Adrian Collins's Blog, page 230

REVIEW: Fool’s Errand by Robin Hobb

Fool’s Errand is set 15-years after the finale of Assassin’s Quest (spoilers included in this review). Once again we follow FitzChivalry Farseer — the assumed dead royal bastard. In song, he is acknowledged by many as being the Witted Bastard ghost that rose from the dead to aid his uncle Verity who was the rightful heir to the throne and he helped him raise the Elderlings and save the Six Duchees.

History is no more fixed and dead than the future. The past is no further away than the last breath you took.

In the years since the Farseer trilogy, Fitz, or Tom Badgelock as he is now currently known has been living in isolation. Well, not exactly. He is accompanied by his adopted son Hap and his wolf companion, Nighteyes. They look after chickens, tend to a handful of horses, and produce herbs they can sell at the local markets.

One evening Chade, the former assassin for the King and Fitz’s former mentor arrives at his abode. They discuss past times and also current dramas. Chade presents Fitz with a proposition which he politely refuses. A day or so afterwards, his other best friend, known as the Fool arrives also and after reminiscing, he refers to the dire times and grave tidings that Chade had already mentioned. The future king-in-waiting, Fitz’s Skill-formed/created son who he has never known has been kidnapped. It takes a while to convince him but after consideration, Fitz decides to assist, although the consequences when he has aided the Farseer line before have not always been the most sought after. Losing your one love, torture, death, children you can never know… etc. Approximately four people know his true identity so he takes on the guise as acting as the manservant of the Fool’s new character, Lord Golden. The Fool is a frivolous and eccentric noble that all wish to impress, flirt with, or have the attention of.

I am aware that this series should really be read after the Liveship Traders. I jumped straight back into the story of Fitz as I love him as a character. He’s a hero, honourable, has the worst luck and does all for the monarchy and what is true even if he loses because of his choices. He is the Changer after all. In this novel, I can’t say 100%, but I don’t think you are missing much from not reading the other trilogy. The next book, when the entourage from Bingtown arrive and we are told about another of the Fool’s characters, Amber, is when I believe prior knowledge of their related pasts would be beneficial but it isn’t absolutely necessary as I loved this trilogy, but I can’t deny my enjoyment may have been heightened if I had read the Liveship Traders first.

Buy Fool’s Errand

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REVIEW: Roots by Matthew Ward

Roots is an enjoyable Coldharbour novella story by Matthew Ward, who you’ll likely know from Grimdark Magazine #4, Evil is a Matter of Perspective, and the hotly anticipated Legacy of Ash.

In Roots, Isra’s business partner is off on another payless errand, and their office is falling apart around them. A job walks through the door in the form of a lawyer named Cole, and he’s asking her to confront her fear of the London Underground… and something else she thought left in her past.

Told in a not-quite-noir detective / private eye style with Ward’s excellent ability to build a world around you through his characters (the author is obviously very comfortable in his London-esque urban fantasy world Coldharbour) this story is an engaging read. I have always especially liked Ward’s verbal fencing between his characters, and that shines through here.

Roots is an excellent little novella well worth your time. It doesn’t have the grimdark themes our fans love, but I highly recommend throwing a few bob and an hour’s reading time at it when maybe you need a bit of a break to brush the grit from your teeth.

Buy Roots

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REVIEW: Knight’s Shadow by Sebastien de Castell

Fun, dark, witty, brutal. Knight’s Shadow is a masterpiece in fantasy writing that will put Sebastien de Castell on your favourite writers shelf. Knight’s Shadow, book two of The Greatcoats series continued from the unrelenting pace of Traitor’s Blade, but somehow manages to shift a few gears up. There is rarely a chance to pause for breath within this story, where Falcio, Kest and Brasti carry on with their adventure.

“Happiness is a series of grains of sand spread out in a desert of violence and anguish.”

These three characters have some of the best dialogue in fantasy that I have read. Sebastien is as consistent at writing fun, witty and thought provoking dialogue as Brasti is at making an un-modest but hilarious remark about anything and everything. Each page containing these three was a pleasure to read (or listen to, this was an audible listen, Joe Jameson did a superb job).

We follow the changing band of Greatcoats as they are thrown (or seemingly run, walk, shuffle and even amble) into danger, political intrigue, swashbuckling and breath-taking action sequences, duels, immense torture, philosophical conversations and hopeless moments of frustration. There have been references through book one and two of The Greatcoat’s Lament, and the scene in this book is one of the darkest and most disturbing scenes I’ve read in fantasy. It made me feel sadness and sorrow that I really had not expected to feel from a Greatcoat instalment.

“Do you always run headlong into certain death?” “Sometimes he walks,” Dariana said. “Occasionally he shuffles. Once I’m pretty sure I saw him amble into certain death.”

After having met Sebastien several times, I can see where his witty dialogue stems from. This story is full of moments that had me laughing out loud, much to the odd looks from people around me as I listened to Knight’s Shadow. I really love our three protagonists, and cannot wait to continue reading their journey. Also, a massive shoutout to characters who don’t have as much page time as Falcio, Kest and Brasti, but are equally as enjoyable and unique in their own rights. Valiana’s arc is a breath of fresh air, and Dariana is a force that matches Brasti in his amusing ways. Even a surprise appearance from my favourite torturer turned forgetful law-sayer.

Also, there had to be characters I hated in this story. In the words of Nigel Benn, I actually do hate them. De Castell did a fantastic job in making betrayals feel heart wrenchingly brutal, and made the baddies just an even darker shade of bad. It is rare to find a book that really explores the ‘bad’ characters, their motives and own personalities. Knight’s Shadow did this brilliantly and really made me feel anger and sorrow.

“It’s stories that inspire people to change. It’s stories that make them believe things can be better.”

There was a lot of to and fro and this story, travelling and a lot happened. But it was done in a fantastic way and I really am sold on this story. I’m also sat here wondering, can Falcio (or even Kest) have ANY MORE BAD LUCK?

The answer, presumably is yes. Yes they can.

Time for Saint’s Blood.

5/5 – a swashbuckling adventure that will have you laughing, punching the air, squirming and pondering all of the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ in the world. Scenes that will shock people, and others that will make them root forever for the Greatcoats. Sebastien de Castell is brilliant.

Buy Knight’s Shadow

Originally published in Grimdark Magazine #20

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REVIEW: The Bard’s Blade by Brian D Anderson

I received an advanced review copy of The Bard’s Blade in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Brian D. Anderson and TOR for the opportunity.

Vylari is hospitable and picturesque although quite mundane environment where we are introduced to the two point of view characters that we follow throughout the narrative. Lem is an extremely talented musician, arguably the greatest in Vylari despite his relatively young age, and he plays a balisar. Anytime he plays he takes audiences through a whole plethora of emotions with his exquisite musicianship and will always be the reason that town squares are filled to the brim everywhere he frequents. The second main character is Mariyah, Lem’s betrothed and the daughter of a winemaker. She’s strong-willed, extremely good with numbers and her’s and Lem’s relationship seems perfect. Lem travels as a musician so they aren’t together that often but when they are with each other they fall back to place together comfortably and in perfect harmony.

All seems pleasant. That is until one evening a stranger crosses the barrier. The barrier is constructed by magical powers that are beyond the capabilities and understanding of anyone currently alive. It was constructed to keep the fabled magic, evils, and monsters from the land of Lamoria away. The stranger prophecises that an envisioned shadowy character could lead the whole world, and all that Lem holds dear, to utter annihilation. After being advised of the part he must play to withstand and confront the predicted and foretold destruction, Lem crosses the barrier alone with very little other than a few coins and his trusty musical instrument to try and save those he cares about.

The majority of the story takes place in the mysterious Lomaria. As it transpires Lem and Mariyah both cross the barrier but not together. They both have intriguing, unpredictable and very different escapades in this world that they know nothing about. They are both extremely likable characters. It was never going to be as simple as the good guys get what they want and get married though. Many of the ensemble members are schemers, betrayers, brutes, and at the same time extremely religious. I’d hate to know what would happen to people who didn’t know/understand/follow their religion! (I’m joking, I know and the punishments aren’t nice.) If we add the religious sect with the monarchy, assassin orders, an obscure magic cult and touring theatre groups… There is a lot going on for our young heroes this side of the barrier. It’s going to be difficult enough for them to survive a single day. Let alone save the world from some shadowy being who’s looking to escape from his prison and wreck havoc.

Anderson’s prose flows effortlessly and the world-building is of picture-perfect top quality. To learn more about the history, religions, and laws of Lamoria, we are introduced to them as the characters are for the first time which accentuates the affinity we feel for the main players. In addition to the main characters, the narrative is littered with colourful and well-crafted individuals throughout. Personal favourites were the psychotic pub-owner Zara, mysterious troupe-leader Farley, and good ol’ hundred plus year old uncle Shemi. The latter is one of the only people either Lem or Mariyah truly trust.

The Bard’s Blade is an engrossing and stimulating modern fantasy epic that features magic, music, assassinations and betrayal every step of the way. It’s the first step in what I predict will be an incredibly impressive fantasy trilogy. This narrative seemed to be a successful mix of some of the finest elements of James Islington’s The Shadow of What Was Lost, Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind, and Anderson’s own The Vale: Behind the Vale. Like the majority of The Bard’s Blade, the ending is unpredictable and it truly pulls at the heartstrings. (No music pun intended.) I read the last couple of scenes numerous times as I thought they were outstanding. This tale works expertly as a standalone which is always good news when potential readers are considering their next big fantasy undertaking. That being said, it sets up more than enough intrigue and drama of what could occur next in Lem and Mariyah’s stories. I’ll definitely be picking up the next entry as soon as it’s available. The Bard’s Blade has everything fans of epic fantasy will be looking for on their next big adventure. Highly recommended.

Buy The Bard’s Blade

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Top five Warhammer 40K fan videos

Having recently posted about the magnificent Astartes series being the pinnacle of animation for the Warhammer 40K universe, a few people pointed out other fan efforts have been right up there in quality as well. So, while we wait for the next episode of Astartes to drop in all its hotly anticipated glory, here are another few fan efforts for you to check out.

The Lord Inquisitor

This fan project held so much hope for us fans, but the grand scale of the project seems to have gotten the better of the creator. Unfortunately cancelled as of 2019, the detail and promise in the first scenes created was exceptional. Here’s a couple of really neat bits from it.

Helsreach

The story of Armageddon written by the awesome Aaron Demski-Bowden and featuring a stylistic and really damned cool animation style to bring this episodical story to life. Grab a whiskey and check out a collected version below.

Death of Hope

The Word Bearers hit the 500 worlds during the Horus Heresy. This trailer hits it right on the nose with one of the moment (s) of betrayal we love to see as part of the most pivotal part of the history of our favourite universe.

Guardsman

I’ve always really enjoyed the thought of the Angels and the Guard fighting together–of what it must mean for even the physical peak of humanity to be as children compared to the adamantium-clad demi-gods who stride amongst them.

Eternal War

A really enjoyable project that focusses on the insidiousness of Chaos on the common Guard grunt.

Astartes

Well, because, bugger it, why not. This is easily the coolest thing to come out of 40K since Horus Rising dropped. Come check out our write up on it here and our interview with the animator here. Episode 1, below.

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Review: Foreign Devils by John Hornor Jacobs

Foreign Devils by John Hornor Jacobs is the recent follow-up to his 2014 novel The Incorruptibles. It is a beautifully written, ambitious, and refreshing work even if it fails to deliver a satisfying ending to the story contained within its elegant cover art by Patrick Knowles. The story follows two main threads—mercenaries Fisk and Shoe travel the country of Ruma (vaguely Rome in the early 19th century) hunting the rogue daemonic military engineer Beleth, who is trying to start a war with Medeira (Spain), while Fisk’s wife, the daughter of an elite Ruman political functionary, and her retinue travel to Tchinee (China) as emissaries of the Ruman Empire in an attempt to assuage the Autumn Lords, rulers of Tchinee, after an unfortunate naval accident has caused the destruction of two Tchineese merchant ships by the Ruman navy. They must convince the highly offended Tchineese rulers not to join forces with Medeira in an impending war on Ruma. Yes, it’s a fairly complex situation to begin with, and it gains even more complexity as secrets and mysteries unfold. It never gets beyond comprehension, though, even for this reviewer, who was given this highly enjoyable novel to review without having read or known about its predecessor, The Incorruptibles.

The first thing that captures the attention in Foreign Devils is the narrative technique. Eschewing the grandiose sterility of the usual multi-threaded, multi-point-of-view overarching narrative, Foreign Devils is an epistolary novel comprising letters and diary entries from three of its main characters. The effect is delightful and refreshing and provides an intimacy with the characters that is rarely achieved in the usual third-person multi-POV style. Letters are sent between Livia, Fisk, and Fisk’s sidekick, the kickass half-dwarf Shoestring, via a Quotidian, a magical transcribing device that requires the blood of both the sender and recipient to communicate instantly over vast distances. It’s part of the magical world-building of Jacobs’s setting, and though its skeleton shows through some times—the characters info-dump on some rare occasions—it is a welcome change from the default fantasy narrative technique. The epistolary style also showcases Jacobs’s masterly ability to voice the female narrator through her letters, no easy task for a male writer, when he writes from the pregnant, gun-toting heroine Livia’s perspective: “Tamburlaine [Emperor of Rume] might be able to threaten and intimidate, but …. I am of Rume. This man would not cow me. Also, I wanted a bath.” The epistolary style works great even if it is heavily dependent on the convenience of the Quotidian to make it work.

The Quotidian is part of an interesting world that Jacobs has built, combining magic and faux history. The world itself seems to be a mix of Ancient Rome, Ancient China, and the Wild West of the US. The beginning of train transportation and Hellfire shotguns locates this tale somewhere in the early 19th century but it is cleverly combined with the seedy grandeur of imperial Rome and the secret mysteries of Ancient China to give the story a unique and entertaining setting. Every mechanical contraption or explosive in this world must be imbued with a daemon or daemons to work, the job of the engineers like the antagonist Beleth. Most entertaining are the creatures of pure fantasy that populate this world including the Autumn Lords, ancient gods; vaettir, giant winged, taloned monster humanoids; and lóng, weird puppy-sized dragons that linger in the air right above the villagers and townspeople and blithely and relentlessly crap on them. The plethora of strange creatures, diverse characters from disparate imaginary nations, and the wide scope of lands and travel, all vividly rendered, make this novel a fascinating escapist experience.

The novel’s plot is perhaps slightly less original and inspiring than its setting or delivery. On the one hand there is the fairly traditional meeting of the two opposing geographical powers in an attempt to stave off a war, and on the other is the fairly common “The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed” [Stephen King’s The Gunslinger, obviously] type of hunt for a nefarious and rarely seen villain. However, there is enough complexity in the character interactions to make these conventional plotlines compelling. For example, Livia’s brother, Secundus, travels with her to Tchinee accompanied by his lover, Tenebrae, a Ruman imperial functionary, who might or might not be setting them up for an expedition to their deaths or capture in a foreign land with nothing to protect them but the mighty reputation of Rume thousands of miles of ocean away. Then there are the vaettir, terrifying and vicious beasts, who all of a sudden start acting with strange restraint toward Shoe and Fisk in their quest to find Beleth. There are also the “Monkey Boys,” thieves and rogues lurking in the seedier sections of Jiang, the major city of Tchinee. Who are they and what do they want? And what the hell is in the ornate chest that Livia must present to the Autumn Lords? These and many other schemes make their way into this seemingly conventional story, all of which help keep it complex, fresh, and intriguing.

Overall, Foreign Devils is a wonderful read, very well written, and completely engaging. For this reviewer, though, the ending kind of felt as if I rode a rollercoaster to the highest point with my close friends; the car starts heading down, gaining speed; we’re halfway down, screaming with joy; and then someone in the car who I barely know, who we just kind of picked up on the way, stands up and says, “That’s all, folks. Hope you enjoyed the ride. Come again next year,” and the ride stops. Well, I think to myself, I guess it was fun while it lasted. Even in the longest series, each book should have a satisfying conclusion. On its own, I found the conclusion to Foreign Devils to be somewhat unsatisfying, but the time I spent reading it was so enjoyable that I will probably go back and read The Uncorruptibles and then continue the series.

Lastly, for the purpose of our particular audience here at GdM, I wouldn’t necessarily call Foreign Devils a grimdark novel. There are definitely good and bad guys and gals, and the reader can pretty much tell who they are. The novel probably has enough fighting, gore, double-dealing, gritty scenes and settings, the obligatory torture, and shit blowing up to satisfy open-minded and diehard grimdarkers, but it does not indulge in the moral shades of grey that are the hallmark of grimdark as we like to define it (should it require defining). I strongly suggest, however, that you do not let that stop you from reading this very enjoyable novel. Although I love the ambiguity of grimdark fiction, I love precise, inventive, and entertaining writing first, and I found no shortage of that in Foreign Devils. If I had a do-over, though, I would read The Incorruptibles first, and you probably should, too.

•

Originally published in Grimdark Magazine #9.

Grimdark Magazine #9 is available for purchase from our catalogue.

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How to Make a Grimdark Setting

I’m a huge fan of Andrjez Sapkowski’s The Witcher novels. While most fans are familiar with the series through CD Projekt Red’s video game trilogy, the novels are an excellent grimdark series of their own. Most reviewers focus on the grim Clint Eastwood-esque protagonist, Geralt, who is a quintessential anti-hero that follows his own code of honor, but I believe it is actually The Witcher’s setting which makes the series a classic. I’m going to go over much of the world’s appeal in terms of its people, politics, war and development to show why it’s a great basis for authors to draw from when crafting their own gritty fantasy setting.

The books take place primarily in a region of Polish mythology-influenced kingdoms called the North before gradually expanding to include the territories of the Nilfgaard Empire to the south. Our first introduction to the North in The Witcher short story paints a grim picture as Geralt is nearly lynched simply for being a stranger from another kingdom entering a bar.

“There’s no room to be had, you Rivian vagabond,” rasped the pockmarked man, standing right next to the outsider. “We don’t need people like you in Wyzim. This is a decent town!”

The outsider took his tankard and moved away. He glanced at the innkeeper, who avoided his eyes. It did not even occur to him to defend the Rivian. After all, who liked Rivians?

“All Rivians are thieves,” the pockmarked man went on, his breath smelling of beer, garlic and anger. “Do you hear me, you bastard?”

Geralt ends up being forced to defend himself against the mob brought about by simple drunkenness, racism and boredom. The first impression of the Northern people are of a hateful, violent and paranoid bunch who have few redeeming qualities. Indeed, Geralt only avoids being hung by the legitimate authorities for defending himself because he’s there on business as a monster-hunter. He is in Temeria to kill or break the curse on the princess of the region, only to find out her condition is the result of the king’s own unnatural relationship with his sister.

Aside from drawing comparisons to the Lannisters in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire, it’s interesting to note that King Foltest actually turns out to be one of the more heroic monarchs of the region. Future monarchs show themselves to be cowards, murderers, oath-breakers and causally cruel. Thus, Sapkowski plays with the reader’s expectations and increases the story’s intrigue by giving a character conflicting traits – that is, possessing a great weakness as well as an unexpected virtue. In the short story The Bounds of Reason, King Niedamar, after a failed attempt to slay a dragon to fulfill the prophecy necessary to marry a nearby princess, decides to screw heroism and simply take what he wants by force.

“I don’t give a shit about the people there, as Sir Boholt would say,” Niedamir laughed. “The throne of Malleore is mine anyway, because in Caingorn I have three hundred armoured troops and fifteen hundred foot soldiers against their thousand crappy spearmen. Do they acknowledge me? They will have to. I’ll keep hanging, beheading and dismembering until they do. And their princess is a fat goose and to hell with her hand, I only need her womb. Let her bear me an heir, and then I’ll poison her anyway. Using Master Sheepbagger’s method. That’s enough chatter, Gyllenstiern. Set about carrying out my orders.”

“Indeed,” Dandelion whispered to Geralt, “he has learned a great deal.”

“A great deal,” Geralt confirmed, looking at the hillock where the golden dragon, with its triangular head lowered, was licking something grey-green sitting in the grass beside it with its forked, scarlet tongue. “But I wouldn’t like to be his subject, Dandelion.”

This unsympathetic portrayal of the North’s people from top to bottom is a consistent feature throughout the stories. It allows Geralt, a decent man if not a nice one, to be isolated from his fellow man as well as forced to be the one voice of what passes for justice. Even so, Sapkowski upends this portrayal with the arrival of Nilfgaard who causes us to want the North to survive even if they are a bunch of assholes. This is similar to how Joe Abercrombie made the Union appear likeable just by making their enemies, the Gurkish, seem so heinous.

In the short story Something More, Dandelion, Geralt’s frequent traveling companion, describes them in such horrifyingly overblown terms that their presence casts a pall over the rest of the series.

“Not this war, Geralt. After this war, no-one returns. There will be nothing to return to. Nilfgaard leaves behind it only rubble; its armies advance like lava from which no-one escapes. The roads are strewn, for miles, with gallows and pyres; the sky is cut with columns of smoke as long as the horizon. Since the beginning of the world, in fact, nothing of this sort has happened before. Since the world is our world… You must understand that the Nilfgaardians have descended from their mountains to destroy this world.”

The conflict with Nilfgaard seems to be staging one of the “gray” Northern kingdoms against the explicitly evil Nazi-like Nilfgaardians. Except, the very next book, Blood of Elves, disputes such a simplistic good-versus-evil interpretation. The Nilfgaardians have been driven back and Dandelion tells of the North’s victory but the population can’t agree on any of the details. We also get the sense not everyone is happy with the North’s victory.

“As everyone knows,” he continued, sparing neither the baron nor the wizard so much as a glance, “over a hundred thousand warriors stood on the field during the second battle of Sodden Hill, and of those at least thirty thousand were maimed or killed. Master Dandilion should be thanked for immortalising this famous, terrible battle in one of his ballads. In both the lyrics and melody of his work I heard not an exaltation but a warning. So I repeat: offer praise and everlasting renown to this poet for his ballad, which may, perhaps, prevent a tragedy as horrific as this cruel and unnecessary war from occurring in the future.”

“Indeed,” said Baron Vilibert, looking defiantly at the elf. “You have read some very interesting things into this ballad, honoured sir. An unnecessary war, you say? You’d like to avoid such a tragedy in the future, would you? Are we to understand that if the Nilfgaardians were to attack us again you would advise that we capitulate? Humbly accept the Nilfgaardian yoke?”

This is, again, similar to Joe Abercrombie’s handling of the Gurkish with sincere peace envoys sent after the fall of Dagoska (ones which Bayaz’s agents frame for murder). There are people in Nilfgaard who would be willing to be magnanimous in victory even as there are people on the North’s side who scheme and desire a second round of ruinous war.

Things become further muddled in the subsequent Second Nilfgaard War as the North is divided among those who are willing to fight for the Northern kingdoms against those allied with Nilfgaard. The majority of Nilfgaard’s allies are the Scoia’tael (elvish for “Squirrels”) who seek to redress ancient wrongs. Rather than lionize a struggle for equality, Sapkowski treats the elvish revolutionaries as terrorists murdering over slights that have brought unnecessary violence to the next generation. This type of complexity enriches the narrative as it shows the divisions of humanity, elves and dwarves into “sides” which doesn’t carry any moral authority with all of them capable of atrocity for questionable political reasoning.

One of the most tragic conversations in the game highlights how a genuinely good man can make the darkness all the bleaker by contrast. It is a plea from Yarpen the dwarf for peace between the races.

“We have to live next to each other,” Yarpen continued. “We and you, humans. Because we simply don’t have any other option. We’ve known this for two hundred years and we’ve been working towards it for over a hundred. You want to know why I entered King Henselt’s service, why I made such a decision? I can’t allow all that work to go to waste. For over a hundred years we’ve been trying to come to terms with the humans. The halflings, gnomes, us, even the elves – I’m not talking about rusalkas, nymphs and sylphs, they’ve always been savages, even when you weren’t here. Damn it all, it took a hundred years but, somehow or other, we managed to live a common life, next to each other, together. We managed to partially convince humans that we’re not so very different—”

“We’re not different at all, Yarpen.” The dwarf turned abruptly. “We’re not different at all,” repeated Ciri. “After all, you think and feel like Geralt. And like… like I do. We eat the same things, from the same pot. You help Triss and so do I. You had a grandmother and I had a grandmother… My grandmother was killed by the Nilfgaardians. In Cintra.”

“And mine by the humans,” the dwarf said with some effort. “In Brugge, during the pogrom.”

Indeed, it is war which turns the grimdark setting of The Witcher into something which is truly horrifying. While the main plot continues through the books of Geralt’s quest for his adoptive daughter, Ciri, after she’s teleported halfway across the continent, we get frequent vignettes that expose the terrible side of the conflict on both sides. Here is a pair of them from the Kaedwini (North) and Nilfgaard (south) sides.

The Kaedwini:

“The honourable gentlemen have thought up some modern idiocy. Some kind of liberation, or some such. We aren’t going to fight the enemy, but we’re heading towards our, what was it, eternal lands, to bring, you know, fraternal help. Now pay attention to what I say: you’re not to touch the folk of Aedirn, not to loot—”

“What?” said Kraska, mouth agape. “What do you mean, don’t loot? And what are we going to feed our horses on, Decurion, sir?”

“You can loot fodder for the horses, but nothing else. Don’t cut anyone up, don’t burn any cottages down, don’t destroy any crops… Shut your trap, Kraska! This isn’t a village gathering. It’s the fucking army! Carry out the orders or you hang! I said: don’t kill, don’t murder, and don’t—” Zyvik broke off and pondered. “And if you rape any women, do it on the quiet. Out of sight,” he finished a moment later.

The Nilfgaard:

“War to the castles, peace to the villages,” Coehoorn said to his commanders yesterday. “You know that principle,” he added at once. “You learned it in officer training. That principle applied until today; from tomorrow you’re to forget it. From tomorrow a different principle applies, which will now be the battle cry of the war we are waging. The battle cry and my orders run: War on everything alive. War on everything that can burn. You are to leave scorched earth behind you. From tomorrow, we take war beyond the line we will withdraw behind after signing the treaty. We are withdrawing, but there is to be nothing but scorched earth beyond that line. The kingdoms of Rivia and Aedirn are to be reduced to ashes! Remember Sodden! The time of revenge is with us!”

What’s interesting is that Sapkowski makes it clear the war is incidental to the central narrative. There is no clear good or evil nor do the heroes play any real part in its resolution. It is an event that goes on around them and they only intervene to try to help the occasional victim. By the end of the conflict, very little is resolved with the borders re-arranged a bit but nothing significant. The lack of such a resolution at the political level which may give hope for and facilitate a better future along with the number of ruined lives and missing relatives adds to the somber mood.

Notably, the Witcher-verse still has all of the tropes of the fantasy genre. As mentioned in Yarpan’s speech, there’s all the standard fantasy races of Dungeons & Dragons as well as of J.R.R. Tolkien. There are monsters in the world attacking humans, albeit less than there used to be. Magic is real as well, but it is a science restricted to the wealthy as the majority of its practitioners prefer to make themselves rich, long-lived and beautiful rather than to fight evil. Yet, none of this affects the setting’s overall depressing tone. Monsters may exist but the real evil in the Witcher-verse comes from humanity. This is especially true as the only real “villains” of the setting, Vilgefortz and Leo Bonhart, are both entirely human. They’re psychotically evil humans with no empathy as well as a capacity for inhuman cruelty. But they are human.

In conclusion, Sapkowski has created a delightfully bleak setting for his stories. It is a place which feels strongly of low fantasy with very little to admire and a flawed populace. It is also a setting which does not romanticize war or treat its actions gloriously. It is a place with old grudges, ambitions and racial tension that feels all too authentic to readers both young as well as old. The North is a somber place which has little room for idealism or anything but survival. It is thus the perfect place to think of when doing up a grimdark fantasy setting.

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REVIEW: Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition

In the Nineties, I loved my weekend sessions of Vampire: The Masquerade. Before A Song of Ice and Fire, it was a fascinating world of moral ambiguity (even moral decay) where the protagonists were all monsters. This was years before Twilight and vampires still had some cachet as scary monsters. It was also years before the urban fantasy boom that may have been inspired by the World of Darkness where monsters existed in the shadows of the modern world.

Eventually, Vampire: The Masquerade wrapped up in a way that few franchises do and its creators destroyed the setting with the apocalyptic Gehenna supplement. This was close to the height of its popularity thanks to the release of the cult classic video games Vampire: The Masquerade: Redemption and Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines. A sequel for the tabletop game called Vampire: The Requiem was released but I never got into that.

If you’re tired of his history lesson, know that eventually the 20th Anniversary of Vampire: The Masquerade resulted in a re-release of the line by Onyx Path Publishing. This helped revive the game enough that it was bought by Paradox Interactive (Eve Online) and they envisioned a new edition that would update it for the New Teens.

Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition has since won the 2019 Origins Awards for Best RPG and Fan Favorite. It’s also proven to be an incredibly popular with fans, though not without controversy as the game attempted to move from a previously PG-13 view of vampires to a hard Adults Only treatment of them. As the sourcebook says, “this is not a game about playing heroes.”

The premise for V5, as we’ll call it from now on, is that it is the year 2019 and the setting has been updated to Modern Nights. The world’s governments finding out about the existence of vampires, or at least their intelligence agencies have. This has resulted in what the vampires call the “Second Inquisition” that means teams of Special Forces and analysts are working around the clock for signs of the player characters breaking the Masquerade. Entire cities have been depopulated of their vampire populations, London specifically, and this has had repercussions throughout undead society.

The Camarilla, previously the most stable of setting elements, has split in half. Now it is divided between the new Camarilla (Tremere, Toreador, Malkavians, Banu Haqim [Assamites], and Nosferatu) vs. the Anarch (Brujah, Gangrel, and Ministry [Followers of Set]). The Sabbat has left their traditional territories to go on a crusade in the Middle East to destroy the ancient Antediluvians. Worse, for the Elders at least, a mysterious call beckons them to battle the Sabbat on behalf of their ancestors.

Some of these changes are on the extreme side and were rolled back in sequels to the book with the revelations not all Elders feel the Beckoning and the Sabbat still exists aside from the Gehenna Crusaders. Still, it’s a lot to take in if you’re an existing V:TM fan. On the other hand, there’s a lot of fascinating stories to be told and the details of the metaplot are expanded upon in supplements that followed.

Content-wise, the game book has perhaps a little too much in the way of opening fiction and not enough material explaining the origins of the undead as well as their history. The game assumes you know who the Clans are and general details from previous editions, which is a shame. On the other hand, there’s some decent explanations for the science of vampires (i.e. there isn’t any and this frustrates those trying to make sense of magic). The book only describes the original seven Camarilla Clans, Caitiff, and Thinbloods with an absence of the Independent as well as Sabbat clans.

The book does a great job on describing vampiric feeding as well as explaining how it can be an exciting part of the game. Vampires are not literally what they eat with Blood Resonance having you develop new Disciplines and skills depending on what sort of humans you choose to munch down on. It’s much harder to live on a “vegetarian” diet of animals and flat-out impossible for more powerful vampires.

The game emphasizes feeding should be something that players put a lot of thought into because it’s very easy to kill mortals if you’re not careful. Hunger frenzies and battle rages are problems all vampires must deal with. Humanity is now somewhat more forgiving and harder to lose but all vampires are expected to have at least one mortal friend that allows them to maintain a mortal tether (called a “Touchstone”). This will not fit loner Kindred or those who consider humans nothing more than food.

The art in the book is hit and miss for me. On one hand, it’s photorealistic and adds a nice horrifying feel to the subject matter, there’s also some ill-conceived choices like giving each Clan a specific fashion style. It’s a little weird to have vampires have iconic dress sense when the game is about pretending to be human.

In conclusion, V5 is a pretty good edition of the game with quite a few merits as well as a renewed focus on horror as well as moral ambiguity. If you want a horror game where you are the monster, then I think V5 is probably the best edition of the franchise. I also think the game should have included all of the original Clans as well as relied less on in-universe fiction versus a clearer history. Is it grimdark, though? I think the new developers of the line are showing a true appreciation for making the undead scary.

8.5/10

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REVIEW: Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb

In Assassin’s Quest, Fitz, the presumed dead assassin’s apprentice, whose tales have now become the stuff of legend in the Six Duchies is a beaten and battered remnant of his former self. He survived death with the help of poison, his wit-bonded companion Nighteyes, and his trusted allies Chade the assassin, and Burrich the stable master (and father figure). The majority of this world believe he is dead. Even his wife who is pregnant with his child. There are still the terrible raidings by the Red Ships that decimate whole settlements and leave people as the murderous zombie-like Forged. Also, the assumed dead rightful King, Verity is still trying to accomplish what many people believe is foolish in trying to venture to mythological lands to make allies with the equally legendary and fabled beasts, The Elderlings. Our first-person perspective viewpoint FitzChivalry, the Wit-tainted and Skill-talented bastard, still desires to murder his uncle, the pretender monarch, King Regal.

“I’m going to kill Regal. And his coterie. I’m going to kill all of them, for all they did to me, and all they took from me.

Regal? There is meat we cannot eat. I do not understand the hunting of men.

I took my image of Regal and combined it with his images of the animal trader who had caged him when he was a cub and beat him with a brass-bound club.

Nighteyes considered that. Once I got away from him, I was smart enough to stay away from him. To hunt that one is as wise as to go hunting a porcupine.

I cannot leave this alone, Nighteyes.

I understand. I am the same about porcupines.”

Some top reviewers I know don’t like this final entry to the Farseer Trilogy. Although it is lengthy, often poetically over-descriptive, can occasionally be difficult in it’s intricate and complex magical scheme concept sections, and features lots of travelling–I loved it. It’s intoxicating and almost dreamlike within its presentation and I adored that but will acknowledge that it is not for everyone. I’ve also been advised that after this point Hobb rarely puts a foot wrong in the gigantic, door-stopping Realm of the Elderlings saga and I cannot wait to continue. (I would be right now if I wasn’t writing this!)

I’d say this is approximately double the length to King’s Assassin and a large amount of that difference in page count is the Fitz, Nighteyes (and occasionally a friend or two) travelling sections, either to attempt to assassinate one uncle or to attempt to aid another uncle who is half the world away. At certain instances in the prior two tales, it was slow-going but this takes it a lot further. What also happens quite frequently is that as Fitz is often alone he finds out about events taking place across the environment by skill-dreaming. This is where he can be in somebody else’s mind and can see and feel things from their perspective. The skill sections can be confusing, whether the dreams, the power to converse with a person a world away, or the fact that some skill-wielders are so powerful they can murder with just a thought.

Many of my favourite cast members are presented here but others who we followed and truly cared about last time are only mentioned. This is due to the fact that most people believe that Fitz is six feet under. FitzChivalry has a few distinguishing features, a scar on his face, a broken nose and a white in his hair, all from when King Regal was torturing him previously. He has to be stealthy throughout, often with the aid of Nighteyes’ senses. People recognise him, people see him and believe he’s undead and poor Fitzy Fitz as I’m sure the Fool might say, well, he has to be one of the unluckiest protagonists of all fantasy.

The Fitz and Nighteyes (his wit-bonded wolf) mind-linked conversations were excellent as always. He’s one of my two favourite individuals featured in this novel. In Nighteyes, Hobb really has crafted an amazing character and it aids the already excellent world-building as we can witness that same event, town, or possible confrontation from alternative, very different perspectives. Chade, Burrich, The Fool and King Regal are brilliantly presented again. There are a few impressive new additions such as the minstrel Starling who occasionally follows Fitz around and the mysterious old Lady Kettle.

This really was an emotional undertaking/quest for me. Some of the cast re-meeting or certain story-defining revelations released a plethora of emotions within me. I cried, was rejuvenated, amazed, shocked, fell-off the metaphorical stool I was sitting on. I found Assassin’s Quest exquisite and the narrative of the Farseer Trilogy completely. It wraps events up well here but there is so much left to explore of the world, what could happen to the characters next, the potential unpredictable nature on the horizon etc… The last twenty-percent, after lots of walking, camping and hunting, was sublime. This is edging slowly but smoothly towards being one of my top three series of all time. Now, if you excuse me, back to the Realm of the Elderlings.

“I healed. Not completely. A scar is never the same as good flesh, but it stops the bleeding.”

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Read our review of Assassin’s Apprentice.

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REVIEW: Damoren by Seth Skorkowsky

What if the Dresden Files were about a ruthless gunslinger? That’s sort of what I think about Damoren. This is unfair to the author as the character of Matt Hollis isn’t all that similar to Harry. He’s not a pop cultured badass, for example, but a grizzled veteran with a dozen years of demon hunting. The book does make me think of the Dresden Files, though, and Stephen King’s Dark Tower to some extent. If for no other reason there’s not that many demon-hunting gunslingers around.

Damoren is the first book in the Valducan series, which is about a group of demon-hunting soldiers who wield holy weapons capable of slaying them. Each demon-hunter is fanatically protective of their weapon, treating it like their partner in a marriage. This may not be wrong, either, as each weapon chooses its wielder and possesses some form of sentience. The Valducan aren’t terribly happy about Matt possessing a weapon, though, because he’s possessed.

Or so it seems.

A demon-marked Matt Hollis in the past and the demon-hunter who was ordered to kill him, adopted him instead. Matt has since bonded with Damoren, the holy revolver which provides the book its title, and gone on to be a successful independent demon hunter. The Valducan have come to make amends, however, due to the fact someone is trying to destroy all of the holy weapons in the world. Thus, the Valducan need every holy weapon holder in their service, even if most of them would like to see Matt killed.

The book is an entertaining collection of action scenes and Matt dealing with a centuries-old organization of which he has no relationship but everyone else is almost family within. Some of them want Matt dead, some of them think he’s alright, and others are suspicious but all of them are speaking to each other like they’ve known each other for decades. Which they have.

The parts of the book which aren’t about Matt Hollis fitting in like a square peg in a round-shaped hole are excellent action scenes where the demon-slaying badass finds himself up against a host of vile fiends. Vampires, werewolves, Lamia, dragons, and more are all products of demonic possession in this universe. They’re all completely evil and almost unkillable since they can jump to new bodies unless slain with a holy weapon. I like unromanticized monsters and find this book provides me with plenty.

The mythology is well-developed in the book and there’s a selection of writings from past-demon hunters interspersed with the book’s present-day adventures. I like it when authors take time to develop how the supernatural “rules” of their setting work. Honestly, if I have a complaint about the mythology it’s the fact the author reveals too much about the setting by the end. I think a lot of the book’s last-minute revelations could have been saved for future releases.

Is it grimdark? I believe this is a lot closer to it than most urban fantasy. Matt Hollis is a ruthless antihero, the Valducan organization is not that much better than those it fights, and the world is both grim as well as pitiless. They may believe angels inhabit their “holy weapons” but something much darker makes it possible to fight the evil they face.

In conclusion, Damoren is a top-quality urban fantasy novel. If it’s not up there with the Dresden Files’ latter volumes then it’s certainly above the first couple of them. Matt Hollis is an enjoyable character and the villains are reprehensible. This would work quite well as a stand-alone volume but I’m eager to see where this series goes.

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