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Necessarily Evil: Prophecy: Second edition
Cardinal Carl Beaumont, Grand Inquisitor of the Satanic Church, would come to regret answering a summons from the Pope, as he was set upon a quest to save his world from the impending doom spoken of in a Prophesy written two millennia hence. He would need to acquire a rather…colorful group of misfits, procure a gun capable of killing a god, collect divine blood money to pay off a debt, travel through time to get the blessing of a dead god, and do it all before December 21st, 2012, a scant six months away. It would be difficult enough without having to deal with the myriad demons of the Abyss hounding them every step of the way, having to deal with a Demon Prince with a mad-on for the grizzled old half-orc, or the temple full of Nazi Zombies between him and his prize. All while feeling like he’s running a day care center as the misfits he’s in charge of bicker like children. Can you blame the poor guy for being a chain-smoking alcoholic with rage issues?
377 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 30, 2019
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20 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 6, 2019
I have to say that when Shad asked me to take a look at this book, I was a little surprised because I have never read this genre before and I have no experience with it. However, I found that I absolutely loved it!
I love a great book of satire and I will tell you all, there is plenty of it in this book and it is funny as all get out! I laughed so hard at some of the things these misfits said. There is one scene at the beginning that had me laughing so hard that there were tears rolling from my eyes. Unfortunately, there this a scene at the end that had tears rolling from my eyes for a completely different reason, and it wasn't laughing.
There is so much action in this book. I was on the edge of my seat with every fight scene. The graphic discussion of the demons innards was gross, yet at the same time, fascinating. This author has quite the imagination and I feel privileged that he trusted me enough to read his work.
I gave this book 5 stars because it entertained me. The concept is good. The characters are fantastic and Lucy brings tears to my eyes though he isn't featured much.
I do feel that I must put this little warning out there. There are graphic violence scenes and a whole lot of sex talk. I recommend it to anyone who loves dark fantasy.
July 8, 2019
Reviewed For Author Resource Centre by Grant Leishman
Necessarily Evil: Prophecy (Divine Sitcom Book 1) is, “something completely different”, from the pen of Shad Nemo Freud. A self-confessed love of Monty Python, the author’s creativity and genius is clear for all to see throughout this amazing book that had this reader chuckling and grimacing all at the same time. As a reviewer, when an author tells me he is influenced by Python (especially an American author) I am wont to roll my eyes and shrug my shoulders – really? Someone from America, gets Python? Well, having read Shad Nemo Freud’s journey in Necessarily Evil: Prophecy, I can say – “well, it appears this American does get Python!” With a doff of the cap to Python and to The Hitchhiker’s Guide, Freud takes us on a surrealistic journey through the realms of demons, Gods, Devils, and all things evil but he does it in the best possible way.
Carl Beaumont, a half-Orc is an Inquisitor in the prevailing church on Earth, the Satanic Church and when he is sent on a mission by the Pope to save the world from a Prophesy that was written some two-millennium earlier, he quickly realizes this will be one of his most dangerous and difficult missions. He gathers around him a team of absolute misfits who bring a delightful diversity and comedy to the story. Their task is to gather the necessary items; a gun capable of killing a God, divine blood money to pay off a debt, as well as travelling through time to get the blessing of a dead God and they have just six months to accomplish this. Arrayed against them will be a plethora of dangerous and disgusting foes, ranging from demons of the Abyss, a Demon Prince who hates Carl with a passion, never mind the endless Nazi Zombies in the temple, all bent on the destruction of Carl and his merry men (and women).
Despite the incredible action, the magical firefights and the realm stretching magic, which is frequent and exciting, this story is not really about the “battles”, it is about the characters, the oddball team that Carl has put together to achieve this goal. Each of them has been imbued with a personality that lends itself to hating and loving them at the same time. Carl, with his arrogance, his chain-smoking, his drinking too much and his anger is beautifully counterweighted by his undying devotion to his wife and daughter, not to mention his love and loyalty to his fellow warriors. What becomes quickly apparent is that these characters, despite being as different, in as many ways as possible, is their unswerving devotion and loyalty to each other. For me, the character development was the absolute highlight of the story and was perhaps best exemplified in the reactions to the death of one of the main characters in Carl’s team.
This whole story was like a breath of fresh air to this reader. As I stated at the beginning, “something completely different” and something I’d been waiting for, for a long time. I loved the sardonic, dark, essentially British, humour and I loved the interplay between the characters which was natural and unforced despite the differences in their genetics and backgrounds. If I had one complaint about Necessarily Evil: Prophecy (Divine Sitcom: Book 1) it would be that Shad Nemo Freud (you’ve gotta love that name – right?) chose to end the story on a cliffhanger of sorts. That means I now have to read the next book in the series to find out what happens – but I can assure you that will be no stretch or punishment at all. I can rank this book as one of the best I’ve read this year.
Necessarily Evil: Prophecy (Divine Sitcom Book 1) is, “something completely different”, from the pen of Shad Nemo Freud. A self-confessed love of Monty Python, the author’s creativity and genius is clear for all to see throughout this amazing book that had this reader chuckling and grimacing all at the same time. As a reviewer, when an author tells me he is influenced by Python (especially an American author) I am wont to roll my eyes and shrug my shoulders – really? Someone from America, gets Python? Well, having read Shad Nemo Freud’s journey in Necessarily Evil: Prophecy, I can say – “well, it appears this American does get Python!” With a doff of the cap to Python and to The Hitchhiker’s Guide, Freud takes us on a surrealistic journey through the realms of demons, Gods, Devils, and all things evil but he does it in the best possible way.
Carl Beaumont, a half-Orc is an Inquisitor in the prevailing church on Earth, the Satanic Church and when he is sent on a mission by the Pope to save the world from a Prophesy that was written some two-millennium earlier, he quickly realizes this will be one of his most dangerous and difficult missions. He gathers around him a team of absolute misfits who bring a delightful diversity and comedy to the story. Their task is to gather the necessary items; a gun capable of killing a God, divine blood money to pay off a debt, as well as travelling through time to get the blessing of a dead God and they have just six months to accomplish this. Arrayed against them will be a plethora of dangerous and disgusting foes, ranging from demons of the Abyss, a Demon Prince who hates Carl with a passion, never mind the endless Nazi Zombies in the temple, all bent on the destruction of Carl and his merry men (and women).
Despite the incredible action, the magical firefights and the realm stretching magic, which is frequent and exciting, this story is not really about the “battles”, it is about the characters, the oddball team that Carl has put together to achieve this goal. Each of them has been imbued with a personality that lends itself to hating and loving them at the same time. Carl, with his arrogance, his chain-smoking, his drinking too much and his anger is beautifully counterweighted by his undying devotion to his wife and daughter, not to mention his love and loyalty to his fellow warriors. What becomes quickly apparent is that these characters, despite being as different, in as many ways as possible, is their unswerving devotion and loyalty to each other. For me, the character development was the absolute highlight of the story and was perhaps best exemplified in the reactions to the death of one of the main characters in Carl’s team.
This whole story was like a breath of fresh air to this reader. As I stated at the beginning, “something completely different” and something I’d been waiting for, for a long time. I loved the sardonic, dark, essentially British, humour and I loved the interplay between the characters which was natural and unforced despite the differences in their genetics and backgrounds. If I had one complaint about Necessarily Evil: Prophecy (Divine Sitcom: Book 1) it would be that Shad Nemo Freud (you’ve gotta love that name – right?) chose to end the story on a cliffhanger of sorts. That means I now have to read the next book in the series to find out what happens – but I can assure you that will be no stretch or punishment at all. I can rank this book as one of the best I’ve read this year.
August 18, 2021
I’m always looking for unusual books and this one definitely fits the bill.
I first came across Necessarily Evil in a very positive and enthusiastic review from a blogger who had also liked my work, so I figured there was a good chance I’d like it too, especially considering the author’s clever name. My expectations were thus pretty high, and I ended up not disappointed, but certainly overwhelmed.
Necessarily Evil features quite the whirlwind of characters, locations, mythologies and plots, crammed with references ranging from the religious, historical, fantastical, legendary, mythological, satanic, cultural, popular and obscure, all with a dash of D&D added into the mix. Reading it was like listening to all my favourite tunes at once. It was too much at times and it just became noise. It often reminded me of Monty Python. I loved the cleverness of it, but the presentation and delivery always put me off. I couldn’t watch it for more than 5min before getting a headache... It’s too loud, too hectic, the sound effects too jarring. I was invested in the story and wanted to know what would happen next but the narrative is so dense, I actually had to take several breaks and read something else before returning to the book. The formatting of the ebook doesn’t help things either. Even just a few more paragraphs here and there and an adjustment in line spacing would have worked wonders at making the experience easier. (Just to make it clear, this is more a criticism of me as a reader than the narrative itself. And I still enjoy Monty Python... only in small doses ;) )
For the first time, I understand what my readers might feel when they say there’s too much to take in. Compared with this, my humble mishmash of mythologies, fantastical creatures and androids is pretty straight forward!
I appreciate the potential of this story and all the work put into it, and I think I'd probably have enjoyed it more in audiobook format. The author has several other books published already and, thanks to his recent promo, I downloaded them all. I intend to read them, likely at leisure, one chapter at the time with many breaks in between.
I first came across Necessarily Evil in a very positive and enthusiastic review from a blogger who had also liked my work, so I figured there was a good chance I’d like it too, especially considering the author’s clever name. My expectations were thus pretty high, and I ended up not disappointed, but certainly overwhelmed.
Necessarily Evil features quite the whirlwind of characters, locations, mythologies and plots, crammed with references ranging from the religious, historical, fantastical, legendary, mythological, satanic, cultural, popular and obscure, all with a dash of D&D added into the mix. Reading it was like listening to all my favourite tunes at once. It was too much at times and it just became noise. It often reminded me of Monty Python. I loved the cleverness of it, but the presentation and delivery always put me off. I couldn’t watch it for more than 5min before getting a headache... It’s too loud, too hectic, the sound effects too jarring. I was invested in the story and wanted to know what would happen next but the narrative is so dense, I actually had to take several breaks and read something else before returning to the book. The formatting of the ebook doesn’t help things either. Even just a few more paragraphs here and there and an adjustment in line spacing would have worked wonders at making the experience easier. (Just to make it clear, this is more a criticism of me as a reader than the narrative itself. And I still enjoy Monty Python... only in small doses ;) )
For the first time, I understand what my readers might feel when they say there’s too much to take in. Compared with this, my humble mishmash of mythologies, fantastical creatures and androids is pretty straight forward!
I appreciate the potential of this story and all the work put into it, and I think I'd probably have enjoyed it more in audiobook format. The author has several other books published already and, thanks to his recent promo, I downloaded them all. I intend to read them, likely at leisure, one chapter at the time with many breaks in between.
September 18, 2020
Although it took me an extremely long time to finish this book, (due to personal issues), I have finally finished it. I was hooked from the very beginning and had I not had to deal with problems in my personal life, I would not have been able to put this book down. I was able to visualise every scene in my mind. I was immersed in the story and characters. I was in stitches with laughter and moved at alternate moments. Thank you Shad for allowing me to review your wonderful book. You are an amazing author and I apologise it has taken me this long.
For those of you who haven't read this yet, or are thinking of reading it. What are you waiting for?! You won't be disappointed.
For those of you who haven't read this yet, or are thinking of reading it. What are you waiting for?! You won't be disappointed.
September 2, 2021
Cluttered, but good once ya untangle.
It was a rather rough start, as it does feel a little too much at once. However, once you get past that it is quite an enjoyable read. Would recommend for anyone a fan of magic, cyberpunk and d&d!
It was a rather rough start, as it does feel a little too much at once. However, once you get past that it is quite an enjoyable read. Would recommend for anyone a fan of magic, cyberpunk and d&d!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews