Tag: Action Packed

Usagi Yojimbo: Volume 39: Ice and Snow by Stan Sakai

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Comics/Manga, Five-Star Books4 Comments

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics (Paperback – 26 November 2024)

Series: Usagi Yojimbo – Volume 39

Length: 160 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Acclaimed comic author and artist Stan Sakai continues his iconic Usagi Yojimbo series in a big way with the exceptional 39th volume, Ice and Snow.

Fans of this blog will know that I am a massive fan of the incredible Usagi Yojimbo comic series, which I have been reading for many years and is one of my favourite comic book series.  The brainchild of Stan Sakai, who both writes and draws the comic, Usagi Yojimbo is a unique series that follows a rabbit ronin samurai as he wanders around an anthropomorphic feudal Japan, getting involved in all manner of deadly and dangerous adventures, both mundane and supernatural.  The Usagi Yojimbo comics are so much fun, and I love the compelling stories, distinctive artwork and memorable characters who are contained within its beautiful pages.  This series has been so damn awesome of late, with some amazing coloured volumes, including Bunraku and Other Stories (one of my favourite books of 2020), Homecoming (one of my favourite books of 2021), Tengu War! and Crossroads (both of which were among my favourite books of 2022) and The Green Dragon (one of my favourite books of 2023).

This latest volume, Ice and Snow, is an intriguing addition to the series as it continues to follow some of the storylines from the previous volumes while also featuring a single overarching narrative rather than several shorter stories.  Ice and Snow is also the series’ return to Dark Horse Comics, who previously published the series for 22 years (from Volume 8: Shades of Death to Volume 33: The Hidden).  This return to Dark Horse has allowed for another intriguing read that featured a major confrontation between Usagi and one of his most dangerous foes.

Miyamoto Usagi, travelling ronin and occasional Yojimbo, continues to wander the lands, seeking adventure and helping his friends where possible.  Now travelling with his cousin Yukichi, Usagi finds himself moving through the cold and snowy mountain tops of Northern Japan, having just escaped a confrontation between rival ninja clans in the pair’s last adventure.  Determined to return to warmer climates, Usagi and Yukichi once again find themselves in trouble amongst the mountain peaks.

Cold and seeking shelter, Usagi and Yukichi encounter nothing but bandits and mysterious creatures as they continue their journey.  Desperate for warmth, they decide to spend the night inside the hut of strange woman, only to find themselves trapped by the cold heart of a dangerous spirit, Yuki-Onna, the lady of the snow, who is determined to feast on them.

However, the attentions of a powerful spirt of the snow are the least of Usagi and Yukichi’s problems, as a far more terrifying monster haunts the mountains.  The demonic black spearman Jei, the Blade of the Gods, has long hunted Usagi, believing that by killing the rabbit ronin he will ascend to godhood.  Now leading a group of mountain bandits, Jei relentlessly chases after Usagi and Yukichi, determined to end their feud once and for all.  Can Usagi once again weather the dark storm that is the unstoppable Jei, or will this be the moment he finally falls to his deranged nemesis’s black blade?

Ice and Snow was another amazing volume from Sakai that provides a cool new adventure for the author’s iconic protagonist.  Featuring an excellent main storyline loaded with peril and dark confrontation, Ice and Snow had me hooked the entire way through, especially as it featured Sakai’s gorgeous artwork.

Made up of five separate issues, Ice and Snow features a powerful single storyline which plays to the author’s strengths as he places his protagonists in mortal danger against foes new and old.  The story starts immediately after the events of the previous volume, The Green Dragon, with Usagi and his current travelling companion, Yukichi, still moving through the frigid mountains of Northern Japan.  Encountering the usual array of bandits, Usagi and Yukichi are thrust into action quickly and the initial combat sets the scene nicely for the rest of the comic.  The two soon move from mortal concerns to the supernatural, as the mysterious woman that Usagi and Yukichi seek shelter with predictably turns out to be a deadly monster (Usagi really should know better by this point), determined to eat their lifeforce. 

While these initial battles between Usagi, Yukichi and their various opponents are compelling and exciting, especially the intense fight against Yuki-Onna that was so well showcased by Sakai’s artwork, the best part of the early story involves the return of deranged supernatural warrior Jei.  Travelling with his young companion, Keiko, Jei brings his trademark terror to the local bandits, taking over their gang with violence and fear.  However, when he discovers that Usagi is nearby, he leads his new forces on a lethal hunting mission.  Jei honestly steals the entire comic in these sequences, as he terrorises and murders various members of the bandit gang to make his point.  There is also a fantastic fight between Jei and Yuki-Onna, which was a fantastic battle of the monsters that really highlights Jei as a powerful supernatural threat.

The final major sequence of the comic involves Jei catching up to Usagi and engaging in a brutal fight on a frozen river.  The sheer fear that is shown by the usually implacable Usagi really highlights to the reader just how dangerous Jei is, and I love how well Sakai utilises him as a villain here.  The battle between the two was dark, personal and pushes Usagi more than his usual fights, especially as the sinister Jei just won’t stop coming for him.  Sakai makes sure to have no conclusive end to this conflict, as Usagi will continue to be hunted and haunted by Jei.  This is honestly the best end you could imagine at this point in the series, especially as it plays into the horror movie inspiration for Jei, and readers are left wanting another awesome encounter between the two. 

The final issue in Ice and Snow wraps up this mountainous arc of the series on a somewhat ironic note, as Usagi, Yukichi, and the few survivors of Jei’s bandits seek shelter in an isolated village, only to encounter more monsters in the form of cat demons.  This last battle serves as a great horror cherry at the end of an impressive supernatural Usagi Yojimbo volume, and Sakai had fun with the artwork around the monstrous opponents.  I really enjoyed the overall narrative that Sakai stuck into this volume, and frankly I had and exceptional time with the high-threat, quick paced, multi-issued narrative that took up the entire volume.

This was probably one of the stronger recent Usagi Yojimbo stories, and I loved watching the protagonists attempt to survive an onslaught of supernatural foes.  Sakai cleverly continues a multitude of long-running storylines, including the winter journey from the last couple of volumes, which sees Usagi act as a wise mentor to his younger companion, Yukichi.  However, I was extremely happy that we got to see the continued enmity between Usagi and Jei that has been such an impressive part of the series since the third volume, The Wanderer’s Road (which was first released in 1989).  Inspired by Jason from the Friday the 13th series, Jei is a brilliant villain, and Sakai has done a wonderful job to continuously make him the most intimidating figure in the entire franchise.  Jei honestly seems unstoppable at times, and I love the way he manages to destroy all his opponents except the final rabbit, Usagi.  Sakai manages to make Jei even more sinister by continuing to include Jei’s unlikely travelling companion, Keiko.  A young child who accompanies and is cared for by Jei, Keiko is a true innocent who has been adopted by the Jei as a herald.  Watching this harmless child play in the background of Jei’s various atrocities honestly makes the entire situation even more creepy, and she is such a brilliant part of the antagonist’s aesthetic, especially now that her flute which warns people of Jei’s coming (I loved Usagi’s dark comments about this at the end of issue 4).  Combine this with Usagi’s absolute dread at encountering Jei again, as well as the sheer certainty of his inevitable return, and Jei was so damn intimidating here it was just amazing.

I can’t move away from this latest Usagi Yojimbo volume without highlighting the brilliant artwork that Sakai features within his comic.  Every page of this comic is loaded with well-drawn and powerful pieces of art, which effortlessly combine with the compelling writing to tell the powerful story.  Drawn exclusively by Sakai and featuring colouring from Hi-Fi Colour Design, the art in Ice and Snow is beautiful and highly impactful, as Sakai showcases the actions of his characters and the settings they find themselves in.  While every scene is fantastic in its own way, I must highlight the multiple nature shots featured throughout Ice and Snow.  Sakai channels his love for winter throughout this volume, and you are gifted with some breathtaking drawings of the snow-covered landscape the characters are travelling through.  These landscape shots are so pretty, especially now they are in colour, and the contrast between the white of the snow and the orange sky is amazing.  This includes some wonderful full-page drawings that feature multiple characters within them and all of them look so damn cool.

In addition to the wonderful landscapes and backgrounds that each of the outdoor scenes contain, I also must highlight how well the character actions are drawn throughout Ice and Snow.  Sakai does such an effective job of drawing his characters moving around the world, and you can easily envision what movements are implied from each picture.  The artist’s drawings work really well to portray combat, as the multiple sword fights and other encounters look so cool, and you can see the moving swirl of combat around each panel.  Some of these fight scenes are really dramatic and well set out, and I loved how effectively showcases the skill of his protagonists.

I also love at how impactful some of the character drawings were in this volume, especially when it came to the monsters that Usagi encountered.  Not only do we get some cool cat demons in the last issue, but the lady of the snow, Yuki-Onna, has a great monstrous look around her that makes her seem quite intimidating.  I personally loved the cool panel where an enflamed Yuki-Onna flees from Usagi, and the screaming skull shots that resulted from it were freaky.  However, it is the drawings of Jei that really hit me the hardest in Ice and Snow.  Sakai cleverly backs up his great writing around this character by showing him at his psychotic best, with his unnatural face and expression looking so awesome.  Jei was honestly intimidating or crazy in every single panel he appeared in, and I loved how scary he comes across in colour.  I especially love how impressive the fight between Jei and Usagi looked, as the desperation of their battle and the powerful emotion on both participants faces (with Keiko playing in the background) really hammers home the hatred and fear shared between the two.  I particularly enjoyed this really cool panel where a near-defeated Jei emerges from the frozen river to strike one more time.  Not only does this look so awesome, but it is a clever homage to Jei’s Friday the 13th inspiration, with the deranged killer getting one last surprise swing in.  All these impressive drawings were so amazing to look at, and I loved how Sakai’s artistic style is as impactful and powerful as ever.

Based on my gushing review above, I guess it is obvious that I had an exceptional time with this latest Usagi Yojimbo volume, Ice and Snow, which featured a powerful story loaded with the author’s best supernatural inclusions.  Stan Sakai’s writing and drawings are still very impressive, and I love how moved I was by them in Ice and Snow, even after all these years of being an Usagi Yojimbo fan.  This was such a great comic and it gets a very easy, if inevitable, five-star rating from me.  I cannot wait to continue this series into 2025, especially as the next volume is out very soon and features another awesome sounding story. 

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The Dragon in Winter by Jonathan Maberry

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Fantasy, Five-Star Books3 Comments

Publisher: Macmillan Audio (Audiobook – 20 August 2024)

Series: Kagen the Damned – Book Three

Length: 20 hours and 57 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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The damned rush to their final battle in the epic dark fantasy novel, The Dragon in Winter, which brings an exceptional conclusion to author Jonathan Maberry’s Kagen the Damned series.

As I mentioned in my recent review for the author’s other 2024 release, NecroTek, I am a huge fan of Jonathan Maberry, having really gotten into his elaborate and deliciously gritty thrillers and other pieces of fiction since I started this blog.  While I am most familiar with the author’s long-running Joe Ledger series, one of his more intriguing recent bodies of work has been the Kagen the Damned series.  A dark fantasy fiction series that follows a highly damaged figure who seeks bloody revenge after the dastardly Witch-king uses magic to destroy his kingdom and kill the royal children in his care, the Kagen the Damned books were an incredible pivot into the fantasy fiction genre for Maberry that I deeply enjoyed.  Both of the previous books in the series, 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) were five-star reads, and I have so much love for this series (which also includes the novella I Say Your Name in the Dark Nights) due to its elaborate storytelling, damaged characters, and intriguing take on the fantasy genre.  Because of how impressive the first two entries in this series are, I have been eagerly awaiting the third and seemingly final book, The Dragon in Winter, for a long time, and it was one of my most anticipated books of 2024.

Nearly a year after the bloody massacre that saw the dread Witch-king of Hakkia conquer the former Silver Empire in a single night, the war to reclaim the throne is finally here.  As the Witch-king continues to plot, planning to ascend to godhood, his enemies have rallied around the unlikely figure of Captain Kagen Vale, better known as Kagen the Damned.

Once the loyal guardian of the Silver Empire’s heirs, Kagen has survived despair, damaging revelations and damnation from his gods to stand against the Witch-king and gain the bloody vengeance he so desperately needs.  Having proven his valour in combat and his ability to face off against the darkest of magic, Kagen has managed to gather a massive army of rebels, outlaws and the soldiers of various allied nations determined to stop the Witch-king for good.  But this army of flesh and blood men will not be enough to stand against the destructive power of the Witch-king alone.

As magic continues to return to the land, Kagen and his allies soon find themselves beset by the Witch-king’s sinister powers and dread allies, as vampires, demons, magic users and other fell creatures emerge, determined to keep the Witch-king on his bloody throne.  To survive, Kagen will need to find magic of his own that will allow him to withstand the Witch-king’s power.  But the more he looks, the darker secrets he unravels, and soon everything he thought he knew about the world will come tumbling down around him.  Worse, an even more dangerous threat is rising in the frozen north, as a tortured dragon calls out in despair and is answered by a being of unimaginable power.  Can Kagen stop the Witch-king before his dark plans come to pass, or will the dread flames of vengeance consume the entire world?

What an outstanding end to one of my favourite new fantasy trilogies!  The Dragon in Winter was another exceptional novel from Jonathan Maberry that serves as a fitting and powerful end to the Kagen the Damned dark fantasy series.  Loaded with insane action, brilliantly damaged characters, and some fantastic storytelling, The Dragon in Winter was an incredible book that perfectly utilises Maberry’s distinctive style.  I had an amazing time listening to this impressive book, and it gets an easy five-star rating from me, especially on audiobook.

Maberry had to achieve a lot with this third Kagen the Damned novel, as not only did readers require a satisfying end to the trilogy, but this book needed a distinctive story much like the previous entries.  I feel that Maberry achieved both these goals, as The Dragon in Winter was a compelling and dark read that provided a great mixture of adventure, war, intrigue and character growth, all while continuing and concluding the storylines from the previous books.  This third novel starts shortly after Son of the Poison Rose and sees Kagen taking on the role of general by leading a small army against the Witch-King’s forces, while the previously established story threads about the various nations building their armies to join the war come to fruition.  Maberry does a great job of resetting the scene in these early chapters, and not only do you get to see the situation from Kagen’s perspective but multiple scenes are shown from the antagonists’ side as they make their preparations to foil the protagonist and his allies.

Much of the middle of the story follows Kagen and his unlikely allies as they prepare for the inevitable final confrontation, attempting to gain additional ways to fight against the Witch-king.  While some of Kagen’s sequences aren’t entirely necessary for the full advancement of the plot (the goblin cave sequence, for example), they are all generally intense and character building, and they all tie in nicely amongst the other storylines about war preparations and the Witch-king unleashing his dark minions upon the world.  A secondary major storyline focuses on the characters of Jheklan and Faulker, Kagen’s brothers, who journey up to the frozen Winterwilds in search of the last dragon.  This storyline proves to be quite an interesting addition to the story, as while the characters are disconnected from the rest of the plot due to distance, their actions have big impacts on the overarching narrative.  This middle part of the story ends with a major confrontation between a memorable supporting character and a dark set of antagonists, which was not only very awesome but helped to set the scene for the rest of the book.

The final third of The Dragon in Winter is all action and excitement as the final battle of the war is unleashed on multiple fronts.  Maberry expertly brings all the various ongoing storylines to the boil, as the protagonists find themselves in mortal peril.  There is a little bit of everything here, including massive war sequences, smaller battles with huge sacrifice and big revelations finally coming to the surface.  The author keeps the tension extremely high during this third act, and you are constantly on the edge of your seat, especially as your favourite characters face doom and destruction at every turn.  I loved the way many of these storylines came together, and while a couple of big moments were easy to see coming (although for me that just increased the anticipation), there were also some reveals I couldn’t have predicted.  This includes the book’s massive twist that turns around much of what you thought you knew for the last two entries in the series.  I felt that this twist was very clever, especially when you consider the subtle hints leading up to it, and I appreciated how it changed the emotional impact of some previous scenes.  Everything leads up to the big final confrontation, which was as bloody and hard-hitting as you would expect.  This confrontation was chaos, carnage and catastrophe, and I felt that it was a fitting end to a dark trilogy that revelled in bloodshed.  While I do feel that the final boss takedown was a tad anticlimactic due to who got the kill, and Maberry reigned in the tragedy far more than I expected, this conclusion was extremely awesome, and I hung on every word right to the very end.  Everything was very nicely wrapped up, although there is potential for Maberry to revisit this series in the future, which could result in some more gripping adventures.

I always love the way that Maberry manages to apply his distinctive writing style to all his novels, no matter the genre, and it always works to create a powerful and exciting read, especially in The Dragon in Winter.  The large number of short chapters allows for a quick pace, and you are constantly jumping from sequence to sequence, eager to see what will happen next.  Maberry also excels at featuring a huge range of alternating perspectives as the book continues, with the point of view jumping around various interesting characters chapter to chapter.  While much of this focuses on the main protagonist, you are often following many of the fascinating and fun supporting characters as they go about their own adventures.  There are also multiple chapters shown from the perspective of the villain or his minions, and I love how the reader are constantly let into the antagonist’s plans, which helps to raise tension as you worry that they are one step ahead.  Throw in several additional perspective chapters from one-off characters, which often help to highlight some of the darker events going on in the wider setting, and this great jump in perspectives allows for a particularly complex and layered narrative that is so fun to navigate.  Of course, the real highlight of any Maberry book is the exceptional action sequences that pump some massive excitement into the plot.  Maberry is extremely talented at envisioning fight scenes of any size or shape, and I found myself constantly enthralled by the many, many battles that were contained in The Dragon in Winter.  This includes deep personal battles, running skirmishing or even a truly massive full-on war sequence with unique participants, all of which come across extremely well thanks to the author’s powerful and descriptive writing that captures every sword thrust or slice of the protagonist’s blades.

The Dragon in Winter continues to exhibit many of the dark fantasy elements that made the first two Kagen the Damned books so awesome to read.  Maberry really dove into the genre with a vengeance in this series, and I love how he pulled together a rich and powerful fantasy world loaded with both unique features and classic fantasy creatures and monsters.  Thanks to the author’s detailed writing and tendency to effectively recap key elements of the series, readers can easily absorb all the key elements of this universe, and it proves to be fascinating to take in, especially as Maberry loads it with secrets, deep history, and hints of other lands yet to be visited.  Of course, as this is Maberry, there is also a strong Lovecraftian vibe to this universe, as many of the elder gods and other associated beings have a place in this realm.  The author does a great job of exploring these classic Lovecraftian creatures throughout the course of the series, and the way they are worked into the main plot of The Dragon in Winter is extremely clever, especially if you have seen examples of them in some of Maberry’s other series.  For readers expecting a typical fantasy read, I should warn that The Dragon in Winter, like the rest of the Kagen the Damned series, gets very dark and brutal at times, and there are a lot of strong references to violence, torture, sexual assault and other troubling features that probably won’t appeal to every reader.  I feel that while Maberry occasionally goes a bit overboard with these darker inclusions, for the most part it helps to create a powerfully grim overarching tone that raises the stakes and ensure you are constantly rooting for the protagonist to succeed and bring a bit of justice to the world.  It also works very well alongside the awesome action sequences, and for those fans of some very bloody fights, including those featuring pure evil fantasy and horror creatures, you are in for an amazing time here.

While the action, setting and clever storytelling is an exceptional part of The Dragon in Winter, I also need to highlight the various impressive characters featured throughout this book.  Due to The Dragon in Winter being the last entry in this trilogy, Maberry spends much of this book finalising key character storylines, allowing for a much more personal entry in the series that will really appeal to those readers who have grow attached the protagonists in the first two books.  As such, this final Kagen the Damned novel features an array of great characters who are so well written and who often feature their own powerful and personal character arcs. 

Like with the rest of the series, much of the book’s character work is focussed on the main protagonist, Kagen Vale, who thanks to the dark deeds he has witnessed has been given the title Kagen the Damned.  A moody and deadly figure, Kagen has gone through so much despair and darkness in this series, and it has been a powerful journey following him this far.  Maberry did an outstanding job continuing Kagen’s story in The Dragon in Winter, and it was great to see how far Kagen has come, especially as he now uses his inner darkness, past trauma, and even the damnation of his gods, to fuel his desire to fight.  While he has overcome many of his past traumas, Kagen does experience new ones in The Dragon in Winter, as he finally understands the full scope of the evils unleashed upon the world, including by his own people.  This allows for some more dramatic sequences from the protagonist, and part of the emotional strength of the story is watching Kagen overcome even these revelations, especially with the help of his friends.  I have really appreciated how well Maberry has written Kagen’s pain and deeper heart throughout the series, and it was fantastic to see some of this pain finally come to an end in this final novel.

Aside from Kagen, the rest of the supporting cast proves to be quite exceptional, and there are many fascinating characters you become attached to as a result.  I personally loved seeing more of Kagen’s two friends and comrades, Tuke and Fillia, who form a hilarious put powerful trio as they fight together against the odds.  Essentially Kagen’s conscience and voice of reason, Tuke and Filia are the perfect supporting characters to the protagonist, and I love how they constantly anticipate Kagen’s behaviour and manipulate events to ensure he does what they want.  However, they also have their own compelling adventures outside of Kagen, especially when they lead the final battle, and you care nearly as much for them (if not more) than you do Kagen by the end of things.  Maberry also invests a lot of time in The Dragon in Winter to the amusing characters of Jheklan and Faulker Vale, Kagen’s brothers and mischievous adventurers.  While they have had minor appearances in the previous novels, Maberry only featured them as major, fleshed out characters in this final book, as they lead their own expedition to the frozen Winterwilds.  While they are relatively new figures, the reader quickly becomes intrigued by their storylines, especially as it is loaded with adventure and a certain comedic charm thanks to the brother’s juvenile nature.  However, while they are often unserious, when the chips are down Jheklan and Faulker get serious quick, and Maberry ensured that they encounter some real tragedy that shows the true heart of these figures.

While there are other great supporting characters I could talk about, including a vengeful widow and a scarily powerful vampire elf, I want to finish by mentioning the various villains, who are some of the best characters in The Dragon in Winter.  This includes the sinister Witch-king and his court, who are constantly plotting to destroy the world and kill Kagen.  The Witch-king is particularly malevolent in this book, and Maberry continues to build on the revelations surrounding him in this final book, providing even more fun context and twists.  I also love the continued focus on the Witch-king’s terrified advisors, Lord Nespar and Jakob Ravensmere, who find themselves way over their heads as they try to serve their lord and their own agendas.  However, the devilishly fun character known as the Prince of Games easily steals every scene he is in, and I loved his constant manipulations and chaotic nature, especially as it brings great fun to the Witch-king’s dark court.  The Prince of Games, who has some interesting links to some of Maberry’s other series, perfectly rounded out this cast of villains, and I really appreciate how much depth and complexity these antagonists, and indeed every character in the Kagen the Damned series, brought to the overall story.

As with all Maberry’s previous books, I chose to check out The Dragon in Winter on audiobook, which is the best format to enjoy the author’s captivating narratives in.  Maberry’s short chapters, elaborate world building, intense action and over-the-top characters really come to life when they are read out loud, especially when it is done by the legendary Ray Porter.  Porter has long perfected the tones to get the most out of Maberry’s writings and his infectious and compelling voice expertly captures the inherent dark nature of Maberry’s writing and helps to send the crazy scenes of carnage straight into the listener’s head.  The narrator knows exactly how to portray Maberry’s great, larger-than-life protagonists and villains, and you can easily imagine each of the figures and their actions as Porter reads them out.  I particularly enjoy how well Porter captures the various emotional states of these characters, and you always hear the despair, anger or fear of each of these figures when they speak.  This especially true for the primary protagonist, Kagen, and I always appreciate how well the narrator showcases his many dark emotions as he goes through the wringer time and time again.  Throw in some truly chilling voices for the various villains and evil monsters that the protagonists encounter, and Porter’s performance was once again exceptional, allowing for quite an awesome audiobook.  With a runtime just short of 21 hours, this is a long audiobook to check out, although you really don’t mind as it becomes hard to stop listening to The Dragon in Winter, especially during the various climatic or intense sequences.  I had such a great time listening to The Dragon in Winter, and this such an amazing format to enjoy this latest Maberry novel on.  Indeed, I loved it so much I listed it as one of my favourite audiobooks of 2024, even before I finished it, so do yourself a favour and check out this novel on audiobook right away.

Thanks to its powerful story, intense action and damaged characters, The Dragon in Winter was another incredible read from Jonathan Maberry that I could not get enough of.  One of the best books of 2024, The Dragon in Winter was an outstanding final entry in the Kagen the Damned series, and I loved every single second I spent reading it.  Highly recommended on all formats, especially those read out by Ray Porter, The Dragon in Winter is so damn good, and it will be interesting to see if Maberry decides to return to the fantasy genre again the future.  In the meantime, we’re only a few months off from Maberry’s next book, Burn to Shine, which will probably be one of the best things I read in 2025.

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Da Red Gobbo Collection by Mike Brooks, Denny Flowers and Rhuairidh James

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Short Stories, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer5 Comments

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 16 November 2024)

Series: Warhammer 40,000

Length: 11 hours and 10 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Prepare for da revolution with this collection of brilliant Warhammer 40,000 stories from three top authors, with Da Red Gobbo Collection.

Gosh this has been a great year for Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and the fun is still continuing as one of the best releases of this year just dropped with Da Red Gobbo Collection, which features five brilliant stories from awesome authors Mike Brooks, Denny Flowers and Rhuairidh James.  Featuring three novellas and two short stories, Da Red Gobbo Collection focuses on the always entertaining ork faction from Warhammer 40,000 fiction, whose brutal, hooligan-inspired mindset always leads to comedic and outrageous reads.

However, rather than your typical ork novel, the stories in this anthology collection are focused on the ork sub-species known as grots, who are the 40K equivalent of the goblins from the Warhammer Fantasy universe.  Small, cunning and cowardly, the grots, also known as gretchin, work as slaves, cannon fodder and scapegoats (scape-grots??) to the bigger orks, generally getting kicked around by their ork masters even if they do the right thing.  However, not all grots are content to live under ork oppression, and some even have the courage to fight back thanks to the legendary figure known as Da Red Gobbo.

Da Red Gobbo is a mysterious figure in the grot mythology, who arises whenever the orks push their smaller cousins too far.  Able to put aside the typical grot amnesty and selfishness, Da Red Gobbo is an icon for revolution and revolt against the orkish oppression.  But who is Da Red Gobbo?  Are they really a legendary figure going from ork warband to ork warband spreading the word of freedom, or can any grot put on the cape, hat and goggles and inspire his fellows?  Whatever the truth may be, Da Red Gobbo is here to bring a crumping, and nobody, be they human, Chaos worshipper or even the mightiest of orks, will underestimate the grots again.

I had a blast with Da Red Gobbo Collection, especially as I was able to enjoy all five stories on audiobook for the first time.  Brooks, Flowers and James have all produced exceptional stories focused on the hilarious figure of the Red Gobbo, and I like their intriguing alternative takes on this unlikely revolutionary and his origin.  Thanks to the inherent humour of the ork faction, this was a particularly entertaining and comedic novel, and I frankly laughed my way through the various stories, especially as the three excellent authors created some particularly inventive reads.

The first story in Da Red Gobbo Collection was Da Gobbo’s Revenge by Mike Brooks, which was one of the longer novellas in the collection.  Brooks is an outstanding author, and I have read quite a few of his Warhammer 40,000 books recently, including The Lion: Son the Forest and Lelith Hesperax: Queen of Knives.  Da Gobbo’s Revenge was a particularly entertaining read, which is set parallel to Brook’s previous ork-focused novels, such as Warboss, Brutal Kunnin and Da Big Dakka, which have also featured fun narratives of grot revolution and rebellion.

Da Gobbo’s Revenge is a more compact narrative that follows the unlikely hero, Fingwit.  The leader of small band of grots that follow a crazed ork mek, Fingwit and his comrades find themselves in deep trouble when their boss forces them to participate in a deadly boarding action aboard an Imperial war vessel.  When the mek dies in front of them, Fingwit attempts to lead his fellow grots to complete their boss’s final mission, only to encounter human soldiers, running firefights, and dissent from amongst his fellow grots.  However, it’s the actions of an ork taskmaster that finally drives Fingwit over the edge, and he decides that the only way to survive is to become something legendary.

Da Gobbo’s Revenge is a very entertaining and fast-paced novella that provides an interesting initial look into the grot mindset while throwing them into a frenetic adventure.  Brooks hits this story with the clever and comedic style he has utilised for his other ork-focused books, and you can really appreciate his clear love for this faction, as well as his attention to detail around them.  The only story in this book told exclusively through the eyes of a grot, Da Gobbo’s Revenge fully showcases their sneakiness, their shrewd cunning, and their desire to outdo each other, and the result is hilarious, especially as they manage to outsmart various bigger opponents who completely underestimate them.  This over-the-top adventure, while very fun, takes on a more thoughtful manner towards the end once Fingwit decides to take on the mantle of the Red Gobbo to save his friends.  Seeing the previously self-obsessed Fingwit become more concerned with the fate of his fellow grots helps to hammer home the significance of the Red Gobbo to these lowly creatures, especially as he inspires them to do something truly special and unselfish.  This ending is surprisingly powerful and poignant, especially for an ork/grot focussed Warhammer 40,000 story, and Da Gobbo’s Revenge was a very strong story that serves as the perfect introduction to Da Red Gobbo Collection.

Following hot on the heels of this first excellent entry is the brilliant novella, Da Gobbo’s Demise by Denny Flowers.  Da Gobbo’s Demise was another awesome read that I was particularly keen to check out, mainly because I am a massive fan of Flowers at the moment.  One of the best rising stars of Warhammer 40,000 fiction, Flowers has deeply impressed me with his books Fire Made Flesh, Outgunned, and the outstanding 2024 release Above and Beyond.  Da Gobbo’s Demise was the first of Flowers’s novellas I have had the pleasure of reading, and I was very excited to check out his take on a non-human character, the result of which was extremely entertaining and fantastically fun.

Da Gobbo’s Demise follows a small herd of grots who find themselves alone and in trouble when their taskmaster, Runtherd Killaskun, is suddenly killed, and they are left without any ork supervision.  This proves particularly problematic for Killaskun’s right-hand grot, Redsnot, as he knows that his fellow grots will be looking to even the score against him for enforcing Killaskun’s orders.  However, the grots soon find themselves in deeper trouble when they are surrounded by a horde of Chaos cultists determined to kill them and take the church they are hiding in.  Determined to survive, Redsnot seeks to take advantage of the situation and be the leader the grots need.  However, his genius plan is ruined by the surprise appearance of Da Red Gobbo, hero of all grot-kind.  But Redsnot isn’t going to be upstaged by anyone, even if the Red Gobbo trying to save his life.  But luckily even legends are susceptible to a knife in the back.

This was another particularly fun and awesome novella that really showcase Flowers’ ability to write a clever, funny and very cynical story that I could not get enough off.  I honestly really enjoyed where Flowers took the story, especially as it ended up being a Home Alone-inspired siege, where the hilariously cruel grots hold off a bunch of incompetent cultists by any means necessary.  The constant bickering and dissent on both sides of the conflict was just great, and there are some very amusing moments as the grots use their natural cunning to outsmart their opponent.  The entire story moves quickly, and I found myself constantly laughing due to the outrageous antics of everyone involved.

Flowers makes Da Gobbo’s Demise’s story even more entertaining and funny through amazing use of multiple character perspectives, as in addition to showing events through Redsnot’s eyes, the author also features the viewpoint of the Chaos cultists besieging them, including a traitor commissar hoping for glory under his new gods.  There are some brilliant contrasts between the bickering grots and the disorganised cultists, especially when it comes to their different leaders.  While the chaos cultists are controlled by fear, and their leader becomes more and more demented the more failure he encounters, the usually contentious grots become surprisingly well organised thanks to the appearance of Da Red Gobbo, who resolves most of their petty arguments and turns them into an effective team.  I especially enjoyed the way in which Da Red Gobbo manages to effectively undermine and outsmart Redsnot at every turn, especially as it leads to yet another compelling bit of character growth for the main protagonist as he learns to fight for something bigger than himself.  The resulting story turns into a wonderfully bloody mess of over-the-top characters and outrageous antics, and I laughed my way through it.  Another outstanding outing from Flowers that perfectly expanded on the opening momentum of Da Gobbo’s Revenge and ensured that readers are firmly enthralled by Da Red Gobbo Collection as this point in the book.

The next entry in Da Red Gobbo Collection is the short story Da Wrong Type of Green, also by Denny Flowers.  A quick and exciting read, Da Wrong Type of Green is a direct prequel to Da Gobbo’s Demise that, shows the events immediately leading up to the novella’s opening scene.  Featuring the exact same style and most of the same characters, Da Wrong Type of Green gives some fun additional context to Da Gobbo’s Demise that I rather enjoyed seeing, especially as I had such a brilliant time with Flower’s longer novella.  I particularly enjoyed seeing the protagonist’s relationship with their former ork leader, Runtherd Killaskun, which really enhanced some of the themes of freedom and revolution that Flowers featured in novella.  While the inclusion of this story does feel a tad unnecessary, especially as you don’t really need to read it to appreciate Da Gobbo’s Demise, it was an interesting story, and one that you can get through very quickly.

Following these two stories by Flowers, readers are then led to the book’s third novella, the amusing and outrageous entry, Da Gobbo Rides Again, by Rhuairidh James.  James, who has previously written several interesting Warhammer 40,000 short stories, honestly produces one of the best entries in Da Red Gobbo Collection, and I was really blown away by his intriguing and original take on the focal character, especially as he examines the revolution and the relationship between orks and grots in a very different manner.

Da Gobbo Rides Again follows the ork painboy Stimma, who arrives back to camp only to discover something strange happening to his warband’s grots.  Rather than being their usual sneaky selves, the grots have all become exceedingly compliant and helpful, completely throwing off the usual anarchic rhythms of the ork encampment.  Ordered by his warboss to fix the problem, Stimma and his grot assistant, Goggulz, try to shake the grots out of their malaise and back to their previous sly and murderous mentality.  They soon determine that the only way to inspire the grots is to give them a Red Gobbo to stir them up.  However, with no Red Gobbo to hand, Stimma decides to create one, but first he needs to understand what the Red Gobbo is and how he comes into being.  But the further he dives into the mysteries of the Red Gobbo, the closer he comes to the truth, and not even an ork as ruthless as Stimma is prepared for what he finds.

This was such a brilliant entry from James, and I loved the elaborate and very memorable story he comes up with.  I love how he decided to tell the story through the eyes of an ork master, rather than another grot, which allows for a unique new perspective in the tale of Da Red Gobbo.  The central story focusing on the dispirited grots was very clever, and James’s concept of compliant grots being more dangerous to the orks than rebellious ones was a fun take.  The resulting story of Stimma’s attempt to create his own Red Gobbo is both hilarious and philosophical in nature, and you must love the ork mentality when it comes to grots and their so-called heroes.  This attempt at science also leads the protagonist to various ork experts, and while this is mostly a novella about grots, the fun and in-depth dive into the oddboyz, those orks with special skills such as meks and weirdboyz, proves to be really amusing and detailed.  I especially loved Jame’s take on the painboyz, the orks’ highly experimental medics, especially as it results in some hilarious discussions about ‘medicine’.

However, the thing that I loved most about Da Gobbo Rides Again is the main twist of the story.  Thanks in part to having read the other novellas first, you can easily see where Stimma’s plan is going to go, even if the orks cannot due to their blind spot when it comes to their smaller cousins.  As such, you get to watch in joy as James openly works to bring this twist to fruition bit by bit, and it is very satisfying when it all comes together.  This fantastic buildup works extremely well amongst the general chaos of the ork camp, while the fun relationship that builds between Stimma and Goggulz makes it even more delicious.  Throw in some very interesting sequences that explore the unusual past of the orks and their relationship to grot-kind, as well as a great scene that brings together Da Gobbo Rides Again with the other novellas in this collection, and this was an impressive entry that I could not get enough of.  I honestly cannot emphasise enough just how amazing Da Gobbo Rides Again was, and I hope we get a full-length novel from James at some point in the future as I know I will deeply enjoy it.

The final entry within Da Red Gobbo Collection is The Instigator.  Also written by James, The Instigator is a prequel to Da Gobbo Rides Again which was originally released in the White Dwarf magazine.  This story tells of the first time a young Stimma encountered a Red Gobbo, when he accompanies an ork raiding party when it attempts to board a spaceship.  However, nothing goes to plan, especially when the orks find an unexpected enemy hidden within the ship, led by an unlikely commander.  This story does a great job of showcasing events that were hinted at within Da Gobbo Rides Again and presenting them in a very different way than Stimma remembers them, especially as events were a little more desperate than he cares to admit.  James amps up the tension in this short but sweet story, which shows just how scary grots can be for orks, while also providing a fantastic opponent for the plot.  The Instigator proves to be a great follow-up for Da Gobbo Rides Again, and I really enjoyed seeing the seeds for Stimma’s later idea around Da Red Gobbo be planted.

This ended up being a very awesome overall collection of Warhammer 40,000 stories, and I love the impressive and relentlessly comedic tales that these excellent authors came up with.  I loved how the three main novellas perfectly complemented each other, building on the work of the preceding stories, while also standing on their own feet.  Brooks, Flowers and James really had fun when it came to these stories, and I love how you get some unique takes on the orks and the grots, although the general ork humour does carry through very well for all of them.  I also deeply enjoyed how each author showcased a different aspect of the Red Gobbo character, and the three separate incarnations of the Red Gobbo you witness paints a fascinating picture of this unique being in the Warhammer canon.  All three authors really outdid themselves in how they brought this figure to life, and their amazing stories were a true joy to read.

Unsurprisingly, I chose to listen to Da Red Gobbo Collection on audiobook, a format which always deeply enhances Warhammer fiction, especially as the crazy characters, unlikely scenarios and dark settings really pop when read out loud.  Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks that feature the orks are always particularly awesome, as the outrageous aliens are so damn entertaining especially when you get a great narrator voicing them.  As such, I was very keen to listen to Da Red Gobbo Collection, especially as it provided the first audiobook adaptations of several existing short stories and novellas, which ensured a whole new way to appreciate these clever tales.  I was also excited because British actor Harry Myers was attached to narrate Da Red Gobbo Collection.  A very talented narrator who has brought some of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 books to life, including The Wraithbone Phoenix and Day of Ascension, Myers has a fantastically entertaining voice that really fits some of the outrageous figures in this universe.  Myers particularly excels at voice ork characters (he previously narrated Warboss and Da Big Dakka by Mike Brooks), and his voice perfectly fits the rough and crude orks in so many entertaining ways.  He also does a great job of capturing the smaller and cowardly grots, and you really get a great sense of their scared, weaselly and backstabbing ways through his narration.  I also loved how each character comes out in this audiobook, and I was very impressed that Myers featured variety with his voice work, providing the various grots different voices, even when he moved on to a new story.  This was such an epic listen, and I really cannot recommend Da Red Gobbo Collection on audiobook enough.  Coming in with a runtime of just over 11 hours, this is a slightly long but very easy audiobook to power through, and there is honestly no better way to enjoy Da Red Gobbo Collection than by listening to it in this format.

Da Red Gobbo Collection was an exceptional Warhammer 40,000 book that I had so much damn fun getting through.  Thanks to the outstanding team of Mike Brooks, Denny Flowers and Rhuairidh James, you are gifted with some very impressive stories that prove to be exceedingly addictive.  Insanely addictive and extremely hilarious, Da Red Gobbo Collection will bring a smile to any Warhammer fan, and even new readers will be able to have an amazing time with it.  As such, I must give this collection a full five-star rating, as each author delivered something very special that came together perfectly.

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Darkside by Michael Mammay

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Thriller3 Comments

Publisher: Harper Audio (Audiobook – 24 September 2024)

Series: Planetside – Book Four

Length: eight hours and six minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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One of my favourite science fiction authors returns with another fantastic and compelling military thriller in space, the highly addictive Darkside by Michael Mammay.

Back in 2018 I had the very great pleasure of reading the debut novel of new author Michael Mammay, Planetside.  An intriguing science fiction thriller that sent a retiring military officer to an alien planet to find a missing soldier, Planetside turned into quite the clever and exciting read, and I really got attached to its complex narrative and maverick protagonist.  Ending on a massive and well-written twist, Planetside was an exceptional read and was one of my favourite books of 2018.  The series continued strong from that point on as Mammary released more cool additions to the Planetside series, each of which pit the protagonist against human corruption and corporate greed in the depths of space with Spaceside (one of my favourite books of 2019) and Colonyside (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2021).  I have been curious to see if Mammay was planning to continue this series going forward, and I was nicely surprised earlier this year to find out that there was a fourth book coming out with Darkside.  One of my most anticipated books of 2024, Darkside was an intriguing entry to the series that once again forced the author’s protagonist to deal with old corporate threats on a distinctive new environment.

Colonel Carl Butler, former military officer turned genocidal fall-guy, has had an interesting life since his retirement from the military.  Thanks to the machinations of both the government and powerful corporation, Butler has found himself drawn into multiple conspiracies, and his direct way of dealing with the resulting controversy has made him infamous throughout the galaxy, as well as making him some very dangerous enemies.

Attempting to live out a quiet life on a remote planet, Butler finds his retirement once again disturbed when a young girl tracks him down, requesting his help in finding her missing father.  Finding it hard to say no to the desperate girl, especially when it becomes clear that something truly sinister has befallen her father, Butler reluctantly agrees to help, not realising the trouble he is about to find himself in again.

The missing father, Jorge Ramiro, had been working as the assistant for a famous archaeologist on the isolated moon of Taug.  With no electronic trace of Jorge remaining on the planet, Butler and his team chart a ship to the mining operations of Taug to find him.  However, Butler soon finds his investigation complicated by the fact that he has history with the two consortiums who control mining on Taug, Caliber and Omicron, as both have tried to kill him in the past.  Determined to find the truth no matter what, Butler relentless follows the dwindling trail of clues before him, even when that leads to the dangerous dark side of Taug where secrets lie hidden, and the two corporations are free to act without repercussion.

Michael Mammay presents another outstanding and impressive science fiction thriller that drags the reader in with its elaborate tale of intrigue, secrets, and one determined man seeking to fight the system.  Featuring a great combination of elements and a fantastically fun protagonist, Darkside was a brilliant addition to the Planetside series, and I had such an amazing time with it that it gets a full five-star rating from me.

I felt that Mammay produced another exciting and captivating narrative for his fourth Planetside book that ties in nicely to the rest of the series while providing readers with an excellent and entertaining ride capable of standing on its own feet.  Once again bringing in series protagonist Carl Butler to investigate a mysterious case on a new planet, Darkside features a fantastic tale of mystery, corporate antics and deeper intrigue.  The author does a great job of quickly setting the scene at the start of Darkside before dropping the protagonist right into the action as they attempt to find the missing father on Taug.  Seeking information from both corporations on the moon, Butler initially starts a methodical and low-key investigation.  However, things get tricky when Butler and his team discover evidence of a major coverup, and the protagonist is forced to pit the corporations against each other in his attempts to find the missing person.  This complex first half proves to be an excellent start to the novel, and Mammay ensures that the tension, stakes and mystery rise at an effectively rate, keeping the reader’s attention the entire way through.

Things take a very exciting turn around halfway through Darkside, as Butler’s investigation provoke action from his opponents that results in some extremely dramatic and intense moments.  While I had been enjoying the investigation and intrigue of the first half of the book, it was fun to dive into something much more action packed for the second half, and I really enjoyed the exciting direction that Mammay took the story.  There are some great reveals here, and I love how complicated the various corporate lies and agendas became at times.  Everything leads up to a very intense final set of sequences, as Butler finds his back against the wall and is forced to decide which devil to have in his corner.  There are some great twists here, as well as a cool chapter told from the perspective of one of the series’ major supporting characters, and it leads up to a particularly intense and moving conclusion that perfectly fit the overarching anti-corporate message of the entire series.

Darkside has an excellent and addictive style to it that really draws the reader in.  Told from the perspective of the cynical, but realistic, Colonel Butler, readers are presented an outstanding thriller novel expertly set in a futuristic setting.  Starting off with a mystery of a missing person, the story evolves into a more elaborate game of intrigue as the protagonist attempts to outsmart two rival companies.  Mammay hits the right blend of manipulation, investigation and action throughout Darkside, and readers are presented with a great story that thrills the reader while dragging them further in with the curious mystery.  This story is well set by the moon of Taug, which proves to be an outstanding setting for this intense novel.  Not only does Mammay provide some striking descriptions of this desolate moon, but the isolated nature of it, as well as more scientific elements like gravity and composition, are well utilised in the plot, creating problems and opportunities for the protagonists.  Whilst Darkside is part of a larger series, for the most part it is a standalone novel that new readers can easily dive into, especially as there is an effective summary at the front to fill in some major details about the protagonist and his previous outings.  I think I had a bit more fun having read the previous books first, especially as you appreciate how Butler’s relationship with some of the supporting characters has grown, as well as having a better understanding the protagonist’s adversarial relationship with the corporations on the moon.  Darkside was such a great addition to this series, and I had an exceptional time powering through this novel in record time.

Another major element of Darkside, and indeed the entire Planetside series, that I come to really enjoy, was the outstanding characters who sat at the heart of the story and who add some real emotional depth to the book.  This primarily refers to the protagonist and point-of-view character, Colonel Carl Butler, who is very fun to follow.  A former career soldier trying to enjoy retirement, Butler has been hit by controversy, betrayal and the downside of duty, which has made him infamous and forced him to live on a remote planet.  Despite this, he is still a cheerful figure whose desire to do good forces him into another adventure.  Witty and honourable, Butler has a very eccentric personality that results in most of Darkside’s humour, and you have to laugh at some of his clever thoughts and responses to the dark events around him.  Despite having a seemingly carefree, easy-going attitude, Butler is a canny operator at this point in the series, and it was great to see how he has finally learnt from his previous experiences of dealing with corrupt corporations.  I also really enjoy how Mammay portrays Butler’s thought process in this novel, as you get to see him weighing the options and impacts of his various potential actions, and seeing the steps Butler takes to make his decisions makes him a little more human and relatable to the reader.  As such, you really get caught up in Butler’s latest crusade, and it proves hard not to root for him the entire way, even despite his dark history.

In addition to Butler, Mammay also features a great supporting cast of characters in Darkside, most of whom play off Butler extremely well.  This includes the returning characters of Mac and Ganos, Butler’s bodyguard and computer expert respectively, who once again saddle up to help.  Mammay works these two characters back into the plot quickly and effectively, and it was great to see this team in action again.  Mac and Ganos serve as an entertaining support to Butler, especially as by this point, they have learned to anticipate their boss’s likely course of action.  I really enjoyed seeing the close camaraderie and support these three had together, and it there were some excellent and moving moments as a result.  The rest of the case also worked well around these central characters, with several new members of Butler’s team providing some intriguing plot options.  Throw in the usual collection of local soldiers who work with Butler, and a group of manipulative corporate officers who serve as the antagonists, and the cast of Darkside proves to be a fantastic part of the book, and I loved seeing them all in action.

I ended up enjoying Darkside on audiobook, which has been my preferred way of enjoying the Planetside books, primarily because of the inclusion of R. C. Bray as the narrator.  Bray, who is one of my favourite audiobook narrators, did another exceptional job voicing the characters in Darkside, and I love how well his gruff and rich voice fits Colonel Butler.  Bray’s voice work perfectly captures Butler’s sarcastic, pragmatic and rebellious streak, and you really get caught up in this excellent narrator’s central performance.  In addition to his excellent portrayal of Butler, Bray also brings all the supporting cast to life in fun and effective manner, with each character given their own distinctive voice or accent.  I particularly enjoyed the fun voice he gave to Butler’s right-hand man, Mac, which was handy considering Mac got a lengthy chapter from his perspective that really popped in Bray’s voice.  I honestly don’t think I would have enjoyed Darkside quite as much without having Bray read it out to me, and I have so much love for the paring between Bray and Mammay’s great writing.  Coming in with a runtime of just over eight hours, most people will be able to power through Darkside very quickly, and I honestly found it very hard to stop listening to this audiobook, which comes very highly recommended.

Michael Mammay continues to impress with Darkside, a brilliant addition to his fantastic Planetside series that proves hard to turn away from.  Clever, exciting, and featuring a well-written and intense story, Darkside is one of Mammay’s best Planetside novels yet, and I cannot wait to see how he continues the story in the future, especially as the rascally protagonists keeps making more and more enemies.

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NecroTek by Jonathan Maberry

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Thriller15 Comments

Publisher: Blackstone Audio (Audiobook – 28 May 2024)

Series: NecroTek – Book One

Length: 15 hours and 24 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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One of the leading authors of action-packed fiction, Jonathan Maberry, dives headfirst into the science fiction genre with the unique read NecroTek, a remarkable Lovecraftian adventure in space that takes readers to some very dark places.

Readers of this blog will know that I have long been a fan of compelling author Jonathan Maberry, who has been impressing me with his elaborate, grim and varied book for years.  A long-time writer of horror-filled fiction across the genres, Maberry has multiple books and series under his belt, and I have had the great pleasure of reading a large portion of his existing works.  His main body of fiction is his Joe Ledger thriller series, which follows a tortured protagonist as he attempts to stop an array of dark technological threats assailing the modern world.  This series, which includes great books like Patient Zero, Assassin’s Code, Predator One and Dogs of War, as well as the Rogue Team International sequel series (Rage, Relentless and Cave 13), proved to be a great introduction to the author for me, and my appreciation for him grew after reading his Kagen the Damned dark fantasy series.  Made up of Kagen the Damned (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022), Son of the Poison Rose (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023), and The Dragon in Winter (which I am currently reading now), the Kagen the Damned books saw the author bring his distinctive style to the world of dark fantasy in a big way, and I loved the end result.

Due to how much I love Maberry’s captivating and enthralling novels, I always instantly grab anything new the author writes, and this includes his first release of 2024, NectroTek.  While his Joe Ledger books often feature strong science fiction elements in their thriller narratives, NecroTek was the first pure science fiction novel from the author, and I felt that he did an outstanding job applying his style and love for old-school horror into this new genre.  Released under the banner of the iconic Weird Tales horror magazine, NecroTek was one of my most anticipated releases of 2024, and it did not disappoint.

Plot Synopsis:

From New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry, NecroTek is a gripping sci-fi thriller full of ghosts, gods, and a battle for the soul of humanity.

Neither cosmic philosopher Lars Soren, hotshot pilot Bianca Petrescu, nor the high priestess Jessica McHugh–Lady Death herself–can say quite where in the galaxy they are. But after an experiment gone horribly wrong, one thing is clear: Asphodel Station isn’t in orbit around Jupiter any longer. Worse, the monsters that live out here–ancient eldritch beings thought only to exist in stories and nightmares–have now been alerted to Earth’s existence.

Their army of Shoggoths is coming for us next.

Humanity’s only hope for survival lies on the surface of the alien world of Shadderal, where a ghost named Lost, the last of an ancient race, still haunts the vast plains of the Field of Dead Birds. But hope has a cost. Lost tells Soren about ancient derelict spacecraft awaiting on Shadderal, shapeshifting machines that blend ultra-advanced technology with the dark powers of necromancy. These ships might just be nimble enough to defend mankind against the coming invasion.

But there’s a catch: they can only be piloted by the dead.

As human starfighters fall in battle, their spirits can be called back from death to pilot these ghost ships of a fallen race. But will this new necromantic technology–NecroTek–allow humanity to stand against the vast armies of the Shoggoths? And even if it can, is the war to save the human race worth the cost of its pilots’ immortal souls?

What another brilliant read from Jonathan Maberry!  NecroTek was an outstanding and captivating novel that I unsurprisingly loved thanks to its elaborate and ambitious narrative, loaded with horror, carnage and a distinctive tale of survival against the odds.  Moving, powerful and highly emotional, NecroTek was such an epic and captivating novel, and I must give it a full five-star rating as a result.

Maberry produces another complex, detailed and powerfully dark narrative for NecroTek that is part science fiction, part horror, and all excitement.  Starting off just in advance of the events that will set the story in motion, Maberry does a great job of opening the book up and quickly setting the scene for the reader.  The start of a new series unconnected from his previous works (for now), this is one of the easier Maberry novels to break into, and you are soon invested in the tale of scientific exploration.  However, things change quickly once the teleportation experiment fails, and as this is Maberry, when things go wrong, they go wrong in a big and gruesome way.  The author really leans into his love of horror during these opening moments, and there are some shocking depictions of the side effects of the jump through space, as well as the terrifying things waiting for the survivors on the other side.  Maberry revels in featuring powerful depictions of terror and craziness here and it makes for a brilliant and often disturbing first part of the book.

After this horrifying start to the novel, NecroTek becomes more of a science fiction tale, although Maberry quickly infects it with his beloved Lovecraftian elements, as the protagonists soon discover that they have been discovered by Shoggoths above a mysterious planet.  This allows for some fantastic moments, as the humans attempt to defeat this new alien foe with their existing ships, while continuing to dive into the complex science and philosophy surrounding their circumstances.  This middle section of the book moves at a swift pace, and the readers are treated to some excellent battle sequences in space, as well as the character’s continued uncertainty as they try to understand the outrageous situation they have found themselves in.  Maberry does a great job setting down the required Lovecraftian lore and bringing key parts of the plot to light during this part of the book, and readers easily become absorbed in his compelling ideas, especially when they are coated in a combination of adventure, horror and intriguing characters.

Everything leads up perfectly to the final third of NecroTek, which sees the protagonists desperate to defend both the station, and the important planet they hover above.  Faced with attacks on multiple fronts and so many tragedies, the protagonists are forced to rely on a new ally and the titular NecroTek to face off against the Shoggoth fleet.  Maberry keeps the tension riding high for this final part of the book, and you are constantly on the edge of your seat as several simultaneous battles rage around the reader, often fought in some extremely epic ways.  There is some captivating tragedy, deeply moving moments of sacrifice, and elaborate dives into the human psyche as everything comes together, and you will be left dazed and moved by everything that unfolds.  An overall exceptional and unique story, NecroTek was so much fun, and I liked the potential for story continuation that exists at the end of the novel.

Maberry has a very distinctive writing style that he utilises in all his novels, no matter the genre, and which always results in an awesome and complex read.  Featuring a huge number of short and sharp perspective chapters that constantly jump between the key characters, as well as a few shots of the antagonists and other mysterious creatures, you get a layered story that shows so many complex actions at the same time.  This style works extremely well in this science fiction adventure, and I loved the elaborate ways he showcased the dark events occurring around the station, whether you get the experiences of the recurring characters, or one-off chapters that shows what happened to specific characters before they die.  These chapters deeply enhance the horror vibes in the book, which keep you on your toes and provides an overarching sense of threat and danger that really makes you concerned for the protagonists.  This cool horror vibe blends well with the extremely detailed science fiction setting and storyline, to create a particularly striking read that really stuck with me, especially as the author also dives into Lovecraftian elements which work nicely into Maberry’s distinctive tone.  As with most of Maberry’s work, NecroTek does get incredibly dark and disturbing at times, which may not appeal to every reader, especially when it comes to some of the more distressing occurrences.  However, Maberry channels this darkness extremely well into the plot and the various action sequences of the book, producing a rafter of ultra-exciting scenes that really stick in the mind.  I personally felt his various space-combat sequences were extremely good, and I loved how effectively he showcased the intricate nature of the battles, even when things get extreme with the inclusion of ghost-powered battle mechs. 

As with all Jonathan Maberry novels, the true power and heart of NecroTek lies in its many impressive and complex characters, who the author utilises to tell a particularly powerful and layered story.  Maberry has a real gift for producing compelling, damaged, and often highly over-the top characters for his various series, and NecroTek is no different as he introduces a range of figures whose unique perspectives shape and power the story.  While NecroTek lacks the full-on antagonist’s perspective that usually make his novels so effective (due to the enemies being unknowable aliens), you get a great spread of alternating perspectives and thoughts throughout NecroTek, as well as the powerful emotions behind them.  These emotions are greatly enhanced by the fact that all the human characters within NecroTek are disorientated or damaged by the earlier events of the plot, and watching them overcome their rage, fear or despair, really amps up the feeling of the unknown and the complex emotions that swirl around the plot.

While there are many characters featured within NecroTek, Maberry does focus the plot on a few key protagonists whose stories get a bit more attention.  This includes cosmic philosopher Lars Soren, who serves as one of the main explorers of the new world and the voice of calm reason amongst the protagonists.  I liked how effectively Maberry utilised a scholar protagonist for much of this novel, and it allowed for a much more thoughtful narrative at times.  Of course, as this is Maberry, there needs to be a militant main protagonist as well, and that role was filled ably by military pilot Bianca Petrescu.  A confident and skilled pilot, Bianca worked as a great partner to Soren throughout much of the adventure, and I liked the contrast in their styles and actions.  Bianca also works well as part of the fighter group, known as the Lost Souls, who work to defend the station from the Shoggoth fleet.  Acting like an extended family, the Lost Souls are a vital part of the book’s plot, especially as their eventual, many-layered sacrifice, results in some of the most emotionally charged scenes in the book, which is further enhanced by how much you have come to care for the whole group.  Throw in an actual necromancer and an ancient alien whose guilt-ridden ghost provides aid to the protagonists whilst also damning them, and the cast of NecroTek was extremely strong.  I really enjoyed the elaborate narrative threads that emerged around these figures, and it led to a very powerful and intense read.

As with most of the Jonathan Maberry novels, I chose to enjoy NecroTek on audiobook, which is easily the best way to enjoy one of the author’s elaborate and powerful novels.  Maberry’s distinctive writing style of constantly shifting characters, loaded action, and horrifying elements really comes across when read out and I honestly believe that this is the best way to enjoy one of author’s books.  A lot of this is due to the continued use of long-term Maberry collaborator Ray Porter, who has lent his voice to most of Maberry’s compelling audiobooks.  One of my favourite audiobook narrators, Ray Porter has an outstanding voice that expertly moves Maberry’s complex and addictive narrative around at a fast and effective pace.  Porter’s ability to instil emotion, intensity and often scary tones into his narration is extremely epic, and he can ensure that readers are always on the edge of their seats as they wait for more action or horror to emerge.  Porter also has a great range of different awesome voices that seem to always perfectly fit the character they are assigned to, and I love the fun and entertaining tones that convey so much of fear, feelings and deeper emotional state.  Coming in with an overall run time of 15 hours and 24 minutes, this is a long audiobook, although it proves easy to power through it quickly, especially in the action-heavy second half.  As such, the NecroTek audiobook version comes highly recommended, and you will not be disappointed when you listen to it.

Jonathan Maberry once again deeply impresses me with his elaborate and addictively dark science fiction read, NecroTek.  A very distinctive Maberry creation, NecroTek features a brilliant story that brings together cool new science fiction elements with the author’s love for all thing Lovecraftian into a brutal and captivating read.  Fast paced and loaded with complex characters, fantastic action, and some truly epic sequences, NecroTek was such a great read from Maberry and comes highly recommended.  I look forward to seeing how Maberry continues the series in the future, especially as a sequel, Cold War, is apparently set for release in 2025.

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The Ghosts of August by Peter Watt

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Historical Fiction2 Comments

Publisher: Macmillan Australia (Trade Paperback – 29 October 2024)

Series: Colonial series – Book Six

Length: 401 pages

My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

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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.

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Quick Review – Capture or Kill by Don Bentley (based on the series by Vince Flynn)

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Quick Review, Thriller1 Comment

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia (ebook – 4 September 2024)

Series: Mitch Rapp – Book 23

Length: 464 pages

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Those in the mood for an intense, action-packed spy thriller should check out the latest book in the long-running Mitch Rapp series, Capture or Kill, written by new author Don Bentley.

Over the last few years, I have become a massive fan of the classic Mitch Rapp thriller series.  Following a dark and deadly operative who specialises in killing America’s enemies, the Mitch Rapp books are an exciting and compelling series that always scratch my action itch each year.  Originally written by Vince Flynn, since his death, the series has been taken over by other talented authors continuing his story.  I personally have only read some of the books written by Kyle Mills, which includes Red War, Lethal Agent, Total Power, Enemy at the Gates, Oath of Loyalty and Code Red, and I appreciated the cool scenarios that Mills pitted the protagonist against.  This year saw an interesting change to the series with the introduction of new author Don Bentley.  Bentley, an established thriller writer himself, is the third author to contribute to the Mitch Rapp series, and his new novel, Capture or Kill, was an excellent throwback to some of Flynn’s original storylines.

Plot Synopsis:

April 2011: On a remote mountaintop overlooking the remains of the Iranian nuclear weapons program, Azad Ashani witnesses a Quds Force demonstration of a capability meant to upend America’s war in the Middle East. Ashani, director of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security and Irene Kennedy’s former back channel to the Iranian government, recognizes the demonstration’s true significance, and the nation-ending conflict it will provoke. Alone, Ashani stands no chance of preventing this rush to madness.

But with the help of one man, he just might.

In Washington, DC, CIA director Irene Kennedy briefs the president that the operational window to kill or capture Osama bin Laden at his recently discovered compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan is rapidly closing. But before he’ll authorize a commando raid on Pakistani soil, the president demands irrefutable proof of bin Laden’s presence.

Proof he trusts just one man to provide.

Preventing a looming war in the Middle East while delivering justice for the nearly 3,000 Americans killed on 9/11 would be a big ask for anyone.

Mitch Rapp isn’t just anyone.


Capture or Kill was an awesome and action-packed read that took the series protagonist back to basics by setting him against an array of Middle Eastern foes in a compelling thriller narrative.  Bentley weaves together an ambitious plot that seeks to continue storylines from the classic Vince Flynn novel, Protect and Defend, while the protagonist also gathers intel for the raid on bin Laden’s compound in Pakistan.  This results in a great array of intense scenes, as Rapp tries to counteract a dangerous collection of Iranian assets and plots, as well as help to recover a missing American soldier in Afghanistan.  There is some great back and forth as Rapp and the antagonists try to unravel their respective plans, and I loved the fantastic overarching plot of the book’s antagonists.  At the same time, Bentley cleverly works in real-life details of the events leading up to the bin Laden raid, which helped to give the story a much-needed sense of realism and higher stakes.  This proved to be a gripping Mitch Rapp narrative and readers will find themselves getting drawn into the compelling and fascinating plot.

I liked the writing in Capture or Kill, especially as Bentley did an amazing job of emulating the over-the-top style of the Mitch Rapp series.  The narrative is a lot more grounded than some of the Kyle Mills narratives I previously read, which I felt brought it back to Flynn’s original style a bit better (although I honestly loved some of Mills’s outrageous scenarios).  Moving the scenario back to the early 2010s was also a sensible move from Bentley, as it allowed him to fit his narrative amongst existing series story threads, while also putting the protagonist in a unique position to impact an historically important espionage event.  Bentley continues to set the tone perfectly by ensuring that the well-known excessive action and badassery of the protagonists is on full display, and those readers who love a ton of combat and exciting espionage escapades are in for a great time with Capture or Kill.  As such, there was a very classic feel to Capture or Kill that I think long-term fans of the series will appreciate, and I felt it captured the flow of some of the other Mitch Rapp books extremely well.

Aside from ensuring that Capture or Kill matched the typical tone of the series, Bentley also did a really good job of portraying many of the classic Mitch Rapp cast.  I felt that the author successfully captured the best parts of many of the protagonists in this new book, and I liked the fantastic storylines that he wove around them.  Series protagonist Mitch Rapp was his over-the-top self as always, and Bentley really ensured that the readers got the full blast of his intense aura and savagery.  It was a little jarring to see how intense Rapp got at times, mainly because I’m more familiar with the Mills version of the character, who is older and more family orientated, but I appreciated how Bentley was trying to get the rugged, active agent version of the protagonist down.  Other recurring characters came across in a similar manner, and I particularly enjoyed seeing more of CIA director Irene Kenedy, especially as much of this book deals with the aftermath of her kidnapping in Protect and Defend.  I also enjoyed seeing Mike Nash trying to fit into his new role as a CIA executive, especially when you consider where his character is going in the extended canon.  All this, and more, proved to be an awesome take on these established characters, and fans of the series will appreciate the care and attention Bentley took with them.

Don Bentley is off to a very strong start as the new author of the Mitch Rapp series.  Capture or Kill is an awesome addition to the series that presents readers with a dark and powerful action-packed narrative.  I look forward to seeing how the Bentley continues the Mitch Rapp books in the future, but it appears that this series is in safe hands going forward.

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Revenge of Rome by Simon Scarrow

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction5 Comments

Publisher: Headline (Trade Paperback – 12 November 2024)

Series: Eagles of the Empire – Book 23 

Length: 411 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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The action continues in one of my favourite Roman historical fiction series with the outstanding and captivating read, Revenge of Rome by Simon Scarrow.

I have long extolled the ability of Simon Scarrow, who is one of the top current authors of historical fiction, as well as a personal favourite writer of mine.  I have had a blast reading and reviewing many Scarrow books over the years, including his Berlin Wartime Thriller series (see my reviews for Blackout and Dead of Night), as well as several great standalone reads.  However, his main body of work is the exceptional Eagles of the Empire series.  One of the premier Roman historical fiction series, the Eagles of the Empire books follow two elite Roman officers as they fight their way across multiple wars, provinces and battlefields.  I have been a fan of this series from the beginning, and the books within it have been a key part of my yearly review schedule, including The Blood of Rome, Traitors of Rome, The Emperor’s Exile, The Honour of Rome, Death to the Emperor and Rebellion.  As such, the latest book in the series, Revenge of Rome, has been a highly anticipated read for me, and I have been very keen to get my hands on it.  The 23rd novel in the series, Revenge of Rome, follows on immediately after the events of Death to the Emperor and Rebellion, which covered the main events of Boudica’s uprising, and deal with the deadly aftermath of this massive conflict.

Britannia, 61 AD.  Following the final stand of the Roman army that broke the massive rebel horde, the uprising against Rome has ended but there is still no peace in Britannia.  Boudica, the warrior queen who sparked the rebellion, has escaped and still holds the eagle standard of the defeated Ninth Legion.  With the eagle in hand, Boudica and her Iceni tribe are living proof that Rome can be beaten and while she survives the flames of rebellion continue to smoulder.

Desperate to hunt Boudica down and make her pay for her crimes, Rome assigns two veterans to end the threat she poses, Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro.  Survivors of countless battles and campaigns Cato and Macro are the perfect soldiers to take down Boudica, especially as they share a long history with her.  Determined to do their duty, even with their conflicted feelings, Cato and Macro lead their troops into the lands of the Iceni to either capture or kill Boudica.

However, Boudica is no easy prey to capture.  Despite her defeat, she still has many skilled warriors fighting under her banner, each of whom holds great hatred for the Romans.  Worse, the war has made Boudica both cruel and cunning, and she soon engages in a brutal war of attrition, determined to break the Romans before they can overwhelm her.  To succeed, Cato and Macro will need all their cunning, grit and experience to finally bring Boudica down.  But can even these wily Roman officers contend with the wrath of an entire nation and their vengeful queen, or will Britannia rise once more to destroy the Roman invaders?

Revenge of Rome was another excellent and exciting entry in the Eagles of the Empire series that proved to be an absolute blast to get through.  A very intense, character driven read that focuses on an interesting period of Roman history, Revenge of Rome was an outstanding book that really drew me in.

Scarrow did an amazing job continuing the intense story from the last two books, and I frankly feel that this has been some of his best writing in years.  Starting off with a cool alternate look at the main battle from Rebellion, Revenge of Rome primarily explores the events immediately following the massive uprising and the destruction wrought on the Roman settlements.  Once again following Cato and Macro as they are given an impossible task, Scarrow presents a back-to-basics narrative as the two officers train up a new regiment (from the Second Legion, which was a nice callback to the first few books), to lead it into combat against the rebelling tribes.  The first half of the book follows Cato’s initial strategy of diplomacy and scouting, as he tries to figure out how to defeat Boudica with limited troops.  At the same time, Boudica works to reignite her rebellion, causing chaos amongst the other tribes and scoring some early victories.  This proves to be an intriguing first half of the book, especially as it nicely sets up the rest of the narrative, while also examining the aftermath of the rebellion, and the initial attempts of the Romans to regain control.

While the first half of Revenge of Rome was exciting, the best action occurs in the second half as Cato and Macro lead their troops against the Iceni and attempt to find their hideout.  There are some great small-scale conflicts the further we get along and Scarrow did an effective job showcasing Boudica as a truly dangerous foe.  Everything nicely leads up to the final battle, where the protagonists discover the Iceni’s fortress in the swamps (thanks to an excellent plot line about Cato trying to win back the hearts and minds of the locals) and engage in a deadly siege.  The action flies thick and fast here, and there are some awesome fight sequences as both sides initiate some clever tactics.  I really got caught up in the final battles and flew through the last 100 pages or so which detailed the siege.  While there is a natural focus on the brutal combat, Scarrow also provided some powerful character moments which helped to make Revenge of Rome even more intense and moving.  Scarrow ends everything on a final, if hopeful, note and it looks like the Eagles of the Empire series will be entering a new phase.  It will be interesting to see where Scarrow goes next, and I look forward to seeing how a certain new character is worked into the plot.

Scarrow always utilises a great and consistent style with the Eagle of the Empire books, which allows for some fantastic and exciting stories.  Revenge of Rome is no different, as we are presented with a compelling tale that sees the Romans taking on the local tribes of Britannia in a deadly game of cat and mouse.  I felt that Scarrow did a great job amping up the character emotions in Revenge of Rome, especially as we get some great alternate views of the main antagonist, Boudica, and her vengeful crusade.  The resulting carnage is well-written and intense, and Scarrow is very effective at portraying historical combat through his writing.  I really love the detail in which Scarrow showcases both the Romans and the Britannia tribes, and the compelling action sequences make for some brilliant reading.  The historical period featured within Revenge of Rome also proved to be very interesting, as Scarrow dives into the aftermath of Boudica’s rebellion and the state of Britannia at the time.  I really appreciated this fascinating focus; especially as most historical fiction authors tend to only portray the main rebellion and leave it at that.  I felt that Scarrow also did an outstanding job capturing the emotions of both the Roman soldiers and the surviving tribes throughout the book, and it was really intriguing to see some of the politics and logistics involved in the aftermath of the deadly occurrences of the previous novels.  Like most books in the series, Revenge of Rome can easily be read as a standalone novel, as Scarrow writes an inclusive narrative that cycles back to key events of previous books when necessary.  However, to get the full emotional impact of Revenge of Rome I would recommend first reading the prior two novels, Death to the Emperor and Rebellion, as their stories are extremely well linked.  However, even if you only read Revenge of Rome, you are in for a great historical adventure with some intriguing features.

I also felt that Revenge of Rome had some very strong character work in it as Scarrow brings back his classic protagonists alongside a few intriguing additions.  After 23 books, Cato and Macro are still the same characters we’ve come to know and love, although Scarrow does find ways to keep them fresh.  While Cato is his usual tactical and empathetic self, especially when it comes to finding ways to defeat the enemy, Macro is in his full-on non-commissioned officer mode, serving as the hard-boiled soldier’s soldier.  Thanks to some over-the-top drill sergeant scenes, Macro quickly steals focus, and he is the more entertaining of the two protagonists.  Scarrow also throws in some especially emotional sequences for Macro, as he deals with the continued conflict against his former love interest, Boudica, his guilt for the damage she caused, and the secrets she revealed to him in the previous novel.  One of these secrets comes to fruition nicely in the final part of the book, and it will be interesting to see how the evolves going forward.

Aside from Cato and Macro, there is a great array of additional interesting characters scattered throughout the novel who have their moment to shine.  This includes multiple Roman figures, many of whom previously appeared in previous novels.  Of these, I particularly enjoyed Scarrow’s portrayal of a young Tribune Agricola.  Agricola, a real historical figure destined to become a famous general, is shown here as a brash young officer eager for command.  His ongoing storyline of learning the ropes under Cato and Macro proves to be a lot of fun, and I liked the inference that Agricola’s later success can be attributed to the harsh early tutorage of the protagonists.  However, out of the all the supporting characters, I felt that Scarrow did his best work with Boudica.  Boudica, who has appeared in several earlier Eagles of the Empire books, has one of her best outings in Revenge of Rome.  Despite losing in Rebellion, Boudica is still a determined revolutionary, turned vengeful from the Romans treatment of her and her daughters.  As such, she is unrecognisable compared to her previous appearances as an ally to Cato and Macro, and she proves to be one of their most dangerous enemies.  I felt that Scarrow really captured her revenge-darkened heart in Revenge of Rome, and there are some great scenes where she continues to take her war up another notch.  It was honestly really moving to see her in this final showdown against the protagonists, and I appreciated how effectively Scarrow focused on this iconic historical figure in this latest book.

Simon Scarrow once again deeply impressed me with an Eagles of the Empire novel as Revenge of Rome was another captivating and exciting novel, loaded with awesome historical action.  An excellent addition to the series that provides an outstanding wrap-up of one of Scarrow’s best storylines, Revenge of Rome comes very highly recommended, and I look forward to seeing where the author takes the series next.  In the meantime, we have A Death of Berlin to look forward to from Scarrow early next year, which should be another dark and complex Berlin Wartime Thriller.

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Nobody’s Hero by M. W. Craven

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller4 Comments

Publisher: Constable (Trade Paperback – 8 October 2024)

Series: Ben Koenig series – Book Two

Length: 443 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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The always-entertaining M. W. Craven returns with another outrageous and over-the-top action thriller with the outstanding novel Nobody’s Hero.

Over the last year I have found myself reading several books from veteran thriller author M. W. Craven.  A very talented writer with an interesting array of crime fiction to his name, Craven has impressed me with his outstanding range, as well as some of the elaborate scenarios he comes up with.  His other 2024 novel, The Mercy Chair, was one of the best crime fiction reads of the year, presenting readers with a dark and twisty tale that proved near impossible to turn away from.  As such, I was very eager to get my hands on his other book of the year, Nobody’s Hero, which has been on my radar for a while.

Nobody’s Hero is the second book in Craven’s exciting Ben Koenig series, which started last year with the awesome novel Fearless.  Following a reckless and intense US marshal on the run due to a mobster’s bounty, Fearless was a great read that set the literally fearless protagonist on a bloody revenge mission.  This was an outstanding first entry in the series from Craven, and I have been looking forward to the sequel for a while, especially as Craven came up for another intriguing plot for this second Ben Koenig book.

Ben Koenig is a ghost.  Formerly a decorated US marshal, Koenig is now a drifter, wandering around America trying to outrun the massive bounty placed on his head by a vengeful Russian mobster.  However, Koenig is still a valuable asset to the US government thanks to his specialised training and unique mind, especially as he has a rare condition that makes him utterly fearless.  But even Koenig isn’t immune to dangerous secrets from the past.

Ten years ago, Koenig was recruited to convincingly fake the death of a mysterious woman who needed to disappear to safeguard America’s safety.  However, when the woman reappears in London, gunning down two muggers in broad daylight and kidnapping their intended target, an elderly academic, it sends shockwaves throughout the CIA, and see’s Koenig antagonistic handler, Jen Draper, bring him in.

The only person who knows anything about the mysterious woman, Koenig is tasked with finding her and discovering what dark secret she is hiding.  Travelling to England with Draper, Koenig attempt to find a target who has successfully concealed themselves from the entire world for a decade.  If he fails, a dangerous attack will be unleashed upon America, one that no-one will see coming until it’s too late.  Can Koenig succeed and get the heart of this nation-killing plan, or has he met a threat even more ruthless than him?

Caven continues to highlight his ability to craft together ultra-exciting and slightly insane plots with Nobody’s Hero.  A fast-paced, highly entertaining read loaded with action, twists and lots of shock-value, Nobody’s Hero was one hell of an electrifying read, and one that I had such a great time getting through.

At the heart of Nobody’s Hero lies an intriguing story that is both very clever and nicely absurd.  Despite being a sequel to Fearless, Nobody’s Hero stands on its own and requires no prior knowledge of the series, which allows new readers to jump in without any issue.  Craven starts the story off very strong, especially when it comes to reintroducing his protagonist, Ben Koenig, and readers quickly remember why he is such a badass (you will never look at credit cards the same way again).  From there, the author crafts together an excellent overarching plot, which sees a multi-layered evil plan to destroy America unfold across several different perspectives.  When the start of this plan becomes apparent, a secret government protocol forces Koenig to investigate, especially once his connection to one of the players in question comes to light.  Following up the only lead they have; Koenig and his allies begin violently working their way through a variety of obstacles in both England and the United States.  This leads to several outstandingly over-the-top sequences, which continues to showcase the unusual, and highly violent, nature of the protagonist.

The plot continues as a great pace throughout the entirety of Nobody’s Hero, and you really get caught up in the intense action and intrigue.  The multiple alternate perspectives, especially those showing the various antagonists at work, blend well with the main storyline around Koenig, and you end up with a particularly elaborate spy thriller narrative.  Koenig throws in some brilliant twists along the way, especially one major one just before the final third that really throws you entire perspective of the prior events off and changes the entire tone of the book.  This all leads up to the final big set piece, which honestly is so damn excessive and insane but which fits the rest of the book perfectly and is frankly a great way to end this entire thrilling book.  Craven never slows down with the excessive violence and unlikely character moments, and the reader is constantly on the edge of their seats as they wait to see how the big confrontation will conclude.  I felt that Craven ended it all extremely well, and in a way that only he could pull off, and you come away from Nobody’s Hero exhilarated, satisfied, and just a little grossed out.  Throw in a few intriguing reveals at the end that hint at big things to come, as well as some loose ends tied up in a fitting way, and this was an outstanding narrative that really went out of its way to entertain.

Craven uses a fast-paced, action-laden and all-round exciting writing style in Nobody’s Hero, which really works for the ultra-intense and over-the-top narrative.  Definitely inspired by the Jack Reacher books (there are a few coy references to them) and standing in a bit of an interesting contrast to his style I saw in The Mercy Chair, Nobody’s Hero runs out the gate hard and fast and doesn’t slow down to the very end.  Thanks to the quickfire chapters and great changes to perspective, you really move through Nobody’s Hero fast, and I honestly couldn’t stop reading the book at times once I got into the zone.  The excellent changes in perspective to several other antagonist characters in the book, as well as a few clever time shifts, allowed for a multi-layered narrative, and I loved how Craven allowed for a larger narrative here with some distinctive characters.  Of course, the real highlight of this book is the excessive action and highly violent sequences that emerged, which were both exciting and morbidly entertaining.  Craven designs multiple massive combat set pieces that really pop, especially as they showcase just how deadly, and occasionally suicidal, his protagonist turns out to be.  The author also pumps out several scenes that are extremely entertaining, just because they are so excessive with their violence or the insane actions of the protagonist.  Highlights include a unique interrogation cleverly using a swollen finger, a brazen charge towards villains with stupid body armour and sub-machineguns, and the protagonist’s final plan to get to grips with the enemy.  All this is wrapped up with several outstanding plot twists, each of which is cleverly thought out and well hinted at, which help to turn this into something very special.  An exceptionally fun thriller story, if perhaps a tad too violent for some potential readers.

As with the previous book in the series, a lot of Nobody’s Hero’s appeal lies in its eccentric cast of spies, assassins, and shadowy government agents, all of whom bring a certain entertaining zest to the plot.  This is especially true in the case of the book’s protagonist, Ben Koenig, a former US marshal on the run who suffers from a rare condition that ensures he can feel no fear.  In some ways an even more violent and remorseless version of Jack Reacher, Koenig is a great character to follow, especially as the reader is treated to so many scenes of his unique thinking and unconventional plans.  A lot of the book’s humour is derived from Koenig’s inappropriate jokes and borderline insane ideas, which really amps up just how crazy Nobody’s Hero is at times.  Despite this lack of fear and seeming inability to take things seriously, Koenig proves to be a great central protagonist for this thriller novel, and his lateral thinking allows for some intriguing thoughts on the current situation.  There are also some interesting additional looks at Koenig’s inability to feel fear, which he worries may lead to more problematic and potentially immoral behaviour in the future.  While there isn’t an excessive amount of character development for the protagonist in this book, I still really enjoyed following Koenig in Nobody’s Hero, and I look forward to Craven’s next novel featuring him, especially as there seems to be some major drama coming Koenig’s way.

Aside from Koenig, Nobody’s Hero also features a range of great supporting characters and antagonists, each of whom proves to be more entertaining than the last.  This includes Koenig’s handler, Jen Draper, a former CIA agent turned private contractor who has been assigned to watch over Koenig and turn him into a potential government asset.  Despite their need to work together, there is some clear antagonism between Draper and Koenig, and the two spend most of the book sniping at each other.  While this will probably lead to romance in the future (or not; you never know with Craven), their constant bickering proves to be quite entertaining and there is a certain respect between the two, especially when the chips are down.  I really enjoyed the scenes when Koenig and Draper are of the same mind, mainly because it means the bad guys are going to suffer.  This book also featured a range of very entertaining and memorable antagonists, who fit very well into the story.  These include a murderous father-daughter team with some distinctive characteristics, a group of corrupt cops who get in way over their heads, and a deadly mercenary with something on his chest and a certain kinship with Koenig.  All these characters fit into the narrative perfectly, and I loved the entertaining interactions that they ended up having with the protagonist.

Overall, Nobody’s Hero proved to be an amazing and captivating new book from M. W. Craven, who is swiftly becoming one of my favourite new thriller authors.  Beautifully violent, crazy and all-round entertaining, I had such a brilliant time with Nobody’s Hero, and it was definitely one of the more exciting and addictive thrillers of 2024.  Highly recommended, especially if you are a fan of exceptionally excessive action thrillers.

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Warhammer 40,000: Above and Beyond by Denny Flowers

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer9 Comments

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 12 October 2024)

Series: Lucille von Shard series – Book Two

Length: 12 hours and 52 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Denny Flowers presents one of the most ambitious and captivating Warhammer 40,000 novels of 2024, with the brilliant and deliciously cynical read, Above and Beyond.

As a massive fan of all things Warhammer 40,000 fiction, I have been spending awful lot of time diving into all the recently released novels and audiobooks from the franchise (see the ever-expanding Warhammer tab to the right).  As such, I have become quite familiar with the newer authors contributing to this massive expanded grimdark universe, and there are several rising stars that my radar is firmly fixed on.  This includes the very impressive Denny Flowers, who honestly has the potential to become one of the best authors in this franchise.  While he has so far only written three books (including this one), every single new novel from Flowers is a step above the last, and I have really gotten attached to his fantastic imagination and writing style.  His first book, Fire Made Flesh, was an awesome book, and it ended up being one of my favourite debuts of 2021.  However, Fire Made Flesh was quickly overshaded in my mind by the author’s brilliant second book, Outgunned.

Outgunned was an outstanding read that dove into the darker side of the already grim Warhammer 40,000 universe in all the right ways.  Following a propaganda expert as he attempts to create an epic film based around a legendary fighter ace, Outgunned proved to be an excellent read, especially once the protagonist beings to understand just how jaded his chosen subject is.  However, a rampaging ork invasion and elaborate political intrigue on a miserable swamp planet brings events even further to a head, and the protagonists endure a gruelling and desperate battle to survive.  I really loved Outgunned thanks to its unique narrative, and it has had a proud place in my favourite Warhammer 40,000 novel list.  Due to how impressive I found Outgunned to be, I was very excited when I heard that a sequel was out this year and made sure to grab Above and Beyond the first chance I could.

Kile Simlex is a broken man.  Once one of the most successful propagandists in the Imperium of Man, Simlex’s films used to inspire untold millions in the name of the God Emperor, ensuring innumerable new recruits to humanity’s armies.  However, a cursed assignment to the swamp planet of Bacchus showed him the realities of war and innate corruption of the Imperium, while his chosen subject, the eternally cynical fighter ace Lucille von Shard, proved to be both a skilled fighter and a deadly disappointment.

Years later, Simlex is now a shadow of his former self.  Emotionally and physically scarred from his experiences on Bacchus, Simlex’s attempts to show the Imperium’s citizens the real horrors of war ensured that he was dismissed from his lofty position.  Now forced to toil as lowly scribe, Simlex has grown bitter as his footage from Bacchus was used to create a crass and untrue popular film which elevated Flight Command von Shard to the status of legendary hero.  However, Simlex is about to find his chance of redemption when he once again becomes involved with the dangerous von Shard family.

Attempting to live in obscurity, Simlex’s life is turned upside down when Shard’s brother, Commissar Tobia von Shard enters his office.  Commissar von Shard has intercepted a cryptic message sent to Simlex from Shard asking for help, and the commissar is determined to deliver assistance, one way or another.  Forced to accompany the commissar on his journey, Simlex travels to Deighton, a world in open rebellion, to discover a war being fought using propaganda films and heroic shots of Shard in action.  However, the real Shard is a shadow of her former self, worn down by war, guilt and her status as a hero, and determined to push Simlex away.  But with a deadly xenos pilot seeking to destroy her legacy, and a manipulative new propagandist controlling events from on high, Simlex and Shard both need to work together to survive.

Denny Flowers honestly gets better with every single book he writes as Above and Beyond was a particularly impressive and powerful piece of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.  Providing Flower’s own distinctive take on the glorious wars of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, Above and Beyond was a memorable, addictive and emotionally charged novel that had me hooked the entire way through with its complex context and brilliantly damaged characters.  This was such an exceptional read, and I have very little choice but to give it a well-deserved five-star rating.

Above and Beyond has an excellent and exciting narrative that both stands on its own, while also serving as a compelling sequel to Outgunned.  Shown from the perspective of former propagandist Kile Simlex, whose actions following the previous book have resulted in a substantial fall from grace, Above and Beyond sees him forced back into the chaos of war after his former muse, Lucille von Shard, apparently seeks his help.  Forcibly recruited by Shard’s commissar brother, Simlex traves to the planet Deighton, and finds himself caught up in an unusual war, as brutal Imperial soldiers fight against rebelling civilians, while expansive propaganda campaign drives the carnage to new heights.  This first part of the story is very well done, as it catches up the reader quickly to both the events of Outgunned and the subsequent fallout of Simlex’s actions, while also setting up the new storyline.

The rest of Above and Beyond’s story turns out to be exceedingly intense and compelling, as Flowers tells a particularly unique Warhammer 40,000 narrative.  While there is a focus on aerial combat and action, Above and Beyond is mostly a gritty and complex thriller, with the protagonist attempting to uncover various secrets and counter deceitful and dangerous opponents.  This results in an intense character-driven tale as you follow the tired, traumatised, and pessimistic protagonist as he attempts to uncover dark secrets while also coming into deep emotional conflict with Shard.  Flowers takes the narrative in some great directions, especially thanks to a mysterious xenos opponent, some outstanding supporting characters, and a brilliant combination of plot lines.  There are some heartbreaking scenes of tragedy, moments of powerful personal growth, a few very clever twists and a ton of compelling action, all leading up to a fantastic conclusion.  While I won’t go into too much detail here, it was all sufficiently epic, and you find yourself coming out of Above and Beyond extremely satisfied, especially as Flowers continues to develop his major protagonists in some moving and captivating ways.  The author also leaves a few storylines and questions open to explore in some potential future entries, and that is something I am particularly keen for.

Flowers has a unique style for his Lucille von Shard Warhammer 40,000 novels, and it is one that I have really come to appreciate.  Exclusively told from the perspective of main character Kile Simlex, Flowers seeks to show an alternate side to the many wars of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, one that paints the supposedly good Imperium in a harsh and selfish light.  While novels that show the many inequities and issues of the Imperium and the wider Warhammer 40,000 universe are nothing new (indeed it’s an excellent recurring theme), I felt that Flowers took it up to 11 in Above and Beyond, and I loved how superbly and relentless cynical the book got.  Flowers’s dive into the inevitable propaganda side of humanity’s war engine once again proved to be particularly fascinating, and it allowed for some fascinating sequences that highlight human nature and alternate views of the truth.  This focus on propaganda, the impacts of fighting, and the dark secrets of the Imperium, leads to a brilliantly dark, character-driven novel that goes in some excellent directions.  I appreciate how this was more of a down-to-earth, politically charged, military thriller, rather than a full-on action epic, although there still are some great flight combat sequences against shadowy foes.  This compelling and distinctive vein of storylines and themes helped to turn Above and Beyond into one of the more memorable Warhammer books of 2025, and I honestly could not stop listening to it.

I cannot emphasise enough what a clever Warhammer 40,000 novel Above and Beyond was, as Flowers dives right into the corrupt heart of this grimdark universe.  Readers are gifted with a brutally honest look behind the Imperial military curtain, and I loved seeing the protagonist’s continued realisation at just how much corruption and lies there are.  The examination of the role that propaganda plays in keeping the manipulative system in place was also very cool, especially as the book devolves into a war of misinformation and counter-films rather than a typical firefight.  This includes various scenes that show depictions of camera shots or video editing, which were not only fascinating and darkly fun, but helped ensure that Above and Beyond was a particularly distinctive read.  Throw in some intriguing looks at another major faction, whose manipulative influence on several fronts really increase the intensity of the plot, and there is a lot for veteran Warhammer 40,000 fans to sink their teeth into.

As with most Warhammer 40,000 novels, Above and Beyond can be enjoyed as a standalone novel by most readers, as does not take long to get absorbed in its haunting and powerful story.  Flowers does a great job recapping and re-examining key events from Outgunned here, which allows readers to follow the continuing storylines without issue.  Readers also don’t need an abundance of pre-knowledge about the universe to enjoy the story, although I really do appreciate how Flowers captured the gothic and dark feel of the fantastic setting surrounding the entire franchise.  However, to get the most enjoyment out of Above and Beyond, you should check out Outgunned first.  The first book in the series did an excellent job introducing the main protagonists and setting them on a dark adventure that left them damaged and with a new view of the universe around them.  Above and Beyond perfectly examines the aftermath of this first adventure, and the result is extremely moving and a little heartbreaking.  The changes in the characters’ personalities and mentalities from the first book is beautifully done, and so much of Above and Beyond’s plot and impact is focused on how both Simlex and Shard are dealing with their trauma.  Reading Outgunned first helps you appreciate Flower’s clever character writing in Above and Beyond just a little bit more, and I know I got a lot more emotional impact from this sequel because of my experiences with the first Lucille von Shard novel.

So much of Above and Beyond’s impact lies in its exceptional characters, all of whom have brilliant arcs in this book.  The most prominent of these is series protagonist and perspective character, Kile Simlex.  Once a gifted propogandist who made films without thought or question, Simlex is now a bitter shell of his former self.  His revelations about how corrupt the Imperium is and his attempt to show it with a film have led to him losing everything, and his ire has turned towards Shard, who he believes opened his eyes.  Despite being physically and mentally battered, Simlex still has his principles, which he desperately tries to maintain even when faced with danger and the insanity of the von Shards.  I loved seeing Simlex attempting to deal with his trauma throughout Above and Beyond, and it was refreshing for a Warhammer 40,000 series to dive into the consequences of the dark events that the characters witness.  Simlex proved to be a great perspective character, and I liked his insights on the world around him, especially as it is coloured with more cynicism and insight into reality of the Imperium and the wars they fight.  His appreciation for the art of film making, which includes multiple instances of him assessing other people’s propaganda creations, adds an interesting artistic edge to the book, although Flowers often utilises this to get even more cynical.  I also enjoyed the return of the protagonist’s remaining seer-skull, an ancient servo-skull designed for filming and projecting, which offers some intriguing alternate insights into the Simlex’s mind, while also containing a fun hidden twist.  Cleverly continuing the character’s storylines from the first book, while also diving into the trauma surrounding him, I felt that Flower’s writing of Simlex here was particularly good in Above and Beyond and ensured that he was an awesome centre to the entire book.

The other main protagonist of the book is Flight Commander Lucille von Shard, who enters this book as one of the Imperium’s most revered and famous fighter aces.  However, after the events of Outgunned, Shard is a changed woman, broken by her experiences and the various terrible things she has witnessed/participated in.  At the same time, she has been forcibly painted as a renowned hero of the Imperium and now finds herself with the unwanted responsibility of being a figure who inspires others to fight and die.  As such, the Shard Simlex finds in Above and Beyond is a shell of her former self, forced to play along as a propaganda figure without doing any real flying.  Despite this, Shard retains all her trademark arrogance and antagonism, and she plays off Simlex perfectly, especially as both characters blame each other for their current lives.  Flowers did an amazing job turning one of his most confident characters into a shattered being, and Shard’s change in personality in Above and Beyond is both moving and understandable.  While Shard tries to be as unlikable and hostile as possible, there is always a sense of loss and despair around her that ensures you are committed to finding out her story.  Combine that with her still excellent piloting abilities and Shard is such an outstanding alternate protagonist to Simlex, and I really appreciate the intense character work that Flowers puts into her.

Aside from Simlex and Shard, Above and Beyond is loaded up with other complex and intriguing characters, whose intense and unique contributions to the plot are quite impressive.  This includes Flight Sergeant Plient, who previously appeared in Outgunned.  Shard’s loyal mechanic and confidant, and one of Simlex’s only friends, Plient serves as the innocent voice of reason between the two protagonists and is probably the only truly good character in Above and Beyond.  Flowers perfectly reutilised Plient here, and it was fantastic to see how he grounded both the story and the quarrelling main characters.  The easiest character in the book to like, Plient was so damn good, although that should have honestly been a sign of things to come.

I also loved how we got to see more members of the infamous von Shard family.  A mysterious group of siblings who all serve at various levels of the Imperium, the von Shards are all larger-than-life characters who Simlex seem unable to get away from.  This includes the suitably heroic Commissar Tobia von Shard, whose recruitment of Simlex leads to much of the plot.  An ultra-inspiring figure, Commissar von Shard is the complete opposite to his sister in many ways, caring only for duty, honour, and serving the Imperium.  Despite his apparent dogmatic personality, there is a lot of practicality and cunning in the Commissar, which allows him to be even more effective than his office would usually allow.  The other von Shard sibling in this book, Rile von Shard, is a secretive member of the Inquisition, who melded well with his siblings, and I really appreciated the fun, competitive relationships that formed between them.  I did feel that this second von Shard was overshadowed by his unlikely companion, who honestly was one of my favourite figures in the book, although I won’t go into too much detail about him here.  Throw in some truly distinctive Warhammer 40,000 antagonists, including a mysterious xenos pilot was some brilliant monologues and an unhinged master propogandist trying to literally direct the war on Deighton, and Above and Beyond is loaded with exceptional characters, each with their own intriguing and moving arcs.  This is probably Flowers’s best character work yet, and I am so damn keen to see some of these recurring figures again and any future entries to the series.

As with most Warhammer novels, I chose to check out Above and Beyond on audiobook rather than a physical copy.  I personally have so much love for the audiobook format when it comes to Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and the various grimdark elements and over-the-top figures feel so much more enhanced when you have them read out to you.  Above and Beyond was a particularly impressive example of this, as the wonderful audiobook production expertly highlighted all the best bits of this fantastic novel.  I especially enjoyed the return of Phillip Sacramento as narrator, and he did another exceptional job with Above and Beyond.  Sacramento has a very distinctive voice that I felt capture the cynical and complex tone of Above and Beyond perfectly.  His portrayal of Simlex was particularly good, and I loved how he portrayed the protagonist’s emotional range and inbuilt trauma.  I also really enjoyed the voice that Sacramento used for the aeldari characters featured in Above and Beyond, especially for the main antagonist.  Sacramento gave this elusive and ancient character a cruel, arrogant and exceedingly confident voice that honestly reminded me of the Grand Admiral Thrawn from Star Wars.  I felt that this voice perfectly fit the antagonist, and his monologues were so much fun as a result.  With awesome voice work like this, the Above and Beyond audiobook was exceedingly exceptional, and I would strongly recommend it as the best way to enjoy this book, especially as it is so damn easy to power through its near 13-hour runtime.

Denny Flowers continues to showcase why he is one of the best new authors of Warhammer 40,000 fiction with the exceptional novel Above and Beyond.  A highly intelligent and powerful read that expertly builds a moving and exciting story around its damaged protagonists, Above and Beyond is Flowers’s best book yet, and I honestly could not turn away from it.  An addictive read from start to finish, Above and Beyond pulls no punches in showing off the grimdark future of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and you will fall in love with its brilliant characters and entertaining tone.  One of my top books of the year so far, Above and Beyond comes highly recommended, especially to true fans of Warhammer fiction.

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