Randy HendersonBesprekingen

My novel is an uncorrected advance reading copy, so be aware some of the novel may have changed by the time it was published.

Finn Fancy Necromancy was a great fantasy read that kept me interested for most of the book! I did seem to think it was 100 pages to long, since I got bored by page 300, but it was still a good read!

Finn Gramaraye is a necromancer who was framed for dark necromancy when he was fifteen. Now he is out of the Other Realm jail and is free, but it's twenty-five years later. Despite all this time passing, someone is still trying to frame him, and even send him back!

His family is quite strange, since his brother Mort runs the family business, his brother Pete thinks he's a werewolf, his sister is allergic to magic, and now he's met some new friends like a fellow exiled man, and two women he might have had crushes on in the past. Finn still has his fifteen year old memories, but nothing of what has changed since. This adds to a lot of the drama!

The group have to try to figure out who is framing Finn and the family, and trying to hurt everyone.

The novel starts out very slowly, and it took about 100 pages for me to get into the story. Once I got through the boring retelling of everything that happened to Finn's family when he was gone, and the boring stories about the past, I got attached to the story. After about two hundred pages of good action, drama and a pinch of romance, the story becomes repetitive and boring. Rehearing Finn having a crush on someone, and the retelling of the past yet again, I felt like some of the novel could have been deleted to make it a very addicting and fast read.

The plot itself is well planned, and the character development was great! I liked how Finn matured over the novel from a fifteen year old to an adult. I also enjoyed the plot twists and whacky characters!

Overall, I felt like the novel retold aspects of the story to much. I could have lived without the retelling of the past over and over.

Four out of five stars!

I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

It took me a while to get into the story but when I did I was hooked. A murder mystery in a very cool low fantasy setting, with an incredibly likeable main character and some very funny lines, as well as some very cool world building. I'm actually really into the way this story went and want to read more of the trilogy now!

Some parts I predicted - Grayson being involved, Grayson being Orion's father, Heather being part of it all and even Dawn being who Finn chooses. Some parts I also saw coming we're Pete actually becoming a waer by the end. But that didn't detract from this being an enjoyable read. Do recommend for fantasy fans!!

Does anyone else think it's weird that so many books with a necromancer hero are humorous? I mean, it's odd, right?

Anyway, chalk this one up in the humorous column. Love that it's set in Port Townsend, love that the main character is stuck in the 80s mentally, love that even though this story is JUST REALLY FREAKIN' WEIRD, I still wanted to read it and follow all its twisty, turny, corny goodness. Well played, Henderson, well played.

A different kind of urban fantasy for me, but I liked it.

Finn was framed for dark magic when he was 15 and exiled to the Fae world, where they fed off his memories for 25 years. When he's finally released, an attack during the 'exchange' (a changing was using his body during his sentence) left him with his body back but without the usual memory transfer, leaving him with no idea what's happened in the world for the last 25 years.

This allows the story to occasionally wallow in cheesy 80's references, and his fellow exile Zeke to look like what sounds like a Nordic Mr. T. If you're a child of the 80's or a fan of pop culture, it definitely makes the story chuckle-worthy.

The plot revolves around Finn trying to clear his name and figure out who didn't want him released from exile. The answer was both transparently obvious from the start and a surprise; I missed enough clues along the way that I didn't see the twist coming.

I must be getting old, because I found myself skimming a lot of the action scenes, but I did thoroughly enjoy the book. It's funny and well written and I cared about what was going to happen to the characters.

It's the start of a series, and I'll happily read book #2, but I'm not champing at the bit to rush out to buy it. I'll come across it eventually and snap it up when I do.

***WHO SUCKED ME IN***
The Book Pusher (aka Maddie on Goodreads: her review) on YouTube in her NOVEMBER WRAP UP 2017 published on 3 dec. 2017

Fairly charming but I was not hooked enough to finish or go one with the series. The 80's stuff was a little forced. A 9 y.o. might have been setting his alarm to get to the Saturday morning cartoons. But a 14 y.o.? And it's 'mix tape' not 'mixed tape'. Sigh.

So, where to begin with this crazy whirlwind of a book? If you're looking at the cover, and hoping that the story inside matches the complete random feeling of the outside, please know that you can breathe easy. This book is so weird. Finn Fancy Necromancy is a family drama, but also it's not. A dramedy? A comera? Ha. Point being, this book takes a long look at a very weird, rather lovable family, without one iota of seriousness thrown in. Are you looking for something utterly random, and yet engrossing at the same time? Congratulations. You've found your book.

In an unprecedented turn of events, I'm going to talk about the writing first. Normally I love to dish all about characters from the get go. This time around, the writing deserves some love. I promise you that "random" is the best word to describe this book. However, it's completely addictive because of how well written it is. Some sort of sorcery is afoot when a debut author swaps from the topics of necromancy and Fae, to describing a character that sounds suspiciously like Mr T., right on to 90's pop culture and a guerrilla sasquatch team, and the reader doesn't even bat an eye. Sure, this book is absolute madness most times. But it's funny, and it's easy to read.

Now, we can get to the characters! Who, despite their rather... erm... unique personalities, grow on you after a while. The fact that Finn is experiencing the current world after essentially being stuck as a 15 year old boy for 25 years, is priceless. His lack of knowledge about technology and jargon just add to the overall insanity of this story line. He's likable, as is the rest of his family after a while. While you might not always love where things are going, I'm betting to guess you won't be able to resist the quirkiness of these characters.

Finn Fancy Necromancy gets three "What in the everloving HELL?" fueled stars from this reader. With its solid writing, hilarious events, and lovable characters, it was a pretty fun ride. I'm just hoping there is more around the bend and, I can't stress this enough, it doesn't take me so long to settle in to.

This is a light read, and was fine. It wasn't laugh out loud funny, to me, but it was amusing. The story was well put together, and the characters were fine. It wasn't enough for me to follow the series, but it was worth an afternoon.

Hilariously wonderful!

This amusing and fun urban fantasy was exactly what I needed. Henderson creates a relatable in Finn, who as a mere teenager is framed for a dark magic attack on another person. Twenty-five years later, his spirit returns from exile and is dropped back into his body--which has been maintained by a changeling. All Finn wants to do is find his high school girlfriend again and find out what's happened in the world. Instead, he's immediately dropped into a web of dark magic, dead bodies, and gnome mafias. It's a fun read that embraces genre tropes and gives them noogies. It's not a straight-out humor book but it abounds in '80s references and dry wit. Also, I used to live in the Seattle area, so I was delighted to see characters taking the Kingston ferry and even venturing to my old stomping grounds near Everett.

This book took me awhile to read. Had to put it down several times to make it through. Probably because the characters were so different from our daily lives. Henderson has done a good job of bringing together a widely diverse group of characters and abilities, enough to be a trifle difficult to understand. What an imagination to dream up all of this. A good read. Received from Goodreads giveaway.

J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the Isms" "Wesley's Wars" "To Whom It May Concern" and "Tell Me About the United Methodist Church"

Poor Finn, at 15 he was exiled for 25 years. 25 years of being nothing and getting sucked dry of memories by the Fey. 25 years for a murder he did not commit.

But now he is back. Something went wrong and he has no idea how the world has changed. He still wonders who framed him and now someone is after him.

This was a urban fantasy that felt..dunno, just different. In a good way. Finn comes home to his strange necromancy family. His sister without powers, his brother who thinks he is a were (though there are weres). His other brother who has taken over and does not seem happy to see Finn back. Yuo, that family had issues.

Poor Finn, the world certainly did change in 25 years and he is so clueless. But I liked him, sure he is clueless but he does well adjusting. He really does not have a choice since things go boom at once he is back.

I liked his family too, strange as they were. The whole mystery of who framed him was well done, I sure did not figure it out, but then I never do.

Conclusion:
The world was interesting. Normal people do not know that there is magic (we never do ;). And I'd like to explore the world more.

Finn Fancy Necromancy is an urban fantasy-murder mystery with a quirky and humourous tone.
Imagine that you were framed for attempted murder when you were 15 years old and instead of being put in prison you were sent to the Other Realms, where faeries fed on your memories, which you relived over and over for 25 years. Imagine, after 25 years being sent back to your former world/life and not knowing about the internet or anything that has happened since the 1980s; everyone you know has either died or grown up, many have children who are almost adults themselves. Now imagine that the first thing you happen upon is a dead body and that you are given a few days to prove you had nothing to do with it and don't know who to trust. Oh and you can talk to the dead (although it costs you your life ...how much depends on how long you talk); and you come from a family of necromancers. All you are sure of is that someone close to you is the one who framed you...but who?

Along with trying to figure that out Finn, the main character, is trying to wrap his head around the fact that his former highschool crush is now a 40 year old divorcee with a grown kid, he has feelings for a non-magical neighbour, and computers have a changed a whole lot since the 1980s! A fun read!

I was so eager to jump right into this story immediately after reading Randy Henderson story that won him the Writers of the Future Grand Prize last year. That entry showed us a glimpse of a world where memories are passed on and can make or break an individuals future. In Finn Fancy Necromancy it seems this world is similar in nature or is in fact a part of that world and really had me at that point.

The problems that bothered me though were the multiple and multiple pop culture references that are trying to make the characters witty, funny, or who knows but if was more irritating after so many were used in the first couple of chapters. Along with that despite the main character all the others were boring or just not developed enough that I could feel anything for them.

Overall a decent first novel, but considering this is the first from a grand prize writers of the future writer I'm hoping that future novels of his get better and better rather quickly.½

Finn Gramaraye, framed for the crime of dark necromancy, has just gotten his body back after having his consciousness exiled to the fey realm for 25 years. Now he has to deal with all sorts of crazy...such as sasquatch mercenaries. Oh, and being a virgin. And not knowing what the Internet is. And, worst of all...HIS FAMILY. Oh no! The goings-on in this debut novel are often played for humor, and I tore through it in two sittings. The jokes—mostly having to do with the fact that Finn's cultural references end in the 1990's—didn't always work for me; but I laughed out loud frequently enough that I riddled my (e)copy with bookmarks and struggled to chose just one passage to show to you. Highly recommended for when you need something quick and funny to clean all of those 900-page fantasy tomes out of your system.

SAMPLE PARAGRAPH

He wasn't the real Elvis, of course. As should be no surprise, the real Elvis was an arcana. He hoped to forge the perfect musical weapon against the Fey, who enjoy human music the way a slug enjoys a salt covered hammer. But the Fey managed to infect him, turning him into a waercreature. Although the resulting change in his metabolism led to tragic consequences for his waistline and his life, even worse is that those infected by the Elvis waerform turn into pale imitations of him when the conditions are right—for some, if they hear an Elvis song; for others, when they enter the dark energy vortex of the Las Vegas area; or, in extreme cases, if they smell peanut butter and banana.

Disclaimer: The author is a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend (I'm not even joking: thank you Internet) and he was kind enough to send me a review copy when I asked for it. It's still an honest review, since I wouldn't have finished it if I didn't like it.

The quoted paragraph has not been checked against a copy of the published book because the book hasn't been published yet.

An interesting riff on the Hansel and Gretel story.