An enjoyable ride but a touch heavy on the action.

Josh Erikson once again delivers an outstanding fantasy adventure novel, that is a great sequel and a fantastic story in it's own right. Erikson really has a talent of bringing characters and events to life in a way that keeps me engaged.

The characters rely less on dumb luck this time around which I did appreciate. However, it still feels like the magic does whatever it needs to at the time. In the third outing, I'd like to see a bit more of protagonist working stuff out. The protagonist is a conman, where are the fantastical fantasy cons?

What really harms this book for me was one to many action scenes. There almost never seems to be a moment when the characters aren't in some kind of moral peril, which not only diminishes the tension but also never gives the characters a chance to breath and develop. There are lots of great characters threads in here that don't get enough attention or proper closer because the action keeps getting in the way.

With the above being said this is still a very enjoyable story, that did a good job of keeping my interest from start to finish. I am excited to seeing how things develop in the next book!

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Great entertainment!

Very well read by the narrator. It helps that its the same guy who wrote it. Fast paced adventure that keeps your attention from start to finish. Can't wait for the next one 😊.

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Josh Erikson raised the bar with his second book

ld provide power over the Universe. And thus the race begins.

Heather and Gabe chose their allegiations and create a team to first steal an artifact and then later to decide the fate of the Universe. The team members are: Mutambe, bodyguard of a highly ranked Umbra called Esme, who can see Fate and manipulate it to an extent. He is also a powerful hex with pretty neat tricks in his pockets. Dante, a mythological creature, a huge guy with bigger heart (not talking about intelligence), and a little anger management problem. As well as some personal ones with another team member, Lorelei and her great grandmother Hwei-ru. The latter is also an Umra, friend of Esma, history researcher who only helps the team from afar. Lorelei is her apperentice and a human with no magic abilities. She does however has an onyx ring which helps her see some things humans otherwise couldn't.

I really liked how the dinamics worked between the teammates, how their personal history played a part in the events and how it affected their relationships with each other. Maybe Mutamber is the only one we don't learn much about, but he had a great arc with Gabriel, starting from dislike and ending up something like respect.

And since I mentioned Gabriel, of course he is right in the middle of events and the team, somehow keeping it together. He didn't change much regarding his smart-ass attitude, but I think he had become more observant, maybe? Self preservation was always strong in him, although his relationship with Heather changed him considerably. They form a really good team, complimenting each other. The chemistry is undeniable, and the air always sparks when they are together. They are urban fantasy's Bonnie & Clyde. Having a constant banter didn't hurt either and makes it damn amusing to watch as they figure things out.

"Face one golem and an army of ankle-biters, and now you're King freaking Arthur. I'm sure there's a crown around here somewhere if oyu want to anoint yourself."


Fate Lashed is half urban fantasy half adventure, with a bit of Indiana Jones feel to it in places. In the first half I felt that things happened a bit too fast, there was practically no stopping in action, a moment to take a breath and it made it hard for me to really connect with the story. Once they arrived to their destination, I was finally able to really enjoy it - damn I can't use spoilers, let's just say that some awesomeness is coming your way. What I really struggled with was fully grasping the motivation of each party (I don't think we have the good guys vs bad guys scenerio here which is cool, but it's still a bit confusing to me), and how exactly the Igla can affect things. I clearly enjoyed the book, but there is something that keeps me from absolutely loving it and I don't really know what. Maybe I struggle to understand the whole cosmic stuff - the Ether, the Great Darkness, the cycle of life thing. Another thing, Erikson throws in quite a few mythical creatures but I'm not entirely sure they were all necessary for the plot. Sometimes I had a feeling they were just there for the fun of it - which is not such a big problem, just felt out of place in some cases.

As for the ending, I had a bit of pacing problem with it, felt a bit overdone and predictable in parts, but that doesn't mean it wasn't full of emotions. I think the biggest difference between Hero Forged and Fate Lashed was the amount of emotions crammed into it, and the tension all through the story which just exploded in the endgame. But my absolute favorite part - still - was the excerpts from CONscience at the beginning of the chapters. I just love Gabe's voice and the way he deals with his emotions and the situation at hand. Reding those snippets always make me wish this series was written entirely as a 1st person POV. They give such a great insight into his mind and his relationships - in Hero Forged it was about him and his dad, in Fate Lashed him and Heather. Also he is painfully honest not only about his feelings but the way he sees society, humanity and most of all himself.

"It's human nature to make snap assumptions when we meet someone for the first time, and it can take an awful lot to undo them enough to see the real person beneath. Not fair, but true."


Upon reading Fate Lashed I can say that whether Josh Erikson is a talented writer is not a question anymore (if it ever was). Hero Forged was a strong debut and he was able to raise the bar with the second book. Fate Lashed has everything we loved before and then some more: action, intrigue, sarcasm, blood and death. Sprinkled with tiny bit of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and other references for good measure. The Ethereal Earth series is something every urban fantasy lover should read.

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Fabulous second book!

I took a chance on the first book and I’m really glad I did, and this was even better! Loved the non stop action of this one :) thrilling adventures but with heart and humanity to ground the story. The author does a great job of performing the book also, can’t wait for more!

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Great story

Loved the story kept me on the edge of my seat for most of it. Characters where relatable and well rounded. The performance great and his voice easy to listen to.

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not bad, getting better!

Well... I almost dropped this story in the first few chapters of book 1 - glad I did not and would advise any readr/listener to stick with it - gets interesting with time!

The story is... well, believable. In my opinion, one of the most difficult tricks to pull when introducing magic to Our world. And should have you firmly gripped few chapters in :)

Performance (audiobook) is a jurney - the author reading his own work is an interesting experiment anough to give it a shot - it is not an easy job! as the story, the author gets better! ;) hats down to Josh! It's interesting to see the "range" and very impressive too! One learns to recognise the characters pretty quickly, and all are actually unique - hats down again!

Give it a chance. I finished book two and already bought book three :)

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just a really good book!

If you are one of these people, like myself who is always put off when I see the book is narrated by the author. Don't skip past this book!. The authors narration is brilliant and slips between characters so convincingly. He is more of a voice actor than a simple narrator. The storyline as with book 1, was great with plenty of twists and turns and lovable and not so lovable characters. If you like the usual suspects of Ben Aaronovitch or Jim Butcher, you'll love this.

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Great second book

I took a chance on the first book and loved it and the second didn’t disappoint! The performance is amazing and the world he is build leaves me wanting more! On to book 3 now.

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Couldn't stop myself from listening

Loved it from start to finish, can't wait for the next one to come out.

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Good story, well read

Good story about characters you connect with. Looking forward to book three. Keep the good work coming

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