Homecoming (Montague \u0026 Strong, #5) by Orlando A. Sanchez

Homecoming (Montague \u0026 Strong, #5) Reviews

• 
  Deborah

  3.75*
  
  I am truly addicted to this series. And Peaches is by far my favourite character. I just can’t get enough.
  
  That said it’s straight onto Dragons & Demigods now.
• 
  Cyrene Olson

  Death, destruction – two words that seem to follow Tristan and Simon around everywhere they go. The fifth book in this series, where some series are starting to lose a bit of steam, this series seems to be just ramping up. And it’s a fun ride, with some great characters, fun banter and great action sequences, you won’t put this series down for long. We learn more in each book about the backgrounds that made Simon and Monty who they are.
  
  This time out, Tristan’s father is a prisoner of a crazed Mage and to free him, and he’ll need all his wits about him to survive. Along with Simon, Peaches and some fun characters, they will work to get to Tristan’s dad before it’s too late – along with fun banter and great action. If you are an urban fantasy lover, you can’t go wrong with this series, but start at the beginning – it’s well worth it. Reviewed by Cyrene
• 
  Kimbra Swain

  This is the best M&S installment yet. I felt like the momentum carried throughout the book and getting to know more about Monty and his family was great. I love the curmudgeon mage. It was exciting as the hits kept coming. I can't wait until the next book! Love it, Mr. Sanchez!
• 
  Larry Tushman

  Outstanding! My favorite installment so far. Monty and Strong ratchet up the everything to deliver nonstop enjoyment that all buddy cop movies would envy. Had the feel of a supernatural Lethal Weapon 2. Even the supporting characters (and a certain hellhound) contribute heavily to the hilarity, action, and unintentional causality. So much fun.
• 
  Jamie Crain

  Thoroughly hooked into this world
  
  I started reading this series about a week ago. Here I am at the end of book 5 with four of the short stories under my belt as well in less than seven days.
  I am loving all the nerdy references throughout the books. The characters have me hooked and I can't wait to see what's happening next. The relationships in these books are rich and fun.
• 
  Emmalynn

  Peaches is just the best! Another fun adventure with Strong and Montague this time to save Monty and his father at the sanctuary.
• 
  Noah Sturdevant

  Plus sized Peaches!
  
  Monty and Simon are on a mission. That’s usually true, but this one is special. No spoilers, but expect a good time. Does that count as a spoiler?
• 
  Shawnie Nicole

  Whenever I start a new Montague and Strong novel, I always go in knowing it will most definitely be better than the last book. Homecoming was no exception. When the book began, I was a bit confused due to all the talk of Hades and Kokutan no Ken, because I knew this book was about going home. But then I mentally shrugged and let it go because Sanchez will tell me that story when he is ready, and it will be magnificent.
  
  When one is reading a M&S story you must understand that there is never a dull moment in these books. Even the dialogue scenes are pack with unexpectedness and intrigue, you never know what Simon is going to say. Hell! You never know what PEACHES is going to say, although it will most certainly be something pertaining to meat, because “meat is life.” (LoL) Sanchez packs his books with so much action, funny bit, sarcasm and sheer awesomeness that you don’t have time to get bored. There is no room to nitpick about anything because you’re too caught up in the story, trying to figure out how Monty and Simon are going to get themselves out of the situations they manage to get into. They always manage to destroy something, it never fails and its never one thing, several things always end up blown up.
  
  Monty and Simons relationship is as strong as ever, stronger I think now that Simon has to step up and be what Nana made him, Monty’s Shield bearer. Family is not just a word throw around loosely between these two and the people they hold dear. No, it means EVERYTHING, it is EVERYTHING for them. Although, Monty forgets sometimes, Simon always reminds him in some way. With every problem they face, they go in with the knowledge that they will no leave without the other or if they must leave one, they will come back to get whoever was left or taking. No questions, no arguments. There is always a sense that they have hit a point where they know they are attracting bigger issues and they acknowledge that by going in ready to die, even though they don’t necessary want to die. You can tell this from the way Simon always ignores the little voice in his head that tells him to run and how Monty, while he questions Simon’s intellect is always right there with him, he even has the nerve to tell Simon to leave him sometimes. Funny guy. Family. They ride together, they die together. Montague and Strong for life. (LoL – I’m serious though.)
  
  With Homecoming we get to meet new and interesting characters like the Ice Mages. Well one ice mage and that was a ball of fun, I get the feeling Sanchez will explore the consequences of that little trip in later books (hopefully.) I must admit though TK was my absolute favorite character to meet, LD wasn’t far behind for my love but there was something about TK’s deadliness that was fascinating, and I loved how she was self-aware, she knew her weakness and her strength. She understood herself. We got to also got a small (not nearly enough) peek into TK and LD’s relationship, they were like Goku and Vegeta when they are in fusion, but you know they aren’t fused. They just work like they are one. We also get to meet a man that we have had referenced so much in previous stories but have never met, until now and oh, that was fun and mind numbing. I know everyone is going to love him when they read the book.
  
  Well… time to cut this off… Homecoming was everything I didn’t know I wanted this book to be. I’m was so upset when it ended that I kept trying to scroll even though I knew it was over because it said “The End”… So sad… I will definitely be reading this one multiple times and loving it each time.
• 
  Steven

  Looks like I'll have to be the dissenting opinion here.
  
  So I've said it before but I think it bares repeating. An author's good books highlight their best while an author's bad books highlight their worst and I think I have found Orlando Sanchez's worst. If Tombyards and Butterflies is the metaphorical equivalent of starting with Under Siege in a Steven Seagal marathon, Homecoming is where you've gone onto the Straight-to-DVD collection and are watching Belly of the Beast.
  
  The plotline of Homecoming at its core is simplistic; Monty and Simon are on their way to the Mage's Enclave to rescue Monty's father Connor and defeat the new lord of the Enclave Oliver. Along the way they get into a few needless side-quests, encounter some supremely boring NPCs and ultimately little of consequence is resolved and little of interest is generated.
  
  Independent publications have a myriad of negative quirks associated with them, not least of which is the speed at which authors throw them out into the Aether for readers to snap up like so many hungry pirahna and the lack of quality control. Homecoming in particular shows why both an editor is needed at the best of times and why some publication pacing is needed at the worst.
  
  Sanchez has never been the strongest writer. In my review of Tombyards and Butterflies (see review
  here) I likened his work to that of a Pointless Action Movie, the kind of film where the plot is light, the characters are paper-thin but the action and spectacle pulls you along and keeps you engaged. But somewhere along the line, Sanchez decided to pull a Kevin Hearne and decided he wanted to give his stories more depth. More character development, more world-building, more quieter moments for characters to wank on about their personal issues/feelings/ambitions etc. The problem is that all of it feels so fucking shallow and lazy you may as well spread it out on top of a Vegan's pizza.
  
  Let's start with the most obvious of problems: the fucking DOG. Here's why ladies and gents you don't work with children or animals unless you work in a school and even then you'll want a cattle prod. Neither of them make for compelling reading. I bring up Kevin Hearne again because Oberon from the Iron Druid had the same problem. All that stupid mongrel ever talked about was sausages and shagging poodles. Here, all Peaches the hellhound ever talks about is meat and the wonders of his *not* healing slobber. What is it with readers that think that dog characters are just inherently interesting or engaging? I get it, dogs are cute but you know what's not cute? A dog whose internal monologue is nothing but FOODFOODFOODFOODBITCHESFOODFOOD!
  
  Next on our line of problems for me to take a potshot at is the pacing. It is a fucking NIGHTMARE in this book and its starts right at the beginning of the novel. We start In Medias Res with Monty and Simon looking for ways to get into the Mage's Enclave. We're given no context for what's going on, no setup for how they got there, no understanding of who these characters are. I came back to this book from a three month break from the series due to burnout and it was complete continuity lockout. I would need to go back and reread the previous book just so I could understand what was going on here. And while that might be fine in a series of better quality, here it would feel like rewatching Under Siege 2.
  But that's not the only problem. In an effort to flesh out the world and make a more engaging narrative, Sanchez decided to include more moments of the characters expounding on magical theory gobbledygook that makes no sense, enlightens the reader to exactly ZILCH on the understanding metre and does nothing more than drag down the pacing to ICEBERG, RIGHT AHEAD levels of slow. In the previous books, a lot of this stuff was relegated to background noise, little tidbits the characters would expound on to flesh out the world and make Simon feel like an uneducated prat. But here it takes up roughly one quarter of the book! That's not something you want to do in a series like this! It's so fucking pretentious it makes my hipster radar hurt!
  
  'So talking about Ziller's Theorem of Quantum Magic Abjuration.....'
  
  Nobody cares! You're not half as smart as you think you are! Here's a timeline of how the pacing of this story works:
  
  SLOOOOOOOOW-FASTACTIONSCENEFULLOFEXPLOSIONS-BOOOOOOOOOOOOOORING-ACTIONSCENE-boring plane sequence where dumb characters do dumb things and crash the plane-ACTIONACTION-FUUUUUCKIMBOOOOORED-ACTION!!YEAH!!!-Someone's dead and I couldn't give a rat's arse.....End
  
  And then we get to the characters: Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaarrrrrr!
  In previous Montague and Strong books, a lot of the side characters were really little more than cardboard cutouts or cannon fodder. They'd show up, have their moment to shine and ultimately disappear, either through plot contrivance or disintegration. Here however, Sanchez decided he wanted to make Monty and Simon's lives more complex and emotional so characters stick around for longer and two of them (a mage couple) even get upgraded to actual side-characters. Except they're boring. They have so little characterisation that makes them unique from any other side character that they actually fail at being compelling. For starters their names are LD and TK. I'm not fucking kidding, no-one knows their names, so they go by initials. Already it creates a distance between the reader and them, because they're not people. They're letters! INITIALS! Secondly, their characters are basically no different to all the other mages we've seen throughout the series. One of them is Spanish and one of them has a hair-trigger temper who blows shit up. Gee, where have I heard that before amidst all the other five hundred bloody hair-trigger-temper-mages-with-destructive-tendencies in these books?! They add nothing to the story beyond adding to the pacing issues.
  
  The rest of the cast revolve around Monty as by and large this is his book. We learn that he had a Frost Giant fiancee, we learn that his father is being held hostage, we learn that his mother might be alive. Except none of this feels organic or impactful. This series for so long has thrived on bombastic off the wall nonsense and now it wants us to start taking this shit seriously? On their own, these things might have worked but none of them are fleshed out enough to make me give a shit. Monty's fiancee dies in a section of the book that could at best be described as a sidequest. His father dies in a moment that is meant to come across as sad and mournful but since we know precisely bugger all about him, it just feels hollow. And Oliver - the big bad of the novel - dies just like any of the other sixteen billionth villains of the series with about as much impact as a spider's fart in a tornado.
  
  But by far I think the worst thing about this book is that it exists as it does. This doesn't feel like a novel. It feels like the final third of a larger novel that Sanchez cut off from the rest and sold off as a separate story. The continuity lockout, the clunky buildup towards a final battle, the myriad attempts at emotional moments that feel token and lazy. None of it functions on its own, but might have served better in a larger story.
  
  So having just whinged myself inside out, having just finished the literary equivalent of a fat old martial artist who still thinks he's in his prime, am I going to continue the series? Probably, if only because I'm five books in and I'm committed to this series if only because I'm Dutch and stubbornness is bred into my blood. Maybe this series will get back on track to stick to what it does best. After all Van Damme did JCVD. But then again, after Machete, Seagal went back to Against the Dark so............
• 
  Teri

  The best character is no doubt the hellhound, Peaches.
• 
  Claudia

  Wow! This one certainly was tense! I even forgot what I knew and let myself be fooled when I most certainly shouldn't have been.
  
  Seeing Monty as someone less than his all-powerful mage self was scary, and we learn quite a bit about his background and motivations in this story. And I stand for my previous statement: his family is scary. But I love uncle Dex, he's the original daredevil *laughs* But then, what can you expect of someone who voluntarily engages with the Morrigan?
  
  And I so love Peaches' obsession with the properties of his spittle *laughs* But it's kind of him to try to help :P
  
  What can I say, I love this series and I'm going to for the next book as soon as I hit Post.
• 
  Natalie Fallon

  More action and laughter with Monty and Simon
  
  Going home should be welcoming but unfortunately not for Monty. Blood is Thicker is the 4th book in the Montague & Strong series (Tombyards and Butterflies being the 1st) which already started off well but gets even better with every book. This book is full of action with a slightly warped sense of humour. As we catch up with Monty and Simon we find out more about their dysfunctional family as this story goes more in depth into characters you already knew as well as introducing you to new ones with potential to be seriously interesting. You probably ought to set some time aside as once I started reading I really didn't want to stop!
• 
  David

  Let me start by saying that, when I first started reading this, I had to go back to the end of the previous novel to make sure I hadn't missed anything (I hadn't): it's just that, for some reason, this one did not seem to 'flow' as well from the previous; to seamlessly transition from one to the other.
  
  Once I got past that initial feeling of 'huh?', however, I then burned through this in only a matter of days: it moves at a fair old clip (perhaps to its detriment?), with a large dose of magic and mayhem running throughout.
  
  You've go to love the hell-hound Peaches (and his priorities), however!
• 
  Liz Christensen

  Homecoming is another hit!
  It engages the reader with edge-of-your-seat action and fight scenes from page one. The characters feel like part of your life, and you are actually sad when the book ends and you have to wait to interact with them again. Orlando Sanchez wraps the story-line up in his trademark humor and keeps you chuckling throughout the book. The piece de resistance...who can resist a ginormous hellhound (that can communicate with his owner through their bond)whose name is Peaches? Not me!
• 
  Maryann Sims

  Homecoming is the fifth book in the Monty and Simon series, and it just keeps getting better and better. This time Monty has to go home to help his father. But like the saying goes, you can't always go home. As the Golden Circle is not what it used to be. There are some new characters in the book, TK is really interesting, as long as she doesn't get mad at you, you are okay. Peaches is also learning a few new tricks and Dex is at his best, and we even get to see what his full name is, quote by no one else than Ziller himself.
  
  All in all a great book, cannot wait for the next one.
• 
  Carrie O’Leary

  The next fast paced and exciting adventure in the Monty and Strong series see our intrepid detectives and faithful hellhound , together with a familiar family member and new associates, in a battle for their own lives and the safety of others once again. Some very tense moments, some, erm, interesting experiments with magic, and the usual adventurous mayhem. Once you are familiar with these characters you certainly don’t want to leave them on the shelf. Fast paced and quick read, but definitely read books 1-4 first.
• 
  Elizabeth Meadows

  Up to their necks in angry mages
  
  Obviously, this series was written for 40-60 year olds who grew up watching tv and movies during the 70’s and 80’s. Finally, a series that aligns with my childhood. Wait, this isn’t about me.
  
  Simon, Monty and Peaches are up to their necks in angry mages and they turn to Dex’s lethal renegade mages to “help” save Tristan’s father from incarceration at the Sanctuary.
  
  More fun, magic, action, bad humor and I’ll timed requests for meat from Peaches.
• 
  Wendy Schindler

  Fantastic Story!!
  
  So many things to love about this book! The comaradarie and loyality of Monty and Strong and their extended family is bolstering in a world full of treachery and greed!
  The comedic timing of snark and silly jokes is perfect! Sometimes things are so serious and dark that a diversion is a must!
  The author plays with our emotions - taking one from laughing - out loud sometimes - to serious tears, and so much more..
  Well done!!
  Read the book!
• 
  Chris Bell

  What more can I say about M and S?
  
  A buddy buddy movie. A coming of age story. Dark magic. Action. A lot of random destruction and a lot more not so random. Oh and peaches. Cars, swords, wizards and monsters. This is the roadkill of the Fast and furious and Harry Potter if Harry Dresden were driving a Jack teacher novel.
  Orlando Sanchez has certainly come into his own with this series.
  A tour de force. A huge pile of tour and a ton of force!!!
• 
  More Books Than Time

  Homecoming is excellent, full of action, Simon and Monty (and Peaches!) with a few great additions such as the inimitable Professor Ziller. Still it is not quite up to the standards of the first three books in the series and we don't benefit from new characters LD and TK Tush.
  
  Please see my full review here:
  https://www.morebooksthantime.com/hom...
• 
  Valene A.

  I laughed so much in this book I hurt.
  
  3/4 of this book had me in stitches. LD and TK are the best characters yet. They get the award for best supporting mages.
  This whole series so far has been great. Simon and Monte are always in for a big exercise of beating unbeatable odds. And then there is Peaches. Who doesn't want to have a beast/dog/hellhound like him. Where can I get my own!!!
  If you haven't read the series yet get started.