Review: Reaper Town (Rented Souls Book 2) by Eirik M. Dahll-Larssøn

When the fabric of reality breaks down, there’s no telling what terrors might begin to creep out from the shadows. With that sinister mood in mind, author Eirik M. Dahll-Larssøn welcomes readers back to the madness of Swayze and Dwarf in this second installment of the Rented Souls series.

In this strange slice of paranormal brilliance, two unlikely heroes rise to meet the tide of evil, and they do it with a tongue firmly set in their cheek. Carrying on from the dark tones of the first book in this series, these two unlikely comrades are once more battling back against the forces of evil and shadow. This sophomore story has a decidedly darker edge, and with less expositional ground to cover, Dahll-Larssøn isn’t afraid to jump right back into the fray.

Despite the constant sense that the world is on the edge of chaos from the Ether and the terrifying Soul Eater, there are countless times when Dahll-Larssøn wrenches a laugh from deep in your gut. His character development is incredibly thorough and organic, as well, so while Dwarf and Swayze may be larger than life in certain ways, there is an undeniable humanity to them that readers can latch onto.

This novel encompasses a slightly smaller scope than the first, which opens up far more crossover time for dialogue, which is where the book shines. The dynamic between members of the “good guys” – Book, Growl, Swampy and the rest – is what keeps the pages flipping so quickly. There is a tense camaraderie and tightness that is difficult to capture, let alone maintain, but the group scenes practically hum with well-turned phrases and insightful interplay. There are also plenty of unexpected stumbles and spontaneous action scenes for those readers who love a good scuffle, and Dahll-Larssøn handles pace changes masterfully, thrusting readers full speed into battle.

As was notable in the first book, some of the procedural writing and the narration is a bit too heavy-handed and explanatory, meaning that more could be left to the reader’s imagination in certain scenes. Within a complex world such as this one, keeping all the characters, motivations, and plot lines straight is important, but the author should put a bit more faith in his readers, particularly with an older target audience. There are also a number of technical errors, inconsistencies in grammar, and occasionally short or choppy syntax. A thorough copy edit might tighten up loose sections and smooth the narration. However, these issues never overwhelm the story.

The book’s strongest point, perhaps, are the larger questions that it proposes, even in the midst of a raucous, dark and downright bizarre plot. Questions of transience and existence overlap enigmatically with off-color jokes and moments of clever character development. Figures like Dwarf slowly have their personality edges filled in as they work through the insanity of their journey, asking deep questions for strange reasons and actively seeking the answers, painful as they may be. Protecting the world against the forces of darkness makes for a fun novel, but creating engaging and heartfelt characters with existential depth makes for a great one.

All in all, Reaper Town is a wild and entertaining paranormal romp, making for a stellar one-two punch with the first book in the series.