Off Leash

Freelance Familiars, Book 1

By: Daniel Potter

Narrated by: Jonathan Waters

Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Thomas wanted a simple, stable existence, but saddled with unemployment, an absentee girlfriend, and the impending unpaid rent, change is hurtling down on him whether he likes it or not. Following the sudden murder of his strange elderly neighbor, he awakens on the wrong side of the Veil transformed into a mountain lion, and thrust into a dangerous world of magic.

Thomas must team up with a disgraced inquisitor and a pyromaniac squirrel to dodge the fate pushed upon him by haughty mages, manipulative union leaders, and violent werewolves. Does Thomas have the will to take control of his life through wit and claw to become the first Freelance Familiar?

Off Leash is the first book in Daniel Potter’s Freelance Familiars series, a humorous adventure story beset by immoral mages and fast-talking animals. If you enjoyed the Dresden Files and want an overtone of Discworld, you’ll love this rollicking urban fantasy adventure.

Dig in your claws, brace for impact, and buy this story right now!

©2015 Daniel Potter (P)2019 Daniel Potter

Good Story But Swearing Gets Old

I'll be returning this title with disappointment not finishing the story. I think it could be very good, but the swearing gets old fast, once "behind the veil" it increases and gets distracting.

Unfamiliar Familiar

Really nice take on the 'magic is everywhere but the mundanes don't see it' style story with the main character fulfilling the normal side kick/support character position instead of the 'chosen one' magi. I'm definitely picking up the next book to see where it all goes.

For narration all you need to see is 'Jonathan Waters' to know the performance and voices are going to be top notch.

how wonderful it is to be a cat

Thomas Kats wakes up as a four legged cougar one morning, and his life gets progressively more complicated after that.

Off Leash is an interesting take on a somewhat tired urban fantasy trope; magic exist along side the mundane, but the mundane is kept from noticing it by "the veil". what makes it interesting is that the story isn't told from a wizard's PoV, but from a familiar, which allowsy Daniel to explore exactly why wizards have familiars.

the story is well paced and has a few twists which, while not entirely surprising, are well handled. The characters, principal and secondary, have well developed personalities and are fun to watch as they get out of trouble, or cause it.

I'm looking forward to listening to the next book in the series.

Purrfect

This was an incredible ride. I just wish the next book was out so I could have more of it..

A fun read that's enjoyable from beginning to end.

The book doesn't waste any time getting into the main point of the book, setting up the main hook very quickly, and very little of the exposition isn't relevant to things to come. I initially worried that the short introduction would leave little connection between the event before and after, but the story does an excellent job maintaining and building that connection throughout the entire book.
The characters felt fleshed out, and the mystery kept me interested all the way to the end. Overall a very enjoyable read, and I look forward to reading the next books.

If you have a pet cat you'll love this

A really unique take on wizards and witches, magical orders and familiars. By the end of it the world feels like it's being fleshed out. There is murder mystery detective vibe going on but the mix between that and exploring the world is really well done. The interactions between Thomas, the wizards and other familiars is really enjoyable to be a part of. Would recommend to lovers of cats, familiars and magic.

Awesome funny story

A pretty fun story with a confused human turned Mountain Lion, a wisecracking pyromaniac squirrel, political backstabbing amongst wizards, a family of werewolves and a dragon too! I'm glad I rolled the dice on this book!

Slow start

slow start. No other complaints. An interesting take on the hole wizard familiar Bond and stuff.

fun mystery

it's a fun story with a cool premise, it was really easy to get into and I honestly can't wait to listen to the next three or two that are part of the series also I gave me a few ideas for D&D

Really fun story

I was recommended this series by another author who had recently finished it and I'm glad he did. I love cats and squirrels and this book has both. (thankfully the squirrels who hang out near my house aren't the pyromaniac firecracker throwing variety like Rudy, lol) This book and series has an interesting take on the Mage/Familiar bond. The mages are jerks, and new familiars are basically auctioned to the highest bidder, so the main character has his paws full trying to avoid losing his freedom.

Rudy the squirrel goes a little heavy with the nut puns, even while other characters are dropping the occasional F-bomb. It seems annoying at first, but trust me, Rudy really grows on you, especially the further into the series you get. He gets more prominent starting in book 2.