Infamous: Chronicles of Nick

Written by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Narrated by Holter Graham

The world has fallen in love with Nick Gautier and Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter novels.

Now Nick's saga continues in Infamous, the next eagerly anticipated volume in the Chronicles of Nick series...

Go to school. Get good grades. Stay out of trouble. That's the mandate for most kids. But Nick Gautier isn't the average teenager. He's a boy with a destiny not even he fully understands. And his first mandate is to stay alive while everyone, even his own father, tries to kill him.

He's learned to annihilate zombies and raise the dead, divination and clairvoyance, so why is learning to drive and keep a girlfriend so dang hard? But that isn't the primary skill he has to master. Survival is.

And in order to survive, his next lesson makes all the others pale in comparison. He is on the brink of becoming either the greatest hero mankind has ever known.

Or he'll be the one who ends the world. With enemies new and old gathering forces, he will have to call on every part of himself to fight or he'll lose everyone he cares about.

Even himself.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Mar 13, 2012
• ISBN: 9781427214904

Sherrilyn Kenyon

Sherrilyn Kenyon is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of several series, including the Bureau of American Defense novels BAD Attitude, Phantom in the Night, Whispered Lies, and Silent Truth and the Belador series that includes Blood Trinity, Alterant, and The Curse. Since her first book debuted in 1993 while she was still in college, she has placed more than eighty novels on the New York Times list in all formats and genres, including manga and graphic novels, and has more than 70 million books in print worldwide. She lives with her family near Nashville, Tennessee. Visit her website at SherrilynKenyon.com.

Reviews for Infamous

[Daniel W · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Picking up right where Invincible leaves off, Nick is learning more about his powers.

There is lots of high school style drama in this one. But having started reading The Dark Hunter series, I know what Nick had to go through to get him to those books.

Would have received 5 stars if it wasn’t for the ‘your life means more than mine’ coming from a 15 year old. Ugh. Most 15 year olds may be in love with their significant other but I don’t know any that would say that.

[derekedgington · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked this book, I really did. But there was a bitter undercurrent that soured the book for me. The development of the sub-characters has already occurred; I'd have really liked to see them mature alongside Nick, rather than be able teleport in at a moments notice. A gamers description of them would be that they're majorly OP, but they fail in their duty almost incessantly. In addition, I couldn't help but think Sherilyn was preaching to the teenage population throughout the entire novel. Bullying is bad. Drugs are bad. Drinking is bad. Sex is bad. We all have that dark traveler inside us that seeks to bring us low, but we must rise above it. Suicide is the ultimate selfish act. Bullying through the internet is all over the place, and should be expunged, blah dehh dahh dahh.
This, for me, really screwed the pooch. The premise of this book is flat-out awesome, but this preaching on a soap box was way over the top. I kept running across deep, flowery language and prose that really detracted from the storyline. But she had one thing right- you can't expunge human cruelty from the world. Despite every best effort, it will persevere, flourish on the dark festering wounds of our souls. All these social pressures, bullying and the like- they make us stronger. Hell, they made me stronger. They make all of us stronger, like it or not. If you didn't have that dark hound biting at your heels, then how would you ever grow to become anything more than you are? Despite their unsavory nature, they are a necessity. Fight it. Fight the assembled hordes of darkness that seek to bring you low. Only then will you discover your true self, your true destiny. Listen to Stronger (either version) a couple hundred times on repeat and you'll get what I mean.
Now, all is well if Mrs. Kenyon went reached out to teens through groups and foundations of her own making. But don't try to make this story something it isn't. I enjoy immersing myself in Nick's screwed up world, but I don't need to be preached to about how every day is bright and sunny, worth living to the fullest. If I wanted that, I'd go see my psychologist friend or read some teen depression novels. Now, that all said, I wouldn't say this book is a complete train wreck, though some civilians were ran over in the process. I know what it's like to get a bad review, as they invariably pop up, despite my fervent wishes to the contrary. Don't get me wrong, this book was good. From what I've said, it could be construed that this book is nothing more than an intervention about the grungy aspects of today's youth. It might be that, but there is still everything a fantasy reader looks for: the action, the character development, unveiling of plot points, love triumphing over the greatest of evils, all that jazz.
I'll reiterate that this book has some incalculable potential (obviously, as the book sales point out) and some amazing ideas banging around inside it, waiting to get out. So, bravo on another book. Please, make the next one a bit longer, possibly with some additional character development. Finding eternal love at 15 is a hard concept to grasp. It's difficult to sit with the character being chained down by a bi-polar mother half the book. After this, I'd hope to see some movement back to a conventional storyline, rather than an attempt to cram an ideology into my skull. I hated all those things just as much as the next guy or gal, but that doesn't mean I shout from the rooftops at 4 AM about it.

-Derek

[mrnattania · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is well written series , I sometimes feel however I need a glossary and a graphic organizer of regular characters. Whose a demon, whose half animal, whose a witch, or even perhaps an angel ?? But this was good and this book taught some real good lessons about self worth.

[Billie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Infamous
by Sherrilyn Kenyon
(Chronicles of Nick 3)
YA Fantasy Paranormal
Scribd audio

In book three, Nick is still struggling with learning his powers, dodging the danger that lurks in the shadows, and in the light, that wants to kill or control him.

While this book has a main plot of things going wrong in Nick's life, there are also subplots that branch off from it and those are a little confusing. But it still moves along at a really good pace, though the moral lessons, while a lot of people need to learn these, they got just a little 'preachy' and repetitive here and there.

This book deals with a lot of teenage issues, and there are morals for kids and even adults need to learn.

I can't remember exactly how the quote goes, because I was driving the car, but basically...
“You don't know what demon is riding their soul with spurs on.”
This one really spoke to me, as did a lot of others.

If you are a teenager or an adult who can still remember the hell of being a teenager, I highly recommend this series. There is violence against kids, so it's not really suitable for readers under 10, or those overly sensitive, but there are things others, including adults, need to learn, and with the humor alongside the seriousness, it is a good way to teach.

I've been listening to the audio versions of this series and the narrator is wonderful. I love the voices he gives to these characters!

4 Stars

[xofelf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Oh i can't wait for the next one. Nick is so wonderful. The dialogue is so well-written.

[mrnattania72 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is well written series , I sometimes feel however I need a glossary and a graphic organizer of regular characters. Whose a demon, whose half animal, whose a witch, or even perhaps an angel ?? But this was good and this book taught some real good lessons about self worth.

[theyodamom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nick is walking on the darkside and stoping into it a few times too much for comfort. His father is aware of his powers and has come looking for some of them. Nick must die for him to have them, not a good outcome for him. Nick is beaten so many times it is incredible that he still can walk and talk. His mother, bless her bad mother heart, just can't ever give him a break. She doubts him in everything and puts his life at even greater risk. His school, friends and others all turn on him as a new nasty comes into the picture. It messes with the students over the internet blaming Nick for terrible things. Nick, is once again abused because of his fathers wrongs. He is not totally alone. But, he will suffer and he will learn more than he ever wanted to.

[aoibhealfae · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was right about the book being an alternate dimension of the main Dark Hunter book. I think it save me from giving enough spoiler for the book.

Its an okay book. I would have loved it more if the Nick was actual Nick I knew and the demon infestations and posession is on overdrive which I adore as always being supernatural geek. Fifteen year old Nick made me cringe but he's one tough guy to actually been in and out of hospital more than any one in DarkHunter books. Its quite a feat too. And I'm not kidding about the humor in the book. I know its an attempt to lighten up the demonkind storyline but it was always something about a book in a third POV that made me crack up for no reason..

The main storyline basically consists of cyberbullying and bullying involving doctored pics doing explicit acts to Nick's impending doom. I like that the book really did address to the genre it serve without overdosing on the metallurgy and canonical madness. It does hint up a bit about the DH characters that made one curious enough about them without dumping all out. Enough to make me look forward to the next book.

As soon as I started reading. This cracked me up!

Right where it hurt most. Well, not physically there. But mentally it felt like his gonads had been stomped straight into the ground.

Ahahahaha!

And I was right to say this book was a Fringe episode with Nick trying to be September the Observer on his younger self. Earlier of the story I suppose then its back to pure young Nick Gautier chronicles.

One Malachai. One Sephiroth.

..... I'm sorry Sherri. I only think about this Sephiroth whenever he pop in the books.

Oh, now that was cool. “So I’ll be like Obi Wan Kenobi with my Jedi mind tricks.” He held his hands up and fanned them around like he was conjuring the Force. “‘These are not the droids you’re looking for.’”
I love this!

...great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people. And life’s too short to worry about what other people do or don’t do.

he who dies with the most toys wins and the spoils always go to the victor. So win big.

“No good deed goes unpunished. And for that, you might spend the rest of your life in prison. Go you.” Nick refused to believe that. It couldn’t happen that way. It couldn’t. “I thought the law was all about getting to the truth?” Virgil burst out laughing. “Stop watching Law and Order, kid. Courts don’t care about the truth. The only thing that matters is what you can prove. It’s not ‘innocent until proven guilty.’ It’s ‘I have an open case log thicker than the New Orleans and surrounding parishes phone books and I need to close some of them.’ So until you prove to me that I arrested the wrong person, you’re going to jail, buddy, and I’m closing at least one case this week.”


extremely quotable book. Its Josh Whedon verse right here.

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While this is a paranormal story and a lot of the story pivots around a chunk of the paranormal bits and pieces in Nick's life it's also about bullies, the evils that can be done anonymously on the internet and about Nick trying to make his mom understand that maybe, just maybe a positive word or two might make things better and easier for him (oh man, empathy much).Some of it does seem like filler, a story that's incidental to a main story but I actually liked seeing more of Nick than a sarky background character see how he became him and hopefully be a nicer him.His question is still who to trust.

[rain_holt · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

You have two realities running together; the human one everyone sees and the Dark-Hunter world. To not give anything too specific away, there is the world everyone sees, that Brynna is being bullied and you learn who it is. Totally human. Then you have the paranormal/fantasy world invading teh probelem and worsening it. The two worlds are parallel as they were in the last book; two types of zombies. The ones from the game and the actual-undead-controlled-by-demons zombies. You get a dip into the oblivious humans world and the world that is a secret.

[darkfaerietales_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: A teenager that has a price on his head for the powers he has yet to master. Full of fighting, both with demons and his mother; and I think that Nick would rather go up against demons any day than the petite woman that’s raising him.Opening Sentence: If banging your head against a brick wall burned a hundred and fifty calories as hour as they said it did, then Nick should be emaciated.The Review:Let’s pretend for a moment. Let’s say that you only read adult paranormal books. You come across a series about Dark-Hunters and the demons they face. Say that you adore it and can’t read them fast enough. But something about one of the character’s, Nick Gautier’s, story leaves you sad. What would have happened if the circumstances had been different, if Nick knew about all the paranormal stuff as a kid? Could he have changed his future and gotten a happily-ever-after just like the rest of characters? The Chronicles of Nick has been exploring that very question. In the third installment, Infamous, Nick finally understands what is at stake and he tries to come to terms with it. The prevalent theme that is explored in this book is whether evil is learned or inherited; and whether or not a person can change their destiny by will alone.Nick is just a teenager. He now has his very own bedroom (not a blanket separating his space from a larger room), a good job, and his very first girlfriend. For a boy his age, that would be enough to keep him busy. For Nick though, he gets the additional pressure of being a demon destined to kill everyone he loves and destroy the world. To help prevent this from happening, Ambrose (that he now knows is his future self) tells him that he must master his innate powers before it’s too late and he no longer has any empathy left for humanity. Oh and, by the way, every demon out there is going to try to kill you so that they can absorb your powers for themselves. Talk about problems. Nick must find a way to survive, learn the lessons from his tutor, Death, do his job with Kyrian, keep his friend’s safe from other demons and each other, keep up on his homework, all while keeping his mother happy in her ignorance. And here I thought that my life was complicated.This book is all about self-doubt. Nick has been told he is going to be the ultimate evil, but can’t wrap his head around it. He questions whether or not his father’s blood will overrule his innate goodness. He questions whether or not it is worth fighting if, in the end, he will become what everyone thinks he will be anyway. Does our situation, our choices, truly affect the outcome of our lives? Or are we what we were meant to be, no matter what? Nick has been ridiculed his whole life based on his poverty without it knocking him down; is this new development any different? Can he rise above other people’s expectations and do what he feels is right?Even the student’s at Nick’s school are being plagued with self-doubt and destruction. Someone is posting on the internet all of the student’s secrets, both true and fabricated. This is causing mass anger and hysteria, with students and friends turning on one another. Some individual students are so distraught over the rumors that they contemplate suicide, including one that’s close to Nick. Is this the work of a demon or is it ole fashion human cruelty? Can Nick and his friends find out who is behind it before it’s too late?This book also explores the relationship between Nick and both of his parents. We learn about how such a kind soul like Cherise ends up together with someone as evil and black-hearted as Adarian. Could someone like Adarian, a Malachai, even be capable of feeling an emotion like love? If he can’t, than does Nick have a chance to? Nick is concerned with what he can and can’t do, because of his legacy, and not with his own free will. If he is so hung up on blood and the traits inherited, what does he think about his mother and her contribution? It is something that every teenager thinks about, except with Nick, it is a little more extreme. All of us have worried if we will turn out just like our parents or if we can be different from them. We all have contemplated the effects of our parents on our adult lives. Are we different from our parents or the same; better or worse?I am very satisfied with this book and the events that transpire. Nick is engaging enough as a character to keep me waiting on pins and needles for the next installment. I am cheering you on, Nick! You can do it!Notable Scene:Nick launched himself at the man and latched on to him with everything he had. Grunting, the man tried to flip him off his back, then he slammed Nick against the wall, trapping Nick between his steroid enhanced form and the brick. Ted used his body to slam Nick there repeatedly. Nick tightened his hold around the Ted’s neck, trying to find the carotid and cut off his blood flow there like Bubba had shown him.You don’t gotta be strong, Nick. A little bit of pressure in the right place and you can own anyone.Still, the man did everything he could to get Nick off him.“That’s right. Uh-huh. Uh-huh,” Nick said arrogantly. “You might know karate, boy, but I know gorilla, and I’m a level-forty champion in it. Let’s hear it for Diddy Kong! Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew!” He mimicked the sound of a gorilla as he held on for dear life.The Chronicles of Nick Series:1. Infinity2. Invincible3. InfamousFTC Advisory: St. Martin’s Griffin provided me with a copy of Infamous. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. The only payment received came in the form of hugs and kisses from my little boys.

[bookswithbite · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What else can I say other that I am addicted to this series? With each new installment, I fall in love all over again!So what is new in Nick's world? Oh nothing just himself from the future coming to him to help not mess up for the one hundred million time, all the while every time he turns around he is on the brink of being killed, his mom is on him about his grades and school, plus he has work and a girlfriend he must attend too. WOO! Nick has been busy!The plot of the book unfold amazingly. With an introduction that entices the reader to keep going Nick must watch his every step. I adore how much Nick grew in knowledge. He is much wiser and much more careful with who he trusts. Nick has a great set of friends around him who helps him no matter what.I really adore how this book focuses more on Nick relationship with his mom. The reader learns more about his parents, especially about his father. I really loved this part. I wasn't expecting such a throw down but WOW MAMA!Infamous is an remarkable story that will capture any reader. With the big decision coming up soon, Nick will have to choose what he will do. Will he lead the word to destruction or will he turn away from fate creating his own destiny? Creative and original, Ms. Kenyon has yet again created an amazing story. Infamous is richer than ever!

[pollywannabook · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Review courtesy of All Things Urban FantasyIn INFINITY, Nick had to do battle with his fellow classmates who had turned into flesh eating zombies. In INVINCIBLE, Nick was up against a horde of demons who were after the bounty on his head. Given the formidable paranormal foes Nick fought in the previous two books, I was expecting him to once again face off with another seriously scary supernatural baddie in INFAMOUS. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be…school bullies. I understand that the topic of bullying is especially relevant in this day and age, and Kenyon doesn’t use kid gloves when dealing with the issue. The bully in INFAMOUS resorts to truly horrendous attacks including posting doctored bestiality pornographic images of one of Nick’s classmates, supposed rape footage, outing several homosexual students by posting more photoshopped images, and a website revealing everyone's deepest darkest secrets…and the supposed sources who revealed them. But…I don’t read The Chronicles of Nick series because I want to hear about bullies. That’s not to say there aren’t some supernatural things in INFAMOUS, there are and those were the parts that I enjoyed the most, but most of this book felt like a lecture on the evils of bullying. Hey, no argument there which is why I didn’t particularly enjoy reading about it for almost 500 pages.The things I enjoy about The Chronicles of Nick series are still present in INFAMOUS. The cameos from the Dark-Hunter series (which there are a lot of in this installment), the pitch perfect depiction of Nick as a fifteen year old boy with all the messy, endearing qualities that won my heart in INFINITY, and the fresh and inventive directions Kenyon takes this version of her beloved character. I really just wish the plot this time had dealt more with the supernatural problems facing Nick than with the natural. I’m still completely invested in this series and will be back for INFERNO when it hits shelves on March 4, 2013.Sexual Content: Kissing. References to pornography including bestiality. References to rape.

[vampiregirl76 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nick Gautier is trying to stay out of trouble, keep his head above the water. He's trying hard, majoring in survival. But when you live in his world that's kind hard, especially when you have a father for a demon who wants you dead.I loved this story. Infamous is a great read. It is wonderfully fast-paced. Nick keeps finding trouble, but really none of it's his fault. He can't help that he attracts it due to his nature. A plus with this installment is that quite a few questions were answered. I also loved seeing Thorn and Bane make an appearance. Chronicles of Nick is very much a prequel as it is an extension of The Dark-Hunter series. A world that is always changing and ever expanding. Kenyon does a fantastic job of keeping things fresh and leaving the reader wanting more.Infamous is narrated by Holter Graham. When I first listened to him read a Dark-Hunter book I didn't care for the voice too much, but he as grown on me. One of my favorite characters, Simi makes another appearance and Mr. Graham, surprisingly does a perfect Simi. This audio also includes an interview with Holter Graham.