Necromancer in Chief

I’ll admit, I side-eyed the premise at first—a necromancer scientist in Manhattan? How many times can we rehash that setup? But *Necromancer in Chief* disarms you in the first 10 minutes. Magnus isn’t a brooding antihero; he’s a man so deeply *over* magic that his reaction to a zombie folksinger showing up is less ‘holy terror’ and more ‘*not this shit again*.’ Lash’s writing thrives in these quiet beats, where the humor isn’t in the spectacle but in the way characters sigh through supernatural crises like they’re late for a dentist appointment. Stroot’s narration sells it. She nails the book’s tonal whiplash—one moment she’s delivering a deadpan lecture on necromantic ethics, the next she’s voicing a ghost with the weary enthusiasm of a barista on their third double shift. My only critique? The plot’s midpoint sags slightly when the story pivots to political intrigue; the bureaucratic satire is clever, but it lacks the bite of the earlier character-driven chaos. And while Stroot’s male voices are serviceable, her Magnus occasionally slips into ‘generic nerd’ territory when the writing calls for more nuance. Still, the audiobook’s charm lies in its refusal to take itself too seriously, even when dissecting themes like mortality and legacy. It’s the kind of listen that’ll make you laugh, then pause mid-chuckle to wonder why you’re rooting for a man who’s *this* bad at his job.