tyler and Nell will be pushed out of their comfort zone too, not only investigating the crime but looking long and hard at their feelings when Tyler is offered a job on another coast doing is comic drawings.
In true Schaefer style the story will take us on some odd twists and turns through the underbelly of New York. There are dirty cops, interesting artist types, a father with questionable morals, a roaming hit team taking out ghouls, spiders being a bit helpful and just because it wasn't all wierd enough, to top it all off a Jaberwalkie possible tied to all the people who are going to sleep and never waking up. Our trio will be neck deep in it all to get the scoop and save the day.
The story is really engaging. There are a lot of moving pieces and so it always felt like something big was happening. Nell is put in a pretty big bind, but Tyler and Seelie would never leave her side through it and they all make a great makeshift family.
Seelie learning more about her witch powers with a little help from Nell and a very dead Alyce gave both some cool history to the story and an idea of how strong the coven was back in Alyce's day. Also an interesting idea of what a dream witch could really accomplish once trained.
Who knew I was going to like the Ghouls so much but Princess Dergwyn and not only some menace to the story but also an interesting side plot. Someone is hunting Ghouls and draining their blood. Seelie owes the princess a favor so it is her job to find the hunter and the ghouls will take it from there. I did like the dynamic between Tyler and Seelie through this scenario, as Tyler attempts to be a supporting parent and Seelie tries to remember she isn't on her own anymore and can build bridges and quit lying to the people in her life.
Overall the plot was strange and intricate with all the different lines blending together. Looks like with that ending there will be at least one more story in this world with a very interesting semi-villain of sorts. I'd also like to see where Tyler and Nell end up in their I love you, but maybe I'm not ready relationship. So I'll be looking for where this series leads next.
Narration:
Susannah Jones is a fantastic narrator. I've probably listened to around 30 books she has narrated and I'm never disappointed in her performance. She does UF and PNR so well and her voice brings the magic practically to life. All the characters are distinguishable and feel unique. She always adds to my overall enjoyment of a story with her capture of both the serious and the silly in a story.
Wise Men of Gotham picks up not long after the events of The Hungry Dreaming. Seelie is staying with Tyler who has basically adopted her. Nell and Tyler still work together but the paper has been bought out and they want fluff pieces no hard hitting journalism anymore. All three are pulled into a new mystery when one of the daughters of Hekate is gunned down. Was it for her job because she was a cop, or was it because she was a witch? The team is going to have to figure that out.
"Never punish a student because they don't know what you didn't teach them in the first place."
This takes us on another adventure through New York as Seelie explores the different powers she has and finds out maybe she isn't the only dreamer in the city. Tyler and Nell will be pushed out of their comfort zone too, not only investigating the crime but looking long and hard at their feelings when Tyler is offered a job on another coast doing is comic drawings.
In true Schaefer style the story will take us on some odd twists and turns through the underbelly of New York. There are dirty cops, interesting artist types, a father with questionable morals, a roaming hit team taking out ghouls, spiders being a bit helpful and just because it wasn't all wierd enough, to top it all off a Jaberwalkie possible tied to all the people who are going to sleep and never waking up. Our trio will be neck deep in it all to get the scoop and save the day.
The story is really engaging. There are a lot of moving pieces and so it always felt like something big was happening. Nell is put in a pretty big bind, but Tyler and Seelie would never leave her side through it and they all make a great makeshift family.
"Remind her that witchcraft and ingenuity go hand in hand. Her imagination will point the way."
Seelie learning more about her witch powers with a little help from Nell and a very dead Alyce gave both some cool history to the story and an idea of how strong the coven was back in Alyce's day. Also an interesting idea of what a dream witch could really accomplish once trained.
Who knew I was going to like the Ghouls so much but Princess Dergwyn and not only some menace to the story but also an interesting side plot. Someone is hunting Ghouls and draining their blood. Seelie owes the princess a favor so it is her job to find the hunter and the ghouls will take it from there. I did like the dynamic between Tyler and Seelie through this scenario, as Tyler attempts to be a supporting parent and Seelie tries to remember she isn't on her own anymore and can build bridges and quit lying to the people in her life.
Overall the plot was strange and intricate with all the different lines blending together. Looks like with that ending there will be at least one more story in this world with a very interesting semi-villain of sorts. I'd also like to see where Tyler and Nell end up in their I love you, but maybe I'm not ready relationship. So I'll be looking for where this series leads next.
Narration:
Susannah Jones is a fantastic narrator. I've probably listened to around 30 books she has narrated and I'm never disappointed in her performance. She does UF and PNR so well and her voice brings the magic practically to life. All the characters are distinguishable and feel unique. She always adds to my overall enjoyment of a story with her capture of both the serious and the silly in a story.
July 25, 2023
This review was originally posted on Queen's Book Asylum!
I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating: 4.5*
If I’m being 100% honest, I didn’t think I needed a sequel to The Hungry Dreaming, but one day it dropped into my inbox, and boy am I glad of it. Then again, I’m always happy when a new Schaefer book appears in the wild, so there is that. Not that it helps me catch up with the Faust series, but what can you do? Anyway, I was also happy to learn that there will be a third book, giving a whole trilogy to Nell, Tyler, and Seelie, and after finishing The Wise Men of Gotham, I can say I’m excited to see where Schaefer is taking these characters.
We are a few months after the events of The Hungry Dreaming, and Nell, Tyler, and Seelie getting into the rythym of their new lives. Tyler returns to his old passion of drawing; Seelie tries to figure out how to be a witch while also getting ready to graduate high school and trying to make friends; and Nell chases the next big story even though things changed at the newspaper and they are forced to do puff pieces. But when that ever stopped her from doing whatever she wanted?
The idyll doesn’t hold too long. The ghoul princess is knocking on Seelie’s door to collect one of the favors owned. Something or someone attacks ghouls and bleeds them out, Dergwyn wants to know who or why and she wants Seelie to give her those answers. On top of it, a mysterious illness is spreading in New York – people fall asleep wherever they are and never wake up. Seelie and the Sisterhood suspect magic to be behind it, but they don’t know how and why. Seelie being the only dream witch, feels responsible and wants to help. In the meantime, Nell and Tyler investigate the murder of a cop called Mathers who was also one of the witches and helped them previously. What they unearth is corruption within the police, a money laundering scheme that involves Seelie’s estranged father, and more.
You might think that there are too many things going on, how on earth does this make a coherent story? If it was anyone else’s book you might be right, but we are talking about a Craig Schaefer book here, and she positively thrives writing stories with multiple layers. You might not see how everything comes together, but you can trust that they will. And that makes The Wise Men of Gotham so damn much fun to read.
It was easy to fall back into this world, and these characters. I have a soft spot for found families, and I loved reading Nell, Tyler, and Seelie’s interactions, and their genuine love for each other. The contrast is especially sharp when we see Seelie and her father interacting with each other. I loved that section because that showed us how far Seelie had come, and how much her confidence grew in herself. That definitely was a key point in her character arc and was a strong statement. Her father doesn’t have power over her anymore, and that’s probably the moment when she lets go of her past once and for all. And this is also the moment where her father gives up on the son he never had.
I also enjoyed the parts where Nell and Tyler went investigating, but then I love a good investigation story, so there are no surprises there. I kind of wished there was a bit more to this side of the book, but knowing there is another one coming, I’m not too upset. It felt like that compared to The Hungry Dreaming, Seelie got the focus, and Nell and Tyler were kind of sidelined in the grand scheme of things. Which is not much of a problem, it still felt balanced, but on the other hand, I’d have liked more interaction between Seelie and the Sisterhood. We see her coming into her powers, to learn things, and her friendship with Max, but the others felt a bit absent. But I’m just totally nitpicking here.
The Wise Men of Gotham was an excellent follow-up, and I think I can say that I enjoyed it more than I did The Hungry Dreaming. Probably because the characters and the world are already established, so we can focus more on other things. It took me a bit longer to read it than I expected, but that was due to life than anything else. Once I got to actually focus on it, I breezed right through it. As with other Craig Schaefer books, The Wise Men of Gotham is an absolute page-turner. It has an intriguing mix of magic, action, noir, and occult elements that few can pull out the way Schaefer does. If you are a fan of her or enjoyed The Hungry Dreaming, then you shouldn’t miss out on this one either.
I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating: 4.5*
“Oi! Lassie!” shouted a voice to her left. Seelie had a moment of dissonance. Do you mean lassie like a girl or Lassie like the dog, because I’m not sure how to–
If I’m being 100% honest, I didn’t think I needed a sequel to The Hungry Dreaming, but one day it dropped into my inbox, and boy am I glad of it. Then again, I’m always happy when a new Schaefer book appears in the wild, so there is that. Not that it helps me catch up with the Faust series, but what can you do? Anyway, I was also happy to learn that there will be a third book, giving a whole trilogy to Nell, Tyler, and Seelie, and after finishing The Wise Men of Gotham, I can say I’m excited to see where Schaefer is taking these characters.
We are a few months after the events of The Hungry Dreaming, and Nell, Tyler, and Seelie getting into the rythym of their new lives. Tyler returns to his old passion of drawing; Seelie tries to figure out how to be a witch while also getting ready to graduate high school and trying to make friends; and Nell chases the next big story even though things changed at the newspaper and they are forced to do puff pieces. But when that ever stopped her from doing whatever she wanted?
The idyll doesn’t hold too long. The ghoul princess is knocking on Seelie’s door to collect one of the favors owned. Something or someone attacks ghouls and bleeds them out, Dergwyn wants to know who or why and she wants Seelie to give her those answers. On top of it, a mysterious illness is spreading in New York – people fall asleep wherever they are and never wake up. Seelie and the Sisterhood suspect magic to be behind it, but they don’t know how and why. Seelie being the only dream witch, feels responsible and wants to help. In the meantime, Nell and Tyler investigate the murder of a cop called Mathers who was also one of the witches and helped them previously. What they unearth is corruption within the police, a money laundering scheme that involves Seelie’s estranged father, and more.
You might think that there are too many things going on, how on earth does this make a coherent story? If it was anyone else’s book you might be right, but we are talking about a Craig Schaefer book here, and she positively thrives writing stories with multiple layers. You might not see how everything comes together, but you can trust that they will. And that makes The Wise Men of Gotham so damn much fun to read.
“The southwestern wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art was a gallery of graven faces and ancient poses, as if Medusa had strutted through a party in the heyday of old Greece and thrown the whole petrified assembly thousands of years across time.”
It was easy to fall back into this world, and these characters. I have a soft spot for found families, and I loved reading Nell, Tyler, and Seelie’s interactions, and their genuine love for each other. The contrast is especially sharp when we see Seelie and her father interacting with each other. I loved that section because that showed us how far Seelie had come, and how much her confidence grew in herself. That definitely was a key point in her character arc and was a strong statement. Her father doesn’t have power over her anymore, and that’s probably the moment when she lets go of her past once and for all. And this is also the moment where her father gives up on the son he never had.
I also enjoyed the parts where Nell and Tyler went investigating, but then I love a good investigation story, so there are no surprises there. I kind of wished there was a bit more to this side of the book, but knowing there is another one coming, I’m not too upset. It felt like that compared to The Hungry Dreaming, Seelie got the focus, and Nell and Tyler were kind of sidelined in the grand scheme of things. Which is not much of a problem, it still felt balanced, but on the other hand, I’d have liked more interaction between Seelie and the Sisterhood. We see her coming into her powers, to learn things, and her friendship with Max, but the others felt a bit absent. But I’m just totally nitpicking here.
The Wise Men of Gotham was an excellent follow-up, and I think I can say that I enjoyed it more than I did The Hungry Dreaming. Probably because the characters and the world are already established, so we can focus more on other things. It took me a bit longer to read it than I expected, but that was due to life than anything else. Once I got to actually focus on it, I breezed right through it. As with other Craig Schaefer books, The Wise Men of Gotham is an absolute page-turner. It has an intriguing mix of magic, action, noir, and occult elements that few can pull out the way Schaefer does. If you are a fan of her or enjoyed The Hungry Dreaming, then you shouldn’t miss out on this one either.
July 22, 2023
Schaefer always surprises and entertain us readers with a good story. His plots are condense, filled with suspense and action in equal measure equipped with well rounded characters that grows on you. This sequel to The Hungry Dreaming retains its vigour with a heady mix of mythology and supernatural shenanigans interweaved harmoniously. Most of the stories in his novels takes us on a wild detour of New York, Vegas, the shadowy parts of it brimming with chaos, magic, and mayhem. This is no exception.
I love how Schaefer is building up the world, and make no mistake, the threads of the overarching story is tied to his other novels set in a same world. I love the apparent allusions to his other characters that share the same world. Also, I never expected such a deconstructed outlook regarding the Alice story of Caroll. It was a fantastic touch. The story brings our attention to the systemic corruption and decay of the power mechanism existing in the society, gives a glimpse into the shady world of murder and money. It has that gritty noir feel attached.
The characters have been awesome so far. I love Seelie and her resilience. Her coming into terms with her own identity as a transgirl, along with the supporting duo of Nell and Tyler. Seelie is at the heart of this novel, but, Alyce, the supposed antagonist steals our empathy too. I'm glad that both Nell and Tyler has disclosed their feelings for each other. Moreover, bringing the Spider Goddess back was fulfilling, seeing her subtly helping her worshippers was good. Rest said, the epilogue hints at something much exciting, and mayhaps a new character, who is going to be the ace in the game. I can't wait to find out.
I love how Schaefer is building up the world, and make no mistake, the threads of the overarching story is tied to his other novels set in a same world. I love the apparent allusions to his other characters that share the same world. Also, I never expected such a deconstructed outlook regarding the Alice story of Caroll. It was a fantastic touch. The story brings our attention to the systemic corruption and decay of the power mechanism existing in the society, gives a glimpse into the shady world of murder and money. It has that gritty noir feel attached.
The characters have been awesome so far. I love Seelie and her resilience. Her coming into terms with her own identity as a transgirl, along with the supporting duo of Nell and Tyler. Seelie is at the heart of this novel, but, Alyce, the supposed antagonist steals our empathy too. I'm glad that both Nell and Tyler has disclosed their feelings for each other. Moreover, bringing the Spider Goddess back was fulfilling, seeing her subtly helping her worshippers was good. Rest said, the epilogue hints at something much exciting, and mayhaps a new character, who is going to be the ace in the game. I can't wait to find out.
February 10, 2024
Another fast paced, action packed banger and a mostly worthy sequel to The Hungy Dreaming. On the plus side, The Wise Men of Gotham gets right into the action whereas The Hungry Dreaming first had to get a lot of exposition out of the way. But with the main characters and their backgrounds firmly established in the first book, we only need a little status update and it's ready, set, go.
I love that the three central characters get a roughly equal amount of page time to shine, although Seelie is clearly the main protagonist at the center of the overarching narrative. I also like that once again, the main antagonist isn't just some irredeemable, cartoonishly evil villain and her motives aren't just black and white. Don't get me wrong, there are some absolutely black and white, cartoonishly evil villains in here, but they are not the main focus and more often than not seem very much out of their depth.
That being said, I have a few little gripes with how the story plays out. I also think that the Alice in Wonderland theme of the main plot is a little bit overshadowed by all the little sideplots and the different players trying to screw each other over. But all in all, I'm quite satisfied and look forward to where this series goes next. I also hope that sooner or later there will be a crossover with the characters from The Ghosts of Gotham series, Lionel and Nell might make for an interesting teamup and Madison might be a worthy teacher for Seelie, both of them being rather unconventional witches.
I love that the three central characters get a roughly equal amount of page time to shine, although Seelie is clearly the main protagonist at the center of the overarching narrative. I also like that once again, the main antagonist isn't just some irredeemable, cartoonishly evil villain and her motives aren't just black and white. Don't get me wrong, there are some absolutely black and white, cartoonishly evil villains in here, but they are not the main focus and more often than not seem very much out of their depth.
That being said, I have a few little gripes with how the story plays out. I also think that the Alice in Wonderland theme of the main plot is a little bit overshadowed by all the little sideplots and the different players trying to screw each other over. But all in all, I'm quite satisfied and look forward to where this series goes next. I also hope that sooner or later there will be a crossover with the characters from The Ghosts of Gotham series, Lionel and Nell might make for an interesting teamup and Madison might be a worthy teacher for Seelie, both of them being rather unconventional witches.
June 5, 2023
This was a fantastic read and a great Part 2 for the whole trilogy. It has the right balance of dark and heroics, it's creepy and nailbiting and then has moments of real tenderness and love between the characters (especially between Tyler and Seelie, Tyler having basically adopted Seelie and is helping her get back on her feet).
Absolutely recommend this book!
Absolutely recommend this book!
August 4, 2023
Absolutely amazing! I love this series
I am a huge Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking glass fan and this touched on aspects of both stories. I love the growth of the characters and progression of the tale. No spoilers in this review, just complements!
I am a huge Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking glass fan and this touched on aspects of both stories. I love the growth of the characters and progression of the tale. No spoilers in this review, just complements!
December 23, 2024
This series is so good with the sympathetic villains...
July 4, 2023
Wonderful.
An unexpected sequel to "The Hungry Dreaming," this one caught me by surprise.
I've been a fan of Schaefer's work for years. Honestly, Heather's books are all "buy on sight" for me by now. This one, from me to you, is worth it.
As if a rip-roaring storybook gone mad adventure wasn't enough of a reason to crack this volume up, Heather's prose has only gotten better with each book. "Wise Men" was a pure joy for my eyeballs.
An unexpected sequel to "The Hungry Dreaming," this one caught me by surprise.
I've been a fan of Schaefer's work for years. Honestly, Heather's books are all "buy on sight" for me by now. This one, from me to you, is worth it.
As if a rip-roaring storybook gone mad adventure wasn't enough of a reason to crack this volume up, Heather's prose has only gotten better with each book. "Wise Men" was a pure joy for my eyeballs.
August 29, 2023
A great read
Fantastic as always, and with a lot of depth in the characters and their interactions. Many thanks to the author.
Fantastic as always, and with a lot of depth in the characters and their interactions. Many thanks to the author.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews