Book 1, Immortal: The Immortal Series

Very well written with humor and intelligence. The author creates engaging and solid characters, who drive the plot. A great and entertaining read. I look forward to more from this author and character.

This is quite the book. Current, past, unknown. It is an easy read. Kept me on the edge of my seat. I had to go back many pages to see what I'd left behind each day. Once caught up, phone calls etc were left behind. Perhaps the best unknown writer out there.

Adam, if you're out there, you and Clara stop by please.

Couldn't keep reading...sorry I even started. The story constantly jumps from one place to another, seemingly without reason. The protagonist (his name changes a lot), is sometimes in the present, sometimes in the past and sometimes in an experimental lab/prison (which is written in italics). Sadly, not one of those places is the least bit interesting. Did not care about the character or his story. Actually dreaded picking up the Kindle, which is always a good sign to move on.

Couldn't keep reading...sorry I even started. The story constantly jumps from one place to another, seemingly without reason. The protagonist (his name changes a lot), is sometimes in the present, sometimes in the past and sometimes in an experimental lab/prison (which is written in italics). Sadly, not one of those places is the least bit interesting. Did not care about the character or his story. Actually dreaded picking up the Kindle, which is always a good sign to move on.

Warning: This is an adult book for violence, sex, and adult humor.

I am a sucker for funny books, so I when I read the summary I was sold. I mean, a funny immortal guy? I’m there.

There’s also more to the world than just one immortal guy, there’s vampires, iffrits, demons and all sorts of other things, which was cool.

I’m still not sure if I like the main character or not. He’s definitely an antihero; killing when necessary, and not always saving people, though he does feel bad about it later. He’s also a drunk. (He was drunk for like 90% of this book.)

The good:

I liked that for once there was an immortal who liked being immortal, even if he is a bit cynical about everything. He doesn’t want to die, and he’s a unique immortal, because he’s pretty sure that things that would kill a normal person would kill him too, he just doesn’t age or get sick.

There’s an info dump at the beginning telling about his life, but I didn’t mind it at all, because it was well done and witty. I loved his ability to blend into with whatever culture he’s around, his skin tone and hair changing. I wish this had been used more, it was a unique little twist.

He makes many observations about humans that really added to the story and made me believe the whole immortal thing. Like he comments that there are only so many faces out there, so it’s weird running into someone you used to know.

I actually liked the flash backs better than the main story. I understand the need for flashbacks with an immortal character living a long life, but the flash forwards (thankfully done in italics) complicated things a bit too much. Once it stays in one time the pace really picked up and it was a more enjoyable read.

The Bad:

I didn’t like the Iffrit Jerry, I thought he was crude. Fortunately he isn’t in the book much.

Towards the middle of the book it gets into the whole sex thing.

Adam’s done some horrible things in his life, (He always defends himself in parentheses saying it was what everyone at the time did.) but some of those things are pretty unforgiveable.

For instance when talking about his early life (cave man type days) he said: “We won the fight and rewarded ourselves by raping several of their women. It’s what one did. Don’t ask me to feel bad about it if you weren’t there.” This wasn’t funny and was completely unnecessary.

Verdict: Immortal is hard book to rate, because I liked most of it and it’s certainly an amusing book, with some interesting details, but there were aspects that I really didn’t like.

Odd fact: I was watching that new show Forever (which is very good by the way) and at the end of the second episode (Forever spoiler alert) the bad guy says something which totally made me think of this book.

“You want to call me something, call me Adam, feels like I’ve been here right from the beginning.“ – Adam, Forever

“I like to brag that I’ve been there from the beginning, and while this may very well be true, I generally just say it to pick up girls.” -Adam, The Immortal

Point of View: First (Adam)

Predictability: 4 out of 5 (Where 1 is George RR Martin (If the characters make a plan or think about the future I know it isn’t going to go that way.) And 5 is Cinder (where I guessed what was going to happen long before it did, but it was still a great book.)

Comedy Scale: 2 amusing, but I didn’t laugh aloud.

My Rating: 5/10 Stars

[Full disclosure: I requested and received a free ebook through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

What I’ve always wondered at is if there really are immortals, how will they live in today’s society where you need an ID to do almost anything? At what point do mortals discover their existence? Well, Gene Doucette certainly deals with that in Immortal.

Adam is probably one of my favourite characters I’ve read about in a long time. Sure he’s a drunken lecher of the first degree, but after sixty thousand years, wouldn’t you be too? He’s clever and street smart, which has kept him alive over the millennia and yet he still holds onto the romantic idea that he’s not the only immortal, that the redheaded beauty he keeps seeing will one day reveal herself to him. If they all don’t get captured by scientists to be poked and prodded and exploited first. I love The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and I have to say that quite honestly, Immortal does have the feel of the classic as Adam tries to sober up to run away from his many would-be captors. I don’t compare classics like Douglas Adams’ book to contemporary works very easily, so you can be certain that I really do enjoy and recommend Immortal.

Even though not all that much is revealed about the origins of Adam’s immortality, I can still say that the world-building in this book was excellent. Why? Because there are very good reasons for his immortality being shrouded in mystery: humans were quite primitive at the time and he himself says that he wasn’t engaging in the kind of complex thought that is present today. “Fire good, ice bad”, indeed. We see flashbacks of his travels across the centuries, sometimes drunken and sometimes not as he encountered everything from demons to famous gangsters. He’s certainly had a pretty cool life, but not in the “I’m immortal so I’ve met every famous figure ever” way. No, sometimes he lived a pretty ordinary life and sometimes not, which makes his current political savvy believable as well as his street smarts.

As for the plot, it was surprisingly fast-paced when you consider that there were occasional interludes into the past. Normally those slow the plot down unbearably, but not so in this case because Gene Doucette is a good writer. I wanted to know more about Adam’s fascinating background not only because it was fascinating but because it was also relevant to where he is today: being hunted so that scientists can figure out how to recreate the conditions for his immortality. Adam’s not too keen on being poked, prodded and possibly dissected so things get very, very interesting toward the end of the novel. Particularly when we see our red-headed friend again.

So all in all, Immortal was a very enjoyable read and I would definitely recommend it to others. Adam is a very memorable character and the world-building is so well done that even with the little knowledge you’re given, you remain fairly satisfied that you know most everything that is relevant to the story itself. Of course I can’t wait to see that expanded in the next book, Hellenic Immortal. I’ll definitely be watching and waiting to read the rest of Adam’s story.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

I really enjoyed this book and the ensuing volumes in this series. The writing style is incredibly fun, and the characters are relatable and enjoyable. I especially enjoyed the history sections, because of the snark and the obvious research that went into it.

Fan of Jim Butcher or Tanya Huff will enjoy these, despite them being very different in terms of how they bring the story into being.

In a world with no magic, how does a man survive ~60,000 years? The science here is great, well-read and just an interesting point to ponder. I am recommending these books to all my history-nut buddies. :)

What would you do if you were functionally immortal and immune to all disease and infection? (But not to sticks and stones and bullets.) The protagonist of Gene Doucette's "Immortal" does the most logical thing: he becomes a raging alcoholic who drinks his way through thousands of years of human history while trying to stay out of trouble.

Unfortunately, with great lifespan comes great eloquence: our hero is a blabbermouth and as a result, everyone and their dog knows that there's an immortal guy wandering the world. In today's modern world, where everything is interconnected and bad guys stay in touch, that could be a problem...

The novel's narrative starts out in a prison/laboratory, with our unlucky hero looking back at the events that led to his predicament, with occasional flashbacks to his adventures (or misadventures, rather) centuries ago. Vampires, demons, pixies and dragons are real (but magic is not), and Adam (as he currently calls himself) had plenty of run-ins with them over the ages.

If you enjoyed the TV show Highlander but liked Methos more than Duncan MacLeod, you just might enjoy this book: the main character is wily, clever, snarky, provides a lot of hilarious and contrarian opinions on historical events, and firmly believes that discretion is the better part of valor.

I couldn't put this book down once I started reading it and I can't recommend it highly enough. :)

(The book was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

I absolutely *loved* the MC's 'voice' in this book - sarcastic, witty and indolent, he's the perfect anti-hero.
About half-way through, I found myself worrying whether the ending would match up to the story so far - but it did, in spades! :-)
And it was only at about 80% that I realised that the book is written in first-person, normally not my favourite, but this story has made me realise that it's only because other first-person books aren't as written by such good storytellers that I didn't like them. It's perfect for Adam's story.

If you like well-written, witty urban fantasy with a dash of non-sparkly vampires, history and mystery, give this a try. It's one of the best books I've read this year.
I hope book 2 is just as good!

"Immortal" is a Sci-Fi/Fantasy adventure with a sense of humor. I was drawn into the story immediately by the author's sense of historical irony, the moral yet flawed main character, and the fact that anything - literally - could happen next. That's not to say that "Immortal" is chaotic. The story is very well structured, written with a distinct voice by the author, Gene Doucette. It's an easy read about a man who lives forever, yet whose existence is continually threatened by the many different types of creatures he encounters.

"Immortal" is relatively light fare in the world of mixed-genre imagination - which works for me - after reading any number of thousand-paged tomes. That is, the author does not belabor unnecessary details. Yes, I like "Dune" too, but sometimes one just doesn't want to slog through pages and pages of heavy description to envision a believable "other" world. The fun of "Immortal" is that Doucette makes it sound as if Adam, the Immortal, could be a friend of any one of us who might decide to go along for the ride.

Doucette is a first-time novel writer, but makes quick work of creating a good story and teasing us with snippets of other possible tales to come. I did appreciate that Doucette's vampires did not spend all their time chasing each other through the forest in the throes of young love. I highly recommend getting Immortal now to read and enjoy through the cold winter nights.

I anxiously await more from this author!

Mary DeBerry, Associated Content-Yahoo!

This is a very personal first person POV story about Adam. Adam is a fairly normal guy albeit more self aware and honest about himself. He is a professed alcoholic with serious intimacy issues. He avoids thinking about or confronting everything, preferring to lose himself in a glass of beer. Adam is the type of guy who makes a good acquaintance, but a bad friend.

I found the humour to be dry and subtle. There were quite a few chuckle-worthy moments, and even more smile-worthy ones.

The ending left quite a bit open, and yet managed to end the story. There are several unanswered questions about Eve, and obviously some adventures still to come.

Overall, this was a good humour book that still focused on a story. The book was really about Adam, but there was still a complete plot to it, so I can't say it was really a character study book. It had a bit of everything, but was stirred well and read smoothly.

I went into this book not knowing what to expect. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised I took the chance. Doucette has a flair for writing and his character, Adam has some excellent moments. As an immortal that is not invincible, we see that Adam has to rely on his wits and skills acquired over thousands of years. Its good to see a character that can resolve the problems without having to resort to extra abilities. There is no problem he cant see his way through provided there is always some form of alcohol in future- read the book and you will get this.

This book was a nice change of pace for me, and I don't think it actually fits into any one genre. The closest would probably be urban paranormal. If you want to read an excellent story, tight writing, fast paced action and moments so humorous they will actually have you laughing out loud, then this is the book for you.

This book, "Immortal" was one of the best fantasy/non-fantasy novels I have read to date. From the very beginning I was pulled into the story and could not let it go.
"Adam," one of the Immortal's many aliases, was a super amazing character that had me on the edge of my seat as I followed along through the stories of his centuries old life. In the midst of his past experiences was a fantastic present-day tale of survival and rescue that seemed too real to not believe. Adding the constant presence of several fantasy characters, including Pixies, Vampires, Demons, & Iffrits (?), was as exciting as Adam's personal review of the world history. Over all, this is a definite good read and I recommend it to all readers. The best news is that there is another book on the "Immortal" coming soon.

These are excellent books. The plots are tightly structured and fast passed; the language intelligent, spare, funny, and often poetic (with the one pitfall of the lamentable use of "snuck" Sneak is a regular verb. It's like saying "brung"), characters funny, intriguing, human; the ideas behind it all thought provoking. Read all his books. They are worth it! Now go and read Foreshadow: Book One of the Saga of the Dragon Born...(:

A delightfully witty and fresh take on magical creatures like vampires and fairies.
Loved the lead character who lives the ultimate male fantasy of drinking beer and alcohol and chilling all day until his life suddenly becomes complicated with people after him.
Can't wait to get my hands on book 2!

Me give a book five stars? Yup. Best immortal story ever. Take that Lazarus Long! Read this one and jumped immediately into the second book which was even better. Now waiting with great anticipation for number 3. Don't stop Mr. Doucette, please!

Immortal should come with the following warning sticker, prominently placed:

DO NOT READ THIS BOOK ON THE SUBWAY - unless you have the time and patience to deal with missing your stop. Repeatedly.

I stumbled upon the paperback version of this story, passed on by friend-of-a-friend, and became totally engaged. Doucette deftly builds the plot tension, and his first-person voice is engaging and believable. The ending suggests a sequel, though, which I hope Doucette will deliver on.

Besides an engaging immortal main character, his experiences through history were fascinating and informative. The story was told in a zigzag jumping around time, but it was easy to follow. Btw, I lost a lot of sleep because i couldn't put the book down.

Adam an immortal man chased by evil people trying to gain the secret of his immortality is kind of formula, but works very well here. The fun part is Adam’s discussions about the past with the reader. Interesting take on history. However, the idea of a sixty thousand year old man who can be killed pushes the boundaries of believability. Still a fun ride.