Master of Hounds

The Pickman Files, Book 1

By: C.Steven Manley

Narrated by: James Anderson Foster

Clint Mercer is about to get a crash course in magic.

After he barely survives an attack on the hospital where he works, Clint is quickly recruited by the brilliant but often unstable wizard Arlo Dandridge.

Working on behalf of the mysterious Pickman Institute, the two men soon find themselves in a race to recover an ancient relic of deadly power before a centuries-old warlock and his cult of militant followers can beat them to it.

With the lives of an entire city on the line, failure is not an option.

Master of Hounds is the first audiobook in the Pickman Files series, a dark urban fantasy filled with magic, monsters, secret societies, and dark conspiracies.

Get yours now and keep the hounds at bay!

©2018 Chuck Manley (P)2019 Chuck Manley

Met my expectations and then a little more too.

I am curious to find out more of this world and it's inhabitants, magic and monsters in an urban setting. I did request this book from the publisher and have voluntarily left this review.

Unique Urban Fantasy

So when I first started this book, I wasn’t sure what to think. It seemed so ordinary and based on the description, I was like well, wait, where’s the magic? Then it came into the story with a punch and the entire tone/feeling of the book changed a couple chapters in. What goes from a normal day for Clint working at the hospital turns into something he’ll never be able to forget.

This is an intense urban fantasy story that drew me in the deeper I went into the story. While, I admit at first it was hard for me to get into, I pushed past that, and I’m glad I did. The story is rich with character development and worldbuilding. I loved the idea of the Favored and the use of Hellhounds.

This is definitely a book to check out if you’re sick of the typical tropes of a lot of other fantasy/paranormal books.

Good Action-Packed Start to Series

I received this book for free. I am voluntarily leaving this review and all opinions expressed herein are mine.

This is the first book in The Pickman Files series. It is a standalone story but does set up the next book in the series.

Here, Clint works as a nurse in an ER. One day, a patient is brought in by individuals who seem to be law enforcement and the patient suffering from severe life-threatening wounds. Clint is told to provide blood to the patient - does not matter the type, just blood. Shortly after Clint starts to treat the patient, the hospital is attacked. Clint has to move and safeguard his patient. As he tries to get the patient to safety, he is confronted by a supernatural being and suffers what should have been a death blow, but Clint survives. He is then recruited to join the Pickman Institute. Although Clint has seen magic and supernatural events, he is still skeptical.

This is a very good action-packed start to the series. I was hooked on the story immediately. The story was unique with very good character development. I really liked Clint's questioning what he sees and the magic world of which he has become a part. Arlo is a wonderful humorous "mentor" and colleague to Clint.

The narrator was a perfect compliment to this series.

Unique, Suspenseful Read

Definitely enjoyed the book, and the skillful narration made it particularly suspenseful. It roped me in immediately! The story was unique with decent character development. A sprinkling of magic with just enough fantasy elements. My only complaint is that the main character did seem to be over-questioning at times dragging the flow of the story a little bit. Overall a decent set-up for a series, lots of options to where the story can go!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Pretty Good Story

I like the storyline. It has something of a Dresden Files quality in that magic exists in the real world, but only a select few have the talent. The humor and snark are absent, but that is just a different writing style. Really, the only issue I have is that the protagonist seems a bit dense. I can accept that he has tremendous difficulty accepting that magic is real. The problems he has with accepting orders, when he is a former soldier, gets tedious.
This is the first time I have heard James Anderson Foster, and it was a pleasure! He did a fabulous job of storytelling and delivered the dialogue convincingly. He provided distinct character voices as well. I look forward to hearing more of his work.