Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Army of Golems

An Unconventional Heroes Publisher's Pack

By: L. G. Estrella

Narrated by: Fred Berman

Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's Summary

Contains Books 1 and 2 of the Unconventional Heroes series.

Two Necromancers, a Bureaucrat, and an Elf, book 1:

Two necromancers, a bureaucrat, and an elf - it sounds like the start of a bad joke, only the joke is on Timmy.

Timothy Walter Bolton - better known as Timmy - has spent most of his life as a necromancer. When he isn't terrorising his enemies, he's plotting inside his castle, which is built on top of lightless chasms filled with nameless horrors and beings of a generally malevolent and megalomaniacal nature. But after one of his latest creations, a zombie hydra-dragon-bear, tries to eat him, he decides that maybe it's time to find a new, less dangerous, career.

But that's easier said than done. He's a wanted criminal with no shortage of powerful (and crazy) enemies, and he has a bone or two to pick with the Everton Council of Mages.

It's a good thing that he's got some help: an obnoxious 10-year-old apprentice who thinks that pink glasses are appropriate for a budding necromancer and a bumbling bureaucrat who may or may not make it through their first real fight without puking his guts up. Wonderful.

Two Necromancers, an Army of Golems, and a Demon Lord, book 2:

Two necromancers, an army of golems, and a demon lord - it sounds like a recipe for trouble, and for Timmy, it definitely is.

To earn his pardon and avoid horrible torture and/or gruesome execution, Timmy has to complete every mission the Council throws his way, most of which seem to involve extremely scary things trying to kill him. At least he’s got help - sort of. His help consists of an apprentice with designs on his castle (and her plans may or may not involve overthrowing him), a bureaucrat whose two greatest skills are fainting in the face of trouble and using people (usually Timmy) as human shields, and an elf with the world's worst case of pyromania and enough magic to level a mountain.

Somehow, Timmy's got to get this bunch of unconventional heroes to work together. Trouble is coming, and it's trouble of the kind that only a necromancer like Timmy could possibly find himself in the middle of.

©2014 L. G. Estrella (P)2020 Podium Audio

Sound Editing Needed

Good story. Great narration. But there are several areas in the narration when it repeats the same short segment 2 or 3 times. At first I though I had pressed the rewind button, but after 3 or 4 episodes of this, when it would repeat a segment twice, a few minutes repeat a different segment 3 times, and so on, over several segments, I realized it was just lazy post production editing. if anyone had cared enough they would have fixed it before releasing the book.

The book itself was very good, maybe 4.5 stars if that were an option. Good story. Funny. Quirky. Very enjoyable. Narration was great. Definetky worth the time. And I am very picky about liking audio books.

entertaining but ...

The story was entertaining but rhe production value was terrible. There were duplicate chapters listed and in chapter 2 of the second book there is a 5 minute section where paragraphs are repeated. It was fun even with the terrible production value.

no thanks

I feel like the book is made for young teens. it was like listening to a Disney channel Halloween made for tv movie

Another pleasing funny fantasy

This is what I was looking for. It's a simple story. The characters are fun and charming and the situations are funny. It's exactly what I was looking for. It's in the same vein as Yahtzee Crowshaw.

Excellent Compilation: Publisher's Pack Done Right

Normally I don't tend to like publisher's pack audiobooks because they are indicative of a story that couldn't stand by itself, a disorganized collection of stories or short stories I might find unsatisfying. That is why I was so pleasantly surprised when I listened to this publisher's pack. It artfully takes two short stories and two books and combines them into a relatively streamlined product. The combination is perfect because otherwise I would have never encountered a quality story.

A large part of what makes the story entertaining is the parental/humorous tone, off beat world, and interesting characterization. It has a slice of life feel which I found to be a good change of pace from similar stories. Also there is a decent amount of meat on the bone as book 3 is ~15 hours and is quality as well.

The main gripes I had with the book are that the dialogue and character behavior can be repetitive. For instance, there seems to be a reference to how awful Timmy's old master was about every hour. Also the voice of Katie by Fred Berman I found grating. Despite these criticisms, I highly recommend this book. A publisher's pack done right!

Love these 2 Necromancers

This is a fun listen. The quotidian comes to a fantasy world led by Timmy and his apprentice, Katie. Because Necromancers also have to deal with the town council and open bank accounts. Fred Berman's becoming one of my favorite narrators - brings out the humor and the drama perfectly and his Katie is particularly good. I didn't experience any issue with repetition mentioned in a review here - download of the audio was fine.

Timmy's world

This is a delightful story about Timmy the necromancer and his 10-year-old assistant Katie. After a few creations tried to eat him, Timmy yearns for a quite life. He petitions the council who offer him amnesty if he does a few jobs for him. His adventures are harrowing, and he wins more with his wits than might. This is a funny story of unconventional heroes is a fantasy world.

Grown Up Timmy from Fairy Odd Parents

What a fun, magical, adventure series! This reminded me of the animated series Fairly Odd Parents and Pinky & the Brain. The Necromancer is even named Timmy! Great, colorful characters including Katie, the pink-loving, shadow controlling, 10 year old apprentice, a pyromaniac elf, and Gerald the bookkeeper.

There’s actually four stories in this set as the first book has two novellas attached. The narrator is phenomenal.

Mostly age appropriate down to elementary school. Free of sex, religion and politics (except wizard religion and politics); full of ninja rats, shovel fighting, diabolical necromancer-apprentice hazing, and of course, zombies. There is somewhat frequent use of “Bstrd,” “son of a B” and insults like “ limp dck” or “Bstrd with a limp dck.” It’s hard to find a road trip audiobook that the whole car will like, but this one got the seal of approval from my 5th grader to my high schooler.

Could have been great

I finished the first book and gave up half through the second.

This series isn't balanced. The weird zany characters take up to much of the time leaving little room for a good story. What I mean by that is, the characters have a quirk. Timmy is a necromancer that what's to go on the straitened arrow. The "evil" apprentice is a preteen that wants to be treated like an adult while still liking kiddy stuff. The elf is a murderous psycho. The Bureaucrat loves paper work and has strange magic (that's his whole character.)
Like I was saying before there is no balance. There isn't a compelling story, no world building, only weird character interactions.
I'll pass on the next book.

loved it

what i was looking for. fantasy, humor and a story with a Nice flow, not to fast not to slow. great size not to short but doesn t over stay it's welcome.

Fun!

This was very enjoyable, fun and silly. Loved the narrator and his character voices. Without spoiling he does a very good psychopathic elf.

Another author discovered thanks to Audible Deep joy 😂 😀

Entertaining

Not a ground breaking story but definitely a good one. Just a very well rounded, if a little sparse, story of a necromancer and his apprentice as he builds a little team of 'ner do wells. Quite funny at times as well.

Somehow a dull and longwinded

I like the characters and the setting, but the writing gets in the way.

I really tried to enjoy this book, but too often there is a 'Ohw-by-the-way-the-character-knew-this-because-of-x'

An almost classic case of 'show, don't tell'.

Show me why a character is cool! Don't have a character recall an previous adventure that was actually way cooler than this one! (So this MC totally knows what he is doing btw, did I mention this character was cool? I'll have one of the other main characters gush over how cool he is, just in case you missed it).

I actually stuck with it, but quit after the 'first' of these two books had BONUS side stories to tell you how cool the main character is.

funny and unice story

This book is really funny, and even if the first and second book is abit to similar and repeat itself alot. It's a really enjoyable book.

Original, brilliant and very entertaining

If anyone would have suggested 6 months ago i would be writing a review for a book where the main characters are necromancer's, i would have probably laughed in their face. But here we are.
This is one of those golden hidden gems for me. The relationship between Timmy and Katie is brilliantly written. With this the rest of the characters fall into place and play their vital part.
There is humour, some mild language which given the flow of the book is more than acceptable.
Ill even pick up book 3 sometime soon to carry on the journey.
narration is done really well and adds depth to the characters plus made this a really enjoyable listen.

Like listening to two eight year olds in a bragging contest.

This book is quite different in several ways. The hero isn’t exactly a good person and his ways aren’t noble, but he gets the job done.

A large part of the book is filled with bragging and insults whereas the rest is threats and battle. The author deliberately leaves out a lot of details, as if the reader knows the exact procedure for reanimating the dead and the complications of crafting new monsters using parts from different species, but it feels acceptable in the setting.

I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone expecting a classical fantasy story, but it’s a must for those that enjoy the Adam’s family.

Wonderful narrator

The book itself is a good read. The humor and light absurdity has hints of Terry Pratchett sprinkled in. The ensemble characters work surprisingly well together despite the constant chaos.
Fred Berman as the narrator truly completes the experience. His distinct voices for each character, along with the humor and irreverence of his delivery, make for an enjoyable listen.
If your already a member, it's free. Do give it a listen. If you're not, this one is worth the purchase. Highly recommended.

very good listen

loved it, the narrator is just perfect for this title. funny and and a really nice listen.

reminds me a little of Disc world novels which is probably why I love it so much, can't wait to listen to the other novels in this saga 👍

Hooked!

Incredibly talented narrator, the book is funny and has a slew of memorable characters. I got totally hooked and am digging my way thru the rest of the series.

A very enjoyable story

A very good story well narrated and well structured a very enjoyable collection of books. well worth a listen