Ashe Armstrong

A Demon in the Desert is the fairly short first installment of the Grimluk, Demon Hunter series. It is largely self-contained and could be read as a standalone adventure. The writing is polished and fairly smooth, with believable dialogue and a likeable main character. The story takes place in a small town in the Wastelands, or Wastes, a large and desolate desert infested with strange creatures and spirits. The town is protected by a magical barrier, but has been plagued recently by a demon that causes nightmares for the townsfolk. Grimluk, our orc protagonist and professional demon hunter, comes to town to fulfill the job of killing their demon. The story itself is an adventure/mystery with an intriguing start and a bit of a meandering middle, followed a fast-paced charge to the end.

The Waste is a large, desolate desert filled with unnatural sandstorms, creatures, and malevolent spirits. There’s not much civilization out there, but for a few small towns like Greenreach, the mining town where our story is set. Within the boundaries of civilization, there are magical notice boards for long-distance communication and steam engine trains. Pistols and shotguns are common weapons, and there’s a general wild-west feel to the setting. There are demon-summonings, crystals that power magical boundaries, and some surprisingly benevolent blood magic.

Grimluk is an orc demon-hunter and our main character in the story. He is level-headed, patient, and compassionate, despite his rather violent profession; he is all-around a rather likable fellow. The first half-or-so of the book, we follow him as he tries to sort out the details of the town’s demon, and in doing so, we get a lot of characterization for him as we watch him interact with the majority of the townsfolk. Though we get a lot of insight for Grimluk, the people in the town remain fairly opaque and feel a bit carbon-copied, even those for which we get brief POVs.

Readers who enjoy fantasy westerns with elements of horror should check this one out. If you’re looking for a quick, simple adventure this would be a good fit.

Overall, the book was a fun, self-contained episode of Grimluk’s story and I enjoyed reading it. Some of the events near the end felt too rushed to pack the emotional punch that I felt was intended, which was unfortunate.
… (meer)