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[Following is a volunteer review of "Umbral Ten" by Douglas Murphy.]

Imagine waking to a second blood-red moon covered in veins in the sky. Everyone you know is gone, the building is in ruins, and a huge man with the head of a bull is stalking the corridors. This is the horror that Theo wakes up to after something goes terribly wrong at the Ceremony of Resonance to cleanse the Spirit Trees.
 
Theo seeks to find the truth of what has happened and bands together with an unlikely group of adventurers to try and put things right again. Together, a mage, a librarian, a demon, a knight, a mercenary with a gun for an arm, and a nun try to turn things around and defeat the servants of the Umbral Lords, who have taken over the world.
 
Douglas Murphy’s Umbral Ten is a rich fantasy novel following the adventures of this group as they try to save the world. The book is packed full of magic, excitement, and humour. 
 
The book is well-written and easy to read. It only took me a few days to read the whole thing because it was hard to put down. I found only a few minor errors while reading it.
 
The characters are unique and relatable. You see the characters and their relationships with each other develop throughout the book. The book is the first in a series, and you can see in the book how it sets itself up for the next in the series.
 
I didn't have anything I disliked about the book.
 
Overall, I rate Umbral Ten 5 out of 5 stars. It is a rich and enjoyable fantasy novel. It is well-written and deserves a five-star rating.
 
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading fantasy and adventure novels. It has a lot of violence and a fair amount of profanity too, so it is best suited for adults or young adults.

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Umbral Ten
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Your introduction truly got me. This is the kind of plot I would want to read. The existence of characters like a mage, librarian, and others that you mentioned is enough to spark my interest. I can already imagine how their adventures might be based on the characters. Wonderful review. Short but informative and I liked it. Thank you very much!

I always say that no one should mess with spirits, whether you believe in them or not, but it must be said that they often result in interesting stories. Excellent review, Rob, expressively written.

The Keeper Jr wrote: ↑24 Nov 2023, 02:00 Your introduction truly got me. This is the kind of plot I would want to read. The existence of characters like a mage, librarian, and others that you mentioned is enough to spark my interest. I can already imagine how their adventures might be based on the characters. Wonderful review. Short but informative and I liked it. Thank you very much!

Thank you for your comment Keeper! Glad you enjoyed the review.

Sarah Zain wrote: ↑24 Nov 2023, 02:10 I always say that no one should mess with spirits, whether you believe in them or not, but it must be said that they often result in interesting stories. Excellent review, Rob, expressively written.

A good rule to live by! Thanks Sarah.

This sounds like an interesting magically adventure that will leave one thinking about the spirit world. I would love to check out this book

Risper Ouma Lisa Anyango wrote: ↑25 Nov 2023, 02:59 This sounds like an interesting magically adventure that will leave one thinking about the spirit world. I would love to check out this book

Thank you, Risper. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Your introduction to this review left me speechless!! I'm sure I would love this book. Or, at least, I'm now eager to find out more about Theo's story. Thank you, Rob, for your great work!

Rob Carr wrote: ↑17 Nov 2023, 04:28 [Following is a volunteer review of "Umbral Ten" by Douglas Murphy.]

Imagine waking to a second blood-red moon covered in veins in the sky. Everyone you know is gone, the building is in ruins, and a huge man with the head of a bull is stalking the corridors. This is the horror that Theo wakes up to after something goes terribly wrong at the Ceremony of Resonance to cleanse the Spirit Trees.
 
Theo seeks to find the truth of what has happened and bands together with an unlikely group of adventurers to try and put things right again. Together, a mage, a librarian, a demon, a knight, a mercenary with a gun for an arm, and a nun try to turn things around and defeat the servants of the Umbral Lords, who have taken over the world.
 
Douglas Murphy’s Umbral Ten is a rich fantasy novel following the adventures of this group as they try to save the world. The book is packed full of magic, excitement, and humour. 

Rob, have you ever started reading a review and, deep down inside, found yourself hoping there were no errors or craziness at the end of it to make it not worth reading?! That is what I was feeling at the beginning of this review (I was digging that blood red moon with veins!), and I was relieved to find that none of that existed! Of course, this has all the ingredients for a good fantasy read. You then mention that it also has humor! To me, this is the real magic of fantasy novels! I'm in need of some laughs after a few more serious books lately; maybe I'll try this one! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on this book with us. I enjoyed reading it as always. Until next time...

Cara Wilding wrote: ↑25 Nov 2023, 10:37

Rob Carr wrote: ↑17 Nov 2023, 04:28 [Following is a volunteer review of "Umbral Ten" by Douglas Murphy.]

Imagine waking to a second blood-red moon covered in veins in the sky. Everyone you know is gone, the building is in ruins, and a huge man with the head of a bull is stalking the corridors. This is the horror that Theo wakes up to after something goes terribly wrong at the Ceremony of Resonance to cleanse the Spirit Trees.
 
Theo seeks to find the truth of what has happened and bands together with an unlikely group of adventurers to try and put things right again. Together, a mage, a librarian, a demon, a knight, a mercenary with a gun for an arm, and a nun try to turn things around and defeat the servants of the Umbral Lords, who have taken over the world.
 
Douglas Murphy’s Umbral Ten is a rich fantasy novel following the adventures of this group as they try to save the world. The book is packed full of magic, excitement, and humour. 

Rob, have you ever started reading a review and, deep down inside, found yourself hoping there were no errors or craziness at the end of it to make it not worth reading?! That is what I was feeling at the beginning of this review (I was digging that blood red moon with veins!), and I was relieved to find that none of that existed! Of course, this has all the ingredients for a good fantasy read. You then mention that it also has humor! To me, this is the real magic of fantasy novels! I'm in need of some laughs after a few more serious books lately; maybe I'll try this one! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts on this book with us. I enjoyed reading it as always. Until next time...

Thanks Cara, that happens to me all the time! Sometimes people write a review that makes a book's plot sound so amazing for the first paragraph or two when they are summarising it and then they go into how it is actually written and give it a 2 out of 5 and you get so disappointed.

Anaïs Quesson wrote: ↑25 Nov 2023, 08:38 Your introduction to this review left me speechless!! I'm sure I would love this book. Or, at least, I'm now eager to find out more about Theo's story. Thank you, Rob, for your great work!

Thanks Anaïs. Glad you enjoyed the review!