Dead Things (Eric Carter Book 1)

I feel like this book (and series) is kind of hard to rate for me. I have a few issues with things here and there, and yet, this is the most enjoyment I've gotten out of a book in a long time. I think this might be my new favorite series despite some of it's flaws. I'm writing this after having read up to the fourth book and I can say that I'm really into it.Eric Carter definitely won't be for everyone. This is sort of a crasser version of the Dresden Files, so if you don't like constant swearing and a gray (like dark gray) main character, then maybe this won't be fore you.My issues with this particular book stem mostly from side characters constantly ragging on and blaming the main character for things that were either out of his control or not managing his own trauma (like seriously) so that he could be more helpful to them. The ending was also a bit rushed and anticlimactic, but then again the books are very fast paced in general. And I thought he gave into Santa Muerte's deal a bit too quickly for someone who knew things about beings like her (then again this starts what ends up being the most hilariously dark marital dispute I've ever seen written and wasn't expecting when I picked up these books, so whatever I guess.)Again, it's a hard one for me to rate because it's got flaws, but the authors voice, the main character, and the world building totally made it worth it.

Recommended by author Kevin Hearne (Iron Druid series). I was looking for something after reading books 16 and 17 of the Dresden Files series and this pretty much fits the bill. Eric Carter (like Harry Dresden) has magic. But his is a very special kind of magic. He sees dead people. He can talk to them and even transport himself (not too easily) to the other side. The book is very cleverly written and the author has constructed an excellent universe. I like the protagonist. The writing is good if not quite as effortless as in the Dresden books. I am looking forward to the next book!

The writing is great, and so is the story. Eric Carter is not easy to love as a character, but the author makes a solid case for it. :)There are echoes of The Dresden Files, but beyond a faint similarity between the two characters (both male, magic users, with powerful friends and foes...) there's not much else. Eric Carter's magic is, by virtue of being necromancy, is significantly darker and shows great promise if he decides to dial it up to 10.Also: I ended up binge-reading the entire series in the space of a weekend. So to summarize, buy the book already!

POSSIBLE SPOILERSMr. Blackmoore can definitely write but his delivery to me was just off.In the beginning the main character is going to cash in on a bad guy and says (Paraphrased) You make gods angry and they may not want to deal with you, so they send something worse, me!.... I read that and thought, oh wow, this is going to be good but when he shows up to fight, and he starts saying that he may have bit off more than he can chew. It just seemed weird to me. There were more than several instances of this all throughout the book, he kept referring to the people chasing him as amateurs but he always ended up pretty much on the losing end and just narrowly escaping, or tied to a chair with a missing tooth, broken ribs and his eyes swelled shut.All of that wouldn't be a problem at all, I definitely don't mind the main character being shown to not be invincible but when you build him up with catch phrases before he enters a room of bad guys, such as: I knew before I even walked in that I was going to kill everyone...... Then he makes it through the door frame and gets a tazer to the neck and wakes up again tied to a chair.Throughout the book demigods keep saying that he is way more powerful than he knows and nothing ever comes of it.. Then at the very end the goddess of death lends him her power and the most spectacular thing he does with it is goes to a cemetery and makes a corpse fall out of a casket.I'll buy the second one because on top of all I said, Mr. Blackmoore does write a good story. I'd just rather the description of how much of a badass the guy is really matches up with what he actually throws down.

Lets get this out if the way.I love this book. It's wonderfully written with a tragic smartass character. It reminds me heavily of The Dresden Files and thats not a bad thing, but theres one thing Dresden did better....it took its time to build up its characters. The character development and plot that happened during this book should've happened over 3. The decisions made didnt have the impact they should have had because to be frank, I don't care about the characters yet. They haven't earned my investment which makes the deaths and decisions meaningless. I'm hopeful for improvement and better pacing, because this world has amazing potential.

I seem to be on a serious urban fantasy kick of late but hey, I'm enjoying myself. I discovered Dead Things via Chuck Wendig's Blog (Terrible Minds), where he touted it as one of his favourite urban fantasy books. So far there are five books in the series (only available in paperback alas) and after reading three chapters of this first one, I ordered the other four. If you like UF - and I mean UF as well as or opposed to paranomal romance-UF - then you'll probably enjoy this. I suppose you could call it low fantasy since the emphasis is on the dark, gritty underbelly of the UF world and there's very little in the way of lighter emotions. (No real romance for instance - not a problem for me but if that has to be a staple of UF for you, this may not be the book you're looking for.)Eric Carter was born a necromancer in a world where magic users aren't uncommon but they're not really 'out' to the world at large. Fifteen years ago he left LA following certain actions he took after his parents were murdered. He's been on the road ever since. Carter is really only just on this side of the line of the good and righteous. He's massively flawed - arrogant, detached and somewhat selfish. Life has knocked him around and he's not the sort to roll with the punches. Added to which spending all that time with dead things definitely alters your perspective on life. Then his siter is horrifically murdered and Eric Carter ends up back in LA, determined to find her murderer whilst also facing the past he's been running from for a decade and a half.One of the things that made this immensely readable for me is that Carter does not wallow. He doesn't make excuses for himself. He is well aware that he's not a nice guy and doesn't try to justify himself. What could have been another self pitying 'nice guy' with a white knight complex instead was an engaging anti-hero that made you wince but you couldn't help rooting for all the same.The pacing is good. The characterisation and world building are excellent. I expect good things of the rest of the series. Final thought - that ending. We're not talking cliff hanger or unearned tragedy, but you know how some books end and they're bittersweet? Yeah, this is more bitter-bitter. With a side of bleak. I loved it and felt slapped by it at the same time. Perhaps that was what the author was going for? If you want darker UF with a likeable anti-hero, I definitely recommend this.

Awesome urban fantasy, deserves to be more widely read. Will definitely read next volumes.

This promises to be an excellent series with this book setting the scene. Sadly the next book is not available on kindle.

Der Plot dieses Romans bietet auf den ersten Blick nicht viel neues. Aber manche Storylines trifft man aus gutem Grund immer wieder und in diesem Fall hat der Autor was gutes draus gemacht.Vor 15 Jahren hat Eric Carter Los Angeles nach dem Tod seiner Eltern verlassen und seine Schwester zurückgelassen. Nun ist sie ermordet worden und Carter kehrt zurück um herauszufinden was dahinter steckt. Zu niemandes Überraschung stellt sich heraus, dass Carter einige Feinde zurückgelassen hat die noch die ein oder andere Rechnung offen hatten und möglicherweise seine Schwester benutzt haben um eine eindeutige Botschaft zu senden.Diese altbekannte Storyline wird hier jedoch um einige spannende übernatürliche Elemente erweitert. Carter ist nämlich ein Necromancer und seine Freunde und Feinde in L.A. sind auch allesamt mit der magischen Community verbunden.Der Autor begibt sich bei der Wahl der Mythologien allerdings auf weniger ausgetrampelte Pfade. Hier gibt es endlich mal keine Vampire, Werwölfe oder Feen. Nein, hier werden härtere Geschütze in Form von alten Göttern aufgefahren. Mit den Loa des Voodoo oder Santa Muerte hatte ich es als Fan dieses Genres bisher noch nicht zu tun und habe mich sehr über diese Entwicklung gefreut.Die Mythologischen Element allein sind es aber nicht, die aus dieser Story mehr machen. Carter kämpft sich fluchend und blutend durch die Story, dass für Fans von klassischer Action eine wahre Freude ist. Wie es sich für den Helden solcher Geschichten gehört windet er sich häufig in letzter Sekunde aus den ausichtlosesten Situationen und hat immer noch einen guten Spruch für die Bösewichter übrig. Der Autor hat Carters Universum ausserdem mit einigen spannenden Nebendarstellern bestückt, von denen ich hoffe, dass wir sie wiedersehen.Fans von Richard Kadrey's "Sandman Slim" werden sicher einige Flashbacks haben. Ich denke aber das auf dem großen Buchmarkt platz für zwei klugscheissende Magier ist die sich mit Dämonen rumschlagen und ihren Ex-Freundinnen hinterhertrauern.Das Ende kann in diesem Fall allerdings nur ein Anfang sein. Die Ereignisse in diesem Buch haben Carter und seine Welt eingeführt und nun geht die Reise erst richtig los.

I like to read a bit of Urban Fantasy every now and then and am by no means an expert on the genre. This book was a fun, foot to the floor ride that was extremely enjoyable. A wise-cracking lead character that reminded me of Robert Crais Elvis Cole (an LA PI) that is a Necromancer that is drawn back to LA after the death of his sister. From there all hell breaks loose as Eric Carter fights off all sorts of nasties. Loved it!