Villains Rule The Shadow Master Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition) M K Gibson Jeffrey Kafer Amber Cove Publishing Books
Download As PDF : Villains Rule The Shadow Master Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition) M K Gibson Jeffrey Kafer Amber Cove Publishing Books
Hi, how are you?
Yes, I am talking to you, the reader of this book's description. It's rude not to answer a person when they ask you a question. Okay, I get it, fourth-wall breaking is overdone. Get over it. This book, Villains Rule, is a fantasy action-comedy which you have to hear. Not because it redefines the genre, far from it. But rather for what it contains. A villain's tale.
How often do you get to listen to a story where the villain is the protagonist? No, not an anti-hero, or a brooding monster, nor a hero thinly disguised as a villain. And not evil. If you want evil, take that nonsense to therapy. No, I mean a villain's villain. The ones who use their power because they can, while morality is only a philosopher's complex.
This is the story of Jackson Blackwell, the Shadow Master and the top villain adviser. Sadly, even the top villain occasionally gets double-crossed. Trapped in one of the fantasy realms, Jackson has to use his skill and wits to exploit the rules, points out the genre flaws, undermine godly authority, and win the day.
Because that is what villains should do, shouldn't they? Listen to this book, have a few laughs, and find out.
Villains Rule The Shadow Master Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition) M K Gibson Jeffrey Kafer Amber Cove Publishing Books
Have you ever wanted to reach into the reality of book or movie and shake the villain? Ever since Scott Evil pointed out he had a gun in his room and it would take just a few seconds to get it so they could kill Austin Powers, we have been in dire need of a villain consultant. This book seems to have been inspired by the Evil Overlord's List and that's fairly high praise by itself. We've all wanted a smarter more savvy villain in our fantasy and that's what the protagonist of this book provides as a service.Jackson Blackwell is a sociopathic geek from our world who, after discovering the ability to enter other realities Neverending Story style, has devoted himself to making sure the bad guys do not overlook all of the potential in being magnificent bastards. At the start of the book, he's already been at it several years and managed to acquire his own pocket-universe as well as demigod status plus all the other perks of being a miniature Sauron. Unfortunately, these only go so far and he's (despite his beliefs) a very clever small fish in a very big pond. Basically, he's Littlefinger if Littlefinger was the God of Paperclips in a universe full of Zeuses and Odins.
Well, the problem with being a consultant to Dark Lords like Voldemort and the Umbrella Corporation is the fact they're really-really used to doing things their own way. Eventually, Jackson Blackwell's inability to hold his immense contempt in gets him in trouble and stripped of all his ill-gotten gains. Worse, it seems his layabout family may have been in on the deal. Exiled back to 1st level on a Dungeons and Dragons ruled world, he is left with the best motivation a villain could have: how do I get my stuff back? The answer, of course, is to get a bunch of heroes together so you can betray them later!
The book is basically a Discworld-esque journey across a fantasy world with the heroes assembled by a would-be-Saruman instead of Gandalf. Surprisingly, after losing his consulting business, the Shadowmaster's adventures are played fairly straight. While he considers his companions little more than fictional characters brought to life, they are in a life and death struggle with evil. Even better, the Shadowmaster is there to point out some of the hypocrisies which come with the gods as well as elves of your traditional fantasy world.
The supporting cast for the book is enjoyable with a variety of stock fantasy archetypes, some of which are turned on their head as the people involved are a good deal deeper than the role they choose to try and live up. I also have an affection for the villains who feel there's no point in being an evil doer if you can't actually be EVIL about it (Shadowmaster being of the "it is better to be feared than loved but if you cannot be both, try not to be hated" school of thought). I have to say, I kind of agree with them there. Those Towers of DarknessTM aren't going to build themselves.
In conclusion, this is definitely a book you should check out and pick up a copy of. It's full of humor, deconstruction, reconstruction, and deconstruction all over again. It's cynical and snarky with just the right amount of snide. Kudos, MK Gibson, I want more.
9/10
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Villains Rule The Shadow Master Book 1 (Audible Audio Edition) M K Gibson Jeffrey Kafer Amber Cove Publishing Books Reviews
This is one of those “breaking the fourth wall” books that never fail to entertain. In a book full of pop culture references, Villains Rule brings to light all the tropes that are consistent across the fantasy realms - the “rules”, so to speak that fantasy stories mostly follow. Lots of laughs, betrayal, romance (albeit a bit kinky LOL), and fantastic characters that you can’t help liking, Villains Rule is a great a fun book!!
Honestly, this book was hilarious. It had a great story and was quite well paced. I loved the use of rule mongering to the main characters advantage and the calling out of obvious tropes.
The only thing this book needed was a bit more in the way of editing. Minor spelling errors or word omissions were seen throughout. It didn't detract from the story much, but it did force me to reread a line or two to make sure I had the context correct.
Overall, I'd like to read another story with this main character, maybe in a comic book universe or something (going up against a Justice League or Avengers knock off).
I had so much fun reading this book. I cannot tell you the number of times I almost laughed out loud. More than that, though, because Jackson is a top tier villain, he is incredibly intelligent and intriguing to read of. We are fortunate to get to read the book from his perspective and, I have to say, he makes for a great narrator. Especially in his more human moments. That being said, he is still a villain who knows the angles to play for the most profit for himself. Several of his actions I wouldn't have agreed with, but he has no scruples about using them himself. After all, a true great villain knows how to abuse the rules to their fullest extent.
Another benefit of reading all of this from Jackson's perspective is, when he never sees something coming, neither do we. This book genuinely kept me surprised and intrigued. Because Jackson is such an intelligent character he picked up on a lot of stuff other characters wouldn't. This led me to not question his assumptions the more I read. So when he was caught off guard it was genuine and exciting.
The rest of the cast of characters is delightfully well rounded. Jackson finds heroes who have their own "sins" from their pasts. Except for Carina. Her only "crime" was being a female half-breed in a group of elite, and elitist, male warriors. Everyone else Jackson is able to discern some sin or bad deed. He actually spoke out against the entire Elven race as the xenophobic, technophobic, stifling creatures they are. Then again, there are characters like Lydia that don't bother to hide who they are. I never would've thought she'd be into using knives for bondage play.
Also, fair warning for any fantasy fans who read this, be prepared to have the genre made fun of. A lot. Several of Jackson's comments revolve around the wish for air condition or even basic indoor plumbing.
Really my only complaint about this book is the number of grammatical errors. I counted seven, though I know that doesn't cover all of them. And this may not seem like a lot, but when you read something like "I felt bone piece my heart" it's gonna throw you out of the book a bit.
That being said, I still loved this book. I'm actually planning on listening to the audio sample and, if I like it, buying that to listen to at work. I rarely buy audio-books, so that should tell you something about how much I enjoyed this story.
I like villains. They are always much more interesting than the heroes. Villains have desires and reasons to do what they do, while heroes tend to just go looking for bad guys to sort out.
Jackson Blackwell, the Shadow Master, is a villain consultant and is familiar with all of the tropes common to every story. A god of his own dimension, he must go out and help a client with his trusty network of spies, bodyguard, and phone of terrible power. Working with villains goes exactly how you might think, betrayal.
A fantastically villainous character with a hatred of elves that knows the world of villainous fiction inside an out. He just forgot one thing...never trust family.
Have you ever wanted to reach into the reality of book or movie and shake the villain? Ever since Scott Evil pointed out he had a gun in his room and it would take just a few seconds to get it so they could kill Austin Powers, we have been in dire need of a villain consultant. This book seems to have been inspired by the Evil Overlord's List and that's fairly high praise by itself. We've all wanted a smarter more savvy villain in our fantasy and that's what the protagonist of this book provides as a service.
Jackson Blackwell is a sociopathic geek from our world who, after discovering the ability to enter other realities Neverending Story style, has devoted himself to making sure the bad guys do not overlook all of the potential in being magnificent bastards. At the start of the book, he's already been at it several years and managed to acquire his own pocket-universe as well as demigod status plus all the other perks of being a miniature Sauron. Unfortunately, these only go so far and he's (despite his beliefs) a very clever small fish in a very big pond. Basically, he's Littlefinger if Littlefinger was the God of Paperclips in a universe full of Zeuses and Odins.
Well, the problem with being a consultant to Dark Lords like Voldemort and the Umbrella Corporation is the fact they're really-really used to doing things their own way. Eventually, Jackson Blackwell's inability to hold his immense contempt in gets him in trouble and stripped of all his ill-gotten gains. Worse, it seems his layabout family may have been in on the deal. Exiled back to 1st level on a Dungeons and Dragons ruled world, he is left with the best motivation a villain could have how do I get my stuff back? The answer, of course, is to get a bunch of heroes together so you can betray them later!
The book is basically a Discworld-esque journey across a fantasy world with the heroes assembled by a would-be-Saruman instead of Gandalf. Surprisingly, after losing his consulting business, the Shadowmaster's adventures are played fairly straight. While he considers his companions little more than fictional characters brought to life, they are in a life and death struggle with evil. Even better, the Shadowmaster is there to point out some of the hypocrisies which come with the gods as well as elves of your traditional fantasy world.
The supporting cast for the book is enjoyable with a variety of stock fantasy archetypes, some of which are turned on their head as the people involved are a good deal deeper than the role they choose to try and live up. I also have an affection for the villains who feel there's no point in being an evil doer if you can't actually be EVIL about it (Shadowmaster being of the "it is better to be feared than loved but if you cannot be both, try not to be hated" school of thought). I have to say, I kind of agree with them there. Those Towers of DarknessTM aren't going to build themselves.
In conclusion, this is definitely a book you should check out and pick up a copy of. It's full of humor, deconstruction, reconstruction, and deconstruction all over again. It's cynical and snarky with just the right amount of snide. Kudos, MK Gibson, I want more.
9/10
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