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Cal Leandros #10
Nevermore
People die.
Everyone knows that. I knew it intimately as everyone in my life died thanks to my one seemingly harmless mistake. I'd brought down Heaven, lifted up Hell, and set the world on fire, all due to one slip of the memory.
I forgot the pizzas...
Caliban is a dead man. The Vigil, a group devoted to concealing the paranormal from humanity, has decided Cal has stepped out of the shadows once too often, and death is the only sentence. They plan to send a supernatural assassin into the past to take down the younger, less lethal Cal.
But things change when The Vigil makes one last attempt on Caliban's life in the present—and end up destroying everyone and everything he cares about.
Now, Cal has to save himself, warn those closest to him, and kill every Vigil bastard who stole his world. But if he fails, he and everyone in his life will be history…
Everyone knows that. I knew it intimately as everyone in my life died thanks to my one seemingly harmless mistake. I'd brought down Heaven, lifted up Hell, and set the world on fire, all due to one slip of the memory.
I forgot the pizzas...
Caliban is a dead man. The Vigil, a group devoted to concealing the paranormal from humanity, has decided Cal has stepped out of the shadows once too often, and death is the only sentence. They plan to send a supernatural assassin into the past to take down the younger, less lethal Cal.
But things change when The Vigil makes one last attempt on Caliban's life in the present—and end up destroying everyone and everything he cares about.
Now, Cal has to save himself, warn those closest to him, and kill every Vigil bastard who stole his world. But if he fails, he and everyone in his life will be history…
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 2015
53 people are currently reading
1120 people want to read
About the author
Rob Thurman
43 books1,562 followersRob Thurman is currently writing three series for Penguin Putnam's imprint ROC FANTASY, as well as a brand-new mainstream series for Simon & Schuster's POCKET BOOKS.
Rob has also written for a Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner Anthology, WOLFSBANE AND MISTLETOE. This year, Rob contributed a post-apocalyptic, "grim" faerie tale Western to the anthology, COURTS OF THE FEY.
Rob's work is dark, non-stop action from beginning to end, rife with purely evil sarcasm as sharp as a switchblade - and probably nearly as illegal. If one shoved LORD OF THE RINGS,
THE SHINING, and PULP FICTION into a wood-chipper, the result would be what Rob aims to deliver in a novel or short story.
A member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), ROB THURMAN lives in RURAL Indiana - land of endless fields, infinite cows and where dialup is still the only soul-crushing option.
Rob has also written for a Charlaine Harris & Toni L.P. Kelner Anthology, WOLFSBANE AND MISTLETOE. This year, Rob contributed a post-apocalyptic, "grim" faerie tale Western to the anthology, COURTS OF THE FEY.
Rob's work is dark, non-stop action from beginning to end, rife with purely evil sarcasm as sharp as a switchblade - and probably nearly as illegal. If one shoved LORD OF THE RINGS,
THE SHINING, and PULP FICTION into a wood-chipper, the result would be what Rob aims to deliver in a novel or short story.
A member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), ROB THURMAN lives in RURAL Indiana - land of endless fields, infinite cows and where dialup is still the only soul-crushing option.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 134 reviews
December 23, 2015
AAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!
Can you hear me screaming????
That is the sound of me reacting to . Thurman should be taken out and shot. This is the first time she's done this in the series, and I Do Not Approve.
Sheesh.
Other than that --
There isn't a whole lot of plot to this one. It's mostly a long collection of digressions, diversions, flashbacks, and sidesteps -- but it's still chock full of that Leandros snark, angst, and black-as-pitch humor.
A couple of passages that especially stood out for me:
As for the audio version, MacLeod Andrews does a fine job as usual. He's someone limited in the scope of his talent -- I don't much like him doing "high" fantasy-type stories, because he just doesn't have the voices or accents for it -- but for high-action/high-snark tales like the Leandros and Sandman Slim series, he's pretty much perfect. He delivers the snark and irony and black humor with the right world-weary but indomitable touch, and he keeps the action moving at a smart clip. No complaints here.
If you love the Leandros series, you'll love this one. If you've never read a Cal Leandros book, for heaven's sake start at the beginning!
Can you hear me screaming????
That is the sound of me reacting to . Thurman should be taken out and shot. This is the first time she's done this in the series, and I Do Not Approve.
Sheesh.
Other than that --
There isn't a whole lot of plot to this one. It's mostly a long collection of digressions, diversions, flashbacks, and sidesteps -- but it's still chock full of that Leandros snark, angst, and black-as-pitch humor.
A couple of passages that especially stood out for me:
I was a dick, it came naturally, why fight it? But I was somewhat stunned at seeing in a living mirror the depths of my dickery. Unfathomable depths where my insults, attitude problems all swam down so far they should be albino, blind, with glowing tentacles, and weird enough to have Jacques Cousteau gleefully crawling out of his coffin to examine them.and
‘I have the mind of a genius, the heart of a poet, and the liver of an alcoholic— they’re in the three jars on my shelf,’and
‘Mary had a little lamb, eating a baby sheep is wrong, Mary was tasty though’;-)
As for the audio version, MacLeod Andrews does a fine job as usual. He's someone limited in the scope of his talent -- I don't much like him doing "high" fantasy-type stories, because he just doesn't have the voices or accents for it -- but for high-action/high-snark tales like the Leandros and Sandman Slim series, he's pretty much perfect. He delivers the snark and irony and black humor with the right world-weary but indomitable touch, and he keeps the action moving at a smart clip. No complaints here.
If you love the Leandros series, you'll love this one. If you've never read a Cal Leandros book, for heaven's sake start at the beginning!
December 10, 2015
I have been a serious Rob Thurman addict since the first book in the Cal Leandros series, and this book #10. But this book is a disappointment and I had such expectations!
First, it ends in a cliffhanger, so reader be warned.
Second, it is full of snark and angst which is classic for this series but it is mostly filler (backstory and thoughts) and the plot moments are very few and FAR between. I found myself anxiously skipping parts to get to the actual story (which is where Thurman usually shines). I struggled to get through the whole book. Normally I can read a Thurman novel in one day because I can't bear to put it down. With this book, it was a struggle to keep going and I forced myself to finish, holding on to a belief in the author.
The writing itself is as outstanding as ever. Thurman is a master at the craft. Her characters are always dynamic and breathe off the page. Caland Niko are two of my favorite characters ever and their story has been rich and fulfilling.
But I hate being bogged down, mired, in backstory, old news, retelling, history at the expense of the primary story. If half of this history/self snark had been removed, there could have been just one book and would have been much preferable to making everyone wait another year. IF it is written like this one, I may wait even longer.
I'm disappointed. I struggled and I've always been a fan (still am, for now). This books "is ok" and gets "ok" on the strength of Thurman's past novels. Had this been a new novelist, it would have been one star. I may not be a writer of Thurman's caliber but I read a great deal and this wasn't up to expectations.
Please make the next book less of this and more like the old ones, Ms. Thurman. Thank you.
First, it ends in a cliffhanger, so reader be warned.
Second, it is full of snark and angst which is classic for this series but it is mostly filler (backstory and thoughts) and the plot moments are very few and FAR between. I found myself anxiously skipping parts to get to the actual story (which is where Thurman usually shines). I struggled to get through the whole book. Normally I can read a Thurman novel in one day because I can't bear to put it down. With this book, it was a struggle to keep going and I forced myself to finish, holding on to a belief in the author.
The writing itself is as outstanding as ever. Thurman is a master at the craft. Her characters are always dynamic and breathe off the page. Caland Niko are two of my favorite characters ever and their story has been rich and fulfilling.
But I hate being bogged down, mired, in backstory, old news, retelling, history at the expense of the primary story. If half of this history/self snark had been removed, there could have been just one book and would have been much preferable to making everyone wait another year. IF it is written like this one, I may wait even longer.
I'm disappointed. I struggled and I've always been a fan (still am, for now). This books "is ok" and gets "ok" on the strength of Thurman's past novels. Had this been a new novelist, it would have been one star. I may not be a writer of Thurman's caliber but I read a great deal and this wasn't up to expectations.
Please make the next book less of this and more like the old ones, Ms. Thurman. Thank you.
December 2, 2015
A good book, but man I hate cliffhangers.
December 2, 2015
Would have been 5 stars except there was a cliffhanger!!!
I think I cried at least 10 times through this book. Thurman has always made me emotional with her writing, whether it be laughing, crying, angry or whatever, but this one takes the cake for putting me through the emotional wringer. I only recommend this for fans of the series, as the impact of the devastation of Caliban will not have the effect if you aren't familiar with the previous stories. For those who haven't read them, lovers of angst and bromance will adore these books. Some of the best Urban Fantasy around.
I think I cried at least 10 times through this book. Thurman has always made me emotional with her writing, whether it be laughing, crying, angry or whatever, but this one takes the cake for putting me through the emotional wringer. I only recommend this for fans of the series, as the impact of the devastation of Caliban will not have the effect if you aren't familiar with the previous stories. For those who haven't read them, lovers of angst and bromance will adore these books. Some of the best Urban Fantasy around.
December 13, 2015
I hate to say it - but I was disappointed. Everything felt hastily thrown together, the writing was less polished, the plot was difficult to follow (these 'hallucination' openings, or whatever you want to call them, are a mess) and I missed the characters' old dynamics. This was too much and too different from the other books in the series - of course I'll read the rest, but this one was just a bummer for me.
December 2, 2015
So when can I hand my money over for the next in this series?
October 8, 2016
3.5 stars ... this one's a little confusing, and also part 1 of a 2 part story. So, I'm waiting to see how it ends.
July 23, 2023
actual rating: 2.5
i genuinely don't even know what to do with this book. the first time i read it i gave it 2 stars because i was like ok the whole thing is a mess but we'll see how part 2 stacks up. of course the series got cancelled so we never actually got to find out, but i can't see any way in which this believably wraps itself up anyway. the second time i reread it was for a buddy read and i was still so angry that it never got finished that i gave it 1 star. and although i don't read it with every reread, the last few times i've ... kind of almost enjoyed it? or at least most of it. i maybe be losing my mind slightly lol
i mean every single thing about the actual plot is still a giant mess. cal created so many differences in the past that there is no way he could ever even believably reach the future he came back from but if i go on about the time travel discrepancies i would literally be here all day. i guess she was thinking 'my sales are tanking so i'll do something outrageous and also make it a huge cliffhanger LITERALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF A SCENE to try to make sales go up' [because that always works /sarcasm] and then got mad when people didn't like it.
mostly i feel like this suffers from the same problem as book 9 in that she just spends most of the page space on flashbacks and then every so often remembers that she needs to throw in some action in the main plot and she's like 'uh and the villain can [throws dart at board] turn into shadow weasels and is also [spins wheel] kind of a norse god?' before diving into another past lives flashback or random story. granted the random asides ARE actually the best parts of the book - the party with cal and loki [hilarious] and also cal's death as will scarlet [heartbreaking] - but you just can't hold a whole book together without a solid A plot and there really wasn't one here. i am once again saying that if she WANTED to write a past lives book she should have just DONE that instead of trying to wedge it into the other books in place of any kind of actual solid and linearly coherent plot.
something that i actually was able to appreciate more as i reread it was all the character interactions and skewed dynamics. cal interacting with his younger self is honestly a bit exhausting but i love his scenes with the younger version of niko because it's almost like cal is the older brother now and it's really cool to see him as the 'competent' one for once. granted cal has always been smarter and more competent than he acts but it really shines through here and i'm actually really into it. he also is on much more even footing with robin for the most part and their scenes together are really the highlight of the book for me personally. i love the fact that robin gave cal a fuckton of hickies [and call just LET him] and then cal told him he would sleep with him 'if he wasn't straight'. like cal, honey, you are not as straight as you think you are p l e a s e.
although this once again kind of brings up another problem which is rob sidelining all of her female characters. i don't think there is a *single* female character in this book with a name or speaking role and i get that cal was trying to do damage control on changing the timeline and thought that if he could only tell one person it should be robin [and he was probably right] but it also means that the main female characters in the series - Promise, Delilah, and George - are nowhere in sight and since most of the page space is devoted to Cal and Robin bonding time there's really no space to introduce any new ones.
TLDR: ultimately i do wish this had been concluded somehow, but i think it's almost good that the series got cancelled because she was clearly running out of ideas. the problem with this book - and to a lesser extent the last one - is that she spends too much time on flashbacks and doesn't develop any kind of actual plot in the 'present'. i know i said the flashbacks were the best parts, but if she wanted to write about their past lives she should have just written a book where each chapter covers a different life or something. there is almost no actual plot in this book between the past lives flashbacks and cal's flashbacks to things that happened in previous books. as horrible as it was, i wish she would have just concentrated on the time travel plot line instead of doing the reminiscing hour for the entire damn thing.
i genuinely don't even know what to do with this book. the first time i read it i gave it 2 stars because i was like ok the whole thing is a mess but we'll see how part 2 stacks up. of course the series got cancelled so we never actually got to find out, but i can't see any way in which this believably wraps itself up anyway. the second time i reread it was for a buddy read and i was still so angry that it never got finished that i gave it 1 star. and although i don't read it with every reread, the last few times i've ... kind of almost enjoyed it? or at least most of it. i maybe be losing my mind slightly lol
i mean every single thing about the actual plot is still a giant mess. cal created so many differences in the past that there is no way he could ever even believably reach the future he came back from but if i go on about the time travel discrepancies i would literally be here all day. i guess she was thinking 'my sales are tanking so i'll do something outrageous and also make it a huge cliffhanger LITERALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF A SCENE to try to make sales go up' [because that always works /sarcasm] and then got mad when people didn't like it.
mostly i feel like this suffers from the same problem as book 9 in that she just spends most of the page space on flashbacks and then every so often remembers that she needs to throw in some action in the main plot and she's like 'uh and the villain can [throws dart at board] turn into shadow weasels and is also [spins wheel] kind of a norse god?' before diving into another past lives flashback or random story. granted the random asides ARE actually the best parts of the book - the party with cal and loki [hilarious] and also cal's death as will scarlet [heartbreaking] - but you just can't hold a whole book together without a solid A plot and there really wasn't one here. i am once again saying that if she WANTED to write a past lives book she should have just DONE that instead of trying to wedge it into the other books in place of any kind of actual solid and linearly coherent plot.
something that i actually was able to appreciate more as i reread it was all the character interactions and skewed dynamics. cal interacting with his younger self is honestly a bit exhausting but i love his scenes with the younger version of niko because it's almost like cal is the older brother now and it's really cool to see him as the 'competent' one for once. granted cal has always been smarter and more competent than he acts but it really shines through here and i'm actually really into it. he also is on much more even footing with robin for the most part and their scenes together are really the highlight of the book for me personally. i love the fact that robin gave cal a fuckton of hickies [and call just LET him] and then cal told him he would sleep with him 'if he wasn't straight'. like cal, honey, you are not as straight as you think you are p l e a s e.
although this once again kind of brings up another problem which is rob sidelining all of her female characters. i don't think there is a *single* female character in this book with a name or speaking role and i get that cal was trying to do damage control on changing the timeline and thought that if he could only tell one person it should be robin [and he was probably right] but it also means that the main female characters in the series - Promise, Delilah, and George - are nowhere in sight and since most of the page space is devoted to Cal and Robin bonding time there's really no space to introduce any new ones.
TLDR: ultimately i do wish this had been concluded somehow, but i think it's almost good that the series got cancelled because she was clearly running out of ideas. the problem with this book - and to a lesser extent the last one - is that she spends too much time on flashbacks and doesn't develop any kind of actual plot in the 'present'. i know i said the flashbacks were the best parts, but if she wanted to write about their past lives she should have just written a book where each chapter covers a different life or something. there is almost no actual plot in this book between the past lives flashbacks and cal's flashbacks to things that happened in previous books. as horrible as it was, i wish she would have just concentrated on the time travel plot line instead of doing the reminiscing hour for the entire damn thing.
December 22, 2015
I love this series, unfortunately this book did little for me. The going back in time is a cool concept, and i liked parts of it, but all the explaining of stuff explained in the other books got really old. Took me way longer to get through it than most of the others because i got bored and had to make myself go back and finish it.
December 6, 2015
THAT FUCKING ENDING THOUGH!!!
I love this series. I really do. I can and will rate all the Cal books 4-5 stars on principal alone. That being said, I loved this book. I loved seeing Cal go back in time and meet his younger self. It was refreshing to revisit a younger Cal and Niko just to see how far they've come since the beginning. I loved all the flash backs and I loved how many times this book made me laugh out loud. There were some very amusing parts. "Murder face." That being said... THAT FUCKING ENDING!!! Rob Thurman has never done this before. A cliff hanger of epic proportions, AND WE HAVE TO WAIT A YEAR FOR THE NEXT ONE!!! *gross sobbing in the distance* I kept getting closer and closer to the end wondering how everything was going to end resolved in 30 pages, 20 pages, 10 pages. IT FUCKING WASN'T, THAT'S HOW!!! Just. If you love this series and you read this, BE WARNED!!! CLIFFHANGER!!!
One last thing, I'd apologize for all the swearing but with the amount that Cal swears I feel like no one who's into this series would really care, so meh. I actually honestly feel like I'm currently swearing more now because of this damn book.
I love this series. I really do. I can and will rate all the Cal books 4-5 stars on principal alone. That being said, I loved this book. I loved seeing Cal go back in time and meet his younger self. It was refreshing to revisit a younger Cal and Niko just to see how far they've come since the beginning. I loved all the flash backs and I loved how many times this book made me laugh out loud. There were some very amusing parts. "Murder face." That being said... THAT FUCKING ENDING!!! Rob Thurman has never done this before. A cliff hanger of epic proportions, AND WE HAVE TO WAIT A YEAR FOR THE NEXT ONE!!! *gross sobbing in the distance* I kept getting closer and closer to the end wondering how everything was going to end resolved in 30 pages, 20 pages, 10 pages. IT FUCKING WASN'T, THAT'S HOW!!! Just. If you love this series and you read this, BE WARNED!!! CLIFFHANGER!!!
One last thing, I'd apologize for all the swearing but with the amount that Cal swears I feel like no one who's into this series would really care, so meh. I actually honestly feel like I'm currently swearing more now because of this damn book.
December 9, 2015
Once Thurman gets going, hold on to your seat because Nevermore is sharper, faster and more engrossing than any of the previous books. Thurman's writing has gotten edgier and her characters, always so well written, have accumulated so much history that the reader already anticipates how they're each going to react in any given situation. Nevermore is an emotional ride, the stakes are higher, the danger has never been so great and the risks Cal has to take to save his family are bigger than ever before. I couldn't put it down. If you're a fan of the series, this book will make your year. If you're new to the series, I strongly recommend you start with book one. Enjoy! I'm already fiending for the next one.
September 16, 2016
This is so, so sad. I used to love this series.
But "Nevermore" was simply... awful. Character growth went out the window, the sarcasm reached this-must-be-a-joke levels, and dialogues were so full of idle, meaningless sentences meant to fill pages and distract us from the fact that NOTHING FUCKING HAPPENS.
I'm done. I don't care anymore. I wish I had stopped at #8, when I still felt affection for these boys.
I'm not going to read the next one.
But "Nevermore" was simply... awful. Character growth went out the window, the sarcasm reached this-must-be-a-joke levels, and dialogues were so full of idle, meaningless sentences meant to fill pages and distract us from the fact that NOTHING FUCKING HAPPENS.
I'm done. I don't care anymore. I wish I had stopped at #8, when I still felt affection for these boys.
I'm not going to read the next one.
December 4, 2015
Its not over
No really. This book has a big 'To be continued' at the end.
I can't recommend anyone read it until part two is at least close to being published.
No really. This book has a big 'To be continued' at the end.
I can't recommend anyone read it until part two is at least close to being published.
December 12, 2015
Well, damn it.
Mmkay. What can I say to explain this rating for a Rob Thurman book? A Cal Leandros book, nonetheless, my favorite of her series'. Actually, there are several things that knock this installment down from 5* to 3* from me.
Firstly...okay, I understand filthy-minded, morose and incisive introspection is a primary characteristic of Cal, but there was sooo muuuuch of it. I mean, yes, bad things happen. As they do, to Cal. I wouldn't expect anything less. But the sheer amount of filler that it seems went into this book bothers me, which brings me to point number two.
You could have cut out so much of that filler and put more plot in there, and then we wouldn't be faced with splitting the end of the series into two books. It's very annoying to go into a story expecting something complete, and then be faced with a "you get to read the next part in a year!" I understand the series mentality, but this wasn't done like the other books in this series. There was no resolution, only a dim resolve about an underwhelming villain whom I didn't get enough of a feel for to care about. This villain didn't even do the Really Bad Thing that motivates Cal so much. Fuck him and his shadow weasels. And speaking of fucking...
The ending. A cliffhanger. Which is what happens when you split one book in two, but I feel like this could have been one book. I'm used to finishing a Rob Thurman book and feeling satisfied, regardless of where it is in the overall scheme of things. This time I didn't get that feeling. No even close.
I did enjoy it, and some parts made me laugh. It's a good book, but it isn't her best. I sincerely hope the next, and I suppose final, installment is better.
Mmkay. What can I say to explain this rating for a Rob Thurman book? A Cal Leandros book, nonetheless, my favorite of her series'. Actually, there are several things that knock this installment down from 5* to 3* from me.
Firstly...okay, I understand filthy-minded, morose and incisive introspection is a primary characteristic of Cal, but there was sooo muuuuch of it. I mean, yes, bad things happen. As they do, to Cal. I wouldn't expect anything less. But the sheer amount of filler that it seems went into this book bothers me, which brings me to point number two.
You could have cut out so much of that filler and put more plot in there, and then we wouldn't be faced with splitting the end of the series into two books. It's very annoying to go into a story expecting something complete, and then be faced with a "you get to read the next part in a year!" I understand the series mentality, but this wasn't done like the other books in this series. There was no resolution, only a dim resolve about an underwhelming villain whom I didn't get enough of a feel for to care about. This villain didn't even do the Really Bad Thing that motivates Cal so much. Fuck him and his shadow weasels. And speaking of fucking...
The ending. A cliffhanger. Which is what happens when you split one book in two, but I feel like this could have been one book. I'm used to finishing a Rob Thurman book and feeling satisfied, regardless of where it is in the overall scheme of things. This time I didn't get that feeling. No even close.
I did enjoy it, and some parts made me laugh. It's a good book, but it isn't her best. I sincerely hope the next, and I suppose final, installment is better.
June 30, 2016
Would someone please kidnap the old Cal cover model and drag his ass back to Chris McGrath for a day or two?
4.5 stars. Review may follow.
4.5 stars. Review may follow.
March 22, 2016
Tenth in the Cal Leandros horror/urban fantasy series and revolving around Caliban Leandros, his brother, Niko, and the comic relief of Robin Goodfellow.
My Take
I usually enjoy reading about Cal and Niko — that Robin is a crack-up. Nevermore, however, is a meandering monologue from Cal, fleeing back to the past to save Robin and Niko from a killer with the first chunk of the story totally confusing. There is also a lot of comparison between the two Cals and Older-Cal's memories, of the conflicts the younger Niko and Robin have between the two Cals, and the worry of trust. We also get a repeat of the details of how awful Niko and Cal's childhood was. If ever there was an example of a person who should never have had children!
Cal loves his T-shirts (and so do I, lol)! And there is quite a crop of sayings that will have you laughing. Well, if you're okay with the gross.
There was a fascinating bit about reincarnation in here. Seems Robin, Niko, and Cal have always found each other with each of Niko and Cal's new lives. The variety and antics were too funny. Robin partying with Buddha, although I don't get that bit about Robin catching on before Buddha.
Oh, gross, Cal describes why it is the Auphe like to start eating a person from the feet up.
I gotta confess, I don't see how Cal forgetting the pizzas is what allowed the bombing to happen.
The Story
People die.
Everyone knows that. I knew it intimately as everyone in my life died thanks to my one seemingly harmless mistake. I'd brought down Heaven, lifted up Hell, and set the world on fire, all due to one slip of the memory.
Caliban is a dead man. The Vigil has decided Cal has stepped out of the shadows once too often, and death is the only sentence. They plan to send a supernatural assassin into the past to take down the younger, less lethal Cal.
But then the Vigil makes a mistake. That one last attempt on Caliban's life that destroyed everyone and everything he cares about. Now, Cal has to save himself, warn those closest to him, and kill every Vigil bastard who stole his world. But if he fails, he and everyone in his life will be history…
The Characters
Twenty-six-year-old Caliban "Cal" Leandros is half Auphe and half-human; he and his older brother, Niko who lives for knowledge, especially mythology, are both Rom. Younger-Cal is eighteen in Nevermore, and it's been two-and-a-half years since he escaped Tumulus. Robin Goodfellow is a puck, Trickster First, now that his father is dead. He's oversexed, too wealthy for words, and their best friend. He's also been alive for over a million years. Promise is Niko's vampire girlfriend.
The Auphe are, er, were…
…the nastiest things in the universe. They stole Cal when he was fourteen, and he was trapped and tortured by them in Tumulus, the Auphe hell, for two years. Grimm is another half Auphe with plans to destroy the world.
The Vigil is…
…a hidden organization that keeps humans from finding out about nohumans by killing any nonhuman who acts out in public. Project Lazarus was Vigil genetically altering a human with a mixed bag of almost 100 samples of monster blood"; the resulting Lazarus has power over shadows and lightning. Robin believes he has the blood of Tyr in him. And that's not good.
Talley's is a bar where Cal worked eight years ago. Meredith was a waitress then. Rafferty is the one who healed Cal. Mrs. Sheckenstein was the old lady who used to babysit Cal as a child. Conan was Robin's driver, until he quit because of Robin's outlandish demands. And there are several reasons why Robin is frustrated, lol. Ishiah is a peri who runs the bar. Mr. Kikiyaon, an African soul cannibal, is the doorman at Robin's secret apartment. Thor is an alcohol-soaked idiot while Loki, the God of Chaos and Mischief, has an overinflated sense of self. Nemesis, the goddess of Revenge, is an expert on whom Robin calls.
The Namaru made the Kyntalash , a technological artifact that enables time travel. Zachary Adams had been a security guard aboard The Nomad (a slave ship built by Colonel DePry) at Pier 17, which is part of the South Street Seaport Museum. Paien is another word for supernaturals. A yee naaldlooshii gave rise to the legend skinwalker; he's also the landlord. A balaur works the pizza stand. The Lupa are female werewolves led by Delilah, Cal's ex-friend-with-benefits.
The cover is golden browns with an arched basement window with a stone window well in the background, and Cal in his regulation black jeans, black T, and black leather jacket, holding a knife and confronting monsters.
The title is both a motif and a mission statement: Nevermore will Cal give up…and a warning to Robin about those sexual antics.
My Take
I usually enjoy reading about Cal and Niko — that Robin is a crack-up. Nevermore, however, is a meandering monologue from Cal, fleeing back to the past to save Robin and Niko from a killer with the first chunk of the story totally confusing. There is also a lot of comparison between the two Cals and Older-Cal's memories, of the conflicts the younger Niko and Robin have between the two Cals, and the worry of trust. We also get a repeat of the details of how awful Niko and Cal's childhood was. If ever there was an example of a person who should never have had children!
"I grew up thinking the poverty line was something to shoot for but probably an impossible goal."There are a number of interesting (and some thrilling) events when Older-Cal encounters Younger-Cal. Older-Cal deals out all sorts of snark on his younger self. The point Thurman makes about how "God himself can't change the past, but historians can." No kidding.
Cal loves his T-shirts (and so do I, lol)! And there is quite a crop of sayings that will have you laughing. Well, if you're okay with the gross.
"I have the mind of a genius, the heart of a poet, and the liver of an alcoholic — they're in the three jars on my shelf."Oh, lol, I did enjoy Cal's encounter with Loki who is listing all the ways he's gonna kill Cal, and Cal is doing an Indiana Jones on him, ROFL. There's more on Older-Cal's worries about what to say and not to say. Things he is so tempted to tease Robin about and that he's worried Niko might get too excited about.
There was a fascinating bit about reincarnation in here. Seems Robin, Niko, and Cal have always found each other with each of Niko and Cal's new lives. The variety and antics were too funny. Robin partying with Buddha, although I don't get that bit about Robin catching on before Buddha.
Oh, gross, Cal describes why it is the Auphe like to start eating a person from the feet up.
I gotta confess, I don't see how Cal forgetting the pizzas is what allowed the bombing to happen.
The Story
People die.
Everyone knows that. I knew it intimately as everyone in my life died thanks to my one seemingly harmless mistake. I'd brought down Heaven, lifted up Hell, and set the world on fire, all due to one slip of the memory.
Caliban is a dead man. The Vigil has decided Cal has stepped out of the shadows once too often, and death is the only sentence. They plan to send a supernatural assassin into the past to take down the younger, less lethal Cal.
But then the Vigil makes a mistake. That one last attempt on Caliban's life that destroyed everyone and everything he cares about. Now, Cal has to save himself, warn those closest to him, and kill every Vigil bastard who stole his world. But if he fails, he and everyone in his life will be history…
The Characters
Twenty-six-year-old Caliban "Cal" Leandros is half Auphe and half-human; he and his older brother, Niko who lives for knowledge, especially mythology, are both Rom. Younger-Cal is eighteen in Nevermore, and it's been two-and-a-half years since he escaped Tumulus. Robin Goodfellow is a puck, Trickster First, now that his father is dead. He's oversexed, too wealthy for words, and their best friend. He's also been alive for over a million years. Promise is Niko's vampire girlfriend.
The Auphe are, er, were…
…the nastiest things in the universe. They stole Cal when he was fourteen, and he was trapped and tortured by them in Tumulus, the Auphe hell, for two years. Grimm is another half Auphe with plans to destroy the world.
The Vigil is…
…a hidden organization that keeps humans from finding out about nohumans by killing any nonhuman who acts out in public. Project Lazarus was Vigil genetically altering a human with a mixed bag of almost 100 samples of monster blood"; the resulting Lazarus has power over shadows and lightning. Robin believes he has the blood of Tyr in him. And that's not good.
Talley's is a bar where Cal worked eight years ago. Meredith was a waitress then. Rafferty is the one who healed Cal. Mrs. Sheckenstein was the old lady who used to babysit Cal as a child. Conan was Robin's driver, until he quit because of Robin's outlandish demands. And there are several reasons why Robin is frustrated, lol. Ishiah is a peri who runs the bar. Mr. Kikiyaon, an African soul cannibal, is the doorman at Robin's secret apartment. Thor is an alcohol-soaked idiot while Loki, the God of Chaos and Mischief, has an overinflated sense of self. Nemesis, the goddess of Revenge, is an expert on whom Robin calls.
The Namaru made the Kyntalash , a technological artifact that enables time travel. Zachary Adams had been a security guard aboard The Nomad (a slave ship built by Colonel DePry) at Pier 17, which is part of the South Street Seaport Museum. Paien is another word for supernaturals. A yee naaldlooshii gave rise to the legend skinwalker; he's also the landlord. A balaur works the pizza stand. The Lupa are female werewolves led by Delilah, Cal's ex-friend-with-benefits.
The Cover and TitleSkinwalkers are protectors of the people around you because, if this doesn't cause fear in you…
"They were defending their refrigerators. … You're part of their herd. A roaming pantry of goodies."
The cover is golden browns with an arched basement window with a stone window well in the background, and Cal in his regulation black jeans, black T, and black leather jacket, holding a knife and confronting monsters.
The title is both a motif and a mission statement: Nevermore will Cal give up…and a warning to Robin about those sexual antics.
May 2, 2018
I've been addicted to this series since the beginning and I'm finally caught up. Nevermore is the tenth book and it still manages to keep things fresh. This time we get to see 26 year old Cal time travel eight years into the past to prevent a psychotic Vigil experiment/ assassin from killing his younger self and everyone he cares about before they can truly become a threat to the organization. It's fantastic seeing him interact with his 18 year old self and 20 year old Niko. I have to admit it was fun seeing them, especially Niko, at a loss. He also decides to go to Goodfellow a year before the brothers first met him regardless of the consequences. I particularly enjoyed that and how Cal convinced Goodfellow to trust them. Unfortunately, this installment ends on quite a cliffhanger and the next book, Everwar has missed it's publication by nearly a year and a half, and no one seems to know what's going on with it or the author. I desperately hope it's still coming in the future because Cal, Niko, and Goodfellow's story can't end like this.
October 20, 2020
Check out my full review here.
So when I was browsing my bookstore this weekend I saw they had Nevermore stocked more than a week early! Ok…technically it wasn’t actually stocked but rather in a pile of books to be stocked later in the week but come on! If you didn’t want me to snatch it from the pile ahead of time then you shouldn’t have put it where I could see…
The Vigil has finally come calling...Cal is a threat to the secrecy of the supernatural world which the Vigil has worked so hard to keep humans ignorant of. In the Vigil's mind, Cal needs to be put down like a rabid dog, and they're pulling out all the stops to get the job done. When the Vigil decides to kill you, they mean business. No snipers and lurking in the shadows waiting for you...they're whipping out the big guns. And I mean that in a literal sense...as in weapons of mass destruction. Not much you can do to avoid THAT! Unless of course you have the best luck, or in Cal's mind the worst luck. What do you do when a massive and deadly attack kills everyone except the actual target; you?
Now Cal is alone in the world with only two options: follow his friends and family into death with a bullet to the brain or try to change events so this never happens. While death would be the easiest and least painful of those choices, Cal decides to hang in there a little longer and try to make everything right.
As an added bonus to killing all his friends and family, the Vigil decides that they need to kill Cal before he was strong enough to fight them and bring about their ruin. Traveling 8 years into the past, a Vigil assassin plans to take out an 18 year old Cal to save the Vigil's future.
I loved reading about Cal's interactions with his 18 year old self and 20 year old Niko. While Cal doesn't really have anything to smile about right now, he's still a sarcastic asshole who loves messing with people. His 18 yr old self is a perfect target for his snarky comments and taunting. I really liked that Cal recognized how much he's grown in 8 yrs. He's quick to comment about how emo and annoying his younger self is and how he's surprised that Niko and Robin didn't smother him in his sleep or something. Cal's been through so much shit and has come out the better for it, and it really shows when he's face to face with the boy he used to be. Also, it was pretty awesome to watch Cal show off his fighting skills and quick reflexes to the young brothers who still have a lot to learn when it comes to combat.
This book still features our snarky and lovable Cal and is worth a read for his narration alone. He narrates this book alone unfortunately. I always like getting different points of view in this series...but that's ok. I can't believe I have to wait a WHOLE YEAR to get my hands on the next book!!
I can't wait for this book to come out in audio...and I pray that MacLeod Andrews is still the narrator!
EDIT:(07/12/16) This book is now out in audio! once again Macleod Andrews narrates and does a spectacular job! Unfortunately, even he can't give this story the substance it's missing with its lack of plot. But he does a damn fine job of getting through Cal's long narration.
3.5 Stars
So when I was browsing my bookstore this weekend I saw they had Nevermore stocked more than a week early! Ok…technically it wasn’t actually stocked but rather in a pile of books to be stocked later in the week but come on! If you didn’t want me to snatch it from the pile ahead of time then you shouldn’t have put it where I could see…
The Vigil has finally come calling...Cal is a threat to the secrecy of the supernatural world which the Vigil has worked so hard to keep humans ignorant of. In the Vigil's mind, Cal needs to be put down like a rabid dog, and they're pulling out all the stops to get the job done. When the Vigil decides to kill you, they mean business. No snipers and lurking in the shadows waiting for you...they're whipping out the big guns. And I mean that in a literal sense...as in weapons of mass destruction. Not much you can do to avoid THAT! Unless of course you have the best luck, or in Cal's mind the worst luck. What do you do when a massive and deadly attack kills everyone except the actual target; you?
Now Cal is alone in the world with only two options: follow his friends and family into death with a bullet to the brain or try to change events so this never happens. While death would be the easiest and least painful of those choices, Cal decides to hang in there a little longer and try to make everything right.
As an added bonus to killing all his friends and family, the Vigil decides that they need to kill Cal before he was strong enough to fight them and bring about their ruin. Traveling 8 years into the past, a Vigil assassin plans to take out an 18 year old Cal to save the Vigil's future.
I loved reading about Cal's interactions with his 18 year old self and 20 year old Niko. While Cal doesn't really have anything to smile about right now, he's still a sarcastic asshole who loves messing with people. His 18 yr old self is a perfect target for his snarky comments and taunting. I really liked that Cal recognized how much he's grown in 8 yrs. He's quick to comment about how emo and annoying his younger self is and how he's surprised that Niko and Robin didn't smother him in his sleep or something. Cal's been through so much shit and has come out the better for it, and it really shows when he's face to face with the boy he used to be. Also, it was pretty awesome to watch Cal show off his fighting skills and quick reflexes to the young brothers who still have a lot to learn when it comes to combat.
This book still features our snarky and lovable Cal and is worth a read for his narration alone. He narrates this book alone unfortunately. I always like getting different points of view in this series...but that's ok. I can't believe I have to wait a WHOLE YEAR to get my hands on the next book!!
I can't wait for this book to come out in audio...and I pray that MacLeod Andrews is still the narrator!
EDIT:(07/12/16) This book is now out in audio! once again Macleod Andrews narrates and does a spectacular job! Unfortunately, even he can't give this story the substance it's missing with its lack of plot. But he does a damn fine job of getting through Cal's long narration.
3.5 Stars
January 3, 2016
Honestly speaking, the Cal Leandros series is my favorite ongoing series. And I've been with the series since almost the very beginning. Hell, my tumblr blog references the series. But I'm also not one to shove my head in the sand and overlook issues.
Lately, this series had had some issues, and luster of it has worn off considerably. I assume that most of the issues that I have with the series now are simply due to how familiar I am with it, and how familiar the characters are with each other. There's no uncertainty. There's certainly no mystery. All the characters are bros, and all the lore is pretty much explained. Everything now just feels like a rehash, or a desperate attempt to keep something going.
However, this book fixes a lot of that. It's sort of a retcon, but not really. In all seriousness, it doesn't really matter. What does matter is that the characters are once again interacting with each other in new, interesting way. The conversations feel fresh, thee's a sense of unpredictability, and the humor is funny again.
Not to mention there's nothing more intersting that seeing jaded Cal interact with young douchey Cal, all the while Niko is actually at a loss for a while, which hasn't happened in a long time, and Robin is once again a little unpredictable. That's the thing with this book, the characters are both familia and unfamiliar with each other, which makes predicting what's going to happen vey difficult. And their interactions are at an all time high thanks to the level of angst in this book, brought on by a surprisingly mature Cal which is also a surprisingly fresh and nice thing.
What this book lacks, however, is a proper villain. We sort of a get a sense of what the villain will be, but not who he is. That means when they talk about him, there's no feeling of him being a eal threat. We don't see the bad guy to bad guy things, so he ultimately loses his effectiveness.
And that ending? Yeah, it felt a little cheap.
But oveall this book is a much improved entry into the series. The characters are fun again, the plot isn't just calling it in, and for the first time in a long time, I'm looking forward to the netx in the series. Four stars.
Lately, this series had had some issues, and luster of it has worn off considerably. I assume that most of the issues that I have with the series now are simply due to how familiar I am with it, and how familiar the characters are with each other. There's no uncertainty. There's certainly no mystery. All the characters are bros, and all the lore is pretty much explained. Everything now just feels like a rehash, or a desperate attempt to keep something going.
However, this book fixes a lot of that. It's sort of a retcon, but not really. In all seriousness, it doesn't really matter. What does matter is that the characters are once again interacting with each other in new, interesting way. The conversations feel fresh, thee's a sense of unpredictability, and the humor is funny again.
Not to mention there's nothing more intersting that seeing jaded Cal interact with young douchey Cal, all the while Niko is actually at a loss for a while, which hasn't happened in a long time, and Robin is once again a little unpredictable. That's the thing with this book, the characters are both familia and unfamiliar with each other, which makes predicting what's going to happen vey difficult. And their interactions are at an all time high thanks to the level of angst in this book, brought on by a surprisingly mature Cal which is also a surprisingly fresh and nice thing.
What this book lacks, however, is a proper villain. We sort of a get a sense of what the villain will be, but not who he is. That means when they talk about him, there's no feeling of him being a eal threat. We don't see the bad guy to bad guy things, so he ultimately loses his effectiveness.
And that ending? Yeah, it felt a little cheap.
But oveall this book is a much improved entry into the series. The characters are fun again, the plot isn't just calling it in, and for the first time in a long time, I'm looking forward to the netx in the series. Four stars.
December 2, 2015
Well... WHOA. Talk about a roller coaster. Definitely the darkest Cal Leandros book yet, which is saying something because of THE ENDING!!! More on that soon. Everything I loved about the series was here– the gritty characters, the snark, the badassery, the epic monsters, the mythology and stories, reminders of the past– but I couldn't help but feel that this was a little slower than the previous novels. I didn't really get why that would be the case... until the end. All in all, I enjoyed the development of each character, including future Cal. I liked the flashbacks he had with previous lives and encounters with Robin. I kind of wished we knew more about how he got the time traveling device, but I suppose that after an explosion that took the lives of the people he loved most, maybe it was better that we didn't know. Cal would be in a daze after all, something that's evident as the story progresses. And the ending... Oh GOD. I love being a mythology freak, since I know who they're really up against (not my original thought, but just as nasty), and all I can say is... how the hell is the gang going to get out of this one??
January 4, 2016
One star because there isn't a zero. This book is terrible. As a warning, there is very little new material here. The main story is probably 1/5 the book. This was a short story, at best, stretched out with completely random character notes and anecdotes from the past. The anecdotes have nothing to do with the main story and the main story itself is very weak. The book is a two part release, with part two out in another year. I will not be reading part two.
The last book, Downfall, was already a two star at best due to lazy writing, poor story lines, and bad editing. I was worried about picking up this one and really regret it. This one was so bad I honestly will not pick up another Thurman book.
How does something like this make it past an editor - or did they just look at prior sales and rubber stamp whatever came across the desk?
The last book, Downfall, was already a two star at best due to lazy writing, poor story lines, and bad editing. I was worried about picking up this one and really regret it. This one was so bad I honestly will not pick up another Thurman book.
How does something like this make it past an editor - or did they just look at prior sales and rubber stamp whatever came across the desk?
December 4, 2015
I TOTALLY HATE CLIFF-HANGERS!!!!!
Other than that, the majority of the book was reminiscing. There were basically 3 action scenes - the starting event, the sewers, and the boat. In spite of what seemed like break-neck speed, this was not one of the better books in the series. I turned pages like a maniac, just trying to get to SOMETHING ACTUALLY HAPPENING.
And then that DAMNED CLIFF-HANGER.................
Other than that, the majority of the book was reminiscing. There were basically 3 action scenes - the starting event, the sewers, and the boat. In spite of what seemed like break-neck speed, this was not one of the better books in the series. I turned pages like a maniac, just trying to get to SOMETHING ACTUALLY HAPPENING.
And then that DAMNED CLIFF-HANGER.................
October 14, 2023
Sad we'll never see how this series ends but while obviusly the relationship between the two brothers is at the heart of this series, I did like seeing just how much Robin Goodfellow meant to Cal and how it was prospect of losing both of them that really pushed him over the edge.
December 4, 2015
Love the cover
January 5, 2016
First of all, I rarely enjoy time travel plots. It’s nearly impossible to make them consistent. It’s nearly impossible to predict the consequences of actions. It also presents the danger of making incidents we were emotionally invested in meaningless, and it tends to leave you wondering why the time travel method couldn’t be used in better or other ways. It can make for an arbitrary-seeming plot, or act as a deus ex machina. In the case of Nevermore, I’m not altogether happy about how it’s used. For example, a highly venomous snake bites Cal, and suddenly future-Caliban has the scars from that bite. Okay, that’s fine, but he’s changing the past in SO many ways, large and small, and the snake bite proves that any consequences should immediately be reflected in Caliban. It makes no sense that this one scar is the only change we see. Many readers have their own personal pet peeves regarding the implementation of fictional time travel, so it’s a dicey plot to play with.
In a recent book (spoiler if you’re several books back yet),
Nevermore suffers in comparison to previous novels in other ways. Normally Thurman’s Leandros novels are incredibly quotable, because she is (in general) a master of zingy dialogue and monologue. Unfortunately I didn’t see that here.
Some of the events are confusing, particularly when they get interrupted by Robin and Caliban’s reminiscences. Also, this book reminds me of the 80s television show staple: the episode that consists almost entirely of flashbacks with only the flimsiest of surrounding plot. (Those always made me think that either the production ran out of funds or the writers ran out of ideas.)
Now, all of this said, every writer has books that turn out better and worse than others. Ten books into a complex series is not a bad track record at all. Toward the end the pace finally picked up and stayed there, pulling me into what was going on. While this book doesn’t live up to its predecessors, it’s still a lot better than many other authors’ work.
Unfortunately, Nevermore ended up on a cliffhanger, and those are a personal pet peeve of mine (but a staple of 80s TV shows, so I guess there’s consistency here). I will absolutely continue to follow the series; one not-incredible book out of ten is probably a fluke, and there is still some good material here.
Originally posted on my site: http://www.errantdreams.com/2015/12/r...
In a recent book (spoiler if you’re several books back yet),
Nevermore suffers in comparison to previous novels in other ways. Normally Thurman’s Leandros novels are incredibly quotable, because she is (in general) a master of zingy dialogue and monologue. Unfortunately I didn’t see that here.
Some of the events are confusing, particularly when they get interrupted by Robin and Caliban’s reminiscences. Also, this book reminds me of the 80s television show staple: the episode that consists almost entirely of flashbacks with only the flimsiest of surrounding plot. (Those always made me think that either the production ran out of funds or the writers ran out of ideas.)
Now, all of this said, every writer has books that turn out better and worse than others. Ten books into a complex series is not a bad track record at all. Toward the end the pace finally picked up and stayed there, pulling me into what was going on. While this book doesn’t live up to its predecessors, it’s still a lot better than many other authors’ work.
Unfortunately, Nevermore ended up on a cliffhanger, and those are a personal pet peeve of mine (but a staple of 80s TV shows, so I guess there’s consistency here). I will absolutely continue to follow the series; one not-incredible book out of ten is probably a fluke, and there is still some good material here.
Originally posted on my site: http://www.errantdreams.com/2015/12/r...
May 2, 2016
I’m not surprised to see some low reviews for this installment. It does not have as much action as most of the previous books, and it has a lot of introspection. And it has a lot of what I love best – character development for Cal. He’s come a long way in 10 books, and that has never been more apparent to readers (or to him) than when he comes face to face with his 18-year-old self.
The book opens with the death of the two most important people in his life. This results in Cal traveling back in time to not only stop an assassin from killing his younger self, but to change the future. When he finds Cal and Niko (and Robin finds him), he must wrestle with how different they are from what he knows in his present and what he remembers. On top of this, he has to keep from changing events that must happen, such as the genocide of the Auphe. He spends a lot of time arguing with himself (literally – a lot of humor is mined here), and all of his time trying to come to terms with the trauma of the event that has necessitated the time travel.
What I loved about this story was seeing just how powerful Cal has become, and yet he is more vulnerable than ever. The scene where Robin drugs him with a cocktail of Vicodin, Rohypnol and other drugs was so poignant I very nearly had tears in my eyes. There are more than a few trips down memory lane, which may frustrate some readers but which I enjoyed. But this means the confrontation with Lazarus, who is naturally way more than a simple assassin, doesn’t come until near the end.
I don’t think anyone likes cliffhangers, but I don’t mind them if they’re earned. Some authors can’t seem to end a book without one (I’m looking at you, Karen Chance) but if the story really needs more time I’d rather have a cliffhanger than a rushed ending. This is one of those cases. I think the resolution of this story needed a big emotional build-up, hence the cliffhanger.
Overall, I thought this was a strong entry to the series. Highly recommended.
The book opens with the death of the two most important people in his life. This results in Cal traveling back in time to not only stop an assassin from killing his younger self, but to change the future. When he finds Cal and Niko (and Robin finds him), he must wrestle with how different they are from what he knows in his present and what he remembers. On top of this, he has to keep from changing events that must happen, such as the genocide of the Auphe. He spends a lot of time arguing with himself (literally – a lot of humor is mined here), and all of his time trying to come to terms with the trauma of the event that has necessitated the time travel.
What I loved about this story was seeing just how powerful Cal has become, and yet he is more vulnerable than ever. The scene where Robin drugs him with a cocktail of Vicodin, Rohypnol and other drugs was so poignant I very nearly had tears in my eyes. There are more than a few trips down memory lane, which may frustrate some readers but which I enjoyed. But this means the confrontation with Lazarus, who is naturally way more than a simple assassin, doesn’t come until near the end.
I don’t think anyone likes cliffhangers, but I don’t mind them if they’re earned. Some authors can’t seem to end a book without one (I’m looking at you, Karen Chance) but if the story really needs more time I’d rather have a cliffhanger than a rushed ending. This is one of those cases. I think the resolution of this story needed a big emotional build-up, hence the cliffhanger.
Overall, I thought this was a strong entry to the series. Highly recommended.
Read
December 25, 2015It was good, but kind of weird. I read it on my kindle, which always messes with my sense of pacing because I don't have physical pages to turn. But it felt like not much was happening except a lot of talking and internal angst. As I was getting near the end I was really aware that not much had happened at all and wondering what Rob was going to do to wrap things up. But then it became clear that she had no intentions of wrapping things up, this was just the first half of a two part story. All of the people complaining in their reviews about the cliffhanger ending don't really have it right. It isn't that we're suddenly left in the middle of a huge plot twist or something. Yes, it's an interesting moment that left me looking forward to the next chapter. But it was just that, the end of a chapter and then the book suddenly ended, with, "The second part of the story will continue in the next Cal Leandros novel, coming in winder 2016 from Roc." It was disappointing to be suddenly let down with that kind of "ending" when I didn't expect it. Of course with a series there has to be some issues of a continuing arc unresolved at the end of each book. Or I hope there will be, indicating that a next book will be coming down the pike. But this was really just half a story, if that. I say, "if that," because so little actually happened, so much of it was all in Cal's head, or repeating stories from their past, a lot of rehash and dwelling and Cal's usual angst dialed up to the Nth degree. This series is one of my favorites, so I'm withholding judgement until I read the rest of the tale and see how all of the pieces fit together into the whole. So far it was a little weak and wandering.
February 10, 2017
Edit: As of right now I strongly recommend if you have made it this far in the series do not read this book. The story ends in a cliffhanger and as far as I heard it does appear as if the second half of is not going to be published. At the very least wait to see when/if book #11 is published first as to not experience the frustration of a non-ending to this series.
February 18, 2016
When it comes to this series the author has rarely put a foot wrong (maybe one average book prior to this) - until this book. It was dreadful. Sincerely awful. I skimmed... I never skim these books.
First off it was too much Cal, ALL the time. Snarky, suicidal Cal never lets up on the endless snark. So reams and reams of his witty thoughts become one long whine, all the sarcasm just blurs and I couldn't even find any of it funny. Just dreary and never ending. (I suppose that's why Niko exists - for balance - but we had none of that here)
And the never ending stream of Cal's consciousness was repetitive - at one point he witnesses a mind numbing event, has gaps, impressions. Later we have a chapter where he clearly recollects and recalls these same events and THEN, he recounts to Niko these same events again, but in a paired down version. Give me strength.
There were whole nonsensical, irrelevant chapters here. All these stories about the past had NOTHING to do with this story or plot.
This was the reading equivalent of quicksand. I trudged and trudged but kept getting sucked in to the mire. Don't care if this ended on a cliff hanger - I'm done. Thanks for the early books but I'm putting a fork in this series.
First off it was too much Cal, ALL the time. Snarky, suicidal Cal never lets up on the endless snark. So reams and reams of his witty thoughts become one long whine, all the sarcasm just blurs and I couldn't even find any of it funny. Just dreary and never ending. (I suppose that's why Niko exists - for balance - but we had none of that here)
And the never ending stream of Cal's consciousness was repetitive - at one point he witnesses a mind numbing event, has gaps, impressions. Later we have a chapter where he clearly recollects and recalls these same events and THEN, he recounts to Niko these same events again, but in a paired down version. Give me strength.
There were whole nonsensical, irrelevant chapters here. All these stories about the past had NOTHING to do with this story or plot.
This was the reading equivalent of quicksand. I trudged and trudged but kept getting sucked in to the mire. Don't care if this ended on a cliff hanger - I'm done. Thanks for the early books but I'm putting a fork in this series.
April 16, 2022
Nevermore is the 10th and final(?) book in the "Cal Leandros" series by Rob Thurman. Story is told wholly in Cal's first-person point of view.
When Cal gates out of the Ninth Circle to get the pizzas he forgot to buy for the celebration within, he gets to see his world end before his very eyes. The Vigil, who've been gunning for Cal since he outed himself as not-human, have made a final attempt on his life by ramming the bar with a truckload of explosives. Cal wasn't inside, but everyone he ever cared for was. Cal is about to eat his gun when he learns that Robin had one last trick up his sleeve. The Vigil have sent an assassin back in time to eliminate a younger, more vulnerable Cal. If Cal can go back and prevent that, he may also be able to prevent the tragedy that happened in his own time. To do so, however, he'll need his big brother's help, never mind that Niko is now six years younger than Cal is. He also must deal with his annoying younger self and a Robin who can't leave well enough alone when trickery may be involved.
It's up to Cal to convince Niko who he is and that he's telling the truth, fend off Robin's brand of help, locate and exterminate a supernatural assassin, deal with the fresh hell of seeing everyone he loves die in a fiery explosion, and oh yeah, refrain from killing himself in the process.
I knew going in that reading this would not be pleasant. Cal just wants to fucking die, but he's holding it together for Niko and Robin. His Niko and Robin, because the eight-years younger versions just aren't quite the same. It really reminded me of what Niko went through when Cal had his bout of amnesia in Blackout: it was Cal, but not quite his Cal. A lot of the book was consumed with flashbacks, not just of the events leading up to the explosion, but also of past lives. There was a lot of introspection and angsting on Cal's part, and the fact that he managed to cling to his sanity was amazing. He spent the entirety of the book hurting (physically, mentally, emotionally) and exhausted, and my heart ached for him. I knew the story would end on a cliffhanger, and hell yeah, I'm bitter. I'm bitter, because the author wrote the sequel to this, but she never published it. My understanding is, she pulled the ultimate fandom flounce and refused to publish until people bought more of her other series of books. Sooooo, does she know what it means to "cut off your nose to spite your face"? Because that's exactly what she did. Not only did her fans deserve better, but her characters did, too. Perhaps even more so. Robyn Thurman, you officially suck.
Now, let's examine the illogical premise behind the story:
(Meandering Middlings on Time Travel + Spoilers for the Series)
1. Why did Cal need the same ancient technology as Lazarus did to travel back in time eight years? We know from the first book (Nightlife) that Darkling, in Cal's body (and mind), created a gate millions of years into the past. He needed some extra oomph to do it, but shouldn't Cal have been able to gate back in time a mere eight years? I've often wondered when he escaped Tumulus (where he'd been dragged at the age of 14) if he didn't gate himself back in time by two years. That would have explained how he came back two days later but two years older, would it not? Instead, Niko (and by extension, Cal) just assumed that time ran differently in Tumulus, but...did it really? Bet you never thought of that, did you, Rob Thurman? Hah!
2. Did the Vigil ever stop to consider what would happen if they succeeded in eliminating 18 year-old Cal? Let's see...if Cal died at 18, then...
a. 19 year-old Cal (with help from Niko and Robin) would not have exterminated virtually all the remaining Auphe.
b. Hob would still be alive, although it's possible the Vigil had no idea that Cal killed him.
c. Cal and Niko would not have been around to get rid of Sawney Beane. Even Samuel, the lone Vigil operative who was acquainted with them personally, admitted the Vigil may not have been able to accomplish that.
d. Cherish may have taken over the world with Xolo at her side, because if Cal died at 18, Niko would not have survived his loss; thus Niko never would have taken out Cherish.
e. Cal (and Niko) would not have terminated the remaining Auphe.
f. Who but Cal could have destroyed Suyolak?
g. The Vigil may not have known about Grimm and his offspring, but they would have learned the hard way.
3. Cal outing himself was not really that big a deal. Sure, he stepped out of a gate in full view of a couple dozen people, but none of them was able to catch it on video, and it's not like it made headline news. It boggles me that something like that was what set the Vigil on his ass.
4. Wouldn't Cal traveling back in time and letting Niko and baby Cal see him have a ripple effect that would significantly affect how their lives played out over the course of the next 8 years?
The only author I ever saw handle time-travel well was Dean Koontz in Lightning, in which it was only possible to travel into the future as it was not yet set. That makes far more sense than traveling back in time.
This story was an emotional minefield. Am I sorry I read it? Yes and no. I'm going to soothe my pique and my psyche by clinging to my belief that the events in Thurman's short story, "Impossible Monsters", took place after Everwar, the unpublished 11th book in the series. That being the case, I can then presume Cal saved the day. Hell, he told Ishiah in that story, "I saved the world, saved your life, saved everyone you ever knew or will know." Bet you didn't think of that either, when you wrote/published "Impossible Monsters", did you, Rob Thurman? Hah! That sucking sound coming from Indiana is still you, though.
This one had my feelings all over the place: angst, genuine laughter, despair, hope, and yeah, some teeth-grinding anger at the author for the shabby way she left her characters hanging while she held them hostage (and continues to do so, it seems) in an effort to force readers to buy her other books. That's okay. Have your titty tantrum, bitch. We have fanfic. Hah!
I'll be generous and give this a four.
When Cal gates out of the Ninth Circle to get the pizzas he forgot to buy for the celebration within, he gets to see his world end before his very eyes. The Vigil, who've been gunning for Cal since he outed himself as not-human, have made a final attempt on his life by ramming the bar with a truckload of explosives. Cal wasn't inside, but everyone he ever cared for was. Cal is about to eat his gun when he learns that Robin had one last trick up his sleeve. The Vigil have sent an assassin back in time to eliminate a younger, more vulnerable Cal. If Cal can go back and prevent that, he may also be able to prevent the tragedy that happened in his own time. To do so, however, he'll need his big brother's help, never mind that Niko is now six years younger than Cal is. He also must deal with his annoying younger self and a Robin who can't leave well enough alone when trickery may be involved.
It's up to Cal to convince Niko who he is and that he's telling the truth, fend off Robin's brand of help, locate and exterminate a supernatural assassin, deal with the fresh hell of seeing everyone he loves die in a fiery explosion, and oh yeah, refrain from killing himself in the process.
I knew going in that reading this would not be pleasant. Cal just wants to fucking die, but he's holding it together for Niko and Robin. His Niko and Robin, because the eight-years younger versions just aren't quite the same. It really reminded me of what Niko went through when Cal had his bout of amnesia in Blackout: it was Cal, but not quite his Cal. A lot of the book was consumed with flashbacks, not just of the events leading up to the explosion, but also of past lives. There was a lot of introspection and angsting on Cal's part, and the fact that he managed to cling to his sanity was amazing. He spent the entirety of the book hurting (physically, mentally, emotionally) and exhausted, and my heart ached for him. I knew the story would end on a cliffhanger, and hell yeah, I'm bitter. I'm bitter, because the author wrote the sequel to this, but she never published it. My understanding is, she pulled the ultimate fandom flounce and refused to publish until people bought more of her other series of books. Sooooo, does she know what it means to "cut off your nose to spite your face"? Because that's exactly what she did. Not only did her fans deserve better, but her characters did, too. Perhaps even more so. Robyn Thurman, you officially suck.
Now, let's examine the illogical premise behind the story:
(Meandering Middlings on Time Travel + Spoilers for the Series)
1. Why did Cal need the same ancient technology as Lazarus did to travel back in time eight years? We know from the first book (Nightlife) that Darkling, in Cal's body (and mind), created a gate millions of years into the past. He needed some extra oomph to do it, but shouldn't Cal have been able to gate back in time a mere eight years? I've often wondered when he escaped Tumulus (where he'd been dragged at the age of 14) if he didn't gate himself back in time by two years. That would have explained how he came back two days later but two years older, would it not? Instead, Niko (and by extension, Cal) just assumed that time ran differently in Tumulus, but...did it really? Bet you never thought of that, did you, Rob Thurman? Hah!
2. Did the Vigil ever stop to consider what would happen if they succeeded in eliminating 18 year-old Cal? Let's see...if Cal died at 18, then...
a. 19 year-old Cal (with help from Niko and Robin) would not have exterminated virtually all the remaining Auphe.
b. Hob would still be alive, although it's possible the Vigil had no idea that Cal killed him.
c. Cal and Niko would not have been around to get rid of Sawney Beane. Even Samuel, the lone Vigil operative who was acquainted with them personally, admitted the Vigil may not have been able to accomplish that.
d. Cherish may have taken over the world with Xolo at her side, because if Cal died at 18, Niko would not have survived his loss; thus Niko never would have taken out Cherish.
e. Cal (and Niko) would not have terminated the remaining Auphe.
f. Who but Cal could have destroyed Suyolak?
g. The Vigil may not have known about Grimm and his offspring, but they would have learned the hard way.
3. Cal outing himself was not really that big a deal. Sure, he stepped out of a gate in full view of a couple dozen people, but none of them was able to catch it on video, and it's not like it made headline news. It boggles me that something like that was what set the Vigil on his ass.
4. Wouldn't Cal traveling back in time and letting Niko and baby Cal see him have a ripple effect that would significantly affect how their lives played out over the course of the next 8 years?
The only author I ever saw handle time-travel well was Dean Koontz in Lightning, in which it was only possible to travel into the future as it was not yet set. That makes far more sense than traveling back in time.
This story was an emotional minefield. Am I sorry I read it? Yes and no. I'm going to soothe my pique and my psyche by clinging to my belief that the events in Thurman's short story, "Impossible Monsters", took place after Everwar, the unpublished 11th book in the series. That being the case, I can then presume Cal saved the day. Hell, he told Ishiah in that story, "I saved the world, saved your life, saved everyone you ever knew or will know." Bet you didn't think of that either, when you wrote/published "Impossible Monsters", did you, Rob Thurman? Hah! That sucking sound coming from Indiana is still you, though.
This one had my feelings all over the place: angst, genuine laughter, despair, hope, and yeah, some teeth-grinding anger at the author for the shabby way she left her characters hanging while she held them hostage (and continues to do so, it seems) in an effort to force readers to buy her other books. That's okay. Have your titty tantrum, bitch. We have fanfic. Hah!
I'll be generous and give this a four.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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