The Undying Legion by Clay Griffith & Susan Griffith

July 23rd, 2015 Kimberly Review 49 Comments

23rd Jul
The Undying Legion by Clay Griffith & Susan Griffith
The Undying Legion
by Clay & Susan Griffith
Series: Crown & Key #2
Narrator: Nicholas Guy Smith
Length: 10 hours and 36 minutes
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Narration: 4.5 cups

With a flood of dark magic about to engulf Victorian London, can a handful of heroes vanquish a legion of the undead? When monster-hunter Malcolm MacFarlane comes across the gruesome aftermath of a ritual murder in a London church, he enlists the help of magician-scribe Simon Archer and alchemist extraordinaire Kate Anstruther. Studying the macabre scene, they struggle to understand obscure clues in the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics carved into the victim’s heart—as well as bizarre mystical allusions to the romantic poetry of William Blake. One thing is clear: Some very potent black magic is at work. But this human sacrifice is only the first in a series of ritualized slayings. Desperate to save lives while there is still time, Simon, Kate, and Malcolm—along with gadget geek Penny Carter and Charlotte, an adolescent werewolf—track down a necromancer who is reanimating the deceased. As the team battles an unrelenting army of undead, monstrous serpentine demons, and a powerful Egyptian mummy, the necromancer proves an elusive quarry. And when the true purpose of the ritual is revealed, the gifted allies must confront a destructive force that is positively apocalyptic

AMAZEBALLS Audiobook magical

Undying Legion is the second novel in Clay & Susan Griffith’s Victorian-era urban fantasy. Dark, suspenseful and weaved in magic and necromancy the authors kept me on edge while fleshing out characters and their world. I chose to listen and once again, narrator Nicholas Guy Smith brought this tale to life as Simon and Kate investigate these suspicious murders.

Five reasons to grab your earbuds and solve the ritualistic murders in Undying Legion

  • Malcom MacFarlane is concerned about a series of gruesome murders in a London church and seeks the help of Simon Archer a magician-scribe and those of Kate Anstruther a skilled alchemist. The macabre scene reveal ritual murders and ancient hieroglyphics etched into the victim’s hearts. Once again, the authors take us down a dark rabbit hole in search of someone wielding dark magic with a penance for poetry by William Blake. These murders are just the first in a string of ritualized killings and Simon and Kate will need the help of their friends. The tale that unfolds has everything from gadgets to time travel.
  • The characters in this series continue to impress and I have such a good time with them. We have Simon, Kate, Malcom who hunts monsters and Penny who can create anything. Her gadgets and weaponry are badass. Charlotte, a young werewolf who helps them track a necromancer and struggles controlling her beast creates a little tension within the group. At times, the characters can be a little cliché, but between their interaction and the Griffin’s touches, I love this motely investigative team. They click and felt genuine.
  • In Undying Legion, the mystery behind these murders could wipe out London and it becomes a race against the clock to stop a monster. The authors weaved Egyptian history, demi-gods and myth into the tale magically creating suspense, danger and intense action-scenes. It has a dark vibe and can sometimes be grotesque but I appreciated the details.
  • The tale is plot driven and therefore I cannot recommend reading/listening to the novels in this series out of order. Bonds are created with the characters and little time is spent endearing you to them as we move at a fast pace with clever red herrings and unexpected twists. The ending has me eager to listen to the next novel. I am so glad these are releasing so close together!
  • The world and the vivid way in which the authors bring it to life is one of my favorite aspects of this series. I can see the monsters, gadgets and even the look on Malcom’s face when a young woman exasperates him.

Undying Legion works wonderfully on audio and I am anxious to listen to The Conquering Dark the next installment due to release July 28th. Can I just be shallow for a moment and talk about the covers. Seriously, they rock both the book cover and the audio jacket.

 

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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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49 Responses to “The Undying Legion by Clay Griffith & Susan Griffith”

  1. Lorna

    I have been enjoying a lot of the Victorian UF lately. I hadn’t heard of this one at all. I might have to check it out, Thanks 🙂

  2. Jennifer

    I grabbed this one on audio for review too. I plan on listening to book 1 and 2 back to back.

  3. Kristin

    I just wanted you to know I saw you reviewing this and I had to skim it b/c I haven’t written my review yet! I don’t want mine to be “tainted” – nooooo, not that!!! Just passing by before I go to bed, though 🙂

  4. Danielle

    I think I’ll actually give this one a shot. Great review! I’m not a big fan of audiobooks but Ive found that I enjoy them more if the speaker is a guy so this one seems promising.

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I like male narrators too, and find I am pick about the female ones…and once I find a female voice I like I search them out.

  5. Cyn

    This series sounds fantastic! I just saw a great review of this from Kim at Book Swoon, too. Happy to hear it’s still holding strong in book 2! I’ll definitely have to keep my eyes out for this series (:

  6. Sophia Rose

    Cool! Glad things stay strong and exciting after the first book. I got to read that one and now I need to get my hands on the rest of the series.

  7. Paij Slater

    I do love the cover!!! Thanks for adding more not only to my TBR pile, but my audio book pile :)…Great review

  8. Christy

    Pfft … as if I’d read them out of order anyway. 🙂 I want to listen to this series eventually though.

  9. Naomi

    I love the sound of the mystery in this series and that the characters continue to get your attention. Nice review Kimberly!

  11. Lori

    You had me at monster hunter and Victorian London! I will be adding this series to my audible wish list, great review Kimberly! 🙂

  12. sherry fundin

    Per Shari’s comment above, funny how even if you are not a fan of the genre, per se, a narrator can make the story so enjoyable.

  14. Ramona

    Ah, I’ve already fallen behind on this… I’m all about Neil Gaiman these days. And his books are quite substantial, so I’ve fallen behind on new releases. Still, I can’t wait to get back to these characters. I really loved the first one 🙂

  15. Lark

    The first book looked good and your review is convincing me to give them a try (whenever I can squeeze them in.) Since you like the audio version so much, I’ll see if I can find them at my library!

  16. Stormi

    I think I remember your review for book one and this narrator sounds awesome so it’s so going on the audio wishlist. 🙂

  18. Diana Leigh

    Well, the Victorian-era setting is a definite “yes,” and though I don’t read a lot of fantasy, I’m intrigued. Necromancy, huh?

  19. Debbie Haupt

    Oh boy I really need to try this, I still remember how amazing their characters from The Vampire Empire were. They are storytellers extraordinaire!
    thanks Kim for the fab review.

  20. Michelle

    Love the narrator in the sample! I’m a fan of British readers, makes me want to curl up on the couch and just relax. I’ll have to look into this series!

  23. Jenny

    Jeez! I feel like I just found out about the first book and we’re already on book 2?! This series is coming out fast (or I’m just a little slow on the uptake – a strong possibility). Glad this follow up was successful for you, I did so enjoy their Vampire Empire series!

  24. Nick

    My other friend Kim also loves this series and has been raving about it. I’m especially interested in reading it because of the cast. They all sound like a lot of fun. Great review, Kim!

  25. Maja (The Nocturnal Library)

    I am so very late to this party, it’s not even funny. Luckily, while my reading time is virtually non-existent, I have a lot of time for audio and an Audible credit I’ve been saving precisely for something I know I’ll love. Off to download book one. 🙂

  26. Lindy

    I’ve been in the mood for thrillers lately! I love that this one included gadgets and time travel. This story sounds like it had one very intriguing plot-driven mystery, and excellent world building! Thanks for sharing 🙂

  27. kindlemom1

    I so need to buy this. I have been putting it off and I need to just break down and get it already.
    Love your top five reasons Kim! I know I will like this one as well, especially since I know it doesn’t suffer from second book syndrome.