Three lovers who stalk and kill the immortals
that drift through South Florida (tourists are a moveable feast, after
all) are living a simple life of leisure- until one of them is nearly
killed by woman who is a new kind of lethal. When Ring Hardigan isn't
making sandwiches for, and with, his two partners, Waleska and Risa
(they're cool like that), he's got a busy schedule doing the dirty work
of sending immortals to the ever after. Wally and Risa provide
linguistics, logistics, and finding the right place for him and his
knife-- together, they're a well-oiled machine, and they've settled into
a rhythm that bodes ill for the Undying. Warlocks, vampires, succubae
and the odd ghoul have all fallen to their teamwork. Life is tough, but
they soldier on killing the undead, liberating their worldly goods for
charity, and generally achieving very little.
-Until Ring wakes up
after nearly dying at the hands of a woman who may or may not be the
daughter of Satan. Ring's a tough character, for a boat bum (killing
immortals sort of rubs off on you that way), but twelve days of comatose
healing are enough to bring out the ugly side of his temper. When a
letter arrives asking for their help finding a large collection of
stolen heirloom jewelry, they form an uneasy friendship with the last
Baron of a family hiding in a primal European forest. Cazimir, the
Baron, has two skills: Jeweler and preserver of the last herd of forest
bulls. It's an odd occupation, but then, Ring, Risa and Wally aren't
your everyday career folks, and Cazimir's lodge might be sitting on
something that looks a lot like hell, which, according to a 2400 year
old succubus hooker named Delphine, is currently on the market to the
strongest immortal. The Baron's impassioned plea to find the jewelry
comes with some conditions-- he doesn't want the collection back as much
as he does the thief, Elizabeth, who happens to be his daughter-- and
the woman who nearly sent Ring to his grave. In a tapestry of lies, it's
up to Ring, Wally and Risa to find out what is evil, who is human, and
who really wants to reign over hell.
Reviews:
Five Stars
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified
Purchase
Vampires, succubi and ghouls.
They've gone from medieval nightmares to brooding rockstars complete with
pre-teen fansites. Somewhere along the line, these evil bastards duped us into
making them celebutantes..kinda like the Kardashians with sharp teeth.
Not Mr. Maggert. He's out to turn this disturbing trend on its rear end.
This book is a return to the halcyon days where the undead and vampiric elite
are straight-up bad guys and men with big knives stab them in their thoracic
cavities. Did I mention said vampires and immortal demons tend to take the form
of super hot Euro-trash rather than waifish and pale Pacific Northwesterners?
Because they do, and they know how to use those forms.
It's engaging. Its got haunted lone ghoul hunters in the American Plains. Its
got cyberchats with a sinister polyglot baron. There's some sort of
spider-demon that will lay eggs in your gut while making out with you on the
beach. Its even got fishing and beer.
Maggert writes a fast paced, first rate monster tale. He's obviously read his
Faulkner and his Heinlein. The scenes are rich and fleshed out without being
numbingly overcooked. His characters jump off the page. That is, when they
aren't laying waste to the populace of South Beach.
Well worth the read. Can't wait for the next one.
Off to find my own Delphine, now. It would totally be worth it.
Five Stars
One word...WOW!,
November 12, 2013
By
This review is from: The Forest Bull (Kindle Edition)
The Forest
Bull is a book about three friends, almost forced together for one cause. Each
character is very well developed and unique. They form a family-like bond so
that they survive and protect each other. They live in current times but have a
different reality than those of us living out our day-to-day routines. The
creatures living amongst us are deadly and have no shame. I don't want to spoil
anything else because all the new information you learn throughout the book
ties in together.
I'm not even sure where to start with this review. I'll admit it took me a few
pages to get use to the author's writing style and I may have had to use the
dictionary...but that's beside the point. This book is not a quick read that
you can scan through while waiting at the bus stop. I found myself going back
to re-read sentences because I missed something while being lost in the
description. While that may sound like a negative thing, it is not at all. The
author has such an imagination and can put you in a trance with his words. I'm
hoping he'll write a government conspiracy novel or develop an entire kingdom
of his own. Yes...he's that good.
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Outstanding, November
5, 2013
By
This review is from: The Forest Bull (Kindle Edition)
I was hooked
right from the first chapter. If you like television shows like Supernatural,
or even if you're just a vampire buff like me, you will absolutely love this
book. It isn't cheesy, humorous, or over-the-top like so many in this genre
seem to be these days. It is straight-up action with the undead as evil as
they're supposed to be.
Terry Maggert takes what, in my opinion, are the most unlikely kind of people
to be vampire killers and sets them in a situation that is immediately and
completely believable... at least as far as it can be when you're talking about
killing the undead! The characters are vivid, their motives fully explained and
explored, and quite simply--they all kick ass, each in their own unique way.
If you like your action intense and your characters to be anything but your
regular run-of-the-mill glory hounds, this is the book for you. Exceptional
writing, exceptional story line, and exceptional character development. I could
easily see this becoming a blockbuster movie.
I strongly recommend The Forest Bull to any fan of horror.
5.0 out of 5 stars Hunt Monsters with Terry Maggert,
October 14, 2013
By
This review is from: The Forest Bull (Kindle Edition)
Ring,
Wally, and Risa are saving the world from monsters. When he was in the army,
Ring "found [he] was average at taking direction, poor with guns, good
under pressure, and able to kill with little lingering introspection." A
World Cup soccer fan, Wally is a dangerously beautiful, tall blonde woman with
an unexpected streak of compassion. The analytical Risa possesses
"fearsome intelligence, [with a] taste in music on par with a cheesy disco
rat." And last but not least, Gyro, the huge, drooling Great Dane, loves
the other three members of his team as much as he loves ice cream.
This fast-paced, well-plotted work reminds me of Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita
Blake series. I felt as if I was in the middle of the action, living it along
with the characters. Characters like Sandrine, an excellent conversationalist
who wears Chanel as well as a non-human scent, will take away your breath...if
you give her a chance. (Sandrine is still giving me cold chills!)
While not for fragile, swooning Southern Belles (or guys), the book is an
excellent read.
