'The Flame Knife' - Robert E. Howard & L. Sprague de Camp

Well, I was going to try and break things up a little bit but if I'm being absolutely honest, 'The Flame Knife' looked like another quick read that would give me time to get in a couple of extra games of 'Frozen Free Fall' before I got to work. I've been filling up my phone with 'Frozen' stuff just recently, Hope is really into it (that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it), and some of the apps I've found are a real testament to just how far developers will go to jam an idea into a concept. I can just about get my head around the whole 'look after baby Ana and Elsa' app (cos' they were babies once upon a time) but the 'stitch up the large gash on Ana's face' app…? Nope, me neither. Hope loves it though, she's bloodthirsty like that…

But, 'The Flame Knife'…

 

A little digging (thanks 'Conan Wiki'!) revealed that 'The Flame Knife' was originally an El Borak tale that De Camp reworked (extensively too) into a 'new' Howard story for publication in 1955. This feels more than a little harsh to me; poor El Borak and poor everyone else who thought that they were getting a brand new tale. It's not as if the tale was worked from a fragment either, it's a re-jigging of something that was already doing the rounds. Like I said, poor El Borak… I couldn't help but have this at the back of my mind while I was reading 'The Flame Knife' which is a bit of a shame because it's a very entertaining read.

Now leader of a group of kozaki, Conan, on the run from the displeased king of Iranistan, finds himself in the demon-infested mountain ranges of Drujistan where he discovers a hidden city and the secrets of the cultish Hidden Ones. 

The danger of following one 'Conan' review with another 'Conan' review is that you don't really leave yourself with room to say anything new; especially when the second tale is written by the same author who wrote the first one. You don't have to feel sorry for me or anything but, well… Maybe feel a little bit sorry for me. It's a tough line to walk though. The length of 'The Flame Knife' gives De Camp more room to explore the world of Conan and the reader gets to follow Conan through some gloriously bleak desert landscapes as a result. Or is it El Borak? I'll stop with that now…

Whoever and whatever, 'The Flame Knife' has all the hallmarks of a classic Conan tale; more than likely because Howard's hand is more evident in the proceedings rather than 'just being the muse' as he was for 'Black Tears'. All the usual ingredients are there (I loved the bit with the obligatory huge monster that Conan has to defeat) but there just seems to be more zest and energy to the proceedings. As it happened, I ended up giving 'Frozen Free Fall' a miss so I could finish reading 'The Flame Knife' and that says it all really (given that my attention span has shrunk to the size of my phone screen). 'The Flame Knife' can be found in 'Conan the Wanderer'. 

'Black Tears' - L.Sprague De Camp & Lin Carter

Me: "Hey blog, how's it going?"
Blog: "…"
Me: "Come on, don't be like that. You know how the last couple of weeks have been; the only books I managed to read were for the kids bedtime and I couldn't exactly post about 'Snugglebunny' could I?"

Blog: *Accusing Face*
Me: "No, just no. As brilliant as 'Snugglebunny' is, it has no business being on a genre blog."
Blog: *sniff*
Me: "I know you're upset but I managed to do a little reading on the bus this morning and it was 'Conan'. We both like 'Conan' don't we?"

Blog: *Hopeful Eyes*
Me: "Lets post something about that and see where we go next. I've got some David Gemmell to read and the new Sam Sykes is looking pretty promising as well. It's going to be good, I promise."

Blog: *Slighty Teary Smile*
Me: "Come on, lets do it."

 

Now the slightly awkward reconciliation is out of the way (I'm sorry you had to see that…) lets get on with business. A little while ago, I picked up a load of old 'Conan' paperbacks so I could get other writers takes on the iconic barbarian. Most of what I've had a chance to read so far is by De Camp and Carter, both of whom played a large part in keeping Robert E. Howard's Work in print, be it completed stories or fragments.

From my own limited knowledge (correct me if I'm wrong guys), 'Black Tears' is an original piece by De Camp and Carter that fills in one of the many gaps that appear between Howard's own tales. There's clearly a lot of fertile ground here to really bring Conan to life but it's up in the air as to whether De Camp and Carter actually manage it. 'Black Tears' is a solid enough read but…

'Black Tears' has Conan pursuing a traitor into the desert after foiling an ambush by a Turanian army. What lies at the heart of the desert is so fearsome that Conan's Zuagir tribesmen would rather drug him and flee than face it themselves. Not only a traitor awaits in the city of Akhlat the Accursed, there is also a demon that prophecy says only Conan can kill…

Like I said to the blog just now, 'Black Tears' was a tale that I read over the course of one bus journey with more than enough happening to keep my interest. I'm not sure of the thought process that led Conan to kill the demon at the end (it's not a spoiler, everyone knows how Conan stories have to end…) but there's a lot of power behind these scenes to pull you past those moments of doubt just before you realise that they are there. Sword fights, beautiful women and a monster to be killed; it's a typical Conan story and this realisation casts its own shadow over the tale.

Conan is Howard's own creation and once you read Howard's stories, you realise that all any other writers can do is borrow Conan for a while before putting him back where he belongs. If you follow the formula then you are 'aping' Howard but if you don't follow the formula you have the shadow of a master storyteller hanging over you; a shadow that it's pretty much impossible to emerge from (especially if you have borrowed arguably his greatest creation). Karl Edward Wagner came closest to achieving that impossible goal, with 'The Road of Kings', but he didn't quite make it; De Camp and Carter appear to opt for playing it safe and are quiet happy to sit under that shadow in the meantime. That's fair enough but Conan is a character who's never afraid to take a chance, it would be nice to see a writer/writers who would do the same.

Maybe it's unfair to ask that though. Maybe we should just be happy that there are writers out there who were prepared to try and give us a little more of something amazing, even if they were never quite going to manage it. I don't know what that means for future posts here about Conan stories, I have a few still to read, I think I'll probably just enjoy them for what they are and post 'as and when'.

If you want to read 'Black Tears' you can find it in old copies of 'Conan the Wanderer' or Orbit's (not quite as old but still getting on a bit) 'The Conan Chronicles 2'.

'The Old Scale Game' (From 'The Very Best of Tad Williams' - Tachyon Press)

I'm always a little bit wary of titles like 'The Best of', 'The Very Bestof…', 'Even Better than the Very Best of…' (well, you know what I mean)because it always feels like the book is either setting itself up for a
fall or, perhaps even worse, setting the reader for a fall. It's a nice thing to put in a title but it just feels like asking for trouble. Even with a writer like Tad Williams, I found myself looking at the table of
contents and thinking to myself, 'No 'The Burning Man'? Really?'

It's a good thing then that this particular book is all about work by Tad Williams because even if it's missing a favourite or two you're still pretty certain of coming across some very good storytelling. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I'm a fan (so take my words as you will) but it's hard not to be when the quality of what I've read is so consistent and
also that Williams is prepared to turn his hand to anything. I came to Tad Williams through his 'Osten Ard' books and, as a result, I've always kept an eye open for anything of his that is fantasy based. Not only was 'The Old Scale Game' the first tale in the collection but it has dragons and all sorts of monsters in its eighteen pages. I was sold right from the start.

'The Old Scale Game' takes a simple premise and shows the reader what could happen if a scheme is a little* too* successful and everyone wants in on it. What originally begins as a 'one man, one dragon' operation leads to any number of mythical beasts wanting to get involved, resulting in depression and spiralling alcoholism for one of the original conspirators. I found myself in the position where I couldn't help but feel a little sorry for Guldhogg and Sir Blivet, even though a blatant lack of forethought had led them to this in the first place. Everything works out though (it had to, given the note of gently humour that runs through the piece) and all credit to Williams for taking a thoroughly twentieth century concept and having it sit very comfortably in a tenth century setting (although if the reader is asked to believe in dragons then it's not a huge leap to believe in a dragon that… that would be telling).

I'm still not sold on the title of this collection but I bought 'The Very Best of Tad Williams' with the sole intention of having a lot of fun with the stories inside. 'The Old Scale Game' ended up being a great way to kick
that off (I knew it would).

'The Free' - Brian Ruckley (Orbit)

They are the most feared mercenary company the kingdom has ever known.
Led by Yulan, their charismatic captain, the Free have spent years selling their martial and magical skills to the highest bidder - winning countless victories that shook the foundations of the world. Now they finally plan to lay down their swords.

Yet when Yulan is offered a final contract, he cannot refuse - for the mission offers him the chance to erase the memories of the Free's darkest hour, which have haunted him for years.

As The Free embark on their last mission, a potent mix of loyalty and vengeance is building to a storm. Freedom, it seems, carries a deadly price.

I can't remember why I never carried on with Ruckley's 'Godless World' books after thoroughly enjoying 'Winterbirth'; somehow the time was never quite right I guess. The premise of 'The Edinburgh Dead' never quite appealed to me either and so it has been a few years since I've read anything by Brian Ruckley. The prospect of a new fantasy novel piqued my interest though, especially when I realised it was standalone and there were no worries about committing to a series (I have HUGE 'series commitment' issues right now…) And it was about mercenaries as well! I always enjoy reading military sci-fi/fantasy as the whole 'band of brothers' theme is one that's rich for exploring characters and seeing just what people will do to survive the battlefields of speculative fiction. On the face of it then, 'The Free' looked like it had everything I look for in a book and written by a guy with good form for writing fantasy. It couldn't really go wrong… Could it?

Well, could it…?

The good news is that nothing went wrong, nothing at all. The only criticism I'd level is that every now and then, Ruckley's prose doesn't quite match the high standards he has obviously set himself in terms of world building, exploration and characterisation. There were times when the prose didn't grab me in the way that it was clearly meant to and I was left reading in order to get to the next good bit rather than reading because I really wanted to. If you know what I mean.

What didn't grab me though may end up grabbing you by something vital, and refusing to let go, so don't let me put you off on that score because there is still one heck of a lot to recommend 'The Free'.

'The Free' is an engaging mix of action and introspection with panoramic scenes combat broken up with characters reflecting on it all. Fair play to Ruckley for avoiding what could have become an issue of 'ebb and flow' with the pacing of the novel. There is just as much weight given to Yulan's issues surrounding leadership of the Free, and Drann's unique perspective on it all as contract bearer, as there are to each of the battles. All of these have a suitably climactic feel to them by the way; you may only be a hundred pages into the book (with clearly a lot more plot to go) but you can't escape the feeling that a lot rides on each confrontation. It all makes for a gripping read.

 

Ruckley's treatment of the Free initially casts them in a familiar light to most other mercenary companies etc that you will come across in speculative fiction. A hard-bitten crew, very good at what they do and with loads of enemies because of it. Dig a little deeper though and their feeling of shared responsibility, over one of the darker moments in the history of the Free, is an intriguing hook that will have you rooting for them all. That and Ruckleys exploration of his magic system, the Entelech, and how it can result in 'permanences' that are as likely to kill allies as well as enemies (and wouldn't we all secretly want to own something like the Clamour? I would)

Seeing all of this through the eyes of Drann, a young man who can just about hold a spear and found himself in the right place at the wrong time, also makes for compelling reading at times as we see not only his preconceptions of the Free both shattered and confirmed but we also see his character tempered in the warfare that follows the Free. He is not the same character who starts the story and that's as it should be when coming out of a journey like the one he has made.

'The Free' is a lot of fun to read and gives its readers a lot to chew on, all wrapped up in a world that I for one would like to see more of. Given the ending, it is highly unlikely that we will see any more of the Free but I can but hope… Look out for 'The Free' around October 14th and when you see it, buy it.

'Elric Volume 1: The Ruby Throne' - Moorcock, Blondel, Poli, Recht, Bastide (Titan Comics)

The laptop is working again! This blog might just see a little more activity from here on in...

It's a fact long ago established, on blogs other than this one, that I will read pretty much anything 'Eternal Champion' related that Michael Moorcock has written. Which means pretty much everything he has written doesn't it? I mean, from what I've seen it all ties together at one level or another. I have a lot of reading to get through yet then…

In the meantime though, it's the 'Eternal Champion' books 'proper' that provide an element of the comfort read but with characterisation and an 'edge' that really forces me to engage with what is in front of me. Elric may not be my favourite of the Champions (this changes between Corum and Hawkmoon with a little Bastable thrown in for variety) but, of all of them, he is the one with the tale that is really worth staying the course for.

That's the reason why then that you will see Elric pop up a little more in other mediums than the likes of Erekose etc. Especially in comics which offer the kind of 'wide screen' format that really suit Elric's sprawling, multi-dimensional adventures. All of which leads us to the latest comic book iteration of Elric's adventures…

The story itself will be familiar to fans with Elric battling the human side of his nature as well as his vicious cousin, Yyrkoon, who wishes to rule Melnibone and restore it to its old cruel glories. What is surprising though is the amount of backstory (and 'front story' too, if 'front story' is a term…) that has been taken out. This is a very much stripped down version of the tale with only the key moments happening and that's fair enough if you're a first time 'Elric reader' wanting to get a feel for things. Longer term readers may feel like there's a little too much missing for the read to be truly satisfying. That was how I found it anyway. The important bits are all there and the story itself doesn't feel disjointed in any way, just lacking the depth of the novel.

The artwork though… The artwork almost makes up for the skeletal plot with Robin Recht and Didier Poli combining to give the reader some quite frankly awesome depictions of Melnibone and its decadent inhabitants. Recht and Poli don't pull any punches when showing the readers the cruel and yet somehow strangely lazy excesses of Melnibone; this is not a book for younger readers (just in case you were wondering) with explicit scenes of torture that are exactly what Melnibone is all about. And those last scenes where Arioch makes his first appearance… You can almost hear his entrance, the artwork is that good.

I'm not sure where 'The Ruby Throne' falls then as the plot is a little too flimsy for the long term fan while the art might put off newcomers (it worked for me but I can see it being a little too evocative for some…) I enjoyed it for what it was though and am looking forward to reading 'Stormbringer' when it is published; just hoping there's a little more meat on that one...

'Guinea Pigs ate my Laptop!' A Quick Update...

Hi y'all :o)

Apologies for the extended period of silence on the blog, it's been a crazy couple of weeks what with one thing and another (and another and another…)
Work has been full on every single day, easily the most high pressured job that I've ever found myself in. It's good though and it sure beats the alternative; yep, I still remember what is was like to be out of work for over a year and I never want to find myself in that place again. The internet access here is severely restricted so I can't even pop on for a
quick post at lunchtimes.

As far as home goes, well… Maybe I'll tell you more about that another time. Suffice it to say that internet access is fine but the fact that the guinea pigs chewed through the adaptor lead, on the laptop (still needs to be replaced at time of writing) led to other problems. My money is on 'Big Red Fire' (yes, we let Hope choose his name) having done the deed.

And as far as reading goes, I haven't really done an awful lot to be honest. Busy at work, busy at home and the anti-depressants that I'm taking can make it difficult to stay focussed on anything heavier going than a Doctor Who book (which is why I've been reading them!) I've read a few books though and, rather than wait until I've got hold of a new adaptor for the laptop, figured I'd sum them up here. Nothing in depth, just a few quick thoughts.

Here goes...

'The Crimson Campaign' - Brian McClellan (Orbit Books)

Tamas's invasion of Kez ends in disaster when a Kez counter-offensive leaves him cut off behind enemy lines with only a fraction of his army, no supplies and no hope of reinforcements. Drastically outnumbered and pursued by the enemy's best, he must lead his men on a reckless march through
northern Kez to safety, and back over the mountains so that he can defend his country from an angry god.

In Adro, Inspector Adamat only wants to rescue his wife. To do so he must track down and confront the evil Lord Vetas. He has questions for Vetas concerning his enigmatic master, but the truth is darker than he could have imagined.

With Tamas and his powder cabal presumed dead, Taniel Two-shot finds himself alongside the god Mihali as the last line of defence against Kresimir's advancing army. Tamas's generals bicker among themselves, the brigades lose ground every day beneath the Kez onslaught and Kresimir wants the head of the man who shot him in the eye.

I loved 'Promise of Blood' and read 'The Crimson Campaign' over two coach journeys to/from Plymouth. It's hard not to say anything that I haven't
already said about the first book; plotting, pace and moments of spectacle here are all on the money as per the last book. 'If it isn't broken…' and all that… The forced march of Tamas' army does add something new to the mix in terms of seeing Tamas as renowned soldier as well as Tamas 'the soldier who killed all the nobility and took power'. I love it when a writer takes time to flesh out their characters and there is a lot of that in 'The Crimson Campaign'. There is also a really good mix of warfare on the front line (go Taniel!) and arguably dirtier warfare in the back streets of the capitol; a lot of intrigue balanced neatly with moments of  mayhem and bloody violence. This is a series that has already ticked all the boxes that I want ticking, for must read fantasy, bring on 'The Autumn
War'. Bring it on now!

'The White Towers' - Andy Remic (Angry Robot Books)

Vagandrak is broken, and a new threat has arisen that threatens to defeat even the mighty Iron Wolves. The twisted, deviant Elf Rats have gathered in the toxic realm beyond the White Lion Mountains... swiftly they invade the troubled land of Vagandrak, killing for profit and pleasure. The
now-disgraced Iron Wolves are the realm's only hope, but there's a problem: they've been sentenced to death by the insane King Yoon for the dark sorcery in their blood. In the mountains of Zalazar lie the White Towers, pillars of legend said to contain the Heart of the Elves. The Iron Wolves
must journey north to steal the Heart, and purify the evil in the land, but the land belongs to the Elves and they won't give it up without a fight!

In a parallel dimension, David Gemmell was writing one day and all of sudden thought, "f*** this s***, I'm done with writing about redemption and honour; it's time to just focus on nasty b******s doing evil things in the name of… I don't know, I'll add more spilled entrails to those passages." A dimensional rift bought the parallel universe David over to our dimension where he currently writes under the pseudonym of Andy Remic.

Seriously though, Remic is what David Gemmell would have been if Grimdark had been more of a thing (or a thing at all) back in the eighties. Remic being Remic though, the grimdark is dialled up to a level beyond parody and becomes a whole new cartoonish realm of fantasy altogether. Not being easily offended myself, I had a great time reading 'The White Towers' with its intoxicating mix of high octane action and more thoughtful moments on what it means to be an Iron Wolf and loathe your comrades, even though they're the closest thing to friends that you have. It looks like there's at least one more book in this series and I personally am well up for it. 'The White Towers' may not be doing anything new but Remic is enjoying himself too much to care and when the author is enjoying his story you can't help but enjoy it with him.
 

'The Return of Conan' - Bjorn Nyberg (1957)

 

I've been collecting the old Conan books, mostly to pick up stories that I haven't read yet but also (if I'm being completely honest with myself) because I have a real soft spot for the 'old school' cover art. I'm in two minds over 'The Return of Conan'; it's a book that represents the worst of formulaic and linear plotting (Conan has a fight, makes love to a princess and repeat…) but at the same time I love the way that Conan's mission becomes a 'Reunion Tour' of sorts where he keeps bumping into old friends and settling old scores. It's like Nyberg took it upon himself to tie up loose threads left by Howard, perhaps a little presumptuous but you have to admire his nerve in terms of building upon what Howard had left behind. And the sword fights were good too, even if they were a little one sided and lacking in any kind of narrative tension.

'The Return of Conan' made for a nice little palate cleanser then (every time I couldn't get into something heavier) and another title that I can tick off my list of books to read. Anything more than that though? Eminently forgettable just about covers it.

So that's the books I've been reading just recently. When I can find a cheap laptop adaptor, I'll let you know about the comics as well... ;o)

'Ladyhawke' - Joan D. Vinge (Piccolo Books)

Captain Etienne Navarre is a man on whose shoulders lie a cruel curse. Punished for loving each other, Navarre must become a wolf by night whilst
his lover, Lady Isabeau, takes the form of a hawk by day. Together, with the thief Philippe Gaston, they must try to overthrow the corrupt Bishop and in doing so break the spell...

So, am I comfort reading again? Yes, yes I am. The way things are at the moment, this blog would be a desolate and empty place if I left all the comfort reading out. Just bear with me a little longer and I'll be back to the good stuff before you know it (and I'll spare you the childhood reminiscing this time round, I supect there's only so much about cheese on toast that anyone can reasonably be expected to hear).

So...

Did you watch the film or read the book first? As far as I was concerned, I didn't even realise that there was a film until some years later and, looking back, I think that was a good thing. Yep, I'm talking about the awful eighties 'disco' soundtrack that accompanies Rutger Hauer fighting the Bishop's Guard (trying his manful best to ignore it as he does so) I'm sure a little piece of me died when I saw the film for the first time and the music started playing. But the book though…

I've had my copy of 'Ladyhawke' for almost thirty years and it still hasn't lost its power to utterly captivate me. I start reading and that's it, I'm in the story until it finishes. 'Ladyhawke' is by no means a classic and doesn't do an awful lot that is different. A curse is a curse wherever you go and this is very much the deal here. Where Vinge makes things shine though is her characterisation and how this shows through when you actually see Navarre and Isbeau have that 'almost together' moment on the cusp of dawn. There's a part of me that is an old romantic and it never fails to make me well up a little to see two people in love who can't be together
because of evil magic. Vinge also has a happy knack of being able to get inside her characters heads and really lay them bare in such a way that you can't help but will them on. Navarre comes across as one dimensional initially but he is anything but once Vinge lets you into his head.

But I was saying, two lovers that can never be together... What was I talking about? Of course they will be together! I told you that this is a book that doesn't do an awful lot differently and the outcome is never really in doubt (hence the comfort read) despite some moments where you wonder what could happen. The final chapters are stirring affairs that rush the reader headlong into the final outcome whilst still giving the reader a feeling of doubt (especially when the bells ring, you'll know what I mean if you've read the book/seen the film). It's a heady mixture that still keeps my eyes on the page, even though this is a book that I must have read
dozens of times now.

It's no secret then (and definitely not a spoiler) that the ending is a happy one; like a medieval fairy tale with loads of grim bits but a hefty dose of morals at the end. Everyone gets what they deserve and this kind of ending doesn't really gel with the 'grimdark' tone of todays fantasy fiction. There's still a place for it though and I'd say a very necessary one. Our world may not be one for happy endings but fiction tells us that happy endings can happen and it's important for us to know this. 'Ladyhawke' does this very well indeed and there are enough second hand
copies floating about out there for you to get some of those good vibes
too. I'd thoroughly recommend it in fact.

'Couldn't Even Really Get Started, Let Alone Finish It…', 'The Black Guard' - A.J. Smith (Head of Zeus)

The city of Ro Canarn burns. With their father's blood fresh upon the headsman's sword, Lord Bromvy and Lady Bronwyn, the last scions of thehouse of Canarn, face fugitive exile or death. 

In the court of Ro Tiris, men fear to speak their minds. The Army of the Red marches upon the North. Strange accidents befall those who dare question the King's new advisors. Those foolish enough to speak their names call them the Seven Sisters: witches of the fire god; each as beautiful and as dangerous as a flame. 

And, called from the long ages of deep time by war and sacrifice, the children of a dead god are waking with a pitiless cry. 

All that was dead will rise. 
All that now lives will fall... 

Look at that blurb and bask in the glorious promise of epic fantasy… Cities with stirring names? Check. A Lord and Lady on the run? Double check. Attractive ladies who get up to all sorts of machinations in the name of their 'fire god'? And what about an ages old threat waking up to lay waste to the world of the living? Check and Check.

It's a blurb that really wants people to think that it's the next 'Song of Ice and Fire' and I really wish that's what 'The Black Guard' had been. If it had been then I'd still be reading it instead of casting about looking
for something to take its place. As it is, I will go back to 'The Black Guard' at some point as there is a lot of potential in what I've read. It's just a real shame that I made it about two hundred pages into the book and found that the story was still to get going… Slow and steady may win the day but 'too slow and steady' has a nasty habit of sending me to sleep
these days. Reading that first chunk of of 'The Black Guard' was like wading through treacle; really sweet but ultimately tiring.

While there is an argument to be made that a lot of epic fantasies take time to get going, you could look at any of these series and it would be really apparent how they have worked round this issue. Compelling characters, ominous foreshadowing, even a dirty great battle where the aftermath can be explored. 'The Black Guard' has none of these things, preferring instead to weave its narrative around the edges of the plot and give you tantalising glimpses of what is to come. Well, that is the idea anyway; it never quite worked for me, mainly because the plot is so slow but also because Smith plays his cards a little too close to his chest and you never really get much of a glimpse of anything.

But you know what? I'll be going back to 'The Black Guard' and powering my way through the rest, probably when the insomnia really kicks in and I know that I've got a couple of hours to myself to really get stuck in. Is that slow pacing deliberate then? Is 'The Black Guard' a book that forces you to
take your time and really get a feel for the setting? I'm thinking it's more like David Bilsborough's 'The Wanderer's Tale' but I'm happy to be proved wrong when I give it another go. In the meantime, has anyone else here read 'The Black Guard'? Did you make it any further than a couple of
hundred pages? If so, what did you think?

'She Who Waits' - Daniel Polansky (Hodder)

Low Town: the worst ghetto in the worst city in the Thirteen Lands.

Good only for depravity and death. And Warden, long ago a respected agent in the formidable Black House, is now the most depraved Low Town denizen of them all.

As a younger man, Warden carried out more than his fair share of terrible deeds, and never as many as when he worked for the Black House. But Warden's growing older, and the vultures are circling. Low Town is changing, faster than even he can control, and Warden knows that if he doesn't get out soon, he may never get out at all.

But Warden must finally reckon with his terrible past if he can ever hope to escape it. A hospital full of lunatics, a conspiracy against the corrupt new king and a ghetto full of thieves and murderers stand between him and his slim hope for the future. And behind them all waits the one person whose betrayal Warden never expected. The one person who left him, broken and bitter, to become the man he is today. 

The one woman he ever loved.
She who waits behind all things.

 

Reading is a journey and nowhere more so than in speculative fiction where if you're not following the progress of an actual journey (thanks for that Mr. Tolkien…) then you're watching the main character make a mental journey towards a complete change in character. Once upon a time, this second kind of journey was the sole preserve of kitchen boys 'with a destiny' who would find destiny/nobility thrust upon them and have to adapt accordingly. These days aren't those days though and thank goodness for that. We now have characters seeking redemption from the pits of immorality, we have others who are happy to sink yet further; the most interesting characters though are the ones where you can see that change but have to question their motives and direction. Did X commit the vilest crimes for ultimate good or were they just scraping the bottom of the moral barrel for their own ends? These are the kind of characters that really get you thinking and invested in a story, genre fiction can't have enough of them as far as I'm concerned.

For my money, Daniel Polansky's Warden is the greatest of these; a character who will happily spread chaos in the pursuit of aims and leave you wondering whether he's a good man forced to do bad things or… the other way round. 'The Straight Razor Cure' (a much better title than 'Lowtown') and 'Tomorrow The Killing' have posed these questions already and to excellent affect. 'She Who Waits'… Well, the best way to sign off a series is to leave the reader with a few tantalising questions and Polansky somehow manages to do this while at the same time giving said reader an appropriate sense of closure at the same time. The story ends here and I for one wish it hadn't.

For those of you familiar with the series, 'She Who Waits' follows a path well travelled by the Warden. Lowtown is starting to fall to pieces under the pressure of a mystery that apparently only Warden can solve. While he is doing this, Warden must watch not only his back but those of his closest friends. And while he is doing this... Warden is also putting the pieces into place that will give him the revenge that he been searching for all these years.

And that's what sets 'She Who Waits' apart from any number of 'trilogy concluders' (I've said it so now it's a word) that follow the safe path through to the end. Not only has Polansky been playing an incredibly long game (seriously, there are things in 'The Straight Razor Cure' that make a lot of sense now) but he's not afraid to torch the whole thing once he has finished playing. Imagine that slow, patient build up; imagine the pieces finally falling into place... And then gasp as Polansky elects not to play it safe after all, sending everything and everyone straight to a hell of Wardens own making. You've got to admire the way that Polansky holds his nerve here when the safe option would have been so much easier. Lowtown is a brutal place at the best of times, by the time 'She Who Waits' comes to an end you will have seen a Lowtown only hinted at previously. Not only does it open your eyes to what Warden has to live with, it makes the story fly by and will have you almost forgetting the inevitability of the ending.

I'm not going to give too much away but it's clear to anyone that there is only one way for a man like Warden to leave a tale like this. Polansky deals with it very matter of factly and you get the impression that's just how Warden would have wanted it. I really appreciated the respect that Polansky has for his characters that he comes across as more than happy to let characters like Warden show him the way to the finale, not the other way round. That is why I will be reading more books by Polansky while other authors will fall by the wayside, 

Does 'She Who Waits' tread an awfully familiar path then? I'm afraid it does. Does it matter though? Not to me it didn't, not when the plot flowed the way it did. Should I read it then? Damn right you should, just as soon as you've read 'The Straight Razor Cure' and 'Tomorrow The Killing'. 'She Who Waits' is a worthy finale to what has turned out to be quite the superb trilogy (almost without anyone noticing, shame on you all). Read it.

'Archaon: Everchosen' - Rob Sanders (Black Library)

In the north of the world the forces of Chaos gather, awaiting their moment to strike. At their head is the Everchosen, the warrior who will lead the final, cataclysmic assault that will usher in the End Times and the reign of the Ruinous Powers. But he was not always thus - he was once a man, a devout servant of the warrior-god Sigmar. What could cause such a soul to fall to the worship of the Dark Gods? What dark events could have put a knight of the Empire on the path to becoming the harbinger of the world's end? And just who was the man who will become known to all as Archaon?

Games Workshop's 'Warhammer' setting has always sat in the shadow of its far future sibling, rather unfairly I think as the Old World is just as rich and detailed a setting as that of the Imperium of Mankind. I always thought that the Old World would benefit from having someone like Horus to be a huge threat and push the narrative in new directions (otherwise it really is just one battle after another) and, a few years ago now, it got one in the form of Archaon, Everchosen of Chaos and the man to bring in the End Times.

It never happened of course. How could it when Games Workshop's strategy is to keep its settings in a state of 'on the precipice but gamely hanging on'? For me though, the introduction of Archaon was a real sign that some effort was being made to make 'Warhammer' as dynamic and interesting as Warhammer 40,000.

So, you have a character like Archaon and the immediate questions are who is he and where did he come from? Rob Sanders is the man tasked with answering these questions and he does so with some aplomb, despite the character already being part of established canon (meaning that everyone knows Archaon will make it through the events of this book and that his destiny is certain). With this book it's very much about the journey, rather than the destination, and Sanders shows us key moments in the life of Archaon where demonic influences war against fate itself to ensure that destiny is fulfilled. There's almost a hint of the meta-fictional about it with Sanders effectively writing about something that is effectively 'writing' the life of Archaon; ripping out whole chapters and starting again if the narrative doesn't flow satisfactorily. It's a really thoughtful approach that breaks up the 'hack and slash' elements of the plot and really gets you thinking about what you are reading.

Central to all this is the man Archaon himself and Sanders charts his life with a certain grim relish. At least that was the feeling that I got when Archaon accepted his destiny in several dramatic pages of blood, fire and falling masonry. Yep, while Sanders may not make it the overall focus of the plot, he still proves himself to be more than capable of writing the 'blood and thunder' moments that typify Warhammer novels. Large buildings are destroyed, mythical beasts wipe out armies and Archaon bestrides it all like the avatar of Chaos that he is. There is no doubt now that Sanders can write stirring scenes with the best of them. And while the destination is assured, Sanders puts enough obstacles in Archaon's way to keep things interesting (intrigue and double crosses abound) and develop his character further, especially his feelings for Giselle and her quest to save him from a path that he has no intention of leaving.

One of the issues that I've had with Sanders' writing, in the past, is that he takes the detail of military structure to ridiculous lengths, overshadowing the actual plot with talk of which regiment is subordinate to which commander and so on. Sanders falls victim to this indulgence again in that he doesn't leave a lot of room in the Chaos Wastes for anything but war bands, all of whom carry their own allegiances, feuds etc. This time it really works though; the Chaos Wastes are all about conflict and champions trying to carve out power for themselves. How else would you show this than by sticking at least one different war band in each paragraph? It still comes across as convoluted at times but that's just how it should be.

By my reckoning, Archaon still needs to complete a few more trials (to be worthy of the Chaos Gods) which means more books in the series You can sign me up for all of them if 'Archaon' is anything to go by, a book that overcomes inherent issues with ease and is exactly what good Warhammer fiction is all about. If you like fantasy then you really need to give 'Archaon' a go, sooner rather than later.

‘The Great Maw’ – L.J. Goulding (Black Library)

I’ve been reading these stories two at a time and enjoying them, for the most part, so much that I didn’t really give much of a thought to how many were left on my phone. So just the one story today then and it could well be the most interesting one out of the last weeks offerings…

Legends tell of the origins of the ogre race and their mysterious god. Many of these tales centre around the mythical figure of Groth Onefinger. Here is one such saga, recounting the story of the great cataclysm that overtook the ogres and drove them from their lands, of the birth of a great and hungry deity that drives all of that savage race to fits of incredible greed, and of Groth, the saviour of the ogre race and first prophet of the Great Maw.

The Old World is a rich and fertile source of stories to be told although most of them inevitably focus on the battles that make up the game. Fair enough really, that’s the whole point of the setting after all. This ‘same old, same old’ approach works due to the energy and enthusiasm of the writers and it also highlights just how unusual a tale like ‘The Great Maw’ is; a Warhammer tale that doesn’t feature a pitched battle at all, not one.

What we have here is a tale of how the once civilized Ogres became the creatures they are today; feared by sensible folk and about to invade one of the outlying regions of the Empire. Why are they doing this? No-one really knows as whatever it was Baron von Streissen said to the Ogre Gurthodd led to the Baron’s unfortunate demise and the imminent outbreak of war. A meeting is convened where our narrator stresses that an understanding of Ogre culture might (just might) lead to a solution. And so the tale begins in notes passed to the university of Nuln that tell of The Children of the Maw…

I really enjoyed the unique structure of ‘The Great Maw’; well, unique to this setting anyway. A story within a story isn’t something you come across in Warhammer fiction all that often if at all (I can’t think of any other examples) so fair play to Goulding for treading a new path and making it work for the most part. I say ‘for the most part’ as the ending of each story is a little too abrupt and leaves more questions than a short story really needs to. I prefer my short stories a little more complete than ‘The Great Maw’ ended up being. This isn’t a deal breaker though as the preceding oral history offers a fresh look at the Ogres of the Old World (I’d never seen them as being a civilized culture in the past) and feeds, no pun intended, into the whole thing of Warhammer setting being about tragedy and people holding off the darkly inevitable. Even the so called ‘evil’ races can have a little bit of tragedy in their past and there’s something about this even handed approach that I like.

‘The Great Maw’ ultimately falls short on account of being just a little too open ended for its format but the structure of the tale, along with the insights that it offers, make up for this and result in a story that Warhammer fans should enjoy. You can’t say fairer than that really.

Warhammer Week – A Couple More Short Stories

 Because the train was packed this morning and it was all I could do to hold my phone at eye level, let alone a book… I’m looking forward to a slightly less congested commute to my new job (optimism beats realism every time!)

So yeah, more Warhammer short stories are the order of the day. I already said, yesterday, why I think Warhammer short stories are great; just scroll down a little bit if you missed it. The two stories on show today are a move away from tying into established series and are more like snapshots of the war torn Old World. I have to say that in terms of the end result here it was hit and miss.


The whole thing about Warhammer is that it's all about the fighting and warfare; that's the whole point and it doesn't leave the writer a lot of scope to write about other things. That's okay though, if you're clever then you can still tell a decent story, even if you can't vary the subject matter. It's a shame then that Jonathan Green chooses not to do this with 'Sticks and Stones' .
That's not to say that 'Sticks and Stones' isn't a good read; Green writes a mean set piece with scenes of battle that stir the blood (I want to be a pistolier now). The problem though is that's all 'Stick and Stones' is, you get plenty of fighting but you don't get a sense of who the fighters are, what they are fighting for or even why. The end result then is a story that does a job but feels strangely shallow for it.


'Bernheimer's Gun' though... Here's a tale that does exactly the opposite of 'Sticks and Stones' and is all the better for it. Reynolds really takes time to get to know his characters and gives plausible motivation for their actions ('the city is in danger' is a well known trope but at least we know why they are fighting. The chases (which I loved) and the fights that follow just make more sense and that ultimately kept me going with 'Bernheimer's Gun'. I'd love to read more about Marienburg and its denizens.


So, which one would I choose as personal favourite? It's not hard and I'm now really keen to read more by Reynolds now. I'll see what I can find.
In the meantime, that's five stories down and two more to go... Keep an eye out, I'll be back with those two fairly shortly...

Warhammer Week - The Stories So Far...

Black Library are currently running a ‘Warhammer Week’, on their site, where each day sees a new short story to download. I am all for this by the way (especially now I have a new phone with a bigger screen); not only is there is nothing better than a short story that you can download to your phone but the Warhammer setting always takes second billing to its far future counterpart. I’m a big fan of the Warhammer universe and it’s great to see it feature a little more prominently. More of that in the future please!

In the meantime, I’m already four days behind with these stories so this post is more a collection of mini-reviews just so I can get caught up a little bit.  C.L. Werner and Sarah Cawkwell are already well known for their work in the Warhammer universe and their stories here not only do a job in their own right but also serve as little thirty page stepping stones into a  much larger narrative (which is the plan of course).  It’s a good job then that ‘Harbinger’, ‘A Question of Faith’ and ‘The Last Man’ make for good reading that, if I hadn’t read the other books already, would have left me keen to explore the settings further.

There’s only so much you can do in thirty pages and that’s why short stories can be amazing when done right (and exactly the opposite when done wrong…) Both Werner and Cawkwell are clearly mindful of this and choose to forego the normal hack and slash of Warhammer in favour or more more thoughtful plotting. Cawkwell does this more with ‘Harbinger’, a story that gradually unfolds to act as a kind of metaphor for the implacable march of Chaos. You can see where the story is heading, even after it finishes, and you also get a clear feeling of where it has come from as well with a darker past hinted at.  The character of the Healer holds the plot together very well with a compelling voice that demands that you stay to hear the tale; when you see where the Healer’s choices lead her, you can’t help but feel a little sympathy…

‘A Question of Faith’ and ‘The Last Man’ are being lumped together here as they are both set during Werner’s ‘Black Plague’ storyline; readers who have already read these books will notice a few familiar places (and possibly names, I’m not sure) along the way. The other reason these two books are sharing space is that Werner likes to delve a little more deeply into the horror end of ‘Warhammer’, than other authors, and it’s something he does to good affect here.  Werner is all about painting dark landscapes and then filling them full of humanity despairing while shadows scuttle at the edge of the page. Both stories have that edge of grim foreboding and Werner leaves you in no doubt as to what the people of the Old World will do to protect themselves from the horror of the plague… before smacking you in the face with some nasty surprises (with ‘The Last Man’ in particular, I kind of saw it coming in ‘A Question of Faith’). If I had to pick a favourite, well I do now, it would be ‘The Last Man’ with its visceral depiction of the plague and one man trying to survive in the ruins.

So that’s three stories down and four more to go; I’ll let you know how they turn out over the next few days.

‘The Golden Barge’ – Michael Moorcock (Savoy)

The last time I had anything to say about ‘The Golden Barge’, the year was 2011 (only just though…) and my thoughts went along the lines of…

‘With certain stories in ‘The Time Dweller’ the problem for me was that whatever Moorcock was trying to say was drowned out in a mass of admittedly beautiful but overall stifling imagery. Don’t get me wrong, I love Moorcock’s use of imagery and settings but I love it far more when there’s a story happening against it all. I’m sure that there was something going on in these stories but I couldn’t see it (a re-read would probably take care of this but, in the meantime, I’ve got to go on first impressions). Take ‘The Golden Barge’ for instance, what was all that about? I liked the exploration of Jephraim Tallow’s character but why was he chasing the Golden Barge? And considering this pursuit was made out to be such a big deal, why did he stop for a break? There’s something to be said for stories that have you asking questions (and you end up re-reading them) but there is also such a thing as being too obscure and alienating the reader entirely...’

Fast forward a few years and it was time for a re-read of the strange adventure of Jephraim Tallow; a man who lost his navel and promptly went in pursuit of a strange golden barge so he could get some answers. Yep, that really is the whole premise of the book and I was hoping that a few questions of my own would be answered in a book that just had to expand on what I originally read in ‘The Time Dweller’.  While ‘The Golden Barge’ does expand on certain themes, it is still a book that poses more questions than it answers. It does this in a good way though, leaving its reader chewing on questions out of interest rather than frustration.

‘The Golden Barge’ is a ‘quest’ story perhaps unlike any you have ever read. Tallow knows full well what he is looking for, and why, but has no idea how the barge will help him if he ever catches up with it. Tallow can’t bear to be hindered in his quest and will actively go out of his way to wreck nations in order that he can continue looking for a barge that no-one else can see. As a character, Tallow comes across as fairly simple to read but he is self-aware enough to be a little more interesting than that. Tallow frequently debates his actions and this approach invites the reader to join in that debate and either side with Tallow himself or with the people who seek to hinder him (albeit with the best intentions).

For me, ‘The Golden Barge’ was all about Tallow seeking to define himself while resisting others attempts to define him (it’s what life is all about in a way). A man with no navel to contemplate has to look elsewhere, for his contemplation, and that is exactly what Tallow does. It’s interesting to note that as his quest draws to a close, the slightly weird and baroque landscape (which I loved at the beginning, especially the little nods to what would become the wider multi-verse) becomes more vague and blurry round the edges as Tallow finds his answers and comes into focus. The world is an interesting one to ponder on, hints of an apocalypse and people trying to impose their own order on what is left, but it is Tallow’s view of this world that carries the tale and it is only right that he should feature prominently.

Does the end justify everything that has gone before? Well, for Tallow it does but ‘The Golden Barge’ is clearly a book that is all about the journey rather than the destination. I liked the hint of uncertainty, at the end, but I couldn’t help but wonder if Tallow’s final decision was in keeping with his character. It’s that journey though (I kept thinking of it as a post-modern agnostic ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’) that makes the book, full of incidents that have you questioning the characters and yourself. If you saw the Golden Barge travelling down the river, would you follow it?

P.S. I don't know if 'The Golden Barge' will feature in any of the new Moorcock collections but you can get it on Kindle (via SF Gateway) and there are loads of second hand copies doing the rounds. Worth checking out.

‘Blood and Iron’ – Jon Sprunk (Pyr)

I had good fun reading ‘Shadow’s Son’ (despite a couple of issues with the book) but somehow never found the time to read the other two books in the series. It’s funny how that can happen isn’t it? So many books to read but so little time to make a serious dent in the reading pile, that’s half the fun of it sometimes but ‘book casualties’ are inevitable. Maybe I’ll catch up one day.

In the meantime, when I heard that Sprunk was writing another series I resolved to be in at the beginning, especially when I heard it was going to be a more sprawling epic affair. Epic fantasy is where my genre roots are and it’s always good to go back to your roots, or is it? That depends on the book you’re reading and ‘Blood and Iron’ didn’t quite do it for me.

It starts with a shipwreck following a magical storm at sea. Horace, a soldier from the west, had joined the Great Crusade against the heathens of Akeshia after the deaths of his wife and son from plague. When he washes ashore, he finds himself at the mercy of the very people he was sent to kill, who speak a language and have a culture and customs he doesn't even begin to understand.

Not long after, Horace is pressed into service as a house slave. But this doesn't last. The Akeshians discover that Horace was a latent sorcerer, and he is catapulted from the chains of a slave to the halls of power in the queen's court. Together with Jirom, an ex-mercenary and gladiator, and Alyra, a spy in the court, he will seek a path to free himself and the empire's caste of slaves from a system where every man and woman must pay the price of blood or iron. Before the end, Horace will have paid dearly in both.

I finished ‘Blood and Iron’ yesterday but couldn’t find it in myself to write about the book as it left me feeling kind of, well… cold. The book does its job well enough, serving up a tale that has all the ingredients for an epic fantasy read; warfare and politicking with far reaching consequences and a hero who is trying to work out where he fits in the scheme of things. It didn’t help that the hero’s name is Horace as that got me thinking of this,

  

Absolutely nothing to do with the book but I figured if it's in my head then I'd share it around a little bit. Anyway… I can’t really blame the book for this (it’s not the books fault that I played a lot of computer games back in the eighties) but where the book did fall down for me is that none of what happened felt like it had any heart in it. Part of this I think is down to Horace feeling so out of place, in this foreign land, that the reader can’t really tell what matters and what doesn’t (except when it is trying to kill Horace, then it’s pretty clear). Sprunk perhaps does too much of a good job with the ‘whole stranger in a strange land’ thing… I’m hoping that things become a little more clear in future books (which I will read, more on that in a bit).

There’s also the fact that Horace buries past traumas too deeply for the reader to truly engage with him (although that’s entirely understandable when you find out why) but all the other characters, that matter, seem to either fall for him or quickly become friends. Dammit, what can they see in Horace that I can’t? If I was a woman, would I fall for Horace that quickly? Again, I’m hoping for a little more character development in the next instalment.

And that’s the thing, I will be reading the next book; no question about it. The magic system that Horace comes into is a little too familiar for my liking but Sprunk more than makes up this when depicting the mayhem caused by magical battle (and there’s a lot of this). What really made the book for me though was Jirom, a gay gladiator/slave/dog soldier who interacts a lot more with his surroundings in one chapter than Horace does over the course of the book. Jirom is a much more open character as well and I’m looking forward to journeying with him again when the next book arrives.

Not an inspiring opening to a series then but Sprunk gets the job done, doing enough for me to want to give the next book a go and and see this world (hopefully) open up a lot more.

'The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains’ – Neil Gaiman & Eddie Campbell (Headline)

With all the talk, just recently, being about ‘The Ocean at the End of the Lane’ I had totally forgotten that ‘The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains’ was due to be published in this format (until it came through the door that is, a nice surprise). I say this format as ‘The Truth’ has already seen the light of day as a short story, in ‘The Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year Volume 5’, and a multi-media experience where a reading of the story is set to music and it’s all played out against the imagery that you will find in this edition. I knew none of that though (living in a genre bubble as I sometimes do) so my reading was like coming to this story for the first time.

A dwarf and his guide journey to the Misty Isle where it’s said that a cave, in the mountains, holds as much gold as a man can carry. Such gold can prove useful in these troubled times but is that the only reason why the dwarf seeks the cave? The truth lies within…

The story itself looks very simple on the surface (starts off at A and heads straight to C by way of B) but Gaiman hides a lot of things in plain sight and you are not reading the story that you think you are. I mean you are, of course you are, but there’s a lot more to it and I guarantee that you will be reading the last few pages with a sense of wonder and quite a bit of awe that Gaiman not only told an enthralling tale but totally pulled the wool over your eyes at the same time. What our ‘hero’ sees in the cave just blows the story wide open and in all the right ways. If you’re anything like me, you will then go right back to the beginning and read the book all over again. A deceptively simple tale (with just enough of the Fae about it to add to the atmosphere without going into overkill) told against a stunning backdrop of bleakly beautiful Scottish countryside.

And that’s where Eddie Campbell comes in with illustrations so integrated with the plot that ‘Truth’ is as much his book as it is Gaimans. These illustrations don’t just complement the story, they are the story in places and it’s amazing to see that story jump in and out of the illustrations as things progress. Half the reason it took me so long to read ‘The Truth’ was that I found myself wanting to get as much as a I could out of the illustrations before I turned each page. The other reason? Some experiences are not meant to be rushed and ‘The Truth’ is one of those, definitely.

‘The Incorruptibles’ – John Hornor Jacobs (Gollancz)

In the contested and unexplored territories at the edge of the Empire, a boat is making its laborious way up stream. Riding along the banks are the mercenaries hired to protect it - from raiders, bandits and, most of all, the stretchers, elf-like natives who kill any intruders into their territory. The mercenaries know this is dangerous, deadly work. But it is what they do.

In the boat the drunk governor of the territories and his sons and daughters make merry. They believe that their status makes them untouchable. They are wrong. And with them is a mysterious, beautiful young woman, who is the key to peace between warring nations and survival for the Empire. When a callow mercenary saves the life of the Governor on an ill-fated hunting party, the two groups are thrown together.

For Fisk and Shoe - two tough, honourable mercenaries surrounded by corruption, who know they can always and only rely on each other - their young companion appears to be playing with fire. The nobles have the power, and crossing them is always risky.

And although love is a wonderful thing, sometimes the best decision is to walk away. Because no matter how untouchable or deadly you may be, the stretchers have other plans.

 I’m a sucker for a fantasy novel with mercenaries in it (the honourable kind or otherwise), even more so when it’s two mercenaries who happen to be good friends who have been through the mill together. I like ‘buddy’ cop movies and this can be something that fantasy does very well, two friends up against it armed with nothing more than a couple of swords and a ready quip. I was always going to read ‘The Incorruptibles’ then, as soon as I saw the ‘M’ word on the blurb.

It was also the hint of something a little different that piqued my interest, namely the blurb and cover art suggesting some kind of cowboy influence to the tale. I fancied something a little difference (especially at the moment, I need something to hold my attention!) so ‘The Incorruptibles’ it was.

What I ended up with was a book that initially threatened to leave me looking out of the window instead of reading. As I got further in though there was no question of my finishing the book and I’m keen to see where the plot heads next.

‘The Incorruptibles’ is a book that wears its influences very proudly with hints of frontier life in the Old West, the Roman being notable amongst others. At this point, in what is being set up as a much longer series (trilogy at least), it’s intriguing as to whether this approach means the setting is a post-apocalyptic Earth (hinted at via daemon powered technology and the rise of the Stretchers) or not. My money is on the former but either is good (it’s all beautifully drawn and very easy to get lost in). A slight negative to this is that the frontier territories are so vast that, in the early stages, the story gets swallowed up by the background and comes across as very slow moving when it is anything but. The steamboat seems to meander when it’s actually moving along at a fair rate, Fisk and Shoe never seem to make any headway into these contested territories when on patrol; they can’t as the landscape is just so big. I love that sense of over powering vastness and the hint of danger always on the horizon; it’s just not necessarily good for the story in those early chapters.

Stick with it though. Not only does Horner Jacobs give the reader some lovely scenery to mull over but it’s almost like he’s biding his time until he lets the story have its head. When he does this, things really kick off and I suddenly found myself with a book that I couldn’t put down.

Key to everything is the deep friendship between Fisk and Shoe, two taciturn men who nevertheless let on more than they say thanks to Hornor Jacobs incisive dialogue. ‘The Incorruptibles’ is full of the derring do you would expect but what Hornor Jacobs excels at is leaving you in no doubt as to why these two men will literally go through hell for each other. Fisk and Shoe share a deep bond as well as a mutual desire to do the right thing even though Hornor Jacob’s plot puts them both in a difficult position as far as that goes.

When the story takes off, that vast background I spoke about earlier is suddenly full of fire, blood and dark magic. It goes from being an empty landscape to one that is suddenly bursting with violence and potential for the plot to become even better than it is already. When I say that the plot is a very good to start off with, well…

Hornor Jacobs dishes out the violence with a hint of Sergio Leone; very cool to watch unfold but leaving you in no doubt as to the consequences. I want more and I’m already a little frustrated that I have to wait for this book to be published first (yep, lucky enough to get an ARC) before I can start thinking about the sequel.

In short, read ‘The Incorruptibles’. Just do it. Once Hornor Jacobs lets the plot have its head, the book is a joy to behold.