TL;DR: A funny Cthulu-esque dystopian urban fantasy series, Oddjobs by Heide Goody and Iain Grant is a fluffy, easy-to-read series with an end of the world seriousness that makes it enjoyable to read.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Hell on Earth is coming. No, it’s not a threat, but the reality the Consular staff in Birmingham UK (and in other places) have been dealing with for decades. The Vensilarn invaded at some point in the past and their only goal is to bring on a hellscape, where humans can never die and will spend their lives being tortured by the gods and lesser beings that make up the Venislarn world(s). The Consular staff are the ones who negotiate with the Venislarn, track down the bad guys, and do all they can to keep the Venislarn and the end of the world a secret.
This was recommended as a humorous urban fantasy on a reddit subthread and, let me tell you, they were right! There’s a scene in the first book where they have a marketing pow wow as to how to sell the end of the world to the population. As someone who’s sat in many marketing meetings, the portrayal was spot on. I loved the world building, the quirky characters, the multiple POVs, and the threads of the story, which makes this a 4 star read for me.
The Plot
Morag Murray works for a secret government organization and has been transferred suddenly from the Edinburgh branch to a position in at the Birmingham Library where the Consulate is based. This secret organization’s only purpose is to ensure the humans are as unaware of the Venislarn as possible.
Unfortunately, Morag has a temper issue (the reason for her transfer). When she arrives in Birmingham, she’s thrust right away into the action. A man-eating starfish, a supernatural murder, and her now missing suitcase are just a few of the issues awaiting her and her quirky colleagues. But does she have time to avoid being killed?
What I liked & liked less
It’s funny. It’s irreverent. The characters are quirky and yet blase enough to feel real with what they face, while still human enough to be affected by what they face every day.
The world building is fun (fishman porn is a thing and no, you won’t forget it… ever). The godlike qualities of the Venislarn do not disappoint and the bureaucracy is definitely something we’d set up if this was the real world.
Each character has their own POV, which gives you a strong sense of who they are and how they think. And I love it. Not everyone will, which is why I mention it.
Morag is the character I care about the least. She’s a total mess and blunders from one disaster to the next. That being said, I did like her as a character, but I prefer some others more.
Rod is exactly what you’d expect from an ex-SAS guy, but he still has flaws. And his flaws cause him all sorts of issues later in the series. Nina is hilarious and has some interesting side hobbies. And Vivian is as iron-clad as her character is made out to be.
While I won’t give away spoilers, there is a scene where they attempt to set up marketing campaigns to help the humans deal with the upcoming end of the world and it is gold.
There is also an excellent set of threads, both captured within the book and throughout the series, which makes each book build on the next. However, you still have that satisfying closure from each book.
To Sum Up (Too Late!)
If you like humor, oddball characters, and a light touch on the end of the world, you’ll love this series. It is a bit fluffy, but that makes it a binge-worthy read. I can’t wait to see how it ends (I’ve only read up to book four) and to see what our intrepid cast of characters do to either make it easier for everyone or for themselves. For all that and more, I give it 4 stars.
About the Authors
Iain Grant is, with Heide Goody, co-author of more books than he can count.
Lots of people seem to like the Clovenhoof books, in which Satan loses his job and has to move to suburbia.
The Oddjobs series of books is also very popular, in which alien horrors set to invade our world must first get past the British civil servants assigned to keeping them under wraps.
Heide and Iain are also responsible for various other bits of funny and fantastical nonsense.
If you wish to purchase this book, pick your vendor of choice, or just cave to the man and get it from Amazon.
This fills in the Mental Health squar on my Fantasy Bingo 2022 card.