Rob Thurman

Like so many, I’m a big fan of the Cal Leandros series. That said, I have enjoyed everything Thurman has written so far just as much. When I saw this collection of four short stories I didn’t hesitate. Though this paperback is “self-published,” three of the stories have appeared in other anthologies.

It’s rare for me to enjoy every story in a collection. The only time I can recall other than this is Brigg’s “Shifting Shadows.” All four stories here are not just enjoyable, but show more downright excellent. Thurman manages to put a true surprise into each story, which is no easy feat.

Milk & Cookies – a Christmas story unlike any other, when a brother who no longer believes in Santa helps his little sister believe just a little bit longer. Fun, with a funny but macabre twist at the end.

First Ball…Las Call – this apocalyptic story about the Fae turns a reader’s expectations on their head.

A Grain of Salt – I love when Thurman goes back to Cal’s childhood, before he became the badass we know. I love even more when she reminds us he was still badass even then!

Talking Trash – a fun little story from the Trickster series about our favorite ex-Demon/Ex-Angel couple. I’ve always loved that it’s the ex-Angel who has trouble fitting in with humanity.

Overall, everything in here is worth the read. While the paperback is very expensive for the amount of material included (not surprising given how it’s published), I decided it was worth the cost. However, there is a much more reasonably priced kindle version also available. Highly recommended. show less

This book absolutely stresses how the core three of this universe are Cal, Niko, and Robin Goodfellow. It's sometimes sensitive about it, or at least understandable, because we know Cal would pretty much kill anyone else without a thought. But in many places it wasn't sensitive at all, and added scenes and possible retcons that are very harsh toward a few characters. I console myself partially by remembering that if anyone is an unreliable narrator it's Goodfellow.

I liked the action in this show more book, and I've always liked the characters. I enjoyed reading from Goodfellow's POV and seeing all his scheming first hand--and how that turned this book into a bit of a caper. But I hated the character assassination and the emphasis that there is no one else worthy in the world but Cal, Niko, and Goodfellow.

I'm still interested enough in Cal and what he is to continue. show less

Review courtesy of All Things Urban Fantasy.
allthingsuf.com

There has been a particular fate clicking away in Cal’s genes from the moment of his birth, and a particular doom dogging the Leandros brothers since the dawn of time. DOWNFALL is when Robin Goodfellow gets fed up with watching incarnation after incarnation of the brothers die a horrible death. DOWNFALL is when he decides it’s time to play this game the Trickster way.

From the opening scene of doom, to the flashback that traces show more Cal and Niko’s path to that final confrontation, Thurman gives us both Cal and Robin Goodfellow in alternating perspectives. With the deck stacked so high against Cal, it is a welcome joy to see Robin, unfettered in all his ancient, powerful, sex positive and egomaniacal glory, striving so valiantly to keep his friends alive. Rather than a magical deus ex machina swooping in at the end, we see Robin tirelessly (and deviously) to save the brothers throughout the entire book. And yet even with these glimpses of his plans, there’s no guarantees.

Despite the danger all around, I found that Robin Goodfellow outshines even the action side of the plot. Unabashedly pansexual and lecherous, he smashes the modern stereotypes of “manhood” without turning a hair, all the while flexing his power and experience in a desperate effort to save his friends. Though I’m late to this series, both SLASHBACK and DOWNFALL have been entirely enjoyable for a new reader, though both remind me of all the great backstory I should catch up on. A game changer with fascinating implications for the future, DOWNFALL is a book no Leandros fan should miss.

Sexual Content: References to sex. show less

Killed me dead, just dead. Like Connor Grey, this is a series I wait for and enjoy sinking back into. Having parts of the book told from Niko's point of view added something this series needed, I think. It isn't always pleasant to be in Cal's head, nor do you get a realistic view of every character. Having Niko narrate also helps give a more realistic view of Niko himself (who Cal idolizes so sees as perfect but who, turns out, is a flawed human being just like the rest of us).

Since this show more book picks up right after the previous it's no surprise that Robin Goodfellow is in a bad way. He hasn't even gotten laid! But he does manage to adopt (or be adopted by) a mummified cat and finds a very surprising sexual partner so as it so often is with Pucks, all's well that ends well.

The Auphe are back and they are mad. And also apparently horny. In the previous book Cal and Niko managed to destroy most of the Auphe. Turns out they destroyed all the males, leaving Cal the only male (half)Auphe left alive. He's the foundation of their breeding plan, the poor guy. But before they take him they're going to kill everyone in his life in the most brutal way possible. There's a moment in the book where Cal realizes he could run away, die, go insane, or get back up and fight and it was at that moment when I realized how much he has grown up since the first book.

As I mentioned, I got a better view of Niko in this book and I like him more because of it. The one thing he needs, no, requires, from those in his life is honesty. He won't judge what he's told but he needs to be told. When he finds out Promise kept things from him that shakes him deeply.

The book begins and ends with the tale of Hammer, a dog that Cal and Niko lived near as children. It will shake you to your core but when you think about it you won't be surprised at all. show less