Adrian Collins's Blog, page 119

REVIEW: Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison

Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison is set in the same world as The Goblin Emperor but follows spirit medium, Thara Celehar, as he is appointed to the city of Amalo. Amalo is, bluntly, a pit and he receives no support from the local church in his endeavors when he’s not being outright vilified by the locals. I was a huge fan of The Goblin Emperor and, I admit, I was a bit disappointed to discover that there would be a new protagonist for the series. Still, I was bound and determined to give the book a shot.

Our protagonist has numerous jobs that he follows up on throughout the book with this providing the books’ primary narrative. The closest plot to a central story is his investigation of the murder of an opera singer known for her gold digging as well as manipulative ways. The problem is not that there’s no suspects, it’s that there’s dozens of suspects as virtually everyone who knew her wanted to kill her.

There are also other supporting plots that interweave through the main narrative but never truly tie in because they’re fundamentally a sign of how busy and intrigue-ridden the city is. A man fakes a will naming him as the heir of the family fortune and when his father’s ghost is consulted, simply calls fraud on Celehar before forcing the man to prove his credentials. Celehar is forced to journey to a distant rural village in order to deal with a cannibalistic ghoul. Celehar even undergoes a trial by ordeal on a magical haunted mountain.

If there’s any flaws with Witness for the Dead, it’s very much a procedural storyline and the fact Celehar doesn’t really any sort of arc. Like Columbo or Hercule Poroit, he’s pretty much the same person at the beginning of the story that he is at the end. This is a contrast to Maia in The Goblin Emperor as he transforms from a meek insecure abused victim into someone who wishes to transform the Empire through will alone.

Much of the appeal of the books is the fact that we get a truly vivid picture of the city of Amalo. It is a gritty place somewhere between high fantasy and steampunk with a Dishonored-esque feel. However, it’s also a place where Celehar comes across a little too stoic as well as emotionless. I feel like the story might have benefited from giving him a bit more passion or feeling regarding the events in his life. Given his tragic romantic past established in The Goblin Emperor, it’s kind of sad that he also is only ever mildly annoyed with most people.

Despite this, I’m going to give Witness for the Dead a 4 star rating out of 5. It’s a good book, well-written, and is scarily good at its world-building.

Read The Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison

The post REVIEW: Witness for the Dead by Katherine Addison appeared first on Grimdark Magazine.

Ten Queer Books to Kickstart Your Reading

Welcome to the top ten queer books to kickstart your reading. There is a notion that books that appeal to a Grimdark reading audience are written by cis-het white men for cis-het white men. But within the wider Grimdark area, especially when taking into consideration darker genre titles that have appeal to our audience, there is so much more than that. In my time writing for Grimdark Magazine, I have had the pleasure of reading and reviewing a range of queer and diverse books, and here are some of the books that have stood out most to me in the last few years.

Sistersong by Lucy Holland

In Sistersong, Lucy Holland takes a folk ballad of three sisters, and turns it into a story of three siblings, set in post-Roman Britain. Born three girls, the oldest, Keyne, grows up to realise that he is a man rather than a woman. Holland tells this story with nuance and care, in a period before being queer, before having the words to express this were a thing. Holland’s version of Merlin in this tale is gender fluid, appearing as both man and woman, depending on company and circumstance, which gave me so much queer joy as well – I loved her lyrical writing, the unique story and how it was rooted in a traditional ballad, and these queer elements just made me fall for it even more. Read our full review here (and if you buy a paperback in the UK you may even spot a quote from it!)

About the book:

King Cador’s children inherit a land abandoned by the Romans, torn by warring tribes. Riva can cure others, but can’t heal her own scars. Keyne battles to be seen as the king’s son, although born a daughter. And Sinne dreams of love, longing for adventure.

All three fear a life of confinement within the walls of the hold, their people’s last bastion of strength against the invading Saxons. However, change comes on the day ash falls from the sky – bringing Myrdhin, meddler and magician. The siblings discover the power that lies within them and the land. But fate also brings Tristan, a warrior whose secrets will tear them apart.

Riva, Keyne and Sinne become entangled in a web of treachery and heartbreak, and must fight to forge their own paths. It’s a story that will shape the destiny of Britain.

Read Sistersong by Lucy Holland

Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

Ryka Aoki’s Light From Uncommon Stars is both an extremely dark and a highly uplifting book. Its main character, Katrina, is a trans woman who has suffered through abuse and transphobia – and has now found a home with Shizuka Satomi, a famous violinist. Except, Shizuka has made a deal with the devil which includes Katrina’s soul. While Katrina finally starts to feel like she has escaped her cycle of abuse as she transforms into a brilliant violinist, Shizuka falls in love with a retired starship captain turned donut shop owner, Lan Tran. But the devil is still waiting to collect Katrina’s soul. This is the sort of book to rip your heart to shreds and make you cry in public (if you still have enough of a heart left after reading all of that Grimdark) – it’s not quite a Grimdark book, but it has lots to appeal to a Grimdark audience with complex characters and the constant feeling of dread hanging over the story.

About the book:

Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: To escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. She has already delivered six.

When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches Shizuka’s ear with her wild talent, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting. She’s found her final candidate.

But in a donut shop off a bustling highway in the San Gabriel Valley, Shizuka meets Lan Tran, retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four. Shizuka doesn’t have time for crushes or coffee dates, what with her very soul on the line, but Lan’s kind smile and eyes like stars might just redefine a soul’s worth. And maybe something as small as a warm donut is powerful enough to break a curse as vast as the California coastline.

As the lives of these three women become entangled by chance and fate, a story of magic, identity, curses, and hope begins, and a family worth crossing the universe for is found.

Read Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

S.T. Gibson’s A Dowry of Blood is one of the queerest books in our wheelhouse. A dark, polyamorous retelling of the Brides of Dracula featuring an assortment of queer vampires loving and rampaging over the span of centuries across Europe, this is a twisted tale perfect for lovers of Grimdark with a dash of romance. Originally self-published, it has been picked up by Orbit to be re-released in October 2022 with a new cover and including a sequel short story. Read our full review here.

About the book:

Saved from the brink of death by a mysterious stranger, Constanta is transformed from a medieval peasant into a bride fit for an undying king. But when Dracula draws a cunning aristocrat and a starving artist into his web of passion and deceit, Constanta realizes that her beloved is capable of terrible things.

Finding comfort in the arms of her rival consorts, she begins to unravel their husband’s dark secrets. With the lives of everyone she loves on the line, Constanta will have to choose between her own freedom and her love for her husband. But bonds forged by blood can only be broken by death.

Read A Dowry of Blood by S.T. Gibson

Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot

Lesbian Gunslingers in Space? That is a tagline that sells books. The book in question is Ciel Pierlot’s Bluebird, space opera full of dry humour and sparse wit. There are resistance fighters, big-scale politics and a badass librarian girlfriend, ingredients ideal to make this both a great read for the Grimdark Magazine audience and one of the best space operas I’ve read. See the full review here.

About the book:

Three factions vie for control of the galaxy. Rig, a gunslinging, thieving rebel-with-a-cause, doesn’t give a damn about them, and she hasn’t looked back since abandoning them three years ago. That is, until her former faction sends her a message: Return what she stole from them, or her twin sister will die.

Rig embarks on a journey across the galaxy to save her – but for once, she’s not alone. She has help from her network of resistance contacts, her taser-wielding librarian girlfriend, and a mysterious bounty hunter.

If Rig fails, trillions of lives will be lost – including her sister’s. But if she succeeds, she might just pull the whole damn system down around their ears. Either way, she’s going to do it with Panache and Pizzazz.

Read Bluebird by Ciel Pierlot

Spear by Nicola Griffith

Nicola Griffith’s Spear is one of my all-time favourite books. A short novella telling an epic story in miniature, Spear’s only major flaw is that there isn’t more of it. Not because it needs it, but because Griffith’s writing and characters will leave you wanting more. The story plays with gender in interesting ways – while Peretur, the main character, based on the archetype more commonly known as Percival, herself doesn’t question her femininity, other’s perception of her differs based on their own preconceived notions and cultural expectations. Griffith understands the nature of gender as a social construct, and goes on to use it as a plot device, rather than having her main character cross-dress on purpose. And that is one of the things that made Spear stand out to me in terms of queer representation. It helps that there is a brilliantly depicted, tender, sapphic relationship at its core, too. Read our full review here.

About the book:

The girl knows she has a destiny before she even knows her name. She grows up in the wild, in a cave with her mother, but visions of a faraway lake come to her on the spring breeze, and when she hears a traveler speak of Artos, king of Caer Leon, she knows that her future lies at his court.

And so, brimming with magic and eager to test her strength, she breaks her covenant with her mother and, with a broken hunting spear and mended armour, rides on a bony gelding to Caer Leon. On her adventures, she will meet great knights and steal the hearts of beautiful women. She will fight warriors and sorcerers. And she will find her love, and the lake, and her fate.

Read Spear by Nicola Griffith

Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

One book that can’t be missed out is Lee Mandelo’s Summer Sons. Written by a non-binary author, this features the most oblivious main character realising that, actually, he may not be straight after all, and the best trans housemate. Summer Sons is all Southern Gothic, vibes over plot, with stellar characters and tension so thick you could cut it with a knife. See our full review here.

About the book:

Andrew and Eddie did everything together, best friends bonded more deeply than brothers, until Eddie left Andrew behind to start his graduate program at Vanderbilt. Six months later, only days before Andrew was to join him in Nashville, Eddie dies of an apparent suicide. He leaves Andrew a horrible inheritance: a roommate he doesn’t know, friends he never asked for, and a gruesome phantom that hungers for him.

As Andrew searches for the truth of Eddie’s death, he uncovers the lies and secrets left behind by the person he trusted most, discovering a family history soaked in blood and death. Whirling between the backstabbing academic world where Eddie spent his days and the circle of hot boys, fast cars, and hard drugs that ruled Eddie’s nights, the walls Andrew has built against the world begin to crumble, letting in the phantom that hungers to possess him.

Read Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

P. Djèlí Clark’s A Master of Djinn was one of the finalists for the 2022 Hugos. The first full-length novel to feature his character of Fatma el-Sha’arawi, Muslim, gay, badass detective in Cairo in 1912. She had prior appearances in short fiction and novellas, but this is both Djèlí Clark’s novel debut and her first outing in a longer work – someone is murdering members of a secret brotherhood, and Fatma is on the case. But to me, the plot isn’t at the centre of this story. This is a great commercial novel, but one that will give you as much as you’re willing to put in. There is so much to be drawn out of A Master of Djinn in terms of worldbuilding, in terms of critical views on colonialism, perspectives that are still relevant in the present day. And Fatma and her girlfriend Siti are one of my favourite sapphic couples.

About the book:

Cairo, 1912: though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.

So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, Al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world 50 years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be Al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.

Alongside her Ministry colleagues and a familiar person from her past, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city—or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems…

Read A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

The Unbroken by C.L. Clark

2021 was the year of the sapphic trifecta – The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri, She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan and The Unbroken by C.L. Clark. All three excellent books, but the one that I’d like to highlight for you here is The Unbroken. This is modern Grimdark at its finest. Epic in scale, set in a world fraught with discord at all fronts and centred around Touraine, a soldier compelled to fight for the conquering army of her home, and Luca, the conquering princess (though she ain’t very princessy). If old-school Grimdark – fucked up world, fucked up people, fucked up morals – is what brought you to this site, then The Unbroken is the sort of book you should strongly consider picking up from the up and coming generation of writers. And hey, Touraine’s arms are quite something to look at too.

About the book:

Touraine is a soldier. Stolen as a child and raised to kill and die for the empire, her only loyalty is to her fellow conscripts. But now, her company has been sent back to her homeland to stop a rebellion and the ties of blood may be stronger than she thought.

Luca needs a turncoat. Someone desperate enough to tiptoe the bayonet’s edge between treason and orders. Someone who can sway the rebels toward peace, while Luca focuses on what really matters: getting her uncle off her throne.

Through assassinations and massacres, in bedrooms and war rooms, Touraine and Luca will haggle over the price of a nation. But some things aren’t for sale.

Read The Unbroken by C.L. Clark

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Before we had the sapphic trifecta, we had another big yellow queer fantasy: Samantha Shannon’s The Priory of the Orange Tree. A giant tome of an epic fantasy, this tells the story of a period in the queendom of Inys – complete with dragons, lesbian romance and a narrative crafted like a tapestry. This is a standalone where every thread gets woven into the plot, with nothing being there just for show but furthering the narrative and being part of the conclusion. I loved it – and there’s going to be another standalone (a prequel of sorts) set in the same world! I for one am hyped. See our full review of The Priory of the Orange Tree here.

About the book:

A world divided.
A queendom without an heir.
An ancient enemy awakens.

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction – but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tané has trained to be a dragonrider since she was a child but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel. Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

Read The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

No list of queer books would be complete without Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth. Famously known for the tag line ‘lesbian necromancers in space’, this is one of dark SFF’s biggest hitters in recent years. It is wacky, hilarious and the sequels get increasingly more confusing. But Tamsyn Muir gets to confuse me any day with books this good. If you haven’t experienced the chaos yet, the premise of Gideon the Ninth is basically a locked room murder mystery in a Gothic mansion floating in space – revolving around Gideon Nav, a himbo lesbian. Check out our reviews of Gideon the Ninth, Harrow the Ninth and Nona the Ninth here.

About the book:

The Emperor needs necromancers.

The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.

Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead nonsense.

Tamsyn Muir’s Gideon the Ninth unveils a solar system of swordplay, cut-throat politics, and lesbian necromancers. Her characters leap out of the audio, as skillfully animated as arcane revenants. The result is a heart-pounding epic science fantasy.

Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won’t set her free without a service.

Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will be become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon’s sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.

Of course, some things are better left dead.

Read Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

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REVIEW: Mad God

Mad God is a grotesque, profane, brutal hallucinatory odyssey through a nightmarish hellscape. It is also, quite frankly, a work of art.

The brainchild of special effects and creature design luminary Phil Tippett, Mad God is the culmination of a long and storied career as well as the result of a decades long labor of love. Honestly, it’s hard to describe in any way that does it justice—or just devolve into an excessively effusive, expletive-laden histrionics. It deserves more than that. It deserves better. But how to even find the appropriate language, how to find the words to sufficiently describe the experience that is Mad God? Because more than anything, beyond its narrative, its aesthetics, and the colossus of work that went into its creation, Mad God is deeply experiential. I don’t think any two viewers could ever walk away from witnessing it—and make no mistake, you do not simply watch it, you witness it—with the same impression. No two viewers could ever process it the same, digest it the same. To be perfectly frank I’m quite sure there are more than a few people who wouldn’t even want to make their way through the entirety of its runtime. It’s…singular, in its delivery of the unapologetically grotesque. But for those brave enough to endure, it’s almost impossible to look away from.

Through the brisk 83 minutes of its total runtime, I couldn’t drag my eyes away from the screen. I was, quite literally, transfixed, and for so many reasons. The aforementioned visuals themselves are a large part of that. The screen at all times is crammed with stimuli, with imagery to pore over, with hellish landscapes to digest. There’s so much minutiae involved in every moment I’m already planning a second viewing just so I can spend more time poring over everything on display without having to worry about ingesting the movie itself. The sound design, also, is incredible and goes a long way towards elevating the experience and creating a disturbing ambience—a resonance, almost. Taken as a whole work, Mad God is something truly rare and I can confidently state that I found myself profoundly affected by it. Which is exceptional, as someone who spends an absurd amount of their time consuming movies and, at best, expecting only to be entertained. I was so much more than entertained by Mad God. A day later and I genuinely can’t stop thinking about it. The aesthetics haunt me, the imagery flashes through my mind. The world that Tippett created is something simultaneously and paradoxically horrific and rapturous.

One couldn’t be blamed for getting to the end and asking what the hell it was all about. I did. But I don’t feel as if it necessarily has to actually be about anything except the experience itself. The experience and what it evokes, what it pulls from you, what it makes you feel; how it affects you, and the state you find yourself in afterwards. Mad God plays with so many themes. Death, creation, madness, horror, pain, futility. Yet in the end it isn’t truly about any of those things. It is, always and again, about the experience. And maybe we sometimes need to be reminded of that. Of art, and media, and the fundamental experience of consuming it. It’s a lot. It’s strange. And as far as Mad God is concerned, it’s certainly not for everyone. But as far as I’m concerned, it’s a work of art and worth more than just five or five hundred stars. So if you’re interested in something new, and different, and you’re willing to take the plunge, definitely sit yourself down in front of Mad God.

You can watch Mad God on Amazon Prime.

The post REVIEW: Mad God appeared first on Grimdark Magazine.

REVIEW: War of the God Queen by David Hambling

War of the God Queen is an indie dark fantasy by David Hambling. I’m a huge fan of his Harry Stubbs series that I reviewed previously on this site. However, I was surprised to hear about him moving from writing occult detective novels and horror to a more fantastical series set during a Hyborian Age-like Bronze Age.

This is a direct sequel to The Dulwich Horror but has more in common with Brian Lumley’s later Titus Crow novels than the previous occult mysteries. Which is to say the best response to dealing with Cthulhu and his ilk is to stab them in the face. It also doesn’t require reading said book to understand it.

The premise is that the protagonist of The Dulwich Horror, Jessica, has been cast back into time. It is a pulpy adventure that takes place in a pre-Bronze Age Stone Age civilization. References are made to A Conneticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court and the Barsoom novels with a joke that the protagonist, Jessica, isn’t like any of those supermen with their knowledge of engineering as well as military tactics.

Jessica is an Edwardian woman who finds herself soon the head of a time-lost band of women who are all of varying ethnicities. They avoid becoming the property of the local tribes due to some fast thinking and the belief they’re goddesses. They have an enemy in the Spawn of Cthulhu, however, who threaten to wipe out humanity before it can ever become a threat to even the lowliest of his servitors.

Much is made of Jessica trying to survive in a time without any form of metallurgy, hygeine, or amenities. It is also a work with a feminist slant as the women band together to try to assert their dignity. It is also a adventure about slaying prehistoric eldritch monsters. I liked the latter element a lot more and note this is a very Pulpy Conan-esque view of the Bronze Age and almost wish he’d gone full Howardian.

David Hambling has an engaging and entertaining writing style as well as a fascination with time travel. The Cthulhu Mythos here is less inscrutable and more overtly malevolent but it works well for a story about women attempting to avoid becoming fodder for their Innsmouth-esque plot to take over the world. Thankfully, all of the implied ick that kidnapping women from across time to breed monster babies is thwarted as well. It’s not that kind of book. It’s more, “stab the crazy squid cultists in the face.”

If this sounds like your sort of thing then definitely check it out. I love David Hambling’s occult mysteries more but this was a quirky and fun book despite its sometimes dark subject matter as well as offbeat concept.

Read The War of the God Queen

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REVIEW: The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson

The Emperor’s Soul is Brandon Sanderson’s Hugo Award-winning novella inspired by his visit to the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan. Sanderson was duly impressed by the hundreds of thousands of artifacts on display, covering eight thousand years of Chinese history, and he was particularly drawn to the red stamps used by Chinese artists, scholars, and nobility. Sanderson developed a magic system based on these red stamps, giving them the ability to alter an object’s history, thereby recasting its future. With this, the central idea for The Emperor’s Soul was born.

The Emperor’s Soul takes place in the Rose Empire on the same world as his epic fantasy novel, Elantris. Although The Emperor’s Soul connects to Sanderson’s greater Cosmere universe, it is a standalone story, and hence it is unnecessary to read any of his other work to understand and appreciate this novella.

At the beginning of The Emperor’s Soul, the young Emperor Ashravan is braindead after an assassination attempt which also claims the life of his beloved wife. The crime is apparently an inside job, committed by one of his corrupt council members vying for power.

Meanwhile, a young woman named Shai is imprisoned and facing execution for creating forgeries of both a famous painting and the Emperor’s scepter. Forgery is a magical art involving the carving and application of a soulstamp that captures the essence of an object and can make subtle alterations to its history. In the Rose Empire, forgery is considered to be an immoral and dangerous practice and is punishable by death.

Nevertheless, the Emperor’s advisors recognize Shai’s unmatched talent and give her one chance at freedom, which involves the greatest forgery of all: recreating the soul of the Emperor himself. Shai is given one hundred days to complete the forgery, the traditional grieving period for the Emperor to mourn the loss of his wife.

To achieve this nearly impossible task and prevent the fall of the Rose Empire, Shai must work closely with the Emperor’s most trusted advisor, the elderly Gaotona, who knows the Emperor better than anyone else. Gaotona does not approve of forgery but concedes that this is the only way to save his cherished Emperor.

Although The Emperor’s Soul is not an especially dark fantasy, grimdark lovers will appreciate the complex and opposing views on morality expressed by Shai and Gaotona during their thought-provoking discussions, and the respect that the two characters develop for each other over time.

I especially enjoyed the questions raised on the nature of art. Must art necessarily be original, or does the skill of forgery also constitute an artform? Is it possible for a forgery to improve upon the original work? As a master of forgery, can Shai herself be considered an artist?

Sanderson also raises important questions on the nature of the human soul. What exactly constitutes a soul? Can a soul be fully described and replicated? If yes, is the replica really the same person or simply a clone?

The Emperor’s Soul is also proof that you don’t need hundreds of pages to create a well-realized fantasy with compelling characters, a unique magic system, and thought-provoking questions on morality, art, politics, and the nature of human existence itself. Sanderson accomplishes all of this in a little over 100 pages, with a conclusion that leaves an enduring emotional impact on the reader. The Emperor’s Soul ranks among the best work by Brandon Sanderson over his incredibly prolific career.

5/5

Read The Emperor’s Soul by Brandon Sanderson

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REVIEW: House of the Dragon – Episode 3 ‘Second of His Name’

Time is flying by as three years have passed in the world of Westeros. The tension is building in House of the Dragon E3 as King Viserys and most of the realm (the men at least) are celebrating the second birthday of his baby son, Aegon. His wife, Queen Alicent Hightower is heavily pregnant and his daughter and heir, Princess Rhaenyra is fighting against the fact that she is the most eligible woman in the world as men from all of the great houses line up with proposals – all of which she is not interested in. Meanwhile, the sulking Prince Daemon, brother to the king and his former heir, is off fighting a war in the Stepstones, attempting to bring down the creepy Crab King.

House of the Dragon E3 slows down the pace a bit more, continuing the tension building as the major characters in the coming conflict pop up into place, ready and waiting. You don’t need to be a reader of Fire and Blood or a lover of Game of Thrones to spot that dark times are coming. Viserys is drowning in wine as he tries to numb the feeling of isolation and helplessness that has swallowed him since his wife’s death. Rhaenyra is growing more distant as the realm expects Viserys to name his firstborn son as heir and she flees the hunt taking part in her little brother’s honour and spends the night talking with Sir Criston Cole about love and duty before slaughtering an attacking boar and caking herself in blood. As she displays her strength and anger, Viserys only appears weaker and more helpless as the hunting party capture a brown stag and hold the beast ready for an easy kill, one that he fumbles with.

There’s a gritty, earthy, lived-in feel to the world of House of the Dragon. It differs to Amazon’s pristine and glimmering The Rings of Power and suits a grimdark tale inspired by some of the bloodiest periods of human history. There’s a weariness to the characters that the audience can relate to and the great cast – especially the amazing Milly Alcock who seems has mastered the art of opening up to the audience with subtle facial expressions and movements – pull House of the Dragon E3 forward through the political dialogue and plotting before the episode builds up to some of the promised fire and blood. Matt Smith is as delightful as ever as the petulant warrior Prince Daemon as we finally have a chance to see why he is feared by many and seen as one of the best warriors in Westeros. House of the Dragon E3 continues to do what the previous episodes did so well – deliver a Game of Thrones experience that we have come to expect, but with added dragons. It still brings a few twists and shocks but for now, it is in a comfort zone as it doesn’t bring anything groundbreaking like its predecessor – but it does what we want so well and it is hard to argue with the end product.

The tension is building as we edge closer to the inevitable conflict. It’s a slow burn but House of the Dragon E3 is slowly feeding its audience what we want. More fire. More blood. Another great episode for fans of what has so far been a very consistent show. Grimdark for TV at its best.

The post appeared first on Grimdark Magazine.

REVIEW: Smiler’s Fair by Rebecca Levene

Rebecca Levene’s Smiler’s Fair, book one of The Hollow Gods, exemplifies the expression, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” The subtle but lovely sky depictions do not adequately set the dark tone and nature of the novel. From the opening chapter, Levene teaches the reader to expect the unexpected.

At its core, Smiler’s Fair is a book about a group of people. The coming of a royal son foretells a fatal threat to his powerful father and the rebirth of the moon god, Yron. Saved by his mother, the child narrowly escapes death with the notion he’ll one day return to claim what is his. An orphaned noblewoman enters into an arranged marriage, sending her down a path without a return. One man will learn the difficulties of mixing revenge, bravery, and alcohol, while another kills for sport and fun. A young boy will follow his heart at the cost of it, and a goatherder must reconcile a much bigger future than he ever imagined. All of their stories converge in the most unlikely of places: Smiler’s Fair. A carnival of pleasure will become a battleground for when the sun and moon fight, nothing is safe, especially things dwelling in the shadows.

The narrative of Smiler’s Fair utilizes multiple character perspectives with varying backgrounds, allowing the reader to experience a well-rounded view of the world. Levene’s prose oozes sensory details to create vivid imagery. This is true of both the most beautiful and the most disgusting of moments. Though the book uses familiar tropes, Levene subverts them in an unpredictable way while still keeping the payoff satisfying. The character choices layer into the overarching plot and make sense as the story develops. The fair itself also becomes a fully-fledged character, enhancing the reading experience.

Along with the unexpected direction of the story, the uniqueness of the world in Smiler’s Fair is a strength. Levene’s choices are creative and refreshing in a genre saturated by such similar creatures. Considering the book is around 400 pages, the lore is thoughtfully extensive, but neither is it overexplained nor overcomplicated. Some readers might find parts of the narrative rushed or not as well fleshed out, but Levene lays a solid foundation in this first book to build on in the succeeding novels. She’ll leave you wanting more.

From a grimdark perspective, Smiler’s Fair will check several reader boxes. Levene takes known character archetypes and applies a morally-grey twist as they make difficult decisions for survival. Levene’s action sequences are descriptively violent without holding back. Her world, very much like our own, is filled with majestic sites and horrifying elements. Thematically, Levene hones in on what it means to be human: “But nobody’s perfect, not truly. We all got our faults and our scars and the ways in which we’re different from each other” (23). I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next.

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REVIEW: The Rings of Power – Episodes 1 & 2

Over twenty years have passed since The Lord of the Rings smashed records and swept up pretty much every award possible – proving that fantasy on the big screen, when done well, can be as successful as anything else. Now, Amazon have spent more than a dragon’s hoard on the rights and the making of a series for the small screen, a series based on Tolkien’s history of Middle-earth and tales before Bilbo, Fordo, Sam, Aragorn and friends. The landscape has change in the decades since Peter Jackson’s masterpiece with Game of Thrones, The Witcher, House of the Dragon, and The Wheel of Time all attempting to clutch at the fantasy crown. So, with the first two episodes out, how does The Rings of Power stack up? Will fans appreciate the return of the king or is something that should have been cast into the fire?

What do you get when you spend billions on a TV show based on a beloved work? High expectations. A bar that is almost impossible to hit. The Rings of Power E1 & 2 show the ambition and love that has gone into adapting Tolkien’s work. It is a slow burn, opening up the world and reminding the audience of why they fell in love with Middle-earth whilst informing them that this is a different world to the one they are used to. Visually, it surpasses anything else on the small screen and deserves to be seen on the biggest screen possible. A Galadriel scarred by the horrors of the war with Morgoth and his commander, Sauron, seeks vengeance. She is battle-hardened and stubborn – ignoring the lax attitude of her kin as they relax and settle in the belief that the war is over. Galadriel is the heart of the first episode, fighting to be heard when none will listen. The show quickens its pace whenever she is on screen as we are introduced to the ruling elves, downtrodden men, and hobbit-like Harfoots. It is not until the second episode that the series begins to hit its stride. The dwarves are as brilliant as ever and the magnificence of Khazad-Dum is a treat for the eyes as Elrond travels there on a mission for the master smith – Lord Celebrimbor. Part of the joy in watching the show is heading back into a beloved world and seeing the changes over time – similar to House of the Dragon. The stunning Khazad-Dum, thriving Elven realms, and new lands not touched on previously are all incredible enough to make The Rings of Power worth the watch but fans of The Lord of the Rings will be glad to know that there is an interesting story at play alongside all of the beauty as a threat in the East grows and threatens the free people of Middle-earth…

The beauty in The Lord of the Rings has always been in its simplicity. It is a good versus evil story with not many shades of grey and that may not be too the taste of the modern fantasy fan who has devoured Game of Thrones and The Witcher. There is darkness but it isn’t as grim as many fantasy series currently vying for attention on streaming platforms. It feels almost like a palette cleanser, something to be watched alongside House of the Dragon with a confidence that the two don’t share a mood to overwhelm but instead show the scope and potential of the fantasy genre on the small screen. Some of the lines are a little cheesy and it doesn’t hit the heights of Peter Jackson’s masterpiece but is that what we expected? The Rings of Power E1 & 2 sets up an intriguing tale in a beautifully realized world that millions of fans already love. There will be some bumps on the way but on the evidence of the first couple of episodes, it is a journey worth taking.

Ambitious, stunning to look at, but slightly flawed; The Rings of Power E1 & 2 display the potential of great fantasy series that’s biggest downfall may be the huge burden of expectation that weighs heavier than the One Ring near Mordor. It may not have yet met the expectations placed on it, but The Rings of Power has the potential to be the best example of high fantasy on the small screen yet.

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REVIEW: Echolands by J.H Williams III

I’ll preface this review with a statement that, ordinarily, would be found nearer to the end: Drop whatever else it is you’re doing and buy Echolands.

Honestly. What J.H. Williams III (hereafter referred to as JHW3) has crafted here, along with a similarly talented crew of artists and designers, is nothing short of fantastic. Echolands is a frenetic fever dream, twisting and warping folklore and fairytales into a surreal new mythology inhabiting a world stunningly like our own yet also utterly alien.

If you’re not already familiar with JHW3’s body of work, know that he is a stylistic chameleon who does not constrain himself to any particular aesthetic. Nor does he bother with anything like conventional layouts and simple linear story flow. Immediately upon holding Echolands in your hot little hands, you’ll first notice its format: it is wider than it is tall. This is something cleverly done to allow JHW3 more room to play with the aforementioned structure and flow, and it’s brilliant. The action of Echolands, the meat of it, moves at a dizzying pace along lines and within boxes that defy the norms of typical comic structure and it creates an exhilarating experience thatat first may seem confusing but has been constructed so well with such attention to detail that it guides the eye around the pages with little effort.

And the pages. Echolands has some of the lushest, prettiest, exciting art I’ve seen in a while and it’s yet another testament to JHW3’s skill that every single page can be so full to bursting yet never seem overcrowded or like any elements are at odds with each other. Here again, convention is bucked and we see styles and aesthetics thrown together in ways that may at first seem bizarre but instead blend together. Painted fairytale heroines cavort next to Kirby-esque demigods while characters that would feel at home in Sunday funnies yammer away. There are “dracs” and “steins” and zombies that exist entirely in monochromatic brushstrokes and more visual homages than can be easily counted within the pages of Echolands, but it’s a lot of fun to try.

Because each of these disparate styles serves a larger purpose within the narrative of Echolands, which is itself a story about stories. A world wherein stories, tall tales, myths and more have come alive and exist together in a tumultuous and outrageous world that might have at one time been our own world. The plot revolves around a quest, which nominally pushes everything forward, but the story is about the characters and their interactions as they define themselves and the world around them. Regretfully, it’s an adventure that ends all too soon after it begins, but it’s alright, because it’s only the first part of the adventure and there is more of Echolands to come. And I, for one, can’t wait.

Woven together by J.H. Williams III and his talented team, Echolands is an incredible piece of visual art and comic book storytelling that is engrossing, rapturous, and a hell of a lot of fun. Five stars, no question. Now go out there and get yourselves a copy.

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REVIEW: Hide by Kiersten White

It’s likely that most of Kiersten White’s readers have known from the beginning just what she’s capable of. However, I don’t think any of us could have expected that she would churn out such a dark and gutting social commentary for her adult debut, and she would do it so well. Hide hit me like a punch in the gut. I was absolutely floored by the sheer magnitude of the story and the pace at which it unfolded, coupled with a writing style that I feel, as a reader, I have had the privilege to watch grow into what it is now. Kiersten White possesses a stunning grasp of her craft, and has yet again delivered a novel I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

“Not a monster at all, but the most pathetically human of men.” –Hide, Kiersten White

Hide is slightly deceiving when it presents to you a story about a horrific, sadistic hide-and- seek competition. While the book is about a group of fourteen young people offered a chance to win $50,000 in this strange competition run in the abandoned Amazement Park, the story that is told is much, much more than that. Soaked in suspense and teeming with an unshakable sense of dread, Hide is so much more than what it appears to be. When I first read the synopsis of this book, I was of course immediately hooked by its dark and enticing premise, but I didn’t expect to be reduced to a puddle of tears at midnight on a Saturday night when I finally finished it, clutching my overly-annotated copy with shaking hands.

Hide is a story with several strengths. The writing alone stands out as capable of carrying the story even if the characters and plot were lacking—which they are most certainly not—due to its sheer power. Kiersten White has always been a strong writer, but she has absolutely outdone herself with Hide. Told in clever metaphor, brilliantly unique syntax, and omniscient third person, Hide reads as very cinematic, the choice of tense presenting the readers with an advantage that the characters will never have. The reader gets to peek into each of our fourteen characters’ heads, the writing style serving as a powerful tool to wiggle even the most unassuming—or even evil—characters into your heart. To me, the true gut-punch of this story was the cleverly-masked social commentary that spoke directly to me. Even the acknowledgments section of this book had me in tears. Though it may not be for everyone, I have always had a soft spot for art that screams at the world. This book understands what it’s like to be young in this country, and paints a haunting picture of a new generation condemned to damnation by their predecessors.

Though at times the narrative shifts to show the absolute worst of humanity, the most monstrous—or pathetic?—of us all, you’d be mistaken to think that Hide wasn’t a story about hope. Without spoiling the plot, this book was heart-wrenchingly beautiful. Full of sorrow and pain, but also hope, the promise of forgiveness, of victory, of happiness. This book was everything I wanted and needed, and Mack, Brandon, Ava, and LeGrand will be with me forever. Even after writing this review, I still don’t think I can properly convey just how badly you need to read this book.

5 Stars

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