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King of the Dead (Jeremiah Hunt #2)

by Joseph Nassise (Goodreads Author)

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 62 ratings · 21 reviews

Joseph Nassise shook up the urban fantasy genre with Eyes to See, a novel New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry called “heartbreaking, deeply insightful, powerful and genuinely thrilling.” In a devil’s deal, Jeremiah Hunt sacrificed his human sight in exchange for the power to see the hidden world of ghosts and all of the darker spirits that prowl the streets....more

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published November 27th 2012 by Tor Books

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Nov 25, 2012 Julia rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs, fantasy, fiction, urban

The magical construction of EYES TO SEE was mesmerizing, and though I wasn't swept away that book's eventual resolution, I was eager to pick up KING OF THE DEAD to see where Nassise took me next.

KING OF THE DEAD starts a little slow, as Hunts sometimes pedantic nature is used to remind readers of prior events. People new to the series should have no problem jumping right in with KING OF THE DEAD. The rush of information made things a little dry, but once Hunt and his companions get to New Orlea...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Christina (A Reader of Fictions) rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: finishedreviewcopy

Sequels generally fail to live up to their predecessors. To be fair, they're under a lot of pressure. They need to refresh readers who read books out of order (a ghastly affair, I say) and to set up the following book, assuming there is one (which there usually is, duology's not being especially popular). Unfortunately, I feel like King of the Dead had some real issues, and was not as powerful as Eyes to See, however, the ending was jam packed and left me wanting more.

The first problem with King...more Sequels generally fail to live up to their predecessors. To be fair, they're under a lot of pressure. They need to refresh readers who read books out of order (a ghastly affair, I say) and to set up the following book, assuming there is one (which there usually is, duology's not being especially popular). Unfortunately, I feel like King of the Dead had some real issues, and was not as powerful as Eyes to See, however, the ending was jam packed and left me wanting more.

The first problem with King of the Dead I referenced above. Authors writing the second book of their series have two basic options: rehash the plot so that people who skipped book one won't be lost or launch straight in and hope that people are smart enough to go back to book one if they're confused. Nassise chose the former option, which might have been okay with me had I not read Eyes to See less than a week ago. With a strong knowledge of the plot, I could appreciate just how poorly the information dump was handled. One sentence, just a descriptive one about how inanimate objects take in emotions, he even reused verbatim in this book. If you're going to repeat the infodump, at least do me the favor of writing something new, especially since I wasn't a huge fan of that sentence in book one, which is why I recognized it.

Much as that annoyed me, though, it's a fairly common problem, and the repetition is dispensed with in a couple of chapters, so it's really not that big an issue. The larger problem was how the plot meandered for most of the book. Where Eyes to See started with a bang (Jeremiah performing an exorcism), this one only has a brief vision of Denise's to get us moving. Apparently, the vision means they need to go to New Orleans for some mission wholely unrelated to Hunt being wanted by the FBI. Alrighty then.

Thankfully, I do feel like the plot did come around to being a bit more overarching towards the end, bringing in a mysterious figure from book one. The last third or so of the book has a lot of action, death, and battle, so I got really into it at that point. There was one questionable moment in the battle's climax where I question Hunt's ability to take out the opponent, but hopefully the powers he uses then will be explained later on. Otherwise, not cool.

Hunt continues to be a delightfully odd hero, in that he's not especially heroic. He doesn't really want to save people and he's really not that useful a lot of the time. He gets them caught by doing something stupid, and he has to hide in the corner during battles, because he lacks any sort of fighting prowess. His most useful skills are his ghostsight and the fact that he's really good at the harmonica (soothes ghosts and three-headed dogs). Personally, I find this refreshing, because most people don't get to be the badass hero in their own lives.

King of the Dead had some issues, but I certainly recommend it with some reservations. Given the intense ending, I do plan to continue with the series myself and only hope that Nassise will ease the transition into book three and try to space out the action a bit better, like he did in Eyes to See.(less)

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Dec 10, 2012 Robot rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: book-masochists, no one

Terrible. Just terrible. I honestly can't pick out a redeeming quality to this book.

The point of view changes are so absolutely pointless it's frustrating. They offer nothing in the way of plot OR character development. Hell, I think it hurts both. The book would have greatly benefited from being told through just Hunt's eyes.

The plot is just atrocious. It's poorly paced and explained, things just kind of happen, and then it ends. The FBI agent hunting Hunt served zero purpose. I honestly don't...more

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Feb 14, 2013 William Bentrim rated it 5 of 5 stars

King of the Dead by Joseph Nassise

A blind man, a witch and a changeling walk into a bar….. So many endings but none as intriguing as Nassise’s story. Jeremiah Hunt is blind to the mundane world due to a pact he made with a mysterious entity called the Preacher. He and his companions, a witch and a changeling are arcanely summoned to New Orleans to stop a plague.

Nassise does a nice job crafting characters that you care about. His characters are flawed and quite human for the most. Jeremiah finds...more

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Jan 29, 2013 Book Twirps rated it 3 of 5 stars

In Eyes to See, the first book in this series, we met Jeremiah Hunt, a man who sacrificed his eyesight in order to “see” the supernatural world in hopes of finding his missing daughter. After the events of the first book, Jeremiah is now at the top of the FBI’s most wanted list. On the run with his two friends, Dmitri (a berserkr/shapeshifter) and Denise (a witch), Jeremiah and the group find their way to New Orleans after Denise has a horrible vision of the city falling into chaos and ruin at t...more In Eyes to See, the first book in this series, we met Jeremiah Hunt, a man who sacrificed his eyesight in order to “see” the supernatural world in hopes of finding his missing daughter. After the events of the first book, Jeremiah is now at the top of the FBI’s most wanted list. On the run with his two friends, Dmitri (a berserkr/shapeshifter) and Denise (a witch), Jeremiah and the group find their way to New Orleans after Denise has a horrible vision of the city falling into chaos and ruin at the hands of something dark and sinister. The three hope to combine their powers to find out who, or what is causing a string of recent deaths, and what they find is far worse than what they could have imagined.

I loved the world Mr. Nassise created in the first book, and it was expanded on in this one. Most of the action takes place in New Orleans (a city I LOVE), and I enjoyed how the author combined his rules with this historic city. New Orleans is famous for its voodoo, underground magic and ghosts, so this was the perfect setting.

I really liked Jeremiah in the first book. He was a character we could root for. The poor guy had literally lost everything (his daughter, his job, his wife and eventually, his eyesight) and I understood his cause. What I like most about him is that while he’s the hero, he isn’t particularly heroic. He can’t do much outside of see ghosts, so when it comes to the big battles, he must rely on his cohorts to do the fighting.

Denise, while likable, just hasn’t quite done it for me yet. I don’t know what it is, but I haven’t been able to connect with her. That’s not to say that I dislike her, I just don’t really care for her one way or another. I’m hoping that changes in future installments. Dimitri, on the other hand, is just plain awesome.

My biggest problem with these books, and this one especially, is the frequent head-hopping that happens. I get the reasoning behind it, but at times it can be a bit jarring, and I found myself frequently going back to reread passages to figure out whose POV we were experiencing. The other thing that bothered me was the pace. The book moves much slower than the first one did, mainly because we get a very long and drawn out replay of what happened in the first book. I understand this can be important, and helps ground the reader, especially if there is a long gap between release dates, but this one felt especially long. This could have something to do with the fact that there was only a gap of about a month between when I read the first and second books.

All in all, I am a big fan of this series, and I look forward to future installments. Despite the slow beginning and clunky POV shifts, it’s a good read with a killer ending. The last quarter of the book is filled with a lot of action and keeps you on your toes. I just wish the pace in the beginning of the book had been quicker. If you are a fan of urban fantasies, and looking for something new, I would definitely recommend this series.(less)

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Jan 14, 2013 OpenBookSociety.com rated it 5 of 5 stars

Brought to you by OBS reviewer Sammy

*Beware of Spoilers*

I started reading book two of the Jeremiah Hunt series as soon as I finished book one, Eyes to See, and wish the next book was out already. I loved this continuing story.

We get to see more about how the relationships with Dimtri, Denise and Hunt are evolving, how they have each other’s backs, I really liked how they have become a team. The sexual tension between Hunt and Denise is titillating and I’m looking forward to seeing how that part...more

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Dec 31, 2012 drey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads, urban-fantasy

Now a wanted man, Jeremiah Hunt hides out on one of Dmitri’s properties – along with Dmitri and Denise. His options are a tad limited now, what with his (lack of) eyesight, and oh, being on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. So, along with the peace and quiet, reflection and regrouping, Jeremiah has to figure out where to go from here.

Then Denise has visions of doom and gloom (or hellfire and brimstone), and the three are on the way to New Orleans to investigate. I loved that Jeremiah drives, by the wa...more Now a wanted man, Jeremiah Hunt hides out on one of Dmitri’s properties – along with Dmitri and Denise. His options are a tad limited now, what with his (lack of) eyesight, and oh, being on the FBI’s Most Wanted list. So, along with the peace and quiet, reflection and regrouping, Jeremiah has to figure out where to go from here.

Then Denise has visions of doom and gloom (or hellfire and brimstone), and the three are on the way to New Orleans to investigate. I loved that Jeremiah drives, by the way. I mean, the dude’s blind for crying out loud!

King of the Dead is dark and not very kind to our protagonist, or his friends. As Jeremiah et al race around trying to identify the threat – and its resolution – it’s hard to not cheer for them. But it is hard to stay involved with them. I mean, I like the three just fine, but I don’t feel like I know them any better now than I did before I picked up King of the Dead.

Good thing that the story’s pretty interesting. How could it not be, with the King of the Dead playing a role (albeit silent) and nightmarish Sorrows slurping souls? It makes up for the slower-than-ideal pace that waits between the pages. The three are on the lam, after all – even if the FBI doesn’t know anything about Denise (yet). And they’re on the clock (see “race around” above) too. Which is why it gets a bit annoying when the hero indulges in a bit of angst at meeting people (i.e. men) Denise knew pre-Hunt.

And while I enjoyed meeting a new face (Simon Gallagher in New Orleans) or two (Agent Doherty in the FBI), I never really got to know them. I did wonder how the FBI fared after that anti-climactic save-the-world meeting in the cemetery, but not enough to actually care if Robertson or Doherty made it out in (relatively) one piece. All in all, this was not what I’d hoped the follow up to Eyes to See would be – it’s not pulse-pounding, supernaturally-shining, truly-end-of-world-worthy, nor dramatic. *sigh*

I’m holding out hope for another installment though, because I’m curious enough to want to know what happens next.

drey’s rating: Pick it up!(less)

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Dec 23, 2012 Lelia Taylor rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: full-reviews

One of the best combinations that has come about with the tremendous growth of crossgenre fiction is crimefighting supernatural beings. Early players—meaning in recent years because crossgenre is certainly not a new thing—such as Harry Dresden (Jim Butcher) and Rachel Morgan (Kim Harrison) whetted our appetites and many readers, including me, are always on the lookout for more, especially those that are a bit different.

And Jeremiah Hunt is decidedly different. We’ve had central characters who ca...more One of the best combinations that has come about with the tremendous growth of crossgenre fiction is crimefighting supernatural beings. Early players—meaning in recent years because crossgenre is certainly not a new thing—such as Harry Dresden (Jim Butcher) and Rachel Morgan (Kim Harrison) whetted our appetites and many readers, including me, are always on the lookout for more, especially those that are a bit different.

And Jeremiah Hunt is decidedly different. We’ve had central characters who can wizard or witch their way through life, or chase down bad guys while in the form of werewolves and vampires and such, but how often do we come across a guy who can see ghosts and all the scary things in the dark and can do so BECAUSE he’s blind? To make it even more unique, Jeremiah actually wanted his blindness, unlike so many who gain their abilities through no desire to be able to do these things. Jeremiah and his cohorts, a witch and a berserker, ought to be kickbutt.

Unfortunately, they don’t quite do it for me and I’m not entirely sure why. Part of the problem is a bit too much infodumping in an effort to bring the reader up to speed in this second book. I appreciate the effort because knowing some background helps when you haven’t read the earlier books in a series (a frequent happenstance for reviewers) but it’s a little too heavyhanded in this case. I was also a little put off by the shifting points of view—generally, I like that but the shifts were sometimes too abrupt and I would lose my connection to the story while taking the time to figure out who’s speaking.

Having said that, the worldbuilding is very good and I like these characters, especially Jeremiah. I’ve heard excellent reports about the first book, Eyes to See, so I think this may be one of those rare occasions when I should have read the first book first. King of the Dead interests me a lot and I think I’ll enjoy it much more if I start at the beginning.

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, December 2012.(less)

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Nov 14, 2012 Paul Pessolano rated it 5 of 5 stars

“King of the Dead” by Joseph Nassise, published by Tor Books.

Category – Urban Fantasy

This could be the craziest damn book I have ever read, and I loved every minute of it. Unfortunately, and I apologize to the author, I took a different view of the book than most critics.

Although the book is suspenseful and deals with the paranormal, I found it to be a clever, funny, and all around just good read. My only regret is that I did not read the first book in the series, “Eyes to See”.

Jeremiah Hunt, in...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Alex rated it 3 of 5 stars

It wasn't amazing, but it kept me interested throughout. It's nice to read an urban fantasy book with no paranormal romance.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind it, but as long as it takes a back burner to the main story. A lot of urban fantasy books are very little on main story and a lot on bedroom antics.

One thing that has been bugging me though.
Hunt is being called the 'Reaper'. The serial killer with a laundry list of murder victims over the past X amount of years (I forget the actual amount,...more

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Nov 30, 2012 Melissa rated it 5 of 5 stars

I reviewed the first book in the series, Eyes to See last year and I really enjoyed it. This is the second book in this series and I have to say I enjoyed this book even more. The characters are established and I found myself rooting even more for the main hero, Jeremiah, even more. We also pick up where the last book left off, so I do suggest these be read in order. Not because it would be too confusing (you could read these out of order), but because you get such a better feel for the characte...more

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Feb 18, 2013 Steve rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013

Decent story, but I had issues with the writing itself. I don't like a book written in first person for some chapters, and third person in others. I don't like the obvious use of a hook ending a chapter. A "Little did we know..." closing. One, it's cheap and cheesy; two, it destroys my immersion in the story because I recognize it as a gimmick and because it breaks tension by informing me I'm not living the story with the characters. Instead I'm with them while they recollect the events. The "ho...more

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Dec 21, 2012 Tim rated it 5 of 5 stars

I can not wait to read this!!!

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Dec 09, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, for-review

3.5 stars

So last year the first book in the Jeremiah Hunt series, Eyes to See, was released and I read it. I was drawn to the idea of the main character being a guy who traded his eyesight to be able to see the dead. In King of the Dead we’re back with Hunt, Denise Clearwater the mage and Dmitri the berserker as they are on the run from the FBI after Hunt was framed as the famous serial killer the Reaper. They travel to New Orleans after Denise has a vision of something terrifying going on there...more

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Feb 07, 2013 Pure Textuality rated it 5 of 5 stars

O……..M………G……….

Yesterday I posted my review of Eyes to See (Jeremiah Hunt #1) and today we are looking at King of the Dead (Jeremiah Hunt #2).

King of the Dead takes off following the events of Eyes to See. Hunt is on the run from the law for murders he didn’t commit.

Man, I thought that Eyes to See was intense. King of the Dead makes the events of book #1 look like a cake walk! After how much I loved Eyes to See, I was afraid that I was going to be disappointed with King of the Dead and that was...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Star (The Bibliophilic Book Blog) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

‘King of the Dead’ picks up where ‘Eyes to See’ left off and the three main characters are on the run from the FBI when Denise Clearwater receives visions of a threat in New Orleans. As Hunt, Dmitri, and Denise enter New Orleans, it is clear something is very wrong. A number of the Gifted are in a strange sort of coma and when Hunt looks deeper, he realizes something or someone has stolen their souls. Yet, this is not the worst event as Death himself is coming to reap all the souls in New Orlean...more

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Dec 02, 2012 All Things Urban Fantasy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: november-2012-hotp

The magical construction of EYES TO SEE was mesmerizing, and though I wasn’t swept away that book’s eventual resolution, I was eager to pick up KING OF THE DEAD to see where Nassise took me next. Nassise’s flair for the paranormal is back in full effect and the plot has a great balance between urban fantasy and an upside down police procedural (as it is our hero who the FBI is hunting).

KING OF THE DEAD starts a little slow, as Hunts sometimes pedantic narration is used to remind readers of prior...more The magical construction of EYES TO SEE was mesmerizing, and though I wasn’t swept away that book’s eventual resolution, I was eager to pick up KING OF THE DEAD to see where Nassise took me next. Nassise’s flair for the paranormal is back in full effect and the plot has a great balance between urban fantasy and an upside down police procedural (as it is our hero who the FBI is hunting).

KING OF THE DEAD starts a little slow, as Hunts sometimes pedantic narration is used to remind readers of prior events. People new to the series should have no problem jumping right in with KING OF THE DEAD. The rush of information made things a little dry, but once Hunt and his companions got to New Orleans, new events began to overpower old, fully engaging me in the plot. I loved the mix of realistic battle tactics and magical opponents, Nassise has a knack for writing riveting but accessible magic.

Unfortunately, even as the action grew more interesting, there were a few issues that kept me from wholly immersing myself in the story. Nassise’s style is a mix of deadpan recounting interspersed with exclamation points and adverbs where I least expected them. This meant that the characters’ emotional reactions seemed to be laid over top of the story rather than integrated with the action, things never felt quite in sync. As a character focused reader, the resultant difficulty connecting with Hunt and his companions was a big problem.

Perhaps exacerbated by my character issues, I had a hard time with some of the shifts in point of view. In addition to following the protagonist, KING OF THE DEAD offers some chapters from Denise’s and Agent Robertson’s points of view. This structure is a great compliment for the police procedural/thriller aspects of the book, but the tone wasn’t always consistent within these alternate points of view. I would be reading the story from Denise’s perspective, run into three lines that sounded like Hunt is thinking, then be back to Denise. Pair these narrative potholes with my existing character disconnect, and you have a book I never managed to immerse myself in.

A mix of police procedural and the occult, KING OF THE DEAD offers more of Nassise’s excellent mythologies. As much as I enjoyed the magic, however, I never connected with his characters beyond a superficial level. Fans of both fantasy and thrillers will enjoy this mix of genres, but character focused readers may be left wanting.

Sexual Content: None.(less)

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Apr 07, 2013 Jeremy rated it 5 of 5 stars

This series is good, it's short, it's fun, it's almost grimdark enough to be Warhammer 40k.

The biggest issue I have with it is the cliff hanger nature of the books, it's very VERY frustrating and unsatisfying.

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Dec 28, 2012 Jane rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: free, own, obs-review, series, urban-fantasy

Love this series can't wait for the next one. If you like Dresden Files, Nightside and or Rachel Morgan series, this is a series you would love. It's a blended mix filled with flavors from all three of those series plus more. highly recommend.

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Dec 09, 2012 Eric Smith rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: urban-fantasy

Good read. Expanded well upon the world established in the first book. Bad things continue to happen to the people around Jeremiah and he is certainly a flawed hero but a very likable and understandable one. Good continuation and I hope to see the next book before too long.

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Apr 14, 2013 Stewie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed-for-horrortalk-com

Joseph Nassise delivers a very solid sequel to Eyes to See, with more action, more victims, and more of those things that go bump in the night. You can read my full review at HorrorTalk.com

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Shelves: horror

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Apr 30, 2013 Annie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Apr 29, 2013 Tommy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Apr 23, 2013 Jen rated it 3 of 5 stars

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About Joseph Nassise

Joseph Nassise is the author of more than twenty novels, including the internationally bestselling TEMPLAR CHRONICLES series, the JEREMIAH HUNT trilogy, and the GREAT UNDEAD WAR series. He has also written several books in the popular Rogue Angel action-adventure series.

His work has been nominated for both the Bram Stoker Award and the International Horror Guild Award and has been translated into...more

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A Scream of Angels (Templar Chronicles #2)

By the Blood of Heroes (The Great Undead War, #1)

A Tear in the Sky (Templar Chronicles #3)

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King of the Dead (Jeremiah Hunt #2)

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