When Dani, medical student and germaphobe extraordinaire, stumbles upon a battle between Ben, a magic-using janitor, and a clot-hound, a beast lurking in the restroom plumbing, she displays unusual powers that saves Ben in the nick of time. Without even realizing it, she has entered the world of the Cleaners, who serve the forces of Purity to battle the vile minions of Corruption. Oh, and to make sure there’s always toilet paper in every stall.
Not just another toilet-plunging epic, Enter the Janitor gets off to a great start and doesn’t let up. Ben, a crusty, flippant, older Cleaner, is ordered to train Dani since her—and her awesome, fiery magic—might be lured to serve Corruption. This doesn’t sit well with Dani (she does hate germs, you know) but she’s left with little choice. Adjusting to a lifestyle where she has to temporarily abandon her family, friends, and schooling, Dani chafes under Ben’s cantankerous tutelage. It doesn’t take long, though, before forces threaten to flush her and her little pet lizard, Tetris, down the crapper.
Josh has created one of the most unique urban fantasy worlds I’ve seen in this novel. We meet trash mages, entropy wizards, god-like beings that embody Filth (in leopard print pants, no less), water elementals stored in a janitor’s spray bottle, the cute-but-definitely-not-cuddly Gnashy, lizard-like urmoch that dwell in sewers and never leave a courtesy flush, and people so pure they can magically edit out your vulgar language. I mean, ****, there’s a lot of stuff here, but Josh juggles it all in a deftly written, slick narrative. Humorous dialogue makes each character stand out with distinction. The magic system is well-thought out and original.
There are somber moments, too. Josh’s description of the Gutters, a realm between realities where dead worlds drift aimlessly, or Dani’s reaction to the harsh truths every Cleaner must face, or what Ben has sacrificed, gives this story an emotional foundation beyond the spell-slinging, mop-thrusting action. I liked every character and what role they played. Even the villains display complexity, and often deserve as much empathy as the heroes.
I’m glad that this is the first of a series, because I’ll certainly return to Josh’s world to see what happens to Dani and her friends next. I highly recommend this book.
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An amazing urban fantasy novel with a unique twist!
I picked this book up at the 2015 Denver Comic Con, where it was described to me as what could have happened if Harry from Jim Butcher's Dresden Files had choose to be a Janitor instead of a detective. Intrigued I immediately started reading it. I was not disappointed.Set in Denver, Enter the Janitor, brings you an experienced wizard/supernatural janitor (cleaner), Ben, who gains within the first chapters a germaphobe apprentice, Dani. I immediately fell in love with the characters of Ben with his crotchety grumpy old man deminer and Dani with her struggle to fit in as cleaner and control her new powers all while battling her germaphobia. Ben and Dani make you laugh while battling villains of Corruption, not an easy thing to do.Josh Vogt creates a fantasy world below the setting of Denver that is fresh, new and exciting. Add his lovable characters and talented ability to weave a story and it makes for an excellent fist book in the Cleaners Series that I couldn't put down. I personally cannot wait to see what happens to Ben and Dani in the book 2, The Maids of Wrath.
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