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REVIEW: Nectar for the God by Patrick Samphire

It took exactly four sentences for me to become so engrossed in Nectar for the God that I was annoyed by any interruptions to my reading. Once again, author Patrick Samphire crafted a book that is impossible to put down.

“With a smile and a nod to the other customers, Etta Mirian left the bakery, crossed Long Step Avenue, and stabbed Peyt Jyston three times in the neck. She then turned the knife on herself and, still smiling all the time, opened her throat from side to side.”

The reader finds Mennik Thorn slightly the worst for wear after the events in Shadow of a Dead God. He’s been avoiding both his mother (who has far more power, and far fewer scruples than is ever good), and her rival Wren, with varying levels of nonsuccess. While Mennik is realizing that he’s stuck between a rock and a hard place, a case drops into his lap that is far above his skill level, and much more complicated than it looks. From there, it’s a non-stop adrenaline rush which somehow manages to also have a complex and incredibly clever mystery involved.

In between traipsing through sewers and attracting the attention of something rather terrifying, Mennik’s character also continues to grow. Through his interactions with his mother, his sister, his thieving friend, Benny, and Benny’s murderous daughter, we are given a more complicated picture of who Mennik is and why he acts the way he does. He never seems to end up on top. The most he can hope for is to break even, and that’s an ambitious goal. Mennik is the sort of character who gets kicked around by life, although in many instances he walks right into trouble. This juxtaposition between the desire to survive and a complete lack of caution leads to all kinds of problems. Mennik’s slightly skewed moral compass shifts continues to intrigue and delight, and his inner dialogue is absolutely brilliant. Author Patrick Samphire takes the smallest of details and makes them fascinating with his incredibly descriptive writing.

The world is gritty and messy, teeming with the equivalent of magical gangsters, meddling gods, and–even worse–politicians. It constantly grows, tantalizing the reader with details and mysteries that have yet to be solved. The dreaded info dump is nowhere to be found, with history and mythology being given naturally throughout the book. While Mennik is juggling multiple disasters, I could see they were puzzle pieces waiting to be fit together. Watching the seemingly disparate parts of Nectar for the God meld into a complete whole is a joy, and the final product is an entertaining romp that will draw you in and captivate you.

Read Nectar for the God by Patrick Samphire

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REVIEW: The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller

The Bone Orchard follows the story of Charm, mistress of the Emperor and keeper of the local tea house – a cross between inn and brothel. Her free will limited through a mindlock, the Emperor offers her a chance at freedom if she manages to solve a murder and bring the culprit to justice. There’s just one snag in the plan: the murder Charm needs to solve is the Emperor’s own, as he has been poisoned and is dying imminently. In terms of how the story is told, it is probably most reminiscent of a less out-there Gideon the Ninth, in some ways very fragmented and leaving the reader to figure much of the detail out for themselves. There is a sort of necromancy too, which strengthens the similarities (more on that later), and I feel like the very slow dripping of lore and backstory made me make the connection. That being said, liking or disliking the one won’t necessarily mean the same for the other, I think.

What I enjoyed most about The Bone Orchard was it’s magic system. Sitting somewhere between necromancy and Frankenstein-style science, it allows Charm to grow companions in vats, who act almost as extensions of her own personality and staff the tea house. This is pretty unique and I found it quite interesting to read, and see how these characters interacted with each other. I did feel like they didn’t become as plastic as I would have liked – the book definitely puts style over substance in that regard. The Bone Orchard is reminiscent of a puzzle where pieces need to be slotted together, of a game of chess where the figures start out as pawns and take the shape of the more complex figures as the game goes on and they move across the board. But nevertheless, they conform to archetypes more than truly human characters.

Ultimately I did find The Bone Orchard a very satisfying read, even if I’m not sure what to make of it in many ways. It is not the sort of book that is so compelling that you read it in a single setting, more one that you read slowly, savour and brood over. The prose is delectable but, and I’m curious to follow the author’s future career and read more of her writing, even if this particular book won’t make the list of my favourite books. The mystery is one that isn’t easy to guess and does keep the reader on their toes until very late in the story, which is something I really appreciated – and the way the climax and ending played out really did make a huge difference in my final verdict on the book as a whole.

Read The Bone Orchard by Sara A. Mueller

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Blade Runner: The importance of not being special

Blade Runner 2049 is a movie I very much enjoyed (you can read my review here) but it’s an interesting film for me because I realized it nicely inverts a lot of what was inherent to the original movie. I disliked The Last Jedi for having what I felt was a message that didn’t fit with the Star Wars universe that is somewhat reflected in this film but worked better in the last one. Specifically, it’s the somewhat family unfriendly aesop that nobody is actually important and it’s the freedom of recognizing this fact which will set you free.

The premise of the movie is K (Ryan Gosling) finds evidence of a Replicant who gave birth to a child, which his superior, Lieutenant Joshi (Robin Wright), finds to be an existential threat to their society. It also is something that appeals to corporate demagogue Niander Wallace who wants to breed a new race of Replicants, so he sends his favorite “angel” Luv to recover this child. Along the way, K starts to believe he’s the Replicant child and possibly a messianic figure to his race. At the end of the movie, K is killed rescuing Rick Deckard and reuniting him with his daughter who turns out to be a corporate drone with an immune disorder.

I didn’t think much of the plot initially until it occurred to me that not only did the movie subvert the fact the protagonist wasn’t the “Chosen One” but it turned out the actual Chosen One is not special in any way shape or form. Doctor Ana Stelline (Carla Juri) designs memories for the Nexus-9 Replicants but is forced to live in a bubble because of her condition. She’s in no condition to lead any sort of revolution or lead her “people.” In fact, she’s a key point in the machinery that allows them to be produced and enslaved.

Indeed, Doctor Stelline is useless even for the bad guys’ desires for her. Niander Wallace wants to create Replicants who can reproduce on their own and be used to colonize the rest of the galaxy–which can’t be done due to all the sensitive equipment needs. Doctor Stelline, as someone suffering a crippling immune disorder, is not the kind of Master Race superhuman which would allow that dream to come to pass. Replicant children, like real life clones turned out to be, are very likely people who suffer serious birth defects and conditions that need the technology of society to live healthy satisfying lives.

Even Doctor Stelline’s role as a symbol of human-Replicant equality is something that may not be all that threatening. While Lieutenant Joshi says it will “break down the wall”, it’s not like humanity has ever had much difficulty dehumanizing people that they can breed with. Mixed populations have existed throughout history and often get spit on from both sides of their heritage. They may eventually rise high but Replicants are already human in every way that matters. Adding another humanized element to them isn’t going to convince most racists to stop treating them like garbage.

A large part of the movie is removing the romanticism of Replicants as a persecuted minority in some ways too. Yes, they’re slaves produced by the system to live and die at the hands of their corporate masters. It’s a life that absolutely sucks. However, the movie takes the curious stance of noting their position is actually better than quite a few humans. The horror of human oppression against Replicants is awful but it’s not limited to them. The old evils of human on human oppression haven’t gone away in the slightest.

In the year 2049, Replicants have grown in number and rights enough that Nexus-9 are allowed to live on Earth and hold jobs they’re paid for. They can be killed at any time by their masters but they are considered valuable property by all but Niander Wallace (who kills humans with equal ruthlessness as Replicants). This is a sharp contrast to the destitute who are left to die in the streets or chained together in horrific sweatshop conditions. The poor thus hate Replicants even more while the Replicants see nothing in common with the destitute in their struggle for freedom.

One of the most fascinating elements of the movie is the twisted relationship between Niander Wallace and his favorite slave Luv. Wallace calls his creations his children as well as “angels” but treats them as disposable commodities. Luv yearns for his praise and adoration like a daughter but, ultimately, isn’t any more important to him than anyone else. She isn’t more important or irreplaceable than anyone else and dies trying to win the affection of a man who is incapable of giving it.

Niander Wallace has saved the world from starvation, reintroduced Replicants, and colonized six worlds but remains an ultimately impotent figure. His delusions of godhood with millions of Replicant “children” don’t change the fact he’s just a man. He is a man surrounded by slaves but seems to lack even Tyrell’s humanity. He is only able to relate to individuals around him as master and slave, leaving him in a lonely but gilded cage.

Deckard’s reaction to meeting him is first fear and bewilderment but soon a kind of pity as he realizes the man has no knowledge of what it means to be appreciated as a person or do things for others. He is, in simple terms, not special despite having done more than any other human being in history because it’s impossible to be special in this movie’s universe. Rich, powerful, and famous? Yes. However, special implies one is different from the rest of the world and no one really is.

This depressing message is even located in the central “romance” between K and Joi. K adores Joi, his Siri-like A.I. companion, and treats her as a real girlfriend in all respects. He brings her presents, tries to give her freedom, and holds lengthy conversations with her. However, Joi is a product produced to give their owners the experience they desire. Which, in K’s case, is a constant reminder he is special and unique despite this being manifestly untrue.

There’s an interesting lesson that K gives up opportunities to forge relationships with real women like Marienette, Luv, and even Lieutenant Joshi to experience what passes for love with his machine. K tries very hard to get a special relationship from a person who is utterly devoted to him but that may simply be another form of illusion. He only really becomes special when he realizes he’s not and chooses to act as an individual who is just one of many. In this case, it’s the Resistance who all wish they were Chosen Ones but are truly free only when they work as one part in a far greater machine.

I should note Joi a character who adds her own influence on this theme whether you view her as sentient or not. As a facilitator of unearned self-image, she makes her lonely heterosexual men (or homosexual women) owners feel great about themselves no matter what their actual qualities. However, if you view her as a sentient being, she also is someone who willingly sacrifices and gives to the point of self-destruction. It’s perhaps why K loves her as she is someone who represents selflessness in a world completely absent these qualities (even in himself). It might be an illusion that she’s a real person but her example inspired him.

Ironically, it is Deckard who manages to escape the prevalent unhappiness and sorrow around the film by choosing to live as a person who is completely anonymous. He identifies himself as a former cop but he makes no pretense of being anything other than a former cop and a father. Wallace attempts to transform into a Joseph figure for his mythology, claim everything about his life may have been planned, but Deckard rejects this reality. By not trying to be special, he’s the only one other than K who ever escapes the system entirely.

One area which does go against my interpretation of the film, though, is the fact Deckard rejects the Second Rachel on the grounds of her being a poor imitation of his wife. Deckard rejects the clone of her because while individuals may not be of any grand importance to the universe, they are certainly so to him. His memories and experiences with his wife would be sullied by accepting a replacement copy. In that respect, I feel for the Second Rachel because she was judged by an impossible standard and no more guilty of being there to seduce Deckard than the original probably was. So even a movie about how we’re all just cogs in an impossibly large machine refuses to argue against personal importance. Indeed, that is the only kind it seems to acknowledge exists.

Blade Runner was a movie which had the essential core of being about how we can refuse to recognize the humanity of our fellow beings. However, too often, we try to make ourselves more than we are. We make people better than others and try to raise ourselves up by putting others down. Blade Runner 2049 shows the other half of that coin. Whereas the first implored us to recognize humanity in others, the second asks us to not try and think anyone is better than anyone else. We’re all just part of the multitude and that’s special enough.

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REVIEW: The Embroidered Book by Kate Heartfield

Kate Heartfield’s The Embroidered Book is a massive tome – the ARC’s page count comes in around 650 pages – but it feels far less daunting while reading. The story is so captivating and the prose so immersive that I devoured it in a mere day. It follows the story of Antoine – Marie Antoinette – and her sister Charlotte – Maria Carolina of Naples – from childhood through to Marie Antoinette’s premature death at the hands of the French revolutionaries and Madame Guillotine. But this isn’t a mere historical novel – it heavily spins a fantasy element into this story, through a magic book that came into the hands of Antoine and Charlotte as children.

However, while this is the story of two queens, it is not a story about royalty. It is a story about two women, about sisterhood, about finding your own power within the constraints of society, about carving out a space for yourself. Setting The Embroidered Book within this royal family, within these powerful courts in a time where Europe – and many other places, for that matter – were in upheaval, mainly does one thing: it gives Kate Heartfield a bigger and more fun playground to play on. A similar story, a similar magic system might have worked just as well if based around two sisters born to paupers – but the impact that their actions and their experiments with the magic spells have on the world around them would have been less grand in scale. Still, ultimately, this is a character-driven story about the women Antoine and Charlotte more than it is about the Queens Marie Antoinette and Maria Carolina.

There is always something exciting going on and tension is kept high throughout. Despite the book’s length, it never felt like it dragged on or would have needed cutting down, which to me feels like a huge achievement (pun absolutely intended). And this despite The Embroidered Book being far more character-driven than plot-heavy. This really goes to show how stellar the writing that went into the story is. It is poetic without feeling overly descriptive and it is full of historical detail without overloading the reader with trivia. One of my favourite details was that I got to learn about eighteenth century orthodontristy, which was not something I knew existed in the period.

Readers who are wondering why we’re reviewing this on Grimdark Magazine, rest assured that The Embroidered Book is full of delightfully morally grey characters, twisty backstabbing and betrayals. Also, spoiler, the main character dies at the end. And that is pretty grimdark in my book. So really something for both you and your slightly less dead-on-the-inside fantasy loving friends.

Read The Embroidered Book by Kate Heartfield

The post REVIEW: The Embroidered Book by Kate Heartfield appeared first on Grimdark Magazine.

Cyberpunk 2077: One Year Later

This article is being written on December 10th, 2021 and exactly one year after the release of Cyberpunk 2077. For those of you who read the original Grimdark Magazine review, you’ll know we viewed the game as hopelessly bugged and unworthy of buying at this time. This was especially true with a last generation console as the game was hit and miss for being unplayable versus something that could run just fine.

Since that time, CD_Projekt Red has released multiple game patches and spent the majority of 2021 patching it in order to get it playable. Indeed, the Playstation Store took the game off the market for a time until it was operating within acceptable limits. The company’s share value took a 40% hit, it was sued by investors, and it was the subject of investigations due to the amount of false advertising done about its capacity.

So what is it like now? That is an interesting question and one that will require a bit of time to answer. I should note that I upgraded to a PS4 Pro during this time and it isn’t on a base console. Is the game now bug free? No, not even close. During my replay of the game, I would frequently have minor bugs spread throughout the game. Dialogue subtitles would get stuck on screen, animations would flicker, and characters would pop into existence in very obvious ways. Immersion was affected by this significantly.

On the other hand, I have to state a few of the gamebreaking bugs that existed before have been patched, like quests I couldn’t complete as well as the frequent crashing I had in certain parts of the story. Night City is a far emptier place than it was in 2020 and the hardware is no longer straining under the power of the game to function. The lists of bug fixes have also been in the thousands and it seems very likely this is closer to what a properly functional Cyberpunk 2077 was meant to be. It’s just buggy to a “normal” level now versus a ridiculous degree.

This is a shame because Cyberpunk 2077 is still a game and setting that I am very positively disposed to. Cyberpunk 2020 and its sequel, Cyberpunk Red, are two of my favorite tabletop RPGs of all time. I absolutely love its retrofuture vision of the 1980s and story of capitalism gone horribly wrong with a corporate run city-state as well as the hellish badlands that surrounds it. Night City is a little Blade Runner, a lot of Hardwired, and a good amount of Mad Max thrown in for good measure.

Night City is full of fascinating characters like Panam, Judy, River, Kerry Eurodyne, Johnny Silverhand, and the Arasakas. Unfortunately, even this isn’t as deep as it should be. The story feels like it is a mile long and a foot deep. Artificial tension is generated by V’s struggle to heal himself from a faulty cybernetic chip that’s killing him but we never see enough consequences from previous actions in the story to really explore what this means. The most interesting part of the game is the early Watson section where you are just a carefree mercenary with your friend, Jackie, trying to make it big in Night City.

Unfortunately, a lot of the plotlines are underdeveloped and do not feel like they reach their natural conclusion. This includes the main story. The main story is about V trying to find a cure for their condition and the endings are unsatisfying narratively, even the happier ones.

However, the side quests also feel like they needed more work. The Voodoo Boys and Netwatch show up for a major story arc but then disappear from the game. Trauma Team and Max-TAC both have big introductiuons but never really get any follow-up. Plots like the investigation of the cyberpsycho phenomenon and NightCorp’s brainwashing of politicians just sort of stop rather than reaching conclusions.

There’s not much to do in Night City either. Much of the game is based around fighting random gangs in the streets with the occassional reward from the police. Given V, themselves, is a criminal and most of their friends are criminals–it feels like a very strange dissonance to have him acting like the Punisher on behalf of the NCPD. It doesn’t help the police system isn’t very well done either as the cops will show up to try to murder you but can’t be bribed and won’t chase you.

It’s weird to have Skyrim have a better, more intricate police system. This game could have benefited from a lot more minigames like karoake, poker, darts, pool, or gambling. There’s a boxing and street racing plotline but it’s fairly minor compared to the endless number of gang fights. The combat itself is fine with the hacking system being nerfed for better game balance.

In conclusion, Cyberpunk 2077 has gone from being a broken unplayable mess to an undercooked playable mess. As a huge fan of the cyberpunk genre, the game has definitely benefited from a year of bug fixes but I feel like the result is still not great. It’s an above average game with a fantastic premise.

The post Cyberpunk 2077: One Year Later appeared first on Grimdark Magazine.

SFF books We Are Excited About for 2022

With the nightmare of 2020 and 2021 starting to recede into our rear view vision mirror, SFF in 2022 is looking very exciting and folks, it is time to start adding to those already huge TBR piles. To help make those bookshelves start straining (after all, if the shelves aren’t bendin’, you’re just pretendin’) the GdM team got together and discussed some of the most exciting books they can’t wait to read for 2022.

Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya DeanePicked by Fabienne Schwizer

[image error] Blurb: Drawing on ancient texts and modern archeology to reveal the trans woman’s story hidden underneath the well-known myths of The Iliad, Maya Deane’s Wrath Goddess Sing weaves a compelling, pitilessly beautiful vision of Achilles’ vanished world, perfect for fans of Song of Achilles and the Inheritance trilogy.

The gods wanted blood. She fought for love.

Achilles has fled her home and her vicious Myrmidon clan to live as a woman with the kallai, the transgender priestesses of Great Mother Aphrodite. When Odysseus comes to recruit the “prince” Achilles for a war against the Hittites, she prepares to die rather than fight as a man. However, her divine mother, Athena, intervenes, transforming her body into the woman’s body she always longed for, and promises her everything: glory, power, fame, victory in war, and, most importantly, a child born of her own body. Reunited with her beloved cousin, Patroklos, and his brilliant wife, the sorceress Meryapi, Achilles sets out to war with a vengeance.

But the gods—a dysfunctional family of abusive immortals that have glutted on human sacrifices for centuries—have woven ancient schemes more blood-soaked and nightmarish than Achilles can imagine. At the center of it all is the cruel, immortal Helen, who sees Achilles as a worthy enemy after millennia of ennui and emptiness. In love with her newfound nemesis, Helen sets out to destroy everything and everyone Achilles cherishes, seeking a battle to the death.

An innovative spin on a familiar tale, this is the Trojan War unlike anything ever told, and an Achilles whose vulnerability is revealed by the people she chooses to fight…and chooses to trust.

Read Wrath Goddess Sing by Maya Deane

Engines of Empire by R.S. FordPicked by Fiona Denton

Blurb: This epic fantasy tells the tales of clashing Guilds, magic-fueled machines, intrigue and revolution—and the one family that stands between an empire’s salvation or destruction.

The nation of Torwyn is run on the power of industry, and industry is run by the Guilds. Chief among them are the Hawkspurs, and their responsibility is to keep the gears of the empire turning. It’s exactly why matriarch Rosomon Hawkspur sends each of her heirs to the far reaches of the nation.

Conall, the eldest son, is sent to the distant frontier to earn his stripes in the military. It is here that he faces a threat he could have never seen coming: the first rumblings of revolution.

Tyreta’s sorcerous connection to the magical resource of pyrstone that fuels the empire’s machines makes her a perfect heir–in theory. While Tyreta hopes that she might shirk her responsibilities during her journey one of Torwyn’s most important pyrestone mines, she instead finds the dark horrors of industry that the empire would prefer to keep hidden.

The youngest, Fulren, is a talented artificer, and finds himself acting as consort to a foreign emissary. Soon after, he is framed for a crime he never committed. A crime that could start a war.

As each of the Hawkspurs grapple with the many threats that face the nation within and without, they must finally prove themselves worthy–or their empire will fall apart.

Read Engines of Empire by R.S. Ford

You can check out our review, here, and an excerpt, here.

Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn MuirPicked by Christopher Napier

Blurb: The Locked Tomb series—Gideon the Ninth, Harrow the Ninth, Nona the Ninth, and Alecto the Ninth—is an epic science fantasy that blends necromantic theory and thrilling swordplay with a wicked, sacrilegious sense of humor; a modern mix of Dune, Riddick, and Gormenghast.

 

 

 

 

Read Nona the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir

Priest Of Crowns by Peter McLeanPicked by Eugene Vassilev

[image error] Blurb: ‘Praise be to Our Lady of Eternal Sorrows, and blessed be the Ascended Martyr.’ Those were the words on lips of the faithful: Blessed be the Ascended Martyr, and woe betide you if you thought otherwise. The word Unbeliever had become a death sentence on the streets in those days.

Gangster, soldier, priest. Governor, knight, and above all, Queen’s Man.

Once, Tomas Piety looked after his men, body and soul, as best he could. Then those who ran his country decided his dark talents would better serve in the corridors of power.

Crushed by the power of the Queen’s Men and with the Skanian menace rising once more on the streets of Ellinburg, Tomas Piety is forced to turn to old friends, old debts and untrustworthy alliances.

Meanwhile in the capital city of Dannsburg, Dieter Vogel is beginning to wonder if the horror he has unleashed in the Martyr’s Disciples might be getting out of control.

With revolution brewing and tragedy and terrorism running rife in the cities, Piety and Vogel must each weigh the cost of a crown.

Read Priest Of Crowns by Peter McLean

Age of Ash by Daniel AbrahamPicked by Angela Gualtieri

[image error] Blurb: From  New York Times  bestselling and critically acclaimed author Daniel Abraham, co-author of  The Expanse  , comes a monumental epic fantasy trilogy that unfolds within the walls of a single great city, over the course of one tumultuous year, where every story matters, and the fate of the city is woven from them all.

“An atmospheric and fascinating tapestry, woven with skill and patience.” –Joe Abercrombie, New York Times bestselling author of A Little Hatred

Kithamar is a center of trade and wealth, an ancient city with a long, bloody history where countless thousands live and their stories unfold.

This is Alys’s.

When her brother is murdered, a petty thief from the slums of Longhill sets out to discover who killed him and why.  But the more she discovers about him, the more she learns about herself, and the truths she finds are more dangerous than knives.

Swept up in an intrigue as deep as the roots of Kithamar, where the secrets of the lowest born can sometimes topple thrones, the story Alys chooses will have the power to change everything.

Read Age of Ash by Daniel Abraham

Outlaw Empire by Nicholas EamesPicked by Mike Myers

Blurb: Set 14 years after Bloody Rose. Blurb to come.

Check out our reviews for Kings of the Wyld and Bloody Rose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read books 1 and 2 while waiting for Outlaw Empire by Nicholas Eames

Book of Night by Holly BlackPicked by Jodi Crump

Blurb: #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black makes her stunning adult debut with Book of Night, a modern dark fantasy of shadowy thieves and secret societies in the vein of Ninth House and The Night Circus

In Charlie Hall’s world, shadows can be altered, for entertainment and cosmetic preferences—but also to increase power and influence. You can alter someone’s feelings—and memories—but manipulating shadows has a cost, with the potential to take hours or days from your life. Your shadow holds all the parts of you that you want to keep hidden—a second self, standing just to your left, walking behind you into lit rooms. And sometimes, it has a life of its own.

Charlie is a low-level con artist, working as a bartender while trying to distance herself from the powerful and dangerous underground world of shadow trading. She gets by doing odd jobs for her patrons and the naive new money in her town at the edge of the Berkshires. But when a terrible figure from her past returns, Charlie’s present life is thrown into chaos, and her future seems at best, unclear—and at worst, non-existent. Determined to survive, Charlie throws herself into a maelstrom of secrets and murder, setting her against a cast of doppelgangers, mercurial billionaires, shadow thieves, and her own sister—all desperate to control the magic of the shadows.

With sharp angles and prose, and a sinister bent, Holly Black is a master of shadow and story stitching. Remember while you read, light isn’t playing tricks in Book of Night, the people are.

Read Book of Night by Holly Black

Rise of the Mages by Scott DrakefordPicked by James Tivendale

Blurb:  Scott Drakeford’s epic fantasy debut, Rise of the Mages combines gripping, personal vengeance with compelling characters for an action packed first book in a trilogy.

Emrael Ire wants nothing more than to test to be a weapons master. His final exam will be a bloody insurrection, staged by corrupt nobles and priests, that enslaves his brother.

With the aid of his War Master tutor, herself an undercover mage, Emrael discovers his own latent and powerful talents.

To rescue his brother, Emrael must embrace not only his abilities as a warrior but also his place as last of the ancient Mage Kings—for the Fallen God has returned.

And he is hungry.

Read Rise of the Mages by Scott Drakeford

An Elegy For Hope by Sarah ChornPicked by Carrie Chi Lough

Blurb: Blurb to come. Book #2 in the Bloodlands series, and a follow up to Seraphina’s Lament which our reviewer said, “… an apocalyptic dark fantasy that uses elementalist magic, a fantasy version of Stalin’s oppression of the Ukraine, and a zombie apocalypse to tell a diverse LGBT+ friendly story.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read an Elegy for Hope by Sarah Chorn

A Night of Flames by Matthew HarffyPicked by Aaron Jones

Blurb: A wild land. A lethal fanatic. A violent revolt.
Northumbria, AD 794.
Those who rule the seas, rule the land. None know the truth of this more than the Vikings. To compete with the sea-faring, violent raiders, the king of Northumbria orders the construction of his own longships under the command of oath-sworn Norseman, Runolf.

When the Northern sea wolves attack for the second year, the king sends cleric turned warrior, Hunlaf, on a mission across the Whale Road to persuade the king of Rogaland into an alliance. But Runolf and Hunlaf have other plans; old scores to settle, kin to seek out, and a heretical tome to find in the wild lands of the Norse.

Their voyage takes them into the centre of a violent uprising. A slave has broken free of his captors, and, with religious fervour, he is leading his fanatical followers on a rampage – burning all in his path.

Hunlaf must brave the Norse wilderness, and overcome deadly foes to stop this madman. To fail would see too many die…

Read A Night of Flames by Matthew Harffy

Azura Ghost by Essa HansenPicked by Beth Tabler

Blurb: Following Nophek Gloss comes the second book in this highly imaginative new space opera trilogy by debut author Essa Hansen – an action-packed adventure perfect for fans of Star Wars, Children of Time and A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet.

Caiden has been on the run for ten years with his unique starship in order to keep his adversary, Threi, imprisoned. But when an old friend he’d once thought dead reappears, he is lured into a game of cat and mouse with the one person whose powers rival Threi’s: Threi’s sister Abriss.

Now with both siblings on the hunt for Caiden and his ship, Caiden must rescue his long-lost friend from their clutches and uncover the source of both his ship’s power and his own origins in order to stop Abriss’s plan to collapse the multiverse.

Read Azura Ghost by Essa Hansen

36 Streets by T.R. NapperPicked by Adrian Collins

Blurb: Altered Carbon and The Wind-Up Girl meet Apocalypse Now in this fast-paced, intelligent, action-driven cyberpunk, probing questions of memory, identity and the power of narratives.

Lin ‘The Silent One’ Vu is a gangster and sometime private investigator living in Chinese-occupied Hanoi, in the steaming, paranoid alleyways of the 36 Streets. Born in Vietnam, raised in Australia, everywhere she is an outsider.

Through grit and courage Lin has carved a place for herself in the Vietnamese underworld where Hanoi’s crime boss, Bao Nguyen, is training her to fight and lead. Bao drives her hard; on the streets there are no second chances. Meanwhile the people of Hanoi are succumbing to Fat Victory – a dangerously addictive immersive simulation of the US-Vietnam war.

When an Englishman comes to Hanoi on the trail of his friend’s murderer, Lin’s life is turned upside down. She is drawn into the grand conspiracies of the neon gods – of regimes and mega-corporations – as they unleash dangerous new technologies.

Lin must confront the immutable moral calculus of unjust wars. She must choose: family, country, or gang. Blood, truth, or redemption. No choice is easy on the 36 Streets.

Read 36 Streets by T.R. Napper

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REVIEW: Cyberpunk City: The Machine Killer by D.L. Young

Cyberpunk City: The Machine Killer by D.L. Young is an indie cyberpunk adventure novel taking place in the City. The City is a megapolis arcology that is built on the remains of New York and is a combination of every cyberpunk dystopia ever made. It has a little Blade Runner, a little Neuromancer, and a little Snow Crash for good measure. It’s part of an episodic series about a hacker named Blackburn Maddox and his adventures in virtual space. Maddox is a datajack, a hacker, and just wants to make a buck but events keep conspiring to keep him neck deep in conspiracies.

Maddox begins his adventure, ironically, retired from datajacking. Having secured himself a cushy job as a cyber-security expert, he is mostly content with his steady paycheck even if his bosses are a bunch of psychopaths. Unfortunately, his newfound security comes with a price as he discovers the only reason you hire a criminal is you want to do a crime in the future. Blackmailed into doing a “information retrieval”, he is given a heist crew and told to come back with the information or lose everything.

I really liked this classic cyberpunk set up as the heist is only the beginning of Maddox’s adventure. He becomes acquainted with a beautiful cyborg bodyguard named Beatrice, a scummy black marketeer named Lorenzo, and a wannabe datajack teenager named Tommy. They are an odd group for a theft but manage to work it out. Unfortunately, as anyone familiar with cyberpunk should know, getting the goods is the easy part. What follows is a fascinating story of double crosses, conspiracies, AI, and manipulation that culminates in an epic showdown.

I like the protagonists in Maddox and Beatrice. Both of them are a little nicer than your typical cyberpunk antiheroes with Maddox wanting to go legit and Beatrice being less corporate samurai than dedicated professional. Ironically, it’s Tommy AKA The Kid who is the absolute worst of the group and it’s hilarious how little he cares about collateral damage or shooting his way out. I was also fascinated by the concept of Marionettes–i.e. people who entrust the entirety of their lives to be run by AI in lieu of making their own decisions.

The book is a bit on the short side at 260 pages but not exceptionally so. I enjoyed it from beginning to end and while it has a happier ending than most cyberpunk books, its bittersweet enough that I felt it worked well. I also appreciated that it didn’t go over-the-top with its technology so you understood the rules of what was or was not possible within the setting. The action was decently written too with Maddox not being an action hero but Beatrice able to handle most of what came after them.

I got this book on Kindle Unlimited but it’s worth the cost at 3.99 too.

Read Cyberpunk City: The Machine Killer by D.L. Young

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REVIEW: The Expanse S6E1: Strange Dogs

The Expanse has been a blessing to grimdark science fiction fans the same way Game of Thrones was to fantasy. Very few shows have the budget and storytelling enough to realize a dark sweaty world that combines a cyberpunk dystopia, space opera, body horror, plus extremely optimistic heroes into one delightfully oddball package. The show is notably darker than the books in many places and benefits from this. The exception being that they dialed back some of the destruction to Earth’s biosphere in the previous season.

Strange Dogs opens with scenes alluding to the Laconia plot from the books, which is an interesting choice by the developers since it has been stated that this truncated six-episode season was going to be the last of the Expanse series. Hope springs eternal? Non-book readers should simply know it is a sign that the settlement of extra-solar planets is going on while the rest of humanity in Sol is falling apart.

The focus for the remainder of the season is undoubtedly going to be on the conflict between Marcos Inaros (Keon Alexander) and his Free Navy vs. The Earth as well as Rocinate crew. Marcos is full of Che Guevara energy, or at least the popular myth version, with charisma as well as revolutionary spirit but absolutely no plans beyond ruthlessly destroying the existing system. Indeed, when his advisors point out that the Belt is food insecure without Earth, he barely acknowledges it.

Marcos is living proof the most dangerous villains aren’t necessarily the most competent as his continued protracted war against Earth threatens to result in human extinction. After all, if Earth doesn’t export food then where are they going to get it? The biggest Belt food production facility was destroyed in one of the earlier seasons. It is an interesting contrast to previous villains like Jules-Pierre Mao, who were geniuses driven by grand ideas.

In Strange Dogs we also see what a petty little man Marcos has turned his son, Filip (Jasai Chase Owens), into. Filip is the second-in-command of the Free Navy but he spends all of his time screwing groupies and hanging around with his one friend while being frustrated when the occasional Belter reveals their deep disgust for the murders he’s committed. He’s close to irredeemable at this point and I’m not sure any heel-face turn he makes will feel earned by the end.

The sad fact is our populist demagogue, and his son are winning because it’s much easier to destroy a system than replace them. Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo) is frustrated and angry at the complete lack of progress against the Free Navy. Worse, millions continue to die as the Earth’s biosphere is damaged to the point of collapse. Bobbie Draper (Frankie Adams) also hates playing glorified Secret Service when Earth’s public is ready to surrender.

Even The Rocinante crew is at its wits end. The death of Alex, unique to the show, has changed the dynamic and they’re exhausted chasing down every possible lead they can. Clarissa Mao (Nadine Nicole) is a wonderful addition to the cast and yet is utterly despised by Naomi Nagato (Dominque Tripper) with Holden barely tolerating her. Amos is the only one who actually likes her and she’s still put off by the fact, well, Amos is a psychopath. The nicest most lovable psychopath in fiction but still one. Drummer (Cara Gee) also provides some good bits as she shows the efforts of the few remaining Belters fighting against Inaros’ tyranny.

Strange Dogs is mostly a setup episode, but it contains a lot of excellent character bits. Inaros is one of my most love-to-hate villains in fiction so seeing him brought low will be great. Until then, this is a strong start to the series’ final season.

You can check out our review of season 5, here.

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REVIEW: Travelers Along the Way by Aminah Mae Safi

Travelers Along the Way by Aminah Mae Safi is exactly the kind of retelling I adore. It reworks the well-known story of Robin Hood, that legendary outlaw active in Sherwood Forest outside of Nottingham during the last decade of the twelfth century, stealing from the rich to support the poor while Richard Lionheart, the King of England at the time, was off on Crusade in the Holy Land. In the traditional story, the main antagonists are John, Richard’s younger brother, who rules England in his stead, and the Sheriff of Nottingham, who is Robin’s immediate nemesis. The story centres around the unfair treatment of peasants by the gentry, the cost of war – not just in terms of men, but also taxes – and the futility of trying to stand up against the powers that be in a society that thrives off status. It is also the original heist story, featuring a motley crew of outcasts banding together to fight against the status quo, trying to pull off the impossible. And as such, it has been one of the most popular tales to survive through the ages.

Travelers Along The Way is probably the best take on the source material I have read. It takes all of the important themes of the original story and reworks them into a unique and modern novel, set in the same period, but transported to the Holy Land. Safi has her Green Hood–the Robin Hood equivalent–be a young girl, visually perceived as a man due to her height when disguised by the green hooded cloak, a muslim caught up in the events of the Third Crusade. Similar to the original story of Robin Hood, the protagonists of this story did not set out to be heroes–or thieves for that matter–but ended up sliding into it trying to survive, trying to make the best of the situation that they found themselves in, trying to help the people they encounter on their way. And thus, their band of misfits grows, and with it their reputation (or infamy, depending on who you ask).

While the original story focuses on society being unhappy with John’s overlordship of England in his brother’s stead, Travelers Along the Way has Isabella–a foreign queen desperate to hang on to power in the Holy Land through any manner necessary. We do see part of the story told through her eyes, but while the reader becomes sympathetic to her plight, she never becomes a likeable character.  The reader also encounters more well-known historical characters such as Richard Lionheart or Saladin, though it is not exactly a historical novel.

It is wonderful to see this traditional story transported to this more diverse setting. As part of the band of the Green Hood, we see members of the major religions working together and crossing those boundaries that were ostensibly at the centre of the conflicts. There is a sweet sapphic relationship and the story is full of fantastic characters in general, none of which fall flat. I should mention that this is part of Feiwel and Friends’ Remixed Classics series, where different authors of colour each take a classic story and rework it–all of the ones I’ve had the chance to read so far have been great!

Read Travelers Along the Way by Aminah Mae Safi

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REVIEW: The Wheel of Time E6: The Flame of Tar Valon

The Wheel of Time E6: The Flame of Tar Valon continues the excellent run that the series is now in as the gang from Two Rivers finally reunite in the beautiful Tar Valon. There is more character development to build on last week’s incredible episode and the rest of the time is spent setting up the high stakes of the series as it moves towards the finish line for season 1. All in all, things are looking up for the adaptation of Robert Jordan’s much loved novels.

The Flame of Tar Valon begins with a flashback as we witness the difficulties that women who channel face growing up. A young girl is sent away from her home by her tearful father after being discovered. She grows up to become the powerful leader of the Aes Sedai, the Amyrlin Seat. The Aes Sedai, and especially Siuan, their leader, have to harden themselves in a world where White Cloaks are constantly searching for them and torturing them for fun. Siuan greets Logain, the man who claimed to be the Dragon Reborn and ignores his pleas for death. Instead, she punishes him by placing him in the city for all to see as a warning as he slowly loses his mind to madness. Siuan continues on the path of cold judgement as she exiles Moiraine and scolds the other Aes Sedai. But is there another reason for her harsh punishment? Siuan’s hard display appears to be a front in response to Logain’s assertions that the Aes Sedai have grown weak and to hide another secret from her sisters. The relationship between Moiraine and Siuan is one of the improvements that the series has made to the books and another example of the excellent character work that the series is capable of.

Moiraine is front and centre of The Flame of Tar Valon and it is great to see the way in which she quickly assesses Mat’s sickness and deals with the darkness after Lan easily disarms the protective Rand. The Blue Aes Sedai meets with all of the possible Dragons as Egwene and Perrin finally arrive in the city, with the Yellow sisters healing the wolf brother of his hideous wounds at the hands of the White Cloaks. Moiraine then takes Egwene and Nynaeve to meet the Amyrlin Seat. There is more wonderful, subtle character work as Egwene is respectful and attentive in the meeting whilst the confident Nynaeve attempts to cut through the pomp and ceremony. It is also fun to see Egwene’s face drop as she realises that she is not the one who is labelled the most powerful channeler in a thousand years.

The Flame of Tar Valon ends with the whole gang back together as Moiraine is exiled on purpose in a bid to travel to the Eye of the World and defeat the darkness. Loial joins the crew and still steals the scenes he is in. The slow speaking giant is great fun and Rosamund Pike’s acting as Moiraine respectfully speeds things up is great, subtle comic relief in the scenes that they share together. The Wheel of Time E6 is another cracking episode full of great character development that sets up the rest of the series. In the words of Gandalf, “It’s the deep breath before the plunge.” Though it is not yet at Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings levels of brilliance, The Wheel of Time stands on its own as another great fantasy adaptation brought to the screen for fans to love and argue about for years to come.

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