Two Necromancers, a Dragon, and a Vampire (The Unconventional Heroes #3)

This is one of a series about a necromancer living in a castle built over the crypts of ancient mind destroying gods with his super-smart teen apprentice as they battle all sorts of nastiness with their assorted minions of intelligent ninja rats, baby dragons, bloodthirsty elves, and bored vampires while expensing their travels and equipment to the local government. And of course, for the apprentice to graduate she needs to kill the master, so that adds some more spice – but there’s a reason he’s the master, and it drives her crazy when he tousles he hair after every attempt.
I don’t exactly remember which menace they destroy in this volume. Obviously, if you are reading this you haven’t bought the first two books, so go out and buy all three and read them. It’s more fun than buying this one and then going back and buying the other two. Besides, you’ll find out how they met the elf and got an expense account.

This is the third book in the Unconventional Heroes series and although it can be read as a standalone, my recommendation would be to read the first two books.

The major difference between this book and the previous two is the length; this is a much longer volume and as such, better. The author introduces a large amount of world building. We learn who the main antagonists are as well as their motivations; we are also introduced to another region, the Desert of Glass. There are also sea battles, adventurous journeys and liberal amounts of humour.

The plot is episodic, consisting of three sections but connected by an overall arc.

As ever though, what sets this book above a lot of fantasy being published at the moment is the interaction between the characters. It is pleasing to see the main character, Timmy the necromancer, being proactive, taking charge and planning in this book. In the previous books, sometimes it felt as if he was just being swept along by and reacting to events. Avraniel the elf is actually becoming a little more understandable in her psychotic way and the Old Man is very Zen. Gerald does not develop that much but then again, he is supposed to be a bureaucrat and one of the characteristics of bureaucracy is that it is unchanging; and Katie seems to be happily developing her network to take over the world. It is difficult to say anything about the new characters that have been introduced as Spot is the equivalent of a baby at this time. Even the two Councillors have a higher word count in this volume.

And of course, the Ninja Rats are..well Ninja.

Finally, the assumptions and deductions made at the end of the books are very funny and augur well for future episodes in this very readable series.

This series is like reading the adventures of my favorite D&D game. The themes and characters are not deep, but they are likeable enough for me to want to know more about them. The writing is solid, but, be warned, the heroes and villains are derivative. Why did I give this book four stars? Because it is well done book for what it is, a fun romp through familiar fantasy territory. Sometimes, we just want to read a book because it is easy and humorous. Read the series just to see Katie the Necromancer, a ten year old who loves pink, grow into her powers and craft. I hope the author grows into their craft and explores the true complexities of the human experience that these books could easily lend themselves to quite well. I look forward to Timmy’s first moral crisis or Avariel’s first personal sacrifice. In the meantime, I will keep reading!

I’ve read a good bit of Mr. Estrella’s work now and have thoroughly enjoyed all of it, including the Unconventiona Heroes series of which this is the latest. The heroes are likable and the story lines are fun without being silly. There is plenty of action, but our heroes are up to it and handle the villains satisfactorilly. Despite the usually light-hearted tone, the heroes and villains are genuinely powerful and the fights are to the death, and there is real intelligence and empathy in the writing, reminiscent of Terry Pratchett. Do yourself a favor and pick up the whole series-you wont regret it!

I really like these novels, I love the way they are written and the characters have grown superbly since book one. I also liked that this book is lengthier than the previous two, so the joy of reading it lasts longer. With each delivery we also get more glimpses into the lore of the land, and into the life of some of the characters. Just enough to keep the mystery going while also satisfying the readers hunger into each of their pasts.
I really hope we get more of The Unconventional Heroes deliveries.

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