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The Shifter Chronicles #2
Summoned Chaos
If there's one thing Warlock Marcus Shifter hates it's the Delwinn Council, the governing body of the magical community. Between the grudges many on the Council harbor because he walked away from magic, and his suspicions that someone is working to undermine a twenty-year peace with the non-magical Normals, they really don't get along.
Marcus has spent months hunting the traitor, infiltrating the Council and helping with "menial tasks" like repairing unstable rifts in the fabric of reality. But when he accidentally thwarts an assassination attempt at Delwinn HQ, the Council does the they appoint him the poster child for the peace movement.
Now Marcus has to not only figure out how to control his resurging powers but also navigate the potentially fatal waters of fame. Between the growing number of protestors, news-hungry paparazzi, and nightmarish beasts hounding his every move, he'll need more than a camera-ready smile to uncover the traitor and keep the peace.
Don't miss Undead Chaos, available now!
99,000 words
Marcus has spent months hunting the traitor, infiltrating the Council and helping with "menial tasks" like repairing unstable rifts in the fabric of reality. But when he accidentally thwarts an assassination attempt at Delwinn HQ, the Council does the they appoint him the poster child for the peace movement.
Now Marcus has to not only figure out how to control his resurging powers but also navigate the potentially fatal waters of fame. Between the growing number of protestors, news-hungry paparazzi, and nightmarish beasts hounding his every move, he'll need more than a camera-ready smile to uncover the traitor and keep the peace.
Don't miss Undead Chaos, available now!
99,000 words
278 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
4 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Joshua Roots
3 books35 followersJoshua Roots is a car enthusiast, beekeeper, and storyteller. He enjoys singing with his a cappella chorus, golf, and all facets of Sci-Fi/Fantasy. He's still waiting for his acceptance letter to Hogwarts and Rogue Squadron. He and his wife will talk your ear off about their bees if you let them.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 21, 2022
Warlock Marcus Shifter has a lot of growing up to do, whether he wants to or not. Set in the wake of "Undead Chaos" the hunt is on for the traitor within the ranks of the ruling elite, the Council.
The Mimics are back and still behaving both badly and out of character - they've launched a no holds barred attack on the Council's HQ and Marcus finds himself in the thick of battle.
With Normal and Skilled casualties the authorities on both sides need a hero and Marcus reluctantly finds himself in the spotlight.
Participation in shoring up the Council used to be anathema to him, but now he's coming to realise that, through luck or fate, he's central to the changes that will be needed in the coming years.
With newly granted access to the secret Council records Marcus seeks to find out who obliterated the details of a similar Mimic attack 70 years ago from almost all official documents. Could that person be responsible for the current events?
It all leads to a memorable finale, the traitor revealed, but you get the distinct impression that this is not the end of this strand of the story.
3 Stars.
The Mimics are back and still behaving both badly and out of character - they've launched a no holds barred attack on the Council's HQ and Marcus finds himself in the thick of battle.
With Normal and Skilled casualties the authorities on both sides need a hero and Marcus reluctantly finds himself in the spotlight.
Participation in shoring up the Council used to be anathema to him, but now he's coming to realise that, through luck or fate, he's central to the changes that will be needed in the coming years.
With newly granted access to the secret Council records Marcus seeks to find out who obliterated the details of a similar Mimic attack 70 years ago from almost all official documents. Could that person be responsible for the current events?
It all leads to a memorable finale, the traitor revealed, but you get the distinct impression that this is not the end of this strand of the story.
3 Stars.
September 15, 2014
Summoned Chaos picks up a step off the heels of Undead Chaos. Some things have changed, with Warlock Marcus Shifter now embedded in a Skilled rapid response team. But some things remain the same, such as hostile secrecy and factions among the Skilled's powerful Elders and ruling Council. Almost immediately, the Council's HQ is attacked by supernaturals behaving with abnormal aggression. Marcus and a normal (unSkilled) guard lead the defense and end up behind held forth as poster children for Skilled and normals working together to defend all.
It's not the best place for Marcus, with his permeable mental filter and no-BS attitude. And it's not a great time for him to be in the public eye with his girlfriend Quinn trying to stay off the grid, and anti-Skilled tensions running high within the normal community. Marcus's search for answers related to rifts that have been appearing with increased frequency and odd characteristics starts him on a search through a deeply-rooted conspiracy. As bodies start piling up, and attacks turn personal, he decides to use his 15 minutes to bring dark secrets to light.
This series is characterized by outstanding action sequences (hybrid magic and physical), strong relationships (refreshing in urban fantasy) and dire stakes. Fun, fast and highly entertaining.
It's not the best place for Marcus, with his permeable mental filter and no-BS attitude. And it's not a great time for him to be in the public eye with his girlfriend Quinn trying to stay off the grid, and anti-Skilled tensions running high within the normal community. Marcus's search for answers related to rifts that have been appearing with increased frequency and odd characteristics starts him on a search through a deeply-rooted conspiracy. As bodies start piling up, and attacks turn personal, he decides to use his 15 minutes to bring dark secrets to light.
This series is characterized by outstanding action sequences (hybrid magic and physical), strong relationships (refreshing in urban fantasy) and dire stakes. Fun, fast and highly entertaining.
May 4, 2021
Another Great Read
Loved the sequel as much--possibly more--than the first book. Looking forward to the next. Predictably there are still a few loose threads...
Loved the sequel as much--possibly more--than the first book. Looking forward to the next. Predictably there are still a few loose threads...
August 8, 2014
Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy
SUMMONED CHAOS bears similarities to other books like The Dresden Files series with rogue wizards battling evil with a can-do attitude and badass fighting skills. While following in the shadows of great wizards like Harry Dresden can be tough and make the storyline feel redundant or boring, Marcus Shifter makes his own footprint in the urban fantasy genre. Beyond his ability to do awesome magic. I adore his sarcasm as even in the direst of situations he can be counted on to say something utterly hilarious to bring a sense of levity to the story. I enjoy that he isn’t jaded by everything he’s seen and done. While he does feel guilt for past misdeeds he keeps on going to fight the good fight like the Energizer Bunny with a Glock and a smart-ass attitude.
Along with Marcus being a genuine delight and excellent wizard and marksman with a heart of gold, there are some wonderfully fleshed out secondary characters that I also enjoyed learning more about like his girlfriend and sorceress, Quinn. She’s not damsel-in-distress material and can hold her own in a battle alongside Marcus. Every character is wonderful in his or her own way especially Marcus’s Minotaur roommate, Steve. Everything that comes from this guy’s mouth is hilarious and clever. He is a revelation and I want, no need a short story or two involving him. What I love about all of these characters and this book in general is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. While this is by no means a light-hearted jaunt I appreciated the moments of humor and wit woven into the story.
The storyline is a great mystery with some shocking twists and betrayals. The world building in this series is really interesting and well developed. I also like that while SUMMONED CHAOS is the second book in the Shifter Chonicles it can be read first without feeling lost though that would mean missing out on more Marcus, Steve and everyone else from the first book, UNDEAD CHAOS.
SUMMONED CHAOS bears similarities to other books like The Dresden Files series with rogue wizards battling evil with a can-do attitude and badass fighting skills. While following in the shadows of great wizards like Harry Dresden can be tough and make the storyline feel redundant or boring, Marcus Shifter makes his own footprint in the urban fantasy genre. Beyond his ability to do awesome magic. I adore his sarcasm as even in the direst of situations he can be counted on to say something utterly hilarious to bring a sense of levity to the story. I enjoy that he isn’t jaded by everything he’s seen and done. While he does feel guilt for past misdeeds he keeps on going to fight the good fight like the Energizer Bunny with a Glock and a smart-ass attitude.
Along with Marcus being a genuine delight and excellent wizard and marksman with a heart of gold, there are some wonderfully fleshed out secondary characters that I also enjoyed learning more about like his girlfriend and sorceress, Quinn. She’s not damsel-in-distress material and can hold her own in a battle alongside Marcus. Every character is wonderful in his or her own way especially Marcus’s Minotaur roommate, Steve. Everything that comes from this guy’s mouth is hilarious and clever. He is a revelation and I want, no need a short story or two involving him. What I love about all of these characters and this book in general is that it doesn’t take itself too seriously. While this is by no means a light-hearted jaunt I appreciated the moments of humor and wit woven into the story.
The storyline is a great mystery with some shocking twists and betrayals. The world building in this series is really interesting and well developed. I also like that while SUMMONED CHAOS is the second book in the Shifter Chonicles it can be read first without feeling lost though that would mean missing out on more Marcus, Steve and everyone else from the first book, UNDEAD CHAOS.
August 3, 2014
I know the author of this book from Absolute Write, but even without that connection I would have been looking forward to this. The previous volume, Undead Chaos, forced its way into my top-10 for that year based on it being a really fun adventure with characters I really liked and an exciting climax.
Summoned Chaos, the second Marcus Shifter book, picks up a little way down the timeline from the ending of the last one. Marcus has joined a group of magic users closing a series of rifts which have been opening up all over the place, letting otherworldly horrors into our reality. But when something goes awry at one of the scenes, Marcus gets thrown into a limelight he never wanted, and tries to shine a light of his own on the possibility that something far more wrong is going on.
I have to say, Marcus' journey was a bit of a highlight for me this time. Anyone who follows my reviews at all knows I don't tend to really like main characters as anything other than the drivers of the plot. But this time, seeing Marcus grappling with a lot of personal shortcomings was the more gripping bit - and that's with all sorts of intrigue, battles and car chases to compare it to. :)
Also making a welcome return appearance were... well, I mean, everyone. I like pretty much everyone in this series. But ESPECIALLY welcome were Steve, Marcus' heterosexual life partner minotaur friend who basically steals every scene he's in, and Jethrow, the guy on the receiving end of a rather one-sided rivalry Marcus has going on. I do wish we got more of Quinn, but c'est la vie. We can't have everything.
Overall, while I really enjoyed this book as well, I don't think I liked it quite as much as the previous one. Because it has the dual task of catching new readers up on what they missed if they skipped book 1 and catching the rest of us up on what happened in between books, the beginning feels a little exposition heavy. However, once it settles in and really lets rip with its own plot, it got really hard to put down.
Summoned Chaos, the second Marcus Shifter book, picks up a little way down the timeline from the ending of the last one. Marcus has joined a group of magic users closing a series of rifts which have been opening up all over the place, letting otherworldly horrors into our reality. But when something goes awry at one of the scenes, Marcus gets thrown into a limelight he never wanted, and tries to shine a light of his own on the possibility that something far more wrong is going on.
I have to say, Marcus' journey was a bit of a highlight for me this time. Anyone who follows my reviews at all knows I don't tend to really like main characters as anything other than the drivers of the plot. But this time, seeing Marcus grappling with a lot of personal shortcomings was the more gripping bit - and that's with all sorts of intrigue, battles and car chases to compare it to. :)
Also making a welcome return appearance were... well, I mean, everyone. I like pretty much everyone in this series. But ESPECIALLY welcome were Steve, Marcus' heterosexual life partner minotaur friend who basically steals every scene he's in, and Jethrow, the guy on the receiving end of a rather one-sided rivalry Marcus has going on. I do wish we got more of Quinn, but c'est la vie. We can't have everything.
Overall, while I really enjoyed this book as well, I don't think I liked it quite as much as the previous one. Because it has the dual task of catching new readers up on what they missed if they skipped book 1 and catching the rest of us up on what happened in between books, the beginning feels a little exposition heavy. However, once it settles in and really lets rip with its own plot, it got really hard to put down.
December 28, 2014
A Very Good Read
Roots returns Marcus Shifter to us in a larger, darker, and more complex story that definitely satisfies, albeit with a dash of convolution. If you enjoyed the first book in the series, you will likely enjoy this second book.
We get to have a deeper,darker, and more dangerous mystery, much more fighting, more characters, more relationship changes, and a heaping of politics. The story is a good one, and so is the character development. There were a few twists and turns that had me confused, and just a teensy bit more grammatical knots than the first time, but overall I was really quite satisfied after the ride was over.
I hope to see more books in this series, and I've definitively put Mr. Roots on my "Watch whatever this author does" list.
Roots returns Marcus Shifter to us in a larger, darker, and more complex story that definitely satisfies, albeit with a dash of convolution. If you enjoyed the first book in the series, you will likely enjoy this second book.
We get to have a deeper,darker, and more dangerous mystery, much more fighting, more characters, more relationship changes, and a heaping of politics. The story is a good one, and so is the character development. There were a few twists and turns that had me confused, and just a teensy bit more grammatical knots than the first time, but overall I was really quite satisfied after the ride was over.
I hope to see more books in this series, and I've definitively put Mr. Roots on my "Watch whatever this author does" list.
May 16, 2015
3.5 stars. This was still good, as Roots clearly writes a good story. But it didn't hold together for me as well as the first one did. I think the primary difference is that the first in the series (Undead Chaos) set us up in this amazingly wondrous and complex universe. The second book tried to drop us in but kept having to reexplain the complexity... and it didn't do that as smoothly as I would have liked. It ended up being an action story playing catchup on a different book's depths. And that just didn't work for me as well as the first book did.
So I liked it. I'm glad I read it. I will definitely read more from this author. But I hope he can find a better balance toward what he did so well in the first.
So I liked it. I'm glad I read it. I will definitely read more from this author. But I hope he can find a better balance toward what he did so well in the first.
June 7, 2016
A less than gripping story in a fascinating world but i could do with a little more to separate it from all the other urban fantasy series out there. In fact as the book went on it kept on feeling more and more Dresden It never felt like a story that needed to be told and was just the dull transitional book other series have once they are more established
April 18, 2016
Good follow up
I like that the second book started with the ending of the first. I will be reading the third book which sound like it will take off right after this one in time. Good story, well written characters and a nicely created world. All around a good reading experience well worth the time and money.
I like that the second book started with the ending of the first. I will be reading the third book which sound like it will take off right after this one in time. Good story, well written characters and a nicely created world. All around a good reading experience well worth the time and money.
January 27, 2017
Likeable main character and a fair amount of action. Mysterious rifts open and dangerous creatures come out... There was also a lot of council politics in this one, both infighting and a larger picture of Normal/Skilled relations, which I was less invested in.
July 13, 2015
Great read; easy on the eyes; a touch of Dresden and a dash of Verus.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews