Hero Forged

Ethereal Earth #1

by Josh Erikson

Alternate cover edition of ASIN B07CZ51BXD


Gabe thought he had covered all the angles, but it’s tough to plan a contingency for accidentally trapping an evil god in your brain.

Gabriel Delling might call himself a professional con artist, but when walking superstitions start trying to bite his face off, his charm is shockingly unhelpful. It turns out living nightmares almost never appreciate a good joke.

Together with a succubus who insists on constantly saving his life, Gabe desperately tries to survive a new reality that suddenly features demons, legends, and a giant locust named Dale—all of whom pretty much hate his guts. And when an ancient horror comes hunting for the spirit locked in his head, Gabe finds himself faced with the excruciating choice between death... or becoming some kind of freaking hero.

Hero Forged is the first book in the new series, Ethereal Earth, a modern fantasy adventure that challenges the natures of myth, humanity, and what it means to be the good guy.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Audiobook, Fiction, Paranormal, Magic, Science Fiction Fantasy

346 pages, ebook

First published May 28, 2018

About the author

Josh Erikson doesn't have any fancy credentials to tell you about here. He lives in rural Nebraska (US) with his wife and two children, where he mostly reads, writes, and reads about writing. His many awards and accolades include some beautiful photoshopped certificates he printed at home and a yo-yo trick contest he once won at a fun fair in a grocery store parking lot.

Reviews

[Petrik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review copy provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

3.5/5 stars

A solid beginning to an urban fantasy series.

I’ll first start this review by saying that urban fantasy is a rare hit for me. In fact, other than The Divine Cities by Robert Jackson Bennett, Heartstrikers by Rachel Aaron, Paternus Trilogy by Dyrk Ashton, and Jade City by Fonda Lee, I’ve been mostly disappointed with what I’ve read so far. Hero Forged is a new rising urban fantasy that’s well-loved by some reviewers I know. However, knowing my hit and miss statistics with the sub-genre, I was actually going to decline the request to review this book. The author then told me that the main character resembles Vash the Stampede from Trigun; there’s no way I would decline reviewing the book after hearing that and I’m glad I gave it a go.

Hero Forged is Josh Erikson’s debut and the first book in his Ethereal Earth series. Gabriel (Gabe) Delling is a 32 years old self-proclaimed con artist who’s currently low on cash. Gabe accepts a mission that will gain him a lot of money, and as always, the mission ends up complicating his life. A god is now trapped in him and he’s bound to a succubus. Told mostly from Gabe’s perspective, the story of revolves around him dealing with his newly forced circumstances.

“Few things in this world scare me anymore. When you learn to see into people’s hearts, there aren’t that many monsters left in the dark.”

The story and the world-building were great. Although there wasn’t anything revolutionary about them, I had a great time reading the book because Erikson’s prose flows really well. I loved Erikson’s writing style; very well-polished, easy to read, and overall didn’t feel like a debut effort. The quality of the prose was further enhanced by the excerpt of a work in progress—CONscience—written by Gabe himself that’s provided at the beginning of each paragraph. This excerpt was written beautifully, sometimes thought-provoking, inspirational, but the greatest part about it was that they served to increase Gabe’s characterizations deeply. Gabe as a conman is not a complete asshole, he’s complex, well-written, and has his own moral code and I found him to be quite a charming character to read.

“There are bad guys and then there are Bad Guys. In the former, which makes me a lovable rogue. The latter are the murderers and rapists. I draw the distinction here because the law rarely does.”

Unfortunately, I had two main problems with the books. The first one was the pacing. The first half of the book was unengaging to me and in my opinion, several scenes went on a bit too long for its own good. There were plenty of times when the point of a scene has been delivered and I felt satisfied by it, then the scene still went on and on around the same topic that it ended up losing its impact. For example, the characters in this book talks, a LOT. Don’t get me wrong, the dialogues were great, but some of the dialogues felt repetitive due to the circulation on the same topic. This happened particularly around Gabe’s refusal to accept his new situation. For a super confident conman, I was annoyed by his actions and contemplation a lot of times. I get that his reasons were valid, I doubt I’ll act better than him, but still reading about his denial repeatedly throughout the whole book didn’t make for a really fun experience. The other con (pun intended) I had with the book was that other than Gabe, I don’t feel like the rest of the characters have enough characterization’s strength for me to care about.

“You should usually try to make lemonade with what life hands you, that’s true. But other times, just be thankful that you got anything at all and eat the damned lemons.”

Despite my issues with it, overall I really had a fun time reading the book. My rating speaks for itself; this is a good book. Plus, judging from the ending—without spoiling anything—it truly feels like this is just the beginning of a big urban fantasy series. Hero Forged is a fun and entertaining start to an urban fantasy series that has a strong potential to keeps on getting better with each new installment. I look forward to what Erikson has in mind for the future. Also, please keep in mind that I’ve heard a lot of amazing things about the audiobook which turns out to be narrated by the author himself.

You can order the book from: Amazon US

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions

[TS Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of the audiobook from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Hero Forged is a rare achievement for an indie urban fantasy debut, both in terms of its compelling characterisation and excellent author-narration.

I cannot claim to have a wide repertoire of urban fantasy under my belt, but I have read and enjoyed some of the more popular ones such as The Dresden Files, Kate Daniels, and The Iron Druid Chronicles, and my favourite, the Heartstrikers. Usually the characterisation and backstory of the eponymous characters are drawn out over the series. As such, I've rarely come across such in-depth character development of the main protagonist in the very first book of a series. Save for perhaps another self-published title called The Never Hero; also an origins story of a reluctant hero.

Gabriel Delling was purportedly a con artist with a multitude of honed and developed personas that he could wear like an outfit to suit any situation. Running a bit short on cash, he accepted a job which sounded almost too good to be true. The result of that was a living nightmare he couldn't shake off as he ended up with a powerful and ancient entity stuck in his head, and a succubus bound to him by magic.

What ensued was a series of unfortunate events that just kept escalating as more and more interested (and usually unfriendly) parties wanted a piece of him. Or more accurately, what was inside him or what he was becoming as he played host to ancient powers. Throughout the story, we get a fair bit of reflective moments as Gabe first struggled against the reality of monsters, demons and magic, and then against the temptation of power freely offered by the trapped entity in exchange for freedom. For me, some of Gabe's best characterisation came from the chapter epigraphs which were excerpts from CONscience, an in-world book that Gabe was writing sometime before and after the momentous events that unfolded. I loved how it was firstly a play on the word 'conscience', and secondly, the way these passages gradually provided an increasingly intimate glimpse of his psyche.

"Few things in this world scare me anymore. When you learn to see into people's hearts, there aren't that many monsters left in the dark."

I was initially a bit annoyed with Gabe's insistence that it was all a big con played on him and his refusal to believe the things that were right in front of his face. And this transpired for quite a long time. Well, on hindsight, it made sense that denial was probably the best form of defence against becoming batshit crazy when faced with such impossibilities. While the pacing sometimes suffered for it, the evolution of Gabe through surviving the ordeals and the relationships he has built was executed superbly. The narrative felt quite long, but this is an origins story after all. You can't forge a sword (or a hero) by taking shortcuts.

“Everyone has their limits, but few people truly know them. When is a burden too heavy? When will you collapse beneath the weight of what you've sought and sown? When do you give in and reach out for any offered hand, regardless of how soiled? Answer those questions unequivocally and you'll know yourself well enough to become someone else.”

Author-narrated books are rare, and even more so, a self-recorded performance as stellar as the one for Hero Forged. I was thoroughly impressed by Erikson's ability to convey the right emotions across various types of scenes. He handled the dialogues really well and was able to provide distinctive voices to all the characters. His voice acting of one described as sounding like "a stereotypical stoner from a Cheech and Chong movie" was hilariously perfect. He also deliberately applied a more exaggerated intonation for the ancient supernatural beings, emphasizing their archetypical nature. I sincerely believe that Erikson could also consider narrating other books aside from his own - he is that proficient.

I enjoyed the author's writing style which is polished but easy to read. There was also a right balance of humour and levity against the grim and grittier bits to keep the overall tone of the book fun. Having listened to the audiobook, I also believe that the author's writing was more suited to this format. This was not to say that its written form was not great - many positive reviews have proven otherwise. However, I do believe that readers who have an affinity to audio will derive more enjoyment out of the book in this format.

You can purchase a copy of the ebook or audiobook from Amazon US.

You can also find this, and my other reviews at Novel Notions.

[Lukasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 4.5/5

I've been looking for some fresh Urban Fantasy for a while. Not an easy task when you grow tired of angry chicks in leather or self-loathing wizards/detectives. Hero Forged surprised me in a good way - it's a right mix of everything I love in the genre served in a way that works on all levels.

Gabe is a charming, clever con artist with a skewed (but working) moral compass. He's the master of talking his way out of things he'd talked himself into. Also, he's short on cash. When a chance to earn a decent amount of money appears, Gabe accepts.

Things go downhill fast. Gabe finds himself trapped in a mansion with bloodthirsty and power-hungry lunatics from other dimension and with a god trapped in his head. Oh, and a sexy succubus bonded to him.

Despite his hopes it was all a drug-induced hallucination, it's real. Demons are after him, the god trapped in him wants to tear free, and the god's wife plans to bring the world to its knees. 

Hero Forged shines because of three things: characterisation (especially of Gabe and Heather), masterful pacing and action, and overall writing style. First, characterisation–Gabe is smart, witty, and charming. He tries to be cynical but somehow fails. Under all his false personalities, he's a decent human being with the heart in the right place. His point of view is often hilarious, sometimes profoundly philosophical. As the story progresses, we discover the even shaped him. Beyond Gabe, the other standout character in this book is Heather - Gabe's succubus side-kick. There's much more to her than curvy lines and sex-appeal. I think the author nailed the perfect balance between sly succubi side and a layered, relatable character. Bad guys deserve high praise as well - they were all nuanced, and it was tempting to see the things the way they did. 

There’s a lot of information packed into Hero Forged, but Erikson’s accessible writing and slick plotting make the pages fly by at a lightning pace. The novel is propelled by Gabe’s efforts to discover the nature of deity trapped in his head and looking for a way he can survive another day. A cinematic conclusion is satisfying, and the ending gives a strong final twist that surprised me. And Gabe as well, I'm sure.

Any drawbacks? Well, there were some plot devices used to move things forward (especially diverse foes' attacks that "forced" Gabe to negotiate with Aka Manah and gain new "skills"). Anything else? Not really. 

By any means, read it. Do it before it gets cool. Josh Erikson is a natural storyteller, but also somewhat of a philosopher too. He's one of these authors who can create original narratives from the elements we all know and love. Hero Forged was fun, clever, and entertaining.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

8.3 / 10

What impressed me the most about this extremely fun urban fantasy is how it covers so many things so well. The shady, outlaw characters with their dry wit and questionable moralities call to mind Elmore Leonard’s Detroit/Florida-set crime capers. The “hidden in plain sight” supernatural population and their quirky attitudes was reminiscent of Men in Black. Humor juxtaposes the horrors of the demonic presence and adds levity before the content gets too dark. Even the romantic angle is nailed, with palpable sexual tension between the two leads that grows over time.

The characters are likable and their motivations are easily understood. In a story where soul-eating demons make human sacrifices to revive elder gods from a void plane of existence, the author didn’t lose sight of what makes a good and compelling protagonist. Gabe’s relationship with his father, coupled with his unpublished book passages that preclude each chapter, give the reader a strong sense of how and why Gabe ended up the con man he is. And the book cleverly morphs from a “How to” book on scamming into a more personal confession of self-discovery. It sneaks up on you quick and it meshes will with the emotional finale.

But the finale is probably the only part that didn’t totally land for me. Since this book is a series, it had to spend some time setting up the sequel with a few unexplained mysteries, which was fine. But the actual final confrontation took quite a long time to set up as well as execute. Each time I believed we reached the final location, the resolution kept being pushed back. It was an odd pacing shift, as I had devoured the page count so quickly, but took a couple of pauses in the last 20%. Also, although there are rules to the magic of this world, some of these rules seem to have been bent for plot convenience. But it’s a minor nitpick, one of very few I found in this well-crafted story.

Overall, Erikson’s writing is both creative and sharp, presenting many interesting concepts while keeping the story moving fast and clean. Urban fantasy isn’t my usual cup of tea so I didn’t know what to expect when I started this, but Hero Forged has won me over to the genre. The overarching plot was secondary to the wonderful relationships Erikson has built, which I am looking forward to exploring further in future volumes. This is a fast-paced, funny, and surprisingly emotional genre mashup that is deftly executed. A very easy book to recommend, even for newbies to urban fantasy.

[Esme · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given the audiobook by the author in exchange for an honest review. I saw that this had been self-narrated, and boy can that go so wrong so fast. However, this was really well done, I honestly would never have known that wasn’t “professionally” performed if I hadn’t known up front. The voices were well executed, they were distinct but light, consistent, and not overly cartoonish.

I didn’t read the blurb so I didn’t know what I was getting into with this one, so all of it came as a pleasant surprise.

Set in modern day, Gabe is a good hearted con artist, he’s past his college years but not by too much (I don’t remember a specific age given) and is a loner by choice, sort of. Relationships become complicated and don’t last long when one partner is out conning people as various personas he’s made up over the years. He has the ability to almost become someone else when he puts on his con act, it’s lead him to develop social reflexes that get him out of dangerous situations. He’s able to read people and know when he’s being played and is an excellent negotiator. Overall, he’s an easy character to like with a charm to him.

Gabe went with a group of cohorts for a ‘job’, but it went horribly wrong. Gabe finds himself in the middle of a sacrificial ritual performed by one of the Umbra known as Gwendyl. He can’t wrap his head around it and he refuses to believe what he’s seeing. Magic isn’t a thing in this world, his world is just like the ‘normal world’ with no hint of supernatural anything. He watches as one by one his ‘friends’ throats are slit, and then raise back up – except they aren’t his friends anymore, they’ve been altered. The rest of the group have been possessed by the Umbra and are now subservient to Gwendyl.

Gwendyl has been trapped in the Ether, or the ocean of life and creation that reality sits inside, it’s a lonely boring place with no real boundaries or timescale. She’s managed to come back to Earth for the first time in 500 years and is under the impression the world is in danger. She believes that forces greater than her own are determined to annihilate all life on Earth, and only she and her husband can ‘save’ the world…. by enslaving it. I kind of liked the take on lesser evils vs greater evils and the twisted ways villains can see themselves as heroes. She is preying on humanity, killing them and stealing their life’s essence, and raising people from the dead newly possessed with more Umbra. She wants Gabe’s body to be her husband’s new vessel, who is still trapped in the Ether. When she gets to Gabe and performs the ritual, however, Gabe is able to push out the Umbra spirit… almost. After the ritual, Gabe is linked to her husband, but not possessed by him, but she didn’t know that at the time. With quick thinking, Gabe is able to talk his way out of her presence and starts to head back home. There’s a complication though, during the ritual he becomes bound to a succubus.

Heather was once one of his cohorts, one he was being kind of flirty with, actually. Now she’s risen again in front of his eyes and telling him that she’s bound to him for life. She’s essentially enslaved – she must always tell him the truth, and protect him from harm at all costs. She doesn’t want that though, she wants to be free. They strike a deal that he will try and learn how to set her free, the problem is he has no magical ability, and to break the bond requires magic on his end. While they figure that out she fills him in on the world he never knew existed, and tries to help him rid himself of the husband Umbra, Acamana. Acamana, is an ancient and powerful entity, more akin to a god than a minor demoness like Heather. He’s known as the god of lies, deception, and evil, not exactly something you want hanging around your brain. The problem is, they have no idea how to sever the link, and no one else seems to either. All the while, Gwenlyn is super pissed off and sending demons and monsters after the two of them leading to a lot of mayhem.

I liked Gabe, he was easy to relate to, he was smart and at times funny. Sometimes I was annoyed at how long it took him to accept what was happening around him, although I don’t know how much better I would be doing in similar circumstances. He has a lot of loyalty when he’s invested in a person, despite his dad being a shithead, Gabe still takes care of him now that he’s disabled and unable to care for himself. Even though there’s a lot of danger all around him, he’s reluctant to run to a different city because he doesn’t know what would happen to his dad. He also develops a complex relationship with Heather, whom he doesn’t trust much considering she’s a demon – but she’s so atypical for what one would expect a demon to be, he can’t help but become attached. There are many instances where running away would have been the ‘smarter’ choice, but he stuck around to help Heather out of some deep shit at risk to himself.

I really liked Heather, she was a character that just kept getting more layers as the book went on. She’s a succubus, so naturally, she’s a little flirty and uses sex appeal to get her way. Books with a lot of male gaze annoys the shit out of me, so the fact that this one pulled off a succubus without being laced with male gaze is awesome. Instead of talk of boobs and ass, she is often described in scent, (perfume, vanilla, flowers) or visual images that have meaning to the main character, like the place where he had his first kiss. She’s simply described as beautiful beyond comprehension and having a hypnotizing magical force rather than focusing on descriptions of her physical attributes. She has no ill intent either, for being a succubus she’s a pretty laid back gal, all she really wants in life is to eat good food, drink good drinks, and have a lot of sex. She is a succubus after all.

There were all sorts of magical elements in this book, gods, demons, vampires, hobgoblins, Hell Hounds etc. It was introduced slowly at first though, it was just the Umbra and the Ether in the beginning and then everything else was added in slowly. Umbras have been around since before written history but they’ve been concealed through powerful glamours allowing them to blend into society unnoticed. They can come in all shapes and sizes and rely greatly on collective human belief. The more an Umbra is worshipped and thought about, the more powerful they can become.

The writing in this was pretty solid, and it came through very well in the audiobook. I really think this is one of those books that would read better as an audio because of the emotions and voices cast to the characters, it was all well done. The pacing was even and consistent with a tension that built up slowly through the book. The world building expanded when it needed to, but without a lot of info dumps and there were alternating periods of downtime and action scenes. This had an overall lighter tone, despite all the doomsday threats going on the main character was a very ‘light’ as was Heather which balanced things out.

Audience:

For people who like:

Con artist characters
easy to like characters
urban fantasy
audiobooks
vampires, succubus, Hell Hounds, gods
action scenes
lighter in tone
Not for people who don’t like cursing

Ratings:

Plot: 12.5/15
Characters: 12.5/15
World Building: 13/15
Writing: 12/15
Pacing: 12.5/15
Originality: 12.5/15
Personal Enjoyment: 9/10
Final Score: 84/100

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hero Forged sucked me into buying it by having a really fun sounding blurb. Yeah, I'm a sucker for a good blurb! The good news is the story almost lived up to the promise of the fantastic blurb and this book turned out to be a very enjoyable read. I'm not always a fan of UF but this one really worked for me as I enjoyed the mix of grit and humor we got in the story and I liked the main character enough that I was rooting for him and emotionally invested in the story.

The premise was really fun. Self proclaimed professional con artist, Gabriel Delling, finds his life getting surprisingly complicated when his latest con goes badly wrong and ends up with him sharing his mind with an evil God! As if that was not bad enough he now has the Gods crazy girlfriend hunting him (along with her evil minions), a cranky succubus bound to him, and the so called good guys, the Knights of Solomon, as eager to so him dead as the villains. As if that was not crazy enough to deal with for a guy who had no idea the supernatural world existed the day before poor Gabe also has to deal with the evil God in his mind whispering some awfully tempting deals, all that come with a cost of course!

It was all a whole lot of fun. Mostly because Gabe was a charming and amusing narrator who was easy to root for in his adventures despite the fact that he was a morally grey con artist. It helped that he mostly found himself up against some crazy enemies.

I found Gabe easy to like right from the start of the tale but the story itself took a little bit of time to grow on me. I enjoyed Gabe's con artist stuff but took longer to become interested in the supernatural aspects of the story. It did grow on me though and I was sucked into that aspect of the story and enjoying it as well before too long. Erikson's magic and supernatural world building was actually quite fun once I grew accustomed to it. It offered some cool stuff and was a nice mix of gritty and hilarious. Just like most of the story!

This was one of those stories that got better and better as it went so I ended up enjoying it quite a lot. Not that the story was completely without flaws. I wish I'd took to the supernatural aspects of the world and story a bit quicker than I did plus there was the typical small amount of misogyny to be suffered. Nothing out of the ordinary but present and onc particular incident was a bit annoying. Luckily none of that really hurt my enjoyment of the story.

As always getting the balance "correct" in a story is important for me. This story mixed humor and likeable, if morally grey characters, with some dark happenings so the story felt gritty without ever getting too dark and bleak that it got depressing.

I really enjoyed the chapter introductions we got. They were excerpts from Gabe's fictional book on being a con artist. They started out being pretty witty and funny but also offered some fun musings and a deeper emotional glimpse into Gabe as a person. Very well done!

All in all I was quite impressed with this UF and will look forward to reading more of Gabe's adventures when the sequel gets released.

Rating: 4 stars. This was a solid 4 stars. A few flaws but a likeable and charming main character and a fun story keep me quite engaged!

Audio Note: This was narrated by the author, Josh Erikson, himself. That is usually a big no no for me as most authors are TERRIBLE audio narrators. I took a chance on this one mostly because it had such a fun sounding blurb plus I got the audio for a bargain price. It turned out to be a great decision as Josh Erikson might just be the very best author/narrator I've encountered so far. He was not just tolerable but actually good and fairly talented! He did not have the typical deep baritone voice most professional male audio narrators have but he was clear-spoken and affable sounding. He was also good at dealing with both the character voices and the general narration. His voices were great for all the characters in the story and he had the ability to voice act and so could convey the correct emotions into the scenes he was reading. The best compliment I can pay him as an audio narrator is that if I spotted him narrating a book he had not written himself I'd still be happy to buy it safe in the knowledge the audio had excellent narration if nothing else! I'm rarely a fan of authors self narrating but in this case I do hope the Erikson sticks to narrating the rest of this series himself as he did a great job!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine you’re living a normal (ish) life, conning people and stealing stuff, when you take the wrong job and end up in a creepy basement in the middle of some kind of supernatural ritual involving bodysnatching and death and the crossing of worlds. Some bad day, huh? Gabriel Delling is just that unlucky. Except it’s even worse than that because that he ends up sharing head space with an ancient God who has a seriously bad attitude and a hankering to make the place his own. From carefree swindler to lead in an Urban Fantasy in one instant, Gabriel’s brutal entry in to the world of gods and monsters is too close for comfort…and it comes with a ticking clock. Get rid of his divine passenger within a few days, or he could transform into a paranormal nightmare or, you know, die.

His whole life philosophy was based on the idea that things weren’t worth doing if he wasn’t effortlessly good at them. It had worked so far.

As a lifelong con artist, Gabriel has developed the kind of quick thinking, charm, and glib patter necessary to deal with all kinds of dodgy or unpredictable situations, as well as an ability to read people and negotiate his way into or out of almost anything. All handy talents he’s going to need more than ever now magic has come into play. His past has given him a seriously well developed antenna for danger- he’s seen the movie and isn’t playing the game. That thing where people run blindly into dark basements with no thought to the waiting horror?? Not this guy. His outlook is all about self-preservation, with a moral flexibility that should allow for the prioritisation of his personal security, except for that pesky tendency for occasional bravery and heroism. It’s hard to decide which part of his character gets him into more trouble. He’s fully alive to the dangers of such couragous acts and somewhat equivocal about taking them. This awareness forms part of a larger understanding of and reference to literary and film tropes that runs through the book and is seriously funny, forming one means the author uses to trample all over your expectations. On top of that, there’s a truly excellent level of snark and humour that rarely misses the mark, especially in the conversational banter and backchat. Gabriel has a sarcastic internal voice that felt truly contemporary and properly made me laugh, endearing me ever more to him as the book progressed. He reacts to the whole thing with a kind of humorous incredulity: you’re kidding me, right? Guys…?? Come on….seriously? Even if I thought he maybe should have gotten over it a little quicker, it’s an easy stance to take from the safe distance of my armchair. His instinctive reaction to want to shut it all out and not deal with it once all the action and fleeing from enemies died down felt entirely real, I would have bailed long before that. And died, no doubt. As in many other instances, his sidekick succubus, Heather, is there to slap some sense into him. Refreshingly portrayed, she’s an excellent foil for newbie Gabe, a supernatural entity that brings realism to his now violently disordered world, and she’s not about to allow him to let him take the easy way out. They’ve got lives to save, after all, including their own.

The book starts out a little shaky but it picks up quickly, though I would have started with Gabriel rather than Gwendyl. I see why the author chose to do it that way but Gabe’s chapters are by far the best, with those from the Team Bad perspective a little too superlative, a bit ‘behold my evilness and villainy, I am the baddest baddy of bad times’ type of thing. Actually, the author addresses this issue at a later point, turning it into another joke, which kinda made me forgive the whole thing because it was done with a purposeful smirk. He works the same trick with the romance, there was much eye rolling when it was introduced right at the beginning, but the relationship was so well utilised by the end that I appreciated being fooled. Perhaps there were a few instances of too handy plot devices, one matrix style information update via magic was a bit unnecessary for example, but the world building as a whole more than made up for that. It was detailed, inventive, and as fun as everything else in the novel, fitting well the swift pace that favoured action over character. The book has a light touch, but doesn’t suffer for it, it’s pure enjoyment and allows space for future instalments to reveal more of each individual’s qualities. Even so, the short ‘rules’ section at the beginning of each chapter, purporting to be from a book Gabe’s writing on the art of the con: CONscience, effectively add a greater depth to his character and the relationship with his father, giving the events of the finale a poignancy that wouldn’t have been quite as sharp without them.

Hero Forged is one of those just-another-chapter books, and if you do manage to put it down, you want to get back to it as soon as you can. It’s action packed, creatively imagined, and one of the most genuinely funny books I’ve read in ages, with real heart lightly hidden beneath the humour. There’s no doubt I’ll be reading whatever comes next.


SPFBO entry 2018

[kartik narayanan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hero Forged is good urban fantasy; the likes of which I have not seen in a while. I had as much fun reading this book as the early Dresden files. There are some similarities to the Sandman Slim series too especially when it comes to the semi-amoralistic protagonists.

The stand out features are the writing, world building and the main character.

[Filip · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no clue what to expect when I spent a credit to pick Hero Forged up on Audible. It was one of those impulse buys we all make, influenced by a tweet by Esme Weatherwax of lovely book blog “The Weatherwax Report” fame. Without a doubt (and I usually have plenty of doubt, trust you me!), Hero Forged is a purchase I’ll be forever thankful I made. It’s one hell of a journey, and I’ll say just enough about it to sharpen your appetite!

Gabe Delling is a swindler, a cheat, a petty criminal or as he calls himself, a professional con artist. He goes through his different personas the same ways most of us geeks go through Batman t-shirts, and his transformations are uncanny! Gabe’s greatest weapons are his quick wit, charm and intelligence, and he uses them to…fairly acceptable ends. Swindler he might be but Gabe is far from amoral; as a result, he’s not exactly swimming in money. Quite the contrary, in fact: at the book’s opening, our poor protagonist is struggling to keep his head over the water. Then, a job appears and it might be his one shot at paying the mounting bills. Of course, it goes terribly, apocalyptically wrong!

Unfortunately for Gabe, he gets involved in a world that is so much more complex than anything he’s prepared for. A world of gods and monsters, all of whom fall under the umbrella term “Umbra”. And quite possibly the worst of them all is stuck inside Gabe’s head. I’m sure you see all the potential for this going wrong already…This is the story of Gabe trying his damnedest to survive with a being of unfathomable power intent on breaking the mortal whose body he resides in. Makes Gabe’s light, upbeat personality even more impressive, doesn’t it?

The side characters are a treat. Heather is a succubus tied to Gabe through a crazy twist of fate I won’t spoil but the relationship between the two is so incredibly rewarding throughout the novel. She’s clever, unscrupulous and ridiculously sexy – which is on par for the species – but she’s also possessed by a heart that isn’t wholly black. Big praise for her kind, I reckon. (To all our succubus readers, I apologize; I mean no offense!) In truth, Heather’s a delightfully complex character, whose development is a thing of great beauty. She’s also described in a unique way, with an emphasis placed on her scent. There’s also a secondary villain, Gwendyl, married to, and working towards the freedom of her husband, the bloke inside Gabe’s head. She’s not too pleased about the present circumstances, as you might imagine.

Pacing, action, worldbuilding – all these are done very well indeed. The world is, like in most urban fantasy, like our own on the surface. All the differences lie just underneath. Some familiar concepts, mainstays to the urban fantasy genre, as well as some interesting new ones, none of which I thought were bad or trite.

Josh Erikson’s audiobook narration is brilliant! I didn’t expect he’d do as great a job as he did, but all his voices are on point, including the very melodramatic (but fittingly so) god of evil, Acamana. Every character has a unique voice, and if Josh weren’t such a good author, I’d be half-inclined to press him into the audiobook narration business! But alas, urban fantasy would miss one of its finest new voices if I did that, and we can’t very well have that, can we?!

My score for Hero Forged is a 4.5 out of 5, which I round up to 5 on whatever starred site demands it! I would also like to decry the fact that Hero Forged didn’t reach the final stage of this year’s SPFBO. To my mind, it is most certainly deserving of being amongst these ten finalists.

You should read Hero Forged if:
• You enjoy snarky, light, likable main characters;
• you’re a sucker for character development;
• you’re an urban fantasy fan OR curious about the genre;
• you’re a lighter fantasy fan in general – yep, there’s plenty to appreciate even if urban isn’t your cup of tea, per se;
• you’ve got an evil god in your head, and are trying to get some help with that;
• you are an evil god, and you’re looking for a how-to and/or how-not-to guide on dealing with and possessing mortals;
• and more! Prob’ly.

I’m also introducing a new section to my reviews: The Song! The Song for this book is Short Skirt / Long Jacket by Cake, possibly because it seems like the kind of song you’d sing to a modern-day succubus; possible, too, that it’s been stuck in my head for ages and I need to inflict that upon you, dear reader!

[Terrible Timy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The full review with a choosen song can be found on my blog!

The first semi-finalist by Fantasy Book Review in SPFBO!

Gabe claims himself to be one of the best con artists in the world, while living in Lincoln, Nebraska, taking care of his dad and trying to get through the days. Then he gets a job offer he can’t afford to turn down and things go to hell from there. He finds himself sharing his head with a god who happens to be the master of lying, running from a goddess who wants to get her husband back, with a succubus on his side who is bound to him. Gabe has to come to terms with things quickly, if he wants to get out alive from this mess. His skill of talking himself out of any situation might not be much helpful this time. He is also forced to make choices he might not be ready to make.

Gabe, despite being a con artist, surprisingly a pretty likable character. You can’t help but feel sorry for him when he finds himself deeper and deeper in trouble every time he makes a decision or strikes a deal. His struggle with grasping his new reality is very well portrayed. Although the events happen in a matter of days, Gabe goes through several phases of acceptance starting with denial. And who would blame him? When you find a god trapped in your head and monsters from your worst nightmares chasing you, you’d be inclined to crawl back to bed, pull the blanket over your head, waiting out until the madness passes. Gabe, however doesn’t have the luxury of that, and when he wakes up he finds a succubus right beside himself in his bed. Which could be a very nice dream, if she weren’t so keen on insisting to keep him alive long enough to earn her freedom. Gabe is smart, not really athletic, and always have at least one plan. Which usually ends up with a bigger catastrophe than the previous one. At least he is not your average urban fantasy main character who accepts his situation almost instantly and sets out to save the world. No, Gabe only wants to save himself and Heather since she is bound to him. And also because she saves his ass a few times. Not talking about her being sexy as hell and quite seductive when she wants to be. But then, that’s a succubus for you. All in all, Gabe is no hero. He never was. He never wanted to be. And sure as hell didn’t ask for being responsible of stopping some enemies with a really dark power at their disposal. And a few supernatural monsters for emphasis. But he copes with all this on his own way: being a snarky smart-ass and trying to con everyone and everything they come across. Earning a few more enemies along the way. But hey, they practically asked for it! Starting with Aka Manah, the god taking residence in his head. But this time Gabe got a worthy opponent: with the time running out the line between madness and reality gets blurry and it’s hard to say what is a lie anymore.

“Most of life is about embracing the choices you make and making something of them. Even your mistakes. And if you’re really good, you can own your errors so thoroughly that they actually become advantages.”

Hero Forged has two strengths: the characterisation and the humor. Gabe and Heather are both very complex characters who come a long way during the story, and learn to deal with each other as much as their enemies. The ever-present banter between them just makes their interactions more real and enjoyable to read. Gwendal is a crazy enough villain, with no morals and questionable taste:

“Once upon a time it might have been nice to have a throne of skulls to sit on as you glutted on the blood of virgins, but there’s only so many times you can do that before it gets old, you know? And skulls are not terribly ergonomic. The teeth are particular murder on the thighs.”

And this quote also highlights the humor this book can offer. I’ll be honest, I laughed out loud a few times. When the only thing that keeps you sane is humor, well, then you have to use it. And it works, it lightens up the mood when the shit really starts to hit the fan.

The short snippets from Gabe’s book he is working on, titled CONscience are just pure awesomeness. Sometimes they are light and funny, sometimes they have deep thoughts but most importantly give a background to Gabe’s character without actually using info dumps and thus sparing the space for the action and character building.

“Most of life is about embracing the choices you make and making something of them. Even your mistakes. And if you’re really good, you can own your error so thoroughly that they actually become advantages.”

Overall, this book is very well written. It takes a bit of time to understand what’s happening, what Umbra is or the Ether and what is happening exactly. Erikson choose to explain everything to the readers as Gabe tries to grasp his new reality. The pacing is generally good, sometimes felt a bit dragging, but the end play was pretty cathartic and managed to place a few punches. But honestly, I still have no idea where to put Aka Manah. He remains to be a mystery.

This book reminded me a bit of Craig Schaefer’s Daniel Faust series with the tone and atmosphere, and that the main character isn’t your typical hero in shining armor. Their moral might be a bit shady, they still try to do the good thing. Which usually comes back to bite them in the ass. Gabe’s well-played ruination of a sorcerer has unforeseeable consequences for one.

Hero Forged is a fast paced, unique, entertaining urban fantasy. It has everything from a villain with blood lust, to an information dealer giant locust, some monsters from your nightmares, gods, a succubus, and a snarky main character being thrown in the middle of it all. If you are bored with the usual UF tropes, you might find this book quite refreshing. A warning: there might be quite a few dead bodies scattered along Gabe’s path.

[Maja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually enjoyed the second read much more than the first one! Changing the rating from 3 (3,5) to 4 stars

2020 reread
Boy am I happy I reread this before I could actually make any progress on Fate Lashed. There were names and stuff mentioned that my brain knew I should know but frankly didn’t remember. And during this reread I realized just how little I did remember. Some stuff resurfaced as I read but other stuff was completely forgotten.

Gabe is a con-man in need of cash, so he accepts a shady sounding job, even though every alarm bell tells him to fuck the fuck out. Should have listened to those alarm bells because the job goes hella sideways and people end up dead and he with a god stick inside his head and being bonded with a succubus. What’s more he only has a couple of days to get that god out before his mind implodes in on itself from the godly pressure.

Gabe gets a crash course into the new world he’s been crashing head-first into. He learns about the Ether, a non-corporeal “dimension” next to our own where Umbra exist. Umbras her concepts created by the human imagination, superstition and beliefs, so it got all those mythological creatures. Into the human world a very powerful succubus, Gwendal, has been brought over and she plans on being over her husband, a god, so they can take over the human world. The plan was to put the god in Gabe’s body, but it kind of failed. So now everyone wants Gabe’s ass and he has to somehow not only get a god out of his brain before it gets fried but also stop a power crazed succubi’s way to world dominion.

Even though supernatural/mythological beings are nothing new, I do like how they are used in this book and I find the concept of the Ether interesting. There’s also a whole bunch of groups and factions to keep track of, most keeping a very fragile peace between themselves which is thrown out the window here.

Gabe is a fun character to follow around, despite him spending most of the book getting the shit beat out from him. He, and others, keep referring him to an asshole, but aside from his tongue getting the better of him, he’s often a decent enough guy. He’s witty and sarcastic and may have some assholic tendencies to deal with certain stuff. But he’s good to those who deserves it, and there’s lot of witty banter between him and other characters. He is a bit dense and stubborn on not accepting the new world he’s facing, but you got to give the guy some slack. It’s kind of hard coming to terms that you’re sharing apartments with a god and if said god doesn’t vacate it will end in disaster.

2018 read
Didn't really write much of a review first time I read this book. Wrote like one sentence and for some reason, because 2018 read I marked the paperback, and my 2020 read I marked the kindle there's two different review pages out from me.

The paperback review was first rated three stars and read like this "3.5 stars. This was a fun ride. A good debut novel. Looking forward to read future books."

[Maja · Rating 4 out of 5]

2023 reread
Another great reread, you people really be sleeping on this series

2020 reread
Actually enjoyed the second read much more than the first one! Changing the rating from 3 (3,5) to 4 stars

Boy am I happy I reread this before I could actually make any progress on Fate Lashed. There were names and stuff mentioned that my brain knew I should know but frankly didn’t remember. And during this reread I realized just how little I did remember. Some stuff resurfaced as I read but other stuff was completely forgotten.

Gabe is a con-man in need of cash, so he accepts a shady sounding job, even though every alarm bell tells him to fuck the fuck out. Should have listened to those alarm bells because the job goes hella sideways and people end up dead and he with a god stick inside his head and being bonded with a succubus. What’s more he only has a couple of days to get that god out before his mind implodes in on itself from the godly pressure.

Gabe gets a crash course into the new world he’s been crashing head-first into. He learns about the Ether, a non-corporeal “dimension” next to our own where Umbra exist. Umbras her concepts created by the human imagination, superstition and beliefs, so it got all those mythological creatures. Into the human world a very powerful succubus, Gwendal, has been brought over and she plans on being over her husband, a god, so they can take over the human world. The plan was to put the god in Gabe’s body, but it kind of failed. So now everyone wants Gabe’s ass and he has to somehow not only get a god out of his brain before it gets fried but also stop a power crazed succubus’s way to world dominion.

Even though supernatural/mythological beings are nothing new, I do like how they are used in this book and I find the concept of the Ether interesting. There’s also a whole bunch of groups and factions to keep track of, most keeping a very fragile peace between themselves which is thrown out the window here.

Gabe is a fun character to follow around, despite him spending most of the book getting the shit beat out from him. He, and others, keep referring him to an asshole, but aside from his tongue getting the better of him, he’s often a decent enough guy. He’s witty and sarcastic and may have some assholic tendencies to deal with certain stuff. But he’s good to those who deserves it, and there’s lot of witty banter between him and other characters. He is a bit dense and stubborn on not accepting the new world he’s facing, but you got to give the guy some slack. It’s kind of hard coming to terms that you’re sharing apartments with a god and if said god doesn’t vacate it will end in disaster.


2018 read
3.5 stars

This was a fun ride. A good debut novel. Looking forward to read future books.

[Tam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a little hesitant when a friend recommended the audiobook of Hero Forged to me. The first thing I noticed was that the author was also the narrator, and that doesn’t normally go as well as authors using professional narrators for their books. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the author is, in fact, a really damn good narrator.

Hero Forged follows around conman Gabriel Delling. It kicks off with him taking a robbery job which turns south fast. A crazy demon is there, and by the end of it, Gabe is running from demons, supernatural hunters, and has an evil god in his head. Thus begins his quest to find out what is actually going on, how magic works, and to avoid being killed by the people chasing him down.

Gabe is a really enjoyable character to read about. He has all the charisma in the world—as you’d expect from a conman—a difficult past, and makes for an awesome reluctant hero. He really doesn’t want to be involved in whatever the evil god and demon are up to, but with the god stuck in his head, everyone is after him, and he doesn’t have a choice but to get involved or be hunted down.

Hero Forged has some great humour in it, and some really touching moments too. I really liked that Erikson could show the way Gabe dealt with stress and difficult situations, and how he felt for those people who he’s close to.

Erikson has written a fantastic book here and done really well with the narration too. Would highly recommend to people who enjoy:

* Urban fantasy
* Reluctant heroes
* Charismatic MCs
* Humour

For more reviews, check out my blog, The Fantasy Inn

[Jon Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very entertaining, and fast, read.

Thanks, once again, to Mark Lawrence's SPFBO for pointing out so many great books.

[Calvin Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t normally read much urban fantasy. For whatever reason it just doesn’t typically do it for me. But Hero Forged by Josh Erikson has been a pleasant surprise. It’s urban fantasy, but it hooked me almost from the first page. The characters are engaging, it has a fun and fast paced plot, and I just kept wanting more.

There is a lot to like in this book, and that starts with our main character, Gabriel Delling. Gabe is your typical somewhat cocksure, snarky con man. He reminds me a little of a younger Nate Ford from Leverage—just with a demon god trapped in his head. In any case, Erikson easily avoids falling into tired tropes here. The character of Gabe sets him apart and makes the reader want to keep reading because you identify with some of his motivations or—at other times—because you’re truly curious to know if Gabe is going to make it. The side characters, while not as well developed as Gabe, are still a strength of the novel. The pacing was excellent throughout the bulk of the novel, and I felt Erikson sprinkled just enough glimpses of the larger world and what was going on behind the scenes to tantalize without allowing the story to become bogged down or become confusing to the reader. Well done all around.

For me, the end game pacing felt off. The rest of the novel felt so perfectly paced that it was jarring to get to the end game and feel like we entered one end game, only to then enter another, only to then find ourselves in a third. It was, perhaps, drawn out slightly too much. Perhaps another way of saying it is that Erikson had a number of threads to pull together and it may have just taken him two chapters too many to do so. This is not a complaint that these ending chapters amount to an extended epilogue (see The Lord of the Rings), but rather that the pacing just didn’t seem quite right for the final 15% of the novel. In addition to this, on occasion it felt like Gabe sometimes picked up a new ability without much explanation to how the magic worked. I hope to see more exploration of the magic system in future novels set in this world.

Hero Forged is a wonderfully unique, humorous, pulse-pounding adventure that you shouldn’t miss. I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in the series and I’m glad that I took a “risk” on reading an urban fantasy, Josh Erikson has made me a believer. 4.3/5 stars.

5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – It was ok, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing

[Lynn K : Grimmedian · Rating 5 out of 5]

An astonishing urban fantasy with a lot of heart.

This book starts out like most urban fantasies and then turns into a nightmare on earth. Lincoln Nebraska to be precise. Gabriel Delling is an astounding main character, a simple conman who is actually anything but simple. This is a smart, exciting story that fools you into thinking it’s mundane and then demons, sorcerors, godlings, and all manner of terrifying creatures turn all those notions inside out.
Gabe finds a simple job lands him in deep within a massive battle for the fate of the balance of the universe. Not trusting anyone leads him to a place where he finds his own power. His utter naivety of what he is up against is terrifying and humorous at the same time. He has only a couple of days to figure it all out, or the power he has unwittingly acquired may turn him into a monster and take his humanity entirely while unleashing a bloodthirsty god upon humanity. It is caught in his psyche and shutting this god down is going to take a massive con on a level Gabe never dreamed of.
My favorite part of this tale, is the tale told in the chapter headings. Excerpts from a book Gabe was working on as another con, but it becomes much more as well. Aptly named CONscience, it shows the readers much of the life of a conman, while taking us through the process that changes him completely. Excellent bits of a book within a book.
This is a fast paced narrative, and the action is nearly non-stop. It doesn’t detract from the fact that this is very much a character driven story with complicated insights into the heart. It’s got an ending that I didn’t see coming, and lets us know that this is far from over. The language is rough, as it should be, and the danger as dark as they come.
Highly recommended for fans of books by Craig Schaefer, Kevin Hearne, and Chuck Wendig. Hero Forged is a wild ride and I’m heading straight into book 2 of this duology.

[Rusty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book through TBRindr. This is the author’s (Josh Erikson) debut novel which just released a couple months ago. It is the first book in his Ethereal Earth series. I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by the author, and done very well at that.

Gabe is a con man. He’s good at it, but not so good that he can afford more than living day-to-day. He is trying to balance the bridges that he has nearly burned down. He is trying to do the least amount of work for the biggest payoff. He is a master at reading people, and then becoming the persona that will get what he wants.

One of his latest schemes is to write a book, called ConScience. We get excerpts from the book at the beginning of most of the chapters. His book is meant to be autobiographical, and it begins by telling some tricks-of-the-trade (the science behind being a con or “con science”), and evolves into his reflections on how this has altered him as a person (showing how his “conscience” is keeping him grounded). These excerpts are some of the best parts of the book, and go a long way to show the complexity of Gabe, and the inner struggles he faces.

We also are introduced to Gwendyl, a supernatural being called an Umbra who is trying to break from the Ethereal plane into earth, and bring others in with her. She is extremely powerful, and will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

Their paths collide when Gabe takes on a job with a team of other cons and specialists. The job is nothing like Gabe expected, and he finds himself in the middle of the ritual that was meant to bring Gwendyl’s lover, Aka Manah, to earth. The ritual misfires, and Gabe finds himself bonded to a succubus, and linked to Aka Manah.

The story follows Gwendyl’s attempts to free Aka Manah from Gabe, and to achieve her grand schemes. Meanwhile Gabe practically tries to go on with life as if nothing happened. Of course, Gabe can’t escape the godlike being partially trapped inside him, constantly being coerced to do increasingly despicable things. Gabe’s partner and guide is Heather who he used to flirt with, but is now possessed by a succubus. Heather helps Gabe in many ways, explaining things related to the Ether, and helping him connect with other creatures, all while acting out of her sexually-driven succubus instincts.

Gabe is a very complex character who is clearly torn between what he knows – being a con – and wanting to do what is right. He is someone who just wants to be left alone to live his life, and doesn’t want to be a hero. Gabe is constantly conflicted with what he should do, and is often choosing between two bad options.

The book does a great job of shifting from light, fun, playful tone and dialogue, to horrific, severe and dark, and back again. While Gabe can be immature and selfish at times, we see that he has a conscience and a set of morals that motivates him. The book builds in intensity throughout and reads very quickly.

This book has been nominated as the first semi-finalist in this year’s SPFBO. It is worthy of that recognition and the positive reviews. It was definitely well done and I will absolutely recommend it. I am very eager to read the rest of the series. Thank you, Josh, for sending this to me. Well done! 4.5 / 5 stars.

[Sean Cunningham · Rating 4 out of 5]

When an evil sorcerer opens a door in your head, DON’T GO THROUGH.

This is a fun book. Con-man Gabe stumbles into a world of magic and monsters when a job goes sideways. From that moment on he’s got a ticking clock to race against, a whole new world to try and figure out and a great big bundle of enemies at his heels.

I really enjoyed the way Erikson describes the Ethereals, particularly in the beginning when we get to see one come into the world. Small details suggest a long history of them on earth and you get the beginnings of a picture of how much they’ve changed in the present.

Gabe is a con-man, a guy used to working with his wits and his mouth, not special martial or magical abilities. It was fun watching him try to trick and talk his way to solutions to his problems when he had only half an idea of what was even going on.

He’s joined pretty quickly by a succubus. What had the potential to be a bit of a cliche evolved into an interesting and enjoyable working relationship, and then a little more. Together, they’re two characters whose adventures I want to see more of.

Hero Forged is a fun, well-written and overall enjoyable urban fantasy story. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Sade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok so i'm not going to lie, Urban Fantasy really isn't a genre that i would be willing to read on a good day and I’m not sure how, but i didn't cotton on that it was an Urban Fantasy book until i'd bought it. That aside, massive props to Josh Erikson, for a solid debut entry into this genre.

PROS
1. i loved that the author didn't go the whole heaven and hell route to explain supernatural beings. Was super refreshing to see that break away from the usual norm.

2. Death to romance..lol okay yeah you sort of have the feeling that our two main characters are kinda soft on each other BUT Erikson doesn't let that get in the way of the story. There's no cringey flirting (Totally side-eyeing you Faust) or vomit inducing insta relationship to worry about.

3. Shout hallelujah for a kick ass, smart supporting female lead. Gosh i love you Heather. I would choose you over Gabe anyday.


4. I did like how the author tried to explain the physical manifestation of the magic when it happened. Some of the stuff went over my head and at some parts my brain may have shut down but points for trying to get readers to picture the magic as Gabe saw it.

CONS
1. I did feel the author was prone to making characters well the main character at least. Yes Gabe, we get it, underneath all that assholeness there's a good guy who can't leave helpless people to suffer.. we got you the first couple of times.

2. Also some of the scenes had me going like okay why do i need to know this? For example Gabe has continually said that he did't have a good relationship with his father and at some point we're treated to flash back scenes of his father being a douche now my gripe is those memories weren't defining ones at least they didn't seem like it so why give it in my opinion way more word count than it should have had.

3. My main grouse with this book though was that it went on for too long.. It was like Erikson ran out of momentum. One minute you've got the ball rolling and you're going in for a fire finish and then you're like hang on, i need about 7 chapters to get you through the planning phase and then we'll get back to rolling the ball. Totally killed the whole adrenaline pumping thing going on for me. I was just like end this book please.


All in all, i think fans of urban fantasy will thoroughly enjoy this debut yes it has some cons but honestly there're not enough to break the book and maybe unlike me you'll appreciate the game Gabe was trying to run at the end, even though it did take a lot of time to get to the point.

3.5 Stars

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full review is here, on my blog!~

This is the story of Gabe Delling, who is a self-described conman living in Lincoln, Nebraska. One day, he is recruited by a contact of his to go on what seems like a pretty simple and straightforward job, which turns out to be a crazy summoning of a crazy evil god that ends up with Gabe having the aforementioned crazy evil god stuck in his head. He’s pretty partially possessed, as it turns out… and he finds out that he has to get the evil god out of his head before he goes insane or dies horribly… or both.

Meanwhile, the evil god’s evil wife is hunting Gabe down looking to extract her hubby, and Gabe and his companion Heather, a succubus who also got randomly summoned in the robbery/ritual, go on the run looking for ways to extract the god themselves without Gabe dying horribly.

This was a well written and really fast-paced urban fantasy which had plenty of twists and turns, ups and downs, and a few chuckles along the way. I cheered pretty hard for Gabe, who, for a conman, is actually quite an honorable and polite dude. I also wasn’t expecting to get all emotional while listening to this one, but that ending… no YOU’RE crying! *bawl*

Last, but not at all least, the narration. This is a book that is narrated by its author. This is also the first book narrated by its author that isn’t by Neil Gaiman or Stephen Fry (because I mean… come on) that I loved the narration so much as to be able to say that I loved it as an audiobook more than I probably would have in print. He gives each character their own flair. Each character is exactly as they should be, and he would know, because he wrote them, lol. He does believable accents too. Loved it.

So, all told, I really liked this one. I sat and listened to it in 2 days, which I haven’t been able to do for a while now. Really great characters given stellar narration. I had 4.5/5 stars of fun with this audiobook. Highly recommend! :)

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good well written story, can see why it was voted into the spfbo2018 competition. Decent world and character building. Full of twists and turns to keep the reader entertained throughout the book.

Highly recommended to fans of urban fantasy.

[BriarGrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note - I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review. So I am a sucker for a good, fun urban fantasy with some awesome snark, and *Hero Forged* by Josh Erikson totally delivered. It's fast-paced without making your head spin, witty without making you groan (well, too much), and brings in a cast of supporting characters that you are dying to know more about (hello, a locust named Dale in a library basement? Yes, please, do tell me more). Go read his author bio on his website also - his Picard on top/Riker on bottom comment made me laugh out loud for longer than appropriate. The sidekick is a strong female character without being super stereotypical or over the top, and the fact that she is a succubus just adds to the fun (and he doesn't take the easy route and make her a caricature or overly sexed up -- she's a nice, real, enjoyable character). Our MC is stuck with an elder god in his head and adventures ensue as Gabe has to learn to deal with not just that but the fact that there are elder gods and other entities. This is a fun book and well worth the purchase!

[Derpa · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book just didn't make me happy at all. The protagonist guy, Gabe really just sounds like those weak, whiny guys from sitcoms. At one point he says something to a woman and points at her boobs, then right away goes to "OMG, she must be so objectified, I am a horrible person". Then he sees another woman and his inner monologue is all about how women have it so haaaard, so they totally must be so much better than men. We are talking about a conman, by the way. A criminal, who feels guilty about referring to boobs.
Honestly, I am not interested in some self-flagellating whiner with "snappy" dialogues that jump around to sound supposedly witty.

[Soo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mini-Review:

3 Stars for Somewhat Uneven Narration but lots of Spirit by Author
4 Stars for Enthusiasm, Concepts & Potential
2.5 Stars for Lopsided Setup for Characters/Setting

It's always a tossup to listen to a narration by the author. My first book and listen to any work by JE and I almost gave up on the story before I hit the 25% mark. When I read a book, I generally try to read a few chapters or 50-75 pages to figure out if I want to keep reading. For audiobooks, I've leaned more towards 35-40% before I call it quits.

A+ on Effort:

The author definitely loves his work and he does have the potential to be a great narrator. That said, the audio has white noise in the background that's really obvious and distracting. JE has a handful of good voices for the different characters but a couple of them are done in a manner that makes his narration stilted or offbeat cadence. Some of the dialogue comes across like you're listening to one person speaking instead of a two/group because that's the way the author talks.

The writing is a bit erratic. I can see what the author wanted to present and show but it did not come across well. I had to tell my brain to stop asking questions for the first half of the book. The MC character build is a bit confused and I hope that gets cleaned up later in the series. The type of person he is suppose to be and the way he acted did not always go together.

But ya know what? Despite all the flaws, I ended up feeling sorry for the MC and wanted him to to survive. He's not a wonderful person. He's not super smart. He's not a mastermind of any sorts. He's not average but he's no superhero. There is something different about him but that's part of the mystery to be solved.

Yup. He's kind of like a kicked puppy and I wanted him to get some TLC. Ha! The author totally has my sympathy for the character.

The story comes across as a YA. It does not read like an adult novel. I cannot believe that Gabe is over 30 years old because he doesn't act/think/sound like someone who is over 30. That was one of the hurdles for was hard to overcome at the beginning of the book. He sounds like an early 20 year old.

Other than that, go forth and try out this Urban Fantasy. There's a couple of fun twists and lots of potential for a hunt for answers/survival/power.

[Ridel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Forged

Debut novels have teething pains, and self-published ones don’t have the quality assurance of a gatekeeper. Hero Forged’s pacing is painful. It takes several boring chapters for the protagonist to find the plot, and the author inserts an antagonist viewpoint to keep the reader interested. This mechanic is repeated throughout the novel, clumsily explaining plot contrivances while missing an opportunity to elevate the villain beyond one-dimensional authoritarian motivations. The ending completes the poorly paced sandwich, consisting of three separate epilogues that overstay their welcome and lessen the impact of the third act climax.

Yet the core of the story is a thrilling, well-paced ride. Gabriel’s con artist background results in a genre-savvy character. For various reasons, villains honour the letter of their promises, and our protagonist does his best to identify and avoid standard deal-making tropes and pitfalls. Smooth-talking and confidence games rarely solve life-threatening inhuman challenges, and it’s wonderful to see someone competent apply themselves to a different field. He’s also a walking catalogue of flaws that wonderfully interacts with the out-of-time succubus, a femme fatale that somehow manages to have the most nuanced personality.

The layering of fantasy elements is a juxtaposition of myths and legends with not just modern society, but also the historical record. There are many positive similarities to the Dresden Files, particularly with the integration of superpowered individuals and humanity’s orderly use of police and military power. I value realism in worldbuilding and appreciate the messy web of alliances that keep the world intact. Yes, the novel’s narrative is unpolished, some of the plot twists are obvious, and the protagonist’s pain tolerances are absurd. But Hero Forged is the product of a wild imagination, and I look forward to seeing the author’s improving execution.

Recommended.

[Juliano Dutra · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 32%. I`m not the biggest fan of Urban Fantasy, but this one was wayyy out of my tastes. Bad pacing and the only character developed is the famous "rogue with a heart of gold".

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's either I'm getting burnt out on urban fantasy, or the story of a con man turned magic barrel is just not interesting (or both).

I'm twenty chapters in and really not enjoying this. I don't know if it's the rogue with a heart of gold cliche, or the protagonist just not being interesting in the first place. A con-man doesn't interest me in the least.
Him being thrown headfirst into everything and struggling to thread water is boring.

I don't know if it's the combination of things demons, gods, spirit realm, reality, end of reality, etc that makes it so uninteresting, or if it was how those things were combined.

The name of the book is "Hero Forged", so it could be a slow build up from "x" to "y", but I don't like how this "hero's journey" is progressing. Him fighting his literal internal demon doesn't interest me much. At this point I just want it to end. It is too much reality, and too little fantasy for me.
So far it's reality with a glimpse of the fantastic.

Oh look. A quarter of this book is remaining, and it actually started to get interesting. Authors really need to learn to hook their audience better, and stop with so much fluff at the beginning. If I was a different person (and my slight OCD allowed me to easily drop book), I would have dropped this book days ago. I'm five days into reading this book, and I was putting it off and finding other things to do because it was boring. Other people I know usually give a book three chapters tops, before calling it a lost cause.

All that mundane crap that was used as a foundation to show that the bad guy, wasn't really a bad guy at heart was stupid (in my opinion). I don't read fantasy for the inner clockworks of the heart, nor the philosophical break down of the human condition, and it's need for family. I certainly don't read it for the sob piece about a son looking after and caring for the father that emotionally abused, then abandoned him years ago. If I want Stockholm Syndrome with a thief as a protagonist, I would read a thriller, or some chick flick romance, not fantasy.

I can smell the author's morality in the chapters leading up to the end of the book, the big finale.
The con-artist who has morals, doesn't want a concert load of people's deaths on his conscience. So he self sacrifices himself (how heroic, how Nobel) to save the crowd from wholesale slaughter.

He gets away from having to sacrifice himself, but gets caught once again. Now they are holding a half dead child, who they are threatening to kill if he doesn't cooperate. So now he is planning to sacrifice himself, and two other people, to save a half dead child, who might I add, the "bad guys" will still kill once he gives them what they want, and he and the two others are dead.

I hate when authors try to manipulate their reader's emotions by using this "sacrifice it all for a child I never meet" cliche. When the child will still die from doing exactly what they want from you.

This sealed my opinion on this author. I was trying to stay open minded, and say positive things, but this shows exactly what I should expect from any other books he would write. These certainly aren't for me.

The ancient bloodline rekindled thing, and distant temples tolling would have been super interesting. But I don't do self sacrificing morality. I hate it in movies, and I hate it in books. If they are willing to kill, you think you putting yourself on the chopping block is going to stop them when you die?

Well I'm finally finished. There was a part near the end when Philip showed his true power level that I was rethinking my decision of not reading the other book. Then that part passed and a bunch of other stuff was revealed, and my interest was gone.

If the book ended at that point, I would have considered it, it would have had me wanting some more. But the more I got from the end works for closure for me.

The book wasn't bad, and I'm quite sure there are things some readers I know would enjoy from the book. But there were a combination of things that didn't sit well for me.

When I read fantasy, I want the fantastical, not humans trying to hold onto their humanity.

2.5/5 Stars

[Rob Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit, I'm not really into Urban Fantasy. It's just not my cup of tea. I also don't like a lot of humour in my books. A bit of gallows humour maybe, but that's usually about it. I say this so I can impress upon you that this book was up against it. But the author himself offered me a free copy and I know a few folk who have said it was good so... what the hell.

And I really enjoyed it.

For a quick story gumpf. We follow Gabe, a conman who is permanently broke and quite likes it that way. He a snarky arsehole who doesn't know when to shut up. After an apparently botched B&E job, Gabe finds himself catapulted into a world filled with umbras (demons and the like), and has to navigate his way through it... while also trying to remove a god from his head. Along the way we get a sexy succubus (I'm not sure there's any over kind) and a host of colourful characters. Sounds a bit hackneyed? Well the author manages to make it work, largely by making us empathise with a main character who is so far out of his depth he drowned about 100 pages ago.

I'm gonna point out here that the author narrated this one himself and did a bloody good job for the most part... although the voice of the God made my teeth itch.

It's a fast paced ride full of daring jobs, twisty plots, moments of genuine emotion, and big action pieces. Honestly my only real issue is it sometimes a bit too fast paced. Some of the best moments are when the book slowed down for a moment and gave us some worldbuilding and emotional gut punches. Other times I was wishing it would slow down for a second.

So there we go. Not a long review, but they don't all have to be. A thoroughly enjoyable urban fantasy read(listen) which is something I don't say very often at all. 4 stars.

[Travis Riddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not typically one for urban fantasy, but this one hit all the right notes for me. A highly engaging, intriguing, and all-around fun debut novel and introduction to the world of Ethereal Earth.

Erikson's narrative voice for the story, primarily told through the viewpoint of Gabe Delling, is fully realized not only in the present-day narrative but especially in the excerpts of his memoir that are included at the start of most chapters. These brief snippets of "CONscience" lend us a deeper understanding of Gabe's character, while also creating an authenticity to the character--these thoughts and tidbits feel real, and give depth to the character's personality, background, and career choice.

The villains' motivation in the book is also one of the highlights for me. It's murky, seemingly not entirely "we are evil demons"--they believe what they're doing is for the good of the world, and that helps create a more morally grey view of the proceedings than a simple humans vs. demons storyline. The Endless Dark is an intriguing concept, one that we still don't know a lot about, and I'm interested in learning more about the history of it and what it fully entails in future books.

An aspect of the book I also appreciate is it telling a complete narrative, while still leaving us with a deep hook that's already making me want to pick up book 2. There are plenty of twists and turns within the exciting action setpieces, and I'm looking forward to seeing Erikson's characters further navigate this well-realized world.

[Joey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel, above all else, was very fun to read. Erikson's style lent to the genre he's writing into. The story felt and unfolded like a heist/con/crime movie, much like Matchstick Men, Snatch or American Hustle. We get some moments where it was very evocative of those scenes with the characters huddled around, one says, "Ok, so here's the plan.." and then we get a screen wipe and get to see the heist/con unfolding, versus hearing the plan. Show, don't tell.

I felt the con/heist genre in the story in the first few chapters and I fully embraced it because I love that genre. I'm on the fence as to whether this is a con/heist story with urban fantasy elements or an urban fantasy story with con/heist elements. And with that being said, I think that's Erikson's intent.

I enjoyed reading Erikson's writing, because he was able to walk the fine line of too much detail and not enough. There were very few moments where I felt like we were getting too much information for the sake of exposition, and I think it speaks to Erikson's skill as a writer. I personally like added detail, but not bloat, and he offered that in the story.

Definitely going to follow this author, and I'm looking forward to the next story!