Adrian Collins's Blog, page 16

REVIEW: The Wheel of Time S3

It’s been an interesting journey for the screen adaption of The Wheel of Time and quite the bumpy road since Rand set off with his pals from the Two Rivers on a path to becoming the Dragon Reborn. Fans of Robert Jordan’s epic fantasy series have been divided on the adaption so far with season 1 not getting off to the best of starts but with The Wheel of Time S3 complete, it’s safe to say that the series has grown into one of the best fantasy series on TV in recent memory.

There’s a lot to pack into the eight episodes of The Wheel of Time S3. Our heroes are off on different missions around the world, all striving to be the best versions of themselves and fighting against both dark forces and temptation itself. Rand travels to the Aiel Waste in need of an army to follow him with Moiraine keeping him in sight as she slowly becomes aware of the sacrifice needed for victory if Rand is to save and not destroy. Perrin battles with his past guilt as he transforms into a leader wanting to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Corruption poisons the heart of the White Tower as the Aes Sedai are split on whether they should side with the Dragon and fractures appear between the Forsaken as the pieces move closer to the final battle. It’s a busy season but the improved writing and a cast who fully understand their characters keep the energy up and lead to a massive improvement on previous seasons. We are currently living in an amazing time when fantasy is all over our screens and The Wheel of Time S3 is a reward for fans who have stuck with the series as it is now in a place where it can be seen as on par or surpassing other efforts such as House of the Dragon, The Witcher, and Rings of Power.

Rand’s journey into the Aiel Waste and an episode focusing on him seeing his past lives is one of the best episodes in the series yet. The acting is great as the weight of the past weighs heavily on Rand’s shoulders and he begins to understand who he must become. Josha Stadowski does really well in portraying Rand as someone caught between that battle between the light and dark. You can see why people would follow him but you can also see why there may be fear in their eyes. Juggling different arcs and timelines has been something the series has done well since the first season and this season is the best yet. So many films and TV series are ruined by the visual effects and fantasy shows can live or die by how well they pull off magic and monsters. The Wheel of Time S3 has seriously improved in this department. With the series focusing so much on magical battles and monstrous creatures, it has some of the best VFX in recent memory and it shows what can be done when a series gives its creators time to develop and work to their full potential instead of rushing the work and creating something subpar. In an age where audiences want instant greatness, it’s a joy to see such improvement in The Wheel of Time and if the show continues on this trajectory, the next season will be mind-blowing. The only thing that really feels missing from the season is a central villain with the gap of Ishmael from last season not really being filled effectively.

The Wheel of Time S3 builds on the progress seen in the second season and has grown into a must-see fantasy series. Improved writing. Improved acting. Improved effects. If you drifted away earlier in the series, now is the time to jump back on the wheel and see where this journey takes you. A very impressive third season adaptation of the hit fantasy series.

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REVIEW: House of Chains by Steven Erikson

Full of sand, blood, and philosophy, Steven Erikson’s House of Chains is the most straightforward Malazan: Book of the Fallen entry, meaning that it’s extremely complex and confusing. Still, Erikson’s gorgeous prose, wry dialogue, bloody action, and awe-striking worldbuilding makes the journey worthwhile while the curtain is pulled back ever further.

“One day, perhaps, you will see for yourself that regrets are as nothing. The value lies in how they are answered.”

With Memories of Ice being the sequel to Gardens of the Moon, House of Chains is the direct sequel to Deadhouse Gates. Allegedly this odd structure happened because Erikson had a computer failure after writing the first few hundred pages of Memories of Ice, but it does create an uneven flow. The Chain of Dogs was relentlessly tragic, the battle of Coral unbelievably epic, and then were placed back in the desert, searching for purpose amidst the sand. It feels intentional, as we spend most of our time with the characters being given confusing—and seemingly futile—tasks. Erikson, as always, asks for your trust, and you simply have to read and find out to start to gain some vision into the core plot of Malazan.

Now, you may notice that I said House of Chains is the most straightforward Malazan book, and then I immediately went into talking about the confusion in the desert. While it’s true that we spend a bulk of the time in the hazy heat and parching thirsts, what makes this novel more straightforward is where we spend the first one hundred and fifty pages; one POV: Karsa Orlong.

“You have learned much, Karsa Orlong.”

“I have, T’lan Imass. As you shall witness.”

Witness is a phrase you’ll hear frequently from the Tobalaki known as Karsa. He’s a brute, straightforward and eager for blood. But he’s more than that, or at least, he becomes more than that. Karsa’s journey is arguably the most intriguing in the series. While there’s no true main character in Malazan, he is a strong contender if you had to pick one. We see his start in House of Chains, and as previously noted, we have a lengthy amount of time with him as the sole-POV, a rarity for Erikson. The result is a fascinating—if often grim—character study with themes of opening your eyes to the truth and seeing the world for how it really is.

If you’re reading this review, I’m assuming you’ve read the other three books, which means you already know Erikson’s writing style, strengths, and weaknesses. There’s no noticeable improvement in skill in House of Chains, but Erikson remains near the top of the pantheon of fantasy writers. When you combine the facets of prose, dialogue, and worldbuilding, Erikson shows dizzying skills and stands alone.

That said, I found House of Chains to be one of the weaker Malazan novels. The climax, while tragic, isn’t as deeply moving or thunderingly epic as the other books; the journey, while littered with great characters and dialogue, passes by slowly. It feels like “middle book syndrome” personified.

There’s strengths to House of Chains, and we do get a much greater sense of what the “core plot” of Erikson’s masterwork is really all about, but like I said, I found it one of the weaker novels of the ten. At the end of the day, it’s still a great piece, and if you’re reading this and found House of Chains a bit on the rough side and are considering DNFing the series, I implore you to continue. Erikson’s next slew of books stun, and House of Chains is an important step on an epic journey.

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REVIEW: Daredevil: Born Again

Daredevil: Born Again is a compelling return for the Man Without Fear as the red- costumed superhero makes the leap from Netflix to Disney+ following three critically acclaimed seasons. Blending the gritty essence of the original series with a fresh writing team, Charlie Cox returns as the masked vigilante as he fights against Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk who has now become New York City’s Mayor.

Daredevil: Born Again begins with familiarity. Matt Murdock is enjoying time with his friends including Foggy Nelson and Karen Page and all seems well. An attack from old foe Bullseye leads to tragedy and by the end of the night, the trio is broken and Matt decides to hang up the mask and fight crime the legal way. At the same time, Wilson Fisk is dealing with the fallout from the events seen in Echo. He needs to repair his relationship with wife Vanessa and prove to her that he still has the skills to run their business and do what is best for them whilst running for Mayor of New York and vowing to end the reign of masked vigilantes. It is a simple story that creates challenges for Matt as he struggles to defend his clients in the legal way when there is so much corruption in the city and especially amongst a police force that have started to obsess over The Punisher and his violent methods. He is also dealing with the pain from losing his friends and now also has to keep his eye on growing power of Fisk.

There were worries about Daredevil: Born Again being on Disney+. Fans loved the gritty, brutal nature of the series but those worries were laid to rest within the first episode. The series is just as brutal as fans remember (sometimes more so) and it really puts Matt through hell as he wrestles with his demons and comes to realise the importance of being Daredevil and defending those who are defenceless. The fight scenes are incredible (especially one where Daredevil joins up with an old friend…) and the scenes with Cox and D’Onofrio together make you crave more. It shows that the writing team and the cast truly understand the characters and fans of the comics and the original series will be dying for more. The only part of the season that fell flat for me was the forced relationship between Matt and new love interest Heather. There isn’t much chemistry between the two which is a shame following the dynamic between Matt and his previous loves. Their story feels a bit bland and forced and slows down the pacing in the middle of the season.

Overall, Daredevil: Born Again is a terrific comeback. A brutal, gritty series about corruption and the lengths people will go to protect those around them is just what the Marvel Cinematic Universe needed, and it is always great to see Daredevil back on the screen. Impactful fight scenes, genuine stakes, and great character development mean that Daredevil: Born Again is one of the best superhero series on TV. Fingers crossed we get another season!

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REVIEW: A Claiming of Souls by R.A. Sandpiper

A Claiming of Souls is finally here, and it’s absolutely nothing short of suri-eal what R.A. Sandpiper accomplishes in this epic and soul-stirring conclusion to the Amefyre trilogy. Filled with equal parts action and emotion, love and loss, and heart and hurt, this is truly everything you could wish for from a grimdark romantic fantasy.

After the intensely bittersweet ending of A Promise of Blood, I was beyond excited (okay, and quite nervous) to dive into the grand finale to Kol and Suri’s story. In some ways, they are stronger than ever, yet at the same time things have never looked so dire for our precious broken babes; a soul has been taken, a prophecy remains unfulfilled, and a war comes ever closer to destroying all they know and love as threats both human and divine grow more deadly dangerous with each passing second. In other words, the stakes are high, the emotions run even higher, and absolutely zero punches are pulled.

Honestly, it almost feels unreal how far we’ve come with these characters since the start of A Pocket of Lies. I already loved Suri’s well-earned growth over the course of book 2, but I think she really gets her time to shine in A Claiming of Souls. Yes, she is still so realistically flawed and more scarred than ever on both a physical and an emotional level, but I found it beautiful to see how she has gone from being a selfish and stupidly impulsive thief to an absolutely badass reluctant hero who will stop at nothing to protect the people she loves; people who she never, ever could have imagined loving in the first place.

Seriously, I think the unexpected development of all the complex interpersonal relationships that lie at the heart of this story was just as surprising to me as it was to Suri herself, and I loved how both the multi-book slow-burn enemies to lovers romance and the heartfelt found family vibes came to their peak in A Claiming of Souls. I mean, it’s so common for me to lose interest in the relationship(s) over the course of a fantasy romance series, but I loved how Sandpiper avoided that here by continuing to explore new hidden depths to the characters and keeping a believable level of tension without creating unnecessary, melodramatic conflict.

Be it my dark, broody, and fiercely protective marshmallow of a Dark Lord Kol (please don’t tell Suri I was probably swooning even harder over him than she was, I don’t want her to hunt me down), the suave and sarcastic heartthrob Nadrian (a.k.a the true MVP of this story), or my fearsome sapphic ladies Scilla and Viantha (where do I sign up for their spin-off series?!); this entire ragtag crew of broken souls just has my heart, and I loved revelling in all their complicated but heartfelt feelings for each other. Also, this cast of characters is so refreshingly and casually diverse, and I really appreciated the authentic exploration and representation of physical disability, queerness, and mental health struggles.

There’s so much trauma that all these characters have endured and continue to endure, and I found it so powerful to see how they learned to cope, hold onto hope, and find moments of light in the darkness. Especially Suri’s inner conflict due to the loss of her soul in A Claiming of Souls felt like a metaphor for living with depression to me, which made it all the more hard-hitting for me to see how her struggles impacted both herself and the people around her.

All that said, as deeply impressed as I am with how well Sandpiper was able to balance and interweave all the many different aspects of this story, I have to admit that I was personally always much more invested in the inner/interpersonal conflicts rather than the external conflicts. To me, the diabolical, scheming Queen Lera felt a bit like an underdeveloped villain, and all the deep lore/magic dives with Sotoledi and Diophage were fascinating but maybe a bit overly ambitious at times. Moreover, the way that the entire high stakes final act unfolded felt a bit messy and suspiciously convenient to me, with a few sudden unbelievable level-ups in power and some wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff that almost made my last lone brain cell wither and die.

Still, I think A Claiming of Souls overall more than sticks the landing, and I loved how Sandpiper gave more than enough closure to feel utterly satisfied while also leaving some threads dangling for potential spin-offs in this world. I absolutely devoured this trilogy, and I will absolutely be first in line for whatever comes next, be that in this world or something completely new; R.A. Sandpiper is absolutely going to be an author to watch, I’m calling it now.

This story is truly so much more than just another popcorn read of a Fae fantasy romance; it’s a refreshing, bold and deeply layered story of survival, sacrifice, growth, healing, hope, redemption, and love in all its devastating beauty. So whether you normally like your fantasy dark, brutal and action-packed or intimate, sexy and emotional, I think the Amefyre trilogy is an absolute must-read that might just satisfy reading cravings you never even knew you had. 

Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. A Claiming of Souls is scheduled for release on May 10th, 2025.

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REVIEW: Alien (1979)

How does one review a film that’s so well-known, over 45 years after its release and still add something of value for your readers? It’s a toughie. Especially when the film in question is as seminal and wide-reaching as Alien (dir. Ridley Scott), and one of my own personal favourites. Come with me as I endeavour to add a GdM angle to this gordian knot of a review.

First, it’s important to think about the context in which Alien was released and how that added to its notoriety. Two years previous, in 1977, Star Wars: A New Hope came out and sci-fi adventures were suddenly viable mainstream entertainment. Despite the ominous promotional material ahead of Alien, it attracted huge crowds when it opened and cinemagoers got more than they bargained for.

Alien takes a slow-burn approach to space horror. Nearly a full hour goes by with just the pottering of a group of hauliers in space responding to a distress signal. There’s tension but it’s low level. You get some iffy vibes from Science Officer Ash (Ian Holm) but nothing you can’t dismiss as him being an insular scientist. The face-hugger attached to Kane (John Hurt) is concerning but it falls off on its own and he wakes up, seemingly fine – problem solved, right? It isn’t until the 55th minute, in the middle of an innocuous, jovial crew dinner that Kane’s choking takes a sinister turn. The others think he might be having a seizure and try to help him… until blood splatters across the inside of his white t-shirt.

Even if you haven’t seen Alien yet, you will have come across some reference to the chestburster scene somewhere in pop culture. It’s been in The Simpsons, Family Guy, Spaceballs and referenced in much more. Heck, it’s even referenced in Toy Story. It’s this scene that terrified audiences in 1979, who’d come along expecting a Star Wars-esque space romp, and made Alien instantly infamous.

The scene itself uses no music to ramp up the tension, you’re left to hear every confused, desperate word the crew utter, every bump and bash as Kane thrashes against the table, and each creak, pop and squelch of the alien emerging from Kane’s body, which is instantly met with silence and the shocked characters look on. It’s an impeccable sequence of shock ‘n’ gore body horror that brings the reality of the crew’s situation crashing down around you in under 2 minutes, pivoting the atmospherics of the film sharply.

The film sticks to its slow-burn pace for a little while longer, and we all have hope that the crew can find and eliminate this invasive species. After all, it’s not that big. No one can account for its prodigious growth rate however, and one by one the crew succumb to the Xenomorph in a series of tense take-downs, full of misdirection and expert filmmaking. Alongside the alien death-machine stalking them from the shadows, the crew have to contend with the moral ambiguity of the company, the ship computer and Ash; all of whom want to capture the specimen and return it to Earth for research. The crew are expendable and swiftly running out of options.

As the film moves towards its finale, the pace and tension ramp up considerably as Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) tries to escape and destroy the alien in the process. But just as you think it’s over, that she’s safe, that she’s won, something moves in the background of the scenery and you are gripped once more by her visceral fear.

There is a lot to appreciate in Alien for fans of grimdark: tension, isolation, fear, desperation, stacked odds and one genuinely badass hero forged in the heat of it all. The Xenomorph is indiscriminate, there is no question of morality here, it simply is, and what it is, is death incarnate.

While some people prefer the more action-packed sequel, Aliens, over the original; I still hold the first film above all for its originality, the expert layering of horror and for introducing so much to cinema and story-telling as a whole. If you’ve never seen it, I recommend it wholeheartedly, even if only as a cultural reference point but I hope you also see the brilliance in it.

 

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REVIEW: Sinners (2025)

Sinners (2025) is a horror movie that stars Michael B. Jordan and Hailee Steinfeld with the former playing two separate characters as identical twins. It is, without much in the way of spoilers, a vampire movie. However, much to my surprise, it is a good vampire movie. I expected going into this that it would be basically a rehash of From Dusk Till Dawn carried by the acting of two performers I really enjoy. Instead, I found out Sinners is as if someone made a rehash of From Dusk Till Dawn, but somehow it’s incredibly good on every conceivable level and has something meaningful to say.

The premise is that the aforementioned identical twins Elijah (“Smoke”) and Elias (“Stack”) are a pair of WW1 veterans returning to the Mississipi Delta where they were born. Both of them have been working as gangsters under Al Capone for the past few years and are implied to now be on the run after ripping him off. The pair recruit their young cousin, “Sammie” (Miles Canton), to help set up a juke bar in an old steel mill. Sammie is the son of the local minister and has been heavily warned against associating with the pair. Complicating the issue further is that Stack was involved with a white passing woman named Mary (Steinfeld)and Smoke was lovers with a local wise woman named Annie.

A sense of dread hangs over Sinners long before the arrival of any undead. Stack and Smoke want to just go into business for themselves but there’s hints of the KKK and Jim Crow everywhere. They’re intelligent, capable, and dangerous men but an early story from family friend Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo) is about how one of his companions got himself lynched for the crime of having too much money in his pocket. Mary is a woman of color according to the legal definition but being played by a white actress, Stack knows that even being seen talking to her could get them both killed.

The movie is so good that I barely noticed we were an hour in before any vampires started showing up in the story. The movie is so good that I actually didn’t need it to involve vampires to want to see the story continue. If it had just been about the looming threat of the Ku Klux Klan and the mafia coming after our heroes, I would have considered it just as good. The thing is, I am a huge vampire fan so it was an extra bonus. At this point, it seems the only things that get me to the theater are vampires and the MCU.

So, if you want to enjoy a good vampire movie then Sinners is a great one to check out. If you want to enjoy a good movie period then this is a great one to check out. The characterization, period recreation, drama, and storytelling is all fantastic. The fact it also has a fantastic blues soundtrack only adds to the enjoyment.

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Project Starship: Innovations in Metallurgy for Science Fiction

Science fiction loves to find ways to stretch the limits of a material’s properties and, as scientists, we can learn from the creativity of these authors to continue to expand our knowledge and applications of these ancient materials. When Dr. John Mauro invited me to contribute my metallurgy expertise as part of Project Starship, I was excited to delve into how we can marry the imaginative and the technical.

My background in metallurgy started with an interest in alloy design, or combining different metals into a single component to form novel properties. My interests further expanded not only into novel properties, but also novel methods of processing these metals to create materials that have only been dreamed of. It requires thinking big in both aspects of metallurgy to even begin to get close to what science fiction has made reality in the pages of a book.

Metallurgy: Ancient Art or Novel Technology

Metals, one of humankind’s oldest materials, defined the ancient ages—think the iron age, the bronze age. It’s hard to imagine what more there is to discover about metals if it has been studied for so long. Yet, there is so much more that we can learn.

Let’s start by defining what a metal is. Metals are crystalline materials that have atoms that are arranged in specific order that gives metals their strength. These atoms can be arranged in different ways to produce very different properties—from lightweight but strong titanium, to strong and corrosion resistant stainless steel. In most applications, we don’t commonly use the pure form of a metal, but rather an alloy. Alloys typically have a primary element and then other elements are added to change the properties of the materials. This is where the magic happens with metals, in my opinion.

Going as far back 500 AD, we saw the discovery of Damascus steel, a carbon steel that was stronger than its standard steel counterpart. It is theorized that this was an accidental discovery, as steel smiths would use coal in the smelting process, introducing small amounts of carbon into the molten metal. Thus, one of the first steel alloys was formed. Another example is the very commonly used stainless steel. By adding just a small percentage of chromium to steel, we are able to take a material that would oxidize if the air is too humid and transform it into a material that can withstand even the most corrosive environments.

This is where we can start getting creative when it comes to the materials starships are made of. In Graham McNeill’s world, his 40k ships are made of many different materials, including ceramite, a high strength steel immune to heat. To get such properties, we would start looking at high melting temperature materials to alloy with steel. Refractory metals, such as molybdenum and tantalum are already alloyed with steel, typically for corrosive resistance, and they become even more prevalent in super alloys. These are typically iron-nickel, nickel, or cobalt based alloys that are designed to withstand even the most extreme environments [1]. Could these be enough to withstand the Warp that McNeill’s starships must endure? While we can’t know for certain, we do know that researchers are constantly on the hunt for metal alloys that can withstand more and more extreme environments.

However, when we start alloying metals together, the new material could be made of new phases, or arrangement of the metal atoms. Not all of these phases come with favorable properties. Iron, the base for steel alloys, has a tendency to become very brittle when it’s alloyed with different metals. Striking the right balance is what gives us materials like carbon steel and stainless steel. Get off balance and the results are disastrous.

Overcoming Compositional Issues through Processing

That leads to the questions of how can we overcome these compositional issues. I’ve discussed alloying, where the mixing of materials occurs at the atomic level, but what about macroscopic ways of combining material. In the inaugural Project Starship article, Graham McNeill brought up the importance of his starships to be able to withstand travel through the Warp. He approached this through a materials selection lens but I invite you to also think about it from a materials construction lens.

Traditional methods of combining metals, like welding, have been used for centuries and are very robust. They are used to connect metal components for all sorts of applications, from stair railings to spaceships. We can’t deny that they are well-studied and well-executed process. However, nothing is perfect. Any sort of join, especially abrupt ones, like a weld, can produce weak spots where materials can fail. For starships, the last thing we’d want is to have a catastrophic failure as enemy fleets are descending upon the ship.

These are all questions that metallurgists are asking themselves in the wake of emerging technology. Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, opened up the door to a whole new way of processing materials in general, but also metals specifically. 3D printing allows us to create components layer by layer, with layers as small as 0.1 micrometers thick. To put that in perspective, that is about the thickness of human hair. We can create complex shapes that come out from the printer nearly ready to go. I am already imagining how just this aspect of the technology would be game-changing for starship design. No longer bound by the limitations of subtractive machining, starships could include any number of complex designs that have already been imagined by authors but could now become reality.

Beyond the shaping capabilities of 3D printing, there’s another aspect that is of interest for starship design—small scale changes in chemistry over a longer length scale. This gradient like change in composition opens up a wide array of possibilities for joining materials over longer length scales with the specific goal of avoiding some of the issues that crop up with welding and other traditional joining methods. That is not to say that this method is without flaws. Part of the research in this field is all about planning pathways to jump between materials without encountering those undesirable phases discussed earlier [2]. Ongoing research is working towards using fundamental scientific principles to better understand these pathways and enable continued innovation in this field.

3D printing also allows us to combine materials with different properties to create components that have different properties at different locations. For example, we could have a material that is particularly corrosion resistant in a location that’s continuously exposed to extreme environments and another part that has a low coefficient of thermal expansion in a location that cycles through large temperature changes.

Looking to the Future

So where does this leave us? While it may seem like some of these starship designs are lightyears off, in reality, the innovation toward novel materials is well underway. Metallurgy is an ancient art but also a novel science. This field of functionally graded materials is still new, but research is ever evolving. I imagine that with time it would reach the capabilities to be able to spatially tailor exact properties for specific locations within the 3D printed part. Combining this processing technology with that of alloy development opens the door for the innovative materials and designs that are assumed to be the stuff of dreams in science fiction.

This article was first published in Grimdark Magazine Issue #42

References

[1] Jr., William D. C., David Rethwisch. Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction, 10th Edition. Wiley, 2018.

[2] Bobbio, L. D., Bocklund, B., Simsek, E., Ott, R. T., Kramer, M. J., Liu, Z. K., & Beese, A. M. (2022). Design of an additively manufactured functionally graded material of 316 stainless steel and Ti-6Al-4V with Ni-20Cr, Cr, and V intermediate compositions. Additive Manufacturing, 51, 102649. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ADDMA.2022.102649

 

 

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REVIEW: The Exile by Ryan Cahill

After introducing Dayne, and the region of Valtara, in Of Darkness and Light, Ryan Cahill offers us insight into his years spent away from his homeland in The Exile. This novella, while set largely before the events in Of Blood and Fire, is best read between books two and three.

The Exile begins on the night Dayne’s life is irrevocably changed, the night his parents and their nascent rebellion against the Lorian empire are betrayed. Assassins are sent to kidnap Dayne’s younger siblings, and through chance, he spots them just in time to intervene. The night quickly descends into a chaotic, bloody scramble to escape before his entire family, and all their warriors, are killed. His father is head of House Ateres elite fighting force, the Andurii, and his mother is a renowned wyvern rider; both unwilling to lay down and let the empire roll over them.

Tragedy after tragedy befalls the Ateres family and Dayne and parents are captured, taken by sea to watch as Dragonguard mercilessly burns an entire city of innocents before them. Dayne escapes and is cast into exile, vowing to hunt down every person who played a key part in his parents’ death and the decimation of his home.

Dayne is able to wield the Spark, and uses this to his advantage in his brutal quest for revenge. Along the way, he meets Belina, a Hand Assassin trying to get out from the organisation that has kept her beholden to them for her entire life. She offers Dayne a path to find the Dragonguard who gave the order to burn Valtaran souls. This takes both characters to some dark and unsettling places, both figuratively and literally.

You may be wondering, is this an optional companion novella, or required reading? Personally, I’m inclined towards the latter. You don’t need the additional context, backstory and information that The Exile offers in order to move forward and read Of War and Ruin – but there will be some moments you might not fully appreciate, characters you won’t immediately know or interactions you won’t understand if you haven’t read The Exile.

The Exile fleshes out Dayne’s backstory, but also provides a lot of deeper context for Belina, Valtaran history, Lorian depravity and how Dayne became part of Aeson’s trusted network. The story spans over a decade but never feels rushed in this shorter form. It keeps Cahill’s signature blend of gritty violent scenes, dark flashes of humour and heartbreaking agonies. It will make you mad, sad and hopeful, just as a good grimdark tale should.

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REVIEW: Dance With Me by Livia J. Elliot

In Dance With Me, Livia J. Elliot spins a deceptively enchanting and intimately vulnerable coming-of-age fantasy tale that explores emotional trauma, identity, depression, trust, and love in all its devastating beauty. It’s tragic yet hopeful, challenging yet comforting, but most of all, it’s an allegorical masterpiece that danced with my emotions in ways I could never have prepared for.

Previously a 47K-word interactive short story on the Unearthed Stories app, Dance With Me has been expanded into a full-length novella with extended scenes and beautiful artworks. We are pulled into the mind of Lyra, a perfect ceramic-made ballerina who lives the perfect life dancing for the pleasure of her elven owners, until the day she falls. She stands up, goes on dancing like nothing happened, but soon she finds herself spiralling into an emotional journey more dizzying than a thousand pirouettes could ever be as she is forced to confront the fact that it’s not just her ceramic that has fractured, but her entire identity and worldview.

Now, whereas Elliot’s debut novella, The Genesis of Change, engaged and stimulated me on an intellectual level, Dance With Me offered an altogether more impactful experience that just spoke to the most vulnerable parts of my soul. Right from the very first page, you can feel that this story is deeply personal, and the gentle yet brutally honest way that Elliot depicts Lyra’s inner conflict was equally powerful and confronting to read.

In many ways, Lyra’s journey is a lesson in empathy, as much for herself as for the reader. It’s so easy to judge her for her naivety or to get frustrated with her refusal to accept the reality/ break free of her situation, but anyone who has ever suffered (or been close to someone suffering) from the same mental health issues will immediately recognize just how authentic and painfully realistic her struggles are. The self-sabotage, the toxic thought patterns, the short term relief of engaging in unhealthy coping mechanisms, the downplaying of the severity of your situation in comparison to others, and especially the way that staying in the safety of your comfort zone could very well end up being the thing that kills you in the end; how a story that doesn’t feature any human characters managed to be so relatable and made me feel so seen is totally beyond me, but I love it all the more for it.

Elliot just knows perfectly when to be overt in the messaging and when to hold back to make room for personal interpretation, which is exactly what makes her storytelling so clever and effective to me. Especially the inclusion of the experimental strike-through text which conveyed the way that depression completely overtook Lyra’s actions and thoughts by overriding her deep fears and intense desperation really stood out to me; it showcases exactly how so many people are suffering in silence, hiding behind the smiles and lying to themselves most of all.

But as dark and heavy as all that sounds, Dance With Me is ultimately a beautiful story of resilience, hope, and healing, and it’s infused with a fairytale-esque air of whimsy and wonder that had me fully entranced the entire way through. Elliot’s lyrical and delicate prose made both the most gut-wrenching and heartwarming scenes (DORIAN!!) just hit so hard, and I really appreciated how Lyra’s personality bled into her unreliable narration of the story. Did all of the French terms and references to ballet moves make total sense to me? No, but they did create a level of immersion that only the most skilled authors are able to achieve with their storytelling.

And even though some aspects of the revelatory and romantic ending felt maybe a bit rushed to me, I truly loved how it tied all the previous events/interactions into a cohesive whole and showed just how much unexpected impact the various eccentric characters we met along the way had made on Lyra with their wise words. To me, it is a beautiful depiction of the fact that the decision to break free and start your healing journey has to come from within, but it’s not a journey you have to embark on alone and it’s more than okay if you need some outside intervention to start stepping into your power. 

Ultimately, there is no denying that Elliot pulled her vision for this novella off with effortless grace, and I think her bravery in sharing this raw and vulnerable story is beyond commendable. Dance With Me is a story with a pulse, and my heart was beating right along with it. This is simply character-driven and introspective storytelling at its very best, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Dance With Me will be available on Kickstarter on May 6th, and release for the general public on July 2nd. 

The post REVIEW: Dance With Me by Livia J. Elliot appeared first on Grimdark Magazine.

REVIEW: Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu

As someone who really likes dragons, Dragon Rider by Taran Matharu has been on my reading list since it was first released in 2024. Dragon Rider is the debut adult novel from Taran Matharu and other reviews had called it ‘bloody, glorious, and irresistibly compelling’ and ‘dazzlingly epic’, which made me go from ‘Oh, look a dragon book!’ to ‘Oh, I would probably really like that book for more than the dragon’. Dragon Rider is also the first book of The Soulbond Saga and the second novel, The Tainted Khan, is out in April of 2025 so this could potentially become the start of great new fantasy series for me.

In Dragon Rider we follow Jai, the third son of a conquered emperor. Jai has been forced into slavery. He has spent most of this life in servitude to the former emperor who conquered his people and watches from the edges of their society as the Sabine people continue to spread their empire over the continent and kill or enslave the people in their way. The unconquerable and harsh mountain Dansk land to the north broker a marriage between their princess Erica to the Sabine emperor’s son and with Princess Erica becomes her dowry: dragons. The betrothal goes horribly wrong, and the bloody coup gives Jai a chance to escape. He flees with a Dansk servant, Frida, stealing a dragon egg as he goes. For Jai this is the first chance in years he may have to return to his homeland and try to seek his revenge. But first he must do something that no one other than Dansk royalty has ever done before; bond with a dragon.

For me Dragon Rider has ticked a lot of the boxes of traditional epic fantasy. Dragons, an improbable quest, an unlikely hero – Matharu has used a lot of fantasy tropes here, and he has used them well. Let’s be honest, we all like fantasy books for a reason, so Dragon Rider is probably going to be an enjoyable read for most fantasy fans. I really liked the pacing of the novel. It is a chunky tome, but it flows well. Chapters are quite short, and I felt like I could move through the story at a rapid pace but still have good pause points. The main character of Dragon Rider, Jai, is still quite young and this does lead to a somewhat naïve perspective (not entirely, Jai is still a slave and witnesses a whole lot of cruelty first hand) but I don’t think that makes the book feel juvenile, instead it sets the reader up to watch Jai grow over the course of the series.

In terms of what hardcore grimdark fans would enjoy, Dragon Rider might not be the first book I’d suggest. There are some really violent bits, but it is very clear who the bad guys are and who we are meant to be rooting for. There is not a whole lot of moral ambiguity at work. Dragon Rider has an underdog and some big baddies and we are rooting whole heartedly for the underdog here. Matharu isn’t shy about the depictions of battles or torture, but I wouldn’t describe Dragon Rider as a dark fantasy. It’s firmly in the epic fantasy category for me.

I also really enjoyed the magic at work in Dragon Rider. Dragons and their bonded riders is not a new concept in fantasy (I was reminded a little of the 1990s film Dragonheart and Anne McCaffrey’s Chronicles of Pern series whilst reading) but Matharu’s novel feels like a fresh take on the idea. The times where Jai is learning more about the soul binding process and how to use the dragon bond were some of my favourite parts of the novel and I look forward to learning more as the series continues.

Dragon Rider is a solidly good, epic fantasy novel and I think it would bring a lot of enjoyment to fans of traditional fantasy. I had a good time reading it and I am excited to continue with Matharu’s series. Thank you both to Taran Matharu and the team at Harper Voyager who sent Grimdark Magazine a review copy of Dragon Rider.

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