My original Hounacier audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

Hounacier is the name of the enchanted machete carried by Macolm Romero. Romero was portrayed as an unlikable character in the first novel. Here he is the main character and more than a little complicated. His academic path was interrupted when he was introduced to a Voodoo shaman and drawn to the mysterious world of demons he couldn’t deny.

The Valducan barely survived the last attack by the demons who outnumbered them. Now Romero’s adopted father has been murdered and he has to find out why. In his impetuousness, he goes it alone, trusting the wrong people. Taken over by a demon, his only hope may be death at the hand of Damoren, Matt Hollis’s enchanted revolver.

In the second novel of the series, more is revealed about the inner workings of the men called to the Valducan. We learn more about the demons they are fighting and the men who vow to protect their enchanted weapons. It is hard to compare the two novels, because the listener has much more understanding of the men and demons. It is somewhat less satisfying in that regard, fewer things are new, but still a very entertaining novel, just in a different way.

R. C. Bray is excellent as usual. His rich baritone drips with intrigue as he deftly shifts between accents and demons. He is a joy to listen to and brings the story to life.

Hounacier is book two in the Valducan series. Though there is a nod to the first novel, it stands on its own as a separate volume. Still, it would be good to read them in order to know what happened previously and understand the special weapons and why they are so important to the men who wield them. If you enjoyed book one, don’t hesitate to continue on. Recommended.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author. ( )

Last year I discovered the awesome world of magic, demons, and sentient spirit-imbued weapons in Seth Skorkowsky’s Dämoren, so when I was offered a chance to read the sequel, I didn’t hesitate.

Hounacier builds on the first book, which introduced us to an order of modern-day knights called the Valducan. All the monsters or the world are actually human beings possessed by demon, and the type of demon in turn determines the type of monster and the transformation into werewolf, ghoul, lamia, wendigo, etc. A Valducan knight makes it his or her life’s work hunting and killing these demons, with the help of a holy weapon which they bond to with their whole heart and soul.

Book two expands upon these themes, but the story is also very different. For one thing, we have a change in protagonist. While Dämoren follows the life of a rogue demon hunter named Matt Hollis and his gun-blade, Hounacier instead features another Valducan knight named Malcom Romero and his machete; Dämoren was a jet-setting action-adventure thriller that took us on an ass-kicking demon hunt across the globe, while Hounacier takes place mostly in New Orleans and the story reads more like a mystery. The pacing is thus slower, but this is a good thing because it also sets the book up nicely for a heavier and more macabre horror vibe.

This dark fantasy series just got even darker, which is how I like it! Eleven years after he faced his first demon and became apprenticed to a Voodoo priest, Malcom receives news about the grisly murder of his mentor. Now he returns to New Orleans to in order to catch the killer, armed with his holy weapon, a machete named Hounacier. As the investigation deepens and the details surrounding it becomes more disturbing, Malcom finds himself betrayed. With his soul violated and his holy blade stolen from him, Malcom is plunged into a nightmarish existence of violence and terrible dark magic. It’s such an intense and brutal tale, and Seth Skorkowsky kept me on my toes the whole time. I couldn’t even begin to guess how everything would turn out.

In many ways, the scope of Hounacier is smaller than that of its predecessor; we’re mainly in a single setting, there aren’t as many characters, and we also don’t see as big a variety of demons in this book. Still, the narrower focus is an advantage here, because it immerses us deeply into the culture and traditions of Voodoo magic. The author has clearly done a lot of research to make his portrayal of it as authentic and accurate as possible.

We also get to know the protagonist a lot better. Malcom was a side character in Dämoren, one of the lead knights who gave Matt Hollis a hard time because they believed he was demon-touched. So in the first book, Malcom was painted as this huge asshole and admittedly that’s how I remembered him too. Imagine my surprise then, when I read Hounacier and realized how much I liked him and sympathized with him. Malcom is an awesome – he’s interesting, deep, and conflicted, and this makes him an engaging character to follow. I think I ended up liking him even more than Matt Hollis. The powers granted to Malcom by the mystical properties of his weapon are also unique and new. Matt Hollis may have his blood compasses, but Malcom Romero has magical tattoos, including one that can see through your soul to tell if you’re pure or tainted by a demon. Very cool stuff.

I would consider these Valducan books to be Urban Fantasy, but there’s also a great deal of Horror thrown into the mix. It is more prominent in Hounacier, as we follow the trail of a murderer and also come face-to-face with a werewolf demon. The werewolves here are the savage bloodthirsty variety, with the monster in control rather than the human. Several times the terrifyingly gruesome scenes in here evoked a visceral reaction from me. If you like your UF dark, brutal and completely unflinching about it, Valducan is the series for you.

One final thing I’m grateful to Mr. Skorkowsky for is that these books can be read as stand-alones. Hounacier has some connections to Dämoren, like Matt Hollis showing up near the end to team up with Malcom, etc. but for the most part both novels are self-contained stories. Pick up either one (they’re both good!) and read away. Highly recommended. ( )

Review copy

I had more fun reading this than anything else I've read in recent memory. What I expected going in was a rehash of book one in the Valducan series. What I got was a great stand-alone novel in the Valducan world.

Author, Seth Skorkowsky has come up with a winning formula featuring the Valducan, a group of demon-hunting knights who find and keep track of all holy weapons and whose library of demon species and lore is massive.

Whereas book one dealt with the weapon Dämoren, book two focuses on Hounacier. Given there are dozens of such weapons, Skorkowsky could work in this world for some time to come. Truth be told, I'd be quite happy if that was the case.

Like it's predecessor, Hounacier, is fast-paced,filled with monsters and monster hunters, and gets to the action from the very beginning, barely allowing the reader a chance to catch a breath. Unlike the first book, there is a very big twist halfway through. Not gonna spoil it, ya gotta read it, but this turned out to be one of the things I liked most about Hounacier. In my opinion this unexpected twist leads to a much better story.

Hounacier is a wild rollercoaster of a tale which will ultimately lift your spirits.

Hounacier (Valducan Book 2) is available now for the Kindle, from Ragnarok publications, through Amazon.com.

Although I'd recommend reading book 1 first, it's really not necessary. Hounacier works well on it's own and is one that comes with my highest recommendation. ( )