Adrian Collins's Blog, page 216

REVIEW: Chasing Graves by Ben Galley

Ben Galley’s epic story, Chasing Graves is the quintessential grimdark fantasy:

Dark and brooding characters, check.

Inhospitable political climate, check.

Violence, check.

Fantastic plot, check.

The world-building is exceptional. Galley has created a city unlike any I have read before named Araxas, City of Countless Souls. Imagine a place that stretches horizon to horizon. Dark towers of glittering crystal reach towards the sky and on the ground, the dead walk. The dead are in the form of souls. These souls are people who have died and had the souls taken into perpetual servitude. The oligarchy of Araxas is those few who can command control of the most dead. Araxas is a seat of power for the region, also as you can guess it is a seat of danger and murder.

Character-wise, the first book follows the intertwining narratives of four main characters. The first is of the Empress in waiting. The daughter of the absent Emperor that rules this city from behind closed doors, fearful for his life. Our main character, Caltro, comes to Araxas for an important meeting, only to be murdered in the streets. His soul stolen and sold into slavery. A mysterious woman traveling in the desert dragging a body and a man with a golden eagle’s talon for a foot that runs a trade of stolen souls. All of these characters dance around the plot. They peek in and out of each other’s stories. They tease the reader with small details that lead us to the larger story. Believe me; Galley is playing the long game in this story. There are no cute and resolved plots for this book. Chasing Graves is a long and luxuriously executed first book that is throwing us headfirst into the next story.

One of the few detractors I have from the book is at times the pacing slowed. Particularly with the Empress in waiting. I believe that to be a function of backstory and world-building creation and nothing that Galley had control over. That, and I can’t really stand her. I find her character to be a well-written brat with a lot of power. I foresee her changing quite a bit in future books, growing as necessity dictates in the political climate.

These characters are not likable, and like in most grimdark stories, they aren’t meant to be. There isn’t a plucky protagonist that steals the heart of a young maiden. Grimdark is just that, dark. It can be almost cruel in its narrative. Anyone who has read any G.R.R Martin or Mark Lawrence knows how unforgivable a grimdark author can be with his characters. What I like a lot about this book is that it is a dark fantasy, but there are shining brilliant moments of redemption or humor. It is not all muck and mire and savagery. There is light, at least a little bit. That gives me hope and a cause to cheer for Caltro, and I think much more than a typical fantasy story because Caltro, by the end of this tale, will have been through hell and I hope come out in some way on the other side.

That is something to cheer for, and I can’t wait to read about it.

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REVIEW: The Doors of Eden by Adrian Tchaikovsky

I received an uncorrected proof copy of The Doors of Eden in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Adrian Tchaikovsky and Tor for the opportunity.

Four years ago, young lovers Lee and Mal went in search of the Birdman of Bodmin. The girls were cryptid hunters and they were fascinated by the unexplained including creatures such as the aforementioned Birdman, the Sasquatch and the Loch Ness Monster. During their hunt on the moors of Bodmin, events took a turn for the worse and only one of the girls returned from that holiday expedition. In current day London, Mal miraculously resurfaces yet Lee has no idea what transpired that day on the moors or where her girlfriend has been all this time. No contact. No phone calls. No messages.

“You ever get the feeling there are cracks in the world? … My girlfriend fell into one somehow.”

The back of the novel states that:

These strange disappearances have taken place since time began, as the unwary have fallen through the cracks between our worlds and others. But now these cracks are widening, and it’s not just Mal who returned to Earth.

The Doors of Eden is truly epic in ambition and scale. The novel follows its main characters across many alternative Earths. Each world has changed – and creatures have evolved differently – across these multiple timelines. In Tchaikovsky’s science fiction masterclass Children of Time, we were presented with highly intelligent spiders. Here, we’re witness to extremely advanced rat-creatures, bird-like tribal dinosaurs, and science-savvy cavemen too. There are even village-sized insects that can act as flying vehicles. Tchaikovsky’s imagination is bizarre, mindboggling yet at the same time is utterly brilliant.

The novel follows approximately six human point of view perspectives. These include the already mentioned Lee, MI5 agent Julian who is nothing like James Bond, transgender genius scientist Dr Kay Amal Khan, and ex-army type Lucas May. We, as readers, learn about the multiple different species, societies, advancements and Earths from very human perspectives. However, you could say that there is one viewpoint from a species that is not human but I will not go into any further details regarding this. The characters’ stories cross over as the walls between Earths become thinner, meaning potential outcomes could be drastic and even Earth(s)-shattering. The majority of the characters are a pleasure to follow. They are likeable, well-developed and relatable. In addition to the main characters, I had a soft spot for the awesome Dr Rat and his translator, and also Mal’s “cousin” friend Stig.

When reading Tchaikovsky’s science fiction work I always get the feeling that I am reading something that is extremely special. The Doors of Eden come across as intelligent, well-researched, and incredibly detailed. Some of the science-specific language and the interludes written by the fictional Professor Ruth Emerson were a bit “over my head” at times yet this is possibly intentional because as a reader I learned to understand the complexities just as the characters themselves did. I’m afraid that I did skim-read a couple of the interludes to return to the main bulk of the story until I understood their importance and how they actually fit with the overall narrative. If I reread this novel I will not make this mistake again.

The imagery Tchaikovsky creates is sensational throughout, especially when depicting these alien worlds. Some of the set pieces are phenomenal. One moment springs to mind instantly which is when two Earths cross over when members of the ensemble are on the ninetieth floor of a skyscraper. The ending sequence(s) were intriguing and presented in a very clever way. Overall, The Doors of Eden was an outstanding and entertaining read that deserves to be Tchaikovsky’s next science fiction megahit. Highly recommended.

“We’re here because they trust us.” Mal chuckled. “It’s a million-to-one long shot, and only these two desperate lesbians can save the world. Perfect action movie material.”

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REVIEW: Time of Contempt by Andrzej Sapkowski

Time of Contempt, the second full-length novel in The Witcher universe continues where Blood of Elves left off, and thrust us back into the world that is now teeming with politics and inter-race war.

“Always takes action. Wrongly or rightly; that is revealed later. But you should act, be brave, seize life by the scruff of the neck. Believe me, little one, you should only regret inactivity, indecisiveness, hesitation. You shouldn’t regret actions or decisions, even if they occasionally end in sadness and regret.”

With Time of Contempt, Andrzej Sapkowski moves away from the original elements of The Last Wish of monster hunting, and develops the epic plot of Ciri as the child of Destiny. The land of Geralt, Yennefer and Ciri is changing, kings not working with mages, Ciri being hunted and Nilfgard are on the brink of war. It is a strange time for our favourites. Reading Time of Contempt made me miss the short stories of The Last Wish and The Sword of Destiny, where Geralt had his intense bouts with the monsters Sapkowski had created. There is still action a plenty, some of it fantastic in Time of Contempt, but I found myself longing for the original style that made me really love The Witcher universe.

This being my fourth read by Sapkowski I am now confident I know what I am getting in one of his stories. He has a style that is unique to him, with flowery and philosophical dialogue that tackles a whole list of issues that more often than not reflect today’s societies. I really wish Sapkowski would have built on these a lot more as I feel there is so much more to give in this series of books.

“That’s the role of poetry, Ciri. To say what others cannot utter.”

Due to the epic nature path that this story is now walking down we are introduced many new characters from the various nations of The Northern Realms, Nilfgaard and the Scoia’tael. I particularly like the non-human’s that Sapkowski adds to The Witcher Saga. With a new cast there is also a lot of room for confusion. Whether it be as I was listening to the audiobook rather than reading the physical edition, there are lot of new and alien names that aren’t structured as well as they could have been, which added to the confusion of the story.

Geralt is the strongest character by far and I always love his scenes. There is swordplay from him that I was looking forward to and it did not disappoint, I’m just always wanting more! I love Geralt’s interaction with the heroes we already know, such as Dandelion, and I enjoyed Geralt’s stalwart personality in this volume. If you have played the games like me then there are nice Easter eggs in Time of Contempt that the game used.

“It’s incredible,’ the Witcher smiled hideously, ‘how much my neutrality outrages everybody.”

I am in part frustrated with this series as I was expecting lots more. I am still enjoying Sapkowski’s writing and have a feel for the characters, there is just a lot of potential here with not much happening so far. I am really hoping Baptism of Fire picks up the pace and progresses the story and hopefully will end with a big SHOCKER or something like that. I am intrigued to see what the series will do with the full-length novels.

“But do you know when stories stop being stories? The moment someone begins to believe in them.”

3.5/5 – hoping/expecting too much maybe, but for one of the best-selling fantasy series of all time it hasn’t knocked me off my feet yet. There is enough to enjoy here and keep me ticking over to read the next instalment. Geralt is awesome, as always. Dandelion is fun, Yennefer is full of cool moments and Ciri is growing. Let me know your thoughts on The Witcher Saga so far!

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REVIEW: The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso

Bitch, Queen, whore, warrior, wife, and mother: In The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso, Talyien aren dar Orenar is all of these and so much more.

K.S. Villoso’s debut novel and the first novel of the Chronicles of the Bitch Queen series introduces us to the protagonist and all-around badass Talyien. Talyien is the Queen. Her longtime betrothed, Rayyel, the Ikessar heir, whom she married to unite the warring clans of her homeland, has left her and disappeared. Now she bears the burden of monarchy solely. Alone and facing warlords who would love to see her fail and take her throne from her, Tali must survive and hold her country together.

Five years have passed since Rae left; Talyien has struggled and fought to hold her homeland together. It is a battle every day to keep the predators of rival clan warlords away from her and her young son. Taylien receives a letter from Rayyel out of nowhere. He asks if they can meet. Taylien is hoping for reconciliation for the sake of the ruling throne. She quietly sets out for this clandestine meeting, leaving her young son behind in the care of family members.

“Even after I became Queen, the rumors continued. I was powerless to stop them. I should have been more, they said. More feminine. Subtle, the sort of woman who could hide my jibes behind a well-timed titter. I could have taken the womanly arts, learned to write poetry or brew a decent cup of tea or embroider something that didn’t have my blood on it, and found ways to better please my man. Instead, Rayyel Ikessar would rather throw away the title of Dragonlord, king of Jin-Sayeng, than stay married to me.”

What transpires on this journey to this meeting and afterwards is exciting and chaotic. Assassination attempts, kidnapping, fights, and great characters, Tali is in a foreign land with foreign adversaries pulling strings behind the scenes. She doesn’t understand much of the language or customs, and after the assassination attempt, Tali is alone.

She has to survive on her wits and wiles.

One of Villoso’s strengths is her ability to set a scene. The lighting, the sky, the food: she covers it all and paints with the world with a colorful brush. You can practically feel what her characters are wandering through. Especially the food, I happen to think that food is one of the driving forces behind understanding a culture. It is central to gathering and feasting, it is the most important thing and can denote great fortune. Adding in descriptions of the sumptuousness of one lands cuisine versus the bland nature of another can help a reader understand the cultures better.

“They called me “bitch,” the she-wolf because I murdered a man and made my husband leave the night before they crowned me.”

Coupled with the worldbuilding, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro is a tremendous character-driven narrative. At no point in the story did I not know who Talyien aren dar Orenar was as a person. Same for the characters around her. I might not have known all their motives and trickery, but I got a good sense of who they were as people. For instance, Talyien is a character that is weary of her duties, but she is duty-bound and honorable down to the core of her soul. She is hard on the outside. That is necessary and fitting for her survival as Queen, but inside she is somewhat naive. Rayyel, her would-be king, is charming and scholarly. We see the descriptions of who Rayyel is through the eyes of Talyien, as the story progresses and changes, her perceptions of him change and mature.

The pacing of this story does not stop. We are moving moment to moment, fight scene to fight scene constantly. It does not get overwhelming, but this is an intense story. There are moments of introspection, moments to take our breath, but they are so brief that it is almost as if they didn’t happen. I think that is a tool that Villoso is utilizing to show how quickly this story is evolving. There isn’t much introspection because there is no time for meditation. We have murdering and spying to do.

“Perhaps, when you love less, it is easier not to let the emptiness become a cavern from which you could no longer see the sun.”

One of the excellent character dynamics of the story is between Tali and Khine. Khine is a swindler con-artist that assists Tali at the beginning of the book when she got separated from her group. Nothing is free, and Tali had to help Khine with the swindling of a mark. She does so, and a great friendship is born. Their scenes, even though most often took place while fighting or running, added a light levity and banter to the story.

A few times, I was even chanting Team Khine and screw Rae.

Overall, The Wolf of Oren-Yaro has been one hell of a fun ride. It is emotional, full of danger, loyalty, betrayal. It had plot twists, twists on twists, and for once, a kick-ass female character that was also a mom. All of this combined with an energetic and emotional group of characters that you become invested in rather early, and you have one thrill-ride of a novel. I highly recommend it, and I can’t wait for the next one.

Buy The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K.S. Villoso

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REVIEW: Jade War by Fonda Lee

I received a review copy of Jade War in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Fonda Lee and Orbit Books for the opportunity.

Jade War continues the brilliantly addictive and engaging oriental urban fantasy gangster narrative that started with Jade City. The novel is a mixture of the finest elements seen in crime cinema such as the family loyalty and honour from Copolla’s The Godfather and the political unrest and uncomfortable moments of To’s Election series. Intertwine that with some John Woo inspired bullet ballet and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon-esque wire-fu and readers are in for an incredible experience.

“The men begged for their captors to kill them, but the Jo Sun clan handed the criminals over to No Peak as a sign of allegiance and good will to the Kaul family. They were not alone in their thinking; the other minor Green Bone Clans, the Janloon city police, and even the Mountain clan assisted or got out of the way – there was nothing to be gained from opposing Kaul Hilo’s rampage.”

In Jade War, we mostly follow the point of view perspectives of important members of the No Peak clan. The Pillar Hilo, his sister the Weather Man Shae, their cousin Anden who moves abroad to study, and Hilo’s wife the stone-eye Wen. Hilo is still my favourite character. The thirty-something leader of one of Janloon’s most powerful clans is cunning, intelligent, sometimes intense, occasionally ruthless but completely family-focused. He’s changed from his days running the streets for the clan but he still shows elements of his merciless and stone-hearted former self when he has to. The other standout character here is Wen. It’s been a while since I completed Jade City but I can’t remember her being anywhere near as important and influential as she presents herself here. The characters are my favourite aspect of Jade War, especially when considering how some members of the ensemble have changed dramatically over the space of a couple of years.

Jade City was predominantly about the Clan War but this time there is also a war of nations, involving many countries such as Kekon, Espenia, Ygutan and Oortokon. With that going on in the background there is also the issue of all the nations wanting Jade – a powerful stone that gives the holder phenomenal powers – in some capacity which has led to a black market for the sought after gems. In addition, there is political turmoil, individuals that are only out for themselves and an uncertain and potentially insubstantial clan truce. There really is a lot going on here in Lee’s created world, It’s complex, impressive and engaging. It’s not all dark and drab action throughout. There are some lighter, lovely moments. These are mostly when dealing with scenes of family closeness and the romantic relationships that a couple of characters have. This entry also includes an LGBT storyline.

In similar fashion to Jade City before it, Jade War is strikingly original in its composition and presentation. It’s beautifully written with exceptional characters and a phenomenal storyline. There are intense set-pieces and action scenes such as shootouts and duels. There are some extremely emotional and tragic moments. Certain individuals may be hugging their children in one scene, then executing someone gangland-style in the next, and then crying about the death of a close friend a few scenes later. Jade War will take you through a complete plethora of emotions like only the best books do. The ending of this novel wraps all up nicely but leaves us with a few questions and doubts about the mental state of one of the main players.

Jade War is just as good as the first entry in The Green Bone Saga but I have a feeling that Lee is saving the best for the finale and that she’s going to end this trilogy with an almighty bang. I can’t wait.

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REVIEW: You Let Me In by Camilla Bruce

I would like to thank Netgalley and Transworld for providing me with an advanced readers copy of You Let Me In in exchange for this honest review.

Cassandra Tipp went missing a year ago. The elderly author left very specific provisions for this scenario in her will: a year after she had last been seen, her estranged niece and nephew would be let into her study and given her last manuscript, containing a password, to read. If they finished it and found the password, they would be able to claim their inheritance. But Cassie’s truth might be more than they bargained for…

Told through an in-character memoir, the story is a closely reflected first-person account of Cassie’s life and relationships from the time she was a child up to her disappearance late in life. Throughout, the reader is kept on their toes, as it soon becomes clear that Cassie is believed to be suffering from mental illness, while she herself tells a very different story of dark faerie companions. It is this narrative decision that makes this book so interesting: it keeps the story free of any sort of definite moral judgment on Cassie on the reader’s part.

The pacing was great, and You Let Me In made for a great reading experience, especially due to its unique format. However, I do believe it would have benefited strongly from a second narrative strand – that of Cassie’s niece Penelope and nephew Janus reacting to their situation.

There was a hint of this through Cassie’s memoir where she was narrating her expectations of their reactions, but it would have enhanced the story to have their views included, and their personalities shining through a little more.

Like them, many of the human secondary characters fell flat, which made sense in the context of the storytelling choices made, so this is not a point of criticism – they merely did not merit much attention from Cassie. Her interest had always lain more with the mysterious faeries, especially the so-called Pepper-Man who had visited her since childhood. They are creepy, morbid and cruel, not properly alive, fascinating and intriguing, and we do not know much more about them by the end of the book. There is murder, magic, and more, though the exact ratio needs to be decided on by the reader based on the hints given. I’ve given this creepy, psychological fairy tale four of five stars, and am looking forward to seeing what Camilla Bruce comes up with next.

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REVIEW: Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

Doctor Sleep, Stephen King’s uber anticipated sequel to his 1977 horror novel The Shining was in almost all ways, worth the wait. Fifty pages into Doctor Sleep, my only thought was “my god, King is a maniac.” Danny, the lovable and haunted boy, son of Jack Torrance from the original novel, is all grown up now. Instead of Danny having the life all us readers wanted him to have, Danny is a drunk. A scoundrel. A mess. He spends years trying to blot and enmesh the shinning in alcohol, women, and drugs in the vain hope that he could function as a human adult. He often fails. When Danny obtains a tentative truce with his alcoholic demons via AA, Danny needs to come to terms with his “gift” and maybe, just maybe, help some people along the way.

Character-wise, even though many a King fan wanted the easy happily ever after, for Danny, god knows he has been traumatized enough, I think the direction that King went with Danny is much more solid and realistic. Danny is a mess because he came from a mess. He has had horrific childhood trauma, lost his father, been chased around by ghouls, and eventually succumbs to alcoholism. It feels like a much more real character and one that I can empathize with than say, the white picket fence and 2.5 kids. We also eventually meet Abra, who is Danny as a child minus childhood trauma. He could have been what she is, generally happy and well adjusted under different circumstances. However, childhood demons aside, both Danny and her have a core of steel that I find in most of King’s protagonists. King doesn’t tend to write characters that are wishy-washy or weak. These are no exception.

“There’s nothing to be scared of.”

Instead of taking Charlie’s pulse – there was really no point – he took one of the old man’s hands in his. He saw Charlie’s wife pulling down a shade in the bedroom, wearing nothing but the slip of Belgian lace he’d bought her for their first anniversary; saw how the ponytail swung over one shoulder when she turned to look at him, her face lit in a smile that was all yes. He saw a Farmall tractor with a striped umbrella raised over the seat. He smelled bacon and heard Frank Sinatra singing ‘Come Fly with Me’ from a cracked Motorola radio sitting on a worktable littered with tools. He saw a hubcap full of rain reflecting a red barn. He tasted blueberries and gutted a deer and fished in some distant lake whose surface was dappled by steady autumn rain. He was sixty, dancing with his wife in the American Legion hall. He was thirty, splitting wood. He was five, wearing shorts and pulling a red wagon. Then the pictures blurred together, the way cards do when they’re shuffled in the hands of an expert, and the wind was blowing big snow down from the mountains, and in here was the silence and Azzie’s solemn watching eyes.”

― Stephen King, Doctor Sleep

The villain, and great horror of the story, because this is Stephen King and we need to have a great villain, is a woman that is called Lady in the Hat. She is driven, mean, intelligent, and utterly sure of her position and spot in the food chain. She is a perfect nemesis for Abra and, by extension, for Danny. She was terrifying in some scenes, much like a cult leader leading her deadly flock of psychic lizard-like RV geriatrics. (This is a sentence that I never thought I would say, but there you go.) They want Abra; they need Abra’s shinning and will do anything to get it.

“We are the True Knot,” they responded. “What is tied may never be untied.”

― Stephen King, Doctor Sleep

Doctor Sleep is a great second act to the life of Danny Torrance. At times the story is terrifying, especially in the last 30%. Other times the story meanders and takes its sweet time doling out the details to Danny’s story. It turns and twists, but I don’t believe the story ever lulls. It takes it’s time over the almost 700 pages and gives you beauty, light, self-destruction, and self-acceptance. Is it as scary as the original? No. Nothing much is. But it doesn’t have to be.

It is a worthy sequel to the classic that I highly recommend.

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REVIEW: Lancelot by Giles Kristian

Lancelot is an epic and thrilling take on the Arthurian legend that is presented in the first-person perspective through the eyes of Lancelot – the prince and the warrior who becomes Lord Arthur’s best friend and a God of War.

“And the first I knew of the attack that night which would change my life forever, was the scream.”

Lancelot is only eight-years-old when we first start his journey here. King Ban’s castle is attacked by King Claudas and Lancelot is forced to flee the region with his family and other survivors. Bedraggled and vulnerable they venture North to the land of the Beggar King where they hope for respite. An excess of hardship and negative events including the deaths of loved ones pollute Lancelot’s early times. His formative years take place under the watchful eye of the beautiful yet mysterious Lady Nimue at Karrek Loos yn Koos where he trains as a warrior and meets Guinevere. Later on in the narrative when he is in his late teens, Lancelot becomes acquainted with Arthur and falls for his ideals of a united Britain under his banner and to push back the Saxon’s from their shores for good. Lancelot becomes oathbound to Arthur and alongside the other members of the Lord’s Warband, they really are a force to be feared.

Apart from the names of a few of the characters such as Merlin, Gwaine, Guinevere, Mordred, etc… I’m slightly embarrassed to say that I knew little about the stories of the legend of Arthur. In hindsight that is probably a positive as I could just embrace Lancelot as a work of fiction and enjoy the events as they hit the pages without the distractions of thinking, “that’s not how it happened,” “that isn’t how I pictured that guy,” “I don’t agree with how that was retold” etc… What I did enjoy doing throughout was Googling the characters featured and reading their Wikipedia pages to find out about their real-life counterparts.

Kristian’s characters, seen through the eyes of Lancelot, are an excellent asset for the tale. There is a wide range of players who influence Lancelot’s life including his family, father-figures, rivals, sword brothers, enemies, and a couple of animal companions. Standout relationships were those of Lancelot with Pelleas, Guinevere, Arthur, Mordred, Merlin and also his very moody sparhawk. Animals seem important throughout in certain imagery and presented omens. This is a world where most still honour the old Gods and a simple sign could be read to mean that the Gods are on your side or that doom is impending.

Excluding a few events, the first two hundred or so pages are pretty slow going mainly focused on presenting the foundation of Lancelot’s character including his training, his need for revenge and his options/ place in this world. After that, the novel is predominantly a thrilling action-packed war-focused drama. The novel features honour among allies, some fantastic battle-segments, a couple of amazing one on one duels, and distrust of individuals whose motives seem uncertain. It can be analysed too that love can be a burden that can be more dangerous than war. I liked some of Kristian’s lexical choices that really get you into the mind of a warrior such as “arrow’s shot” or “spear’s length” to define distance. It is probably of no surprise that this is a pretty gory book at certain points. Quite often people will get stabbed in the throat, the groin, have an arm lobbed off, throat slit, etc… but as many of you will be reading this on Grimdark Magazine I doubt that this will put you off.

Lancelot is a fast-paced, thrilling, action-packed war drama presented through the eyes of one of Britain’s most legendary warriors. It has a great flow, is well-written, brimming with lore and I cannot wait to pick up the follow-up Camelot! Highly recommended.

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REVIEW: Invasive by Chuck Wendig

Invasive by Chuck Wendig makes me hate ants.

Every year, and it seems no matter what part of the country I live in, these evil creatures invade my home. They find every nook and every cranny and scurry looking for water or some little crumb to enjoy and bring back to their nest. They crawl over your skin with a slight tickle, and sometimes they bite you for the fun of it. Plus they smell an impossible to describe scent. Imagine putrid ammonia and lemon cleanser, and you have a general idea. They are everywhere, and there are 12,000 species in the world. They are a pest, a pestilence upon my household. This book takes my fear of ants and turns it up to 11.

You know how to take the whole idea of a swarming mass of black ants and make it worse. Make them poison you, cause anaphylactic shock, and then cut bits and pieces of your skin off and leave your insides facing the outside while still alive. That’s how you make it worse.

Chuck Wendig, you are a maniac.

I thought The Hatching was terrible for the pure creepy crawlies, nope. Spiders have nothing on killer ants. Not only has Wendig provided a genuine and visceral fearscape to set his imagination wild in, but he also did that with fantastic characters, pacing, and lead heroine.

Invasive stars Hannah Stander. She reminds me of a grittier version of Clarice Starling from Silence of the Lambs. She is smart, capable, and a tough FBI agent working a murder investigation. Where I think Wendig soared with her character is that she is not two dimensional. No person is hardened all the time. Hannah has moments of weakness and guilt, which makes her character more realistic and empathetic. The supporting characters, although not as fleshed out as Hannah, add a great dimension to the story through the various interactions with Hannah. You want her to succeed in her quest to discover the truth and survive, but as a reader, you are curious about the going-ons of all the supporting characters.

This is a character-heavy story. Because of the development of the characters, the setting and worldbuilding are not as comprehensive as the character creation, and frankly, it doesn’t need to be. Think Jungle. Think tropical. Think medical/scientific compound where experiments are created and carried out, and you have the gist.

Hannah is speculating about a homicide in upstate New York. The victim is found stripped of all skin and laying in a pile of thousands of dead ants. The death is strange and sparks the intrigue of Hannah. Through a series of logical leaps, Hannah finds herself at a research compound of an eccentric billionaire that studies insects. From there the story becomes a fast-paced thriller full of survival, both of Hannah and the humans as a species. It bounces from scene to scene, keeping the reader on edge with the tight storytelling.

Invasive is an exhilarating and exciting read that had me feeling phantom tickles on my cheek after reading. If you are a fan of the creepy crawlies, this is for you.

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REVIEW: First and Only by Dan Abnett

First and Only by Dan Abnett is one of the turning point novels of Warhammer 40K. Originally conceived as a sort of hyperstylized part-parody universe that embodied everything awful about humanity with the good guys mockingly called “Catholic Space Nazis”, Warhammer 40K was not a place where any faction deserved to survive let alone win. That changed with the works of Dan Abnett who helped establish a slightly more admirable Imperium of Man.

First and Only is Dan Abnett’s first novel and the first novel published under the Black Library imprint. It is heavily inspired by Bernard Cornwell’s Sharpe novels that should give individuals a sense of familiarity with the style as well as contents. It is still over-the-top military science fiction action in a hellish world but the protagonists are far more admirable than your typical band of Imperial Guard miscreants.

The premise begins with the Imperium is launching a revanchist Crusade to retake the Sabbat Worlds from the forces of Chaos. The Imperium is so massive that you can introduce an entire region of space with thousands of inhabited worlds and never have to refer to any other part of the setting again. I like this as very few science fiction franchises take advantage of how truly huge a galaxy-spanning empire would be.

The opening of the book has one of these worlds destroyed by the forces of Chaos. The entire population of Tanith is reduced to a single regiment and immediately put back in the front lines. Ibram Gaunt proceeds to get the devastated men’s loyalty by promising them a new world once the Sabbat Crusade is won. It is a bold-faced lie since as a mere Colonel he can’t promise this sort of thing and they’re all likely to be dead before the war is won but it achieves its objective. They become known as the “Tanith First and Only” and “Gaunt’s Ghosts” respectively.

What follows is a story about treachery, deceit, and how one’s allies can be every bit as dangerous as one’s enemies. The heroes come across a “Dark Age of Technology” factory that has the potential to create millions of sentient robots (“Iron Men”) that could serve as a decisive factor in the war. Two of Gaunt’s rivals immediately turn upon them, declaring the Ghosts to be rogue, and work to keep the discovery for themselves. Gaunt’s Ghosts must figure out a way to survive, clear their names, keep the factory from their allies’ hands, and not endanger the Crusade in the process.

I’m rather fond of this book’s plot as it shows the Imperium is its own worst enemy. While the forces of Chaos aren’t evil in literal terms, having a very strange morality, they might as well be from the perspective of any conventional morality. They swarm the Sabbat Worlds like a plague of locusts and attempt to wipe out anything they haven’t corrupted or warped. It’s not the forces of Chaos that form the problem in this book, however, but plain old greed and ambition. In this respect, Dan Abnett manages to achieve a similar effect as A Song of Ice and Fire. The forces of Chaos are a looming threat akin to the White Walkers while humanity simply can’t get its shit together.

The book is filled with non-stop action sequences that are all very well done. I don’t think the characterization is very deep but the characters mostly slot into neat little military archetypes. They’re all recognizable kinds of characters, so you get a sense of who they are and what they’re about before they’re killed horribly. It’s a kind of heroic manly fiction where even when ambushed and outnumbered, the Ghosts will inflict 3-1 casualties on their enemies. The Imperium feels less like a fascist state and more like a feudal one, which is not inaccurate, as the snooty British noble-themed Patricians look down on the Scottish-themed Tanith.

My view of First and Only is it’s popcorn fiction for a person who enjoys bloody anachronistic space fiction where Napoleonic Warfare meets interplanetary conflict. Is it grimdark? Well, it’s a pretty dark universe with humanity’s survival not being enough to unite mankind. Gaunt and company are almost all solid and dependable good guys, though, with the rare horrifying exception. I strongly recommend the series but also take the view it’s not meant to be a particularly nuanced experience. Just a fun one. There’s also nothing wrong with that.

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