Adrian Collins's Blog, page 179

REVIEW: The Last Kingdom Season 2

The Last Kingdom Season 2 from Netflix continues Uhtred Ragnarson’s quest to reclaim his home. The second season adapts the third and fourth novels of Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Stories about the birth of England in the ninth and tenth centuries.

Whilst the first season ended with a bang – a bloody battle in which Uhtred aided King Alfred in a grand and visually stunning victory – The Last Kingdom S2 begins slowly. Our hero is sleeping in a filthy stable after a night of drinking until he is woken up by the nun Hild (a true gem this season) throwing a bucket of water over him. Needless to say, Uhtred hasn’t changed. He heads north to aid Guthred, a man many claim to be the rightful King of Cumbraland, and one who shares a common enemy – Kjartan the Cruel. Uhtred is successful in supporting Guthred and seeing him on the throne but Guthred is convinced by the God-fearing men around him that the popular pagan Uhtred will be a problem and so he is sold into a brutal life of slavery.

The Last Kingdom S2 attempts to juggle a lot over the eight episodes. One of the pitfalls of adapting two novel’s worth of twists and turns in such a short amount of time is that certain plotlines are rushed and not given the time necessary to live and breathe on their own. The pacing of the series suffers as a result – something most clearly seen in episode 3 as Uhtred is enslaved on a ship, tortured, is rescued, and then deals with the trauma – both mental and physical – to seek his revenge on those who wronged him. It is a shame, as this episode allows the audience to see Uhtred stripped of his smug confidence. There are no witty one-liners; no women to chase after; no strength in his arms to even raise a sword. We see him in a completely different light – a man broken and beaten. In his suffering, he becomes a more sympathetic character for the audience to root for. Such a pity that this development is rushed.

The Last Kingdom S2 is a joy to watch when it gives time to develop the relationships between the characters. Nun-turned-warrior Hild has a beautifully platonic relationship with Uhtred. The brothers, Erik and Sigefrid are volatile but care deeply for one another. Alfred’s cold and calculating methods and ideas are clearly contrasted by Uhtred and Odda, causing more conflict for the ambitious king. We see characters who cannot be easily judged whether they are Saxon or Dane and this gives a level of mystery to the season.

Compared to Game of Thrones and Vikings, The Last Kingdom Season 2 works on a smaller scale. There may be few bloody battles in this season but when they arrive, they hit harder than most. Just like in the first season, the episodes build towards an epic battle with clear stakes as Alfred and Uhtred are once again forced together – this time to save Alfred’s daughter from the vengeful brothers, Sigefrid and Erik.

A slow beginning with pacing issues that eventually leads to an epic finish. Patience pays off for those willing to sail through the choppy waters of the first few episodes. The Last Kingdom Season 2 continues to be must-watch television. Season 3 awaits…

Watch The Last Kingdom Season 2

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REVIEW: Fiends of Nightmaria by Steven Erikson

I received a review copy of The Fiends of Nightmaria in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Steven Erikson and Tor Books.

The Fiends of Nightmaria is a 112-page novella that is set within Steven Erikson and Ian C. Esslemont’s Malazan Universe and is the sixth entry in the Tales of Bauchelain and Korbal Broach series. Necromancers Bauchelain and Korbal Broach were minor characters in Erikson’s epic fantasy Malazan Book of the Fallen, only appearing in Memories of Ice, however, their performances there were memorable to many readers. The novellas featuring these necromancers are dark, humorous, and extremely fun quick reads.

The Fiends of Nightmaria takes place in Farooq. The king has been murdered and the throne has been taken by none other than Bauchalain, with Korbal Broach acting as the Grand Bishop. Since becoming a self-professed tyrant monarch, Bauchalain has emptied the coffees, arrested all actors and players for their crimes against humanity, and waged war against the quite peaceful, solitary lizard-people of Nightmaria. Add into the mix an escaped God, a demon prince, a gang of thieves looking to rescue their captured leader, and a horde of headless undead and you can get an idea of what to expect from this novella.

“Who knows what that insane necromancer’s let loose in the crypts.”

I think Bauchelain is an incredible character and that is on full display during The Fiends of Nightmaria. He’s extremely intelligent, powerful, quick-witted, and somehow absurdly likeable, having the reader routing for him in whatever dastardly scheme he’s decided to try his hand at. He’s always the cleverest man in the room, which, with all due respect, isn’t that difficult with the company he keeps in Korbal Broach. We don’t see that much of Korbal Broach here, with him being the brute force to Bauchelain’s suave and calculated coolness.

“It seems that on this gentle night, we must summon and unleash a veritable host of demons.”

The other main character in this book and in this series of novellas is Emancipor Reese who is the necromancers’ ageing manservant. He has to use drugs and alcohol to numb his mind to the acts he has witnessed whilst working for the duo. If I remember right, Reese joined the employ of these dark mages as an excuse to be away from his wife. The conversations between Bauchalain and Reese, the way they flow, and the way the two bounce off each other is an absolute joy to follow, in the Fiends of Nightmaria as much as anywhere else we see them.

For a short story, there are a lot of characters in The Fiends of Nightmaria and the majority of them have bizarre, bordering on silly names. After about 20-pages, It wasn’t that difficult to remember who was who with most of the action following either the above-mentioned three, the group of thieves, or the ensemble of actors and critics awaiting their torture and eventual execution. We also have scenes following the forked-tongued lizard ambassador and an extremely enthusiastic Commander of the Royal Farrogal Army.

I had a pleasant time reading The Fiends of Nightmaria, which sounds sort of contradictory seeing as it’s full of lots of gruesome horrors, brutal injuries and deaths, the undead, and a god who masturbates so hard his penis falls off. The Fiends of Nightmaria is a perfect example of Erikson showcasing his sillier side, in a similar fashion to his SF-comedy novel, Willful Child.

The Fiends of Nightmaria is a humorous and enjoyable, ultraviolent dark horror fantasy that doesn’t take itself too seriously and contains likeable yet fiendish necromancers. One of these novellas can be read comfortably in a couple of hours and it’s definitely time well spent, although if I’m being critical, they aren’t that memorable. (I’ve read this story before in The Second Collected Tales of Bauchalain and Korbal Broach.) I’ve tried to be pretty thorough in my review, possibly approaching spoiler territory, about some of the elements a reader can expect here as The Fiends of Nightmaria isn’t for everyone. Some may think that certain moments are sick or go too far. I’ll let you be the judge of whether this sounds like your cup of tea or not.

All the novellas in this series are standalone so The Fiends of Nightmaria is as good a place as any if you are considering just trying one of them. With Erikson though, I have to recommend his Magnum Opus, starting with Gardens of the Moon. To me, Malazan Book of the Fallen is no doubt a 10/10 series, whereas I’d give The Fiends of Nightmaria an entertaining but not Earth-shattering 6.5/10.

“By the time I’m done, the audience will be cheering for the fucking necromancers.”

Read Fiends of Nightmaria by Steven Erikson

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REVIEW: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, is a masterfully-executed slow-burn horror novel.

Noemí Taboada is a young, sly socialite. Though she appears flighty, she has a solid backbone and is cleverer than people often take her for. Her family receives a frantic letter from her cousin, who has recently married a man named Virgil Doyle. Noemí goes to the Doyle family manor, High Place, where her cousin is living.

As with any haunted house story, High Place has its secrets. The Doyle family had come to Mexico from the UK generations prior, and started up a silver mine. Worker conditions were abysmal and the Doyles ruled the town. But when the revolution came and the silver dried up, they found themselves isolated and far more desperate.

Mexican Gothic takes a long time to get to anything overtly supernatural, preferring more subtle hints. Moreno-Garcia does an excellent job with all of the characters, who feel like they have a solid family dynamic even as it’s clearly fractured, and still fracturing.

Howard Doyle is the family patriarch, elderly and suffering from an old injury but still terrifying to the younger members of the family. Virgil, her cousin’s new husband, is handsome and charming and acts concerned about his sick wife, while also flirting with her attractive and less bedridden cousin. Francis is clearly the kindest member of the family, more awkward and scholarly and focused very intently on studies of mushrooms. The servants never speak, even amongst each other, the clearest sign of any that something is terribly wrong.

The town near High Place has a very strong sense of place as well, hinting at the kind of town that would have had those glory days but is now dwindling and diminishing. Noemí searches there for a doctor who can check on her cousin who isn’t intrinsically tied to the Doyles, and picks up medication as well.

“El Triunfo is small, it’s needy. Most people are goat farmers. Back when the Spaniards controlled the mine, they could support themselves making tallow for the miners. Not now. There’s a church and a very nice priest here, and he collects alms for the poor.”

As with much of my preferred kind of horror, there are moments in Mexican Gothic where we cannot quite tell what’s real. There are references to the classic Charlotte Perkins Gilman story “The Yellow Wallpaper.” Numerous dream sequences occur, but they are integral to the plot and not merely strange symbolism or opaque prophecy. As they become more elaborate, the book becomes much stranger and more compelling.

At the two-third mark, the book finally lays out its secrets, and the last third is a mad rush of a book, tense and thrilling.

Mexican Gothic suffers in two ways. The first is that Catalina, the cousin Noemí has gone to rescue, is weak or incapacitated for most of the book. She is the character we understand least, even as she’s the catalyst for the plot.

When Catalina spoke, Noemí didn’t mind, because her words never sounded like her parents’ reproaches. Catalina was a creature of sighs and phrases as delicate as lace. Catalina was a dreamer and therefore believed in Noemí’s dreams.

The other issue is that while there are a lot of important elements brought out earlier in the book, there aren’t many truly tense scenes prior to that final third. The entire end sequence is excellent, however, as everything is laid bare and all the incongruities finally make sense.

Mexican Gothic is an excellent haunted house story with some dark undertones of broken families, colonialism, and romance.

4/5

Read Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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REVIEW: Die Vol. 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker by Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans, and Clayton Cowles

People love fantasy stories; they love the heroism of it, the sheer thrill of being the rogue stealing, the wizard whipping spells from their arsenal, the pure glory of winning. But life is not like that. Real-life is full of heartbreak, addiction, pain, love, and loss. These aspects can either break you upon the wheel or help make who you are. Anyone who is involved in fantasy or RPG has imagined themselves in a game or book at one point or another. Especially when we are young, you wish to be transported to that world to cause mischief or seek great glory for yourself. But in Die by Kieron Gillen, he took that thought a few steps further. Your thoughts and deeds within this world have real consequences.

Seven friends embark on a DND game, not just any DND game, a game where they are sucked into it and have to become the characters that they chose for fun. It is Jumanji but in dark fantasy. Very dark fantasy. These kids get sucked away in this world for two years. They disappeared, but when they returned, a geas had been put on them that they could never speak of their experiences of this world, less other people get sucked into it. Twenty-five years later, one of the remaining five that made it out of the world receives a care package containing one bloody 20 sided die. They know they need to gather together, combine forces, and enter this world again. This time though, they are broken, middle-aged people, not children. Some with families, others with serious careers but all have something to lose. 

“ANGELA IS A NEO. HER ARTIFACTS ARE GIFTS FROM THE FAIR. THE FAIR ARE…”WHAT IF WILLIAM GIBSON DESIGNED ELVES” IT IS COMPLICATED. IT’S A FAIRY PACT. EVERY MORNING, HER EQUIPMENT IS DEAD. UNTIL SHE PAYS THE TITHE.”

 

Die is a dark story. It is not for the light-hearted fantasy fan, because these powers they have in the game do not come with ease. For example, one of the characters is a grief knight. The only way that he can come into power and protect the group is for him to experience a profound wave of grief. Experiencing intense emotional pain is not something sane people want to do. Enter the powers of the Diplomat. She is described as “kind of a diplomat with teeth. She’s like a cross between Cleopatra and Machiavelli.” Whenever the need arises, The Diplomat plucks terrible memories from The Grief Knight. The thief, a cyberpunk, can use her powers but only at a cost. Gold. Once the gold is used up, it disintegrates, leaving the user desperately craving for more. She has become a junky for gold. You can see how this story plays out; normal people broken by their past must make choices to save their future. Decisions that will haunt their future and again change who they are. It is an excellent story and an interesting take on DND and the realities of slaying armies, defying gods, and breaking the will of people with your powers. Also, the graphics are very well done. They embody the feel of gaming and the misty quality of a dream world that is made real. 

It is worth the read, Gillan, Hans, and Cowles have written a remarkable Jumanji-esque story for fantasy fans. 

Read Die Vol. 1: Fantasy Heartbreaker by Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans, and Clayton Cowles

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REVIEW: White Trash Warlock by David R. Slayton

White Trash Warlock is a hell of a good urban fantasy that stands heads above most stories in the genre. If you are looking for a story that incorporates realistic characters, good pacing, an exciting magic system, and LGBTQIA representation. This is the book for you.

“People aren’t less just because they don’t live the way you do.”

“I didn’t say that,” Robert said.

“You think it,” Adam said. “You think we’re all trash because we don’t have nice cars and ugly houses. Life isn’t just about money.”

I am someone who has read extensively in urban fantasy. It had been my choice genre until about three years ago when I became more interested in dark fantasy and graphic novels. I have read hundreds upon hundreds of books in the genre. Many follow a very formulaic structure. The main character is plucky but down on their luck, or they probably do investigations of some sort and are either a wizard, warlock, or witch. Sometimes even a druid like in the great Kevin Hearne novels, The Iron Druid Chronicles. Plot-wise, there is a massive problem with the protagonist’s city or family. Usually, a big baddie comes to kill magic practitioners or the protagonist’s family and friends. Or protagonist must go through some transformation and become something else. It can be formulaic, but I don’t mind that. It is part of the joy of the genre; not every author has to reinvent the wheel to tell an engaging and thought-provoking story. I bring this up because while White Trash Warlock does have some of the genre’s more formulaic tropes and tendencies. i.e., a big bad boss that only the protagonist can kill, but at no time when reading White Trash Warlock did I feel it was stale. Quite the contrary, Slayton took some formulaic tropes and twisted them around a bit. He made something that could be an old hat, exciting.

The plot of the story rolls out thus. Adam Binder is a sensitive man. Sensitive in being able to feel the energies of the paranormal. He has a gift or a curse, depending on how you view it. This sensitivity rules his life, and he tries to work around it; he is often overwhelmed by the energies and feelings of masses of people. “Adam Binder hasn’t spoken to his brother in years, not since Bobby had him committed to a psych ward for hearing voices.” Being committed causes great turmoil between Bobby and Adam, as it should. Something dark and murderous possesses Bobby’s wife, Adam comes to Colorado from rural Oklahoma to see if he can help. This dark thing that is infecting people in the city is a power unlike anything Adam has ever seen, and to survive, he must call on energies above his paygrade. Plus, there is a great love triangle and banter with immortals of all sorts.

“He wants to help you. It’s okay to ask for things, Adam. It’s okay to need or want things for yourself.”

Adam is brash and egotistical at times, but at other times he is calm and broken. The author does an excellent job of walking the line of not being too much of either quality. It adds authenticity to Adam’s character. Furthermore, Adam and his brother Robert’s backstory and family drama are infinitely more in-depth than the usual passing mention of a troubled past. Their pasts have defined who they are. It shows in the way they talk and interact with each other. I connected with these characters in ways that I did not from authors like Laurell K. Hamilton or Jim Butcher’s urban fantasy. We learn about the backstory of the main characters Anita and Dresden in those series, but it takes a lot of time and books to make the connection that White Trash Warlock sought to make right away. That makes White Trash Warlock stand above its contemporaries in the urban fantasy genre.

The pacing of the tale is smooth, with action and bits of horror in all the right spots. My only complaint about the story was it was too short. I wanted more from author David Slayton. Not a bad complaint to have, and I am desperately hoping for a sequel as the story ends in the perfect spot to jump into another book.

“Bobby gripped his fork. “I just want you to be happy, Adam, to be-”

“Normal. I know,” Adam said, trying to keep calm. “But I’m not normal, Bobby. And I don’t want to be. Stop trying to fix me.”

Also, author David Slayton wrote and is essential to mention that Adam Binder lives in a state of food insecurity. It is quite the contrast to his brother Bobby, a doctor who lives a very fluffy life in a big house where he never has to worry about what he will eat next. Adam also has been witness to and been the victim of domestic violence. Adam is also gay and has faced discrimination from his family. All of these aspects of Adam’s life enhance Adam’s character and give it, again, authenticity. None of the writing that Slayton did regarding these aspects of Adam’s life come off preachy or forced. It feels like Slayton touched on all these things with great sensitivity and understanding.

So, if you dig urban fantasy that is deep, well written. It has excellent characters, pacing, and plot, and an authentic lead protagonist White Trash Warlock is for you. It is a hell of a good book.

Read White Trash Warlock by David R. Slayton

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10 Cyberpunk Video Game Recommendations

Cyberpunk video games are something you’d think would be extremely popular and, indeed, some of them are classics of the genre. The release of Cyberpunk 2077 late last year was controversial for its host of bugs and issues, but it was still an immensely entertaining game. As such, I’m going to give you guys a wonderful collection of recommended cyberpunk games that I think will help fill up your collections. For the most part, these are available on last generation systems, but I have every hope they’ll still be available to the determined gamer.

Gamers may notice that there is a mixture of Triple-A, Double-A, and indie titles in this work. This is because the people at Grimdark Magazine like to mix it up. Cyberpunk is about rejection of authority and embracing technology to subvert the status quo. As such, there’s nothing more in-genre than supporting smaller developers.

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

The Deus Ex series is easily at the top of this list because of its massive role in defining cyberpunk for many generations. However, the choice of what game to play is a tough one. In the end, I give Human Revolution a slight edge out over the original installment due to the more grounded story around Adam Jensen. The original contained the Illuminati, Grays, Majestic-12, and others while Human Revolution was built more around the ethics of visionaries spreading transhumanist tech versus those attempted to profit from it or control it. Mankind Divided was a decent enough sequel but monetization, confused storytelling, as well as a clumsy metaphor (people sporting millions of cybernetic enhancements aren’t going to be a disadvantaged minority) undermined it.

Mirror’s Edge

Faith Connors is more famous for her parkour skill versus her technological prowess, but it is a cyberpunk series. Mirror’s Edge has our young Runner moving against oppressive corporate and government interests while having uncertain allies among the city’s criminal element. The remake, unfortunately, didn’t love up to its potential as it attempts to introduce an unnecessary backstory that linked our heroine with the villain’s main family. Even so, if you can avoid motion sickness from the first person running and jumping, this is an utterly fantastic game.

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

I state that Blood Dragon is unambiguously the best Far Cry game and possibly one of my all-time favorite games. It is also hilarious, stupid as hell, and a budget spin-off of Far Cry 3. You play Sergeant Rex Power Colt (Michael Bien), cyborg supersoldier, on an Apocalypse Now-esque mission to terminate his former commanding officer, Colonel Sloane. There’s cybernetically enhanced dinosaurs on the island, cyborg super-soldiers, and Tron lines on everything. The Eighties homages are everywhere, and it has one of the greatest synthesizer soundtracks of all time, evoking the Terminator and Robocop movies.

Metal Gear: Revengeance

Metal Gear is a franchise with many cyberpunk, political, economic, military, informational, and utterly batshit themes. However, Metal Gear: Revengeance is an often-overlooked entry. Starring Raiden, the Sons of Liberty protagonist, it follows him as a cyborg ninja caught in an attempt to traffic human brains to serve as enhanced child-soldiers. It deals with a lot of uncomfortable and yet fascinating themes that culminates in a fight with a football playing super-Senator. It has to be seen to be believed.

Watch_Dogs

Watch_Dogs is a present-day series and that might mean some people wouldn’t qualify it as cyberpunk. However, it stars a hacker hero who is up against both the Blume Corporation as well as the Irish mafia. Aiden Pearce is a hypocritical antihero who is as much criminal as vigilante and regularly endangers his loved ones. The sequel, Watch_Dogs 2, is too lighthearted by comparison but still another excellent cyberpunk story. As for Legion? Much darker but moves from the street to an active resistance movement.

TechnoBabylon

Technobabylon is an adventure game rather than a more traditional game. A poor hacker and two police officers investigate a weird variety of crimes taking place in the city. It is an interesting who dunnit that ties together corporate politics, AI, and terrorism. How would I sell this game to you? I would tell you it has a restaurant where the rich buy cloned human meat for the thrill of the exotic. It’s a lighter and softer game with some truly dark material.

Dex

A side-scrolling Metroidvania adventure game about a beautiful blue-haired girl named Dex. Dex has awoken with amnesia and a need to work with a mysterious voice that wants to use her against a corrupt corporation. Lots of good quests like dealing with a corrupt brothel, drug abuse, and a crooked cybernetics doctor. I really enjoyed this one and think its underrated.

Play on the Nintendo Switch

Remember Me

A fantastic story crippled by somewhat uninteresting gameplay. Remember Me is about a post-apocalypse France that has been overrun by a new technology that allows in the re-arranging and trading of memories. I love the biracial protagonist, Nilin, who wants to help overthrow the corrupt memory-traders but has an associate willing to destroy the city in order to achieve his aims. I really liked this game despite its somewhat limited combat as well as a lack of good memory-sequences.

Cloudpunk

A relatively new release, I really liked Cloudpunk. It has also been updated and improved dramatically from its initial release. You must fly your way through a cyberpunk city for your illegal delivery company. It’s a kind of weird story being a cyber-Taxi and delivery woman, but I think it works well.

Perfect Dark

A classic video game that was re-released on modern consoles, Perfect Dark is a game deserving of an update and is getting a third game in the franchise. Joanna Dark is a agent for a megacorporation involved with aliens, conspiracies, and espionage. While the graphics are stuck in the year of their production, I had a bunch of fun replaying them.

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An Interview with Sarah Chorn

Hey folks, we have a great interview with a fantastic author who has a long history of reviewing independent and grimdark books on her website. Sarah Chorn, owner of Bookworm Blues, is the author of both Seraphina’s Lament and now Of Honey and Wildfires. Both books of which I enjoyed tremendously.

She was nice enough to sit down with us and answer a bunch of questions about the more recent of the two. I strongly recommend readers looking for a new independent book to try and check out either of those but especially Of Honey and Wildfires.

[CP] Please tell us what Of Honey and Wildfires is about.

[SC] Of Honey and Wildfires is really a family drama. I wanted to tell a story that shows what decisions can do, and how they can ripple through generations. I also wanted to tell a story set in a landscape I understand and live in, so I settled on the Wild West. I was reading a book about the early oil industry and the like at the time, and I realized that there was so much greed and hope powering the entire western expansion, the rush for gold, the early oil, the silver in Nevada and the like and the entire thing sort of just meshed together and out popped Of Honey and Wildfires.

Basically, what interests me with fantasy is less the broader scope, wider world, larger picture stuff, and more the emotional, intimate battles. I wanted to take all those moments that personally feel like these epic wars, yet so often get overlooked, and turn them into a book.

So I guess you could say, Of Honey and Wildfires is a family drama set in the Wild West, where oil and coal basically serve as the magic system, and money and greed rule.

[CP] What separates it from other books in its genre?

[SC] Oh hell, does it even have a genre? I can’t figure out what books really would be classified as being in its genre, to be honest. It’s not weird west, it’s not steampunk. It’s too fantasy for some, not fantasy enough for others… I think maybe what sets it apart from other books in its genre is it doesn’t really have a genre. I had a reader write me the other day and say, “You really are a genre unto yourself.” And not ten minutes later, another reader on Facebook said I write “Grimchorn. You are your own genre.”

I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I think “Grimchorn” is pretty cool sounding, so I’ll keep it.

[CP] Why did you decide to do a book set in a mining town?

[SC] I do a lot of research when I’m writing books. A lot. I like my worlds to be just fantasy enough, and yet rooted enough in reality that they really straddle that line. I think that’s why I do tend to get the “it’s not fantasy enough” or “it’s too fantasy” comments in some of my reviews. I like to sort of blend fantasy and reality like that.

Anyway, I was doing all this research on the early oil industry in the United States around the 1830’s, I believe, and one thing lead to another and I ended up on this wild chase through all these Wild West archives where I was reading about these mining towns that were out west, in places like Nevada, where the United States didn’t really have a huge foothold. These companies would go out there and basically just buy the entire place up, and the people who worked there often lived in HORRIBLE conditions. Crimes were solved by vigilantes, and justice was often harsh and the health conditions were just… surreal. Terrible in every respect. The overseers were often corrupt. Life was HARD, and it fascinated me. I mean, I live out here in Utah and we have a ton of old ghost towns around that were originally booming mining towns, lots of stories about these company-owned places that were just horrible… and I realized this is basically perfect for a book. It’s rarely, if ever, written about, and there’s so much conflict between basically every single person all the time just to survive, and a layer of desperation over all that that just excited me and seemed perfect to play with.

It just was fruit ripe for the plucking. The best setting for a book where I was exploring the little personal dramas of living in a place that is owned, literally, by a company. I was reading about all this, and I realized the external conflict inherent in such a situation would balance the internal conflicts I wanted to focus on really nicely.

[CP] Could you describe how magical your world is?

[SC] One of the things about this world, Sefate, that I set out to do from the start, was keep the magic system understated. It is based on oil and coal, and it is a big part of life, but I didn’t want it to be so intricate I had to map it out for readers, and so overwhelming it was all people focused on in the book. This book is very much about PEOPLE, and I needed to keep it that way. Honestly, the balance between keeping the magic system kind of nebulous, and the people in the foreground when the magic is literally what powers the plot was… quite a thing to behold. I really had to work at it.

However, Sefate is the world this takes place in, and Shine Territory is just one part of it. The Songs of Sefate series, of which this is the first book, is going to be telling stories from all different parts of this world, and “shine” will be the thing that unifies all these different locations. It will play a bigger role in some books than in others. Think of Sefate as a tree, and this is just one branch of it. I’m really looking forward to exploring how cause and effect work out in this system I’ve set up.

I talk a bit about Sefate, and this series, and all the different cogs in it and what to expect on this blog post.

[CP] Who are the protagonists?

[SC] Cassandra is the daughter of an outlaw. He drops her off with his sister when he’s five, and he sets about trying to destroy the company that owns the territory. Her story is told about the act of growing up, becoming a woman in a world where you’re overshadowed by your father’s crimes, and an outcast simply because you happened to be born.

Arlen is a young man who is sent into Shine Territory to find a place to build a textile mill for his father, the owner of Shine Company. He ends up in the Territory and soon learns that absolutely nothing is what he thought it would be, and so his story is more immediate, more the outsider looking in, and all the changes that a person goes through as they begin to understand.

While I do think these are the main protagonists, this book really wouldn’t exist without that outlaw, Christopher Hobson and all his secrets and pain. When I talk about decisions rippling through generations, it’s him I’m referring to. Without him, absolutely nothing that happens in this book would have happened.

[CP] Who is the antagonist?

[SC] You know, I always kind of hate questions like this because I never know how to answer them. Matthew Esco is the person most readers will think of, because he’s at the head of Shine Company, but he really did everything he did out of love. He was stupid about it, but he did it because he loved his daughter, and who wouldn’t do literally everything in their power to protect their children?

If I had to pin down an antagonist, I’d say it is Shine Company as a whole. They own Shine Territory, they make the laws, the own the people, the land, the resources, and they can determine the system of labor. They closed the Territory off. It’s theirs. I tried to keep the antagonist from really being one person, and more explore the wider ramifications of corporations having too much power. Hopefully, it worked.

[CP] How does this book differ from Seraphina’s Lament?

[SC] Oh wow. It differs in like… every conceivable way. Seraphina’s Lament is likewise a personal drama, but I think Of Honey and Wildfires was a lot easier for me to write and conceptualize. It’s a lot narrower of a scope. The world is closed in, and basically takes place in one town. There’s no fate of the world, or apocalypse. It’s just a bunch of people living in a town called Grove, trying to survive. Seraphina’s Lament involves gods and goddesses, generations and eons, apocalypse and rebirth. Of Honey and Wildfires is more personal, day to day decisions. Throw a rock in a pond, and see what happens. Christopher Hobson is the rock. Shine Territory is the pond. Grove, specifically, is the ripple that this book is exploring, through the eyes of Cassandra and Ianthe, and then, a little later, Arlen.

[CP] How has the response been so far?

[SC] Honestly, it’s been a bit hard to get off the ground, and I think that’s largely because no one knows how to market it, least of all me. Seraphina’s Lament was very clearly fantasy, with a much wider scope and that makes a difference. This one is narrow and quieter. Think, macro photography. Like I said, it’s not one thing and it’s not another. Wild West Fantasy isn’t really a huge thing, and I don’t really think my specific brand of it really exists. Maybe it does, but I’ll be damned if I’ve found many others. People hear “Western fantasy” and they think steam and weird weapons, and creatures that are strange… and my book just isn’t that. So it doesn’t really FIT anywhere. There are no strange beasties. No steam. The fantasy is understated the world is similar enough to ours it could be ours. The people who do read it tend to really love it, but I’ve really had a hell of a time figuring out how to market it. I will say, the responses to it from those who have read it have been overwhelming, to say the least. The readers who have found it, have brought me to tears not a few times with their enthusiasm.

[CP] What can we expect from you next?

[SC] Heh. Okay, buckle up. I have a lot of balls in the air.

I will have a novella that takes place right after Of Honey and Wildfires dropping either at the end of January or the beginning of February. The novella is called Oh, That Shotgun Sky, and I will probably be planning a cover reveal and stuff for it soon-ish. At the end of March (hopefully) I will be releasing Glass Rhapsody, which is a book set five years after the events of Of Honey and Wildfires.

Then, sometime in the summer, I’m going to release a novella called Butterfly Falling, which is the prequel to a book called Daughter of the Bright Earth which is going to take place in a different part of Sefate. A jungle culture that is… well, this one is probably the most fantasy book I’ve ever written. It’s been a whole lot of fun.

After that, I’ve got a novella, The Roses of Perdition which will serve as the prequel to The Reason for Stars, which will take place in the Union, which is mentioned peripherally in the Of Honey and Wildfires books. This won’t likely release till early 2022.

All of these groups can stand alone. You don’t have to read one to read the other. They’ll interconnect in some ways, but very, very subtly. I basically want The Songs of Sefate series to be just the umbrella for which a bunch of standalone novels reside (though Of Honey and Wildfires, Oh, That Shotgun Sky, and Glass Rhapsody are a series, they are currently the only series of books I have planned in this world.)

It’s a lot, but I’m having so much fun playing with this world, with cause and effect, and all the different ways to use shine.

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REVIEW: The Expanse Series 5 Episode 10 – Nemesis Games

It’s time for the finale of season 5 of The Expanse, titled as has become customary after the book which will form the core of the next series – Nemesis Games. And in your final warning for this season’s series episode review, ‘ware spoilers!

The tension has been expertly built leading up to this episode, so let’s dive in.

The Rocinante and Screaming Firehawk are burning hard towards the Chetzemoka to save Naomi, who is frantically trying to stop her friends being caught up in Marco Inaros’ trap. Meanwhile, Drummer and the #polyambelterfam* are tasked by Inaros to take out the Rocinante.

(* I can’t take credit for that name, but I saw it online for the group that makes up Drummer’s faction and it’s just so perfect.)

On the Rocinante, Bull advises Holden that the Roci’s systems have picked up some threats–it’s the destroyer, Koto and the heavy frigate, Serrio Mal which are former Martian ships now in Free Navy service, alongside the ships of Drummer’s faction–Tynan, Dewalt, and Mowteng. Monica pulls Bull up about calling the Belter ships ‘skinnies.’

Holden and Bull are agreed that they can’t win, due to being heavily outgunned and already low on ammunition. Monica says that they have to run and Holden… doesn’t respond.

As Drummer prepares on board her ship, Karal takes fire control in a pointed gesture and Berthold tells her that she doesn’t need to be on the bridge to see this. Drummer says she doesn’t look away from what she does. It’s Captain now, Camina later…

Holden proposes a plan to basically charge the Belter fleet, guns blazing. He says Inaros won’t let the Rocinante away again and this way by taking their attention, it gives the Firehawk and Naomi a chance to escape. Bull comes round, Monica looks horrified.

Holden advises Alex and Bobbie of the plan. Alex chokes down his emotions and puts more speed on towards Naomi.

Oh Gods, that’s just the pre-title sequence. I can’t cope with this.

Naomi finally manages to batter something loose inside the Chetzemoka, making the ship spiral. Alex and Bobbie on the Firehawk notice the change. Bobbie lays out why this makes docking extremely dangerous if not impossible and points out the possibility of them crashing or hard manoeuvring after such a strong burn leading to one of them having a stroke. Alex says ice cold that they’re going to get Naomi.

As the Rocinante gets ready for the fight, Holden tells Bull to stop with the ‘skinny’ slurs.

As they get into engagement range, Drummer pulls a gun on Karal tells her to shut up and fires a missile that takes our the drive on Oksana’s ship. There is a brawl that results in Karal dead at Michio’s hands with Bertold at gunpoint and Drummer speaking to the destroyer Koto saying there was a malfunction in fire control. She launches a flurry of missiles at the Koto–none of which hit–but this allows the Rocinante to fly through, now pretty much one-on-one with the Serrio Mal, still heftily outgunned.

Josep takes matters into his own hands on Oksana’s ship and decides to fire on the Serrio Mal, taking out the heavy frigate. Holden contacts the remaining Belter ships and tells them to switch off their drives–Drummer responds, letting Holden know it’s her.

Alex contacts Naomi to say they’re going to find a way to dock. Naomi calls him a brave idiot, sees that the Firehawk is now close enough to have armed the bombs on the Chetzemoka.

She looks resigned, opens the airlock she entered the Chetzemoka by and takes a running leap into the void. At least she’s wearing a suit this time.

Alex is plotting the docking manoeuver when Bobbie sees something fall off the Chetzemoka and realises it’s Naomi. Alex interprets her Belter hand signals–‘no radio, running out of air, ship is explosion hazard’–and they realise that they can’t approach as Naomi is within the spiralling Chetzemoka’s flightpath.

We get a long shot of Naomi’s face in her suit, running out of air and spinning out of control. The tone of her suit indicating that she’s out of oxygen takes over and it feels like the last we’ll see of Naomi.

Then there’s a thump, Bobbie’s voice telling her she’s putting an oxygen line in and then contacting Alex. Bobbie appears onscreen, looking cool as a cucumber. We pan out and see that Bobbie has done an EVA to collect Naomi and is nudging them away from the Chetzemoka and towards the Firehawk, giving Alex an update on her condition. Hypoxic, radiation burns etc. Alex says that was one hell of a ride, then stops replying. We see him inside the Firehawk, warning buzzers going off. He’s stroked out.

On Inaros’ flagship, we see a very calm Filip maintaining his gun. Then on the bridge, Marco is getting an update on the situation with the Koto and Serrio Mal apparently destroyed, no response from Drummer’s faction and the Rocinante powering towards the Chetzemoka. Marco loses his cool a bit at the news, then gets himself under control and tells Serge–the totally-not-hostage from Drummer’s faction to come and see him.

Filip appears on the bridge and Marco updates him. When Marco questions his lack of response, Filip says there’s no point in anger at losing ships. “We tried to kill them, and we failed. Does it alter your plan?” Marco looks a little taken aback, but again rallies and congratulates Filip on having grown.

Back on the Rocinante, now docked with the Firehawk. Holden is telling Naomi about Alex–he died from a stroke, his ex-wife will handle the funeral which will be with full military honours. Holden says a stroke is a risk they all take with every hard burn. Naomi beats herself up that he died saving her from her mistakes.

Monica is on the bridge, watching a newscast about Avasarala being sworn in as secretary-general and implementing martial law before making an appeal to the ‘law-abiding citizens of the belt.’ Bobbie walks by and Monica wants her to look over her analysis of the Rocinante’s battle with the belter shop that had been carrying the protomolecule.

Back to Holden and Naomi. They blow up the Chetzemoka with one of their last missiles, then Holden says Luna is probably the best course as Amos is there. Naomi says she could be arrested as a war criminal. Holden assures her that Avasarala will grant her immunity.

Naomi asks if Holden watched her ‘if something goes wrong’ message and he says he couldn’t. She plays it for him. It’s a beautiful testament to the found family of the Rocinante, but also tells him to let her go. They cry. I might have done a bit as well.

Back to Drummer’s faction and their three ships are docked together. They are watching a video of Serge being executed by Marco. They all cry.

Oksana says Drummer lied to her, knowing that Serge’s death would be the cost. Oksana says she’s leaving, taking one of the ships and Bertold goes with her. “We have nothing to stay together for.”

Amos is waiting for the Rocinante to dock and Eric says he’s got plans on the colony ships, new corners to cut out and offers him a spot, Amos says he’s got a new thing now and won’t change his mind. He goes to have a drink with his old friend but drops the whisky decanter and it slowly tumbles in the lunar gravity to shatter on the ground.

There’s a heartfelt reunion between the Holden, Naomi, and Amos at the Roci’s airlock. Naomi apologises for losing Alex but Amos says it wasn’t her fault and he’d make the same stand for his family.

Amos asks Holden to talk for a minute and reminds him of how Holden once tried to kill him. Holden says a lot has changed and it’s cool cause they’re family now. Amos says great and then shouts Clarissa on, saying she’s going to ride with them for a bit.

The remnants of the Roci crew attend what looks like a diplomatic reception on Luna. Naomi seems to have been granted immunity in return for giving info on Marco. She says that Avasarala has come a long way and Holden responds that they all have.

Avasarala draws the attention of the whole room to the Roci crew, saying this is what Inaros hates and the way they win is to make every Earther, Martian, and Belter like this.

Marco is telling Filip that when he was young, what they’re about to do wasn’t even a dream.

The Free Navy attacks the Earth ships guarding the ring gate, helped by a swarm of micro asteroids coated in stealth tech and a fleet of Martian ships that look to have gone over to Inaros. At many hours delay, Avasarala watches the news come in, accompanied by Holden and Bobbie, who advise that Inaros may have bought the ships with protomolecule after Monica worked out that one of the torpedoes fired by the Belter ship with the protomolecule got away and was never aimed at the Roci.

We see Belter ships in control of ring space and an exchange where Admiral Sauveterre congratulates Inaros on a victory, then Inaros confirms his ownership of the Laconia system. Sauveterre reminds Inaros that the minefield on their side of that ring is now active.

Sauveterre then communicates with Cotezar, apparently on Laconia who says the sample of protomolecule has arrived and they are already seeing results. The shot pans to show a huge structure in orbit, like a moon but more akin to the structures on Ilus.

Sauveterre reminds Babbage that they don’t have the luxury of civilian niceties in their new nation and must be purer than Mars ever was, and admonishes her for a non-dress code bracelet. As she hands it over, they transit the ring and we see the telltale signs of the malign entities that destroyed the ring builders. Ominous.

My thoughts on Nemesis Games

So much was packed into Nemesis Games that it’s almost hard to process.

The episode contains space combat, betrayal, the death of a protagonist crew member and salvation of another. After all that, there’s the fallout from these events and the sense that even when the Roci crew have foiled Inaros this time, all of this was just a distraction and he’s got his larger goal–control of the ring and all the worlds beyond it.

There were two points during Nemesis Games that I realised I’d started holding my breath. These came as the Rocinante closed with the Belter fleet and as Naomi seemed to be dying in the void. As a cynical old SFF fan, it takes genuine attachment to characters to get that response from me and I can give The Expanse no greater compliment.

The emotional fall out between Drummer’s faction and Naomi’s guilt over Alex’s death only adds to these continuing emotional stakes. It’s laudable to see it portrayed that tough decisions and bravery often have costs and our heroes don’t get a neat happy ever after. There is loss, regret and allies diminished as well as joy and relief survival and at coming together.

The final part of this episode is almost a testament to the genius of Marco Inaros. While his plan to be rid of the Rocinante and ultimately revenged upon Naomi failed–largely due to Drummer’s loyalty to Naomi and Naomi’s own determination to save her friends–Marco is triumphant at the end. The co-ordinated assault which destroys the Earth sentries at the ring gate and gives control of the Ring to Inaros had moving parts across multiple factions and involved stealthing and redirecting a cloud of asteroids. This was a plan of vast scope, put in motion years before and it has dramatically changed the political shape of humanity’s universe.

On a lighter note, Amos guilting Holden into accepting Clarissa onto the Rocinante was hilarious, just as his flat refusal to even countenance going with Eric was touching.

I liked the way that Sauveterre’s betrayal and the exact nature of it was foreshadowed as his presentation to the Martian academy when he spoke to Alex back at the start of the series was about the tactical implications of the Ring space, then in the final episode he’s involved in a multi-part operation to secure that very terrain. Neat.

Another little geek thing I like was the way that Naomi knew her attempt to make the Chetzemoka spin was successful was when she set her helmet on the deck it rolled away, implying that the apparent ‘down’ caused by the thrust of the ship as now skewed. The Expanse has always been great at these little details of believable and accurate space physics and it really helps when bigger suspensions of belief are needed.

The Expanse has been one of my favourite shows since it debuted and Season 5 was arguably the best to date, albeit benefitting from the character development and worldbuilding of prior seasons. I can’t praise the production as a whole more highly, from writers to visual effects and set design to the actors. Special nods go to the performances of Dominique Tipper, Keon Alexander, Jasai Chase Owens, Cara Gee and Wes Chatham for the emotional weight they brought to some of the most personal storylines the show has run with.

Nemesis Games tied up some of the personal stories relatively neatly but the closing events show that this universe is far from calm. The Free Navy control the ring and the planets beyond. Some militaristic breakaway Martians have alien tech and protomolecule on a planet called Laconia (that’s a bit on the nose for some Spartans). Mars has been spiritually gutted, the Belt is hurting from losses at Earth’s hands and is likely turning towards Inaros while Earth is reeling from millions dead, massive damage and now martial law in the wake of the asteroid attacks.

Oh, and the malign entities that killed the ring builders are still there and getting angry.

There is plenty ahead for the crew of the Rocinante to go through. On a personal level, they need to process the loss of Alex, acclimatise to Clarissa being on board (which will be especially hard for Holden, given their history) and I doubt we’ve seen the last of the family drama between Naomi, Marco, and Filip.

Nemesis Games was a masterful climax to a fantastic series and I can’t wait for Season 6. However, with no release date yet confirmed, it’s likely that will be in December 2021 at the absolute earliest (based on previous seasons on Amazon Prime) but that might be delayed by pandemic related issues.

What did you enjoy in Nemesis Games and what are you looking forward to as the story continues?

Episodes 1-10 of Season Five and all prior seasons of The Expanse can be streamed via Amazon Prime  – https://www.primevideo.com and new episodes are coming every Wednesday.

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REVIEW: The Damnation of Pythos by David Annandale

The Damnation of Pythos is the story of a small part of three broken legions trying to find a way forward. Treachery has destroyed them. Their differences in creed—Iron Hands considering the flesh and humanity to be weak; the Salamanders protecting people at all costs, and the Raven Guard assassins from the shadows—drive them apart as they try to figure out how to survive and how to strike back against Warmaster Horus and the corrupted legions of fellow space marines they once called brothers.

Galba is a sergeant standing between the anger of his mostly-machine captain (who left last of his humanity on the blood soaked fields of the Istvaan Dropsite Massacre) and the surviving leaders of the Salamanders and the Raven Guard, trying to broker a peaceful way forward between brothers so that they may wage war together.

Jerune is a Galba’s human serf. He works away in their ship, completing mechanical duties and cleaning Galba’s quarters. He sees fellow serfs beginning to go against the Emperor’s teachings and falling to—a concerning change in the shattered mess of humanity’s Great Crusade across the stars.

Atticus, captain of the Veritas Ferrum and leaders of the Iron Hands survivors from Istvaan aboard his ship, needs to not only save his legion as his progenitor and primarch lays dead upon Istvaan, but also needs to hunt traitors and get on the front foot. They are behind enemy lines.  Atticus is going to kick off a guerilla War.

Rhydia is a astropath, a long distance communicator whose signals leave reality to travel vast distances through the warp. She believes in the secular universe. A universe without gods. But the warp is whispering to her. A name. A place. Pythos.

In a bit of a break from the standard space opera and military SF fare of the Horus Heresy series, The Damnation of Pythos is a military SF horror where the planet and its inhabitants are the foe of the mighty Iron Hands, Raven Guard, and Salamanders. Traitor marines are few and far between in this story as Annandale explores the growing impact of insidious Chaos revealed on the atheist troops of The Imperium of Man.

As with each of these books, The Damnation of Pythos  has a distinct purpose in terms of explaining how we went from the Imperium in its Great Crusade Glory days to the Imperium represented in the board game and books 10,000 years later—but you’ll have to read the book to find out what. The question just really becomes, was the point of this book already covered off by other books? In my opinion—and there is a chance I’ve missed something important in this 50 book behemoth of a series—I don’t think it was. On the surface, the books tells the story of the Imperial bureaucracy drastically contributing to its own downfall, and I feel that the committed series reader already has a pretty solid grasp of that by this point.

So, in the end, while The Damnation of Pythos can be appreciated as a nature-horror-based-kind-of military SF, as a series reader 30 books deep into the series, this entry in the magnificent and grandiose Horus Heresy could have been skipped pretty easily. Will the happenings impact future books? I don’t know. It’s not really clear. I hope so, otherwise this read feels like something I didn’t need to continue to build my love of this series.

3/5

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REVIEW: B.P.R.D.: Plague of Frogs Vol. 4 by Mike Mignola

In his introduction to BPRD: Plague of Frogs Vol. 4, editor Scott Allie refers to it as an ‘honest-to-God graphic novel’ rather than another omnibus. This is more-or-less correct: the three component parts fit into one fairly continuous narrative rather than a series of three stories. It also makes clear that by this stage of creation, Mignola, Allie and the team were thinking of these in terms of collected volumes: not just monthly issues or paperbacks. Going forward there would be a willingness to embrace longer storylines over different series.

But before we get to that, let us finish BPRD: Plague of Frogs. As with Volume Three, this is all Mike Mignola and John Arcudi writing, all Guy Davis and Dave Stewart illustrating. There are no anthology pieces: The Warning leads into The Black Goddess which leads into King of Fear (this is referred to as the Scorched Earth Trilogy, but it feels odd to refer to series within series within series like that).

That first section, The Warning addresses in part the fallout from Killing Ground – but soon enough other elements draw the attention of the Bureau. An opportunity occurs to track down the source of Liz Sherman’s visions: a ornately robed messianic sorcerer called Memnan Saa. The trail he leads stretches between the South American jungle and Munich – where another threat is set to emerge, reaching back to Hollow Earth. The slow build of the growing protohuman threat is well-executed and the sudden emergence of their war machines and the destruction of Munich is harrowing. However, there’s a few elements that would have been better served by a few more appearances: an extra early scene in Munich, teasing a growing disaster.

The Black Goddess follows directly on from The Warning, with a hunt for the location of Memnan Saa and the captured Sherman. This is quite as destructive as The Warning, if rather more fantastical: if you have ever wanted to witness the bizarre battle between of Lovecraftian monsters and Shangri-La, here it is. Even the presence of the BPRD and a battalion of American troops is insufficient to hold the line, however. Aside from the destruction at the city walls, the main plot goes on within: Memnan Saa finally getting to explain his plans to the Bureau, including the role of Liz Sherman in all this. There’s a few good connections to the wilder mystical elements of Hellboy here and Saa is deliberately a somewhat murky figure – his ornate robes and super-stoic acolytes concealing a hunger and vulnerability perhaps unexpected.

Eventually, of course, there is the recovery of Sherman: King of Fear begins with the Bureau core regathered. The fate of the military contingent sent with the Bureau in The Black Goddess is addressed, with The Pentagon clearly refusing them further assistance. The events of that and The Warning prompt a return to the monastery of Agartha and a return to the caverns of the Hollow Earth. To my mind, the prompt return to the concepts introduced in Hollow Earth may have required a little earlier seeding. If the norm of BPRD: Plague of Frogs was introduced in Plague of Frogs and established in Volume Two, then this has drifted further from that. One anthology-style story would allay my concerns here, but I can simply flip back to Volume One if need be. Story threads from throughout Plague of Frogs come together well here: Abraham Sapien’s true nature is further hinted at and Sherman’s visions even continue. Catastrophes both immediate and promised end Plague of Frogs: the end is still very much nigh, though the BPRD survives to protect and guide humanity through the coming apocalypse.

This is not a neat ending, and I’m not sure Plague of Frogs Vol. 4 is that neat itself, but there is much to appreciate in this final part of BPRD: Plague of Frogs.

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