The Steel Remains (A Land Fit for Heroes, #1) in Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"

Oct 14, 2016 Scott Hitchcock rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: grimdark, abandoned-series

2.5*'s

This had all the elements to be a good GD story but I still found it lacking. The author would do these buildups and I'd be expecting something great and it would be instead something rather bland. Part of this was his ill timed flashbacks which again came off flat. There were some individual scenes which were in a vacuum great. The overall story through really didn't hold any surprises. The last 20% of the book was much better and bailed it out for me a bit. ...more

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Mar 02, 2015 Francesco Manno rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: grimdark-fantasy, fantasy, sword-and-sorcery

http://panopticonitalia.blogspot.it/2...

Survivors is the first volume of the trilogy fantasy A Land Fit For Heroes by Richard K. Morgan, published on the British market in 2008, while in Italy came out in 2012, thanks to the Gargoyle; in 2010 he won the Gaylactic Spectrum Award.
This book can be considered a sword and sorcery / fantasy grimdark (although there are elements typical of science fiction), since there are many points in common with the works of David Gemmell, Michael Moorcock, Gleen C http://panopticonitalia.blogspot.it/2...

Survivors is the first volume of the trilogy fantasy A Land Fit For Heroes by Richard K. Morgan, published on the British market in 2008, while in Italy came out in 2012, thanks to the Gargoyle; in 2010 he won the Gaylactic Spectrum Award.
This book can be considered a sword and sorcery / fantasy grimdark (although there are elements typical of science fiction), since there are many points in common with the works of David Gemmell, Michael Moorcock, Gleen Cook and Joe Abercrombie.
Richard K. Morgan has a vivid imagination and demonstrates excellent skills of world building, describing in great detail a setting similar to our Earth in the medieval period. The author takes us Yhelteth Empire, which has many similarities with the Arab states / Turks of that period; the League of Trelayne, a number of cities similar to those European Renaissance and among the nomadic tribes of the steppes.
In addition to these exotic lands, Richard K. Morgan transports us into the Eternal Kingdom, a plane of existence ruled by some deity called dwenda. Here we do not apply the same laws of physics of our world, time passes inexorably slow and everything and everyone is evanescent. It can also happen to meet and interact with their deceased individuals, all to the detriment of his own sanity.
Great importance is given to the cosmogony, politics and anthropology.
Countless are indeed references to mythological stories, or events of the past (like the one waged against the People of the Scales).
The plot is intricate and remarkable are the twists.
The author shows considerable courage by presenting some issues that still many are considered taboo. We homosexuality, explicit sex, bad language, racism, slavery, prostitution, religious fundamentalism, torture and violence.
In survivors, the story is told in the third person, following three fundamental pov, with some flashbacks that help us learn more about the characters.
The first is Ringil Eskiath, an army officer of noble birth who is outcast from his family because of his sexual orientation. This does not think that will inspire you to Ringil is free of nerve, because the friend of the Ravens, his huge sword, becomes a formidable opponent for anyone (even for the gods). The second is Egar, a nomad who can no longer endure the tedium and the rules of life in the steppes and decides to flee, having antagonized many members of his clan. The third is Archeth Indamaninarmal, a half blood immortal serving Jhiral Khimran II, debauched emperor Yhelteth and perfect example of the decadence that is rampant in this state.
These, having shared the same fate during the War on the People of the scales and have separated into three different areas of the setting Morganian, will meet again to face a new danger; that comes from another world ...
Survivors in addition to humans, we also have different races that arouse horror and repulsion. To name a few, remember: saprophytes, predators, dwenda, men grass, helmsmen and akyia.
I have to recognize that the ability to Richard K. Morgan to give depth to the characters is amazing. Reading this novel is literally caught with dismay, anger, anxiety, and by the passion of our. Few other writers have given me such strong emotions and therefore I tell you that you must not let get away this beautiful book. ...more

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