fantasybooknerd

Well, that was an ending!

Love, Revolution and colonialism.

So I have literally just finished reading The Unbroken, and I have to say my thoughts are mixed on this one. There is quite a lot to like about this book, and these things outweigh some of my reservations about the book.

As with many books by an author that I am unfamiliar with, my interest was piqued by the gorgeous cover art by Tommy Arnold. I love the way that the cover captures the desert setting of the book and the inner strength of Touraine pushing against both sides of the conflict that she is placed in the middle of.

The story takes place in Qazal. A country that is viciously governed by the expanding empire of Balladaire.

It???s main characters are Touraine, a conscripted member of Balladaire's armed forces, stolen as a child to be used as a frontline soldier in the ???Sands??? regiment of the army. The children are ???educated??? from an early age, with their belief systems and personalities modified to believe that they are fighting their former home for the greater good.

The other is Luca, the young monarch of Ballardaire who is sent to Qazal in order to quell the rebellion and prove her ability to rule Balladaire to her uncle, who is currently the regent and does not want to relinquish the power of the throne.

The Unbroken is quite an interesting read. It is based in a North African setting with the Balladairans resembling the French empire of the late 19th Century. Now, I found this to be quite an original premise and not one that I had seen in a fantasy book before. Clark does an amazing job of building an extensive and believable world that lies outside a normal fantasy setting. She catches the vibrancy of the country that she is describing, even though the country of Qazal is a suppressed country. She also captures the cruelties of the ruling classes and the poverty of the people. She regularly highlights the disparity of the situation, showing the nihilistic attitudes of the nobility on the one hand, with lavish balls and the like, and the abject poverty of the people that are being oppressed.

Additionally, she shows the dehumanisation of the Sands (the regiment of the army that is made up of the conscripted nationals) and theQazali people, regularly peppering the book with descriptions of the casual cruelty that is metered out to both the everyday people that live there and also to the ???Sands???.

The basis of the plot revolves around Luca???s obsession with her obtaining her rightful place as leader of the Balladairan throne.However, Luca wants to step away from the normally brutal methods that have not worked and actually wants to negotiate with the rebels. In order to initiate this plan she needs an intermediary to go between both parties.

This is where Touraine comes in.

At the very beginning of the book, Touraine foils an assassination attempt on the Princess???s life. Thus gaining her some favour with the princess who grants her a boon for her valour. When Touraine is disgraced in an incident later in the book,she calls in the Boon and the princess sees her chance to set her plans in motion by employing Touraine as her personal emissary.

What ensues is a story of two individuals that come from vastly different backgrounds learning about each other and the feelings that grow between the two, as well as learning about different cultures and wrangling with the political machinations of both the Empire and the rebels.

Like I said there is a lot to like about this book. The setting, the romance between Luca and Touraine, the political wranglings and the effervescent plot that takes you in lots of different directions.

However, I did find it a little hard to get into at first, and I found it difficult to relate to the characters initially. The pacing at the beginning of the book revolves around a lot of plot building. And at times, I found that this hampered the pacing for me, thus adding to my difficulty in relating to the story.

However, when we get to the second half of the book, the pacing picks up and I have to say it leads to a pretty climactic conclusion that had me turning pages at a rate of knots as I wanted to find out how the book will end.

On the whole, I enjoyed the book despite my initial difficulties with the pacing and I eventually related to the characters.

I have a feeling that C. L Clark will be a fantasy writer to keep an eye on, and will go from strength to strength.

Krystle Matar's debut has been garnering much attention in the book community of late, with everyone raving about how good this book is. So, when you come to a book that has had so much positive attention, there is a little trepidation, hoping that as a reviewer, you are going to find the same positive aspects of the book

However, after finishing the book, I can see why there have been so many positive reviews of ‘The Legacy of the Brightwash'. It is an exceptional debut that brings something that I have not seen previously to the fantasy genre, and I have to say that Krystle Matar has done something that I didn???t quite expect. She surprised me! Now, let me tell you, I have been reading fantasy since I was a teen, so without giving my age away, that is a pretty long time, and one of the downfalls of reading fantasy for an extensive amount of time is that you tend to see the echoes of other authors or the influence of such and such. However, I didn't get this with Legacy of the Brightwash.

Legacy of the Brightwash is a mixture of crime novel and fantasy set in the Victorian City of Yaelsmuir, that seemed to me to be a mixture of Victorian London, but also brought to my mind a Canadian frontiership.

I like this world that Kyrstle Matar has built in the book. I like it a lot! It???s harsh and unforgiving, but additionally Krystle Matar has built it with such precision that she knows every blade of grass in the world. On the one hand she will show the disparity between the opulent ruling classes and then switch to the hand to mouth environment of the poor of the city. It is such a well constructed environment. So well constructed that you can smell the spices of the sausages in the market that Tashue and Stella eat when they visit the market place in the book, to the sweat and blood of the fighting pits.

And that brings me to the characters. As you can guess, the two main characters are Tahsue and Stella. However, there is a full supporting cast in the book and at times we follow their point of view, like Ishmael or Tashue???s son, Jason, but the main points of view revolve around Tashue and Stella. I have to say that Krystle Matar does not waste a single character in the book. Each individual is fully fleshed out and seems like a real person. In all honesty, all the characters were so well crafted that they simply walked off the page and took up residence in my imagination.

The plot of the book is excellent. Like I said,it???s a mixture of crime drama and fantasy, and to be honest this works immensely well. The story starts with the washed up body of a dismembered child on the banks of the Brightwash of the story. It seems that dead bodies washing up on the banks of the river are not particularly uncommon and the girl is treated the same as the regular flotsam and jetson that is generally washed up. Initially, there is a crowd watching the proceedings, but you get the feeling that no - one actually cares, even the local constabulary, that is until Captain Tashue Blackwood of the National Tainted Registration Authority takes charge of the investigation, even though it is not his job, against the advice of his lieutenant, Kazrani.

This leads him to investigate the death of this young girl, and he becomes involved in an investigation that could lead him to the higher echelons of the Dominion, the cruel and oppressive government of Yaelsmuir.

On top of that, Tashue is railroaded into the political machinations of local politician in his run for mayor which leads him to become involved with femme fatal Illea Winter, who along with Tahue???s former military commander, Nathaniel Wolfe believes that Tashue???s exemplary mitlatry background would help bolster the career of Illea???s husband.

You get the feeling that when we start the book, that whilst Tashue is an individual that can take care of himself, he is a bit of a bystander in his own life. He seems to go where the situation leads him, but he has no real convictions. He seems a bit lost, and it is not until he becomes involved with Stella that he actually starts to come to life.

Phew, that???s enough for one book isn???t it. But not for Krystle Matar, because she introduces one of the most interesting aspects of the book that really intrigued me.

Obviously, this is fantasy, and any good fantasy needs some magic. And Krystle Matar does something quite interesting with the magic. Whilst at this precise time, the magic system is not particularly intricate. However, the Dominion uses the magic of the tainted (the magic users of the book) as the literal battery of the Dominion Empire, powering engines and vehicles etc. People who use magic are seen as subhuman and if they do not register as magic users are thrown into jail, much like Tashue???s son Jason. In addition to this, they are forced into breeding programs or if they are free, they are monitored to make sure they are following the rules that are assigned by the Dominion. Throughout the story, people with magic are treated awfully, and the vile attitudes of the Dominion are so pervasive they seep into the foundations of the city. I mean, there are obvious real world connotations in this aspect of the story. However, Krystle Matar handles this with care and sensitivity, without failing to highlight the brutality and the hypocrisy of these attitudes.

Now my final point to make, is the romance. Yes, there is romance in the book, and it can get quite steamy at times. Let me tell, generally, when it comes to romance, I will generally run the other way. However, I didn???t mind this aspect of the story and it adds to the depth of the characters.

I think you can guess I like this book, I like this book a helluva lot and it is definitely up there as one of my favorite books of the year. I simply cannot believe that this book is a debut, as Krystle Matar???s writing is so accomplished it is ridiculous. There is such a depth to her prose! Goodness knows what she is going to do next but I will be jostling my way through the multitude of admirers to get to the front and get my copy.

This is a novella by L.L. Macrae and is the precursor to The Dragon Spirits series.

The story is about life long thief Apollo Tamlin, who given the choice between execution or a pardon where he could escape his life of crime by organising a journey that could end in certain death, decides on the second .

When a robbery has gone wrong in the Royal palace, Tamlin is forced to take a stolen artifact to be destroyed by the Spirit of the Eternal Blizzard by the Conqueror Queen, Suraya.

In order to complete the task he and his party, comprising of his friend Malora and cell mate Yorik.

The Citrine Key is a thrilling little story that involves dragons, mystery and long forgotten terrors.

L.L. Macrae does an excellent job of plunging you headling in to the story from the begining, doing a pretty decent job of introducing the characters and building the world immdiately so that you feel familiar with the environment and the characters.

The thing that I like about novellas in that there is no room for procrastination due to their compactness and this story works well in the confines of this format.

The characters are all solid, with enough backstory to flesh out their character without being bogged down with unnecessary exposition. I particularly found the lead character Apollo to be an interesting character that I would definitely like to see more of. He uses humour to hide his emations but he is extremely loyal to his friend Malora.

Similarly, Malora has some history. She is a spirit blessed whose power has deserted her and has fallen on hard times.

There is definitely an epic fantasy feel to the story, and I like that the characters are not your usual heroic chosen types but are flawed and have some depth to them.

One of the things that is always going to get my attention are dragons, and I really like how L.L. Macrae uses them. Each one is identified as a spirit. In this story we meet the Spirit of the Eternal Blizzard, who is an ice dragon, but we also get hints of other dragons too, such as the Spirit of Iron that belongs to the conqueror queen.

As an introduction to L. L. Marae's writing I found that this was a satisfying and enjoyable read and I will definitely be investigating the main story when it comes out, which is set five years after this story.

With The End of Dreams, Marcus Lee's The Gifted & The Cursed comes to a close.

When it comes to the last of a series of books, we know that there will be an inevitable conclusion and the series will end. It's always bittersweet when we get to the final chapter of a series. On the one hand, you want to see how it all ends. Will good triumph over evil, or will there be a twist of events that will somehow change the outcome and give us an unexpected ending that we didn't see coming. There are a multitude of ways things can end, but end they will. And so it comes with The End of Dreams.

However, whilst the ending is important, it is not the be all and end all. The most important aspect is the journey to get there. Therein lies the joy! And, oh, what a journey this is.

The book starts immediately from where we last left our main characters. Taran, Rakan and Yana are escaping from the fortress of Tristan's Folly. Whilst Maya is fulfilling her obligation to Tristan that she made to keep Taran alive.

It's pretty fair to say, that at this present moment in time, mostly everyone is not happy about the current situation that they find themselves in. Well, except for Yana, who is quite happy that things seem to be going according to plan. In that Maya is off with Tristan and she has time to see her wily plans of making Taran her own come to fruition.

In amidst this, Taran has made the stupendously wise decision to continue to wear the amulet of the Witch King and repress all his emotions pertaining to the current state of his relationship with Maya. You know that isn't going to end well, don't you! However, Rakan tells him this and he completely ignores this advice. Suffice it to say, Taran walks a pretty dark path, believing that the most appropriate way to deal with the Witch King is be like the Witch King.

Meanwhile, Daleth is currently holding up, injured as a result of the events at Tristan's Folly. However, he is not entirely idle in his God given right to dominate the whole world and suck off its life energy so that he can live forever and sets off a series of plans so that his victory can be orchestrated.

Maya, on the other hand has decided that although she is not in the best place, what with Tristan wanting to get his wicked way with her (in more ways than one), she feels that the best course of action is to defy Tristan at every given turn and also make the best of her situation by doing what she does best, caring for others and thus telling them the truth about Daleth and his army.

I think that tells you enough about plot without giving too much away.

I have loved this series as whole and with each book, it has gone from strength to strength, and the End of Dreams is no exception. Marcus Lee delivers plots and subplots, weaving each one delicately to reach the final ending of what for me is a memorable series of books.

Again, he shows inexplicable skill in mounting tension, introducing new characters and subsequently completing this journey.

What I like about, Marcus Lee's writing is that he wears his heart on his sleeve. He loves epic fantasy in all it's forms. He is able to write about romance without it turning into mawkishness, he can write about other relationships, such as Rakan's care for his son and make it believable and he can satisfy even the bloodthirstiest of readers like me. That's a pretty good balancing act to perform if you ask me and he does it with style.

Now we have to talk about characters. Marcus Lee writes fantastically believable characters that are worth getting attached to. From Maya, with her beguilingly innocent view of the world to the despicable Tristan. Yes, I say Tristan, because whilst Daleth is the big bad, he's a smidgen less odious than Tristan, who I virtually hissed at every time he entered the stage.

One last thing that I have to mention, is that surprisingly, amongst all the plot and the characters, Marcus Lee manages to squeeze in some pretty awesome world building with the introduction of the Horse lords, which to me, reminded me of a mix between the Rohirrim, the Mongol Hoardes and the Knights of Solamnia and I thought were a welcome addition to the book.

So, we come to the close and I must say that this is a satisfying ending to a memorable series.

The Black Coast is an intersting fantasy, based on the assimilation of the previously feared Raiders, the Tjakorshi, into the lands of Narida. We follow the point of view of the leader of the Black Eagle Clan, Saarna Sattistutar as she attempts to gain clemency in this strange land in which they have previously been seen as the enemy.

The other point of view is from Daimon, the adopted son of Lord Asrel, who seeing a different way to war and killing betrays tradition and family, and accepts the invaders, at the cost of deposing his father and brother in order to maintain peace and accept the Tjakorshi into the community of Black Keep.

What follows is the tale of the trials and tribulations of two very different communities coming together to work for the greater good. However, not everyone in Black Keep is as accepting of the former enemies and they attempt to derail the alliance and the bonds that start to develop between the two cultures.

Besides these two main points of view, we have several others that take us to different parts of the world and also the wider political machinations of Mike Brook's gigantic world.Firstly, there's Tila. The sister of the God-King, Natan, who is organising a move to assassinate the Splinter King, a rival and threat to her brother's claim to the throne of Narida (not a spoiler, it's in the prologue!)

And there's Jeya, a street urchin in Kiburu ce Alaba, who struggles to make a living by stealing. However, her life becomes irrevocably changed when she steals the purse of a rich young man in the market.

In amidst this, there are a number of minor characters that provide a view to different parts of the country of Narida or adds different aspects to the story.

Mike Brooks creates a rich tapestry of cultures in the world he has created. For instance, the Tjakorshi seem to reminiscent of a Norse culture, whilst the Naridans are based on feudal Japan. This makes for a diverse melting pot of culture and tradition. And then there's the Alabans, which reminds me more of an Arabian culture. Added to this, particularly in Alaban, there is the question of gender in which the society is based on a non-binary culture and provides a number of pitfalls to traverse for visitors to the country.

I have to say that whilst this is my first introduction to Mike Brooks, and I found his writing to be solid and expansive. He writes rich characters, particularly Saana and Daimon, and when we went to some of the minor characters' viewpoints I couldn't wait to get back to these two.

I found both cultures to be fascinating and enjoyed the descriptions of their opposing viewpoints and attitudes. For instance, the Naridans have a liberal attitude to same-sex marriage, whilst the Tjakoshan's find this bewildering and against nature. It is interesting to see the attitudes of the Tjakorshan's change, and when the change comes from a source that Saana is not expecting she is forced to accept this difference in culture.

Similarly, with the Naridans, who have a patriarchal society that sees women as second class citizens, Daimon has to change his attitude to fit with the Tjakorshans. I really liked this examination of socio-political attitudes within the world and culture and it was a refreshing change to see these kinds of things in a fantasy series.

I liked the idea of the war dragons, although they are not exactly dragons as in the traditional fantasy sense, but based more on like giants bearded lizards, and such like.

When reading the story, it is quite obvious that some of the subplots are setting up second and third books. The story of the Splinter King or the Demon Lord of the Tjakoshan's for instance, which is in the book but doesn't really have much page time. I found the character of the Golden to be a fascinating character and I wanted to see more of him but he seems to be used as a vehicle for later stories rather than being enmeshed with the current world, although the actions of the Golden do have some minor impact in the book.

Besides the rich characters and stunning world-building, Mike Brooks writes some pretty good fight and battle scenes. I have to say, that when the battle scenes do come, he writes engrossing battle scenes that get your pulse beating that little bit faster.

So, all in all, I enjoyed this book. It has well rounded believable characters, rich and deep world-building, and topped with a good dose of pulse pumping battle scenes

Luke Tarzian's wonderfully complex book is an ambitious and mesmerising read.

I have read a lot of reviews about Vultures and wondered what I was getting myself into. I had read that it was difficult. That it required thought and concentration. Was I ready for this?

Well the answer to this was yes! I think I was!

Now I had this book before I was accepted on the blog tour and was always immensley interested about Luke Tarzian's debut. The blog tour just solidified my resolve to actually get on with it. So with a deep breath, I plunged into the book.

I have to say that I didn't know what I was expecting at first, but suffice it to say the book confounded all my expectations and pulled me along breathlessly towards the end.

One of the things that I like about Luke Tarzian's writing is that it places an incredible amount of faith in the reader, in that you are going to go with the flow of the story. That you are willing to enter into this world and trust that, whilst at times you may not understand it all, you are willing to suspend your preconceptions and follow the tale regardless of where it goes.

Whilst the structure of the book does not follow conventional rules, the actual plot does have sembelences of epic fantasy. We have the dark force - Te Mirkvahil. We have the chosen hero - Theilys An and we have the hunt for the weapon that will destroy the said dark force.

However, it is what Luke Tarzian does with these conventions that makes the book something else. The book reminds me of a dry stone wall, in that there are solid foundations, but how the hell is the rest of it going to stand up? Somehow, as if by magic, it does. And the reason for this is because Luke Tarzian uses words like stones to create something magical.

The story takes place in a world where everything has been devastated by Te Mirkvahil, who has unleased a hoard of demons to ravage the land and the people.

There are many different characters, but the narrative centres on three main points of view, Theilys An, a demon posessed warrior who dissacociates when the demon inside him takes over to destroy the Lokyns (the nasty evil types), and when he wakes he usually wakes to find scenes of devastation . Serece, a plague infected phantaxian, who may or may not be posessed by a goddess, and Behtreal, a mysterious figure trying to resurrect a lost people, who again may be possessed by a demon. However, there other characters and points of view that add to the story and bring different perspectives.

With any fantasy book, you have to mention the magic systems and the world building, and again Luke Tarzian's magic systems are orignal and complex. There's Mirkur, which is a power that was used by Behtreal and Thealys An, which seems to be a power borne of darkness, and then there's Illum which grants the user the power to interpret dreams and premonitions. And then there's Yssa which is the dreaded power of the phantaxians which when used can have a disasterous effect.

On top of that, the world building is beguiling, it flits between the real and unreal, the corporeal and the incorporeal seamlessly. Sometimes, I wasn't entirely sure of where I was, but once I learnt that this was the structure of the book, I just went with it.

Added to this are the characters. At times I found them likeable and understandable, other times they frustrated me. At other times, I didn't know what I thought. But one thing is for sure is that Luke Tarzian certainly writes characters with depth.

Ultimately, I found Vultures to be a compelling read that I will need to revist at some point and get the full effect of Luke Tarzian's dreamlike writing, and knowing that there is more to this story fills me with longing for the next one.

Daleth's army is at the gates of King Tristan's mighty fortress which is the sole obstacle in his plan to overrun the Freestates.

A beacon of resolve in his quest for dominance.

However, things are not as it seems. As the Witch King batters the wall in his attempt to crush the resistance, dark forces are at work within the fortress. Who will be left standing as the mighty fall.

Tristan's Folly is the second in The Gifted & the Cursed Trilogy by Marcus Lee and is very much a continuation of the story begun in Kings & Daemons, and I think Tristan's Folly is best regarded as a continuation rather than a separate book.

In this second chapter, Maya and the rest of the party have made their way to the Freestates and have pledged their services to King Tristan to attempt to stop the Daleth's invading hoardes.

The story revolves around the siege of the fortress and is very insular in its setting and not as expansive as Kings & Daemons. However, this provides a sense of claustrophobia and focus, which increases in the second half of the book.

The book is very definitely a game of two halves. Initially, the book has a sense of hope. However, as the siege becomes more protracted, this dissipates as tensions within the fortress become increasingly fraught.

Marcus Lee conveys this really well and does a masterful job of introducing plots and subplots that adds to the mounting tension and puts strain on the relationships between the party.

I have to say that I enjoyed this book immensely and this second book moves the story on in ways that I didn't expect. As I said earlier there is very much a darker tone than Kings & Daemons. Whilst the previous book is dark fantasy there was always that corona of light, and whilst this continues initially in Tristan???s Folly, the tone becomes much darker towards the latter part of the book

One of the standout points in Marcus Lee???s work is the depth of the characters, and this continues in Tristan's Folly. Each of the characters develop in some way and what I found to be the most interesting is that the characters will move between good decisions and pretty bad decisions depending on the events that affect them individually. This is one of the things that I like about Marcus Lee???s writing. He writes realistic characters that do have faults, that will make mistakes and thus making them more human and multi faceted, making you care for them more. Even Daleth, the Witch ??? King is not omnipotent, but has the ability to make mistakes and show bad judgement.

One of the themes that caught my attention is duplicity. And this theme seems to run throughout the book. Even the title is duplicitous in its meaning. What exactly is Tristan???s Folly? However, this is not something that I will go into ??? Plot spoilers! And I want to stay away from those.

I really liked Kings & Daemons and thought it was excellent. Tristan???s Folly develops the story of Maya and the rest of the party so much more and I found everything to be taken that one step further. Not just in relation to the the plot, but in the development of the characters and even in the writing. Marcus Lee has always had a unique voice, however in Tristan???s Folly everything is honed to absolute sharpness.

If you haven???t read The Gifted & The Cursed, I really recommend that you do as it does not disappoint, and I am really excited to be reading the third instalment of this enjoyable series.

This is a short story by P. Djeli Clark, clocking in at forty six pages, and I have to say that they are forty six pages of pure gold.??

I don't know how P. Djeli Clark does it, he must be a magician becasue he sets up this little self contained story with such craftsmanship.?? When I read this was absolutely engrossed with this take on an alternative world in which Cairo is inhabited by Djinn, Clockwork Angels and murderous ghouls, all painted on a steampunk backdrop.

In such a short space of time, he introduces his snarky, bowler hat wearing female protagonist, Fatma el Sha'arawi at the scene of a death in which a Djinn has died in what appear to be suspicious circunstances. Fatma is an investigator in the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Emtities, who besides wearing a bolwer hat, carrying a specially made cane, likes to look ‘exotic' by wearing an english style suit. As soon as Fatma quips at the salacious police chief Aasim in the first scene I knew I was going to like her. However, P. Djeli Clark just populates his little world with brilliantly realised characters.

Immediatley you are thrust into a world which is vibrant and colourful, and that is surprisingly expansive. Cairo is brilliantly realised with trams, motorised cariages and strange flying machines. Clark builds the world so vividly that never once are you lost as you move through the city with Fatma.

The pace of the story is like a runaway motorised carriage and it takes you along at such a speed you are shortly out of breath. Honestly, from begining to end not one word is wasted. And before you know it, you are at the climactic end, holding your breath until events play out.??

I will most definitelybe seeking out the next instalments of these stories, with the Novella ‘The Haunting of Tram Car 015 and Clark's debut novel, The Master of Djinn. Which is to be relaesed in May 2021. I'm not sure if they have Fatma el Sha'arawi in, but I hope so!

If you like this review and want to look at my other reviews by going here to my blog fantasybooknerd.com

???Evil wears the skin of good men???

Alexis Henderson???s debut is a wonderfully glorious dark tale of witches, religious oppression and secrets.

I have seen mixed reviews for Alexis Henderson???s novel, The Year of the Witching, but for me I have to say from the outset that I loved it. I found Alexis Henderson??? story to be beguiling and evocative, and it seriously clicked with me.

The tale starts with the birth of our Protagonist, Immanuelle who lives in the town of Bethel. Bethel is a place that is governed by a strict puritanical religion and watched over by the Prophet, who maintains his power with the aid of his apostles.

The prologue immediately conjures a feeling of disquiet and we know that Immanuelle has a destiny, one that will unfold as she grows.

The story then jumps seventeen years to show us Immanuelle, kneeling prostrate at an altar awaiting the blessing of the father in the form of blood from the sacrificial lamb.

As Henderson tells the tale of Immanuelle, we quickly learn that Bethel is not a particularly nice place to live and that Immanuelle is considered to be somewhat of a pariah. Her mother, whilst betrothed to be one of the many wives of the Prophet, had a clandestine affair with a man from the outskirts. This does not go well, as Miriam is cast out and the poor man suffers an even worse fate.

This is a strange world in which the religion resembles a Christian religion, with the main deity being the Father, and that the opposing force is The Mother. Who we later learn is called The Dark Mother, not just because she resides in the darkness!

The town of Bethel is surrounded by The Dark Wood. The cursed home of the Dark Mother and her coven of witches. All are forbidden from entering the Dark Wood and all those who enter are immediately suspected of being witches. However, one day. On return from the market in which she must sell her ram in order to alleviate the harsh winter that her family have experienced. Immanuelle is drawn into the dark wood. And there, she is given the journal of her dead mother. The secrets that are held within will change everything. Both for Immanuelle and for all of Bethel.

This is quite a hard review to write in all honesty. It???s difficult to convey how much I enjoyed this book and not give away plot spoilers, but for you I???ll try.

I have seen many reviews likening this to The Handmaid's Tale, and it does bear a resemblance in that there is oppression both in the form of a Patriarchal religion and the oppression of women. I have also seen it mentioned that this is a horror. However, I found it to be more of a dark fantasy rather than horror.

One of things that really impressed me about the book was Alexis Henderson???s masterful ability to maintain a cloying sense of disquiet throughout the story. Whether it be from the supernatural elements, the oppressiveness of the religion, the duplicitous prophet or even from Immanuelle???s own family. Everything seemed to be off kilter and distorted in some way.

The book is populated by complex, well rounded characters. Immanuelle herself is a superb character that we see grow as the story progresses. In addition to that the other standout characters are her Grandmother Martha, the matriarch of the family, who is both harsh and loving of her granddaughter. The loathsome Prophet, Grant Chambers, whose puritanical and insidious influence spreads throughout all of the town of Bethel and he rules with a rod of iron and fear, unwilling to relinquish even the slightest bit of power. And then there is his son and heir, Ezra Chambers, who sees his father for what he is and wants to change the system.

Added to that, there are the Witches, Lillith and her coven whose influence seeps from the dark wood. She is used as a totem of fear and oppression to keep the women of Bethel in line. However, there is more to the story of Lillith who was banished to the dark wood by the first prophet David Ford, and we see that she is a multi-faceted character that whilst being an object of fear, this is not exactly the truth.

The book is peppered with a number of different prejudices. Not only are prejudices based on gender, but there is also colour of skin and class, and we learn that these views have a grip in all parts of the society. Immanuelle for instance, is of mixed heritage, culture and race. And she is not accepted by either those in the town of Bethel or the folk in The Outskirts.

Additionally, Alexis Henderson does a fantastic job of building the world around her characters, mapping out a well thought out world, complex political and religious systems. As we move through the book, she cleverly expands the story to encompass other parts of the world. The Dark Wood is malignant and foreboding, the Outskirts where the poor and the dispossessed, and those who are not white of skin reside. It then moves out to the towns around Bethel and gives us more of an insight of what lies beyond the gates

I found The Year of The Witching to be an engrossing and utterly compelling book. It has some very dark themes, but I did find the ultimate theme was one of change and emancipation. Not just from the shackles of oppression, but from the past and tradition and Alexis Henderson masterfully crafts subtle creeping atmosphere into the essence of the story and I for one loved it.

Oh, and just to mention that I actually listened to this story on audiobook which was fantastically narrated by Brianna Coleman.

Full review to follow

Louise Carey???s stylish and sleek first book is a sci fi thriller set in a post - apocalyptic London.

Following a cataclysmic event called The Meltdown, the world has been taken over by Corporations, run by boards and CEO???s. These Corporations are warring factions that dominate the people of the world and the story revolves the cold war between Intech and the breakaway corporation Thoughtfront, who have both taken control of London, dividing it equally on each side of the Thames.

The story starts with a mission to retrieve some stolen data files that have been taken to a place that has no allegiance to either of the two Corporations called the ???Unaffiliated Zone???. And it is here that we meet Tanta. A rookie agent for the Intech Corporation who has been given the task by her mentor ???Jen??? to retrieve the stolen files. However, the mission is a disaster and the squad is attacked by an enemy agent.

After returning to Headquarters, Tanta is debriefed and despite her first field assignment not going to plan, she is given the task of finding out what was on the stolen files. She is quickly promoted from rookie to Agent and later in the story, introduced to her ???partner??? Cole. A neuro engineer that has been involved in a corporate accident, that whilst leaving him incapable of carrying out his original job, he is still a valuable asset, particularly in relation to this case.

As we move through the story, we are introduced to the world of Inscape. From the very beginning of the book, Louise Carey carefully starts introducing to the world and the technology that is predominant in the book. We are shown that the Inscape is a piece of biotech that overlays the world that the protagonists live in with an Augmented Reality. I really like this idea of the Inscape, and Louise Carey does a fantastic job of showing the reader how the it affects the characters and those around them.

One of the strengths of the book, is that Louise Carey does not info dump the world on you but unfurls the environment as the story progresses and we are always learning some new nugget of information about the city. She carefully adds layer upon layer of information showing how the environment, monetary systems, political systems and technology impact on those living in this world and it organically feels part of the story rather than one big info dump which you can get in both sci ??? fi and fantasy novels.

Inscape mainly revolves around the two main characters, Tanta and Cole. These are the two that have to hold the weight of the story on their shoulders. So, it is a good job that they are solid, believable and relatable characters. Especially Tanta!

When we first meet Tanta, I didn't wholly gel with her. She???s a little too quick to please the commands of her mentor Jen, and the corporation as a whole. It almost seems to border on subservience. We learn that she is a Corpsward, an orphan who has been brought up by Intech and we know that there is something a little off about Tanta (I am not going to elaborate too much as this is part of the plot). As the plot moves on and events come into play. Tanta changes and you warm to her more. Particularly in the second part of the book! This is when Tanta starts to learn and experiences things about those she works with and herself. As she realises the impact of the thing she discovers, she changes, and we get to share that change with her.

Cole is a little different. As I said earlier, he has been involved in an accident that has rendered him unfit to complete his original job. In some ways, when they first meet it reminded me of the traditional pairing story in a police procedural. One cop does it strictly by the book and is teamed with the maverick who breaks all the rules. However, the relationship between the two grows throughout the book, and again, Carey cleverly layers this growing relationship and we learn that this friendship doesn???t come out of the blue. As the story progresses we can see that there are reasons for this relationship and that Cole has some latent feelings for Tanta.

From the very first chapter, Louise Carey immerses you in the story from the outset. And, even though initially you are a little disorientated with the world of Inscape, trying to work out what this does, why this works the way it does etc.go with the flow and you will find that all is revealed one way or another.

It took me a little bit to get used to the book at first as it is written in the present tense. I have always found that I have a bit of a difficulty getting into books that are written in the present tense, for some reason. I don???t know why, but I need a period of adjustment. However, it didn???t take me long and then I was fine, happily immersed in the world of Inscape.

Obviously, as a thriller, you need to be able to write good action sequences. And Louise Carey certainly can write good action sequences. The hand to hand combat sequence with the enemy agent for instance is cracking. The visual aesthetics of it really worked and I felt that I was actually watching this on a screen in my head rather than it being a sequence of letters on a page.

On the whole, I enjoyed this book. The pace is cracking, the writing immersive, the action sequences excellently visual, and the characters are solid and relatable. http://www.fantasybooknerd.com/2020/12/some-information-about-book-title-we.html Apparently, this is the first one of a series. So I cannot wait to see what happens next.

I initially received an advanced reading copy for Inscape from Netgalley and the Publishers. My thanks go to them for this opportunity to read this ARC.

The book will be released on
21st January 2020

Lindsay Cummings' new novel is an enjoyable genre-fusing mix of Sci-fi and Fantasy.

Maybe, when picking your next book to read you might have a hard time deciding between SciFi or fantasy. Lindsay Cummings must have been thinking this when writing Blood, Metal, Bone. But then she just thought, well why do I need to choose? Let's stick ‘em in a blender and see what it tastes like.

Blood, Metal, Bone tells the story of Sonara. Cinderella bastard child of the warrior queen of Soeria, who when we first meet her is forced to maintain the horses of her mother's stable. She has a deep bond with her brother, Soahm the crown prince of the aforementioned land and jewel of his mother's eye.

However, one fateful day, a spaceship with a phoenix symbol takes Soahm, we don???t where or why, he???s just taken. Subsequently, Sonara gets the blame for this and it is assumed that she has nefariously done away with the crown prince. She is then publicly flogged by her mother, placed on a horse that her beloved brother gave her, and then forced to ride over the edge of a cliff.

Well, there???s no coming back from that one! The End!

Not quite the end, because Sonara comes back from the dead as a Shadowblood, a mysterious, magicy type of ??? person. The story then moves forward ten years and we meet Sonara again. Now she is working with a gang of cutpurses and she has taken up the mantle of The Devil of the Deadlands, a badass thief with magical powers. However, the shadow of her missing brother hangs over her and she is determined to find out what happened to him.

Lindsay Cummings' book is an interesting one, in that she mixes a number of different things together in this plot-driven story. In fact, she chucks everything at you Medieval fantasy that includes dragons, magic swords and quests, and then she also has a Sci-Fi story that has space smugglers, shady conglomerates, and alternative earths.

The points of view are mainly from Sonara (the medieval fantasy bit) who after been brought back from death, is surviving by being a thief in the Deadlands with other like-minded individuals who have also been brought back from the dead and now have magical powers. The other point of view comes from Karr (the sci - fi bit) who is a space smuggler aboard a spaceship called Starfall. Initially, the book is split into these two protagonists' individual story and you are wondering what on earth the girl with the sword and the boy in the spaceship has in common.

Well, it???s obvious innit, Einstein! Brother gets pinched from his planet by a strange spaceship, what more do you need? Yep, that is what I thought too. However, Lindsay Cummings skilfully weaves, twists, and manipulates this story to leave you with answers that quite honestly, I didn't see coming. And I enjoyed the spaceship ride that she took me on.

However, not only are there two points of view, there are two separate stories happening at the same time and at first, this can make the book a little disjointed, making you split your brain a little bit because you have to throw yourself into two separate settings.

Firstly there???s Sonara???s adventures in the Deadlands as she tries to steal stuff from the tyrannical King of the Deadlands, gets sent to jail, gets saved by her gang (who have a Dragon!), and then gets hired by a deposed princess and her skeleton encased friend to undertake a quest. Oh, and she has to come to grips with the magic powers that she gained when she was brought back from the dead, why she was brought back from the dead with all her mates, and work out her relationships with those around her, including her ex-boyfriend who also had a bit of a thing with the deposed princess and is a bit of a one!

Phew, that???s enough for one book there! However, Lindsay Cummings doesn???t stop there, she also gives us the tale of Karr and his brother Cade, who are escaping the tyrannical Jeb, who took them in as children when their parents were murdered and forced them to do some pretty underhanded jobs for him. To escape him Cade decides that taking up with a mysterious head of the shady conglomerate is the best way to escape Jeb???s clutches

The Head of the shady conglomerate then gives them a quest to get a mysterious object that is located on Sonara???s planet and can save the galaxy from a deadly disease called the ???Reaper???, which has decimated the people of Earth and forced them to create a second Earth called Beta Earth. In the process, Karr realises that he doesn???t want to do the space smuggling thingy anymore and wants to be an artist, and he has to work out his relationship with his brother.

Now, I know that that sounds like a lot and that it may be a little confusing. But honestly, it kinda works. The stories do converge and become one and that is quite a feat, but Lindsay Cummings manages to pull it off well, and when the stories do converge we rush headlong onto the end of the book and what on earth all those things have to do with each other, beat the bad guy and discover why the Deadlands gang all have these mutant powers and who or what brought them back from the dead in the first place.

I enjoyed this book. Lindsay Cummings is a writer that treats her audience with respect. Whilst it is not up there with something like Grimdark, Cummings does pepper the story with some violence and does not shy away from it. She also introduces some complexity to the plot that twists and turns and keeps you guessing to the very end. She introduces curveballs constantly throughout the plot that leaves your brain a bit numb. In fact, at some points I met myself coming back, there were that many twists and turns in the story.

The only downside is that because there is so much in the book. I didn???t feel that I connected with the characters enough. It was like being in a perfectly decorated house, but something was a little amiss. At times, I didn???t feel that the characters quite hit their mark. For instance, Sonara was not particularly devilish, she could be a bit grumpy, but she wasn???t entirely devilish. For me, it was the same with quite a lot of the characters. I don???t want to go into it too much as this would spoil the plot.

Additionally, I felt that since there was so much in the book, a couple of storylines just didn???t feel finished. Particularly the shady space conglomerate. I just felt that I needed to know some more about them.

I???m not sure if there is another book planned, but there is definitely lots more room to carry on the story of Sonara, Karr, and the magic gang.

On the whole, the book has a mix of fantasy and sci-fi that I enjoyed right till the very end.

This was an advanced reading copy from Netgalley and the publishers in exchsng for an honest review.

The Stone Knife is a visceral and epic tale of Empire, that is set in an original world that tells a tale of heroism, love, betrayal and resistance.

The story takes place in the forest land of Ixachipan and revolves around the people of Tokoban and the Yolotlan and their struggle to remain free from being enslaved by the Pechacan, The Empire of song.

For Generations, the Pechecan have slowly been absorbing every free tribe, enslaving the people that they conquer and expanding the influence of their magic, the song. A hypnotic magic that turns the people into subservient drones, all for the good of the Empire.

However, whilst the Tokoban and Yolotlan attempt to maintain their freedom, other horrors are attacking the people of these tribes in the form of The Drowned. A two legged amphibious predator that live in the rivers, preying on those who get too close to the water.

Stephens tells the story form the point of view of about seven characters that are from both sides, and they are fully realised characters that you relate to immediately, even though you do not like some of them. The standout character for me was the despicable and devious Enet whose lust for power rivals that of Lady Macbeth. There is no depth that she will not go to in order to cement her status, and the levels of depravity that she stoops to is truly horrifying. However, there are others, Xessa the Eja who protects the land of the Tocoban from the voracious Drowned.

Xessa is a really interesting character. It has to be mentioned that Xessa is deaf. However, Anna Stephens writes her with such depth that her deafness is not the focus of her character. In fact, her deafness is not a disability but an advantage in her role as protector as The Drowned who hunt by using a hypnotic song that mesmerizes their prey so that they can feast on their flesh.

The other characters are equally as intriguing, such as Tayan and his husband Lilla, and Pelos, a military leader of the Pechocan.

The world that the story takes place in is refreshing in so many ways. For instance, same sex marriage is a norm in this world and the intricate jungles of Ixachipan are so intricately woven into the story that the environment becomes a character in its own right. Every change in temperature and climate is palpable and impacts on the story in some way.

The Drowned are fascinating aspects of the story and highlight the differing world views of the two nations. Whereas the Empire of Song sees them as living gods, the Holy Setatme. The free peoples of Tokoban see them as monsters who hunt them mercilessly.

One of the things that I found to be particularly noteworthy was her depiction of the Empire of Songs and the song itself. This was something that blew me away. The Empire seems to comprise of a hive mind and when people are under the influence of the song, they are governed by the Singer and as one they feel the emotions of what he is experiencing.

The Singer is a truly monstrous character even before the story progresses the way that it does. He is spoilt, cruel and vicious. He treats those around him with contempt and encourages the machinations of those that strove for power and influence.

Stephen's writing is enthralling and absorbing. Initially, she intricately weaves the plot, building both the world and the characters. However, when she comes to the final act of the book she commands the story like a maestro, carefully orchestrating each strand of the story to reach a tumultuous climax that literally had my jaw dropping as the story takes bloody and surprising turns. At times, the story is akin to a Greek tragedy with the twists it takes and I had to stop for a minute to take a breath.

At times, this is a brutal and bloody book, whilst not grimdark, it is definitely dark. The battle scenes are brutal and the Singers storyline is both bloody and horrific. However, whilst the story is painted in swathes of blood and darkness there are periods of lightness and romance. There is lots of love and tenderness in the book, particularly with Tayan and Lilla whose devotion to each other counterbalances the darkness. Even the Machiavellian Enet does show some niceness in her love for her son and her role as a mother.

As this is my first introduction to the work of Anna Stephens, I have to say that I will be searching out her other works while I wait impatiently for the second instalment of the Songs of the Drowned.

I received an advanced reading copy form the publishers Harper Collins and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The enjoyment was all my own!

If you liked this review, have a look at my other reviews on my blog www.fantasybooknerd.com

I had seen Ritual of Bone and was interested in reading this, so I thought, yep ok then! I am glad that I did as I really enjoyed this book. In fact, I liked it more than I thought as I keep catching myself mulling over something I had read in the book, and then something else would pop into my head about it.

Now, if anyone doesn???t know, A Ritual of Bone is a horror story set in a fantasy world. It tells the story of the walking undead, otherwise known as zombies, who invade the viking inspired world of Arnar.

When I started reading this, I quickly found that the book was not what I expected. In my head I thought it was going to be the typical zombie invasion set in a fantasy world and that there would be a whole load of sword and zombie action. I think I thought that it would be something like The Walking Dead meets The Vikings.

Well, I soon found out that it was so much more than that, it???s a slickly written atmospheric chiller that builds the tension slowly, deliberately turning the screw ever so slowly that all of a sudden you realise that you are holding your breath in anticipation for the next chapter.

Let me tell you, there is a lot going on in this book. Initially, the book is told in multiple points of view and it flits to different parts of the country as there are multiple events happening at the same time. At first, I did find this confusing, but it is not something that I am unused to. It???s quite a cinematic device and it works well. Although, you don???t necessarily form the typical relationship with the protagonists until later on when the points of view become more condensed as does the world view.

As I said there is a lot going on in this book.Not only do we have multiple points of view, but we also have the differing strands of the infection and its effects. There are the scholars performing ancient rites in places they should leave well alone. A contagion that comes in with a ship, the return of ancient cannibalistic tribes that come forth from the dawn of time, the rise of the shambling dead and the infected.

I liked all sorts of things in this book, and as I said, little things keep popping in my head about it and I will find myself dwelling in certain aspects of the book. One of these are the ???zombies??? themselves. Conley doesn???t just draw from one aspect of zombie fiction, but there are a couple in there. For instance, I thought that the depictions of the walking dead would revolve around the Romero representation, and in some aspects they are there. But the ???infected??? are different. These are more like Girl with all the Gifts/28 Days Later type of representations. The fast moving animalistic zombies. I thought I also caught a whiff of ???In the flesh??? too, particularly when Conley describes the infected, and the fact that at some points they still maintain some semblance of consciousness before they turn into animalistic hunters.

Conley really makes use of atmosphere and from the start he adds layers upon layers to create a pervading sense of doom. He smatters the narrative with an isolated incident here, an isolated incident there. However, most of these narrow by the end of the book to give a satisfying culmination to the book. However, I still have questions and I am hoping that these get answered in the second book. Like what is the significance of The Apprentice, an unnamed character that opens and closes the book. Why are the cannibalistic tribes there? Who is driving this? Is there some driving force? See, it keeps creeping in!

Whilst Conley???s book is intrinsically a horror story, there is the fact that he is walking between two worlds. I cannot forget to mention that the book also has a strong fantasy world. Conley does a good job in mixing the two together, as not only does he ramp up the terror but he also builds a pretty solid fantasy world, and it has to be said that he does some pretty excellent world building. You get a really good sense of the world that the story is taking place in and it creeps up on you how good this world is. At no point did I lose my directions even though he goes from location to location throughout the book.

Additionally, he has some good characters in there too. And again, he cleverly uses horror tropes in there that you recognise and come from all different classes of people. He has the upper crust rich bloke in Arnulf, who is pulled from the comfort of normal life to be thrown into inexplicable circumstances. The everyman with Bjorn, who is once both relatable and likeable and then the lower class Nym, who is ekeing a meagre existence for her brother and herself.

I cannot forget the action sequences in the book. Conley writes really good action. You can feel each blow as it falls.

All in all, I enjoyed A Ritual of Bone and will certainly be moving on to the next. As I said, I have questions and I want to see what happens and if they get answered.

Grim and hopeful at the same time, Marcus Lee???s debut is an enjoyable tale of magic, possessed knights, dark lords and Daemons.

The story starts with the birth of our hero, Maya, in a land that has been oppressed by the Witch King. This is a land ruled by darkness and the maternal mortality rate is incredibly high, as is the mortality of everyone around. However, Maya is special and her light shines through the misery that is bestowed on the land by the Witch King.??

As Maya grows, she has to hide her gift from those around her, for if her powers are detected she will be sent to the witch king to suffer whatever fate befalls those who have talents.

Marcus Lee???s Kings and Daemons is a mesmerising tale of love, redemption and heroism set in a world ruled by cruelty and misery. However, not only is the land harsh, but the suffering has permeated every aspect of people???s lives who live in the conquered Ember Kingdom and they have become just as twisted as the land they live in.

I really enjoyed Marcus Lee???s Kings and Daemons. It is filled with rich characters and has an elegant writing style that reminds me of old fashioned high adventures like Lorna Doone. Lee has a unique writing style that I have not come across before. It almost reminds you of a storyteller recounting tales by a fire as he tells the story of Maya and those around her. The story is in parts a coming of age story, a chivalric romance and a tale of redemption. However, Lee manages to combine these elements with a modern aesthetic of dark fantasy, melding the two successfully.

At its heart, it is not a dark book. Whilst everything around Maya is full of grimness and dark foreboding, Lee always manages to maintain a corona of light on the horizon. Whether that be with the redemption of Rakan, the friendship and eventual romance of Maya and Taran or the hope that the land will be healed from the malady of the Witch King???s grip and ultimately healed.

The story takes place from the point of view of the main characters, Maya, Taran, Rakan, Kallas and the Witch King himself, Daleth. And later in the book, there is the addition of the supporting characters of Astren, a seer who can travel in the spirit world and King Tristan. King of the Freestates, who is about to bear the invasion of the Witch King in his bid to take over the Freestates and drain the life from them as he has done with the Ember Kingdioms.

I fell under the spell of each of these individual characters, Maya who is at heart gentle and caring. Taran, who initially bumbles from one situation to the next, which eventually leads him into a choice that he didn't make. Rakan, who whilst initially bad, experiences acceptance and ultimately some form of redemption.??

Everybody's favourite Kallas is an interesting character, and he certainly lives up to his name throughout most of the book, dispatching all around him in a callous and bloody fashion. And finally, we have the Witch King himself.

For me, the most interesting characters were certainly Daleth and Rakan. I know that in terms of entertainment value Kallas is pretty much up there, but Daleth and Rakan are the ones that stood out for me.??

Rakan???s transformation from an angry and cruel individual to exactly the opposite is really good (although, he does still threaten everyone), and I thought I would like to see a book about Rakan and his time as a Nightstalker. Daleth is the most human of monsters, employing fear and coercion as a means to gain power. Yes, you can understand his motivations due to his gift and everything that he has endured. However, he continues the cycle willingly and with brutality and no remorse for the destruction that he causes.

The world of Kings and Daemons is richly imagined and there is a well thought out history to make the world believable and to provide the backdrop to the story. Whilst the environment is damaged, it is interesting to see that with the nudge of Maya???s magic, it appears to be lying dormant. Initially, it seems to be a world of black and white. However, vibrant sprigs of colour are introduced when Maya uses her magic more and more throughout the land, healing it in some small way, and when this happens, we see that nature can be nurtured and that it will bounce back from the pestilence that has blighted it.??

And finally, we have to mention the magic system. I like that magic has a cost, and it is not used as a deus ex machina that cures all. Each power takes its toll in its own individual way, affecting the person singularly and Marcus illustrates the cost on those that use magic in an imaginative way (I don???t want to go into it too much as I don???t want to give spoilers).

The plot and the pacing hold up throughout the story, moving it towards the culmination of this part of the story. At times it moves along with gentle flow, and at others moving like a fast flowing torrent, sometimes slowing as Lee builds the relationships between the characters of the book.??

As you can guess, I enjoyed this first book of the Gifted and the Curse and I am looking forward to the next book in the trilogy and seeing what happens at Tristan???s Folly.

There is a story told long ago that Ira Levin, H. P. Lovercraft, Kevin Smith and Robert Rodriguez met in a bar. On this night (and after consuming far too much alcohol and possibly lots of other tangibles) they decided that they would form a dark collaboration. The Cursed Diary of a Brooklyn Dog Walker is the bastard child of this dark alliance.

Full of hidden death sex cultists hiding amongst the elite of the Brooklyn glitterati, evil forces that want to subjugate the planet and mysterious gods hammering at the barriers of our world, Michael Reye???s book is a glorious piece of bloody fun.

The story starts with our hero, Jesse Ventura, finding a mysterious diary in the park where he walks the dogs of his favourite client (as he is the said dog walker). When he opens the book, strange events and mysterious portents occur. Clouds take on the visage of snakes, mysterious animals appear in the park in the middle of Brooklyn. What on earth is going on? Well, that becomes clear later as the story starts on its frenetic journey to get the girl and stop the baddies.

Well, I have to say that I enjoyed this book, and thanks to Michael Reyes for reaching out to me to read this book. It is an amphetamine paced, absolutely, full on Nick Cage piece of sublime madness. I honestly did not know what to expect when I started this book, but when I started, I simply could not stop! Honestly, this book goes completely all over the place.

Now, whilst I say that this book is fun and all over place, do not think that I mean in terms of Michael Reyes Writing. Structurally, the book is tight! The plot, the pacing, the characters and the dialogue are all excellent and Michael Reyes takes you on a tightly wound journey right until the end.

To say this is a short book, Michael Reyes packs in a hell of a lot of stuff. I am not going to tell you much about the plot, but suffice to say that the book gets going, Reyes ramps the action up to eleventy stupid and my advice is to just go along with it. It???s well worth the ride.

The characters are all well developed even though most of them are just batshit crazy, especially Jesse???s room mate, Marvin Trout. The LArpg???ing loving drug dealer who, when he makes his short appearence is completely off this planet. Then we have Jesse???s best friends, the dogs. Jesse renames most of the dogs, giving them all names that he finds funny or maybe describe their personality. We have the Chow Chow brothers and Dirty Little Bastard (I think you get the general tone).

Unfortunately with all the stuff going on in the book, the antagonists do not get as much development as other characters. I would have liked to have seen some more backstory to how the cult was able to hide and how they developed through the ages, but it doesn???t spoil the enjoyment of the book and there is only so much you can put in this amount of pages, and there is a short diary entry from Jesse???s mentor, that whilst brief, does give a whole load of information.

I really liked Reye???s dialogue. It???s funny, snappy, full of slang and about as frantically paced as the plot.

Reyes book is so much fun. It is a full throttle barrel ride that chucks everything at you, including the kitchen sink. And when it ended I was gasping for air.

???Eyes of the Sleeping Children??? is the bold new debut from D. A. Butcher, and is a psychological thriller set in 1930???s depression era Kansas at the height of a massive dust storm called The Beast of Black Sunday.
The story centres around Louis Lockhart and his family, beginning on the night of the storm hitting the family farm. After taking safety in the cellar, the family retire to bed. However, a shocking tragedy hits Louis and his family when he discovers that his son is missing. There is no sign of forced entry and no evidence that he has left the house.
As Louis frantically searches for the missing child, his wife???s fragile mental health fractures and she lays the blame of the disappearance on a figure of nightmares, The Sandman
However, Louis looks for an explanation that is based on reality. As he uncovers the truth, it will lead him on a journey, one that will take him to the past and to secrets long forgotten.
D. A. Butcher???s debut is an interesting one. Part locked room mystery, part psychological thriller and part depression era family drama. I don???t want to discuss the plot too much as part of the experience is to uncover the different elements of the plot as they unfold. However, the plot is tightly woven with different elements bringing themselves together as the story reaches its climactic conclusion.
The book shows Butcher???s skill at researching the events that the novel takes place in. This is a particularly important feature in this type of book as if there are any discrepancies it could take the readers focus away from the story that Butcher is telling. I mean this is a setting that not everybody is going to be familiar with, and I know one of the first things I did was immediately go searching for information.
The backdrop of the storm is particularly effective as it adds to the cloying and claustrophobic atmosphere to the story. Evoking a sense of disquiet and an almost dreamlike quality to the narrative
The main character of the story Is Louis Lockhart and the main perspective is recounted through his eyes. He is quite an introspective character and we get a good grasp on his motivations and perspectives. There are several other characters, Louis???s wife who experiences a serious bout of depression throughout the first part of the book, and his brother Buck.
The book is essentially divided into two parts, the immediate aftermath of the disappearance and the search for Louis???s son and the effects that the disappearance has on the family as a whole as hope dwindles.
I found that, for me, when the second part of the story begins, it had some effect on the impetus of the story. As whilst we have the initial feverish pace of the first part of the book, the second part???s description of the slow deterioration of Louis???s mental health upset the equilibrium a little. However, it picks up pace again towards the final third of the book. There is a particularly disturbing scene which highlights Louis???s grasp on his sense of self which will definitely stay with me for quite a while, even though I would rather forget it.
All in all, this was a solid debut from a new voice, and it will be interesting to see what D. A Butcher does next

For the past week or so, I have been living in Mike Shakle's apocalyptic world, and I have to say it has been a harrowing experience.

Both Fool's Hope and We Are The Dead, are a tale of War. However, this is not epic fantasy battles where everyone puffs out their chest and prepares for combat. This is war in its most brutal and basest form. And guess what, it ain't pretty!

If you have read the first book in Mike Shakle's ‘The Last War' series you know what to expect, right? Wrong!

Yep, you got it folks - expect the unexpected! And that is me covering the plot elements of the book. You need to experience this book with no preconceived ideas. You need to go in totally blind and let the story take you where it's going to go. And then, when you get to the end of the book, get back to me and tell me what you thought. I guarantee, you'll be like, whaaat?

So, let's get onto the other things about the book.You know, those bits I can talk about! I have to say that when I first read ???We are the Dead???, I was taken aback by the story. Mike Shackle writes a phenomenal war story and he mixes this in with all the elements of fantasy to make something that is absolutely amazing.

In Fool's Hope, the story begins immediately where the last book ends. Shackle seamlessly continues with the ‘what happens next'. And from page 1, the action begins and you are thrown into the story as if you never left it. As you will know with Mike's pacing, full throttle is just too damn slow and you immediately get thrown into the story and shown what it???s like to live in a world that has been torn apart by war and oppression.

At the beginning of our journey, we start with a new character and a new perspective, and through the introduction of these new characters, Shackle introduces the world view of the oppressors, as well as the oppressed. This is the thing with Mike Shackle. All the elements of fantasy are there. There???s world building, there???s magic systems and all the other elements of fantasy that you expect to see. However, in his hands, these elements are malleable and are shaped in ways that you don???t expect or hidden in the places that you least expect to see them. Honestly, I can???t say how much I have been impressed with his books. For me, he has brought something new to the genre and surprised me.

In both his books, Mike Shackle has a really good way of writing prose. I suppose in the old days it would have been called hard boiled, but it???s not wholly that style of writing in that he does have elements of tenderness in his books, like the relationships between Yas and little Ro, or Tinnstra an Zorique. However, when it comes to the violence of the battle or fight scenes, Shackle presents them in a tough and realistic way. He doesn???t flower up the violence. He describes it in a way that are both unglamorous and unsentimental and this style adds to the cinematic flow of his action scenes. It???s not that his fight scenes don???t have flourish and flair because they do, but let???s be honest here, battle and death are not pretty, and in Mike Shackle???s world they are not presented as such. What matters most is survival, and that is why the characters do what they do. They do not revel in the glory of battle or tell stories of the foes they have vanquished, they simply do it to survive.

In terms of the characters in Fool???s Hope, their journeys are expanded in such an unexpected way. I never saw any of these things coming and I could never have predicted that the main characters' arcs would develop in such a way. On that note, I am going to have to stop there because to do so would invite spoilers, and we know that I am staying away from them as much as possible. What I can say is that a couple of new characters join in this book and I am sure that you will take to at least one of them like I did. Ralasis, is the swarthy sea captain that we meet at the beginning of the book. However, he gets more of a supportive role later in the story and again, Shackle does not waste a single character and he quickly becomes a major part of the story.

I really enjoy Mike???s way of writing. It???s extremely graphic and cinematic.He writes action scenes that at once remind me both of the Matrix in one aspect and then flits to Tarantino levels of brutality. I could easily imagine this as a graphic novel, and having seen representations of Tinnstra on his website (which are pretty darn good, I tell you), I would definitely be up for reading it.

No word of a lie, I really do rate Mike Shackle books in the top ten of my favorite books of all time. They are stunning books which totally blew me away, and in a year where we have had so many good books, Mike Shackle presents us with one of the most memorable stories that I have read all year. He is now on my list of authors that whatever they write, I will be up there buying it straight away, no questions asked!

Honestly, when you start reading Fool's Hope, you will not put it down. It took me two days to read because I simply could not bear to leave the story for one minute, the book grabbed me by the throat and wouldn???t let me go until I had finished. And if you think I am being a bit fanboy in my review, I don???t care, coz I am!.

We are the Dead - by Mike Shackle

If I could liken a book to a song, then I would liken ???We are the Dead??? to ???Bleed??? by Messhuggah. Hard, uncompromising and totally bloody brilliant. This is the first book in Mike Shackle???s ???The Last War??? Trilogy and I don???t know what to say. This book is something else.

The usual path for a fantasy book is to culminate in that final climactic battle. However, Mike Shackle takes a totally different view and thinks it is a good idea to start the book with the ultimate battle, and in this world the Evil Empire wins. They don???t just win, but they pulverise the good guys and then rout the rest of the country.

Well, that took me by surprise, I must say! Where on earth do we go from there? Urm, I???m not sure. It???s a good job that Mike Shackle does.

We are the Dead is a book about oppression, rebellion and survival. It???s about how normal people survive in extreme circumstances and the choices they make when placed in an impossible situation.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a gripping narrative that has you guessing what on earth is going to happen next.

I have got to say that Mike Shackle has done something different with We are the Dead and I loved every minute of the ride that he took me on.From beginning to end, this book never lets up.

The book starts with a student, Tinnstra on the verge of completing suicide due to her disgracing herself in some way for an unknown misdemeanour. We learn that she is at military school in the country of Jia, training to be an elite soldier called The Shulka, just like her father.

We then cut to the north of the country, where the army of Shulka are prepared to meet the Egril, an undisciplined, barbarian army. As we learn, the country of Jia was the home of magic and the Jians overcame the Egril at some point in the past. However, the magic disappeared long ago and now the Shulka, a set of elite warriors, protect the country from invasion..

What happens next, nobody is prepared for. Jax, the leader of the Shulka, believes that this is going to be an easy battle. However, the best laid plans and all that. Subsequently,the Jians learn the Egril are not what they seem. They are a highly organised machine that have magic, monsters and weapons that can destroy the Shulka with no chance of fighting back..

Believe it or not, that is the first forty pages, the first forty pages. Whaaat?

What comes next is a tale of oppression and fear. All the heroes of the land of Jia have been decimated and there is no one left to fight for the people. The Egril are cruel and rule with a hand of terror.

The Egril have got to be the best set of fantasy villains that I have read. They are truly horrible and Mike Shackle writes so well that the feeling of oppression is palpable. They dehumanise the people that they rule and treat them worse than animals. They have no qualms about killing anyone for the slightest thing and regularly do. As you read the book you can almost smell the fear that the inhabitants of Jia live with every day.The Egril are brutal and use this brutality with great abandon.

As we move through the story we are introduced to the characters. Now don???t be expecting heroic magic and sword wielding heroes that will ride in on a white charger and save everyone, coz it ain???t gunna happen. In this book, most of the characters are unlikeable or have a fault running through them so wide the sea would be swallowed.

We meet Tinnstra in the first instance as she is preparing to end her life. And it is at that point we realise that Tinnstra is so consumed with fear that she is willing to withdraw from everything, even life. We have Dren, a bombastic teenager who is willing to send anyone to their deaths without a thought. Dren has no care, and we see this early on when he coerces a young mother to be a suicide bomber and kill a load of people that he believes are collaborators with the enemy. He has no regard for life at all.

There are other characters, like Jax, the leader of the Hanran, who was broken in the first assault by the Egril and has arm cut off, and then there is Yas, a single mother whose husband was killed horrifically by the Egril, leaving her to bring their child into the world.

Throughout the book. The characters develop in many ways and experience life changing events. They all go on their journey and all change in ways they cannot imagine. I found this to be a strength to the narrative in that whilst you may not like the characters initially, your relationship with each individual character changes throughout the book.

The pacing of the narrative is supersonic. Mike Shackle writes with a clipped prose that does not waste a word. HIs descriptive prowess is brilliant. Sometimes a little too brilliant, particularly when we get to a scene with Jax and Darus (an Egril Chosen who has been imbued with power, and the fifth pov in the book). This made me squirm, really squirm as the violence that Darus meters out on Jax is gut wrenching.

The other thing is that Mike Shackle writes action scenes that are so cinematic it is like having a TV in your head.He is totally unflinching in describing the violence of the situation, describing each sword stroke and the damage that results. At times, it reminded me of something from a Wachowski brothers film.

He does not fluff the brutality that the oppressors meter out to the citizens of Jia. Nor does he make any judgements on the lengths the characters will go to, to get their freedom. And this is something that struck me throughout the story. Our ???so called??? heroes do some nasty stuff, and I mean the types of things that a war crimes committee would have a field day with. However, the character???s are not held to account for the actions that they take and you understand the decisions that they make.

Despite it being a war torn country, Mike Shackle builds a rich world. Whenever the book moves to the different cities in the country of Jia you get a distinct difference in the environments that the characters inhabit. Shackle describes a world with a rich history, giving you all the background you need to picture the environment and the people that inhabit it.

As I have said before, Mike Shackle???s books have placed themselves firmly in my all time fantasy favorites and this series deserves all the praise that it gets.

So it is, with any reviewer that we read books, and then we move on. In most cases, we love the books that we read. In some cases we don't, but above all we remember that the words that have been put in front of us are something that someone has put time and effort into. However, sometimes there is that special book. The one that touches you in some way. The one that captures your imagination or pulls at your emotions. When I started my journey with the Bone Ships by RJ Barker, I was caught up in the imagination of the world that he describes. This brave new world with strange creatures such as the Gullaimes or the Arakeesians. A world that is filled with steel woven characters who are at once harsh and unforgiving, and yet can show tenderness and belief in others. So how could this be followed?
Could this be bettered? Could the world be expanded and what would happen next on the journey of Joron Twiner and the crew of The Tide Child.

Let me tell you, I did not expect this!

In Call of The Bone Ships, RJ Barker raises the sails of The Tide Child and takes us on a completely different path than the one you would expect. My goodness, this book is harsh! I simply couldn't believe what Barker puts his characters through in Call of the Bone Ships. He takes them through ferocious maelstroms and my goodness, when they come out they come out as different people.
With most of the world building done in the first book, Barker gives himself the freedom to hit the ground running with the second book and the pace never lets up from there. We are immediately thrust into the narrative of the story and are placed into a tale that is full of high crested waves. Barker chucks everything at you with as much ferocity as the seas that The Tide Child sails in, leaving you just enough time to breathe before the next wave takes your breath away.
It is very difficult to discuss the plot as to do so would take away the enjoyment that you experience as you plough your way through Call of The Bone Ships, but my goodness, this is such a masterfully crafted tale that Barker tells. So much happens in the book it is difficult to recall how many things are going on. And that is the beauty of the book
Barker doesn't explain every little detail, he trusts that you will keep the pace and that you will keep up with him as events happen one after the other.
Of the many things that occur in this book, we must talk about the structure of the book. There are so many things structurally that had me exclaiming ‘Oh that's clever'.

In The Bone Ships, the story is told through Joron Twiners eyes. However, in Call of the Bone Ships, Barker introduces other points of view and he phrases them as little Vignettes within the story, such as telling the story of the Courser Aelleren, and how they were condemned to the the black ship, or when Lucky Meas undertakes a seperate mission and he describes the events that happen on diary format. It works so well.

And at other points he will use repetition as a device to increase tension, employing the same phrase repeatedly to convey a sense of urgency to the situation.

The book is just gorgeous (you'll have to excuse, I have just finished the book and I seem be having an attack of the emotions after finishing), but be prepared. Call of the Bone Ships is hard, really hard. I don't mean in the reading sense, but in the emotions that the book evokes. Barker pulls no punches in Call of the Bone Ships. I found myself regularly fluctuating between shock and awe, between utter elation to the lowest doldrums as the story unfurls like the sails of a ship, and once the story catches the wind it glides through the pages of the book happily stealing the hours as I became completely engrossed in the book.

There is a fantastic quote by the great film critic, Roger Ebert that states that ‘movies are like a machine that generates empathy, it lets you understand a little bit more about different hopes, aspirations dreams and fears. It helps us to identify with the people who are sharing this journey with us'.

The same notion, for me is applied to books, and this book certainly generated the emotions and empathy akin to watching a summer blockbuster, feeling the swell of excitement or the feeling of having the ground tilted at an angle so that you are completely blindsided by unexpected events. For me, this book is simply brilliant.

It's been a couple of days since I read The Bone Ships and I have to say that it has taken me a couple of days to digest it really.

This is my first introduction to RJ Barker and I have got to say that I am pretty impressed. It???s not that I expected the book to be anything but brilliant. However, I didn't know what to expect really and The Bone Ships really surprised me.

The story takes place on The Tide Child, a black ship of The Hundred Isles.
At the beginning of the book, we are introduced to the main protagonist, Joron Twiner, the hapless ship wife (Captain) of The Tide Child. As he is on land, he is challenged to a duel by Lucky Meas Gilbryn and thus we are introduced to the world of The Tide Child, the blackships and the fleet of The Hundred Isles and the adventure they are about to embark on protecting a great Arakeesian, the last of the legendary sea dragons that populate the oceans of The Hundred Isles.

This is an incredibly imagined and strange world that Barker has set his story in and is quite different to the ones that readers are used to. In the first part of the book, Barker gives us some major worldbuilding, describing the Hundred Isles and its culture. The world is populated with all manner of strange things, the plants, the animals and the people.

This is a harsh and menacing world and there is no place for weakness and any form of feebleness quickly perishes. However, not only is the world harsh and unforgiving, its people are of a similar nature. One of the aspects of the people that live in the Hundred Isles is that there is a high level of congenital deformity and those who are able to give birth to undeformed infants are highly prized in this culture. In addition to people of the Hundred Isles, there are the Gaunt Islanders, and we learn that the people of the Hundred Isles have been engaged in a never-ending war with them for hundreds of years.

Not all of the people in this land though are people, or more accurately humanoid. There are the Gullaime. A race of bird like people who are prized for their magical ability to control the wind. The Gullaime are treated as slaves and are blinded at birth for their ???own protection??? and are treated as outcasts on the ships of the fleet, only used for their supernatural feats of managing the winds.

Now I have to say that I loved Barker's world, and I found it very redolent of 1970???s British SciFi / fantasy movement, in that he has used some of that experimental energy from the movement to create a world that is unforgiving and menacing, and at once quite original. As I said it is a harsh environment in every sense of the word and every aspect of it has an opaque menacing quality to it. And on top of that, it has a sense of dankness about it, and Barker constantly describes the dirt, grime and stink of it.

I really found the characters of the book to be utterly absorbing. From the first page to the end of the book, the characters are front and centre of this story. The story???s main protagonist, Joron Twiner is introduced from the very first line and this is who we follow throughout the whole of the book, we get his thoughts, his insecurities and join him on his journey from an inadequate hapless individual who has been thrust into a situation not of his making to someone who grows in his confidence and abilities. I can???t say that when I met Joron Twiner at the beginning of the story that I actually liked him. He is a man that has been sent to the Tide Child to join the crew of a Black Ship, which is essentially a place where people are sent to die. And we get the impression that Joron is indeed a man who has joined the living dead. He is an inadequate commander and when he loses his duel with Lucky Meas and she forcibly takes over the ship, we learn that not only is he hopeless, but he is the conspirator of his own inadequacies and has let the crew of the Tide Child basically govern themselves. However, as the story moves on, Joron begins to grow. Instead of killing him in the duel, which is what usually happens in this world, Meas makes him second in command and moves against tradition. We don???t know why, and neither does Joron, and whilst at the beginning of the book he hates this interloper who has taken his crown from him. He soon learns to respect and admire Meas and her harsh methods. Not only does she turn the crew from a bunch of worthless, hopeless set of miscreants, but she also turns Joron into a respected officer by giving him trust and in her own way encouragement.

Meas is an interesting character. She is a hard woman on the outside (and inside at times) but she is fair and trusting. We never really get to see her whole motivations for the decisions that she makes, but you get the impression that she is fighting for a new way, a fairer way that is inclusive of everyone.

But this book is not just made up of Joron Twiner and Lucky Meas Gilbryn, there is also the crew of the Tide Child. At first, they are a nameless and characterless bunch (and I think that they are done this way purposefully due to the fact Joron Twiner at the beginning of the book never bothered to learn their names). As we move through the tale, the crew starts to take on a more colourful character. We get to learn individuals and their names as Joron begins to learn them and they become an integral part of the story.

And we cannot forget the Gullaime, the strange bird like creatures that perform the magic of controlling the wind. At first, the Gullaime refuses to interact and when Meas fails to get the thing to do as she bids, she tasks Joron to befriend the creature. Although he hates it, he does as she commands and an unlikely friendship develops between Joron and Gullaime.

The other thing that impressed me was Barker???s ability to write bone crushing action scenes, particularly the naval battles. The action scenes are written so smoothly that at times I forgot I was reading words on the page and I could see every battle in my head.

I found R. J. Barker???s book to be utterly charming in its own way. Yes, it is set in a very different fantasy world, but it is not inaccessible, although there is a steep learning curve involved. For me, I found the book to be about journeys, not just the journey of the boat, but the journey of Twiner and the crew as they all move from being unwanted and unloved to having a sense of pride and purpose. Whilst the book is filled with hard edges, there are lots of moments of tenderness peppered throughout.

Barkers ability to write engaging prose is something of a wonder. He writes so self-assuredly that he transported me from my normal comfy chair in the living room, and onto the deck of the Tide Child where I could practically feel the salty sea spray hitting my face and the brine encrusted winds coursing through my hair.

Mary Robinette Kowal???s third instalment of The Lady Astronaut is a gripping space thriller set in the isolation of space.

In this third book of the series, Mary Robinette Kowal shifts the focus of the story from our eponymous hero of the first two books, Elma York, to Nicole Wargin.

Now, when I started reading the book, I fully expected this to be a continuation of Elma???s story and was quite taken aback to discover that there was a shift in the narrative to Nicole. I have to say this is quite a brave move as Elma is firmly established in the first two books with The Lady Astronaut crown. However, does the book suffer from this shift. Not at all! And I have to say that I found this book to be more compelling than its two predecessors in all honesty. Nicole is a fascinating character and as I read through the book, I found that I liked her more and more.

In the first two books, Nicole is a side character that is a shining beacon of strength and determination for Elma (obviously, as well as Nathanial). However, in this book we see her as she really is. We see that whilst she might have an exterior of steel, inside she is as fragile as sugar glass and at many points throughout the book, we see her shatter into a hundred pieces.

The story takes place in the three-month silence that was described in The Fated Sky, when the Mars expedition loses contact with Earth and we learnt that there had been some major upheavals caused by the Earth First group. It fills in the blanks of what happened to Nathanial and why he was hospitalised, the impact of the direct action that was instigated by the Earth First movement, the loss of communication with the Lunar Colony and the events that happened there.

As I said earlier, the book changes tone quite considerably and rather than being a book about exploration and colonisation, The Relentless Moon is a gripping thriller as Nicole, Eugene, Myrtle and Helen attempt to discover the saboteur of the Lunar Colony and what action they will take next.

As usual, Kowal does not shy away from the social commentary that was prominent in the last two books and she weaves the actual history of the time with her constructed alternative history. In the midst of this there is also a real-world juxtaposition of the current COVID epidemic and the Polio outbreaks that affected so many lives at this time. Although, when Kowal wrote this book COVID was not an issue. Strange how past and present repeat themselves, isn???t it?

One of the interesting aspects that she comments on is our world view of the more mature female and how that view is to see an older woman as ???old hat???.

And the other pertinent point that she brings to the fore is the effects of direct action from pressure groups and at what point does that change from peaceful protest into acts of violence.

Nicole is a perfect protagonist in this book. She is a woman who is a mass of contradictions. She is a strong woman who underneath it all is as brittle as iron, and this comes out in many ways, particularly when we discover that she has experienced Anorexia throughout most of her life and that it is not a disorder that solely affects the younger population, but is a lifelong disorder. Kowal deals with the topic in a sensitive manner, rightfully pointing out that the condition is not ???an eating disorder??? but is an extreme method of regaining control in extenuating circumstances. And we see that when Nicole???s locus of control is threatened, she will fall back on these methods to exert and regain some control over circumstances that she has no control over. Kowal never implies that as soon as she eats some food everything will be ok as people believe but challenges the perception of what the disorder actually is.

What we also learn is that Nicole???s image is built on subterfuge. The subterfuges that she enacts to give the impression that she is a strong, determined woman. The careful subterfuge and manipulation that she employs about hiding her condition and give the impression that she is eating. The subterfuge of what she actually did during the war and her own particular skillset.

I really enjoyed this book and Kowal???s writing. She shows a mastery at constructing complex plot with heart pounding pacing. Of commenting on social aspects but never preaching and writes fantastic characters. Mixed in with this is her masterful ability to write an emotive story that once or twice brought a lump to my throat as there are some events in the book that truly devastate Nicole's world.

If you want a science fiction series that has strong female leads and a story that that tackles numerous social aspects of the human existence mixed with compelling story lines and masterful writing then look no further than The Lady Astronaut series..

Hollow Empire is the second book in Sam Hawke???s series of books ???The Poison Wars??? and takes place two years after the events of the first book.

When City of Lies ended I found myself with more questions than the book answered, with Jovan & Kalina as perplexed as I was as to the reasons why the events of the first book took place. I knew there was more to the story and Sam Hawke skillfully left me hanging with a cliffhanger, and in this, the second book, Hawke answers this question and the reasons why. And it may not be what you thought.

I have to admit. When I first started City of Lies, I wasn???t sure I was going to like it. For one, it took me a little while to get used to the two person narrative and the mystery element of the plot (me and mysteries don???t tend to get along). However, as I read more I did get used to it and City of Lies was a bit of a sleeper hit with me, so when I got a chance to read an advanced reader copy of Hollow Empire, I jumped at the chance. And I have to say, wow! I wasn???t expecting that .

As I said earlier, the book starts two years after City of Lies, and opens up with an opening line that is similar to the first book. Jovan has taken on an heir called Dija, the youngest daughter of his second cousin. And surprisingly, he has dosed her with some noxious substance as part of her training. As anybody who is familiar with the first book, Jovan is a proofer. A kind of poison taster for the Chancellor, Jovan???s best friend Tain, and this is the family business.

Now this is going to be a bit difficult, because if I reveal something here, it kind of spoils the first book, and whilst I suspect that there might be some people who have read this and know the end of City of Lies, there might be those people that are just coming to Hollow Empire without knowing there was a first book. So if you are in the former camp it doesn???t matter, but if you are in the second camp, turn back now - HERE BE DRAGONS.

So, all the gang is back together, Jovan, Tain, Kalina and Hadrea (although she doesn???t make an appearance until later in the book) and again the city of Silasta is in danger. However, this time instead of an all out revolution, this time the city is being subverted by a myriad of covert and seemingly unconnected occurrences.

Jovan is convinced that there is a plot afoot, but he has difficulty in proving it until things come to a head and inexplicable events take place that indicate Jovan???s suspicions have more value than any of them suspected.

Now, the strength of Hollow Empire is in its plotting, pacing and characters, and with these, Hawke really develops in both. I found this second book to be taken up a notch in all things really, The plot development is excellent. When I got to the final act and certain events revealed certain truths to the characters, I was like - I knew it. Yep, you didn???t fool me with that one Sam Hawke. And that is one of the strengths of the Hawkes writing. Yep, she gives you that one where you can feel all superior because you guessed that aspect of the plot, and then she totally blind sides you with something else and you are thinking Whoa! Did not expect that!
In terms of character development, nearly all the characters develop in some way. Jovan develops a relationship with his heir, the newly introduced DIja, and Dija is a fantastic new character. Kalina develops in her own way and also develops a relationship outside the family. However, Tain and Hadrea are a bit on the sideline in this one for some of the book, but when they do come into it, Hawke gives them the appropriate attention for them to develop and in a pretty satisfying way, I must say.

As I said, the other things that have been taken up a notch, is the plot and the pace. Hawke has really upped the game in Hollow Empire and there is all sorts happening. Shadowy plots, assassinations, magic and witchcraft and ultimately war. In this second book, you can really see the development. The plot is as twisty and turny as anything that you would find in any non fantasy thriller book and the pace, once it gets going, is so high octane that it kept me firmly gripped to the edge of my seat.

One of the things that I almost forgot to mention is the world building. In Hollow Empire, the story is not so compact as the last book, which was mainly situated in one location. In this book, we get to see a more fully realised world that is populated with a multitude of cultures, languages, religions and races. That is not to say that it wasn???t there in the last book, it???s just that the plot of the story mainly revolved around the city more in the first book and in this book we step outside the city and see what the estates look like. .

The other thing that I like about Hawke???s books, is that whilst they are fantasy books, there are some very real world topics in there again, which I think is a particular strength of her writing, it impressed me in her last book and impressed me again. You can very much equate some of the topics that she covers to what is happening in the world now.

In the Hollow Empire, I have simply fallen hook line and sinker for this story. The plot is intricately woven and everything is so tight. The character development of the book is just glorious and the pace had my pulse racing and my head pounding with all the blind alleys that Sam Hawke leads us up. And just let me mention the end! That was one pretty magnificent ending that had me thinking yep, I enjoyed that.

As a child, I grew up on a diet of Doctor Who, fantasy and horror films. I know! I was a bit of a strange kid! Amongst many of the of the Hammer films I watched, I would devour anything, and this 1971 film from Tigon Pictures was one of those that stuck with me and still remains one of my favorites of British horror films from the 1970's.

If you have ever seen The League of Gentlemen, it is hard not to notice that blended with the dark comedy, there is a distinct element of horror, and both Mark Gatiss and Reece Shearssmith cite this film as one of their favorite films. So it is not surprising that this audiodrama is one that is presented with a love of the source material, and it shines through.

The best thing that this can be compared to in recent times is The VVitch. For those that like that film, you will surely get along with this, as it has that same unsettingly hypnotic tone.

As you can imagine, with a solid British cast, the drama is excellent. It immediately puts you in the action and you can get a good sense of the brooding evil that is encroaching on the characters. Mark Gatiss is excellent as Squire Middleton, who refuses to belive that anything supernatural is taking place until he realises through a series of events, that dark forces may be at work. Reece Shearsmith plays quite a subdued part as the unassuming Reverend Fallowfield. Additionally, Rebecca Ryan (Shameless, Casualty) is excellent as the manipulative Angel Blake. Add to that a supporting cast like Alice Lowe (Sightseers, Prevenge), Ralph Ineson (The Witch) and Thomas Turgoose (This is England), you have the makings of a solid and utterly unsettling piece of horror.

One of the things that immerses you in the drama is the sound production by Edwin Sykes, who creates oodles of atmosphere manageing to convey the creeping and oppressive atmosphere of the story.

The pacing is second to none. At the begining, it's steady as seemingly unassuming events occur in the village. However, it intensifies steadily as the story unfolds until it reaches its climatic end.

I have got to say, that I enjoyed this audio drama immensley, and I think it is defintely one of my favorites of Audible's original dramas. It's also good to see that they used some of the original cast from the film. The book is quite short, under two and a half hours, so that means that you can easily listen to it in a short space of time