Review: Rogue's Curse by Jason Beymer

Rogue's Curse

Author: Jason Beymer

Publisher:  Lyrical Press
Series: Rogue Prophet Series, Book 1

ISBN: 1616501790

Purchase Information:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

*Novel provided by the author for an honest review.

For more information please visit Jason Beymer's website.

Two thousand years after the Rapture, the world still sucks.

The talisman responsible for the Rapture has embedded itself in Doban's chest, making him the most wanted rogue in history. Pursued by a biblical prophet intent on ripping the talisman out, Doban must seek help from the only woman who ever loved him--a woman he once left to die in a tomb. Can they let go of the past long enough to stop a second Rapture?

This title contains graphic violence, off-kilter copulation, and nasty rogues.

Read an excerpt of Rogue's Curse here.

Review:

Rogue's Curse, the debut novel in Jason Beymer's Rogue Prophet series, is a wonderfully off kilter tale that I couldn't bring myself to put down. The roguish, lewd and often times crude humor had me laughing out loud late into the night while the never ending action kept me enthralled and wanting to know what happened next! Truly, this was a fun romp with a cast full of memorable characters that you'll want to revisit again and again.

Initially, I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about reviewing this novel. While the blurb sounded interesting, I was a little concerned about whether this would be a novel that I would actually really enjoy. Let me assure readers, the synopsis does not do this novel justice...Okay, well maybe the last sentence does because that's what actually sold me! I suppose with words like 'Rapture' and 'Prophet' one conjures images of stuffy characters and dry subject matter, but in this case that couldn't have been further from the truth.

The characters, however, are what made this a truly memorable novel for me, especially Doban. I mean, who couldn't love a man who names his horse 'Brown Bastard'? While he's an extremely simplistic man content to live up the easy standards of Rogue-hood, i.e. getting drunk and having lots of sex, he's a wildly entertaining character. Despite, or perhaps because of the fact that his intelligence is often called into question-as well as his judgement, his morals and his ethics-I found him to be completely endearing in his observations and actions. It's definitely a rare thing to see such a lovable anti-hero that no matter what he does, you still can't help rooting for him. But, by far Beymer's neatest trick was making me love the Stone of Rapture. The personification of the Stone was spot on, the cheeky snide humor allowing it to have a similar yet separate voice from Doban. Through the Stone we gain insight into the root of all the greedy scheming to lay hands on it and why everyone is so bent on killing the Rogue to possess it, most for very egocentric reasons. And while I would love to prattle on about the wonderful cast of characters aside from these main two, I fear that it would be impossible to go into them all, because let's face it, every single one deserves mention. Let it suffice to say they are all wholly unique, flawed (some more so than others), and completely unashamed of their sins and short comings. Each of them is also nicely developed and explored making this a stunning and unexpected ensemble piece.

The world building in itself is also quite creative with the satirical world being run by imbeciles and power hungry simpletons ruled by their nether regions. The highly developed characterization helps to aid in the settings of the story as the settings are perfectly tailored to help reflect the characters. Or rather, I should say the atmospheres of the settings do. For example, Doban is perfectly suited to the Rot Hearted Tavern, with its sense of 'anything goes short of blood shed' ruling. And yet, when the blood (and entrails) start flying, the odd sense of glee gleaned from it is still somehow fitting to his personality as he is never one to shy away from getting his hands dirty...should the deed benefit him in some way, that is. Also worth mentioning is the wonderful myths and lore created by Beymer about the Stone. While we get a great sense of the Stone's desires and purpose, we are left ambiguous on its ruling desires and ultimate plan because this clever rock most certainly has some form of plan for itself. This definitely leaves the door wide open for future novels to further explore and I look forward to seeing what mischief will be caused in the name of the Talisman in future novels.

Overall, this novel had a fun sense of adventure and a sick yet satisfying sense of humor that put me in mind of 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'. This is definitely one series, and author, that I will be following closely and highly recommend to anyone who loves a good laugh. I definitely can't wait for the next installment in this highly addictive and enjoyable series!

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Scars

Advisory: Crude humor, some sexual content, crude sexual humor, graphic violence