Dan RabartsRecensioni

Phew! Edge of the seat! I couldn't put this down! I dare you to see if you can. ;) I love a sister and brother team. I love that they are protective of each other and completely, off the charts, polar opposites. Or are they? Attention to detail, in different ways. Can't wait to get their hands dirty and solve the mystery but in different ways. Just because they are different doesn't mean it's wrong or that they don't love each other. They have the same goals.

In Hounds of the Underworld (Path of Ra, book 1), freelance crime scene specialist Pandora “Penny” Yee and her brother, Matiu, get caught up in trying to solve a very weird series of killings. They go way beyond the limits of crime scene specialty, even given the standards set by modern TV CSI dramas. I started this a few times and bounced off it, so it took me a long time to read it all the way through, but it’s actually a pretty gripping read. Trigger warning for dog abuse.
Received through the LibraryThing Early Reviewer Program in return for an honest review.

A very catchy book, though the first chapters begin slowly when the books advance it speeds and it`s a original story of some unsolved dissapereances and murders.
a recomended reading.

Read for judging in the Australian Shadows Awards

Follow Pandora and her ex-con brother Matui as they investigate a missing person at a grisly scene. The story is fast moving as it alternates between the perspectives of the two siblings. I enjoyed the writing style. The characters are well develope, and the story is well written. My only critique is the frequent use of swearing which in my opinion was unnecessary to develop the story. Definitely a recommended read, but reader needs to be prepared for a few gruesome scenes.

Hounds of the Underworld is a paranormal mystery that takes place in New Zealand. It follows a pair of siblings, one who is a scientist and only believes what there is evidence for and the other who has a connection to the world of the fantastic. I enjoyed reading this book. I especially liked the setting of New Zealand. It is not a location that many books I have read have featured and I appreciated the fact that this one took me somewhere new. Both of the authors are from New Zealand and although the book takes place in the near future (2040s) it still felt like I was getting a good feel for what Auckland would be like today.I liked both of the main characters and thought the dog was a good touch. My only criticism is that after finishing the book I am still not 100% sure of all of the paranormal stuff that was going on and I don't feel like I got to know Matai as well as Penny. I suspect that Matai's powers/background and the supernatural threat will be explored more in later books.

I received a free ebook from Library Thing's Early Reviewer group in return for an honest review.

I have to admit something. I was selected back in July to receive an Early Reviewers copy of the Hounds of the Underworld and I didn't start reading it till a few hours ago.

I just felt I needed to be in a different place, to read a sci-fi, thriller like this.

You see, this setting takes place in a future New Zealand, but I learned it mixes well with the ancient.

Pandora (a.k.a. Penny ) Yee opened a crime lab and is hired to consult on a crime scene. Penny has quirks in that she won't drive so she is being driven around by her brother, Matiu.

Penny is well educated and feels her overbearing parents scrutinize her more closely than Matiu who's adopted and has an imaginary friend Makere.

I found the duo to be devoted to one another. Matiu has instincts the tightly wound Penny trusts. And, he shadows her well. So, it seems she is not only comforted by this, but dependent upon it.

As a reader, I appreciate their tongue - in - cheek relationship. And, unlike the last book I read that has wolves in it, this book, has a Pit Bull - Satffie mix, named Cerberus, among other dogs.

Amidst toxic fumes and crashed crime scenes, this short, quick read has everything and everyone in a state of uncontrolled excitement, including this reader.

Yes, I enjoyed the writing and truly liked the ending. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series.

Set in near future New Zealand, in a world where cars are too expensive for most people to own, water is rationed, and the skies are smoggy, this is a CSI-ish police procedural mixed with horror.

Penny Yee has just opened a crime lab with a large loan from her parents- who want her to marry for money instead of working- and this is her first case. She is saddled with her brother/cousin (cousin, but adopted into her family) Matiu, an ex-con who is somewhat psychic and has a personal demon that just may be real. He works for the family car service, and is Penny’s official driver/body guard.

The case is a locked room mystery- a room locked from the inside, with not even a dead body inside, just empty clothes, an inscribed bowl, and blood. Lots of blood. Matiu finds the bowl irresistible, and, despite the crime scene tape, picks it up and has a nasty vision, of the “We cannot stop here this is Lovecraft country” sort. Things get weirder with every encounter- a visit to a dog fighting camp turns into a full on horror fest.

There is a bit of an X-Files vibe, with Penny the rational scientist and Matiu the psychic. The world that the story is set in seems pretty grim, but it is not post-apocalyptic grim. The author uses present tense narration, which I frequently find annoying but he made it flow. My big gripe with the story is that it ends on a bit of a cliff hanger, and I was not aware ahead of time that it was a series. Four stars.

Review based on ARC (advanced review copy received in exchange for an honest review).

I received this book in e-book format. The only e-book specific complaint I had was the font kept on switching back and forth between font-sizes. It was distracting, but not so much that I couldn't enjoy the story.

First, I would not compare this book or its characters with Sherlock... the analysis and personality just do not match. This is a book set in the not-too-distant future (in New Zealand!) about a young (20s?) headstrong girl (Pandora (Penny)) who wants to be a scientist, darnit, even if her wealthy parents think it's a silly career for a girl to have, and her mess-up brother (Matiu) (30s?) who maybe interacts with people or things that aren't there. She is on an assignment from the police (to be a scientific consult) with her brother as her driver (literally... he's essentially her personal taxi, ordered by their parents who own the taxi company) when Matiu has a foreboding flash that causes him to scream and urge his sister to not get involved with the case. Of course she does. Did I mention she's headstrong? Headstrong never heed good advice in modern literature.

Anyway, because she insists on working the case, he insists on helping her. I believe he's supposed to be the "Sherlock" comparison -- grumpy, but notices things that other people miss? Though he's apparently very handsome and charming when he wants to be. He's described such that I sort of picture a slightly buffer, slightly rougher version of Joel McHale.

So there's danger and supernatural and science and police and detective elements. It was enjoyable and I definitely wanted to keep reading to find out what happened next and how it concluded. And I was not necessarily disappointed in the conclusion either. I just found it, overall, a bit unpolished. It reads a bit like a gritty sketch of something more than a novel. And while that sort of works with the type of story, I felt it could use a bit *more* polishing.. maybe not too much, but a little bit more. I do anticipate that this series will settle into itself, though. Since this is the first, there are generally a few kinks to work out. I'd be open to the next ...

THREE AND A HALF of five stars.½

The things I liked about this book were mostly the plot and the setting. I've never read a book set in New Zealand before so that was cool, although I wish the glossary of terms in the back was linked to the text because I was generally too lazy to flip back and figure it out so I just took a lot of things on context clues. Still it was definitely an interesting blend of mystery-thriller, sci-fi, and horror set in a place I don't have much experience with. Although I would personally have liked a little bit more horror and a little less police-procedure, and I also definitely wasn't happy with the cliffhanger ending.

The things I couldn't stand about this book were the characters. I would say I hated both the main characters but it's more like I hated Matiu and that made me hate Penny by extension. Matiu is just a straight-up jerk and while I can generally get behind the 'trouble mysterious sarcastic loner' bit to a certain extent, I just couldn't stand how much of an asshole he was to Penny. Let him be a dick to everyone else but if they're going to be working together the entire time he could at least be nice to one person - her. And while I liked Penny at first, after awhile I couldn't stand her either because she just lets everyone walk all over her constantly and ended up trailing after Matiu the entire book doing what he wanted even though it was supposed to be HER investigation.

This book basically reminds me of a quote by the creator of Gravity Falls when he was asked why he made Mabel the wild out of control twin while Dipper was the uptight one and he said because when it's the other way around it's exactly like every other tired cliched show out there. And that is basically what this is - cool wildcard Matiu being followed around by his horrible naive nagging sister. The setting and general idea were enough for me to give it three stars and that fact that it flowed well as I was reading it, but I don't think I'll be continuing with this series.

It's near-future New Zealand and Egyptian gods of all things are making a comeback. That's the underlying setting of this book, which is mostly about a sister/brother combo investigating the scene of a blood sacrifice (dog) connected to the disappearance of a man.

It's hard to get a grasp on the general state of this world -- it's New Zealand circa 2050, gas shortage has all but eliminated driving as anything but an exotic occupation but there is little interaction with people not directly involved in the plot, giving the world a very empty feel. We know the police are overworked, but the two protagonists go about their job unimpeded by anyone not directly involved in their investigation. And while the sister, Penny, is a scientist by trade and is focused on the rational, her brother, Matiu is a bad seed, possessed from childhood and can accept things Penny refuses to believe. The UBG is something straight out of Lovecraft, and by the end of this story is still at large.

I'd kind of like to know what's next, hopefully I'll get an opportunity before this story has been forgotten.½

Two quick disclaimers to get this review rolling:

1) I received a free ebook copy of this through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers group, and am grateful to the publisher for the copy.

2) I'm a white settler American with almost no knowledge of Māori culture, and one of the authors is Māori, so please take my comments on that aspect of things with a massive grain of salt; my comments make reference to what is an intracommunity issue ultimately, but I wanted to note them for other non-Māori folk reading this book.

SO. This book was a delight--it was a fast read, and I was incredibly sucked into very early on. The dynamic of Penny and Matiu was so lovely, and the mystery itself really got me wanting to know what exactly happened. In the last 20% of the book, I had that panic moment that went "oh my god, there's not much time left!" and I definitely want to read more of this series. The suspense was super great, and the mystery itself felt like it came together over the course of the story, which is something I always enjoy when reading mysteries.

Two small caveats (well, one small and one fairly large haha.): 1) There's this commentary in the middle about autism that comes off as super uncomfortable, like both infantilizing and like over-positive? I have no idea if both authors are neurotypical, but it was just weird and jarring.

2) As a white settler, I have a Thing about not taking other people's worldviews and making them plot mechanics in stories; it makes me uncomfortable. This is troubled obviously by the fact that one of the authors is Māori, but it was something that made me nervous as a white settler and I want to identify it; I would love to hear actual Māori people speak about how they see this book, but my positionality as a reader and consumer of stories was something that was constantly on my mind as I ready this book.

Those being said, I really did enjoy this book and definitely would love to read the next in the series!

I should have loved this book. It has a little of everything I love in it and the plot was unique and interesting. Unfortunately, it just didn't do it for me. I wish I could be more eloquent than that, but that is basically what it boils down to.Third person present tense is the absolute worst (for me). I have such a difficult time connecting with the characters and the multiple POVs just made it worse. Just as I would begin to get used to either Penny or Matiu, it would switch and throw me off.
The beginning was really difficult to get into. I think I picked this book up a dozen times before I decided I wasn't going to get up from my chair until I had read about fifty pages or so. Honestly, it didn't help. Despite the fact that the writing itself was simplistic, I found it really difficult to follow.
As I said before, the plot itself was interesting, but it wasn't enough to save it for me. I found Penny to be obnoxious and I quickly began dreading the change to her POV. I really enjoyed Matiu. He was original and complex.
The writing itself was a little underwhelming and uneven. There were so many times that I'd have to go back a few pages to re-read a section because it seemed as though something important was glossed over and other times that descriptions went on for way too long (like Penny running tests).
All in all, it wasn't a bad book, it just wasn't for me.

I found this book to be rather frustrating. It takes place in the near future, and yet the young woman who is one of the protagonists reacts like and is treated like it's still the 1940s. A woman who wants to do science? How dare she? Her relationship with her brother was unnecessarily antagonistic in a way that didn't feel genuine to me. Those two things kept intruding on my enjoyment of reading this book, which I could have otherwise liked quite a bit. Give me dark murder mysteries with tentacled monsters and non-Western mythologies any day! Just ... maybe update your portrayal of gender roles and biases if you're setting it in the future. Set it in the past if you really want the sexism.

I received a free copy of this book via LibraryThing.

What I enjoyed
The skill of the writers. Robarts and Murray clearly have what it takes. The writing flows – well enough to nearly make me forget for moments at a time that it was written in the present tense. There are little flashes of lyrical/purple phrasing, but not enough to be annoying. Just enough to give the writing a unique texture.

Matiu. Matiu is a Man With A Past, and also a Man With A Gift. He has some kind of paranormal talent passed down from his mother, which is inconvenient or dangerous more often than not, and an imaginary friend who may not be imaginary. I liked his voice, his sense of humour, and his willingness to break the rules – legal or social.

What I did not enjoy
Present tense narration. I loathe present tense narration. I realise it’s very trendy and ‘in’ at the moment, but I find it distracting, like fingernails scraping across a blackboard. If I’d known that this book was written in the present tense, I would never have requested a copy – as it is, I nearly gave up early on. I’m reasonably glad I soldiered on, as there was enough about this book that I quite liked to nearly make up for the present tense.

Penny. Going by the blurb, I expected this to be about a scientist who discovers that there’s more to the world than science, and then has to deal with that – while still keeping her employers happy. In fact, it’s about Matiu, who has to solve the case while dealing with a whiny, snippy, blinkered scientist. I wonder if the decision to write the blurb as if Penny is the main character was a publisher’s decision, given the current fashion for ‘strong female leads’? Penny is not a strong female lead. She definitely plays second fiddle to Matiu, and Matiu is the one doing most of the investigating. Penny is essentially dead weight. The story wouldn’t have changed all that much if she had been eliminated completely, except that she provides a reason for Matiu to be. Maybe that will change in later books, and she’ll do less complaining and more investigating.

What I think could have been better
The mystery/investigation. Again, it might be because this is the first book in a series, but it felt more like half a book. Much is left unexplained and/or uninvestigated. Just enough is done to sort out the police investigation, but what really happened is just passed off with a few comments and assumptions. It’s disappointing to read about characters who seem to be willing to just walk away with a job half done. Or maybe that’s just me.

Editing. Just little things, like the way Penny talks about cancer – she talks like a layman, not like a scientist. And at other times, she went off into needless technical explanations that just didn’t seem realistic – they were obviously aimed at the reader, not the other characters. And the firearm that switched back and forth between being a rifle and being a shotgun, sometimes within the same chapter.

Conclusion
I’m giving this three stars because this is supposed to be a personal review from me, and I can’t stand present tense narration and I wanted to smack Penny. Plus, the job isn’t finished until the paperwork is done and the tools are put away. You don’t just say ‘good enough’ and walk away as soon as you’ve concocted a tale that will satisfy your boss.

On the other hand, if you don’t mind present tense narration, I can see that this would be a four or five star book – I contemplated four stars myself. The setting is interesting, there are some very good ideas, and I think Matiu is a great character.

Will I read any more books in this series? On balance, probably not. Although there was much I liked, for me there wasn’t quite enough to outweigh the negatives.

This was a great introduction into a new series focusing on the siblings Pandora "Penny" Yee and her brother Matiu. Where Penny is the no-nonsense scientist who only believes in facts and following the rules, her brother can see things other people can't and more often than not trusts his gut feeling.... The unlike duo is plunged headfirst into a mysterious case when Penny is called to a crime scene where a room was found closed and drenched in blood, but without a body. Penny's parents assigned Matiu the job of driving Penny around while at the same time keeping and eye on her. Following his instincts, he leads her to a place he knows from his criminal past - and unleashes an evil both of them are totally unprepared for.

The opposing characters of Penny and Matiu reminded me a bit of Scully and Mulder, and I loved the constant teasing going around between them. The unusual setting in a bleak near-future New Zealand added to the dark atmosphere. Also, it was interesting to learn several New Zealand and Maori phrases, thanks to the glossary thoughtfully added at the end of the book.

A very promising debut in a series we hopefully will be able to read more of soon.

(Thanks to LibraryThing, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own)

Hounds of the Underworld, by Dan Rabarts and Lee Murray, starts at a crime scene although one at which the expected body is strangely absent. It is set in New Zealand of the 2040s, although the characteristics of this imagined time and place are allowed to seep in by immersion rather than being clumsily narrated. As well as having two authors, the book has two protagonists, Penny (or Pandora) and her adoptive brother Matiu. Although Matiu, with a troubled past and working as a driver including ferrying Penny around, is the first point of focus, it is Penny, a brilliant but rather insecure freelance forensic scientist, who seems to be the primary character of the story. And yet, as events unfold and paranormal events occur, it seems a lot is going to hinge on Matiu.

I found the story gripping to read. Investigation, action, sci-fi and a dash of unspeakable horrors! My only complaint is that, although the mystery of the first scene is at least partly explained by the end, it is clearly only the first part of a larger piece. To be fair, the same could be said of The Lord of the Rings but I'm going to have to wait impatiently to find out where things go in The Path of Ra Book 2.

All I can say, is I’m ready to read part two
Full Disclosure: I received a free copy through the early reader program at LibraryThing
This fantasy/mistery novel grabbed me immediately, and I ate it up in a few days. At first I wasn’t too crazy about the notion of two narrators intertwining, but the narrative device grew on me, particularly because of the distinct difference in tone between Penny and Matiu.
I loved the genre mix: a bit of police whodunit, a bit of procedural, a bit of cyberpunk, and an unexpected armload of Cthulu Mythos. In a way, it read to me as a young adult novel, not exceedingly gory, and with a lot of emphasis on the relationship between these siblings.
It was fun, fast and fluid. Appealing both to my geeky side with the science bits, and also the dreamer, with its arching call back to stories of the great Lovecraftian unknown. The setting in New Zealand was, for me, fun and exotic, since I have hardly read genre fiction that transpires there.

I read this book shortly after returning from a visit to New Zealand, so it was fun to read about places I'd just visited. This is an interesting story and I'm looking forward to the next installment. My only issue with it was the language. It didn't seem necessary to the story and it's not my favorite element.

I loved this book. Set in New Zealand at a time somewhere in the future, it begins with a crime scene.

Penny (AKA Pandora) is a forensic scientist and has just started her own CSI lab. This particular crime scene is the first case she’s called in on. Chauffeured there by her brother, Matiu, she arrives to find a warehouse, the door of which was locked from the inside. The walls are painted black, and, sitting on the floor, in the middle, is a carved bowl containing what looks like blood. What is conspicuously missing is the person who locked the door or the body of that person. Is this a murder scene? A suicide? Or, possibly, could it be the site of some sort of ritual sacrifice? We must read on to find out.

While Penny speaks with the officer in charge, Matiu, who ‘sees things in the shadows,’ is strangely drawn to the bowl and, despite the fact that the area is cordoned off, steps inside and picks it up, spilling its contents. Matiu, we later find out, has other issues. An ex-con, he has what Penny believes is an imaginary friend, Makere. But is Makere a friend and wholly imaginary? Again, we must read on to find out.

This novel is a fast-paced page-turner. The two main characters, Penny and Matiu, are beautifully drawn, complex, and, through their interactions with each other, the reader can sense a strong bond between them. I was fully invested in both of their fates as well as the outcome of the story.

Highly recommended for those who love mystery tinged with the paranormal. I look forward, with great anticipation, to the reading the second book in the series.

I acquired this in a LibraryThing Early Reviewers giveaway. "Hounds of the Underworld" (The Path of Ra Book 1) by Dan Rabarts. A paranormal mystery set in near-future slightly dystopic New Zealand. It centers on 2 main characters: a sister, Penny (Pandora) who is a steadfast scientist with some naivety, and her brother Matiu, who is has a version of clairvoyance (see/feel unseen world) and a criminal background. They often clash in their interpretations on how to do things as they both get involved in her job as a crime scene analyst... Ok, I just finished the ebook. It lagged at times as it set the foundation for the "otherworld" scenarios. Be warned that this is the beginning of a series; there is an ending to this immediate storyline, but the story continues! The climax ending became a bit intense (I was enthralled!) but the final ending became a setup for the next book. It left me wanting something else (which is good for the series, but bad for my patience!) To be honest, it is not the best book I have ever read. The reading level is basic enough that late teens can read with ease. The storyline cobbles together several concepts that I recognized but the "native' vocabulary (glossary in the back for the tourists) adds a special flavor to whole thing making it all into a unique concept. A solid read!

I enjoyed this book.

Set in futuristic Auckland, Matiu and Penny were raised as siblings and are complete opposites. Matiu is otherworldly and his sister's chauffeur. Penny, on the other hand, is a practical lab tech hired by Auckland police to assist with their caseload. When Matiu mettles in Penny's case things go from strange to scary.

Characters and their relationships are well developed and well written. I loved the family dynamics, especially the banter between brother and sister. The whole dog thing tugs at the heart strings; the staffie was my hero. The drawback, though, the ending. I would've liked a bit more drama, hah. Won't stop me from reading the next installment.½

I liked this book. It was a horror/mystery story.

Penny and Matui are working with the police to help solve some crimes. I loved the relationship between the siblings and I really liked the mystery. Looking forward to the next installment

Hounds of the Underworld (Path of Ra Book 1) by Dan Rabarts and Lee Murray

Fantasy/horror/crime novel based in near future Auckland. Penny owns a lab and has just been hired by the police. Her brother, Matiu, serves as her driver at the insistence of their overprotective and controlling parents. Soon the duo move from simply analyzing the evidence to investigating the crime and so much more. And things quickly move from strange to horrifying.

I enjoyed this novel and found the mystery at the heart of the story to be engaging. The world and characters were well rounded and detailed, the pace moved at a good clip, and there was a nice brother/sister dynamic in Penny and Matiu.

Two negative comments I will add: The choice to switch between characters and tell the story in present tense I found off-putting. I frequently found myself jolted out of the story by the switching or by certain odd linguistic gymnastics these choices seemed to demand. I also disliked the ending to the story. I realize that this is the beginning of a series. However, I feel that there were other, kinder ways the authors could have left the readers.

Overall, I liked this book and will look for the second in the series when it is published.

I received a free copy of this book for an honest review.

A real world/mythology crossover crime novel. Enjoyed interplay between brother and sister who represent alternate realities. The sister a practical scientist. The brother who sees into the other world.