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The Steel Remains (A Land Fit for Heroes #1)

by Richard K. Morgan

3.65 · rating details · 1,886 ratings · 289 reviews

A dark lord will rise. Such is the prophecy that dogs Ringil Eskiath—Gil, for short—a washed-up mercenary and onetime war hero whose cynicism is surpassed only by the speed of his sword. Gil is estranged from his aristocratic family, but when his mother enlists his help in freeing a cousin sold into slavery, Gil sets out to track her down. But it soon becomes apparent that...more

Hardcover, 432 pages

Published January 20th 2009 by Del Rey (first published 2008)

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Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie

2008 DGLA Fantasy Book Nominees

35th out of 88 books — 160 voters

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Nov 13, 2011

Cathy rated it

Recommends it for: Jim

Shelves: fantasy, read-in-2009

A very interesting book. His website calls it noir fantasy. I guess I kind of get that. It's certainly not the lovely elves dancing under the moon kind of book. War, violence, intolerance, politics, and religion all play a part. There is a lot of crude language and some sexually explicit scenes. The main character. Ringil, is a self-proclaimed queer. If you find homosexuality, or outright heterosexuality, both in scenes and language, to be offensive, this is not the book for you. I actually foun...moreA very interesting book. His website calls it noir fantasy. I guess I kind of get that. It's certainly not the lovely elves dancing under the moon kind of book. War, violence, intolerance, politics, and religion all play a part. There is a lot of crude language and some sexually explicit scenes. The main character. Ringil, is a self-proclaimed queer. If you find homosexuality, or outright heterosexuality, both in scenes and language, to be offensive, this is not the book for you. I actually found it refreshingly honest.

As I was reading this fantasy novel, I found myself trying to keep in mind what I know about the author's style and intentions from reading his other books and website; I'm VERY curious where he will take the characters and story. He always has a point, usually several, well masked in the guise of an amusing tale.

It was definitely the first book in a trilogy. It wrapped up at the end but clearly foreshadows continuing conflict. First engagement in the long battle and all of that.

Overall, it was a joy to read a book by such a brilliant guy, who's intelligent observances and use of language makes him seem witty and fascinating instead of off-putting or uptight. His website is very enjoyable, I would recommend checking it out: RichardMorgan.com.

I especially enjoy his article Sound and Fury, Signifying ...? about the intense and sometime savage community of sci-fi/fantasy fans and authors.

Update November 2011: I enjoyed it even more the second time around. I got it from the library intending to skim through it as a reminder before reading The Cold Commands but I immediately became completely engrossed. Remembering a bit about the characters made me more interested in paying attention to their individual stories. I remember being a bit confused the first time because they don't meet up until almost the end of the book; it made me somewhat less interested in Egar's story in particular. And there are just a lot of details and nuances that I absorbed more easily this time with a bit of familiarity. Since I joined Goodreads my to-read list has been so long that I very rarely re-read books, but I'm glad I made an exception for this one, it was fantastic. (less)

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May 04, 2010

Brad rated it

· review of another edition

I have too much to write about The Steel Remains to put it all into a coherent paragraph by paragraph review, so I am just going to ramble around a bit and write what I need to write.

Mind-Blowing: That's my instant reaction after finishing this book. But the mind-blowingness began in the midst of the first chapter. I intentionally slowed down my reading so that I could savour every word, but by the time Ringil came out of the grey mists with his dwenda lover, Seethlaw, and his lover'...more

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Aug 04, 2008

Liviu rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: series_reading, genre-fantasy, 2008_release_read, review_fbc

I've been a big fan of R. Morgan ultra violent, ultra dark and quite explicit novels since his extraordinary debut Altered Carbon. Though in his last novels the repetitions of themes, plot and gimmicks became a bit tiresome, in The Steel Remains Mr. Morgan moves to epic/adventure fantasy and reinvigorates said themes. While longtime readers of his novels will be less surprised at the twists and turns of this novel because of the echoes of previous works, there is a lot of new stuff here and the...more

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Dec 02, 2008

Guy rated it

Shelves: science-fiction-and-fantasy

As in all of Morgan's other books that I've read (which I think is all of them), there is a world-weary grittiness to "The Steel Remains" that makes the most outlandish settings and scenarios seem very real. His characters are three dimensional and believable, dialogue and descriptions mostly crisp, and there are some nice flashes of humour. That being said, there are a number of flaws that ultimately relegate, at least for me, this book into the category of "very mixed reaction...more

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Oct 02, 2011

Perry Whitford rated it

Recommends it for: Nobody

Richard K. Morgan has made quite a name for himself as a hard-edged, contemporary science fiction novelist, winner of a good number of the awards available after just a handful of publications. Here he tries his hand at writing a fantasy with a grim, visceral presentation and a couple of unusual, contemporary tropes.

To give due, The Steel Remains is fairly strong on narrative drive. However, it is simply horrid when it comes to dialogue. Clearly Morgan wants us to like his main char...moreRichard K. Morgan has made quite a name for himself as a hard-edged, contemporary science fiction novelist, winner of a good number of the awards available after just a handful of publications. Here he tries his hand at writing a fantasy with a grim, visceral presentation and a couple of unusual, contemporary tropes.

To give due, The Steel Remains is fairly strong on narrative drive. However, it is simply horrid when it comes to dialogue. Clearly Morgan wants us to like his main characters - though he tries to make them hard to like by investing them with traits and peccadillos that I imagine he thinks will challenge some genre readers - but having them talk like hired goons from a Guy Ritchie movie utterly ruined it for me. The vulgarity of the language debased all his characters to the level of boors whenever they opened their mouths, regardless of the courageousness and nobility of their actions. Do you really want to see a fantasy world peopled by nothing but Jason Statham's and Danny Dyer's? I don't.

Worse still is Morgan's treatment of his lead character, disenchanted hero of wars past Ringil Eskiath. He is overtly gay, which I think Morgan seems to be clapping himself on the back for as a daring affront to the more conservative fantasy readers. Yet he constantly allows his other characters to refer to Ringil in the most perjorative terms imaginable whilst enjoying a good laugh at his expense; so much so that it was impossible not to consider that Morgan himself considers homosexuality as unnatural and that he only wanted to have a gay hero so he could knock some noses out of joint and stir up some blog-based controversy.

All in all the style was very similar to Iain M. Banks, with the tales of a few characters interweaving with some occasional flashbacks building a history between them. The writing was similar too, full of ventral description and foul language. Banks is an excellent writer though, he can pile it on but he can show restrain too, he creates full, rounded characters and invests them with a convincing psychological depth.
If this book is anything to go by Morgan is little more than a noisy, bovver-booted dilettante.(less)

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Sep 08, 2011

David rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Hardcore Richard K. Morgan fans, Folks looking for genre books w/ an lgbt character

Shelves: fantasy, lgbt

There is a lot of edgy sex in this book, not unusual for a Morgan book. The twist here is the protagonist is gay. So if that bothers you, then this may not be the book for you. If like me, sex is sex and it doesn't bother you - well this still isn't the book for you.

I loved the hardboiled, neo-noir, cyberpunk grittiness of his SF Takeshi Kovacs trilogy Altered Carbon, Broken Angels, Woken Furies but his first foray into gritty, violent, fantasy falls flat. This book doesn't stick wi...more

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Sep 10, 2008

James rated it

Recommends it for: Richard K. Morgan completists, fantasy haters

Before you ask, I got my copy of this book through Amazon.co.uk, where the book is in print today. This is my habit with Morgan's books, rather than waiting another year for them in the United States.

Traditionally, in Noir, it's customary to have a protagonist who is morally compromised, but who at least tries to better himself/herself, the world, etc. Morgan seems to have missed that point with the utterly unlikable Ringel, protagonist of The Steel Remains. Ringel is an empty husk o...more

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Feb 26, 2009

Michael rated it

Shelves: fantasy, read-in-2009

Richard K. Morgan has made a career of taking the familar elements of science-fiction, breaking them down and building them into something that respects its past but it willing to challenge readers by trying something new. After a successful and award-winning run in sci-fi, Morgan is now turning to the world of fantasy to take the familar and make it new and fresh again.

"The Steel Remains" is the first of a new trilogy by Morgan. The story has the usual fantasy tropes on...moreRichard K. Morgan has made a career of taking the familar elements of science-fiction, breaking them down and building them into something that respects its past but it willing to challenge readers by trying something new. After a successful and award-winning run in sci-fi, Morgan is now turning to the world of fantasy to take the familar and make it new and fresh again.

"The Steel Remains" is the first of a new trilogy by Morgan. The story has the usual fantasy tropes on display--a hero with a glorious past, fuedal power plays, a new power from outside the kingdom that is slowly becoming a threat. But Morgan is able to take each of these and stamp his own signature on them, which is part of what makes "Remains" such a refreshing entry in the fantasy genre. Morgan pays homage to the roots of the genre, but doesn't let them show when he colors them a different way.

One of the most interesting is how Morgan creates his charcters. Just as he does in "Altered Carbon," his protagonists aren't exactly the most loveable of people. Morgan's strength is drawing characters who are shades of gray and having readers root for those people because they're actually fully, fleshed out and realized characters and not your typical genre archetypes. On the surface, one character, Ringil, sounds like a typical fantasy hero. He's had his past glories, he's estranged from his family but he's willing to do the right thing when push comes to shove. Morgan is able to subvert the usual expectations of the classic sword-wielding fantasy hero with the backstory of Ringil, including why he's estranged from his powerful family and doesn't get along with his father. I won't tell you what that is here--Morgan tells you quickly within the first few chapters. But watching the flashbacks of the events will be far more entertaining and interesting for readers to discover for themselves.

Ringil is called upon by his mother to look into the disappearance of a cousin. The cousin was sold into marriage to pay a debt, but Mom thinks something more is going on. Ringil reluctantly takes the assignment and soon finds the world is changing and there's some kind of threat from outside the realm that is slowly creeping into things. Ringil is joined by friends to look into this and Morgan slowly gives readers all the pieces of the puzzle. Satisfyingly enough, this novel can stand on its own with most of the central conflict wrapped up before you turn the last page. But Morgan is shrewd enough to offer hints of things to come that could be picked up in future volumes. It seems that just as he did with the "Altered Carbon" novels, he's working on a continuing series that isn't so interconnected that readers can't drop in the middle and not feel hopelessly lost. You may miss some of the character development or some nuances, but overall you're going to be able to enjoy the story a single novel is telling on its own merits.

It's something I wish a lot of other genre publishers would realize fans want these days.

This is a mature novel--it deals with a lot of mature themes and it does contain Morgan's signature coarse language. If you can't wrap your head around fantasy characters prodigiously using the f-bomb, this may not be your cup of tea. But if you want something new, different and yet very much in the fantasy tradition of the greats of the genre, then "The Steel Remains" is definitely a must read. (less)

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Sep 22, 2008

Judd Karlman rated it

· review of another edition

Richard K. Morgan has brought his unique brand of politics, amazing world-building, graphic violence and even more graphic sex to the fantasy genre and nails it.

This is the first book in a trilogy but it ends in a way that makes it a satisfying book all on its own. I dig that. I'm done with Dark Tower cliff-hangers. When I put down this book, I was hungry for another but satisfied with where I was left.

And when I say I'm in, I mean that as soon as the book is released,...more

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Aug 03, 2011

Enrique028 added it · review of another edition

I have to say that between all things, it took me a long time to finish this book. I probably read other in the time I was suppose to read this one and the reason for this is that the first half of The Steel Remains is so slow and hardly anything happen. Yes, it sets the background for the final half but it makes for difficult reading and you really only want to get to the action point. Action which it is not as abundant as you might think in the book. It is quite graphic thou, sex-wise and bloo...more

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Feb 18, 2009

Michael rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Richard K. Morgan turns from tales of violent masculinity in sci-fi settings to... bland fantasy. The Steel Remains was a let-down.

Remains follows the stories of three heroes of a past war, now each finding themselves uncomfortable in civilian life, as they discover a new threat to their shared society. I got the impression that the book was designed to shock what it presumed to be the fragile sensibilities of fantasy fans by presenting queer protagonists who are not accepted for w...more

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Jan 06, 2012

Tal rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: library-book, sf-fantasy

When a man you know to be of sound mind tells you his recently deceased mother has just tried to climb in his bedroom window and eat him, you have two options. You can smell his breath, take his pulse and check his pupils to see if he's ingested anything nasty, or you can believe him. Ringil Angeleyes had already tried the first course of action with Bashka the Schoolmaster to no avail, so he put down his pint with an elaborate sigh and went to get his broadsword. And he's not the only one to be...more

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Jan 05, 2012

Ruth rated it

· review of another edition

c2008. Hard core and disturbing - but I loved it. As mentioned in the acknowledgments at the end of the book, this is certainly a tip of the cap to the fantasy writers of yore. Having starting to read this book straight after a favourite urban fantasy, I was not certain whether or not I would enjoy this story...I should not have worried. From the opening line to the end line, I was hooked -reading and rereading certain lines just to savour the wonderful wordcraft on show. It did feel at times th...more

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Oct 16, 2011

Megan rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: team-rainbow, war-huh, bodacious-heroes, champagne-for-your-real-friends, top-five

(Re-posted from http://theturnedbrain.blogspot.com)

An alternate title for this book would be: Back Story: How to do it right! Somewhat less catchy than The Steel Remains, to be sure. But very, very true. I can’t think of any other books that fills in the back story of it’s characters as seamlessly as this one does. And guys, there’s a lot of back story.

The book is set a decade or so after a huge war, in which previously antagonistic nations had to band together to best an ext...more(Re-posted from http://theturnedbrain.blogspot.com)

An alternate title for this book would be: Back Story: How to do it right! Somewhat less catchy than The Steel Remains, to be sure. But very, very true. I can’t think of any other books that fills in the back story of it’s characters as seamlessly as this one does. And guys, there’s a lot of back story.

The book is set a decade or so after a huge war, in which previously antagonistic nations had to band together to best an external threat. The narrative follows three hero’s of this war, Ringil, Archeth, and Egar as they each undergo their own little narrative quests which eventually merge into one big one. Ringil must return home, where he is a barely tolerated disgrace (because he’s a *gasp* homosexual!) and try to track down a cousin sold into slavery. Arceth is trying to learn how to work with a new emperor, and is trying to understand her own past. And Egar is struggling to feel content in his role as clan chief, while meanwhile his own brother’s plot to overthrow him.

It’s the kind of book where the back story is integral, where what happened before the story commences is just as important as what’s happening now. Think the first rise of Voldemort in the Harry Potter books, or the overthrow of House Targaryen in A Song of Ice and Fire. However, unlike those two examples, The Steel Remains is a relatively slim book. (Especially when you consider that it’s the first part of a fantasy trilogy… )And yet I have no trouble envisioning the war we never actually see, as though Morgan had spent chapters and chapters re-telling it, (which he does not).

The key, I think, is that Morgan assumes his reader possesses an ounce of intelligence. Such a simple thing, and yet so few authors really get it. You don’t have to spell things out. I know you want to make doubly sure that the reader understands this crucial bit of information, but guys, guys, seriously, you have to trust us! We’ll get it, and we’ll even thank you for making us figure it out ourselves. Isn’t it better to assume that smart people would want to read your book, instead of ones that need their hands held every step of the way?

Consider the three main characters of The Steel Remains, who I have already briefly mentioned. At no point does Morgan come out and say that they’re friends, or that they even know each other, and for much of the book none of their scenes overlap. But we slowly come to realise that all three fought in the war. Egar might briefly recall something that Ringil once said, or Ringil might have cause to think of Archeth, and their thoughts have such a perfect mix of affection and affectionate insult that only true friends can understand, that the reader knows these guys were close. It’s perfectly done, truly perfect.

When you finish this book it feels like you’ve been reading about these characters for twelve epic volumes, so well do you feel you know them. (I wish I could read about them for twelve epic volumes, because they’re a fascinating and entertaining bunch.) When the three are finally reunited it's as emotionally satisfying as if you'd been waiting for that moment to happen for years, instead of just a few hundred pages.

The minor characters are also excellently done. I want to draw particular attention to the Emperor. When first he is introduced I pretty much wrote him off. He's the spoiled son new to the throne, which had been held for many years by his wise father. He's selfish and mean and a terrible, terrible, ruler. Except, uh, maybe he's not? Rarely am I as surprised by a character as I was by this guy. Props to Morgan, for realz.

Morgan’s writing is an excellent mix of humour and darkness. But I don’t want to draw Abercrombie comparisons because it seems like every time a darker fantasy comes along now his name gets dropped. And anyway, I find Morgan’s characters to be real in a way that Abercrombie’s are not, less bleak for bleaks sake perhaps.

It will, I suspect, be a long wait for October and the continuation to this awesome trilogy.(less)

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Aug 07, 2011

Neil Pearson rated it

· review of another edition

Unsurprisingly, Morgan's harsh, bleak and extreme writing style makes the transition from sci-fi to fantasy with ease. In fact things aren't really that different, especially with the strong suggestion that magic and monsters are merely science and "aliens". The monsters and particularly grim action/torture are the highlights of this novel, whereas the characters are the weak point. The main character Ringil is your typical Morgan tough guy, while the other two characters don't really ...more

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May 16, 2011

Lars J. Nilsson rated it

· review of another edition

I had high hopes for this novel. I loved Altered Carbon and thought that if Morgan could live up to half of that book, but in a fantasy setting I'd be very happy. Unfortunately, he's not up to the job. In fact I'd go so far as to say that the book feels forced, driven by a few ideas clearly meant by the author to be "controversial" in the fantasy genre, creating a work which feels rather contrived. Let's see...

Sex. Homosexual sex. And heterosexual sex. I applaud introducing...moreI had high hopes for this novel. I loved Altered Carbon and thought that if Morgan could live up to half of that book, but in a fantasy setting I'd be very happy. Unfortunately, he's not up to the job. In fact I'd go so far as to say that the book feels forced, driven by a few ideas clearly meant by the author to be "controversial" in the fantasy genre, creating a work which feels rather contrived. Let's see...

Sex. Homosexual sex. And heterosexual sex. I applaud introducing a gay main character. Also I applaud introducing sexual prejudices and discrimination. A good idea. However, it quickly turns repetitive and predictable. And is used to the point it actually becomes a rather obvious and bad plot device (in fact a "plot coupon" to use Nick Lowe's description in "The well-tempered plot device").

(For the record, I have nothing against sex in literature or real life. I like sex. But I don't like the creeping feeling the that the author added the sex to be somehow more "controversial".)

Profanity. Morgan seems to think he will revolutionize the fantasy genre by inserting the word "f*ck" and its variations. Unfortunately he fails in all dialogues, as it turns out *every* character uses it. Really every one. From grand old ladies to beggars and emperors and warriors and dark elves. Look, characters usually have some variation in the way they speak. And as the f-word becomes rapidly obvious, every time it is used the suspension of disbelief the author tries to build up collapses yet again. And again. And again. Profanity is fine, but be creative for gods sake.

(Graphic violence. Well, anyone who've read Altered Carbon won't be surprised. I personally think he's on the border of what is tolerable, but I don't have a problem with it.)

So, what do we get if we would remove much of the sex and the profanity? A rather ordinary fantasy novel is the answer. There's not much here that we haven't read before and better. If you can stand gay sex, repetitive dialogue, graphic violence and the f-word, go ahead, it's a decent light read. Otherwise, you won't be missing anything.(less)

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Mar 20, 2011

Mark Harding rated it

· review of another edition

My respect for Richard Morgan as a writer increases. In a way he’s taking the piss. I always thought the body ‘sleeves’ in the Kovacs novels were treated in a very unlikely manner, and in Market Forces the main conceit of the novel is a joke. But he gets away with because his writing is so gripping. The Steel Remains is a further extension: it’s almost as if he’s doing everything he can to annoy a huge section of the readership of sword and sorcery novels. While at the same time following all th...more

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Feb 10, 2011

Wendy Palmer rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, ebook, fiction

This is one of the new wave of fantasy books, also known in my world as 'fantasy grows up', and oh boy it's a good one, flawed heroes, swearing, sex scenes and all. It's a book 1, so a lot of it is set up, but there's also a decent stand-alone story focusing on three heroes of a vicious war and their deep disillusionment [is that even a word?] with life post-war and post-heroics, a kind of coming to terms with life among people who are not heroes, who are conniving and greedy and decadent and wh...more

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Jan 13, 2011

Joe rated it

· review of another edition

I really enjoyed this. Highly recommended for fantasy fans who like Richard Morgan's sci-fi and for anyone who liked Joe Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy and subsequent books. This one is a fast read and the protagonist (even though there are multiple "main characters") is more of an interesting noir-esque* character (per Morgan's style) than one of Abercrombie's fatally flawed people - but the comparison is natural.

A lot of reviews talk about the violence or gay sex...moreI really enjoyed this. Highly recommended for fantasy fans who like Richard Morgan's sci-fi and for anyone who liked Joe Abercrombie's The First Law trilogy and subsequent books. This one is a fast read and the protagonist (even though there are multiple "main characters") is more of an interesting noir-esque* character (per Morgan's style) than one of Abercrombie's fatally flawed people - but the comparison is natural.

A lot of reviews talk about the violence or gay sex, but those just seem so natural with the way that these "brutal" fantasy style books work out. In order for a plot to not take 800 * 10 books**, characters end up getting down to business - fucking and killing - pretty quickly and don't spend a lot of time doing things I don't want to read about. Also has an epic fantasy feel without the tropes or overtelling that you find in a lot of genre fantasy (would say the same of Abercrombie, actually). I like (as a reader) the interesting and complicated fantasy world he created seemingly rather effortlessly. Story works a a single volume (no cliffhanger ending, per se), but definitely needs the two coming sequels to feel right and to flesh out the world.

Also, not to contradict myself, but would have actually preferred a slightly longer book with more time spent on the perspectives of the two other "leads." I feel like when you write and plot so efficiently, I can't help but want more.

*As a note: an earlier review said something about noir characters having certain tropes. To make sure I'm clear: What I mean by noir is an introspective, internal demons character forced into action by things out of his control (e.g. Philip Marlowe). In this case it is mixed with a lone gunmen style badass who inevitably takes control somehow - (e.g. Clint Eastwood as "The Man with no Name" in the Sergio Leone movies or Tomisaburo Wakayama in the Lone Wolf and Cub samurai movies). The lead in Morgan's Altered Carbon is this mix in my mind. There's a Logen Nine-Fingers (Abercrombie) feel about a lot of the characters, without the traditional barbarian-ness.

**I do enjoy many series that are like this though, don't get me wrong.(less)

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Nov 07, 2010

Adam Snider rated it

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This book was somewhat of a disappointment - it's not a bad book, by any means. I'm not sure if Morgan can write a REALLY bad book - he'd probably have to put some effort into it. But The Steel Remains seemed to be unfocused and, for lack of a better term, unfinished - and I don't say that simply because its the first book of a trilogy.

The main character, Ringol is your traditional swords-and-sorcery warrior hero - with his own sorcerous, inhuman blade - except with a thing for guys,...moreThis book was somewhat of a disappointment - it's not a bad book, by any means. I'm not sure if Morgan can write a REALLY bad book - he'd probably have to put some effort into it. But The Steel Remains seemed to be unfocused and, for lack of a better term, unfinished - and I don't say that simply because its the first book of a trilogy.

The main character, Ringol is your traditional swords-and-sorcery warrior hero - with his own sorcerous, inhuman blade - except with a thing for guys, in a world where that particular interest is rewarded with disdain, hatred, or death. He's more or less invincible against human enemies - similar to Kovacs and Marsalis, only more so - the only enemy that manages to beat him straight-up is a sort of time-traveling elf analogue who becomes his lover.

There are, supposedly, three main characters, but Ringol gets most of the attention, and is actually the most complex of the three characters. The second is a half-Kirath (whose species reminds me a great deal of Steven Erikson's Tiste Andii), who's been left behind by her people to serve as advisor to the utterly corrupt ruler of a fundamentalist empire based on Islam (right down to the conflict with extremist clerics). She is also an incredible, unstoppable badass. The third character, who slaughters several inhuman hunting creatures out on the steppes within the first few pages of our meeting him, is a nomad chieftain who got a taste of civilization back during his years as a mercenary and has never really resigned himself to returning to a life of lice, sheep-herding and feuding.

All three characters share a barely-held back frustration with their lives and an ability to stomp all over enemies that terrify the people around them. This latter virtue is never quite explained. In the climactic battle all three of them chew through a half-dozen of the Big Bads without taking a scratch, although their accompanying guard of Elite Fundamentalist Warriors are taken apart with great rapidity. The social commentary, which is always a draw with Morgan's work, is a bit less cutting, with the possible example of the homophobia angle - this is less a feature of Morgan's writing, I think, than the fact that the setting is medieval and thus harder to relate to directly than his science fiction societies were.

Finally, the sex thing - people have talked a lot about this, and I don't think there's all that much to it. The Kovacs novels, Thirteen, and Market Forces all featured just as much hot 'n heavy as this book does, it's just all straight. I will say that the school rape scene flashback read like some sort of horrible Harry Potter slash fanfic to me, rather than the poignant portrait of juvenile cruelty and abuse that it was (presumably) supposed to be. Morgan's never been one to hold back on this sort of stuff, if you can't stand it than just roll your eyes and flip a few pages to get back to the action.

Overall, as I said, it's not a bad book. And I image the following volumes will only improve. I think maybe Morgan's still feeling his way with the fantasy environment - his magic is mostly superhuman science, and there are science fictional elements if you're willing to look closely (the Many Worlds interpretation of quantum physics and a strange quasi-AI both make an appearance), we'll see if that carries over to the next book. If you're a Morgan fan, read this book. If you've never read Morgan - start with one of his other books, then come back to this one.(less)

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Nov 02, 2010

Ethan rated it

· review of another edition

Entertaining, hack-and-slash, pretty much nonstop action. The characters are interesting and compelling (in their own ways), the world seems well-realized, with some interesting quirks (the concept of the Kiriath race is pretty cool). The dialogue is good, snappy, and there is pretty much conflict on every page, which keeps things interesting. Lots of tension and all that.

BUT...a few buts....

I like the idea of a homosexual 'hero'. However, I do not like the gratuitous...moreEntertaining, hack-and-slash, pretty much nonstop action. The characters are interesting and compelling (in their own ways), the world seems well-realized, with some interesting quirks (the concept of the Kiriath race is pretty cool). The dialogue is good, snappy, and there is pretty much conflict on every page, which keeps things interesting. Lots of tension and all that.

BUT...a few buts....

I like the idea of a homosexual 'hero'. However, I do not like the gratuitous dwenda-sexing that goes on in the book for the same reason I disliked the near-sex scene in Sunshine. Cliche, pointless. Call me silly, but I get tired of books where the main character is captured and ends up having sex with the enemy. Seems to happen a lot, especially in vampire fiction. Maybe it's the books I read.

In addition, the homosexual female hero Archeth is layering it on a bit thick for me, especially because she is ensconced as a prime advisor to an empire that executes homosexuals for their aberrant behavior. Didn't quite jive. But oh well.

I also did not like the plotting. Some of it was quite good, and I liked the complex relationships of the characters. But I really, really, don't like the whole teleportation deux-ex movement of characters. It feels so contrived, like the author was sitting there (after experiencing his first in a series of missed deadlines) trying to figure out how to get character A to point B and he snaps his fingers and says "I got it! They'll be teleported by a mysterious being! Perfect!". Happens to both Ringil and Egar. I also didn't like the intervention by mysterious powers in Egar's case.

Last of all, I got really irritated when I figured out this was a series, especially when I got about 50 pages from the end and realized there was no way in hell that Morgan was going to be able to tie up all the loose strands in the book. There is a certain feeling of finality to the end of the book (and some things get wrapped up, which is nice) but it was definitely a disappointment for me.

Overall, the book was all right. I suppose I'll read the next one that comes out. Maybe.(less)

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Jul 16, 2010

Amanda rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: series, bought-copy, fantasy

I have read a large number of reviews that indicate Richard Morgan is doing something fresh and new with this, his first book in a fantasy trilogy. However, I would respectfully disagree. I could see elements of David Gemmell and Michael Moorcock in the writing. Before his untimely death, Gemmell handled the creating of characters that are drawn from shades of grey - anti-heros and fighters held up to be heros but have the morals of the worst kind of human beings. Ringil, Archeth and Egar are ch...moreI have read a large number of reviews that indicate Richard Morgan is doing something fresh and new with this, his first book in a fantasy trilogy. However, I would respectfully disagree. I could see elements of David Gemmell and Michael Moorcock in the writing. Before his untimely death, Gemmell handled the creating of characters that are drawn from shades of grey - anti-heros and fighters held up to be heros but have the morals of the worst kind of human beings. Ringil, Archeth and Egar are characters from this same mould - ambigious motives and less than black and white characteristics.

The way in which Morgan differs from Gemmell is in both the well-publicised swearing and the homosexuality of Ringil. I was disappointed in the way that Morgan handled the latter, to be honest. I don't mind the homosexual sex scenes, and I don't mind the idea that Ringil is considered to be a degenerate, but I do mind the constant references to it. It was almost as though Morgan worried that if he didn't drum it home every few chapters, then the reader might forget this element of Ringil's character.

The start of the story was extremely slow. For such a slight fantasy novel (a mere 350 pages or so, in the edition I read) it took me well over a week to get through. I attribute this to the fact that the three main characters were completely separate and following different storylines up to about the last five chapters. I am familiar with cliffhanger chapter endings and multiple story viewpoints from many other fantasy books, but usually you are given a period of time with the group of characters together before they proceed on their separate storylines - this allows you time in which to bond with the characters so that when they do go their separate ways, you have an investment in the people and the trials and tribulations they face. With this book, Morgan plunged straight into multiple viewpoints and, just as one character got halfway interesting, we were shifted to the start of a new character's story and had to spend time getting to know this character.

With those negatives aside, this was a thumping good read - Ringil was never less than entertaining, and we are given a large number of hints into his background and into events from his past that give reasons for his world-weary take on life. The Dwenda are fabulous as enemies - I feel Morgan draws heavily on fey mythology (and I had echoes of the elves in Lords and Ladies while I read about the dwenda).

Eventually you completely invest in the characters and are cheering them on in the breathless climax, where Morgan demonstrates that his writing of fight scenes is second to none.
An impressive fantasy novel.(less)

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Apr 17, 2010

Viridian5 rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan kind of frustrated me. Much of it is good and interesting and different, and I appreciated that two of the main protagonists are queer, but for me the plot started to lose steam about 75% of the way through, around the Seethlaw section, and finally ended in an underwhelming way. The narrative tells you that it's tragic and all, but my response was basically, "Well. Okay, then." I wasn't feeling it. What makes it even more frustrating is that the book...more

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Mar 23, 2010

Resonance rated it

· review of another edition

A decidedly cyberpunk-edged fantasy tale that deliberately does away with the standard heroic-fantasy tone possessed by most such tales in favor of the sort of gritty action, character flaws and dispositions, raw language and venal plot devices that Morgan does very well. Morgan gets points for daring -- the main character is a definite anti-hero, and what's more, he's quite explicitly gay. In most fantasy stories where a character is gay, it often is announced fairly subtly and not dwelled upon...more

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Dec 11, 2009

Ceridwen rated it

· review of another edition

Recommended to Ceridwen by: Morgan's other stuff, esp. Thirteen

Shelves: dragons, fantasy, omg-were-all-going-to-die, zombies, sexy-nihilists, lgbt, sci-fi, tolkien-uber-alles

If what you feel has been missing from your average Tolkien-clone is hot, gay sex, then this is the book for you.

No, j/k, I'm being immature, and I've never been one to let a one-liner lie. What I have been missing from your average Tolkien-clone is hot, gay sex. While I love Tolkien, his far-reaching over-shadowing influence on later fantasists results in an awful lot of heraldic bullshit and courtly fol-de-rol, with wide-eyed teenage boys who are Ken-like from the waist down pining ...moreIf what you feel has been missing from your average Tolkien-clone is hot, gay sex, then this is the book for you.

No, j/k, I'm being immature, and I've never been one to let a one-liner lie. What I have been missing from your average Tolkien-clone is hot, gay sex. While I love Tolkien, his far-reaching over-shadowing influence on later fantasists results in an awful lot of heraldic bullshit and courtly fol-de-rol, with wide-eyed teenage boys who are Ken-like from the waist down pining for perfect gfs and bloodlessly questing for the Sparkly McGuffin. Oh, the Sparkly McGuffin! Forged in the fires of Mount Plot by the Great Evil Tautology!

Richard K. Morgan strides in with his great swinging dick – I mean dirk – and knocks all this stuff over. Smash! Smash! Wheee! This sounds like it could be a lot of fun – and there certainly is fun to be had – but as Morgan's first foray into fantasy, he seems to fall into some common fantasy traps. The world building is painfully slow, clearly designed to be nuanced enough to cover another couple of books, but I wonder how much of this could have been contracted or excised completely. (I can't believe I'm bitching about nuance.) The names are all annoyingly polysyllabic and oddly similar, meaning lazy readers such as myself are often confused and lost. I get why people in fantasy can't be named “Steve” and “Bob,” but the names seemed tin-earish. (Also, why does everything have to start with a G or a K? What is it about these letters that says “sword and sorcery” to English speakers? C'mon, linguists, I need to know.)

At about halfway, I was ready to give up, so I came on bookface and got a little pep-talk from Mike's review, which reminded me why I tend to dig Morgan's stuff: the snarling misanthropy, the unbelievably brutal violence that is neither precious nor glorified, the biting political invective. The later half of the book rapidly picks up steam; the almost tedious details of the earlier half of the novel coalescing into textured history – and one that doesn't feel the need to name every damn rock and twig in remembrance of some heroic act a millennium ago, but one that has a dirty, lived-in feel. All the f-bombs, drug use, whores – and believe me, I'm sick to death of authors using whores to make their fantasy worlds seem “real” – mesh convincingly into a world that values character over genre conventions. I actually lol'd when, late in the novel, one of the principles meets with what is functionally an elf princess, the sister of his new lover, and they have one of those standard heraldic-I-can't-really-speak-your-language meet-cutes full of ye gads forthwith forsooths, at the end of which she says, “Fuck with my brother, and I'll kill you” in roughly that phrasing. Ha! Good times.

And did I mention the gay sex? Mostly, I think sex scenes in books are dumb, because they are so rarely anything but perfunctory and unnecessary. (You know, unless you're reading erotica, but that's not what this is at all.) Like Morgan's fight scenes, the sex is embodied and explicit, and discomforting to read. The protagonist's homosexuality isn't something pasted on, theoretical, where he winks a bit and carries a purse, but a fledged desire. Morgan's got himself some running themes about how the powers that be build an artifice of morality that they hide behind, using your “sins” - the ones they created for you – as a lever to make you perpetrate real crimes, institutional crimes like war, the kind of crimes you never really come back from. There's a running gag where characters ask one another “Have you ever killed a child?” Invariably, the answer was, “I was in the war, wasn't I?” It would almost be funny, if it weren't so damn sad, that a lot of reviews I've read (here and elsewhere) spill more ink about the man-on-man-elf action than they do about the explicit horror of the violence – the thing with the heads in the third act I'm not going to be able to scrub out for a while – and I think this is Morgan's point. An institutional morality that justifies war while squealing like a bunch of faux-prissy voyeurs over a private, consensual act creates institutions, and moralities, that I find distasteful, to say the least.

Burn it, burn it all, might be Morgan's take-home message, one that I'm not comfortable with either, but one for which I have no easy retort. Morgan explicitly takes on the “consider the children” argument and tears it to shreds. I've often joked about finding nihilism sexy, but it's mostly because I'm afraid of it, and desire and danger like to hold hands and skip together. I wasn't sure I wanted to continue reading this trilogy – and Morgan earns my respect for tying this one off in a way that I could end it here – but in writing my review, I've talked myself into it. The dark lord is rising. Let's see what he does next. (less)

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Nov 10, 2009

Angelsouth rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

I note that the Amazon reviews are particularly concerned with how "dark" this novel is. I would agree - to a point. It's not really any darker than any other fantasy novel although there are a few moments of genuine horror. The writing is engaging, certainly, though more reminiscent of sword-and-sorcery or adventure than high fantasy which is where the narrative seems to be. I think this is a strength in Morgan's writing. The formal tone of high fantasy does tend to make novels sound ...more

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Sep 22, 2009

Ryun rated it

· review of another edition

Swords-and-sorcery fantasy is hot right now. Anyone who’s anyone in the cool science-fiction crowd is writing at least one fantasy book, if not a trilogy. Richard K. Morgan’s THE STEEL REMAINS is on the forefront of this fantasy resurgence, and it’s near the top of the heap, though it’s obvious by about the halfway point that this novel is merely the setup to a much more epic story, part of a planned trilogy.

The trifurcated story follows a trio of veterans — Ringil, Archeth and Egar...more

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Aug 28, 2009

Alan rated it

Recommends it for: The stout of heart and strong of eye

Recommended to Alan by: Previous experience with the author

Warning: This review contains offensive language, though not nearly so much so as the book itself. Do not read below the fold if this is a problem for you.

I'm still ambivalent about this one. On one hand, I really like Morgan's hard-bitten style in general; Altered Carbon, his debut, was a remarkable tale (soon to be a Major Motion Picture, perhaps) whose callous style was perfect for a world where minds and bodies are easily separated, and made much less precious in so doing. This n...more

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Jun 29, 2009

Howard rated it

· review of another edition

I usually hesitate to criticize writers who I think might actually read these things, but Richard Morgan is so good at what he does, so talented, that I figure he could absorb a little criticism.

So, the thing that leaped out at me in a bothersome way is that in creating a more realistic fantasy world, making characters react more the way people would and less like characters, he gives all the main characters the same verbal habits, which is to say that everyone, whether the Conan he...more

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Apr 15, 2009

Robin rated it

This was my first experience with Richard Morgan, so I have nothing else to compare it to. Reading some of the other reviews on GoodReads, I see that many people prefer his straight Science Fiction works to his new Fantasy series.

I thought this was an excellent book. It started with action, and it rarely let up. Yet, it was had complex plotting, intrigue, and the most realistic characters I've seen in a book in a long time. All of the characters in this book, even the characters ...moreThis was my first experience with Richard Morgan, so I have nothing else to compare it to. Reading some of the other reviews on GoodReads, I see that many people prefer his straight Science Fiction works to his new Fantasy series.

I thought this was an excellent book. It started with action, and it rarely let up. Yet, it was had complex plotting, intrigue, and the most realistic characters I've seen in a book in a long time. All of the characters in this book, even the characters you see just briefly, are multi faceted. If there are "plot device" characters in this novel, I certainly couldn't pick them out. They were well integrated into the story, not just devices stuck in to move plot points along. The main and secondary characters showed a depth that, frankly, has been missing in fantasy fiction of late. The relationships between the characters was complex, each of the three main characters having lives that were not easily described. All of them had faults, some big some little, and all of those faults weren't neatly tied up when it became time for them to become heroes again. They continued to be faulty characters who rose to the occasion. Isn't that just the way of people?

The one thing I would change about this book is the beating me over the head with the homophobia of the general populace. I get it. Ringil is gay and the peoples don't like it. Honestly, his being gay is not the most interesting thing about him, or the book. Bigotry happens. Archeth faced it too. Egar's situation was much more interesting as the bigotry towards him was about ideas (him having them instead of sticking with traditions) instead of physical attributes. I just thought it was overdone. But, if that is the biggest problem with this book, that isn't much of a problem at all.

The book is action filled and thought provoking and complex. If Fantasy novels are your thing and you don't object to violence or sexual situations, this is the book for you. But, it is violent, so be warned. Definitely an adult book, not for the kiddies.(less)

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About Richard K. Morgan

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“When a man you know to be of sound mind tells you his recently deceased mother has just tried to climb in his bedroom window and eat him, you only have two basic options. You can smell his breath, take his pulse and check his pupils to see if he's ingested anything nasty, or you can believe him.” — 2 people liked it

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