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Mennik Thorn #2
Nectar for the God
In the city of Agatos, nothing stays buried forever.
Only an idiot would ignore his debt to a high mage, and Mennik Thorn is not an idiot, no matter what anyone might say. He’s just been … distracted. But now he’s left it too late, and if he doesn’t obey the high mage’s commands within the day, his best friends’ lives will be forfeit. So it’s hardly the time to take on an impossible case: proving a woman who murdered a stranger in full view is innocent.
Unfortunately, Mennik can’t resist doing the right thing – and now he’s caught in a deadly rivalry between warring high mages, his witnesses are dying, and something ancient has turned its eyes upon him.
The fate of the city is once again in the hands of a second-rate mage. Mennik Thorn should have stayed in hiding.
Only an idiot would ignore his debt to a high mage, and Mennik Thorn is not an idiot, no matter what anyone might say. He’s just been … distracted. But now he’s left it too late, and if he doesn’t obey the high mage’s commands within the day, his best friends’ lives will be forfeit. So it’s hardly the time to take on an impossible case: proving a woman who murdered a stranger in full view is innocent.
Unfortunately, Mennik can’t resist doing the right thing – and now he’s caught in a deadly rivalry between warring high mages, his witnesses are dying, and something ancient has turned its eyes upon him.
The fate of the city is once again in the hands of a second-rate mage. Mennik Thorn should have stayed in hiding.
438 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 2, 2021
27 people are currently reading
178 people want to read
About the author
Patrick Samphire
34 books191 followersPatrick Samphire is the author of the adult fantasy novels SHADOW OF A DEAD GOD, NECTAR FOR THE GOD, STRANGE CARGO, and the forthcoming LEGACY OF A HATED GOD, as well as the middle grade novels SECRETS OF THE DRAGON TOMB and THE EMPEROR OF MARS. He has published around twenty short stories and novellas.
Patrick has been writing stories since he was fourteen years old and thought it would be a good way of avoiding having to sit through English lessons at school. He was absolutely convinced that he would be famous by the time he was eighteen, but sadly, even infamy has eluded him.
He lives in Wales, surrounded by mountains, with his wife, their sons, and their cat.
When he's not writing, he designs websites and ebooks.
He will now stop talking about himself in the third person.
Patrick has been writing stories since he was fourteen years old and thought it would be a good way of avoiding having to sit through English lessons at school. He was absolutely convinced that he would be famous by the time he was eighteen, but sadly, even infamy has eluded him.
He lives in Wales, surrounded by mountains, with his wife, their sons, and their cat.
When he's not writing, he designs websites and ebooks.
He will now stop talking about himself in the third person.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
December 4, 2021
UPDATE (dec 2021):
since the book is out, i can write a review! :)
so a most exciting story, with very likeable characters. mennik is delightful and i liked him even better than in the first book (and he was super fine in the first one too). all the secondary characters were also interesting and engaging. the story, the mystery and the setting were also very fine.
this was one of my favorite reads of this year and i hope there would be many more mennik stories.
-----------------------------------------------------
got an e-arc and can't wait to start!
done and would review as soon as the book becomes available, i will end with a quote from the book:
"I’ll send for a doctor. We always have one on hand. Hazards of the job.” She looked at me critically. “You should probably get one of your own. You need them often enough.”
mennik thorn is most delightful!
since the book is out, i can write a review! :)
so a most exciting story, with very likeable characters. mennik is delightful and i liked him even better than in the first book (and he was super fine in the first one too). all the secondary characters were also interesting and engaging. the story, the mystery and the setting were also very fine.
this was one of my favorite reads of this year and i hope there would be many more mennik stories.
-----------------------------------------------------
got an e-arc and can't wait to start!
done and would review as soon as the book becomes available, i will end with a quote from the book:
"I’ll send for a doctor. We always have one on hand. Hazards of the job.” She looked at me critically. “You should probably get one of your own. You need them often enough.”
mennik thorn is most delightful!
November 29, 2021
OK, to get the obvious out of the way: I'm married to Patrick! However, we met at a writing workshop (MANY years ago), and I fell in love with his writing even before I fell in love with him. And! Being married to the author means I got to read multiple drafts - and the fact that I love this book SO MUCH after having read it that many times really says a lot!
This is the second Mennik Thorn adventure, although you could certainly leap into the series with this book if you wanted. I love the emotional progression from the first book, though. It's so much fun to see Nik navigate big changes in his relationships with pretty much everyone as a result of everything that went down in the last book. It's time to pay back the debts that he racked up in Shadow of a Dead God - and watching him walk back into his mother's toxic court (for the sake of his best friends) is SO emotionally compelling. He's pushed to grow as a person and also as a mage - and I LOVE the creepy magic in this story, which is SO powerful and effective.
Also, though, I laughed so many times at the fantastic banter and moments of snark! Just a few of my favorite moments:
As Nik tries to make up with his sister:
“Fine. We’ll talk about me, then. I’ve been making friends in the Ash Guard.”
“Being arrested isn’t making friends, Nik.”
“Ouch.”
And with his oldest friend:
Benny whistled. “This is a bit different, isn’t it? What did your girlfriend from the Ash Guard have to say about this bloke?”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” I said, hearing the irritation in my voice. “She hates my guts.” My stomach twisted unexpectedly. *Get over it, Nik! She’s never going to think of you that way.*
“Mate, if you rule out everyone who hates your guts, you’re going to be single for the rest of your life.”
Grab it now!
This is the second Mennik Thorn adventure, although you could certainly leap into the series with this book if you wanted. I love the emotional progression from the first book, though. It's so much fun to see Nik navigate big changes in his relationships with pretty much everyone as a result of everything that went down in the last book. It's time to pay back the debts that he racked up in Shadow of a Dead God - and watching him walk back into his mother's toxic court (for the sake of his best friends) is SO emotionally compelling. He's pushed to grow as a person and also as a mage - and I LOVE the creepy magic in this story, which is SO powerful and effective.
Also, though, I laughed so many times at the fantastic banter and moments of snark! Just a few of my favorite moments:
As Nik tries to make up with his sister:
“Fine. We’ll talk about me, then. I’ve been making friends in the Ash Guard.”
“Being arrested isn’t making friends, Nik.”
“Ouch.”
And with his oldest friend:
Benny whistled. “This is a bit different, isn’t it? What did your girlfriend from the Ash Guard have to say about this bloke?”
“She’s not my girlfriend,” I said, hearing the irritation in my voice. “She hates my guts.” My stomach twisted unexpectedly. *Get over it, Nik! She’s never going to think of you that way.*
“Mate, if you rule out everyone who hates your guts, you’re going to be single for the rest of your life.”
Grab it now!
December 12, 2021
An excellent continuation! Yet again Nik finds himself in way too deep shit. A shady homicide-suicide, missing boy as well as being stuck in-between the business of two high mages. And Nik is handling it his own stumbling assholery way.
These books are great. It’s a nice blend of fantasy and mystery. I’m not a mystery fan but these books are just the perfect amount. And Nik is so fun to follow. I love the snarky underdog mages. And he adds a lot of snark and humour.
Can't wait for the third book!
These books are great. It’s a nice blend of fantasy and mystery. I’m not a mystery fan but these books are just the perfect amount. And Nik is so fun to follow. I love the snarky underdog mages. And he adds a lot of snark and humour.
Can't wait for the third book!
February 10, 2022
Ahoy there me mateys! I don't read a ton of self-published novels but have been interested in the SPFBO ever since I started blogging. One of me crew, Matey Lynn is a judge in the contest. Every year I make a list of those nominees that interest me, based on her reviews, and I am slowly working through them. Book one was a finalist in the 2020 contest. I had so much fun that I immediately read the second book too.
This series follows Mennik Thorn ("Nik") who is a second-rate mage. I love him. He works as a mage-for-hire and generally does very poorly for himself. He agrees to help his best friend Benny (a thief) with a job and all hell breaks loose. Nik scrambles to get himself and his friend out of trouble. I enjoyed this combination of his ineptitude and his too nice for his own good self. Nik does have skills when he lets his brain catch up with his mouth.
I really enjoyed the magic system, world building, and characters. Benny's daughter in particular is a hoot. The magic system has some familiar elements but was still unique enough in how it was used. Dead gods play a part. The world is a port city that is gritty and cutthroat. I really enjoyed how the Ash Guard (a force that polices magic) worked. That element added major fun to the story.
Book two is a bit more of the same, in a good way. Nik has to pay some debts from the first book, gets in massive trouble, and has to work his way out of it. I really enjoyed the mystery aspects of this one. He has to solve a weird murder that happened with lots of witnesses. The solution at the end was just a bit off for me but I loved the ride. I found both books in the series to be humorous and fun.
The series could be done with book two. But I wouldn't mind some more. Arrrr!
Side note: Check out Matey Lynn's review of the first novel.
This series follows Mennik Thorn ("Nik") who is a second-rate mage. I love him. He works as a mage-for-hire and generally does very poorly for himself. He agrees to help his best friend Benny (a thief) with a job and all hell breaks loose. Nik scrambles to get himself and his friend out of trouble. I enjoyed this combination of his ineptitude and his too nice for his own good self. Nik does have skills when he lets his brain catch up with his mouth.
I really enjoyed the magic system, world building, and characters. Benny's daughter in particular is a hoot. The magic system has some familiar elements but was still unique enough in how it was used. Dead gods play a part. The world is a port city that is gritty and cutthroat. I really enjoyed how the Ash Guard (a force that polices magic) worked. That element added major fun to the story.
Book two is a bit more of the same, in a good way. Nik has to pay some debts from the first book, gets in massive trouble, and has to work his way out of it. I really enjoyed the mystery aspects of this one. He has to solve a weird murder that happened with lots of witnesses. The solution at the end was just a bit off for me but I loved the ride. I found both books in the series to be humorous and fun.
The series could be done with book two. But I wouldn't mind some more. Arrrr!
Side note: Check out Matey Lynn's review of the first novel.
Read
December 4, 2021Here we are. Book 2 of the Mennik Thorn epic fantasy mystery series, out now.
Magic.
Monstrosities from the deep.
Excessive swearing.
Absolute chaos.
Sequel to SHADOW OF A DEAD GOD.
Magic.
Monstrosities from the deep.
Excessive swearing.
Absolute chaos.
Sequel to SHADOW OF A DEAD GOD.
March 14, 2022
4.5/5 stars
“𝘋𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳.”
Second-rate mage-for-hire Nik wants to be a better mage, but life keeps getting in the way. He had to ask for some favors in the events of book 1, and now debts are being called. Meanwhile, he reluctantly takes on a case that maybe more than he can handle.
I liked Nectar for the God even more than I did Shadow of a Dead God (which I also liked). The mystery is just as intriguing but not as convoluted, the pacing remains brisk and builds momentum, and the humor is still sharp. The story takes some unexpected twists and turns, but it is easy to follow. I just wish Nik came across as less of a bumbling idiot. I like him (and want to keep liking him), but boy does he make some foolish decisions.
Nectar sets up a lot of things that has some great potential and I really want to see where they go. I like the interactions and underlying tension between Nik and Captain Gale, I’m interested in what’s going to happen with Mica and her partner’s ambitions, and I finally want to see Nik have some good fortune for a change.
Patrick Samphire has written a great sequel in Nectar for the God. It is a fun mystery with interesting characters and promises more to come.
*I requested and received an eARC from the author.
“𝘋𝘰 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳.”
Second-rate mage-for-hire Nik wants to be a better mage, but life keeps getting in the way. He had to ask for some favors in the events of book 1, and now debts are being called. Meanwhile, he reluctantly takes on a case that maybe more than he can handle.
I liked Nectar for the God even more than I did Shadow of a Dead God (which I also liked). The mystery is just as intriguing but not as convoluted, the pacing remains brisk and builds momentum, and the humor is still sharp. The story takes some unexpected twists and turns, but it is easy to follow. I just wish Nik came across as less of a bumbling idiot. I like him (and want to keep liking him), but boy does he make some foolish decisions.
Nectar sets up a lot of things that has some great potential and I really want to see where they go. I like the interactions and underlying tension between Nik and Captain Gale, I’m interested in what’s going to happen with Mica and her partner’s ambitions, and I finally want to see Nik have some good fortune for a change.
Patrick Samphire has written a great sequel in Nectar for the God. It is a fun mystery with interesting characters and promises more to come.
*I requested and received an eARC from the author.
December 7, 2021
This was a book that I was anticipating so much that I was sitting there at midnight the day it came out, waiting for it to appear on my kindle, and I devoured a good chunk of it on that first night. Shadow of a Dead God was one of the most entertaining books I read last year, and Nectar for the Gods topped that – it was just so much fun to read, that I didn’t want to put it down and simultaneously I didn’t want to reach the end.
There is just so much to love about this one.
Firstly, I love that we’re getting to see the unfolding consequences from the first book. Nik managed to rack up some nasty debts in the first book, and they’re coming due. The continuity is fantastic, but also just how everything is interconnected, from the new mystery that Nik finds himself in – and I have to say just how this case begins was just beautiful (and creepy and immediately had me on the edge of my seat) – to try to pay off that debt, to his relationships old and new with his found family and blood family. Samphire manages to balance and juggle all the threads and keep you guessing at every turn right up until the end.
And that bloody twist at the end!! I had to just sit there and absorb what had happened, and I think at the time I was torn between laughing and pure outrage, and I just love it.
“And it is when I am no longer able to use you that you will be truly useful to me.”
In my review of the first book, I said that I couldn’t help but feel that Nik should be arrested for his own protection, and I have to say that feeling not only persisted but grew in this book. Nik is a fantastic disaster of a character, and I honestly don’t think I will ever get tired of reading about his adventures, or maybe that should be misadventures because he is by no means a conventional hero. He doesn’t get into most of the situations he finds himself in intentionally. He’s a guy that tries to help – sometimes despite his common sense telling him not to, who just wants to earn a living, and keep those he cares about (and himself) in one piece if not safe and happy. I also think that is why he works so well as the main character here. In a world of powerful mages and cutthroat criminals, he’s an almost ordinary guy whose almost constantly in over his head and yet is doing his best, and trying to do better.
“Do better. If you’re not good enough, be better.”
We sure Nik grow a lot in the first book, but I feel like that reaches a whole other level here. He’s still somewhat – I hesitate to say impulsive because he does tend to think through what will happen, but perhaps lacking in self-preservation. Yet, there are times when he considers himself a coward, and where his actions might reflect that – but in Nectar for the God, it is clear that Nik in his own way is one of the bravest characters in the entire book. He doesn’t have the power of his mother or sister, or the Wren. Nor the same street smarts as Benny, or the deadly skills of Sereh (who I still adore and want more of please), and he’s carrying around more emotional trauma and baggage than the terminal at London Heathrow – and still he keeps moving forward. The storyline of Nik having to return to his Mother’s court, to face their shared past and what he had endured was some of the most emotionally devastating parts of this book, shocking in some places, raw in all of them and I loved how Samphire depicted that struggle, and how it had shaped him, and how towards the end of the book he was able to turn that into a strength of his own.
‘I had been broken before by my mother, by her mages, by my own mind, and I had survived. This? This came from outside me. It could never match the terrors my own mind conjured.’
Now that is not to say Nik isn’t flawed. In some places, he is an outright idiot, and you want to just grab him by the shoulders and give him a good shake. However, not only is it an intrinsic part of who he is, it isn’t done without consequences. The main one being that he doesn’t share the threat to Benny and Sereh with them, choosing to deal with it on his own and cutting very close, and understandably there is fallout when they learn the truth – and oh my god that hurt, because the three of them have some of my favourite dynamics in the whole book, and I am hoping that those cracks can be patched up in the next book. (Pretty please)
This turned into a review about Nik… I just love him so much.
As I said I hope that he is able to repair his relationship with Benny and Sereh. However, we do also see some other dynamics developing in this book. Nik’s sister Mica is one that I want to get to see more of, and we got some interesting clues about what she and her partner are working towards, and what it could mean for the city that Nik cares for so much – we also get to learn a bit more about their past relationship. Also, I just love how the sparks fly when they are together, there is common ground, but they’re struggling to find it, and it’s a wonderfully complicated and grounded relationship. It’s also a great counter and counterpart to the relationship between Nik and his mother. We get to see more of her here, and I have to say that she really is a piece of work, and I will admit that view of her might be more than a little skewed by Nik’s view of her. However, you do have to admire her guile, even as you’re rooting for Nik to break free of her and to be able to score something against her. The other major dynamic is with Captain Gale who we’d met previously, and yes Nik has one hell of a crush on her, but I really enjoy their moments together – she doesn’t take any of his nonsense, and yet at the same time, she is one of the few who really sees that he is trying, and sees his worth beneath the chaos.
I also need to touch on the worldbuilding and magic in this one. In Nectar for the God, we get to learn more about the city and its disparate regions and histories, and I love that we get to traipse through new areas and delve into the depths, and you have to appreciate how Samphire layers in the history and different influences into not just the physicality of the city, but to its stories and culture and history. The Museum was tantalising, and I would have loved to have spent more time there, seeing more glimpses of this history. We’re still in Agatos, and yet this book expands the world so much even within the confines of being set in a single city and it’s great.
After Shadow of the Dead God, I was left wanting to know a bit more about the magic, and Nectar for the God gave me that. We get to see more of the differences between ‘second-rate’ Nik, and the acolytes that tried to pull more magic from him as a child, and then between them and the high mages. We get to see it used in more varied ways – and I particularly enjoyed where it is used for warding. This book is also a wonderful reminder that we don’t need to know everything about the magic. We learn more, we see how Nik sees it, how technique can overcome strength, and the difference between controlled and natural magic, and the magic of the Gods, but we don’t learn everything and that works brilliantly here. Also, I loved just how creepy the ‘strange’ magic was in this book, both in its influence on its victims and also with the creatures that it related to – absolutely fantastic!
Nectar for the Gods was everything I could have ever wanted from a sequel to Shadow of a Dead God and more, it has taken everything I loved about the first book and turned the dial up. Nik is easily one of my favourite characters, and while part of me wants to wrap him up in a blanket and protect him from whatever else Samphire has in store for him, the rest of me is desperate to find out what happens next. This book (and series) is just pure entertainment, and if you like fantasy mystery, with an absolutely fantastic protagonist and a great cast of characters, with banter and adventure and sheer bloody chaos, then you need to add Nectar for the God to your shelf now.
There is just so much to love about this one.
Firstly, I love that we’re getting to see the unfolding consequences from the first book. Nik managed to rack up some nasty debts in the first book, and they’re coming due. The continuity is fantastic, but also just how everything is interconnected, from the new mystery that Nik finds himself in – and I have to say just how this case begins was just beautiful (and creepy and immediately had me on the edge of my seat) – to try to pay off that debt, to his relationships old and new with his found family and blood family. Samphire manages to balance and juggle all the threads and keep you guessing at every turn right up until the end.
And that bloody twist at the end!! I had to just sit there and absorb what had happened, and I think at the time I was torn between laughing and pure outrage, and I just love it.
“And it is when I am no longer able to use you that you will be truly useful to me.”
In my review of the first book, I said that I couldn’t help but feel that Nik should be arrested for his own protection, and I have to say that feeling not only persisted but grew in this book. Nik is a fantastic disaster of a character, and I honestly don’t think I will ever get tired of reading about his adventures, or maybe that should be misadventures because he is by no means a conventional hero. He doesn’t get into most of the situations he finds himself in intentionally. He’s a guy that tries to help – sometimes despite his common sense telling him not to, who just wants to earn a living, and keep those he cares about (and himself) in one piece if not safe and happy. I also think that is why he works so well as the main character here. In a world of powerful mages and cutthroat criminals, he’s an almost ordinary guy whose almost constantly in over his head and yet is doing his best, and trying to do better.
“Do better. If you’re not good enough, be better.”
We sure Nik grow a lot in the first book, but I feel like that reaches a whole other level here. He’s still somewhat – I hesitate to say impulsive because he does tend to think through what will happen, but perhaps lacking in self-preservation. Yet, there are times when he considers himself a coward, and where his actions might reflect that – but in Nectar for the God, it is clear that Nik in his own way is one of the bravest characters in the entire book. He doesn’t have the power of his mother or sister, or the Wren. Nor the same street smarts as Benny, or the deadly skills of Sereh (who I still adore and want more of please), and he’s carrying around more emotional trauma and baggage than the terminal at London Heathrow – and still he keeps moving forward. The storyline of Nik having to return to his Mother’s court, to face their shared past and what he had endured was some of the most emotionally devastating parts of this book, shocking in some places, raw in all of them and I loved how Samphire depicted that struggle, and how it had shaped him, and how towards the end of the book he was able to turn that into a strength of his own.
‘I had been broken before by my mother, by her mages, by my own mind, and I had survived. This? This came from outside me. It could never match the terrors my own mind conjured.’
Now that is not to say Nik isn’t flawed. In some places, he is an outright idiot, and you want to just grab him by the shoulders and give him a good shake. However, not only is it an intrinsic part of who he is, it isn’t done without consequences. The main one being that he doesn’t share the threat to Benny and Sereh with them, choosing to deal with it on his own and cutting very close, and understandably there is fallout when they learn the truth – and oh my god that hurt, because the three of them have some of my favourite dynamics in the whole book, and I am hoping that those cracks can be patched up in the next book. (Pretty please)
This turned into a review about Nik… I just love him so much.
As I said I hope that he is able to repair his relationship with Benny and Sereh. However, we do also see some other dynamics developing in this book. Nik’s sister Mica is one that I want to get to see more of, and we got some interesting clues about what she and her partner are working towards, and what it could mean for the city that Nik cares for so much – we also get to learn a bit more about their past relationship. Also, I just love how the sparks fly when they are together, there is common ground, but they’re struggling to find it, and it’s a wonderfully complicated and grounded relationship. It’s also a great counter and counterpart to the relationship between Nik and his mother. We get to see more of her here, and I have to say that she really is a piece of work, and I will admit that view of her might be more than a little skewed by Nik’s view of her. However, you do have to admire her guile, even as you’re rooting for Nik to break free of her and to be able to score something against her. The other major dynamic is with Captain Gale who we’d met previously, and yes Nik has one hell of a crush on her, but I really enjoy their moments together – she doesn’t take any of his nonsense, and yet at the same time, she is one of the few who really sees that he is trying, and sees his worth beneath the chaos.
I also need to touch on the worldbuilding and magic in this one. In Nectar for the God, we get to learn more about the city and its disparate regions and histories, and I love that we get to traipse through new areas and delve into the depths, and you have to appreciate how Samphire layers in the history and different influences into not just the physicality of the city, but to its stories and culture and history. The Museum was tantalising, and I would have loved to have spent more time there, seeing more glimpses of this history. We’re still in Agatos, and yet this book expands the world so much even within the confines of being set in a single city and it’s great.
After Shadow of the Dead God, I was left wanting to know a bit more about the magic, and Nectar for the God gave me that. We get to see more of the differences between ‘second-rate’ Nik, and the acolytes that tried to pull more magic from him as a child, and then between them and the high mages. We get to see it used in more varied ways – and I particularly enjoyed where it is used for warding. This book is also a wonderful reminder that we don’t need to know everything about the magic. We learn more, we see how Nik sees it, how technique can overcome strength, and the difference between controlled and natural magic, and the magic of the Gods, but we don’t learn everything and that works brilliantly here. Also, I loved just how creepy the ‘strange’ magic was in this book, both in its influence on its victims and also with the creatures that it related to – absolutely fantastic!
Nectar for the Gods was everything I could have ever wanted from a sequel to Shadow of a Dead God and more, it has taken everything I loved about the first book and turned the dial up. Nik is easily one of my favourite characters, and while part of me wants to wrap him up in a blanket and protect him from whatever else Samphire has in store for him, the rest of me is desperate to find out what happens next. This book (and series) is just pure entertainment, and if you like fantasy mystery, with an absolutely fantastic protagonist and a great cast of characters, with banter and adventure and sheer bloody chaos, then you need to add Nectar for the God to your shelf now.
January 15, 2022
This is funny, spooky and exasperating in turns:
-The MC still has his particular way with (foul) words, which really strike me funny. Actually, his friend Benny does, too.
-There is a definite creep factor, starting with page one and sprinkled throughout the story. And that's without mentioning the little homicidal tween!
-The exasperation comes into play with the abundance of appallingly stupid decisions the MC makes. I really like him, but holy crap, he needs a clue.
I don't think the next has been published yet but I'll be buying it when it is!
-The MC still has his particular way with (foul) words, which really strike me funny. Actually, his friend Benny does, too.
-There is a definite creep factor, starting with page one and sprinkled throughout the story. And that's without mentioning the little homicidal tween!
-The exasperation comes into play with the abundance of appallingly stupid decisions the MC makes. I really like him, but holy crap, he needs a clue.
I don't think the next has been published yet but I'll be buying it when it is!
June 19, 2022
Mystery fantasy, kind of YA (or kind of not, the main character is 29) with a hardboiled mage main character solving magical mysteries (and whining about socioeconomic inequality and his mean mother. Yes, he is 29.). Full of action and use of magic (too much magic IMO. When Nik goes and blasts a door, I was wondering, what, that door could not have been locked, why not just open it...).
First person present tense narrative, and those can be tricky, and sadly it just did not work for me. I just got tired of the main character very fast (probably back in book 1). Action is tighter than in book 1, plot is good, developing larger arc of character growth (finally. And maybe some insight, also) but book 1 had better surprises, and novelty on its side.
First person present tense narrative, and those can be tricky, and sadly it just did not work for me. I just got tired of the main character very fast (probably back in book 1). Action is tighter than in book 1, plot is good, developing larger arc of character growth (finally. And maybe some insight, also) but book 1 had better surprises, and novelty on its side.
October 11, 2022
I might not be able to split mountains with my magic, despite my recent attempts to improve it, but if you wanted an old piece of paper vaguely ignored, I was the mage for you.
I enjoyed Nectar For The God even more than the first book!
The same level of sarcasm and banter, but also quite some old trauma resurfacing, which balanced out the overall feel of the book. I also thought it was really well handled.
The characters felt more three dimensional, and I was happy to both find old acquaintances and new people to love and hate.
Another murder mystery, and yet again so many things go wrong, and it's not always Nik's fault. Only mostly...
A wild ride full of action, politics, kidnappings, loyalties, doubt and perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds, even if just to spite them all.
This is quickly becoming a favourite series for me!
January 1, 2022
It took exactly four sentences for me to become so engrossed in Nectar for the God that I was annoyed by any interruptions to my reading. Once again, author Patrick Samphire crafted a book that is impossible to put down.
“With a smile and a nod to the other customers, Etta Mirian left the bakery, crossed Long Step Avenue, and stabbed Peyt Jyston three times in the neck. She then turned the knife on herself and, still smiling all the time, opened her throat from side to side.”
The reader finds Mennik Thorn slightly the worst for wear after the events in Shadow of a Dead God. He’s been avoiding both his mother (who has far more power, and far fewer scruples than is ever good), and her rival Wren, with varying levels of nonsuccess. While Mennik is realizing that he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place, a case drops into his lap that is far above his skill level, and much more complicated than it looks. From there, it’s a non-stop adrenaline rush which somehow manages to also have a complex and incredibly clever mystery involved.
In between traipsing through sewers and attracting the attention of something rather terrifying, Mennik’s character also continues to grow. Through his interactions with his mother, his sister, his thieving friend, Benny, and Benny’s murderous daughter, we are given a more complicated picture of who Mennik is and why he acts the way he does. He never seems to end up on top. The most he can hope for is to break even, and that’s an ambitious goal. Mennik is the sort of character who gets kicked around by life, although in many instances he walks right into trouble. This juxtaposition between the desire to survive and a complete lack of caution leads to all kinds of problems. Mennik’s slightly skewed moral compass shifts continues to intrigue and delight, and his inner dialogue is absolutely brilliant. Author Patrick Samphire takes the smallest of details and makes them fascinating with his incredibly descriptive writing.
The world is gritty and messy, teeming with the equivalent of magical gangsters, meddling gods, and–even worse–politicians. It constantly grows, tantalizing the reader with details and mysteries that have yet to be solved. The dreaded info dump is nowhere to be found, with history and mythology being given naturally throughout the book. While Mennik is juggling multiple disasters, I could see they were puzzle pieces waiting to be fit together. Watching the seemingly disparate parts of Nectar for the God meld into a complete whole is a joy, and the final product is an entertaining romp that will draw you in and captivate you.
This review was originally published in Grimdark Magazine.
“With a smile and a nod to the other customers, Etta Mirian left the bakery, crossed Long Step Avenue, and stabbed Peyt Jyston three times in the neck. She then turned the knife on herself and, still smiling all the time, opened her throat from side to side.”
The reader finds Mennik Thorn slightly the worst for wear after the events in Shadow of a Dead God. He’s been avoiding both his mother (who has far more power, and far fewer scruples than is ever good), and her rival Wren, with varying levels of nonsuccess. While Mennik is realizing that he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place, a case drops into his lap that is far above his skill level, and much more complicated than it looks. From there, it’s a non-stop adrenaline rush which somehow manages to also have a complex and incredibly clever mystery involved.
In between traipsing through sewers and attracting the attention of something rather terrifying, Mennik’s character also continues to grow. Through his interactions with his mother, his sister, his thieving friend, Benny, and Benny’s murderous daughter, we are given a more complicated picture of who Mennik is and why he acts the way he does. He never seems to end up on top. The most he can hope for is to break even, and that’s an ambitious goal. Mennik is the sort of character who gets kicked around by life, although in many instances he walks right into trouble. This juxtaposition between the desire to survive and a complete lack of caution leads to all kinds of problems. Mennik’s slightly skewed moral compass shifts continues to intrigue and delight, and his inner dialogue is absolutely brilliant. Author Patrick Samphire takes the smallest of details and makes them fascinating with his incredibly descriptive writing.
The world is gritty and messy, teeming with the equivalent of magical gangsters, meddling gods, and–even worse–politicians. It constantly grows, tantalizing the reader with details and mysteries that have yet to be solved. The dreaded info dump is nowhere to be found, with history and mythology being given naturally throughout the book. While Mennik is juggling multiple disasters, I could see they were puzzle pieces waiting to be fit together. Watching the seemingly disparate parts of Nectar for the God meld into a complete whole is a joy, and the final product is an entertaining romp that will draw you in and captivate you.
This review was originally published in Grimdark Magazine.
August 17, 2022
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Shadow of a Dead God, so I was looking forward to continuing the tales of second rate mage, Mennik Thorn, and I was not disappointed by Nectar for the God!
I love Nik’s self-deprecating sense of humour – the author’s use of odd and intriguing metaphors is masterful! It makes me wonder if he writes out a list of imaginative metaphors before he begins writing and then has them on hand to slot in as needed. Here is just a tiny sample of them from the early chapters:
“He had a wide, creased face, like a rumpled bed sheet on a hot night.”
“He was middle aged, with the kind of squeezed face that made him look like he’d got his head shut in a door.”
“She could unseam me like a cheap shirt, magic or no magic, and I wasn’t her favourite person.”
“Her neatly plaited hair had been curled into a circle on top of her head so she looked like she was wearing a pie.
“Maybe that was just because I lived like I had been caught in a fight between rival tribes of badgers.”
Some of these made me laugh out loud and then of course I had to explain why to my family!
Nik is also a mouthpiece for social commentary. He has stayed poor with a social conscience despite his mother being incredibly rich and powerful. He resents his sister’s mansion and staff – not through jealousy but because she could house many poor families in her mansion and feed them. Her argument that such help would be fleeting, it would be better to rise to power and make lasting social changes is met by Nik’s usual derision:
“Funnily enough, by the time people accrued enough power and wealth to make those changes, they seemed to forget all about them. It was goat shit.”
It was great to see creepy child Sereh make a return in this book – she was one of my favourite characters in the first book. Her role this time was not particularly large, but I still enjoyed how stealthy and dangerous she was! I have downloaded the short story “The Word For Friend is Death” which is Sereh’s story and will be reading that next! This story can be downloaded by subscribing to Samphire’s newsletter on his website.
The intriguing mystery revolves around a murder undertaken by an unassuming woman, the wife of a draper who then cut her own throat while smiling. Mage-for-hire Nik is convinced this would not be possible without someone compelling her magically and is determined to get to the bottom of this case. This is despite a more pressing situation wherein The Wren, a powerful magical gangster, is threatening the lives of Nik’s friend Benny and Benny’s daughter Sereh if Nik doesn’t spy on The Countess, Nik’s mother and The Wren’s main rival. Forced to do so, Nik is worried he will not be able to find anything incriminating that he can pass on to The Wren.
Throw into this mix tentacled monsters, a malevolent god, smugglers, a magic-cancelling drug, a missing child and you have a really exciting fast-paced story which is hard to put down!
I love Nik’s self-deprecating sense of humour – the author’s use of odd and intriguing metaphors is masterful! It makes me wonder if he writes out a list of imaginative metaphors before he begins writing and then has them on hand to slot in as needed. Here is just a tiny sample of them from the early chapters:
“He had a wide, creased face, like a rumpled bed sheet on a hot night.”
“He was middle aged, with the kind of squeezed face that made him look like he’d got his head shut in a door.”
“She could unseam me like a cheap shirt, magic or no magic, and I wasn’t her favourite person.”
“Her neatly plaited hair had been curled into a circle on top of her head so she looked like she was wearing a pie.
“Maybe that was just because I lived like I had been caught in a fight between rival tribes of badgers.”
Some of these made me laugh out loud and then of course I had to explain why to my family!
Nik is also a mouthpiece for social commentary. He has stayed poor with a social conscience despite his mother being incredibly rich and powerful. He resents his sister’s mansion and staff – not through jealousy but because she could house many poor families in her mansion and feed them. Her argument that such help would be fleeting, it would be better to rise to power and make lasting social changes is met by Nik’s usual derision:
“Funnily enough, by the time people accrued enough power and wealth to make those changes, they seemed to forget all about them. It was goat shit.”
It was great to see creepy child Sereh make a return in this book – she was one of my favourite characters in the first book. Her role this time was not particularly large, but I still enjoyed how stealthy and dangerous she was! I have downloaded the short story “The Word For Friend is Death” which is Sereh’s story and will be reading that next! This story can be downloaded by subscribing to Samphire’s newsletter on his website.
The intriguing mystery revolves around a murder undertaken by an unassuming woman, the wife of a draper who then cut her own throat while smiling. Mage-for-hire Nik is convinced this would not be possible without someone compelling her magically and is determined to get to the bottom of this case. This is despite a more pressing situation wherein The Wren, a powerful magical gangster, is threatening the lives of Nik’s friend Benny and Benny’s daughter Sereh if Nik doesn’t spy on The Countess, Nik’s mother and The Wren’s main rival. Forced to do so, Nik is worried he will not be able to find anything incriminating that he can pass on to The Wren.
Throw into this mix tentacled monsters, a malevolent god, smugglers, a magic-cancelling drug, a missing child and you have a really exciting fast-paced story which is hard to put down!
December 30, 2021
Thank you to Patrick Samphire for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Nectar for the God is the second book in the Mennik Thorn series. This review is a little bit different since I haven’t reviewed the first one on the blog yet, but I promise it’s coming! I have read it though, so I’m not going in blind. Ok, ok, I’ll give you my thoughts about Shadow of a Dead God in one word: AMAZING.
Let’s get on with the main topic of the day, Nectar for the God. For those who don’t know Mennik Thorn, or Nik to friends, is one of the most unfortunate mages in the history of magic. Trouble finds him like flies attracted to a turd. Some might even compare him to the turd in more ways than one because it seems to be his almost daily perfume, although not by choice. I’ll be honest, I love reading about his misadventures because it makes me feel a little better about myself. I’m someone who sees the worst possible scenarios but lucky enough to never see them come true. It’s different for him. He also sees the worst possible outcomes, but then that happens, plus something else. As a reader, you know something wild is going to happen to him and that keeps you reading.
Samphire’s world-building is also incredibly rich. The two books both take place in just one city but we see parts of the world outside of it too. We see the history, the different cultures, the different classes. He has made excellent choices in his cast of characters and I honestly can’t wait to read more about them. (If you like short stories, sign up to his newsletter now and get Sereh’s short story delivered to your inbox soon!)
What grabbed me the most in this book is one specific part. Nik has another mystery to solve, and towards the end of the book he finally figures out what’s haunting him. But throughout the book, you see glimpses, this sense of dread. Creepy and unexplainable things happen. Samphire does an excellent job of portraying the fear Nik experiences. It’s beautiful and haunting at the same time. It also destroyed me, left me gasping for air, probably much like Nik did. It’s been awhile since I’ve had such a visceral reaction to a book.
I give Nectar for the God by Patrick Samphire 5 stars. There’s one thing I missed in the wrap-up and I hope he’ll address that in the next book. I honestly can’t wait for more of Nik’s adventures but I know it’ll take some time. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes rich world-building, fantasy, and flawed characters.
Nectar for the God is the second book in the Mennik Thorn series. This review is a little bit different since I haven’t reviewed the first one on the blog yet, but I promise it’s coming! I have read it though, so I’m not going in blind. Ok, ok, I’ll give you my thoughts about Shadow of a Dead God in one word: AMAZING.
Let’s get on with the main topic of the day, Nectar for the God. For those who don’t know Mennik Thorn, or Nik to friends, is one of the most unfortunate mages in the history of magic. Trouble finds him like flies attracted to a turd. Some might even compare him to the turd in more ways than one because it seems to be his almost daily perfume, although not by choice. I’ll be honest, I love reading about his misadventures because it makes me feel a little better about myself. I’m someone who sees the worst possible scenarios but lucky enough to never see them come true. It’s different for him. He also sees the worst possible outcomes, but then that happens, plus something else. As a reader, you know something wild is going to happen to him and that keeps you reading.
Samphire’s world-building is also incredibly rich. The two books both take place in just one city but we see parts of the world outside of it too. We see the history, the different cultures, the different classes. He has made excellent choices in his cast of characters and I honestly can’t wait to read more about them. (If you like short stories, sign up to his newsletter now and get Sereh’s short story delivered to your inbox soon!)
What grabbed me the most in this book is one specific part. Nik has another mystery to solve, and towards the end of the book he finally figures out what’s haunting him. But throughout the book, you see glimpses, this sense of dread. Creepy and unexplainable things happen. Samphire does an excellent job of portraying the fear Nik experiences. It’s beautiful and haunting at the same time. It also destroyed me, left me gasping for air, probably much like Nik did. It’s been awhile since I’ve had such a visceral reaction to a book.
I give Nectar for the God by Patrick Samphire 5 stars. There’s one thing I missed in the wrap-up and I hope he’ll address that in the next book. I honestly can’t wait for more of Nik’s adventures but I know it’ll take some time. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes rich world-building, fantasy, and flawed characters.
September 21, 2022
Quite the fun magical mystery
Started a bit overdone with the telling and sardonic 'wit' of our hero. The wit calmed as pages passed though moments of telling & retelling surfaced now & then. Otherwise a spectacular tale that kept the intrigue on several levels whilst providing bloody mayhem, subtle strategies, and even touching relationships. Mennik Thorn is a fun character.
Started a bit overdone with the telling and sardonic 'wit' of our hero. The wit calmed as pages passed though moments of telling & retelling surfaced now & then. Otherwise a spectacular tale that kept the intrigue on several levels whilst providing bloody mayhem, subtle strategies, and even touching relationships. Mennik Thorn is a fun character.
January 1, 2022
Review later when it's not New Year's Eve.
December 2, 2021
Nectar for the God is the second in the Mennik Thorn novels. It is even better than the first!
I loved Shadow of a Dead God for its tone, the way Patrick Samphire captured the voice of our hero, the hapless mage, Mennik Thorn. It’s an ironic, sardonic tone that portrays Mennik’s despair as he struggles to make a living. He’s a wonderful character, caught in between the criminal world and the ruthlessly strict authorities as he tries to help others.
Why is this book even better? With the world building for the city of Agatos firmly established, likewise the recurring characters, Samphire has been freed to explore Mennick in greater detail. He’s enriched a loveable character, given him depth and helped us engage with him further. The same is true for characters like Benny, Sereh, his frightening mother, the Countess and the daunting figure of Captain Meroi Gale of the Ash Guard. Each one has opportunities to develop in this story and cause greater pain and trouble for the poor guy.
Agatos becomes an intriguing place to sustain a series of novels too. There are the political intrigues and the ever-present pressures of corruption. The place is an urban jungle of violence. Magic is everywhere, formed from the decomposition of its ancient gods. Its greatest potential is what lies beneath the city though and this is where the second book focuses its story. The city is built on top of previous civilisations and the deities which held sway long ago. We discover they may not all be as dead as we’d hope.
This latest threat is complicated by the pressures placed on Mennik as he tries to satisfy everyone’s demands. The poor guy is just too nice! This is another reason why I love this story even more! It’s not just a story of a significant threat beneath the city. Mennik faces dangers from so many directions and it means there is never a dull moment. The story speeds along, twisting and turning, in the best traditions of any high-speed chase.
It is not a story to leave alone for very long for this reason. But I have to emphasize, the pace doesn’t diminish the characters or its world building. It is a real skill to maintain such a balance and sustain it throughout the story but Samphire manages it exceptionally well.
This is an engaging and exciting book with a central character you cheer on for his resilience. I love that, though there are moments of darkness, they don’t dominate. Yes, there are horrible people but they are balanced by good folk too. It’s refreshing that violence doesn’t overshadow the story, there are no epic battles either. This is as much a detective story as anything, one where magic offers some unpredictable surprises. I recommend it highly!
I loved Shadow of a Dead God for its tone, the way Patrick Samphire captured the voice of our hero, the hapless mage, Mennik Thorn. It’s an ironic, sardonic tone that portrays Mennik’s despair as he struggles to make a living. He’s a wonderful character, caught in between the criminal world and the ruthlessly strict authorities as he tries to help others.
Why is this book even better? With the world building for the city of Agatos firmly established, likewise the recurring characters, Samphire has been freed to explore Mennick in greater detail. He’s enriched a loveable character, given him depth and helped us engage with him further. The same is true for characters like Benny, Sereh, his frightening mother, the Countess and the daunting figure of Captain Meroi Gale of the Ash Guard. Each one has opportunities to develop in this story and cause greater pain and trouble for the poor guy.
Agatos becomes an intriguing place to sustain a series of novels too. There are the political intrigues and the ever-present pressures of corruption. The place is an urban jungle of violence. Magic is everywhere, formed from the decomposition of its ancient gods. Its greatest potential is what lies beneath the city though and this is where the second book focuses its story. The city is built on top of previous civilisations and the deities which held sway long ago. We discover they may not all be as dead as we’d hope.
This latest threat is complicated by the pressures placed on Mennik as he tries to satisfy everyone’s demands. The poor guy is just too nice! This is another reason why I love this story even more! It’s not just a story of a significant threat beneath the city. Mennik faces dangers from so many directions and it means there is never a dull moment. The story speeds along, twisting and turning, in the best traditions of any high-speed chase.
It is not a story to leave alone for very long for this reason. But I have to emphasize, the pace doesn’t diminish the characters or its world building. It is a real skill to maintain such a balance and sustain it throughout the story but Samphire manages it exceptionally well.
This is an engaging and exciting book with a central character you cheer on for his resilience. I love that, though there are moments of darkness, they don’t dominate. Yes, there are horrible people but they are balanced by good folk too. It’s refreshing that violence doesn’t overshadow the story, there are no epic battles either. This is as much a detective story as anything, one where magic offers some unpredictable surprises. I recommend it highly!
December 2, 2021
Readers often liken Mennik Thorn, the protagonist of Patrick Samphire's detective mage series begun in 2020's Shadow of a Dead God, to wizard Harry Dresden of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files fame. While apt in some ways, the comparison falls short in one key element: Dresden is a powerful wizard who gets himself into and out of jams using his powers as sparingly as he can, often as a last resort. As demonstrated in Shadow and now the equally enjoyable sequel Nectar for the God, Mennik Thorn is the antithesis of powerful, yet still manages to find himself Dresden-deep in the thick of things, and still manages to extricate himself - and the friends he has put into danger - from the muck and mire of magical politics that dominates his world.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place - the rock being Wren, one of the two most powerful mages in Agatos, the hard place the another mage, his own mother - Thorn must both solve a client's mystery and steal mother's secrets to repay a favor from Wren or his best friend Benny the thief and his knife-wielding 11-year-old daughter will pay the price.
We saw in Shadow that Thorn is deeply estranged from his powerful mother. In Nectar we see just how deeply. Even with his friend's lives in the balance, Thorn struggles to insinuate himself back into his mother's good graces - such as those are - even though betraying her to Wren would give him a great deal of satisfaction.
Much as in Shadow, Thorn is both too conscientious and too curious to abandon his client, a man whose wife has mysteriously murdered an apparent stranger with a knife in the street, followed by her own suicide. So he pursues the answers to that gory mystery while trying his best to save his friends. That's certainly Dresden-level misery, and Thorn's got only his wits, a bit of magic, and his tenuous friendship with Captain of the Ash Guard Meroi Gale, in charge of keeping certain magics in Agatos reigned in, to fall abck on.
Samphire's sequel maintains the easy readability and dry wit of both Dresden and his own Shadow of a Dead God, but make no mistake - Thorn is his own man with his own methods, and well worth meeting if you haven't already. And just as worth rejoining if you've already read Shadow. If not grab them both and enjoy!
This review is based on an advanced reader copy supplied by the author.
Stuck between a rock and a hard place - the rock being Wren, one of the two most powerful mages in Agatos, the hard place the another mage, his own mother - Thorn must both solve a client's mystery and steal mother's secrets to repay a favor from Wren or his best friend Benny the thief and his knife-wielding 11-year-old daughter will pay the price.
We saw in Shadow that Thorn is deeply estranged from his powerful mother. In Nectar we see just how deeply. Even with his friend's lives in the balance, Thorn struggles to insinuate himself back into his mother's good graces - such as those are - even though betraying her to Wren would give him a great deal of satisfaction.
Much as in Shadow, Thorn is both too conscientious and too curious to abandon his client, a man whose wife has mysteriously murdered an apparent stranger with a knife in the street, followed by her own suicide. So he pursues the answers to that gory mystery while trying his best to save his friends. That's certainly Dresden-level misery, and Thorn's got only his wits, a bit of magic, and his tenuous friendship with Captain of the Ash Guard Meroi Gale, in charge of keeping certain magics in Agatos reigned in, to fall abck on.
Samphire's sequel maintains the easy readability and dry wit of both Dresden and his own Shadow of a Dead God, but make no mistake - Thorn is his own man with his own methods, and well worth meeting if you haven't already. And just as worth rejoining if you've already read Shadow. If not grab them both and enjoy!
This review is based on an advanced reader copy supplied by the author.
May 10, 2023
My second round with Mennik Thorn and I am thoroughly impressed.
After I put down Nectar for the God, my first thought was: Okay, I need the next one. For a bunch of reasons, too. One, I’m fond of Mennik. Two, I’m fascinated by Agatos (it’s people, it’s magic, it’s political intrigue). And three, I really need to see more Captain Gale (and find out how Mennik gets on with her in the next book).
Anyways! We pick up where we’ve left off in Shadow of a Dead God, and the consequences of Mennik’s actions from prior do not take long to catch up to him. And how does he meet them? Hm. I am going to say he meets a lot of them with inaction. Or at least with procrastination by means of taking on a job which has nothing to do with any of the pressing matters breathing down his neck. It’s that inaction, that avoidance, that helps us see how Mennik really is just a man who is beholden to his fears and his ego. And inaction has consequences, too, you see, and I’m always up for seeing the hero of a story realise with cold dread how they’ve just messed up and that they really have no one else but themselves to blame.
Overall, Shadow of a Dead God shows us more of who Mennik is and what drives him – and what he fears. I might go out on a limb here and say that this book may have had a theme of overcoming anxieties? Or at least face them? I don’t know, I am not very good at pointing out themes, I am mostly just here for the rides and what a ride this was.
What I am good at though (I think, maybe, potentially) is pointing out when a book is a lot of fun. And this one is a real lot of fun. The pacing continues to be tight, the mystery mysterious (but we got clues we can put together ourselves, meaning we get that wonderful AHA!! moment), and the humour has yet to miss for me.
After I put down Nectar for the God, my first thought was: Okay, I need the next one. For a bunch of reasons, too. One, I’m fond of Mennik. Two, I’m fascinated by Agatos (it’s people, it’s magic, it’s political intrigue). And three, I really need to see more Captain Gale (and find out how Mennik gets on with her in the next book).
Anyways! We pick up where we’ve left off in Shadow of a Dead God, and the consequences of Mennik’s actions from prior do not take long to catch up to him. And how does he meet them? Hm. I am going to say he meets a lot of them with inaction. Or at least with procrastination by means of taking on a job which has nothing to do with any of the pressing matters breathing down his neck. It’s that inaction, that avoidance, that helps us see how Mennik really is just a man who is beholden to his fears and his ego. And inaction has consequences, too, you see, and I’m always up for seeing the hero of a story realise with cold dread how they’ve just messed up and that they really have no one else but themselves to blame.
Overall, Shadow of a Dead God shows us more of who Mennik is and what drives him – and what he fears. I might go out on a limb here and say that this book may have had a theme of overcoming anxieties? Or at least face them? I don’t know, I am not very good at pointing out themes, I am mostly just here for the rides and what a ride this was.
What I am good at though (I think, maybe, potentially) is pointing out when a book is a lot of fun. And this one is a real lot of fun. The pacing continues to be tight, the mystery mysterious (but we got clues we can put together ourselves, meaning we get that wonderful AHA!! moment), and the humour has yet to miss for me.
December 3, 2021
“Something familiar,
Something peculiar,
Something for everyone…” (opening lyrics from Sondheim’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum)
As I write this, I’m still processing Sondheim’s passing on November 26, but I’m making a point in conjuring the quoted song: Patrick Samphire’s new Mennik Thorn fantasy-noir series is an entertaining genre mash-up told in picaresque narrative form with elements of epic/high fantasy, urban fantasy, mystery, adventure, horror, politics, history/mythology, comedy and even nascent romance (well, sexual tension anyway – more Captain Gale, please.) The magic system is unique. Wisecracks and sarcasm abound. Plus the author successfully pulls off quite a hat trick with both fast-paced action and dynamic character development…so, yes, something for everyone.
Shadow of a Dead God (Mennik Thorn Book 1) was a great read. Nectar for the God (Mennik Thorn Book 2) is even better with faster pacing – the book opens with two peculiar deaths and picks up where the first book ends with second-rate, freelance mage Nik recovering from injuries (again) and in hiding to avoid paying his debt to the Wren, a high mage. A knocking at the door, unavoidable empathy for a new client (“Sometimes you just have to know”), and here’s another fine mess.
Can you start with Book 2? Absolutely, as the books are episodic and there are sufficient flashbacks/explanations. But you’ll miss out on the character arc and Nik’s self-growth if you do: Nik is a work-in-progress professionally and emotionally with complicated relationships to birth and found family. Highly recommended.
I received an e-ARC from the author.
Something peculiar,
Something for everyone…” (opening lyrics from Sondheim’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum)
As I write this, I’m still processing Sondheim’s passing on November 26, but I’m making a point in conjuring the quoted song: Patrick Samphire’s new Mennik Thorn fantasy-noir series is an entertaining genre mash-up told in picaresque narrative form with elements of epic/high fantasy, urban fantasy, mystery, adventure, horror, politics, history/mythology, comedy and even nascent romance (well, sexual tension anyway – more Captain Gale, please.) The magic system is unique. Wisecracks and sarcasm abound. Plus the author successfully pulls off quite a hat trick with both fast-paced action and dynamic character development…so, yes, something for everyone.
Shadow of a Dead God (Mennik Thorn Book 1) was a great read. Nectar for the God (Mennik Thorn Book 2) is even better with faster pacing – the book opens with two peculiar deaths and picks up where the first book ends with second-rate, freelance mage Nik recovering from injuries (again) and in hiding to avoid paying his debt to the Wren, a high mage. A knocking at the door, unavoidable empathy for a new client (“Sometimes you just have to know”), and here’s another fine mess.
Can you start with Book 2? Absolutely, as the books are episodic and there are sufficient flashbacks/explanations. But you’ll miss out on the character arc and Nik’s self-growth if you do: Nik is a work-in-progress professionally and emotionally with complicated relationships to birth and found family. Highly recommended.
I received an e-ARC from the author.
January 4, 2022
An excellent follow-up to Shadow of a Dead God. As a minor mage, Mennick Thorn is an unwilling pawn in the power games of his city’s two great wizards. Not playing simply isn’t an option, so he has to work hard to avoid falling foul of either faction because the consequences won’t only be dire for him. There is genuine danger here, for Mennik and for those he cares about. That threat’s unacceptable as far as he’s concerned, though doing something about it is less easy. Mennik’s fiercely loyal to his friends, perhaps to a fault, but as we learn more about his actual family, that becomes understandable.
His upbringing also helps explain his dogged determination to unravel the mystery that lies behind an apparently inexplicable murder. A distraught widower knocking on his door may start him on this quest, but this violent death and its consequences are no mere plot convenience. This man’s grief matters to Mennik as he follows a trail of clues and red herrings to find far more lurking trouble than anyone expected. That ensures the story will matter to readers as well.
Recommended for epic fantasy fans whether they’ve recently discovered the genre, or if they’ve been reading it for decades. Definitely worth a look if you used to read epic fantasy, but drifted away because what was on offer began to feel stale and repetitive. This isn't one of those books.
His upbringing also helps explain his dogged determination to unravel the mystery that lies behind an apparently inexplicable murder. A distraught widower knocking on his door may start him on this quest, but this violent death and its consequences are no mere plot convenience. This man’s grief matters to Mennik as he follows a trail of clues and red herrings to find far more lurking trouble than anyone expected. That ensures the story will matter to readers as well.
Recommended for epic fantasy fans whether they’ve recently discovered the genre, or if they’ve been reading it for decades. Definitely worth a look if you used to read epic fantasy, but drifted away because what was on offer began to feel stale and repetitive. This isn't one of those books.
December 24, 2021
Good story but unsatisfying hero
I thought the writing and the story were good, but the characters are all so unlikable. Nik is an absolute mess who makes poor decisions, one after another. I know he suffers from severe trauma, but after two books, he doesn’t seem to have experienced any positive growth. It’s hard to root for someone who consistently lets all the people that matter to him down. I have empathy for him, but the only reason to root for him is in sympathy for the people counting on him.
His friend Benny is self-centered and selfish. The ONLY redeemable characteristic about him is his love for his daughter, but even that is tainted for me because his daughter… is creepy. Creepy is an understatement and that’s about all I can say about it.
The only character I actually liked is the Ash Guard Captain. She’s great and I actually think she would make a great protagonist for a series. I could definitely root for her and I think she has a lot of interesting layers that could be explored.
I stayed engaged reading both books, but I don’t think I’ll be picking up any more books in this world with Nik as the main character. I will keep an eye out for other series by this author because I do think he has talent and the ability to tell a good tale.
I thought the writing and the story were good, but the characters are all so unlikable. Nik is an absolute mess who makes poor decisions, one after another. I know he suffers from severe trauma, but after two books, he doesn’t seem to have experienced any positive growth. It’s hard to root for someone who consistently lets all the people that matter to him down. I have empathy for him, but the only reason to root for him is in sympathy for the people counting on him.
His friend Benny is self-centered and selfish. The ONLY redeemable characteristic about him is his love for his daughter, but even that is tainted for me because his daughter… is creepy. Creepy is an understatement and that’s about all I can say about it.
The only character I actually liked is the Ash Guard Captain. She’s great and I actually think she would make a great protagonist for a series. I could definitely root for her and I think she has a lot of interesting layers that could be explored.
I stayed engaged reading both books, but I don’t think I’ll be picking up any more books in this world with Nik as the main character. I will keep an eye out for other series by this author because I do think he has talent and the ability to tell a good tale.
February 19, 2023
I seemed to remember enjoying "Shadow Of A Dead God," (I even gave it a 5-star review, apparently) so I was excited to discover that it had a sequel.
Either I had forgotten how neurotic the main character was, or he had suffered a major psychotic episode between books. This guy is terrified of EVERYONE.
Literally everyone. His mom. His sister. His friend's 9-year-old daughter. His waitress. He has a crush on a policewoman and he's terrified of her also.
Until the climax of the book, when he faces an ancient god who is literally made of nightmares, and he decides not to be scared. Easy peasy resolution of the plot.
It's still a mostly-fun book. The world-building is colorful, the action is fast-paced, the investigation is intriguing. I enjoy magical private detectives. Mennik Thorn stories are similar to the Dresden Files, at least in genre. But Thorn's neurotic personality is really dragging the story down. After reading the first book, I thought he was going to go on my list of endearing magical rogues, but I'm afraid that his crippling fear, his constant guilt-tripping, and his habitual self-harm have disqualified him by now.
I'm still going to read the third book, though. I just hope Mr. Thorn matures by the time I start it.
Either I had forgotten how neurotic the main character was, or he had suffered a major psychotic episode between books. This guy is terrified of EVERYONE.
Literally everyone. His mom. His sister. His friend's 9-year-old daughter. His waitress. He has a crush on a policewoman and he's terrified of her also.
Until the climax of the book, when he faces an ancient god who is literally made of nightmares, and he decides not to be scared. Easy peasy resolution of the plot.
It's still a mostly-fun book. The world-building is colorful, the action is fast-paced, the investigation is intriguing. I enjoy magical private detectives. Mennik Thorn stories are similar to the Dresden Files, at least in genre. But Thorn's neurotic personality is really dragging the story down. After reading the first book, I thought he was going to go on my list of endearing magical rogues, but I'm afraid that his crippling fear, his constant guilt-tripping, and his habitual self-harm have disqualified him by now.
I'm still going to read the third book, though. I just hope Mr. Thorn matures by the time I start it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2024
Mennik Thorn, a Freelance Mage, is approached by a Husband to investigate his wife's death, which he believes may have had a magical element to it. The case soon draws Nik into more trouble than he was expecting and puts him at odds with the two High Mages, the Wren and the Countess, while also attracting the attention of the Ash Guard, as his investigations uncover more leads.
As with the first book, this is a highly enjoyable adventure with lots of twists, turns and setbacks for Mennik, who is a well-defined character with a self-deprecating sense of humour and a single-mindedness to do the right thing and be independent, which tends to get him into trouble. There are a fair number of supporting characters, all of which are equally well-written and have distinct and complex personalities that you find yourself warming to.
The plot is well thought out and will keep you engaged and turning pages to see what happens next, it also avoids taking shortcuts or having something just happen just because it needs to, which is always a bonus.
Overall, this is a wonderful series and one I would recommend you read.
As with the first book, this is a highly enjoyable adventure with lots of twists, turns and setbacks for Mennik, who is a well-defined character with a self-deprecating sense of humour and a single-mindedness to do the right thing and be independent, which tends to get him into trouble. There are a fair number of supporting characters, all of which are equally well-written and have distinct and complex personalities that you find yourself warming to.
The plot is well thought out and will keep you engaged and turning pages to see what happens next, it also avoids taking shortcuts or having something just happen just because it needs to, which is always a bonus.
Overall, this is a wonderful series and one I would recommend you read.
May 1, 2025
Mennik "Nik" Thorn, the City of Agatos' unluckiest, most bludgeoned freelance mage is back in action, picking up almost directly after where book one ends (Shadow of a Dead God; do yourself a favor and start there). Though currently not advertising, Nik manages to be hired once more for an incredibly odd case involving murder and bad luck. That would be enough on its own but he's also trying to avoid (among other things): being killed by a mob boss, simultaneously detonating both family and city politics, sparking a war of high-mages and alienating the few friends he has left. It's hard not to root for Nik, even while he's clearly not making the best of choices at all times. Samphire's settings, pace and descriptions really keep you engaged going into to the next chapter, even if I... I mean you... even if _you_ need to get back to work after reading at lunch. Probably goes without saying that I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
December 24, 2021
I don't know how Samphire does it. I read Book 1 on a whim. Didn't think I would enjoy a fusion of the detective genre and fantasy. I'm a Middle-earth geek, a lover of epic fantasy (of which, good stories are hard to find). But here is what I can tell you about Samphire's Mennik Thorn stories: they are crack for the fantasy-starved soul. Absolute fun.
Book 2 is better than Book 1. Positively Lovecraftian in many places (as you will easily see).
Some complain about the protagonist. He's a mess. Neurotic. Ironically strong, though he is the underpowered hero. I guess you learn in life to love people who are messes. Maybe those who complain haven't learned that (yet).
There are some typos (Kindle version). Not enough to spoil the reading experience, but something worth noting.
Can't wait for Book 3! God-speed, Mr. Samphire, and please don't run out of stories!
Book 2 is better than Book 1. Positively Lovecraftian in many places (as you will easily see).
Some complain about the protagonist. He's a mess. Neurotic. Ironically strong, though he is the underpowered hero. I guess you learn in life to love people who are messes. Maybe those who complain haven't learned that (yet).
There are some typos (Kindle version). Not enough to spoil the reading experience, but something worth noting.
Can't wait for Book 3! God-speed, Mr. Samphire, and please don't run out of stories!
December 18, 2021
Stunning second volume.
This is an assured and possibly improved return for Mennik Thorn and the city of Agatos from Mr Samphire.
It grabbed me from the offset and held to its last.
Mennick stumbling from self imposed disaster to disaster is just the salve needed for a real world where our own agency feels stifled and yet just as Mennick does we bumble through and survive and maybe even triumph a little.
When I say triumph I mean buy a coffee and a pastry and ruminate on how we got ourselves here again.
Forlornly I shall pine for the third book much like Mennick does for Capt Gale.
This is an assured and possibly improved return for Mennik Thorn and the city of Agatos from Mr Samphire.
It grabbed me from the offset and held to its last.
Mennick stumbling from self imposed disaster to disaster is just the salve needed for a real world where our own agency feels stifled and yet just as Mennick does we bumble through and survive and maybe even triumph a little.
When I say triumph I mean buy a coffee and a pastry and ruminate on how we got ourselves here again.
Forlornly I shall pine for the third book much like Mennick does for Capt Gale.
January 2, 2022
"Shadow of a Dead God" was a SPFBO finalist last year and IMHO the best of the finalists that I read (including the winner). "Nectar for the God" is the sequel and I am happy to report that it is every bit as good, if not a bit better. This time around Patrick Samphire seems more at ease with his characters and setting, so it feels like slipping on a well-fitting pair of old shoes. The plot is equally twisty and Nik still finds himself in deep trouble on all sides. The ending is a bit more satisfying than "Shadow" which was very much a "to be continued" cutoff.
I look forward to the next installment.
I look forward to the next installment.
May 3, 2022
Patrick Samphire is quickly becoming one of those indie fantasy writers I recommend to everyone -- his Mennik Thorn series is fantasy-noir, reminiscent of Glen Gook's Garrett, PI, series and Jim Butcher's Dresden Files (with a much less contemporary feel). Nik is a good detective, a mage who's probably more powerful than he thinks, and above all a Good Guy. It's (mostly) not his fault that he keeps coming up against elder gods and dark magic (and, this time around, some nasty tentacled creatures). It's (mostly) not his fault that he keeps getting more and more involved in cutthroat city politics. I'm rooting for the guy, wholeheartedly. (Also for the Ash Guard, who rock my socks).
December 28, 2024
In the Nectar for the God, the second iteration of Mennik Thorn’s adventures, our mage for hire continues to surprise and delight. As before, the story continues to move forward at a fun, rapid pace that makes it impossible to put down the book.
As to be expected, our likeable protagonist mage keeps falling in trouble. And for Mennik, trouble is usually accompanied by bigger, more dangerous troubles. He has accrued serious debts, and now the crime lord comes calling.
Full review on SFF Insiders
As to be expected, our likeable protagonist mage keeps falling in trouble. And for Mennik, trouble is usually accompanied by bigger, more dangerous troubles. He has accrued serious debts, and now the crime lord comes calling.
Full review on SFF Insiders
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