Firewalkers

Recondito #2

by Chris Roberson

A police investigation threatens to unleash a city’s secret history of evil in the gritty urban fantasy sequel to Firewalk , from the New York Times bestselling author and co-creator of the comic book-turned hit TV show iZombie .

After reopening a long-closed murder investigation, FBI agent Izzie Lefevre and police detective Patrick Tevake have uncovered a bizarre connection between a dangerous new drug on the streets of Recondito, California, and a series of mass murders and serial killings carried out around the coastal city going back at least one hundred years.

Their discovery has unlocked a secret history of mystics and madmen who believed that Recondito is a special place, where it was possible to make contact with beings from other planes of existence, beings best described as demons. For generations there have been those who secretly dedicated themselves to protecting humanity against threats from beyond our world, but Izzie and Patrick realize that their investigation not only eliminated the last remaining defender, but they are now the only ones standing in the way of a full scale invasion.

Genres: Science Fiction

300 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2018

About the author

Chris Roberson is the co-creator with artist Michael Allred of iZombie, the basis of the hit CW television series, and the writer of several New York Times best-selling Cinderella miniseries set in the world of Bill Willingham’s Fables. He is also the co-creator of Edison Rex with artist Dennis Culver, and the co-writer of Hellboy and the B.P.R.D, Witchfinder, Rise of the Black Flame, and other titles set in the world of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy. In addition to his numerous comics projects, Roberson has written more than a dozen novels and three dozen short stories. He lives with a teenager, two cats, and far too many books in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[The Geeky Viking · Rating 3 out of 5]

FIREWALKERS is a sequel to FIREWALKER, the first in this X-Files-esque series from author Chris Roberson. If you haven't yet read FIREWALKER than don't read FIREWALKERS. Start at the beginning. The two books are meant to be read back to back, as FIREWALKERS picks up immediately following the ending of FIREWALKER, and there's not much in the way of getting up to speed.

Taken as a whole, FIREWALKER/FIREWALKERS is a fun, fast read. Think X-files with a bit of Haitian and Polynesian flavor. The characters are fun and the city of Recondito is very well realized, but I was a bit disappointed with this finale. The big bad of the story could have been really cool, but comes across as very lame. It doesn't really do much and it never felt as if our heroes were in any sort of real danger. The best way to describe FIREWALKERS would be "breezy". It's a very quick, fun read, but you forget about it the moment that you close the book.

Both books are still worth checking out, and I wouldn't be opposed to reading further adventures featuring these characters, but I hope that if Roberson does another book, he gives this one a bit more depth.

[Crittermom · Rating 4 out of 5]

One part invasion of the body snatchers, one part Lovercraftian horror story, Firewalkers is an exciting urban fantasy.  A small group of determined heroes, a police detective, a city pathologist and two FBI agents, know the truth behind the drug Ink and those who seek to spread its use.  Something from another dimension is using Ink to spread its control over the city of Recondito. Those it takes over are little better than zombies, hollowed out by the shadows pushing through their mind.  Knowing of the shadows is enough to put Patrick and the others in danger. But the real question is how to defeat the shadows and prevent their takeover.


I definitely recommend reading Firewalk, the first novel of the series, before you delve into Firewalkers.  Otherwise you will be at a loss. Firewalkers is a solidly written sequel, and an excellent piece of sci fi invasion fiction.  I definitely recommend both Firewalk and Firewalkers.


4 / 5


I received a copy of Firewalkers from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.


— Crittermom

[Viva · Rating 1 out of 5]

I dislike stories that start in the middle of something and expect you to catch up. In this case it happens twice: the prologue and then the main story. Such prologues are usually a waste of time because I read the prologue, then what? I have to start again on something completely different. The main story is the same, I'm thrown into the middle of something. I don't know who these characters are and the writing is slow; there are pages of blandness and no movement of the plot. I rarely read the back of the book for clues on what's going on but in this case I had to. And even then it didn't help, the characters were just as boring and faceless and the story just as slow. According to GR's rating system, 1 star = I did not like it. I didn't like this book so it's a one star.

I got this book as a free ARC.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upfront I must admit I’m not sure how to rate this book. The book is well-written for the most part, has interesting characters, and a unique plot. However, I found many times that there was just too much detail/information in places, there just wasn’t enough of a lead-in from the first book, and I was confused in a few places. If you have read the first one, I think you should read this one. And, if you haven’t read the first one, please do before reading this one. 3 ½ stars. Recommend with asterisks! Thanks to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing/Night Shade Books for the e-book which I voluntarily reviewed.

[Annarella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Please don't start this series from this one otherwise you're going to spend a long time to catch up with the plot.
It's not my cup of tea :(
Many thanks to Night Shade Books and Edelweiss for this ARC

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed both of these Recondito books. I love the mix of police work and old ones/elder gods. Good characters, as well.