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REVIEW: Black Stone Heart by Michael R. Fletcher

Black Stone Heart is the latest grimdark novel by Michael R. Fletcher. This is a brand-new series, The Obsidian Path which is set in a bizarre new world unlike those of Fletcher’s other work. There were a couple of stories in A Collection of Obsessions, his short story collection, but this is the first full length novel.

As with all of Fletcher’s work, Black Stone Heart does not shy away from a steady diet of comfort food for the grimdark appetite. His recipe is equal parts violence, gritty happenings, grisly humor, and a dash of bad luck for flavoring.

Khraen just woke up, and he’s starving. He’s confused and disoriented and doesn’t remember much at all of his life before he’d been killed. All he knows now is that he is being drawn to the fragments of his obsidian heart that have been scattered about the world by whoever it was that murdered him.

During the course of this novel, we travel with Khraen as he tells the story in first person, learning what we can of his life before as he does, picking up a bit here and there with each fragment of his stone heart as he finds it. His memories return with each piece, as do his talents and his awareness of who and what he was.

This book is an interesting study of a dark character, a villain from most perspectives, as he comes to grip with what he was, what he is now, and what he hopes to become as he pieces himself back together bit by bit. Will he become the demonist emperor that ruled a vast empire over several millennia, or will he learn to be a better man through his experiences today and forced humility? Sorcery and necromancy abound in the battle for Khraen’s quest and the very nature of his soul.

With twists and turns and the general mindfuckery that we come to expect from Michael R. Fletcher, we go on this wild ride with Khraen, not knowing if we’ll be uplifted or disappointed, or both. Much as Khraen himself must prepare for who he becomes and the legacy he’d left behind during his previous life which hangs over him now. Can he be a better man? Does he truly want to?

Here’s a little example of Fletcher’s writing, the way he can twist a dark happening into a lively bit of humor, still grisly in its content but light in the tone as he spins it:

“After killing the farmer’s horses, we rode them south, exchanging our dead mounts for new ones whenever their appearance decayed to the point they became recognizable as corpses.”

Black Stone Heart doesn’t disappoint the returning Fletcher reader. It’s much different in scope and perspective than earlier work but keeps the consistent tone and writing flow that we’ve come to look forward to with each new story. New readers will be just as entertained and will likely flock to his back catalogue as soon as they finish this one. But all readers will probably wonder about Fletcher’s sanity before it’s all over.

Buy Black Stone Heart by Michael R. Fletcher

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REVIEW: Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King

I think at one point or another, we are all the titular character. Dolores, in Stephen King’s Dolores Claiborne. We may not be her specifically in all ways. But I guarantee that the humanity that Mrs. Claiborne has, the trueness and rawness, will happen at one point or another in every human’s life. This, in itself, is what makes Dolores such a relatable character.

“Sometimes you have to be a high riding bitch to survive, sometimes, being a bitch is all a woman has to hang on to.”

If you are new to Stephen King and haven’t heard about him, which would be crazy because who hasn’t heard of King, Dolores Claiborne is Stephen King’s first novel entirely told in dialect from a single person point of view. I don’t know many authors who could pull off the feat of writing something clear, concise and engaging like Dolores Claiborne while handicapping themselves with this type of narrative style.

But he does it, and he does it well.

Dolores Claiborne is told in one long and breathless story recounted at a police station after Dolores Claiborne has been brought in for questioning for the death of her senile and long time employer Mrs. Vera Donovan. Mrs. Donovan had taken a tumble down the stairs and subsequently perished from the fall. Dolores is under scrutiny by the police because thirty years prior, there were mysterious circumstances around the death of Dolores’s husband, Joe. Dolores, herself, is described as an aged, hard-worn woman in her sixties working as a housekeeper in the fictional island of Little Tall Island, Maine. Many of Stephen King’s novels take place in Maine, and some ways interconnect with each other. As an aside, if you pay attention to some of the character references in reading Dolores Claiborne, you will notice a direct connection to Gerald’s Game. One of King’s other horror works.

“What did you ask, Andy Bissette? Do I ‘understand these rights as you’ve explained em to me’? Gorry! What makes some men so numb? No you never mind—still your jawin and listen to me for en awhile. I got an idear you’re gonna be listenin to me most of the night, so you might as well get used to it. Coss I understand what you read to me! Do I look like I lost all m’brains since I seen you down to the market? I told you your wife would give you merry hell about buying that day-old bread—penny wise and pound foolish, the old saying is—and I bet I was right, wasn’t I?”

It turns out that Dolores did not murder Vera. This isn’t a spoiler, we find this out in the first twenty pages or so. We also find out that Dolores did murder Joe, the whole town knows it, although they could never prove it. Dolores Claiborne, the story is really “the why.” Why would a woman murder her husband?

Dolores begins her tale, describing it in great detail to Andy and a stenographer, how she came to be married to Joe. How she came to work for Vera and how those two things shape who she became and the choices she took to get there. What you get is the in-depth look is a woman who will do anything to protect her family, and do what is right by her code of ethics. It is morally gray, but life is morally gray, and that lends a sense of realism to Dolores. I can imagine her existing somewhere in the world.

As soon as you get one paragraph into Dolores Claiborne, you will notice King’s use of dialect. I am of two minds of this. On the one hand, the jargon can be immersive; it can help the reader immerse themselves in a story. On the other, it can be frustrating and classist. Some author’s use dialects to divide rich folk from poor folk. If a character is poor, they speak unintelligibly, dropping letters, forgetting words, and using an excessive amount of slang in their vocabulary. It is lazy and insulting writing. However, I think dialect done well, as I believe King’s version here did not make the story difficult to read for me. It isn’t Riddley Walker and indecipherable. But it does add to Dolores’s character.

“One way or another, all the bridges between that time n this one have been burned. Time’s a reach, too, you know, just like the one that lies between the islands and the mainland, but the only ferry that can cross it is memory, and that’s like a ghost-ship – if you want it to disappear, after awhile it will.”

Stylistically, Dolores Claiborne is not King’s typical style. In most of King’s novels, even his short stories where brevity is a must, King over explains, over describes, overanalyzes, just overdoes it. If King were to describe a doorknob to the reader, it might be a single paragraph describing the texture, smell, sound, year make and model of said knob. I know that many readers find that level of explanation tedious. It goes right in the face of the minimalist school of writing that is getting more and more mainstream. Others who know King and are familiar with his style, love it. I love it. Although when I read the unabridged version of The Stand that came in at 1327 pages, it might have pushed it a little bit for me. I bring this up because his typical style is in sharp contrast with how Dolores Claiborne is written. This is sharp and concise writing. Almost blunt in its emotional brutality scene to scene. Dolores is not a long-winded character. She speaks her mind, and if there is nothing to say silence is better. I think King took that to heart when writing her, although I don’t know many people that can tell a single story, especially to a police officer that is over 300 pages long.

The glory of this story is the relationships that Dolores has, namely the relationship between her boss Vera and her husband, Joe. Joe is almost a caricature of an abusive alcoholic husband. However, it is Dolores’s handling of Joe and the language King uses to get across to the reader about Dolores’s strength that I found very appealing. Vera and Dolores are another matter entirely. Vera is a bitch. She is a bitch in every sense of the word, Entitled, rich, classist, snobbish. Where King could have used a caricature of a stuffy, white, rich woman, Vera has pain. She isn’t all bad, although her moments of where the reader can see through the mist of her money and airs are few and far between. Her relationship between Vera and Dolores is old. It reminds me of the relationships old nemeses have when underneath it all there is an undercurrent of respect and made a sprinkling of love. But you have to dig way, way down to find it.

“…two bitches livin on a little chunk of rock…”

If anything, Dolores Claiborne highlights that King is not a one-trick pony. Although he has the horror genre down, he is a talented writer that can write with nuance and gravitas. He writes with heart and emotion. When I hear about King naysayers who talk about his writing being hackneyed, pigeonholed in horror, I think of the story The Body (made into the movie Stand By Me), or Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption (made into the movie The Shawshank Redemption), and now I think of Dolores Claiborne.

Buy Dolores Claiborne by Stephen King

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REVIEW: The New World by Mark Lawrence

Mark Lawrence’s latest novelette The New World can be found in the Grim Oak Press Red Queen’s War omnibus edition, and features fan favourites Jalan and Snorri as they venture to a far off land to bring the natives religion—or so you’re led the think. As with everything Jalan does, it’s a little bit being pushed into something he doesn’t want to do (due to him doing something or someone he shouldn’t have done), and a little bit pretending it was his idea all along.

In this short piece set after the brilliant Red Queen’s War trilogy (Prince of Fools, The Liar’s Key, and Wheel of Osheim), Lawrence has our two favourite mates on a ship under the stern eye of the ship’s captain (there to make sure they make the dangerous Atlantis crossing) and a church matron (there to make sure Jalan does his holy job, while his pants stay on). Some friends you’ll remember join Jalan and Snorri, and as the ship leaves the dock and takes us into the adventure of the high seas, we swiftly find out all is not what it seems.

As always, reading a Mark Lawrence story is like drinking a really good stout—the writing is smooth and silky, the pages fly by as you get wrapped up in the story and forget the world around you, and the twists just keep you thirsting for more. Lawrence is one of my favourite short form writers, with his Red Kent story Bad Seed still pretty much my favourite of all time. He has a knack of never wasting words, of hooking you from the first line, and dragging you to the last page faster than you could have imagined.

He is on form with this story, as always. He’s like the Mike Hussey of fantasy fiction. His depiction of the rolling seas, the crew of questionable (at best) characters, a particularly vicious First Mate, the banter between Jalan and Snorri, and of course that internal Jalan monologue we all love, is there in spades. There’s action, twists, a snifter of ancient tech that makes the world of The Broken Empire so much fun, and an almost Treasure Island setup feel for what this book could have been if it had been worked into a novel. I, for one, was certainly shaking my fist across the the seas at Lawrence that we didn’t get more!

For fans who grab the Grim Oak edition, The New World will be a fun addition to your Red Queen’s War reading experience.

Buy The New World by Mark Lawrence in Grim Oak Press’ Red Queen’s War

Head on over to the Grim Oak Press web store.

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REVIEW: 100 Months: The End of All Things by John Hicklenton

100 Months: The End of All Things is John Hinkleton’s final brutalist farewell to the world, and it is by far the hardest book I have ever had to review. I have spent the last two months mulling over how to say what this story is without sounding constrained. Because this story is everything, and in the end, it is nothing because John is gone.

“I am raised upon the breeze my love…”

John Hinklenton died of MS in 2010. He chose to end his own life and his battle with MS on his terms. Along the way he described his struggle the only way he knew how to, he drew it—a struggle between two unstoppable forces. In the Introduction to 100 Months, Hicklenton’s friend and colleague Pat Mills wrote “. . . [we would] never ask Jimi Hendrix to turn down the volume . . . and [we should] never ask John Hincklenton to turn down the netherworld, the examination of his soul and the loss of himself.” Hinklenton battled MS with every cell of his body, with every memory, emotion, moment, and power that he could muster. What 100 Months is, is that struggle, the struggle of every cell put into pictures. It is his opus.

The first page of this novel sees the release of The Beast. A daughter of pain and suffering released into the world after 100,000 years. This beast has no face and an androgynous body. She ultimately thirsts for annihilation. She vows to kill the Swine God. Throughout the story, you see The Beas

t lay waste to cities, step upon the skull of the fallen, and seek out the seed of the long pig to destroy it at its source. These are not the rantings of a wild man, but the calculated thought of a man whose body is slowly being torn asunder from the inside. All of this is brought forth by his pen.

It is a powerful and unsettling book and, in a way, the most grimdark story I have ever read.

Should you read this? That is entirely up to you. What I look for in literature is to be emotionally affected. 100 Months is effective in that regard. Was it pleasant to read, Absolutely not. But, the author’s death was neither friendly nor easy; it was pain and suffering. By reading this, I paid homage to his craft and his last moments. And in that, I am grateful to have read this.

Buy 100 Months: The End of All Things by John Hicklenton

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Ten Indie Grimdark Novel Recommendations

One of the important changes brought about by the internet’s increasing availability as well as the rise of the e-book is the independent book market becoming a much bigger competitor to traditional publishing. Self-published books, small presses, and medium sized presses now can reach audiences of millions. 

Speaking as an indie grimdark author myself, I have selected ten of the best books I’ve read in my career of immersing myself in the genre. These books are all solid examples of the genre and something that I think everyone who loves grimdark will get a kick out of.

10. This is my Blood by David Niall Wilson

Mini-Review: No grimdark list would be complete without a little controversy and this is one of those books that thrives in it. What’s the premise? What if Mary Magdalene was a vampire. A woman is created by the Devil and turned into a blood-sucking fiend who hovers around Jesus of Nazareth while various things go south as all fans of the New Testament will find. For those of us who paid attention in Sunday School, it’s an interesting exploration of a taboo topic. Vampires, after all, make everything better.

9. Melokai by Rosalyn Kelly

Mini-Review: Amazons have been a staple of fantasy since the Ancient Greeks but never has the deconstruction of their society been as brutal (and done by a woman no less). The society of the Peqkyians is a ruthless and totalitarian one where the Melokai rules absolutely as half the population is used as chattle. Rosalyn Kelly has created a fantastic but dark world with numerous antiheroes trying ot get ahead in a world ruled by oppressive caste-based societies. The protagonist of the first book thinks she’s kind, beloved, and fair–while being one of the worst people in fantasy. I like the contrast.

8. Steel, Blood, and Fire: Immortal Treachery by Allan Batchelder

Mini-Review: Vickers was once the greatest warrior in the world, killing and carousing with no thought to the consequences. Age has managed to catch up with him, though, and he isn’t the same fighter he used to be. Unfortunately, a new warrior naming himself the End of All Things is leading an army across the land with seemingly no purpose other than destruction. Vickers is hired to kill him despite being hopeless outmatched and assembles a team of thugs to do the dirty work necessary in bringing the End down. What follows is a complicated and sometimes moving plot that shows the big epic plots of other stories from the bottom up. It is the first book in a really solid grimdark series.

7. Damoren by Seth Skorkowsky

Mini-Review: Urban fantasy rarely gets much love among grimdark because it is not more traditional fantasy or sci-fi. However, I solidly am behind the Valudcan series by game reviewer and Origins award winner Seth Skorkowsky. The series about a bunch of ruthless anti-heroes hunting demons is full of moral ambiguity, brutality, and solid world-building. Damoren follows Matt Hollis, a demon-infected gunslinger who is only barely tolerated by his organization. I liked Matt and think other fans of the genre will too. He’s not the star of the whole series, though, just the first book. The protagonists switch between volumes for a more layered look at the universe.

6. Seraphina’s Lament by Sarah Chorn

Mini-Review: Seraphina’s Lament is a truly dark and terrifying story based on the famines during the reign of Joseph Stalin. Taking place in a fantasy world where the old monarchy has been overthrown only to be replaced by something worse, starvation ravages the land. However, the population have more to deal with than their tyrannical overlord and his incompetence, the gods have decided to punish the land by unleashing a plague of hungry dead that will wipe the living from the face of the globe. The tight connections between the various characters sometimes stretches credulity but this is a solid piece of dark fantasy.

5. Shattered Dreams by Ulff Lehmann

Mini-Review: Ulff Lehmann is one of my favorite military fantasy writers. He has a wonderful way of weaving multiple story arcs and perspectives into a single coherent narrative that reminds me a bit of George R.R. Martin. A Light in the Dark is a series that follows the invasion of a nation by its rivals while magic returns to a world that has long forgotten it. It’s not as grim as it could be, but its protagonist is suffering PTSD from murdering his wife, so it’s not exactly kittens and rainbows either. One thing I like about the books is they continue directly from one volume to the next, like one continuous story.

4. Darkmage by M.L. Spencer

Mini-Review: M.L. Spencer is one of my all-time favorite indie fantasy authors. Her series, Rhenwars Saga, begins with an awesome premise: what if the ragtag band of misfits FAILED to save the world before an apocalyptic threat? The world has mostly recovered by the start of Darkmage but it isn’t ready for round 2. I love the deliciously flawed protagonist, Darien, and his collection of sidekicks that don’t know how to deal with someone that wields godlike power but is not wise enough to wield it. A man who eagerly uses his power to slay tens of thousands of “evil” soldiers, only to later change his mind on who is evil. A solid series everyone should check out, though I also recommend reading the prequel Darkstorm.

3. Ghosts of Tomorrow by Michael R. Fletcher

Mini-Review: Ghosts of Tomorrow is not just one of my favorite grimdark novels. It’s one of my favorite novels period. I admit to a certain level of bias, though, because I’m a huge cyberpunk fan. No grimdark list is complete without a nod to its science fiction roots and this is a great one. Brain harvesting from children is a lucrative business in the mid-21st century as A.I. are needed for all manner of businesses but the only way to create one is to burn out an existing human mind.

2. Where Loyalties Lie by Rob Hayes

Mini-Review: Rob Hayes may not be the most famous voice in grimdark, but he is one of the most prolific and talented. He was the first grimdark author I ever read and who introduced me to a lot of wonderful stories that he keeps churning out regularly. Where Loyalties Lie is a combination that I’m surprised more people haven’t done: grimdark fantasy and pirates! They’re ruthless, murderous, and terrible people but the pirates of this book are entertaining as hell. The story of them building their own kingdom is amazing. Winner of the Self-Published Fantasy Blog Off award.

1. Kings of Paradise by Richard Nell

Mini-Review: Choosing number one for this was very hard. However, if there was truly special in this pile (and all these novels are), I would have to give it to Kings of Paradise. It is a story that rivals The First Law trilogy for entertainment value. Following a character assortment including a deformed cannibal philosopher, a murderous peasant priestess, and an arrogant prince with a gift for magic–well, this is a memorable cast to see the least. They’re also startingly believable as well. The writing is evocative, the world-building wonderful, and the story incredible.

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REVIEW: The Fell Sword by Miles Cameron

The Fell Sword is the second book in The Traitor Son Cycle, coming after the rip-roaring and dragon-slaying beginning in The Red Knight. We head back to the Red Knight and his company and are quickly ensued in an exciting, political and high-medieval tale.

“The Red Knight sighed. ‘Sometimes I think you all take me for granted,’ he said and went off to wash the blood off his hands.”

We follow familiar faces in the Red Knight’s company as they descend from Alba to lands faraway, paid to put down a local rebellion – in true Miles Cameron style it is not that simple! The Red Knight was the perfect beginning of this intriguing fantastical world with knights and irks aplenty. The Fell Sword is a different beast, veering (slightly) away from the bloody and blood-pumpingly epic battles in favour of a deeply political tale, that still contains an almighty battle.

There is a distinct change of pace from the unstoppable The Red Knight which is welcome as it is written masterfully. The Red Knight’s company takes a slight back-pedal as we are introduced to much more than just a company being paid to protect others. We meet new POVs and return to old ones. The Queen of Alba is facing political unrest, The Wilde are once-again plotting, and other minor-plots interweave this story.

“Sauce grinned. ‘Anytime, baby,’ she said.

‘We could make that our motto,’ allowed the Captain.”

As I am a massive fan of Cameron’s historical medieval series, I loved the setting of The Fell Sword and all of its bright, shiny, polished medieval-doings. The jousts, the ‘white-armour’, the ghiavarina – I have one of those, (a beautiful type of Italian spear). I really enjoyed reading about the clothing and the little details. The Fell Sword is dedicated by Miles Cameron ‘to the re-enactors’ and I can say for certain re-enactors will love to read of this world in its fantasy setting.

Although the battles were few, they were glorious and as always wonderfully written. Cameron has a way of writing battles that makes them feel so authentic, details really helping you as the reader to feel as if you are there in the midst of it all, listening to the blood-curdling screams and the clamour of weapons.

“It should come as no surprise that they are threatened by those who make war a profession. We don’t need to be manly or brave. All we have to do is win. There is no second place, and we get paid just as well whether we lose half our men or lose no men.”

The middle of the book contained a lot more politics than I predicted but I enjoyed discovering more about the world of Alba, Morea and Thrake. The characters were fleshed out and each story-arc was interesting. There was a feeling of preparing the reader for the next book, which hinted to me at an even bigger and more intense plot coming and I’m sure it will be completely worth the slower pace in this one.

“Dariusz felt something like admiration for the Red Knight. They clearly read the same books.”

5/5 – Another romping success in the world of the Traitor Son Cycle. The Fell Sword had intense battles and a good dose of world-building and political intrigue, setting up the next book nicely. Stay tuned!

Buy The Fell Sword by Miles Cameron

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REVIEW: Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie

Last Argument of Kings is one of the best final books of a trilogy I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading – actually, scratch that, it’s one of the best books I have EVER read. Seriously, it had moments of laughter, scenes that were so tense I was biting my nails and shocks that had me staring into the darkness of my palms as my hands covered my face.

“I have learned all kinds of things from my many mistakes. The one thing I never learn is to stop making them.”

Before They Are Hanged, Book 2 of the First Law was a masterpiece, and Last Argument of Kings completes the trilogy superbly. Bethod, King of the Northmen is a constant threat and there’s only one man who prevents him from conquering the Union, yeah you guessed it, our guy Logen Ninefingers. As Logen is facing the minor task of defeating a whole army, Superior Glokta is up to his usual tricks of torture and blackmail in the capital. There is more of a personal mission for Glokta this time around as it quickly dawns on him that there’s only so many power-hungry lords he can continue to keep pleasing. Jezal dan Luthar is back in the capital seeking to let go of the life he once loved, of fame, women, gambling, to focus on beginning a family with the woman he loves, but can it really be that simple? Again I’m sure you’ve guessed the answer to that one. In true Abercrombie style, nothing is ever simple – you have to be realistic about these things. Also, book 3 brings about the true discovery of who Bayaz is, our questions are answered and he really comes into his own. I’ll leave it at that!

“It’s hard to be done a favour by a man you hate. It’s hard to hate him so much afterwards. Losing an enemy can be worse than losing a friend, if you’ve had him for long enough.”

One thing I love about Abercrombie’s writing is just how clear each distinct voice is. You really know who the POV is from just after reading one sentence and I find that rare, especially one with multiple POVs. The characters are so quotable, with fantastic lines of speech and thoughts, it’s top-quality writing. Each character has ample moments to shine which is exactly what you want in a final entry of a series, I felt so satisfied after finishing Last Argument of Kings – not to mention THAT ending. It was one of those few wide-eyed panic infusing moments that had me desperate for just one more chapter.

“The only difference between war and murder is the number of dead.”

Within Last Argument of Kings is one of the best duels ever. Abercrombie writes action so well, so brutally full of gore. I felt the cuts, the burn of muscles, the panic of battle and the euphoria of victory. The Bloody Nine has some of his best scenes to date here and they gave me the chills, as did Logen’s father’s sayings about war. What I also love about The First Law is the balance of characters. Not every character needs to be or is a legendary sword-wielding beast of a man who smashes his way to victory. Sure it’s good fun to read but there’s none of that here. The characters find their own way to take on battles, literally and metaphorically.

“Rules are for children. This is war, and in war the only crime is to lose.”

I also love how much depth there is to all of the characters even secondary ones such as The Dogman, Black Dow, Ardee, and Arch Lector Sult. There were sections of non-stop action without much pause for breath, and there were other passages of the calm, allowing us to really get into the characters and understand them even more. There were touching scenes in the Last Argument of Kings that added so much to the story and the way I felt about the characters – which I find very rare in a grimdark story.

“You can never have too many knives, his father had told him. Unless they’re pointed at you, and by people who don’t like you much.”

5/5 – I’m sure you can tell how much I loved Last Argument of Kings and The First Law. I would recommend this trilogy to anyone who likes reading. Or just everyone. If fantasy is your thing then this is a must read, and if fantasy isn’t your thing then this is a brilliant starting place to highlight just how amazing it can be when written well. Mr Abercombie, I salute you. I hope to see the likes of The First Law again.

Buy Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie

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REVIEW: Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings

Kathleen Jennings’ Australian folk horror novella Flyaway is a tale of the darkness lurking in the trees and the strangeness glimpsed out of the corner of the eye, of secrets bound up in the land and its people, and of the truth hidden in stories. Bettina Scott lives a peaceful life with her mother in the quiet town of Runagate, nestled in an isolated district named Inglewell. When her routine is disrupted by strange goings-on and an unexpected, anonymous letter which brings up painful memories of lost family, Bettina goes in search of answers to questions she didn’t realise she had, and dredges up dark and apparently forgotten local history.

It’s an exquisite gem of a book, a story which hoards its secrets and reveals its answers slowly, patiently, rewarding the reader who’s willing to go on a strange and haunting journey to understand what lies at the heart of Inglewell and the tangle of lives caught up amidst the shadowed trees and the sun-baked earth. After starting off warm and full of the everyday magic of Australia’s wild nature, things gradually grow increasingly sinister as Bettina’s strange, contained life, defined by her mother’s calming voice and the comfort of familiar spaces and routines, is shaken up. Before long, as she takes her first tentative steps out of her comfortable existence and engages with confused, embittered former friends, things become fully dark and deeply unsettling.

There’s a tangible sense of magic and otherworldliness throughout the story, but the darkness comes as much from the characters’ actions and responses as anything else. Bettina’s worldview is surreal from the off and only becomes stranger, her interactions with others slowly making more sense until the depth of her troubles and the reality of her family becomes eerily clear. Her journey is interspersed with vivid, haunting folk stories – told by others around her – which support and reinforce a beautifully-plotted and carefully, satisfyingly constructed narrative and a magical, if grimly creepy sense of world building. It’s all presented in Jennings’ evocative, beautiful prose, which brings her world and characters to life without ever falling into the trap of becoming aimless or difficult to follow.

Flyaway is a story that’s fundamentally connected to the wild, to Australia’s unique flora and fauna and the rich storytelling that’s indelibly linked with such a strange and wonderful place. It’s full of contrasts, from Australia’s baking sun to the shadowed darkness between the trees, and from Bettina’s demure present to her distant and forgotten past. The pace and secretive nature won’t be to everyone’s liking, but if you’re willing to be patient then the wait for understanding is absolutely worth it… although when it comes, the eventual clarity is liable to leave you unsettled and uncomfortable. It’s the sort of story which, when it all comes together, continues to haunt your thoughts and raise an occasional shudder long afterwards. Subtly sinister and utterly, utterly magical.

Thanks very much to Kathleen Jennings and Tor.com for an advance copy of Flyaway in exchange for this honest review!

Buy Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings

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REVIEW: A Gathering of Ravens by Scott Oden

I received a review copy of A Gathering of Ravens in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Scott Oden and Bantam Books for the opportunity.

A Gathering of Ravens is the tale of Grimnir, the last orc, and is set in an alternative Europe circa the 11th century. The narrative begins when two Christians, the Danish warrior Njàll and young English hymn-singer Étaín, are forced to seek shelter overnight in a cave due to dire weather. This dwelling is Grimnir’s abode and after a violent confrontation, Grimnir essentially kidnaps Étaín. He believes that Étaín will be invaluable in assisting him on his travels to seek Bjarki Half-Dane who Grimnir plans to destroy. This gentleman is responsible for the destruction of the orcneàs and Grimnir will not rest until they are avenged. A Gathering of Ravens sees the duo travelling from Denmark to England and eventually to Ireland where there is to be a reckoning between the Old Ways and the New Ways.

“I am called many things, Christ-Dane, Corpse-maker and Life-quencher, the Bringer of the Night, the Son of the Wolf and Brother of the Serpent. I am the last of Bàlegyr’s brood, called Grimnir by my people.”

Grimnir is bitter, vile, violent, and murderous. He follows the old Norse Gods, wields an awesome seax and is generally bad-ass. He’s pretty much the perfect grimdark anti-hero. Étaín is a pretty cool character too and she develops greatly throughout the narrative. I found her a joy to follow. She witnesses magic, speaks to unspeakably powerful beings, and witnesses the wanderings of spirits and still remains strong in her faith throughout. The odd duo’s chemistry is interesting with many ups and downs. They eventually become quite fond of each other in their own unique ways, although neither would admit it, and Étaín becomes a sort of victim of Stockholm syndrome.

Apart from Grimnir, Étaín, and Njàll, there aren’t any other main characters in the first half of the novel and the events that happen are mostly travel-focused. In the second half, more point of view perspectives are introduced including those of Bjarki Half-Dane and Kormlada the Witch of Dubhlinn. By this time Grimnir et al have arrived in Ireland so we get a 360-degree view of the events and happenings there that lead to the upcoming confrontation between Dubhlinn’s Norse occupants and the Gaels of Leinster. Will Grimnir come face to face with Bjarki and settle things once and for all? There may also be someone else who has a debt to settle with Grimnir that has been 15-year in the making. Also, I’d like to quickly acknowledge the character of Blind Muave who made a quick but lasting impression here.

A Gathering of Ravens is an exciting and invigorating merger of fantasy and historical fiction with a grimdark tinge. It’s full of gory moments, skirmishes, showdowns and violent touches aplenty. Oden’s take on magic, myth and folklore was finely imagined and seemed extremely well researched and reworked. A Gathering of Ravens is a steady-paced fantasy saga that builds up the excitement levels gradually and culminates with an incredible finale. This novel acts as a complete standalone and everything is wrapped up admirably. I will definitely be reading Twilight of the Gods as soon as I can and look forward to following the Sagas of Grimnir.

I’ve not read many books where readers follow the so-called evil or dark creatures such as orcs but have had positive experiences every time I have. If A Gathering of Ravens sounds like your cup of tea then I’d also recommend reading Chris Sharp’s seriously underappreciated Cold Counsel which follows the adventures of a Troll.

Buy A Gathering of Ravens by Scott Oden

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MOVIE REVIEW: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

Grimdark Magazine loves horror movies almost as much as it does fantasy novels. Quite a few of our readers are fans of both genres and grimdark owes a debt to both. As such, we are expanding our reviews to include classics of both horror as well gritty speculative fiction. I can think of no better place to start than with the 1974 Tobe Hooper classic The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

This is arguably the first slasher movie and inarguably one of the best. It’s also far more intelligently written and better acted than its title or reputation might suggest. Don’t believe me? In fact, this movie has a surprising amount of political commentary. Stuff that actually makes sense versus tacking it on to an otherwise solid horror film like some films might.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre takes advantage of its supposedly true story status to begin with a Star Wars-esque opening crawl. A then unknown John Larraquette (Night Court) narrated the story as if he’s doing a dramatization of a real life massacre. In truth, while some of the details of the horror movie are taken from serial killer Ed Gein (who also “inspired” Psycho), it is about as true as The Blair Witch Project. Which is to say not at all. The thing is, this was great advertising, and you could get away with it in the Seventies.

The premise is a fairly conventional one, mostly because so many other movies ripped it off and it isn’t even that dissimilar to Scooby Doo. Four hippie-ish kids in a van are driving down to the rural heart of Texas due to a series of grave desecrations. After the siblings among them confirm their late father’s grave is fine, they decide to head to visit his old place to hang out for a bit and party. The atmosphere is dark and foreboding with the astrology-obsessed Pam finding many portents, a drunk local warning them years before Friday the 13th‘s Crazy Ralph, and oblique warnings from the local gas station attendant about trespassing.

Needless to say, there’s something horrible awaiting them in the neighboring property and they stupidly rush in. However, the unexpectedness of the actual violence, as well as tension up to this point, are masterfully done. The film’s almost documentary-esque style works wonderfully to make it terrifying. Gradually it moves from feeling realistic to the surreal quality of a nightmare, culminating in the dinner scene that can’t really be described in words.

Part of what makes the movie so effective is the acting of the leads. Marilyn Burns does an amazing job as Sally Hardesty, going from a happy girl in the prime of her life to someone desperate to do absolutely anything to save her life. Paul A. Partain is perhaps one of the most annoying characters in all of horror yet makes it all the more believable because most individuals would not handle stress in a mature intelligent way.

The villains are equally impressive. Gunnar Hansen does an amazing job as Leatherface, managing to act in a bizarre and terrifying manner that is still human despite no dialogue. Edwin Neal’s hitchhiker is a truly memorable performance and Jim Diedow’s Cook also adds to the horror that so many other slashers ignore in their attempt to make nothing but silent killers.

Strangely, this is a movie that is not actually all that violent. Indeed, it is almost bloodless. Every murder is almost entirely off camera and the only scenes with blood are a trickle. Ironically, this makes it scarier as your mind fills in the blanks. The most horrifying element is the skeleton and body part art laying about that is the most direct reference to Ed Gein.

The political satire element is also an understated part of the story. The unnamed family of cannibals (later named the Sawyer family in the sequels) were driven to their peculiar habits by automation destroying their way of life. The association of animal cruelty and murder comes off quite clearly as well. Even if you’re a die-hard carnivore, it’s hard to think of a movie that doesn’t make a better case against traditional slaughterhouse activities.

In conclusion, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is one of the best horror movies of all time. It is tense, well-acted, and well-written from beginning to end. I may not approve of its pretensions to being a true story but that’s a small complaint about an otherwise excellent story.

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