Priest of Bones by Peter McLean

"The first in an unmissable series, Priest of Bones is a fresh and compelling take on grimdark fantasy. Mashing together soldiers, gangsters, magic and war into a heady mix that is a hulking big brother to The Lies of Locke Lamora ."--Anna Stephens, author of Godblind The war is over, and army priest Tomas Piety heads home with Sergeant Bloody Anne at his side. But things have changed while he was away: his crime empire has been stolen and the people of Ellinburg--his people--have run out of food and hope and places to hide. Tomas sets out to reclaim what was his with help from Anne, his brother, Jochan, and his new gang: the Pious Men. But when he finds himself dragged into a web of political intrigue once again, everything gets more complicated. As the Pious Men fight shadowy foreign infiltrators in the back-street taverns, brothels, and gambling dens of Tomas's old life, it becomes clear: The war is only just beginning.

Mark Lawrence was right - this is addictive stuff!

The story here focuses on the tale of a recently returned group of soldiers. Their leader, now a priest (of sorts) wants to reclaim control of his old ‘businesses' in his home town after a 3 year absence. This gangster/fantasy is a nice combo, and the primary protagonist is engaging. He has his moral code, but he is still a criminal. His ‘crew' are all interesting characters and you can sense their varying motivations.

The fantasy elements are there, but as is the modern trend they tend to be on the margin. Magic only really becomes an element towards the later stages of the book. This book is really about the characters and their interactions. The comradeship that comes through having lived through a hellish event (in this case embodied by their past employment as soldiers).

I particularly enjoy the cynical approach towards religion. The titular priest serves a god known as ‘Our Lady of Perpetual Sorrow'. He became a priest when the old one died and the soldiers needed a new one. His approach is based on the fact he was told to listen and lead. That doesn't mean he has to care. And the god he serves doesn't really care either, but the act of listening (as in real life) is a real bond for people.

Peter McClean has built an intriguing world and I look forward to reading how the series progresses - Priest of Lies is already on my tbr.

A promising start to the series. The prose is a little bit over-expletived for my taste, but the dialogue is nonetheless very engaging and seems true to character

DNF. This sat and collected metaphorical dust in my ereader for months. I got about 100 pages in and nothing had happened, none of the characters had appealed to me, and their situation didn't change enough to make it interesting. This would be a book for those who read a lot of high fantasy and are used to long-winded soliloquies about walking down the street but I need a little more action.