Max Cutter and The First Black Book

Max Cutter #1

by Jacob Tate

Join Max Cutter in this action-packed, laugh out loud, adult fantasy thriller. Max is one of the world's most influential supernatural and paranormal experts. The bulk of his time is spent traveling across the globe in search of video and image evidence of myths, legends, ghosts and demons. Using his print magazine and website, Supernatural Pudding, to publish his exclusive findings, Max has developed a dedicated fan base that spans six continents and hundreds of countries. Over the years, Max's perilous encounters have included run-ins with goblins, zombies, and aliens, to name just a few. But when an entrepreneur and his daughter from Wales contact Max to ask him to help retrieve The First Black Book, a timeless text whose words hold incredible power, Max finds himself thrust into the middle of a deadly war between an ancient evil and a handful of warriors of good.

Filled with traditional horror, supernatural monsters and tons of adult humor as seen through Max's eyes, The First Black Book sets the stage for an exciting new series that anyone with a taste for Sci-Fi, horror, paranormal monsters or an occasional 80's joke will love.

Genres: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

272 pages, Paperback

First published April 5, 2014

About the author

Jacob Tate is an Amazon Best Selling Author in both Dark Fantasy and Horror Occult. He writes with a focus in paranormal, mystery, horror and fantasy. Currently residing in Lebanon, OH. He is the author of two books - the adult horror/humor series, Max Cutter and The First Black Book and the young adult fantasy series, Wyatt Watkins and the Adder Stones.

The Wyatt Watkins series focuses on the adventures of a young boy and his brother and sister as they adjust to life after a tragic loss in the family. Co-authoring the series with Kate Callahan, the series is targeted towards young adult and adult readers alike. It is a mix of fantasy, action and coming of age and appeals to readers of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson and similar works.

The Max Cutter series is written with a adult, humorous style to accompany the horror and supernatural components, and it revolves around a fun loving and sarcastic central character. Max is often thrust into extremely dangerous situations and symbolizes being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He counters the awkwardness of facing monsters, ghosts, demons and potential death through a wry and catching wit.

A child of the 80's, Jacob infuses his work with a number of movie, cartoon and TV references that date back to Star Wars and work their way up until present day.

Reviews

[Seregil of Rhiminee]

Originally published at Risingshadow.

Max Cutter and The First Black Book is Jacob Tate's debut novel. It's the first part of the Max Cutter series, which follows the paranormal investigations of Max Cutter. This novel was a pleasant surprise for me, because it turned out to be very entertaining.

Before I write more about this novel, I have to mention that I'm difficult to please when it comes to modern urban fantasy, because I consider modern urban fantasy to be the bane of speculative fiction. In my opinion there are way too many urban fantasy novels out there on the market nowadays and most of them tend to recycle to same plots over and over again without any kind of style and originality. There are fortunately a few good urban fantasy novels and series, but it isn't easy to find them among the bad ones. Max Cutter and The First Black Book is fortunately one of the good urban fantasy novels, because it's an entertaining and easily likeable novel.

Max Cutter and The First Black Book is an interesting combination of urban fantasy and dark fantasy, because it contains elements of both genres. Jacob Tate has combined these elements together and produced a highly entertaining and fast-paced story that will please fans of fast-paced action and adventure stories. I never would've guessed that somebody could write as entertaining a story about these elements as Jacob Tate, because it's difficult to mix these two genres in a successful way.

I mention separately that there are also traces of occult horror in this novel. In my opinion the occult horror is strongly connected to the dark fantasy elements. The First Black Book, which is an important part of the storyline, represents the occult horror element in this novel.

Jacob Tate has his own distinct writing style, which is good. The most significant difference between Jacob Tate and other urban fantasy authors is that Jacob Tate uses plenty of humour in his novel and dares to use 80's references etc.

Here's a bit of information about the story:

At the beginning of the novel, Max is investigating weird sightings on a Greek island and finds himself in trouble. When he returns home, Don King asks for Max's help, because something important has been stolen from him. Don's family has guarded The First Black Book, which contains information about supernatural things and lycanthropy. In wrong hands the book could cause problems for mankind, so Don asks Max to get the book back before anything bad happens. When Max begins to investigate the theft, he notices that things aren't as simple as they appeared to be. Soon he finds himself in the middle of a war between good and evil...

Jacob Tate has an intriguing way of writing about Max. He reveals bits and pieces of his life and work as the story begins to move forward. During the first chapters the readers get to know who Max is and what kind of work he does. The author does an excellent job of creating a character who's a bit eccentric and who's deeply interested in paranormal phenomena.

Max Cutter is an interesting character, because he's a paranormal investigator who's not afraid to get himself into trouble. He's an expert on all things paranormal and knows a lot about paranormal phenomena. Max has investigated everything from aliens to different legends. Reading about his life and investigations is fun, because he has an unending supply of humorous and witty comments. If I had to describe Max in a simple way, I'd say that he's almost like a nerdy and geeky Indiana Jones.

Max owns and manages a website and blog dedicated to supernatural things. He also owns a monthly periodical that publishes articles, photos, interviews etc that are linked to supernatural things. Both the website and the magazine are called Supernatural Pudding.

I was impressed by the author's way of using funny, sarcastic and witty humour in the storyline. Max's comments about many things were genuinely funny and insightful. It's good that the author has used plenty of humour, because it adds quite a lot of style to the story.

There are nice references to popular culture throughout the novel. I think that many readers who are familiar with popular culture will find themselves smiling (and at times laughing out loud) when they begin to read this novel, because the author uses popular culture references in a good way. As a Finn I must mention that it was interesting that Rare Exports was mentioned in this novel.

There are also other intriguing details in this novel. For example, it was interesting to read about The Ancient World War. I'm not going to reveal more information about this war, but I'll say that reading about it was fun.

I think that Max Cutter and The First Black Book will be of interest to everybody who has ever watched and liked such TV series as Kolchack: The Night Stalker and The X-Files, because there are similarities between these TV shows and this novel. This novel may also appeal to readers who enjoy watching other similar kind of TV series (Supernatural, Grimm etc).

I noticed that there wasn't much depth in this novel, but the lack of depth didn't bother me at all. The author exhibited a genuine enthusiasm towards his story, so I couldn't help but like the story. I think that many readers will notice that the author seems to love storytelling, because he fluently drives the story forward and keeps the action going strong.

In my opinion Jacob Tate is a talented indie author. I look forward to reading the second novel, because it'll be interesting to see what happens next to Max and what kind of touble he gets into while investigating new paranormal phenomena. I have a feeling that the sequel will be an even better and more enjoyable novel that this one.

Max Cutter and The First Black Book is a fast-paced novel with plenty of humour and witty comments and references to popular culture. It's a fast read and it offers lots of fun for readers who are interested in humorous urban fantasy novels and adventure stories. I can recommend this novel to everybody who enjoyes reading urban fantasy and fast-paced stories.

I give this novel strong four stars, because it's a good and a bit different kind of an urban fantasy novel. It was nice to read this novel, because it differed from other similar novels (the author had managed to create a thrilling story that kept me glued to the novel).

My final words are: Max Cutter and The First Black Book is an excellent, fast-paced and action-packed novel!

[Phil]

Max Cutter and the First Black Book is a thoroughly enjoyable book. If you ever read the old Encyclopedia Brown books when you were a kid, this is sort of like a grown up version of the E.B. books on steroids!
Our hero, Max Cutter, is a paranormal expert, who like Kolcheck the Night Stalker, makes his money by taking pictures of various spooks and supernatural creatures. He gets involved with something that is way over his head; a battle for the future of mankind. If the opposing forces win, then earth will be turned to the dark side. The plot revolves around Max trying to get back the stolen First Black Book before the thieves can consummate their plan of world domination.
Tate makes the character Max both believable and funny through his amazing unending supply of dry humor.
I loved this book and would recommend it to any adult.

[Anamitra Roy]

Dashing Debut!

Is this the debut novel of this author for real? I can't believe it! It's too good to be a debut. Jacob Tate has all the mastery over the language that it takes to write an engagingly beautiful and beautifully dark urban fantasy tale. The book is really smart and fast paced. Once you start reading it, it becomes hard to put it down. The storyline of this novel resembles the form of an epic and it is thoroughly enjoyable. The humour and the cross-references to the 80s are also something a reader shall find amusing.Whether you are a fan of this genre or not, I totally recommend this book to anyone.

I'm looking forward to the next book of this series!

[Mark Healy]

This is a hilarious adventure story with a likeable protagonist, Max Cutter. Right from the outset there's a great hook as Max finds himself in mortal danger - and it doesn't let up from there. In between wisecracks and escaping from the clutches of strange beasts, Max gives us history lessons on knots, cyclops and everything in between. It's all woven beautifully together and the momentum of the story is maintained throughout. There's also plenty of nice pop culture references, everything from Twilight to Ghostbusters.

Jacob Tate has created something very imaginative and original here, and I have a feeling we're going to be seeing a lot more of Max Cutter in the future!

[Nikki]

this was a great, fun, easy going read. great main character in max cutter - he's funny, witty and a great reluctant hero. i found the pace was superb and the overall action was virtually non stop. a good book to pick up for a long weekend as its easy to finish quickly. looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Luke Ahearn]

I loved the historic aspects and the funny pop references. There were many moments made all the more creepy by the silly banter as contrast. I especially applaud the author for writing something very different and unique, that's one of the pluses to independent publishing. And for being an indie author it was quite clean and easy to read.

[Kathy Floyd]

Exciting to the very end!

I enjoyed reading something that wasn't about zombies. Don't get me wrong, I like zombies, but give it a rest already. Read this book. You'll love it!

[Delta]

Free 05-29-14 (Urban Fantasy/Adventure)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JIATKPY?i...

[S.B. (Beauty in Ruins)]

For some reason I had it in my head that this was an Indiana Jones type adventure, with perhaps a dash of Dirk Pitt thrown in, which made for a few awkward first chapters. Once I had a chance to check out the cover blurb online, and reset my expectations to urban fantasy monster fun, I settled right in and enjoyed myself.

Before we get into the story itself, I have to say Max Cutter and The First Black Book is an odd sort of narrative. At first, I found that it read a lot like a YA novel that's been spiced up for adults, in that it's often silly and juvenile, and some of the characters are as thin as their motivations. Eventually, however, I found myself adjusting to Jacob Tate's sense of humor, and I realized he was just having fun, conventions of the genre be damned.

As for Max, once I aligned myself to Tate's sense of humor, I quite liked him. He's neither the perfect hero nor the bumbling sidekick, but something in between. Imagine, if you will, Xander Harris (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer) all grown up, out of school, and investigating those myths and monsters dismissed by Giles. That should give you a good sense of who Max is and why he rides that fine line between embarrassing and entertaining. Fortunately for me, I always like Xander, so Max and I hit it off perfectly.

The other characters don't get nearly that level of depth, with many of them no more than names and faces. The villains of the piece are worthy of Max's attention, and even if I would have liked them to be a bit more rounded, they're entirely suitable to the tale. In fact, they propel the novel much deeper into old fashioned, supernatural horror than you might expect from the way the book begins, but that darker edge served to balance the humor, redeeming (and even justifying) some of Max's sillier moments of cocky vanity.

Overall, this was a quick, fun read that doesn't require too much thought. It moves at a quick pace, has an easy style, and enough imagination to back it all up. It's also full of pop culture references - some of them so subtle I wondered if it were wish fulfillment on my part, and others so obvious you can feel Tate hitting you over the head. The chapters were a bit short for my tastes (I found the breaks distracting), but that does seem to be part and parcel for the genre. As indie efforts go, Max Cutter and The First Black Book isn't just a decent read, it's the start of a promising new series.


Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins

[Kathleen Rowland]

Highly recommended for teens or anyone who likes Urban Legends!
Writer Jacob Tate is in the paranormal groove, familiar with all the supernatural TV episodes, mythological creatures, and urban legends. In-the-know Tate writes funny, and I could be entertained by this alone. His character, Max Cutter, in Max Cutter and The First Black Book, is a private investigator in Chicago for the unnatural and unidentified. Max the driver behind his profitable magazine, SUPERNATURAL PUDDING, but sixty-year-old bitter Ms. Samantha Winter, runs the operation including a blog featuring Max’s interviews and images. Millions of people buy the t-shirts and bumper stickers depicting strange and weird goings-on.
Hero Max Cutter has a few amazing talents. Knot tying and also untying comes in handy when he’s held captive in a dark cave on Mount Pantokrator on a Greek Island. Human bones surround the chair where he’s bound. Another talent is knowing when people are lying. A Greek couple who’d witnessed a huge man or something carrying human-size animals, and then killing and chopping them up is authenticated by other tipsters. Armed with nothing but WonderSpecs, a wristwatch, and palm pad, he unties the ropes but feigns sleep. His captor is a Cyclops. Throughout history the Cyclops race was believed to lack human intelligence, but Max knows this is a stereotype. They envy the superior vision of two-eyed creatures. I laughed out loud at Max’s observations. The Cyclop’s one eye opens wide in surprise with many worry lines in his forehead. Max yells, and raging Cyclops hits his head on a stalactite. Stomping in his own fire, Max runs. Zigzagging down winding paths with boulders, Max throws rocks downward. Cupping his hand over his one eye and shielding it from the sun, the Cyclops has tunnel vision and poor cardio. Needless to say, Max’s pictures were great. Video needs a bit of editing before uploading it to SUPERNATURAL PUDDING.
Max’s college girlfriend, obsessed with the occult and the dead, lures him along when she does her gravestone rubbings. When they go into her binder, they’re miraculously complete with the dead person’s history. Just like every mall has a Santa around Christmas, every cemetery has a Grim Reaper. An excited reader when I “met” seven-foot-tall Fred, who wears the typical robe, hood, and carries a scythe, I learned reapers whip up spiritual headstones on pottery wheels with the death date before the actual one is made. Spiritual meets physical. Although Max is fascinated with specters, he can’t deal with Rachel after she becomes a zombie. Never mind! Max sells the story and photos to a tabloid specializing in a la supernatural.
More money is to be made with his true calling. Max’s “carpe diem urgency” (writer Tate’s words) surfaces when Don King begs for help. There have been many Don Kings throughout history, and this one, “King-Don”, owns The Black Books before they were stolen from him. Containing directions for how to become a werewolf, it’s soon to be a full moon. Knowing Wrigley Field where his office sits is haunted, Max finds his team working away. His right-hand manager, Samantha Winter, introduces him to a nerdy intern, Grace whom he assigns to the project. Silly when Max goes out on a limb for King-Don, and things get funky!

[Josie Malone]

Max Cutter and the First Black Book by Jacob Tate reveals the adventures of Max Cutter, an investigative reporter who tells the truth about paranormal creatures. Yes, they do exist! At the beginning of the book, he learns about a Cyclops living in Greece. There is only one thing to do, document the entire episode and post it as the latest feature on his website, Supernatural Pudding. During this adventure, Max provides enough backstory that the reader also learns about his knack for tying and untying knots, his Wonder Specs, and how he got into the business in the first place.

While he’s working out the details of his latest adventure with the Cyclops, a new client approaches Max and tells him about a stolen book, one that details how to create a werewolf. Max agrees to help locate the First Black Book and return it to its rightful owners. As the story unfolds, so do the twists and turns. Max finds himself in more trouble than any investigator could anticipate.

This enjoyable read had me hooked from the start. Max was in charge throughout the entire book. Often, it’s difficult for a debut author to develop a consistent point of view character, but Mr. Tate didn’t have that problem. The reader had the opportunity to remain in Max’s head for the entire story and it was a wonderful place to be. He was a likeable, if somewhat naïve character at times. It was difficult to believe that he didn’t consider the possibility that he might be up to his neck in trouble. Still, it was understandable that he was impressed by his client’s assets – who might not be overwhelmed by flying in a private jet for the first time?

The villains were suitably nasty – and of course one hoped that they would get what they deserved in this urban fantasy. While most of the descriptions allowed the reader to see the setting, there were a few that lacked depth. In addition, Max barely told us about the interns at his office, providing bare “cookie-cutter” images for the college girls. It also would have been wonderful to have layered descriptions of the “shapeshifters” in the book instead of limiting the reader to how these creatures “looked.” What does a werewolf smell like when it’s wet? Is it anything like a dog? Max admits that he becomes emotionally involved with the creatures he’s met over the years – but the reader doesn’t experience his feelings.

Still, this was a good read that left one wanting to find out what investigation Max will pursue in the next book. Hopefully, there will be more about the shapeshifters in future stories since the open end of the story left unanswered questions. I can’t wait for the next book.

[Abby Vandiver]

Max Cutter and The First Black Book is well-written with a distinctive voice.

Max Cutter is a reporter of sorts but not with the everyday kind of news, no. His forte is supernatural news. He is always on the lookout for the unusual, paranormal, "you won't believe this unless you see it" news. And he's good at what he does. He's also picky (as there are some nutcases out there that will swear to seeing just about anything). But with his keen wit and WonderSpecs 3.0 he will get you proof, (via photographs as he is no Sam and Dean) of all the extraordinary things this world has to offer.

Max Cutter's character is well-developed even down to the style of speech and language. Tate does an excellent job presenting Max. He's an average guy, understands his limitations and has learned to excel in areas that can help in a pinch, although he admits he is no ninja. The story is original and creative and rests highly on your memory of the eighties for much of its humor. But Max Cutter is the kind of character that sticks with you even after you finish the book. (I can still hear his voice in my head.) You'll wonder what's he doing and are impatient to follow his adventures (and oh, they are adventures to be had with Max Cutter). A thoroughly enjoyable read. I wait with bated breath for the next installment. But meanwhile I will keep up with his doings with my subscription to Supernatural Pudding, hoping it will sustain me.

I highly recommend this book.

[Sharon Stevenson]

'Max Cutter and The First Black Book' is the first book in a series of stories starring Max Cutter, an average man who runs a supernatural website and has a slightly childish sense of humour. This first adventure introduces a book that is very important to a certain group of supernatural creatures.

I found this a very unique read, with a realistic main character who is certainly not an average urban fantasy hero type. I found this refreshing. The humour is on the immature side which was fine by me and suited the story as it has quite a zany tone. I liked the pop culture references, being a child of the eighties myself.

The plot is fast-paced and action-packed. There is a nice mix of horror and fantasy. I enjoyed the explanation behind the black books and thought that it left a nice opening for the possibility of more stories featuring the other books. The monsters featured in the book were seen in amusing ways as well as somehow managing to be terrifying which was another nice, unique touch. Suffice it to say I found this book thoroughly unique and entertaining from start to finish!

Overall this is an excellent start to what looks to be a very entertaining supernatural horror-comedy series. I look forward to more from this writer. Highly recommended!

[Maria]

This novel is an excellent introduction to the Max Cutter series. Max is the brain behind Supernatural Pudding, which investigates the supernatural. One day Max gets a call from a stranger asking him to help him find a missing book. The request is even stranger because Don, the client, knows who stole the book. The adventure begins when Max accepts and finds himself entangled in a mess that goes back for generations. Max wants to help, but he isn't sure who the bad guy really is since everybody tells a different version of the story.

This is a fantastic, fast-paced novel that will keep you turning the pages. Max is bold, daring, a bit of a smart aleck, and eager to help, although sometimes he's a bit easily duped. The author's style of writing was entertaining and made this an enjoyable novel.

[Jacob]

An easy to read, fun, fast paced read - with lots of humor to go with the supernatural, paranormal and horror based action. If you like books like John Dies at the End and The Iron Druid Chronicles, you will find this book similar in many ways. When asked to help search for an ancient book (The First Black Book), Max Cutter is pulled into a battle of good against evil and the fate of the world is in the hands of the victor. Max stems off his mortality and fear by interjecting the story with witty and scathing humor. A definite page turner!

As you may have noticed, I wrote this book - so full disclaimer there :) Hope you enjoy it!

[Dawn Anderson]

Disclaimer: I won this in the Goodreads give-a-way.

Max Cutter and The First Black Book is a wonderful book. I highly enjoyed it. A very easy read. I loved the main character Max Cutter. With the humor/wisecracks and all the 80's pop references mixed with the supernatural/paranormal Max is not your normal hero.

Overall: I'd say this book begins great and just keeps going. It was a very fun, witty, action packed and a little creepy fantasy adventure. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

[Akinola Ajani]

Max Cutter and the first black book is a mind blowing adventure narrated exquisitely in flowing poetic form. The writer fires the imagination throughout the story as the tale unfolds almost of its own accord. The flow is superb and the tone of the story is maintained flawlessly. Definitely a book to be read with a bottle of wine with a flourish.

[Stanley Townsend]

I usually don't review books that I put on my "could not finish" shelf. This one is so sophomoric, poorly written and poorly edited that I'm making an exception.