Reports to write, forms to fill, coffee to drink, leads to run down.
Gus’s life had been a tedium and boredom he’d grown comfortable with. One that he sought out after he’d come back from his tour of duty.
That was before Melody, a contractor, more or less blew his life up as if it were a building packed full of c4. Then pranced around the ashes of it like it was the end of the world and she was conjuring up the end times herself.
All while breaking in a rookie by the name of Vanessa into the PID. A gung-ho and eager young detective looking to prove herself.
Then commandeering and recruiting a cleaning lady that turned out to be an Elven Dryad Sorceress who viewed killing people as little more than emptying the trash can.
Gus had lived through it though. Made it work for him and had come out of it without too many new scars.
An adventure that he hadn’t wanted any part of that involved the Fed being blowed up, a stadium full of Paras all going into a feral rage, and breaking off a plot hatched by what felt like an organization that rivaled the Fed.
Which apparently was all in a day’s work, right up until they fired you for doing that work because you made the brass look bad.
Without a job, more people relying on him than ever, and no direction, Gus is going to have to put on his big boy pants and figure something out. And soon.
It’s a good thing that he’s a Boogieman.
Because being an apex predator that made the entirety of the Paranormal world fear him was something he could fall back on. He could lean into it and make it work for him.
He’d done it before when he was in the military.
Made a name for himself out there in the bloody desert.
He was The Hunter.
A name that the Elven mothers now used to instill fear into misbehaving children. A name that grown men and women wouldn’t discuss in polite company.
Except, despite Gus’s best intentions to get back to his stable non-life, he’s going to get thrown right back into the fray. Whether he likes it or not, he’s about to be handed a new problem that’s going to mess up what little remained of his life.
Unfortunately, his past was going to catch up to him and meet up with his future.
Warning and minor spoiler: This novel contains graphic violence, undefined relationships/harem, unconventional opinions/beliefs, and a hero who is as tactful as a dog at a cat show. Read at your own risk.
As I have written before, this is the PG 13 version of Randi Darren stories. A lot of talk about sex but in the future or past tense. There was a cameo from some of Randi Darren’s books. There was an appearance from Incubus Inc characters. There also was a cameo y Alex and his numbered from Faustering Faust. The overall story wasn’t great, but the day to day work and interactions were fun.
The first book was a nice detective story... for an urban fantasy book. This one is just terrible. Arand went back to his usual and it seems like every page is the protagonist whining about something in untimely introspections amid the narration. "Oh no, woe is me, that chick is a nympho, whatever shall I do?" is in every other page. This was tolerable, at first, but then he decided to inject his stupid multiverse into the mix to terrible results. I'll think twice before starting a book by him again.
This is my favourite of the author's (both lobes of his brain) books so far. This develops very well from the first one, and the harem elements are competently handled. The balance of a male MC who is capable and (relatively, at least) well-adjusted with capable and 3D women is hard to get right, and I find that balance is met in this book.
As for the cross-overs: ahead be SPOILERS.
I knew something was up with the "Pancakes" merch in the first book, but I didn't twig to the proprietors of C&C Marketing until I was smacked upside the head with it in this book. The arrival of Alex and some of his "Numbered" as well as the announcement that Felix and Vince are coming hints at some Gotterdammerung to come, and as this is the series that hasn't hit trilogy yet, I suspect we'll be seeing it on this plane. Can't wait.
Back to a different perspective on Alex and his women for a moment: Gus' reaction was interesting, as they aren't really portrayed as that soulless in their books. At least, anyone who unsettles a Boogieman has something seriously aberrant about them vis. humanity at large. We know that Anna is something else from the FF books, but this definitely reframes that.
Been going through William Armand's universe and this was one of the better books. Lots of curve balls and unexpected happenings. Really enjoy Gus' conversations with his boss Mark. They are just ridiculous/hilarious. Its interesting how Melody Lark is building her harem with and around Gus and he's finally given in. Also enjoy the setup for the Planar interdimensional war and cant wait to understand what the hell is going on. All of Mr Armand's books are interconnected, but l still dont have a handle on what is really going on. I havent read book 3 of Otherworld, nor any of the Superheros yet so lm still playing catch up.
All told I'm really enjoying these trilogies though l'd really like more of Monster's Mercy as l really enjoyed the characters there and when the trilogy ended, Runner had just surprised the MC with 3 additions to his harem, so l think theres more stories go be told there.
The story of Swing Shift was good enough to keep me going, but the flaws that were present in the first book become more dominant as the series goes on.
First, the harem stuff, which was a quirky distraction, becomes overwhelming as Melody pulls more and more girls into the melange. An unfortunate side effect is that Vanessa, who was one of the more interesting characters, gets sidelined in favour of sentient firearms and toothless vampires.
Then the plot gets more and more amped up so that what started as a detective story becomes a titanomachy of limitless powers. I know that's the thing these days, but I hate it. It happens in both the supernatural realm and the political realm; but whereas you can make up whatever angels and demons you like, it's much more difficult to be convincing about politics. If it's a police procedural where there are vague political forces above the chief, that's fine, but once the details of those political battles become important to the plot, you have to be a lot more coherent about how the politics works.
I compared Swing Shift (favourably) to the Dresden Files books, but actually a better parallel is the Monster Hunter International series by Larry Correia, which shares many of the same flaws.
I finished this one but not book 3, because by the time everyone turns out to be related to everyone else (including bunches of characters from other series I haven't read), and the conflict becomes a war between the gods, then I just don't care any more.
I wonder if the author reads reviews? The women are actually acting like real women, and not the way how most of these "harem" authors see them (i.e. robots who don't care that the guy they are with is sleeping with five other women).
This is the first time I'm feeling uneasy with the author's new fetishes. How can the examination, description, and discussion of a gun seem so sexual? Even talk about firing the gun sound sexual. Then apparently the gun is a little aged, and wasn't used for a while, so "she" is stiff, and you have to "oil her up".
This is too much. I don't know if I should laugh, or worry for the author.
I don't know if it's because I'm not paying attention, but it seems like events/things are jumping around. I don't want to invest much energy to figure it out, but it feels like they are one place, but in actuality, it's another. It doesn't happen often, so it has me wondering if I'm not paying attention.
Dear god I can't take anymore of this crazy "contractor". She is the most annoying character in this book. It's not even endearing, it's out right annoyance.
Well our protagonist is still angry, and it seems that everyone is related to someone somehow. I wonder if the author will be skilled enough to pull off the multiple books collective brawl that he is setting up. Only time will tell.
The author seems to have improved, but there is still room for more improvement.
Gus Hellström and his harem of partner-wives continue their investigation of the various plots formed by the shadowy organization they call "The Council." Gus and company know that they are way behind in responding to "The Council's" plots; though they have shattered several of them and limited the damage done to the veil of secrecy which protects the world's Paranormal populace from the vast sea of humanity surrounding them -- Gus knows they need to stop chasing "The Council's" agents and plots, stop playing defense. They need to get ahead of "The Council" and go on the offensive. Maybe joining the Fed is the way to do that. So Gus and company are going to become Fed Agents and race ahead!
This is the second book of Arand's Paranormal World trilogy, which is part of the VR Multiverse begun in _Other Worlds_. All of Arand's trilogies in the "Other Worlds" Multiverse are LitRPG novels and as such will likely appeal to fans of that genre, the Fantasy genre, and possibly fans of Dungeon Core genre novels as well. Those who enjoy playing RPGs may also enjoy this novel and Arand's other novels as well.
The world is interesting, the MC and his nascent harem are well written, and the plot moves...but in a disjunct fashion. Some of the emotional parts were rushed, some of the worldbuilding was shallow.
I will likely buy the next book. I *do* like his world/universe/multiverse.
****spoiler alert*** * * * The MC lacks agency, but that’s mostly because he is constantly playing catch up investigating a >very< well prepared conspiracy. Each time you think he’s got a lead it evaporates; every loose thread is tidied away. The bad guys are so good, even when they lose they win. It makes the plot feel inevitable.
But worse, things move fast. The world-building is a little light in areas where it needed more depth. More info on constructs, more about Janelle and the royal elves, more about Sirens and Fin. It felt rushed. What was the deal about ‘The Invasion’? Too many plot points left unexplained.
A convoluted mess. Was the writer drinking cough-syrup? This book is all over the place. The plot makes little sense, the characters make less. There is plenty of William D. Arand's signature moral ambiguity, but in Swing Shift 2 there is also an excess of logical ambiguity as well. Some of the actions and decisions of the characters are so confounding, and so out of step with the whole book up to that point that It threatened to give me a headache. The worst thing about the cognitive whiplash is that I kept losing the thread of the story, and I lost my desire to care who these people were and what they were trying to do. Finishing this book was a struggle and now it's done, I can't say it was worth it.
I read this book in a few days. I really like the MC. Very powerful and yet he is not. In this story you get some idea of why people would fear him. You also find out more about the world in which he lives. If there is another book in the series I will definitely pick it up.
What is interesting is the author has another series in this same universe. That series tells of common events from a different perspective. I like that twist because it make the world of the characters that much larger.
I find the stories are well crafted. Grammar and other editing errors are minimal and the story is cohesively logical. These are stories I definitely watch for.
I miss the more detective/crime solving aspect of book 1. This is also the book to really flash out his harem, which happened too fast. Every girl he employs but one is added to the harem, though that's common in nearly every Arand novel. Got annoyed by how rapidly Melody was doing that, and her character became even more one-dimensional (love, sex!) than book 1. Plus, the crimes the MC has committed have been really amped up here. Just another way it has diverged away from the detective aspect that I enjoyed in the first book. He can pretty much get away with anything with no legal repercussions.
I've been a bit sceptical, because of some not so enthusiastic reviews from people who have liked the first book. Then I tried the sample and I liked it. So I "risked" it and got the second part. It's again pretty good. I just love the style. I really have to chuckle a lot reading these books. Why only 3? Mainly because I get a bit tired of the mysterious enemy that never gets to a conclusion. I guess I am not a series guy, I more like series that have self-contained books. If there's coming out a third one (I guess so) and there's still no end to this foe, I think I will give up.
William's writing with this series is some of his best. For those that try to say he doesn't really have a universe or play with it much. Guess what he heard ya complaints and raised you a book that drips sauce (source for you nondweebs) material from most of his other books. This might be the start of a stride of make sure you read xyz to catch a reference.
I really enjoyed this book, more so then book 1. The action was fast, the characters were fun and interesting, and the main character really was fleshed out and defined, making the entire book very enjoyable. I hope book 3 is fun and good as this one was! ( Some editing issues and such, but nothing to detract from the story!)
Lots of twists turns unbelievable associations that you can see in your mind...I think you’ll like it, but read the first swing shift book first....and above all enjoy because I sure did.
A treat to read, great plot, funny characters, twists that never end. Now I have to wait a month until the final part of a great story. September, here I come!
In this second book, the sex was much more in your face. It read much more like a weird romance than the police procedural I expected. Gus, the main character, was almost sidelined by the constant addition of women.
Action, suspense and intregue throughout the book peppered with lots of fun adult humor made the book hard to put down. Starting next book as soon as I finish this review.
Was just as good as the first one. Lots of action and intrigue. Great cast of characters as usual. Loved the expanded world aspect too. Looking forward to the final installment.
Loved Book 2 of William D. Adams's SWING SHIFT series. Good plot, loveable characters who kick butt and take names for the Paranormal Corps. A bona fide harem novel in which sexual encounters are infrequent, exciting, elegantly conveyed and necessary for plot movement. This ain't erotica, it's high class harem adventure romance with a paranormal sleuthing twist. Great fun. Could not put down. (For real... Just finished the book at 1 AM.) HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
OK, the ladies are all interesting characters, but there’s too many of them. We hardly get to know anything about them. Gus spends the whole book sulking and it becomes rather annoying. And that thing with Mark seemed a bit ‘drama for the sake of drama’ and made him look like a total sleaze. The first book was much more fun.
Occult war & intrigue, hot, deadly, beautiful insatiable harem. We can All Dream
As I work through these series I'm a bit confused & having to back track into my past readings of series to remember the characters that are now overlapping into each of the new series I start. It's good fun though!😁
Adult content, reader discretion advised. This is getting a three star because it’s entertaining enough for me to read the next book. This is not a great book. It’s still a bit of a mish-mash. It is entertaining and has some funny parts.
Loved it as much as the first book, the characters don't dissapoint, neither does the plot. I love the MC lack of hypocresi with himself, he acepts who he is and his actions gravitate towards it. A problem is that the harem is growing so much that some focus is evading some of its members.
So far every book from William I have read has been interesting and well written, keeping my imagination running as I page turn to follow along. He seems to always have interesting characters and fun plots to make reading fun.