Praise for Firewalkers
“The continuation of the fight against evil and the Ridden is an imaginative take on possession and zombie stories, with unique heroes that make the series stand out.”— Booklist
Praise for Chris Roberson and the Recondito Novels
“[A] gripping supernatural thriller . . . Terrific pacing and detailed police work mixed with supernatural elements will serve well horror and urban fantasy fans alike.”
— Library Journal , starred review
“A novel that's part True Detective and part Lovecraft. . . . The plot is engaging, and Roberson really shines in building the relationships and dialogue. . . . The end will have horror fans ready for the sequel.”
— Publishers Weekly
“Firewalk is as entertaining as can be, filled with humor and a satisfying depth of plot. The characters are skillfully crafted and demonstrate exceptional savvy without becoming implausible. Peering around the corners in Recondito is wicked good fun; Roberson's fantasy comics background . . . has prepared him to tell this tale of the occult with a marked sense of believability.”
— Shelf Awareness , reviewed by Rob LeFebvre
“Lefevre, Tevake and their supporting cast, not to mention the fictional location Recondito, are compellingly drawn, and their pursuit of the current evil and attempt to finally understand the killer they stopped years ago strikes a nice balance between understandable skepticism and a justifiable (and life-saving) willingness to take what they find at face value. . . . memorably creepy and tense.”—4.5 Stars
—a RT Book Reviews Top Pick, reviewed by Ian Mathers
“A haunting thriller in which ancient evil and modern tech intertwine in streets of a dying city—and where the darkness hides things much older and more frightening than the darkness itself.”
—Richard Kadrey, New York Times bestselling author of Sandman Slim
“Smart, tough, and scary as hell. Roberson delivers authentic-feeling police action while spinning us down into a pit (or mineshaft) of horrors.”
—Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy
“ Firewalk turns the police procedural on its ear. Roberson’s Recondito is a simmering melting pot of diverse characters and long-buried evil. It's a compelling urban fantasy locale I look forward to returning to.”
—Michael J. Martinez, author of The Daedalus Incident and MJ-12: Inception
“Fans of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s Agent Pendergast series will find a lot to love here, but Roberson takes things a few steps further: by introducing an inclusive cast of characters, and by bringing together Haitian Voodoo, ancient Mayan mythology, cosmology, and even a South Pacific cargo cult. If you’re looking for a cop story with a heavy dose of the supernatural, Firewalk is the book for you.”
—Matthew Sturges, author of Midwinter and The Office of Shadow
“ Firewalk is X-Files for grownups: weird doings in Lovecraftian caverns, Mayan mythology coming to life, and more. A spine-tingling treat from a consummate pro.”
—Dennis O’Flaherty, author of The Calorium Wars
“Chris Roberson is always surprising you because you thought you knew where he was going and what he was going to do, but his plots are always a bit deeper than you thought, the knife a bit sharper. In Firewalk , he twists that knife like a drill.”
—Paul Tobin, author of Prepare To Die!
“A scorching thriller that expertly blends horror, science fiction, and urban fantasy, Firewalk is an excellent launch to what promises to be a spellbinding series.”
—Richard Cox, author of The Boys of Summer
“Roberson’s expertise as a television and comic-book writer adds a cinematic flair to his story.”
— Kirkus Reviews
2018-01-23
A quirky group comes together to snark and fight the zombie apocalypse while learning about the disturbing history of their small town.Plunging with little recap back into the world created in Firewalk (2016), Roberson presents a ragtag group of Recondito, California, citizens who've made it through another night of potential doom. Luckily, police officer Patrick Tevake, who lives in a secure part of town, can offer safe harbor to friends and colleagues from the FBI, like Daphne Richardson and Izzie Lefevre, as well as his crush, Recondito Chief Medical Examiner Joyce Nguyen. The crew has only recently become aware that some locals have entered a zombielike state that they've termed being "Ridden," and they know little more. They believe it's related somehow both to the distribution of Ink, a new street drug, and Parasol, a software company founded by eccentric self-made millionaire Martin Zotovic. It's hard to figure out how Ink and Parasol are connected when the gang can't step outside at dark without being chased by the Ridden. Though they think Patrick's neighborhood is somehow protected by symbols his uncle once painted on area walls, this theory is debunked during a night mission in which the group is attacked by the Ridden, getting away only through the discovery that silver and salt both have repellent powers. Patrick concentrates on restoring the symbols to their former glory in the hope of renewing their protective powers. New couple Izzie and Daphne focus their energy on preparing for the zombie apocalypse, fashioning protective gris-gris bags and trying out weapons designed to keep the Ridden at bay. These are just protective strategies until the group can figure out how to dispense with the Ridden for good.With a sudden climax leading to what may or may not be an ending of this specific big bad, though not of the world Roberson's created, the second in this series lacks the background and character development that made the first such a delight.
