Don’t venerate it, but don’t bury it. Fix it, but don’t hide it. Hiding it would let it happen again.
David R. Slayton
Deadbeat Druid
Format:
Audiobook
Publisher’s Synopsis:
The living cannot be allowed to infect the dead.
Adam Binder has lost what matters most to him. Having finally learned the true identity of the warlock preying on his family, what was supposed to be a final confrontation with the fiend instead became a trap that sent Adam’s beloved Vicente into the realm of the dead, where none living are meant to be.
Bound by debt, oath, and love, Adam blazes his own trail into the underworld to get Vicente back, and to end the threat of the warlock once and for all. But the road to hell is paved with far more than good intentions. Demons are hungry, and ghosts are relentless, and what awaits Adam in the underworld is nothing he is prepared to face.
If that weren’t enough, Adam has one more thing he must do if he and Vicente are to return to the world of the living: find the lost heart of Death herself.
Point of view:
3rd person. Alternating between Adam & Vic’s perspectives.
Rellim’s Thoughts:
I liked this, I just didn’t love it as much as the first two. It’s possible that I waited too long and maybe I should have relistened to White Trash Warlock & Trailer Park Trickster again before this.
The middle was really slow, a lot of driving around and just seeing things that may or may come up later in the story. There was also way too much, “because that’s how it is” for all the things that did or didn’t happen.
I know this isn’t overwhelmingly a romance, but if the impetus for two of the main characters – who are in a romantic relationship – to constantly be doing risky and dramatic things is because they love each other… then I want them to actually spend *some* time together. In that aspect the end just barely squeaks by as an HFN.
Not sure if Slayton is planning a spin-off (or two) – but things felt unfinished with a lot of the secondary characters. Silver, Argent, and Vran specifically.
I’ll definitely keep reading/listening to Slayton’s work.
Narration:
I continue to love Michael David Axtell’s performance. He’s perfect for the Oklahoman characters as well as Slayton’s writing.
About the author:
David R. Slayton grew up in Guthrie, Oklahoma, where finding fantasy novels was pretty challenging and finding fantasy novels with diverse characters was downright impossible. Now he lives in Denver, Colorado and writes the books he always wanted to read.
You can connect with David R. Slayton here:
About the narrator:
From Axtell’s website: Let me tell you a bit about myself. I come from Everywhere, USA (in order: Connecticut, Illinois, Wisconsin, California, Pennsylvania, New York). Too far back? Okay, fine. Currently I live in New York City with my wife and dog and work as an actor, singer, narrator and pianist. I am a passionate performer and storyteller and am fascinated by communicating to audiences through different mediums. For a time after college, I pursued music and toured with the Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble, Chanticleer. However, I realized I craved a more theatrically based performance path, so I left Chanticleer to pursue my MFA in Acting from The New School for Drama (’17). I also began recording audiobooks for ACX which opened up an entire industry of exciting possibility and opportunity!
You can connect with Michael David Axtell here:
My Favorite Quotes
“Death looked up from beneath a broad sun hat. Like she needed it. As if anything in the cosmos could touch her.”
“She loved him, and he’d never doubted that, not once. Her fears were born of love and that warmed him even if it chafed a little.”
“The dead weren’t here, but something lurked beyond his senses”
“Don’t venerate it, but don’t bury it. Fix it, but don’t hide it. Hiding it would let it happen again.”
Rellim Reads 