Black Box Inc.

Black Box Inc. #1

by Jake Bible

Need to hide something from the fae?
Got a tricky trans-dimensional delivery to make?
Need a big ball of magic that can destroy the world?
Call Black Box Inc.

The world as we know it is gone. Since the “extradimensional happening,” every creature, monster, and fairy tale goblin has turned Asheville, North Carolina, into their personal playground. An uneasy truce exists between the races, but Chase Lawter’s unique ability puts him squarely in the crosshairs of treachery, feuds, and monsters looking to make a buck on black market goods. Chase is the only known being who can pull material from between dimensions and shape it into whatever he likes—like boxes. Like boxes in which folks hide smoking guns and severed heads. Only Chase can hide the boxes, and only Chase can recover them from the Dim. All for a tidy sum, of course.

His crack team—a yeti, a zombie, and a fae-trained assassin—have his back. What could possibly go wrong?

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Zombies, Fae, Paranormal, Humor, Horror

218 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 20, 2017

About the author

Jake Bible, Bram Stoker Award nominated-novelist, short story writer, independent screenwriter, podcaster, and inventor of the Drabble Novel, has entertained thousands with his horror, sci/fi, thriller, and adventure tales. He reaches audiences of all ages with his uncanny ability to write a wide range of characters and genres.

Jake is the author of the bestselling Z-Burbia series set in Asheville, NC, the bestselling Salvage Merc One, the Apex Trilogy (DEAD MECH, The Americans, Metal and Ash) and the Mega series for Severed Press, as well as the YA zombie novel, Little Dead Man, the Bram Stoker Award nominated Teen horror novel, Intentional Haunting, the ScareScapes series, and the Reign of Four series for Permuted Press.

Find Jake at jakebible.com. Join him on Twitter @jakebible and find him on Facebook.

Reviews

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Box Inc.
Black Box Inc. Series, Book 1
By: Jake Bible
Narrated by: J. Scott Bennett
I had read this book before when it first came out but forgot to write a review, although I reviewed book 2. When I had the chance to get an audible book I tried and got one! Thanks! It was nice to hear it instead of reading it. The main character is Chase and he runs a unique service. He stores things for people. No one can get what he stores because he has the ability to reach into the depths of between dimensions. He calls it the Dim. He forms a box out of the Dim then puts the item in the box and stores the box in the Dim.
Mr Bible goes even further into the imagination land (which I love!). Chase's associates include a zombie, a Yeti, and a gal raise by warrior fae. Now forget about other stories of zombies/yeti because we are talking about Bible here. These are NOT what you would expect.
Nor would you expect changlings, a face growing on someone's back, and much more! See what you're missing? It is a wild fun ride into the crazy zone and I love every page/minute of it! Witty, clever, mysteries of a strange kind, great characters, and wonderful world building!
The narrator was great too! Solid performance!!!

[Kit (Metaphors and Moonlight) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*

This was pretty much your typical urban fantasy. The plot was action packed with a bit of mystery. The main character was kind of snarky and rough around the edges but not really a bad person. The MC had a crew of all different supernaturals, including a zombie, a yeti, and a banshee (well, kind of---she was actually his lawyer). The writing style was conversational, like the MC was talking to you sometimes. The dialogue was mostly joke-y and banter-y, even when the characters were in serious situations. The MC's thoughts were usually joke-y too. So I think whether or not you like this book is really going to depend on what you're looking for. If you're looking for typical urban fantasy fun with a well-paced plot and lots of banter between character, this will deliver. If you're looking for something that stands out in the genre, like I was, this might disappoint---or maybe not, it really just depends on your taste. It wasn't bad; it simply wasn't what I was looking for.

The idea of the MC being able to create boxes out of the "dim" (the space between dimensions) was neat though, something I'd never read about. There was also a pretty good, twisty mystery, though I'm not sure I quite understood the whole explanation. And there was a nice dynamic among the friends at times.

So overall, while it wasn't quite what I was looking for, this book was a light, easy urban fantasy read that others might enjoy.

Recommended For:
Anyone who likes typical urban fantasy with action, banter, snarky main characters, and lots of supernatural creatures.

Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ever since the extradimensional happening a decade ago, every sort of creature, monster, and fairy tale creature has shown up in Asheville, North Carolina (and every other portal location). As a result of the happening Chase Lawter is the only human who's gained the unique ability to draw material from the Dim, the space between those dimensions, and shape it into whatever he wants, but boxes are his specialty. Boxes that can be used to hide smoking guns, severed heads, and the like - and only Chase can hide them in the Dim and later recover them, if needed. Plus, Chase and his team at Black Box Inc. don't work for free. Chase's crack team at Black Box Inc. is made up of a fae-trained assassin, a brainy zombie, and a charming yeti - and together they'll get the job done for a tidy sum. There's an uneasy truce between all of the races that have come through to our world since the happening, but Chase and his team's work put them right in the center of many dangerous crosshairs.

Black Box Inc. is the first novel in a brand new series by Jake Bible and I have a feeling that this series could be amazing. If you like your urban fantasy with a lot of gritty, fast-paced action, a diverse range of supernatural creatures that you won't usually see in one story, and healthy sense of humor, you need to meet Chase, Harper, Sharon, and Lassa, the team behind Black Box Inc. Everyone gets their moment to shine, even the minor and supporting characters like Teresa, Flip, and Aspen, a banshee, a gnome, and a member of the fae. Sure, sometimes it's a little over the top, but this story is such a fun adventure. I really liked this author's take on fairies and the fae which are some of the most dangerous creatures out there, who in this case can and will lie. I also particularly enjoyed the look at the "Not Hell" dimension and "Not the Devil" character - I can't resist Depression-era gangsters!

Overall, I'm so glad I came across Jake Bible's newest release on NetGalley and managed to get approved for it. If you need a new urban fantasy series in your life, I bet you'd like this if you also like The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher and Supernatural. I will need to try more by Jake Bible and I can't for the next novel in the Black Box Inc. series to be released because there is still so much to explore.



Thanks again, NetGalley!

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

”I’m the defiler of dimensions because my nasty, dirty, human hands play with something that others say no one is supposed to play with.
Fuck ’em.”

An awkward beginning to what could be a great series. Chase Lawter can create boxes out of interdimensional essence, Dim, to hide whatever troubles you in the newly paranormal city of Asheville, North Carolina.

The world building is reminiscent of The Hollows and The Dresden Files, only bigger. Infinite dimensions mean infinite possibilities for the author, but also infinitely available lazy plots. Definite rules make characters, and authors, work harder to be clever. We’ll see.

The ensemble cast was generally likable and I can see how they could grow on me and each other. Teresa the banshee lawyer was my favorite.

There were fun bits of writing:

”Her laugh was like the high tinkle of bells right before the guillotine came slashing down.”

“Don’t be glib,” Teresa said. “There are many races that enjoy that kind of brutal violence. No need to be racist.”

“He laughed a jolly laugh. Like if Santa Claus had a penchant for whores and bathtub gin.”

And painful bits of writing:

”I mean, it’s great you two are chill enough that we aren’t all DEFCON two and shit, but let’s not break Sharon before the cops get here.”

Ugh, don’t speak to me like that unless I’m drunk.

Overall three stars. I’d like to see where this goes.

[Rabid Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fast paced enjoyable story is packed full of action. In a world filled multiple dimensions and every supernatural creature you can think of, Chase Lawter, a human, is the only one who can manipulate the Dim (interdimentional space.) His firm, Black Box Inc., specializes in hiding things in boxes concealed within the Dim, where only he can retrieve them. This entertaining story is literally the road trip to Hell, with a minor diversion to the fairy dimension. I loved the various characters in this story; from banshee lawyers, to zombie office managers, yeti lovers and Fae trained assassins, they all had great appeal and I enjoyed the banter between them. The humour and exciting action was evident in both the writing and the excellent narration. Bennett brought the characters to life, giving them individual voices and he did the various accents really well. The twists in the plot, unique creatures, intrigue, different realms and amusing characters kept me entertained to the very end.

[Jeffrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The team is the thing in Jake Bible's "Black Box Inc.", a nifty urban fantasy quest novel. Bible spins a convincing and fun tale, throws in some likable, but unusual characters and good dialogue Sporting some interesting world-building, a main character with a quasi-magical talent and a road trip with continuous action sequences, it is a book that fans of fantasy with modern weapons and action can sink their teeth into. My minor quibble is that Bible seems to assume that everyone has already met his characters. So it feels like there is not enough character introduction in the beginning, but once the story gets going, it is not as important.

Chase Lawter is the leader of Black Box Inc., a company that takes advantage of Lawter's talent to manipulate dimensional energy, that he calls the “dim” to create objects. Lawter speciality is the creation of boxes that he can seal and lock away. He is the only one who is able to open the boxes. Lawter’s partners are Harper Kyles, a weapons specialist, who grew up with the fae, and not in a good way, Sharon, a zombie businesswomen, who is in charge of billing and Lassa, a 7 foot yeti, an oversexed bi-sexual, who you would think would be a gunner, but who is really in charge of logistics and transportation.

After a night of drinking, Lawter wakes up naked covered with blood in his apartment, with no memory of what happened the night before. He is met by Travis, a shapeshifter, who just happened to come by and found him in this state. Meanwhile, the team soon discovers that Iris Penn, the bartender at the local watering hole, and who Lawter has romantic feelings, although unrequited, is missing. While on an amusing visit to the local constabulary, Bible introduces Teresa, Lawter’s banshee lawyer.

Teresa starts to file legal papers, but Harper cannot wait and uses blood magic to arrange a visit with Aspen, a fae assassin. The fae want Lawter to do a job for them and the fae, who are the heavies in Bible’s world do not like Lawter, who they call the “defiler of dimensions”.

So the team and Teresa go to the faerie dimension, where they meet Daphne, the evil fairy godmother, and that is typical of Bible’s fun sense of humor, who wants Lawter and his team to go on a road trip to steal the devil’s soul in Hell, or a world that looks like Hell, which is populated with citizens, who look like evil imps and demons, but who are not really that, year right. While the team has good intentions the road to Hell is fraught with violent predators, who want nothing better than to eat, maim or kill Lawter There will be an attack by harpies, a turncoat, an evil fae guard and a host of other troubles.

Even Hell is not what it seems. Will Lawter and his team trust the fae devil they know in Daphne or make a contract with Lord Beelzebub, who you know wants his contract signed in blood. It’s hard to know which bad guy to trust. But you have to know that the team will be able to turn the tables on somebody.

Bible is able to set up a really fun quest novel with engaging characters. While the quest novel is a standard fantasy trope, Bible’s inventive dialogue, amusing situations, unusual characters and action packed plot sets it apart.

It is a fine time to join Lawter’s team on their next adventure.

[Marlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published at Reading Reality

I picked Black Box Inc to read for Halloween both because it looked interesting (which turned out to be true), fun (which definitely turned out to be true) and because the author is best known for his horror stories – even though Black Box Inc didn’t look exactly like horror – which was a good thing for this reader.

In that sense, I got what I expected. Black Box Inc is more like horror-adjacent, and that’s about the way I like it. It’s urban fantasy, in a universe where the things that go bump in the night do come out to play, as well as many of the other standard character groups that populate urban fantasy as well as horror.

And it’s a road novel. The gang, quite literally has to take the road to Hell. The caper, as there often is in urban fantasy, in this case is to steal the soul of Lord Beelzebub. Who both is and isn’t who you are thinking of.

And Hell kind of looks like Detroit – in all of its Motor City heydays. And yes, I meant that as a plural.

The set up of the universe is, while not unique, certainly interesting. Like the break in the wards around New Orleans after Katrina in Suzanne Johnson’s Sentinels of New Orleans series, or the mashing together of the fae and human dimensions in Kai Gracen’s world (by Rhys Ford), there was an extradimensional happening in the quite recent past of Chase Lawter’s version of our world.

All the dimensions have become connected through portals. Earth’s portals, not very surprisingly, are in places where the veil between dimensions has always been a bit thin. Places like New Orleans, and San Francisco, and, Asheville NC, where Chase and his gang at Black Box Inc operate their extradimensional business.

Chase was among the many humans who picked up interesting powers in that happening. But Chase is unique, not just among the humans, but seemingly among the many other species who have suddenly acquired connections to our world. Chase can manipulate the “Dim”, the stuff that exists between dimensions. He can create weapons from it. But mostly, Jake makes boxes – hence the name of the company, Black Box Inc.

Because Jake makes “dim boxes” big and small, that allow him to hide things that people don’t want found, or lost, or stolen, in the dim, where only he can retrieve them.

It’s a living. Sometimes a very good living. Sometimes a very dangerous living. But it’s a living that keeps Jake and his colleagues busy and pays the bills.

About that gang…Jake’s friends and colleagues are an assortment of beings and personalities that could only have existed after the happening. His transportation manager is a Yeti, his business manager is a zombie, and his bodyguard is definitely human – but a human who learned to be an assassin while she was a fae changeling. Oh yeah, his lawyer is a banshee. It seems like ALL the lawyers are now banshees.

And Jake needs every hand on deck – even the ones that he doesn’t know he has – when he and his friends find themselves caught in the middle of a manipulative game between Daphne, the Queen of the Fae, and Lord Beelzebub, the ruler of a dimension that Jake calls hell.

Daphne wants Beelzebub’s soul so that she can get past his defenses and conquer his dimension. Beelzebub wants to use his soul, which he doesn’t really need anyway, in order to trap Daphne and as many of her warriors as he can so that she will stop trying to take over his dimension.

And everyone seems to think that threatening Chase and using Chase and manipulating Chase is the best way to get what they want.

They might even be right. But when both sides are playing you, you kind of get to choose which one you’re playing with, and which one you’re playing against. And it feels really weird that the Lord of Lies is on the right side of anything.

After all, all is fair in love and war, and this is definitely war.

Escape Rating B+: Black Box Inc is a hoot and a half from beginning to end. Sometimes complete with actual hoots – because the snarkitude exhibited by all the characters, but especially Chase, is often laugh out loud funny.

But Black Box Inc basically is urban fantasy of the snarky anti-hero school. While we don’t see nearly as many of those as we used to (Harry Dresden has gotten pretty damn serious over his last few books), it is a familiar trope. Black Box Inc is a damn good example of that trope, but it is familiar territory.

Part of what makes this particular book so much fun is the way that the author pokes at some of the craziness in the real world by holding up the post-happening changes as pointers to how things really are anyway, no matter how they are dressed up in real life. That all the law firms on Earth have been taken over by banshees is clever and feels right – but in some ways it doesn’t feel different from popular perceptions of real-world lawyers.

The best part, however, as with all urban fantasy when it works, is the gang. It’s not just that everyone is smart and everyone is interesting and everyone cracks wise at the drop of a hat, but that they are all different and likeable (even when they aren’t supposed to be) and that the author shows both how smart they are and how much they care about each other.

And just enough things get stood on their heads to make it seem fresh.

The worldbuilding also holds up quite well. While this is not a version of Earth I’d actually want to live in, as a construct, it makes sense and hangs together. Well done.

In a week where real life was going completely insane, Black Box Inc was marvelously diverting. I’ll be keeping an eye out for the next book in the series. I definitely hope there are lots more!

[Melissa Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Good book, interesting storyline and a fun cast of characters. A bit slow in the middle but it picked up and became hard to put down. For a lighthearted fantasy adventure I would recommend this book.

[Jennifer Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a creative new twist on typical Urban Fantasy. Every creature from myth, legend, folklore, etc, actually exists within their own different dimensions. Except that now, portals leading to those dimensions have somehow opened up, allowing these fantastic beings to spill out into an unsuspecting human world. Steps have been taken to conceal this fact from the general populace, with hexes placed on each city that contains portals to these dimensions, so that people’s memories of any creatures they may have encountered during their stay are wiped clean upon their departure from that city. The locals simply live with, and some even make profit from the creatures they now share their cities with. When the portals first opened, our main character, Chase Lawter, inexplicably found himself able to harness and use the Dim - the mysterious space between dimensions. He is the only human in existence to be able to do so, and he quickly sets up a business, in which he can make a profit by being able to do so. Even Chase has no idea exactly what he may be able to accomplish with his power, and he tends to figure it out on the fly - typically when he’s faced with danger and reacts instinctually to deal with it. In his line of business he’s faced with danger on a fairly regular basis, and he has formed a team of associates/friends - including a yeti, a zombie, and a human that was raised by trial and fire by the Fae - which assist him in the running of his business, completing jobs and of course, staying alive. This first book in the series is chalk full of action, humour, and creatures galore.

[Ziggy Nixon · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars. Look, I'm as shocked as you are because I really enjoy Jake Bible's writing and he really knows how to develop some interesting plots (basing my current opinion on his awesome 'Dead Mech' series and the potential I see in at least 3 more multi-title offers). However, I can't even completely agree with this rating as it wasn't 'ok' to me and truth be told an absolute slog to get through.

True confession time (please don't stab my spleen anymore): this may be a case of 'it's not so much you as it is me' as I just don't often enjoy these fantasy buddy/cop whatever-they-ares. And this one pushed all the wrong buttons with me, starting with the lame cover to the far-too-brief battle scenes (we couldn't do more with harpies in a damn wasteland?) to just too many plot holes to spackle up (did anyone else notice the lawyer just stopped appearing once they were in Yetiville?). At times, I felt like a teenager again reading Asprin's MythAdventures books only without as much humor and certainly with more potty mouth and poop jokes involved. But hey, those evolved over time ergo...

So with all that in mind, why did I pick this up? After seeing that Black Box Inc. #2!! won a prestigious award the other day (seek JB's website for more, please), I was anxious to move around some of his other books that are on my TBR list, including all kinds of cool mech, zombie and even dinosaur-centric tales! Plus, with family having grown up in Asheville, NC, I thought wowzers, this will be cool because you know, some of it happens there! Or not really because this isn't even close to how things are even if the place has done a 180° turn since my first visit in the early 60s (still as many druggies but some of them make art and/or craft beer now, too). But I never warmed up to this tale, not even a little bit.

The writing was good-ish, though it took a LONG time to get going, something that definitely was NOT the case in the DeadMech books (I guess officially they're consider the 'Apex Trilogy'). Even at 50% through this book though (yes, Kindle shows you), there was little to no significant action to speak of and the dialogue - so. much. damn. banter. - wasn't living up to the, well, 'promise of the premise'. Come on: the walls of fantasy have broken down and we're looking at a team-up of
- a human with unbelievable (and unexplainable) powers,
- an omnisexual Yeti,
- a human female trained in killing by the Fae
- and a zombie with apparently more taste for proper accounting than human flesh.

However, at very least the two 'non-humans' could have been store mannikins for all their powers brought to the story as the Yeti doesn't do much other than apparently want to (or has already done so) screw anything that moves and the zombie doesn't, well, zomb at all! Even their damn lawyer is an amazing banshee but she barely cuts loose with her powers, preferring instead to drone on and on like some soap opera grade side character. I mean, she goes all zappy when she touches the Fae Queen! What's up with that (no seriously, it would have been awesome to know!!!)? I could list more but... sigh, so much potential there just for naught.

And the story is pretty convuluted to say the least. It's not even 'Sunday Mystery' fudged, it's just random thoughts while out walking the dog confusingly weird. I think on 3 occasions I went back and re-read chapters from well before the point I had reached just to try and figure out what the hell was going on. It wasn't that complicated to have needed that and yet... for example, I couldn't even get why they were all so frustrated at one stage with Harper even with reviewing the set of circumstances ... and I still couldn't justify the exaggerated emotions. Seriously, so much of the back and forth and deception and non-deception just didn't click - and to be blunt upon blunt, Chase was just dull and at best a half-formed nobody. In fact, this is my biggest complaint as none of the characters were strong enough to carry this story and - I'll say it again - what they could have been never materialized. Maybe their real personalities are hidden in an interdimensional box somewhere.

Look, this isn't going to make me NOT read more Jake Bible. And I'm hoping upon hope that this is one of those urban (?) fantasy series that needs the first book to just be done and over with so that the next stories can fall into line with more killer plots. It's happened before. So yes, I've downloaded book 2 and I'll try it, noting it also seems to at least be mercifully short in length.

Either way, I may need a good zombie book later to clean my palette as it were...

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a definite weakness for UF that has "everything but the kitchen sink" when it comes to supernatural creatures. I love reading different authors' takes on various mythological creatures and how they all come together in a big paranormal soup. Because of that, when I read the description for Black Box Inc. it sounded like something that would appeal to me. What's not to love about a book that is based on the idea of an extra dimensional event that opened up other worlds to our own which then allowed all kinds of mythological creatures to show up in our world. The book also promises a lead character who developed a unique ability to manipulate the "Dim" space between various dimensions at the time of the dimensional shift as well as a zombie office manager, a Yeti transportation specialist, a human changeling who provides security for the group, and a banshee lawyer. The tone sounded light and humorous.

Although I loved the premise of the book and found it to be a fast and engaging read, it was not an unqualified success. I liked it, but I didn't love it. There were several reasons for this. First, I found the main character, Chase, to be a bit annoying, somewhat immature, and occasionally pretty dim. He was written in the "snarky main character" mold, where pretty much everything that came out of his mouth was a quip, an insult, or just inappropriate to the situation. Sometimes I enjoy those characters, but I need some kind of character development, but in this book there was too much action and too little reflection and connection between the various characters for me. The other characters were just stock figures, placeholders, nothing memorable about any of them (with the exception of the zombie office manager. Ironically, she was the only character who seemed to have any emotions). My other problem with the book was the plot and the action. Most of the time, I was scrambling to try to follow what was going on. Plot nuggets were dropped carelessly into extraneous action scenes, and snarky exchanges between the characters and were easily missed. The plot also used made use of "temporal time shifts" to explain certain plot points. Time shifting/time travel are my least favorite trope in SF or UF, so that kind of put me off.

Overall, I found this to be a mixed bag of a read with elements I really enjoyed along with ones that I wasn't wild about. If you don't mind a particularly snarky hero, and like a lot of action, you'll probably really like this book.

I received a copy of the book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

[Melindeeloo · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars = I liked it with nits. Black Box Inc has a world with lots of potential - Multiple dimensions have access to Earth now, so pretty much any mythological race you can think up can turn up. And it has an interesting cast of supporting characters, a sexy Yeti, a banshee lawyer, an uber savy office manager zombie and a banished-from-Faerie weapons expert/assassin. And then there is the main character a human who has the ability to create little dimensional boxes to hide away items for his clients, Chase.

I have a feeling that this is one of those books that would have worked better for me in audio, there is lots of wacky banter between Chase and his crew and the bad guys, that didn't quite click for me in the way that the dialog was laid down on the page, but which might have been a hoot if voiced. And Chase is not at his best in this story, for reasons relating to the plot, which made it hard for me to connect to him, so I am not sure that I would have this problem with the next book. There is a lot of violence in this but it is presented in a insanity fueled way, so I didn't find it that hard to grapple with.

Bottom line, this book had a great mishmash of things that I found interesting and the second book might be worth another look, there is a whole universe of dimensions for the Black Box Inc crew to exploit - em, I mean explore:)

ARC via netGalley

[Norma · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Format : Audiobook )
"All the lawyers were banshees."
Chase, top man in a team of equals, has a very clever trick. He can form a box, a black box the right size to take anything, and having filled it, he folds it away where it cannot be seen, found or unlocked again by anyone but him. A surprisingly useful service, don't you think? But dangerous when clients were just a teeny bit unreliable.
Another imaginative creation from Jake Bible, filled with crazy people and even more seriously crazy situations. Read, as always, with panache by J.Scott Bennett, the story flies into life with his narration, well paced and elegant intonation. Great team work of author and narrator.

A fun read for anyone who enjoys a taste of the ridiculous wrapped up in an adventure. Certainly better than a severed head - that always ruins a good meal.

[Marissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Black Box Inc. is the first installment in an urban fantasy series that features a re imagined Asheville, NC where supernatural beings from other dimensions can come and go through portals. The black box in the title refers to the main character, Chase's, ability to create black boxes by controlling materials from the dimensions known as Dim. These black boxes can hide just about anything from severed heads to demonic souls and Chase has built up a business around this ability. The characters are likable enough. Chase provided some sarcastic, snarky humor. Readers are introduce to some non-traditional supernatural creatures you don't typically come across in urban fantasy series, to include a yeti. There was a decent plot presented, but it was just slow going for me.

[Victoria Haugen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this!! LOL it's awesome, when I first started listening I was like... wth? But after a few minutes I was hooked and stayed that way throughout. It's funny and sarcastic as hell, sometimes gross, sometimes scary, sometimes I literally laughed my butt off. I mean... "Back Chase" LOL! I was dying in the car on the way home from work. It's a great story, it's a little "off the cuff" but so easy to find yourself in the thrall of it all. Great story, loved the narration, loved the characters. Would definitely recommend it, very much enjoyed it and now on #2! :)
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Ronda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Irreverent, bloody, gory, supernatural crap-fest of an adventure that might go a long way toward explaining some of the weird in Asheville and a few other Nexus of Odd locations. Humor reminded me a bit of Douglas Adams, language reminded me of a beer fest, and the violence and gross reminded me of some NetFlix original superhero shows that I have been binge watching. Over the top, out of the box (ahem), fun start to what promises to be an interesting series where, apparently, just about anything can happen.

Review based on ARC from NetGalley.

[Ryan Purvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Jake Bible gem!

I admit that this book was selected to read purely by the author and have enjoyed every other book I'd read of his to date.

This story did not disappoint. A fresh look at multi-dimensional worlds mixed in with lore and a touch of humour. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this story and found the characters to be intriguing and described without impacting the flow of the read.

Recommended!

[Alyce Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is SUCH a fun read. I loved it. It's set in my neck of the woods (Asheville NC) so that was cool. Dimensional portals would certainly explain a lot, LOL. The pace never let up, the characters were well-drawn and each had their own strong, bright personality, and the whole concept makes a fantastic foundation upon which to build a story world. Enjoyed it immensely and jumped straight into book 2 :)

[Pallav · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was pure fun. Imagine rolling down a slide of fun and there are fun things all along the ride. There is nothing negative I'd say about this one. I loved the banter, loved all the weird and quirky characters and loved the whole mystery and road trip sections of the book. The magic system is nice! Something very new and fresh! I'd surely be picking up the second book just to see what this gang gets up to.

+ Points!

banter!
characters!
banter!

[PJ Lea · Rating 5 out of 5]

In his own inimitable style Mr Bible brings us Asheville as we've not seen it before. A veritable smorgasbord of the supernatural combines with the author's special blend of snark.
The protagonists are great fun, as is the story as a whole. It's fast paced, dramatic, often hair-raising, a really enjoyable book.
I'd recommend happily.

[Deedra · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a few tries to get through this.I found it had too many characters,but underm=neath it was a good story.J. Scott Bennett was the perfect narrator.I was given this book by the narrator,author or publisher free for an honest review.

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chase Lawter has a unique ability, he can pull on the void between dimensions and hide things. He and his team get drawn in to a mission to steal the devil's soul for the queen fairy. Good light-hearted book, with some interesting characters.

[Aaron W. Fadeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very entertaining book.

Great characters and an interesting original plot. Need something gone? Have BBI place it in the dim. I love the sex obsessed yeti.

[Tobias Queen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yay! Good Urban Fantasy!

Loved it! More good stuff from Jake Bible. If you like Sandman Slim, you'll like black box Inc. read it.

[Patrice Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book. And I'm pretty darn sure I'm completely in love with Chase. This book/series NEEDS to become a TV series right now! SO,....I hope there are a lot more books in it! The world the author created was fresh and interesting. The characters were well developed and made me want to know them. But, our MC, dear, sweet, nutty Chase was the star of this book. He is really hard not to love and to root for throughout this story. What a strange trip this was....but totally in a good way! I can't read to read more of this world. This was a fun, easy read that keeps you on your toes and at the edge of your seat. I can't recommend it enough!