By Matt Molgaard
Jack Herman is a private investigator with down on his luck and a slew of supernatural enemies. This guy just can’t seem to catch a break, and when he crosses paths with a centuries-old witch, a break is exactly what he needs. This crazy woman controls the elements, summoning deadly spells and turbulent weather while making inanimate things come alive. Can Jack and his unconventional cohorts survive a confrontation of this magnitude? You’ll have to pick up Storm Demon to find out.
I’ll be honest: I don’t usually read series or trilogies. I jump from one novel to the next at an alarming rate, and I rarely have the time to focus on a story that spans multiple novels. As a result, I avoid these ongoing narratives whenever possible. When I picked up Storm Demon, I had no idea Jack Herman existed, or how long he’d been entangled in the horrific ways of this cruel world. After flipping through the book, I regretted not knowing more about this wily gentleman.
Here’s the thing about this book: If you haven’t read the previous books in The Jack Herman File, it’s easy to feel completely lost. Gregory Lamberson refers back to events from Herman’s past so many times that the novel can become a test of patience at times. A great novel, whether it’s a series or a standalone, should resonate with the reader. We should be able to enter a pre-set world and feel at home. Unfortunately, Storm Demons doesn’t necessarily have that effect. If you plan on delving into The Jack Herman File, do yourself a favor and start with Personal Demons, the first in a growing series.
Now that the minor criticisms are out of the way, it’s time to talk about the positive aspects of Storm Demon. Lamberson is a brilliant writer who has an amazing imagination that makes sure to pack in brutal, almost unbelievable villains and endless action. He writes his novels in a way that suggests he is simply conveying what he sees in his mind, and that inner imagination is filled with thrilling chases, fantastic duels, and some creatures that are begging to be televised on film. Greg’s prose suggests a deep confidence that allows him to open the floodgates and release all sorts of violent creations isolated in his brain. And unleash those monsters that he unleashes; Gregory Lamberson is a fearless writer who sets out to create an exciting new world that pits humans against monsters, and after reading a portion of this puzzle, I’d be lying if I said Storm Demon wasn’t a very enjoyable book.
If you enjoy thrilling, exhilarating novels, then Storm Demons should satisfy your appetite. If you haven’t read the other titles in the series, this book may leave you feeling a bit overexcited, but if you’ve really been following Jack’s many dangerous missions, you’ll definitely enjoy this evocative novel. And that’s exactly what makes a title like this difficult to review. There’s a part of me that really enjoys Lamberson’s latest and respects his willingness to disregard any form of sound logic (a fantastic quality in this case), but there’s another part of me that’s disappointed that Storm Demons isn’t a completely smooth ride for a series newbie. All in all, I can confidently say that I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a thrilling paranormal ride, although you’ll probably enjoy this one even more if you’ve enjoyed Jack’s stories from the beginning.
Pre-order the novel here now.
grade:4/5
