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Uncanny Kingdom
Dark Lakes, Volume One
Joseph Lake doesn't know who he is or where he came from, but he's beginning to think that the answer might be the death of him.
By day, Joseph scrubs toilets and fixes broken light fittings, by night he looks into weird stuff: local hauntings, unexplained disappearances, satanic cabals dancing naked around ancient stone circles.
The usual.
The Uncanny calls to him like a beacon, and he follows its signal wherever it leads, hoping that one day it will shine a light on who he really is.
Can Joseph put the pieces together and figure out his identity? And if he does, will he be able to live with who he really is?
Mystery, scares, and fast-paced action collide in this thrilling urban fantasy. Dark Lakes, Volume One, collects the first three books in the Dark Lakes series:
Magic Eater, Blood Stones, Past Sins.
By day, Joseph scrubs toilets and fixes broken light fittings, by night he looks into weird stuff: local hauntings, unexplained disappearances, satanic cabals dancing naked around ancient stone circles.
The usual.
The Uncanny calls to him like a beacon, and he follows its signal wherever it leads, hoping that one day it will shine a light on who he really is.
Can Joseph put the pieces together and figure out his identity? And if he does, will he be able to live with who he really is?
Mystery, scares, and fast-paced action collide in this thrilling urban fantasy. Dark Lakes, Volume One, collects the first three books in the Dark Lakes series:
Magic Eater, Blood Stones, Past Sins.
- GenresFantasy
610 pages, Paperback
Published November 3, 2017
9 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 10, 2017
A Warlock, a Familiar and a Fox walked into an Uncanny bar....... maybe
Joseph is a true one-off and his sidekick Eva, who would not thank me for that moniker, is just the most wonderful creation. The books are set in the Lake District but as you have never seen it before and it made me want to go and look for the hidden coven and, of course, the Fox. Who wouldn't want to have a talking, crisp-eating Fox in their life? This collection is English to it's core and the eccentricities are what makes the books work. I don't think the Uncanny Kingdom and it's inhabitants could exist anywhere else but England. I love these books. Read all the Uncanny Kingdom books by Messrs. Stott and Bussell and enjoy. Nuff said.
Magic Eater
This is a great first novel in a new series set in the Uncanny Kingdom universe. If you haven't read the London Coven novels and the Ghosted novels (also set in the Uncanny Kingdom) then you are missing out. This can be read without having read the others but it will make a bit more sense and add to your enjoyment if you have. These books are very English in language, tone, setting, references and humour and I love them for it. They appeal to my warped sense of humour and my liking for all things unusual. This book is set in the Lake District while the other are set in London but it is just as good and the characters are fully formed with their own very distinct personalities (especially the bag lady!). Joseph Lake is a mystery, even to himself, and I look forward to finding out more of his history in the next book.
Blood Stones
What a great follow up to Magic Eater. Joseph learns his true name, Eva swears even more this time (if that's possible), the fox continues to scare the pants off Joseph with his sudden appearances and Maya Myers, having lost her partner Sam Samm, has a new partner, Detective Martins (whose first name is never stated but if it's not Martin, I'll eat my hat). The action all takes place in the idyllic setting of the Lake District where the supernatural runs rampant again and the wildlife gets in on the action this time, and I don't mean just the fox. Joseph has a lot on his plate to deal with and muddles his way through despite not really having a clue how to solve his problems.
The writing is good, the story entertaining and the characters are excellent. Eva cracks me up and definitely deserves her own series.
There are three separate series (London Coven, Ghosted and Dark Lakes) that are all part of the Uncanny Kingdom. All the books can be read as standalones, even though they overlap slightly, but if you love one of these books, you'll love them all. They are a real treat. The authors David and Matthew certainly know how to spin a yarn and I'm very glad to have found them and hope that they continue with the Uncanny Kingdom for a long time.
Past Sins
This is a real exposition episode of Dark Lakes. We learn so much more about Joseph and Janto and their past and what a page-turner it is. Detective Myers isn't quite feeling herself, Martins is just as mean and suspicious, Joe is thinking about romance and Eva is, well, just more Eva than ever. And, of course, the Fox does his usual appearing and disappearing act, bless his cotton socks (and his salt and vinegar crisps!).
Joe is really put to the test by his "other half" in a battle of wills the like of which has never been seen before but you'll just have to read the book as I'm not into spoilers. And read all the other Uncanny Kingdom books first because not only are they are fabulous but they also overlap a bit (though they can be read as standalones). I didn't see the ending coming at all and I'm holding my breath until the next instalment so I hope it won't be long.
I received ARCs of all three books separately but this voluntary review is my own opinion and is not influenced by the author.
Joseph is a true one-off and his sidekick Eva, who would not thank me for that moniker, is just the most wonderful creation. The books are set in the Lake District but as you have never seen it before and it made me want to go and look for the hidden coven and, of course, the Fox. Who wouldn't want to have a talking, crisp-eating Fox in their life? This collection is English to it's core and the eccentricities are what makes the books work. I don't think the Uncanny Kingdom and it's inhabitants could exist anywhere else but England. I love these books. Read all the Uncanny Kingdom books by Messrs. Stott and Bussell and enjoy. Nuff said.
Magic Eater
This is a great first novel in a new series set in the Uncanny Kingdom universe. If you haven't read the London Coven novels and the Ghosted novels (also set in the Uncanny Kingdom) then you are missing out. This can be read without having read the others but it will make a bit more sense and add to your enjoyment if you have. These books are very English in language, tone, setting, references and humour and I love them for it. They appeal to my warped sense of humour and my liking for all things unusual. This book is set in the Lake District while the other are set in London but it is just as good and the characters are fully formed with their own very distinct personalities (especially the bag lady!). Joseph Lake is a mystery, even to himself, and I look forward to finding out more of his history in the next book.
Blood Stones
What a great follow up to Magic Eater. Joseph learns his true name, Eva swears even more this time (if that's possible), the fox continues to scare the pants off Joseph with his sudden appearances and Maya Myers, having lost her partner Sam Samm, has a new partner, Detective Martins (whose first name is never stated but if it's not Martin, I'll eat my hat). The action all takes place in the idyllic setting of the Lake District where the supernatural runs rampant again and the wildlife gets in on the action this time, and I don't mean just the fox. Joseph has a lot on his plate to deal with and muddles his way through despite not really having a clue how to solve his problems.
The writing is good, the story entertaining and the characters are excellent. Eva cracks me up and definitely deserves her own series.
There are three separate series (London Coven, Ghosted and Dark Lakes) that are all part of the Uncanny Kingdom. All the books can be read as standalones, even though they overlap slightly, but if you love one of these books, you'll love them all. They are a real treat. The authors David and Matthew certainly know how to spin a yarn and I'm very glad to have found them and hope that they continue with the Uncanny Kingdom for a long time.
Past Sins
This is a real exposition episode of Dark Lakes. We learn so much more about Joseph and Janto and their past and what a page-turner it is. Detective Myers isn't quite feeling herself, Martins is just as mean and suspicious, Joe is thinking about romance and Eva is, well, just more Eva than ever. And, of course, the Fox does his usual appearing and disappearing act, bless his cotton socks (and his salt and vinegar crisps!).
Joe is really put to the test by his "other half" in a battle of wills the like of which has never been seen before but you'll just have to read the book as I'm not into spoilers. And read all the other Uncanny Kingdom books first because not only are they are fabulous but they also overlap a bit (though they can be read as standalones). I didn't see the ending coming at all and I'm holding my breath until the next instalment so I hope it won't be long.
I received ARCs of all three books separately but this voluntary review is my own opinion and is not influenced by the author.
July 18, 2022
Bk 1: Magic Eater
I enjoyed this story although for me it did seem to take its time revealing, (or starting to reveal) Just who Joesph Lake is or was?but I guess it’s showing who he is now before coming books reveal who he was and what led to him waking with no memories 10 years ago!
It’s entertaining and fun and will have you hooked in not wanting to miss any detail.
Joesph Lake is a likeable character and Eva Familiar is one of a kind lol, the ending will definitely leave you reaching for the next book because you will absolutely want to know the story behind that revelation.
Bk 2: Blood Stones
Is Joseph Lakes starting to melt Eva Familiar’s gruff exterior? She’ll never admit it if he is.
Joseph finds out a bit more about who he was but uncovering that info is frustratingly slow for him, throw in several uncanny problems and some deception and what you have is a fantastic story that you don’t want to miss a second of.
I’m still loving the unique and cranky bombshell that is Eva Familiar.
This is definitely a series you don’t want to miss out on.
Bk 3: Past Sins
Not gonna lie I’m totally caught up in this uncanny world. A fantastic tale with witty sarcasm, amazing characters, twists I didn’t see coming and a rather emotional element that may have blurred my vision for a moment or two. To the author I say WHY? Just why did you do that?
I honestly can not get enough of these books.
I enjoyed this story although for me it did seem to take its time revealing, (or starting to reveal) Just who Joesph Lake is or was?but I guess it’s showing who he is now before coming books reveal who he was and what led to him waking with no memories 10 years ago!
It’s entertaining and fun and will have you hooked in not wanting to miss any detail.
Joesph Lake is a likeable character and Eva Familiar is one of a kind lol, the ending will definitely leave you reaching for the next book because you will absolutely want to know the story behind that revelation.
Bk 2: Blood Stones
Is Joseph Lakes starting to melt Eva Familiar’s gruff exterior? She’ll never admit it if he is.
Joseph finds out a bit more about who he was but uncovering that info is frustratingly slow for him, throw in several uncanny problems and some deception and what you have is a fantastic story that you don’t want to miss a second of.
I’m still loving the unique and cranky bombshell that is Eva Familiar.
This is definitely a series you don’t want to miss out on.
Bk 3: Past Sins
Not gonna lie I’m totally caught up in this uncanny world. A fantastic tale with witty sarcasm, amazing characters, twists I didn’t see coming and a rather emotional element that may have blurred my vision for a moment or two. To the author I say WHY? Just why did you do that?
I honestly can not get enough of these books.
January 28, 2019
I read each of these stories as they came out - and each one was truly superb. This series has one of the greatest story arcs for its lead and it’s really fantastic watching him as he develops, rediscovers and remembers. Great individual plots and a superb cast of characters, all benefitting from the fantastic “Uncanny Kingdom” shared universe created by the team of MV Stott and David Bussell. Urban fantasy at its finest. But for the fact that I’m literally dictating this review to my husband from my hospital bed I could go on and on with praises. The boxset definitely deserves it. Since I can’t do that I will simply note that the boxset is most definitely one to read, and it is easy to highly recommend.
October 25, 2020
I had already read the first book in this set, so I skipped it. It took a little bit of reading to get used to M.V. Stott's style again as it is different from a lot of other fantasy writers.
I enjoyed these books immensely, they show the good side of human nature against the evil side and I really was surprised by the ending of the third book.
Enjoyable read, persist until you can adapt to the style and you will really get into these books.
I will read more.
I enjoyed these books immensely, they show the good side of human nature against the evil side and I really was surprised by the ending of the third book.
Enjoyable read, persist until you can adapt to the style and you will really get into these books.
I will read more.
January 26, 2020
Out of all the Uncanny Kingdom's books I believe that this is my favorite one. This one takes you on an emotional rollercoaster. You laugh, you cry, you feel the characters. The characters are relatable and likeable. The storyline is a fast paced page turning ride.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews