The Wanderer Awakens by Ken Lange

Complicated, yet simple. A story within a story that has a story built around it. Cults, monsters, and even evil humans all take part in conspiracies and machinations. Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride because it’s quite often hair-raising.

I received an ARC of this book from the author/publisher. All opinions are my own.

Title: The Wanderer Awakens
Author: Ken Lange
Series: Warden Global, Book 01
Publish Date: November 15, 2016
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Cover: Danielle Fine
Source: Provided by the author

Publisher’s Description: My name is Viktor Engel Warden, and I’m here to tell you that there’s more to this world than you might suspect.

 There are things that slither and pass unseen through the night, and it’s my job to stop them. But sometimes that’s easier said than done. Twenty years ago, I ended a nightmare that would’ve brought the world to its knees. I thought it was over . . . but I was wrong.

 The Cult of Fenrir has returned, and they’re stronger than ever. Now I’m in a race to find the survivors of that day so I can stop them again. Permanently. If I get things wrong . . . which I won’t . . . but if I do . . . it might just bring about the apocalypse. But, hey, no pain, no gain, and all that BS. Right? Yeah, I’m not buying it either.

The Wanderer Awakens publishes tomorrow, November 15th.  Pre-order yours at Amazon.

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon Canada

Nervous Nellie’s nervousness necessitates knowledge of the novel (or, in other words, SPOILERS).

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Nervous Nellie says…

No rest for the wicked, and certainly none for those that secure the peace.

This is a contemporary fantasy, a lot of treachery, scary monsters and plenty of death and dismemberment. The dismemberment is fairly graphic so be sure to be prepared. There isn’t a cliffhanger, but the end will make you want to hop into the next book, which is not published yet, so pace yourself.

I was so enthralled by this story that I whipped through it in no time flat. It was a story to get lost in because the protagonist is exactly the kind of character I love to read. Viktor is snarky and savvy with a penchant for monster slaying. He has vowed to protect humankind all the while staying in the shadows. There is a definite push/pull within this story. Who is the villain? Who do they work for and why are they doing what they are doing? Don’t try and figure it out – just go with it. You’ll see at the end how everything fits. That’s what makes it fun.

I like the fact that the protagonist is not a young 24-year-old that thinks he knows everything. Even though this is a fantasy genre, there are certain standards of reality that I put on the characters and Viktor did a good job of adding a bit of reality to the story. The secondary characters were engaging and very likable (except for the bad guys – those I loved to hate).

There are PLENTY of questions that go unanswered but that only means there will be more books. The ending was a twist I never saw coming and after it was revealed I did a major face-palm because I should have. It was all right there, black and white but it only came together with a solid click at the end. I enjoyed this book a lot. It’s got a little history, a little mythology and a lot of action.

Invested Ivana says…

I’ve only read a couple of books where the immortal protagonist isn’t bitter, crazy, a complete jerk, or so broken that he or she is unable to function in the world. Ken Lange’s The Wanderer Awakens is one of them.

Viktor Warden is ancient and he’s seen a lot of crap, but he still knows how to love. Despite the awful things that get thrown at him during the course of the book, he retains perspective and humanity. Observing the morning work crowd, he muses . . .

For them, this is just any other day—like the one before, and the one before that—and they move through it never comprehending that these moments make up the entirety of their existence. They miss the moments in between that make living such a spectacular gift, never realizing that life can be cut short without warning. [. . .] That’s why I strive to seek out the things that bring me comfort and love at every opportunity.

Though told in first person perspective, the author doesn’t write a lot of exposition. Some readers will LOVE that the book is mostly “what happens.” Personally, I would have liked more in-depth information. There are some really interesting aspects to the book that I would have liked to know more about The Mystic Courts of Comus, the Cult of Fenrir, and a few other things I don’t want to reveal here. I would really have loved more info on the psychology of some of the characters as well. I tend to like spending time on the world building and characters and would have liked a deeper delve into both of those.

Despite that, the book tells you everything you really need to know for the story it delivers, and the story is very interesting. There is a little bit of everything here—mystery and monsters; guns, gods, and gourmet food; secret societies and crazy cults. And a description of the most amazing shower I’ve ever heard of.  I hope that one’s real, ’cause I’d really like to try it out. 🙂 3.5.

If you like this book…

…you might try  Accession of the Stone Born by Ken Lange – here’s ONE BOOK TWO’s review.

You might also try: Yancy Lazarus series by James A. Hunter, Black Magic Outlaw series by Domino Finn or Harbinger P.I. series by Adam J. Wright.  There is also Immortal Remains by Sean Cummings or Made for Sin by Stacia Kane.

I received an ARC of this book from the author/publisher. All opinions are my own.

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