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Dark Matter #1
Demon Zero
"The best new urban fantasy series in years!"
The city of Templar has always been a little strange. Monsters slither out of the lakes, a zombie rises up every few years, and from time to time, some of the people go missing for no reason. But the supernatural occurrences have been happening more and more frequently lately, and it may have something to do with the all-powerful demon that’s living in Mrs. Grunberg’s basement.
When local slackers Simon Dark and Virgil Matter decide to investigate the mysterious presence in the cellar, they set off a chain of events that will change Templar—and themselves—forever. They don’t know anything about demons. They don’t know anything about magic. But they know that Templar needs some heroes to fight against the growing supernatural darkness, and with the help of a sharp, attractive empath and an old, cantankerous wizard, they just might be able to send the evil demon back to hell.
Or they’ll be blinked out of existence trying.
In Demon Zero, author Randall Pine tells an action-packed story of sorcery and adventure that sets the stage for a fun, funny, and thrilling new series that “fits perfectly in the classic canon of the world’s best urban fantasy.”
- GenresMagic
198 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 17, 2018
57 people are currently reading
982 people want to read
About the author
Clayton Smith
37 books2 followersLibrarian note: there are multiple authors with this name on Goodreads.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 23, 2019
This is the first book in a new series in which we meet Simon and Virgil, a couple bumbling twenty-somethings looking for adventure in a small town. It moves quickly and is fun to read.
Did you ever wonder how ghostbusters get their start? This is a plausible option as two guys try to figure out how to avenge the death of a sister killed by mysterious forces. It is a humorous trip through discovering an evil demon, and a couple "good guys" helping develop their previously unknown talents.
Virgil and Simon attempt to exorcise a beast by looking up a few possibly useful spells on the internet, cuz, well, ya'know, everything on the internet is right. Mostly. Their initial encounter surprised both them and the beast, but fell a bit short. They manage to bump into an empath and sorcerer that help with a little refinement along the way.
This is well-written, being a complete story that does not use the grating practice of so many poor series-writers by abruptly stopping with a cliffhanger. That reason alone will make me want to read the following books, in addition to Book Zero just being great entertainment.
Did you ever wonder how ghostbusters get their start? This is a plausible option as two guys try to figure out how to avenge the death of a sister killed by mysterious forces. It is a humorous trip through discovering an evil demon, and a couple "good guys" helping develop their previously unknown talents.
Virgil and Simon attempt to exorcise a beast by looking up a few possibly useful spells on the internet, cuz, well, ya'know, everything on the internet is right. Mostly. Their initial encounter surprised both them and the beast, but fell a bit short. They manage to bump into an empath and sorcerer that help with a little refinement along the way.
This is well-written, being a complete story that does not use the grating practice of so many poor series-writers by abruptly stopping with a cliffhanger. That reason alone will make me want to read the following books, in addition to Book Zero just being great entertainment.
January 12, 2019
Fans of Supernatural will love Demon Zero! It reads fast and fun like the pilot of a promising TV show, and introduces us to Virgil and Simon as heroes-in-training who have a lot of work ahead of them getting the paranormal-vortex town of Templar in order. The dialogue is hilarious, the characters engaging, and the danger intense as the boys discover their power and learn just how weird their weird town is. A phenomenal start to what will hopefully be a long-running series!
March 12, 2019
"Demon Zero" reads like a PG version of "John Dies at the End." It's got all of your favorite "two incompetent knuckleheads fighting evil" moments with 98% fewer dick jokes.
Maybe it would be more fair to say it's like an episode of "Supernatural" that you have to read.
Either way, those are two great things to be compared to, and "Demon Zero" finds its own legs in the space between them. It's full of magic, mayhem, and a surprisingly large amount of skee-ball.
Our heroes Virgil and Simon must protect their town from the various demons, zombies, and other creeping evils that infest it. Why? Because if they don't, who will? So despite their lack of experience, training, or basic competence, they try to vanquish the demon living in old Mrs. Grunberg's basement. As you can imagine, hilarity ensues.
But when the dudes meet an empathic purple-haired hipster girl at the local singing-robots-and-pizza emporium, she clues them in to their larger destiny. And then things start getting really weird.
Full of fast-paced action and tons of banter, "Demon Zero" is a promising start to the Dark Matter series, and I look forward to reading the next book!
Maybe it would be more fair to say it's like an episode of "Supernatural" that you have to read.
Either way, those are two great things to be compared to, and "Demon Zero" finds its own legs in the space between them. It's full of magic, mayhem, and a surprisingly large amount of skee-ball.
Our heroes Virgil and Simon must protect their town from the various demons, zombies, and other creeping evils that infest it. Why? Because if they don't, who will? So despite their lack of experience, training, or basic competence, they try to vanquish the demon living in old Mrs. Grunberg's basement. As you can imagine, hilarity ensues.
But when the dudes meet an empathic purple-haired hipster girl at the local singing-robots-and-pizza emporium, she clues them in to their larger destiny. And then things start getting really weird.
Full of fast-paced action and tons of banter, "Demon Zero" is a promising start to the Dark Matter series, and I look forward to reading the next book!
February 5, 2019
Demon Zero is a relatively short story that, weirdly enough, took me some time to get into. I think the beginning just seemed too... well short. I felt like I was just dropped into this freaky little town full of the unexplained (demons, zombies, magic, etc.) but that's what actually gave this book so much appeal in the end. I was charmed and bewildered by the town, by the characters, by the book's concept on a whole. Virgil and Simon are just so sweet and stupid I kept fingers crossed for them and the author has a wondrous way of weaving you right into the story. If I have to describe this book in 3 words I'd say: Moonlighting meets Scooby-Doo, minus the dog and sexual tension. (Maybe it needs a dog? Just a thought.)
I'm really glad that this will be a series but the author wrapped up this story and didn't leave me out to dry. Honestly, that always makes me more eager to see what the characters have been up to in the next book. So, if you want a fun, light, unusual read full of pesky kids and adventure this is the book for you.
I'm really glad that this will be a series but the author wrapped up this story and didn't leave me out to dry. Honestly, that always makes me more eager to see what the characters have been up to in the next book. So, if you want a fun, light, unusual read full of pesky kids and adventure this is the book for you.
January 25, 2019
This was an entertaining read. It was a pre-release so the formatting was a bit off and there were still quite a few typos and spacing issues, but it was readable.
I liked the concept and overall story. It has also set the stage for what I expect to be several more in a series with these characters.
I look forward to seeing more from Pine in the future as he develops his writing. The story was fine, but the conversations seemed stilted and clunky. Plus, even in the midst of anger, pain, horrifying situation or absolute shock, the characters seem to have no emotion. They just spit out witty one-liners and crack jokes at each other. I understand that it is often difficult to merge horror and humor together, but it was always so light-hearted that it was hard to take the action and horror scenes seriously.
That said, I will still be reading the second book when it comes out.
I liked the concept and overall story. It has also set the stage for what I expect to be several more in a series with these characters.
I look forward to seeing more from Pine in the future as he develops his writing. The story was fine, but the conversations seemed stilted and clunky. Plus, even in the midst of anger, pain, horrifying situation or absolute shock, the characters seem to have no emotion. They just spit out witty one-liners and crack jokes at each other. I understand that it is often difficult to merge horror and humor together, but it was always so light-hearted that it was hard to take the action and horror scenes seriously.
That said, I will still be reading the second book when it comes out.
February 14, 2019
This book clearly isn’t the beginning of the story. Nor is it the end. But it is still a wonderful, self-contained story that doesn’t need the beginning or the end to make it good. I really enjoyed how the author just threw us into the middle of the main characters’ lives as if the things that were happening were normal and every day. Without giving too much away, I definitely want a tent just like the one in the book.
January 30, 2019
I enjoyed this light read. I have never read anything by this author before, but was happily surprised by the book. I'm always looking for something to read during downtime at work, and this fits the bill. Demon Zero's almost inept but exuberant heroes, learn to work together to save the town of Templar. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
January 3, 2019
Dark Matter.
A pair of friends in a weird town, deciding to take up against the dark magic.
A fantastic first novel, I really liked the main characters and the story pulled me in straight away, the action keeping me reading without pause.
A pair of friends in a weird town, deciding to take up against the dark magic.
A fantastic first novel, I really liked the main characters and the story pulled me in straight away, the action keeping me reading without pause.
October 13, 2022
helluva fun adventure
What a great time I had reading this book! I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and all the emotions as they found their own powers and inner fire. It was definitely a fun fade read and a good surprise for me!
What a great time I had reading this book! I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and all the emotions as they found their own powers and inner fire. It was definitely a fun fade read and a good surprise for me!
February 10, 2019
a fun, quick read that reels you in and makes you wish there was more (which I guess there will be!)
October 6, 2022
The book was very entertaining and an easy, quick read, however I think it is geared more toward an adolescent reader.
November 8, 2022
Fun romp
I always enjoy Clayton Smith’s humor, and this was no different. I’m headed back in to see what else is trying to get in Templar.
I always enjoy Clayton Smith’s humor, and this was no different. I’m headed back in to see what else is trying to get in Templar.
January 18, 2019
Demon Zero is a lighthearted read with fun supernatural elements. Randall Pine does a great job introducing the slightly-off atmosphere of Templar without getting bogged down in backstory and detail (which I notice is an issue with urban fantasy books sometimes). It's also a bit of a scrappy underdog tale which is always entertaining. Simon and Virgil have a great straight man/weirdly confident man chemistry and banter, and stumble their way in and out of trouble, a bit like Ford and Arthur in Hitchhiker's Guide.
The book is on the shorter side so it does feel a bit like an episode of a TV show (as another reviewer mentioned) and there's quite a lot of mystery to be uncovered by the end of the book -- which is fine for the price and makes me look forward to the next one.
The book is on the shorter side so it does feel a bit like an episode of a TV show (as another reviewer mentioned) and there's quite a lot of mystery to be uncovered by the end of the book -- which is fine for the price and makes me look forward to the next one.
May 27, 2020
I found this book as a free offering.
And it was totally worth the time I spent reading it. Fun little imaginative tale.
And it was totally worth the time I spent reading it. Fun little imaginative tale.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews