Bookburners by Serial Box: Badge, Book & Candle Episode 1 Review

Serial fiction isn't new. It's been around for centuries now - but what Serial Box is bringing to this way of storytelling is a super fine collaboration that might just be the next big thing after the Particle Accelerator Explosion. Missing the grit of Daredevil or need that fix of Breaking Bad or are you biting your nails down to bits waiting for the next season of GoT?

Well, here's good news for you! Serial Box is bringing to your reading device a pulsating new series that is a combination of supernatural horror and police procedural, sixteen episodes of monster hunting, magic and non stop fun. Officially launched on Sept 16th, I got a chance to read the first episode of the series, Bookburners - Badge, Book & Candle.



Written by a team of authors including Margaret Dunlap (Eureka), Mur Lafferty (The Shambling Guide to New York City) and Brian Francis Slattery (Lost Everything), the group is lead by rising genre star Max Gladstone (Three Parts Dead and the Craft Sequence), bookburners is an urban fantasy that is a deft blend of mystery and supernatural horror - wound the way of a high-octane, heart-pumping police procedural. Episode-1 introduces us to Sal Brooks, a NY cop unwittingly drawn into a magical war with ancient demons teaming up with a black ops squad from Vatican to save the world against apocalypse. 




So episode 1 sets the stage for the larger season arc - with Sal losing her brother to an ancient evil brought into this world through a magical artefact, a book banned by the Vatican - and Max Gladstone who's penned the first episode is in top form here. Dry wit mixed with high octane action in a lucid effortless manner. It's a super quick read and we're thrust right into the middle of the storm, wasting precious little with setting the stage. Inspector Sal is a complex character with her own misgivings on life - but I personally liked the Vatican black-ops agents, Father Mechu, Liam and Grace a lot! Hoping to see more of all of them in the future. It's fast furious fun and I really hope it's going to get better from here with the next episodes. 

You should check this one out if you like new weird, magical artifacts ( Books with Teeth! Demons that live inside them!) and are an urban fantasy fan ( or not!). First episode is free here ! Your weekly fix for great fiction ends at Serial Box - and I am excited to be part this ride. Week. After. Week. 

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