Dig Two Graves (Daniel Faust #11) by Craig Schaefer
Thrilling, Fun, Dimension-changing 11th installment of the Daniel Faust series that leans into horror tropes while forcing Faust into decisions, both painful and fateful
Long-running TV shows usually have experimental episode to reward their fanbase to for sticking with them for so long. These fun episodes are usually in the form of a musical or an alternate version of characters playing out "what - ifs" or transporting characters into a different timeline. Dig Two Graves essentially does that in this 11ᵗʰ installment of the Daniel Faust series and needless to say, the decision to host this in a horror-movie setting seems particularly apt for this series rooted in the occult.
(Supernatural’s 200th episode features an amateur musical retelling of Sam & Dean Winchester’s Journey so far….)
At this stage of the Daniel Faust series, you know what you are going to get. Craig Schaefer's mode of progressing the story through 3 book arcs is pretty much established. So you know that to an extent, this book is going to line up the ducks for the 12th book arc concluder. There is this sense of comfort and familiarity but at the same time, heightened stakes.
The author uses this sense of comfort to lull you in before introducing the delightful variation that propels the narrative right through. If you love horror movies, this book is an absolute blast. The author knowingly acknowledges the tropes of the horror movie genre and plays it up with a bunch of clever, sly winks even as Faust and his allies try to even the score.
The book is super-enjoyable and quite pop-culture-heavy. There is a heavy Twin-Peaks vibe along with other notable horror - movie references. The escapades are fun and the action is thrilling. What however this book does well is to push through major character developments. Faust is all about family and it is those developments that cause him a lot of conflict and pain. Faust knows that he is a morally gray character, leaning more towards the dark side but is also willing to take responsibilities for his past mistakes. That allows him to be more measured and willing to offer chances but still open to taking the hard decisions
To get the respect you deserve, sometimes you have to remind people of who you are and sometimes you have to remind them what you are
Given the long running nature of the series, anything said from a plot perspective will be a spoiler for earlier books. But the pieces are lining up and the next set of escalations are well upon us. There are fascinating plot developments that primes the board for an explosive end to this arc and Faust will need all and more of his allies to survive. Increasingly, there are links and references to the other series in this world – Harmony Black & Wisdom’s Grave. This therefore cannot be a standalone series for a read – it has become almost MCU-like in complexity & connections. I guess we should all be thankful that the author adds the “Story So Far” section at the beginning (I wish more and more authors did that)
Fate cast you as the hero of this story but you’ve got a whole family of certified bad guys backing you. We are going to lie, cheat and steal for every advantage we can get. While you go high, we’ll go low
Dig Two Graves is another solid installment in this series and amazingly enjoyable with memorable mashup of pop-culture cross-over elements despite being episodic and mid-point of an arc
Rating - 4 Full Houses on 5