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The Unconventional Heroes #1-2
Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Army of Golems: An Unconventional Heroes Publisher's Pack
Contains Books 1 and 2 of the Unconventional Heroes series.
Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Elf, Book 1:
Two necromancers, a bureaucrat, and an elf - it sounds like the start of a bad joke, only the joke is on Timmy.
Timothy Walter Bolton - better known as Timmy - has spent most of his life as a necromancer. When he isn't terrorising his enemies, he's plotting inside his castle, which is built on top of lightless chasms filled with nameless horrors and beings of a generally malevolent and megalomaniacal nature. But after one of his latest creations, a zombie hydra-dragon-bear, tries to eat him, he decides that maybe it's time to find a new, less dangerous, career.
But that's easier said than done. He's a wanted criminal with no shortage of powerful (and crazy) enemies, and he has a bone or two to pick with the Everton Council of Mages.
It's a good thing that he's got some help: an obnoxious 10-year-old apprentice who thinks that pink glasses are appropriate for a budding necromancer and a bumbling bureaucrat who may or may not make it through their first real fight without puking his guts up. Wonderful.
Two Necromancers, an Army of Golems, and a Demon Lord, Book 2:
Two necromancers, an army of golems, and a demon lord - it sounds like a recipe for trouble, and for Timmy, it definitely is.
To earn his pardon and avoid horrible torture and/or gruesome execution, Timmy has to complete every mission the Council throws his way, most of which seem to involve extremely scary things trying to kill him. At least he’s got help - sort of. His help consists of an apprentice with designs on his castle (and her plans may or may not involve overthrowing him), a bureaucrat whose two greatest skills are fainting in the face of trouble and using people (usually Timmy) as human shields, and an elf with the world's worst case of pyromania and enough magic to level a mountain.
Somehow, Timmy's got to get this bunch of unconventional heroes to work together. Trouble is coming, and it's trouble of the kind that only a necromancer like Timmy could possibly find himself in the middle of.
Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Elf, Book 1:
Two necromancers, a bureaucrat, and an elf - it sounds like the start of a bad joke, only the joke is on Timmy.
Timothy Walter Bolton - better known as Timmy - has spent most of his life as a necromancer. When he isn't terrorising his enemies, he's plotting inside his castle, which is built on top of lightless chasms filled with nameless horrors and beings of a generally malevolent and megalomaniacal nature. But after one of his latest creations, a zombie hydra-dragon-bear, tries to eat him, he decides that maybe it's time to find a new, less dangerous, career.
But that's easier said than done. He's a wanted criminal with no shortage of powerful (and crazy) enemies, and he has a bone or two to pick with the Everton Council of Mages.
It's a good thing that he's got some help: an obnoxious 10-year-old apprentice who thinks that pink glasses are appropriate for a budding necromancer and a bumbling bureaucrat who may or may not make it through their first real fight without puking his guts up. Wonderful.
Two Necromancers, an Army of Golems, and a Demon Lord, Book 2:
Two necromancers, an army of golems, and a demon lord - it sounds like a recipe for trouble, and for Timmy, it definitely is.
To earn his pardon and avoid horrible torture and/or gruesome execution, Timmy has to complete every mission the Council throws his way, most of which seem to involve extremely scary things trying to kill him. At least he’s got help - sort of. His help consists of an apprentice with designs on his castle (and her plans may or may not involve overthrowing him), a bureaucrat whose two greatest skills are fainting in the face of trouble and using people (usually Timmy) as human shields, and an elf with the world's worst case of pyromania and enough magic to level a mountain.
Somehow, Timmy's got to get this bunch of unconventional heroes to work together. Trouble is coming, and it's trouble of the kind that only a necromancer like Timmy could possibly find himself in the middle of.
13 pages, Audible Audio
First published May 26, 2020
11 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
L.G. Estrella
35 books502 followersI'm a reader and writer with a keen interest in psychology, history, physics, and economics. I'm especially interested in the intersection of these different areas (e.g., the psychology behind the sub-prime mortgage collapse).
In terms of fiction, I enjoy reading horror, fantasy, science fiction, Westerns, and thrillers. I believe that every genre has its good points, and I want to be able to incorporate all of these strengths into my own writing.
I currently live in Australia. When I'm not writing, I'm busy trying to fend off all of the deadly wildlife.
If you're interested in my fiction, you can find it on Amazon here.
In terms of fiction, I enjoy reading horror, fantasy, science fiction, Westerns, and thrillers. I believe that every genre has its good points, and I want to be able to incorporate all of these strengths into my own writing.
I currently live in Australia. When I'm not writing, I'm busy trying to fend off all of the deadly wildlife.
If you're interested in my fiction, you can find it on Amazon here.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
May 11, 2023
Magic-filled episodic adventures with a quirky cast of characters.
In a way, listening to this audiobook was very nostalgic, it felt like watching Saturday morning cartoons as a kid again. More about the way characters interact with each other and how they face the situations they find themselves in rather than having character arcs.
In a way, listening to this audiobook was very nostalgic, it felt like watching Saturday morning cartoons as a kid again. More about the way characters interact with each other and how they face the situations they find themselves in rather than having character arcs.
February 2, 2025
Included in this anthology:
Book 1: Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Elf - 3 stars
Short stories:
Tomb Raiding - 3.5 stars
The Bank - 4 stars
Book 2: Two Necromancers, an Army of Golems, and a Demon Lord - 3.5 stars
Book 1: Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Elf - 3 stars
Short stories:
Tomb Raiding - 3.5 stars
The Bank - 4 stars
Book 2: Two Necromancers, an Army of Golems, and a Demon Lord - 3.5 stars
January 20, 2023
Fun but not enough to continue with the series. Refreshingly weird team of protagonists, where main male lead is not bellyaching all the time.
February 5, 2024
So so so funny!!! The characters are great, and it has a nice fantasy world building!
February 7, 2022
A short but funny story. Necromancer Timmy and his 10-year-old apprentice, Katie (who happens to be very cute for a necromancer in training), decide to turn over a new leaf and they've decided to work for the Council's in exchange for a full pardon for all their frightening crimes. What follows is a very entertaining tale of an army of zombie, a bureaucrat and a pyromaniac elf.
If you're in the mood for a light-hearted & funny story, this one's for you! And it won't take a huge time commitment to listen to it.
My only complaint is that it wasn't long enough: I could have spent a lot more time getting to know Timmy & Katie. I look forward to listening to more stories in this series.
If you're in the mood for a light-hearted & funny story, this one's for you! And it won't take a huge time commitment to listen to it.
My only complaint is that it wasn't long enough: I could have spent a lot more time getting to know Timmy & Katie. I look forward to listening to more stories in this series.
December 29, 2023
This was HILARIOUS!!!
I started listening to this & it caught my teen's attention. We listened for well over an hour together, and this kid has ADHD, so that never happens. Who knew a book about necromancers could be so funny?
My teen especially liked the cute apprentice & her rats. I liked the in depth descriptions of things and the bizarre situations that happened in the book. I need to find the rest.
I started listening to this & it caught my teen's attention. We listened for well over an hour together, and this kid has ADHD, so that never happens. Who knew a book about necromancers could be so funny?
My teen especially liked the cute apprentice & her rats. I liked the in depth descriptions of things and the bizarre situations that happened in the book. I need to find the rest.
February 15, 2024
My Audible Review: I jumped on this audio book because the synopsis sounded like a combination of silly characters in a silly world that would result in some enjoyable humor. I got one of the least enjoyable experiences I've had since I learned to read.
As a quick exception: Fred Berman really shined. They had no connection to my complaints about this novel. Berman's range includes various accents, characters of a variety of mental stability, villains, creatures, children, and some accents. Without the narration he provided, I probably would have dropped this story at the two-hour mark (when I checked how much was left and internally wept). Berman is a great narrator and this experience had no impact on my interest in hearing more of his voice acting.
The thing I hated the most about this novel: Every time a character had a thought, they then voiced that thought. Really. That's not writing, that's filling in a word count. Every time a character had a hope / concern, another character would respond as if they heard what was going on in that first character's mind to console or reassure them. None of these characters were given psychic powers in the story. They just had them by default.
More hate: Where was the humor? The concept was built around a farcical combination of characters in a fantasy series, working together to complete their goal. The setup should have been an easy foundation for creating comedy, but, at best, the funny part was predictable and telegraphed ahead of the actual attempt at a humorous interaction.
Still more: The language in this novel (e.g. "limp d**ks") (though not excessive by any means) would not be something I'd recommend for a young reader. In direct contrast, the hyper focus on banking, taxes, responsibility, maintaining physical fitness, and professional training reads like a learn-from-this-example to teach young readers life lessons and help them build an understanding of the importance of these issues in their future lives. Pick your audience and stick to it.
Even more hate: Retelling stories. Perhaps this issue is a side-effect of this audiobook containing both books one and two of the Unconventional Heroes series, but giving the audience an abbreviated version of an event in the characters' lives, then expanding that story later in the novel is frustrating. Calling it "bonus content" only applies if it's a bonus, not a punishment. I advise either overlooking my complaint on this or skipping those retellings when they come up.
I'm not done yet: The author spends a lot of effort implying or directly portraying the color pink as a reason to insult or demean a character. Indicating that a young girl shouldn't enjoy whatever color she prefers feels like setting a bad example for the young readers that probably shouldn't be experiencing this story and perpetuates a ridiculous societal stereotype related to clothing color. I had hope that this belittling was a setup for vindication, but if that was intended, it failed miserably.
I'll stop after this one, I promise: The thinly veiled allusions to other works aren't homages or even slightly clever. They're fan service piled on a platter in the hopes that the author will earn points with the audience if they easily recognize, as some examples, a similarity to The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or a line from The Fellowship Of The Ring. It's not fun for the audience if the references that are intended to be the author's playful message to the audience are so obvious that they are in no way hints. Estrella might as well have put a footnote on the page that reads "This is from ____. I really enjoyed it."
I lied: As the story progressed, it felt less and less about the title characters and more of a story about how a small army of ninja rats participated in the adventures of said title characters. They permeated every chapter after their introduction and their interactions with the humanoid characters received more of the author's attention than any other interactions.
I'm rating this novel, "Don't read this. Don't listen to it. It is terrible. The narrator is solid, but even their performance isn't worth experiencing this." I doubt would read any further novels written by L. G. Estrella if I was paid to do so.
As a quick exception: Fred Berman really shined. They had no connection to my complaints about this novel. Berman's range includes various accents, characters of a variety of mental stability, villains, creatures, children, and some accents. Without the narration he provided, I probably would have dropped this story at the two-hour mark (when I checked how much was left and internally wept). Berman is a great narrator and this experience had no impact on my interest in hearing more of his voice acting.
The thing I hated the most about this novel: Every time a character had a thought, they then voiced that thought. Really. That's not writing, that's filling in a word count. Every time a character had a hope / concern, another character would respond as if they heard what was going on in that first character's mind to console or reassure them. None of these characters were given psychic powers in the story. They just had them by default.
More hate: Where was the humor? The concept was built around a farcical combination of characters in a fantasy series, working together to complete their goal. The setup should have been an easy foundation for creating comedy, but, at best, the funny part was predictable and telegraphed ahead of the actual attempt at a humorous interaction.
Still more: The language in this novel (e.g. "limp d**ks") (though not excessive by any means) would not be something I'd recommend for a young reader. In direct contrast, the hyper focus on banking, taxes, responsibility, maintaining physical fitness, and professional training reads like a learn-from-this-example to teach young readers life lessons and help them build an understanding of the importance of these issues in their future lives. Pick your audience and stick to it.
Even more hate: Retelling stories. Perhaps this issue is a side-effect of this audiobook containing both books one and two of the Unconventional Heroes series, but giving the audience an abbreviated version of an event in the characters' lives, then expanding that story later in the novel is frustrating. Calling it "bonus content" only applies if it's a bonus, not a punishment. I advise either overlooking my complaint on this or skipping those retellings when they come up.
I'm not done yet: The author spends a lot of effort implying or directly portraying the color pink as a reason to insult or demean a character. Indicating that a young girl shouldn't enjoy whatever color she prefers feels like setting a bad example for the young readers that probably shouldn't be experiencing this story and perpetuates a ridiculous societal stereotype related to clothing color. I had hope that this belittling was a setup for vindication, but if that was intended, it failed miserably.
I'll stop after this one, I promise: The thinly veiled allusions to other works aren't homages or even slightly clever. They're fan service piled on a platter in the hopes that the author will earn points with the audience if they easily recognize, as some examples, a similarity to The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or a line from The Fellowship Of The Ring. It's not fun for the audience if the references that are intended to be the author's playful message to the audience are so obvious that they are in no way hints. Estrella might as well have put a footnote on the page that reads "This is from ____. I really enjoyed it."
I lied: As the story progressed, it felt less and less about the title characters and more of a story about how a small army of ninja rats participated in the adventures of said title characters. They permeated every chapter after their introduction and their interactions with the humanoid characters received more of the author's attention than any other interactions.
I'm rating this novel, "Don't read this. Don't listen to it. It is terrible. The narrator is solid, but even their performance isn't worth experiencing this." I doubt would read any further novels written by L. G. Estrella if I was paid to do so.
July 20, 2023
Two books in one long audiobook with a couple short stories squished in-between. Cute and unique characters, fun voices and personality from Berman's reading, but the two storylines could have been...more. They weren't bad, or hard to follow, or even boring. Just at the end of it all I'm left a little meh, a little wanting. I liked the two necromancers quite a bit, but the adventures they tackled were solved with ease, and made even easier with their bureaucratic help.
A decent story, but none of the characters struggled to overcome, or really got in touch with their backstories to make you have emotional connections. The second book felt like it was told out of order and felt weird. I'm at a loss with this one. Don't think I'd continue the series but I enjoyed listening.
A decent story, but none of the characters struggled to overcome, or really got in touch with their backstories to make you have emotional connections. The second book felt like it was told out of order and felt weird. I'm at a loss with this one. Don't think I'd continue the series but I enjoyed listening.
September 23, 2025
Book 1 - Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Elf: ⭐⭐⭐
Short stories:
Tomb Raiding - ⭐ ⭐
The Bank - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Can't find any mention of these short stories anywhere but they exist in the audio-version at least. Both add quite some depth to the characters, i particularly enjoyed The Bank
Otherwise, this series has been alright I guess. Nothing remarkable or particularly engaging.
Book 2 - Two Necromancers, an Army of Golems, and a Demon Lord: ⭐⭐⭐
I enjoyed this more than the first book; better pacing maybe? So the chronology of the stories is unclear.
Short stories:
Tomb Raiding - ⭐ ⭐
The Bank - ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Can't find any mention of these short stories anywhere but they exist in the audio-version at least. Both add quite some depth to the characters, i particularly enjoyed The Bank
Otherwise, this series has been alright I guess. Nothing remarkable or particularly engaging.
Book 2 - Two Necromancers, an Army of Golems, and a Demon Lord: ⭐⭐⭐
I enjoyed this more than the first book; better pacing maybe? So the chronology of the stories is unclear.
November 24, 2023
This was a fun book and the audiobook was great. It was fantasy without taking itself too seriously. It was a bit campy which I enjoyed and the jokes fit my type of humor. My only complaint was that the battle scenes were way too drawn out and the author spent a little too much time on world building (which is a rare complaint from me!) They needed to sprinkle the world-building throughout more instead of a huge block of a chapter would be world-building, so I found myself getting distracted during those parts.
March 20, 2022
The book was pretty good but nothing to rave about. I liked the first book more because the second book was just more of the same. The characters did not grow or change. The addition of Vickie and Old Man are just 2 more overpowered characters in ă team of overpowered characters.
The two bonus stories were badly chosen as they tell the readers about things that have not happened yet, like Spot.
I am on the fence if I want to read more.
The two bonus stories were badly chosen as they tell the readers about things that have not happened yet, like Spot.
I am on the fence if I want to read more.
June 25, 2022
Interesting and unlike anything I've read so far. I like the narrator. I just kept wondering how did the author think of these characters and their creations. When I think of this book, the first word that comes to mind is outrageous. But I had fun listening to it and I'm curious to see where the story goes, but not curious enough to buy it, so I'll just hope the rest becomes available in Audible Plus, like this one was.
October 15, 2023
5 hours in and I'm bored. Interesting to begin with, fun even, but there is no "there" there. This is a collection of loosely related short stories with flat characters. If you are looking for fun, inventive adventures that won't trouble you with character development, this will serve you well. Not even invisible ninja rats can entice me to spend any more time with these two necromancers.
August 25, 2022
Oh my goodness! I did not know what to expect, although with the title I thought it would be entertaining. I was so right! It was hilarious! I am glad I took a chance on this "included listen" from Audible.
July 5, 2023
Dungeons and Dragons + Loonytunes = Silly good fun. The narrator of the audiobook version is really good. The writing isn't high fantasy, but I would've expected an editor to put all the stories in chronological order rather than confusing new readers by ordering them in a less logical way.
Read
October 11, 2023A children's book written for adults. Remove the swearing and it probably would have worked as a book for the youngsters. No stakes. Cheap jokes that gets repeated a lot. Not quite up my alley, but good enough to finish, won't check out the series though.
November 8, 2023
This felt like someone just wrote down the telling of a D&D game (and I don’t say that as a good thing). The “humor” felt stale, the characters were boring and the battles go on and on.
Excellent audiobook narrator, but that’s about it.
Excellent audiobook narrator, but that’s about it.
February 6, 2024
These were fun and amusing stories. This is actually a collection of two books and I think the second one was much stronger than the first. The conflicts in the first one felt a little too easy to solve.
September 2, 2024
2.5 rounded up because I feel bad
The book was fine, but nothing special. Quite simplistic and the humour is just a bit dull
Things are also explained numerous times for no reason, and if I hear the word 'zombie' again for the remainder of the year I'll throw myself out a window
The book was fine, but nothing special. Quite simplistic and the humour is just a bit dull
Things are also explained numerous times for no reason, and if I hear the word 'zombie' again for the remainder of the year I'll throw myself out a window
January 22, 2021
I seems like it could be good but sadly not for me. Onto the next one.
May 10, 2022
Light read, constant changing POV was odd and felt a bit repetitive at first but grew to appreciate it - but the Ninja Rats who are explosives experts really did it for me :)
June 7, 2022
It's OK, like some stupid jokes, nothing out of the ordinary, but it's not too hard to go through it. Hard to say if will be listening to another in the series.
July 25, 2022
So fun! I loved each of the characters and their evil little thought processes. ♥️ poor bureaucrat... lol
February 27, 2023
Well, that was fun and easy to listen to. Kudos to the narrator - made it quite enjoyable!
I probably wouldn't usually pick such a book but once in a while.... why not.
I probably wouldn't usually pick such a book but once in a while.... why not.
March 1, 2023
A bit odd, good story but I think it’s meant for a younger audience
September 26, 2023
I originally purchased this because I like the narrator, but I gave the omnibus 5 stars because I really enjoyed the story.
November 2, 2023
This was a fun Halloween read. The characters are a little cartoony but I think it is sweet. The audiobook was well acted too.
March 25, 2024
3.25 stars.
September 10, 2024
4.75
I want to be in this D&D party!
I want to be in this D&D party!
September 29, 2024
Reminds me of Terry Prachett, Christopher Moore, and Drew Hayes for middle schoolers.
Fun.
Fun.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews