C.T. Phipps

I received a free audible code for a copy of Brightblade, by Michael Suttkus and C.T. Phipps. It’s narrated by Heather Costa.

Description from Goodreads:

Psychic. Superhero. Spy. Detective. Bounty Hunter. Ashley Morgan has been many things and failed at all of them. The twenty-eight-year old has her whole life ahead of her but has already resigned herself to working a dead end job bringing in the debt-ridden supernatural criminals of New Detroit. A chance encounter with the vampire sheriff reveals a secret that motivates her to change her life forever: her long-missing brother Arthur is alive (in a manner of speaking).

Ashley sets out on a quest to not only find him but also deal with old lovers, treacherous criminals, a magic sword, and a quest to raise an ancient vampire from the dead.

Review:

I thought this was ok, but over the top. I honestly think some readers will love it. It’s chocked full of pop culture, geek references. So, anyone who really loves that will love this book. But, while I appreciate a little geekery in my books, there was just too much for me. Similarly, I think there was too much crammed into this plot—secret psychic spy schools, gods, angelic swords, lost siblings, sorcery, men in black, strippers/prostitutes, monsters, weres, vampires, etc. etc. etc. I don’t feel like it allowed any aspect of the plot to develop fully.

I did like the characters and I loved that there was some casual queerness, racial diversity, a hero will autism, and a mild exploration of personal bias/racism (in regards to vampires, but I felt that was just a proxy).

All in all, not bad, but better suited to a different, maybe younger (though not too young, re strippers/prostitutes referenced above), reader.

I received an Audible copy of C. T. Phipps‘ Straight outta Fangton through AudioBookBoom.

Description from Goodreads:
Peter Stone is a poor black vampire who is wondering where his nightclub, mansion, and sports car is. Instead, he is working a minimum wage job during the night shift as being a vampire isn’t all that impressive in a world where they’ve come out to mortals.

Exiled from the rich and powerful undead in New Detroit, he is forced to go back when someone dumps a newly-transformed vampire in the bathroom of his gas station’s store. This gets him fangs-deep in a plot of vampire hunters, supernatural revolutionaries, and a millennium-old French knight determined to wipe out the supernatural.

Sometimes, it just doesn’t pay to get out of the coffin.

Review:
This was really quite good; funny in a witty, sarcastic way, with a widely diverse cast and entertaining plot. Cary Hite did a wonderful job with the narration, which only enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

Going in, I was a bit iffy about the main character being a black vampire and joking about this at times, with the author being white. There are jokes people can make about themselves and their own group that outsiders really just shouldn’t. But I never felt Phipps was irreverent or insulting about his characters in any way. Peter and crew were marvelous!

I thought a lot of the geekdom references were funny, but I also thought they went a little overboard; too much of a good thing, if you will. Abut all in all, however, I loved this and hope for more.