Dead Eye: Pennies for the Ferryman

Publisher's Summary

"My name is Mike Ross. I'm a Ferryman. I help people with ghost problems, or ghosts with people problems. Funny thing, no one ever helps me with my problems. Civil War ghosts bent on killing me, Skinwalkers who just want my body, and a vindictive spirit linked both to my bloodline and my destiny.... It turns out the dead still hold a good deal of influence over the world, and they don't want to give it up. I'm in way over my head. Fortunately, I'm too stubborn to quit."

©2009 David Wood- Gryphonwood Press (P)2012 David Wood- Gryphonwood Press

It's not you, it's me, but really it's you

I had to use this line from the book as the title of my review because, a. it's funny and will give you an idea of the ironic/sardonic tone of the book, b. it conveys the "every man" status of the protagonist, Mike Ross, who recognizes this sentiment when he gets the brush-off.. Mike acquires a "gift" to see ghosts and interact with them via a cornea transplant following major injuries in the Iraq war. Mike not only has war wounds to overcome, but he's short, broke, and uneducated. He'd like to use his new abilities to make some money, but his efforts, while useful in protecting the living and assisting the dead, almost never pan out with much moolah. And Mike's new talents greatly hamper his love life and family relationships (see title above) so ultimately, this guy is no Gary Stu! After listening 1/2 way to two books (one sci-fi, one fantasy) in a row where the primary protagonist was all that and a bag of chips (Atlas/Adonis rolled into one, every woman falls at his feet, yada, yada), I was thrilled to pieces to meet Mike Ross; a guy who doesn't get anything for free and yet keeps trying - my kind of hero.

In this urban noir fantasy, Jim Bernheimer not only provides some realistic living men and women, he borrows from the gangster and Civil War eras to populate the world with some memorable ghostly characters. This is a fast paced adventure that stands well on it's own, but definitely made me want to read the sequels.

Jeffrey Kafer does a great job at invoking the dry, wry tone of the noir story and provides good characters voices as well. Nice performance!

Some reviewers have compared this to Dresden, but Dead Eye actually reminded me more of the nicely done Felix Castor series by Mike Carey. If you like urban noir, if you enjoy a hero who's only human, if you like your ghosts to have a bit of moxie, and if you like a bit of history thrown into your fantasy fiction, you'll like Dead Eye.

28 of 30 people found this review helpful

Keep your iron tools handy.

A funny story about a guy who becomes a ferry man and helps souls cross over. Unfortunately he has to make a living somehow and ghost don't make a lot of money. In the meantime he is having problems with girls, ghost, skin walkers, soldiers and even mobsters. He never seems to get a break. It is not a book for deep thinking and some of the points of views are stereo typical but I enjoyed the story and will be getting the next one. The narrator was good, but dry and I can't help but think it would have been funnier if it had a different narrator. The story picks up the second half of the book. I happened to pick this up because a guy who likes Monster Hunter International recommended this book and was glad I read the reviewers other books.

13 of 14 people found this review helpful

Add the others Audible!

This was good I had this in my wish list for a while, hmmming and hawing... Glad I finally took the plunge. I had listened to Confessions of a D list Super Villan, and really enjoyed that, but this seemed so different I wasn't sure.
Bernheimer's style of writing is no nonsense. He doesn't waste time explaining scenes and feelings and thoughts that have no bearing on the story, it's straight to the point, which is a nice change of pace. Mike Ross is a war vet that has a cornea transplant and can suddenly see ghosts. It's so much more complex and fun than that of course, but you should listen to it.
Apparently it's a series and there's more books. So come on Audible! I hate when you just add one book from a series. Keep them coming.

12 of 13 people found this review helpful

Odd Thomas meets The Sixth Sense

I have to say I really enjoyed the book. It started off fast and gave me an Odd Thomas vibe at first but that went away after a few episodes. The main character is likeable as are his bimbo girlfriend and her younger cousin. I would say the book was rather simple in the story line, execution, and writing but none of that detracted from the book. The narrator did a good job and would throw in some different accents from time to time. It was a fun ride and I will definitely continue on it.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Like Harry Dresden? You will love Michael Ross!

I loved the book. It was quick, witty, and has that dash of snark sarcasm I look for in the protagonist. Great Contemporary Fantasy!

9 of 10 people found this review helpful

Amazing!!!

This book was awesome!!!!

I decided to listen to a small 30 minute piece and I couldn't stop!!!!

PS
I already bought the second book and I'm just waiting for the weekend.

17 of 20 people found this review helpful

Wow not my genre of books but I really liked it!!!

Any additional comments?

ok, if you have read Confessions of a D-List Super hero then the main characters are the same but in different Genre's. Which is actually awesome in my opinion. The reason why you like D-List superhero is the main character is a Sarcastic Hero that doesn't want to be the hero. Same here!!!
The main character in Dead Eye, Mike Ross, is very down to earth and unlike the whiner super hero's you read about in comics that are "cursed with power". Mike is more annoyed and confused with his "gift". He is the reluctant hero type and his sarcasm is much more humorous than whinning hero's in other books. I had a chance to speak with the author and he did say if you like D-list superhero you will like this book. He was right. A definate must read!!!!

8 of 9 people found this review helpful

Really interesting first entry though a bit rushed

Some folks have compared this book and its world to Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files series. I can see the comparison given the theme and the humor, but I think this tale can stand on its own

It is similar though, in that our protagonist has a connection to the supernatural world and becomes quite notorious within it, causing him to face a great number of dangers (in this book alone). Also like within The Dresden Files universe, our hero slowly finds out he's a bit more special than he thought.

The ghostly world gets quite fleshed out in this book as well, while still leaving some mysteries open for future tales. We watch our hero perform experiments and gather info that leads to various understandings of the rules of the semi-afterlife. We also see our hero learn some lessons the hard way via some unexpected avenues.

I said this story was a bit rushed, and it was. If you've ever read the Harry Potter novels, imagine them condensed (devoid of anything not absolutely relevant to the overall story) and in one book. That's sort of how this book felt.

That's not a bad thing mind you, it's just a different style. It reminds me a lot of "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman. Each chapter/episode is a new adventure in the life of our protagonist, so while it does jump forward a bit, it keeps the story moving.

The downside of the above would be the narrator. Even when in the same chapter (or even page), it's usually clear when the writer wants to break and shift to a new scene; however this narrator plows right through, leaving you feel a bit like you just missed a step. Makes you wonder if they had limited time in the studio to do the reading.

The narrator also does a fairly poor job at various voices and even tones while reading. Most of the prose is read in the same tone of voice and can easily blend together if you're listening while driving or some other activity.

Overall, I'd give the story a solid 4-4.5, it was enjoyable, even if rushed (including the resolution). If you consider the story a compilation of adventures, that should help with any jarring transitions.

I'd have to give the narrator a 3 though.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Entertaining, Funny and Full of Dry Humor!

This is one of those stories you listen too purely for entertainment, you can't take it serious. It's different, sarcastic, full of dry humor, but well worth the time. Told from Mike Ross's POV, his mental dialogue had me cracking up. He's one of those characters who ends up doing the right thing but not necessarily for the right reasons, and you can't help but to like him.

Jeffrey Kafer did an outstanding job narrating. He captured Mike Ross's personality perfectly, and nailed the delivery of all the sarcastic dry humor.

Great story and performance! I was voluntarily provided this free audiobook review copy by the author, narrator, or publisher.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Rollicking fun, witty, sarcastic with clever turns

Light, funny, and inventive story telling.

My only complaint would be the odd way chapters would start off, with a strange "in the previous episode" recap of events. This would work really well if someone was reading the book one chapter per week, but is a strange feature for someone going through the book groups of chapters at a time.

This book reminds me of the Shaun of the Dead zombie movie, but in this case it's set in contemporary America, with laptops, flashdrives, and an Iraq war vet attending a community college. The ghost stories are a creative blend of modern society blended with history, and the book has surprising twists and turns.

This would make for a good movie, since there seems to be an emphasis on dark horror movies, but more in line of a spoof since there are so many opportunities for comedy in this book. The writing is witty and fun.

The narrator is personable and keeps the story moving and interesting.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

more than a ghost story

told in the first person by mike ross this is the story of how he went from battle injured soldier to becoming the ferryman.
this is a great book which I highly recommend it deserves higher than the five stars I have given it

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

That was pretty bad.

I'm normally fairly generous with books but this wasn't very good. The main character's internal monologue gets old very fast and isn't particularly funny or clever.

None of the characters are very gripping as most are one dimensional and easily pigeon-holed. The premise is decent enough but I think the execution was less than ideal. I got a little bit lost with the who, what, wheres and I think a Pennyslvania native might enjoy this more.

The narrator is fine but nothing special. The plot is done in episodes and seems unusually discontinuous because of it.

I wouldn't recommend this to a new listener and if you have read other works by the author perhaps try some of his other books before this one.