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REVIEW: The King’s Blood by Daniel Abraham

The King’s Blood is another strong entry in Abraham’s politically charged, character-driven fantasy series, The Dagger and the Coin.

The Dragon’s Path helped get me out of a reading slump and The King’s Blood features more of the same fine elements that kept me engaged during the first entry. Complex and often misunderstood lead characters, excellent drama, high stakes, and detailed point of view perspectives that sometimes intertwine. Every action and decision that a character makes seems to have consequences, some causing shocking and unexpected outcomes in The King’s Blood, and some, do doubt, planting the seeds for what is to occur in The Dagger and the Coin’s remaining three novels. Words and truths are powerful here and have lasting effects.

“I think he has a long memory, though. Anyone who crosses him while he’s weak will answer for it when he’s strong.”

The way that Abraham writes and the pacing really connects with the rhythm of my thoughts, creating vibrant and clear images, feeling almost meditative to me, and had me truly engrossed. Hypnotic almost, yet, not in a sleepy manner, in a way that kept me fully focused and attentive. The series is adult in nature and it has a similar tone to A Song of Ice and Fire with political maneuvering, backstabbing, plotting, and ambitious characters aplenty. The King’s Blood doesn’t feature many detailed lengthy battles or as much bloodshed on-screen as some fantasy mainstays, although there is a war ongoing throughout the duration of the novel and also a potential revolution. When these moments do occur, though, they have a massive impact. There is one moment in particular with Geder; the climax of which stands out in my top ten most haunting and sure to be most unforgettable moments I’ve ever read.

In a similar fashion to the first novel, Geder is an absolute gem of a creation, and I don’t want to say too much about him because the way he changes, the consequences of his actions on himself and others, and the mythology that seems to surround him makes him an enticing lead player. The fact he’s a point of view perspective – where we follow his actions and thoughts as if sitting on his shoulder – makes it really interesting and occasionally harrowing to see how he is witnessed, differently, by other point of view characters. Whether they are misunderstanding his ideals and intentions or not.

“(She) listened, her hand around her mug. She forgot to drink from it. Instead, she listened to story pile upon story pile upon story as Geder Palliako grew toward legend.”

Dawson is similarly stubborn in nature and loyal to the crown as he was in The Dragon’s Path yet I enjoyed following him more this time. His partner Clara is another point-of-view perspective, and it starts to develop here how important, I believe, the whole Kalliam family will be to the overarching story. It’s nowhere near a neat analogy yet I think this family will be the closest this series has to the Stark family as The Dagger and the Coin progresses further.

Like Geder, I don’t want to say too much about, arguably, the series’ other main character, Cithrin. That being said, I can confirm she has many excellent moments, shares the screentime with some important players, and her tale goes down unexpected avenues. I’m often completely drawn into the way her mind works and how her analytical nature makes her a success with finances, and in other areas here as well. Captain Marcus Wester has a few important and exciting moments in The King’s Blood but he seems to drift away to being a secondary character, however; his importance to the overall series is blatant and I can’t wait to follow his arc further in The Tyrant’s Law as the novel sets where his journey will go next nicely.

The Dagger and the Coin is building up exquisitely with its detail, drama, layers, intrigue, and very real consequences. The novels in this series don’t work as standalone so might not be suited for fantasy fans who want a quick-fix, adrenaline rush. This is a series for those who will embrace its intricacies, its depth, its wonderful characters, the build-up, the stand-out moments. The more time I spend in Abraham’s world, the more intense and invested I will get. Although parts of this series have been a slow burn, I’m absolutely invested now. Let’s see how The Tyrant’s Law ups the ante.

“And I suppose it would be entirely too much to ask what this mysterious errand is that’s calling you away?” she asked. And then, contradicting herself, “You owe us that much.” The apostate licked his lips, searching for words he hadn’t used, even to himself. When he found them, he chuckled. “This may sound a bit grandiose,” he said, scratching at his beard with one long finger. “Try me.” “I’m off to kill a goddess.”

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REVIEW: Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

The Broken Empire trilogy comes to a Shakespearean end in Emperor of Thorns, which finds Mark Lawrence soaring to new literary heights as Jorg Ancrath deepens his understanding of this post-apocalyptic world and seeks to use that knowledge to ascend to the emperor’s throne.

Before becoming one of the pioneers of grimdark fantasy, Mark Lawrence earned a PhD in mathematics from Imperial College London and had a highly accomplished career in artificial intelligence (AI). Lawrence’s deep knowledge of AI permeates Emperor of Thorns, even while most inhabitants of the Broken Empire can’t see past their own immediate reality.

The Broken Empire trilogy is set in Europe about a thousand years after a technology-driven apocalypse. Evidence throughout the trilogy suggests that the apocalypse was induced by a combination of nuclear war and global warming. The humans from our time are referred to as Builders. The people of the Broken Empire are unable to understand or recreate the technology or architecture built during this bygone era. Only echoes of this previous civilization remain. Remnants of the Builders’ technology are scarce, and their powers are attributed to magic.

One of these technologies is the data echo, which is basically an AI clone of a human. Although humans die, a data echo can live forever, artificially replicating the memories and thought patterns of the original human being. Physically, data echoes appear as holograms or “ghosts” to those who don’t understand what they are seeing.

The story of Emperor of Thorns is again told on multiple timelines from the point of view of Jorg Ancrath, but now with an additional perspective from the necromancer Chella. Jorg has already established himself as king of nine principalities in this feudal post-apocalyptic Europe, and the present-day timeline revolves around Jorg’s quest to become emperor of a united Broken Empire.

There is no better way to unite a fractured empire than to face a grave, imminent threat from a common enemy. Enter the Dead King and his army of undead soldiers, who make Jorg seem like the lesser of two great evils.

In Emperor of Thorns, we learn of another horrific event from Jorg’s childhood that scarred him emotionally and contributed to his anger, demonstrating how violence and abuse inflicted on one person can propagate forward to others. Emperor of Thorns also features a brutally detailed torture scene that would make even Joe Abercrombie squirm. No wonder Jorg is so messed up.

Jorg has grown impressively over the course of the Broken Empire trilogy. In Prince of Thorns, young Jorg was consumed by anger and had a single-minded focus on revenge. In King of Thorns, this anger was tempered and balanced by a profound sense of sadness and regret. Now in Emperor of Thorns, Jorg has come to an acceptance of the role he must play in this epic saga.

Emperor of Thorns also finds Jorg becoming a father to young William, named after his deceased younger brother, whom he was unable to save from a gruesome death in the first volume of the trilogy. As a father, Jorg feels a deep sense of love and makes decisions based on something beyond his own self-interests and desire for revenge and power.

Mark Lawrence’s writing is precisely crafted, as always. The Broken Empire trilogy can be read at the surface level for its story alone. It’s a story full of dark wit, violent action, and unpredictable plot twists. But for me, the greatest enjoyment came from considering the important philosophical and scientific questions hidden just beneath the surface, which are only partially conveyed by Jorg as narrator.

Emperor of Thorns has a myriad of connections to all of Mark Lawrence’s other series. The most obvious of these is the common thread provided by Dr. Elias Taproot, who appears in every one of Lawrence’s trilogies. Taproot reminds me a bit of Hoid from the Cosmere universe of Brandon Sanderson. Fexler Brews, the data echo of a long-dead Builder, also provides key information about the nature of the Broken Empire and its magic system, which is not magic at all, but rather based on AI and quantum physics and shared across all of Mark Lawrence’s literary universe. There are plenty of more subtle connections as well, which will delight the careful reader.

There are so many layers to the Broken Empire trilogy. It is a psychological study of a deeply disturbed individual coupled with a thought-provoking treatment of the interrelationships among technology, the environment, global politics, religion, and the nature of human memory. The Broken Empire trilogy is also a story of redemption, how even the darkest soul can learn to love and put other people’s wellbeing ahead of his own.

5/5

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REVIEW: The Few and Cursed: Heart Shaped Ambition

The world of The Few and Cursed is a fresh take on the post-apocalyptic setting: a world where almost all the world’s water vanished overnight in 1840. What we’re left with is a world of gunslingers and saloons, blowing deserts where there were once oceans, curses, and monsters both human and otherwise. We first met Captain Bartholomew Eamus in Turks and Caicos in Scarlet Dream, written by Felipe Cagno and drawn by Jose Luis, the first story in the collection Chronicles of the Few and Cursed. The latest entry into this world, written by Carlos Estefan with art by Pedro Mauro, The Few and Cursed: Heart-Shaped Ambition, tells Bartholomew’s story leading up to that initial moment.

Heart Shaped Ambition’s world bears little resemblance to what we’ve come to expect from the Few and Cursed, taking place prior to the mysterious cataclysm that wiped out the world’s water. That’s not a bad thing – the world is rich, with almost infinite possibilities for choices of location and time period, and filled with dark mysteries. This change in setting allowed colorist Clonerh to use a different palette than what we’ve come to expect from the series. Instead of the dry sepia tones that come with a desert planet, we’re treated to the blues and greens of oceans and jungles. That said though, I felt the coloring was the weakest part of the book, occasionally feeling unfinished. The art style leans heavily on the penciling which creates a distinctive style that is marred in some places by Clonerh’s heavy shading. Kickstarter backers were also treated to an excellent black and white version of the book as well.

It’s obvious this is a Kickstarted project and not a heavily polished big budget production, but that’s a compliment not a criticism. Heart Shaped Ambition’s team was able to create visually appealing and distinctive artwork that I enjoyed on a Kickstarted budget. The end result would have been very different with quadruple the budge, but I don’t think that would have actually made the book better. Heart Shaped Ambition was made with love and it shows.

The Few and Cursed: Heart Shaped Ambition is a great pirate story. Heart Shaped Ambition is a story of betrayal, black magic and revenge. Everyone has an agenda and nothing is as it seems. Featuring some of the most interesting and fully realized characters in the Few and Cursed series, Heart Shaped Ambition succeeded in making me empathize with some characters and feel disgusted by others, and occasionally both. I was truly caught up in the story, and I felt like no character was safe from meeting a violent end. The action was brutal and thrilling.

The Few and Cursed is an amazing series that is constantly growing in new and exciting ways, whether that be boardgames, table top RPGs, or spinoff stories. Heart Shaped Ambition is an excellent, albeit B-tier, addition to the world. I wouldn’t suggest it as a point of entry to this amazing world, but its still a good read and I recommend it. Don’t sleep on The Few and Cursed, it’s just too good to pass by.

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You can check out their catalogue page, here.

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REVIEW: The Evil Within (2014)

The Evil Within is a game from 2014 and despite being eight years old, is still one the most stunningly lovely games I have ever played in my life. Resident Evil IV is getting a remake and I think this game deserves one as well. Not because it is as universally loved and acclaimed as the Resident Evil games but because it is a great game that makes several missteps that could be rather easily corrected. Sadly, Ghostwire: Tokyo was meant to be The Evil Within 3 and nothing says a franchise is dead quite like having a sequel that could have been one but they felt would do better as an original IP.

The premise is there is a mass murder at a sanitarium and Detective Sebastian Castellanos, his partner Joseph Oda, and rookie Julie Kidman go to investigate. They find out a guy who resembles Freddy Krueger in a white hoodie killed everyone and then Sebastian is knocked out before being dumped in what appears to be Silent Hill’s Otherworld. If this sounds like someone is combining Resident Evil 1, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Silent Hill then you have basically figured out ninety percent of the game. The remaining ten percent is The Matrix and, unfortunately, that element just feels tacked on.

Sebastian takes things relatively in stride when he finds himself in a fun house of monsters, gore, death traps, and then sees an entire city destroyed by Inception-like reality warping. He proceeds to travel through hellish level after hellish level of abandoned hospitals, villages, dungeons, mansions, and catacombs before finally confronting the sinister dream demon behind this as well as rescuing his friends. Discussing the game further without addressing its plot is impossible so let the reader be warned.

You see, this is all a dream. Sort of. You’ve been plugged into a virtual reality simulation by a sinister corporation/conspiracy and the simulation is controlled by deranged serial-killer/mad scientist Ruvek that lives inside it full time. This severely impacts the stakes of the story because “it’s all a dream” always hurts things. Also, it doesn’t make much sense as you getting knocked out by Ruvik would require the aforementioned serial-killer scientist to have superpowers in the “real” world that he doesn’t have.

Anyway, The Evil Within‘s biggest problem is pacing. The first level has gallons of gore, an invincible stalker-type enemy, a massive meat grinder trap, and no weapons. It’s arguably the scariest portion of the game and everything is downhill from there. It also is unlike the rest of the game where you have a gun and can shoot the baddies in the head for the most part. The cartoonish amount of gore and over-the-top scenes like a massive valley of giant baby heads means that there’s never any sense of ramping up the horror because it’s always going up then down like a heart monitor.

Despite this, I like The Evil Within. As stated, the game is absolutely beautiful and could be released today without issue. The characters are also likable even if we don’t get much about their backstory or motivations. Storyline-wise I don’t have much to say since Ruvek as a serial-murdering mad scientist does not a particularly compelling character make and even being played by Rorschach/Freddy Krueger (II) Jackie Earle Haley didn’t help much.

Gameplay wise is where the game (mostly) shines as it’s basically Resident Evil IV. You wander through the levels, shooting and looting the various hordes of monsters spread throughout them. Unfortunately, it’s boss fights are wildly divergent with some being ridiculously easy and some being one-hit kill puzzles that are almost impossible to figure out. Some more consistenct would have made this game significantly better in my view. There’s also no need for the extensively

Basically, a large chunk of the game is picking up something called “brain gel” that you need to be able to run, carry ammo, and have any real luck with the weapons. My opinion is that the game’s difficulty wouldn’t have been affected a great deal by having these minor upgrades all available to you. Hell, give a regenerating health option. As such, it feels like the NG+ version of things would be much better than the initial run.

In conclusion, this is a game I would recommend but with the caveat that you should play it on Casual mode and be willing to make use of hint books because some of the areas really are disgustingly difficult. Still, the atmosphere of the game is incredible and I just absolutely love its grindhouse horror theme.

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REVIEW: The Iron Crown by L.L. MacRae

The Iron Crown by L.L. MacRae is Book 1 in the Dragon Spirits series and a finalist in Mark Lawrence’s 7th Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off (SPFBO7). In this epic, character-driven novel, MacRae excels at gradually revealing layers of gray morality hidden beneath the surface of what initially seems like a traditional high fantasy.

The Iron Crown is told from the perspective of four principal characters. The novel opens with Fenn, who awakens from an almost too-real nightmare to find his memories gone and his body washed up on the remote Isle of Salt. Fenn is found by Calidra and her partner, Jisyel, who nurture him back to health despite Calidra’s apprehension. We learn that Fenn’s amnesia is the result of being touched by the Myr, an ancient magical enemy who have returned to wreak destruction on the Realm of Tassar.

Can the seemingly innocent Fenn be trusted if he has been cursed by the shadowy Myr and requires their help to restore his memories?

Calidra is a natural pessimist who sees the worst in others. She has been estranged from her noble family for several years but has finally decided to return home for her father’s funeral. Calidra’s hostility toward others is a diluted version of the vitriol exhibited by her mother. But Calidra’s temper is softened by her loving, supportive relationship with Jisyel. The relationship between these two young women is one of the highlights of the book.

The remaining point-of-view characters are Torsten, the master inquisitor who will go to any length to suppress talk of the Myr, and Apollo, a thief who has been pardoned for his past crimes but might not have actually performed his required penance. The Iron Crown also features an outstanding cast of supporting characters, including Selys, a priestess with possibly competing loyalties, and Varlot, a former soldier and current drunken gambler, who has committed unspeakable acts of violence in his past life. Throughout the novel, L.L. MacRae carefully weaves the threads of gray morality with each of these characters, which darken as the story progresses.

The Myr are a well-crafted enemy, shrouded in enough mystery to maintain a satisfying level of intrigue throughout the book. They had supposedly been defeated five years prior to the events of The Iron Crown, but their shadowy forms have returned. Fenn discovers that he is one of many Myr-touched souls, whose amnesia is followed by severe physical pain and an untimely death.

The Iron Crown is a showcase for L.L. MacRae’s outstanding worldbuilding. I especially love it when fantasy authors allow their characters to explore the full world, seeing the different terrains and traveling across various countries. An early scene where Calidra flies atop a griffin over her homeland of Bragalia nearly took my breath away with its beautiful imagery.

The griffins in The Iron Crown are not mere beasts: they are hyperintelligent talking creatures who induce awe in people who witness them. The Iron Crown also features dragons aplenty, or dragon spirits, to be more precise. The dragon spirits form organically in the presence of forests, bodies of water, etc., with the goal of protecting their natural realms. Their powers are channeled through the humans who bond with them, creating a symbiotic relationship. The most powerful of the dragon spirits is Toriaken, the spirit of iron, who is bonded to Queen Surayo and is the power behind the Iron Crown. Toriaken appears in breathtaking fashion as a veritable mountain of iron.

MacRae’s writing is fantastic throughout the 563 pages of The Iron Crown. Her pacing is generally good, although the plot is a bit slow in the first part of the book. MacRae introduces new characters and elements of worldbuilding in a natural and accessible fashion. Despite the vastness of the world that she has created, I never felt overwhelmed by the rate at which information was being provided. Instead, I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent in the Realm of Tassar and the bonds that I developed with this compelling cast of characters. I look forward to following up with Book 2 of the series, The Shadow Gate.

4/5

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REVIEW: Mad King Robin by James Vella-Bardon

Mad King Robin is a historical thriller portraying an interesting time in history as the inspirational Robert the Bruce leads the fight for Scottish freedom. Based on Scotland’s most famous medieval king, Vella-Bardon has written a well-researched novel telling a story of a small nation standing up to the largest army to have ever invaded their homeland.

Fans of historical fiction are in a good place right now. Bernard Cornwell’s The Last Kingdom series is riding a huge wave of popularity brought on by the hit Netflix series, and Matthew Harffy (A Time for Swords, The Bernicia Chronicles) seems to be releasing book of the year contenders at an astonishing rate. Whilst not hitting those dizzying heights, author James Vella-Bardon shows great potential with Mad King Robin. It is obvious that Vella-Bardon has spent a lot of time researching this vital part of Scottish history and this provides the foundation for an enjoyable underdog story as Robert the Bruce fights against all odds using bravery that verges on the border of insanity to stand up against the invading English. The story starts with a bang Robert the Bruce slaying his rival to the throne and enraging the King of England. With enemies now in both Scotland and England, Robert goes into hiding and steadily builds enough power to be able to take on the might of the English.

Mad King Robin is an interesting novella that moves at a quick pace with various POVs. The story draws upon the key moments from Robert’s battle for freedom and readers will easily be drawn into siding with the underdog facing a much larger, arrogant army. There are duels and battles to sate desire for blood thought I feel that these scenes lacked the visceral, in the moment edge that masters of the genre like Cornwell and Harffy have perfected.

A timely, well-researched novella that shows great potential from Vella-Bardon: Mad King Robin is another great tale for fans of historical fiction to enjoy. Complex characters, an inspiring story, and a main character that has inspired countless fantasy authors over the years, Mad King Robin is a story you would be mad to miss out on!

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REVIEW: A Touch of Light by Thiago Abdalla

Death is an unhealthy obsession in A Touch of Light, the debut high fantasy novel from Thiago Abdalla and the first entry in his new series, The Ashes of Avarin. The world of Avarin is divided into two clashing civilizations with diametrically opposed views on death. In the north, the Seraph blesses the people of the Domain with unnaturally long lives. To the inhabitants of the Domain, death is the ultimate sin against the Seraph herself, bringing shame to one’s family. The bodies of the pure can be preserved, with the understanding that the Seraph can bring them back to life upon her return to Avarin. The others are burned and forgotten, never to be spoken of again.

While the Seraph is a goddess of life, in the south the people of the clan lands live in fear of Zala, the goddess of death. To prevent Zala’s return, they embrace death as necessary for keeping the earth alive and maintaining a healthy circle of life. However, the inhabitants of the clan lands are almost too eager to sacrifice people who show any sign of weakness.

A Touch of Light is told as an interwoven tale from three point-of-view characters. Adrian is a prince from the Domain, whose beloved brother Jovu has recently died under unknown circumstances in the clan lands. Nasha is a hunter from the clan lands who is beleaguered by a mysterious curse and is struggling to find her place in a hierarchical society. My favorite character is Lynn, a Sentinel warrior from the Domain who is fighting against the resurgence of a plague known as the Madness. For the death-fearing people of the Domain, the return of the Madness is an unspeakable horror. Those afflicted with the Madness become uncontrollably violent, even wearing the peeled-off skin of the dead as a type of necrotic mask.

The Sentinels enhance their physical powers by forming emotion-based bonds with griffins. Lynn’s bond with her griffin, Vedyr, is created through their shared anger. By combining her anger with Vedyr’s power, Lynn can gain superhuman strength and swiftness. However, Sentinels risk losing their minds if their powers are overused.

While fundamentally a character-driven fantasy, A Touch of Light also shines in its ambitious and detailed worldbuilding. Thiago Abdalla has created a boldly innovative world of clashing cultures and political intrigue, not only between the Domain and the clan lands but also among the various countries and ruling families within those civilizations.

Abdalla’s focus on opposing religious views and the interconnectedness of religion and politics reminded me of The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, another favorite of mine full of nuanced world-building and compelling point-of-view characters who reflect the values of different societies. But I would argue that A Touch of Light addresses these topics even more effectively than The Priory of the Orange Tree, while also creating a more compelling, well-balanced cast of characters. While female characters are often, unfortunately, given only minor roles in classic high fantasy, The Priory of the Orange Tree swung the pendulum in the opposite direction, presenting complex female characters but with rather two-dimensional male counterparts. In contrast, A Touch of Light does an excellent job developing both female and male point-of-view characters, all with realistic faults and strengths, without any objectification.

Thiago Abdalla is an excellent writer. The prose flows smoothly throughout the book, successfully transporting the reader to his carefully crafted world of Avarin. The physical book itself is remarkably high quality, with keen attention to detail from the beautiful cover designed by Alejandro Colucci to the meticulous editing throughout the text.

I should caution prospective readers that Thiago Abdalla does not engage in any handholding in A Touch of Light. There is no mentor character who explains everything to us as the reader. Rather, we are thrown directly into the world of Avarin and must piece together key elements of the world as the story progresses. Thiago Abdalla has constructed this world with great care, but it took me about 100 pages to get my bearings. After the first quarter of the book, the story takes off at an accelerated pace and never lets up till the last page. There is also a great setup for future sequels, which I look forward to reading.

A Touch of Light is highly recommended for fans of nuanced character-driven fantasy who wish to get lost in a richly detailed new world full of intrigue and action.

4.5/5

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REVIEW: Blade Runner 2019: Volume #3

Blade Runner 2019: Volume #3: Home Again, Home Again wraps up the complicated plot of Ash and her charge, Cleo, in a way that is satisfying as well as sets up more stories to be told in the dark rain-soaked future of Phillip K, Dick (and Ridley Scott’s) universe. There’s a lot of surprising twists and turns in this volume but I’m glad to say they wrap up most of the plot points so that those wanting a complete story could just stop here.

The premise of Blade Runner 2019 is that Ash is a former Blade Runner who was given a mission to look for a child stolen by a cult of Replicants. Things got much more complicated than she ever thought possible as the child wanted to be with a Replicant recreation of her mother and somehow ended up in Ash’s hands for the better part of a decade. Ash and Cleo took refuge in space and only now have returned to Earth in order to take the fight to their enemies.

Home Again, Home Again is a wonderful conclusion to the three-volume storyline of Ash the Blade Runner. She has gone from being a racist against Replicants and a seller of their organs to collectors to someone who is willing to protect them from persecution. In a LGBT surprise, Ash turns out to be gay and starts a relationship with the leader of the Replicant resistance. I liked that as it was surprise but nothing that contradicted past character interaction.

While I compliment the book in wrapping all the preexisting plotlines, it also lays the groundwork for future installments. Ash is aware the problems Replicants are suffering are systemic and she can do better for them from within the system than attempting to serve the Resistance as just another anonymous nobody. A lot of this is set up for future comics where Ash is once more a member of the Los Angeles Blade Runners.

I think the book suffers a bit from a rather pat ending that separates Ash and Cleo, which feels like something that would be more difficult for the two to do given they have been mother and daughter for much of the latter’s life. Even if she has her “real” mother now, this is something that is not easy to separate. On the other hand, I also understand why Ash believes it would be safer for Cleo to live away from her.

The introduction of the Replicant resistance from the 2049 movie was a good decision and I like the elevation of Freysa (the leader) to main character. Seeing her adventures before becoming the head of the Replicants fighting for their freedom in the sequel is a good decision. Making her a combat medic was also an interesting decision and very symbolic.

The artwork, action, and storytelling of the Blade Runner comics is always top notch. Cyberpunk is a long-overlooked genre in comics despite some big successes like Frank Miller’s Ronin or the Marvel 2099 series. The series successfully captures the neo-noir mood and themes of the movies while telling a wholly original story with new characters. I strongly recommend picking up all three of these graphic novels.

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REVIEW: Against All Odds by Jeffrey Haskell

Against All Odds by Jeffrey Haskell is a military science fiction novel that starts with a bang: a sneak attack by enemy forces results in a young officer using some daring tactics that proceeds to annihilate the attackers. Jacob Grimm, the officer, thinks he’s a hero but soon finds events turning into a nightmare as it is revealed the attackers included a cargo of young children. That’s the kind of opening that gets my attention when reading.

The world created in Against All Odds is an excellent one with Jacob Grimm serving as an officer in union that has just gotten out of a disastrous war. Much effort was expended in the conflict and heavy casualties have caused a backlash against military spending. Unbeknownst to our hero, he becomes the perfect man to assign to a region ready to boil over in hopes that he will trigger some sort of diplomatic incident that justifies rearming. What the Navy fails to anticipate is Jacob doing a fantastic job.

Jeffrey Haskell has created an excellent but uncomplicated science fiction setting around multiple feuding powers in a particular star cluster. This is a humans-only science fiction setting, at least as far as the book indicates, but humanity has not stopped fighting despite its ascent into the stars. It’s a bit Call of Duty with the enemies being the Iron Empire (Russian coded), the Caliphate (fundamentalist Muslims), and hordes of disposable criminals but I didn’t mind this.

Despite the War on Terror-influenced premise, I appreciated this book didn’t go full jingoistic. While the Caliphate is pure evil with slavery, misogyny, and cackling villainy–they’re shown to be only one group of Muslim characters in the setting. Virtually everyone is engaged in shady activity of one sort or another and that is probably the most realistic fact about its politics.

Part of what I like about the book is it doesn’t attempt to overcomplicate it’s worldbuilding. Usually, there’s too much or too little world-building in military science fiction. Here, there’s just a good balance of enough to make you aware of a greater setting without getting bogged down in details. The characters are interesting, their actions believable, and the story developments flowing logically one to another.

The book isn’t limited to just Jacob Grimm’s perspective. We get multiple views of the situation in the sector he’s found himself in ranging from the villains to his crew to the local tramp freighter captain. I feel this is very good for a science fiction story like this as it prevents us from getting too comfortable with just one perspective. Against All Odds tells a complete story by itself but also sets up the rest of the trilogy as well.

In conclusion, I strongly recommend this book. It’s lighter than most grimdark fair but still contains several dark subjects such as human trafficking, slavery, religious fanaticism, and copious use of realpolitic. Still, Jacob Grimm is a very likable character and I think that people who pick this volume up, looking for a fun military science fiction drama will enjoy it.

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REVIEW: King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence

King of Thorns by Mark Lawrence is one of the greatest masterpieces of grimdark fantasy, a towering literary achievement that takes us into the darkened mind and heart of Jorg Ancrath as he comes to terms with several of the most tragic events of his young life. In this second volume of the Broken Empire trilogy, Jorg has matured compared to the impulsive, rage-driven youth of Prince of Thorns. In King of Thorns, Jorg’s unbridled anger is balanced by an unshakeable sorrow, a deep sadness which only grows throughout the novel.

With Jorg’s newfound role as the self-declared King of Renar, we see much more of the Broken Empire compared to Prince of Thorns. The world of the Broken Empire is a post-apocalyptic Europe devastated by nuclear war and living in the aftermath of global warming. From the map at the beginning of King of Thorns, all the European lowlands have been flooded, distorting the geography compared to our present world. For example, the rising sea level has caused the northwestern French province of Brittany to separate from the European continent, becoming the island of Brit, and Italy has narrowed so much that Roma is now on the coast. The map also reveals a drastically different political order in the Broken Empire. Our modern country boundaries are gone, as Europe has returned to the days of feudalism with each region under control of a local king or prince.

Jorg’s main competitor in King of Thorns is Prince Orrin of Arrow, a traditional Prince Charming-type good guy. Orrin is blond, handsome, and courting Jorg’s beloved aunt Katherine. The Prince of Arrow is prophesied to unite the kingdoms of the Broken Empire and bring an era of peace and prosperity through mutual understanding and dialogue. Orrin is everything that Jorg is not. He has the love of his people and an army that vastly outnumbers Jorg’s.

King of Thorns is a brilliantly constructed novel told on four different timelines/perspectives. The two main timelines follow (1) Jorg in the present day during his battle with the Prince of Arrow and (2) four years prior, immediately following the events of Prince of Thorns. There are also (3) flashbacks of Jorg’s suppressed memories and (4) the perspective of Katherine from her journal. All four of these timelines/perspectives are cleverly interwoven by Mark Lawrence in the telling of the story.

The epic battle with the Prince of Arrow also coincides with Jorg’s wedding day to the precocious Queen Miana. Miana is one of my favorite characters in the novel, an intellectual equal to Jorg who has a couple of surprises up her sleeves.

The timeline immediately following Prince of Thorns largely focuses on Jorg’s quest to help Gog, the leucrota child adopted by Jorg who possesses powerful but uncontrolled abilities in fire-magic. Although Jorg is advised that Gog is too dangerous to keep alive, he is committed to helping Gog master his incredible powers. Gog is another one of my favorite characters in the book. Although he appears monstrous on the outside, Gog is just a little boy and brings out the humanity in Jorg.

Jorg is literally haunted by his dark past, including a dead child that is always there, watching him. To gain some respite from his unmitigated sorrow, Jorg’s memories are stored in a memory box, one of the sci-fi elements of the book, which also connects to Mark Lawrence’s excellent Impossible Times trilogy. Flashbacks occur throughout King of Thorns as Jorg cannot resist the urge to open the memory box and understand his past. The flashbacks are supplemented by what we learn from Katherine’s journal. There are a number of surprising revelations throughout King of Thorns that will leave the reader’s heart as broken as this post-apocalyptic world.

Fortunately, Jorg’s dark humor is also in peak form throughout the novel. There are plenty of clever Easter eggs and witticisms throughout the book, including references to Star Trek, American Pie, and various aspects of our modern technology. The technological understanding of our age is long gone. The people of the Broken Empire refer to us as Builders based on our impressive but now-decayed architecture left behind. I’m convinced that the Tall Castle of Ancrath is simply the remains of an old Parisian skyscraper.

King of Thorns also marks the first appearance of Dr. Elias Taproot, who provides a unifying thread throughout Mark Lawrence’s five trilogies, giving the sci-fi backbone to books that may seem at first like pure fantasy. Here we also meet Fexler Brews, a data echo who provides another key element of worldbuilding in the Broken Empire.

As always, Mark Lawrence is precise and methodical with his writing, giving his readers clues to build the greater picture of his universe. We are hearing the story from a possibly unreliable narrator who has limited knowledge about the world in which he is living and a lot of suppressed memories. Although the story is infused with magic, much of this is simply remnants of our modern science that people in the post-apocalyptic future no longer understand.

Jorg is still an evil anti-hero driven by revenge, but he grows so much in this book. He deals with the ghosts of his past, both literal and figurative, and he grows to care more deeply about other people, especially his Road Brothers, his aunt Katherine, and his wife Miana. Jorg is still a brutally violent psychopath. But he’s a brutally violent psychopath who cares.

Mark Lawrence is the Fyodor Dostoevsky of grimdark fantasy, eloquently combining an in-depth character study of a psychologically disturbed protagonist (Crime and Punishment) with layers of political intrigue (Demons) and complicated family dynamics (The Brothers Karamazov). Like Dostoevsky, Mark Lawrence’s writing is beautiful and poetic, especially as Jorg has grown as a narrator since Prince of Thorns. There are so many quotable lines in King of Thorns, some heart-wrenching and others laugh-out-loud hilarious. As a reader, I wanted to savor every word.

Mark Lawrence is known for the iconic opening lines of his novels, lines that will stick with you long after you’ve finished the book. But the most iconic lines in King of Thorns are at the very end, words that will haunt you for years to come. King of Thorns is one of Mark Lawrence’s finest achievements in a career marked by consistent excellence. If you haven’t already explored the world of the Broken Empire, Jorg is waiting for you.

5/5

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