Geoffrey the Very Strange

Merseton Tales, Book 1

By: Angel Martinez

Narrated by: Dan Calley

Everyone's always told Aspic that trouble can't help following him because of his heritage. Determined to put the lie to half-demon stereotypes, he's finally landed a good, quiet job as an herbalist's clerk where the owner trusts him to man the shop alone. What could go wrong selling coriander and thyme?

When Geoffrey first enters the shop, Aspic finds the little man's eccentric appearance startling, then intriguing. Geoffrey explains, in stops and starts, that he is a theoretical necromancer researching replacements for blood magic. His current line of inquiry involves seashells—do they have any in stock? Aspic's coworkers warn him that Geoffrey is a walking disaster, but he finds himself more and more drawn to a necromancer concerned with ethical death magic.

Geoffrey's first impression of the half demon shop clerk is that his brain is as fluffy as his bright pink hair, but Aspic's persistent appearances at Geoffrey's lab soon let him see the kind heart underneath the façade of friendly nitwit. Aspic's company isn't that bad, and he is someone to talk to during the frustrations of one failed experiment after another. Failed, that is, until something finally goes right—and then terribly, horrifyingly wrong.

©2021 Angel Martinez (P)2021 Tantor Media

Cute!

Geoffrey is very strange and grumpy but endearing. I liked the story and the underlying plot was fun - if you can call zombie shells that. I liked all the characters and look forward to the next book.

While I liked the narrator, I felt there wasn’t much differentiation between characters, and when there was, I think the voices of Geoffrey and Aspect needed to be switched.

Loved it

Loved listening to this audio, Geoffrey is strange and he gets his words mixed up, it’s why I loved his story, his romance with Aspic a half demon is so cute!

More like Geoffrey the Mildly Quirky

This was a whimsical MM romance with a smattering of tame (but not completely closed door) sex scenes in a story that otherwise feels like a kid’s book. The premise was sweet. The characters adorable. But, there wasn’t much substance.

The narrator’s voicing for the two lovebirds was off, both because the MCs sounded too much alike and because they sounded like 40 year old men, but acted like awkward teens. Ultimately, a harmless novella that I doubt I’ll listen to again.