Darren Humphries

Norris was a minor character in a previous book of the author's. I'm glad he gets a whole book to himself here.

Norris Goes West

Amazon.com link

My review - 

Children are disappearing from the streets of Liverpool and Norris goes under cover, ostensibly seeking his father and putting himself in danger of kidnapping. Naturally, it happens, and he and a group of street urchins – and Miss Laura – are taken across the Atlantic to the US. At the same time, Spenser Warwick and the Countess de Loesseps are travelling to the same destination for him to take part in readings of his work.

Norris was by far my favourite character in the first book of this series so I was delighted to read a whole book in which he takes the lead. I also fell for the young street gang and their worldly wisdom. The reason for the kidnappings is explained – and what a reason! A great, humorous and rollicking adventure. 

Darren Humphries

A sequel (long awaited by me) to An Orc Not Like Others. 

An Orc Like Balrek

Amazon.com

My review -

I absolutely loved An Orc Not Like Others, author Darren Humphries’ first Orc book, and I’m delighted to see this sequel. Balrek was created as a fighting monster – cannon fodder, you might say – but he has more about him than most humans or elves. He is married to a human woman, a spirited creature named Elynore, and together they are City-king and City-queen in a successful and prosperous kingdom. Many of their subjects are also orcs. Balrek is different from the others in that he is super-intelligent and can out-think most of his fellow city rulers – and the elves. In a botched attempt by elves to assassinate him, his beloved Elynore is struck by a dagger. It’s a superficial wound, but the blade delivered a poison. A quartet of characters embark on a classic quest for the antidote – assuming one even exists.

This book is full of humour, dark at times, and lots of great characters. Balrek himself is still fully orc and when it’s necessary to kill, he does so brutally and quickly. Although he is a superior being in many ways, he is still true to his own nature. His wife, Elynore, is brave, feisty and besottedly in love with him, as he is with her. Some of the minor characters are really well drawn too, and I loved the banter, antipathy and later mutual appreciation displayed by gambler and womaniser Dahl and the healer Adriana. Some of the other city rulers face their prejudices about the orc king and there’s plenty of plotting and fighting here. It’s a thought-provoking read. Shrek it ain’t!

Darren Humphries

This is another glimpse into the dark side of Mr Humphries' soul. Scary!

London Dark

Amazon.com

My review -

The government believes it's impossible for London to experience a blackout. Each generating station has another ready to take up the slack in the case of failure. They reckoned without a group of idealistic eco-warriors who are determined to shut off the city's power supplies to show Londoners they can cope without profligate use of electricity. What they don't know, but it becomes increasingly obvious that the higher powers in the land do, is what waits underground ready to emerge when the lights go out. The goverment's Dark Protocol is engaged and found wanting.

This is an intriguing premise and leads to exciting scenes as different small groups try to fight for their existence through the longest night of their lives. Even the Prime Minister’s family isn't immune to those things which inhabit the London Dark. I think the author has great strengths as a horror writer and I’d happily read more from him in this genre. Highly recommended.

Darren Humphries

Here's a selection of dark short stories - sensational, as pulp fiction is.

They Came From Beyond Pulp

Amazon.com They Came From beyond Pulp

My review -

This is a great selection of short stories of varying length. What they have in common is the voice of the author who writes in a very accessible style and uses words cleverly. I enjoy his barbed wit and gentle horror. I don’t mean it’s wimpy but it never goes beyond the bounds of taste. These stories remind me a little of the old Tales of the Unexpected. I enjoyed them all but the first and the last were my favourites. It’s always good to leave a book with the memory of enjoyment. Clever, intriguing and… unexpected, this is a short-novel length collection of stories which will blow on the back of the neck of your imagination. Delightfully dangerous!

Darren Humphries

This looks like the start of a new series from our Man From U.N.D.E.A.D. author. I like it very much.  Different characters, the same humour.

Spenser Goes North

Amazon.com Spenser Goes North

Spenser Warwick is the author of the rather turgid Wardington-Smythe adventure novels and is drawn into an adventure of his own. He receives some obscure clues in cheap envelopes which are scented with a rare perfume. A youth named Norris is persuaded to help him as he is drawn into attempting to foil a plot which will damage the Commonwealth. 

This is a change from Darren Humphries' recent fare of Agent Ward’s U.N.D.E.A.D. adventures and is set in Victorian times. I loved some of these characters, especially young Norris and The Lady with her wonderfully upfront attitude. I hope we see more in this vein. It's a great read.

Darren Humphries

This is a collection of short stories in a variety of genres.  Some may surprise you.

Sharing a Fence with the Twilight Zone

Amazon.com  Sharing a Fence with the Twilight Zone

My review -

The short story genre has grown on me since I bought my kindle and this collection is a great example of why.  We have several distinct types of story here.  The first group are often funny, wry, sometimes thought provoking; the second are, as they group title suggests, dark, apocalyptic and harsh.  The third group returns to the style of the first, sometimes outright funny, sometimes wryly amusing, always original.

Darren Humphries is often thought of as a humorous fantasy writer – a style of writing he does particularly well.  This collection of stories will prove that he is much more than this.  It’s well executed, thoughtful and far ranging.  It deserves a place on every e-shelf.

Darren Humphries

Darren Humphries writes mainly in the humorous fantasy genre but he has a dark side that I would love him to cultivate!

First a dark one - Stormwreck

Link to Amazon.com   Stormwreck

My review -

Darren Humphries is best known for his funny fantasy books but looking through his titles this one leapt out as being something very different. I liked the product description so I bought it. I am SO glad I did. It is a supernatural thriller, serious, clever, exciting - I can't praise it enough. It's fast paced and by 40% I was on the edge of my chair, biting my fingers! By 50% it felt like the climax had been reached. I wondered how he could keep the tension up for the second half of the book. He didn't. He increased it, ratcheted it up gradually. What a story!

This is certainly far from the author's usual genre but I sincerely hope he will take this direction again. He has hidden depths. Don't continue to hide them Mr Humphries - lets have more of your serious, dark side!

An Orc Not Like Others

Link to Amazon.com   An Orc Not Like Others

This is an extremely thoughtful piece of work by Darren Humphries. The orc of the title is one of a species created in Orc Farms to kill and be killed in wars instigated by others. They are considered to be effectively animals and treated like slaves. A major war has recently finished and the orc Balrek is fending for himself. He is taken captive by a mage and there we begin to see that there is more to him than a fierce and stupid fighting animal. His own intelligence comes to the fore and this brings us up with a wonderful adventure story as he helps a princess to regain her position in her city kingdom.

Darren Humphries can do so much more than science fiction and humour (though you should keep your eye out for The Clean Dozen!). His writing here, though simple in places (Balrek's original speech and mode of thought) is extremely powerful. The treatment of one species by another in this book is very thought provoking. It reminded me so much of what I have read about white people's treatment of black Africans. Perhaps I am so aware of this as I live near the Wilberforce House museum and have seen and read about how our fellow man was treated as an animal. Fortunately not everyone feels that Balrek is an 'it' or a pet. He is a wonderful, brave and resourceful creation and I really would enjoy reading more about him.

New York City Legend

Link to Amazon.com  New York City Legend

My  review -

This book was a true fantasy and a delightful idea, well executed. Magic exist still in the heart of New York (I think it exists in some form everywhere if you have the right outlook) and is endangered by hard-nosed businessmen engaging in shady deals. It is said that, for evil to thrive, it is only necessary for good men to do nothing. Ben Darkly is a good man and he is not prepared to stand back and see something wonderful destroyed without a fight.
The plot is active, engaging and in places, quite tense. I was gripped by the book and enjoyed it very much. No-one with a heart could do otherwise.

This is non-fiction.  It's the powerful telling of the event and the aftermath of his wife's sudden death at the age of 39.

Goodnight Dear. The Unsentimental Diary of a Bereaved Husband

Link to Amazon.com  Goodnight Dear. The Unsentimental Diary of a Bereaved Husband

My review -

How can you do anything as trivial as award stars to the true story of a family's loss of a young, talented wife and mother? This is, as the title states, an unsentimental, very factual account of a sudden death and the way it devastated the lives of author Darren Humphries and his two young children. Ambulance and Police log details are interspersed with accounts of how thoughtful friends brought milk and teabags, the details of putting up relatives from far away, the potential over-running of funeral services. All this is interlaced with some beautiful kind words from friends which really spotlight the 'Golden Girl' they all knew.

Death is something we all face but the sudden, unexpected death of a young person is the nightmare we all fear. Darren Humphries has faced it and tells us his story. His concerns now are obviously for his children. I hope that the telling of his story has helped him as it will surely help all who read it.

This book should be considered essential reading.

Darren Humphries' blog