Adrian Collins's Blog, page 126

REVIEW: The Hedge Witch by Cari Thomas

The latest offering from the Sunday Times bestselling author Cari Thomas is her novella The Hedge Witch. Set in her Threadneedle world, The Hedge Witch appears earlier in The Language of Magic chronology than the novel Threadneedle and focuses on the character of Rowan. I believe that readers could easily pick up and enjoy The Hedge Witch with no prior knowledge of Thomas’ rich world. It gives a lovely taste of her writing style and the magics of Threadneedle without the reading commitment of a full size novel. Also, if you read and enjoyed Threadneedle, then The Hedge Witch will be a superb way to return to this realm and learn more about Rowan and the magic of the hedge witches. I would like to thank Harper Voyager and Cari Thomas for sending me an electronic Advanced Reader Copy of The Hedge Witch so that I can review the novella for Grimdark Magazine.  

I enjoyed The Hedge Witch and think it was an entertaining read. I will not however be giving it a numerical rating, as like other short fiction such as The Slow Regard of Silent Things, it is not really in the grimdark wheelhouse so would not feel fair to apply one in this instance. The Hedge Witch was a nice sojourn into a whimsical fantasy world, and felt to me quite like a palate cleanser – a refreshing literary bite, savoured in between some epic grimdark tomes. I think it may appeal to some of Grimdark Magazine’s readers as lighter escapism but if they are looking for a gritty, twisted, and morally ambiguous novella then this is not the choice to make.

Set in a modern day magical world, The Hedge Witch follows Rowan on a summer visit to relatives in a small town, nestled in the Welsh countryside, before she starts sixth form. This places Rowan in her mid-teens and the themes of the novella match her age, with Rowan trying to fit in, make friends, assert her independence etc. The Hedge Witch does not have the same urban setting or bildungsroman nature of Threadneedle but it has the same magical concepts and I liked learning more about the plant based magic that The Hedge Witch focuses on.

At just shy of one hundred and fifty pages, The Hedge Witch is an engaging and well-constructed novella. It is marketed as an “adult” fantasy but as with Threadneedle there is nothing content wise that might make me wary of suggesting it to fans of the “young adult” fantasy genre. There are not for example any violent or sexual scenes and any swearing is shown through magical curse words. There are some very humorous moments in the novella and the magical mystery arc held my interest, as did the supernatural elements. I think that some of the minor characters were a little two dimensional, but it would be hard to flesh out and thoroughly develop numerous characters in a story of this size.

Overall I liked The Hedge Witch. I am fond of short fiction and being able to dabble my toes in an array of fantasy worlds without the commitment of novel many hundreds of pages long and The Hedge Witch gave me a few hours of nice charmed exploration. Although it was a little juvenile, I think that is to be expected when the main character is of that age and there is not a traumatic incident in the narrative forcing them to be more adult. Thomas has a straightforward writing style which I prefer when reading a novella but other readers may find it too simplistic. Based on the popularity of Thomas’ novel Threadneedle, The Hedge Witch will undoubtable have a lot of fans when it is released and if Threadneedle or similar coming of age teen witchy dramas are what you like then this is the novella for you.

Read The Hedge Witch by Cari Thomas

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REVIEW: A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Life is full of insignificant events, small perturbations that are rarely of any consequence. But occasionally the conditions are right for a small perturbation to escalate into something that alters the entire world, leaving a permanent mark on history. Whether it’s the start of a World War or the beginning of a global pandemic, the impact of a single, seemingly insignificant event can grow to outsize proportions, pushing the world out of its delicate balance.

The same is true for A Game of Thrones, the first volume of A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. A society full of opposing political factions and personal deceit hangs precariously on the assumption that hidden duplicity remains behind its shroud of secrecy. But then a seemingly insignificant event shatters that illusion—a young boy climbs a wall and sees something that he shouldn’t see and doesn’t even understand.

The impact of A Game of Thrones on the world of fantasy cannot be overstated. Its publication in 1996 brought about an irreversible step change in fantasy literature, which for decades had been following the blueprint laid out by J.R.R. Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings.

Since its release in the 1950s, The Lord of the Rings had become the single most influential work of fantasy ever written, spawning countless imitations, none of which could reach the same level of impact achieved by Tolkien. Tolkien’s cultural influence stretched far beyond the world of literature, encompassing cinema (Peter Jackson), music (Led Zeppelin), and any number of role-playing games, including both tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons and video games such as the Final Fantasy series.

Tolkien combined expansive, detailed worldbuilding with an epic good-vs-evil struggle of biblical proportions. Although Frodo struggles mightily against the corrupting power of the One Ring, there is never any doubt that he is on the side of good, a Christ figure who is willing to sacrifice himself to save others. Only two notable characters in The Lord of the Rings exhibit discernable gray morality. The most obvious of these is Gollum/Sméagol, but his gray morality is just a superposition of two dichotomous personas, one of which is good (Sméagol) and the other evil (Gollum). The other character, of course, is Boromir, who is fundamentally good but ultimately seduced by the Ring, becoming the Judas Iscariot figure of the Fellowship.

In A Game of Thrones, George R.R. Martin embraced Tolkienesque worldbuilding while taking an antithetical approach to character morality. Both Middle-earth and Westeros feel authentic because they are so fully realized, complete with their own history and culture, giving the reader a fully immersive experience where they can suspend their own reality while diving into a richly detailed new world.

The main difference comes in the gritty approach that Martin has taken toward character morality, making A Game of Thrones one of the first true grimdark fantasies. Whereas Middle-earth is a world of black and white, Martin uses a full palette of gray to paint his cast of characters. If Tolkien has written an allegory for the epic battle of Christ vs Satan, then George R.R. Martin is more interested in the sneering Pontius Pilate, questioning the meaning of truth itself.

In presenting a grittier, more realistic approach to fantasy, A Game of Thrones became part of a larger cultural movement that emerged in the 1990s. For example, at around the same time, grunge bands such as Soundgarden and Alice in Chains came to prominence, bringing an unapologetic rawness and honesty to a music scene that, in the preceding decade, had been hiding behind a façade of synthetic sounds, big hair, and heavy makeup.

More than a quarter century later, A Game of Thrones has rightfully become one of the most respected and influential works of fantasy. A Song of Ice and Fire has sold close to 100 million books worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling series of all time.

Rereading A Game of Thrones, it’s easy to see why. George R.R. Martin is an outstanding writer. Given the complexity of the world and the plot, this book could have easily become unreadable in less capable hands. But Martin does a wonderful job introducing us to the characters and worldbuilding in a natural and accessible fashion. A Game of Thrones is never a chore, and the pacing is remarkably consistent throughout the book.

Although A Game of Thrones is fantasy, the magical elements are of secondary importance, at least in this first volume of A Song of Ice and Fire. Instead, A Game of Thrones is driven by its wonderful cast of characters. George R.R. Martin has crafted some of the finest characters in all of fantasy, including the inimitable Tyrion Lannister, whose astute political skills are coupled with a keen wit and a genuine kindness toward the less fortunate.

One of the interesting choices made by George R.R. Martin is that, out of the eight point-of-view characters in A Game of Thrones, five are children. Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen are both 14 years old at the beginning of A Song of Ice and Fire. Among the Stark children, Sansa is 11, Arya is 9, and Bran is 7. Beyond these point-of-view characters, Robb Stark is 14 and Joffrey Baratheon is 12. This may be surprising for fans of the HBO series, since all the actors portraying these characters were significantly older than the characters themselves. Considering their young age, the terrible situations experienced by these children in A Game of Thrones become all the more harrowing. I particularly admire the way Daenerys overcomes unspeakably terrible abuse to grow into the strong, self-assured leader that she becomes.

We are living the legacy of A Game of Thrones now, with its indelible impact on both grimdark fantasy and epic fantasy in general. One prominent example is The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson, which is clearly influenced by the narrative structure, expansive worldbuilding, and character-driven plot of A Game of Thrones. Both are full of political intrigue and focus on sparring factions of a fractured society who are fighting each other when they should be focused on a more sinister enemy posing an existential threat to their civilization.

Does this remind you of anyplace else? Although A Game of Thrones emerged in the 1990s, I would argue that it is even more relevant today in our own time wracked by political extremism and a breakdown of global order, where irrational nationalism trumps our ability to confront the serious existential threats facing our society.

A Game of Thrones is one of the finest and most influential books ever published, and its impact only continues to grow. If you have somehow put off reading A Game of Thrones, please put aside whatever reservations you may have and just dive in. You won’t be disappointed.

5/5

Read A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

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Exclusive Cover Reveal: The Hollows by Daniel Church

Today, we’ve got a special treat for you readers of Grimdark Magazine. We’ve teamed up with our friends over at Angry Robot for an exclusive cover reveal for their November lead title, The Hollows by Daniel Church. With the tagline The Dark is Coming. Survive The Night. this sounds like the perfect read for our audience, and we can’t wait to get our greedy hands on a copy. Set in the Peak District village of Barsall, and featuring agonising suspense, unforgettable characters and an enemy who will linger in your imagination for many years to come, The Hollows is billed as perfect for readers of No Exit and Moon of the Crusted Snow and fans of 30 Days of Night.

And thanks to the wonderful Angry Robot team, we’re giving you the chance to get a first look at The Hollows – over on our Twitter (@adrianGdMag) we are running a giveaway for three physical ARCs of the book, one going to a reader in the UK, one to the US and to our great excitement, one to a reader based outside those places. So head over there and enter – after having a good look at the cover, and reading on for the blurb and thoughts on the cover from the author, editor and designer.

Kieryn Tyler, Designer at Watkins Media: “The Hollows‘ cover perfectly sums up the spooky and desolate setting the novel takes place in.”Simon Spanton, Editor at Angry Robot: “The forbidding landscape of the Peak District in the depths of winter and Daniel’s evocation of both that and the bleak isolation of the town as the darkness he imagined bears down, made a landscape shot a natural choice for the cover – and our design team came up trumps. The road invites you in, the hills crowd round and the sign carries a warning. I love it – it’s one of those perfect “Does exactly what it says on the tin” covers.
Daniel Church, Author: “Snowbound Derbyshire hills, a road leading to an unknown destination, the ominous danger sign – it’s a pitch-perfect cover that shows the reader exactly what’s in store without even a hint of a spoiler. Superb work. I love it.”

ABOUT THE BOOK: In a lonely village in the Peak District, during the onset of a once-in-a-lifetime snow storm, Constable Ellie Cheetham finds a body. The man, a local ne’er-do-well, appears to have died in a tragic accident: he drank too much and froze to death.

But the facts don’t add up: the dead man is clutching a knife in one hand, and there’s evidence he was hiding from someone. Someone who watched him die. Stranger still, an odd mark has been drawn onto a stone beside his body.

The next victims are two families on the outskirts of town. As the storm rises and the body count grows, Ellie realises she has a terrifying problem on her hands: someone – or some thing – is killing indiscriminately, attacking in the darkness and using the storm for cover.

The killer is circling ever closer to the village. The storm’s getting worse… and the power’s just gone out.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Daniel Church grew up in Manchester, and still lives in the North of England with the love of his life. He loves nature, hills, woods, forest, lakes, rivers, the sea and dogs. He also writes horror fiction. The Hollows is his first novel. Find Daniel on Twitter: @DannyTheChurchRead The Hollows by Daniel Church

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REVIEW: Pan’s Labyrinth

Fairy tales are seen as the foundation for fantasy – the source of magical, fantastical stories that have been told for centuries. They are tales told to make sense of the world around us; tales that provide hope in dark times, or offer us coping mechanisms when overwhelmed. Guillermo Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth is a dark fantasy film that weaves fantasy and magic with the horrors of the Franco’s Spain and in doing so, he created one of the darkest and most beautiful films ever made.

Pan’s Labyrinth follows 11-year-old Ofelia, a young girl living between two worlds. It is 1944 in Spain and Captain Vidal has been ordered to move to a village and rout out a band of rebels. Ofelia hates Vidal who is married to her pregnant mother and witnesses the nonchalant way he shoots dead two innocent farmers. Ofelia follows a preying mantis she believes to be a fairy and winds up in a stunning labyrinth with a terrifyingly strange faun. The faun believes Ofelia is a reincarnated princess and gives her a book with three tasks that he says she needs to complete to return to her kingdom. The story flits between Vidal’s fight against the rebels and Ofelia’s journey into fantasy with horrors on both sides. The sadist Vidal shows viewers how true horror exists in the real world whilst Ofelia learns the importance of the choices she makes as she comes face to face with terrifying creatures such as the haunting Pale Man. This is no children’s fairy tale. It is a powerful story that will live long in the memory of any who watch it.

Pan’s Labyrinth is visually stunning. Del Toro’s skill being the camera is almost unmatched and his use of practical effects give a raw power to the fantasy elements as we follow Ofelia on her haunting journey. There is a darkness to the story throughout but there are powerful moments laced throughout where various characters continue a fight fueled only by glimmers of hope and this is something that makes grimdark so effective. Doug Jones (The Shape of Water, Hellboy) gives a powerful, unnerving performance as both the Pale Man and the titular faun whilst Sergi Lopez steals every scene he is in as the inhumane Vidal. Every part of the film from its direction, script, and music is put together with love and care – something Del Toro fans have come to expect from the master filmmaker. It is a film that demands multiple viewings though the subject matter and gory scenes of mutilation may be difficult for some.

Pan’s Labyrinth is a masterful dark fantasy film by one the world’s greatest filmmakers. This is a fairy tale for grown-ups. It is a film that asks you to witness the dark depths of both fantasy and humanity and never before has such a journey been so stunningly beautiful. It is a timeless classic that has set a high bar that most fantasy films will struggle to reach.

The post REVIEW: Pan’s Labyrinth appeared first on Grimdark Magazine.

Grimdark Fantasy: Where to start reading

Ask ten grimdark fantasy fans what their definition of grimdark is, and you’re likely to get ten marginally, if not wildly, different answers. However, ask them for a top ten list, and you can all but guarantee the same tall stack of male authors will dominate.

When I sat down (virtually) with the leaders of the Grimdark Magazine review team to build this list, we agreed upon a few things:

Try as we might have over the last eight years, the “definitively defining the subgenre” horse has long bolted. We couldn’t control it. You can’t control it. We’re going to piss off somebody with this list–let’s just get on with it.Few publishers nowadays want the books they put out shoehorned into “grimdark fantasy”. They tried it in the 2010’s, it didn’t work out as a marketing term for too many authors, and it’s been popped back on the shelf at a Big 4 level. That’s okay, we can all still love books that meet our definitions of grimdark without the Hachette marketing department flying the grimdark flag and pinning an author’s career on it.The grimdark fantasy subgenre has changed from a standard list of blokes from the 80’s and 90’s and 2000’s, with new voices and new authors injecting perspectives and ideas more vicious and well written than their contemporaries, and those people need to make up a decent chunk of a list written in the 2020’s.

Having agreed upon that, Beth, James, Fabienne, David, and I entered into weeks of arguments over what would fit into our modern grimdark must read list. We have done our best to both keep it relatively short, and to both do justice to those that laid the path, and those who now walk it.

We give you, in no particular order of preference, Grimdark Magazine’s where to start reading grimdark list.

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

This is a book that gets under your skin, and it left me equal parts haunted, transfixed, and overwhelmingly glad my standardized testing days are behind me.

Read the full review here.

About the book

When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.

But surprises aren’t always good.

Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.

For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .

Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late.

Read The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang

Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

Prince of Thorns is one of the best and most influential books in grimdark fantasy, authored by one of the founding fathers of the genre.

Read the full review here.

About the book

Before the thorns taught me their sharp lessons and bled weakness from me I had but one brother, and I loved him well. But those days are gone and what is left of them lies in my mother’s tomb. Now I have many brothers, quick with knife and sword, and as evil as you please. We ride this broken empire and loot its corpse. They say these are violent times, the end of days when the dead roam and monsters haunt the night. All that’s true enough, but there’s something worse out there, in the dark. Much worse.

From being a privileged royal child, raised by a loving mother, Jorg Ancrath has become the Prince of Thorns, a charming, immoral boy leading a grim band of outlaws in a series of raids and atrocities. The world is in chaos: violence is rife, nightmares everywhere. Jorg has the ability to master the living and the dead, but there is still one thing that puts a chill in him. Returning to his father’s castle Jorg must confront horrors from his childhood and carve himself a future with all hands turned against him.

Mark Lawrence’s debut novel tells a tale of blood and treachery, magic and brotherhood and paints a compelling and brutal, and sometimes beautiful, picture of an exceptional boy on his journey toward manhood and the throne.

Read Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor

The ending is like a warm, loving, grimdark slap in the face. It comes out of nowhere and it works brilliantly and everything leads to it and I loved it. It’s a brilliant twist where all the learning, the lack of control over her life and her power, all comes full circle in just a few brilliant paragraphs that had my jaw flopping on the floor.

Read the rest of the review here.

About the book

The day Fatima forgot her name, Death paid a visit. From hereon in she would be known as Sankofa—-a name that meant nothing to anyone but her, the only tie to her family and her past.

Her touch is death, and with a glance a town can fall. And she walks–alone, except for her fox companion–searching for the object that came from the sky and gave itself to her when the meteors fell and when she was yet unchanged; searching for answers.

But is there a greater purpose for Sankofa, now that Death is her constant companion?

Read Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

A brilliant, complex world with morally grey characters and ever on going wars, The Blade Itself truly reminds me of what a joy it is to read a gritty, dark fantasy.

Read the rest of the review here.

About the book

Inquisitor Glokta, a crippled and bitter relic of the last war, former fencing champion turned torturer, is trapped in a twisted and broken body – not that he allows it to distract him from his daily routine of torturing smugglers.

Nobleman, dashing officer and would-be fencing champion Captain Jezal dan Luthar is living a life of ease by cheating his friends at cards. Vain and shallow, the biggest blot on his horizon is having to get out of bed in the morning to train with obsessive and boring old men. And Logen Ninefingers, an infamous warrior with a bloody past, is about to wake up with plans to settle a blood feud with Bethod, the new King of the Northmen, once and for all – ideally by running away from it.

But as he’s discovering, old habits die hard….especially when Bayaz gets involved. An old man with a terrible temper and a pathetic assistant, he could be the First of the Magi, he could be a spectacular fraud, but whatever he is, he’s about to make the lives of Glokta, Jezal, and Logen a whole lot more difficult….

Read The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

The Court of Broken Knives by Anna Smith Spark

Cover to cover The Court of Broken Knives isn’t just a good read, it’s an experience. For me, it was pretty much un-put-downable. It was lightning-paced, beautiful, deep, haunted, violent, gripping, gritty AF, and exactly what what I wanted.

Read the full review here.

About this book

They’ve finally looked at the graveyard of our empire with open eyes. They’re fools and madmen and like the art of war. And their children go hungry while we piss gold and jewels into the dust.

In the richest empire the world has ever known, the city of Sorlost has always stood, eternal and unconquered. But in a city of dreams governed by an imposturous emperor, decadence has become the true ruler and has blinded its inhabitants to their vulnerability. The empire is on the verge of invasion – and only one man can see it.

Haunted by dreams of the empire’s demise, Orhan Emmereth has decided to act. On his orders, a company of soldiers cross the desert to reach the city. Once they enter the palace, they have one mission: kill the emperor, then all those who remain. Only from ashes can a new empire be built.

The company is a group of good, ordinary soldiers for whom this is a mission like any other. But the strange boy Marith who walks among them is no ordinary soldier. Marching on Sorlost, Marith thinks he is running away from the past which haunts him. But in the Golden City, his destiny awaits him – beautiful, bloody, and more terrible than anyone could have foreseen.

Read The Court of Broken Knives by Anna Smith Spark

Blackwing by Ed McDonald

Blackwing was one of the best grimdark debuts of 2017.

Read our full review here.

About this book

The republic faces annihilation, despite the vigilance of Galharrow’s Blackwings. When a raven tattoo rips itself from his arm to deliver a desperate message, Galharrow and a mysterious noblewoman must investigate a long-dead sorcerer’s legacy. But there is a conspiracy within the citadel: traitors, flesh eaters and the ghosts of the wastelands seek to destroy them, but if they cannot solve the ancient wizard’s paradox, the Deep Kings will walk the earth again, and all will be lost.

The war with the Eastern Empire ended in stalemate some 80 years ago thanks to Nall’s Engine, a wizard-crafted weapon so powerful even the Deep Kings feared it. The strike of the engine created the Misery – a wasteland full of ghosts and corrupted magic that now forms a no-man’s-land along the frontier. But when Galharrow investigates a frontier fortress, he discovers complacency bordering on treason: then the walls are stormed, and the engine fails to launch.

Galharrow escapes only because of the preternatural magical power of the noblewoman he was supposed to be protecting. Together they race to the capital to unmask the traitors and restore the republic’s defences. Far across the Misery, a vast army is on the move, as the empire prepares to call the republic’s bluff.

Read Blackwing by Ed McDonald

Godblind by Anna Stephens

Godblind is a fast-paced and merciless tale. If you like multiple POV characters and good fight scenes, and you have a solid constitution, you’ll enjoy this book.

Read the rest of this review here.

About this book

There was a time when the Red Gods ruled the land. The Dark Lady and her horde dealt in death and blood and fire.

That time has long since passed, and the neighbouring kingdoms of Mireces and Rilpor hold an uneasy truce. The only blood spilled is confined to the border, where vigilantes known as Wolves protect their kin and territory at any cost.

But after the death of his wife, King Rastoth is plagued by grief, leaving the kingdom of Rilpor vulnerable. Vulnerable to the bloodthirsty greed of the Warrior-King Liris and the Mireces army waiting in the mountains…

Read Godblind by Anna Stephens

Priest of Bones by Peter McLean

With its fast-moving plot, intense conflicts, interesting characters, and compelling narrative, Priest of Bones is sure to be among the favourite reads for grimdark fantasy fans this year.

Read the rest of the review here.

About this book

‘Sixty-five thousand battle-shocked, trained killers came home to no jobs, no food and the plague. What did Her Majesty think was going to happen?’

Tomas Piety takes his duties seriously: as a soldier, as a priest of Our Lady of Eternal Sorrows and as a leader of men. He has come home from the war to reclaim his family business, to provide for his men and to ensure the horrors of Abingon can never happen in Ellinburg.

But things have changed: his crime empire has been stolen, and the people of Ellinburg – his people – have run out of food and hope and places to hide. With his best friend, Bloody Anne, his war-damaged brother, Jochan, and his new gang, the Pious Men, Tomas sets out to reclaim what was his.

And as Tomas is dragged into a web of political intrigue by the sinister Queen’s Men, forced to work against the foreign infiltrators lurking in the backstreet taverns, brothels and gambling dens of the Stink, one thing becomes clear.

The war has just begun.

Read Priest of Bones by Peter McLean

Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley

About as grimdark as fantasy literature can get.

About this book

On the eve of a recurring catastrophic event known to extinguish nations and reshape continents, a troubled orphan evades death and slavery to uncover her own bloody past – while a world goes to war with itself. In the frozen kingdom of Saiduan, invaders from another realm are decimating whole cities, leaving behind nothing but ash and ruin.

As the dark star of the cataclysm rises, an illegitimate ruler is tasked with holding together a country fractured by civil war, a precocious young fighter is asked to betray his family and a half-Dhai general must choose between the eradication of her father’s people or loyalty to her alien Empress.

Through tense alliances and devastating betrayal, the Dhai and their allies attempt to hold against a seemingly unstoppable force as enemy nations prepare for a coming together of worlds as old as the universe itself. In the end, one world will rise – and many will perish.

Read Mirror Empire by Kameron Hurley

The Builders by Daniel Polansky

One of the best pieces of fiction I’ve read in 2017, the Builders is a masterclass in character and story and world. Betrayal, tough as all hell characters, a little flavouring of grit and a glut of unsavoury characters working towards an unsavoury goal–this has everything I and any GdM fan could want.

About this book

A missing eye. A broken wing. A stolen country. The last job didn’t end well. Years go by, and scars fade, but memories only fester. For the animals of the Captain’s company, survival has meant keeping a low profile, building a new life, and trying to forget the war they lost. But now the Captain’s whiskers are twitching at the idea of evening the score.

Read The Builders by Daniel Polansky

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

In a world of necromancers, animated skeletons and wide-ranging bone magic, a cynical lesbian with a sword, a strong arm and a sharp wit just makes so much sense. This might not be for everyone, and certainly rewards a little patience, but for those willing to relax into it, there’s a lot to enjoy.

Read the rest of the review here.

About this 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 off the page, 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

Chasing Graves by Ben Galley

Quintessential grimdark fantasy.

Read the rest of the review here.

About this book

Meet Caltro Basalt. He’s a master locksmith, a selfish bastard, and as of his first night in Araxes, stone-cold dead.

They call it the City of Countless Souls, the colossal jewel of the Arctian Empire, and all it takes to be its ruler is to own more ghosts than any other. For in Araxes, the dead do not rest in peace in the afterlife, but live on as slaves for the rich.

While Caltro struggles to survive, those around him strive for the emperor’s throne in Araxes’ cutthroat game of power. The dead gods whisper from corpses, a soulstealer seeks to make a name for himself with the help of an ancient cult, a princess plots to purge the emperor from his armoured Sanctuary, and a murderer drags a body across the desert, intent on reaching Araxes no matter the cost.

Only one thing is certain in Araxes: death is just the beginning.

Read Chasing Graves by Ben Galley

We ride the storm by Devin Madson

When We Ride the Storm by Devin Madison opened with the line, “It’s harder to sever a head than people think. Perhaps if one were skilled with an axe it could be done in a single blow—so long as the body was not trying to run away at the time” I knew I’d found something truly special.

Read the rest of the review here.

About this book

AS AN EMPIRE DIES, THREE WARRIORS WILL RISE. THEY MUST RIDE THE STORM OR DROWN IN ITS BLOOD.

The kingdom of Kisia is divided, held together only by the will of the god-emperor. When an act of betrayal shatters an alliance with the neighbouring land of Chiltae, all that has been won comes crashing down.

Now, as the fires of war spread, a warrior, an assassin and a princess must chase their ambitions, no matter the cost.

War built the Kisian Empire. And now war will tear it down.

Read We ride the storm by Devin Madson

A Crown for Cold Silver by Alex Marshall

" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A tale so full of grit, dark humour, drugs, fuck-ups, and excellent writing that straight off the bat I’m not afraid to say it was one of my favourite reads for 2015.

Read the rest of the review here.

About this book

Cold Cobalt, the Banshee with a Blade, First Among Villains . . . Queen Zosia

When there were no more titles to win and no more worlds to conquer, the warrior queen Zosia faked her demise and gave up her legend to history. But when violence finds its way to her door years later, she must round up her adventuring companions – each surprised to see her alive – and set out for revenge.

Time has not been kind to her old comrades, and some have only their own goals in mind. Not only that, but there’s a young, beautiful and skilled general out there, gathering soldiers to her banner for a war against the deadliest of enemies. The girl is using a legend she did not earn, and calling herself by a name that was never hers – that of Zosia herself.

Read A Crown for Cold Silver by Alex Marshall

Beyond Redemption by Michael R. Fletcher

Many of the elements in the story are those we’ve seen before: an aged barbarian at the end of his stamina, a cocky swordsman, a religious nut greedy for power and self preservation. But Fletcher has taken these classic tropes and given them new, psychotic life.

Read the rest of the review here.

About this book

Faith shapes the landscape, defines the laws of physics, and makes a mockery of truth. Common knowledge isn’t an axiom, it’s a force of nature. What the masses believe is. But insanity is a weapon, conviction a shield. Delusions give birth to foul new gods.

Violent and dark, the world is filled with the Geisteskranken–men and women whose delusions manifest, twisting reality. High Priest Konig seeks to create order from chaos. He defines the beliefs of his followers, leading their faith to one end: a young boy, Morgen, must Ascend to become a god. A god they can control.

But there are many who would see this would-be-god in their thrall, including the High Priest’s own Doppels, and a Slaver no one can resist. Three reprobates–The Greatest Swordsman in the World, a murderous Kleptic, and possibly the only sane man left–have their own nefarious plans for the young god.

As these forces converge on the boy, there’s one more obstacle: time is running out. When one’s delusions become more powerful, they become harder to control. The fate of the Geisteskranken is to inevitably find oneself in the Afterdeath. The question, then, is:

Who will rule there?

Read Beyond Redemption by Michael R. Fletcher

The Grim Company by Luke Scull

A classic of the genre that every budding grimdark fantasy fan should read.

Read the rest of the review here.

About this book

The difference between a hero and a killer lies in the ability to justify dark deeds. But this is the Age of Ruin. And there are no heroes…

Five hundred years ago, the world was destroyed in the celestial Godswar. Seeking to throw off the shackles of the deities who created them, a cabal of mages rose up and made war upon the Gods. Though they won out, it was at a great cost: the ensuing cataclysm brought forth the Age of Ruin to the world.

Five hundred years later, the world limps on, seemingly winding down to an inevitable end. Dystopian city states have arisen, each presided over by one of the Magelords who first made war.

Corrupted, near-immortal, and far too powerful, those wizards who once sought to free the world now make war upon each other, while the helpless populace limp on from day to day.

Into this blighted world, steps Davarus Cole, a boy obsessed with notions of heroism and adventuring, who burns to do great deeds. One night, in a reckless act, Cole gets himself into a brawl with the authories. He quickly finds himself sent away from the city, where the world still groans from the ancient cataclysm, and the corpses of Gods lie deep beneath the bedrock, leaking wild, uncontrolled magic into the world.

Read The Grim Company by Luke Scull

The Darkness that Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker

Lodged under the grimdark label, The Darkness That Comes Before is not for the faint of heart. Bakker’s setup warns this is only the beginning of a full descent into darkness. His exploration of choice and the fallout from those decisions adds a relevant and meaningful layer into his intentions with the novel: “It’s the concert of knowledge and ignorance that underwrites our decisions”

Read the rest of the review here.

About this book

A score of centuries has passed since the First Apocalypse and the thoughts of men have turned, inevitably, to more worldly concerns…A veteran sorcerer and spy seeks news of an ancient enemy. A military genius plots to conquer the known world for his Emperor but dreams of the throne for himself. The spiritual leader of the Thousand Temples seeks a Holy War to cleanse the land of the infidel. An exiled barbarian chieftain seeks vengeance against the man who disgraced him. And into this world steps a man like no other, seeking to bind all – man and woman, emperor and slave – to his own mysterious ends. But the fate of men – even great men – means little when the world itself may soon be torn asunder. Behind the politics, beneath the religious fervour, a dark and ancient evil is reawakening. After two thousand years, the No-God is returning. The Second Apocalypse is nigh. And one cannot raise walls against what has been forgotten…

Read The Darkness that Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker

A note on Game of Thrones

I think it needs to be acknowledged that Game of Thrones  by George R.R. Martin is not on this list. Martin has led the charge with grimdark fantasy for a long, long time. His books being turned into a a TV series has drawn in so many new readers, viewers, and just generally interested people, that his impact can likely not be accurately measured–beyond it being fucking massive. However, it has been a good while since we’ve seen new black and white pages from the godfather of grimdark, and therefore, we’ve opted to go with newer (in some cases “ish”) authors. From an author who creates so many anthologies and the like to promote other people, I think he’d be alright with that decision.

The post Grimdark Fantasy: Where to start reading appeared first on Grimdark Magazine.

REVIEW: Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

See that cute stuffed hedgehog on the cover of Earthlings by Sayaka Murata? That’s Piyyut. He’s best friends with Natsuki, the book’s narrator, an 11-year-old girl who is also a self-described magician. As explained by Natsuki:

“I hugged my backpack to me. Inside it was my origami magic wand and my magical transformation mirror. At the very top of the backpack was my best friend, Piyyut, who gave me these magical objects. Piyyut can’t speak human since the evil forces put a spell on him, but he’s looking after me so I won’t get carsick.”

Natsuki goes on to explain that Piyyut isn’t actually a stuffed animal. He is an alien from the Planet Popinpobopia who has given Natsuki a special mission:

“The Magic Police had found out the Earth was facing a crisis and had sent him on a mission to save our planet. Since then I’d been using the powers he’d given me to protect the Earth.”

This is all very cute for a young child, right? It’s not so cute when Natsuki grows up and still believes even more firmly in these childhood fantasies.

Earthlings starts off with a lighthearted style and then descends very quickly into darkness. Some of the trigger warnings include child abuse, incest, murder, and cannibalism. It gets very dark, very fast.

Adult Natsuki has brought two other characters into her delusions: her cousin and her asexual husband. They are convinced that they are all aliens and are determined to be true to their Popinpobopian roots and reject human society, which they see as a conformist Baby Factory. Murata handles the themes of asexuality and anticonformity brilliantly in Earthlings, as she has done previously in her well-known novel, Convenience Store Woman.

Earthlings is very Japanese in its dark and quirky sense of humor and its combination of the kawaii (cute) and the obscene. I found Earthlings to be a unique and highly original read. The closest book I can compare this to is Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami. But even that comparison is a stretch.

Sayaka Murata’s writing is perfect throughout Earthlings. Her writing style is a joy, even while the plot sinks deeper into insanity and obscenity.

Strangely enough, this is my fifth book this year with “surprise” cannibalism. Is this a new trend in publishing? At least Murata makes it sound more appealing than other authors:

“‘We’ll have a feast tonight!’ my husband cried happily. We prepared three Man dishes: Miso Soup with Man, Daikon Leaf and Man Stir-Fry, and Man Simmered in Sweetened Soy Sauce.”

Obviously, this book is not for everyone. But if you love quirky Japanese novels with a twisted and macabre sense of humor—coupled with deep insights about the conformist nature of human society—then you’ll probably appreciate Earthlings as much as I did.

4.5/5

Read Earthlings by Sayaka Murata

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REVIEW: In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey

In the Night Wood is an ingeniously written Gothic horror novel by Dale Bailey, which serves as both a tribute to classic Gothic literature and a unique, riveting story in its own right.

As the novel opens, the narrator, a boy named Charles Hayden, is strangely captivated by an obscure fairy tale, also called In the Night Wood, written by the enigmatic Victorian author Caedmon Hollow.

The story jumps ahead to Charles at graduate school, where Caedmon Hollow is the subject of his doctoral research. During a late-night study session, Charles literally bumps into the love of his life, Erin, at the university library. As fate would have it, Erin is a direct descendant of Caedmon Hollow. Charles promises to give her a “happily ever after,” and six months later they are married.

Fast forward another ten years, and Charles has lost his job as an English professor at Ransom College. Even worse, Charles and Erin’s only daughter, Lissa, has perished in an unspeakable tragedy. Their marriage is broken, and Erin is abusing prescription drugs to numb her pain. Charles and Erin move from America to the English countryside, where she has inherited the Hollow family estate.

Alongside the Hollow House is a dark forest curiously like that described in Caedmon Hollow’s fairy tale. The locals repeatedly warn Charles and Erin not to explore the woods, since people get lost there and never return.

Charles tries to overcome the grief of losing his daughter by throwing himself into his next academic project: an authoritative biography of Caedmon Hollow. He discovers many lost writings from the mysterious author, including a peculiar cipher that becomes a focal point of his obsessive research.

However, Charles is also haunted by the ghost of his dead daughter and by frightful images of the Horned King, the legendary fae king from Hollow’s fairy tale. The nightmarish images are shared by Erin, but the couple cannot bring themselves to discuss what they are seeing.

Meanwhile, a local girl has gone missing and is presumed dead. Four girls with similar names—Lissa, Lorna, Livia, and Laura—also share common physical features and a common story. Or perhaps a common curse?

As In the Night Wood progresses, it becomes unclear whether Charles is learning the truth about the seemingly inscrutable Caedmon Hollow and the real-life origin of his fairy tale, or if he is just descending deeper into madness.

In the Night Wood exudes classic Gothic horror elements while keeping the writing and story fresh for modern readers. The traditional Gothic motifs are here—a foreboding old mansion, eerie visions, and unexplainable supernatural events—all accompanied by a pervasive sense of dread.

Frankly, the beginning of In the Night Wood is a little shaky. The time jumps in the early chapters occur rather abruptly, but in the end they serve an important narrative purpose. The story improves dramatically as the novel progresses, especially in the second half. Overall, In the Night Wood is an excellent read and highly recommended for anyone who loves Gothic horror.

4.5/5

Read In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey

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REVIEW: Brother Red by Adrian Selby

Adrian Selby’s Brother Red follows a duty-bound, female soldier whose choices carry a lot of heart as she attempts to preserve the future of her people, her kingdom, and most importantly, her creed. This latest novel expands upon the already familiar world and lore of its predecessors, highlighting Selby’s creativity and imagination.

When Driwna Marghoster defends a trade caravan from a bandit attack at the start of Brother Red, everything appears business as usual for the Post soldier. That is, until a hidden corpse is discovered amongst one of the wagons. The Post, a merchant guild with a strict creed, does not deal in trading flesh. Curiouser still, the body belongs to the rarely-sighted Oskoro people, whose presence cultivates mysticism and lore. As Driwna begins to unravel the mystery, she treads a path well-worn in deceit, corruption, and pain to something altogether more terrifying than she could have conceived possible.

Brother Red once again shows Selby’s strength with action sequences: the buildup of tension, the pacing, and the way he describes what’s happening blend seamlessly together, creating a visceral experience. Through Driwna’s perspective, we experience his unique affinity for magic systems and lore. The structure of the book lends itself to the plot. The story ebbs and flows as Driwna makes connections in a natural way, keeping a solid pace throughout.

Where some readers might be surprised is with the shift in Selby’s focus with respect to the story elements. As opposed to his previous works, which are heavily character-driven, Brother Red centers more on the plot, building other aspects of the novel like characters, setting, and themes around it. Selby’s voice and prose are also more polished; his ability to say something impactful in a direct and concise sentence pairs well with other emotion-filled paragraphs.

Grimdark fans will appreciate Selby’s balance of brutal violence and hope in the backdrop of a politically-corrupt setting. Behind every character’s choice is their own reason. As Driwna is forced to accept these reasons for what they are, the reader will also be reminded of the differing perspectives that situations will inevitably create: “Bad decisions are made for what would seem to be good reasons, and these decisions may be hidden for what may seem to also be good reasons” (60).

Though all three of Selby’s works are standalones set in the same world, I would recommend reading The Winter Road before Brother Red. Selby’s unexpected connections between the stories add to the already layered plot and narrative, enhancing the experience in a positive way.

Read Brother Red by Adrian Selby

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REVIEW: The Evil Within 2

The Evil Within 2 (2017) is the sequel to, unsurprisingly, The Evil Within (2014) and a game I picked up immediately after finishing the first game. I probably should have played the DLC for the first game before I played this but I’m not a big fan of stealth in video games and those are the primary mechanic of the original expansion. So, what did I think of The Evil Within 2? A game that was following up to a game with a lot of ups and downs? Well, it is a lot more consistent experience but not really a better one.

The premise is Sebastian Castellanos, protagonist of the first game, has been fired from the Krimson City police department after explaining the events of the first game. Which were, if you didn’t play the game, a psychopathic Freddy Krueger wannabe named Ruvik using a wireless Matrix to plunge dozens of people into a hellish nightmare world called STEM. Sebastian has very little to live for as he also lost his little girl to a fire and his wife to what seemed like a paranoid conspiracy theory about a group called Mobius.

Well, it turns out Mobius is real and recruit Sebastian by force to go into their new version of the Matrix, err, I mean STEM. Sebastian has a reason to cooperate, though, in that his daughter is alive and the “core” of the new machine. Mobius has created a replica of a small American town in their virtual world but, unfortunately, it has started turning into the same sort of hellscape that the Beacon Mental Hospital from the first game became. Which in gamer terms, means the townsfolk are all becoming zombies or worse.

The biggest pros of The Evil Within 2 are that it is a much-much better designed experience in terms of gameplay. The stealth mechanics are much better, the skill system has been pruned down to a more manageable level, a crafting system has been created that functions well (especially when you’re in need of ammo), and a bunch of other things that make the experience more streamlined. The combat is also a good deal easier, which isn’t necessarily saying its better but it’s no longer frustratingly difficult either.

The story is also a great deal simpler and easier to understand but, unfortunately, derivative. Sebastian wants to save his daughter, and this is something that it is about as common as “save the Princess” these days. Sebastian even looks like Joel from The Last of Us now. Given I’d only recently played Resident Evil: Village, I can’t say that there weren’t a lot of similarities there too. On the other hand, it’s a decent motive and it isn’t a mistake after the overly convoluted weirdness of The Evil Within.

I also give credit for the games’ two bosses with Stefano and Father Theodore. While it seems a bit silly that two more serial killers are put into STEM after Ruvik, they were both exceptionally realized baddies. Stefano more than Theodore, who is just your standard “burn the witch” evil priest, which is strange since he doesn’t appear to actually be religious. Stefano, by contrast, is an evil photographer who likes creating murder art. There’s some genuinely creepy monsters that accompany him like the Obscura and I got scared a few times during his segments.

Unfortunately, the biggest problem with the game is that aside from Stefano’s sections and the optional Anima sidequests, the game just isn’t nearly as creepy or frightening as the original. Beacon Hospital was more gory than scary, but it was a visual treat even when it wasn’t terrifying. Union just feels like a somewhat bland middle American town with monsters and is far inferior to Beacon Mental Hospital as a setting. While a couple of the bosses are frightening, none of them match up to the original games’ baddies. There’s even a section of the game where you fight the bosses of the first game, and they sort of blow the rest of it away.

The lack of Ruvik is also a big problem with the game. This is a game that doesn’t necessarily need Ruvik and I liked the psychopaths here, but they could have made much better use of him. We also never actually get a reason why the town of Union becomes the hellish nightmare-scape it does. Is it because your daughter is dead, is it because Ruvik “infected” STEM permanently, or is it because of all the other psychopaths present? The Administrator just isn’t intimidating enough to be the main baddie and I feel like they could have done more or had a big Ganon-esque reveal ay the end that Ruvik was possessing your daughter or something.

The game also half-measures its supposed wide-open sandbox. Despite the fact the town of Union is supposedly open for exploration, it’s actually cordoned off into tiny little areas that you can only progress through using “The Marrows” which amount to the backstage of the Matrix. I feel the game should have committed to either a wide-open sandbox for Sebastian to explore or just kept with the linearity of the original game, which was fine. It doesn’t help you can also meet with multiple NPCs, but they keep dying before they can add much to the worldbuilding. I feel like the Kidman/Sebastian relationship was also underdeveloped when I was actually invested in it. Given Sebastian’s (ex)wife plays a big role in the game, perhaps that is for the best.

In conclusion, I rate The Evil Within 2 as “fine.” The gameplay is much better and the story slightly stronger but it’s significantly less weird and that is a flaw when doing a survival horror game. The monsters are less horrible and unnerving than the original game too. It also feels less like a grand guignol of blood pools, viscera, and other Silent Hill-esque horror. Blood and gore do not a good story, but they are fine party decorations for a Mature-rated game. This just feels like a tamer inferior sequel but not that inferior. I still recommend playing it. Just, you know, not if you have any other games you want to play instead.

Play The Evil Within 2

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An Interview With Robert Jackson Bennett

Robert Jackson Bennett’s trilogy is a lot of things, a novel about pain and growth. Sancia is not the same character we started with. It is also about found families and the importance of relationships we make along the way in life. It is a novel about power, magic, and technology. But most of all Founder’s is ending. It has had a beautiful arc and we end with a kernel of hope. You can read the final installment of the Founders trilogy with this month’s release with Locklands.

Bennett was gracious enough to have a conversation with me about this trilogy, writing, and what he has going on in the near future.

GdM: You have won or been nominated for various awards, including the Locus, Shirley Jackson, and World Fantasy awards. Was the writing process the same after a nomination or win? Or was the writing process different?

Ehhhhh, not really. I utterly lack all insight into how awards lists are generated and then how the awards themselves are then given out. I suspect each one functions in a completely different way, and that method changes hugely from year to year, based on the jurors. As such, trying to build a career around awards would be a little like trying to develop a daily routine on what color cars you see go by your house each morning.

GdM: You wrote that you get a lot of ideas about vacuuming; I get that. Vacuuming is meditative. Is it true you were vacuuming your living room and listening to St. Vincent’s “Digital Witness” when you came up with the idea for Foundryside? What about City of Stairs or Vigilance?

Kind of. I listen to music to try to capture mood: the ambience, the vibes. I definitely have songs that are tied to specific scenes, and I used to try to summarize them on my blog. (Example.)

However, having reviewed the traffic on those blog posts, I quickly came to the conclusion that ain’t nobody give a fuck about that stuff, so I gave up and keep that to myself now.

People want to see maps and drawings, stuff like that. Nobody cares about your mixtape. It’s a humbling realization.

GdM: Your early work and some of your short fiction has a strong horror element. Do you plan on returning to that kind of work in future projects?

Nope! I like dollars. I get to buy food with those things. Unfortunately, people are unwilling to exchange dollars for short fiction. Hell, people already get pissed off and yell at me on twitter because they gotta pay a couple dollars for this thing I spent three, four years making. I bet most people would only buy short fiction for a handful of bottlecaps and a small bag of dirt.

GdM: What attracts you to the horror genre? What attracts you to fantasy?

People like the idea of a world that’s bigger than you. They like the feeling that there’s more out there, that this isn’t all there is.

What’s more interesting is to flip that around and explore the crawling suspicion we all share: what if the world is bigger and more fantastical and alive than we think, but it doesn’t give a shit about us? What if we’re just bugs to it? Or what if it’s actively hostile to us?

I like fantasy for the same reason. For some folks, fantasy is a power trip, an imaginary world where you can shoot fire from your hands. For me, it’s about that weird feeling of being small in a big world.

GdM: Do you read horror? If so, what kind of horror do you find scary as a reader?

Not really! I mostly stick to nonfiction these days. That stuff has no shortage of horrors, but they’re all bland and mundane and terrifyingly easy to imagine happening again. Nobody wants to read a fantasy novel about the Holodomor.

GdM: Along those same lines, your early work also touched on lots of Americana. What was it about this that fascinated you?

Well, I live in America. I keep all my stuff there.

I guess I felt like in the 2010s we were trying to figure out a national identity of who we were, and I wanted to reflect on that conversation. However, now we are all just screaming at each other and trying to kill each other, and I have less to say about such an exchange.

GdM: You’ve mentioned Le Carre as an inspiration for The Divine Cities. Who would be the big one for The Founders trilogy?

Probably Terry Pratchett. Pratchett was always secretly a science fiction writer, anyways. You could feel all the big ideas and complex systems bleeding into his works. I wanted to do that, but in my own way.

It was that, and the classic science fiction films I watched as a kid. When I was younger, you usually watched science fiction and read fantasy. I’m not sure why it worked out that way. But I remember watching Blade Runner when I was around ten, and feeling this intense, beatific melancholy at the idea of identity merging with technology, and how the wonders of science didn’t make it any easier to just go about being a person every day.

I feel like the best cyberpunk stories touch on that melancholy: the sudden awareness that you are, in a way, a temporary system image of a person, like the imaging of a machine. But this one might not be one you can restore.

Another was the show Halt and Catch Fire. I respect how the show was willing to totally change locations and times from season to season. We see these people at different eras of their lives facing totally new issues. That was inspiring, and gutsy.

GdM: Can you tell us where we are in Locklands?

War has eaten the world, and Berenice and Sancia and their survivors are on the run. They’ve invented and invented and changed and changed, until they’ve built a little bubble of egalitarian utopia that challenges what it even means to be human anymore. They changed because they had to, and they’re starting to have a vision of a posthuman world they could found together – until they get some very bad news, and realize their enemy might have found a way to alter the world on a grander scale than they can imagine.

GdM: How has Sancia changed over the course of the three books?

I think Sancia very much reflects the arc of maturity, the growing conception of the world beyond you. She is both literally and figuratively forced to grow up very fast. I think many young people experience this arc, where you’re full of revolutionary fervor and insist that unless your ideals are adopted by the world at large, the world will cease to be; but then the world keeps on going, maybe picking up some of your ideals or maybe not, and you start to comprehend the macro level systems that are shaping your choices and life as you live it.

I think some fans would have preferred I keep with the revolutionary spirit – but most revolutions fail. And most young people who fight in them get killed on the front lines, or get rounded up and shot. That’s how history shakes out. And I think in Locklands, she knows that.

Sancia is not quite the protagonist of Locklands, because by this point, she’s too wise to be a protagonist. Your protagonist has to be dumb enough to try some really dumb shit for the book to be entertaining. But Sancia, by this point in the series, is too smart to be that stupid. She sees the arc of her story, and the story of her people, and is content to live it – including its end.

GdM: What’s the scene from Locklands you’re proudest of?

I would say the very, very end. That, or a moment where Berenice has a memorial for someone who’s now gone. You learn a lot about her, and what she’s going through.

GdM: The Divine Cities is a trilogy that started as a standalone. The Founders was a trilogy from the beginning. What was the difference in writing those stories?

I think the tricky thing is that as an audience member, I want the stories of the characters to be fully resolved in each installment. I want things to have closure. I don’t want to have to open wounds back up and mess with them more – yet this is what the series demands of you.

So that’s the balance you have to strike: the idea that each installment of a series is like an era of a life, where you face issues and struggle to resolve them. (There are series out there whose installments offer no closure and just kind of stop, and I think they suck.) But just like in real life, things aren’t truly closed, but just somewhat resolved – and yet, the world keeps going, with all its disappointments and worries.

I think that’s how the best sagas work. They are aware of the flow of time, and understand how time doesn’t respect how you feel about the eras of your life. It just keeps ticking on, and it’s all too content to reopen old wounds.

GdM: Now that you are ending the trilogy, did the story end how you envisioned it?

Actually, yeah! The last scenes are ones I wrote in my head way back in… hell, 2015? 2016? It felt deeply, deeply strange to write them in 2021. It was like time traveling: looking through glass and seeing your younger self sliding by, unaware that your older self is sharing this moment with you.

GdM: I found that the political dynamics of power in The Founders in a society based on intellectual property were written very well. Did you research this topic before writing the novels, or were the power struggles dynamics evident to you from the start?

Nope! I just figured that was how shit would shake out. Maybe part of it was how I’d listened to news stories long ago about how algorithms were patented, these complex mathematical and logic puzzles that were inscrutable to most people, yet were now bound up in laws, protected by the justice system. It did feel like magic.

GdM: What is next for you?

I’m gonna shoot from the hip, and say you might be seeing me do the high fantasy equivalent of Knives Out.

Read The Foundry Trilogy

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