Kirsten Reviews: Watcher of the Dark by Joseph Nassise
Watcher of the Dark by Joseph Nassise
Jeremiah Hunt #3
A spine-tingling new Jeremiah Hunt dark fantasy thriller.
New Orleans was nearly the death of Jeremiah Hunt, between a too-close brush with the FBI and a chilling, soul-searing journey through the realm of the dead that culminated with a do-or-die confrontation with Death himself.
But when he performs an arcane ritual to reclaim the soul of the magically gifted, beautiful woman who once saved him, he must flee the law once again, to Los Angeles, city of angels, a temporary sanctuary. In L.A., he has to contend with Carlos Fuentes, who sees in Hunt a means to obtain the mystical key that would open the gates of Hell. Fuentes knows Hunt’s weakness—his loyalty to the woman he loves, and to another “gifted” friend—and uses the real threat of torturing them as a way to get Hunt to help complete his dread quest.
Hunt has learned a lot since his life was irrevocably hijacked by fate months ago. But when his friends are threatened by the supernatural predator known as the Preacher, Hunt knows that all his newfound experience and ability will go for naught unless he can keep both the Preacher and Fuentes at bay long enough for him to somehow find a way to free his friends from mortal peril.
Watcher of the Dark by Joseph Nassise is the followup to King of the Dead in The Jeremiah Hunt Chronicle, and picks up after Jeremiah’s adventures and mishaps in New Orleans. Although Hunt survived his confrontation with Death, and has escaped the FBI, at least for the time being, things soon go sideways.
After performing an arcane ritual in order to reclaim the soul of a woman who, once upon a time, saved him, he has to hightail it to Los Angeles, again fleeing the law. There, he gets in touch with Carlos Fuentes, who thinks that Hunt has the ability to get ahold of a key that will open the gates of Hell. Fuentes manipulates Hunt through his loyalty to his friends and loved ones, and Hunt must cooperate, or risk them coming to harm. In addition to that, there’s the Preacher, a supernatural predator that nobody wants to encounter, and Hunt has to find a way to evade both and rescue his friends.
Most notably, this series has a protagonist that does not wield magic using a staff or other tools, but sacrificed his sight in order to see the world hidden from most people, that of spirits, ghosts, and all the things that prowl the dark. While there are plenty of obstacles and experiences that could have beaten Hunt down, he continues to evolve and progress, and the author has given him a sense of humor about things that lightens tone as he figures out how to better use his sight and get out of trouble.
The series has enough backstory at this point that new readers need to start with the first book, and it’s an interesting take on the Seer trope in urban fantasy, and in a genre sometimes bloated with more powerful beings, it’s refreshing to see a character who spends as much time looking where he shouldn’t, as he does running as fast as he can away from trouble.
(Received a copy from the publisher)
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Previous Books:
1. Eyes to See
2. King of the Dead
