Necromancing the Stone [Hardcover]

Lish McBride (Author)

Book Description

Release date: September 18, 2012

With the defeat of the evil Douglas behind him, Sam LaCroix is getting used to his new life. Okay, so he hadn’t exactly planned on being a powerful necromancer with a seat on the local magical council and a capricious werewolf sort-of-girlfriend, but things are going fine, right?

Well . . . not really. He’s pretty tired of getting beat up by everyone and their mother, for one thing, and he can’t help but feel that his new house hates him. His best friend is a werebear, someone is threatening his sister, and while Sam realizes that he himself has a lot of power at his fingertips, he’s not exactly sure how to use it. Which, he has to admit, is a bit disconcerting.

But when everything starts falling apart, he decides it’s time to step up and take control. His attempts to do so just bring up more questions, though, the most important of which is more than a little alarming: Is Douglas really dead?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 8 Up-This story picks up where Hold Me Closer, Necromancer (Holt, 2010) leaves off. Now that his rival, the evil necromancer Douglas, has been disposed of, Sam LaCroix can get back to his normal life, right? Well, if you consider being a powerful (but dangerously untrained) necromancer, having a werewolf for a girlfriend, a were-bear for a best buddy, lavish new digs that are trying to kill you, a seat on the local magic council, and constant visits from dead friends and strangers normal, then sure, he's good. Sam is still coming to terms with the events of the first book and trying to understand his newfound power when tragedy unexpectedly strikes. Couple this with the nagging suspicion that not all the things he thought he was sure of may actually be, and Sam finds himself in an even deeper pickle than before. The writing is tight and funny and the characters are interesting and complete. McBride uses short chapters to keep up the pace, so the book reads quickly in spite of its length. The inclusion of a certain movie star seems a little gratuitous, but it is funny when he pops up; he's just a little overused. Also, the resolution seems a tad contrived, but all in all, these are truly small gripes in an otherwise excellent book.-Erik Knapp, Davis Library, Plano, TXα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

“Excellent”--School Library Journal

"...who could ask for anything more?”--Kirkus

"...the author has a clear sense of witty, dark humor.”—VOYA

“Between the sparkling dialogue, the warm but fraught relationships, and the assured balance of hilarity and horror, readers will be thrilled to re-enter McBride’s world.” -- BCCB

 

Praise for Hold Me Closer, Necromancer:

A Morris Award finalist

YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults

[star] “With fine writing, tight plotting, a unique and uniquely odd cast of teens, adults, and children, and a pace that smashes through any curtain of disbelief, this sardonic and outrageous story’s only problem is that it must, like all good things, come to an end.” —Booklist, starred review

“[A] scary and irreverent romp.” Publishers Weekly

“This quirky urban fantasy will compel fans of horror and supernatural romance—and heroic skateboarding slackers.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Sam is the ultimate laid-back slacker who also happens to be smart, funny, sweet, and adorable. Every character in this book seems to live in the moment, offering sarcastic humor that lightens up the intense action and dark suspense. Hold Me Closer, Necromancer is entertaining, offbeat, hilarious, and flat-out fun. We loved it.” —Justine Magazine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1 edition (September 18, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805090991
• ISBN-13: 978-0805090994
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #114,665 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lish McBride was raised by wolves in the Pacific Northwest. It rains a lot there, but she likes it anyway. She spent three years away while she got her MFA in fiction from the University of New Orleans, and she liked that too, although the hurricane did leave much of her stuff underwater. Her main goal in going to college was to become a writer so she could wear pajamas pretty much all the time. She enjoys reading, movies, comics, and preparing herself for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. Currently, Lish lives happily in Seattle where the weather never actually tries to kill you, with her family, two cats, and one very put-upon Chihuahua. She is slowly building her garden gnome army.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Worthy Return of Sam LaCroix October 5, 2012

By Ben

Format:Hardcover

`Necromancing the Stone', Lish McBride, Henry Holt (2012)

Ever since reading McBride's first book, `Hold Me Closer, Necromancer', I've been waiting for the next installment of Sam LaCroix's hilarious/horrific life. `Necromancing the Stone' picks up the story six weeks after the showdown with Douglas, and I have to say it moves along without a hitch - the voice is equally as wry and vulnerable as the first book, and the characters are all there.

Sam's slowly adjusting to his new life as a necromancer and newest member of the supernatural community's Council. He has inherited his arch-enemy's mansion and has daily battles with the gnomes, the hedges, the minotaur and the gladiator statues. On the plus side, his relationship with the werewolf Brid seems to have become fully-fledged `true love' in such a short space of time. Sam's reactions to his life provide laughs as well as sympathy - he is such an everyday kind of guy that the reader can connect with.

However, I think that although `Necromancing the Stone' is told through the main POV of Sam, it's really not his book. He did his growing in the first one. He discovered he was a necromancer and that his mother had lied to him his whole life (as well as other revelations). In my mind, this book is really about James - the pukis cat/dragon/eternal servant of Douglas, now Sam. The reader gets to follow James' character arc through the present and flashbacks, and he really steals the story.

McBride's prose is still expertly woven with humour and witty dialogue. The opening chapter of `Hold Me Closer, Necromancer', is still one of my favourites as it captures Sam and his friends talking and living it up in a way that captures the spirit of everything that McBride does later. These are stories about friendship and family, afterall.

On the downside, there is a bit of repetition in the novel, particularly references to Sam's guilt over what happened to Ramon (he seems to mention the guilt every time he sees his best friend). And while Brid suffers some major trauma in this novel, for a girl who hardly ever cries, she sure does tear-up a lot.

The upside has to be the cast of characters. Apart from Sam (of course) and James, there's plenty to love about Frank in this novel, and the garden gnomes, and, probably most of all, Taco. He serves a key purpose (which was fairly well set up) but he's also so damn cute.

Overall, this is a great sequel and manages to avoid the pitfalls of such an endeavour by keeping the story moving forward. The transition from Book 1 to Book 2 is smooth and the characters don't miss a beat. The villain is dealt with in a definite way which also sets up Sam for the rest of his professional (?) life. He is aware of the lines he won't cross and has the power and allies to keep him from following Douglas' path into evil. The ending was well done, foucssing on setting up the new status quo which could result in a third book, or just as happily leave Sam and his family to live out their lives in our imagination.

I highly recommend this book, but you'd better read `Hold Me Closer, Necromancer' first. It's what paranormal fiction should be about - cool characters, great one-liners and a balance of good and evil.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great follow up for Sam Lacroix! January 12, 2013

By Niki Fontenot

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I read this after I read the first book. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's fast paced and adventurous. It still has the elements from the first book of paranormal, love, fantasy, humor. It's a great ending to Sam and Brid's story!! Come on people.... use your imagination!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Sequel January 7, 2013

By Magila

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm a huge fan of the author and her creativity. This was a great follow up to Hold Me Closer, Necromancer. I'm extremely interested in where the story will go from here. After this installment of the series, a secondary antagonist needs to arise that will keep us all up at night!

The author introduced so many elements of the fantastic in such a funny, memorable way that you cannot help but laugh. Think gnome names. And their culture. There are so many great and small things that kept a smile on my race as I read.

I caution potential readers there is strong language, and the full range of unpleasant vernacular. It was more classily used than other similar works - you just have to picture the way most teens talk when their parents aren't around. This said, it will detract for some. For his reason, I recommend this book for late teens+. Some could also find the subtext offensive - pre-marital sex, underage drinking, etc. the characters do have healthy relationships though that are actually worthy of emulation. Parent-child. Brother-sister. They are simply not model citizens for chastity and the like.

Overall, this was a book I loved that continued a series I love which started from another book I love and is by an author whose humor I --- love. I thought after reading Hold Me Closer that the story was over, and I'm so glad it wasn't. Also, bravo for packing tons of awesome into 300 pages, and not dragging it out to 500 or 600 pages leaving me wondering who needed to kill, or resurrect, an editor.

Set in Seattle, I keep waiting for a witty reference to shiny vampires on the Olympic Peninsula. Please let them be in the next one (fingers crossed)...