Originally published in the Canberra Weekly on 28 November 2024.
Make sure to check out my extended reviews for Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret, The Ghosts of August and Nobody’s Hero.
Author: The Unseen Library
The Unseen Librarian
I have been reviewing since 2009.
I previously reviewed for the Canberra Times.
I am now a reviewer for the Canberra Weekly.
The Ghosts of August by Peter Watt
Publisher: Macmillan Australia (Trade Paperback – 29 October 2024)
Series: Colonial series – Book Six
Length: 401 pages
My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Australia’s master of historical fiction, Peter Watt, continues to shine with the latest exciting book in his Colonial series, The Ghosts of August.
Watt is a fantastic author who has a particular skill at writing fast-paced adventure novels based around Australia’s compelling and complex history. The author of several intriguing multigenerational series, Watt’s current body of work is the Colonial series, which started back in 2018 with The Queen’s Colonial. An awesome book that followed a young Australian farmer, Ian Steele, who journeys to England and through a series of shenanigans gets commissioned in the British army as a captain, gaining the moniker the Queen’s Colonial. I had a lot of fun with this first book, and Watt has kept the series going strong ever since. The next two books in the series, The Queen’s Tiger and The Queen’s Captain, followed Ian through several mid-19th century wars, while also encountering love, loss, and dark intrigues. The third and fourth novels, The Colonial’s Son and Call of Empire, featured a time skip to the late 19th century, where a mostly retired Ian had taken a step back from adventuring while his two sons, Josiah and Samuel, became the main characters. With the death of Ian at the end of Call of Empire, the series entered a new phase as Watt again skipped ahead with The Ghosts of August. Set around the turbulent events of World War I, The Ghosts of August was another fantastic entry in the series that continued to follow all the adventures of the Steele family.
The Queen’s Colonial, Ian Steele, is dead, but his family still serve the crown, especially as the threat of war spills across the globe. Ian’s oldest son, Josiah, is now head of the Steele family, and, like his father before him, he has two very different sons to worry about. His oldest son, David, is a canny and cultured young man with the world at his feet, while his youngest son Ben is a wild child, constantly finding trouble and solving it with his fists. However, despite their differences, both David and Ben are about to be caught up in the chaos of war.
Ben, sent away on a secret mission about the family’s boat, inadvertently finds himself trapped in German New Guinea when the war breaks out, where circumstances force him to become a desperate fugitive from the German troops stationed there. David, determined to do his bit, becomes an officer in the Australian army, and finds himself involved in Australia’s attempt to take control of German New Guinea, hoping to reunite with his brother.
However, with petty grievances and the love of a women between them, Ben and David find themselves on different paths as the war progresses. While David finds himself serving as an officer on the Western front, Ben signs up as an enlisted man in the deserts of Palestine. Both brothers will face danger and death the like of which the world has ever seen before, and the desperate battles will rock the Steele family to its very core.
The Ghosts of August was another awesome book from Watt that pits the latest generation of his central family against all the horrors of war, turmoil and history. A great addition to the Colonial series, The Ghosts of August was a very fun and action-packed read that cleverly tied into some fascinating periods of history.
Watt features a very familiar narrative structure for The Ghosts of August, which follows the current protagonists of the Colonial series into a whole new conflict. Starting in 1914, the novel initially follows the various characters through the period leading up to the conflict, before throwing them right into the carnage with several battles and action pieces. Making great use of the historical record to enhance his narrative, Watt sets his story throughout a range of fascinating locations and periods, all shown from the overlapping perspectives of his point-of-view characters. Watt provides an interesting spread of protagonists in The Ghosts of August; while the key characters are the younger members of the Steele family, you also see alternate perspectives from the books various antagonists, as well as some more friendly German characters. There is a good mixture of action, character-focused drama, and intrigue as these figures deal with issues on various fronts. I particularly enjoyed Ben’s attempt to survive in the wilds of German New Guina for the first part of the book, while the various intricate depictions of war in the second half of the book steal the show, especially as there is a ton of tragedy and shocking moments. Watt brings the entire narrative to a sad, but hopeful end, and it will be interesting to see if or how the author continues the series in the future.
As with all the books in the Colonial series, The Ghosts of August works well as both a standalone novel and a continuation of the rest of the series, as Watt highlights key character history and previous adventures in an effective manner for new readers. I personally have had a lot of fun exploring the entire series from the start, and it has been great to see how the central family has evolved. The focus on a single family and its various members, friends and enemies throughout turbulent points of history is a fun writing style that the author has a lot of experience in, and it always results in an entertaining and fast-paced book. As with the previous Colonial novels, Watt’s focus on action, warfare, and the intricate history of the period, is the highlight of The Ghosts of August. Anyone with a love of early 19th century warfare or adventure is in for a great time, and I deeply enjoyed the powerful war sequences the author featured. However, I did think that some of the characters were a little one-dimensional in places, especially as his two main protagonists, brothers Ben and David, are carbon copies of other Watt central characters. That being said, Watt writes an excellent storyline that sees the two brothers at odds due to an alluring German noblewoman, and the resulting attempts to get past it are moving, with some real tragedy thrown in. I also enjoyed the devious German military antagonist, Kurt Jäger who plagues Ben in the first half of The Ghosts of August, and whose full storyline in the novel proves to be particularly interesting. An overall fun book that is easy to enjoy, especially if you have read one of Watt’s novels in the past.
The final element of The Ghosts of August that I want to highlight is the fascinating historical features that really made this novel stand out. Watt has a clear love for Australian history that shines through in his writing, especially in The Ghosts of August where he dives into various unique aspects of Australia’s contribution to World War I. Not only does he take his characters to the obligatory battlefields of Gallipoli and the Western Front (the former of which is relatively brief for an Australian war novel), but he also examines other lesser-known conflicts Australia was involved with during this period. This includes Australia’s contribution to the fighting in the Middle East, as there are some very intense and action-packed sequences that follow one of the protagonists fighting in Egypt and Palestine with the Australian Light Horse. I also found the first conflict focused on in the book, Australia’s expedition to take control of German New Guinea, to be particularly fascinating. Watt portrays the main battle in compelling and exciting detail, and it was fascinating to learn more about this expedition, especially as it rarely gets featured in fiction, despite being Australia’s first contribution to the war. All these historical elements are expertly woven into the main narrative by Watt, who always does an outstanding job of setting his own story arcs around these events. You really get stuck into both the narrative and the Australian history as a result, and I loved seeing more of Watt’s infection love for Australian wartime history.
The Ghosts of August was another amazing book from Peter Watt that provided a fantastic continuation to his highly enjoyable Colonial series. Loaded with action, adventure and interesting historical inclusions, The Ghosts of August is classic Watt, and I had a ton of fun with it as always. I am curious to see where Watt goes next, as I will always be eager to grab another historical adventure from this excellent Australian author.
Waiting on Wednesday – Burn to Shine by Jonathan Maberry
Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy. Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them. In this latest Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight one of my most anticipated books of 2025 with the new Rogue Team International novel from Jonathan Maberry, Burn to Shine.
Readers of this blog will probably have noticed that I have been talking about author Jonathan Maberry a lot this week. Between the fact that I am currently reading his awesome fantasy novel, The Dragon in Winter, and I am just about to publish a review for his other 2024 novel, NecroTek, Maberry has really been on my mind lately. As such, to keep this ball rolling I am going to take this opportunity to highlight Maberry’s new book coming out in 2025, the awesome thriller novel Burn to Shine.
Burn to Shine is an interesting upcoming book that forms part of Maberry’s long-running Joe Ledger series. This series, which started back in 2009 with Patient Zero, follows the titular character of Joe Ledger, a government agent who seeks to save the world from various unnatural scientific threats and sinister schemes. A brutal, complex and addictively dark series, the Joe Ledger books are deeply entertaining, and I love all the intense action, elaborate plots, and fantastic over-the-top figures within. Highlights include The Dragon Factory, Assassin’s Code, Code Zero, Predator One and Dogs of War just to name a few, and I have had an exceptional time with all the epic entries in this series.
Since 2019, the new Joe Ledger books have all fallen within the Rogue Team International sub-series, which continues the adventures of the protagonist and his team, while also setting the characters up as a more independent organisation. The Rogue Team International books are just as awesome as the previous entries in the overall series, and Maberry has presented some cool ideas and grim scenarios in these latest novels. These books include Rage (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2019), Relentless (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021), and Cave 13. (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023), all of which were extremely impressive five-star reads. As such, I am understandably very eager to see how this series continues, and luckily it doesn’t look like I have too much longer to wait.
The fourth Rogue Team International novel will be the upcoming Burn to Shine, which is set for release in March 2025. Another epic entry in the series, Burn to Shine will force Ledger and his team to deal with a new world-destroying threat, as old enemies once again rise looking for revenge.
Plot Synopsis:
Rogue Team International joins Joe Ledger in a new, tension-filled mission to stop a wave of bioterrorism from devastating the country.
A covert group is infiltrating the world’s most secure bio-weapons research sites. All across the country, people are acting as human ‘disease bombs’ by infecting themselves and walking into public places. And heavily-armed groups of illegal private soldiers are massing for some unknown strike.
Joe Ledger and the members of Rogue Team International, still reeling from the devastation and heartbreaking losses of their last mission, are forced into relentless action to try and save the country, if not the entire world.
Old enemies are rising and joining forces to hit Joe and his team with one devastating blow after another. What is the end game for all of this madness and terror? Outnumbered, outmaneuvered, and outgunned, Joe Ledger has to find a way back from the fires of grief in order to make a stand between these enemies and millions of potential innocent lives. But Joe has allies, too. His team, the vicious fighters of Arklight, and friends who may or may not be entirely human.
A war of darkness and light is coming. Who will stand? Who will fall? And how will anyone ever survive?
Burn to Shine sounds like another excellent addition to this long-running series, and I cannot wait to dive into it next year. Featuring another intriguing plot of bioterrorism, it sounds like this is going to be a major entry in the series, especially as Maberry spent a good chunk of Cave 13 building up the plot for this fourth book. Thanks to some of the hints in Cave 13, as well as the above plot synopsis and even the title of this book, it appears that Burn to Shine is going to feature a familiar array of enemies, with antagonists from previous books set to return. I have a pretty good idea about who some of these antagonists are going to be, although it will be interesting to see how Maberry brings them back and utilises them in this latest novel. I am excited to dive into this new plot, and I hope that the author has come up with a particularly dark and complex villainous plan that we get to untangle.
Another aspect of Burn to Shine mentioned in the synopsis that I am really looking forward to is exploring is the continued trauma and damage that the various protagonists of Burn to Shine will no doubt be feeling. Ledger and his team have gone through all manner of loss and suffering in the Rogue Team International books, and it will be interesting to see how that impacts their ability to fight back, especially when they are once again assailed by the ghosts of their past in the potential returning antagonists. I have no doubt that Maberry will play this trauma aspect of the plot perfectly throughout Burn to Shine, and I always appreciate how well written and human the author’s characters feel during their unnatural adventures.
Honestly, due to how much I love the Joe Ledger books, there is no way in hell that I am not grabbing Burn to Shine next year the first chance I get. Jonathan Maberry has been on a brilliant roll with this series for years and I always get so damn engrossed with their elaborate narratives and brutal inclusions. This next book sounds particularly impressive, and I cannot wait to see how Burn to Shine fits into the larger series, especially as there are some very intriguing hints about who is plaguing the protagonists this time. There is no way this won’t end up being one of my favourite novels of 2025, and I look forward to enjoying the audiobook version of it, especially as it will be once again voiced by the impeccable Ray Porter. Until then, keep your eyes peeled for my review of NecroTek which will be out in the next day or two.
WWW Wednesday – 18 December 2024
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
So, let’s get to it.
What are you currently reading:
Deep Black by Miles Cameron (Hardcover)
I have made a fair bit of progress to the cool science fiction novel, Deep Black by Miles Cameron, this week and it is proving to be pretty damn awesome. The sequel to Cameron’s previous novel, Artifact Space, Deep Black follows the crew of a massive human trading ship that finds itself under attack by warring alien factions. An elaborate and highly detailed read that is extremely addictive, Deep Black is an outstanding read that I am hoping to knock off in the next few days.
The Dragon in Winter by Jonathan Maberry (Audiobook)
I am also powering through the awesome new Jonathan Maberry epic dark fantasy novel, The Dragon in Winter. This is the third book in Maberry’s Kagen the Damned series, which previously featured Kagen the Damned (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022) and Son of the Poison Rose (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023) and looks set to bring this series to an end. Loaded with brutal action, damaged characters, some very dark elements and a complex, well-written story, The Dragon in Winter is an incredible book that I honestly cannot stop listening to. I’m about halfway through The Dragon in Winter at the moment and I am going to make a big effort to finish it off in the next week, as I cannot wait to see how this incredible series comes to an end.
What did you recently finish reading?
I haven’t managed to get through any books this week, as I am still getting through two lengthy novels I started at the end of last week. I am hopeful that I will be able to feature a few finished reads in this section next week, as there are still a few great books I want to finish off in 2024.
What do you think you’ll read next?
The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso
I am still hoping to start reading the new Melissa Caruso novel, The Last Hour Between Worlds, next. An intriguing and fun sounding fantasy thriller, The House Hour Between Worlds has so much potential, and I cannot wait to see how it turns out.
That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.
Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Sequels of 2024
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. The official topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday required participants to list their most anticipated books for Summer (Winter for the Northern Hemisphere). However, as I have already done this list a few weeks ago, I decided to continue with my annual end-of-year lists that I have been working on the last few weeks. I have already covered my favourite new-to-me authors I read in 2024, as well as the best pre-2024 novels I read this year, but in this week’s list I am going to highlight the best sequels I read in 2024. This is a relatively new topic that I only started exploring in 2023, however I had fun doing it last year so decided to replicate it again now.
Everyone loves a good sequel, and nearly every novelist and author has written some form of sequel in their career. I’m sure we can all name some awesome books that requires some form of continuation and each year the talented authors we follow produce interesting sequel novels that cleverly expand from outstanding first novels. I read a ton of sequels every year and I felt that it was about time that I highlighted the very best sequels of the year in a specific post.
To complete this list, I pulled together the best sequels released in 2024 that I had the pleasure of reading. I primarily focused on second novels in a series that were released this year, especially those that I felt were outstanding follow ups to an impressive first novel and which followed the same characters or storylines. For my top ten list, I prioritised those books I considered to be the best sequel, so while I might have enjoyed a specific novel more overall, if a book was a better sequel, it made the cut instead. I think the resulting top ten list turned out pretty well as a result, and definitely highlights my favourite sequels released in 2024.
Honourable Mentions:
The Murder Inn by James Patterson and Candice Fox
The superstar team of James Patterson and Australian author Candice Fox had a great time returning to the unusual group of protagonists living at The Inn by the Sea, with their entertaining thriller, The Murder Inn. The sequel to their previous novel, The Inn, The Murder Inn is a highly entertaining read and a great novel for fans of both these authors.
The Heart of the World by Amie Kaufman
A fast-paced and emotionally charged young adult fantasy novel from Australian author Amie Kaufman that finishes the story started in The Isles of the Gods.
The Wrong Hands by Mark Billingham
The highly entertaining novel, The Wrong Hands, was a very fun book that followed on from Billingham’s first DS Declan Miller book, The Last Dance.
Top Ten Tuesday:
Warhammer 40,000: Above and Beyond by Denny Flowers
The first book on this list is one of my favourite sequels of 2024, Above and Beyond by Denny Flowers. The follow-up to Flowers’ previous awesome Warhammer 40,000 novel, Outgunned, Above and Beyond reunites two of Flower’s complex and traumatised protagonists, a newly cynical propaganda expert and a broken war hero, and throws them into hell. Taking them into another adventure laden with intrigue, lies and manipulation, Above and Beyond was Flowers’ best novel yet, and I loved how effectively it continued the epic story from Outgunned.
M. W. Craven had a brilliant year in 2024, as not only did he release the exceptional and dark murder mystery, The Mercy Chair, but he also presented the fantastic novel, Nobody’s Hero. A sequel to his 2023 novel, Fearless, Nobody’s Hero is a beautifully over-the-top thriller loaded with brutal action and so much fun. Providing a very interesting continuation to several storylines started in Fearless while also standing on its on with its excessive plot, Nobody’s Hero is a great book and a wonderful sequel.
Ian Ross continued his exciting historical adventures this year with War Cry, the fantastic follow-up to his captivating read, Battle Song. Battle Song, one of my favourite books of 2023, introduced readers to a young squire who participated into one of England’s more intriguing historical civil wars, and featured an exceptionally addictive story. Ross continued the series in a big way with his sequel, War Cry, that dragged his protagonist, now a knight, into the next stage of war, and all the tragedy that contains. I had a great time with this sequel, and it really moved the overarching story along in a big way. Special mention also needs to go to the third book in the series King’s Enemy, that also came out this year, and which ended the series in an excellent manner.
The Girl in Question by Tess Sharpe
Back in 2021 I had the very great pleasure of reading the particularly intense and clever young adult thriller, The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe, that followed a teenage former con artist caught up in a bank robbery. I really loved The Girls I’ve Been, and I was very happy that Sharpe released a sequel this year in The Girl in Question. Another captivating and exciting read that I really got hooked on, especially with its distinctive style and damaged teenage protagonists, The Girl in Question was an outstanding sequel that comes highly recommended.
Deep Black by Miles Cameron
The most recent sequel I have picked up was Deep Black by Miles Cameron, which contains a massive and complex science fiction adventure. The sequel to his previous novel, Artifact Space, Deep Black continues the great narrative of exploration and interstellar mystery, as the crew of a massive human trading vessel attempts to learn more about a series attacks trying to destroy it. Cameron’s inventiveness and great character work is on full display in Deep Black, and I loved how he continued the outstanding story started in Artifact Space.
Play of Shadows by Sebastien de Castell
I’m slightly cheating with the next entry on this list, Play of Shadows, as it is technically the first book in de Castell’s new Court of Shadows series. However, at the same time Play of Shadows is also a loosely connected sequel to de Castell’s previous novel, Crucible of Chaos, which was released in advance of Play of Shadows as a prequel. As such, I am counting Play of Shadows as a sequel, and frankly the book was so good I want to highlight it as many times as I can in the coming weeks. An entertaining, compelling and unique fantasy novel, Play of Shadows saw a young actor unravel an ancient conspiracy infecting his city when he gains the ability to manifest the spirt of a notorious historical villain while on the stage. A brilliant, witty and highly addictive read, Play of Shadows really impressed me, and I am so very eager to see how this series continues in the future.
Another outstanding sequel I was happy to read this year was the intricate spy thriller Dark Arena by Jack Beaumont. A particularly authentic spy novel set in Paris, Dark Arena serves as a sequel the Beaumont’s debut, The Frenchman (one of my favourite debut novels of 2021), and follows members of France’s intelligence community as they attempt to unravel a deadly plot impacting all of Europe. A gripping read that served as a great continuation to The Frenchman, Dark Arena is an amazing sequel that is worth checking out.
Warhammer 40,000: Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks
I had a lot of fun with Warhammer fiction in 2024, and that includes the outstanding Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks. The direct sequel to Brooks’ hilarious Warhammer 40,000 novel, Brutal Kunnin, Da Big Dakka showcases the continued adventure of Brooks’ ork protagonist as he brings war, fighting and brutal fun to all corners of the galaxy. This second book pits the orks against a tricky new foe in the most dangerous city in the universe, and the result is as hectic and bloody as you would expect. Pure chaotic fun that any fan of Warhammer 40,000 fiction can enjoy.
The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence
Another highly complex and powerful fantasy novel from the always impressive Mark Lawrence, The Book That Broke the World is a great follow-up to the 2023 novel, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn. Continuing the elaborate narrative from the first book, while also expanding out the twists, turns and intricate details, The Book That Broke the World was a very smart novel that serves as a very satisfying sequel to The Book That Wouldn’t Burn and is very much worth checking out.
The final sequel I want to highlight on this list is the action-packed novel, Sentinel. The follow-up to the action-thriller, Armored, Sentinel throws the protagonist of the first book into an elaborate coup in Africa, with his family’s safety also at risk. A highly exciting and compelling novel, loaded with impressive action and an elaborate narrative, Sentinel was an awesome sequel and I look forward to seeing how Greaney will continue this series in the future.
Well, that’s it for this list. As you can see, I have read several outstanding sequels this year and had a wonderful time doing so. Every entry above was an epic novel, and I loved how they each successfully continued impressive story threads started in the previous novel. All these books come highly recommended, and I cannot wait to see how these talented authors add to their already awesome series in the future.
Canberra Weekly Column – Crime Fiction – 5 September 2024
Originally published in the Canberra Weekly on 5 September 2024.
A copy of this column also appeared on the Canberra Daily website.
Make sure you check out my extended reviews of The Chilling, Witness 8 and The Youngest Son.
Quick Review – The Chilling by Riley James
Publisher: Allen & Unwin Australia (ebook – 3 September 2024)
Series: Standalone
Length: 312 pages
My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars
Australian author Riley James presents a captivating and amazing debut novel with The Chilling, a distinctive debut novel that I had an outstanding time getting through.
Plot Synopsis:
An unputdownable thriller set in the pressure-cooker environment of an Antarctic winter.
An isolated research station. A storm approaching.
There’s nowhere to run. But so much to hide.
Keen to flee the wreckage of her marriage, Australian scientist Kit Bitterfeld accepts a coveted winter research position at Macpherson Station in Antarctica. On the way there, Kit and her fellow researchers field a distress call from a nearby ship.
By the time they reach the vessel it is on fire and the crew has vanished. A lone survivor is found, but he can’t remember who he is or what has happened.
They bring the survivor, identified as geophysicist Nick Coltheart, to Macpherson but it’s clear that something is wrong. More and more of Kit’s colleagues are acting strangely. And she can’t shake the suspicion that Nick knows more than he’s letting on. With the winter darkness setting in, Kit must figure out the truth before they are completely cut off from the outside world. But is the danger lurking out on the ice, or is it closer than she thinks?
The Chilling offers a compellingly icy twist on the winter thriller setting, transplanting the most haunting elements of Scandi noir to the southern hemisphere, and announces Riley James as a brilliant new talent writing in a fresh corner of Australian crime fiction.
The Chilling was a great novel from Riley James that features a fascinating story of survival, identity and secrets. Set on and around Antarctica, the story initially focuses on damaged protagonist, Kit Bitterfeld, who attempts to escape her failed marriage by volunteering for a lengthy expedition. Things get interesting very quickly when the protagonist attempts to assist another research ship in distress, but instead finds it abandoned and on fire, with one mysterious and seemingly amnesiac survivor hidden aboard. While this injured survivor, Nick Coltheart, appears to have no knowledge of what happened aboard the ship or his past life, Kit soon becomes suspicious of him and the behaviour of her fellow scientists, especially when mysterious deaths and disappearances occur around the research compound. At the same time, a separate storyline follows the survivors of the damaged ship, who are attempting to cross the treacherous ice on foot and encounter danger, death and despair, especially as some of the survivors consider the lies and crimes that led them there. The separate storylines come together in an impressive manner as the book continues, and the converging secrets lead to some excellent reveals and moving moments.
This ended up being a deep and intriguing novel that blended a cool thriller storyline with a compelling and moving character-focused plot line. I loved the blend of mystery, drama and intrigue that emerges as James dives further into her narrative, and the resulting twists and swerves are well set up and have a satisfying impact. I felt that the reveals about who was responsible for the various crimes where quite clever, and the slow-burn dive into each of the figures in question allowed for great plot. While some thriller fans may not enjoy how much character drama was contained within The Chilling, I felt that the protagonist’s powerful arc about trauma, lack of trust and finding herself was particularly heartfelt, and it will no doubt resonate with many readers. Other character storylines have some interesting focus on guilt, as the sins of the past come back to haunt them, and it proves very moving to see the various lines of this unravel to discover who did what.
I can’t finish this review without highlighting the way that James featured Antarctica throughout The Chilling, as the continent served as a haunting background to her story. Not only does the author provide some vivid and powerful descriptions of the setting through her writing, but she also describes the impacts of the isolation and desolation of the ice continent on the people who visit it. I loved the complex sense of duality you get from the author’s depictions of Antarctica, as there is both hope and despair hidden within it, and it was fascinating to see some of the characters find themselves there for good or for ill. James also did an excellent job incorporating the aspects and features of Antarctica into the overarching plot, and the problems caused by the remoteness, the weather, and other complicating factors really amps up the thriller aspect of the plot in some fantastic ways. This was such a cool (ha ha) background setting, and it made James first book really striking and memorable.
Riley James really impresses with her debut novel, and I felt that The Chilling was one of the stronger Australian novels I read in 2024. Featuring a complex and multi-layered story of survival, intrigue and deep characters, The Chilling was an outstanding read which is worth checking out, especially if you are interested in something distinctive from a fresh Australian author.
Canberra Weekly Column – Mixed Genre – 16 May 2024
Originally published in the Canberra Weekly on 16 May 2024.
A copy of this column also appeared on the Canberra Daily website.
Make sure you check out my extended reviews of The Silverblood Promise, The No.1 Lawyer and The Book That Broke the World.
Quick Review – The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence
Publisher: Harper Voyager (Trade Paperback – 9 April 2024)
Series: The Library Trilogy – Book Two
Length: 369 pages
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
The master of elaborate fantasy fiction continues his outstanding and intricate Library trilogy with the captivating novel, The Book That Broke the World.
Mark Lawrence is an exceptional author who has been wowing fantasy and science fiction fans since 2011 with impressive reads that borrow heavily from both genres. Some of his better-known series include the Broken Empire novels, the Book of the Ancestor trilogy and The Book of the Ice trilogy (which includes The Girl and the Stars and The Girl and the Mountain). His current body of work, the Library trilogy, might be his most ambitious series yet as he envisions a complex and intense story of hope, discovery and secrets within an impossible library that bends time, reality and the lives of its many alien inhabitants. The first book in the series, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, was an epic read that told the story of Evar and Livira, two teenagers brought to the library in very different circumstances, who work to uncover its many mysteries. This was such a great read, especially as Lawrence loaded in a particularly clever central twist that blew my mind, and The Book That Wouldn’t Burn ended up being one of my favourite books of 2023. As such, the sequel, The Book That Broke the World, was one of my most anticipated reads for 2024, and it ended being a very interesting second entry in this amazing series.
Plot Synopsis:
We fight for the people we love. We fight for the ideas we want to be true.
Evar and Livira stand side by side and yet far beyond each other’s reach. Evar is forced to flee the library, driven before an implacable foe. Livira, trapped in a ghost world, has to recover her book if she’s to return to her life. While Evar’s journey leads him outside into the vastness of a world he’s never seen, Livira’s destination lies deep inside her own writing, where she must wrestle with her stories in order to reclaim the volume in which they were written.
And all the while, the library quietly weaves thread to thread, bringing the scattered elements of Livira’s old life – friends and foe alike – back together beneath new skies.
Long ago, a lie was told, and with the passing years it has grown and spread, a small push leading to a chain of desperate consequences. Now, as one edifice topples into the next with ever-growing violence, it threatens to break the world. The secret war that defines the library has chosen its champions and set them on the board. The time has come when they must fight for what they believe, or lose everything.
The Library Trilogy is about many things: adventure, discovery, and romance, but it’s also a love letter to books and the places where they live. The focus is on one vast and timeless library, but the love expands to encompass smaller more personal collections, and bookshops of all shades too.
Lawrence had to achieve a lot in this sequel, as he needed provided a compelling follow-up to his previous novel while also advancing the story in a clever and unique manner. I felt that he succeeded on all fronts, as The Book That Broke the World proved to be just as complex, intense and addictive as the first book in the series. Set in the immediate aftermath of the shocking events of The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, The Book That Broke the World continues to follow star-crossed lovers Evar and Livira as they to try and find each other despite the insurmountable odds of existing in different times and being born different species who are constantly at war with each other. This new novel once again sees them parted, primarily due to one of the characters being a ghostly presence in the other protagonists’ time, and they soon end up discovering new periods of history within the library as war, strife and a new dangerous race upset the balance of events. There is a certain feeling of tragedy and frustration for much of Evar and Livira’s narrative, as the two remain separated from each other, and you really get invested in their story, as well as the lives of their associated supporting characters, especially as the blending of timelines leads to some new interactions.
While it was great to continue to follow the adventure of the same main characters from the first book, the thing that made The Book That Broke the World’s narrative really stand out was the inclusion of new point-of-view protagonists whose additional narrative supported the unique story of Evar and Livira. The first of these, Arpix, was a major secondary character in The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, and his use as a perspective protagonist here was very effective, especially as it allowed for a more measured view of some of the crazy events occurring throughout the book. Arpix was a great character in this sequel, and I especially enjoyed seeing him interact with Evar and his family as Lawrence throws him into a delightful romance narrative with a very unlikely but entertaining figure.
However, it was the other additional point-of-view character who really turned The Book That Broke the World into something special, as Lawrence introduced a seemingly new protagonist, Celcha, a slave in the city surrounding the library, who finds herself drawn to its secrets thanks to the machinations of her unusual brother and the ghosts that visit him. A member of an alien species who came from a different period than Evar and Livira, Celcha has an intriguing narrative within The Book That Broke the World, as she tries to escape the manipulations of other visitors from the library while also trying to learn more about her species. Celcha’s narrative is at first separated from the rest of the storylines, and it is initially unclear what role it is going to play in the larger plot. However, the way that Lawrence ends up tying it together with the rest of the plot is very clever, especially as he utilises the uncertainty of when Celcha’s story fits into the overarching timeframe of the narrative to tie up many mysteries from the first book while weaving in a complex new player. These intriguing, character driven arcs come together extremely well by the end of the story, and you will be amazed at how well Lawrence’s many complex puzzle pieces fit together by the end for an addictive and memorable narrative.
As with most of Lawrence’s writing, The Book That Broke the World is a very complex and lore-heavy book that requires readers to really pay attention to the many, many details loaded into the overall text of the plot. This results in a very elaborate narrative as Lawrence is constantly working in compelling details about his intriguing universe while also layering down constant hints and plot points that will become relevant later for twists and other reveals. Readers really get caught up in the majesty of the massive setting of the Library trilogy, and I really appreciated how Lawrence was capable of blending fantasy elements with more science fiction focused occurrences, like advanced technology and time travel. I also loved how well the author used the various character perspectives to further enhance the scope of the narrative and the setting, and you must appreciate the mystery and scope of his ambitious setting and the elaborate narrative around it, especially when it comes to the many fascinating side characters and protagonists he works in the plot.
While this proves to be a great book to read, it isn’t always the easiest novel to follow, as Lawrence throws in a lot of high-concept moments and plot points that sometimes seem a little too complicated for the narrative’s own good. Readers are also required to remember a lot of key details from The Book That Wouldn’t Burn to fully appreciate the scope and cleverness of this second entry in the series. While I was able to recall most of the details of the first book (the recap at the front was quite helpful), I can imagine some readers might have a little more difficulty, especially if there is a big gap between reads in the series. Despite that, I think it would be possible to jump into the Library series from this second novel, but you really would be better off reading The Book That Wouldn’t Burn first as it allows you to become much more invested in the various compelling character arcs and emotionally laden storylines.
Mark Lawrence continues to showcase his inventive and unique fantasy style with The Book That Broke the World. Providing readers with a complex and compelling sequel to his first Library novel, The Book That Broke the World continues the intense narrative in some fantastic directions, while constantly working to make the plot even more intricate and powerful. An outstanding piece of fantasy fiction that will keep you guessing to the end, The Book That Broke the World comes highly recommended, and I look forward to the fast-approaching final entry in the series that is out in a few months’ time.
WWW Wednesday – 11 December 2024
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Taking on a World of Words, where bloggers share the books that they’ve recently finished, what they are currently reading and what books they are planning to read next. Essentially you have to answer three questions (the Three Ws):
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
So, let’s get to it.
What are you currently reading:
Deep Black by Miles Cameron (Hardcover)
I managed to start reading the cool science fiction novel, Deep Black by Miles Cameron, although I haven’t made a lot of progress on it yet. The sequel to Cameron’s previous novel, Artifact Space, Deep Black has already had a great start to it, and I look forward to seeing how it turns out.
The Dragon in Winter by Jonathan Maberry (Audiobook)
I also finally got around to starting the awesome new Jonathan Maberry epic dark fantasy novel, The Dragon in Winter. This is the third book in Maberry’s Kagen the Damned series, which previously featured Kagen the Damned (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022) and Son of the Poison Rose (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023) and looks set to bring this series to an end. Loaded with brutal action and a complex, well-written story, The Dragon in Winter is going to be something very fun and I cannot wait to see how this series comes to an end.
What did you recently finish reading?
Endgame by Sarah Barrie (Trade Paperback)
The final book in Barrie’s Lexi Winters series, Endgame was an intense and dark Australian thriller that set an unconventional cop against a deadly killer in a revenge filled game of cat-and-mouse. An outstanding book that wrapped up the series perfectly.
Warhammer 40,000: Da Red Gobbo Collection by Mike Brooks, Denny Flowers and Rhuairidh James (Audiobook)
A particularly epic collection of entertaining Warhammer stories, Da Red Gobbo Collection was really funny, and I had such an amazing time getting through it.
What do you think you’ll read next?
The Last Hour Between Worlds by Melissa Caruso
I’m hoping to start reading the new Melissa Caruso novel, The Last Hour Between Worlds, next. An intriguing and fun sounding fantasy thriller, The House Hour Between Worlds has so much potential, and I cannot wait to see how it turns out.
That’s it for this week, check back in next Wednesday to see what progress I’ve made on my reading and what books I’ll be looking at next.
The Unseen Library 