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Demons of Astlan #2
The Heavenly Host
The dishonorable, cheating Forces of Good have been defeated! Tom Perkinje, the reluctant Greater Demon and recent transplant from Harding NJ to the Abyss has defeated and captured the not-so-valiant Sir Talarius, Knight Rampant of Tiernon and has humiliated and demoralized the army known as the Rod of Tiernon, that helped Talarius cheat in battle with Tom. Unfortunately, to do so, he had had to hack the mana streams between the god Tiernon and his High Priests, and now his buddies are telling him that Tiernon is going to send a Host to investigate this unprecedented event. Oh, and the fact that he reversed a Holy Artifact of Tiernon has not gone unnoticed either. The folks upstairs are not pleased. His actions have completely disrupted the plans of not only the Rod of Tiernon, but also the Sky Fleet of Oorstemoth who had thought to bring Tom to justice for illegally destroying the ship trying to obliterate Tom and his friends. The two armies are now looking to unite and rescue Talarius and arrest (permanently) Tom. Of course, there are also the three Arch Demons trying to steal a book that Lenamare, Tom's Accursed Master, stole from Oorstemoth; and whose demon horde had been infesting the wizard city of Freehold. So Tom has managed to anger both the Forces of Good and the Forces of Evil. However, that pales before his current problem, what exactly does one do with a hostage?
632 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2015
132 people are currently reading
292 people want to read
About the author
J.L. Langland
5 books539 followersJ. L. Langland has been obsessed with science fiction and fantasy since Junior High. Upon hearing the job description "High Energy Astrophysicist" in 8th Grade Physical Science, he set out to become one. His express goal to develop trans-warp capability, patent it, license patent rights, make money, build spaceship, go to the stars.
OK, well, he got a B.S. in Astrophysics, then his M.S. and Ph.D. in Experimental High Energy Physics. But by that point, he'd realized that there were probably easier ways to make a living than developing warp drives. Turns out, it was rather more difficult than he'd thought in 8th Grade.
So, clearly, the better alternative was to use his knowledge of Multiversal Quantum Topology to create a gateway to other planes of existence.
OK, that was tricky too and took many years of work, but eventually he perfected Astral Projection and was able to travel the multiverse using the power of his mind.
Now he brings to you, the reader, true stories and historical accounts from his adventures on other planes of existence.
J.L. "Doc" Langland was raised on Heinlein, Zelazny, Blish, Herbert, Azimov, Chalker, E.E. "Doc" Smith, Katherine Kurtz, MZB, Paul Edwin Zimmer, Anne McCaffrey, Piers Anthony, Anne Rice, Robert Jordan and thousands of others. He began writing for himself in ages past and has published numerous net fiction short stories under various aliases.
OK, well, he got a B.S. in Astrophysics, then his M.S. and Ph.D. in Experimental High Energy Physics. But by that point, he'd realized that there were probably easier ways to make a living than developing warp drives. Turns out, it was rather more difficult than he'd thought in 8th Grade.
So, clearly, the better alternative was to use his knowledge of Multiversal Quantum Topology to create a gateway to other planes of existence.
OK, that was tricky too and took many years of work, but eventually he perfected Astral Projection and was able to travel the multiverse using the power of his mind.
Now he brings to you, the reader, true stories and historical accounts from his adventures on other planes of existence.
J.L. "Doc" Langland was raised on Heinlein, Zelazny, Blish, Herbert, Azimov, Chalker, E.E. "Doc" Smith, Katherine Kurtz, MZB, Paul Edwin Zimmer, Anne McCaffrey, Piers Anthony, Anne Rice, Robert Jordan and thousands of others. He began writing for himself in ages past and has published numerous net fiction short stories under various aliases.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
July 17, 2018
Just like the first book in J.L. Langland's Demons of Astlan series this was a fun YA coming of age fantasy. The world is a fun one. The story is light and enjoyable and the characters are fairly easy to root for. Some are a little crazy but they are demons so what can one really expect!
The world is not particularly original as it takes ideas from everything like myths to modern TV shows but Langland makes that work as this is a ton of fun as all the crazy parts come together in an enjoyable way! It helps that this is not a story that takes itself too seriously. It is light fun adventure with cool magic and jam packed with all sorts of supernatural creatures.
The story picked up right after the big events at the end of the first book. Tom and his companions have fled Astlan and returned to the Abyss taking the defeated Knight Rampant of Tiernon, Sir Talarius, as his prisoner. The Abyss is in an uproar after word of Tom's battle with Talarius and the Rod of Tiernon has hit the infernal court. It has the power players very nervous that a new mover and shaker has arrived to upset the status quo. Back in Astlan the wizards, the Rod, and the forces of Oorstemoth all want to make sure a new mass demon invasion is not on the horizon. Tom's actions have also brought him to the attention of the God Tiernon himself. A Heavenly Host is dispatched to investigate just how a demon managed to best one of their top mortal champions. As if that is not bad enough a sightseeing trip, to get away from it all and relax, goes awry when Tom and friends stumble upon a horde of d'Orcs (demon Orcs hilariously mispronounced as dorks by most)!
The story was a lot of fun. Tom remained a likeable lead character and all the other POV's we got enhanced the story. It is always fun to see how Tom's bumbling actions manage to upset things in multiple planes of existence! Only the Jen and Gastrophe story arc was a little slow as they get separated from Tom and sent on their own adventures. The rest of the happenings were quite engaging.
This topped 28 hours on audio but it is a real credit to the story that it kept me engaged from start to finish.
Rating: 4 stars. This is not the most complex book I've ever read but deserves the rating for its pure readability!
Audio Note: Stephen Bel Davies did a good job with the audio. He got the tone of the story and did a good job with the character voices.
The world is not particularly original as it takes ideas from everything like myths to modern TV shows but Langland makes that work as this is a ton of fun as all the crazy parts come together in an enjoyable way! It helps that this is not a story that takes itself too seriously. It is light fun adventure with cool magic and jam packed with all sorts of supernatural creatures.
The story picked up right after the big events at the end of the first book. Tom and his companions have fled Astlan and returned to the Abyss taking the defeated Knight Rampant of Tiernon, Sir Talarius, as his prisoner. The Abyss is in an uproar after word of Tom's battle with Talarius and the Rod of Tiernon has hit the infernal court. It has the power players very nervous that a new mover and shaker has arrived to upset the status quo. Back in Astlan the wizards, the Rod, and the forces of Oorstemoth all want to make sure a new mass demon invasion is not on the horizon. Tom's actions have also brought him to the attention of the God Tiernon himself. A Heavenly Host is dispatched to investigate just how a demon managed to best one of their top mortal champions. As if that is not bad enough a sightseeing trip, to get away from it all and relax, goes awry when Tom and friends stumble upon a horde of d'Orcs (demon Orcs hilariously mispronounced as dorks by most)!
The story was a lot of fun. Tom remained a likeable lead character and all the other POV's we got enhanced the story. It is always fun to see how Tom's bumbling actions manage to upset things in multiple planes of existence! Only the Jen and Gastrophe story arc was a little slow as they get separated from Tom and sent on their own adventures. The rest of the happenings were quite engaging.
This topped 28 hours on audio but it is a real credit to the story that it kept me engaged from start to finish.
Rating: 4 stars. This is not the most complex book I've ever read but deserves the rating for its pure readability!
Audio Note: Stephen Bel Davies did a good job with the audio. He got the tone of the story and did a good job with the character voices.
April 28, 2016
After such a promising debut, I was expecting a lot from this second novel in the series. Honestly, I was hoping for the same fast paced mix of action and comedy but with a more polished writing since the author had, from what I understand from his site, a new professional editor/proofreader and had received some feedback from beta readers...
I'm left a tad disappointed. While the first novel did have multiple points of view, they all served to emphasize the main character's story and adventure, and to great effect I might add. This was actually one of the strong points which I really liked. Mr Langland this time though chose to use too many different POVs, most of them not very interesting, one might even say boring.
The story's pace was also much too slow to my taste. Even our main character doesn't do much for half the book, which is mostly a rehashing of the same event and its repercussions on the different factions in Astlan and beyond. The story does pick up the pace later and it saved the novel for me but it might be too late for some readers.
The comedy didn't work so much for me this time either. While I found the first novel hilarious at times, especially the reactions to these so-called demons, the various attempts at humor in this one left me cold.
I will still check the third entry in this series when it comes out but with a lot less enthusiasm.
I'm left a tad disappointed. While the first novel did have multiple points of view, they all served to emphasize the main character's story and adventure, and to great effect I might add. This was actually one of the strong points which I really liked. Mr Langland this time though chose to use too many different POVs, most of them not very interesting, one might even say boring.
The story's pace was also much too slow to my taste. Even our main character doesn't do much for half the book, which is mostly a rehashing of the same event and its repercussions on the different factions in Astlan and beyond. The story does pick up the pace later and it saved the novel for me but it might be too late for some readers.
The comedy didn't work so much for me this time either. While I found the first novel hilarious at times, especially the reactions to these so-called demons, the various attempts at humor in this one left me cold.
I will still check the third entry in this series when it comes out but with a lot less enthusiasm.
February 12, 2016
The author says that these three books are actually one book that is divided into three, in that case, what we have here a typical sagging middle. The author seems to be so focused in hooking the readers in the beginning and going all out in the ending but virtually nothing is left for the middle.
What we have here is a lot of rehashing of a meager plot, unnecessary POVs, extraneous details, repetition of details, unconnected subplots/story threads, overly long and unnecessary exposition, and other stuff that seems to just increase the number of pages without adding any real content.
Added into the stuffings are the somewhat uninteresting to rather obnoxious characters that are constantly introduced to us left and right and just disrupt or obfuscate the flow of the story. Each have their own boring mini-stories that seems to fly off somewhere, barely relating to or adding anything to the overall story. And of course, each distracts from what we are interested in the first place: Tom.
There is the more heavy use of crude jokes and sex. The former being not to my taste and the later being just tasteless. They are more of a disappointment than an asset.
There is also the pace that crawls in places when nothing seems to be happening but doesn't linger on things that are interesting. It succeeds in making us bored or frustrated.
It has some upsides since Tom will be doing some cool things, but overall, this book is nothing more than something to be done with so that we can continue waiting... if you are still interested that is.
What we have here is a lot of rehashing of a meager plot, unnecessary POVs, extraneous details, repetition of details, unconnected subplots/story threads, overly long and unnecessary exposition, and other stuff that seems to just increase the number of pages without adding any real content.
Added into the stuffings are the somewhat uninteresting to rather obnoxious characters that are constantly introduced to us left and right and just disrupt or obfuscate the flow of the story. Each have their own boring mini-stories that seems to fly off somewhere, barely relating to or adding anything to the overall story. And of course, each distracts from what we are interested in the first place: Tom.
There is the more heavy use of crude jokes and sex. The former being not to my taste and the later being just tasteless. They are more of a disappointment than an asset.
There is also the pace that crawls in places when nothing seems to be happening but doesn't linger on things that are interesting. It succeeds in making us bored or frustrated.
It has some upsides since Tom will be doing some cool things, but overall, this book is nothing more than something to be done with so that we can continue waiting... if you are still interested that is.
January 28, 2020
I just blew through the first three books of this series so I'm giving them all the same review.
These books are worth reading, but they have one big flaw. They don't tell stories. When I finished book one I was a bit confused- the book was long enough that it was time for the book to end. Then I realized the author didn't resolve any story lines. It felt a little like there was some resolution because the book ended after a big fight but a moment's reflection reveals that the outcome of that fight raised more questions than it answered. The author then goes on to repeat this process for books 2 and 3. Which leads me to the two main points of this review:
1. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN READING THESE BOOKS WAIT FOR BOOK 4 TO COME OUT. I have to believe there will be a book 4 since nothing is resolved in book 3 but then it has also been 3 years (at the time of writing) since book 3 was published. DON'T READ IF THERE IS NO BOOK 4- I was able to enjoy these books but if there is no book 4 this is just a long walk to nowhere for no purpose.
2. YOU ARE 100% JUSTIFIED IN MOVING ON NOW. After all, story resolution is pretty much job one for an author and any author that fails that test does not deserve to be read. Still, the author tells a good, if incomplete, story.
The MC in this book is pulled from Earth by a spell that also turns him into a demon. Fortunately he is a powerful demon and he manages to makes friends and have amazing adventures along the way. The MC also gets caught up in the reincarnation of a demon prince (or god, depending on who you ask) who was murdered 4,000 years earlier by a conspiracy demons and gods. Along the way the author throws in the occasional pop culture reference and turns some standard story lines on their heads. For example, orcs may be brutish but they also say what they mean and stick to it unlike the conniving elves who leave what they mean unsaid, use words to distract and then wage a PR war to claim their poo don't stink.
Bottom line: These books would easily be worth the read if the author provided any amount of resolution. As is they are well written and imaginative reads with zero resolution.
These books are worth reading, but they have one big flaw. They don't tell stories. When I finished book one I was a bit confused- the book was long enough that it was time for the book to end. Then I realized the author didn't resolve any story lines. It felt a little like there was some resolution because the book ended after a big fight but a moment's reflection reveals that the outcome of that fight raised more questions than it answered. The author then goes on to repeat this process for books 2 and 3. Which leads me to the two main points of this review:
1. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN READING THESE BOOKS WAIT FOR BOOK 4 TO COME OUT. I have to believe there will be a book 4 since nothing is resolved in book 3 but then it has also been 3 years (at the time of writing) since book 3 was published. DON'T READ IF THERE IS NO BOOK 4- I was able to enjoy these books but if there is no book 4 this is just a long walk to nowhere for no purpose.
2. YOU ARE 100% JUSTIFIED IN MOVING ON NOW. After all, story resolution is pretty much job one for an author and any author that fails that test does not deserve to be read. Still, the author tells a good, if incomplete, story.
The MC in this book is pulled from Earth by a spell that also turns him into a demon. Fortunately he is a powerful demon and he manages to makes friends and have amazing adventures along the way. The MC also gets caught up in the reincarnation of a demon prince (or god, depending on who you ask) who was murdered 4,000 years earlier by a conspiracy demons and gods. Along the way the author throws in the occasional pop culture reference and turns some standard story lines on their heads. For example, orcs may be brutish but they also say what they mean and stick to it unlike the conniving elves who leave what they mean unsaid, use words to distract and then wage a PR war to claim their poo don't stink.
Bottom line: These books would easily be worth the read if the author provided any amount of resolution. As is they are well written and imaginative reads with zero resolution.
October 2, 2015
Good follow up and definitely with the wait
I liked the book quite a bit. It follows the same time of the first, not exactly a given with many authors, is funny, and succeeds in upping the stakes fairly well. Unfortunately, there were a few spelling and grammatical mistakes, but nothing crippling.
A minor gripe I have is that there are a lot more povs than in the first one, which I personally dislike. That said, pretty much all the new characters have, well, character and are memorable.
The story is flowing quite smoothly, and is proving to be fairly intricate, if ridiculous and hilarious. Big kudos for this. On the flipside, if it gets much more complicated it will be confusing.
Now, it's hard to say if the sequel is better than the first. I really dislike a few of the povs, like the oorstmorthians who have some more screen time than in the first book. I love the evolution of the likeable characters though, as they both make sense, but really get the plot rolling. It's a toss up really. The grammar is better than the first edition :)
If you liked the first one, well you probably already bought this. You won't regret it.
I liked the book quite a bit. It follows the same time of the first, not exactly a given with many authors, is funny, and succeeds in upping the stakes fairly well. Unfortunately, there were a few spelling and grammatical mistakes, but nothing crippling.
A minor gripe I have is that there are a lot more povs than in the first one, which I personally dislike. That said, pretty much all the new characters have, well, character and are memorable.
The story is flowing quite smoothly, and is proving to be fairly intricate, if ridiculous and hilarious. Big kudos for this. On the flipside, if it gets much more complicated it will be confusing.
Now, it's hard to say if the sequel is better than the first. I really dislike a few of the povs, like the oorstmorthians who have some more screen time than in the first book. I love the evolution of the likeable characters though, as they both make sense, but really get the plot rolling. It's a toss up really. The grammar is better than the first edition :)
If you liked the first one, well you probably already bought this. You won't regret it.
October 5, 2015
As soon as I got the notification email from Amazon that the book had come out, I immediately downloaded it and started reading. I had thoroughly enjoyed the first book, and had high hopes for this one.
...well, my hopes were a bit too high, it seems. As other reviewers have said, there were a lot of PoVs in this book. And by a lot, I mean a LOT. It was a bit disconcerting jumping from one unrelated PoV to the next, and the short length of some of the PoVs served to disrupt the flow of the story even further. Worse yet, each successive PoV generally only rehashed the same information we already knew, this time from another character's, or set of characters', perspective. It's been a while since I read the first book, so it was nice to have stuff rehashed at the beginning of the book, but then it kept happening...and kept happening. A quite substantial amount of the book consists solely of rehashing stuff that has already happened, either in this book or events from the first book.
The combination of excessive rehashing and the introduction of a multitude of new characters, many of which do not seem to advance the plot much, if at all, made the story drag more than the first one.
All told, I'd give it a solid three stars, down from the five I gave the first book. I like the main characters, I like the plot, and I like the action. I don't like all the rehashing and the introduction of new character after new character that doesn't clearly advance the plot.
Hopefully increased use of beta readers for the next book will help cut down on excessive rehashing and extraneous character introductions. Take care of those two issues for this book and you have a 4.5 star book; take care of that for the next book and tighten up the storyline, and you'll have a 5 star book again!
...well, my hopes were a bit too high, it seems. As other reviewers have said, there were a lot of PoVs in this book. And by a lot, I mean a LOT. It was a bit disconcerting jumping from one unrelated PoV to the next, and the short length of some of the PoVs served to disrupt the flow of the story even further. Worse yet, each successive PoV generally only rehashed the same information we already knew, this time from another character's, or set of characters', perspective. It's been a while since I read the first book, so it was nice to have stuff rehashed at the beginning of the book, but then it kept happening...and kept happening. A quite substantial amount of the book consists solely of rehashing stuff that has already happened, either in this book or events from the first book.
The combination of excessive rehashing and the introduction of a multitude of new characters, many of which do not seem to advance the plot much, if at all, made the story drag more than the first one.
All told, I'd give it a solid three stars, down from the five I gave the first book. I like the main characters, I like the plot, and I like the action. I don't like all the rehashing and the introduction of new character after new character that doesn't clearly advance the plot.
Hopefully increased use of beta readers for the next book will help cut down on excessive rehashing and extraneous character introductions. Take care of those two issues for this book and you have a 4.5 star book; take care of that for the next book and tighten up the storyline, and you'll have a 5 star book again!
October 7, 2015
This second book picks up straight after the end of book 1 in the series. I enjoyed this novel though I suspect it will annoy many readers because the style is different to the first book. The first third of the book is told from many viewpoints and many new characters are introduced as word of Tom's actions at the end of book 1 spreads throughout the various players and the implications sink in among them of how momentous it was. This section of the story is rather frustrating because of the continuous short viewpoints though it does keep the story moving along albeit with a lot of repetition of facts we already know and in this section of the book you see little of Tom and his friends. I'm sure this section it will be the cause of a lot of three star or less reviews this book will get.
By the end of the book things have changed again in a major way for Tom and his friends, allies and enemies. Despite my initial annoyance with this book I'll be picking up book three in this series as soon as it's available because I do enjoy a good fantasy with characters I like and that also provide a few laughs along the way.
By the end of the book things have changed again in a major way for Tom and his friends, allies and enemies. Despite my initial annoyance with this book I'll be picking up book three in this series as soon as it's available because I do enjoy a good fantasy with characters I like and that also provide a few laughs along the way.
October 12, 2015
This book expands the world (multiverse?) some more. It spends the first half with the expanding and world building. This was actually kinda slow, especially since it happens moments after the awesome ending in the first book. I believe this entire book only happens over the course of a few days, so there is just a lot of side stuff that is going on. It is slow, but it does seem necessary to the sudden attention Tom receives as a result of Book 1 events. It is this slow, but likely necessary, change of pace in the first half of the book that made this book a bit worse than its predecessor, hence my lack of 5 stars.
Fortunately, for those who want action, we firmly return to Tom's story by the second half of the book. Plenty of Action, Plenty of Humor. More Mysteries, More Misunderstandings.
This series really likes to end books on a high note, leaving me craving more.
Despite the flaws, it is still a fantastic read.
Fortunately, for those who want action, we firmly return to Tom's story by the second half of the book. Plenty of Action, Plenty of Humor. More Mysteries, More Misunderstandings.
This series really likes to end books on a high note, leaving me craving more.
Despite the flaws, it is still a fantastic read.
April 5, 2016
For those whom are worried that the second novel in the series will not be as exciting as the first, you may put your fears down to rest. The Heavenly Host is just as engaging and perhaps twice as "wild" as Into the Abyss .
Tom continues to grow his prowess in this installment of the series until he reaches new heights of his power (not witnessed even in the satisfying "fight-scene" that concluded Into the Abyss ) . Readers should also be vastly relieved to learn that .
Tom continues to grow his prowess in this installment of the series until he reaches new heights of his power (not witnessed even in the satisfying "fight-scene" that concluded Into the Abyss ) . Readers should also be vastly relieved to learn that .
October 14, 2018
Review of the whole series :
Listened to the audiobook of those 3 books thrice in 2 years.
This is a "portal-fantasy" or "transported-to-another-world" or "reincarnation" story.
The MC brings modern values to his new world, but he doesn't re-invent engeneering or modern medicine like most other portal-fantasy.
The author uses a "soft" magic system, with a few rules, but without strict laws.
The multiverse / multiplanar world-building is fascinating.
The multiple pantheons are interesting.
The characters are numerous and likeable and well developed.
The pacing is slow but constant.
The action scenes aren't too stressful.
The mysteries don't leave you ignorant of everything.
The tone is hopeful, even thru adversity.
I loved those 3 books ! thanks Mr. Langland. bye
Listened to the audiobook of those 3 books thrice in 2 years.
This is a "portal-fantasy" or "transported-to-another-world" or "reincarnation" story.
The MC brings modern values to his new world, but he doesn't re-invent engeneering or modern medicine like most other portal-fantasy.
The author uses a "soft" magic system, with a few rules, but without strict laws.
The multiverse / multiplanar world-building is fascinating.
The multiple pantheons are interesting.
The characters are numerous and likeable and well developed.
The pacing is slow but constant.
The action scenes aren't too stressful.
The mysteries don't leave you ignorant of everything.
The tone is hopeful, even thru adversity.
I loved those 3 books ! thanks Mr. Langland. bye
August 26, 2017
The fries on the plate but not the burger
I bought this one the minute I completed book one, I had hoped for a continuation of the fast paced adventure with a bit more polish.
Sadly this one does not deliver, The MC is all but absent in the first half of the book and the point of view shifts to that of the side characters... who are 2 dimensional and refuse to change throughout the adventure making this little more then a tedious filler.
The pacing is slower in this one and frankly boring since you don't really care much for those side characters. Disappointed by this one.
I bought this one the minute I completed book one, I had hoped for a continuation of the fast paced adventure with a bit more polish.
Sadly this one does not deliver, The MC is all but absent in the first half of the book and the point of view shifts to that of the side characters... who are 2 dimensional and refuse to change throughout the adventure making this little more then a tedious filler.
The pacing is slower in this one and frankly boring since you don't really care much for those side characters. Disappointed by this one.
January 7, 2020
On my third read through, this is still a good book. It could have been trimmed a great deal, but that's subjective.
The subtext of relative morality and preconceptions is still there, from the first book, as well as more subtle elements. I like the way some immortal demons are portrayed with a whimsical humour. It is far removed from the descriptions of cynical, brooding immortals that you find in other stories.
The subtext of relative morality and preconceptions is still there, from the first book, as well as more subtle elements. I like the way some immortal demons are portrayed with a whimsical humour. It is far removed from the descriptions of cynical, brooding immortals that you find in other stories.
March 4, 2016
Interesting and funny. Looking forward to reading the next one and seeing how it all comes together. LOVE Tizzy. Have a feeling he's Concordenax?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2017
It's a bit of a mess. I'm not sure what to make of it.
March 4, 2024
Tom with kidnapped knight and his demon foster child emerge in the abyss, relax a bit while exploring their situation and future course of action. Get to meet new and old friends, in round robin order one demon plans their R&R day and the one time gang follows Tizzy's plan, things just ends up being so... like Tizzy. On the Astlan, people continue to perceive world through the lens of 'demon inherently bad', 'all demons all scheming devils' biased impressions and reached biased conclusions.
Book one left me with great expectations for the continuation of the story. Hard to get excited for 'The Heavenly Host' when 'Into The Abyss' is right there for comparison. The reveal in Lacuna is huge, ties well to the previous actions of the character and gives plausible depth to it.
Time travel and multiverse, personally, are the two directions that more often than not break it not make it for the story and prolonged interest in the work, adding yellow press feel to the work.
Conclusion: 2/5. Listened on Audible for free, Narrated by: Stephen Bel Davies. Personal, science fiction/fantasy Pandora's box has been opened. Time to get fast and loose with what's at stake and what's possible in the Astlan. Great value for the length of the book - 0.65$/hour (18.20$ /27 hrs and 57 mins).
Expectation:
Book one left me with great expectations for the continuation of the story. Hard to get excited for 'The Heavenly Host' when 'Into The Abyss' is right there for comparison. The reveal in Lacuna is huge, ties well to the previous actions of the character and gives plausible depth to it.
Time travel and multiverse, personally, are the two directions that more often than not break it not make it for the story and prolonged interest in the work, adding yellow press feel to the work.
Conclusion: 2/5. Listened on Audible for free, Narrated by: Stephen Bel Davies. Personal, science fiction/fantasy Pandora's box has been opened. Time to get fast and loose with what's at stake and what's possible in the Astlan. Great value for the length of the book - 0.65$/hour (18.20$ /27 hrs and 57 mins).
Expectation:
March 22, 2025
This is a complicated book to review. From the more traditional point of reviewing books, it is quite bad. There are typos, and quite a lot of head-hopping. These issues were present in book 1 as well. Despite the technical problems, this story is still fantastically entertaining.
There are certainly a few things the author does right. The characters are funny and there are some genuine laugh-out-loud moments; however, the book is weaker in this respect than the first book. The problem is that there are just too many characters—and too much of this book is irrelevant fluff. With the first book, there was tonnes of action. While there is still a lot of action in this book, it gets drowned out by the pages upon pages of pointless quests, irrelevant asides, and so on.
Speaking of characters, I wish we had more of Rupert. I enjoy his character far more than I do reading about Oorstemoth. Seriously, all of the chapters about Oorstemoth should have been cut out of the book.
The ideas get bigger and crazier—which I like! The first book already had some original ideas regarding demons in fantasy, but this book takes it up with a whole new level of crazy: space orcs, Egyptian gods, djin, you name it.
The ending was cheesy. While the first book gave us a really dramatic fight scene, the ending in this book came out of the left field and the ‘enemies’ were easily defeated (though the so-called 'enemies' where just some faceless baddies that came out of nowhere). It's obvious that the big players are Lillith, Tiernon, Bastet and so on.
There was just too much left unresolved. While this book was actually slightly better from a technical perspective than the first one, it ended up being worse in terms of storytelling.
There are certainly a few things the author does right. The characters are funny and there are some genuine laugh-out-loud moments; however, the book is weaker in this respect than the first book. The problem is that there are just too many characters—and too much of this book is irrelevant fluff. With the first book, there was tonnes of action. While there is still a lot of action in this book, it gets drowned out by the pages upon pages of pointless quests, irrelevant asides, and so on.
Speaking of characters, I wish we had more of Rupert. I enjoy his character far more than I do reading about Oorstemoth. Seriously, all of the chapters about Oorstemoth should have been cut out of the book.
The ideas get bigger and crazier—which I like! The first book already had some original ideas regarding demons in fantasy, but this book takes it up with a whole new level of crazy: space orcs, Egyptian gods, djin, you name it.
The ending was cheesy. While the first book gave us a really dramatic fight scene, the ending in this book came out of the left field and the ‘enemies’ were easily defeated (though the so-called 'enemies' where just some faceless baddies that came out of nowhere). It's obvious that the big players are Lillith, Tiernon, Bastet and so on.
There was just too much left unresolved. While this book was actually slightly better from a technical perspective than the first one, it ended up being worse in terms of storytelling.
August 27, 2020
Too. Many. Perspectives.
Really, I read the first book and 90% of this before I just couldn't keep going. The story just doesn't progress.
We're constantly being introduced to new characters. Of course a good character is interesting and following such a character's perspective for a while might be enlightening. Interesting characters are themselves going meet other interesting characters, who in turn can be followed to yet more new characters and so on...
In the end very little actually happens. In the first book the author had a bad habit of retelling the same story from multiple perspectives. The book does so less, but switches it to various characters having meetings to discuss what has already occurred i.e. the story you know the actual facts of, but that these other characters will get wrong in different ways leading to much "hilarity"... sigh.
So many new characters taking the story further and further away from the main protagonist. Sure, a little world building is nice, but it's clear to me that the author is unable to focus the story back to the original plot. He's writing an anthology of a world... or rather an infinite multiverse of worlds.
I know from hard-earned experience that I may as well just stop now.
Langland is going to "Robert Jordan" this series to death...
Really, I read the first book and 90% of this before I just couldn't keep going. The story just doesn't progress.
We're constantly being introduced to new characters. Of course a good character is interesting and following such a character's perspective for a while might be enlightening. Interesting characters are themselves going meet other interesting characters, who in turn can be followed to yet more new characters and so on...
In the end very little actually happens. In the first book the author had a bad habit of retelling the same story from multiple perspectives. The book does so less, but switches it to various characters having meetings to discuss what has already occurred i.e. the story you know the actual facts of, but that these other characters will get wrong in different ways leading to much "hilarity"... sigh.
So many new characters taking the story further and further away from the main protagonist. Sure, a little world building is nice, but it's clear to me that the author is unable to focus the story back to the original plot. He's writing an anthology of a world... or rather an infinite multiverse of worlds.
I know from hard-earned experience that I may as well just stop now.
Langland is going to "Robert Jordan" this series to death...
May 3, 2018
For some reason I'm getting a more "PC" vibe from this book.
What?
Prediction Time
This series is just one big assumption built upon another. Everyone assuming the worst of the other guy, and their actions end up making their assumptions become a reality.
This was more fun than the blurb gives. what cracks me up the most is the warrior lawyers talking like old comic book heroes with the limericks(is that correct?) everywhere.
The first book's blurb turned me away from this series many times, but someone vouched and I tried it. I'm glad I listened.
3.5/5 Stars
What?
Prediction Time
This series is just one big assumption built upon another. Everyone assuming the worst of the other guy, and their actions end up making their assumptions become a reality.
This was more fun than the blurb gives. what cracks me up the most is the warrior lawyers talking like old comic book heroes with the limericks(is that correct?) everywhere.
The first book's blurb turned me away from this series many times, but someone vouched and I tried it. I'm glad I listened.
3.5/5 Stars
July 16, 2018
I prefer when a story centers on one main character and would have liked hearing more about Tom (or reading a book about most any of the many other characters Langland thinks up). This made me hesitant in the beginning of the book and at times throughout I felt stuffed to bursting with all the old characters and then tens and tens of new people. Add to that new species, countries, planets, planes of existence, cultures, magic systems, tech... You'll have to scrape my brain from the ceiling because my head exploded half-way through. After that I just went a long with it and stopped trying to remember who everyone was and where they came from.
I'm still giving this book five stars, because despite all the above I found myself chuckling out loud and not wanting it to end. When a book that follows a format I don't like still manages to make me love most of its characters and many, many a tiny detail, well I think that's pretty amazing.
I'm still giving this book five stars, because despite all the above I found myself chuckling out loud and not wanting it to end. When a book that follows a format I don't like still manages to make me love most of its characters and many, many a tiny detail, well I think that's pretty amazing.
February 22, 2019
An outstanding continuation to the series and unlike many series in the past this set gets better with each book.
This is the continuation of the Demon Tom 9nce a 16 year old boy who traveled to the astral plane due to a good hit of weed. In the astral plane he was captured and turned into a demon. In book 1 Tom traveled through Aslan meeting many interesting people and beginning a historic event with gods demons and Tom. In book 2 we begin to see how Tom's destiny with shape the multiverse.
This is a fun series with lots of intellectual humor.
This is the continuation of the Demon Tom 9nce a 16 year old boy who traveled to the astral plane due to a good hit of weed. In the astral plane he was captured and turned into a demon. In book 1 Tom traveled through Aslan meeting many interesting people and beginning a historic event with gods demons and Tom. In book 2 we begin to see how Tom's destiny with shape the multiverse.
This is a fun series with lots of intellectual humor.
June 1, 2017
Good book!
Lots of complicated supernatural politics.
Always something interesting going on.
Fairly obscure but hilarious jokes. I wouldn't be surprised if I missed quite a few. Theres a few in latin even.
Very good book, totally worth my 5 dollars.
Lots of complicated supernatural politics.
Always something interesting going on.
Fairly obscure but hilarious jokes. I wouldn't be surprised if I missed quite a few. Theres a few in latin even.
Very good book, totally worth my 5 dollars.
July 30, 2019
Amazing
I absolutely love this series. I am sad to learn that there hasn't been a fourth book yet. Regardless, this reminds me of Game of Thrones before it became popular, impossible to put down and no one to discuss this masterpiece with.
I absolutely love this series. I am sad to learn that there hasn't been a fourth book yet. Regardless, this reminds me of Game of Thrones before it became popular, impossible to put down and no one to discuss this masterpiece with.
November 24, 2023
A very big chunk of the book is basically just a "filler," very pointless side stories of other characters just chatting and drinking alcohol talking about Tom's fight with talarius and continuation of more misunderstanding of who tom is. Tom did nothing till the other half of the book once they decide to check out a crystal cave, (this is when the actual story plot starts to progress). Alot of unnecessary conversations keep popping up throughout the story of random characters so I'd always have to skip a few pages to get back to the actual plot.
June 10, 2017
Better than book 1 and getting interesting. I feel the book should be compressed with faster pace.
June 11, 2017
Not as well paced as the first book but still was still enjoyable to read.
July 9, 2017
Solid sequel.
August 9, 2017
About as good as the first
November 30, 2017
KEEPIN IT STRONG BOYZ
March 12, 2018
very enjoyable
June 1, 2018
Loved it, had to get it quickly after I finished the first and finished this one quickly as I just wanted to keep going
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