Action & Adventure
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Paper & Blood: Book Two of the Ink & Sigil series
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles comes book two of an "action-packed, enchantingly fun" (Booklist) spin-off series, as an eccentric master of rare magic solves a supernatural mystery Down Under!
There's only one Al MacBharrais: Though other Scotsmen may have dramatic mustaches and a taste for fancy cocktails, Al also has a unique talent. He's a master of ink and sigil magic. In his gifted hands, paper and pen can work wondrous spells.
But Al isn't quite alone: He is part of a global network of sigil agents who use their powers to protect the world from mischievous gods and strange monsters. So when a fellow agent disappears under sinister circumstances in Australia, Al leaves behind the cozy pubs and cafes of Glasgow and travels to the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria to solve the mystery.
The trail to his colleague begins to pile up with bodies at alarming speed, so Al is grateful his friends have come to help-especially Nadia, his accountant who moonlights as a pit fighter. Together with a whisky-loving hobgoblin known as Buck Foi and the ancient Druid Atticus O'Sullivan, along with his dogs, Oberon and Starbuck, Al and Nadia will face down the wildest wonders Australia-and the supernatural world-can throw at them, and confront a legendary monster not seen in centuries.
There's only one Al MacBharrais: Though other Scotsmen may have dramatic mustaches and a taste for fancy cocktails, Al also has a unique talent. He's a master of ink and sigil magic. In his gifted hands, paper and pen can work wondrous spells.
But Al isn't quite alone: He is part of a global network of sigil agents who use their powers to protect the world from mischievous gods and strange monsters. So when a fellow agent disappears under sinister circumstances in Australia, Al leaves behind the cozy pubs and cafes of Glasgow and travels to the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria to solve the mystery.
The trail to his colleague begins to pile up with bodies at alarming speed, so Al is grateful his friends have come to help-especially Nadia, his accountant who moonlights as a pit fighter. Together with a whisky-loving hobgoblin known as Buck Foi and the ancient Druid Atticus O'Sullivan, along with his dogs, Oberon and Starbuck, Al and Nadia will face down the wildest wonders Australia-and the supernatural world-can throw at them, and confront a legendary monster not seen in centuries.
Editorial Reviews
Praise for Ink & Sigil
"Distinguished by its intricate and original magical system, charming dynamics among characters and strongly developed Scottish setting, Ink & Sigil places its irascible hero and memorable cast in a wide, fascinating world."-Shelf Awareness (starred review)
"A terrific kick-off of a new, action-packed, enchantingly fun series . . . delightful."-Booklist (starred review)
"Immensely enjoyable . . . a great novel and a perfect example of how to launch a new series . . . Ink & Sigil is a great entry into Kevin Hearne's fiction."-SFFWorld
"Goodness, this book was funny, so funny. . . . What a unique, entertaining and complex protagonist . . . If you've ever been curious about the author's work, this would be the perfect opportunity to jump on board."-The BiblioSanctum
"A refreshing viewpoint into an urban fantasy setting [with] touches of humor and dynamic characters . . . Readers will be eager to see what happens next."-Publishers Weekly
"Delightful! Hearne's use of Scottish words and spellings . . . adds to the story's singular flavor. The author includes plenty of shout-outs for fans of the Iron Druid series [in this] tale sure to draw in new readers."-Library Journal
"You are in for a treat. Ink & Sigil is escape reading, and I loved every word."-Charlaine Harris, New York Times bestselling author of A Longer Fall
"A delightfully grimy journey through the hidden underworld of Glasgow, Ink & Sigil vividly blends Kevin Hearne's unique take on urban fantasy with the grit of Scottish magic."-Adam Christopher, author of Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town
"Distinguished by its intricate and original magical system, charming dynamics among characters and strongly developed Scottish setting, Ink & Sigil places its irascible hero and memorable cast in a wide, fascinating world."-Shelf Awareness (starred review)
"A terrific kick-off of a new, action-packed, enchantingly fun series . . . delightful."-Booklist (starred review)
"Immensely enjoyable . . . a great novel and a perfect example of how to launch a new series . . . Ink & Sigil is a great entry into Kevin Hearne's fiction."-SFFWorld
"Goodness, this book was funny, so funny. . . . What a unique, entertaining and complex protagonist . . . If you've ever been curious about the author's work, this would be the perfect opportunity to jump on board."-The BiblioSanctum
"A refreshing viewpoint into an urban fantasy setting [with] touches of humor and dynamic characters . . . Readers will be eager to see what happens next."-Publishers Weekly
"Delightful! Hearne's use of Scottish words and spellings . . . adds to the story's singular flavor. The author includes plenty of shout-outs for fans of the Iron Druid series [in this] tale sure to draw in new readers."-Library Journal
"You are in for a treat. Ink & Sigil is escape reading, and I loved every word."-Charlaine Harris, New York Times bestselling author of A Longer Fall
"A delightfully grimy journey through the hidden underworld of Glasgow, Ink & Sigil vividly blends Kevin Hearne's unique take on urban fantasy with the grit of Scottish magic."-Adam Christopher, author of Stranger Things: Darkness on the Edge of Town
Readers Top Reviews
KGBeastMark SimonKin
Al MacBharrais ist weiter in seiner Werkstatt in Glasgow tätig, während er sich den Kopf darüber zerbricht, wer ihm die beiden lebensverändernden Flüche angehängt hat, die zum Einen Hörer seiner Stimme extrem wütend machen, weswegen er mit einer Sprachausgabe-App auf seinem Smartphone kommunizieren muss, und zum anderen bewirkt, dass seine Lehrlinge nach etwa einem Jahr durch Unfälle das Zeitliche segnen. Da erreicht ihn ein Notruf eines Lehrlings einer Siegelagentin aus Australien, deren Meisterin und Mitschülerin verschwunden sind. Zusammen mit dem Kobold Buck Foi begibt er sich über einen 'alten Weg' nach Melbourne, wo er die angehende Kollegin trifft. Die Ermittlungen zum Verschwinden der beiden Siegelagentinnen führen das Trio an den Rand eines Naturschutzgebietes, in dem fürchterliche schimärenartige Monster aufgetaucht sind - und auf dem Weg gabeln sie auch noch Als neue Mitarbeiterin Nadia auf, die ihrem Chef auf eigene Faust nachgereist ist. Trotz dieser Verstärkung - und dem Auffinden eines Australischen Polizisten, der als einziger einen Angriff der Schimären auf seine Einheit überlebt hat - erscheint das Problem für die Gruppe unüberwindbar zu sein - bis Atticus, der Eiserne Druide mit seinen beiden treuen Begleitern Oberon und Starbuck auftaucht. Und eine scheinbar Verstorbene aufsteht und ihre Hilfe anbietet. Und wo kommt eigentlich Als Rezeptionistin auf einmal her? Dieser Roman ist ein hundertprozentiges Crossover mit der 'Eisernen-Druiden' -Reihe und gerade in der zweiten Hälfte voller großer Überraschungen. Und nebenher ein paar netten Informationen über Nessie. Ein schöner zweiter Teil, der auch Hoffnungen auf zumindest einen weiteren 'Eiserner-Druiden' -Roman macht. Allerdings sollte man die anderen Romane und den ersten 'Tinte-und-Siegel' - Roman schon kennen, um diesen richtig genießen zu können.
Mr. InflexibleKindle
I really liked the first one. Enough so that I bought this one at full price rather than wait for a deal of some sort. Overall, I was disappointed in the book. Another of the author's characters, the Iron Druid, is involved. With the way the plot develops, it's hard to tell if he really wanted the druid in the book and then came up with a reason for him to be there, or if he had some cool things he wanted in the book and then realized the only way for the characters to get past those things was to add in his own deus ex machina. At some points I wondered if someone else had written sections of the book because it was so poor compared to the first one. The book did pick up towards the end. I am unlikely to buy the next book unless it is on sale or I find a paperback at one of those used bookstores.
Margaret A. Davis
Al MacBharrais, the Scottish sigil agent, goes to the rescue of fellow agents who have gone missing in the mountains of Australia. This is a fine adventure, full of surprises and derring-do at every turn. I also enjoyed seeing Atticus, Oberon, and Starbuck again. Atticus, of course, was the primary protagonist in the long-running Iron Druid Chronicles series and it is nice in this spinoff series to catch up with him again and see how he's doing after the final Iron Druid book Scourged. Fans of the Oberon's Meaty Mysteries series will also enjoy hearing another story told in Oberon's inimitable style. All in all, a very enjoyable outing in this second book of the new Ink & Sigil series. Definitely looking forward to many more in this terrific spinoff series! Highly recommended for urban fantasy fans, mythology fans, series fans, and fans who enjoy a well told tale with plenty of action!
From Long Island
I enjoyed the story and characters but too much not so subtle editorializing about social mores that seem out of character for a 60 something yr old Glaswegian Maybe a college professor of that age would have those thoughts but I don’t think Al’s history would lead to the positions the author places in his head. I recommend it but could see some bothered by it similar to how some resent Bruce Springsteen’s politics and avoid his music. I’m NOT capable of that either, I love me some Bruce.
L. C GloverDavidAlix
Summary: The book barely linked to the previous book. The writing appeared rushed and not well developed, as if Hearne was trying to meet a deadline or just does not like the new characters very much. Also, there is a clear political message that is new to his writing. I was expecting more world building and some interesting new characters. I really enjoyed the Iron Druid series so it was good to see the Iron Druid and his dogs again. But, it was done clearly at the expense of the other characters. I was also expecting typical humor of the Iron Druid series, but the book was very preachy about woke topics. If I wanted to be lectured to, I could find many other ways to have that done. I enjoy reading fiction books for creativity and escapism/change of scenery, not lectures. I only finished the book due to the Iron Druid. Otherwise, I would have stopped reading about a quarter of the way into the book. I am afraid that Hearne keeps up with this style, this will be the last one of his books I purchase.
Short Excerpt Teaser
Chapter 1
A Call from the Land Down Under
If you have to tell someone they're going to die soon, it's a good idea to buy them a whisky first. That way they can drink it or throw it in your face and feel a tiny bit better either way. It's only polite.
Buck Foi thought about throwing his dram at me-his hand drew back, ready to strike-but he reconsidered and tossed it down his throat instead. It was getting on toward bedtime on a Sunday night. It might help him to sleep.
"How long have ye known this was gonnay happen?" the hobgoblin demanded. He had a new waistcoat on, a subtle black-on-black pattern that amused me. He would never admit it, but I think he was either trying to impress my manager, Nadia, or else he was impressed by her and emulating her fashion philosophy that all colors were excellent so long as they were black. The stated reason for wearing it, however, was that he needed to wear something appropriate to the Glasgow Necropolis, since we had gone there for a nice gothic sulk that morning while the organ droned in the nearby cathedral. It was a thirty-seven-acre city of the dead set upon a hill, populated by solemn mausoleums and weathered markers commemorating the lives of Victorian well-to-dos, and the gravitas it exuded did tend to make one feel that at least a nod to formality was required. Without walking it myself, I taught him the winding steps of the Old Way hidden in the grass between the graves, which would let him go to Tír na nÓg if he ever found it necessary. He already knew the steps to the Old Way in Kelvingrove but not to this one or the one in Virginia Court.
I replied to him via my text-to-speech app-the good one on my laptop, which at least sounded Scottish, albeit from Edinburgh instead of Glasgow. [Brighid told me about the curse shortly after you signed up to be in my service. We had more pressing matters to attend to at the time-a goddess trying to kill us and an utterly mad man-eating leprechaun and all that-so I waited just a wee bit.]
The hobgoblin teleported himself up to the kitchen island next to my laptop and waggled a pink finger in my face. He was only about two feet tall, so he liked to stand on the counter and look down at me instead of up when he had an important point to make. "That was a couple of months ago, ol' man!"
[Aye, but I also wanted you to enjoy bottling and distributing Buck Foi's Best Boosted Spirits. A nice soft time, a short span of happiness to enjoy and remember before I laid any more stress on you. Wasn't that nice, giving away all that whisky to the Fae Court?]
"Aye, it was a good laugh." His expression relaxed for a moment, recalling it. Two hundred bottles of ten-year-old whisky made from an honestly stolen barrel from the Highlands, given for free to the faeries and the Tuatha Dé Danann themselves. "Did ye know, MacBharrais, they composed songs in my honor on the spot? I mean, half of it was howled, because ma whisky kicked off an epic drunken orgy, but still: They sang me songs. I'm no a culture hero yet, ye know, not like Holga Thunderpoot, but it was quality all the same, and I think I have a legitimate shot at achieving that rare status someday if only I don't die first." He practically shouted the last two words, and I received a few wayward flecks of manic spittle. I cringed a little more than I might have a few years ago; echoes of the coronavirus pandemic bore heavily on everyone's psyche, though hobgoblins were not known to transmit viruses to humans.
[I'd like you to live to achieve that status, believe me. Not just because I care about you, though I do. If I can get rid of these curses, I can talk without this app. I'll be able to speak with people again for more than a few days or weeks without causing them to hate me. I'll get my family back. And I can finally train an apprentice to replace me so I can retire. An apprentice that won't die of a sudden accident, like you're apparently fated to do.]
"Come on, now. There has tae be a way around this, right?"
[Several ways, yes.]
"How many is several, again?"
[More than two, I think, but less than a half dozen.]
"Three tae five, then. Let's hear them, ol' man."
[One is that I die. I have to be honest: That's my least favorite way out.]
"I understand."
[Two is that the person who cast the curse on me dies. I like that much better, but, unfortunately, I don't know who did this to me. Brighid said it might be someone with god-level powers, so even if we do find out who did it, killing them might be impossible.]
"That's bitter news, so it is. Like fast-food coffee with no cream or sugar."
[Three is that you leave my service, cancel the contract. There are risks to that, however.]
"...
A Call from the Land Down Under
If you have to tell someone they're going to die soon, it's a good idea to buy them a whisky first. That way they can drink it or throw it in your face and feel a tiny bit better either way. It's only polite.
Buck Foi thought about throwing his dram at me-his hand drew back, ready to strike-but he reconsidered and tossed it down his throat instead. It was getting on toward bedtime on a Sunday night. It might help him to sleep.
"How long have ye known this was gonnay happen?" the hobgoblin demanded. He had a new waistcoat on, a subtle black-on-black pattern that amused me. He would never admit it, but I think he was either trying to impress my manager, Nadia, or else he was impressed by her and emulating her fashion philosophy that all colors were excellent so long as they were black. The stated reason for wearing it, however, was that he needed to wear something appropriate to the Glasgow Necropolis, since we had gone there for a nice gothic sulk that morning while the organ droned in the nearby cathedral. It was a thirty-seven-acre city of the dead set upon a hill, populated by solemn mausoleums and weathered markers commemorating the lives of Victorian well-to-dos, and the gravitas it exuded did tend to make one feel that at least a nod to formality was required. Without walking it myself, I taught him the winding steps of the Old Way hidden in the grass between the graves, which would let him go to Tír na nÓg if he ever found it necessary. He already knew the steps to the Old Way in Kelvingrove but not to this one or the one in Virginia Court.
I replied to him via my text-to-speech app-the good one on my laptop, which at least sounded Scottish, albeit from Edinburgh instead of Glasgow. [Brighid told me about the curse shortly after you signed up to be in my service. We had more pressing matters to attend to at the time-a goddess trying to kill us and an utterly mad man-eating leprechaun and all that-so I waited just a wee bit.]
The hobgoblin teleported himself up to the kitchen island next to my laptop and waggled a pink finger in my face. He was only about two feet tall, so he liked to stand on the counter and look down at me instead of up when he had an important point to make. "That was a couple of months ago, ol' man!"
[Aye, but I also wanted you to enjoy bottling and distributing Buck Foi's Best Boosted Spirits. A nice soft time, a short span of happiness to enjoy and remember before I laid any more stress on you. Wasn't that nice, giving away all that whisky to the Fae Court?]
"Aye, it was a good laugh." His expression relaxed for a moment, recalling it. Two hundred bottles of ten-year-old whisky made from an honestly stolen barrel from the Highlands, given for free to the faeries and the Tuatha Dé Danann themselves. "Did ye know, MacBharrais, they composed songs in my honor on the spot? I mean, half of it was howled, because ma whisky kicked off an epic drunken orgy, but still: They sang me songs. I'm no a culture hero yet, ye know, not like Holga Thunderpoot, but it was quality all the same, and I think I have a legitimate shot at achieving that rare status someday if only I don't die first." He practically shouted the last two words, and I received a few wayward flecks of manic spittle. I cringed a little more than I might have a few years ago; echoes of the coronavirus pandemic bore heavily on everyone's psyche, though hobgoblins were not known to transmit viruses to humans.
[I'd like you to live to achieve that status, believe me. Not just because I care about you, though I do. If I can get rid of these curses, I can talk without this app. I'll be able to speak with people again for more than a few days or weeks without causing them to hate me. I'll get my family back. And I can finally train an apprentice to replace me so I can retire. An apprentice that won't die of a sudden accident, like you're apparently fated to do.]
"Come on, now. There has tae be a way around this, right?"
[Several ways, yes.]
"How many is several, again?"
[More than two, I think, but less than a half dozen.]
"Three tae five, then. Let's hear them, ol' man."
[One is that I die. I have to be honest: That's my least favorite way out.]
"I understand."
[Two is that the person who cast the curse on me dies. I like that much better, but, unfortunately, I don't know who did this to me. Brighid said it might be someone with god-level powers, so even if we do find out who did it, killing them might be impossible.]
"That's bitter news, so it is. Like fast-food coffee with no cream or sugar."
[Three is that you leave my service, cancel the contract. There are risks to that, however.]
"...
