The Cold Commands (A Land Fit for Heroes, #2)

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The Cold Commands (A Land Fit for Heroes #2)

3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 · rating details · 1,637 ratings · 203 reviews

With The Steel Remains, award-winning science fiction writer Richard K. Morgan turned his talents to sword and sorcery. The result: a genre-busting masterwork hailed as a milestone in contemporary epic fantasy. Now Morgan continues the riveting saga of Ringil Eskiath—Gil, for short—a peerless warrior whose love for other men has made him an outcast and pariah.

Only a selec...more With The Steel Remains, award-winning science fiction writer Richard K. Morgan turned his talents to sword and sorcery. The result: a genre-busting masterwork hailed as a milestone in contemporary epic fantasy. Now Morgan continues the riveting saga of Ringil Eskiath—Gil, for short—a peerless warrior whose love for other men has made him an outcast and pariah.

Only a select few have earned the right to call Gil friend. One is Egar, the Dragonbane, a fierce Majak fighter who comes to respect a heart as savage and loyal as his own. Another is Archeth, the last remaining daughter of an otherworldly race called the Kiriath, who once used their advanced technology to save the world from the dark magic of the Aldrain—only to depart for reasons as mysterious as their arrival. Yet even Egar and Archeth have learned to fear the doom that clings to their friend like a grim shadow . . . or the curse of a bitter god.

Now one of the Kiriath’s uncanny machine intelligences has fallen from orbit—with a message that humanity faces a grave new danger (or, rather, an ancient one): a creature called the Illwrack Changeling, a boy raised to manhood in the ghostly between-world realm of the Grey Places, home to the Aldrain. A human raised as one of them—and, some say, the lover of one of their greatest warriors—until, in a time lost to legend, he was vanquished. Wrapped in sorcerous slumber, hidden away on an island that drifts between this world and the Grey Places, the Illwrack Changeling is stirring. And when he wakes, the Aldrain will rally to him and return in force—this time without the Kiriath to stop them.

An expedition is outfitted for the long and arduous sea journey to find the lost island of the Illwrack Changeling. Aboard are Gil, Egar, and Archeth: each fleeing from ghosts of the past, each seeking redemption in whatever lies ahead. But redemption doesn’t come cheap these days. Nor, for that matter, does survival. Not even for Ringil Eskiath. Or anyone—god or mortal—who would seek to use him as a pawn.(less)

Hardcover, 512 pages

Published October 11th 2011 by Del Rey (first published 2010)

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May 08, 2012 Stephen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, 2011, dark-and-gritty, moorcocks-broken-sword, signed-first-or-limited-edition, audiobook

So besides screaming YOU MUST READ...how can I best entice you to sample Richard Morgan’s excellent, highly original, ~~fantasy~~ ~~science fiction~~ genre-busting series?

Well, since name dropping never hurts…

Start with prose that is dramatic, philosophically-inclined and ornately descriptive, in the spirit of Dune...juxtapose it with the crisp, trope-thrashing subversion of Joe Abercrombie…inject enough graphic depictions of violence and sex to give even George R. R. Martin pause…and submerge it all in...more

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Oct 09, 2011 Ceridwen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: aliens, celts, dragons, f-bomb, faeries, fantasy, first-reads, it-s-alive, mermaids-and-selkies, monarchy, reviewed, sci-fi, sexy-nihilists, tolkien-uber-alles, zombies

I got this copy from the First Reads program.

I figured out why I keep coming back to Richard K. Morgan: it's his essential Scottishness. I have no idea whether he's actually Scottish, like born in the borders kind of Scottish, but he is in his soul, for very sure. Maybe what I'm about to say is bullshit, and I'm okay with that, given the subject, but the Scots for me embody a certain kind of elegant profanity, a level of cussedness that makes the insult into a martial art. Celtic dozens. I rece...more I got this copy from the First Reads program.

I figured out why I keep coming back to Richard K. Morgan: it's his essential Scottishness. I have no idea whether he's actually Scottish, like born in the borders kind of Scottish, but he is in his soul, for very sure. Maybe what I'm about to say is bullshit, and I'm okay with that, given the subject, but the Scots for me embody a certain kind of elegant profanity, a level of cussedness that makes the insult into a martial art. Celtic dozens. I recently re-watched most of Trainspotting - but not the (view spoiler) parts - and I was bolted down during the "English are wankers" speech. They may be wankers, but we've been colonized by wankers, Sick Boy says, what does that say about us? Scottish inflected English is a hard-spoken affair, spit out with twisted syllables, barely understandable to the Midwestern rabble (that's me), and a riddle of misunderstandings. You can hear the boot at their throats when they talk, and they spit their teeth at the person who knocked them out.

So, yeah, Mr. Morgan has this all up the ass all the time. There isn't a page in the book where the word fuck doesn't have a home, and it's a beautiful, incisive kind of profanity. The Cold Commands picks up in an indeterminate time after Steel Remains leaves off, our pov characters back in their respective messes, fighting their ways towards a...what...a narrative inevitability? This is some high fantasy buggery all days and nights, as my daughter would say. (The "all days and nights" part - this is her oral formulaic for forever - not the buggery.) That Morgan is pulling off this level of biting profanity in a high fantasy, a genre known more often for stilted heroic folderol, now that is something to see. (And, while this is dressed as high fantasy -- empires, barbarians, dragons, etc - I get the distinct impression that much of the magic is more the indistinguishable from magic kind. The elfish people especially: that is definitely an AI, that elf chick is talking to.)

Oh hai, did I mention buggery? I talked about this in my review for the previous novel in this series, but I keep being happily astonished by high fantasy that isn't afraid of TEH GAYS, that isn't afraid of hard politics and the inevitable trauma of war. I can't really tease this out completely at the moment, but the world here is almost a generation after an almost genocide, not the kind where a culture is erased, but an entire species. (And ask me later about the whole race/species distinction - I can't work up to it at the moment, even though it would be an interesting conversation, in the abstract.) This is a world where veterans beg on the streets, parlay visible wounds into coin, when the less visible ones - disaffection, lack of purpose, shellshock - are the ones society should be worrying about. And how some of society, the bearded religious assholes, turn that disaffection to political ends in the worst way.

Morgan has always written fucking excellent violence, like, the best fight scenes I've ever had the sick pleasure to read. Here he delivers a little too often, so that I'm like, oh, good, we're having a bar brawl again? There were even points where he skipped over the details, and I thought, great, there's some restraint, but then he pulled back and delivered more violence in retrospect. Mostly, I'm not complaining too loudly, because Morgan's violence (usually) has a purpose, (usually) isn't disconnected from the plot, so that the violence advances character and the world. Who puts the knife in your hand is as important as the wielding of it.

It's funny. I'm going to give this four stars even though I gave the intro novel three, even though I think the spine here is less personal, less felt than The Steel Remains. Shrug. Rating are bullshit, you know. I didn't re-read SR before this, because fuck you, life is short, so I flailed for a bit in the names and built world - and I still think Morgan's names are shitty and distracting - but he built the world memorably enough that I was like, oh yeah, that one thing, oh god, really? It's hard to review these later entries to a series because I don't want to drop spoilers, but this book almost offhandedly explains some things while building to the next sequences in a really satisfying way. He's getting the band back together after the dissolution of the last plot, and while there's an itchy, waiting quality to what transacts here, it continues to be the same profane, Scottish fuck-allery that I have grown to expect from Morgan. Dark Lord, you're still risin'. Twss. (less)

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Nov 26, 2012 Kirstine rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, sci-fi, favourites

"The world opens up and swallows you down.
This is not new. You've spent the last decade of your life at least, wondering how it'll burn down in the end. Before that, of course, you were too young and alive to really believe in your own death, but the war took all that away."

So. That looks like it's taken out of a goddamn Siken poem, and isn't that just fitting and heartbreaking all in one?

This book was one hell of a ride and I find it hard to believe I ever doubted whether or not I wanted to c...more

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Mar 24, 2012 Judd Karlman rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

The worst part about this book was the inside cover copy. That blurb was misleading and is going to piss people off with its bait and switch tactics. I loved the book but fair warning, the inside cover of the hard-cover or back-cover of what I'm assuming will also be the soft-cover was poorly chosen.

That said, its nice to see Gil, Egar and Archeth back in action. Once again, it took too damned long for them all to get into the same place but I enjoyed the journey there so much that I won't kvetc...more The worst part about this book was the inside cover copy. That blurb was misleading and is going to piss people off with its bait and switch tactics. I loved the book but fair warning, the inside cover of the hard-cover or back-cover of what I'm assuming will also be the soft-cover was poorly chosen.

That said, its nice to see Gil, Egar and Archeth back in action. Once again, it took too damned long for them all to get into the same place but I enjoyed the journey there so much that I won't kvetch all that much.

Egar thinks to himself, "Damn, I miss that faggot," a few too many times for me. I think Morgan can pull that trick once per book because to me it captures what its like to have friends who can give you shit about things that would cause a blood-feud against anyone else. He captures that most of the time but it happens just a little too often.

Archeth really did not have enough to do in this book and it was a shame. She felt under-utilized, as if he couldn't figure out what to do with her other go back and forth between the emperor and the Kiriath artificial intelligences.

Speaking of which, those Kiriath A.I.'s are the most fun exposition tools I have ever read in a fantasy novel.

Morgan writes unadulterated bad-assery and manages to make it amazing. His violence feels real and comes with a price and his sex feels raw and says something about the characters who are rutting.

All in all, Morgan writes about things that I am a sucker for. He rocks Ringil Eskariath, that reluctant bad-ass who is sick of a unjust world and is ready to cut off some heads to make it better. The way that Egar, Ringil and Archeth all yearn to be together again feels like the same way I yearn to be with my friends and loved ones. He manipulated me, pushed my buttons and I liked it.

It didn't leave me on a George R.R. Martin-scale cliff-hanger but didn't exactly deliver the blurb's promise and I'm not used to that from Morgan. I like that his books are neat finished pieces, even if they are part of a greater whole. I want to be left yearning for the next book because I want to see this trio continue to kick asshole nobles in the teeth, not because a big plot point was left entirely unfinished.

P.S. Someone please make a rocking Ravenfriend to put on my wall. Please. Especially if it comes with a plaque with Ravenfriend's full Kiriath name as Morgan wrote it out in this book:

"I am Welcomed in the Home of Ravens and Other Scavengers in the Wake of Warriors. I am friend to Carrion Crows and Wolves. I am Carry Me and Kill with Me, and Die with Me Where the Road Ends. I am not the Honeyed Promise of Length of Life in Years to Come. I am the Iron Promise of Never Being a Slave."

NOTE: Something else was bothering me about this book and it took talking it over with a friend to bring it out of me. There was a vicious gang rape in the beginning of the book and Ringil let it happen because it happened to an enemy. After that, I had real trouble thinking of that character as a protagonist, as cool as he might be, even though he is clearly an anti-hero.(less)

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Dec 06, 2011 Linda Palapala rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Although this is a fantasy book, it's really the far, far future Earth after cataclysmic events have set civilzation back to the horse and sword era. For those of you who have read Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs books (Altered Carbon, Broken Angels and Woken Furies) you'll see this IS the Takeshi Kovacs Universe and he is a participant (one of the dark gods, sky dweller Takavach). What the people living on earth think is magic is alien tech, but we see everything from their pov, so it's ambiguous. Very...more

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May 11, 2013 Newton Tio Nitro rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasia

Cold Commands é a sequência do The Steel Remains do Richard K. Morgan e mantém o mesmo tom brutal e sem limites do primeiro livro. Os três protagonistas do primeiro livro retornam e ficam cada vez mais envolvidos nas tramas que envolve o retorno dos Aldrain, uma raça de cruel mas belos demônios.

A narrativa mistura vários elementos interessantes. Temos um cenário de fantasia medieval, mais no estilo “Espadas e Feitiçaria” (o mesmo do Conan, por exemplo), raças bizarras criadas mais dentro do for...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Elwe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

'The cold commands' ist der Nachfolgeband des Fantasy-Reißers 'The steel remains' (Glühender Stahl in der dt. Übersetzung).
Gleich vorab - es macht wenig Sinn, ihn zu lesen, bevor man Bd.1 gelesen hat. Die Lektüre des ersten Teils ist m.M.n. Voraussetzung für das Verständnis der Hälfte aller Gedankengänge der Charaktere, und er gibt ihnen im Nachhinein Tiefe.
Das Buch setzt ein wenig nach der epischen Schlacht am Ende des ersten Teils an, bei dem die Dwenda zurückgeschlagen werden, eine uralte, z...more

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Dec 03, 2012 Warren Rochelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This sequel to The Steel Remains, 2010 Spectrum Award for Best Novel, is an action-packed, hard-edged and gritty heroic fantasy. Events set in motion in the previous novel in this series continue, as does the saga of Ringil Eskiath—Gil—a soldier and warrior and mercenary without equal, and a lover of men in a homophobic society. He's not polite, he has little finesse, but he is tough and capable and you do learn to love him--or at least respect him, baggage and all.

This time, the stakes are high...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Joshua Zucker rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Some good drama.

I'm not sure what I think of the way that this differs from a lot of other fantasy, namely that this book doesn't really have any heroes in the sense of "white hats" -- there are people who perform heroic feats, but it's not always clear whether it's in the service of good or evil or just dealing with the situation they've gotten stuck in. The one character (Archeth) who seems to have more of a moral compass, well, she doesn't seem to talk (or even introspect) about it a whole lo...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Alan rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Readers for whom Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire was entirely too fluffy and light-hearted

Recommended to Alan by: Previous work

Richard K. Morgan's novel The Steel Remains originally seemed to me to be a interesting, if not exactly groundbreaking, approach to the tired genre of sword-and-sorcery. With a likeable and unusual protagonist, heavy hints of science-fictional backstory, and a definite feeling of release from the constraints of traditional genre fiction, the first novel in Morgan's A Land Fit for Heroes series left me feeling hopeful, despite my general preference for standalone works. I also liked the ambiguity...more

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Jan 20, 2012 Ruth rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: spec-fic

c2011. Now THIS was a book! I can't tell you what a pleasure it was to read such a well crafted book after so much drek that I have recently read. This book is violent, make no mistake, however the way it is introduced and dealt with fits in to the story, the characters and, strangely enough, serves a purpose. Totally different to the way it has been dealt with in some recent publicaltions (The Prince of Thorns comes readily to mind). There is light and shade, pathos and harshness, humour and se...more

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Jan 02, 2012 Lightreads rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lgbt, fantasy, fiction

So it's weird, but I don't really get fantasy-scifi. I like fantasy, and I like scifi, and I love cool genre-bendy remixy mashuppy things. So you'd think putting scifi in my fantasy would be like putting peanut butter in my chocolate, but it's actually more like putting cottage cheese in my chocolate. Just because someone on Top Chef thinks it's a good idea doesn't mean we plebes actually want to eat it, amiright?

I dunno, I've also seen this as a bit of a personal failing, a weakness of imaginat...more

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Oct 15, 2011 Contrarius rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, my-favorite-recent-reads

The Steel Remains was the first Richard K. Morgan book I ever read, and it hooked me from the start. I'm happy to say that The Cold Commands has firmly cemented my new addiction.

Morgan has a gift with prose writing. I mean really, who can resist lines like "the blade tore sideways through the pliant lips of the scabbard, made a blurred arc around and down off his shoulder, was there at guard in front of him, like steel laughter in the light.". Couple that prose with fascinating characterization...more

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Oct 10, 2011 Ranting Dragon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, michelle

http://www.rantingdragon.com/the-cold...

This review contains minor spoilers for The Steel Remains.

The Cold Commands is the much anticipated sequel to The Steel Remains, the 2008 fantasy debut of now-acclaimed science fiction author Richard Morgan. After a three year hiatus, the second installment of A Land Fit for Heroes has finally arrived—and it will not disappoint. No holds are barred in this fast-paced genre shake-up, its pages veritably bursting with passion, action, intelligence, and patho...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Hey You rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dark, fantasy, lgbt, m-m, f-f, ebook, x

This book is very similar to it's predecesor. It has no plot until half way through, they all meet up at the end to fight some evil and I only kept reading because of the characters. Like the last book Archeth is running around for the emperor. (view spoiler) Egar like in the last book, doesn't really have anything to...more

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Mar 19, 2012 Zedsdead rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Follow-up to Morgan's The Steel Remains.

I was really of two minds about this book. On one hand, the world is fascinating, wonderfully developed, colorful, believable. The characters are fleshed out and I found myself caring what happened to them.

On the other hand, I spent an uncomfortable amount of time trying to figure out what was real and what wasn't. The protagonist keeps disappearing into a sort of ghost dimension; at different points in the book it's apparent that what happens there is rea...more

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Jul 03, 2012 Noel Baker rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Just finished this, the second in the series by Richard Morgan which takes place in a fantasy type setting in direct contrast to his other hard sci if Takeshi Kovacs books.
The first book in the series, 'The Steel Remains ' starts off the story of Ringil Eskiath and othe truly memorable characters set in a world with empires, confederations, recently vanished technologically advanced races etc. I can say that his Fantasy work is every bit as visceral, hard hitting and sexually explicit as his ot...more

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Nov 26, 2011 jess7ica rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved this book. Gil is back in full bitter glory, trying to make a difference in a world that, in spite of the series title, does not seem like a land fit for heroes. Morgan writes phrases I want to steal or wish I'd thought of first. World, characters, plot and prose are all tightly woven. My only disappointment with this book is that the ending didn't feel like an ending. No denouement and so many unanswered questions. This book concludes like what it is, the second entry in what is now def...more

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Oct 22, 2011 Liviu rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011_release_read, review_fbc, genre-fantasy, read_2011, top_25_2011_novels

As this is another book I will soon do a full FBC review to be c/p here, I will just put some points for now; I will mention that I read The steel Remains end to end before reading this - actually after reading the first 50 pages of TCC and realizing that I forgot most about its universe except for a few details and of course the main Morgan twist, which surprise, surprise is present in The Cold Commands too, though for once is done in a subtler way

- like TSR, TCC is a book that mixes sff - dire...more

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Sep 27, 2011 Daniel rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-from-giveaway-s, books-for-reviews

I give this book 2 1/2 stars. I acquired this book through the Goodreads First Reads. This is a book for fans of adult fantasy. The story is well put together, the characters are great and there are some great fight scenes.

characters are great and This story is about Ringil and his friends. Ringil has been hunting a slave trader, Poppy, that broke his cousin and sold herhe finds her and gets his revenge(view spoiler)...more

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Oct 31, 2011 Megan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cool-heroes, drugs, friendship, magic, lgbt

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

This review contains spoilers for The Steel Remains

Is it weird that my favourite character in this book was Ringil’s longsword, Ravensfriend? That’s right folks. No longer merely content with crafting some of the coolest human(ish) characters around, Richard Morgan is now imbuing inanimate objects with more personality than your average fantasy author could dream of.

But of course, there’s a lot more to The Cold Commands than just scene stealing...more (re-posted from http://theturnedbrain.blogspot.com/)

This review contains spoilers for The Steel Remains

Is it weird that my favourite character in this book was Ringil’s longsword, Ravensfriend? That’s right folks. No longer merely content with crafting some of the coolest human(ish) characters around, Richard Morgan is now imbuing inanimate objects with more personality than your average fantasy author could dream of.

But of course, there’s a lot more to The Cold Commands than just scene stealing weaponry. When last we left them it seemed that Ringil, Archeth and Egar would heading south together to Archeth's house, and given how fun it is to watch the three play off each other I was looking forward to seeing them share page space. So I was a little disappointed when the book opened, much as the first one did, with the three friends involved in three separate story lines. But come on, there’s only so long disappointment can last in the face of Richard Morgan’s awesome prose and clever dialogue.

By the time I hit the midway point my initial feelings of disappointment were a distant memory, and I was enjoying The Cold Commands even more than I did The Steel Remains. (And I really liked The Steel Remains). I spoke in my review of The Steel Remains of how well Morgan handles backstory, and here he continues to show his prowess in that area. The war with the scaled folk is fleshed out further, but it’s done very organically without the use of clunky flashbacks and the like. We also get a few tantalizing glimpses into the battle that earned Egar the title of Dragonbane.

And can I just stop here and say what a fantastic example of characterization the whole Dragonbane thing is. Because Egar and Ringil both killed that dragon, but only Egar is known by ‘Dragonbane’ title that killing a dragon gets you. Ringil, perverted degenerate and corrupter of youth that he is (can you feel my sarcasm from over there?), is conveniently left out of the tale. Where a lesser author would make a huge deal out of it Morgan doesn’t, and it’s very effective. You can tell a reader that your hero is an outcast for x reason until you’re blue in the face, but it doesn’t mean squat unless you show it too.

I think the main reason I enjoyed this book more than its predecessor is a simple one. Whereas Ringil spent much of The Steel Remains wandering around the grey places with Seethlaw, understandably way out of his element, here he spends the bulk of the novel in the “real world.” Watching Ringil (and Ravensfriend) interact with Morgan’s well developed cast was a real pleasure. Really, I can’t overstate how much fun I had watching Ringil charm, intimidate and terrify everyone around him in turns. (I did miss Seethlaw though…) His interactions with the Emporer (who remains one of my favourite non-sword shaped characters, if only for how impressive I find the way Morgan uses him to play with our expectations) was a particular treat.

I will say the plot is very much the plot of a middle book. Whereas the Steel Remains can and does stand very well on its own, The Cold Commands is clearly setting up the events of the trilogy’s final volume. Which didn’t bother me, but it might others. Plot elements introduced in books one, namely the whole “dark lord” business are also further explored here. When it comes to subverting fantasy conventions Abercrombie has nothing on Morgan in my opinion, and I’m very interested to see where this dark lord thing leads. It’s like a wicked inversion of the “chosen hero” trope, and I’m getting a real kick out of it. I also think the subversion is entirely intentional on Morgan’s part. Ringil’s reaction when that creepy crossroads dude (which, wow, what an awesome scene) calls him a farmboy was priceless, but also telling.

So, incase it’s somehow unclear, I loved this book. I really can’t see anyone who enjoyed The Steel Remains not getting, at the least, the same level of enjoyment out of The Cold Commands. I just can’t wait to see how Morgan brings this thing to a close. I’m also hoping to see a Ravensfriend spin off. What? It could happen…(less)

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Nov 17, 2011 William rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked "The Steel Remains", Richard Morgan's first fantasy novel in this series, but didn't think it was perfect and thought that it wasn't as good as the best of Morgan's Science Fiction novels. I had a similar reaction to this book, the plot took a while to really get going but did become interesting towards the end of the book and I would say again that it is a good book but one with the potential to be better.

By the standards of fantasy series most of the book isn't particularly epic, two...more I liked "The Steel Remains", Richard Morgan's first fantasy novel in this series, but didn't think it was perfect and thought that it wasn't as good as the best of Morgan's Science Fiction novels. I had a similar reaction to this book, the plot took a while to really get going but did become interesting towards the end of the book and I would say again that it is a good book but one with the potential to be better.

By the standards of fantasy series most of the book isn't particularly epic, two of the three protagonists spend most of the novel in the city of Yhelteth and although there's no shortage of action scenes in Egar's plotline they tend to be fairly small in scope. Archeth's plotline has less action in it and although it does have several interesting elements in it (such as her interactions with the mystical Helmsmen or the murderously paranoid Emperor she serves), it is a bit unexciting and lacking in major dramatic events. The third protagonist, Ringil, has the most eventful and definitely the strangest plotline in the book, but although there is much foreshadowing of a conflict in which Ringil will presumably play a key role, his journey is much more of a personal journey than the typical fantasy quest. Much of the novel feels fairly mundane with little in the way of fantastical elements, but when Morgan needs to he is good at writing fantastical elements of his story such as the eerie otherworld of the Grey Places that Ringil passes through, or the possibly insane mechanical sages that Archeth consults with. Morgan obviously doesn't care much for many of the typical Epic Fantasy tropes, even having one of his characters mock the absurdity of them during a surreal encounter with a being who amusingly appears to be reading a copy of The Cold Commands. This does mean that Morgan's fantasy often seems quite reminiscent of his science fiction. This similarity is enhanced when it becomes increasingly clear that this is to some extent the same world as in some of his previous SF novels, something hinted at in the first book, but much more blatant here especially after a guest appearance by Morgan's most memorable creation, Takeshi Kovacs. I'm still not quite sure how I feel about the mixing of series and genres, it is intriguing but Morgan will need to provide a convincing explanation in future books. Some other major elements in the book, such as the titular Cold Commands, are also under-explained which occasionally feels a bit frustrating.

Overall, this is a well-written book, but although the background it intriguing and the plot is entertaining and reasonably fast-moving it never manages to be quite as compelling as Morgan's best books, such as Altered Carbon. Still, this is a good series and I think there is potential for the third book to fully realise the story's potential. (less)

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Jan 28, 2012 sk B rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think, I may have been one of the few people that found this book slightly hard to follow and boring for the first 2/3rds.

All this going in and out of different zones, and different gods and races and peoples and times, things to come things not to come things that have passed, heads on tree stumps, many heads on tree stumps floating islands.. blah blah. Good god, if the author's intention is to make you feel as if you've been floating around with Seethsaw and his peeps... it was well done.

Do...more

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Jan 24, 2013 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: signed

This one took a while to get into. I did not have any negative feelings toward any of the brutality...mostly because the previous book had plenty of violence and explicit material so why would not this one? Ultimately, Morgan shows the characters may not like what they do and they take actions against so I have no further thoughts on it being "too" graphic etc.

Taking place almost a year after the first book, we are placed right in the middle of some boring lives with no conflict...it is almost 1...more This one took a while to get into. I did not have any negative feelings toward any of the brutality...mostly because the previous book had plenty of violence and explicit material so why would not this one? Ultimately, Morgan shows the characters may not like what they do and they take actions against so I have no further thoughts on it being "too" graphic etc.

Taking place almost a year after the first book, we are placed right in the middle of some boring lives with no conflict...it is almost 100 pages before we meet Ringil again. However what lacks in pacing in the beginning is more than made up for in the end. Truly the last 20% or so is fantastic.

This sets the events for the next book quite well: A journey to find an island that magically appears that may or may not have Kiriath still on it. Further points to watch out for: Ringil and the Dark Gate, battle of the Helmsmen, final fight with the Dwenda, and maybe a great explanation of the Gray Places and how it's all connected (but probably not).

A good book, 4 stars for its wandering pacing in the first half, albeit necessary to set up not just this book but the next as well. What you would expect as a middle book in a trilogy.

Note on the design: While The Steel Remains was beautifully done, the Cold Commands was done exactly the same. By this I mean the interior is in the same two colors as SR...with that greenish with hint of blue color. While SR was bound in a green cloth with a general green cast to all images provided by Chong this whole scheme looked very nice together. CC being mostly all blue illustrations by Chong, the book was bound in white...and it is a slightly different cloth, smoother with a bit of shimmer. Interior has same greenish with hint of blue type...which makes the books all the closer but it seems to clash with the beautiful blue cast illustrations. I feel that the how it should have been produced would be with a blue cloth binding and slightly bluer type (much like what was used in the SubPress The Angel's Game by Zafon).

Lastly, in SR the order is frontispiece art followed by signature page (with Morgan's signature having an emoticon). CC has the signature page first then the frontispiece art. The lack of emoticon is entirely up to the author so no issue there, but for two books in a series I just wish they were more similar.

Subterranean Press 112/500.(less)

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Apr 02, 2013 Gordon rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Better than The Steel Remains this was let down a little with a rushed ending relying on some awesomeness with Ringil. It also left it unclear whether the story buildup for a possible next book is was a convenient device to pull the three protagonists together, or actually something that will be continued in a third book.

Less so than the first book Morgan still has a deliberate ploy of trying to shock the norms with his sexual orientation of characters. Its more ham-fisted (!) than the rest of t...more

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Oct 23, 2011 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, reviewed, ranting-dragon

Also published under The Ranting Dragon

Interview with author: http://bit.ly/qoDtZy

The Cold Commands is the much anticipated sequel to The Steel Remains, the 2008 fantasy debut of acclaimed science fiction author Richard Morgan. After a three year hiatus, the second installment of A Land Fit for Heroes has finally arrived—and it will not disappoint. No holds are barred in this fast-paced genre shake-up, its pages veritably bursting with passion, action, intelligence, and pathos.

Set approximately...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Michael rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Cold Command has a very slow start. It's like Morgan doesn't know how much back story he is obliged to give us and spends the first half of the book hedging between none and too much. In the second half of the book there are a few very bright spots, primarily in the figh scenes, but it finds it's pace far to late. Unfortuntely the story reveals itself about 100 pages before it really ends and you simply have to wait for the book to happen.
I felt dissatisfied with the book because I feel like th...more

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Jan 31, 2012 Warren rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Thought it was AWESOME!!! Fantasy genre isn't usually my thing. But I've read the 1st of the trilogy STEEL REMAINS (Will re-read so I can review it on Good Reads)and I was motivated to read THE COLD COMMANDS. I love Richard Morgan's storytelling. The combination of characters, elements, detail and style - create a colourful tale of adventure and suspense. The violence and sexual content is part of the whole story and I disagree to some reviews that suggest it is gratuitous and un-needed. It actu...more

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Nov 27, 2011 Neil Pearson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There was a lot of positive buzz about this being an improvement over "the steel remains" and while I think it is a stronger book it still suffers from many of the problems the first book had. One thing I did enjouy more in this book is that the three point-of-view characters all have their own story and they fuse together quite nicely towards the end. While Ringil is clearly the main character, I think Egar actually had some of the strongest scenes this time around.
In terms of the story and wor...more

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Jan 28, 2012 Stonemagpie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: m-m

It's probably just me, and I'm not saying it's a bad thing but I keep finding similarities between this and Jessie's Kastor Chronicles.

The world's feel similar - there are barbarian nomads, immortal characters and multiple gods that take a little too much interest in the world.

And the Gil/Kastor character is similar - tall, gay, moody, dark-haired, a touch of magic, speaks multiple languages, banished noble, special sword(s), the favor of gods and a berserker fighting spirit.

I liked it overall...more

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The Cold Commands (A Land Fit for Heroes #2)

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