Hungry Ghosts by Stephen Blackmoore is the third Eric Carter audiobook. Narrated by Rudy Sanda, it shares the last confrontation with the Queen of Death. Grab a cup of coffee and travel with us to the Aztec land of the dead.
by Stephen Blackmoore
Series: Eric Carter #3
Narrator: Rudy Sanda
Length: 9 hours and 15 minutes
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Narration: 5 cups Speed: 1.5x
Stephen Blackmoore's dark urban fantasy series follows necromancer Eric Carter through a world of vengeful gods and goddesses, mysterious murders, and restless ghosts.
Necromancer Eric Carter's problems keep getting bigger. Bad enough he's the unwilling husband to the patron saint of death, Santa Muerte, but now her ex, the Aztec King of the dead, Mictlantecuhtli, has come back—and it turns out that Carter and he are swapping places. As Mictlantecuhtli breaks loose of his prison of jade, Carter is slowly turning to stone.
To make matters worse, both gods are trying to get Carter to assassinate the other. But only one of them can be telling him the truth and he can't trust either one. Carter's solution? Kill them both.
If he wants to get out of this situation with his soul intact, he'll have to go to Mictlan, the Aztec land of the dead, and take down a couple of death gods while facing down the worst trials the place has to offer him: his own sins.
In Hungry Ghosts, as with most urban fantasy it is best to begin at the start. Eric is slowly turning to jade, and it seems both Santa Muerte and her ex, the Aztec King of the Dead, want him to nix the other. Eric isn’t sure who to believe, but he is racing against the clock. Each time he taps into the powers he’s been given, he loses a little more of himself. Now that he has the weapon, he’ll need to travel to Aztec land of the dead.
This was a clever tale and my favorite of the trilogy involving Santa Muerte. I love the way the author blends old gods, necromancy, ghosts and more into his tale. While I was vaguely familiar with Santa Muerte, I found the Aztec land of the dead and Eric’s journey fascinating.
The mystery of why the Queen of the Dead set things into motion and what she ultimately wants was intriguing. We see character growth from Eric. Oh, he is still jaded, but perhaps he’s forgiven himself a little. The build up to the end kept me listening. I was impressed with how it all unfolded. We are given a bit of an epilogue that left enough of a hook me into wanting more. I’ll be curious to see what Eric does next in Fire Season.
Rudy Sanda did a stellar job of capturing the tone and characters of this series. He is perfect as the voice of Eric bringing forth his gruff personality, doubts, fears and anger.
About Stephen Blackmoore
Stephen Blackmoore is the author of the noir / urban fantasy Eric Carter series (DEAD THINGS, BROKEN SOULS, HUNGRY GHOSTS, and FIRE SEASON), about a necromancer in modern-day Los Angeles.
About Rudy Sanda
Rudy Sanda is a versatile actor, singer, voice-over artist, and fight choreographer. He has acted all over the United States and England on the stage and screen, including Laguna Playhouse, Ivoryton Playhouse, the Colonial Theatre, and Ocean State Theatre. Rudy holds a BFA in acting from the University of Rhode Island and received further training at the Beverly Hills Playhouse in Los Angeles and RATA in London. He has been described as a powerful, deeply connected presence bursting with charm and enthusiasm.
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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
Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature)
Sounds interesting and I like the idea of the different cultural aspects of it. Great review!
Kimberly
I did too Lisa.
Rachel @Waves of Fiction
I think this might be a series I’d enjoy. I’m looking for another UF to be addicted to since I’m all caught up on the ones I love.
Kimberly
I was excited to see these releasing on audio. I hope you try them.
Mary Kirkland
I haven’t read anything that had an Aztec King of the dead before. This sounds intriguing.
Kimberly
Thanks Mary 🙂
Wendy
I don’t know much about Aztec mythology, so this would be very interesting for me.
Kimberly
I didn’t either. It had me diving down rabbit holes.
Anne - Books of My Heart
I wanted to read this series and only managed the first one. You are making me want to get it back into my schedule.
Kimberly
Tantor is releasing them all on audio…perfect time to dive in!
Sophia Rose
I know little about Aztec mythology so that is a draw alone, but the hero with the jaded outlook and tough choices draws me in, too.