Audio Book Review: Stone Cold Bastards

Stone Cold Bastards

By:  Jake Bible

Publish Date:  February 24, 2017, Audiobook Release March 3, 2017

Format:  Audiobook - 7 hrs 59 mins
Narrated By:  Jeff Hays

Genre:  Urban Fantasy

Series:  Stand-alone ?

Impression:  The last stand for the little bit of humanity left on the world...

Synopsis:
Only a rag-tag team of gargoyles stands between humanity and extinction.

Hell has released its ravening horde of demons, leaving most of humanity a puke-spewing, head-spinning mess of possession.

Humanity’s last hope? A team of misfit gargoyles—including a cigar chomping, hard-ass grotesque—come alive and ready for battle during the End of Days. They guard the last cathedral-turned-sanctuary atop a bald knoll in the North Carolina mountains.

Gargoyle protection grudgingly extends to any human who can make it inside the Sanctuary, but the power of the stonecutter blood magic, which protects the sanctuary, may not be enough when a rogue grotesque and his badly-wounded ward arrive.

All the hounds of hell are on their heels. The last Sanctuary is about to fall.

First Sentence:
The small, gray head popped off and rolled toward the end of the bar.

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Audible

My Thoughts and Summary:
*I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.

The gates of hell have fallen and demons possess more humans than not, others have died. But there are pockets of humans in sanctuaries protected by gargoyles and grotesques still striving to live. Morty is one of the protectors at this cathedral, and with the news of another sanctuary falling they need to prepare for a siege as the possessed are going to circle and wait to get through the locked iron gates guarded by those like Morty to get to the un-possessed humans.

I enjoy when Jeff gets a book he can showcase his vocal talents. And this is such a book! There are a few different characters and each are greatly different in voice and personality. Jeff even adds small extras to the characters with relation to what they are doing. When it's written that a character scuffs or smacks his lips, Jeff does the action. It's much more personal than hearing the words - bringing the story to life. Totally awesome work!

This isn't a high action read out of the gate, but it's crafted in the world creation and the G's (gargoyles and grotesques). I would have liked a few more small details added in the beginning to know the relation of the characters talking, but it all become apparent quickly as to the world and relationships. I would have liked a little bit of description or foreshadowing to details we suddenly get so they don't feel to come out of nowhere, but I enjoyed the book for the fun. The fighting picks up as the book goes. The fights are a bit bloody. But that happens when you have hard stone or marble fighting soft, human flesh. There is strong cursing too.

The last stand for the little bit of humanity left on the world... Demons have almost taken over the world. This book all takes place in one day's time. We see Morty and his adventure along with what he finds. Then we see what's happened inside the Sanctuary while he's gone, with the siege and the teens leaving. Then both sections collide in a moment. We see the last Sanctuary with humans who're not possessed pull all they have to stand against the demons, and try one last effort to save what little is left of the world.

This is a stand alone novel and ends as one. Cool. This way I'm not left wondering about anything. Though, there are a few questions as to the stone cutter, but that's my speculative thinking.

We get to see a few different grotesques and gargoyles. They are all of different personality and bring something different to the protection they provide. They are all special in their own ways, a few more than others for fighting. The G's were made for this reason, and that's why they are alive now. I'm not sure why the G's don't try to save humans when the demons leave their bodies. Why not bring them into the sanctuary? I think there's something I'm missing after a demon already possesses a body. But they aren't necessarily to save people as they are to keep their sanctuary safe, and what's in it.

We get to meet the people in this sanctuary. They are struggling to get by and tensions do run high in the world that's now restricted to a small area. The people we meet are different and have knowledge they bring to the story. They aren't ready to give up though.



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