Band of Others

A Gentle Apocalypse #3

by M.H. Foster

The stakes are higher than ever as the Demon Overlord must once again confront forces that threaten to trample his town and his vegetables in the third installment of this witty, sharp cozy fantasy series. Includes an exclusive bonus adventure coming 12/29/26! The Demon Overlord retired. The problem is… not everyone else did.

Galornus Prime, former Demon Overlord and current enthusiast of comfortable seating and tasteful interior décor, has finally achieved the quiet life he always wanted.

No wars.
No heroes.
No destiny.

Just a small town, a modest farm, and the occasional threat to his pickles. It was working.

Then Lucas found him.

Retirement, it turns out, is not a state others recognize.

Some loyalties do not end.
Some problems do not stay solved.
And some things, once set in motion, refuse to stop.

Disturb a perfectly good retirement today!

Genres: Fantasy, Cozy Fantasy, Cozy, Humor, Demons, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

267 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 14, 2026

About the author

I write cozy fantasy fiction and other types of short stories and novels.

For those of you who have read my books, please visit my patreon page for regular updates and short stories from the worlds of A Gentle Apocalypse and Janissary.

https://www.patreon.com/mhfoster

Reviews

[Rebecca Davenport]

Devoured. I fucking love these books

[Dr susan]

Excellent fantasy adventure

The worldbuilding continues to be fascinating; Willem's obsession with pickles is entertaining. Lucas is an engaging new character who added both heartwarming and hilarious moments to the story. Sally is still awesome, and the rest of the supporting cast is wonderful. Bad things happen, and the story definitely takes a stressful turn, but the resolution of the conflict was something I never imagined. I am really enjoying this series.

[Eternity's Raven]

This was another great installment for this series!

M.H Foster once again has wrote a cozy and funny delight that had me smiling throughout reading.

Willem continues to be our reluctant saviour and guardian of Lower Middleton, and God help anyone who interrupts his pickle making.

The found family vibes continued greatly in this and our usual cast of characters continued to shine. Lucas being an excellent addition to the crew.

As usual the stakes were just right for this type of book and were resolved in such a fun and suprising way.

I thought this was the end of the series but am delighted to find out there will be a fourth book at some stage!

[Will Moore]

You’re telling me there is a band of others?!

[Jeremy]

Another fun installment in the series. Compared to the previous book, only a couple of very minor grammatical errors and no issues with continuity.

I'm continually, pleasantly surprised by how Foster is able to come up with clever resolutions to the conflict in the book. I was pretty sure Willem was going to have to unleash his power and looking forward to it, but the out of left field resolution was so clever.

A little better job of character development of the new addition Lucas this time around, although some of the background questions that Willem raises are never answered. And the introduction of a new character at the end was inventive. Maybe another installment is in the works?

A great diversion.

[Sarah Brown]

S. Brown

I have really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next book in the series. I would absolutely recommend these books, especially to fans of T. Kingfisher or Neil Gaiman. The characters and story is a hilarious twist on good v's evil endless battle, with evil deciding to go for early retirement. The ensuing chaos as the evil overlord - Willem, settles into his new life with his various neighbours and fellow retirees will have you laughing out loud. This is fast becoming one of the best books I've read in a long time and can't wait to read more of M. H. Foster, a wonderful storyteller with a wicked sense of humour. This is well worth your time and money.

[Jill Paschal]

Band of Others was a thoroughly entertaining read that kept my attention from beginning to end. The story moved at a great pace, the characters kept me invested, and I always wanted to know what would happen next. It was one of those books that made it easy to keep turning the pages. I’m already looking forward to Book 4 and can’t wait to see where the story goes next!

Enjoyed this one very much. Highly recommended for anyone following the series.

[Lois]

I love the gentle humour of these stories and this story was no different. I love how adorably clueless Willem is about human emotions and expectations, even after all this time. Lucas is a fantastic addition to his little family and the contradictions between his perceived age and manners were brilliant. I also loved how Sally pretty much corrupted him. These books always make me laugh, but this one also made me cry and wasn't that a surprise? I'm so pleased to hear there will be more.

[Clepsydra]

The series is marketed as cozy, but a primary focus of this book is a military invasion by a foreign country, so... This definitely felt less cozy. The invasion was hinted at in the previous books, but here it becomes reality. Demons+cozy did actually work, but war+cozy? I wasn't feeling the cozy vibes. Still absurd and funny, though.
I felt a little trapped by the narrator. By definition, he's selfish and his narration focuses on him. But the story has introduced other characters that I really wish we could see better. Maybe in the future we'll get more chapters from other POVs? I can dream.

[Andrew Alexander]

A unexpected tale that depicts the human condition

I must admit, when i started readings this series i didnt hold much hope. However i was surprised to find the querky plot, characters and story became adictive. I take my hat off to the author who was able to simultaneously hold up a mirror to the ideocyncratic human condition. Happy reading, look forward to the next plot twist.

[Natalie H]

April 2026
Kindle edition

So much fun. Lucas was must protect, love how they get around Willem's orders. So many misunderstandings and secrets. Knew when the angel popped up that she would be the next to join. Awkward ending with Clara though. Tom is gonna pay for that. The goat song at the beginning confused me, but made sense further in. Looking forward to the next one.

[Dylan Rose]

I caught myself audibly laughing multiple times while reading this one. I don’t know why, but this series not only locks me in for the great story but also its great humour and cliff hangers! Already pumped for the 4th instalment.

[Nick]

from beginning to end…

The only problem with this entire series is that you reach the end, and the next one just isn’t there.

Highly recommend this, and can’t wait to find out what happens next

[Inky]

excuse me!! not a cliffhanger

This series has me in stitches. He just wants to make the best pickles ever… and trying to court the pretty lady. Will his ‘ relatives’ ever let him enjoy retirement!! Ahahahahaha!! I so need the next book!!

[Shelli Carter]

I loved this latest addition to the Gentle Apocalypse. As usual, the Demon Overlord’s Retirement plan is not going to plan. As always, expect gentle laughs, hijinks from the demons, and confusion from the humans.

[Jane Balke Andersen]

I love this series. I wish there were more of them!

[Egcetera (E)]

Simply divine... and demonic 😇😈

[Fia ki-Kosis]

Musical Chairs

When things go wrong, they really go wrong. War comes to Lower Middleton and that's the good news. This series has been everything and then some.

[Nicole]

4.5 stars

[Kelly]

A riveting addition to A Gentle Apocolypse! This book had some panache. Also, was the epilogue suggesting another book to come? I'd read that. A solid cozy fantasy.

[Jane Eyre]

Sheer genius

I never imagined that I would be cheering on a demon overlord but, three books later, I cannot find a reason not to.
These books are brilliantly contrived, imaginatively twisted and deliciously demonic. More please.

[Steph]

Another hilarious installment of the demon overlord’s “retirement”. These books have so much heart to make me tear up and laugh out loud multiple times. I hope the next one is coming out soon because I love these characters so much and can’t wait to see what new chaos is brewing!

[Kristen Elaine]

I’m thinking this isn’t actually a complete trilogy 🤔 Loved the whole thing and guess I’ll keep hope for more !

[Alyson]

such fun!

Foster does it again with another wonderful tale of “ Willem Porter”, a.k.a. the Demon Overlord. Funny, smart, with some wonderful twists and turns.

[Dave Diller]

Wonderful series of excellent books

Can’t wait for next book. M. H. Foster does an amazing job of mixing charm, wit and humor into each of his books. I seldom laugh out loud when reading, but that happened more than once. Honestly, you have to try the first book, you’ll be hooked by chapter three. Thanks for sharing this journey with your readers, hoping for many more books in this series.

[Adam Prentice]

refreshingly different

I’ve really enjoyed the three books in this series and I’d love for there to be some more.
I’m not a wordsmith by any stretch of the imagination, so I won’t drone on about writing styles etc, but if you want a good read that makes you smile (and occasionally chuckle) this is a great place to start.

[lene bean]

I’m obsessed with this book series! It’s so fun and so funny! I was laughing out loud so many times. I did also crying during this one. It really hit me in the chest and made me very emotional, especially the ending. I will definitely be reading the rest of this series! It’s so good!

[Roger Straus]

Can't help myself

I wanted to give this book (and series) fewer stars. It's not Pratchett or Sheckley any of my old favorites. I have always loved humorous S&SF. This one crept up on me... Gently got into my brain.. All I can say us "More! I want more!"

[Suzanne Y.]

Very addictive series about a retired Dark Lord.

Every one of Dark Lord's devilishly funny tales makes me smile and look forward what the future holds for him.

[Andrew]

Another excellent chapter in this series, absolutely love it, and was pleasantly surprised by the ending/the next person to appear from the Demon Overlord's past.

Looking forward to the next book!