Despite growing in power as a wizard, Kazamir Wolfe still finds himself unable to do much to stop the impending convergence of our world with the netherworld. He does know that it will be apocalyptic if the gods of the netherworld make their way to Earth, so he must ensure that doesn't happen. His ability to see the flow of magic shows him that magic is growing throughout Europe and he can even see multiple anchor points where he expects portals will open when the time comes. However, all of his efforts to destroy those anchors have proven to be a waste of time. Frustrated and desperate, he convinces his eclectic team of misfits that the best course of action is to tackle the problem from the other side. That means it is time for a road trip into the netherworld itself. What could possibly go wrong?

Stopping a convergence from happening is priority number one, but the band of misfits trying to prevent the nether gods from invading our world isn't exactly the A team. A noob wizard who can barely control the magic he attempts to use, and usually winds up blind after he does anything, a talking dog, a cat from the nether, an untrustworthy djinn, and two knights from the past are partnered up with two operatives from the present in order to get the job done. Unfortunately they are up against an ancient organization with more resources and firepower, so they are going to need some assistance. If you think that the next member of the team is going to be an elite soldier capable of turning the tide of battle, think again, because it turns out to be a vacuum cleaner infested by a demon. The only reason that the djinn was able to summon a demon into our world in the first place is because the barrier between our world and the nether appears to be weakening. With time running out, Kazimir finally convinces everyone that it's time to go on the offensive.

Kazimir Wolfe remains on the run from both the law and an ancient order trying to kill him, but staying hidden is becoming harder and harder as his group of traveling companions continues to grow. It started with Duke the talking golden retriever, who's mind is inhabited by an ancient wizard, and then added on two knights that were sent forward through time to protect him. Then a wise cracking djinn was added, who does nothing but insult Kaz all the time for being stupid, and finally the grumpy 30 pound cat from the Nether, known as Mr Boots. As stated in book one, this urban fantasy doesn't take itself too seriously, and now that The Order has successfully opened a portal to the Nether, Kaz and his group of misfits must figure out how to close it. And then, of course, deal with the creatures that came through before the entire world realizes that magic is real. The dragon might have something to say about that though.

Kazimir Wolfe has been on the run since he was a teenager. It started the night that unknown assailants killed his aunt while he was out, and he has been on the run from those killers ever since. Those killers were looking for him that night, and from then on law enforcement has been as well, since they think he was the one who killed his aunt. Why did an unknown organization want to kill him as a teenager? Because he is wizard. And as far as Kaz knows, he is the only wizard in our modern times. And unfortunately, he isn't a very good one. I mean, there aren't any other wizards around to teach him, and It doesn't help that there isn't a lot of magic available in our world to work with. But there used to be, and now it is coming back. You would think that was a good thing for Kazimir, but not exactly. Magic seems to be building up for a "Convergence" between our realm and the Nether world, and only a wizard can stop it.

Ascendant gives off strong YA vibes right from the start, as it focuses on two young characters destined to change the world around them. Koren, a young peasant boy that could be the most powerful wizard the kingdom of Tarador has ever seen, and Crown Princess Ariana, who will become queen of Tarador on her 16th birthday. Unless, of course, the acting Regent allows the kingdom to be conquered before then. So when Ariana is ambushed by the enemy, it just happens to be Koren who saves her, thus setting up the inevitable desire for a romantic relationship that can never be. This also allows Koren's unknown wizard powers to be discovered by the court wizard and he is instantly pegged to be the savior the kingdom needs. But before that can happen, the adults in power need to screw everything up so the kids can save the day, and that can take a while.

If you are considering picking up book 3 of the Expeditionary Force series then you already know what to expect as the formula doesn't change at all. Facing an impossible situation Colonel Joe will come up with a clever idea that somehow eluded Skippy's vast intellect and then the crew of the Flying Dutchman will execute the plan, which in turn will lead to the next impossible situation. (Lather. Rinse. Repeat.) Of course the entire sequence of events is always laden with the typical banter between Skippy and Joe so the only real hope of this book being something unique is the progression of the larger story arc. Is that enough to make it worthy of your time?

If you enjoyed book one of the Expeditionary Force series and wanted more of the same kind of humor then Craig Alanson has you covered here; however, if you were starting to get tired of hearing "stupid monkey" insults being hurled at the human crew of the Flying Dutchman, then you should definitely steer clear of this one. The story heads back into space when Joe Bishop and an elite crew of special forces and scientists attempt to help Skippy find the Elders who created him. A mission that must be carried out in secrecy because if anyone figures out that humanity has a ship capable of traveling through wormholes then Earth will become a target once again. But there is no need to worry because nothing will go wrong with Joe Bishop and Skippy working together to lead the mission, right? lol

I have a pretty poor track record when it comes to humorous Sci-Fi books. It is not uncommon for me to get my hopes up by reading reviews that claim a book is hilarious only to be disappointed when I discover that the humor just doesn't resonate with me. In fact, I have been disappointed enough times that I usually steer clear of this sub genre, so I am glad that I took a chance on this one.  Perhaps my past experiences kept my expectations low, but this book managed to not only keep me interested but it also had me laughing out loud at times.  Kudos to Craig Alanson for finding a nice balance between serious sci-fi topics and irreverent humor that kept me interested for more than just the laughs.