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Valkyrie Collections #2
Blood Tally
Alek Fitz is the lead reaper for Valkyrie Collections, an agency that gathers debts for the paranormal elements of the world. Bound into modern-day slavery by a contract he cannot break, sold by parents he never knew, Alek works alongside demons, spirits, witches, and even Death himself to collect on deals made with humanity.
When Alek is forced to take a job from a local vampire hunting down a run-away thrall, he is immediately thrust into a world of blackmail and backstabbing, where the Rules are nothing more than an inconvenience to ancient, supernatural predators. For the first time, Alek has more to fear from his clients than from his debtors.
But Alek is the best in the business. It’ll take more than a Vampire Lord to keep a good reaper down.
When Alek is forced to take a job from a local vampire hunting down a run-away thrall, he is immediately thrust into a world of blackmail and backstabbing, where the Rules are nothing more than an inconvenience to ancient, supernatural predators. For the first time, Alek has more to fear from his clients than from his debtors.
But Alek is the best in the business. It’ll take more than a Vampire Lord to keep a good reaper down.
164 pages, ebook
First published February 11, 2020
98 people are currently reading
877 people want to read
About the author
Brian McClellan
35 books8,784 followersBrian McClellan is an American epic fantasy author from Cleveland, Ohio. He is known for his acclaimed Powder Mage Universe and essays on the life and business of being a writer.
Brian now lives on the side of a mountain in Utah with his wife, Michele, where he writes books and nurses a crippling video game addiction.
Brian's novels include the Powder Mage Trilogy (Promise of Blood, The Crimson Campaign, and The Autumn Republic), Gods of Blood and Powder (Sins of Empire, Wrath of Empire, and Blood of Empire), and Valkyrie Collections (Uncanny Collateral)
Brian now lives on the side of a mountain in Utah with his wife, Michele, where he writes books and nurses a crippling video game addiction.
Brian's novels include the Powder Mage Trilogy (Promise of Blood, The Crimson Campaign, and The Autumn Republic), Gods of Blood and Powder (Sins of Empire, Wrath of Empire, and Blood of Empire), and Valkyrie Collections (Uncanny Collateral)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 150 reviews
May 9, 2020
Actual rating: 4.455311256977 stars. More or less.
This is a disgrace! A complete, total utter rip-off! Mr McClellan, how dare you make my new boyfriend’s adventures so bloody shrimping short?! If I didn’t need you to stay a little alive to write more instalments in this series, I’d ask Fleet Admiral DaShrimp to slightly unleash my murderous children on you! Come to think of it, a little friendly threatening goes a long way, so here goes and stuff:
Look at them cuties go! Yay!
Anyhoo and stuff, this was complete rip-off indeed , but a Somewhat Very Good One (SVGO™) nonetheless. And, honestly, it could have been not such a SVGO™. Because this instalment is not as lusciously populated as the first one. Of course my trollish boyfriend and his delicious jinn sidekick are still around (thank fish for that), but it's not imps and ghouls and goblins they're up against in this instalment. No indeed, it is not. “Who are they up against, then,” you kindly ask? Vampires 🙄. And it is a truth universally acknowledged that all vamps are boring, arrogant asses. And also that all vamps are wimps. Okay, I have toreluctantly admit that Mr McClellan’s Vamp Variant™, although not Super Extra Original (SEO™), is still kinda sorta creative. In some way. I could tell you in what way, but spoiler spoiler spoiler, so there. You are quite welcome.
As discombobulating as it may sound, the plot is fun as fish and entertaining as shrimp despite the silly vamps’ presence. I kid you not. It’s really fast-paced, too . But what’s really great here is that the world is slowly but surely expanding, and we get to learn lots of Super Interesting Stuff (SIS™) about it. And also about the main characters’ pasts and stuff. (My girlfriend Maggie the Jinn and my little nefarious self might or might not have an ancient, pointy toothed boyfriend in common, just so you know 👋 inconspicuously waves at Vladdie the Impaler👋.)
Oh, and by the way, the dialogues and banter are gloriously titillating. Oh, and by the way, characterization is moderately very well done. Not to mention that new characters are introduced, which should make things more, um, interesting in the future and stuff (because spoiler spoiler spoiler). Not to mention that my boyfriend now has a pet sphinx called Eddie aka the last Prince of the Nile aka the Herald of Sekhmet and that is so bloody shrimping cool I’m thinking of ditching the crustaceans and starting an Ancient Winged Kitty Breeding Program (AWKBP™) even if that means having to deal with grumpy, sanctimonious as fish, self-righteous felines 24/7 and oh my squid I think I just fell in 💕lurve💕 with an aggravating albacore tuna addict .
Right. Not sure Eddie would appreciate this, um, impersonation, but I can’t deny that this cute, fluffy little guy here definitely has my favorite sphinx’s chummy attitude nailed.
Oh, I nearly almost forgot to mention thecherry on the cake shrimp on the paella here! You probably either don’t know or didn’t notice (because subtlety is me), but I happen to be quite the slightly obsessive acronym enthusiast. I kid you not. Aaaannnnd, It turns out that I actually learned a new acronym while reading this book! I kid you not. One so scrumptiously obscure (for my nefarious-yet-clueless little mind, anyway) that I actually had to look it up and stuff! I kid you not. Me, the Acronym Overlord, having to debase myself in such a despicable way! Isn’t glorious?! But I outrageously digress, when you must be literally dying to know what the exotic acronym in question might be. Sooooooo, 🥁 cue the drum roll and stuff 🥁...The acronym is...DTF! (As in Down to Fish, obviously.) Can't remember who said that books are fountains of knowledge, but bloody shrimping hell of the stinking fish, were they right and stuff!
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): it turns out I’m not as allergic to vampires as I originally thought. Especially when they’re the wonderfully resourceful type. Who manage to stake themselves with spoons. Such delightful creativity, much wow.
· Book 1: Uncanny Collateral ★★★★
[Pre-review]
My new Super Hot Trollish Boyfriend (SHTB™) + his High Security Harem-worthy jinn sidekick + a scrumpalicious new pet so bloody shrimping cool House Harrison would kill to have him on their zoo payroll =
Oh, and also:
That's the Alek Fitz Effect™, just so you know.
Full review to come and stuff.
This is a disgrace! A complete, total utter rip-off! Mr McClellan, how dare you make my new boyfriend’s adventures so bloody shrimping short?! If I didn’t need you to stay a little alive to write more instalments in this series, I’d ask Fleet Admiral DaShrimp to slightly unleash my murderous children on you! Come to think of it, a little friendly threatening goes a long way, so here goes and stuff:
Look at them cuties go! Yay!
Anyhoo and stuff, this was complete rip-off indeed , but a Somewhat Very Good One (SVGO™) nonetheless. And, honestly, it could have been not such a SVGO™. Because this instalment is not as lusciously populated as the first one. Of course my trollish boyfriend and his delicious jinn sidekick are still around (thank fish for that), but it's not imps and ghouls and goblins they're up against in this instalment. No indeed, it is not. “Who are they up against, then,” you kindly ask? Vampires 🙄. And it is a truth universally acknowledged that all vamps are boring, arrogant asses. And also that all vamps are wimps. Okay, I have to
As discombobulating as it may sound, the plot is fun as fish and entertaining as shrimp despite the silly vamps’ presence. I kid you not. It’s really fast-paced, too . But what’s really great here is that the world is slowly but surely expanding, and we get to learn lots of Super Interesting Stuff (SIS™) about it. And also about the main characters’ pasts and stuff. (My girlfriend Maggie the Jinn and my little nefarious self might or might not have an ancient, pointy toothed boyfriend in common, just so you know 👋 inconspicuously waves at Vladdie the Impaler👋.)
Oh, and by the way, the dialogues and banter are gloriously titillating. Oh, and by the way, characterization is moderately very well done. Not to mention that new characters are introduced, which should make things more, um, interesting in the future and stuff (because spoiler spoiler spoiler). Not to mention that my boyfriend now has a pet sphinx called Eddie aka the last Prince of the Nile aka the Herald of Sekhmet and that is so bloody shrimping cool I’m thinking of ditching the crustaceans and starting an Ancient Winged Kitty Breeding Program (AWKBP™) even if that means having to deal with grumpy, sanctimonious as fish, self-righteous felines 24/7 and oh my squid I think I just fell in 💕lurve💕 with an aggravating albacore tuna addict .
Right. Not sure Eddie would appreciate this, um, impersonation, but I can’t deny that this cute, fluffy little guy here definitely has my favorite sphinx’s chummy attitude nailed.
Oh, I nearly almost forgot to mention the
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): it turns out I’m not as allergic to vampires as I originally thought. Especially when they’re the wonderfully resourceful type. Who manage to stake themselves with spoons. Such delightful creativity, much wow.
· Book 1: Uncanny Collateral ★★★★
[Pre-review]
My new Super Hot Trollish Boyfriend (SHTB™) + his High Security Harem-worthy jinn sidekick + a scrumpalicious new pet so bloody shrimping cool House Harrison would kill to have him on their zoo payroll =
Oh, and also:
That's the Alek Fitz Effect™, just so you know.
Full review to come and stuff.
March 10, 2021
This Review ✍️ Blog 📖 Twitter 🐦 Instagram 📷 Support me ☕
I am actually reviewing the two books together because my thoughts on the two books are similar. I will just explain about the plot separately.
So this series of novellas is my first exposure to the author’s works and I don’t think novellas are enough to show an author’s full potential but at least they gave me an idea about the writing style and characters which I believe made me want to read his other series of novels which McClellan is better known for.
The writing is actually simplistic and I like that. I don’t like when writing is complicated and heavy on metaphors and stuff so that it looks more mature because that is a silly concept and I do believe a good author can deliver the story and make it digestible for different levels of readers, a thing which McClellan did. The writing is funny too which makes these novellas a perfect option when I want a quick light fantasy read.
I feel a bit borderline toward the characters. They were not bad written but Alek, the MC is just a basic white guy, who is a detective and is supposed to be a kind of a bad boy on the outside, a good guy on the inside (Not a big problem). The problem is that he was too perfect and ready for anything. The guy has the blood of a troll so that makes him kind of huge-built and shockproof. He has the fangs of a troll when he needs them. He has tattoos on his arms that he can activate when he is in extra trouble. On top of all of that, he has a Jinn friend in a ring he is wearing and she cam cast spells when needed and most importantly works as a lie detector. I just felt all of these things made things too easy for the Character to develop and grow because we don’t see him acquiring those but he starts with this set so we are just supposed to accept all of these things as a part of his personality.
I am not the hugest fan of Urban fantasy but this was not bad, I just think older world by default when I hear the world fantasy, so when I read words like mobile phone and Nintendo Switch and all this modern stuff in a fantasy book, it feels a bit weird to me but I believe that’s more of a me, not the book problem.
The plot in both books is fast paced and action packed which makes this a good book to binge in a sitting or two. The first book focuses on the story of Maggie, the above mentioned Djinn friend and the client is death. The second book is a more of a vampire story. I kind of enjoyed the second book a bit more than book 1 because I knew what to expect and because I already had an idea of who everyone was. There were new Characters introduced and my favorite has to be Eddie, the sphinx! He’s just hilarious.
Summary: I think this series of Novellas is a good option for lighter, action-packed, faster fantasy reads. The writing is simplistic and the plots are not bad. I am planning to continue the rest of the series in the future and The Powder Mage trilogy!
“Let’s start this off on the right foot. My name is Alek Fitz. I’m the lead reaper at Valkyrie.”
I am actually reviewing the two books together because my thoughts on the two books are similar. I will just explain about the plot separately.
So this series of novellas is my first exposure to the author’s works and I don’t think novellas are enough to show an author’s full potential but at least they gave me an idea about the writing style and characters which I believe made me want to read his other series of novels which McClellan is better known for.
The writing is actually simplistic and I like that. I don’t like when writing is complicated and heavy on metaphors and stuff so that it looks more mature because that is a silly concept and I do believe a good author can deliver the story and make it digestible for different levels of readers, a thing which McClellan did. The writing is funny too which makes these novellas a perfect option when I want a quick light fantasy read.
“Last year, we spent thirteen hours playing Frisbee golf, ate a steak dinner, and then I wing-manned for her at the bars so she could get laid.”
I feel a bit borderline toward the characters. They were not bad written but Alek, the MC is just a basic white guy, who is a detective and is supposed to be a kind of a bad boy on the outside, a good guy on the inside (Not a big problem). The problem is that he was too perfect and ready for anything. The guy has the blood of a troll so that makes him kind of huge-built and shockproof. He has the fangs of a troll when he needs them. He has tattoos on his arms that he can activate when he is in extra trouble. On top of all of that, he has a Jinn friend in a ring he is wearing and she cam cast spells when needed and most importantly works as a lie detector. I just felt all of these things made things too easy for the Character to develop and grow because we don’t see him acquiring those but he starts with this set so we are just supposed to accept all of these things as a part of his personality.
I am not the hugest fan of Urban fantasy but this was not bad, I just think older world by default when I hear the world fantasy, so when I read words like mobile phone and Nintendo Switch and all this modern stuff in a fantasy book, it feels a bit weird to me but I believe that’s more of a me, not the book problem.
The plot in both books is fast paced and action packed which makes this a good book to binge in a sitting or two. The first book focuses on the story of Maggie, the above mentioned Djinn friend and the client is death. The second book is a more of a vampire story. I kind of enjoyed the second book a bit more than book 1 because I knew what to expect and because I already had an idea of who everyone was. There were new Characters introduced and my favorite has to be Eddie, the sphinx! He’s just hilarious.
Summary: I think this series of Novellas is a good option for lighter, action-packed, faster fantasy reads. The writing is simplistic and the plots are not bad. I am planning to continue the rest of the series in the future and The Powder Mage trilogy!
November 11, 2020
Blood Tally
Valkyrie Collections, Book 2
By: Brian McClellan
Narrated by: Luke Daniels
This book was just as great as the first! Alek is half Orc, a slave, and works to retrieve supernatural objects or debts. He also has a secret, a ring that contains a djinni! The djinni can talk to him telepathically. In this book, as in the last, there are many things going on such as twists, various backstabbing, and creatures. The job he is sent on is to find a vampires runaway thrall. Of course nothing is as it seems. Lots of action, magic, a witch, gargoyle, a cat that's not a cat, vampires, and more. Humor and supernatural fun!
Luke Daniels is one of the best so the story really blasts out as bigger than life! Terrific!!! Can't wait for the next book!
Valkyrie Collections, Book 2
By: Brian McClellan
Narrated by: Luke Daniels
This book was just as great as the first! Alek is half Orc, a slave, and works to retrieve supernatural objects or debts. He also has a secret, a ring that contains a djinni! The djinni can talk to him telepathically. In this book, as in the last, there are many things going on such as twists, various backstabbing, and creatures. The job he is sent on is to find a vampires runaway thrall. Of course nothing is as it seems. Lots of action, magic, a witch, gargoyle, a cat that's not a cat, vampires, and more. Humor and supernatural fun!
Luke Daniels is one of the best so the story really blasts out as bigger than life! Terrific!!! Can't wait for the next book!
Read
February 24, 2024Awesome! I could read 20 more of these. RTC
November 26, 2019
I liked the first book. I loved this one.
June 5, 2020
4.5/5
https://delivreenlivres.home.blog/202...
Je suis entré dans cette novella sans en attendre grand chose. En effet je n’avais que moyennement apprécié le premier, trouvant que le format court ne permettait pas vraiment un approfondissement de l’univers, ce qui était dommage.
Mais j’avais tout de même envie de voir si ce développement pouvait arriver dans les tomes suivants, du coup j’ai pris le second tome quand il est sorti.
Et j’ai été totalement exaucée. Je l’ai trouvé excellent !
Sans doute une de mes meilleures lectures en urban fantasy de ces dernières années.
Il fait tout juste 200 pages mais on ne le sens pas du tout.
Le rythme est bon, l’intrigue aussi, on ne s’ennuie pas sans que ça soit basé sur l’action. Le ton mêle bien humour, enquête et action, sans que l’un prenne le dessus sur les autres. J’étais vraiment prise dedans du début à la fin.
Une très belle réussite je trouve. Ça faisait longtemps que je n’avais pas été aussi enthousiaste sur un tome d’urban fantasy (autre que le premier, pour la découverte, je suis toujours bien plus sensible à la découverte en général).
Dans cette série nous suivons Alek.
Alek travaille pour la société Valkyrie Collections, ou plutôt est possédé par la boss de Valkyrie Collections, Ada. Il est son esclave, elle est sa maîtresse. De par l’action de son tatouage magique, elle peut le forcer à faire ce qu’elle veut, elle peut aussi lui infliger une douleur aveuglante si il la déçoit.
Il est un esclave illégal, il aurait du être libéré quand les forces de police ont démantelé le réseau de trafiquants d’enfants qui l’a vendu à sa maîtresse quand il avait 6 ans.
Mais seuls ceux dont on a retrouvé le contrat magique lors du raid ont été libéré, pas les autres. Et malheureusement Alek est un de ces autres.
Depuis il cherche un moyen de se libérer de son attachement à Valkyrie Collections, et pour cela il veut retrouver ses parents, vu que ce sont probablement eux qui ont le contrat original, l’ayant vendu.
Dans tout cela je n’ai pas expliqué que Valkyrie Collections est une boite chargée de faire respecter des contrats magiques ou l’un des participants a décidé de ne plus faire son travail.
Ça peut vraiment être très varié, du grimoire maléfique/enchanté que la sorcière du coin n’a pas rendu à la bibliothèque magique de prêt au serviteur du vampire qui ne veut plus donne son sang …
Dans ce tome Alek se retrouve dans une situation difficile, d’un coté son client principal, un vampire, veut qu’on retrouve son serviteur qui c’est enfuit, de l’autre il a aussi un grand maître vampire veut qu’Alek enquête justement sur ce vampire ci pour prouver qu’il n’a pas suivi les règles et pouvoir s’en débarrasser.
Se doutant que les deux affaire sont liées, Alek va avoir fort à faire pour savoir quelle affaire est prioritaire et dans quel « camp » il préfère se trouver …
Bref, j’ai adoré !
Le personnage d’Alek est très attachant, surtout ses interactions avec les autres personnages. Ada devient très mystérieuse, tout est fait pour nous faire comprendre qu’il y a plus entre eux que juste une relation esclave/propriétaire (sans qu’elle en devienne plus sympathique ou que ça excuse sa position).
Les relations entre Alek et plein d’autres personnages sont vraiment au cœur de l’intrigue et évoluent durant ce tome.
J’espère vraiment que l’auteur a pu s’y retrouver dans l’écriture de cette série en auto-édition car maintenant je veux la suite !
https://delivreenlivres.home.blog/202...
Je suis entré dans cette novella sans en attendre grand chose. En effet je n’avais que moyennement apprécié le premier, trouvant que le format court ne permettait pas vraiment un approfondissement de l’univers, ce qui était dommage.
Mais j’avais tout de même envie de voir si ce développement pouvait arriver dans les tomes suivants, du coup j’ai pris le second tome quand il est sorti.
Et j’ai été totalement exaucée. Je l’ai trouvé excellent !
Sans doute une de mes meilleures lectures en urban fantasy de ces dernières années.
Il fait tout juste 200 pages mais on ne le sens pas du tout.
Le rythme est bon, l’intrigue aussi, on ne s’ennuie pas sans que ça soit basé sur l’action. Le ton mêle bien humour, enquête et action, sans que l’un prenne le dessus sur les autres. J’étais vraiment prise dedans du début à la fin.
Une très belle réussite je trouve. Ça faisait longtemps que je n’avais pas été aussi enthousiaste sur un tome d’urban fantasy (autre que le premier, pour la découverte, je suis toujours bien plus sensible à la découverte en général).
Dans cette série nous suivons Alek.
Alek travaille pour la société Valkyrie Collections, ou plutôt est possédé par la boss de Valkyrie Collections, Ada. Il est son esclave, elle est sa maîtresse. De par l’action de son tatouage magique, elle peut le forcer à faire ce qu’elle veut, elle peut aussi lui infliger une douleur aveuglante si il la déçoit.
Il est un esclave illégal, il aurait du être libéré quand les forces de police ont démantelé le réseau de trafiquants d’enfants qui l’a vendu à sa maîtresse quand il avait 6 ans.
Mais seuls ceux dont on a retrouvé le contrat magique lors du raid ont été libéré, pas les autres. Et malheureusement Alek est un de ces autres.
Depuis il cherche un moyen de se libérer de son attachement à Valkyrie Collections, et pour cela il veut retrouver ses parents, vu que ce sont probablement eux qui ont le contrat original, l’ayant vendu.
Dans tout cela je n’ai pas expliqué que Valkyrie Collections est une boite chargée de faire respecter des contrats magiques ou l’un des participants a décidé de ne plus faire son travail.
Ça peut vraiment être très varié, du grimoire maléfique/enchanté que la sorcière du coin n’a pas rendu à la bibliothèque magique de prêt au serviteur du vampire qui ne veut plus donne son sang …
Dans ce tome Alek se retrouve dans une situation difficile, d’un coté son client principal, un vampire, veut qu’on retrouve son serviteur qui c’est enfuit, de l’autre il a aussi un grand maître vampire veut qu’Alek enquête justement sur ce vampire ci pour prouver qu’il n’a pas suivi les règles et pouvoir s’en débarrasser.
Se doutant que les deux affaire sont liées, Alek va avoir fort à faire pour savoir quelle affaire est prioritaire et dans quel « camp » il préfère se trouver …
Bref, j’ai adoré !
Le personnage d’Alek est très attachant, surtout ses interactions avec les autres personnages. Ada devient très mystérieuse, tout est fait pour nous faire comprendre qu’il y a plus entre eux que juste une relation esclave/propriétaire (sans qu’elle en devienne plus sympathique ou que ça excuse sa position).
Les relations entre Alek et plein d’autres personnages sont vraiment au cœur de l’intrigue et évoluent durant ce tome.
J’espère vraiment que l’auteur a pu s’y retrouver dans l’écriture de cette série en auto-édition car maintenant je veux la suite !
October 5, 2019
I received a digital ARC copy of Blood Tally (Book 2 of the Valkyrie Collections) from Brian McClellan before the release date of the book (which I think is on 11.02.2020) in exchange for an honest review.
I'm so happy that Brian decided to continue with this series! Its so good to follow once again the adventures of Alek Fitz, the reaper (a collection agent who works for the paranormal elements of the world) and his best friend Maggie, a djinn (who is trapped in a ring by a powerful sorcerer, Matthias). This time, Alek is caught up with a job which involves vampires and thralls (humans who sold their souls to vampires and willingly agree to be their slaves in exchange for immortality). In the midst of completing this job, Alek discovered the plot of a vampire (Boris Novak) who breaks the Rules as well as the plot of a Vampire Lord (Lord Ruthven) who intends to increase his power. Its good to see Brian incorporatoing the usual vampire tropes (i.e. fear of garlic and sunlight) with his own creative twist. The concept of thralls linked with groups of unwanted youths is something new and I loved it a lot!
Alek and Maggie is further caught up with the events that follow from the first book (Uncanny Collateral). Apparently, Matthias is still hunting for Maggie. Alek and Maggie decided to team up with Nick the Necromancer (one of the antagonists in the first book) to solve this problem.
Brian's characterization skills is further demonstrated in the developments between Alek and a few characters: Alek and Ada (a mother figure to Alek and also Alek's master/employer) which is complicated; Alek and Olivia (a coven-less amateur witch) whom he fell in love with; Alek and Eddie (a sphinx and herald of Sekhmet, an Egyptian goddess) who became Alek's "pet". I'm sure Olivia and Eddie will be involved in Alek's future jobs and i hope to see more interactions between them!
All in all, this is an amazing read and a strong continuation of the first book in this series! A definite 5/5 star rating! For those who are interested, you can order Blood Tally from https://www.brianmcclellan.com/bookst... once its released!
I'm so happy that Brian decided to continue with this series! Its so good to follow once again the adventures of Alek Fitz, the reaper (a collection agent who works for the paranormal elements of the world) and his best friend Maggie, a djinn (who is trapped in a ring by a powerful sorcerer, Matthias). This time, Alek is caught up with a job which involves vampires and thralls (humans who sold their souls to vampires and willingly agree to be their slaves in exchange for immortality). In the midst of completing this job, Alek discovered the plot of a vampire (Boris Novak) who breaks the Rules as well as the plot of a Vampire Lord (Lord Ruthven) who intends to increase his power. Its good to see Brian incorporatoing the usual vampire tropes (i.e. fear of garlic and sunlight) with his own creative twist. The concept of thralls linked with groups of unwanted youths is something new and I loved it a lot!
Alek and Maggie is further caught up with the events that follow from the first book (Uncanny Collateral). Apparently, Matthias is still hunting for Maggie. Alek and Maggie decided to team up with Nick the Necromancer (one of the antagonists in the first book) to solve this problem.
Brian's characterization skills is further demonstrated in the developments between Alek and a few characters: Alek and Ada (a mother figure to Alek and also Alek's master/employer) which is complicated; Alek and Olivia (a coven-less amateur witch) whom he fell in love with; Alek and Eddie (a sphinx and herald of Sekhmet, an Egyptian goddess) who became Alek's "pet". I'm sure Olivia and Eddie will be involved in Alek's future jobs and i hope to see more interactions between them!
All in all, this is an amazing read and a strong continuation of the first book in this series! A definite 5/5 star rating! For those who are interested, you can order Blood Tally from https://www.brianmcclellan.com/bookst... once its released!
December 18, 2019
I enjoyed this second book a bit more than the first, mostly because the world opens up with the addition of a few more (absolutely wonderful, omg) characters and increasing the stakes by adding vampires to the mix. I look forward to seeing where the series goes in Book 3. A few things still give me pause, but not so bad as to detract from a fun, fast-paced read.
April 14, 2020
Solid, fast paced interesting book.
A great sequel to the excellent first book, and it felt like a much larger, more full story than the actual short page count.
A great sequel to the excellent first book, and it felt like a much larger, more full story than the actual short page count.
April 14, 2023
4.5
Diese Reihe ist so gut!!! Ich brauch unbedingt mehr davon 😭
Diese Reihe ist so gut!!! Ich brauch unbedingt mehr davon 😭
November 8, 2022
Possible Triggers:
Death | Mild Gore |
Positives:
+ Eddie has got to be the most adorable and fantastic little guardian i have ever read about. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH.
+ Is this the first book I have ever read that includes vampires in it that I haven't absolutely rolled my eyes at and hate? Why yes, I do believe it is. YAY for vampires that I can see as viable characters/threats/menaces!
Final Thoughts:
This is my favorite urban fantasy series to date. My only complaint is that I wish there was more and they were longer and that there was a hard copy collection of them that I could have on my shelf. Ok, that was 3 complaints, but only good things! Highly recommend for the lovely fast pace, interesting character dynamics, fun battles, and LAW?!
Death | Mild Gore |
Positives:
+ Eddie has got to be the most adorable and fantastic little guardian i have ever read about. I LOVE HIM SO MUCH.
+ Is this the first book I have ever read that includes vampires in it that I haven't absolutely rolled my eyes at and hate? Why yes, I do believe it is. YAY for vampires that I can see as viable characters/threats/menaces!
Final Thoughts:
This is my favorite urban fantasy series to date. My only complaint is that I wish there was more and they were longer and that there was a hard copy collection of them that I could have on my shelf. Ok, that was 3 complaints, but only good things! Highly recommend for the lovely fast pace, interesting character dynamics, fun battles, and LAW?!
February 11, 2020
My only complaint is that it wasn't longer! Brian, please write more of these fantastic novels!
March 22, 2020
Book 2 of an unfinished series. In this book the MC Alex Fitz (a supernatural repo agent) must navigate a job that goes against his moral impulses, recollecting a vampire’s runaway thrall. Of course, the job is never as simple or as safe as what the client actually describes. Luckily Alex is a half-troll and therefore hard to kill. It was another fun light read.
The plot has a good mix of mystery, action, and character development. Books in the series are on the short side too, so they were easy to pick up without becoming a reading project. Although some plot elements carried over from book 1 to book 2, it would be easy to read them out of order. There were no major cliff-hangers, so you won’t need to anxiously wait for another book in the series either.
The plot has a good mix of mystery, action, and character development. Books in the series are on the short side too, so they were easy to pick up without becoming a reading project. Although some plot elements carried over from book 1 to book 2, it would be easy to read them out of order. There were no major cliff-hangers, so you won’t need to anxiously wait for another book in the series either.
February 24, 2020
Wow
This series has been worth every single minute and so refreshing. I enjoy the community of character built up and how comic undercurrent makes you laugh
This series has been worth every single minute and so refreshing. I enjoy the community of character built up and how comic undercurrent makes you laugh
March 8, 2020
This second book of the series was much better than number one. I see where the first book he was maybe getting a feel for the character and the world.
In this the author has added players to the storyline and it made it much more entertaining for me. I do like the author's style. Enough detail to visualize the story without melodramatic wallowing.
In this the author has added players to the storyline and it made it much more entertaining for me. I do like the author's style. Enough detail to visualize the story without melodramatic wallowing.
March 17, 2020
Even more fun than the first one. I love how protagonist Alek Fitz, apart from being a total badass, is also genuinely likable, which is kinda refreshing if you consider that most main characters in Urban Fantasy tend to be edgy, hardboiled loner types. The heavily tatooed, supernatural bounty hunter with troll blood in his veins is a really nice guy though. He's also best friends with the djinn Maggie, who lives in a magical ring on his finger and whose voice he can hear in his head. They have a really cool and fun buddy relationship going on.
In this second book of the Valkyrie Collections series, Alek's job draws him into a power struggle between vampires and although the plot isn't especially deep or surprising, the fast pacing prevents the story from ever getting boring. Apart from getting into trouble with vampires of several different factions, Alek also gains a number of very cool new allies, among them a witch and (maybe) a certain necromancer. And I don't want to spoil too much, but Alek has a talking cat now...well...in a sense...and it is just SO EPIC.
In a way, the Valkyrie Collections remind me quite a bit of the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne, not just because of the talking cat, but also because of the mixture of lighthearted fun, fast pacing and violent action. Well, and the audiobook version is read by the wonderful Luke Daniels, who already did an awesome job with the Iron Druid Chronicles and is exactly the right narrator for this kind of series.
Really looking forward to the next one, keep up the good work Mr. McClellan.
In this second book of the Valkyrie Collections series, Alek's job draws him into a power struggle between vampires and although the plot isn't especially deep or surprising, the fast pacing prevents the story from ever getting boring. Apart from getting into trouble with vampires of several different factions, Alek also gains a number of very cool new allies, among them a witch and (maybe) a certain necromancer. And I don't want to spoil too much, but Alek has a talking cat now...well...in a sense...and it is just SO EPIC.
In a way, the Valkyrie Collections remind me quite a bit of the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne, not just because of the talking cat, but also because of the mixture of lighthearted fun, fast pacing and violent action. Well, and the audiobook version is read by the wonderful Luke Daniels, who already did an awesome job with the Iron Druid Chronicles and is exactly the right narrator for this kind of series.
Really looking forward to the next one, keep up the good work Mr. McClellan.
September 30, 2022
Rating 3.0 stars
I was disappointed in this book. The first one had such a good premise. It was a little light on magic and powers but the concept was good and the characters were interesting. I thought this one would build on the last one but that didn't happen. We follow Alek on one of his jobs that has twists and turns. I wanted to know more about the paranormal world. I wanted to know more about Alek and his powers. Some development there would of been appreciated. Alek is still a slave. Can't find his parents. He doesn't want anyone to know he is a slave for some reason. He doesn't want to be pitied I guess? Having other people know would have opened a new aspect to this important part of his life. How would people deal with him being a slave. Would they try to help him? Would they be more sympathetic to the things he has to do? Then there is Maggie. Nothing really developed their either. Don't know more about her powers. There is no progression of where that is going to go in the future. Alex is hired to find a vampire thrall and what he has taken. There is much more than meets the eye in this case because he is also hired by another vampire lord to spy on that one client. He is a slave so he can't say no. Not sure what else to write about. The story itself was just meh. It could have been better as the backdrop for progressing Alek's story but that didn't happen. Without progression of that story/world I just asked myself why I should care. In the end I didn't.
I was disappointed in this book. The first one had such a good premise. It was a little light on magic and powers but the concept was good and the characters were interesting. I thought this one would build on the last one but that didn't happen. We follow Alek on one of his jobs that has twists and turns. I wanted to know more about the paranormal world. I wanted to know more about Alek and his powers. Some development there would of been appreciated. Alek is still a slave. Can't find his parents. He doesn't want anyone to know he is a slave for some reason. He doesn't want to be pitied I guess? Having other people know would have opened a new aspect to this important part of his life. How would people deal with him being a slave. Would they try to help him? Would they be more sympathetic to the things he has to do? Then there is Maggie. Nothing really developed their either. Don't know more about her powers. There is no progression of where that is going to go in the future. Alex is hired to find a vampire thrall and what he has taken. There is much more than meets the eye in this case because he is also hired by another vampire lord to spy on that one client. He is a slave so he can't say no. Not sure what else to write about. The story itself was just meh. It could have been better as the backdrop for progressing Alek's story but that didn't happen. Without progression of that story/world I just asked myself why I should care. In the end I didn't.
May 17, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this 2nd book and was left wanting more.
I love me some Urban Fantasy, but I love more smart Urban Fantasy.
Brian successfully continues with his Valkyrie Collections and Alek just starts getting more and more interesting, we get to see him grow as a character and I really love the addition of Olivia, Alek deserves a little company you know.
Maggie as usual is an awesome way for Alek to talk to someone and let the reader know what he is thinking. And absolutely clever devise instead of having the omniscient narrator.
The vampire plot was brilliant. I saw it coming like 100mts before and laugh out loud when it was given the Mutilevel name.
I can't wait for next book.
I love me some Urban Fantasy, but I love more smart Urban Fantasy.
Brian successfully continues with his Valkyrie Collections and Alek just starts getting more and more interesting, we get to see him grow as a character and I really love the addition of Olivia, Alek deserves a little company you know.
Maggie as usual is an awesome way for Alek to talk to someone and let the reader know what he is thinking. And absolutely clever devise instead of having the omniscient narrator.
The vampire plot was brilliant. I saw it coming like 100mts before and laugh out loud when it was given the Mutilevel name.
I can't wait for next book.
August 2, 2022
So much fun, and waayyyy too short. I love the whole cast and the narrator does a fantastic job bringing them all to life. Also, Eddy the cat makes me gleeful. Such a fantastic addition and not an idea I've seen many take up in these supernatural romps. Looking forward to more! I hope this doesn't stop as a trilogy.
April 26, 2020
3.5 Stars
March 24, 2024
I am just so weak to urban fantasy, and this ticks all the boxes.
August 10, 2020
Fantasía urbana de detectives entretenida, pero sin mucho más que aportar. Una lectura también muy veraniega. Ambos los he escuchado en audiolibro y se leen, literalmente, solos.
July 27, 2021
“I was suddenly very tired. Tired of lying to people. Tired of hunting. Tired of being forced to be the bad guy. I kept that gentle smile glued to my face.”
It was a fucking good sequel! I loved it! Alek got involved in an exciting investigation again, but the current investigation isn't that easy. An army of vampires is hunting him and his friends and even he acquires a "pet", not to mention the witch woman. There was a lot more humor and action in the sequel. However Alek is still no closer to finding his parents and there is still the ancient magician who is chasing them. So I hope the sequel comes, because I sure want more!
by Lius Lasahido
“Hey, we have the same duffel. And you have a cat! Hey, sweetie, what’s your name?”
“Can it, lady. Alek, did you bring me tuna?”
“I … uh, Alek! Your cat is talking to me.”
“I am not a cat. I am the last Prince of the Nile, the Herald of Sekhmet! This is my temple. You may make offerings of tuna or scritches. If you touch my belly, I will kill you.”
It was a fucking good sequel! I loved it! Alek got involved in an exciting investigation again, but the current investigation isn't that easy. An army of vampires is hunting him and his friends and even he acquires a "pet", not to mention the witch woman. There was a lot more humor and action in the sequel. However Alek is still no closer to finding his parents and there is still the ancient magician who is chasing them. So I hope the sequel comes, because I sure want more!
by Lius Lasahido
“Hey, we have the same duffel. And you have a cat! Hey, sweetie, what’s your name?”
“Can it, lady. Alek, did you bring me tuna?”
“I … uh, Alek! Your cat is talking to me.”
“I am not a cat. I am the last Prince of the Nile, the Herald of Sekhmet! This is my temple. You may make offerings of tuna or scritches. If you touch my belly, I will kill you.”
March 15, 2022
Just as good as the first entry. Brian McClellan is turning into one of the great authors of this generation. His Powder Mage series is fantastic and the Valkyrie Collections is just proving that this guy is not a fluke. Take a look at this series.
March 28, 2020
4.5⭐️
This series is fast becoming a favorite urban fantasy. The characters are great and I like how McClellan is building the story through two books now. Maybe it’s selfish of me but I wish he would just write Alec Fitz books 24/7. More Fitz and Maggie please and thanks.
This series is fast becoming a favorite urban fantasy. The characters are great and I like how McClellan is building the story through two books now. Maybe it’s selfish of me but I wish he would just write Alec Fitz books 24/7. More Fitz and Maggie please and thanks.
April 6, 2020
Quite a bit has changed in this second book in McClellan's urban fantasy series, and that's not a bad thing. This is a fine but still quick read.
Where Uncanny Collateral went for breadth, Blood Tally goes for depth. This time around, McClellan has supplied a map, but in the form of Alek's phone screen. Unless you're from Cleveland (which I'm not, and I've never been), the geography doesn't add much, as I was able to follow both books without needing to consult the map. It probably helps that instead of being a multi-thread epic fantasy with a whole bunch of characters all over a big continent (and having to walk or maybe ride a horse to travel), this is a more focused story, with one character in Cleveland who conveniently has a car and a smartphone.
And compared to the first book, this story is more focused on exploring a supernatural/fantasy classic: vampires. Where the first book introduced readers to imps, draugr, necromancers, demons, jinn, ghouls, and Death himself, the second book is almost all about vampires and vampire-adjacent beings (the half-human half-vamp dhampir and the pre-vampire thrall), with some minor focus on witches and sphinxes. McClellan again puts a modern twist on things, with the central MacGuffin, the titular blood tally, being a ledger of contracts (I am a little reminded of another urban fantasy that goes into contract law and legalese, albeit in far more detail: the Craft Sequence).
Another difference, and I believe a good one overall, is that this job affects Alek on a more personal level. His work for Death was, for the most part, just him doing a professional job. Here, McClellan ties in the job (hunting a runaway slave) to Alek's personal history and current situation as a literal slave. Even as he reluctantly works to capture the runaway Michael, Alek uses his bits of free time to keep trying to find or break his slave contract with Ada (as evidenced by the map "screen" showing a tab to the frequently mentioned genealogy forums). All of this leads to more ethical and moral dilemmas, debates with Maggie (who again can understand being stuck in a shitty situation), and changes to viewpoints. Notably, Alek goes from viewing thralls as idiots who voluntarily signed up for slavery (this is partly to assuage his conscience as he pursues Michael) to people who had a hard time in life and were tricked by a con man and contract legalese of the TL:DR variety into what they mistakenly thought was a chance at something better.
It isn't just the personal complications that McClellan has cranked up. The main thread is more complex compared to Uncanny Collateral right off the bat, with Alek having to pretend to work one client's job while really investigating/undermining them for another more powerful client. This is far more interesting of a plot, and McClellan uses it to interrogate not only Alek's personal feelings about enslavement and enthrallment, but the modern system of overly long EULAs and contracts that no one ever reads completely before signing, and how devious people can exploit that and keep their marks and victims from turning to outside official authorities like OtherOps for help. There's a bit of optimism though, in the form of Father Orrock's halfway house for runaways, that there's always someone who tries to help in any way they can. I did feel like Alek's hostility toward Orrock because they interfered with his work was pointlessly childish, and Alek himself comes around to this same view later. Throughout, there's moments where Alek, despite being enslaved and being professionally obligated to do his job, manages to make a morally upright choice: keeping Father Orrock's house a secret, .
Unfortunately, it seems like this main thread pushed the continuing subplot of Maggie's ring and her old magician enemy out of focus in the second half of the book. There was some follow-up on Kimberly and Nick, and for a time it looked like Nick might enter the messy vampire-contract-thrall conflict, but that fizzled out, with little but a note that left the thread dangling for future books. Olivia ended up fulfilling the role of allied magician (as well as romantic interest) instead, and aside from some minor friction between Alek and Justin/OtherOps later, there's barely any effect on the main plot. I would have at least been content if McClellan tightened up that subplot in the first half of the book so it wouldn't distract from the growing complexity of the second half.
That said, McClellan hasn't given the supporting cast the same treatment. Maggie gets more backstory and while the snark is still there, more of her character is revealed, mostly due to Alek and Maggie deciding to be more open to each other after the events of the first book. Hell, it's strongly suggested that Maggie is bisexual, and apparently dated Dracula back in the day. Olivia is immediately introduced as a small business owner, stoutly attempting to maintain independence in the face of a conglomerate, and having little deference to authority figures. Something of a strong female character (and later love interest), in the vein of McClellan's Vlora Flint or his mentor Sanderson's Jasnah Kholin, which admittedly was lacking in the first book. Ada gets a deeper look as well, compared to the first book when she was mainly off-page, and I got the picture of someone who was both caring and coldly calculating toward Alek, and possibly even deeply conflicted between the two. Jacques and Boris come off as sleazy but powerful, in a more visceral way than Kappie/the ghoul from the first book, . Orrock has too little page-time to really be developed, and he mainly serves to make Alek seriously question his held beliefs. And McClellan, through Sam and Ava, manages to paint a decent picture of the runaway Michael .
And Eddie the sphinx. McClellan leans hard into the snarky talking animal companion, and Eddie's ability to read, if not minds, mental conversations between Maggie and Alek reminds me of Saga's Lying Cat. His pompous manner and speech, combined with his very mundane and cat-like demands (ear scratches, a litter box, and albacore tuna), make for an entertaining combination. Again the map comes into play for non-geographical purposes: Alek has an open tab on caring for his newly adopted sphinx.
Again, the main thread is wrapped up neatly, but not as completely as in the first book. And the subthreads of Matthias and Maggie and Alek's parentage and enslavement contract are still left dangling.
Overall, a strong follow-up to Uncanny Collateral , and a great quick read for urban fantasy fans. Alek Fitz, despite looking like and even sometimes acting like the brawns-over-brains action star (and he absolutely lampshades himself doing so), proves to be an intelligent and resourceful operator with nuanced personality and worldview, and thus an excellent protagonist to follow. The urban fantasy setting is very modern and firmly set in the real world, with both song and restaurant name-dropping throughout. McClellan left enough threads for future books (and hey, this is the noir genre, there's always more cases and clients), which I am certainly looking forward to reading.
Where Uncanny Collateral went for breadth, Blood Tally goes for depth. This time around, McClellan has supplied a map, but in the form of Alek's phone screen. Unless you're from Cleveland (which I'm not, and I've never been), the geography doesn't add much, as I was able to follow both books without needing to consult the map. It probably helps that instead of being a multi-thread epic fantasy with a whole bunch of characters all over a big continent (and having to walk or maybe ride a horse to travel), this is a more focused story, with one character in Cleveland who conveniently has a car and a smartphone.
And compared to the first book, this story is more focused on exploring a supernatural/fantasy classic: vampires. Where the first book introduced readers to imps, draugr, necromancers, demons, jinn, ghouls, and Death himself, the second book is almost all about vampires and vampire-adjacent beings (the half-human half-vamp dhampir and the pre-vampire thrall), with some minor focus on witches and sphinxes. McClellan again puts a modern twist on things, with the central MacGuffin, the titular blood tally, being a ledger of contracts (I am a little reminded of another urban fantasy that goes into contract law and legalese, albeit in far more detail: the Craft Sequence).
Another difference, and I believe a good one overall, is that this job affects Alek on a more personal level. His work for Death was, for the most part, just him doing a professional job. Here, McClellan ties in the job (hunting a runaway slave) to Alek's personal history and current situation as a literal slave. Even as he reluctantly works to capture the runaway Michael, Alek uses his bits of free time to keep trying to find or break his slave contract with Ada (as evidenced by the map "screen" showing a tab to the frequently mentioned genealogy forums). All of this leads to more ethical and moral dilemmas, debates with Maggie (who again can understand being stuck in a shitty situation), and changes to viewpoints. Notably, Alek goes from viewing thralls as idiots who voluntarily signed up for slavery (this is partly to assuage his conscience as he pursues Michael) to people who had a hard time in life and were tricked by a con man and contract legalese of the TL:DR variety into what they mistakenly thought was a chance at something better.
It isn't just the personal complications that McClellan has cranked up. The main thread is more complex compared to Uncanny Collateral right off the bat, with Alek having to pretend to work one client's job while really investigating/undermining them for another more powerful client. This is far more interesting of a plot, and McClellan uses it to interrogate not only Alek's personal feelings about enslavement and enthrallment, but the modern system of overly long EULAs and contracts that no one ever reads completely before signing, and how devious people can exploit that and keep their marks and victims from turning to outside official authorities like OtherOps for help. There's a bit of optimism though, in the form of Father Orrock's halfway house for runaways, that there's always someone who tries to help in any way they can. I did feel like Alek's hostility toward Orrock because they interfered with his work was pointlessly childish, and Alek himself comes around to this same view later. Throughout, there's moments where Alek, despite being enslaved and being professionally obligated to do his job, manages to make a morally upright choice: keeping Father Orrock's house a secret, .
Unfortunately, it seems like this main thread pushed the continuing subplot of Maggie's ring and her old magician enemy out of focus in the second half of the book. There was some follow-up on Kimberly and Nick, and for a time it looked like Nick might enter the messy vampire-contract-thrall conflict, but that fizzled out, with little but a note that left the thread dangling for future books. Olivia ended up fulfilling the role of allied magician (as well as romantic interest) instead, and aside from some minor friction between Alek and Justin/OtherOps later, there's barely any effect on the main plot. I would have at least been content if McClellan tightened up that subplot in the first half of the book so it wouldn't distract from the growing complexity of the second half.
That said, McClellan hasn't given the supporting cast the same treatment. Maggie gets more backstory and while the snark is still there, more of her character is revealed, mostly due to Alek and Maggie deciding to be more open to each other after the events of the first book. Hell, it's strongly suggested that Maggie is bisexual, and apparently dated Dracula back in the day. Olivia is immediately introduced as a small business owner, stoutly attempting to maintain independence in the face of a conglomerate, and having little deference to authority figures. Something of a strong female character (and later love interest), in the vein of McClellan's Vlora Flint or his mentor Sanderson's Jasnah Kholin, which admittedly was lacking in the first book. Ada gets a deeper look as well, compared to the first book when she was mainly off-page, and I got the picture of someone who was both caring and coldly calculating toward Alek, and possibly even deeply conflicted between the two. Jacques and Boris come off as sleazy but powerful, in a more visceral way than Kappie/the ghoul from the first book, . Orrock has too little page-time to really be developed, and he mainly serves to make Alek seriously question his held beliefs. And McClellan, through Sam and Ava, manages to paint a decent picture of the runaway Michael .
And Eddie the sphinx. McClellan leans hard into the snarky talking animal companion, and Eddie's ability to read, if not minds, mental conversations between Maggie and Alek reminds me of Saga's Lying Cat. His pompous manner and speech, combined with his very mundane and cat-like demands (ear scratches, a litter box, and albacore tuna), make for an entertaining combination. Again the map comes into play for non-geographical purposes: Alek has an open tab on caring for his newly adopted sphinx.
Again, the main thread is wrapped up neatly, but not as completely as in the first book. And the subthreads of Matthias and Maggie and Alek's parentage and enslavement contract are still left dangling.
Overall, a strong follow-up to Uncanny Collateral , and a great quick read for urban fantasy fans. Alek Fitz, despite looking like and even sometimes acting like the brawns-over-brains action star (and he absolutely lampshades himself doing so), proves to be an intelligent and resourceful operator with nuanced personality and worldview, and thus an excellent protagonist to follow. The urban fantasy setting is very modern and firmly set in the real world, with both song and restaurant name-dropping throughout. McClellan left enough threads for future books (and hey, this is the noir genre, there's always more cases and clients), which I am certainly looking forward to reading.
January 17, 2020
Reading this book has made me question every 5 star rating I've given in the past. Sometimes you read so many decent books that a pretty good book seems like a 5 star book. Then you read something like Blood Tally and you realize what a 5 star book should actually be. This book, and this series is honestly one of the best things you can read. It is not only a great urban fantasy, but just a damn good book in every way possible.
Normally I am not a fan of shorter books, (6 hours in audio) but the Valkyrie Series is an exception. The pacing is so snappy and quick. We jump from scene to scene without any down points. I started listening in the evening and only stopped once to get a coffee refill. I was done before one o'clock in the morning, and it was a perfect way to spend an evening.
The main character Alek is going to get in over his head, that goes without saying. The real enjoyment from the series was the expansion of the characters for the series we get in book two, and how those characters are going to play a role together. Without giving away any spoilers, the ending is so damn satisfying, something a lot of books seem to be missing lately. If you like a book with a real ending, but with a lot of questions left about the greater series plot points this is perfect. There isn't a single person I wouldn't suggest this series and this book to.
If you get the chance to grab the audio book you really need to give it a listen. Luke Daniels makes this book come alive. I haven't heard his name enough, but with performances like this he really needs more credit as one of the top audio book narrators working. He makes the dialog come alive, and the inflections are perfect to fit the individual characters and their personalities. I laughed out loud so many times listening to this book partially because of the writing, and partially because of how well it was narrated.
What really makes this book so good for me is the characters. Alek is such a smart ass who lets his mouth over run his common sense. It makes for some laugh out loud moments, and a lot of extra entertainment in every character interaction. The way his relationship with Maggie works mechanically and personally adds so much to the book. Having a jinn in a ring on his finger allows for conversations and dialog that wouldn't be possible in any other place. She was great in the first book, but here she is by far my favorite character. Then the addition of Olivia and Eddie just round out the characters that were missing in book one. I can't wait to see what happens with everyone in the next book.
I'm a sucker for a good Urban Fantasy, and this checks all my boxes. This could be seen as similar to the Dresden Files, but also completely different, but in good ways. The Dresden files have been my favorite urban fantasy series for years, but now I couldn't pick between Dresden or Valkyrie if I had to. It's just so nice to have two super good series with kick ass characters. The Valkyrie Collections Series is by far more comical,and the characters are more quirky which I enjoy a hell of a lot.
One thing I would be remiss not to mention is possibly one of the greatest quotes from a character ever. What makes it so great is who says it, when it is said, and who they say it to. If it doesn't make you laugh out loud you might be broken.
"Go fuck yourself. I’m gonna write a blog", Alek Fitz
Normally I am not a fan of shorter books, (6 hours in audio) but the Valkyrie Series is an exception. The pacing is so snappy and quick. We jump from scene to scene without any down points. I started listening in the evening and only stopped once to get a coffee refill. I was done before one o'clock in the morning, and it was a perfect way to spend an evening.
The main character Alek is going to get in over his head, that goes without saying. The real enjoyment from the series was the expansion of the characters for the series we get in book two, and how those characters are going to play a role together. Without giving away any spoilers, the ending is so damn satisfying, something a lot of books seem to be missing lately. If you like a book with a real ending, but with a lot of questions left about the greater series plot points this is perfect. There isn't a single person I wouldn't suggest this series and this book to.
If you get the chance to grab the audio book you really need to give it a listen. Luke Daniels makes this book come alive. I haven't heard his name enough, but with performances like this he really needs more credit as one of the top audio book narrators working. He makes the dialog come alive, and the inflections are perfect to fit the individual characters and their personalities. I laughed out loud so many times listening to this book partially because of the writing, and partially because of how well it was narrated.
What really makes this book so good for me is the characters. Alek is such a smart ass who lets his mouth over run his common sense. It makes for some laugh out loud moments, and a lot of extra entertainment in every character interaction. The way his relationship with Maggie works mechanically and personally adds so much to the book. Having a jinn in a ring on his finger allows for conversations and dialog that wouldn't be possible in any other place. She was great in the first book, but here she is by far my favorite character. Then the addition of Olivia and Eddie just round out the characters that were missing in book one. I can't wait to see what happens with everyone in the next book.
I'm a sucker for a good Urban Fantasy, and this checks all my boxes. This could be seen as similar to the Dresden Files, but also completely different, but in good ways. The Dresden files have been my favorite urban fantasy series for years, but now I couldn't pick between Dresden or Valkyrie if I had to. It's just so nice to have two super good series with kick ass characters. The Valkyrie Collections Series is by far more comical,and the characters are more quirky which I enjoy a hell of a lot.
One thing I would be remiss not to mention is possibly one of the greatest quotes from a character ever. What makes it so great is who says it, when it is said, and who they say it to. If it doesn't make you laugh out loud you might be broken.
"Go fuck yourself. I’m gonna write a blog", Alek Fitz
March 14, 2020
Brian McClellan's 2020 novel "Valkyrie Collections, Book 2: Blood Tally" is just a bit more serious than the first book in the series. Whereas the first book was almost entirely action oriented, this one adds in some more philosophical and emotional material. Also, the first book felt more stand-alone-ish, where in this one, you can feel McClellan building a team for later works. The added material does slow the pacing of the book a bit and is different enough from my expectations from the first book that I'm lowering my rating down to a "mere" Very Good 4 stars out of 5 from the full 5 stars I gave the first book. If I could, I'd go with 4-1/2 stars since the difference isn't huge. I feel bad about doing that since the increased depth of the book is actually good from a literary perspective. It's just different from what was set up in the first book.
November 4, 2022
My main complaint is the plot-convenience in action scenes. Suddenly someone has a knife to Alek's throat even tho he stood 2 meters away in the previous sentence. Then we go through the whole "woow, no sudden movements", blah blah, but in the following paragraph, he is able to pull out his gun and fire it multiple times before anyone else can even react. (This is not precisely what happens anywhere but it illustrates the gist of the problem.) This kind of arbitrary space-time continuum warping is used for and against the MC depending on what the author wants to accomplish. It cheapens many of the scenes that are supposed to be tense. It's just not possible to judge how dangerous a situation really is. For me, the fighting scenes ended up being mainly just waiting for the author to tell me the outcome after a long string of pointless theatrics.
I would have liked for the story to have started much sooner in the MC's life. I would've loved to see how Alek became who he is today and how he acquired his magical tattoos in the process. Of course, there always is the option of a prequel but that's never really the same if you already know who he will become.
It's the classic problem of not telling the most interesting part of a story. If this other thing the author hints at is more interesting than the current plot why is the book not about that thing?
I really enjoyed the development of the relationship with the love interest. It felt very natural and believable and I loved her. (Maybe almost as much as Alek did, god, what a woman.)
The plot was pretty entertaining with many twists and turns but the foundation of it all was rather shaky.
I would have liked for the story to have started much sooner in the MC's life. I would've loved to see how Alek became who he is today and how he acquired his magical tattoos in the process. Of course, there always is the option of a prequel but that's never really the same if you already know who he will become.
It's the classic problem of not telling the most interesting part of a story. If this other thing the author hints at is more interesting than the current plot why is the book not about that thing?
I really enjoyed the development of the relationship with the love interest. It felt very natural and believable and I loved her. (Maybe almost as much as Alek did, god, what a woman.)
The plot was pretty entertaining with many twists and turns but the foundation of it all was rather shaky.
March 5, 2020
***5/5 stars*** Fast Paced, exciting and sexy! Refreshing stuff! Love Brian McClellan! Too bad it's only 200 pages...
I was so happy when I saw this book had just been released, jumped onto it and read it in two days! The story is so action packed, I liked the Vampire flare but there's some other really interesting characters...
The dialogues are really good and mature, which is refreshing in this genre, i especially liked Alek Fitz's interaction with Maggie and a certain witch! Can't wait for the next book in the series! Highly recommended!
I was so happy when I saw this book had just been released, jumped onto it and read it in two days! The story is so action packed, I liked the Vampire flare but there's some other really interesting characters...
The dialogues are really good and mature, which is refreshing in this genre, i especially liked Alek Fitz's interaction with Maggie and a certain witch! Can't wait for the next book in the series! Highly recommended!
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