Paranormia Complex

Paranormia #2

by Paul Regnier

When demonic forces attack his city, can a lone comic bookstore employee stand against them?

Graphic novelist Chris Loury uncovers a supernatural threat to his community. As a result, he and his girlfriend Amber end up in the crosshairs of spiritual warfare. Finchelus, his quirky angelic guardian, promises aid, but his sporadic appearances offer little assurance. After the last supernatural encounter nearly took his life, Chris is reluctant to dance with the devil a second time.

Things escalate quickly when a hooded figure with red eyes and superhuman strength stalks Chris. As he survives one attack after another, the dark spirits grow stronger. When they launch deadly attacks on his friends and land Chris in the hospital, he fears this supernatural battle is beyond him.

Can Chris save his girlfriend, his city, and his own life from the gathering demonic storm?

Paranormia Complex is a riveting urban fantasy adventure. If you like underdog heroes, supernatural battles, and a healthy dose of comedy, then you’ll love Paul Regnier’s action-packed novel.

Genres: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

208 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 28, 2020

About the author

Paul Regnier is a speculative fiction author. He believes one of the closest things to magic on this earth is imagination. His favorite type of story is filled with adventure, humor, and heartfelt moments between characters. He likes to dream up worlds of fantasy, sci-fi, mystery, and the supernatural. Sometimes they end up in a book.

Paul is the writer of Monster Therapist, Bard Tidings, the Luke and Bandit cozy mystery series, the Paranormia series, and the Space Drifters series.

Paul lives in Treasure Valley, Idaho, with his wife and two children.

Reviews

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Psych meets The X-Files

I was intrigued to discover where Paul Regnier would take the cast of characters from the excellent Paranormia next in the book's sequel. Paranormia Complex wasn't quite the story I had anticipated, which is a good thing. This isn't a predictable follow-up, though it does carry on the same themes, character dynamics, and humor which made the original Paranormia so enjoyable and refreshing in the genre of supernatural Christian fiction. This is, in essence, Christian urban fantasy, though I hesitate to use that label because the Paranormia books do not in any way resemble the countless Dresden-Files ripoffs that dominate the UF genre. (Do you know of any urban fantasy titles which feature a wisecracking angel who insists on pretending that 80's fashions are still cool? I rest my case.)

In my opinion, the series as a whole can best be described as Psych meets The X-Files--by which I mean those particular, fascinating episodes of the X-Files that dealt with the supernatural rather than the extraterrestrial. Complex builds on that concept by giving main character Chris another spooky mystery to unravel, but with a few more twists and turns than his previous brush with the unseen world. Certain revelations in the book's climax genuinely surprised me, and the final resolution of the plot was immensely satisfying. There's clearly enough mileage in this series to keep it going for at least one more book (I'm personally hoping it doesn't stop at a trilogy), and I'm eager to read further adventures with Chris and his friends as soon as possible. Highly recommended for everyone who's searching for smart and funny Christian fiction that uses supernatural elements to great effect.

[Brett Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since I read Paranormia, I hoped a sequel would be written. I thoroughly enjoyed the world of book one, which is our world only with eyes partially opened to the spiritual realm around us. I wanted to know what was next for all the great characters from the first book. Chris, the wise-cracking and in-over-his-head protagonist, of course. Amber, the literal girl next door who is simultaneously a lot more than that. Steve, the snarky roommate whose reactions to Chris's "paranormia" is exactly what I think the average Christian's would be in the same situation. And not the least, the pranking, misfit angel, Finch. All pretty memorable and cleverly written with relability and humor that paired nicely with the darker over tones and gravity of the spiritual side to the novel and its implications.

I've been talking quite a bit about book 1 because I liked it very much, which meant book 2 had the bar set really high. I'm pleased to say book 2 didn't let me down. The book has a very different feel and pace to it. Chris is still the same wiseguy, geeky everyman but at the same time more spiritually attuned and mature. It was a nice balance of keeping the character's essence intact while letting past experiences shape him. That's great character writing and refreshing. It also means Chris remains very relatable. I was pleased to discover all of the aforementioned characters return and Amber has a more active role, which was well done. All of which is impressive given the book moves at near supersonic speeds. Last time round things took some time to ramp up, in Paranormia Complex, however, the consequences of being surrendered to God's purposes sees the escalation of supernatural involvement and dangers hit early and never let up. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about the faster flow of things, but I couldn't put the book down and soon found myself happily carried away by the current. If you really want to enhance the experience then you can try reading it in the dark at two in the morning as I did.

I only have two hangups. One is Steve's character arc. I felt like from the events of the last book his character took an odd path that didn't do justice to his role as Chris's first and most direct Christian influence. Others probably won't have the same gripe and by no means diminshes the fact that Paranormia Complex is definitely worth reading and immensely enjoyable. So much so that my only other grievance is that it I'm left wanting yet another round of Paranormia and will have to hope the wait isn't too long.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paranormia Complex was such a great read. This humorous Christian urban fantasy was exactly what I needed at the time. The first book, Paranormia, was one of my favorite reads last year, so I was very excited to check out this sequel. I had high hopes and it completely lived up to them.

Chris is back and facing another battle between the forces of good and evil. He's still the same snarky guy I came to love in the first installment, but he's a bit more mature this go around. It was nice to see his character growth. I loved seeing Finch again too. He's such a fun character. I would've loved even more of him, but when he did popup he really stole the scene.

This book had me laughing out loud one second and then holding my breath in anticipation the next. It was funny, intense, and scary, at times. I loved every second of it. I hope there's many more installments to come. This series, and the characters, are awesome. I never want it to end.

[Susan Lyttek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing sequel

What a way to start 2021 by reading this book!
This series is the Screwtape Letters for the current generation.
In this tale, Chris and Amber (with Finch's occasional help) are faced with demons masquerading as aliens who offer power to the unsuspecting. Keen insights into spiritual warfare and the realm we can't see.
Read this book. Then reread it.