By coincidence when i received this book free as part of Goodreads First Read program, i was already reading some old Marvel Comics (The Defenders) Mr Englehart had written for. That and the blurb on the back made me excited to read 'The Long Man'. In the end i enjoyed it but it was a bit rough at points. Some days i just couldn't pick it up.
My first peeve was the vagueness of the mechanics behind the magical abilities of the hero. The hero, Max August, seems flat. All we have to identify with him is his yearning for his dead wife and his alchemical abilities. By the end of the book neither seem real.
Instead of depth to the plot and characters, Mr Englehart throws a large variety of information at us: exotic locales, spiritualism, the Mayan calender, astronomy and badly explained gnosticism. It wasn't till i started treating 'The Long Man' as a picture-free comic book, and not as an occult action novel, that i started to enjoy it and then the reading was smooth sailing through till the good guys triumphed.
I'm still debating on whether to hand this book to my fiance's 15-yo son. There is no overt passages describing sex acts, but sex and torture are definitely here. PG-13, not R, rating.
All in all, once i took 'The Long Man' for what it is, it was a good lazy weekend read. I will continue to enjoy Mr Englehart's writing for Marvel and might look for other works by him but i really can't say i will ever return to the 'Max August' series. ( )

The plot of this is well-constructed. The underlying ideas were obviously thought out in some depth, and do not feel at all half-assed as I've come to expect from novels with similar themes. The pacing is decent. The characters are sympathetic (when Englehart wants them to be sympathetic). It was a very easy read that kept pulling me along toward the conclusion.

The dialog is corny, and not in a good way. The character motivations can be a little hard to swallow. The descriptions are a touch too involved.

In the end, I felt like I would have been justified just ignoring it rather than picking up a copy to read -- and, if it hadn't been a gift as part of a yearly book exchange with my second family, I would have passed it by based on the back cover text. It wasn't hard to pick up and keep reading, but it wasn't hard to put down either. ( )

Steve Englehart’s “The Long Man” is a part two of a trilogy but you would not know it, as the author quickly gets the reader up to speed in the first few chapters.

Other reviewers have complained that the book moves slow as the characters begin to lecture to each other but I disagree that this is a necessary negative. I think it’s helpful that we know and understand why Max August is who he is – a Timeless alchemist, recent disciple of Agrippa, a man who is a few centuries old – both Agrippa and Max’s wife Val murdered by a female demon who wants to control the world. Pretty evil stuff.

Max sets a trap for an unknown organization that wants to take over the Western Hemisphere via a small country in South America. He uses Pam, a biologist who has accidentally discovered a cure for a poison that turns people into Zombies (or “Zombi” as Englehart likes to spell it). However, he fall s in love with her and it turns out he can’t survive without her.

She plays the foil where she has the same questions we have – why is Max immortal, what does he believe in, how does the universe work in his doubtful mythology? And why is he searching for his now dead wife Val every Halloween night?

The book has some political commentary – bought senators and ambassadors, women who use sex for their own political ends, and an organization, the “Necklace” whose only job in life is to subjugate the Earth for the demon Alexsandra, who is a former lover of Max August. Complex, perhaps too much so, but interesting.

Bottom Line: I met Steve Englehart when he autographed this book for me, but regardless I let the book stand on its own merits. If you know Dr. Strange from the Marvel Comics and James Bond films, then your young adult may enjoy a good read. The book always has some action and suspense, mystery and exploration of mysticism and cultures that maintains interest. Recommended.
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Steve Englehart’s “The Long Man” is a part two of a trilogy but you would not know it, as the author quickly gets the reader up to speed in the first few chapters.

Other reviewers have complained that the book moves slow as the characters begin to lecture to each other but I disagree that this is a necessary negative. I think it’s helpful that we know and understand why Max August is who he is – a Timeless alchemist, recent disciple of Agrippa, a man who is a few centuries old – both Agrippa and Max’s wife Val murdered by a female demon who wants to control the world. Pretty evil stuff.

Max sets a trap for an unknown organization that wants to take over the Western Hemisphere via a small country in South America. He uses Pam, a biologist who has accidentally discovered a cure for a poison that turns people into Zombies (or “Zombi” as Englehart likes to spell it). However, he fall s in love with her and it turns out he can’t survive without her.

She plays the foil where she has the same questions we have – why is Max immortal, what does he believe in, how does the universe work in his doubtful mythology? And why is he searching for his now dead wife Val every Halloween night?

The book has some political commentary – bought senators and ambassadors, women who use sex for their own political ends, and an organization, the “Necklace” whose only job in life is to subjugate the Earth for the demon Alexsandra, who is a former lover of Max August. Complex, perhaps too much so, but interesting.

Bottom Line: I met Steve Englehart when he autographed this book for me, but regardless I let the book stand on its own merits. If you know Dr. Strange from the Marvel Comics and James Bond films, then your young adult may enjoy a good read. The book always has some action and suspense, mystery and exploration of mysticism and cultures that maintains interest. Recommended.
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An interesting story about an immortal radio Disc Jockey from the 70s that has magic powers drawn from the energy of the universe. He lost the love of his life years ago and has been searching for her since, while trying to avoid being recognized. Along the way he's made enemies of other powerful magic users that want him either dead, or to join their cause.

This time out, Max August uncovers a conspiracy of powerful people who are trying to take over small country by turning the population into zombies, and then killing them all. Only Max has found a new friend, the very attractive doctor Pamela Blackwell, that has inadvertently discovered the antidote to the zombie potion.

As Max saves Pam's life and introduces her into the world of magic, together they seek out the evil people set on controlling this small country.

The Long Man is a sequel to a book I didn't read, but it make any difference. The Long Man was easy to get into and covered enough back story to bring me up to speed on the world and the characters.

The presentation of magic in this book had a very clear "new age" feel to it, as did much of Max's own belief system and everything he explained to Pam about how the world works. That turned me off a bit due to my own personal beliefs, but I still enjoyed the book. It had action and adventure, nice personal interaction, and a fun story.




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