Dave DobsonBesprekingen

I wasn't sure about this book at the beginning because Morris was so depressingly depressed. But things begin to move when he checks out his recently deceased mother's safety deposit box and the story gets a bit wilder from there. There were some great characters (Vampire Steve) and they and the plot kept me reading when I should have left for work.

Good read! I love a good mystery with thriller vibes swirled in. I will admit it took me a few chapters to get into it. But once I did? I couldn't put it down. Can't wait to check out more works by this author.

I reviewed this book as a LibraryThing Early Reviewer, this is my objective review. I mean, what can I say? I came for the Snood connection but stayed for the great writing! Our main character is Morris, who was recently and very unhappily downsized from his tenured job as an anthropology professor at a small private college. He's a single dad, who's now forced to take odd jobs to make ends meet and pay child support. His teenage daughter Mindy (who is intelligent and *much* cooler than him), lives with her mother in another state, and he feels the separation keenly. Morris is currently living in his mother's home, which he inherited after her death. He makes new friends in his hometown (I love his one and only rideshare client, Steve), while re-connecting with old friends (Annie, current lawyer and long-ago fellow marching band member and old friend). Much to his surprise, Morris's dead mother was involved in some mysterious dealings concerning a gun she found in the woods, which leads to a lot of dangerous complications for Morris and his inner circle.

There is a nice amount of tension as things escalate and Morris tries to understand what his mother was involved in while simultaneously keeping himself and those around him safe. Lots of twists and turns, more than enough to keep even the most casual reader interested. I really appreciated the gradual entry into the weirdness. The first part of the book has a lot of necessary exposition and back story, and the slow build gives us a chance to know and connect with the main characters before the action starts. Once things get going, they escalate pretty quickly and it's a ride to the end.

The author's writing style has a lot going on (in a good way), the vast majority of it designed to be extremely amusing. Morris has a fun amount of wry inner dialogue, which I really enjoyed. He's definitely got an endearing everyman vibe as he bumbles his way (sometimes successfully) through the dangers thrust upon him. And I loved his close relationship with Mindy, they have a great dynamic. I truly enjoyed this book, and it was a nice change of pace from my usual material. New-to-me author, I'll definitely be reading more books from him. His writing style is full of intelligence and everything layered together well in a way that wasn't too hard to follow. The characters were complex and engaging, and they were also easy to root for (or hate). Great read with a satisfying ending!

Morris recently lost his job as a professor and is living at his late mother's house - dealing with her estate. BUM BUM BUM! if you're a mystery fan this is a great book for you! i loved the twists and turns, getting to know the characters and the ending held up. a lot of times with mystery and/or thrillers the endings are not as good as the book, but this ending was great. this story has you from the beginning and the pacing is perfect. really the best part of this book, besides the story, is that the characters don’t make awful choices just to advance the plot. the plot advances naturally. in so many mysteries/thrillers i find myself yelling at the main character, but i never wanted to yell at Morris. he's just a normal guy and i like that! great read overall and i'm very happy that i was chosen to receive this book!

As a reader and reviewer, I am in a bit of a quandary. This is a better-than-average book. In other circumstances, I would have given a four-star review. However, the book has a great deal of profanity and other kinds of vulgar language. As a reader, I have limited tolerance for such words. That means I must take into account the author's choice to use offensive language. For that reason, the book is rated three stars by this reviewer.

However, for a reader not troubled by excessive profane language, go for it. This book would be worth your time and you might enjoy it very much.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program, and my review is voluntary. What Grows from the Dead is the ultimate example of why books can’t be judged by their covers. I genuinely had no clue what I was getting myself into, but expectations were low (the cover art isn’t great, and you never know before opening an ARC whether the author has any writing skill). Seriously great book. The dry humor has such a distinct dad-jokes voice, and I laughed out loud a number of times. I couldn’t predict the plot and was delightfully in the dark and going “whaaaat” much of the time. (Also, Vampire Steve deserves a spinoff.) Absolutely loved it.

The novel by Dave Dobson, What Grows From the Dead, is a good mystery about a tenured anthropology professor who is fired unexpectedly from his position. How can that happen to Morris, a tenured professor? There are 2 possibilities: financial exigency or moral turpitude. The administration of the small college in North Carolina, Riggson, picked the first possibility, claiming they did not have the money for Morris’ major in the social Sciences Department. A year later, Morris is still appealing his case against the decision. But unemployment is not his only worry now. He is divorced and has only part time visitation rights to his teenage daughter Mindy. Harry’s mother has died recently, and he is living in her house trying to settle her affairs while earning next to nothing as a share driver. To top things off, Morris is arrested by the local Sheriff for methamphetamine possession.
Morris still has a sense of humor, though it is quite dark. A mystery unfolds as Morris interacts with Mindy, Steve a comic bookstore owner who presents himself as a vampire, Annie his lawyer and former classmate, the sheriff and deputies of the small town of Fairwater, and a shady stranger who is following him. Tension increases dramatically when a gun is found among his mother’s possessions. I enjoyed reading the novel from my perspective as a professor who maintained my tenure until retirement. The book is funny, exciting, and nicely structured as a mystery.

One of my favorite things about this book are the characters. Sometimes, you want a character who isn’t a superhero. Morris is a normal guy, with normal feelings, and with normal limitations. I LIKE that. It made this story feel more realistic. Vampire Steve is a really unique character, which is refreshing. There were some parts that I got a little mixed up on other characters, but that’s probably bc I have ADHD and read too fast. If I would’ve had a whole free Saturday, I could’ve finished this book in a day. Very enjoyable. Looking forward to reading more from this author

I loved this book. The characters, the setting, the mystery (which I will NOT spoil, not even in spoiler tags, since it's so much better if you can figure it out along with our MC, Jess). All of it. I had so much fun with this book.

I do feel I need to state up front that the CWs are important to be aware of for this book. If I have one complaint about this book, it's that the CWs should have been included somewhere. I think the ideal situation would have been to include a reference to CWs in the note before the book that references the history, and then have the CWs spelled out in the end. Not everyone will be impacted, but since there are war scenes in early flashbacks, I could see this being a problem for anyone who suffers from PTSD.

The plot of this book was really well done. I loved the mystery of Kenai, and getting to figure it out just one small step ahead of Jess at a time. I also really appreciated that this mystery was merely a part of the plot, not the whole plot, and so it got solved relatively early on in the story. The twist isn't completely new, but it's done in a way that I personally haven't seen before, and I appreciated that.

The setting was also really neat, and Dobson made the aliens actually feel like aliens while still being human-like enough in their feelings and motivations to encourage the reader to care about them. After my experience with Kenai, I definitely plan to check out Daros, which is another (standalone) book set in the same universe.

Speaking of characters, Jess (our MC and only narrator) was awesome. She's got a snarky personality and sense of humor, and yet has such a good heart. She's the kind of character I felt I could be friends with, assuming she opened herself up enough to let a friendship develop. She's been hurt (that's part of what the flashbacks are there to show) but still stays good and true and hopeful.

All told, this is a very enjoyable book as long as the CWs are not triggers for you. It has the perfect amount of weirdness and sarcasm, with just enough of a brain twister to make the mystery's reveal stand out. Jess, as "a marine and not a scientist" is the perfect character to lead readers through this new world, letting us find our way in alien territory alongside her.

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CW Spoilers:

While the war and imprisonment are not given a lot of page time in this book, they are present and are descriptive enough to put some readers off. I felt that they were good character development, but if these are triggering things for you, please go carefully.

The grief related to death of loved ones is not shown in much detail, but it is also very much part of those sections of the book. Our narrator works through the death of her parents in a couple of small flashbacks, worrying about what they would think of her. The children that die are the children of a secondary (and non-POV) character. They die quickly and at the same time due to illness, and nothing is shown on-screen. Their deaths are referenced a few times but nothing is given in much detail.

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I read this book as part of the judging process for the 3rd Self Published Science Fiction Competition (SPSFC3), and while I was provided a review copy for judging purposes I read the book using the version available on Kindle Unlimited. My opinions are my own and do not reflect the thoughts of my SPSFC3 team or the competition as a whole.½

The story starts off slow, introducing Glynnis and her family. Glynnis is brought into a dangerous situation, inadvertently involving Grimes. The settings are descriptive, and there are a lot of elements in the book, such as science-fiction and espionage.


I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Thank you to Hidden Gems Books, Booksirens, and author.

This review is also featured on Behind the Pages: Flames Over Frosthelm

Thank you to Escapist Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book! I voluntarily leave this review!

Marten and Boog thought they were investigating stolen jewels. But when magic erupts during their apprehension of the thief, and said thief quite literally ends up in pieces, they realize things might be a bit more complicated. When they begin to dig deeper into the stolen items and find a possible noble involved in criminal affairs, their guild is quickly silenced. Marten and Boog, ever the dutiful inspectors, continue their investigations despite the order to stop. And they will find there is a lot more at stake than missing jewelry.

The humor written throughout Flames Over Frosthelm is a constant subtle influence. Whether it’s characters sharing witty remarks, or stumbling through actions and creating a sense of slapstick humor. Readers will be sure to let out a chuckle or two at the antics of the characters. While the plot has heavy-hitting themes that follow an overarching mystery, the humor serves to lighten the mood.

The mystery itself takes readers on an investigation of multiple levels. While it seems like a simple enough story of stolen goods, it evolves into a complex string of events. Some of which the characters quite honestly stumble into. Being caught in the moment, trying to put the puzzle together served to engage me in the mystery. There was such a wide variety of characters and angles of involvement. And just as it seems Marten and Boog make progress, another piece falls to drag them back two steps.

Marten does have a tendency to stay in his own mind, mulling over situations and all the possible angles. While this is a great way to showcase his abilities as an inspector, it also tends to produce a lot of upfront information for the reader to process. I think if the large amounts of information were restricted to only Marten’s thoughts, it wouldn’t have slowed the story as much. I enjoyed diving into his thought patterns, but this writing style was used in dialogue and other elements of the story as well.

That being said, the characters are well written. Marten and Boog have a companionship known from their first time on the page together. The way they easily work together and share humorous moments is well worth the read. I especially enjoyed Boog being unable to use his signs correctly and mucking up his signals to Marten. The signals are used to notify a fellow inspector without giving away their positions. And of course, Marten would at first consider the fumbled words seriously, then realize after observation that Boog misplaced a finger again.

Flames Over Frosthelm is a wonderful jaunt into a fantasy mystery. Filled with humorous moments and delightful characters. Give this novel a try if you enjoy detective reads with a fantasy flare.

This is a really long book. I’ve been listening to it for the last couple of days. It’s been an enjoyable few days for sure, but I’m very ready to move on to anything else.

The storytelling reminds me a lot of Bloodlines Reforged saga. It feels like a “buddy cop” (inquisitor) story set in a medieval fantasy world. It’s comedic at times, but it’s not a comedy. The characters are likable, determined, loyal, persistent. Despite bumbling around from one terrible situation to the next, they just keep going. Gotta give ’em credit for that.

The book rarely feels like it has a primary story. It kinda takes a back seat as the protagonists just keep moving from one encounter to another. Think of it like a TV series where the main plot plays out in the background over a number of episodes.

The author did a great job describing the world. The world and the combat are extremely descriptive. Often times I’d pause randomly, do other stuff or sleep for a few hours and pick up where I left off. The world is so well described, I was always quickly able to remember where I was in the story without missing a beat.

I did have to hear the narrator say “onvelope” one too many times. I’m going to lazily recycle this bit of my review from All Your Twisted Secrets: The narrator repeatedly says “onvelope” which drives me crazy. Envelope – envelop. If something were to be enveloped in darkness, you wouldn’t say onveloped in darkness. If you think I’m being nitpicky, you’re goddamn right I am! I can’t stand when people who are supposed to be professional narrators mispronounce basic words. Just search my blog for my mentions of “acrosst”, “carmel” or “farmiliar” to see other examples. I’m getting seriously sick of listening to people mispronounce basic words.

Aside from that annoyance, the character voices are all top-notch. They’re easy to tell apart, each character has their own, distinct voice to fit their personality. The narrator did occasional (rare) sound effects which were nice for immersion, but so rare that it seemed pointless. Maybe sound effects is the wrong word. When a character was spitting out grass or dirt (can’t remember), he made a spitting noise to accompany it instead of just saying it.

NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval.

A terrific melding of buddy-cop and fantasy, with just the right amount of humor.

**** SPOILER ALERT ****
"Flames Over Frosthelm" was my introduction to Dobson's writing. I look forward to reading more of the author's work in the future.
Dobson finely balances action and exposition. The author did a very fine job of world building and character development as well.
This entertaining page turner takes us along as Marty, Boog and Clarice try to prevent the end of Frosthelm, or maybe even the world.
I highly recommend this book.
In the interest of transparancey: I was given a review copy of this book and I am voluntarily sharing this review.
It is my own honest opinion.

This book starts off sounding like a D&D character introduction, but quickly grabbed my attention. I am 8% done with the book, and even though the writing isn't on par with, for example, Robert Jordan or Terry Brooks, I am invested in the protagonist and his partner.and look forward to reading the rest of their adventures.

The Chicken is Love.

The story starts off slow, introducing Glynnis and her family. Glynnis is brought into a dangerous situation, inadvertently involving Grimes. The settings are descriptive, and there are a lot of elements in the book, such as science-fiction and espionage.


I received a free copy and am leaving a review voluntarily.
Thank you to Hidden Gems Books, Booksirens, and author.