Flotsam Prison Blues

The Technomancer Novels Series, Book 2

By: M. K. Gibson

Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer

Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

A couple of months have passed since the cyborg smuggler known as Salem led a small team in the violent coup that brought down Abraxas, demon Archduke of New Golgotha’s central kingdom of Ars Goetia. From the destruction, Salem became a hero, whether he wanted to be one or not, and was appointed the first human baron in the demon-run supercity.

But Hell does not like being made to look foolish - or weak. And Salem’s actions, while noble, have consequences. A victory for man means a defeat for Hell. A single question will be asked of Salem: How far can a hero fall? The powers of Hell are willing to find out.

Flotsam Prison Blues is the gritty, exciting sequel to To Beat The Devil. Following an assassination attempt by a rocket-launching madman, Salem must untangle a web of lies, theft, and conspiracies, lest his new world, and his citizens, burn. Follow Salem’s adventures as he is forced to relive the parts of his past he wanted to stay buried while once more pitting himself against the might of Hell. Salem will need all his strength and skill as he suffers the Hell-on-Earth horrors of Flotsam Prison.

©2017 Michael Gibson (P)2018 Amber Cove Publishing

awesome book must read.

I actually got to talk to MK Gibson and I can tell you right now hes one of the real ones he even gave me some advice and helped me through some things his books are awesome and deftly take you on an adventure I truly can't wait for any book that he puts out.

Hell on earth has never looked better

It’s hell on earth and our unlikely hero Salem has much to come to grips with. His last we’ll be revealed and will leave you quite shocked. He has a mission to accomplish and some unlikely help to get it done. He will face perils unlike any he has seen up to this point. Can his tech and his magic be enough? Will he have he courage and will power to do what needs to be done? Listen and find out in this riveting sequel in a great series. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator or publisher

Flotsam Prison Blues

Happy to report that there is not a second book in the series letdown. I love how trouble follows Salem and Grimm. Ricky "the puppeteer" continues to move his plan forward. I like the change in narrator. I enjoyed his performance very much. I received this audio book for free from the narrator for my unbiased review.

The Battle Continues…

This is not a standalone novel, start with Book 1, “To Beat The Devil” this is Book 2 in what is currently a four-book series. If you are into Demons taking over the world and the battle that ensues you will enjoy this series. The narration by Jeffrey Kafer is excellent. I received this audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Great continuation to the series

All in all it was a great listen. It seemed to have more flashbacks then the first book. The beginning, before Flotsam, felt a little rushed, like an excuse to get him in prison. The initiation was also much grittier than before. But once he met the big not-so-friendly giant it started picking up. All the secret plots and them leading the main character by the nose is extremely annoying though. The world is still expanding and and new aspects and characters are coming in play. And some small cliffhangers to keep you hooked. Impatiently waiting for the next installment.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Fantastic trill ride of an audiobook.

After reading the first Technomancer book, I was excited to see where the author would take the series after the momentous events of the first book, in which a cyborg named Salem and a group of companions brought down an Archdemon in the hell ruled Earth they find themselves living in. This is, of course, after God abandoned Earth, after some scientists tried to clone Jesus, and God, fed up, just left, leaving a free for all for power. This combination Cyberpunk/Post-Apoc/Urban Fantasy is where we find the book starting.

Following the downfall of the Archdemon Abraxas, Salem has been granted the title of Baron and his land is now protected as a barony. Unfortunately, on an Earth ruled by demons, that doesn't mean a whole lot. When his lands tithe's become late, assassins are cleared to try and take out Salem. Then several of his storage vaults are looted, and an assassin tries to take him and his companion, Father Grimm, out permanently. While he survives, Salem is getting more upset and goes after the source of the attempts and the robbery, which turns out to be a huge mistake, because he is connected, and Salem ends up in Flotsam Prison, where problems go to die, to await his hearing.

The second half of the book, which takes place inside the prison, is where the book takes a decided turn to the grim side of fantasy. And by grim, I mean stuff that would make Nazi prison guards retch. After the group of inmates Salem is dropped into the prison with are tortured for days with horrific acts, they are then forced to fight to the death for five spots in the prison, even though there are eight of them. Salem comes up with an interesting solution to this, although it costs him the chance for protection from any of the "clans" in the prison, when the Warden declares him a nomad, meaning no one is to help or protect him. After a chance encounter with a powerful inmate, Salem's fortunes change, and he starts to turn things around. However, the outside world is about to intrude, since if he is convicted, he loses his title and all his property and people can be sold off. Well, drastic times call for drastic actions, and Salem is nothing if not drastic. After he is offered a deal to save his people, even though it will make him a wanted man, Salem does what he does, which is cause chaos, mayhem and destruction to accomplish his goals. There is also an epilogue scene which hints at who is behind all the chaos in Salem's life, and who is aiming him toward his end goal.

To me, this book, while it has a fantastic setting in New Golgotha, is all about the characters. Characters like Salem, Father Grimm, T (Nichola Tesla' living head) and all the rest are so well written, with such visceral reactions to stress and crisis. Crisis is what its all about too, in a world ruled by hell. There is not a lot of room for cute and cuddly, and the fact these characters manage to retain any humanity at all is amazing, showing just how good the author is. The reactions to the torture scenes were just so primal, you felt as though you were there. That is some excellent writing that can put you right in the middle of a horrible scene, feeling as though you are part of the action. The dialogue is snappy, witty, with a lot of snark and cynicism. The plotting never once slows down or drags, as you are moved from one intense scene to the next. A real E-ticket ride for those old enough to understand the reference.

Jeffrey Kafer is one of my top 10 favorite narrators. He has an amazing range of character voices, and his narrative pacing is second to non. He especially shines when a character is world weary and cynical, although he can handle everything from a 60 year old lady to a giant man beast, and everything in between. He really helps bring any story he narrates to life, and with Salem, its like he has met his ultimate character. I say this as someone who owns 32 books he has narrated across a variety of genres. Fantastic work I can't help but recommend.

In all, if you are a fan of Post-apocalyptic books, cyberpunk, or urban fantasy, this series has something for you. The fast paced plot, overall mystery and action should appeal to a wide range of readers/listeners, and Jeffery Kafer's narration should seal the deal. If I gave star ratings, this one would be a ten out of ten.

I voluntarily reviewed this audiobook from a review copy I received from the narrator.

Damn, so close

though I love the narrator in this book I think the previous did Isaac more justice, so close. wither way I really like this book

Flotsam Trash

Flotsam Trash is not me being snarky. I binged listened to this book and loved every minute of it. The script and narration synced perfectly. The first book introduced the world and the main character. The second book took that introduction and fleshed him out. Yes there is action, adventure, laughs, drama, character arcs, suspense and even a love story of sorts but the heart of the book is a deconstruction of the main character, who he is, was and a glimpse of what he will be. Trash is apt, because when everything taken from the character he forced to reflect on what got him and his world to this point which given the material is bleak but not depressing. Sure the main character not having a good time but you the listener will and for me at least that involved laughing a lot despite the darkness of the material.

Awesome sequel

FLOTSAM PRISON BLUES is an incredible second installment of the Technomancer series. Salem has run out of money, which he desperately needs to pay bribes with in order to keep his community of Viking descendants from being taken down by the world's demonic overlords.

This book gets a lot more into Salem's backstory and the history of the world, which works well in raising the stakes despite the humor. We also get a number of interesting new female characters. If you like the Dresden Files or Shadowrun then you'll probably love Flotsam Prison Blues.

Jeffrey Kafer does an excellent job as the narrator.

Fascinating allusions

Rather fascinating storyline, considering this isn't my "go to" genre of audiobook. I requested this free book to review because I wanted to study the artistry of narrator Jeffrey Kafer (I'd heard excellent reviews of his craft.). As a narrator, I want to learn from the best, and I was rewarded in many ways as I listened to this 10 hour book.
Kafer, I presume, has that natural gravelly voice that a female narrator avoids, and that was exactly right for this gritty, seedy and convoluted tale. He seamlessly switched from character to character - male or female - with subtle vocal quality shifts that did not strain his voice to execute, yet were distinct w slight variation of pitch male to female. the intensity behind each vocalization created each personality, w a few accents thrown in as noted in the text, and speech pacing to suggest character's size, status, special abilities, and loyalties. All skills which made this an easy listen (that is if you overlook the foul language throughout).
That brings up another fascination in Gibson's text. Since I had not listened to the first book in this Technomancer series, I had to catch-up on backstory and was grateful for many "in the past" flashbacks. Technomancer cyborgs and all, the premise of God having retreated and left demons, Lucifer, and all, to rule and ravage the earth and humankind (or variations thereof) (allusions to post-rapture-Armageddon apocalypse on the earth) painted this horrific picture w a most foul-mouthed and violent killer as its hero. A hero who knows he has been worse in his previous - may I call them - "incarnations" - and is a bad person in many respects in the present one, in need of redemption; yet who makes many moral, conscience-driven choices.
This narrative spurs me to want to research details of the Biblical allusions it references.
I freely offer this review and highly recommend this audiobook.