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Prof Croft #0.5

Book of Souls

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How did Everson Croft discover his powers?

Let’s go back to the night I turned thirteen, the night Grandpa filleted my finger with his cane sword.

I can’t say what terrified me more, the cold anger in his eyes or the crazy things in his locked study. A talking trunk. Squirming coats. A bookshelf whose titles shifted before my eyes. And one freaky title in particular: Book of Souls.

Ten years later and I’m en route to a Romanian monastery, in search of that lost book. But I’m not the only one. Three others have beaten me to the local village: two researchers and…

Well, I’m not sure who Flor is, other than Spanish, secretive, and sexier than a summer dress.

Can I trust her — or any of them? I don’t know, but we’ve got a pack of werewolves on our scent, not to mention an ancient curse hanging over the remote ruins.

Getting there and back is going to require serious cooperation.

Or serious magic.

Book of Souls is a short prequel that can be read before or after Demon Moon (Prof Croft, Book 1)

Length: 2 hours and 33 minutes

3 pages, Audiobook

First published September 2, 2016

433 people are currently reading
465 people want to read

About the author

Brad Magnarella

49 books379 followers
Brad Magnarella writes urban fantasy for the same reason most read it – to explore worlds where magic crackles from fingertips, vampires and shifters walk city streets, cats talk (some excessively), and good prevails against all odds. It’s shamelessly fun.

His three main series, Prof Croft, Blue Wolf, and Maddy Deeds, make up the growing Croftverse, with nearly a half-million books sold to date and an Independent Audiobook Award nomination.

Hopelessly nomadic, Brad can be found in a rented room overseas or hiking America's backcountry.

To learn more about the Croftverse, and download two free prequel novellas, visit his website at bradmagnarella.com

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5 stars
414 (34%)
4 stars
483 (40%)
3 stars
247 (20%)
2 stars
35 (2%)
1 star
7 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
Profile Image for Montzalee Wittmann.
5,212 reviews2,341 followers
April 19, 2022
Book of Souls
Brad Magnarella
This is a prequel, even before the Croft and Tabby prequels. This has Croft on an expedition to find the Book of Souls. It tells a little about his grandfather too and what kind of strong wizard he was.
Mostly it was the expedition and the difficulty on the trip like wolves, gargoyles, and more! Enjoyed it!
Good narration.
Profile Image for Gergana.
229 reviews417 followers
Read
November 2, 2017
God, that was so good! It's far more eerie and terrifying than I expected and extremely well written! If you're looking for a short horror mystery, combined with a little bit of the supernatural and sprinkled with plot twists and a bit of gore, then feel free to try Book of Souls! I felt on edge the whole time!

Also, audiobook is great!
6,726 reviews5 followers
August 12, 2023
Entertaining mystery listening 🎶🔰

Emerson Croft is a young boy 👦 with his grandfather when he discovers things he is not meant to see 👀. Years later an older Croft is in Romania looking for the Book of Souls. He joins with three others searching for a lost temple. They fight off wolves in the forest and find the temple and the fun really begins with Croft going into training. I would highly recommend this series and author to 👍 readers of fantasy haunting adventure novels 👍🔰. 2023 😀👒👻😤

I have listened to a number of Brad Magnaella series and never been disappointed. Happy reading and have fun 🌙😀
593 reviews21 followers
June 12, 2018
Amazing start to a new series, I definitely didn't want it to end. I liked the MC and was very curious to know more. Will be reading book one soon!
Author 3 books38 followers
September 29, 2020
A short story giving us the background between The professor and Thelonious. Kind of rounds things out.
Profile Image for Holly Stone.
900 reviews2 followers
December 31, 2021
This is the first Professor Croft book and it's a quick good read if you like para with your normal...Demons old books spells and incantations wolves and secret societies it's all here
Profile Image for Istvan Szilagyi.
4 reviews
December 6, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. It has mystery, adventure, fantasy and a twist.
Can't wait to read the series.
Recommended for anyone who likes this kind of books.
Profile Image for Justin Sylvia.
222 reviews
July 4, 2023
Most definitely a good partial start (prequel) to what I imagine might be an enjoyable series for me to read/listen to. I grabbed this book along with the other prequel to the Prof Croft series, partially sure to his involvement in the Blue Wolf book that I have read. I do have others in the aforementioned book series, so I shall see if he continues to be in the books or even is a central character to the heroes team/cadre of friends.
3,062 reviews13 followers
September 24, 2021
“Book of Souls”, a short intro/prequel to the “Professor Croft” series gets off to a languid and somewhat confusing start. A couple of chapters in and I was seriously considering moving on to hopefully greener pastures – luckily I didn't as once the pace picks up it really drew me in.
Everson Croft recalls his childhood, his reclusive grandfather and the strange magic that he once experienced in his private study.
Following his grandfather's death his magical library is not to be found and, after reading an academic journal, Everson is on the trail of one of the title mentioned.
It is rumoured to be concealed somewhere in an abandoned monastery deep within a deadly Romanian forest.
So far, so ho-hum, but it is from this point that the action begins. Along with three companions, a beautiful woman, a mad French professor and a young academic, Everson sets off into the unknown.
The rest of the story unfolds much as expected but there is one difference … Thelonius!
And, though it would give too much away to describe what happens, suffice it to say that Thelonius will play a major part in the series.
Great fun, particularly toward the end.
3.5 Stars
Profile Image for Oana.
316 reviews
September 8, 2021
So I didn't read the book, I listened to it and I can say that it was an interesting experience. I avoid audiobooks because they are too long and I get easily distracted. But Book of souls was only 2 hours and I gave in a try.
This is like an urban fantasy. The bigger part of the book was centered around the trip Everson take to Romania (I live here so brownie points) but there are some fleeting scenes and a big chunk at the end that focuses of the fantasy part of the story, which was actually pretty well written and kinda horrifying .
I need to read the other books because i liked the prequel a lot.
Profile Image for Kristy Halseth.
469 reviews2 followers
November 15, 2021
I thought that if I'm starting a new series I should go ahead and start with the first prequel instead of book one. It was interesting and well written but I think I would have felt a stronger connection to the main character if I had bothered to read the first few books and jumped back to the prequel whenever it was introduced. Still, it was worth 4 stars. It was a nice, tight, short story with enough fuzziness to the other three characters so you changing your mind on who the bad guy was going to be. If I had more of an emotional connection to Evanson Croft, I might have even given it a 5.
Profile Image for S.S. Scott | Romance Author and Fiction Story Coach.
501 reviews2 followers
August 22, 2022
I'm starting this series over from the beginning, and I'm falling in love with the main character all over again. The adventure Everson Croft takes to recover an heirloom from his past, the sneakiness that those around him use to keep him from finding and keeping what he's looking for? It is absolutely wild. I'm very much looking forward to catching up on this entire series before the end of this year!
Profile Image for Beth.
624 reviews2 followers
May 24, 2021
Good short

This prequel clears up the mystery of how Everson acquired Thelonious and how he got his training. I liked the trip to Romania, the wolves, the dark forest, the admonishing villagers and even the spooky abandoned monastery. Everson is green and naive in this book, I’m glad to learn about his beginning attempts at magic.
622 reviews12 followers
October 27, 2022
I really enjoy this author. This novella was short and sweet explaining how he met Thelonius and began his training.
The story flowed well, the characters were interesting and some of the dialogue was fun and funny.
Highly recommend, it does not take long to read so if you like demons and magic give it a try. I will continue reading this author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Krys.
1,360 reviews8 followers
August 20, 2021
3.5 stars. Just started on this author today, but I like how he gave us prequels to kinda explain his MC’s background a little more. This was an interesting adventure. Nothing too outta the box, but engaging all the same.
394 reviews2 followers
November 18, 2021
That was nice. Sure, it is build-up for the series but I also liked it individually. A treasure hunt story with various teams and some magic. Not a fully fleshed out story, about what you can expect from a novella but I enjoyed it.
Profile Image for Scott Shjefte.
2,211 reviews75 followers
September 28, 2022
Extremely similar to the Dresden Wizard series by Jim Butcher but with less humor, very few puns, less drama, and the romance is a bit off. Still, it is a good effort ... Purchase box set series books 0 - 4 from Amazon for $7.52 with tax on September 27, 2022.
Profile Image for Norma.
510 reviews2 followers
December 4, 2022
Great beginning to an awesome series.

I had already read most of the series before I came across this prequel. I wasn't disappointed, however, because it filled in some gaps I had been missing. Already restarting the series in preparation for the newest book.
Profile Image for Lloyd.
107 reviews1 follower
January 28, 2022
Format: Audiobook
Narrator: James Patrick Cronin

An interesting intro into the character. Looking forward to the series.
Profile Image for Neveen.
Author 2 books171 followers
April 15, 2022
Magic society and secrtes
Profile Image for Leslie.
2,113 reviews25 followers
June 6, 2022
Humming… “If you go into the woods today, you’ll probably get eaten by wolves..”

Yep. It’s that sort of book.
13 reviews
July 2, 2022
So Many Questions Answered

Delightful to read the back story and understand the characters more completely. Many more questions, though... Has me hooked for sure.
Profile Image for Faye.
1,045 reviews4 followers
July 24, 2022
Rating: 4.5 ⭐
Age: Pg-18

I listen to this book in Youtube and im so glad I did bc now I have discover a very unique Author. The book is Great..im listen to next book now (Siren Call)😁.
Mrs.C 💋
Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews

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