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Studies in Demonology #1-3
Studies in Demonology: the complete mm fantasy romance series
Angus Donohue doesn't want to be a warlock.
But he's caught up in war he's not ready to fight. As his understanding of magic grows so does the danger...and the forbidden love for his demon.
With the fate of two worlds hanging in the balance Angus will have to pick a side. Human or demon?
But he's caught up in war he's not ready to fight. As his understanding of magic grows so does the danger...and the forbidden love for his demon.
With the fate of two worlds hanging in the balance Angus will have to pick a side. Human or demon?
917 pages, ebook
Published August 26, 2020
108 people are currently reading
124 people want to read
About the author
T.J. Nichols
89 books343 followersTJ Nichols (they/them) is the author of the Studies in Demonology and Familiar Mates series. They write mostly gay fantasy and paranormal romance, but sometimes gay action/horror as Toby J. Nichols.
After traveling all over the world and Australia, TJ now lives in Perth, Western Australia.
Free gay shifter novella when you join TJ's newsletter: http://tjnichols-author.com/lp/
You can find TJ on
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TJNichols
Ream: https://reamstories.com/tjnichols
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TJNichols.au...
follow me on Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/tjnichols or Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tj-ni...
After traveling all over the world and Australia, TJ now lives in Perth, Western Australia.
Free gay shifter novella when you join TJ's newsletter: http://tjnichols-author.com/lp/
You can find TJ on
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TJNichols
Ream: https://reamstories.com/tjnichols
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TJNichols.au...
follow me on Amazon: http://amazon.com/author/tjnichols or Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/tj-ni...
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 20, 2021
Brilliant
Yes there are sex scenes, yes there is romance (with demons), but the whole story arc over three books is about discovering and fighting corruption and greed, the threat of war, and climate change in two world destroying both. This is the story of the fight to stop it.
But with magic 😎
Yes there are sex scenes, yes there is romance (with demons), but the whole story arc over three books is about discovering and fighting corruption and greed, the threat of war, and climate change in two world destroying both. This is the story of the fight to stop it.
But with magic 😎
February 14, 2024
Studies in Demonology (Warlock in Training, 1; Rogue in the Making, 2; Blood for the Spilling, 3)
by T.J. Nichols
Published by the author, 2017, 2018
Five stars
As it turns out, I read volume 1 of this trilogy, “Warlock in Training,” when it was first published in 2017. So, I’ll start this review with a quotation from that one:
“In our own world, in my nation, we love to demonize the “other,” whether they be gay people, people of color, or Muslims. In Angus Donohue’s world they demonize, um, demons. The human world is linked to the demon world, called Demonside, by magic. Magic is the source of energy for humans. It is power, and humans who can handle magic (wizards) are hungry for it. Angus is in training to be a warlock, which is a wizard who can call a demon and use that demon’s magic to increase his own power.”
Actually, it was a pretty insightful review, and I clearly loved the book, but was hungry for more. I didn’t see it as a romance, but considered Angus and Saka’s relationship to be part of the larger picture, the epic adventure to save the world. I’m so glad I found the entire trilogy, because it is a great story, well written, and filled with rich characters and settings.
Now, having read all three books – at some 925 pages – I can look at that big, remarkable, epic picture that TJ Nichols created. There is a lot of Tolkien here; and also a lot of Harry Potter. This is no criticism – the roots of much contemporary magical fantasy lie in these stories. There is also a powerful detail that I noted in my earlier review about the revelatory truth in the animated 2001 film “Monsters, Inc.”: the power of a child’s laughter is far greater than that of her fear. In the Nichols trilogy, it is the power of lust that is stronger than the power of fear or pain.
The other core motif that pervades this trilogy is the destructive power of greed and prejudice. This is a world where magic exists, and while not everyone can work with magic, everyone knows about it. The human world has known of the demon world for centuries. Some humans, however, have used demons as expendable resources for their own accumulation of magic, and have done so to the point of catastrophic climate change both in Humanside and in Demonside.
Of course, this hoarding of magic can be seen as two different metaphors. It is the extraction and use of natural resources from the land without regard to the consequences of that unthinking use. Plus, the demons, whose magic is the source of the warlock’s power, become both the enslaved African workers brought to the New World, and the Indigenous peoples who already populated the Americas when Europeans first arrived. Two vast populations stripped of their humanity (demonized) in order to justify their disposability.
The Warlocks who are at the center of this abusive hoarding of magic live in a country called Vinland. This name is taken from a great hoax of the 1960s, in which a map appeared which documented Nordic exploration of what is now the Northeastern USA in the twelfth century. Vinland is, more or less, New England. Its capital city is New London – which is indeed the name of a real city in Connecticut, founded in 1656, on the Thames River. This clever association between real and fantasy geography continues with one of Vinland’s neighbors, New Holland, which I take to be the rest of the Eastern seaboard. In the second and third books we get to know yet another country with powerful magic: The Mayan Empire. Its capital is Uxmal, which indeed is the site of the great Mayan metropolis in the Yucatan of Mexico. One of the richest aspects of Nichols’s worldbuilding in their epic trilogy is this sly use of geography that reminds us (us Americans at least) that this imaginary place is a metaphor for our own, deeply flawed civilization and its violent history.
The demons are not just a historic avatar of “evil” that has its roots in magic lore (or religious lore); they are different from humans, although if they were extraterrestrials, they would be called humanoid. They LOOK different. Indeed, Saka is portrayed as having dark red skin, black horns, and a tail: the archetypal image of a devil. It is subversive of the author to make this character, who so embodies the subhuman other that Angus has been taught to fear, into a smart, charming, and beautiful person. He is a person loyal to his people, but compassionate and generous. His relationship with Angus is both forbidden and essential to the survival of the planet. The reader learns to love Saka as Angus does.
Angus Donohue is the reluctant warlock, grabbed by the first demon he ever summons and dragged through the void into Demonside – otherwise known as Arlyxia. His demon is Saka, head mage of the Lifeblood Mountain tribe. Saka teaches Angus the truth about the world in which he was raised, and together these two men create a challenge to the status quo in both demon and human worlds. Their quest becomes one of survival in order to save the world. It is a race against time, and against tremendous odds. It is their love for each other that will ultimately be the touchstone of the world’s fate.
Wow. Bravo. Read it.
by T.J. Nichols
Published by the author, 2017, 2018
Five stars
As it turns out, I read volume 1 of this trilogy, “Warlock in Training,” when it was first published in 2017. So, I’ll start this review with a quotation from that one:
“In our own world, in my nation, we love to demonize the “other,” whether they be gay people, people of color, or Muslims. In Angus Donohue’s world they demonize, um, demons. The human world is linked to the demon world, called Demonside, by magic. Magic is the source of energy for humans. It is power, and humans who can handle magic (wizards) are hungry for it. Angus is in training to be a warlock, which is a wizard who can call a demon and use that demon’s magic to increase his own power.”
Actually, it was a pretty insightful review, and I clearly loved the book, but was hungry for more. I didn’t see it as a romance, but considered Angus and Saka’s relationship to be part of the larger picture, the epic adventure to save the world. I’m so glad I found the entire trilogy, because it is a great story, well written, and filled with rich characters and settings.
Now, having read all three books – at some 925 pages – I can look at that big, remarkable, epic picture that TJ Nichols created. There is a lot of Tolkien here; and also a lot of Harry Potter. This is no criticism – the roots of much contemporary magical fantasy lie in these stories. There is also a powerful detail that I noted in my earlier review about the revelatory truth in the animated 2001 film “Monsters, Inc.”: the power of a child’s laughter is far greater than that of her fear. In the Nichols trilogy, it is the power of lust that is stronger than the power of fear or pain.
The other core motif that pervades this trilogy is the destructive power of greed and prejudice. This is a world where magic exists, and while not everyone can work with magic, everyone knows about it. The human world has known of the demon world for centuries. Some humans, however, have used demons as expendable resources for their own accumulation of magic, and have done so to the point of catastrophic climate change both in Humanside and in Demonside.
Of course, this hoarding of magic can be seen as two different metaphors. It is the extraction and use of natural resources from the land without regard to the consequences of that unthinking use. Plus, the demons, whose magic is the source of the warlock’s power, become both the enslaved African workers brought to the New World, and the Indigenous peoples who already populated the Americas when Europeans first arrived. Two vast populations stripped of their humanity (demonized) in order to justify their disposability.
The Warlocks who are at the center of this abusive hoarding of magic live in a country called Vinland. This name is taken from a great hoax of the 1960s, in which a map appeared which documented Nordic exploration of what is now the Northeastern USA in the twelfth century. Vinland is, more or less, New England. Its capital city is New London – which is indeed the name of a real city in Connecticut, founded in 1656, on the Thames River. This clever association between real and fantasy geography continues with one of Vinland’s neighbors, New Holland, which I take to be the rest of the Eastern seaboard. In the second and third books we get to know yet another country with powerful magic: The Mayan Empire. Its capital is Uxmal, which indeed is the site of the great Mayan metropolis in the Yucatan of Mexico. One of the richest aspects of Nichols’s worldbuilding in their epic trilogy is this sly use of geography that reminds us (us Americans at least) that this imaginary place is a metaphor for our own, deeply flawed civilization and its violent history.
The demons are not just a historic avatar of “evil” that has its roots in magic lore (or religious lore); they are different from humans, although if they were extraterrestrials, they would be called humanoid. They LOOK different. Indeed, Saka is portrayed as having dark red skin, black horns, and a tail: the archetypal image of a devil. It is subversive of the author to make this character, who so embodies the subhuman other that Angus has been taught to fear, into a smart, charming, and beautiful person. He is a person loyal to his people, but compassionate and generous. His relationship with Angus is both forbidden and essential to the survival of the planet. The reader learns to love Saka as Angus does.
Angus Donohue is the reluctant warlock, grabbed by the first demon he ever summons and dragged through the void into Demonside – otherwise known as Arlyxia. His demon is Saka, head mage of the Lifeblood Mountain tribe. Saka teaches Angus the truth about the world in which he was raised, and together these two men create a challenge to the status quo in both demon and human worlds. Their quest becomes one of survival in order to save the world. It is a race against time, and against tremendous odds. It is their love for each other that will ultimately be the touchstone of the world’s fate.
Wow. Bravo. Read it.
January 12, 2023
This is a new author for me and I will definitely be looking at some more of their works as woah.
I loved the concept and how he has taken the concept of magic always had a price to the extreme. The descriptions of not only the suffering worlds but also the people was exquisite and I almost felt like I was there especially during the third book when the stakes were much higher for Terrance (you guys will know what I mean).
I would say the finale didn’t really hit home for me though as it felt a little too neat and tied together without the fleshing out I would have liked. This is because of two things - after introducing the new relationships between the three main characters this dynamic isn’t really explored and we are just told oh this is how it is and the emotions seem to have been lost. I also think the morals of the characters weren’t honoured either as the whole point was not to waste death etc. but then there was so much of it at the end. I can appreciate the poetic justice of Vinland taking the magic and therefore needed to be punished but it was still surprising how much life is lost and how ok the characters seemed to be in such a short amount of time. This is personal opinion and it is a happy ending so I can’t complain too much.
I reccomend this series wholeheartedly if you want a gay adventure that bring a cool take on old ideas with rebellion, love and magic all thrown in together.
4*s from me
I loved the concept and how he has taken the concept of magic always had a price to the extreme. The descriptions of not only the suffering worlds but also the people was exquisite and I almost felt like I was there especially during the third book when the stakes were much higher for Terrance (you guys will know what I mean).
I would say the finale didn’t really hit home for me though as it felt a little too neat and tied together without the fleshing out I would have liked. This is because of two things - after introducing the new relationships between the three main characters this dynamic isn’t really explored and we are just told oh this is how it is and the emotions seem to have been lost. I also think the morals of the characters weren’t honoured either as the whole point was not to waste death etc. but then there was so much of it at the end. I can appreciate the poetic justice of Vinland taking the magic and therefore needed to be punished but it was still surprising how much life is lost and how ok the characters seemed to be in such a short amount of time. This is personal opinion and it is a happy ending so I can’t complain too much.
I reccomend this series wholeheartedly if you want a gay adventure that bring a cool take on old ideas with rebellion, love and magic all thrown in together.
4*s from me
December 31, 2025
Yes... But No.
If I were 50 years younger, 19 like the MC Angus and as naive as he, I might have enjoyed this more.
The plot is interesting. When it isn't simplistic.
The characters are engaging. When they aren't simplistic.
The worldbuilding is intricate. When it isn't simplistic.
But the excessive political messages are off-putting, over-the-top and tiresome. And simplistic.
I don't think that I was naive enough even at 19.
I realise that science fiction and fantasy is very much about ideology, it always was, but I feel a bit force fed.
Especially the third book has a lot of convoluted plot twisting, to somehow collect all the escaping plotworms.
TJ Nichols has done much better than this.
If I were 50 years younger, 19 like the MC Angus and as naive as he, I might have enjoyed this more.
The plot is interesting. When it isn't simplistic.
The characters are engaging. When they aren't simplistic.
The worldbuilding is intricate. When it isn't simplistic.
But the excessive political messages are off-putting, over-the-top and tiresome. And simplistic.
I don't think that I was naive enough even at 19.
I realise that science fiction and fantasy is very much about ideology, it always was, but I feel a bit force fed.
Especially the third book has a lot of convoluted plot twisting, to somehow collect all the escaping plotworms.
TJ Nichols has done much better than this.
October 13, 2021
Excellent Series!
The series is well written. The gay aspects take second place to the storyline and while it is also well written it has a better portrayal of the elements of being gay that doesn’t follow stereotypes. The emotional elements are present though I’d like to have felt less reluctance and more commitment earlier on in the relationships. Overall though, the story carried itself very well from beginning to end and I’d love to see a follow up series that delves into the changes that resulted from the storyline. An excellent series to read for all open minded people.
The series is well written. The gay aspects take second place to the storyline and while it is also well written it has a better portrayal of the elements of being gay that doesn’t follow stereotypes. The emotional elements are present though I’d like to have felt less reluctance and more commitment earlier on in the relationships. Overall though, the story carried itself very well from beginning to end and I’d love to see a follow up series that delves into the changes that resulted from the storyline. An excellent series to read for all open minded people.
December 4, 2021
W.O.W.
What else needs to be said. This book does an amazing job at World Building. One of the few Series I've read where they MC through multiple books without drowning you minutia. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of characters. BUT they all are closely tied to the main characters. (other words there aren't dozens of subplots I had to reread to follow).
I really appreciated that the reluctant main Character ended up being so strong....Sigh I just wish there was one more book- and to me that means it is a great series.
What else needs to be said. This book does an amazing job at World Building. One of the few Series I've read where they MC through multiple books without drowning you minutia. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of characters. BUT they all are closely tied to the main characters. (other words there aren't dozens of subplots I had to reread to follow).
I really appreciated that the reluctant main Character ended up being so strong....Sigh I just wish there was one more book- and to me that means it is a great series.
July 10, 2022
Overall, this was a plot driven novel with boring characters. I liked the concept and the main conflict. It felt a little stupid though.
Angus’s internal conflict has been how to rebalance without a war that kills millions. And so his idea is to use a clean sweeper on Vinland, which ends up killing every magic user in the country!
It’s just so dissatisfying for me. I’m sure other folks loved it. But it kinda annoyed me.
Angus’s internal conflict has been how to rebalance without a war that kills millions. And so his idea is to use a clean sweeper on Vinland, which ends up killing every magic user in the country!
It’s just so dissatisfying for me. I’m sure other folks loved it. But it kinda annoyed me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2023
I could barely put this down, it drew me in from beginning to end. The story was compelling from beginning to end. With the warlocks misuse of magic causing world ending problems for both the demon and human world, sex magic, and a demon/human romance on top of it all. It has Angst, romance and characters to fall in love with. Overall I loved the progression of Angus, Saka and Terrance’s relationship throughout this trilogy, how devoted Both Terrance and Saka are to Angus, and he to them.
May 10, 2023
stopped reading
I stopped reading this trilogy 3/4 of the way through the second book. I saw only lust and jealousy within the three, no love. I believed the thing with Terrance was bc of loneliness. So much so that I kept thinking Terrance was playing him.
I liked the story at first but then it started dragging in book two, or bouncing all over. One moment he’s in the human side, next paragraph he’s in demonside and it’s the middle of a scene...
I stopped reading this trilogy 3/4 of the way through the second book. I saw only lust and jealousy within the three, no love. I believed the thing with Terrance was bc of loneliness. So much so that I kept thinking Terrance was playing him.
I liked the story at first but then it started dragging in book two, or bouncing all over. One moment he’s in the human side, next paragraph he’s in demonside and it’s the middle of a scene...
August 10, 2021
Could NOT put them down
I got the box set of the trilogy. I started reading and simply could not stop. The characters are beautifully written complex personalities. The premise of rebalancing magic is unique and believable. Lots of action, lots of hotness. If you like urban fantasy this is definitely a trilogy you'll love to read.
I got the box set of the trilogy. I started reading and simply could not stop. The characters are beautifully written complex personalities. The premise of rebalancing magic is unique and believable. Lots of action, lots of hotness. If you like urban fantasy this is definitely a trilogy you'll love to read.
November 26, 2023
Extremely satisfying
There were a few small typos that a read through would fix, but the story is good. Just... good. I really don't want it to end here. Hopefully, there can be a proper epilogue book or another series where things have been set right for a while and how it is going.
There were a few small typos that a read through would fix, but the story is good. Just... good. I really don't want it to end here. Hopefully, there can be a proper epilogue book or another series where things have been set right for a while and how it is going.
June 22, 2022
Gripping
The trilogy was so very well written. I didn't want it to end. The characters of Saka, Terrance and Angus were amazing, as well as the world's they lived. Definitely worth read.
The trilogy was so very well written. I didn't want it to end. The characters of Saka, Terrance and Angus were amazing, as well as the world's they lived. Definitely worth read.
January 6, 2023
This is more of a review for the third book, as I did separate reviews for the first two parts.
I loved this trilogy as a whole. I loved the characters so much. It had moments that felt repeatative, but I feel like how it all culminated in the finale was worth the journey.
I loved this trilogy as a whole. I loved the characters so much. It had moments that felt repeatative, but I feel like how it all culminated in the finale was worth the journey.
June 2, 2023
Absolutely gripping...
Never read a story so fantastical and yet so close to the problems of the world today. It involves love, laughter, and life/death. Fantastic characters l felt as if l knew them personally. I would definitely like to read more from this storyline..
Never read a story so fantastical and yet so close to the problems of the world today. It involves love, laughter, and life/death. Fantastic characters l felt as if l knew them personally. I would definitely like to read more from this storyline..
May 23, 2023
fast paced and spicy
I burned through this book. Fast paced with just enuf spicy stuff. I mean who wouldn’t want Saka teaching us sex magic? Highly recommend.
I burned through this book. Fast paced with just enuf spicy stuff. I mean who wouldn’t want Saka teaching us sex magic? Highly recommend.
April 12, 2024
Very well written. Excellent plot and character development with plenty of action, romance, and sex. I'll definitely be checking out other series and titles penned by T.J. Nichols.
mm-ok-ab-r
April 13, 2025Rokp
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews