Adrian Collins's Blog, page 230

Astartes sets a new benchmark for 40k films (fan or otherwise)

40K fans have been begging creators for a really well-done production of their favourite universe featuring their favourite characters for a long, long time. As far as big productions go, first there was Ultramarines: A Warhammer 40k Movie, which was met, in general, with disappointment or lukewarm applause, despite including the voice acting chops of the legendary John Hurt (IMDB | Rotten Tomatoes). Then The Lord Inquisitor came along, which, while looking amazing, was taking producer Erasmus Brosdau and his team such a long time to deliver that the project was shelved in Feb 2018. But fret not, ye epic grimdark space opera fans, Astartes is here, and it’s absolutely, gloriously, magnificent.

First, let’s talk about the animation. It’s stunning. I watched this on my 42” TV using YouTube and it was gorgeous. Smooth and detailed. Second, let’s talk story. Astartes achieves more progress in four one minute episodes than some one hour episodes of Game of Thrones. The story moves at a cracking pace and really gets moving as the episodes fly by in whirlwinds of bolter fire. Third, the Astartes themselves. This is the first time, to me, that they have been portrayed as actual soldiers—cunning, committed, economical, confident, tactical—and not just as walking tanks shouting “For the Emperor!” as they have a cheeky wander through autocannon fire.  And finally, let’s talk dialogue. There is none. Not a single word. And the production is so much better for it. We are straight into the action. There is no lengthy backstory. No long diatribes about this heretic or that. No speeches about Primarchs and the Emperor. Camaraderie between soldiers is shown in action and not hammed up bromances. It’s genius.

Without further ado, I give you Astartes. I’ll keep dropping new episodes in here as I see them pop up, but make sure you subscribe to their YouTube channel and their Patreon as I have a feeling that wherever the creators are taking this, it’s going to be excellent.

Editor’s note: I couldn’t find the animator and story creator’s name. If you know it, please point me in the right direction so I can update the article.

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REVIEW: The Heart of the Circle by Keren Landsman

Magic and sorcery has always fascinated me in the fantasy genre. There is something so captivating about a wizard casting fireballs or a warlock making pacts with demons and ghouls to attain more power. It was for this reason alone that I was drawn into reading Israeli author, Keren Landsman’s, The Heart of the Circle.

Set in an alternate reality whereby magical users (sorcerers) exist, The Heart of the Circle follows the protagonist Reed, an empath, who becomes the next target of the religious extremist group, the Sons of Simeon after a brutal march for equal rights. This is further complicated by a burgeoning romance and the lackadaisical efforts of protection by the government.

A sombre and heavy tone envelopes the reader as Reed’s opening monologue brilliantly sets up this gloomy world. He states, ‘when the first murder happened we cried for a week…after the second murder, our tears were silent. The third – we stopped crying’. Landsman not only delicately reinforces the state in which her sorcerers live, but the merciless conditions in which they are treated. I was enthralled with this line and of course, this is indicative of Landsman’s writing throughout. Her skill with the world-building of this alternate reality is masterful and I found myself drawn into the sociopolitical and geopolitical aspects of this novel (even though these are mostly teased out with mere fragments littered throughout the pages).

The crux of Landsman’s novel is to Other the sorcerers akin to how Marvel Others the mutants in X-men or (more appropriately) how the mages are Othered in the Dragon Age video game series. Though unoriginal, I do enjoy social critiques in my fantasy, and Landsman expertly weaves critique betwixt her work. It adds yet another layer to this sombre tale and at times, tugs at the heartstrings. Some of it is on the nose and perhaps even awkward, but I appreciate the direction in which Landsman steered the reader. This is the perfect subject to examine during such turbulent times, and I can only encourage more writers to follow her path.

Though The Heart of the Circle works in depicting this rather fractured world, it is at times often hamstrung by a saccharine humour. Sometimes novels do require jovial tone to allow catharsis, but Landsman often interweaves snappy one-liners delivered by Reed alongside such dreadful scenes of explosions, death, and mayhem. Such break-neck transitions confused me and muddled an already salient world. This was only exacerbated by the naming conventions in The Heart of the Circle. The names of some of the characters, such as: Oleander, Blaze, River, Odelia, Aurora, Forrest, Gaia, Tempest, and Lilac feel more at home in a comic book series or a less serious text. It was difficult at times to take these characters seriously, especially when their names often referred to their sorcerous powers. This was unusual in and of itself considering the fact Landsman attempts to subvert stereotype in general.

My understanding of Landsman’s concept of magic was a little muddled as well. It may feel unfair that I’m about to criticise Landsman’s concept of magic when she’s far more interested in the social conventions and contrasting sorcerer rights alongside homosexual, trans, and racial rights. But if an author uses magic in this context (like Dragon Age), the reader must understand the nature and limits behind such magic. I understand that empaths (also known as moodifiers or derogatorily ‘moodys’) can control people’s emotions, but I never really understood how this worked. Reed never really detailed how he worked his magical transference (and if he did, it was minimal at best). The same could be said for the damuses which have the ability to see through time or even the elementalists which range from being proficient in all manner of elemental magic. Do they work like the benders in Avatar: The Last Airbender? Do the damuses have control over their visions? I’m left unsure even though there was a lot of insinuations.

Having said that, Landsman’s novel is exceptionally paced and full of intriguing characters and concepts. I do appreciate that this is situated in a vastly different part of the world and only want to read more fiction from more different points of view like this. As mentioned above, Landsman expertly weaves social and political commentary well, this being the reason I recommend this text. Though I have a few quibbles with the text, I believe these can be mostly glossed over, especially if the reader finds themselves engrossed in the plot, romance, and sorcerer battle spectacle.

Buy this book

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REVIEW: Someone Like Me by M.R. Carey

I received an advanced review copy of Someone Like Me in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank M.R. Carey and Orbit Books. Minor spoilers may follow.

This narrative opens with Liz’s ex-husband Marc attacking her when she asks why her kids are back so late and refuses his request that they should be able go out for a meal that night with their father at this late hour. He throttles her, in an extremely violent fashion, and something in Liz changes, perhaps even takes over so that Liz is an observer in or around her own body. She stabs him in the face with a broken bottle and then returns to her normal calm and grounded self. Was it her that was that violent even though it was self-defence?

This is an exceptional psychological thriller that blew my mind. It follows four point of view perspectives in the third person. I won’t say whether or not the same character is presented in these point of views by their different personalities… but why would I write that if that wasn’t the case?

The two main characters are Liz and Fran. Liz is the loving, devoted and admirable parent who has a violent ex. For ten years she thought his apologies were legitimate as she is a decent yet blindsided lady who loved her children as any mother would. Fran is a teenager who has hallucinations, mental illness and has had a horrific ordeal when she was six years old and was kidnapped by a deranged individual for having a strange shadow. She also has an imaginary protector called Lady Jinx who is a fox, wields a sword and looks after Fran, and is one of her only friends and companions… even though it is only in her mind.

“Less like a hallucination and more like a memento mori.”

It’s very difficult to review this book without spoiling what happens. Essentially, Liz has two personalities. A Liz and a Beth. Beth is a being who has died 100’s of times in alternative universes after being murdered by Marc. Her life was almost a parallel of Liz’s with the same lover, children, habits, haunts, and lifestyle yet, as I recently read in Mark Lawrence’s One Word Kill the theory is presented that every decision you can make, in an alternate universe your choice would have a differentiating outcome. Beth crosses worlds after death and haunts Liz. Wanting to take over and do what she wanted to do to her universe’s Marc and raise the kids she lost the way she would. It’s deep, haunting and a little bit mind-bending.

There aren’t many main characters in this. It is almost entirely focused on the main two players who I’ve mentioned’s life and families. We have Zac who stands up for Fran at school after protecting her when she’s called ‘Freaky Fran’. Molly, Zac’s sister, is a hyper 6-year-old who has the imagination of the finest writers and the way she questions all would put politicians to shame. There is also Fran’s awesome father Gil who is the epitome of how a single father should be, without taking into consideration that his daughter sees changes in her reality as frequent as she visits her school.

This book was really interesting and intriguing for me and I’d love to know what research M.R. Carey did to get the insight into his characters’ minds. I’ve suffered from mental illness and I’ve seen the ghosts or the shadows at the end of the room or by the door that shouldn’t be there. I personally have changed plains whilst still being awake in this world. I’ve heard voices of friends in my mind telling me stuff even though I’ve not seen them for five years. These experiences are included here but heightened sevenfold so I’m interested how true what is mentioned here is accurate in real life cases. But I digress, this is an absolutely spectacular book that has far too low a rating on Goodreads for its quality. I’ll be checking out his past and future works as soon as I can.

Buy Someone Like Me

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REVIEW: Crowfall by Ed McDonald

Our team were so excited for book three of the Raven’s Mark series that we’re going to do a GdM first and publish two reviews of this book. Below you’ll find reviews by Durand Welsh (who reviewed Blackwing and Ravencry here on GdM) and James Tivendale. Warning: being the third book in a trilogy, there is obviously a few spoilers int he words below, so read warily oh thee fantasy traveller.

Review 1: Durand

Ed McDonald’s Raven’s Mark series is played out against the backdrop of an endless war between humanity and the Deep Kings, god-like beings intent on the subjugation of all mankind. In their fight, humanity is aided by the Nameless, wizards who have themselves ascended to near god-like status but whose ultimate aims are inscrutable.

Crowfall is the third novel, and as in the previous two novels, the protagonist is Captain Ryhalt Galharrow, an enforcer of the Nameless called Crowfoot. Over six years have passed since the previous novel, Ravencry, and Ryhalt is now eking out a hermit’s existence deep within the magical wasteland called the Misery. His exposure to the Endless Devoid, the Misery’s heart, has warped him in both body and soul. He now has superhuman physical gifts and has acquired the unique ability to navigate the Misery without astronomical tools, but he also suffers from hallucinatory visions and the slow corruption of his humanity.

His self-imposed exile is a routine, directionless one, until an emissary from the Nameless arrives to inform him that Crowfoot, grievously weakened in a previous battle with the Deep Kings, has forged a new apocalyptic weapon that is the last hope for the war. Galharrow must journey once more to the city of Valengrad to answer the summons and execute Crowfoot’s plan.

Suffice to say, what follows isn’t straightforward, and no end of complications arise. Galharrow’s old friends are embroiled in dangerous troubles of their own, the current Marshal of Valengrad despises him, and someone has been murdering Crowfoot’s other captains. A few bloody fights later, Galharrow has cleared a path through to the first major task in Crowfoot’s plan: the requisition of the heart of an eons-dead monstrosity referred to simply as the ice fiend. The fiend, as befits a creature whose heart can power a doomsday device, is located in a frozen waste accessible only through the Duskland Gate, a portal harnessing the power of death itself. Tough going, and it only gets tougher.

The other Nameless, as Galharrow discovers shortly after arriving in Valengrad, have also sent forth their own representatives into the city: Nall has sent Valiya, Galharrow’s one-time romantic interest, but now gifted with the abilities of a mathematical savant; the Lady of Waves has sent her captain, the coldly efficient killer North; Shallowgrave has sent the inhuman soldiers known as the Marble Guard.

Ostensibly, the Nameless are united in a last ditch attempt to save humanity, but Galharrow is a cynical man at the best of times, and he knows that betrayal is only a matter of time. Even Amaira, who he thinks of as one would a daughter, is now one of Crowfoot’s captains, and the bonds to her Nameless master overshadow the old ties he and her once shared. Then there is Ezabeth, Galharrow’s one true love, lost somewhere in the magical aether of the Light and an unknown quantity in the upcoming final battle with the Deep Kings.

Amaira, Ezabeth and Valiya are familiar faces, and there is no shortage of characters from the previous novels. In addition to those already cited, returning readers will recognise Maldon, Dantry, Nenn (or at least her ghost), Tnota and others.

In fact much of Crowfall’s conflict stems from Galharrow having to navigate relationships that were established in the previous books but which now must be dealt with on new terms. Tnota’s loyalty to him comes into conflict with Tnota’s newfound domestic life; his former comrades Dantry and Maldon are wanted fugitives with an unknown agenda; Valiya is professional and emotionally distant towards him following their parting in Ravencry; Amaira is a woman grown with no need of his protection.

My only gripe here is that the quantity of characters from past books doesn’t give each of them a lot of room to develop. This is understandable, as McDonald has to cram two books worth of characters plus a cast of new characters into the new book, but at times the characterisation feels pared down.

That, though, is a minor criticism. On the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed Crowfall. While Blackwing is my favourite of the three Raven’s Mark novels – the prose, dialogue and world are a bit fresher and the cast of characters more tightly circumscribed – I preferred Crowfall to Ravencry. Crowfall reprises Blackwing’s darkness and sense of impending doom, and is as bleak and grim a novel as fantasy offers.

While I think it would be possible for a reader to jump in with this novel, it would be nowhere near as rewarding an experience as beginning with Blackwing. One of the pleasures of this novel is seeing the culmination of Galharrow’s journey, and witnessing how events in previous novels have changed him and influenced his destiny. Crowfall is certainly a worthy resolution to Galharrow’s tale, and if you’ve read the previous two novels, you won’t be disappointed.

Review 2: James

“Another Heart of the Void? The sky is shattered, the rain sends men mad. Even the geese are trying to eat us. What the fuck do we have to gain by unleashing that kind of power again?”

I received an advanced reading copy of Crowfall in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Ed McDonald and Ace Books for the opportunity. May contain spoilers for Ravencry.

Crowfall is an engaging and thrilling final chapter to an excellent dark fantasy trilogy. I have seen the Raven’s Mark series referred to as Grimheart. I thought that tag was a joke initially but the more I have thought about it the more fitting the label actually seems. However chaotic, gruesome, or terrible things may seem in this world there are always underlining currents of hope and love.

This narrative is set six years after the conclusion of Ravencry when Shavada was blasted from the grandspire’s roof and the city was saved. We see a very different Ryhalt Galharrow. Since that event, the Blackwing Captain has been residing in isolation in the Misery. Eating the monstrosities that lurk within the land, conversing with the ghosts that haunt it, and every night returning to the Always House, a comfortable country cottage, seemingly unaffected by the magic of the Misery except that it resets once a day. The reason for Galharrow’s need to be alone and in the Misery of all places is unclear but the Misery has changed him and become a part of him. He’s become an expert navigator and converses with the Misery frequently. He is even referred to as the ‘son of the Misery.’ Although he’s been living as a hermit it seems everybody wants Galharrow eradicated, from the Nameless to the men of the Citadel. If that wasn’t bad enough, the Deep Kings now have an Emperor and are looking to march on the living with their Drudge army. Galharrow knows he has an important part to play in the upcoming war.

I’ve always enjoyed following Galharrow’s first-person perspective. He’s such a likable character throughout the series although he really shouldn’t be. In Ravencry he was traipsing around the fringes of madness however for parts of Crowfall he is as good as insane. It’s written and presented in expert fashion and as a reader, I tried to analyse reality and exactly what was going on in Galharrow’s mind.

The characters that have been crafted by McDonald are brilliant and jump off the page here. Series mainstays such as the aging navigator Tnota and no-nosed violence adoring Major Nenn (even though she’s dead) are as important as ever in Crowfall. Joining these and other players such as Dantry, Maldon, and Valiya are new and influential characters such as sharp-eyed shooter North and marble guardian, First.

I’m not sure what the technical phrasing is but the way McDonald wrote led me to create amazing visuals of all the places frequented and portraits of all the characters in my mind. I was so engaged that I almost felt that I was there alongside Galharrow throughout his adventures and struggles. I was fully invested in him and the narrative as a whole.

I won’t divulge too much information about what takes place in Crowfall other than that there are so many standout moments and stunning set-pieces. As the conclusion to one of my favourite recent fantasy series, I was not disappointed by any aspect. In a few years time when fans of dark fantasy think of standout characters in the genre, Galharrow is a name that will be uttered alongside Jorg, Geralt, and Locke Lamora. The finale was epic, lasted for about twenty percent of the novel and often left me breathless with the battles, showdowns, twists, awesome reveals, and betrayals. Essentially it had everything I required on my epic fantasy bingo card. Blackwing remains one of my favourite ever books. The following two books in the series never quite reached the lofty heights but are still pretty damn awesome. This is a series that needs to be read by all dark fantasy and grimdark fans.

Purchase a copy

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REVIEW: Meet Me in the Future by Kameron Hurley

Meet Me in the Future is the upcoming short story collection from Hugo and Locus award winner, Kameron Hurley (The Light Brigade, The Stars are Legion, God’s War, Mirror Empire, etc). It contains sixteen stories, previously published in various publications as far back as 2006, including a couple that take place in worlds that will be familiar to her devoted readers. It’s a heady mixture of weird, futuristic science fiction that’s sure to please her fans and should earn her some new ones, too.  Full disclosure: I’ve only read a couple of her books – The Stars are Legion, God’s War, and Apocalypse Nyx – but I am somewhat of a fanboy. Apocalypse Nyx was my favorite book of 2018. However, this collection seems not to rest on her significant laurels.  I found each story to be very well written, deeply emotional, and shockingly original. As expected, the stories are mostly gender transgressive and gay, which I no longer find of central importance to her work, like I did when I first read The Stars are Legion. Meet Me in the Future is just good stories well told. In fact, there’s so much goodness here, I’m having trouble deciding where to begin.

Two of my favorite stories in the collection involve investigation plots, detective-style stories. In “Garda,” a private detective, Abijah, investigates the murder of a boy whose corpse lies beached on the glass sand shore of river used for industrial purposes. Abijah is a former garda, police detective, who is a recovering drug addict and is in the middle of a divorce in which her two spouses have decided they’d be better off without her. As always in Hurley’s fiction, the characters and situations come from depths of her incredibly creative mind. However, not only is Abijah a delightfully complex and flawed character, but the story demonstrates Hurley’s masterful control of a complex plot. The story reminds me of the best of Edgar Allen Poe (and probably Sherlock Holmes if I’d read more of those). Clue after clue and twist after twist shock the reader until the highly unpredictable ending. It’s a gripping tale.

Similarly, in “The Sinners and the Sea,” a young apprentice Guardian boy, Arret, goes on a hunt to find the source of a relic of forbidden technology. This story takes place in a strange and beautiful setting, a city of small islands floating in the sky above the drowned land below. The chosen live in the sky and the sinners have been drowned by the floods below. Guardians protect the island dwellers from technology of the past, which is usually dug up from the flooded sea below and is inherently sinful. Arret accidentally forgets to hand over a piece of technology he found to the Grunts, so he is basically “fucked” and expects to be thrown off the islands into the sea, the punishment for sinners. While weighing how he can possibly get himself out of this quandary, he sets of to find out where the relic came from, which inevitably brings him down to the sea below, where he finds out a deadly truth he was not looking for. It is a beautiful story, the ending of which reminded me a little of the “epiphany” stories in James Joyce’s Dubliners, and the beginning of which reminded me a little of Jeff Vandermeer’s brilliant novella Dradin, In Love from his City of Saints and Madmen collection. If I’m not mistaken Hurley and Vandermeer are friends or at least associates.

Two of the stories in the collection, “Elephants and Corpses” and “The Fisherman and the Pig,” involve the body mercenary Nev, who keeps himself alive by rapidly switching his ‘self’ to another body just before he dies. The stories are well done and very complex, though the concept does require some willing suspension of disbelief at first. Nevertheless, “The Fisherman and the Pig,” is an extremely touching story in which Nev must switch bodies from that of an old fisherman to a much bigger stronger man, but his beloved pet pig has fallen in love with the old man’s body. Nev must try to convince the pig that the big, strong man is still himself. Aside from being an exploration of René Descartes’s mind-body problem, it is also a tense and emotionally engaging story.

If I had to pick a personal favorite story in the collection, it might be “When We Fall,” another beautiful romance about an organic spaceship mechanic (if you’ve read The Stars are Legion, you’ll remember organic spaceships) who falls in love with a warship’s avatar. The story starts with a frightening accident at the space station, in which the main character, Aisha, is trapped between two collided spaceships. Hurley beautifully creates Aisha’s tense, claustrophobic, and extremely painful predicament.  A woman comes to help keep Aisha calm while she waits for rescue, and Aisha falls in love with her. When Aisha recovers from her injuries and leaves the hospital, the woman is gone, and Aisha is determined to find her. Like the other stories in the collection, “When We Fall” is dazzling in its science fiction ingenuity and creativity, but the beauty of the story is in its emotional intensity.

The only story I did not enjoy in the collection is “The Plague Givers.” The story itself is Hurley’s usual genius, but in this story the narrator insists on using the pronoun “per” to mean “he/she and his/her” for a non-gendered character. This kept knocking me out of the emotional and entertainment content of the story, which is probably deliberate. This is a postmodern technique that forces the reader to stop and intellectualize the story characters and events as opposed to just getting enjoyably lost in them. In this case the reader is forced to think, “this person has no gender,” every time this textual hurdle comes up, and I’m not sure it even matters. Readers who think gender issues are paramount, however, might enjoy it as much as I disliked it.

Other than that, this a fantastic collection. Fans of Hurley will enjoy revisiting the world of Bel Dame Apocrypha in the terrifying “The Women of Our Occupation” and will get a sneak peak at the world of her latest novel, The Light Brigade, in a short story of the same name. Readers should enjoy the truly astounding “Warped Passages,” in which an entire legion of a generation ships fleeing their destroyed planet is trapped in mid-space by a living “anomaly,” and the tense hostage standoff drama in “The Red Secretary.”

And there is much, much more.

Meet Me in the Future is a brilliant story collection that both amazes the reader with Hurley’s incredible imaginative genius and writing chops as well as it takes hold of the readers emotions like only the best fiction can. These stories are not only great reading, but they’re also great re-reading, as I’ve found in the process of writing this review. Readers who appreciate the best that SFF and grim science fiction have to offer should definitely be reading Kameron Hurley.

Buy Meet Me in the Future

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REVIEW: A Time of Blood by John Gwynne

I received an uncorrected proof copy of A Time of Blood in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank John Gwynne and Pan Macmillian for the opportunity. This review will contain spoilers for A Time of Dread.

The second entry in the Of Blood and Bone trilogy starts one day after the legendary giant Sig’s last stand against the Kadoshim forces. Her heroism granted her comrades enough time to escape and we pick up the action with Drem, Cullen and Keld. In the wake of the destruction and the horrors they have witnessed the group race towards sanctuary at the fortress of Dun Seren. Elsewhere, white-wing Riv and Sirak Prince Bleda are debating their options after the attack of the Ben Elim’s stronghold of Drassil, taking into consideration the revelation that Riv is now clearly a winged half-breed. If she is seen in her current, true form the consequences would be drastic and Riv would be executed as an abomination.

Akin to A Time of Dread, this novel also follows four point of view perspectives. Readers will be familiar with the characters and viewpoints of the trapper Drem, the warrior Riv and the archer Bleda. A new perspective is that of Fritha – a priestess and captain of the Kadoshim’s covens. This is our first insight into the mind of a player on the ‘evil’ side. Although she was featured in the first book – mainly as Drem’s infatuation and ultimate betrayer – here, Gwynne fleshes her out as a character expertly. Throughout her chapters, she reflects about her upbringing, the loss of her child, her current motives and her overall mission objectives. We witness that she has legitimate reasons for her hatred and is not just a two-dimensional warped, pure evil lady. There is very little in Gwynne’s The Banished Lands that is 100% good or 100% evil. The distinction is cloudier and greyer in this series than what came prior, with the Ben-Elim and Kadoshim now residing in the human world. The Ben-Elim are now intune with and tempted by a plethora of human-like emotions that they did not know in the Otherworld.

In my opinion, Gwynne does two things better than the majority of fantasy writers.

Firstly, making me truly, truly care about the characters he’s constructed. There were many moments throughout this narrative where events from The Faithful and the Fallen were mentioned and just remembering the characters and the impact they had on me led to my tears actually blurring the words on the page I was reading before I realised it. After spending more time with Of Blood and Bone’s ensemble – through battles, betrayals, will they/won’t they love dramas, camaraderie and a sense of belonging – I care for the main and side players much more than I did in the first instalment. I’ve always enjoyed Gwynne’s depiction of animals and the parts they play to the overall narrative. Here we have loyal wolven-hounds, talking birds, flirting bears and some crazy warped concoctions of monstrosities too.

Secondly, and I’ll keep this one shortish because if you’ve read any of Gwynne’s releases you’ll be more than aware that he writes battles, duels, skirmishes and confrontations better than anyone in the business right now.

After epic battles galore, the final few moments are stunning and I have no idea what implications this event will cause for the series’ final entry. I cannot wait at all! Hopefully, knowing John’s work rate, the conclusion to the trilogy will arrive sometime next year (crosses fingers). Although this isn’t my favourite of Gwynne’s works, it is still pretty phenomenal. Gwynne is one of the finest modern fantasy writers around. The Order of the Bright Star shout ‘Truth and Courage’ when they charge into battle. Looking at the consistent, high quality of Gwynne’s outings, I imagine when he writes he has a mantra that states ‘anything below excellent is not good enough.’

Buy your copy now

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REVIEW: Beyond the Shadows Volume One – A Grimdark Anthology

It’s always an exciting thing to see a new anthology of grimdark stories when it’s released. Great artwork typically pulls me in along with a list of stories promising lots of grit, swords, and dismemberment.

This was no exception, even though it was a compilation of indie authors. No problem, as anthologies are a great way to discover new voices in fantasy.

Beyond the Shadows was a fun collection, though I found it to be a bit of a mixed bag, as many are. There was the good, the bad, and definitely the ugly. In this book, we are introduced to such things as immortal beings trying to blend into society, traders in an untamed wilderness hunting river monsters, an interrogation of a gnoll war leader, some power sucking urchin eaters, the solving of domestic abuse issues with dark witchcraft, pirates turned military in an Asian setting with Haitian magic, queens giving birth to twins while holding court over accused traitors, warrior women with male “peons” serving them on a suicide mission, a spoiled brat of an inheriting teen coming to terms with his own vileness, soldiers in mech suits baiting dragons, gunslinger sorceries in a Western landscape, a mercenary band trying to survive on a weird island, and the last soldier standing against a horde of undead led by a super necromancer.

But beyond all of this were two stories that stood out above the rest. These are two tales that will have me looking up their authors and adding titles to my To Be Read list.

First of these was I, Legion by T. O. Munro. This was an excellent story, with a main character burdened with a creepy power of absorbing the souls of those she has killed. She inherits their abilities and knowledge, but has to live with their crazy personalities in her head.

The second was Stiff’s Standoff by Jamie Edmundson. This was a great take on the mercenary band theme facing impossible odds but finding unexpected solutions, with a great combination of grit and humor that is the trademark of good grimdark. Like the story mentioned before, there were a lot of twists and unexpected surprises, especially for a story this short.

The rest of the pack was interesting, if not as wonderful as these two 5-star tales. Honestly, there is a lot to like and something for everybody, but a good number of these fall short due to the editing. There were some great ideas that could have been a lot better with some solid polishing.

All in all, this was a pleasing experience, and I’m happy to say that there are several authors worth further exploration. There are several promising careers in fantasy writing showcased here.

Purchase Beyond the Shadows now

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REVIEW: The Ruthless by Peter Newman

I received an advanced copy of The Ruthless in an exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Peter Newman and Harper Voyager for this opportunity. Spoilers for The Deathless in this review.

The Ruthless is set sixteen-years after the finale of The Deathless. During this time Lady Pari Tanzanite has been between lives and the narrative begins with her rebirth into a younger vessel. Throughout this period Mother Chandri has been raising her son Satyendra who is the proposed rebirth vessel for Sapphire Lord Rochant but without Chandri being aware, there is utter evil inside her son and he might not give up his life so easily. The youth Sa-at has been living amongst the trees, the terrors, and his birdkin friend Crowflies in the Wilds. Finally, Lord Vasin has been trying, slowly, to gain support from the other houses in his mission to remove Yadavendra as House Sapphire’s High Lord. During this time too, the monstrosities and horrors of the wild have been acting too and Lord Vasin now travels to assist House Ruby who has been attacked frequently by the numerous grotesque beings. Something is different with these attacks from the once thought of as brainless terror-inducing creatures, almost as if they are planned, organised, and have an endgame.

My reading pace was slow initially and this is due to the complexity and depth of the crafted world. In addition, it took me some time to reacquaint myself with the dramatis personae. I was trying to put a jigsaw together in my mind reminding me who certain characters were, who they were affiliated with, who their ex-lovers were, who they were plotting against etc… It took me about five chapters until everything fell back into place. The chapters are approximately 15-20 pages and after the slow beginning, were intensely addictive. The story follows 5-6 point of view perspectives, the majority of which we will be familiar with from the first book, and that of Satyendra.

My favourite sections to read about were those of Sa-at’s escapades with him trying to survive in the Wild. As a wildborn, he has affiliations and agreements with the aspects of the dangerous Wilds including pacts with trees, birds and even the notorious Murderkind. His development is one of The Ruthless‘ standout elements, as are the set-pieces that happen to him throughout. So of the most grotesque segments happen through his seasoned but still sometimes childlike viewpoint. Crowflies is still an amazingly well-crafted companion who he has a telepathic link with. I adore wildlife companions in fantasy.

The other two real standout perspectives are those of Satyendra and Lord Vasin. Satyendra’s inner dark thoughts are intense and chilling but he paints a perfect to picture to all those around him. Lord Vasin, the Deathless hunter was my favourite character from the last book, and I loved the progression here. He’s up to his neck in complex plots, propositions, and plans with the aim of saving his exiled mother’s life and returning House Sapphire to glory.

Like it’s predecessor, The Ruthless still very much revolves around the Floating Cities, The Godsroads, The Wilds and The Deathless. The latter being elite almost superhero overpowered hunters who wear winged armour, Paralympian runner-style blades and protect the world from the unspeakable terrors that lurk in the depths of the Wilds. Although more complex, I believe this book exceeds its predecessor in almost every way and I rated that 4.5-stars. Many of the set-pieces blew my mind especially an event that took place in a swamp and another that happened within a throne room. Some of the revelations, twists, and shocks I did not see coming at all. I adore novels that I can’t predict and this is definately a novel that ticks that box. One of the most developed, unique, and thrilling fantasy series currently being written. This is highly recommended to all grimdark and dark fantasy readers, and anyone who enjoys political or horror-tinged fantasy drama. Also, there is a moment at the very end I won’t discuss, but just wow, it was one of my favourite scenes from anything I’ve read in a long time.

Finally, I would highly recommend not reading this book unless you have read The Deathless. My review of which can be found here.

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COMPETITION: Win a signed hardcover of PRIEST OF BONES by Peter McLean

Our most difficult to please reviewer, malrubius, said this about Priest of Bones by Peter McLean in his review, “Fans of the Black Company, Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence, and the like will surely eat up Priest of Bones. Highly recommended.”

In other words, if you’re a fan of this site, this book should be right up your alley. Which makes an opportunity to win a signed and dedicated copy of the hardcover something to get excited about! A few quick clicks is all it takes, so get in for a chance to win.

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We’re using Rafflecopter to help give away this prize to a randomly chosen winner, so use the tool below to post your entries. The more you help us spread the word, the more chances you have to win.

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Our review for priest of bones

Priest of Bones is the new fantasy novel by Peter McLean, author of the Burned Man urban fantasy series. It is a decidedly grim and dark, not-for-the-kiddies-thank-god, story that essentially recounts a turf war in the city of Ellinburg, told by one of its gang leaders, Thomas Piety, an army priest. With its fast-moving plot, intense conflicts, interesting characters, and compelling narrative, Priest of Bones is sure to be among the favourite reads for grimdark fantasy fans this year. I am already looking forward to its follow-up in what will eventually become the War for the Rose Throne series.

Read the rest of the review, here.

Our review for book 2 Priest of Lies

We return to Ellinburg following the first person perspective of gangster boss Thomas Piety, the head of the Pious Men. The way that McLean writes led me to feel like I was actually walking the streets of The Stink, enjoying a mug of beer in the Tanner’s Arms and that I was almost a member of the Pious Men myself. When a fantasy world has me that invested then it is difficult for an author to do much wrong. Since I read Priest of Bones I have read about 100 books so I always worry when returning to a fictional world after I’ve spent too much time away. Will I remember the characters? Political agendas? Warring factions? Etc… With Priest of Lies, I need not have worried. The reading experience at the beginning was like trying on a favourite hat that I thought I’d lost to find out that it still fitted perfectly and I still looked good in it! I fitted in with the world here again straight away and it was a great feeling.

Read the rest of the review, here.

 

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REVIEW: Seven Blades in Black by Sam Sykes

“Before you embark on a journey of vengeance,” the old adage goes, “dig two graves.” Sal the Cacophony, the protagonist of Sam Sykes’ new Seven Blades in Black, didn’t get the memo. Betrayed by those she loved and trusted most, Sal was robbed of her magic and left for dead. Armed with a sentient gun, a bottle of whiskey, and a fistful of spell-worked bullets, readers follow Sal as she carves a path of destruction across the blasted wasteland of the Scar in relentless pursuit of the thirty-three mages who took everything from her. After all, what are a paltry two graves to a woman who’s filled cemeteries?

Readers receive a firsthand account of Sal’s bloody vendetta from the woman herself. In terms of structure, the majority of the novel is a first-person frame narrative with Sal recounting the events that led to her capture moments before her impending execution. As the lead character and protagonist, Sal is a fascinating dumpster fire of a human being with a drinking problem, an itchy trigger finger, and an unforgettable narrative voice. While I sometimes struggle with stories told in flashback, I felt like this slightly unconventional structure did a great job of putting readers in the interrogation room with Sal and allowed her to tell her story to best effect. On the whole, I found Sal to be a first-class antihero with all of the depth, realism, and moral complexity the archetype entails.

In her hunt for the wizards who wronged her, Sal is joined by an idealistic soldier named Cavric and Liette, a sorcerous artificer who’s smarter than everyone else and damn well knows it. While both of these characters were complex enough to stand on their own, their dynamic and interactions with Sal and each other truly made them shine. Cavric’s wide-eyed optimism, for example, paired nicely with Sal’s frank cynicism and led to some great dialogue and top-notch development for both characters. On the other side of the conflict, the mages who oppose them make for equally compelling antagonists—my personal favorite being the nightmarish Taltho the Scourge, a half-insane illusionist with slashed-off lips and dead trees tattooed up and down his arms.

At just over 700 pages, this substantial book could likely be considered a bludgeoning weapon in some countries, but solid pacing, cinematic action, and the constant tension and high stakes of Sal’s hunt keep the plot moving and pages turning at a timely clip. Among these factors, I found the fight scenes to be a real standout. On social media, Sykes has discussed the Japanese-RPG-inspired roots of this novel, and the anime-esque scale and aesthetics of every wizard Sal duels translate surprisingly well to the written word. More importantly, I thought the author did a great job of avoiding pulpy blow-by-blow action and instead offered up conflicts full of emotion—feelings of betrayal, rage, and tragedy—that really gripped me as a reader and made me care about who walked out alive.

While this book leans more toward heroic fantasy than grimdark, the sorcery-scorched wastelands of the Scar are bleak and bloody enough to satisfy any fan of the subgenre. And beyond the charred earth, impoverished Freeholds, and the flesh-stealing horrors that populate it, the factions that war over the land are little better off. The Revolution is composed primarily of brainwashed zealots and the leaders who exploit them and carelessly waste their lives. The Imperium is a nation of decadent, opera-loving wizard aristocrats where non-magical citizens (Nuls) are little more than enslaved serfs. Haven is a theocracy ruled by a horrific priesthood and the disturbing magic their god grants them. All in all, the Scar and the surrounding world provide an excellent backdrop for a protagonist as morally complex as Sal and a great sandbox for her adventure.

On the subject of worldbuilding, the novel’s magic system was one of my favorite elements. The Imperium’s mages pay a price called the Trade whenever they cast a spell, and the short and long-term costs of this bargain vary by what form of sorcery they practice. Nightmages for example, can weave illusions and beguile the senses of their foes with waking dreams. In exchange, they gradually lose their ability to sleep without horrific nightmares and become warped by chronic insomnia. Gatemages can teleport in the blink of an eye and move legions with little preparation at the cost of temporary (and eventually permanent) paralysis. While this magic system was more art than Sandersonian science with hard and fast rules, the Trade’s sense of tragic romanticism really worked for me as a reader.

Darker elements aside, this book is far from bleak. Seven Blades in Black is a fun-as-hell read, and fans of Sykes’s previous work (or his Twitter account) will recognize and enjoy his usual humor. In addition to some familiar elements (giant aerial combat birds, feuding powers turning cities into battlegrounds, etc.), Seven Blades in Black contains the same wildly inventive worldbuilding and deeply emotional stakes that made the Bring Down Heaven trilogy excellent. Overall, I can wholeheartedly give this book five stars and recommend it to any reader with an interest in sorcery, a thirst for vengeance, or the simple craving for a good novel.

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