Customer Reviews

Hiram Grange and the Chosen One: The Scandalous Misadventures of Hiram Grange (Book #4)

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"There are nasty things in our world--monsters, if you will--that come from a horrible place: the Abyss, the Black, Kadath, Gehenna, Sheol, Hell...there are hundreds of names. It's my job to kill them. Send them back. Along the way, I try to protect as many innocents as I can...Too often, I fail."
--Hiram Grange

Imagine a combination of James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, Phineas Poe and Repairman Jack, and you have a good idea of the supernatural thriller that is Hiram Grange and The Chosen One. Book four in the series, this title is penned by author Kevin Lucia. Charms and siguls, summoned succubi and tentacled creatures, this book takes you on a wild ride through various parts of Ireland, the future of the planet at stake, of course.

I've been a longtime reader of noir, neo-noir, thrillers and mysteries, so this book is not a stretch for me at all. If you've heard of F. Paul Wilson and his dual series, The Adversary Cycle and Repairman Jack, then you might understand where I'm coming from. Lucia does a very similar thing--he utilizes the tension of classic horror, the fast paced action of thrillers, and the unexpected creatures from the supernatural to explore a genre that can only be described as speculative. And like Wilson, he does an excellent job of taking those standard characters (detectives, women in distress, bookish female bosses) and making them his own: by giving our protagonist Hiram Grange a long series of addictions, weaknesses, and dark memories; by giving the femme fatale special powers; by taking the classic Bond boss "M" and making her more contemporary. There is a sense of mythology, of symbols, charms, spells and eternal beings that are shrouded in mystery and illusion.

Hiram alone is worth the read. He dabbles in all manor of drink, including absinthe, and has a history of mescaline, opium and pills. He is funny, in a self-deprecating manor, and also, without trying, is a sad, and pathetic rube, at times, thrust into these horrible situations. He has an altar to Jodie Foster, did I mention that? But we root for Hiram, because he battles the dark, and in the end, that's all we want, our hero to battle evil, and to prevail.

One other thing to mention is the design of the book. Put out by Shroud Publications, they sprinkle art throughout the book, which is a nice bit of extra character. There are icons and symbols that break up the prose--guns, bullets, coins, etc.--as well as chapter headers, the cover of course, and the occasional bit of full page illustration. Also, each part is titled with a background of dripping ink and watermarks. It's just something different that I found added a bit of color to the already vivid and extravagant story.

Lucia does a great job of setting up the story, jumping back and forth between Hiram Grange and various other minor characters, and keeping the story moving forward. It's a page turner, for sure, and not afraid of a bit of gore. If you're looking for a fast, fun read with action, mystery, tentacled creatures and the supernatural, be sure to check out Lucia's dramatic and hypnotic storytelling in Hiram Grange and the Chosen One. Oh, did I mention the faeries? And the Veil? NO? Well, I guess you'll have to pick up a copy then.

Be sure to check out the entire The Scandalous Misadventures of Hiram Grange series, as well as Shroud Magazine:

Hiram Grange and the Village of the Damned by Jake Burrows
Hiram Grange and the Twelve Little Hitlers by Scott Christian Carr
Hiram Grange and the Digital Eucharist by Robert Daries
Hiram Grange and the Chosen One by Kevin Lucia
Hiram Grange and the Nymphs of Krakow by Richard Wright

[...]

Kevin Lucia's Hiram Grange and the Chosen One combines the elements of Lovecraft, folklore and old magic to craft a spellbinding story through the underbelly of Belfast. Kevin's writing is both powerful and enjoyable. I dare say this is the best Hiram persona rendition to date! Very well done.

So you've got Hiram Grange -- a guy who is apparently always getting into trouble with his superiors for "overkill" response to monstrous incursions from the "Abyss". Then you've got some dark ritual cretin handing out medallions that have the unfortunate effect of bringing out the ghastly (and the wriggling worms) almost instantaneously from the wearer. And then you've got the faerie Queen Mab, apparently a gal who yields great benefits in the sack, if you can just avoid ending up as a pawn in her game. Turns out, Hiram is such a pawn, but he's not just going to sit and take it. Will he rescue the girl Mab wants him to kill? Will he stop the medallion-deliverer from bringing through a host of many-tentacled obscenities for some unknown evil end?

You've gotta read this one to find out!

I had not read the previous three Hiram Grange chronicles (this one is subtitled as "Book Four") but that didn't impact my enjoyment of the story at all. This is sort of a James-Bond-as-an-occult-detective style pulp fiction story, and I read it cover to cover on a plane ride this week. HIRAM GRANGE & THE CHOSEN ONE moves fast, fun and furious... I couldn't put it down! And now I'll be looking for the other entries in the series. If you've always thirsted for James Bond to have a serving of Lovecraft -- you'll eat this one up. But... do mind the maggots.

In Chosen One, Lucia continues the thread of guilt and loss begun by Davies. This time he's charged with handling a young woman who's become the sole repository of all the fairy power on Earth. Of course, since things can't be as simple as that, she's being hunted by Lovecraftian tentacle-creatures. One wonders while reading this book how Hiram can possibly cope with the potential loss of another young life on his conscience. The resolution, I assure you, is worthy of the suspense.

The best things about these books, in my humble opinion, is that Hiram actually grows with every book. People important to the story line really are mere mortals. And Hiram, as deserving of contempt as he can sometimes be, manages to shine through as a hero, reluctant or otherwise, in the end. He may even have a chance at redemption someday, or at least a lesser degree of damnation.

Kevin Lucia's "The Scandalous Misadventures of Hiram Grange: The Chosen One" is book four of a six-book series. The book stands on its own with enough back story to get a feel for who Hiram Grange is and what he does--save the world.

Huge spikes of electromagnetic energy have been detected in Northern Ireland. Five young women are found brutally murdered, and a summoning ritual has brought Yog-Soggoth from the Abyss. As if that wasn't enough, quantum fluctuations have been detected, indicating that the Faerie, are involved.

The Office of Investigative Research and Analysis sends in agent Hiram Grange, a gritty, haunted anti-hero tasked with the seemingly impossible job of protecting the universe. He battles darkness in its myriad forms whenever it threatens the light. Now, as he fights to keep his past from consuming him, he must combat both the dark and the light to prevent the destruction of the world.

The story is H.P. Lovecraft meets Ian Fleming sprinkled with a dash of Faerie dust. The book starts off like a bullet from Hiram's prized Webley revolver and never misses a beat until it's done. The novel is short and lean; a quick read with prose that is pared back without leaving anything out. Lucia gives you just the right amount of back story so that it blends with the pace of the story but never slows it down.

In his blog, Lucia writes that he wants to write with a balanced style, with the right amount of the good stuff but not so much that it becomes over done. I believe he is well on his way to achieving his goal.

Hiram Grange & The Chosen One is the fourth installment in the acclaimed series of novellas that comprise: The Scandalous Misadventures Of Hiram Grange. Lucia dives right in and we find our favorite hero/anti-hero, Hiram Grange troubled by his past... nightmares await him and not even his usual "treats" of absinthe, opium, loose women, alcohol--and whatever else he can get his hands on--can give him reprieve. But sleep is the least of his worries.
Faced with one of his most daunting tasks to date, Hiram finds himself in Belfast, Ireland. An immense confluence of energy has been loosed--enough to even scare our favorite gun-toting, king of ass-kicking, Hiram. But after all, he is Hiram Grange... this is what he does.

Five women have died, and it appears the horror will not end. To add insult to injury, it appears The Faerie are involved. Hiram is having enough trouble holding on to his sanity, let alone the ever-shifting reality of the situation: The Faerie have foreseen the destruction of the universe. And it is, as usual, all Hiram's fault. He must choose: take the life of an innocent girl, or watch the universe burn.

First and foremost, The Scandalous Misadventures Of Hiram Grange, is a very ballsy, unique and powerful phenomena created by the good people at Shroud Magazine--that has become a run-away hit and garnered critical acclaim. Kevin Lucia immerses himself into the saga, and adds a note-worthy performance, building upon the past, as well as taking it to new levels.

What truly shines in this installment is Lucia's ability to carry the torch with people, not characters--faced with relatable issues and challenges. Hiram may be the biggest thorn in the side of those that dwell within the abyss, but he is after all, human.

The novella never misses a beat. I read it in one sitting. The suspense is palpable, and the mystery never ceases to intrigue. Lucia weaves us into a tale that stands amongst the other chronicles without breaking a sweat. Sure to raise a pulse, Hiram Grange & The Chosen One forces the reader to question our own morals... and for Hiram, that speaks volumes.

Forces, dark and ancient, lurk in the dark places of reality and serve the Abyss. Other powers, capricious and amoral, use the power of the Veil to serve their own mysterious purposes. Between them and the rest of humanity stands Hiram Grange. A misshapen, damaged man one step away from falling into the Abyss himself, Hiram takes his father's Webley and Pritchard bayonet, some basic knowledge of magic, and his hatred for the beasts of the Abyss and throws himself under the supernatural bus; for our sake and to heal the wounds of his own soul.

In this, the fourth in the "Scandalous Misadventures of Hiram Grange", author Kevin Lucia brings the adventure to Belfast where Hiram must untangle the plots of Queen Mab in order to either save the world or the life of a young woman-but probably not both. These "misadventures" represent an interesting experiment. Each installment has a different author who takes the main the character and the surrounding mythos in new and varied directions. In this installment you see less of Hiram's perverse pleasures, the outlets he pursues to release the darkness in his soul, and more of his pain. His guilt and his grief threaten to distract him from his blood task. Hiram is a truly original creation and every page with his presence is a pleasure to read. The creatures that Hiram must battle in this episode are truly disgusting and disturbing; tentacled, parasitic demons who pass themselves on in the form of grotesque maggots. Lucia presents these creatures in all their creepy-crawly glory.

First and foremost, this adventure is a lot of fun. There is non-stop action seasoned with Lovecraftian chills, forming a page-turning final product that satisfies. Lucia's pacing is tight and his writing descriptive, though sometimes a little repetitive. Nevertheless, each chapter leaves you wanting to see what happens next. And that, as my inner Neil Gaiman says, is what it's all about.

[...]

All I can say is, "Wow."

I don't know Kevin Lucia did it, but he managed to take a man who is unattractive bordering on disgusting looking who has the temperament of a rattlesnake and consumes alcohol at a dizzying rate and make me wind up really loving him as a protagonist. There is much more to Hiram Grange than his greasy long hair, his huge hawk nose, his ill-fitting suit, his skinny frame. He is, deep down where he lives, honorable and will stop at nothing to keep the world and its inhabitants safe. So what's not to love?

The book was a page turner from start to finish and I'd have finished it in a single sitting but for the fact that I work nights and am pretty exhausted by the time I fall into bed to read until I go to sleep (which hasn't taken long lately). Lucia's writing style is what I like to call, "approchably friendly," which is the best style to have, as it draws the reader in immediately--or in Hiram's case, grabs the reader by the throat and threatens him with a pistol.

Get ready for tentacles, psycho Faerie, exploding people, creatures from the Abyss, and
yet another Hiram Grange assignment that only he can execute wit success.

It was a great ride and I was sorry to turn the final page.