Title: Jeremiah Jones: Cowboy Sorcerer

Publisher/Author: H. Duke

Price: Free to $1.99

The Hook: Once upon a time in a far -- okay, it's actually right now in Arizona. See, there's this cowboy named Jeremiah Jones who is also a sorcerer ... a sorcerer with a particular affinity for a magical kinetic rock. He tends to go kablooey at exactly the wrong time. As such, he is currently on the outs with the larger magical community and has been kicked out of the home/coven/study group with whom he lived for many years. On his way to make amends, he gets side tracked. By Raven. Yes, that Raven. Raven has a job for Jeremiah ... and one does not say no to Raven .... 

The Analysis: The Jeremiah Jones series was another one that popped up in my You Might Also Like feed on Amazon. Sometimes, their emotionless algorithms actually work. Think of Jeremiah Jones as an urban fantasy/western noir mash-up. Jones himself is an enigmatic character; while he is the sort of man who will (try) to do the right thing, he also tries to stay out of other people's business. His background is largely a mystery, as is the nature of his affinity for that kinetic mineral. Presumably, these mysteries will be answered as the series progresses.

One of the best elements to the series is Jones' supporting cast. Duke, for example, his faithful ... pick-up truck. Yep. Truck. Duke started out as a dog, but at some point Jones transferred her spirit into the truck, which now acts exactly like an intelligent and fearlessly loyal hound.

There is also Jesse, a local teen desperately trying to keep his father's auto shop afloat. And Tom, Jesse's best friend, whose one desire is to join a cult-like gang known as The Pack, just like his older brother, Pete. And also George, one of Jones' old coven-mates, who loves to tinker with magical objects; he was the one who came up with the coins which could make a call from any phone, anywhere in the world, even if it is out of order.

And then there is Raven. His appearance is memorable, to say the least: creepy, sad, frightening, and surreal. Most of Raven's worshippers are gone, wiped out through war and disease and famine and re-education. In the cosmology of this series, the Gods are not dependent upon mortals for existence, but their faith acts as a bridge, allowing the Gods to manifest in and effect the physical world. Raven has few followers and so must impose upon Jones to set a wrong to rights, to bring some balance back to this little corner of the world.

The Verdict: Overall, Jeremiah Jones, Cowboy Sorcerer is a fun, engaging read. The characters jump off the page. The magic is explosive, to say the least. And each installment ends in a not-quite-but-almost cliffhanger, which compells the reader to keep going, to find out what happens next. The few complaints that I have (it's hard to tell exactly what Jeremiah looks like, and there are random typographical errors) did not really detract from my enjoyment of the story.

Jeremiah Jones, Cowboy Sorcerer is an eight part serialized story. The first two parts have been released as of this writing, with the third part set to publish on 18 July, and each runs more than ten chapters.

Recommended to fans of The Dresden Files by Butcher, Deborah Blake's Veiled Magic, the Yancy Lazarus books by James Hunter, and the Harbinger PI series by Adam J Wright.