Adrian Collins's Blog, page 22

EXCLUSIVE: Cover reveal for Casthen Gain by Essa Hansen

Last Updated on February 26, 2025

Thanks to Petrik Leo, the artistic cat is out of the bag and we have a cover for Essa Hansen‘s battle royale novella, Casthen Gain. A prequel set in The Graven universe (Nophek Gloss, Azura Ghost, Nophek Gloss; Orbit), Casthen Gain is a non-stop action ride told in Essa’s amazing cinematic voice.

About Casthen Gain

Fifteen prisoners. One prize. Only one survivor allowed.

Sentace Ketch, a skilled culinarian, makes a wrong turn in life and finds himself dropped on the strangest and most dangerous planet in the multiverse. He’s here alongside murderers, exiles, and adrenaline-seekers to participate in a battle royale race, forced to hunt for an eons-buried mystery or die trying. The prize? Being allowed to live…and join the cruel organization that put them all here, which might just mean the creative freedom Sentace has craved all his life.

Cover reveal for Casthen Gain by Essa Hansen

I had a lot of fun working on the artwork direction for Casthen Gain with Essa. Essa’s bubble universes are such a cool, hard to depict concept, with some universes little different to ours, others completely inimical to human or alien life, and the rest sitting somewhere on the spectrum in between. Some as small as a pin prick and others as large as a mountain, the way the people within The Graven universe use and exploit these universes is such a cool backdrop to the story and, naturally, make a great bloody cover.

Carlos Diaz is again our cover artist, and has produced a gorgeous piece of space opera art for Pen Astridge (The Mighty Pen) to recreate the feeling of the original trilogy (sans space ships) through her typography work.

Pre-order Casthen Gain by Essa Hansen

Currently, Casthen Gain is only available for pre-order in e-book.

Casthen Gain will be released in hardback, paperback, and e-book.

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We’re looking for reviewers!

If you’re a reviewer for a book blog, a Booktuber, booktokker, or bookstagrammer, and you’re interested in reviewing this title, we’d love to hear from you! Please register your interest using this form.

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REVIEW: Macbeth (2025)

Macbeth itself has a lot to appeal to fans of grimdark. The moral greyness is front and centre, in fact, the play is famous for it. The events in Macbeth are set in motion by elements that we would now call speculative fiction: three witches who prophesize Macbeth’s rise to King of Scotland. There’s scheming, conniving, murder and more as the play explores dark themes of destiny, greed and guilt.

In addition, Macbeth is one of the more ubiquitous of Shakespeare’s plays (if such a thing is possible) and is studied in anglophone schools the world over. It’s shorter than some and contains a multitude of phrases and words that have since become common parlance. All of which makes Macbeth not only a great introduction to Shakespeare but an important entry in the history of the written word.

“It will have blood, they say: blood will have blood.”

So, why watch this particular version of Macbeth? As IMDB will corroborate, there are a lot of Macbeth adaptations to choose from, and of course that doesn’t include the myriad stage performances across the world every year. The casting is a good enough reason to start. In the showing I went to, I overheard a number of people commenting that they don’t normally go in for theatre or Shakespeare but they were willing to give it ago because they’re long-time fans of David Tennant (Doctor Who, Staged). In the tradition of many great British actors before him, Tennant is every bit a Shakespearean actor and plays the tragic king brilliantly.

Cush Jumbo (The Good Wife, Stay Close) also has an impressive stage career and has previously worked with Tennant on Deadwater Fell. Her performance as Lady Macbeth was equally as impeccable – and what more can you expect from two actors who’ve both played Hamlet before? Other stand-outs among the cast include Jatinder Singh Randhawa as the Porter, and Ros Watt as Malcolm.

The staging at the Donmar Warehouse allows for an intimate theatre experience and this translates well in the recording. The adaptations made for the presence of cameras add to the intimacy with close-ups as the actors whisper to the audience, poignant looks-to-camera and well-timed focus shifting during soliloquies (the monologues characters address to themselves; their internal thoughts vocalised). This is epitomised by Tennant’s delivery of ‘Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow’ as he perches on a raised section at the rear of the stage, as if a crow sounding out his lamentation of the day.

“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.”

Which brings me nicely onto my final point to discuss: the language. First, all the actors are speaking in their natural accents, which means we get to hear Tennant’s delightful Scottish. Considering this is The Scottish Play, it seems only right that we get Scottish accents (many past adaptations were undertaken in RP and I’m all for putting that classist tradition in the bin).

Second, which may be a sticking point for some, is the Shakespearean language. This production of Macbeth is performed in the original language and, yes, it’s not the easiest to decipher on the fly if you’re not familiar with it. The language isn’t too much of an issue for Macbeth, given how well-known the story is, and if you’re worried about getting lost there are plenty of synopses online you can consult to guide you through. The cast and crew do an excellent job of conveying meaning in other ways so this is a great option for entering the world of Shakespeare.

Macbeth (2025) filmed live at the Donmar Warehouse is currently showing in cinemas across the UK.

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Hugo awards eligibility

Last Updated on February 24, 2025

It’s that time of year when it’s time for WorldCon members to lodge their nominations for the Hugos. Our magazine has an absolute pile of original stories eligible for the awards. If you’ve read our issues and loved them, you could find a worse small publication to throw in a nomination for.

I won’t be at WorldCon Seattle this year, but I am reasonably sure Beth and a few of the team will be. Hopefully our team can say g’day at some point!

Best Novel

(Noting here that our nomination was a smidge over 40k words to fit into the novella category.)

In the Shadow of their Dying by Anna Smith Spark and Michael R. FletcherBest NoveletteReed Lions—A Story from the Principalities by R.R. Virdi (Grimdark Magazine Issue #38)Dead Reckoning II by Christian Cameron (Grimdark Magazine Issue #39)Best Short StoryThe Last War Dog by Michael R. Fletcher (Grimdark Magazine Issue #37)Zero Sum by Laurell Hightower (Grimdark Magazine Issue #37)Birth of a Demonologist by Cameron Johnston (Grimdark Magazine Issue #37)Djinn in the Woodpecker’s Eye by Gourav Mohanty (Grimdark Magazine Issue #38)The Limits of My Language by Yudhanjaya Wijeratne (Grimdark Magazine Issue #38)Redstarts In the Last Summer by Vajra Chandrasekera (Grimdark Magazine Issue #38)Waiting for Witnesses by Gautam Bhatia (Grimdark Magazine Issue #39)Observer by Eric Malikyte (Grimdark Magazine Issue #39)Lock and Key by Wendy Nikel (Grimdark Magazine Issue #40)Unholy Ghost by Mark Lawrence (Grimdark Magazine Issue #40)All the Riches of Suffering by Ben Galley (Grimdark Magazine Issue #40)The Absolute by Aaron Dries (Grimdark Magazine Issue #40)Under Furious Skies by Christopher Buehlman (Grimdark Magazine Issue #40)Locke Lamora and the Bottled Serpent (Part One) by Scott Lynch (Grimdark Magazine Issue #40)Best Editor (Short Form)Beth TablerBest Professional ArtistCarlos DiazBest SemiprozineGrimdark Magazine

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REVIEW: Greenteeth by Molly O’Neill

Well, I never thought another author would actually come close to the cozy dark fairytale-esque storytelling of T. Kingfisher for me, but Molly O’Neill proved me wrong in Greenteeth. Brimming with Celtic/British legends and folklore, loveable monsters, strong found family vibes, and lots of humour and heart, this is a deeply immersive and atmospheric fairytale-esque quest adventure with sharp teeth but a soft heart.

Now, I don’t know what I was expecting from Greenteeth, but it really surprised me in all the best ways. I mean, just listen to this wicked premise: a lake monster, a witch, a hobgoblin, and their trusty four-footer embark on an heroic magical quest throughout the mystical lands of Britain, Wales, Scotland, and faerie realms to defeat an ancient evil that threatens not just their home, but the very soul of Britain. It might sound like a lot, but somehow O’Neill pulls off her uniquely wild and charming vision for Greenteeth with effortless grace.

From the very first page, Jenny’s compelling and intimately vulnerable first person narration just sank its teeth in me, especially in combination with the exceptionally strong and immersive audiobook performance by Catrin Walker-Booth. And honestly, I don’t know what it says about me that I related so deeply to a centuries-old introverted lake monster with a tragic past, but here we are. I loved the exploration of change, humanity, and the nature of monsters through her perspective, and there were so many beautifully bittersweet moments of reflection and growth that tugged on my heartstrings in all the most unexpected ways.

And do not get me started on the found family vibes. Both Temperance the witch (a.k.a. the best and most fearsome momma bear) and Brackus the hobgoblin absolutely stole the show for me, and I loved all the frenemies-esque teasing banter between them all. They each have their own surprisingly emotional backstory that slowly comes to light as they bond throughout the different trials and tribulations they face during quest adventure, and seeing the sacrifices they were willing to make to protect the ones they loved really touched me.

For me, the slow, magical journey was admittedly more enjoyable than the slightly convenient and rushed destination, but that ultimately didn’t take away too much of the power of this heartfelt tale of humanity, courage, compassion and (found) family. In classic fairytale fashion, Greenteeth has some darkly disturbing monstrosities lurking just beneath its wonderfully whimsical surface, and I highly recommend sinking your teeth into this quirky adventure when your dark soul wants a bit of a hug.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette, UK Audio for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. Greenteeth is scheduled for release on February 25, 2025. 

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EXCLUSIVE: Cover Reveal for The Ganymedan by R.T. Ester

When the Solaris team emailed me about revealing the cover for The Ganymedan by R.T. Ester, I took one look at the blurb and attached file and was sold. The story sounds like it’s going to be a wild imaginative rollercoaster, and that cover just sells it.

When I asked the publisher what Ester had to say about the cover for The Ganymedan, they wrote:

“I am beyond pleased to finally be able to share the striking cover for my novel The Ganymedan. The intricate layering of smooth, organic brush strokes over the ship’s rigid geometry echoes the conflict between the sentient ship TR-8901 and its human passenger V-Dot. Over the course of their journey together, ship and passenger become increasingly entangled in each other’s fears of what lies ahead, and this design captures the essence of that descent into paranoia on both sides.

The Ganymedan begins with V-Dot—mixologist in residence—having to hightail it from Mars after permakilling his mega-rich boss for his involvement in the torture of humans trapped in virtual reality black sites. From there, it careens into a dust cloud of questions about what makes us human and the lengths we’re willing to go to seek justice when the system defaults on its obligations.”

About The Ganymedan by R.T. Ester

A dark science fiction debut examining agency and sacrifice through one man’s desperate attempt to reach home after he murders his tyrannical employer.

Verden Dotnet made an easy living mixing drinks for the creator of all sentient tech in the galaxy—until he decided to kill the creator. Now this man is dead, really dead, no cloud back-ups, and V-Dot is on the run, carrying a galaxy-shattering secret in his pocket. When he misses the last ship back to Ganymede, he convinces an old, outdated but still sentient cargo ship, TR-8901, to give him a lift.

But TR suspects that something is up—it is hearing rumours about his creator’s death, and the man who fled the scene. But TR is a dutiful ship, and will carry out its duties until proven otherwise…

Cover for The Ganymedan by R.T. Ester

Designed by Clare Stacey at Head Design, the cover for The Ganymedan cover exudes intrigue. I’m a big fan of the use of cool blues and purples as an alternate cover option to your blacks of space usually seen on space opera covers, or the neon drenching of cyberpunk books. It adds an ethereal beauty that makes me want to pick that book up and have a cheeky look inside.

Pre-order The Ganymedan by R.T. Ester

Pre-order your copy of The Ganymedan now and get excited to read it on the 4th of November, 2025!

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REVIEW: Red Sonja: Consumed by Gail Simone

Red Sonja: Consumed by Gail Simone opens with the titular redheaded “She-Devil with a Sword” dealing with the tricky aftermath of a successful heist. After seducing Ysidra, barbarian queen of a nomadic tribe, Red Sonja absconded with a priceless golden armband called the Hunter’s Asp. Not only does she find herself pursued by Ysidra’s tireless Wolf Pack, but an equally implacable assassin is also sent after Sonja when she stiffs the treasure’s prospective buyer and keeps the Asp for herself. And although she views herself as rootless and living only for the present, circumstances conspire to drive her back to her devastated homeland of Hyrkania, where a traumatic reckoning awaits with both her own personal history and that of her people.

As a character, Red Sonja has a long and involved history. While working on Conan the Barbarian for Marvel Comics, writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith came up with the character as a female foil to Conan. They looked to original Conan creator Robert E. Howard for inspiration, taking the swashbuckling heroine “Red” Sonya (note the Y, not J) of Rogatine from Howard’s 1934 historical adventure “The Shadow of the Vulture,” transplanting her in heavily modified form from 16th century Vienna to Conan’s Hyborian Age. Given a revealing costume (albeit not initially the armored bikini with which the character would later become indelibly associated) and dramatic origin story, Red Sonja became an instant hit after her introduction in 1973. In addition to numerous appearances within the pages of Conan the Barbarian, Red Sonja went on to star in her own comic titles, first at Marvel and currently at Dynamite Entertainment.

While a handful of Red Sonja prose novels exist, Red Sonja: Consumed is the first to be published since 1983. This novel is also notable for its author: Gail Simone. Not only is Simone an experienced Red Sonja writer, her 2013 19-issue Dynamite Entertainment run with the character is one of the most acclaimed in the character’s multi-decade history. And while various authors have had many different portrayals of the character, in this reviewer’s opinion, Simone’s is the most fun. Sexual assault is often a part of Red Sonja’s backstory, as an inciting incident that (along with some divine intervention in the form of a sympathetic goddess) leads her to become an indomitable swordswoman. Sonja is often depicted as adhering to a vow of chastity, refusing to be bedded by any man unless he bests her in combat. Both in her tenure on the comic and in this novel, Simone dispenses with all of that. No rape-based origin story, no goddess, no vow of chastity. Simone retains Sonja’s fearlessness and deadly allure, but she’s no longer a warrior nun. Simone’s Sonja is earthy. She still wears the trademark bikini, but one gets the sense that she wears it for herself, not to titillate every alehouse yokel. She’s brave and capable, but occasionally surly, spiteful, and flippant. She doesn’t always have the best hygiene or odor about her. Her carousing sometimes gets her in trouble. Far from chaste, she’s both pansexual and voracious (regrettably absent from the novel, “I’m Red Sonja, I’m everybody’s type” is a memorable quote from Simone’s comic run). Simone allows her to be an imperfect mercenary swordswoman with both admirable qualities and flaws, who enjoys the full spectrum of pleasures permitted by her freewheeling lifestyle. Happily, the heroine presented in Red Sonja: Consumed is the same one we know from Simone’s reign on the comic.

Appealing characterization aside, perhaps inevitably, Red Sonja: Consumed reads like a first novel from an established comic book creator. The pace remains speedy throughout, but the plot wanders before tightening up in the last third of the book. While infrequent, there are jarring instances of “head hopping,” where the perspective wanders between multiple characters within a single scene. Betrayed queen Ysidra and the psychotic assassin Sylus are compelling characters, but they disappear for long stretches of the narrative, to the story’s detriment. The setting of the novel—still the same Hyborian Age inhabited by Conan, even though the characters have different ownership today—is somewhat vaguely rendered, but that seems a perennial issue with the Red Sonja comics as well.

On the positive side of the ledger, however, Simone’s background as a comic writer results in intensely vivid visuals. Throughout the novel I found myself effortlessly imagining various events as full-page comic spreads. Combat scenes are frequent, graphic, and vicious. Sonja brutally dismantles her opponents, going the extra mile to make sure they stay down permanently. The supernatural threat that reveals itself late in the book is also presented in a deliciously creepy manner.

While there are some rough edges, Red Sonja: Consumed is a fast-paced and entertaining dark Sword & Sorcery novel. The book is an easy recommendation to existing fans of Simone’s work on the Red Sonja comic book, but no prior experience with the character is necessary. Readers with a strong emotional investment in the more classic depiction of the character, with the assault survivor and vow of chastity elements intact, might balk somewhat at the messier heroine Simone presents us with, however. Feisty fantasy heroines are more common now than in decades past, but Red Sonja remains one of the best. While I enjoy and respect the work of earlier creators like Roy Thomas and Frank Thorne, Gail Simone’s rendition is the most modern and fun.

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REVIEW: The Witcher: Blood Origin

Set over a thousand years before Netflix’s hit The Witcher series, The Witcher: Blood Origin takes viewers back to the conjunction of the spheres at a time when ancient Elven civilization of Xin’trea is thriving prior to its demise, and of course, the creation of the first Witcher.

Blood Origin begins with everyone’s favourite bard, Jaskier, almost dying in battle but he is saved as time is frozen and a mysterious figure tells him the tale of seven warriors who overthrew an evil empire. Jaskier is used to link Blood Origin to the main Witcher series and the four-episode run falls foul of many of the issues that plagued that series without the efforts of Henry Cavill to save it.

Fans of fantasy will enjoy this series as casual, background viewing. Much of the plot, setting, and writing will feel familiar to many viewers – for some it may be comforting, for others, it will feel as though the show is not trying hard enough. The Continent is a world that is unforgiving with ruined landscapes, raw violence, and little room for heroism. We have kings and queens, dark wizards vying for power, and pretty much every character out for revenge. The action is brutal and gritty and well-worth tuning in for but with a political tale of revenge at its heart and so much to set up, the four-episode arc doesn’t allow for enough time to make you feel that this is a lived-in world or to see the growth of the main cast.

There is so much potential with the cast in Blood Origin. Michelle Yeoh (Star Trek, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), Lenny Henry (The Rings of Power), and Laurence O’Fuarain (Game of Thrones) have all proven themselves capable in fantasy TV series and do well with what they are given, but Blood Origin lacks the depth and complexity of their other shows. Michelle Yeoh brings gravitas as Scían, a character steeped in loss and vengeance, and the dynamic between the bunch of misfits forced together through their own vows of vengeance offer glimpses of quality but this is no Seven Samurai. The visuals are similar to the main series – lots of muted colours and greys balanced by golden hues of the Elven world in slow decay. The battle scenes are shot well and have a chaotic, brutal feel to them that will delight fans as this is where Blood Origin works best. Limbs are lost, wounds are bloody, and death is everywhere. There are consequences and that will be something that hits with fans of grimdark but the show still doesn’t hit the heights of series such as Game of Thrones or The Last Kingdom.

There are some positives in Blood Origin that make the show worth a watch for fans of TV fantasy but the lack of depth to the show is a disappointment. Great battles and a strong cast are weighed down with a rushed series that could have been so much more. Fans of The Witcher books will dislike the liberties taken with the story but the battle scenes and familiar fantasy setting may be enough for casual fantasy fans.

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REVIEW: A Conventional Boy by Charles Stross

A Conventional Boy by Charles Stross is the thirteenth of the fourteen book his Laundry Files series. The Laundry Files is a series based around an obscure British intelligence agency that deals with the monsters and horrors of a Cthulhu Mythos inspired world. Charles Stross’ Laundry Files is somewhere between Terry Pratchett, John Le Carre, and H. P. Lovecraft. The books swing wildly from hilarious send ups of more serious fiction and genuinely terrifying stories. They also bring up some fascinating concepts regarding math, politics, religion, and relationships where your partner’s violin wants to kill you.

It is questionable whether the Laundry Files series qualifies as horror novels but I’d dare say they do and the most terrifying things about them are the realism-induced elements. The Apocalypse Codex, for example combines a Dominionist evangelist cult with Cthulhu but it is elements from real-life fundamentalism that are the most disturbing. A Conventional Boy‘s horror comes from its invocation of the actual Satanic Panic of the 1980s and how it’s never really gone away.

Charles Stross gives an extended explanation of this in the Afterword, and enough information in the book to understand it for those who blessedly never heard of it, but the short version is: in the Eighties that a lot of televangelists like Jerry Falwell decided to motivate their followers by claiming X thing was literally invoking Satanic forces. He only touches the tip of the iceberg, but the ridiculous premise was that Dungeons and Dragons books allowed you to summon demons or be possessed by them. It’d be funny if not for the child abuse and witch hunts that ensued.

This is all a rather extensive opening to explain that Derek Reilly was an adolescent in 1984 when the actual occult authorities scooped him and his friends up before institutionalizing them as potential evil wizards. The others eventually were let go but Derek’s autism and social awkwardness resulted in him being treated as a threat. This is particularly notable to me as I have had that kind of fear myself as a neurodivergent person.

Derek ended up spending forty-years in a camp for deprogramming wizards and cultists with his only release being a literal play by mail game once his handlers realized he was harmless but knew too much. Now, with the camp about to be shut down, the nearly-fifty Derek breaks out of his camp to go to a roleplaying game convention. A convention that is filled with cultists but ones that have wandered in from a much more likely source of Satanic power in the real world: corporate marketing culture.

I’ve read virtually the entirety of the Laundry Files and much of Charles Stross’ other work but find that A Conventional Boy resonates with me more than any of the others. The sheer unfairness if Derek’s life has immense pathos. Tabletop gaming has a special role in the minds of many neurodivergent people and the fact it was used to ruin his life is all too believable. Perhaps the story would not hit so hard if I didn’t know fundamentalist families who forced their children to burn their tabletop game supplements.

I have a few minor issues with the story as it really ends a bit too happily given the circumstances. Also, I feel like the climatic final struggle against corporate RPG culture would have been better with a confrontation against the people who imprisoned Derek (and are depersonalized drones of bureaucracy versus someone specific who signed off on imprisoning him decades ago) but I still enjoyed the book. Very much so. There’s a couple of short stories as well.

A Conventional Boy is good, very good. It can also be read effectively as a standalone volume of the series or even an introduction to The Laundry Files. You can start with Derek Reilly’s story to see if the world is for you before trying The Atrocity Archives. I think this is a series well worth picking up and A Conventional Boy is one of the best parts of it.

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REVIEW: An Inkling of Flame by Z.B. Steele

The universe needs more grimdark novellas, and Z.B. Steele delivers in spades with An Inkling of Flame. Although the novella can be read as a standalone volume, it also serves as a gateway to the author’s A Song of the Damned series. An Inkling of Flame tells the story of Layne, a soldier conscripted to fight in service of a deity known as the Fox.

The influence of Anna Smith Spark runs deep throughout An Inkling of Flame, especially in the latter part of the novella. One of the main characters is even named after our beloved Queen of Grimdark. Like much of Anna Smith Spark’s work, An Inkling of Flame takes the perspective of everyday soldiers as they are forced to fight in someone else’s war. A particular highlight of the novella is the camaraderie that forms among Layne and his fellow soldiers, which lends a comforting found family feel to this grimdark world.

An Inkling of Flame is a very well written novella, with carefully polished prose that delivers grimdark grit interspersed with moments of levity coming from the banter among characters. An Inkling of Flame is compulsively readable—I couldn’t put it down and finished the whole novella in a single session.

Z.B. Steele also makes effective use of a framing narrative as Layne recounts his story to an inquisition in the aftermath of battle. Although the framing story appears at first to be superfluous, its importance becomes clear during a few well-placed interludes and the gut-wrenching conclusion of the novella.

An Inkling of Flame establishes Z.B. Steele as a rising star in grimdark as he pays homage to classic grimdark tales while offering a fresh new story with surprising emotional depth. A Song of the Damned continues with Whispers of the Storm, the first full-length novel in the series.

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REVIEW: A Drink Before We Die by Daniel Polansky

If you’ve read the Low Town Trilogy (The Straight Razor Cure, Tomorrow, the Killing, She Who Waits) and you’re looking for a little more of that The Warden awesomeness (or this is your first Low Town and you’re wondering if you need to start reading the trilogy), then look no further—I have just the short story for you. A Drink Before We Die is a brilliant little 20-odd minute read that gives you a nice little taste of Daniel Polansky’s incredible ability to deliver amazing grimdark fantasy stories set in a post-war world where hard, brutal people, do hard brutal things, and The Warden manipulates the hell out of all of them.

The Warden runs Low Town, a rough-as-guts slum part of Rigus. He deals the drugs, runs the streets, knows the people, and controls the crime through knowing everything about everyone, and killing the rest. From across the river, Cosgrave is looking to expand his business into Low Town—looking to eat from The Warden’s table, and then likely own it. He’s all balls and bustle, confronting The Warden in The Warden’s house of business he owns with his old war buddy Adolphus with all pretend niceness and snideness of a mafia don.

As you already know, or will come to know, The Warden isn’t having a dash of that. The Warden picks up what Cosgrave is putting down and immediately moves to action in the way that only The Warden does, eschewing ranks of hired muscle for smarts and manipulation.

A Drink Before We Die is a nice little slice of The Warden’s life—a vignette of manipulation and violence, if you must. As a tie in short story, it does everything you want. It doesn’t rely on you knowing the world or having read the trilogy to understand what’s going on. It gives you a taste of the key characters and the kind of story you’ll read in the novels. Is a complete, stand-alone short story, with a finished arc that hints at the greater story without relying on it. Whenever I’m asked about what we look for when procuring tie-in short stories, A Drink Before we Die will join Mark Lawrence’s Bad Seed as my answer as the best examples I can remember reading.

Polansky has long proven himself an excellent proponent of long form storytelling (Those Above, Those Below, Tomorrow’s Children), then delivered in spades in novella length (The Builders), and now I can confirm Polansky can dominate in short story form as well.

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