Days Gone Bad (Vesik Book 1)

TW: Graphic depictions of violence. Minor/background relationships. PG-13. This book is amazing. I've had it on my Kindle for ages and haven't gotten around to reading it. I'm so sorry I waited! All of the characters are complex and well-rounded, not just Vesik. There's a nice smattering of fae, magic, vampires, and old gods, and plenty of dark humor. It's a little overpowered, especially the fairies, but it's not so much to make it totally unbelievable. It takes place in St. Louis, a place I'm familiar with. There was even a nod to my old stomping grounds, Festus, and I absolutely resonated with "if you've been there, I don't need to say anything else." Definitely recommend.

Not a bad read and a decent enough entry into Mr Asher's urban fantasy world. I'll be reading the next book or two to see if any of the problems I had with this book are fixed...and it must be noted these are personal preferences, so take that into account if you're looking for help making a decision.For me, in my urban fantasy I like a bit of explanation as to how this world differs from ours. How did it happen, has it always been this way? Things of that nature. We don't get that from Vesik...at all. Given the glaring nature of the problem, I suspect the author isn't quite sure...he just threw in a bunch of things that sounded cool and added others as the thought struck him.Our hero is a necromancer, which means...well, basically absolutely nothing as far as we can tell. Literally nothing in the book has anything to do with Vesik being a necromancer. He doesn't call up spirits, he doesn't interrogate ghosts, he doesn't lay zombies to rest, he does...nothing dealing with necromancy.Oh, and he can tap ley lines, just like the faeries can, which is completely unheard of and so awesome and...again, nothing gets done with it. And he has something called `soularts' which is Bad Stuff and...See what I mean? The magic system has no structure and thus, the terms become meaningless. Contrast this book with Murphy's `Urban Shaman' series and you'll note the difference between a well-thought-out and researched system and this.The magic system aside...we have vampires and Faeries, but Vesik is amazed at the idea of werewolves. I can't say as I blame him as the vampires are nothing like any vampires you've ever seen. Apparently they subsist on ferrets and the vampire thing is just cosmetic. They can walk in daylight...although at least they don't sparkle.And he has his Master riding herd on him through the whole book. When Zola first arrived, she stated she had something else going on and just wanted to give Vesik a heads-up, but that went out the window as soon as she mentioned it. I generally don't mind a good master/apprentice story, but usually the apprentice-hero actually does something meaningful.The Faeries...cute and decent comic relief, but the first time they got their wings in a wad and threatened me, I'm getting out the cold iron filings and they're not welcome any more. Mr Asher has the Faeries as something of a deus ex machina (in case Zola wasn't enough) without much regard for the mythology. Although I suppose if he can have vampires in daylight, he can have Faeries that don't react to cold iron.These are relatively minor complaints; if you can overlook them, you'll find a decent fun read. I'm hoping future adventures clear up a lot of my complaints and am willing to give it time.

This book hit just the right vein for me. I adore Dresden and October (well, all of Seanan's and Mira Grant's characters), and this was a very impressive fiirst book, regardless of the genre! To get the negatives out of the way, there were some continuity problems; a couple that stayed with me, like on the way down to the cabin the first time, Vesik leaves at 9 AM for a 2-hour trip and aarrives at dusk. He's never seen a fairy change size (ahem, no spoilers), but he practically lives with three, and they seem to do nothing *except* change size for the rest of the book. He's been a necromancer for how many years and catering to his occult clientele, but doesn't yet know werewolves exist? These types of issues are the only reason I've detracted one star, and I'm hoping there aren't any more, because I will be buying Mr Asher's subsequent offerings! The few typos didn't bother me; there were much fewer than most indie books. And nothing could detract from the all-over fun, good writing, and exciting story!This is a Monster Mash for the ages - I LOVED it! I love all of the characters, but especially Zola. Her wisdom and grace comes out on every page. Asher keeps many good stories back, and we get to savor them as character's memories, as if they were happening for the first time, and there's none of that pesky and boring (but necessary) exposition. The action is very well paced, and there are big moments all the way through. Some of my fellow reviewers didn't care for the amount of gore, but violence is my weak spot, and I thought there was surprisingly little of that for this genre. Just one woman's opinion, and distinction, though.This was way far above what I expected, and I was delighted with the surprise! I've only come back to Amazon to get the next Vesik book: Wolves and the River of Stone. Check out Days Gone Bad - you won't be dissapointed!

Even though this wasn't something that I would normally get into, which I discovered soon after starting, I had to keep coming back to it! Thought I struggled and walked away alot, I still needed to know what was going to happen next

I really enjoyed the book. Looking forward to reading some more of the series. A heady mix of mythology,fantasy and the dark arts. Thanks for a great read.

Bad as in writing, characters, plot, and my god were the situations both unbelievable and in what im sure was a twisted attempt at mystery full of holes and missing information.

Every girl deserves a good brother. If he's a necromancer and she's a vampire, it's even more important. When Damian's sister discovers her ex-best friend and ex-fiance are getting married, she intends to disrupt the ceremony. He persuades her that a less bloody disruption is in order and makes the wedding one that will not be forgotten.Damian manages a craft store for supernaturals - including fairies that live in the shop's grandfather clock. He is kind and the shop becomes a refuge for assorted supernaturals, including two cu with puppies - demon puppies that chew everything in sight. When his master, owner of the shop, returns, the crew pitch in to block his master's ex lover from opening the gates of hell. All this must be done without the mundane world noticing.The book has humour, likeable characters and a well constructed fantasy universe.

I really enjoyed Days Gone Bad.First of all, what great characters. Every one is so well rounded and I really cared what happened to them. Then there is the sheer wealth of imagination involved in the world of magic they inhabit. So many fascinating ideas and so well realised. Finally, it's very well written and flows beautifully and the dialogue is witty and natural.If you're looking for something fun, involving, exciting and imaginative, this is the book for you!