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Vesik #3
Winter's Demon
Vesik, Book 3
Some things can never be undone. The horrors I've defeated—or even caused—with my own hands … they are nothing compared to what’s coming. Philip Pinkerton has brought his madness upon my family, my own blood. His army of necromancers is on the move, harbingers of a great darkness. I fear the war has begun ... and damn, I don't get paid enough for this.
Some things can never be undone. The horrors I've defeated—or even caused—with my own hands … they are nothing compared to what’s coming. Philip Pinkerton has brought his madness upon my family, my own blood. His army of necromancers is on the move, harbingers of a great darkness. I fear the war has begun ... and damn, I don't get paid enough for this.
332 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 12, 2014
69 people are currently reading
665 people want to read
About the author
Eric R. Asher
58 books668 followersEric R. Asher is the author of over 30 titles, including the Vesik urban fantasy series and the YA steampunk series, Steamborn. Look for his upcoming cozy fantasy, The Theme Park at the End of the World, in 2024. He is currently living in St. Louis, Missouri, where the local folklore often finds its way into his Mason Dixon: Monster Hunter rural fantasy series.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
January 16, 2020
Winter’s Demon by Eric Asher
Vesik series book 3. Necromancy urban fantasy. Best to read book 2 before this one.
The war is coming and it’s hitting close to home for Damian when his mother is kidnapped.
Lots of battles, gore, dead in the hundreds and lots of friend time talking about lunch or their car trips.
World building is engaging and the characters are distinct and varied.
I’m a little scared of the war obliterating the world. I will continue to read this series.
Vesik series book 3. Necromancy urban fantasy. Best to read book 2 before this one.
The war is coming and it’s hitting close to home for Damian when his mother is kidnapped.
Lots of battles, gore, dead in the hundreds and lots of friend time talking about lunch or their car trips.
World building is engaging and the characters are distinct and varied.
I’m a little scared of the war obliterating the world. I will continue to read this series.
June 29, 2014
This is "Winter's Demon", the third book in Author Eric R. Asher's "Vesik" Series. I was extremely excited to get a chance to read it, as I've been a huge fan of Mr Asher since his first book, "Days Gone Bad" and I wasn't disappointed! One again, Eric wrapped me up in his web of dark humor & even darker urban fantasy & reeled me in! You know how you occasionally find a book that you just can't put down, no matter what you try? Well, this entire series has been that way for me!
Eric's lead character, Damian, has been growing by leaps & bounds, as he adjusts into the world of necromancy, demons, fae, voodoo, vampires, werewolves & more.. As you would expect, Damian is constantly surrounded by death & evil, yet he sticks to his roots & works hard to not let it corrupt his soul, along with his mentor, the necromancer Zola.. Damian's vampire sister, Samantha, and his best friend, the fae warrior, Foster, are at his side once again, along with several other favorite characters from the past books.
Damian's mother is kidnapped by an evil necromancer & his father is devastated. Damian will do anything in his considerable power to bring his mother back home safely.
Damian, Zola, Samantha, his father Dimitry, Foster, and the rest of the Fae & vampires & even the quirky, yet loyal fire demon, Mike, work at Damian's side to help bring down the evil that has taken his mother & has even further plans to wreak disaster on the world..
The action is non-stop, yet easy to follow along. Eric has this intense way of writing his heart & soul into Damian's character & it shows in so many ways. Damian's loyalty is rarely questioned & his strength rarely falters because he knows he's not only fighting to get his mother back, but he truly is fighting to save the world. There are many intense, gory situation in the book and they are oftentimes accompanied by Mr Asher's trademark dark humor & it makes the book flow wonderfully, without any boring parts and you never feel left out of the world he has created.
Damian's best friend, Foster brings in lots of extra laughter & shocked gasps, with his quirkiness & his naughty sense of humor. Foster became one of my favorite book characters after the first Vesik novel. This is one unique character that you absolutely must check out! His humor & unwavering loyalty to Damian brings so many scenes together in perfect harmony. We all need that best friend in our life, who is there regardless of what difficult times are ahead or regardless of what danger you find yourself in.. Foster is that friend, indeed.. (A little note.. You must check out the coffee mug hot tub scene!:)
The battles for Damian's mother & their very lives are intense & you'll be gripping the edge of your seat, making those little gasping noises as you read, because again, Eric knows how to write an truly engrossing novel!
The humor I love so much ends up showing up when you least expect it & sometimes you'll be crying one moment & bursting out in laughter, snot-bubbles & all, the next moment! Seriously, if you are a fan of urban fantasy plus some intense dark humor, you don't want to miss this author!
Check out Eric Asher & Winter's Demon today!
Platinum Reviews gives Eric & Winter's Demon:
5 Platinum Rings!
~Vicki Rose
Platinum Book Reviews & Promotions
Eric's lead character, Damian, has been growing by leaps & bounds, as he adjusts into the world of necromancy, demons, fae, voodoo, vampires, werewolves & more.. As you would expect, Damian is constantly surrounded by death & evil, yet he sticks to his roots & works hard to not let it corrupt his soul, along with his mentor, the necromancer Zola.. Damian's vampire sister, Samantha, and his best friend, the fae warrior, Foster, are at his side once again, along with several other favorite characters from the past books.
Damian's mother is kidnapped by an evil necromancer & his father is devastated. Damian will do anything in his considerable power to bring his mother back home safely.
Damian, Zola, Samantha, his father Dimitry, Foster, and the rest of the Fae & vampires & even the quirky, yet loyal fire demon, Mike, work at Damian's side to help bring down the evil that has taken his mother & has even further plans to wreak disaster on the world..
The action is non-stop, yet easy to follow along. Eric has this intense way of writing his heart & soul into Damian's character & it shows in so many ways. Damian's loyalty is rarely questioned & his strength rarely falters because he knows he's not only fighting to get his mother back, but he truly is fighting to save the world. There are many intense, gory situation in the book and they are oftentimes accompanied by Mr Asher's trademark dark humor & it makes the book flow wonderfully, without any boring parts and you never feel left out of the world he has created.
Damian's best friend, Foster brings in lots of extra laughter & shocked gasps, with his quirkiness & his naughty sense of humor. Foster became one of my favorite book characters after the first Vesik novel. This is one unique character that you absolutely must check out! His humor & unwavering loyalty to Damian brings so many scenes together in perfect harmony. We all need that best friend in our life, who is there regardless of what difficult times are ahead or regardless of what danger you find yourself in.. Foster is that friend, indeed.. (A little note.. You must check out the coffee mug hot tub scene!:)
The battles for Damian's mother & their very lives are intense & you'll be gripping the edge of your seat, making those little gasping noises as you read, because again, Eric knows how to write an truly engrossing novel!
The humor I love so much ends up showing up when you least expect it & sometimes you'll be crying one moment & bursting out in laughter, snot-bubbles & all, the next moment! Seriously, if you are a fan of urban fantasy plus some intense dark humor, you don't want to miss this author!
Check out Eric Asher & Winter's Demon today!
Platinum Reviews gives Eric & Winter's Demon:
5 Platinum Rings!
~Vicki Rose
Platinum Book Reviews & Promotions
July 29, 2020
So book 2 is my favorite in the series so far, but this one was enjoyable as well. There are so many characters to keep up with but slowly they are getting more and more easy for me to recall. They are also hilarious together. An epic battle is brewing and I think this books served as a bridge. Very interested in following this story through!
November 19, 2016
Damian is right back in it again. Some months have passed from the events in book two. Nixie, the water witch is away but they’re still together. He talks to her on a kind of magic water-phone. Daaaw.
But the evil necromancers, Phillip Pinkerton, Zacariah and Ezekiel, go after his parents and kidnap his Mum. And his Dad is pretty dangerous with a shotgun; more so when Mike the fire demon gives him a special human-only one that fires explosive rockets.
I get that they have to travel to another town, but there is a lot of sitting around and chatting in this book given you know things are at high stakes. Pinkerton’s people are taking down watchers now (the magic cleanup guys - like men in black) and Edgar who loved slapping them with fines for everything is now helping. There is some mystery about Edgar, he seems as old or older than Zola, and he said ‘us’ necromancers or something like that.
There is an interlude at a magic southern hotel where the doors are supposed to only allow the room occupant to enter, but every man and his dog… well, wolf, come into Damian’s room. Lots of talk of breakfast and meals. And omg you’re under attack! Pay attention!!
The wolves Carter and Maggie, sacrificed together in book two, have become the alpha pair in the afterlife. Yep a pack of ghost werewolves [neat idea] and they can go places others can’t and they are still fighting the good fight. They’ve just told Vesik they saw demons kill a child and Vicky (the murdered child from book 1) destroyed them for it. She destroyed demons in their own world.
Guess she’s dropping into planes she shouldn’t be in, as well.
Each time Damian sees her, she’s more corporeal.
Each time Vesik interferes with ‘natural’ deaths, the ghosts seem to have too much power.
Damian’s car dash coffee mug heater has become a tiny hot tub for naked fairies. *snorts*
It is the most mundane thing that breaks it all apart; somebody films and uploads a vid of the good guys fighting the bad guys in the back street of the shop. It goes viral. Various experts weigh in on whether it is special effects or not, and mostly decide not. Edgar’s watchers have been decimated by Ezekiel and there aren’t enough of them with knowledge of tech to ‘fix’ it and remove it from the world wide web.
This makes a lot of sense.
Plus, the fae are pissed. They have been attacked, the ways are being used by Pinkerton with his literal skeleton key of the hand of a dead king, and now the magic has been revealed? They will close ranks and borders and fight. And Nixie is on the other side.
***
I have some issues. And I just spent fifteen minutes trying to explain to kid 1 what they were and I’m still not that clear on them myself.
Asher dips into a lot of different pantheons; everything from the bible, to Eldritch gods, to greek gods, to demons, to vampires, to Egyptian, to Fae, to Native American, to a current style of crystal magic users. Sort of. He uses runes, spells, wands, soul blades, Latin, dark grimoires, Celtic folklore, magic hammers, and fairy stuff. It’s a real mishmash. And some of it doesn’t work here.
But still with a common ground of Civil War battles being a nexus for ley lines. I’ve walked a few Civil War battlefields and they all seemed to be flat grassy paddocks, but lord knows what’s under the surface. It makes sense that necromancers would see those places as power sources, batteries, or holes into hell. But if you’re talking really old gods then that is all too recent for them. You know? There’s worse battlefields elsewhere in the world.
The fae can open ‘the ways’ to anywhere in the world, but these guys never stray from a day trip around St Louis. Does that make sense?
And it’s super gory. I mean they go to a small town and the bad guys got there first and the whole town is dead. Killed in torturous ways and then zombified. It’s visceral. And that feels right for a necromancer.
They have a fight in a mall and hundreds of innocent bystanders die. (Wait… how the hell did the Watchers cover that one up?) In those times, it works but then I am listening to the audio-book and there are times when I am asking myself how this many characters (some very large. Vesik is 6ft 5 and Mike the demon over 7ft) can fit inside Vesik’s old car. It’s got extra space? What? Like a Vietnamese taxi made out of an old American car, with three rows of seats?
There are a lot of repeated moments: everyone pauses then laughs at a joke (like a bad sitcom), the fae pull out their sword a little and then slam it in to the scabbard whilst darkly threatening someone, Zola is screaming at Vesik ‘don’t do it’ and *surprise* he does it…
This review is as confused as I clearly am… but by book 3 I’m invested.
I want to say that this one had fewer issues than the previous books, but then made some new ones. Sighs.
The narrator seemed better. He even lost his ‘accent’ at times.
It’s 3.5 maybe 4 stars for the ghost werewolves. I adore werewolves.
But the evil necromancers, Phillip Pinkerton, Zacariah and Ezekiel, go after his parents and kidnap his Mum. And his Dad is pretty dangerous with a shotgun; more so when Mike the fire demon gives him a special human-only one that fires explosive rockets.
I get that they have to travel to another town, but there is a lot of sitting around and chatting in this book given you know things are at high stakes. Pinkerton’s people are taking down watchers now (the magic cleanup guys - like men in black) and Edgar who loved slapping them with fines for everything is now helping. There is some mystery about Edgar, he seems as old or older than Zola, and he said ‘us’ necromancers or something like that.
There is an interlude at a magic southern hotel where the doors are supposed to only allow the room occupant to enter, but every man and his dog… well, wolf, come into Damian’s room. Lots of talk of breakfast and meals. And omg you’re under attack! Pay attention!!
The wolves Carter and Maggie, sacrificed together in book two, have become the alpha pair in the afterlife. Yep a pack of ghost werewolves [neat idea] and they can go places others can’t and they are still fighting the good fight. They’ve just told Vesik they saw demons kill a child and Vicky (the murdered child from book 1) destroyed them for it. She destroyed demons in their own world.
Guess she’s dropping into planes she shouldn’t be in, as well.
Each time Damian sees her, she’s more corporeal.
Each time Vesik interferes with ‘natural’ deaths, the ghosts seem to have too much power.
Damian’s car dash coffee mug heater has become a tiny hot tub for naked fairies. *snorts*
It is the most mundane thing that breaks it all apart; somebody films and uploads a vid of the good guys fighting the bad guys in the back street of the shop. It goes viral. Various experts weigh in on whether it is special effects or not, and mostly decide not. Edgar’s watchers have been decimated by Ezekiel and there aren’t enough of them with knowledge of tech to ‘fix’ it and remove it from the world wide web.
This makes a lot of sense.
Plus, the fae are pissed. They have been attacked, the ways are being used by Pinkerton with his literal skeleton key of the hand of a dead king, and now the magic has been revealed? They will close ranks and borders and fight. And Nixie is on the other side.
***
I have some issues. And I just spent fifteen minutes trying to explain to kid 1 what they were and I’m still not that clear on them myself.
Asher dips into a lot of different pantheons; everything from the bible, to Eldritch gods, to greek gods, to demons, to vampires, to Egyptian, to Fae, to Native American, to a current style of crystal magic users. Sort of. He uses runes, spells, wands, soul blades, Latin, dark grimoires, Celtic folklore, magic hammers, and fairy stuff. It’s a real mishmash. And some of it doesn’t work here.
But still with a common ground of Civil War battles being a nexus for ley lines. I’ve walked a few Civil War battlefields and they all seemed to be flat grassy paddocks, but lord knows what’s under the surface. It makes sense that necromancers would see those places as power sources, batteries, or holes into hell. But if you’re talking really old gods then that is all too recent for them. You know? There’s worse battlefields elsewhere in the world.
The fae can open ‘the ways’ to anywhere in the world, but these guys never stray from a day trip around St Louis. Does that make sense?
And it’s super gory. I mean they go to a small town and the bad guys got there first and the whole town is dead. Killed in torturous ways and then zombified. It’s visceral. And that feels right for a necromancer.
They have a fight in a mall and hundreds of innocent bystanders die. (Wait… how the hell did the Watchers cover that one up?) In those times, it works but then I am listening to the audio-book and there are times when I am asking myself how this many characters (some very large. Vesik is 6ft 5 and Mike the demon over 7ft) can fit inside Vesik’s old car. It’s got extra space? What? Like a Vietnamese taxi made out of an old American car, with three rows of seats?
There are a lot of repeated moments: everyone pauses then laughs at a joke (like a bad sitcom), the fae pull out their sword a little and then slam it in to the scabbard whilst darkly threatening someone, Zola is screaming at Vesik ‘don’t do it’ and *surprise* he does it…
This review is as confused as I clearly am… but by book 3 I’m invested.
I want to say that this one had fewer issues than the previous books, but then made some new ones. Sighs.
The narrator seemed better. He even lost his ‘accent’ at times.
It’s 3.5 maybe 4 stars for the ghost werewolves. I adore werewolves.
August 23, 2020
A war is coming and Damian and friends are once again caught up in a battle that constantly changes. This time they are racing to save Damian and Sam's mother. Old friends and new friends, including a few gods, are called on to help save her. This was another fast paced book (I'm doing audible), with new characters and new locations. I will admit I got confused a few times with so many characters, but I still managed to follow the story. Despite the dangers, deaths and destruction, the banter among friends is strong and occasionally inappropriate. But what do you do when you stare death in the eyes? I'm looking forward to the next book.
December 31, 2021
There was a lot of action in this book from the beginning. You have to pay close attention to make some of the connections to characters from the previous books in this series. I wish there was a little more dialogue in between some of the battles in the first part of the book because it would assist with pulling everything together. That was given to me more towards the end of the book and when I started connecting the dots I was able to mentally review the previous fight scenes and make better sense of them. I would still recommend this series. Please be sure to read them in order.
November 7, 2018
These books seem to get better as they go along. Asher seems to be finding a stride. Book 1 honestly made me think of a cheesy Dresdan rip off, but it is starting to develop into an entertaining story.
June 17, 2021
First let me start off by saying that by putting down the Vesik series books for a little while, I’ve kind of forgotten who is who exactly, outside of the primary characters like Damian, Foster, Zola, Sam, Frank, Bubbles, Peanut, etc, so suffice it to say there where times where I had to just wing who was whom, and what they looked liked. Anyways, as far as this book goes, it’s honestly still on course with the rest of the books I’ve read which is only books 2 & 3 (this one). The first book didn’t seem as in-depth or at least this great battle hadn’t really come to their doorstep just yet. However, that is NOT the case in this book. Not only has the ancient battle of Zola vs Phillip been made worse, by deaths of certain tertiary characters, a zombie uprising within a town, etc but now, Damian’s parents are somehow involved & Sam & Damian are not too pleased at allll. Overall, it’s a solid book & if the ending has any sort of indication of where it might be heading, well.. I just hope a supernatural battle doesn’t go down in Gettysburg, I could see that going baaaad, QUICKLY!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2018
I'm enjoying the series.
It has so many elements that I love. I don't understand why while I like the cast I don't really feel that connection to the characters. Maybe because all the players are in play at once, it gets a little busy. Some of the side characters are really interesting though. There are a couple I'd like to get more in depth with. Maybe have just a couple of the side characters be showcased in one book, so you can really get to know them better.
Lots of action. I was glad to see Carter again.
I like that there is a bigger arch to the story, than is covered in one book.
I want to see the big arch through to the end. There are so many players, and my memory is such sh*t that I can't really take a big break between books. I'll be back for the next book very soon.
It has so many elements that I love. I don't understand why while I like the cast I don't really feel that connection to the characters. Maybe because all the players are in play at once, it gets a little busy. Some of the side characters are really interesting though. There are a couple I'd like to get more in depth with. Maybe have just a couple of the side characters be showcased in one book, so you can really get to know them better.
Lots of action. I was glad to see Carter again.
I like that there is a bigger arch to the story, than is covered in one book.
I want to see the big arch through to the end. There are so many players, and my memory is such sh*t that I can't really take a big break between books. I'll be back for the next book very soon.
January 17, 2024
The third book in the Vesik series is filled with nonstop action from start to finish. Damian and his friends have very little time breath between battles. Every time they defeat one enemy or make it out of a dangerous situation, another on pops up. The cast of characters is large and several new beings were introduced in the book. Sometimes keeping them straight is a bit difficult. One character missing for the most part was Nixie. I love her relationship with Damian and hope she has a bigger role in future books. At the end of the book Damian discovers shocking information about himself. I can’t wait to see how it plays out. I highly recommend this book and series. The series needs to be read in order.
I listened to the audio book. The narrator is amazing. I highly recommend this version of the book.
I listened to the audio book. The narrator is amazing. I highly recommend this version of the book.
January 15, 2021
I would recommend not to read this while reading right after reading the Dresden files. The books are different but they have similarities- male protagonists, magic, urban, vampires, werewolves.
Pros: great characters, I like the MC. Lots of magic, as an urban fantasy, I like the fact that you don't have to wait chapters to see something happening. Also, I like the fact not all the women there were cute sexy- you know typical men writing fantasy.
Cons: The first book was good. Second book took me forever. Third book put me to sleep. It gets a bit repetitive in the middle. And when the end came it felt like I read 10 books.
Pros: great characters, I like the MC. Lots of magic, as an urban fantasy, I like the fact that you don't have to wait chapters to see something happening. Also, I like the fact not all the women there were cute sexy- you know typical men writing fantasy.
Cons: The first book was good. Second book took me forever. Third book put me to sleep. It gets a bit repetitive in the middle. And when the end came it felt like I read 10 books.
October 30, 2023
Vesik gets a panicked phone call from his sister – their family home has been attacked and their mother has been kidnapped. Damien and the crew go into fight mode to get her back. It means fighting Phillip and Ezekiel to rescue her. Damien is touched by how many of his friends come to his aid. We learn more about Phillip and how they might be able to get rid of him. Zola is determined that Phillip must die – but there are warnings about repercussions if they were to take Phillip and Ezekiel down. The story takes a dark turn and I’m looking forward to see how they manage to navigate the next steps.
December 10, 2024
The series charges forward with Damian diving headfirst into action, as his fierce determination takes center stage. While his love, Nixie, plays a smaller role, the rest of the cast returns with a few changes, including the delightful Peanut and Bubbles—creatures I’d happily adopt into my home. The battles are intense and deeply personal, with Damian’s mother’s abduction adding emotional stakes. The story wraps up with satisfying closure, yet a tantalizing hook ensures I’ll be eagerly diving into the next installment.
December 31, 2021
Winter's Demon has a shocking start, keeping Damian and his crew fighting one battle after another until the very end. I love it every time a new character gets the sight to see the fae and supernatural stuff. Their reactions are always funny. Many things are set up in this book, hints of bigger secrets to come. The end includes a couple teasers that could go in any direction and I can't wait to see what's next!
July 31, 2021
Mad Old Gods
This series must be read in order. This is the third book. I can't wait to read "This Broken World"!
Vesik's life was complicated before his Master Zola's ex lover joined forces with the mad God Anubis. Phillip needs to get dead. Will they be able to stand against their enemies and survive? How many more turn coats are there?
This series must be read in order. This is the third book. I can't wait to read "This Broken World"!
Vesik's life was complicated before his Master Zola's ex lover joined forces with the mad God Anubis. Phillip needs to get dead. Will they be able to stand against their enemies and survive? How many more turn coats are there?
May 7, 2017
I found a lot of parts of this story very slow. The action certainly ramped up at the end! I probably would have enjoyed this better if I hadn't listened to all three books one after the other, but the way the audio book was set up, I felt it would be best to just finish it all.
November 1, 2017
Really good series so far, really like the action and word building. Especially the good guy necromancers. The only criticism I'd have is that these books are extremely busy - so many characters, all of them cool, but sometimes hard to keep track of.
December 27, 2017
Great Vesik is back and this time Phillip has kidnapped his mom. Oh yeah there's gonna be Hell to pay when the woman you kidnap is the mother of a necromancer and a vampire, and wife to a bad ass husband. Great conclusion to the first part of the series, can't wait to get a chance to read more!
April 2, 2018
interesting little series. the sub characters are fairly stereotypical with different mythological flairs thrown in. the main character is fairly thin i keep hoping in future books there will be back story . but the series is getting better as it goes
June 13, 2018
There is a huge amount of action and story telling going on in this book. Eric Asher again brings a well done take to the world of Vesik. He also pulls characters from across the series and attempts to show them as a team not to be trifeled with.
February 3, 2017
Great series!
The books in the series have been getting better and better. I can't wait to start reading the next one
The books in the series have been getting better and better. I can't wait to start reading the next one
August 12, 2017
Boring, Boring, Boring!
March 31, 2018
Well it didn’t get better.
April 7, 2018
I'm enjoying the characters and seeing what's going to happen next.
April 30, 2018
By far my favorite of the series so far. High intensity, good character development - reminds me of why I fell in love with the Dresden series.
June 18, 2018
Book three is the best one yet
September 14, 2018
great series
January 23, 2019
The Fairies are awesome, living in a Grandfather clock to their enormous appetites! I love the development of Frank and Ashley.
February 20, 2019
I thought the third book was a bit of a letdown. The story started to drag on and it ended with a lot of loose ends.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews