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Hidden City
When the city suffers, everyone suffers.
Steven Hines listened to the city and the city spoke. Cleveport told him she was sick. With his unnatural connection to her, that meant Hines was sick too. But when his friend, Detective Abby Jones, comes to him for help investigating a series of deaths with no discernible cause, Hines can’t say no. Then strange fungal growths begin to appear in the streets, affecting anyone who gets too close, turning them into violent lunatics.
As the mayhem escalates and officials start to seal Cleveport off from the rest of the world, Hines knows the trouble has only just begun.
Steven Hines listened to the city and the city spoke. Cleveport told him she was sick. With his unnatural connection to her, that meant Hines was sick too. But when his friend, Detective Abby Jones, comes to him for help investigating a series of deaths with no discernible cause, Hines can’t say no. Then strange fungal growths begin to appear in the streets, affecting anyone who gets too close, turning them into violent lunatics.
As the mayhem escalates and officials start to seal Cleveport off from the rest of the world, Hines knows the trouble has only just begun.
266 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 20, 2018
About the author
Alan Baxter
134 books542 followersMy book rating system:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Brilliant, I bloody loved it!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Really good, highly recommended.
⭐⭐⭐ - Enjoyable, well worth a read.
I don't talk about ⭐⭐ and ⭐ reads because I only talking up the good stuff. That's why my Goodreads rarely has anything under a ⭐⭐⭐.
Bio: Alan Baxter is a British-Australian multi-award-winning author of horror, supernatural thrillers, dark fantasy, and crime. He’s also a martial arts expert, a whisky-soaked swear monkey, and dog lover. He creates dark, weird stories among the valleys of southern Tasmania.
Fond him online at www.alanbaxter.com.au
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Brilliant, I bloody loved it!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Really good, highly recommended.
⭐⭐⭐ - Enjoyable, well worth a read.
I don't talk about ⭐⭐ and ⭐ reads because I only talking up the good stuff. That's why my Goodreads rarely has anything under a ⭐⭐⭐.
Bio: Alan Baxter is a British-Australian multi-award-winning author of horror, supernatural thrillers, dark fantasy, and crime. He’s also a martial arts expert, a whisky-soaked swear monkey, and dog lover. He creates dark, weird stories among the valleys of southern Tasmania.
Fond him online at www.alanbaxter.com.au
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
June 19, 2018
I received a copy of this novel from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Easily 4/5 stars for this.
I haven’t previously read any novels by Alan Baxter, however as soon as I read the blurb I was interested in the storyline and from the first page I was hooked and flew through it once I got going!
The short chapters combined with the great writing made it incredibly easy to keep going ‘oh just one more chapter’ and eventually you’ve read double what was initially anticipated.
This novel is full of intriguing characters and a crazy storyline; an urban fantasy story that grips you throughout and I found the concept of the drug ‘Misery’ really intriguing.
I loved the solid but sometimes rocky and anxious relationship between the Abby and Hines – they had incredible chemistry!
Abby’s character was very reminiscent of one of my favourite Marvel characters, Jessica Jones, which I really enjoyed. Her badass personality and alcohol dependency definitely contributed to this! I also loved the character of Hines and seeing his powers and connection to Cleveport grow stronger as the story went on.
As a massive metal head, I can confirm that there is not enough heavy metal references in any of the novels that I read so I definitely appreciated them scattered throughout this book
The only slight criticism I have was that sometimes the characters didn’t seem so memorable, and I would end up forgetting their name and would take me a while to remember where they were in the story. Having said this, maybe it wasn’t the writing so much as my lack of concentration whilst reading it, but hey.
I would highly recommend this book to those who are a fan of the genre and I can’t wait to read more from Alan Baxter.
Easily 4/5 stars for this.
I haven’t previously read any novels by Alan Baxter, however as soon as I read the blurb I was interested in the storyline and from the first page I was hooked and flew through it once I got going!
The short chapters combined with the great writing made it incredibly easy to keep going ‘oh just one more chapter’ and eventually you’ve read double what was initially anticipated.
This novel is full of intriguing characters and a crazy storyline; an urban fantasy story that grips you throughout and I found the concept of the drug ‘Misery’ really intriguing.
I loved the solid but sometimes rocky and anxious relationship between the Abby and Hines – they had incredible chemistry!
Abby’s character was very reminiscent of one of my favourite Marvel characters, Jessica Jones, which I really enjoyed. Her badass personality and alcohol dependency definitely contributed to this! I also loved the character of Hines and seeing his powers and connection to Cleveport grow stronger as the story went on.
As a massive metal head, I can confirm that there is not enough heavy metal references in any of the novels that I read so I definitely appreciated them scattered throughout this book
The only slight criticism I have was that sometimes the characters didn’t seem so memorable, and I would end up forgetting their name and would take me a while to remember where they were in the story. Having said this, maybe it wasn’t the writing so much as my lack of concentration whilst reading it, but hey.
I would highly recommend this book to those who are a fan of the genre and I can’t wait to read more from Alan Baxter.
June 7, 2019
4 1/2 Stars
If you’re in need of a fun, slightly gross, imaginative tale of magic and gritty urban fantasy with perfect little touches of horror and sarcastic humor sewn in, do I have a book for you! I needed this book after reading a downbeat, depressing one that threw me into a funk and I’m glad Hidden City called to me from the to-be-reviewed pile at exactly the perfect moment in time.
Steven Hines is a private eye with magical powers that connect him to the city. But as he says, “His city was a psychopath.” But don’t let him fool you, he loves her anyway, haha. His best friend Abby is a police officer with a big problem on her hands. The police have six unexplained corpses and three of them had “special abilities” like Hines. So she calls in a favor and they pair up to do a little investigating. But what they find is very odd. Very odd, indeed. It seems there is some sort of musical, magical fungi infestation that is cropping up and making people go murderously insane – after they strip down to their birthday suits! As if that weren’t enough, everyone who has magical powers is getting a power boost, there’s a crazed drug lord wreaking havoc and a once safe street drug is causing overdoses in alarming numbers.
Steven Hines will not abide this crazy in HIS city!
This book was an action packed, entertaining read. I enjoyed the characters and Steven’s well timed sarcasm as well as the gross knarly bits of the plot. And there were plenty of them! The relationships between the characters were very well written and I was SO thankful that Steven and Abby got their sexual antics done and over with way before the story began and that they discovered they weren’t compatible that way. I like romance, don’t get me wrong, but it would’ve been a bad fit in a story like this one. The true beautiful love story that left me holding my breath is between a man and a dog named Barkley. Their connection might’ve even made me go all misty eyed. I’d like to say much more but I fear I will ruin all of the dark little surprises for you and I don’t want to do that. Just know that it all ends perfectly.
If this imaginative, wild, fungus-filled ride of a story sounds like good fun to you, do yourself a favor and get to reading it!
*Thank you Alan Baxter for providing me with a copy of the book. This in no way alters any of my thoughts about the book. If it had been stinky I’d still you – thankfully it wasn’t!
If you’re in need of a fun, slightly gross, imaginative tale of magic and gritty urban fantasy with perfect little touches of horror and sarcastic humor sewn in, do I have a book for you! I needed this book after reading a downbeat, depressing one that threw me into a funk and I’m glad Hidden City called to me from the to-be-reviewed pile at exactly the perfect moment in time.
Steven Hines is a private eye with magical powers that connect him to the city. But as he says, “His city was a psychopath.” But don’t let him fool you, he loves her anyway, haha. His best friend Abby is a police officer with a big problem on her hands. The police have six unexplained corpses and three of them had “special abilities” like Hines. So she calls in a favor and they pair up to do a little investigating. But what they find is very odd. Very odd, indeed. It seems there is some sort of musical, magical fungi infestation that is cropping up and making people go murderously insane – after they strip down to their birthday suits! As if that weren’t enough, everyone who has magical powers is getting a power boost, there’s a crazed drug lord wreaking havoc and a once safe street drug is causing overdoses in alarming numbers.
Steven Hines will not abide this crazy in HIS city!
This book was an action packed, entertaining read. I enjoyed the characters and Steven’s well timed sarcasm as well as the gross knarly bits of the plot. And there were plenty of them! The relationships between the characters were very well written and I was SO thankful that Steven and Abby got their sexual antics done and over with way before the story began and that they discovered they weren’t compatible that way. I like romance, don’t get me wrong, but it would’ve been a bad fit in a story like this one. The true beautiful love story that left me holding my breath is between a man and a dog named Barkley. Their connection might’ve even made me go all misty eyed. I’d like to say much more but I fear I will ruin all of the dark little surprises for you and I don’t want to do that. Just know that it all ends perfectly.
If this imaginative, wild, fungus-filled ride of a story sounds like good fun to you, do yourself a favor and get to reading it!
*Thank you Alan Baxter for providing me with a copy of the book. This in no way alters any of my thoughts about the book. If it had been stinky I’d still you – thankfully it wasn’t!
October 9, 2020
A silly gross fun scary book.
Made me laugh!
Made me laugh!
June 6, 2018
Alan Baxter is one of my favorite urban fantasy writers currently today and I was interested in seeing what he would do with this novel after reading BOUND. It turns out it is a story of a city shaman (a bit like the Doctor in The Authority) who is investigating some sort of curse afflicting his hometown. This is a wonderful noir story with twists, turns, and memorable characters. The mixture of the supernatural with police and crime tropes makes a story I couldn't put down. The ending is bittersweet and yet works well for the build-up. I think individuals who are looking for a slightly darker, more Hellblazer-esque story will enjoy this.
November 15, 2020
Of all the bloody things to read in the middle of a pandemic....
So Hidden City is two things:
1. A novel that's been sitting in the back of my Kindle like a fat bloke on unicycle, perched clumsily in the background, waiting for me to get off my arse and get around to finish what I started.
2. The most recent attempt at trying to find other Aussie authors that scratch my itch when it comes to the genres I like.
So did it succeed? Was it worth the effort?
The main plot is pretty standard. A fungal pandemic is sweeping through the fictional city of Cleveport - which I'm more than a little convinced is supposed to be in the States - turning the infected into cackling mad pseudo-zombies that run around naked and try to spread the infection to everyone they touch. The bulk of the narrative follows Steve Hines and his cop friend Abby as they try to track down the source of the infection as everything else around them goes batshit bonkers with a side of bacon.
On the surface, that sounds like any other pandemic story set in the modern day, but what elevates Hidden City above that is that Cleveport and the setting Baxter creates is modern fantasy with a side of New Weird. Hines is a citymage; ergo he can channel power through his connection to the city to create doors, track down leads by connecting to the mental landscape of the city and other assorted potentially game-breaking powers. There's a group called CyberDawn who are attempting to fuse tech and magic and make use of organic computers. There's a magical drug being passed around Cleveport which is processed from the literal misery of the city's people. And a bunch of other little aspects that are peppered throughout the story like frosting.
So on the surface Hidden City is perfectly functional. The writing is straightforward and somewhat workmanlike, with a little bit of flounce and poetry to spice things up without sounding pretentious or like Baxter is desperately trying to get your approval. The characters are varied and some of their interactions feel heartfelt. Hines and Abby's low-key moments are probably the best moments and the ending did feel suitably tragic when it came to their relationship. I like the fact that they were just platonic friends instead of romantic partners as the story never felt like it needed something like that and wouldn't have had the time anyway. While the bulk of the narrative is focused on these two, it does take the time to split off into minor side-stories that eventually come together to centre around the main plot and overall I'd say Baxter does an okay job of tying them all together. And then there's the body horror and....
If there is one thing I will give Baxter props for, it's making the pandemic feel nasty and horrifying. Particular sadistic affection is given to describing the states of the infection, the effect it has on people and the physical descriptions of their infection. The chunky, gruesome results of bodies exploding, limbs being severed and blown off, with green-black threads of fungal rot spreading through muscle and bone is a sight for the visuals and it really conveys the sense of panic and dread that is needed for a situation like this.
That being said though, this is where things start to fall apart.
For starters, not all of the sideplots are created equal and many of them are just cut off abruptly, often with the character in question getting killed suddenly and often anti-climatically. Don't get me wrong, this story is not some idealistic schmaltzy bollocks where everyone deserves a heroic death, but the sheer number of characters that just keel over from gunshots or sudden cases of dead sometimes feel like they bog down the plot more than actually contribute anything of worth. It's especially egregious when you get to the later chapters and discover that some of the plot threads were just red herrings which makes the chapters that dealt with them feel like a waste of time.
The characters are a mixed bag overall and part of that is a fault of the characters and part is a fault of the writing. Crater, the Russian mob-boss is after a shipment of the before mentioned misery drug comes across like a violent thug with little motivation other than greed and anger and ends up feeling less like a threat and more like a roadblock. Gina is a teen runaway who gets caught up in the chaos and feels more like a tag-along that a character in her own right. Jerry Rundle is the cop with one day until retirement and aside from picking up a dog later in the book, he doesn't really add much that Hines doesn't already contribute.
And then there's Hines himself. The biggest problem with him isn't the fact that he's not interesting. It's that the interesting things about him are not conveyed organically. Throughout the book we learn three key things about him that define him:
- He was borne in the back-alley of the city, still connected to his mum by his umbilical cord.
- His dad was also a citymage and left him and his mum in the dust before he was born, on account of his powers basically driving him insane.
- Cleveport is a jealous bitch that literally dropped a building on Hine's ex so it could have him all to itself.
All of this could make for a genuinely interesting character; paranoid, cynical about relationships, slow to trust on account of his fear of Cleveport hurting others etc.
And all of this is conveyed in a plot-dump during one of the quiet moments between Hines and Abby. Beyond this point, Hines is just alright as a protag, if somewhat undercooked. He doesn't really have trust issues, he's open and friendly if a little worn-down. It's such a waste of potentially interesting ideas that it genuinely makes me feel like I'm missing something.
In fact that's the general feeling I get from the book as a whole. We have here a city of urban magic and technology, of body horror and strange entities, various factions with their own motivations and desires and all of it just feels swept under the rug in favour of pushing the plot along. I feel like there should be other stories set in Cleveport that I'm missing, but Hidden City is a standalone novel, which ends up making this feel like a lot of wasted potential.
Keep in mind here, I don't think Hidden City is bad. It's competently told with a good pace and just enough interesting setpieces to keep it afloat. But so much of it feels like wasted opportunities. It feels like a story that should have focused on Hines and Abby solely without deviating from the main narrative. It feels like a story that needs other stories to prop it up. Without those, it just feels a little empty and undercooked.
Think of Hidden City as a Jauary dump-month movie that you hit up for a night out with the partner. Something you can have a few pleasant hours with, without the need to commit to a deeper story and you should come away from this fine.
So Hidden City is two things:
1. A novel that's been sitting in the back of my Kindle like a fat bloke on unicycle, perched clumsily in the background, waiting for me to get off my arse and get around to finish what I started.
2. The most recent attempt at trying to find other Aussie authors that scratch my itch when it comes to the genres I like.
So did it succeed? Was it worth the effort?
The main plot is pretty standard. A fungal pandemic is sweeping through the fictional city of Cleveport - which I'm more than a little convinced is supposed to be in the States - turning the infected into cackling mad pseudo-zombies that run around naked and try to spread the infection to everyone they touch. The bulk of the narrative follows Steve Hines and his cop friend Abby as they try to track down the source of the infection as everything else around them goes batshit bonkers with a side of bacon.
On the surface, that sounds like any other pandemic story set in the modern day, but what elevates Hidden City above that is that Cleveport and the setting Baxter creates is modern fantasy with a side of New Weird. Hines is a citymage; ergo he can channel power through his connection to the city to create doors, track down leads by connecting to the mental landscape of the city and other assorted potentially game-breaking powers. There's a group called CyberDawn who are attempting to fuse tech and magic and make use of organic computers. There's a magical drug being passed around Cleveport which is processed from the literal misery of the city's people. And a bunch of other little aspects that are peppered throughout the story like frosting.
So on the surface Hidden City is perfectly functional. The writing is straightforward and somewhat workmanlike, with a little bit of flounce and poetry to spice things up without sounding pretentious or like Baxter is desperately trying to get your approval. The characters are varied and some of their interactions feel heartfelt. Hines and Abby's low-key moments are probably the best moments and the ending did feel suitably tragic when it came to their relationship. I like the fact that they were just platonic friends instead of romantic partners as the story never felt like it needed something like that and wouldn't have had the time anyway. While the bulk of the narrative is focused on these two, it does take the time to split off into minor side-stories that eventually come together to centre around the main plot and overall I'd say Baxter does an okay job of tying them all together. And then there's the body horror and....
If there is one thing I will give Baxter props for, it's making the pandemic feel nasty and horrifying. Particular sadistic affection is given to describing the states of the infection, the effect it has on people and the physical descriptions of their infection. The chunky, gruesome results of bodies exploding, limbs being severed and blown off, with green-black threads of fungal rot spreading through muscle and bone is a sight for the visuals and it really conveys the sense of panic and dread that is needed for a situation like this.
That being said though, this is where things start to fall apart.
For starters, not all of the sideplots are created equal and many of them are just cut off abruptly, often with the character in question getting killed suddenly and often anti-climatically. Don't get me wrong, this story is not some idealistic schmaltzy bollocks where everyone deserves a heroic death, but the sheer number of characters that just keel over from gunshots or sudden cases of dead sometimes feel like they bog down the plot more than actually contribute anything of worth. It's especially egregious when you get to the later chapters and discover that some of the plot threads were just red herrings which makes the chapters that dealt with them feel like a waste of time.
The characters are a mixed bag overall and part of that is a fault of the characters and part is a fault of the writing. Crater, the Russian mob-boss is after a shipment of the before mentioned misery drug comes across like a violent thug with little motivation other than greed and anger and ends up feeling less like a threat and more like a roadblock. Gina is a teen runaway who gets caught up in the chaos and feels more like a tag-along that a character in her own right. Jerry Rundle is the cop with one day until retirement and aside from picking up a dog later in the book, he doesn't really add much that Hines doesn't already contribute.
And then there's Hines himself. The biggest problem with him isn't the fact that he's not interesting. It's that the interesting things about him are not conveyed organically. Throughout the book we learn three key things about him that define him:
- He was borne in the back-alley of the city, still connected to his mum by his umbilical cord.
- His dad was also a citymage and left him and his mum in the dust before he was born, on account of his powers basically driving him insane.
- Cleveport is a jealous bitch that literally dropped a building on Hine's ex so it could have him all to itself.
All of this could make for a genuinely interesting character; paranoid, cynical about relationships, slow to trust on account of his fear of Cleveport hurting others etc.
And all of this is conveyed in a plot-dump during one of the quiet moments between Hines and Abby. Beyond this point, Hines is just alright as a protag, if somewhat undercooked. He doesn't really have trust issues, he's open and friendly if a little worn-down. It's such a waste of potentially interesting ideas that it genuinely makes me feel like I'm missing something.
In fact that's the general feeling I get from the book as a whole. We have here a city of urban magic and technology, of body horror and strange entities, various factions with their own motivations and desires and all of it just feels swept under the rug in favour of pushing the plot along. I feel like there should be other stories set in Cleveport that I'm missing, but Hidden City is a standalone novel, which ends up making this feel like a lot of wasted potential.
Keep in mind here, I don't think Hidden City is bad. It's competently told with a good pace and just enough interesting setpieces to keep it afloat. But so much of it feels like wasted opportunities. It feels like a story that should have focused on Hines and Abby solely without deviating from the main narrative. It feels like a story that needs other stories to prop it up. Without those, it just feels a little empty and undercooked.
Think of Hidden City as a Jauary dump-month movie that you hit up for a night out with the partner. Something you can have a few pleasant hours with, without the need to commit to a deeper story and you should come away from this fine.
October 15, 2019
For some odd reason unknown to me I found Alan Baxter’s works quite late compared to many others. Which I am not mad about at all. There is something rather wonderful about finding an author you really relish, only to discover they have a plethora of other works already ripe for you to enjoy. I read Hidden City in two days straight, hooked in from the very first page.
Hidden City hits the ground running and never lets up the pace. A curious, clever blend of genres, it’s perhaps best described as a gritty urban fantasy, skilfully mixed with a dash of dark horror and a healthy dose of noir. The main character, Steven Hines, is a sarcastic, streetwise, heavy metal-loving private-eye bestowed with magical abilities. Known as a citymage, he can connect emotionally and telepathically with Cleveport, the city he resides in and refers to — although not unkindly — as “a psychopath.” Consequently, when the city contracts a sickness, Hines exhibits symptoms too.
His best friend is Detective Abby Jones, a genuine strong female protagonist here to kick ass and take names without ever spilling a single drop of her drink. It’s refreshing to note that their relationship is purely platonic, and in this way Baxter avoids writing sexual clichés lesser authors often use as a weak crutch. However, as tough and capable as she is, Abby still needs Hines’s help. Six dead, three with special magical abilities, their demise apparently inexplicable, presents Jones with a serious problem. The only way to fix it is for the two to team up and dive deep into the city’s seedy underbelly.
What follows is marvellous, bonkers mayhem of the absolute best possible kind. A virulent magical fungal infestation is sending the city’s inhabitants insane. Presenting itself less like an invasive cordyceps and more like a murderous black mould — or at least that was how I imagined it — the fungus spreads indiscriminately through the general population and destroys each victim from within. Throw in a Russian drug lord and a succession of gnarly overdoses thanks to the aptly named street drug, Misery, and you have a very tense and complex tale.
It’s rare that I like every character in a book, but Hidden City managed to surprise me. On his official Twitter account, Baxter describes himself as a ‘Brain Movie Wizard,’ claiming that he “injects a series of ancient glyphs directly through your eyeballs” whereby your brain hallucinates the pictures. He’s not wrong. His descriptive narrative is knee-deep in endless action and every individual has their own, well-rounded voice and back-story. Each chapter unfolds with a visual explosion — it’s energetic, supernatural dark fiction at its best. Baxter’s concept could have been chaotic, but instead he masters every plot-thread like a circus master spinning plates.
The ending was a bittersweet punch to the gut, and while I’d clocked the direction it was heading in, I still wasn’t fully prepared. “With great power comes great responsibility,” to coin a well-known phrase, and every hero must be prepared to do whatever is necessary to emerge victorious. Baxter ties up all the loose ends perfectly, and while I wanted more — much more — from his motley crew of magicians and misfits, overall I was satisfied by the closing act. Like that final sip of Scotch before the glass runs empty, Hidden City leaves behind a highly enjoyable aftertaste.
Hidden City hits the ground running and never lets up the pace. A curious, clever blend of genres, it’s perhaps best described as a gritty urban fantasy, skilfully mixed with a dash of dark horror and a healthy dose of noir. The main character, Steven Hines, is a sarcastic, streetwise, heavy metal-loving private-eye bestowed with magical abilities. Known as a citymage, he can connect emotionally and telepathically with Cleveport, the city he resides in and refers to — although not unkindly — as “a psychopath.” Consequently, when the city contracts a sickness, Hines exhibits symptoms too.
His best friend is Detective Abby Jones, a genuine strong female protagonist here to kick ass and take names without ever spilling a single drop of her drink. It’s refreshing to note that their relationship is purely platonic, and in this way Baxter avoids writing sexual clichés lesser authors often use as a weak crutch. However, as tough and capable as she is, Abby still needs Hines’s help. Six dead, three with special magical abilities, their demise apparently inexplicable, presents Jones with a serious problem. The only way to fix it is for the two to team up and dive deep into the city’s seedy underbelly.
What follows is marvellous, bonkers mayhem of the absolute best possible kind. A virulent magical fungal infestation is sending the city’s inhabitants insane. Presenting itself less like an invasive cordyceps and more like a murderous black mould — or at least that was how I imagined it — the fungus spreads indiscriminately through the general population and destroys each victim from within. Throw in a Russian drug lord and a succession of gnarly overdoses thanks to the aptly named street drug, Misery, and you have a very tense and complex tale.
It’s rare that I like every character in a book, but Hidden City managed to surprise me. On his official Twitter account, Baxter describes himself as a ‘Brain Movie Wizard,’ claiming that he “injects a series of ancient glyphs directly through your eyeballs” whereby your brain hallucinates the pictures. He’s not wrong. His descriptive narrative is knee-deep in endless action and every individual has their own, well-rounded voice and back-story. Each chapter unfolds with a visual explosion — it’s energetic, supernatural dark fiction at its best. Baxter’s concept could have been chaotic, but instead he masters every plot-thread like a circus master spinning plates.
The ending was a bittersweet punch to the gut, and while I’d clocked the direction it was heading in, I still wasn’t fully prepared. “With great power comes great responsibility,” to coin a well-known phrase, and every hero must be prepared to do whatever is necessary to emerge victorious. Baxter ties up all the loose ends perfectly, and while I wanted more — much more — from his motley crew of magicians and misfits, overall I was satisfied by the closing act. Like that final sip of Scotch before the glass runs empty, Hidden City leaves behind a highly enjoyable aftertaste.
February 22, 2018
Hard-boiled P.I. vs horrific mutations and killer fungi -- can I get an Amen in here?
Killer dialogue. Pages that whip by so fast you should fear paper cuts. Noirish twists and turns mixed with lashings of supernatural horror. Yes, Alan Baxter, author of Bound (and my personal favourite The Book Club) has done it again. In case you couldn't tell, I really loved this. Think Jim Butcher meets James Herbert, told with efficiency, and imbued with a gritty atmosphere you can literally feel on your skin and taste in the back of your throat.
Cleveport might not be the best place to visit for a holiday, but Hidden City is the perfect read to take on one.
Highly, highly recommended.
Killer dialogue. Pages that whip by so fast you should fear paper cuts. Noirish twists and turns mixed with lashings of supernatural horror. Yes, Alan Baxter, author of Bound (and my personal favourite The Book Club) has done it again. In case you couldn't tell, I really loved this. Think Jim Butcher meets James Herbert, told with efficiency, and imbued with a gritty atmosphere you can literally feel on your skin and taste in the back of your throat.
Cleveport might not be the best place to visit for a holiday, but Hidden City is the perfect read to take on one.
Highly, highly recommended.
February 25, 2018
The Hidden City is a hell of a ride. An addictive blend of urban fantasy and crime. Follow Steven Hines as he unravels the mystery sickening his city. Superbly crafted, the vibrant storyline left me asking for more. Any chance of a sequel, pretty please?
January 19, 2021
Baxter’s writing was surprisingly smooth and so imaginative.
The whole time I was reading Hidden City, I was thinking we needed a Hines to save us all from this big blob of funk, that we all are suffering from.
Look forward to reading more.
The whole time I was reading Hidden City, I was thinking we needed a Hines to save us all from this big blob of funk, that we all are suffering from.
Look forward to reading more.
February 21, 2018
The Good: This has great potential to deliver an amazing new world for readers. It’s new, it’s dark, it’s fast paced, it’s a great urban / supernatural / horror / action fantasy. A solid 5-Star Read!
The Bad: I’d like to get more insights into a secondary storyline. I am in two minds about the ending. The dog is too smart by a country-mile. I hate sitting in suspense if there will be more Cleveport books.
Alan Baxter’s “Hidden City” is alive but not so well.
Steven Hines, a PI and a weak Citymage, is closely bonded with his city and can feel something is going wrong.
People start turning into lunatics in Cleveport, talented people die of a supposedly harmless drug and others find their talents, their magic, suddenly greatly enhanced. Steven’s link with the city is getting stronger as well; as is the madness, which runs rampant through the city and its inhabitants.
This is pretty much where the book starts. If he wants to save his city, Steven is forced to find out what is creating these phenomena and how the madness can be stopped.
The premise is very solid and new.
I was considering drawing a comparison to John Hawksmoor (The Authority) but failed; this was the first use of a citymage of this kind I have come across.
I have encountered sentience in houses, ships, spaceships, planets and cities. It is still a rarely used vehicle and Alan Baxter manages to make his Hidden City truly unique. We are not talking about a miniature city in a bottle or Lisa’s flowerpot but an entity that permeates and is the cold, hard concrete jungle as well as its living and breathing occupants. Think of a city gestalt.
It’s also not a pretty city, so we are keeping it real,
Overall, the storyline progresses at a solid pace and ties in the characters and events in a manner that takes you along and keeps you intrigued.
The character development is Alan’s strongest so far. I am someone who might sometimes wish for a bit more description on his characters – I am lazy like that and like to link them to know faces or actors – but I have a low tolerance for “cardboard-cut-out-characters”. In this case, every key person is well defined and real. It is possible to identify with the reluctant hero(es), their motivation to carry on is mostly clear and every person stands distinct.
The dialogue works and, imbued with some of the dry, cynical and sarcastic observations by author and characters, with just the right level of real-world expressions (expletives included), makes their interactions believable.
The pacing is solid and builds up without becoming a blur; there is time for Alan to tell and for you to immerse yourself in the story.
Alan Baxter’s Hidden City keeps his voice but it is a deeper, more developed and resonant voice that tells the story. It’s pacing is more deliberate yet stronger, it draws you into the story and the wet, dark, ominous, murderous and scary streets of Cleveport and hits you with action with just the right momentum.
For me, this is Alan’s best novel so far and it should appeal to the wider audience. I enjoyed The Balance series, I loved the Alex Caine series and I’d be happy to stick it out in this world a while longer; about 20 novels longer. I admit to bias but I loved the book and I enjoyed the new and distinct urban fantasy world it opened up for me.
For those that need a comparison: Jim Butcher (Dresden Files), Seanan Mcguire (October Daye), Simon R. Green (Nightside), Tim Waggoner (Necropolis), China Mieville (Bas-Lag), Kevin Hearne (Iron Druid); you do not want this level of competition.
If you like unique urban fantasy / supernatural novels with a solid helping of horror and action, this should be for you.
The Bad: I’d like to get more insights into a secondary storyline. I am in two minds about the ending. The dog is too smart by a country-mile. I hate sitting in suspense if there will be more Cleveport books.
Alan Baxter’s “Hidden City” is alive but not so well.
Steven Hines, a PI and a weak Citymage, is closely bonded with his city and can feel something is going wrong.
People start turning into lunatics in Cleveport, talented people die of a supposedly harmless drug and others find their talents, their magic, suddenly greatly enhanced. Steven’s link with the city is getting stronger as well; as is the madness, which runs rampant through the city and its inhabitants.
This is pretty much where the book starts. If he wants to save his city, Steven is forced to find out what is creating these phenomena and how the madness can be stopped.
The premise is very solid and new.
I was considering drawing a comparison to John Hawksmoor (The Authority) but failed; this was the first use of a citymage of this kind I have come across.
I have encountered sentience in houses, ships, spaceships, planets and cities. It is still a rarely used vehicle and Alan Baxter manages to make his Hidden City truly unique. We are not talking about a miniature city in a bottle or Lisa’s flowerpot but an entity that permeates and is the cold, hard concrete jungle as well as its living and breathing occupants. Think of a city gestalt.
It’s also not a pretty city, so we are keeping it real,
Overall, the storyline progresses at a solid pace and ties in the characters and events in a manner that takes you along and keeps you intrigued.
The character development is Alan’s strongest so far. I am someone who might sometimes wish for a bit more description on his characters – I am lazy like that and like to link them to know faces or actors – but I have a low tolerance for “cardboard-cut-out-characters”. In this case, every key person is well defined and real. It is possible to identify with the reluctant hero(es), their motivation to carry on is mostly clear and every person stands distinct.
The dialogue works and, imbued with some of the dry, cynical and sarcastic observations by author and characters, with just the right level of real-world expressions (expletives included), makes their interactions believable.
The pacing is solid and builds up without becoming a blur; there is time for Alan to tell and for you to immerse yourself in the story.
Alan Baxter’s Hidden City keeps his voice but it is a deeper, more developed and resonant voice that tells the story. It’s pacing is more deliberate yet stronger, it draws you into the story and the wet, dark, ominous, murderous and scary streets of Cleveport and hits you with action with just the right momentum.
For me, this is Alan’s best novel so far and it should appeal to the wider audience. I enjoyed The Balance series, I loved the Alex Caine series and I’d be happy to stick it out in this world a while longer; about 20 novels longer. I admit to bias but I loved the book and I enjoyed the new and distinct urban fantasy world it opened up for me.
For those that need a comparison: Jim Butcher (Dresden Files), Seanan Mcguire (October Daye), Simon R. Green (Nightside), Tim Waggoner (Necropolis), China Mieville (Bas-Lag), Kevin Hearne (Iron Druid); you do not want this level of competition.
If you like unique urban fantasy / supernatural novels with a solid helping of horror and action, this should be for you.
June 29, 2020
Alan Baxter’s paranormal/urban fantasy novel Hidden City absolutely intrigued me with its worldbuilding. Steven is a citymage, a man with some small “talent” who’s able to commune with Cleveport City, his jealous mistress. His best friend Abby is a cop who doesn’t really believe in magic, but sometimes has to admit that reality can get a little weird around the edges. Right now she has six mysterious bodies with no obvious cause of death, and she thinks they may be “his kind of people.” Gina Baker is a young woman with a small talent in illusions, and she watches her boyfriend Trev die from an overdose of a magical drug that shouldn’t be able to cause overdoses. Jerry Rundle is an entirely ordinary cop who finds himself caught up in a mystery of naked people running around attacking folks, and turning into fibrous masses. There are pools of tiny fungi sending up spores and turning people into these lunatics. He’s doing everything he can, but magic is definitely not his forte. Add in a Russian mob boss irate over the loss of his drug shipment, and things start going to hell quite rapidly!
One of my favorite details of this book is a tiny throw-away thing near the front. Steven and Abby have been friends since they were 8 years old. At one time they tried out having a fling, but it didn’t work out and they mutually went back to being best friends/adopted family. Nowhere is there any hint that Steven feels he has somehow been “friend-zoned.” I am so grateful to Baxter for not including that all-too-common crap, and it makes Steven all the more likable.
The characters in general have a lot of depth to them. Abby is a smartass. Gina puts on a hard exterior, but is intelligent and street-smart. Jerry is starting to think that early retirement might be a good idea, and he happily adopts a dog he finds at one of the crime scenes. There’s a group of technomages who feel they’re better than other mages–more “evolved”–but our rag-tag group of heroes will need their help before long.
There’s a lot going on in here! The fungal infection and the lunatics spreading it, mysterious bodies with no obvious injury or poison in their system, a harmless high that suddenly isn’t harmless any more, and the magic level in the city is climbing fast. Steven and Gina find their abilities growing–this is very handy in places, but it could also be a problem. The biggest questions are how are these things related (if they are), and what’s the source of it all? There’s a ton of action built around answering these questions and more.
My only wish is that there were more books in this universe. The concept of a citymage is fascinating, and I’d like to see more of it.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/06/r...
One of my favorite details of this book is a tiny throw-away thing near the front. Steven and Abby have been friends since they were 8 years old. At one time they tried out having a fling, but it didn’t work out and they mutually went back to being best friends/adopted family. Nowhere is there any hint that Steven feels he has somehow been “friend-zoned.” I am so grateful to Baxter for not including that all-too-common crap, and it makes Steven all the more likable.
The characters in general have a lot of depth to them. Abby is a smartass. Gina puts on a hard exterior, but is intelligent and street-smart. Jerry is starting to think that early retirement might be a good idea, and he happily adopts a dog he finds at one of the crime scenes. There’s a group of technomages who feel they’re better than other mages–more “evolved”–but our rag-tag group of heroes will need their help before long.
There’s a lot going on in here! The fungal infection and the lunatics spreading it, mysterious bodies with no obvious injury or poison in their system, a harmless high that suddenly isn’t harmless any more, and the magic level in the city is climbing fast. Steven and Gina find their abilities growing–this is very handy in places, but it could also be a problem. The biggest questions are how are these things related (if they are), and what’s the source of it all? There’s a ton of action built around answering these questions and more.
My only wish is that there were more books in this universe. The concept of a citymage is fascinating, and I’d like to see more of it.
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/06/r...
October 1, 2018
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review and, honestly, I think I'm still getting over the fact that it's finished. I enjoyed every word of this novel and will definitely be tracking down more of Baxter's work.
The story follows Hines, a city mage, and his detective friend Abbey as they investigate an outbreak of strange fungus in the city of Cleveport. Hines and Abbey have a friendship that is plausible and genuine, and the scenes with the two of them just hanging out are an easy highlight. As the story progresses and their investigation takes them to some darker places, Baxter does an excellent job of notching up the tension.
The book's X-factor is, for me, the city of Cleveport itself. This is a world where magic and those that practice it exist alongside iPhones and the internet. Cleveport's exact location is nebulous, but I liked the little details that were clearly there for Australian readers like myself to pick up on. It truly feels like a real place, which is no mean feat given some of the turns the plot takes.
Hidden City is easily one of my reads of the year and anyone looking for a read that is dark, challening, but also a hell of a lot of fun should check it out.
The story follows Hines, a city mage, and his detective friend Abbey as they investigate an outbreak of strange fungus in the city of Cleveport. Hines and Abbey have a friendship that is plausible and genuine, and the scenes with the two of them just hanging out are an easy highlight. As the story progresses and their investigation takes them to some darker places, Baxter does an excellent job of notching up the tension.
The book's X-factor is, for me, the city of Cleveport itself. This is a world where magic and those that practice it exist alongside iPhones and the internet. Cleveport's exact location is nebulous, but I liked the little details that were clearly there for Australian readers like myself to pick up on. It truly feels like a real place, which is no mean feat given some of the turns the plot takes.
Hidden City is easily one of my reads of the year and anyone looking for a read that is dark, challening, but also a hell of a lot of fun should check it out.
October 18, 2020
October is definitely the right time to read this one. But perhaps not during a pandemic! (In a hometown that has been in lockdown for 100 days and counting.) I might have given myself nightmares with this one.
It’s a scary supernatural horror. A magic fueled pandemic where the natural world is against humanity. And humanity does not fare well. Steven Hines is a low level citymage. His best friend is a police detective and Abby doesn’t believe in magic. She is forced to believe in magic when the city—Cleveport—becomes sick, at the same time reports of a contagious madness is striking people in the city. Hines and his connection to the city are the only thing that will help them survive this rapidly moving deadly virus, the gun-toting insane militia, and a supercharged drug that is dropping mages left and right.
Cleveport is a character in her own right in this supernatural horror. Several supporting characters help move this fast paced tale along and soon it is only Hines, Abby and their small crew in a deadly battle to save the city and survive the madness taking over everything.
If you like the Dresden Files, you will definitely love this. It’s a great read for Halloween.
It’s a scary supernatural horror. A magic fueled pandemic where the natural world is against humanity. And humanity does not fare well. Steven Hines is a low level citymage. His best friend is a police detective and Abby doesn’t believe in magic. She is forced to believe in magic when the city—Cleveport—becomes sick, at the same time reports of a contagious madness is striking people in the city. Hines and his connection to the city are the only thing that will help them survive this rapidly moving deadly virus, the gun-toting insane militia, and a supercharged drug that is dropping mages left and right.
Cleveport is a character in her own right in this supernatural horror. Several supporting characters help move this fast paced tale along and soon it is only Hines, Abby and their small crew in a deadly battle to save the city and survive the madness taking over everything.
If you like the Dresden Files, you will definitely love this. It’s a great read for Halloween.
August 4, 2021
( Format : Audiobook )
"All rivers have a source."
A P.I., linked magically to the city, a jealous city which had killed his beloved but is now in need of his help. The magic is steadily growing stronger, the techno mages waiting for their time to come. Strange deaths have started happening and a long-time cop friend asks for his help. Then thing really become bizarre as naked people start running through the streets chasing anyone else there. And all the time it keeps on raining...
All very noire.
An atmospheric story line where magic, not even recognised by most, sizzles below the surface until exploding into horror. Well written and with an excellent narration by Jonathan Waters whose well reading modulated reading brings everything to life: an excellent performance.
My thanks to the rights holder of The Hidden City who, at my request, freely gifted me with a complimentary copy via Audiobook Boom. It was fun, intriguing, exciting and with good character development. There's even a dog. I really enjoyed it.
"All rivers have a source."
A P.I., linked magically to the city, a jealous city which had killed his beloved but is now in need of his help. The magic is steadily growing stronger, the techno mages waiting for their time to come. Strange deaths have started happening and a long-time cop friend asks for his help. Then thing really become bizarre as naked people start running through the streets chasing anyone else there. And all the time it keeps on raining...
All very noire.
An atmospheric story line where magic, not even recognised by most, sizzles below the surface until exploding into horror. Well written and with an excellent narration by Jonathan Waters whose well reading modulated reading brings everything to life: an excellent performance.
My thanks to the rights holder of The Hidden City who, at my request, freely gifted me with a complimentary copy via Audiobook Boom. It was fun, intriguing, exciting and with good character development. There's even a dog. I really enjoyed it.
January 9, 2019
Having already become an Alan Baxter fan from reading the Alex Caine series and the two Realmshift books (Realmshift and Magesign) I was looking forward to Hidden City and hoping to find much of the same supernatural suspense, action and horror, touched with Alan's signature dry humour. I wasn't disappointed.
This was a very difficult book to put down, and was devoured in three days as a result. Whilst still having much of what I've noted above from Alan's previous works, Hidden City offers something new, a city that feels alive because, well, it is! The story connects the city and the characters in a way that makes the reader feel what they feel and fast pacing keeps you turning the page to see what will happen next, building to what can best be described, without giving anything away, as a Lovecraft style epic ending.
If you are a fan of Alan Baxter you will thoroughly enjoy Hidden City, and if you are new to Alan's work this is a great novel to start on.
This was a very difficult book to put down, and was devoured in three days as a result. Whilst still having much of what I've noted above from Alan's previous works, Hidden City offers something new, a city that feels alive because, well, it is! The story connects the city and the characters in a way that makes the reader feel what they feel and fast pacing keeps you turning the page to see what will happen next, building to what can best be described, without giving anything away, as a Lovecraft style epic ending.
If you are a fan of Alan Baxter you will thoroughly enjoy Hidden City, and if you are new to Alan's work this is a great novel to start on.
January 19, 2020
3.5 stars: I found this book through the 'First Chapters - Fantasy' book through aussie speculative fiction dot com, and found three first chapters I really liked. The three I liked were all by the same author, Alan Baxter, so I went to his website and found this eBook.
The first 25% of the book was a great read, kept me interested, even if it looked like things were heading off into byways that wouldn't matter. They did, but a lot of words/time wasted on things that didn't make the story better.
The first struggle to keep reading came at about 50%, and it dragged from then. It's not that things didn't happen, but it's all the wrong tense, and can't achieve the suspense that's intended - I felt distanced from the characters and the action. Or maybe it's just me.
I like the story, I like the concept, but I don't like being kept distant from what's happening with the character.
The first 25% of the book was a great read, kept me interested, even if it looked like things were heading off into byways that wouldn't matter. They did, but a lot of words/time wasted on things that didn't make the story better.
The first struggle to keep reading came at about 50%, and it dragged from then. It's not that things didn't happen, but it's all the wrong tense, and can't achieve the suspense that's intended - I felt distanced from the characters and the action. Or maybe it's just me.
I like the story, I like the concept, but I don't like being kept distant from what's happening with the character.
May 13, 2020
This book is somewhat different then the typical horror/sci-fi/zombie crisis novel. The main characters are humans, some with enhanced abilities. But the key secondary character and major background element is actually a magical city. Sounds bizarre, but the story works for me. It's a fairly short novel, with a small number of well-defined characters. I generally couldn't predict what was coming. Some of the characters actions are not that believable. During times of every-second-counts crisis, characters would often slow down or stop for . . .something. But things generally moved so fast, I wasn't held up by illogic actions or plot holes. Just a fun ride. Note: The author is a Brit-Aussie and the novel is placed in a US city. Some British (or Aussie) slang and speech are scattered throughout. Might bother some Yank readers.
January 8, 2021
After waiting a couple years for more books by Alan Baxter to hit the shores of North America, I am so pleased to get more acquainted with this marvelous author from down under. Hidden City was an entertaining and exciting read, and I enjoyed every word, even though I read this as an ebook, which is not my favorite format.
I was initially drawn to Alan Baxter via recommendation from Laird Barron, and I have been following Alan's career and posts on Facebook for quite awhile. He is an accessible and talented author of a variety of fiction, all of which I hope to eventually read. If you are new to his work, Hidden City would be a fine place to start. It is more what might be labeled "urban fantasy" than the horror I mostly hunger for lately, but it is a satisfying meal, whatever your cravings.
I was initially drawn to Alan Baxter via recommendation from Laird Barron, and I have been following Alan's career and posts on Facebook for quite awhile. He is an accessible and talented author of a variety of fiction, all of which I hope to eventually read. If you are new to his work, Hidden City would be a fine place to start. It is more what might be labeled "urban fantasy" than the horror I mostly hunger for lately, but it is a satisfying meal, whatever your cravings.
February 22, 2018
First off let me get this out of the way right from the start. Hidden City is great! It’s dark and gritty and there is an element of unspeakable horror that gives you the creeping sensation way down in your gizzards. I loved it! Several times during my reading I kept going over some of the lines and dialog. Not because they were difficult to understand but because the descriptions and prose were so cool. This drove me headlong through the story loving every second of the journey. If I had to compare this to any other writer (and I don’t like to because this stands on its own) I’d say a mix of Dresden files by Jim Butcher and The Rook by Daniel O’Malley. Very enjoyable, can recommend, but not late at night, in the dark if you ever want to sleep again.
April 19, 2022
A tale of horror, friendship and magic in a city that is approaching critical mass. There are very interesting and good characters, the main character really seems to be kind of dangerously (but lovingly), attached to his city. I will add that there is a dog. I know as a reader that will thrill the "oh, look a doggie!" people. There is weird stuff and gore and I know that will thrill the "oh look an exploding head!" people. There is also plenty of booze. Again, I know that this will thrill the " Isth the room spinnin?" people. (who am I kidding, they won't care). All this action, and there is a lot of it, is told in a riveting and understandable way in the words of Mr Baxter. A very good story.
June 4, 2021
Unique and unexpected!
I enjoyed this story but at times it felt like I was in the middle of 2 different books. There were some avenues I would like to have explored more on and other areas that didn’t seem to fit. Maybe it’s just me but either way I did enjoy it. The characters were feisty, sarcastic and strong. I loved all the magic and paranormal activity. The narration was fantastic. I absolutely loved listening to Jonathan Waters. His female voices were amazing. This was my first book with both this author and narrator and I’m looking forward to trying them again.
I recommend this book!
Sisters Spotlight 💜
I enjoyed this story but at times it felt like I was in the middle of 2 different books. There were some avenues I would like to have explored more on and other areas that didn’t seem to fit. Maybe it’s just me but either way I did enjoy it. The characters were feisty, sarcastic and strong. I loved all the magic and paranormal activity. The narration was fantastic. I absolutely loved listening to Jonathan Waters. His female voices were amazing. This was my first book with both this author and narrator and I’m looking forward to trying them again.
I recommend this book!
Sisters Spotlight 💜
March 13, 2018
Alan Baxter gets better with every book, and with this one he nears perfection. While lots will want to regard Hidden City as a Dresden Files also-ran, they'll realize how wrong they are when they read it. Sure, we've seen seedy magical detectives before, but Steve Hines is his own kind of hero, whose magical connection to his native city is satisfyingly perverse and highly original, as is the threat he and childhood friend Abby Jones (a police officer) ultimately face. Lovers of fungal fiction will be as happy as those who just like a good crime story. Great stuff!
July 22, 2018
An entertaining urban fantasy/horror novel. The book is short and fast-paced--sometimes to a fault, as some of the book's significant moments happen off-stage and show up as characters hastily catching each other up on events or as individuals reflecting on what happened. A sentient city and a mage PI whose power is to commune with it is an intriguing central idea, and the central conflict has echoes of Lovecraft and, for me, unusually for an urban fantasy, John Wyndham (at least, once things start falling apart).
November 21, 2018
Steven Hines is a mage with a magical/symbiotic connection to his city. He's a private investigator tracking down missing people, and he gets called in to help with strange deaths in the city by his cop friend Abby. It's a dark and gritty quest to save the city with a few twists along the way.
A connection to our home town is something we all say we have. There was a point in this book that I really understood this connection and that is what made this a unique story. I look forward to reading more by this author.
A connection to our home town is something we all say we have. There was a point in this book that I really understood this connection and that is what made this a unique story. I look forward to reading more by this author.
July 20, 2018
Gripping
I read most of this on a long-distance flight when I should have been sleeping...resulting in a weeks worth of jetlag!
Hidden City is a great story with a little bit of everything...horror, thriller, adventure and magic. It starts strong and never lets up. Packed full of fabulous characters, each with their own agenda, the story is told from numerous perspectives.
I reaaly enjoyed this book, and if you enjoy weird fiction then you will too!
I read most of this on a long-distance flight when I should have been sleeping...resulting in a weeks worth of jetlag!
Hidden City is a great story with a little bit of everything...horror, thriller, adventure and magic. It starts strong and never lets up. Packed full of fabulous characters, each with their own agenda, the story is told from numerous perspectives.
I reaaly enjoyed this book, and if you enjoy weird fiction then you will too!
March 15, 2019
This book by Alan Baxter wraps you up in a cocoon of wonder and despair right from the get go. Hidden City transports you to a bustling metropolis where civilisation’s greatest fear becomes a horrifying reality .... it’s the hidden monster that keeps you awake at night ..... the what if? It is gritty and dark. This book will have you voraciously turning the pages to a cataclysmic, unpredictable ending. I thoroughly enjoyed my first read of Alan Baxter’s work.
June 23, 2019
If you're looking for a fast-paced, gritty, rain-soaked urban fantasy/horror story with zombies and killer fungi, this is a good choice. I'm not usually a big fan of the horror genre, but I liked the symbiotic relationship between the main character and his city, and the author has a good ear for realistic (and rather earthy) dialog. Towards the end I couldn't put it down.
And if you really want to get creeped out, start it on a night when the forecast is for a week of heavy rain.
And if you really want to get creeped out, start it on a night when the forecast is for a week of heavy rain.
June 6, 2022
Format: audiobook
Narrator: Johnathon Waters
What an unusual storyline, the city is alive in a sentient way and Steven Hines has an unusual connection to ‘her’ making him the only person who can stop the threat that could tear Cleveport down, he’ll need help though and so unusual alliances are made to help halt the devastation before it spreads.
Great narration helps bring the story to life and that’s exactly what this narrator did.
Narrator: Johnathon Waters
What an unusual storyline, the city is alive in a sentient way and Steven Hines has an unusual connection to ‘her’ making him the only person who can stop the threat that could tear Cleveport down, he’ll need help though and so unusual alliances are made to help halt the devastation before it spreads.
Great narration helps bring the story to life and that’s exactly what this narrator did.
December 31, 2018
This book is full of magic, mystery, intense emotion and much joy. The twists and turns are vivid and you can feel it as you read this story. Alan is a well seasoned writer and his work is just fantastic. I have never been into "horror" but it's not scary, it's a thrill. Your heart races and I just couldn't put it down, I needed too badly to know what happened next.
April 1, 2020
Steven Hines and Cleveport have a strange relationship but it seems to work. A new drug on the street is tearing the town apart. Cleveport is in pain and turmoil and with the help of his good friend Abby, they work together to right the wrong. Very good and suspenseful. You'll be hooked from the beginning. Alan Baxter is a great urban horror writer, check his materials out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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