A Song of Three Spirits By J. Zachary Pike – An Audio Book Review

Blurb:

When life gave Fenrir Goldson a second chance, he asked for a gift receipt. 

Mr. Goldson is filthy rich. He’s also callous and cruel and hasn’t got a festive bone in his ancient body. Naturally, he’s due for a holiday haunting. 

When his business partner, Bolbi Baggs, announces that they’re to be visited by three spirits, Mr. Goldson braces himself for a whirlwind tour of his past, present, and future. 

Typically, a trio of time-traveling ghosts heralds a heartwarming tale of hope and redemption for the human race. Mr. Goldson, however, isn’t a member of the human race. He’s a Dwarf, and Mr. Baggs is a Halfling, and the adventure that’s about to take them across the enchanted world of Arth is anything but typical. 

Holiday magic and economic realities collide in A Song of Three Spirits. It’s A Christmas Carol for the 21st century, with a dash of high fantasy. 

Author: J. Zachary Pike

Narrator: Doug Tisdale Jr.

Running Time: 2 hrs 33 mins

Audio Release Date: 26/08/2019

Publisher: Self-Published

Genre: Comedy/Fantasy

My Rating of ‘A Song of Three Spirits’: 4 out of 5

Purchase: Audible UK, Audible US, Amazon UK, Amazon US

Review:

This is a fun satire of the Charles Dickens classic ‘A Christmas Carol’ … just with the economical twist that the Dark Profit saga is famed for. And yes, I am aware that I am posting a review for a satire Christmas story on Halloween … I do have a horror review going live on November 2nd, so that makes up for it kind of.

This short features two of the characters from the Dark Profit saga who, despite being quite central to the series take somewhat of a backseat overall. Fenrir Goldson and Bolbi Baggs, a dwarf and halfing business duo who run the most successful banking house (Goldson and Baggs) in all of Arth

It’s a fun little romp through an old classic with bag(g)s of humour thrown in. So far I have enjoyed everything I’ve read/listened to from the universe of the Dark Profit saga and look forward to more going forward.

I also like the fact that, just by knowing what happens in a Christmas Carol you can’t be overly certain that the same will play out in this due to the nature of the two main characters … they actually make Scrooge seem like a decent chap.

All good things aside, I did kind of feel a tad flat at the ending but it was only a minor downside for me. Still a very enjoyable read/listen.

This can be enjoyed as a stand alone but, in my opinion, you’d be mad not to try to the novels (Orconomics and Son of a Liche). I listened to the audio version of this and, as ever, Doug Tisdale Junior’s narration was perfect. This man was born to narrate the goings on in Arth.