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The Apocalypse Waltz
Six Heroes. Two Worlds. One Chance.
Except for the fact that he’s been chased out of this corner of the galaxy by demons he helped to create, formerly famous comic book artist Danny Ramirez is a lot like you and disillusioned, depressed, often profane. Unfortunately, Danny soon finds that his new home in Ythedra is under attack by the same forces besieging Earth. A dark spirit of unimaginable powers is leading an army of monsters and murderers north to enslave the last free peoples of the Ninelands. Someone’s going to have to act like a hero, and maybe it’s Danny himself–even if it means picking up a sword instead of his pen. He’ll have some help from a grizzled infantry commander, a burly, down-on-his-luck petty thief, an exotic warrior princess, and an irascible but dangerous blue troll from a cave kingdom far to the north. Together they make a formidable fighting force. But time is running out, and salvation for Danny Ramirez may mean saying so long to his dream of returning to a world he realizes he loves after all.
Except for the fact that he’s been chased out of this corner of the galaxy by demons he helped to create, formerly famous comic book artist Danny Ramirez is a lot like you and disillusioned, depressed, often profane. Unfortunately, Danny soon finds that his new home in Ythedra is under attack by the same forces besieging Earth. A dark spirit of unimaginable powers is leading an army of monsters and murderers north to enslave the last free peoples of the Ninelands. Someone’s going to have to act like a hero, and maybe it’s Danny himself–even if it means picking up a sword instead of his pen. He’ll have some help from a grizzled infantry commander, a burly, down-on-his-luck petty thief, an exotic warrior princess, and an irascible but dangerous blue troll from a cave kingdom far to the north. Together they make a formidable fighting force. But time is running out, and salvation for Danny Ramirez may mean saying so long to his dream of returning to a world he realizes he loves after all.
304 pages, Paperback
First published June 21, 2013
10 people are currently reading
1387 people want to read
About the author
Bruce McCandless III
17 books259 followersBruce McCandless III is the author of the biography Wonders All Around: The Incredible True Story of Astronaut Bruce McCandless II and the First Free Flight in Space, an Amazon bestseller that was named a Best Book of 2021 by both Men's Journal and Kirkus Reviews. Wonders All Around is first and foremost a relationship story about a family caught up in a father's ambitions, disappointments, and struggle for professional redemption, all as played out against the real-life drama of America's manned space program in the Apollo, Skylab, and early Shuttle years.
A lifelong Texan, Bruce is also the author of the interlinked historical horror novels In the Land of Dead Horses, Sour Lake, and The Black Book of Cyrenaica, as well as a modern fairy tale for pre-teens called Beatrice and the Basilisk. Named Austin's Poet Laureate by the Austin American-Statesman in 2000, he has published poems, stories, and essays in The Seattle Review, The Asian Wall Street Journal, Pleiades, Bayou, and other journals.
With his daughter Carson, Bruce wrote Carson Clare's Trail Guide to Avoiding Death (And Other Unpleasant Consequences), a book of poems for middle-schoolers that Indie Reader gave a perfect 5.0 score and that Kirkus Reviews calls an "amusing and friendly handbook" with "delightful verse and surprisingly useful tips." Bruce and Carson also teamed up to write Beatrice at Bay (2020), a Beatrice sequel that Kirkus touts as "an often thrilling and nuanced fantasy novella."
A lifelong Texan, Bruce is also the author of the interlinked historical horror novels In the Land of Dead Horses, Sour Lake, and The Black Book of Cyrenaica, as well as a modern fairy tale for pre-teens called Beatrice and the Basilisk. Named Austin's Poet Laureate by the Austin American-Statesman in 2000, he has published poems, stories, and essays in The Seattle Review, The Asian Wall Street Journal, Pleiades, Bayou, and other journals.
With his daughter Carson, Bruce wrote Carson Clare's Trail Guide to Avoiding Death (And Other Unpleasant Consequences), a book of poems for middle-schoolers that Indie Reader gave a perfect 5.0 score and that Kirkus Reviews calls an "amusing and friendly handbook" with "delightful verse and surprisingly useful tips." Bruce and Carson also teamed up to write Beatrice at Bay (2020), a Beatrice sequel that Kirkus touts as "an often thrilling and nuanced fantasy novella."
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
November 20, 2018
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
A comic book writer, who contributed to the what is now called The Dark Ages of comics, the 1990's, finds himself pursued by his own creations.
He gets pushed into a washing machine and travels to another world, one he thought he created, but apparently remembered from a sort of past life.
From there, there's the usual prophecies, journeys, spells, and monsters that make up this genre. One of the monsters is fairly original and memorable.
It's okay, but not a classic in the genre.
A comic book writer, who contributed to the what is now called The Dark Ages of comics, the 1990's, finds himself pursued by his own creations.
He gets pushed into a washing machine and travels to another world, one he thought he created, but apparently remembered from a sort of past life.
From there, there's the usual prophecies, journeys, spells, and monsters that make up this genre. One of the monsters is fairly original and memorable.
It's okay, but not a classic in the genre.
October 30, 2018
I usually don't read this type of book. I enjoyed it, I doubt I'll read the rest of the series but I recommend it for people who enjoy fantasy worlds ad good vs evil. It was entertaining and moved along well, so you won't be bored. I also like that it had humor and irony.
July 23, 2020
A well-written adventure story, I really enjoyed this :) A slightly snarky guy who feels like he's failing at life gets dropped into a dangerous fantasy world...
September 7, 2016
I received a copy of “The Apocalypse Waltz” through a First Reads Giveaway, and I’d like to start with this: I love the way McCandless writes fantasy. I think he would be an excellent – if infuriating – Dungeon Master. The world of Ythedra is complicated in a realistic way and has great depth. I enjoyed the unpronounceable names that seemed well and truly foreign (unlike one-letter name changes in series like “Game of Thrones”) and the complex history of Ythedra as occasionally told through expository passages.
Unfortunately, I feel McCandless has gone for too many facets to make his story unique. As far as I can tell, there is absolutely no reason to have the story be a “true account” regaled from notes the author ‘found.’ The concept is so very Blair Witch or Slenderman that it hurts. Don’t try to sell me on the realism of your story. I won’t believe it and it just makes it seem so much more fake. Also, the bringing to life of the comic book characters doesn’t make sense once the character of Ramirez is given more background to explain the whole existence of Ythedra and his connection to it. And since the story is all a very detailed first-person account, it doesn’t even seem plausible that this was ‘pieced together’ by someone else. Get rid of the ‘realism’ and the weird comic-book-characters-into-life aspects and this is an enjoyable (if a bit dense) book.
Unfortunately, I feel McCandless has gone for too many facets to make his story unique. As far as I can tell, there is absolutely no reason to have the story be a “true account” regaled from notes the author ‘found.’ The concept is so very Blair Witch or Slenderman that it hurts. Don’t try to sell me on the realism of your story. I won’t believe it and it just makes it seem so much more fake. Also, the bringing to life of the comic book characters doesn’t make sense once the character of Ramirez is given more background to explain the whole existence of Ythedra and his connection to it. And since the story is all a very detailed first-person account, it doesn’t even seem plausible that this was ‘pieced together’ by someone else. Get rid of the ‘realism’ and the weird comic-book-characters-into-life aspects and this is an enjoyable (if a bit dense) book.
November 19, 2018
Good Wins Again
A riveting story of the fight between good and evil. Monsters, wizards, trolls and men fight for ultimate control. Well written and packed with action and adventure. I recommend this book to people who enjoy action exciting drama. I received this book from Goodreads for free.
A riveting story of the fight between good and evil. Monsters, wizards, trolls and men fight for ultimate control. Well written and packed with action and adventure. I recommend this book to people who enjoy action exciting drama. I received this book from Goodreads for free.
May 3, 2018
Not my usual genre, but well-written and occasionally even funny. I enjoyed it.
November 30, 2015
Overall, I vastly enjoyed this book. It doesn’t pull punches, and shares the spot light on the characters. Though the premise was originally why I picked up the book, it was the humorously cynical voice and unique writing style that I liked the most. I found myself often times smiling at Ramirez in his fish-out-of-water scenes. I like it when a story can address the reader’s questions (i.e. how did he get to another world?) and still keep its sense of humor without sacrificing the severity of the situation. Strangely enough, it’s hard to find authors that are truly good at that. McCandless is one of those authors. Ramirez is a bitter, damaged man, but relatable in his plight. Even if the next book was just him going through his taxes, I would still want to read it.
The best way to describe the writing style is fluid. Not everyone can immediately keep up with it (as I’ve been told). Jumping from one reference or description, sometimes without a link, doesn’t bother me. I find it refreshing. Not a ton of authors do this, and I love it when I find an author that can do it well. Maybe I’m not explaining that very clearly, but in a way, I guess you could say that the style isn’t hand-feeding you every solitary detail, but gives you a glimpse of the world and lets you fill in the details.
The theology of Ythedra is probably one of my favorite parts, one that I wish I could have learned more about, though I understand that explaining it further could kill the mystery of it. Having multiple deities, with some even familiar, is difficult to juggle, but I admire how the pieces fall into place. With gods, the God, angels, demons, and the like, Ythedra’s world kept me guessing, wondering what would be linked or used next. The ending scene (without spoiling it) didn’t disappoint. Just enough information to know what’s happening, but not enough that you’ll choke on the details or be forced to think in one specific way.
The names can be difficult to keep track of, at least for me. I love fantasy, though I end up knowing the characters more by what the names look like than by knowing how to say them. The difficult to pronounce names are a staple of fantasy worlds, but honestly, it takes minimal energy to keep up with them. Of the six members of the party, each was interesting of their own right. Parts of the journey had a Lord of the Rings quality to them, but with a new look and new faces and a new perspective. The blending of the worlds, and the twists supplied leave me wanting more. I’m would have loved to see more interactions between the characters, even if they’re doing nothing plot relevant. When the next book comes out, I’ll be first in line.
The best way to describe the writing style is fluid. Not everyone can immediately keep up with it (as I’ve been told). Jumping from one reference or description, sometimes without a link, doesn’t bother me. I find it refreshing. Not a ton of authors do this, and I love it when I find an author that can do it well. Maybe I’m not explaining that very clearly, but in a way, I guess you could say that the style isn’t hand-feeding you every solitary detail, but gives you a glimpse of the world and lets you fill in the details.
The theology of Ythedra is probably one of my favorite parts, one that I wish I could have learned more about, though I understand that explaining it further could kill the mystery of it. Having multiple deities, with some even familiar, is difficult to juggle, but I admire how the pieces fall into place. With gods, the God, angels, demons, and the like, Ythedra’s world kept me guessing, wondering what would be linked or used next. The ending scene (without spoiling it) didn’t disappoint. Just enough information to know what’s happening, but not enough that you’ll choke on the details or be forced to think in one specific way.
The names can be difficult to keep track of, at least for me. I love fantasy, though I end up knowing the characters more by what the names look like than by knowing how to say them. The difficult to pronounce names are a staple of fantasy worlds, but honestly, it takes minimal energy to keep up with them. Of the six members of the party, each was interesting of their own right. Parts of the journey had a Lord of the Rings quality to them, but with a new look and new faces and a new perspective. The blending of the worlds, and the twists supplied leave me wanting more. I’m would have loved to see more interactions between the characters, even if they’re doing nothing plot relevant. When the next book comes out, I’ll be first in line.
July 4, 2014
Not bad, not bad at all. I got this book from the first read program for free. The start seemed a little off kilter and maybe a little juvenile. But once it settled in and the Mr. Ramirez settled into his homelands it started making a bit more sense.
The spoiler free quick is review is it is worth your time and I will be interested in picking up and reading the second book. The book surprised with its ability to get emotions out of me. The prose was lyrical and generally good. I had a few problems with the very end and at times the book felt rushed. Almost half of the story takes place in the last fourth of the book. But as I said not bad at all, good lead character who was able to draw emotions out as the story and he progressed. The battle scenes were well done I thought. And although sometimes I felt the characters were not really fleshed out enough I did not have any problems cheering for them.
spoilers
The part of the book I disliked the most was the last page. When Ramirez and Quinn return its nice how they eek out an existence and I liked picturing Quinn as a doorman. And then all of sudden the tone and everything just swings and Ramirez is talking about the battle between angels and devils that he is participating in outside of our view. Say what? Did not make any sense at all. It was only the last page basically so if you just discard it the ending was fine.
The spoiler free quick is review is it is worth your time and I will be interested in picking up and reading the second book. The book surprised with its ability to get emotions out of me. The prose was lyrical and generally good. I had a few problems with the very end and at times the book felt rushed. Almost half of the story takes place in the last fourth of the book. But as I said not bad at all, good lead character who was able to draw emotions out as the story and he progressed. The battle scenes were well done I thought. And although sometimes I felt the characters were not really fleshed out enough I did not have any problems cheering for them.
spoilers
The part of the book I disliked the most was the last page. When Ramirez and Quinn return its nice how they eek out an existence and I liked picturing Quinn as a doorman. And then all of sudden the tone and everything just swings and Ramirez is talking about the battle between angels and devils that he is participating in outside of our view. Say what? Did not make any sense at all. It was only the last page basically so if you just discard it the ending was fine.
September 27, 2015
I also won this book through the GoodReads Giveaway and was not impressed. Although this book is written clearly and well, I found the story to be too fantastical for my liking. I have never read fantasy or sci-fi before and I was willing to give this title a try. I immediately got lost while reading and this did not allow me to understand what was happening in the book. You can give me character names to identify, but that's probably all I would know. I also found the premise for this book to be far-fetched and unrealistic. I refuse to believe that this truly happened. Sorry guys, but if anything your book was not for me. Maybe I'll reread it and change my mind in the future.
September 30, 2014
Usually don't choose these type of books to read, but was pleasantly surprised. I do actually look forward to reading more by this author.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews