• The Long Way Down

  • Daniel Faust, Book 1
  • By: Craig Schaefer
  • Narrated by: Adam Verner
  • Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (1,554 ratings)

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The Long Way Down  By  cover art

The Long Way Down

By: Craig Schaefer
Narrated by: Adam Verner
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Publisher's summary

Nobody knows the seedy underbelly of Las Vegas like Daniel Faust, a sorcerer for hire and ex-gangster who uses black magic and bullets to solve his clients' problems. When an old man comes seeking vengeance for his murdered granddaughter, what looks like a simple job quickly spirals out of control.

Soon Daniel stands in the crossfire between a murderous porn director; a corrupt cop with a quick trigger finger; and his own former employer, a racket boss who isn't entirely human. Then there's Caitlin: brilliant, beautiful, and the lethal right hand of a demon prince.

A man named Faust should know what happens when you rub shoulders with demons. Still Daniel can't resist being drawn to Caitlin's flame as they race to unlock the secret of the Etruscan Box, a relic that people all over town are dying - and killing - to get their hands on. As the bodies drop and the double-crosses pile up, Daniel will need every shred of his wits, courage, and sheer ruthlessness just to survive.

Daniel Faust knew he was standing with one foot over the brink of hell. He's about to find out just how far he can fall.

©2014 Demimonde Books (P)2014 Demimonde Books

What listeners say about The Long Way Down

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Urban fantasy noir. Done right..

As the title states this is an excellent urban fatsy noir novel. Think what if Mike Hammer was a wizard. Be warned this not Dresden or Iron Druid. There are no cute pets or funny sidekicks, and no pop culture references.This is dark stuff and I love it!

If I didn't make it clear earlier, this is not for the kids. The whole thing starts around the murder of a porn starlet and spirals quickly into the dark from there. No one really gets a happy ending, although some do better than others. The story leaves a lot of room for future novels (Please write fast!) but ties up most loose ends by the end of the novel.

The narrator does a good job and has a fairly good range of distinctive voices. The only problem is he has one of the worst creole/Caribean accents ever. This is only is small problem though, and takes nothing away from the book.

The characters are well developed and fun to read. the world and magic system are left purposely vague. I usually like a better formed magic system for novels, but in this case it helps to maintain the myster of the series. If you like Dresden and Iron Druid this will be a much more dark, adult alternative for you. Don't miss this one.

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29 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Overall pretty good

What did you love best about The Long Way Down?

Good story - it drags a bit here and there where you can tell the author needs to mature a bit in his style (for example, the relationship between Faust and Caitlin, which is a key plot point, felt rushed and artificial... not very well developed).

What other book might you compare The Long Way Down to and why?

The obvious comparison is Butcher's Dresden books, which might not be fair since Butcher's had what, nearly 20 books to develop his characters and style? If anything, stack it up against the -first- Dresden book, and I think it compares favorably.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The vocal characterizations were all over the place, and rarely in a good way. I think what really drove me nuts was his insisting on using a (badly executed) Irish "burr" accent for a character that was supposed to have a Scottish "brogue." DROVE. ME. NUTS.Overall, the narrator's voice for Faust (I'm assuming his natural voice) was -perfect- for this character, but his narrating "style" felt a bit off. Something slightly more "noir-ish" and conversational would have fit better.

Any additional comments?

For its flaws in writing and narration, it's still a good story and I enjoyed it - I'd recommend it to folks interested in the Urban-Fantasy/Mystery genre, and I'll pick up future audiobooks in the series if they're made.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Nora Roberts and Jim Butcher have a weird mutated love child

I the book splits halfway through it started as a weak Harry Dresden novel and then quickly the lead character find the love romance and loses his mind. We then go into a Nora Roberts tailspin. The plot is shaky the whole ending is weird I don't know why this book is getting good reviews. Maybe his other books are better but this one's not that great.

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18 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining enough

This book was entertaining enough to distract me from the monotony of driving through ever present traffic to and from work. I would have liked to see the main character, a magician, actually use some magic though. The cover made him look like a bad-ass. I was expecting (hoping for) something reminiscent of Sandman Slim or the Demon Accords. Instead I got another interesting book with a main character who's basically a pussy who scrapes by through luck and impossible chance as opposed to his intellectual prowess and/or sheer power. I understand a weak lead makes for dramatic suspense because he's always in grave danger of imminent death or failure, but you can get drama from the relationships and unknown outcomes while allowing your character some legitimate power to make things more exciting. Anyway, good book. Obviously I'm just a little tired of the main character barely scraping by routine.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

If it's on sale I say get it other than that, Meh..

It was ok I get kind of tired of the overly lucky mc with a seeded past who seems to get out of every situation even though he is severely outmatched merely because he is the main character and you can't have a story without a mc. The narrator was pretty ok but he really needs to work on his accents. I'll probably pass on the rest of the series.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

No cliche left unturned

I'm a bit torn on this review. The narration was quite excellent, and the story itself was enjoyable, but the writing was...well, kinda awful. Every cliche from every gumshoe novel ever written was forced into the writing.
This was my first read from Schaefer, and I would like to read more about the adventures of Faust and friends. I just hope the next novel is a little tighter.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Daniel Faust really reminds me of Constantine

This starts out and I think that what we have is a normal mystery with some paranormal aspects to it. Girl lost part of her soul and Daniel Faust is going to find out why. Simple right? Not in the least!

There is so much in this book. Honestly, as the plot gets deeper and more threads get piled on, I completely forgot about Stacey. Poor girl needs her soul back and I’m over here stuck in the middle of all this fabulous drama that Schaefer raised and loving life!

Daniel Faust really reminds me of Constantine. I’m not sure if Craig has read Constantine but the book, and the show, is the epitome of everything Daniel Faust is. He is no hero. He may save people but in the end the only person he is really saving is himself. He does what he does for reasons known only to him and the people that paid him. Which means he is bound by no one and no law. I love it! There’s no telling if he is going to go good or bad! He even admits that the only reason he wants to help Stacey, and trudge through all the rest of the mess that is brought up during his investigation, is because Stacey’s grandfather paid him! He’s a scoundrel but the best type!

The narration was beautiful. I was already loving the story because it really pulls you in but the narration added that cream and cherry to the top. Adam Verner was able to add the essence of each of the characters and the emotion came through.

Favorite character is probably Caitlyn. I can’t even explain why. I was not sure about her but the second she opens her mouth I could tell I was going to like her. She has a curiosity about her that meshes well with Daniel’s personality.

At first I hated the ending. And then there is one last chapter and everything fell into place! Love, love, love the way this ended! Bit of a twist that worked perfectly with the grime of the story. Already have book two!

Audiobook provided for review by the author.

Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Think Dresden meets The Punisher.

Modern fantasy magic with a protagonist that isn't afraid to dish out a little justice. Loved it. I can't wait to listen to the rest of the series.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

A waste of a credit

I finished this book. That is the best I can say for it. Went from meh, to yuck, to I hate it.

At least I know to ignore both the author and the narrator going forward.

Black.

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5 people found this helpful

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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Kitchie

Too kitchie for me. Not much of a plot. The reader has too many weird voices.

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4 people found this helpful