When the Going Gets Strange, Call Dr. Alastair Stone
This collection gathers the first four books of the #1 Amazon-bestselling Alastair Stone Chronicles urban fantasy series.
If you enjoy compelling characters, exciting and twisty plots, and an overarching storyline that will keep you coming back for more, it's time to let smart, charming British mage Alastair Stone take you on the supernatural adventure of your life!
This value-priced box set includes:
Stone and a Hard Place It's hard enough for Alastair Stone to keep his two lives - powerful mage and mundane Occult Studies professor - separate without an old friend asking him to take on a new apprentice. Especially after a university colleague wants him to investigate a massive old house for things that go bump in the night. Still, Stone figures it's an easy job: just turn up, put on a little show, and announce that the house is clean.
Only it isn't. A malevolent spirit is reawakening in the basement, imprisoned between dimensions and intent on escape. If it succeeds, countless people will die. Worse, a trio of dark mages want to help it break free so they can control it for their own sinister purposes. They'll do whatever it takes - including seducing Stone's young apprentice and using him against his master - to get what they're after.
With time running out, Stone has to stay alive long enough to uncover the spirit's secrets. But even if he does, he fears that his own power won't be enough to send it back.
The Forgotten When a friend asks Alastair Stone to question a disturbed child who's committed a horrific act, Stone has no idea what kind of rabbit hole he's starting down. His investigations uncover more instances of appalling crimes, all committed by people with no history of violence. And other people have turned up missing...
It's not long before Stone crosses paths with Jason Thayer, a young man searching for his runaway sister who might be a victim of the same bizarre affliction. Together, Stone and Jason are embroiled in a network of odd homeless people, strange symbols, a growing conspiracy, and deadly danger. Even if they find Jason's sister in time, there's no way to know if they can help her--and it's soon clear that the problem is a lot worse than they originally suspected.
What do you do when you discover an extradimensional plot that threatens the safety of the entire world, but you can't tell anyone about it because literally anyone on Earth could be part of it?
The Threshold The Evil was only the beginning...
It's been less than a month since Jason Thayer, his sister Verity, and mage Alastair Stone discovered a monstrous conspiracy to take over our world one mind at a time. The battle in San Francisco struck a major blow—but it didn't eliminate the threat.
Not even close.
Where do the Evil come from? How did they get here? As Jason, Verity, and Stone delve deeper into these questions, they make a shocking discovery about the nature of the Evil—and what happened that brought them into our dimension.
What they find sends them on a desperate cross-country race from the wilds of West Virginia to the dark neon wonderland of Las Vegas as they attempt to stop the Evil at its source before it's too late.
From a new colony of Forgotten to a powerful and mysterious gray mage with unclear motives, they will find help in their efforts—but will it be enough?
The Source The portals are closed. The Evil have lost their pathway between their home and ours. No longer does humanity need to worry about extradimensional bodysnatchers with a thirst for pain and terror pouring through to wreak destruction on Earth.
So that means Stone, Jason, and Verity can rest for a while, right?
Yeah, maybe not.
The problem is, while there might not be any new Evil coming through, a whole lot of very powerful, very angry Evil are still stuck on our side. Desperate now, they're forced to put aside their differences and work together to come up with an ambitious plan to get their pipeline of soldiers up and running. And now they've got a dangerous ally on their side: a black mage with a longstanding hatred of Stone.
Will Stone and his friends figure out what the Evil are up to before they can set into motion something that can't be stopped--and that will end up killing thousands of people in the process?
Over 1,800 pages of magical thrills!
Grab this box set today, and prepare to lose yourself in the series readers are calling “Unstoppable” and “A major winner!” Once you enter the world of Alastair Stone, you won’t want to leave.
Librarian's note: Cover updated to the most recent image. Under the new guidelines an ACE would have e-book as its format. It that is your preferred cover please see: The Alastair Stone Chronicles Box Set
R. L. King is the author of the Amazon-bestselling urban fantasy series The Alastair Stone Chronicles.
When not doing her best to make life difficult for her characters, she works as a software technical writer for a large Silicon Valley database company.
She also freelances for Catalyst Game Labs, publisher of the popular roleplaying game Shadowrun, where she's contributed fiction and game material to numerous sourcebooks and one full-length adventure, "On the Run," which was included as part of the 2012 Origins-Award-winning "Runners' Toolkit."
Her first novel in the Shadowrun universe, "Borrowed Time," was published in Spring 2015. She's working on her second Shadowrun novel, "Veiled Extraction," which will be released in late 2016 or early 2017.
When not writing or working, she enjoys hanging out with her very understanding spouse and her small herd of cats, and watching way too much Doctor Who.
What can I say? Not a fan. The characters are underdeveloped, the four books have the same format and story, trite dialogue, etc. Not Dresden comparison worthy at all. Not compelling, not endearing, not well crafted. Skip it or if you really want to read it, wait to see if it is ever on kindle-unlimited.
The first four books in the Alister Stone series are all page turners. The writing is extremely well done, and the dialogue is realistic, with each character having their own voice. With an original storyline, interesting characters, and a unique enemy; this series is going on my "keeper" shelf! I think there are at least two more books in the series so far, and I'll be buying them next. Warning; For those who are offended by sex or cursing, (not the magical kind), these stories contain both. The sex wasn't graphic, (in my opinion.) The f bomb got dropped often, but most of the cursing was pretty much called for according to the situation. It wasn't like some of the stories where every other word was a cuss word. I really am enjoying the originality of the stories, and am looking forward to seeing where the author takes us next!
Dr. Stone will quickly become your favorite eccentric mage. Great characters in an interesting world that doesn't shy away from dark consequences. Looking forward to more!
I was not sure if this was going to be a rewrite of Dr. Strange or not. Same genre, but that is where it ends. Dr Stone is not an all powerful mage that is invincible. He is a real human with human dignity and needs. I am glad R.L.King kept the profanity and salacious details to a minimum. I can safely recommend this to my students. I really enjoyed all four books. I look forward to reading future books.
Okay, this is a review after reading everything up to book 36. Although I missed a novelette which I ought to go back to. No spoilers. Positives... A great underlying theme. Teasing out pieces of the overall universe slowly but surely over time. RL King has a great imagination and seems to be able to put it to paper very quickly.
Obviously I've enjoyed the series as I've read 36 of them!
Negatives. (This is subjective of course and from my (English) perspective. It's written a little too "dumbed down". Often it's blindingly obvious who the culprit is, or what to do next, but it takes these intelligent people ages to cotton on and then it's "Great idea xxx!" as though they are a mastermind.
Secondly and this is definitely from a British English perspective... In the USA, the word "of" is often dropped after the word "couple". i.e. "Grab a couple beers". Fine, it's jarring for an English person, but this is an American Author...so fine. However, when Stone himself is quoted as using this Americanism it just doesn't feel right at all. This is a highly educated posh Brit. Later on we even see Eddie quoted as saying "A couple things". He's a cockney! Not in a million years would he use this US slang! The only time "of" should be dropped after "couple" is if a determiner is used straight after... i.e. "A couple more beers"
I had a hard time getting through book 1, because it seemed like I was constantly waiting for something to happen. It all ended rather abruptly, with no time to process the shocking ending. I was hoping the second book would help resolve some lingering issues and questions, but it jumped right in to another story so I didn’t bother continuing. I rarely leave a book (or series) unfinished, but I just wasn’t into it. The first book felt very unfinished, and none of the characters were very likable. I liked the world building, but feel that the characters needed more to make me care what happens to them next.
I'm sure glad I didn't pay for these books, what a let down. I truly don't understand the Harry Dresden comparisons and all the 5 stars, this isn't even close to those imaginative characters nor the action packed plots.
Two stars, only because the writer can compose a sentence. Only worth reading if you like a 1950s style Dr. Strange story with a boring, extradimensional "Evil" entity and magic 101 concepts.
Alistair Stone in not unlike my favorite action mage
They are both entangled in things way above their pay grade. And both are rather like the anti hero. They didn't ask for this but they're certainly going to finish it. The cast of supporting characters evolve as does the story. So if you liked the Dresden Files, and Harry Dresden is the mage for you. Go ahead And read these books. I'm sure you will be pleasantly surprised. I recommend them.
An amazing fourth part to an epic adult magic-themed story
The characters are deep and developed, the scenes and situations are extremely well detailed, your imagination will easily show you what the author is describing. A very compelling, very satisfying read. Highly recommended!
Good, engaging reads. A different take on mages and the world
The stories move along pretty briskly, with enough character development to keep you interested. The magical world is pretty fractured, and this makes it different and worth engaging with. Stones role as professor of Occult studies adds a nice depth.
What a writer! After the first page of the 4-book set, I was pulled in and never left. Whew! Just ordered the next set. With a knowledgeable but hesitant powerful mage taking on apprentices, to solving murders and taking care of the Forbidden, the stories just flow out. I was totally enchanted by Harrison, and when he entered the portal, it shook me like when Gandalf fell -- tears and "oh noooooo" Talk about gripping the reader!
Love this series. Wish I had already gotten more of the books so I could continue. It only took this long to read as I have been out of town for 3 weeks so don't let the long read time give you a false idea that the books are not worthy ..
This Box Set was incredible. And it was long! But I found it impossible to put down. With a great ensemble cast and engaging story line, these books were an excellent way to spend my time.
Don't start these if you need to get up in the morning!
Absolutely brilliant box set. Loved every story characters are like old friends, wild plots with fast paced action. Great reading if you don't mind losing sleep
I’ve read 29 of the Alistair Stone books and none have disappointed. I would highly recommend this series to anyone. I follow Mr King so I’ll know when the next installment is available. Enjoy.
The four books got more and more action oriented, to the point I was sitting on the edge of my seat wondering what could possibly happen next. A thrilling roller coaster ride that took my breath away.
I am a big fan of Harry Dresden so I was happy to hear from friends that there was another mage that they thought I would like. I picked up the first set and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading them. I believe that I will keep coming back for more.
This is one of those books that popped up in my feed, you know the ones "If you liked ____, you'll love ____." I'll often click on the link and if it sounds interesting, I'll add it to my Amazon wish list. Since my reading tastes are eclectic, I might buy the book(s) if the price is right and I'm in the mood for that genre.
It happened that I was in the mood for some "urban fantasy" and missing good ole Harry Dresden when he was just a wizard detective and hadn't gotten so involved in vampire and fairy politics when Alastair Stone popped up. A Stanford professor/mage from the UK, living in the San Francisco Bay area? Yes please!
As a 4 book series, the stories and action work best when the author stays in the head and focus of one of the characters. It doesn't matter that the point of view switches--in fact, there are several times when this is very adeptly handled. On the rare occasion when the author chooses to show action as an observer, it falls a little flat. It doesn't matter that Alastair Stone, the central character, is not always central to the story. For example, The Forgotten is more the story of Jason Thayer and his concern for his missing sister Verity than it is about Stone's help in searching for her. It only matters that the action always have a central character. Getting into the head of minor characters that become victims is especially thrilling--and those bits are brilliantly written.
As my rating indicates, I enjoyed this set very much and anticipate future books I read in the series will earn five stars.
The plot of each of these four novels is so complex I can't even begin to describe them. But the protagonist in each is Dr. Alistair Stone, a professor of occult studies at Stamford. In fact Dr. Stone is what he calls a "mage" - someone who can perform magic. He's originally from a small town about an hour away from London but has been in the U.S. for about 5 years. In the first book we meet Dr. Stone, and a young man who becomes his first apprentice. Other characters who appear are Jason, a young man looking for his sister Verity who has been in a mental institution but has managed to escape, and much later her girlfriend, another "mage." The theme throughout all four books is the search for people who have been possessed by "Evil" and the eliminating them and their means for gaining entry into our world. I can promise you that once you start reading you will not be able to stop. These books will keep you up late at night, well past your bedtime if you are prone to reading before going to sleep!
Overall, a very enjoyable read with good characters and plot. Marred only by very occasional writing issues (for example, the protagonists' car goes off the road in a snowstorm, but are immediately thereafter walking under a moonlit sky). Doesn't much detract from the story, but can be a bit irritating.
Would strongly recommend to any fan of urban fantasy.