Adrian Collins's Blog, page 52

REVIEW: Heavenbreaker by Sara Wolf

The first in a new sci-fi series, Heavenbreaker is a fast-paced tale from author Sara Wolf that follows Synali von Hauteclare, a young woman living in the year 3442 with one thing on her mind: revenge.

Heavenbreaker starts with a bang. Living in the poorest section of a space station orbiting a gas giant, Synali has just killed her noble father after he had her commoner mother killed. Not content with this act of revenge, Synali aims to take down the entire House Hauteclare by first entering a massive sci-fi jousting tournament between the great houses. Controlling massive military machines, the competitors risk death but Synali doesn’t care about the dangers involved as she teams up with former prince with vengeance of his own in mind. Synali rides in the titular Heavenbreaker (this made me think of Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim), fighting one enemy at a time against other machines that were left over from a great war. Whilst commoners starve, the ruling class amuse themselves with such games and Synali aims to make them pay.

Grimdark fans are well-acquainted with characters hell-bent on revenge and there are shades of Monzo Murcatto (Abercrombrie’s Best Served Cold) and Katniss Everdeen (Collins’ Hunger Games) in Synali as we follow her on her mission to rid the world of the House of Hauteclare. She is a character broken by the actions of those around her and feeling alone and different to everyone else she sees. She’s a flawed character full of shades of grey and that’s what drew me to her. It’s easy to root for her on her quest for vengeance toppling a powerful structure with seemingly endless resources and the sci-fi elements are well written with some good twists and turns along the way to keep the readers’ interest. Synali makes a few questionable choices that threw me out of the story for a moment as they didn’t make sense to me but I was pulled back in and able wanted to find out how the story would end. Many different labels have been attached to the Heavenbreaker but for me, this is straight up sci-fi with little romance (fine by me) and fantasy.

Heavenbreaker is an interesting sci-fi revenge tale with a flawed protagonist fighting against an all-powerful and corrupt ruling class.  If you think revenge is best served cold in space with a badass heroine, this book is for you.

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REVIEW: Song of Carcosa by Josh Reynolds

Song of Carcosa is the third of the Countess Zorzi series by Josh Reynolds. I’m a huge fan of these books and their Catwoman-esque protagonist. The Countess is a multi-dimensional protagonist who straddles the line between the upper class of the 1920s as well as the increasing social tensions of the working class. She’s an ex-con woman and cat burglar but has made her fortune through multiple generations of her family being very good at both. It makes a fascinating sort of character to explore the Cthulhu Mythos through and I have no doubt she’d be one of the rare survivors of Masks of Nyarlathotep or Horror on the Orient Express.

This book has the Countess ally herself with questionable company in the Red Coterie. A group of sorcerers and aristocrats that may not be as evil as the Silver Twilight Lodge but are absolutely not to be trusted. This takes her and her companion, butch cab driver and thief-in-training Pepper Kelly, back to her hometown of Venice. While I prefer stories set in Arkham Horror’s titular city, I appreciate the international nature of the Countess Zorzi books. We get a romanticized view of the floating city at this point in time that involves lots of secrets, intrigue, Old World aristocrats, and the rising tide of fascism.

Song of Carcosa, as the name implies, is about Hastur. The most famous Great Old One not invented by H.P. Lovecraft but adapted from Robert Chamler’s King in Yellow. Once more, we have the mysterious entity connected to an adapation of a mysterious play, madness inducing writing, and artists obsessed with bringing the supernatural to the world in order to bring about its end. In this case, the artist has the semi-sympathetic motive that he thinks that summoning Hastur is the only way to short circuit a second World War.

This is a good book for Pride month. Countess Alessandra is confirmed as bisexual with a reference to a past girlfriend of hers that she broke up with because of her cousin ratting her out to their family. Pepper has always been subtextually lesbian and gets more “hints” to this as her dream self is revealed to be a warrior woman in love with the Queen of Carcosa. We also get the confirmation that both of Zorzi’s parents received “fencing lessons” from the Red Cavalier in a revelation that shocks the Countess. The 1920s isn’t a great place to be when you’re LGBTA but it’s certainly a setting that Arkham Horror acknowledges them existing.

As mentioned, the book deals with the fact that fascism is now rising in Italy and the specter of World War 2 is starting to loom over the supernatural as well as mundane forces of Europee. I think this is an interesting element and adds to the story greatly. It is an all-too-human evil and we don’t have an Andrew Doran figure to fight Nazi aligned Cthulhu cultists. I think it’s all too appropriate that everyone, sorcerer and opponent of sorcerer alike, looks down on the fascists.

In conclusion, I continue to recommend the Countess Zorzi series as an excellent example of adventure horror. They’re Indiana Jones and Lara Croft-esque expeditions except our heroine is even more of a criminal than them. I also like Pepper’s development as she continues to go from a tagalong sidekick to an increasingly interesting heroine in her own right. It also is a pretty good story for Pride Month because it’s nice to have queer characters just being awesome, though I wish they’d stop dancing around with Pepper.

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REVIEW: Civil War by Alex Garland

Civil War (2024) by Alex Garland is a movie that a lot of people prejudged before they watched it. This is a tumultuous time in the United States of America, hardly the first time, but the prospect of a second American Civil War has occasionally popped up in political discourse. Usually, the individuals speaking are either joking or the absolute most extremes of the Far Right. The movie based around the premise of that finally happened was either viewed as taking advantage of sensationalism or possibly propaganda for either side. As fan of politically charged cinema and speculative fiction like The Division, I thought it would be interesting to give it a try.

The answer to most people’s questions before they even ask them are as follows: 1. This has nothing really to say about any divisions in America today. The Loyalists, Western Front, New People’s Army, and Florida Alliance are all incredibly vague in their politics. There are references to the “Antifa Massacre”, “Portland Maoists”, and the President (played by Ron Swanson himself, Nick Offerson) is vaguely Trump-like but there’s no real sides taken by anyone. Indeed, just about every side is shown to be constantly committing war crimes with no real sign of any moral authority. 2. This is its own statement. 3. It’s still a good movie and has things to say but its politics are about as meaningful as Far Cry 5.

The premise is as follows: The President of the United States has made a royal hash of things and about half of the country has seceded but into multiple factions. The US military seems divided on which faction to side with, and everyone is at each other’s throat. The US economy has collapsed and there’s a great deal of violence being done on citizens by other citizens with shortages of everything from food to gasoline. Canadian dollars are far more valuable than US dollars. Vigilante justice is common. There’s a rush to crush the President of the United States but no real sign that killing him will reunite the country or even stop the fighting.

Some people have commented on how weird the premise is and how Texas and California uniting into one country (The Western Front) is ridiculous. I don’t think that’s unlikely at all since people forget that both states have about 40% of the other party that they are most considered opposing. You could easily have said party seize power in one or the other, but it represents that you shouldn’t go into this movie expecting any meaningful world-building related to present day ideals. No, what it actually has to say is that, and get this, civil wars are bad for their citizens.

The Civil War is cataloged through the eyes of a group of reporters led by Kirsten Dunst playing Lee Smith (named after the famous female war journalist). The reporters are incredibly jaded and seemingly uninterested in any of the politics involving each faction. They just want the scoop. Given the behavior of everyone involved, it’s perhaps understandable why they’re incredible cynics. Cailee Spaeny plays Jessie Gullen, her Kitty Pryde-esque sidekick who wants to be a war photojournalist herself but has never seen a dead body outside of a newspaper article.

What follows is essentially a road movie as we pass through town to town and see how each community is dealing with the conflict. Some are using the war as an opportunity to settle old scores, others are trying to live their lives as if it wasn’t happening (which gets more contempt than it deserves given no faction is worth supporting), and others are carrying out massacres that are implied to be race or ideology related. If you don’t get the lesson that neighbor turning on neighbor is bad, then you aren’t paying attention. Ironically, perhaps the sharpest critique is of war journalism in general as the photojournalists seem like psychopathic vultures with their detachment as well as exploitative handling of their surroundings.

Dunst and Spaeny do a fantastic job in this movie but it really just feels like its only message is, “We really should avoid shooting at each other.” Which, again, IS a message. It’s not a particularly DEEP message but I can’t fault it either. The problem is that for a large portion of Americans, the issue isn’t my dislike of the other side’s policies on taxation. The problem is that for a large portion of Americans, the issue is my dislike of the other side’s general policies on wanting to kill or deport my friends. Oh, and deny them bodily autonomy. You can’t really “both sides” that.

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An Interview with Rosalie M. Lin

With Daughter of Calamity, Rosalie M. Lin has written one of the most interesting debuts of the year (see our review here). Her work is nuanced and far darker than the cover would suggest. Whisking the reader away to the Shanghai of the 1930s, she introduces us to organised crime, body parts as a commodity and cultural appropriation. It was great to catch up with her ahead of publication and we’re already keen for her next book.

[GdM] Can you introduce Daughter of Calamity in one or two sentences for our readers?

[RML] Daughter of Calamity is a historical fantasy set in 1930s Shanghai about a cabaret dancer named Jingwen who discovers a secret trade of dancers’ faces and decides to fight back. The story has silver-armed gangsters, petty showgirls with hearts of gold, and ancient gods that can be worn and traded like furs.

[GdM] I loved the book’s setting. What inspired you to set the story in the glittering Shanghai of the 1930s?

[RML] 1930s Shanghai was an era of great opportunity, incredible glamor, and lots of dancing. But underneath that opportunity and glamor lay a certain darkness, because all these things were made possible by the city’s forced globalization following the First Opium War, so there was simultaneously a lot of exploitation going on. The idea of a glittering façade and the darkness behind it intrigued me to explore all the layers and intricacies of the time.

[GdM] Medicine and the power granted to those who practice it plays a crucial role in Daughter of Calamity. I was fascinated by the way the story melds science with magic. Can you talk a bit about your creative process and idea development for this aspect?

[RML] I love that you asked this question! In fantasy, science and magic are often placed at odds with each other, with science often portrayed as a negative force that is trying to destroy magic. However, as a scientist myself in my day job, I think the reality is more nuanced than that. For example, the globalization of Shanghai was accompanied by a destruction or diminishing of culture, however we can’t deny it brought technological advancement that allowed the city to mature into the global superpower it is today. In Daughter of Calamity, Jingwen’s grandmother is a morally gray surgeon who makes silver arms out of ancient, melted swords for the city’s most powerful gang. Although this gives the gangsters an advantage in battle, it makes Jingwen’s grandmother a disproportionately powerful figure in Shanghai society and also contributes to the underground trade of human body parts. Many characters in Daughter of Calamity struggle to reconcile both the destructive but also uplifting aspects of medicine and science.

[GdM] The story mirrors itself across its different aspects, from setting to characters to cover, hiding a complex nature behind a veneer of opulence. To what extent was this intentional?

[RML] A central question I hoped to explore in Daughter of Calamity is the masks we wear due to social (whether it be familial or peer) pressure and expectation—so it most certainly was all intentional! Shanghai society in Daughter of Calamity is vain and materialistic—Jingwen, the main character, has learned to “perform” multiple versions of herself in different circumstances—dancing with foreign patrons in the nightclub, making peace with her gangster grandmother, showing off in front of her friends—so much that she doesn’t know which version of herself is the real Jingwen. I hope the book offers some insightful food for thought regarding this question, which many readers might find relatable.

Through the mirroring, I also wanted to examine the issue of cultural appropriation and exoticization. In recent years, there has been considerable discourse about the appropriation of minority culture in Western society. A central plotline in Daughter of Calamity is the mass-marketization of deeply personal aspects of Chinese culture, such as the sale of Chinese women’s faces (literally) and access to revered, ancient gods. The cheapening of these very personal things out of their original context to an audience that does not understand their significance at all feels very violating. Furthermore, in an environment like that, can a cabaret girl such as Jingwen, who is seen as nameless and replaceable, have an identity of her own?

[GdM] Liqing, the main character’s grandmother, is such a captivating and multi-faceted character. I’d love to know more about her, and how she thinks about her role in the world of the story.

[RML] I think the word that comes to mind when I think of Jingwen’s grandmother is “unapologetic.” Having come of age in a different era than Jingwen and her dancer friends, Liqing does not feel bound to the same social pressures of materialism and wealth chased by the younger generation of women in 1930s Shanghai—pursuits she considers futile and shallow. Rather, Liqing found success via a route that is traditionally masculine—as the surgeon of Shanghai’s most powerful gang. She takes lots of pride in this. However, like many people who are enamored of their own power, Liqing is somewhat of a hypocrite. Although her particular “flavor” of social validation is a more traditional form of power rather than sex appeal, she is just as prone to being blinded by the pursuit of validation as Jingwen. It is hard to say if Liqing is a hero or a villain, or whether she actually genuinely cares about Jingwen or not—the reality is not black or white, but gray. Liqing is driven by her craft and legacy, which perhaps changed the world for good, but simultaneously, she has harmed a lot of people along the way.

[GdM] Romantasy is all the rage right now. Daughter of Calamity very much is not part of that genre – it puts Jingwen’s self-determination above romantic partnership. How do you feel about this evolution of the publishing industry, and was distancing yourself from that a conscious choice?

[RML] That is an interesting question! When I wrote Daughter of Calamity, I chose to center the book on the relationships between the women—everything from frenemy-ship to complicated familial loyalty. In terms of whether it was a conscious decision, I was blessed (or cursed) at the time I wrote Daughter of Calamity to have understood nothing about writing to the market. I truly, simply wrote whatever my heart desired, something I am now too self-conscious to do (ignorance is bliss!). I think it’s very exciting that publishing on the whole is pivoting towards romantasy, and I very much enjoy reading it. Will I ever write it? This is a question I pondered deeply as I brainstormed my next book, however I can only conclude that I am a jaded Millennial with avoidant attachment who has yet to believe in happily ever after enough to write a convincing romance. But I would love to someday!

[GdM] The corruption of power is core to Daughter of Calamity. Are there ways that power can be navigated well in your world?

[RML] Inspired by history, in Daughter of Calamity, power is a corrupting force, especially when it is held by any one individual. Thus, the only way to navigate power well is when multiple powerful entities hold each other in check. Jingwen realizes that there is no “solution” to the effects of colonialism in Shanghai. She can only protect the ones she loves by claiming a slice of power herself, although it makes her a villain in the process.

[GdM] What has perhaps taken you by surprise during the publishing process?

[RML] There are long stretches of the publishing process where things move very slowly, and then suddenly they move so fast you feel wholly unprepared. It is both thrilling and scary!

[GdM] What books or other media would you recommend to the readers impatiently awaiting Daughter of Calamity?

[RML] Books – Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Siren Queen by Nghi Vo, Jade City by Fonda Lee

2024 debuts – Road to Ruin by Hana Lee, Dragonfruit by Makiia Lucier, The Eyes are the Best Part by Monika Kim

TV series – The Man in the High Castle

[GdM] Can you tell us anything about what you’re currently working on?

[RML] My next book is likely a historical fantasy set in ancient Dunhuang about a girl raised in a cult of assassins. That’s all I’ll say for now!

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REVIEW: The Desert Prince by Peter V. Brett

The Desert Prince by Peter V. Brett is the first novel in his Nightfall Saga. There are a lot of fans of Peter V. Brett in the halls of Grimdark Magazine, and he has long been on my periphery as an author I would like but have yet to read. The Desert Prince is my first experience of Brett’s writing, and I regret not having picked him up sooner. Within pages, I was hooked and knew that this would be a writer who would put me in my happy place. I had no prior knowledge of his earlier series in this world, The Demon Cycle, and as such, I do not believe it is essential to have read this to be able to enjoy The Desert Prince. Brett explains all the critical details of this world’s history, politics, and religion as part of the narrative of The Desert Prince. However, readers who have liked The Demon Cycle will undoubtedly be pleased with the chance to return to this epic world and learn the exploits of its next generation. For people like me who are only beginning to discover it, Brett’s The Demon Cycle series has multiple novels and novellas to escape in, and the next book in The Nightfall Saga, The Hidden Queen, is out now from Harper Voyager.

The main characters of The Desert Prince, Olive Paper, Darin Bales, and their friends, have grown up in times of peace. Fifteen years have passed since the end of the Demon War, and the exploits of their parents have become tales told in ale houses. But both Olive and Darin feel the pressure of having legendary parents and living up to the expectations people have for the offspring of heroes. Olive, the Princess of Hollow, has her whole courtly life mapped out. Stifled by constant restrictions, her resentment grows as she feels forced into a role she does not quite fit. Darin, on the other hand, has the freedom that Olive yearns for. He can roam where he pleases and choose how he spends his days. But Darin faces the same pressures to live up to his father’s immense legacy – and when your father died to save the world, Darin feels like a constant disappointment. But when it is discovered that demons are, in fact, not defeated and events outside of their control thrust them to the fore, it falls to them to fight, or all will be lost.

Although the main characters in The Desert Prince are young, Brett’s writing is firmly in the adult fantasy arena. It is a chunky book, at around six hundred pages, but this includes extra tidbits of information, such as a glossary of terms, character genealogy, etc., at the end of the main novel, which I enjoyed as I am a big fan of extra worldbuilding. I am usually a slower reader with new worlds, so I expected The Desert Prince to take me a couple of weeks to get through. It did not. I read this book every chance I got. I stayed up later than I should have. I read as I cooked dinner. I read instead of turning the television on in the evening and devoured The Desert Prince in a few days. It is the sort of fantastic epic fantasy that feeds the soul of fantasy fans. I am so glad I have many of Brett’s other works to pick up soon. The Desert Prince is not entirely a grimdark novel (something Brett discussed with Grimdark Magazine’s Beth Tabler back in 2021 when the book was released) as there is quite clearly a “right” side to be on – after all, ‘all are brothers in the night.’ However, the characters within The Desert Prince are complex and compelling. There is a lot of unpredictability; just because someone is human does not make them a good character. Some make wrong choices for the right reasons or do the best for their people at the expense of others. Brett also deals with some weighty topics in The Desert Prince and does not shy away from the dark moments, but there is always an underlying hope and a sense of moral duty.

The friendships of Darin, Olive, and their cohort are a core part of The Desert Prince, and I imagine this will continue in The Hidden Queen. Part of this comes from the fact that the main characters are in their mid to late teens, and The Desert Prince is their “coming of age” novel. The bonds they have formed as children are being stretched and reformed as they explore who they are as young adults and find where they fit in a world away from the decisions made for them by their parents. As I often find, the fighting or action scenes in The Desert Prince were some of my favourite parts of the story. Although there are many, they are essential to the narrative, and both progress the plot and add important details to the characterisation. Brett’s thorough descriptions of the fight scenes were so easy to visualise for me that they felt almost cinematic.

Overall, I would describe my experience of reading The Desert Prince as utterly immersive. Although the perspectives shift from Olive to Darin and back, they are equally enjoyable, and I could follow both narrative strands easily. I think Olive’s perspective is the one the reader spends more with, and my only criticism is that I wish it had been a more even split between the two, but that’s because I think Darin is just as compelling as Olive and is as deserving of pages as she is. As the first novel in a new set, Brett understandably ends The Desert Prince with the reader wanting more, but I still found the ending satisfying in tying off the loose threads of an initial instalment. It has whetted my appetite for The Hidden Queen, and luckily, that is already on my shelf, so I shall get to it very soon.

I purchased my copy of The Desert Prince with no obligation to review it, but Peter V. Brett and the team at Harper Voyager sent me a copy of The Hidden Queen, which gave me the kick to finally pick it off my ‘to be read’ pile.

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REVIEW: A Look Behind the Derleth Mythos by John D. Haefele

A Look Behind the Derleth Mythos: Origins of the Cthulhu Mythos by John D. Haefele is a nonfiction book discussing the role of August Derleth in the creation of HPL’s modern mythology. More precisely, it is more of a rebuttal to S.T. Joshi’s The Rise, Fall, and Rise of the Cthulhu Mythos. If you haven’t read that, the book is going to be nonsensical.

August Derleth is controversial in certain parts of HP Lovecraft fandom. By which I mean the literary types who know who he is. For most people out there, who know who HP Lovecraft is, a lot larger group than used to exist, they primarily know him through Cthulhu plushies, board games, tabletop roleplaying games, as well as video game adaptations.

Go a little further and you’ll know him through his inspirations to authors like Stephen King as well as maybe spin off novels set in his world. Only by the time you pass them do you know about the guy who founded Arkham House and is a guy who either saved HP Lovecraft’s legacy or stole it for his own use. Really, he did a little of both.

If you’re a person who isn’t part of the snobbish literary criticism crowd or obnoxiously entitled fandom academic (of which I am a proud snobbish Literature Masters waving member of both–seriously, even I hate myself), you probably need a rundown of who August Derleth is. The short as well as mostly inaccurate version is he was a Weird Tales writer that Lovecraft mentored as well as inspired.

When Howard Phillips went the way of all flesh, they worked with the man named HPL’s literary executive (RH Barlow) with the permission of Howard’s Aunt to republish the man’s work. Eventually, she, too, passed and August froze Barlow out. August also wrote “collaborations” which was, as far as anyone can tell, were just him slapping Howard’s name onto his own stuff. He also created a shared mythology from Lovecraft’s Yog-Sothery that (arguably) didn’t really exist in the original stories. Lovecraft was consistent in his mythology in his stories but often contradictory across them, something I consider a benefit rather than a flaw.

Working in other people’s worlds is by no means unusual behavior for August Derleth as HPL fandom often overlooks the fact that he also wrote the Solar Pons Sherlock Holmes-esque stories that the Doyle family asked him not to. About seventy of these stories no less. To give a sense of August Derleth, take note that he wrote Arthur Conan Doyle and asked him for permission to take over writing Sherlock Holmes when the author decided not to write anymore. Derleth cast a far wider net than HPL’s works even if he’s most famous for working within other people’s worlds (and did plenty of original material himself). This isn’t to be criticized any more than Roy Thomas’ work with Conan or other comic book writer famous for preexisting properties.

A Look Behind the Derleth Mythos requires the five-paragraph introduction above because it is not a laymen’s novel about Derleth, the Cthulhu Mythos, S.T. Joshi’s dislike of Derleth, and a bunch of other arguments that newcomers to the Mythos will have no idea what they’re referring to. It’s a bit like coming into a Reddit argument several posts in. If you’ve just seen The Last Jedi today and come in with opinions on it, don’t be surprised if you find that a lot of people have already expressed where they stand on the battle lines.

I’ve got no real skin in this game or I’m moderate to neutral on the subject. Derleth’s detractors tend to be Lovecraft purists while I came to the HPL through Brian Lumley’s Titus Crow (influenced by Derleth) and the Call of Cthulhu tabletop game (ditto). I even made a homage to both in the Re’Kithnid, a fictional tome by “Brianna Lethder.” However, I feel ninety percent of this book is just going, “Well, actually, Derleth got Lovecraft just fine!” Which is not the best use of a scholarly treatise.

The book is, essentially, one long apologia for August Derleth and that’s fine.  I feel a better use of this book’s pages would have been explaining how Derleth built a coherent mythology from a bunch of disparate sources, shared the works of a writer he loved, and inspired a bunch of other writers just like HP Lovecraft wanted to (and did). No one really should care about whether Derleth was Catholic or not (assuming all writers can only write what they believe in personally) or preferred writing cosmic horror versus pulpy tales of good versus evil. They should care about his treatment of intellectual property and misuse of a man’s name. Essentially, this book feels like it misses the forest for the trees when discussing the legacy of Derleth and his relationship to Howard Phillips.

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REVIEW: The Deviant #5 by James Tynion (W) and Joshua Hixson (A)

A good way to lead your comic reading life is to run, not walk, to the nearest comic book store when a new series or issue written by James Tynion IV is released.  The man is a writing fool (or whatever term the youngsters use for ‘genius’).  Series that captured my attention, and should capture yours, include The Department of Truth, The Closet, and Universal Monsters: Dracula.  Add a new series to that list – The Deviant.

The Deviant #5 is one of those stories that creeps up on you at first, before grabbing you by the throat and throttling the heck out of you.  It starts in one place, then zigs and zags until you realise you’ve ended up in a place so devastating it’s hard to work out how to get back to wherever you started – assuming that’s even possible.

Because The Deviant #5 opens up new vistas in this series about Michael Schmitz, a gay man attempting to uncover the truth fifty years after a series of killings that occurred in 1972.  The majority of the story is told in flashback, to 1999, when Michael was a boy and first encountered the story of the Deviant Killer, a man jailed for the murder of two teenage boys back in the 1970s.

The Deviant #5 is simply spellbinding.  It opens with Michael and his friend checking out a serial killer site devoted to the Deviant Killer.  At first, Michael’s friend has the upper hand – the way he puts Michael down, and his use of homophobic slurs swiftly establishes, at least at first, who is in charge.  But the power dynamic subtly changes – we see Michael, already wrestling with his own sexuality, become enraptured by the photographs uploaded to the site the Deviant Killer took of his victims.  The scene then moves to the two boys checking out a gay porn site, and Michael’s conflicted, almost tortured reaction to the images.  The way artist Joshua Hixson places his panels, and uses close ups of Michael’s face to suggest how his attitude changes from confusion to intent, is masterful in conveying mood.

After this, The Deviant #5 takes the two boys to the abandoned, condemned home where the Deviant Killer lived.  Little more than a stripped, graffitied shell, the house clearly unnerves Michael’s friend, while Michael himself, now firmly in control, is enraptured to be there.  The story doesn’t come out and say it, but it seems to me, at least, that Michael identifies with the killer – insofar as both see themselves as outsiders in a world that rejects both of them, for their choices, and how they identify themselves.  Before the flashback sequence ends, we see a scene so shocking, so upsetting, that it sets the tone for the rest of the issue, and begins to make us question Michael and who he truly is.

I can’t say enough good things about The Deviant #5 – the artwork is subtle yet packs a punch when required.  Tynion’s writing just creeps up on the reader, and the way he flips the power dynamic between the homophobic jock and Michael’s more sensitive, conflicted character is something every writer reading this review should check out and learn from.  The Deviant #5 demonstrates that great comic book storytelling is on par with any other form of fiction writing out there, and is often better.

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REVIEW: The One Hand #4

In The One Hand #4, a crime noir series that has no peer in the field at the moment, battered Detective Ari Nassar’s hunt for the serial killer continues apace.  Along the way, we, the audience, are tantalised with the prospect that at last, we will begin to find answers to who the killer is, and why they have embarked on their course of mayhem and slaughter.

Myth, psychology, language, memory.  The One Hand #4 takes the reader by the hand, leads them into a maze, then leaves them to find their way out.  Whether they do or not doesn’t really matter.  As is ever with this marvellous series, it is the journey that counts most of all.  Comprehension comes a distant second.

Of course, The One Hand #4 tantalises, but like the mythic character, that’s all we are offered – glimpses of who and why the killer has embarked on their killing spree again.  And that’s fine – indeed, that’s part of the allure of what writer Ram V, and artist Laurence Campbell, have created with this series.  Because I have a sneaking suspicion that if and when we find out who the killer is, and what their motives are, it won’t be as satisfying as the frankly sensational build up in the series so far.  But I would be more than happy to be proven wrong.

All that said, some of the veil separating the readership from the mystery is partially pulled away, but even then, Ram V simply adds more mystery to the mystery.  Is Ari hearing voices in the hospital ward?  Are there really two people behind the wall discussing the case?  And why do we see more and more instances of the writing the murder leaves behind at each scene of the crime replicated around the city Ari polices?  Is there something in what femme fatale Helene says about being haunted by a memory that isn’t real?  And what to make of the mixture of advanced science in what is ostensibly a 1970s New York City?

All these tantalising mysteries, mixed in with Campbell’s artwork, elevate The One Hand #4 from simply being a story about the hunt for a serial killer, into a real work of art that engages not just the gut emotions, but also theories about the nature of life, philosophy and what it is to be human.  Ram V has evoked not only the essentials of noir fiction – the sense of hopelessness the little guy feels against the vast, impersonal forces arrayed against them – but yokes them to a compelling story that inserts itself under the reader’s skin, and then goes for broke in burrowing ever deeper.  I’ve never really read anything like it, and lament the day the series comes to an end.

In summation, The One Hand #4 is a fantastic read.  If you just want to follow the mystery, then the writer and artist have created a world in which you can step into, and only escape with the greatest of difficulty.  But where The One Hand #4 stands out is that it isn’t simply a mystery, but an excursion into the mystery of human existence, and an even deeper examination of myth and memory.  Come for the mayhem, stay for the thoughtfulness that this series gently simmers in.

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REVIEW: Slave Ring by Tim Dedopulos

Warning – This review of the novel about vampires and slavery will touch on slavery and sexual assault.

Slave Ring by Tim Dedopulos is the first book of the Clan Novel Trilogy: Brujah series. This is one of three trilogies that serve as loose sequels to the CLAN Novel series from 1999. These were the last books to be released before the Time of Judgement series ended the Old World of Darkness until its reboot. The series stars Theo Bell, archon of the Camarilla, and the setting’s rough equivalent to Blade.

The premise for this volume is Theo Bell has been assigned to a seemingly routine mission in Minneapolis: eliminate a rogue vampire guilty of several murders. During the process, he encounters a desperate father out to rescue his twin teenage daughters by any means necessary. Theo Bell finds himself fangs depe in a conspiracy to traffic human beings across the glove to Kindred masters.

I have a few issues with this premise, such as the fact that I’m pretty sure that vampires are almost axiomatically involved in human trafficking via ghouls or for blood. Indeed, one of the earliest adventure hooks for the original Forged in Steel setting was the player characters having to stop it in Gary, Indiana. Even so, I accept that Theo Bell is the sort of vampire who would want to stop it if he could.

Theo proceeds to rescue one of the twins from the slavers but not before they end up Embraced as a member of Clan Brujah themselves. A naive newcomer sidekick is a fairly effective means of humanizing a cold-blooded butt kicker like Theo as Wolverine and Kitty Pryde or Joel and Ellie prove. Delphine is new to the vampire business and Theo ends up serving as her substitute sire while he tries to negotiate for her survival despite her Embrace being a violation of the Traditions.

There’s a lot to like in this book and part of why it works is Theo is capable of great evil but he’s mostly an honorable decent man that has forgotten how to be such. Despite its incredibly dark subject matter, it is considerably lighter than a lot of Vampire: The Masquerade books and it is very easy to root for Theo Bell given the people he’s up against. The book also benefits from the flashbacks to Theo dealing with his time in the British Empire, which is much more interesting to examine than his time among the Proto-Confederacy.

Most of the book is about Theo and Delphine with the other vampire characters being somewhat stock versions of the same sorts of characters we’ve seen for many years prior. The scheming Tremere Primogen, the aloof but corrupt Prince, and the establishment figures who don’t care about Theo’s current case. That doesn’t mean they’re not entertaining, though, and there’s quite a few places where the story goes in odd directions. Like when Theo’s attack on a slaver base is interrupted by a grieving father with a bunch of C4.

There are some very unfortunate bits in the book like the fact Theo undergoes sexual assault from a woman who doesn’t take no for an answer and can have him killed in the 19th century. Also, allusions to the kind of treatment that human trafficking victims suffer to break their spirits. This is, however, just TAKEN with vampires and I am all there for that. It is a solid and entertaining book and I’m interested in picking up the remaining volumes of the series.

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REVIEW: Deathworlder by Victoria Hayward

A stand-alone novel set in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, Deathworlder by Victoria Hayward is everything you want from a 40k universe novel. It’s war on an epic scale, the odds are against the protagonists at every step, the action is non-stop and breathtaking, the history is hinted at and insinuated and meaningful without getting in the way, and you care about what happens to the characters very quickly and very deeply.

Major Wulf Khan and 905th Night Shrikes are on Lazulai, a dying Imperial planet where thousands of Cadians and Catachans are being fed into the meat grinder of war against the Tyranids … and they are losing. The planet is dying and taking them all with it. The world is being consumed by the Great Devourer, and all hope is lost, until word reaches Imperial forces of a weapon that could turn the tide not just for Lazulai, but for the galaxy.

Khan sacrifices almost everything to lead a small crack squad across the squalid, decomposing landscape, amidst swarms untold thousands strong, to find a lost Machanicus Magos and the ancient weapon he’s been studying. A cunning and brutal leader, Khan takes a heavy flamer trooper, a sniper, her sergeant, a Mechanicus Magos, and the last survivor of a fallen bastion into the Tyranid forests in the hope of finding the ultimate weapon against the swarm.

Hayward has delivered an almost perfect Astra Militarium novel. You want that Tanith First and Only feeling again? Pick this book up. In such a short space of time Hayward gets you neck deep in so many themes of the 40k universe that it’s just a joy to keep turning the pages. My favourite was the author’s focus on the assumptions made about people from other worlds within the Imperium, and the breaking down of barriers. For me, this landed amazingly and added a real humanism to the story–everything from planetism (I’m coining this term), to finding comradeship through shared adversity, to self sacrifice. The character communication which drove this character engagement so easily could have turned into banal footsoldier banter that you read in so many military fantasies, but Deathworlder had depth and meaning, and, in the right moments, true impact due to Hayward’s investment in the characters and their differences.

The world of Lazulai’s decomposing and digesting nature was beautifully and sickeningly written, and the progression of the planet’s landscape and atmosphere as the Tyranid forces began to pull the nutrients of the planet into low orbit so they could move onto the next world was wonderfully imagined. I really enjoyed this aspect, and with other stories like Richard Swan’s Lamenters sort fictions hitting the stands, showcases Black Library’s current theme of human versus overwhelming organic machine that I am just loving at the moment.

Deathworlder by Victoria Hayward is a wonderful read that I absolutely motored through. If there was a list of stand-alone novels you should read if you’re just starting out in Warhammer 40,000, this book should be on it.

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