Tag: Debut

Quick Review – Song of the Samurai by C. A. Parker

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Quick Review3 Comments

Publisher: Running Wild Press (ebook – 7 May 2024)

Series: Standalone

Length: 283 pages

My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

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Intriguing new author C. A. Parker dives into an intriguing area of Japanese history with his debut novel, Song of the Samurai, a fantastic and deeply compelling historical read that I had a wonderful time getting through.

Fans of this blog will know that I have a lot of love for historical fiction, as it was one of the original genres that I started with as a book reviewer, and I still try to enjoy a range of great historical reads whenever I get the chance.  I also have a lot of love for Japanese history due to some amazing personal travels as well as my long-running fandom of the Usagi Yojimbo comics by Stan Sakai.  While there have been some very interesting Japanese historical fiction novels over the years (Child of Vengeance by David Kirk comes to mind), this setting doesn’t get utilised as some other historical backgrounds, which is a real shame when you consider just how awesome and complex the setting truly is.  As such, when I came across Song of the Samurai, I couldn’t pass it up, as it sounded like such an intriguing read.

Plot Synopsis:

Japan, 1745, is a land under the iron grip of the Tokugawa shoguns. Roads are monitored, dissent stifled, and order maintained through blackmail and an extensive network of informers. Amid rumors of rebellion, Kurosawa Kinko– samurai and monk– is expelled in disgrace as the head music instructor of his Zen temple in Nagasaki. He begins an odyssey across Japan, dogged by agents and assassins from an unknown foe. Along his journey, Kinko encounters a compelling cast of merchants, ronin, courtesans, spies, warriors, hermits, and spirits, on a quest to redeem his honor. Inspired by the life of the historical Kurosawa Kinko (1710-1771), master of the shakuhachi flute and founder of the Kinko-ryu school, Song of the Samurai takes the reader on a richly-textured exploration of feudal Japan and the complexities of the human spirit.


Song of the Samurai is the debut novel of C. A. Parker and provides readers with a compelling and fascinating historical adventure that also utilises the author’s personal passions and passes on a heartfelt message about spirituality and self-determination.

The plot of Song of the Samurai is a fictionalised narrative of real-life historical figure Kurosawa Kinko, who is known for his teachings and spiritual journeys to learn the Japanese shakuhachi flute.  Parker reimagines Kinko’s history somewhat by showing him as a young man who undertakes an extended pilgrimage from his original temple in Nagasaki all the way to the capital in Edo.  Banished from his temple due to a romantic scandal, Kinko initially starts the journey in disgrace, but soon embraces his pilgrimage, learning more and more about the people of Japan.  This ended up feeling like a bit of a quest narrative, and Parker throws in some fantastic side stories brought on by the multitude of intriguing and unique supporting characters the protagonist encounters along the way, including bandits, spies, courtesans, peasants, fellow monks and more.

While many of these side storylines don’t last too long, they do weave together into a compelling tapestry of events that aim to enhance Kinko’s personal journey.  There is a particular focus on the spiritual, as Kinko begins to fully appreciate the significance of the shakuhachi and the music that he plays, as well as the many different people who make up the nation of Japan.  I loved the impressive character development that surrounded the protagonist throughout this book, and the growth in spirit and attitude makes for a moving heart to this great narrative.  Parker also works in a compelling recurring storyline about espionage and potential rebellion against the ruling Shogun family, as Kinko finds himself wandering the outskirts of dangerous actions.  This part of the book adds in a little necessary excitement and action, and I think it balanced well with the historical and personal elements of the narrative.  While I did think this espionage element could have been a stronger part of the plot, especially as it gets sidelined several times throughout Song of the Samurai, for the most part this was a particularly engrossing and captivating story, and one that I had had a fun time getting through.

As a huge admirer of Japanese history, I felt that Parker did an exceptional job of capturing the feel and impact of the setting throughout his narrative, and the many, many depictions of Feudal Japan was an impressive part of Song of the Samurai.  Thanks to his wandering protagonist, Parker visits a ton of major cities and towns throughout Japan, and I loved the elaborate descriptions that were featured, especially as the author goes out of his way to cover some of the most intriguing parts of the country.  I personally loved it when Kinko visited locations I have been to, and you can really feel the author’s love for the setting through his writing.  Parker also makes sure to fit in a lot of discussion about key parts of Japanese history and mythology throughout the book, often included as part of a conversation or the protagonist’s thoughts.  While some of these historical inclusions weren’t as organic as they could have been, for the most part I found them to be very fascinating, and they added some excellent context to the locations the protagonist visited.

Unsurprisingly when you consider the title of the book and the author’s passion for the shakuhachi flute, there is a huge focus on music in Song of the Samurai.  The playing of the shakuhachi is a huge part of the protagonist’s identity as a monk and as a man, and the author really tries to capture Kinko’s love of the flute with his excellent writing.  The many, many scenes of Kinko playing his music are some of the best parts of Song of the Samurai, and it allowed the author to showcase the protagonist’s spiritual connection to the music and provide him with new insights into the world around him, especially as he finds music in many different people and locations.  The extended sequence where Kinko spent time learning music from a hermit monk on-top of the mountain was particularly fascinating, and I liked how moving those scenes came across.  I felt that the author did an excellent job of readapting Kurosawa Kinko’s life story in the book by showcasing these early stages of his lifelong mission to collect and understand music, and you will come away from Song of the Samurai with a whole new appreciation for traditional Japanese music.

Overall, I felt that Song of the Samurai was an outstanding and intriguing debut novel from C. A. Parker, and one I was very glad I decided to check out.  Featuring an outstanding historical story that blended great characters with unique locations, Song of the Samurai was an excellent read, and one of the more unique novels of 2024.

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Warhammer 40,000: Deathworlder by Victoria Hayward

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer10 Comments

Warhammer 40,000 - Deathworlder Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 23 April 2024)

Series: Warhammer 40,000

Length: 11 hours and 1 minute

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

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Debuting author Victoria Hayward presents one of the year’s most compelling entries to the Warhammer 40,000 canon, with the outstanding and grim novel, Deathworlder.

I have made no bones about how much love I have for Warhammer 40,000 extended fiction, which honestly features some of the very best media tie-in novels currently being written.  One of the things I particularly love about Warhammer fiction is the sheer range of compelling and impressive authors that are adding to the lore and narrative of this universe.  While a good chunk of the novels come from grizzled veteran Warhammer authors, the Black Library has also been cleverly utilising a range of intriguing new writers to offer fresh stories to the franchise, and some of the best books in recent years have been an author’s very first novel.  In 2023 alone there were several outstanding Warhammer 40,000 novels from first time authors, including The King of the Spoil by Jonathan D. Beer, Creed: Ashes of Cadia by Jude Reid, and Longshot by Rob Young, all of which were among my favourite debuts of the year.

2024 also looks set to a be a good year for authors making their debut through Warhammer fiction, especially when it comes to Deathworlder, the very first novel by exciting new author Victoria Hayward.  Featuring a compelling and exciting plot, Deathworlder has been on my radar for a while, and I ended up grabbing Deathworlder on audiobook as soon as I could.

There are many dangerous foes and deadly enemies stalking the galaxy in the far future, but none are as insidious, destructive and terrifying as the alien menace, the tyranids.  Made up of innumerable biological lifeforms, the tyranids traverse the galaxy, devouring entire planets and adding it to their biomass.  Hundreds of former human planets have fallen to the hivefleets of the tyranids, and the next world to be consumed is the planet of Lazulai.

Once a magnificent planet of beauty and rich resources, Lazulai is currently on the brink of destruction.  The armies of humanity were unable to hold back the invading tyranid hordes, and now the planet has begun to change as it is devoured by the alien lifeforms covering its surface.  Only a few small pockets of resistance remain, including the 903rd Catachan Night Shrikes, who garrison one of the last fortresses still standing.  However, hope remains in the most unlikely of places.

Receiving intelligence about a mysterious piece of archeotech that may hold the key for saving the entire system, Major Wulf Khan is given one final mission to retrieve the technology.  Leading a small mixed squad, Major Khan must use all the innate Catachan skills of infiltration and survival in extreme environments to lead her soldiers through the alien jungles that have sprouted up in the wake of the tyranid advance.  However, while the Catachans might be the best jungle fighters humanity has to offer, they are facing off against an unstoppable foe, capable of adapting to the greatest of obstacles.  Can Khan and her Catachans prove they are the deadliest survivors in the galaxy or will the tyranid horde consume them alongside the last remnants of Lazulai?

Deathworlder was a particularly dark and intense Warhammer 40,000 novel that grabbed my attention from the very beginning.  Hayward came up with a wonderful story that expertly highlighted the opposing Warhammer factions while also making full use of some very strong character work to tell an emotionally charged narrative.

I really liked how Deathworlder’s story unfolded as it proved to be a gritty, character-driven tale of survival.  Starting off by expertly showing the end of the planet setting and the despair being felt by the various protagonists, the story quickly moves along into the main quest, with the Catachan protagonist, Major Wulf Khan, leading a small squad of troops out to recover valuable technology before the planet dies.  The story is primarily split between the perspectives of Khan and the Cadian Lieutenant Kaede Anditz, who joins the squad as a guide towards their final objective.  This leads to an intriguing first half of the book, as the eclectic squadron of protagonists begins their trek towards the objective.  There are some dark and grim moments here, especially as large chunks of the protagonist’s comrades get killed in the lead-up to their mission, and the reader is soon engulfed in the horrifying early stages of the destruction of the planet.

The second half of Deathworlder only gets darker, as the protagonists encounter more and more obstacles on their quest.  I really appreciated how Hayward focused on the alien and human monsters that the protagonists are forced to deal with, and the author ensures that emotions are constantly running hot as the characters encounter worse and worse things.  A particularly powerful moment splits the perspectives of the book even further, while also leading to some very dark experiences.  There are some excellent action set pieces, compelling character moments, and dark examinations of humanity on the edge, through this part of the book, and I honestly found it impossible to put Deathworlder down at times as a result.  Everything leads up to the final sequence as the protagonists encounter even darker surprises and revelations as they attempt to survive.  There are several exceedingly tense moments where you are constantly left wondering if any of the protagonists are going to make it, and I loved how desperate things got.  Hayward ends everything on an intriguing note, and readers will come away very moved by how this great narrative came together.

I felt that Hayward had a great dark tone for Deathworlder that really showcases just how deadly and hopeless parts of the Warhammer 40,000 universe can be.  The focus on characters who had already accepted that they were going to die, as well as the terrible changes that a loss in this universe can result in, gave a particularly intense edge to the book, which I felt made helped it really stand out.  Things get quite dark in Deathworlder, as Hayward really wanted to highlight the terrors of the tyranid, and I honestly got a major horror vibe at times, especially when it came to some particularly gruesome deaths (the field of stuck soldiers still makes me shudder).  While there is plenty of action, tragedy and lore dumps, I felt that the author’s decision to really focus on the book’s unique characters and camaraderie was very clever, and I became really invested due to the exceptional character work.  Deathworlder also proved to be a very strong addition to the Warhammer 40,000 franchise, and Hayward ensures that there is plenty of appeal for both established fans and new readers.  Indeed, I felt that Deathworlder would be a very good entry point into the larger fiction surrounding the Warhammer 40,000 franchise, especially as Hayward’s fresh writing shows just how complex a novel set in this grimdark universe can be.

While Deathworlder would be a good entry point for new readers, established Warhammer 40,000 fans will also get quite a lot out of this book, especially as Hayward expertly highlights two exceptional factions, the Catachans and the tyranids.

Essentially an army of Rambos, the Catachans have been a fan favourite regiment for ages and are always a great inclusion to any narrative.  I have read a few books around the Catachans, including Catachan Devil by Justin Woolley.  These novels, while fun, always tend to focus on the more stereotypical aspects of the Catachans: muscles, jungle craft and big knives.  However, Hayward takes a bit more of nuanced look at the Catachans in Deathworlder, showing them to be a complicated group of soldiers who fall back on the hard-talking jungle killer personas when the going gets tough.  While one very fun character does live up to the stereotype, primarily for comedic effect, for the most part the Catachans are shown as practical survivors, who in this book, are at the end of their tethers.  As such, you see a much more compelling side to the Catachans, and it was fascinating to see how complex the members of the regiment are, as well as how damaged they are by the constant fighting and slaughter.  The author’s use of alternative perspectives allows the readers to see the Catachans in various lights, both from within their own minds, and through the eyes of the Cadian Lieutenant Kaede Anditz, who grows to respect their culture and methods as the book continues.  I really appreciated this more realistic and grounded look at the Catachans in Deathworlder, and Hayward really showcased her ability to portray an iconic human regiment.

While the Catachans get a lot of the focus, you also really need to highlight the tyranids in Deathworlder, who serve as an outstanding antagonist.  While I have enjoyed a few great books where the tyranids were terrifying monsters, including Day of Ascension by Adrian Tchaikovsky, Leviathan by Darius Hinks and Duty Calls by Sandy Mitchell, Deathworlder might be one of the best portrayals of the tyranids that I have so far read.  That is primarily because Hayward’s story is set on a world already being devoured by the tyranids.  The resulting scenes of destruction, despair and digestion prove to be quite horrific, and few writers have really captured just how disturbing this scenario would be.  I felt the various scenes where the protagonists, who themselves are being slowly digested by falling spores, encounter the continuous horrors of the dying world, were so damn good.  The human experience with these horrors is a key part of Deathworlders appeal, and the despairing reactions from both the hardened soldier protagonists, as well as civilians they encounter along the way, really sells just how horrifying the situation truly is.  Even the more typical tyranid threat is well represented in Deathworlder.  The author really captures the fear associated with hordes of ravenous, chitinous aliens as they overrun simple soldiers.  While the tyranids are occasionally depowered by the protagonist’s plot armour, for the most part they are outstanding monsters, and the constant threat they could suddenly represent, proves to be a fantastic part of the novel.  As such, fans who love tyranids are in for a real treat with Deathworlder, and seldom are they a better monstrous villain than in this book.

I cannot write my review of Deathworlder without once again mentioning the impressive characters featured within this book.  Hayward excelled at introducing and exploring complex and damaged protagonists, and their very human, very determined actions, prove to be the true heart and soul of the narrative.  You go through a lot with these characters, and their overwhelming humanity in the face of continuous horrors and loss makes for a very powerful read.  There are some great characters here, including main protagonist Major Wulf Khan, a grizzled Catachan fighter who finds her desire to complete the mission constantly challenged by the losses of those around her.  Her trusted orderly, Sergeant Rutger Haruto, proves to be an excellent backup, especially as his constant curiosity and sensible nature helps to keep his commander in check.  Alternate point-of-view character Lieutenant Kaede Anditz is another excellent addition to the cast, and I think that his unique perspective of the Catachans he suddenly finds himself serving with ensured that their compelling portrayal in Deathworlder really came through.  Anditz is also going through a lot of trauma, especially after witnessing the slaughter of every Cadian soldier on Lazulai, and Hayward really ensures that his guilt and horror really shine through in his chapters.

While the characters above are great, my favourite was probably Trooper Falke Adair.  A muscled Catachan with a heavy flamer, Adair is essentially a walking Catachan stereotype, something she really acts up as the book continues.  Crass, disrespectful and always looking for a fight, Adair steals any scene she becomes a part of, and her over-the-top mannerisms and actions are very entertaining.  However, as the book continues, and characters, particularly Anditz, get closer to her, you see that much of her bravado is a front, and she proves to be one of the most complex figures in the entire novel.

I also must highlight the brilliant character of Lamya.  A Genestealer Cult propagandist, Lamya is captured at the start of the novel and dragged along by the squad for her knowledge.  An arrogant and slightly unhinged noble turned tyranid-worshipping stooge, Lamya plays off the other characters perfectly, and her distain for those around her is so much fun.  However, the more they traverse Lazulai, the more Lamya comes face to face with the horrors that her cult helped to bring to her planet.  Caught between her own beliefs and the horrors she witnesses, Lamya goes quite insane as the book continues, while also providing some of the most compelling perspective of events in the entire novel.  Throw in a scheming Tech Priest and a silent Catachan sniper, and this proves to be an outstanding cast of main characters that you really grow attached to as you watch their intense personal and physical journey.

Unsurprisingly, I chose to check out Deathworlder on audiobook, which is just the best way to enjoy a Warhammer novel.  This was very much the case with Deathworlder, and I loved how effectively and vividly the story came across as it was being read out to me.  The exciting action, captivating characters, and horrendous horrors of the narrative really came to life, especially when read out by talented narrator Gabrielle Nellis-Pain, whose work on The King of the Spoil audiobook last year was very fun.  Nellis-Pain did another outstanding job with Deathworlder, and I love how effectively she told Hayward’s elaborate story.  I particularly enjoyed the excellent voices she gifted to the various characters within Deathworlder, and she very effectively captured the cool protagonists in all their martial glory.  This was particularly true for the over-the-top Catachan protagonists, and you could really visualise the muscular characters as she narrated.  Nellis-Pain also ensured that appropriate alternate accents were given to characters from other human factions, such as the Cadians or the Adeptus Mechanicus, and I particularly enjoyed how well the narrator expressed the mechanical nature of the latter.  I honestly believe that this book wouldn’t have been as impactful if I had physically read it, and I strongly recommend the audiobook version as a result.  Coming in with a run time of 11 hours, Deathworlder was so much fun to listen to, and you can power through it in no time at all.

With her very first novel, Deathworlder, debuting author Victoria Hayward shows she is a writing force to be a reckoned with, especially when it comes to Warhammer fiction.  Deathworlder was an outstanding Warhammer 40,000 novel that features a truly dark and intense narrative, loaded with great characters and compelling depictions of Warhammer universe.  An exceptional read from start to finish, I cannot talk this novel up enough, and I am really intrigued to see how Hayward follows up her amazing debut.

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The Silverblood Promise by James Logan

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy13 Comments

The Silverblood Promise Cover

Publisher: Arcardia (Trade Paperback – 30 April 2024)

Series: The Last Legacy – Book One

Length: 595 pages

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

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Promising new author James Logan presents an epic fantasy debut in the form of The Silverblood Promise, the first entry in his planned The Last Legacy series, and one of my most anticipated books of 2024.

Lukan Gardova, the disgraced heir of a noble family, is a man who has lost everything following a duel that ended tragically.  Forced to drop out of his prestigious academy and abandoned by his family, Lukan travels the wild edges of the world, gambling, drinking, and seeking what adventure he can.  Despite his malaise and despair, Lukan is still shaken when he is informed that his estranged father has been murdered by mysterious assassins.

Armed with fresh purpose and a determination to find out who was responsible for his father’s death, Lukan follows the only clue he has, a note his dying father wrote in his own blood.  The names it contains lead him to Saphrona, an old and prosperous city ruled by merchant princes where everything can be bought.  Filled with rogues, scoundrels, thieves, and miscreants, Saphrona seems an unlikely place to find his reclusive, academic father’s killers.

Engaging in an exhaustive search throughout Saphrona, Lukan discovers that the answers he seeks lie with one of the city’s merchant princes.  Unfortunately, they have been condemned to death for the murder of another merchant prince, and if Lukan wants the information they have, he will first have to prove their innocence.  Working with an unlikely group of criminal acquaintances, Lukan follows the few clues surrounding the merchant prince’s unusual murder.  But the further he digs, the more danger he finds himself in.  There is a deadly conspiracy at work in Saphrona, one that seeks to undermine everything the city stands for.  Forced to contend with desperate nobles, deadly criminals, and dangerous forces beyond his comprehension, Lukan fights to keep his promise and find the truth behind his father’s murder.

Wow, now this was an awesome debut from Logan and one that I was really glad I got the chance to read.  The Silverblood Promise has been on my radar for a while, and Logan did not disappoint with its excellent and exciting story, which is loaded with action, intrigue, cool fantasy elements and some great characters.  Entertaining and fast-paced, The Silverblood Promise was an absolute joy to read, and I had an amazing time getting through it.

The Silverblood Promise has a deeply compelling narrative behind it that kept drawing me in with its intrigue, revelations and exciting adventure.  While this is a lengthy novel, I honestly powered through it as it proved very easy to get caught up in the story.  Logan maintains a very fast pace the entire way through The Silverblood Promise, and I enjoyed the mixture of action, character development and unique fantasy inclusions that the reader is treated to.  Starting off with a strong introduction that effectively showcases the protagonist and his current situation, the reader is quickly thrust into the main background city of Saphrona, which proves to be a fantastic setting.  Able to quickly interpret his one clue, the protagonist works with several connected figures to try and contact the person his father sent him after.  What follows is a series of interlocking quests as Lukan must befriend a master forger, mastermind a break-in to a notorious prison, and then discover who set up one of the city’s leaders for murder.  This results in a constant stream of adventures as Lukan jumps from one hurdle to the next, uncovering dark secrets about the city, and making unlikely friends.

The revelations about the true villain of the story occurs about two-thirds of the way through The Silverblood Promise, and while it isn’t too surprising, their methods and motivations are, especially as they reveal some interesting figures to the story.  Forced to go up against some big fish, Lukan is caught up in their power play, which adds a lot of chaos to the narrative, and must desperately come up with a plan to fight back.  The resulting carnage and confrontations are well handled, and I loved the great combinations of intrigue, battles and clever ploys that brought everything together.  All the action within The Silverblood Promise is sharp and well written, and you get drawn into the many confrontations and battles of wits that emerge.  Logan proved very able at hiding hints about the big bad’s schemes throughout much of the plot, and it was fun to see it all come together.  I had such a great time with this impressive story, and I ended up reading the last 300 pages of the book in less than a day, it was that damn good.  The reader comes away both satisfied and wanting more, which is lucky as it is clear Logan has some big plans for the series, with the adventure set to continue.

I felt that Logan came up with an excellent fantasy setting for The Silverblood Promise, and I really enjoyed how he utilised the new world throughout his plot.  Filled with magic, adventurers, complex cities, mysterious interdimensional beings, and powerful artefacts from long-lost advanced races, there is so much for the reader to enjoy here, especially when hints about far greater hidden powers are also included.  While a couple of the fantasy elements in The Silverblood Promise are a little derivative of other fantasy works, I personally didn’t mind, mainly because Logan makes them his own and they fit nicely into the fast and intense narrative of The Silverblood Promise.

While I loved the new fantasy world as a whole, the setting highlight of this book is the city of Saphrona, where most of the plot is set.  Saphrona proves to be a complex and compelling trade city ruled by merchant princes and filled with dangerous commerce, criminal enterprises, alien structures, unlikely monsters, and all manner of political intricacies and plots.  Readers will really enjoy unwinding the various elements of this city and it proved to be fun watching the protagonist explore Saphrona and attempt to find answers and stop a major disaster unfold.  In a way Saphrona becomes a character in its own right as the book progresses, and I really appreciated how effectively Logan introduced the reader to the setting and inserted the story in its survival and underlying politics.  Logan also ensured that readers got a good deal of information about some of the other locations outside of Saphrona, which are likely to become relevant to the plot in future books of the series.  While a of map of the continent or Saphrona would have been appreciated, readers come away with a great sense of the world and will be interested in seeing more stories within it.  Indeed, it looks like Logan plans to set each of The Last Legacy books in a different city of the world, and I for one am very excited to see what other memorable locations Logan will come up with.

I also really need to highlight the fun and memorable characters who were featured throughout The Silverblood Promise.  Logan did a great job pulling together an intriguing and often outrageous cast for his first book, and I loved some of the awesome storylines that emerged.  Most of the focus revolves around protagonist and primary point-of-view character, Lukan Gardova, a former noble turned roguish adventurer who finds himself way over his head in Saphrona.  Lukan is a great central figure for this book, and he brings a lot of emotion to the story due to his disastrous past and determination to find his father’s killer.  I felt that Logan provided just the right amount tragic history for his protagonist to enhance the dramatic tone of the book, and the character’s frustrations at the dangerous tasks he finds himself involved with, as well as his own stubborn need to move forward, were very relatable.  Lukan also provides a fun scoundrel vibe to the plot at times, and it was interesting to see his cynical perspective on events throughout the book.  I liked how Logan set Lukan up as a newcomer to the main setting of Saphrona, as this allowed the reader to see the city fresh through the eyes of someone unfamiliar with it, which enhanced the majesty, strangeness and cruelty of the setting.  As such, I felt that Lukan was an excellent central protagonist, and I look forward to seeing how his story evolves in the future, especially as there are many more secrets around his family that need to be revealed, and other character elements that need to be expanded upon.

Aside from Lukan, The Silverblood Promise features an interesting array of fun figures, the majority of whom are locals to Saphrona.  I loved all the unique characters that emerged, especially as Lukan is forced to deal with killers, scheming nobles, a mysterious forger, a blind beggar with way too much knowledge, an unlikely crime lord and a notorious band of mercenaries that Lukan is forced to alternatively fight or make deals with.  One of the most distinctive characters is an infamous thief who joins the main cast late in the story, but who proves to be a fantastic addition thanks to her skills, kindness and pragmatism.  However, my favourite character would have to be the young street urchin and pickpocket, Flea, who forms an unlikely partnership with Lukan early in the story.  Hired by Lukan to help him around the city, Flea proves to be an invaluable ally, despite her age, and works to keep her benefactor alive against all manner of dangers.  Bold, curious and utterly unflappable, Flea is a highly entertaining figure, especially as she keeps jumping into danger while also proving to be far wiser than Lukan.  Flea and Lukan serve as fun contrasts to each other, and I liked their entertaining banter and the touching bond they form throughout the course of the book.  This fantastic partnership really helped to make The Silverblood Promise that much more special, and all the characters featured within this book were really well written and cleverly featured.

Overall, The Silverblood Promise is an excellent and exciting fantasy novel that had me hooked the entire way through.  Intense, compelling and wildly entertaining, The Silverblood Promise was very awesome, and James Logan did wonders with his debut novel.  I will definitely be grabbing the eventual sequel to The Silverblood Promise when it comes out, and I cannot wait to see how this adventure continues and how Logan develops as an author.

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Quick Review – Hollywood Hustle by Jon Lindstrom

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Quick Review, Thriller2 Comments

Hollywood Hustle Cover

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books (ebook – 6 February 2024)

Series: Standalone/Book One

Length: 261 pages

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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I was recently lucky enough to receive an early copy of the intriguing thriller debut, Hollywood Hustle.  Written by actor Jon Lindstrom, who has appeared in quite a few crime fiction shows and films himself, Hollywood Hustle had a cool story about the price of fame and the dark side of Hollywood which I really liked the sound of.

Plot Synopsis:

Winston Greene, a has-been film star, wakes one morning to find his six-year-old granddaughter at his bedside—traumatized, unattended, and gripping onto a thumb drive. She comes bearing video proof that her mother, Win’s troubled adult daughter, has been kidnapped by a murderous gang demanding all his “movie money” for her safe return. But what they don’t know is…his movie money is long gone.

Unable to go to the police for fear the kidnappers will make good on their promise to kill his daughter, Winston turns to two close friends—a legendary Hollywood stuntman and a disgraced former LAPD detective.

There’s no easy way out for Winston or his daughter—the gang is violent and willing to do anything to get the money they’re after, and Winston begins to realize that to get his daughter back, he’ll have to beat the kidnappers at their own game.

This propulsive and tense thriller will transport readers to the seedier side of LA, depicted in bold prose by a Hollywood insider.


Hollywood Hustle ended up being a fun first book from Lindstrom, which takes the reader on an exiting and fast-paced adventure through a dark Hollywood kidnapping.  Lindstrom starts things off quickly, with the readers given an effective introduction to the main character, fading actor Winston Greene, and the unthinkable scenario he finds himself in.  After an initial focus on Greene, the author branches out the focus of the story, splitting the perspective between various characters, including Greene, his two loyal friends, the kidnappers, and more, to create a wonderful and highly entertaining narrative.

Much of the story follows Greene, as he is forced to try and raise cash he doesn’t have to secure his daughter’s release.  While he goes about that, you get to see what the kidnappers are up to, as their botched operation quickly comes undone in several different ways.  At the same time, one of Greene’s friends begins an investigation into the case, while a nosey tabloid journalist tries to scoop up dirt on the troubled actor.  These various storylines all come crashing together, and I liked how well Lindstrom was able to tell a cohesive tale while also focusing on his characters.  I did find that some of the dialogue was a little weak in places, and the story did get a little derivative at times, but this was mostly a great read.  I especially enjoyed how Lindstrom took the plot in some surprising and unpredictable directions, and several over-the-top deaths really spiced things up.  While I didn’t love one plot twist at the end that relied on an overused writing cliché, I ended up having a lot of fun with this cool story, and I managed to finish it off in only a couple of days.

I really enjoyed Hollywood Hustles’ great story, and there were some excellent writing elements that helped it stand out.  Lindstrom set a great pace for the entire book, and I appreciated how he got right down to business.  I felt the entire story flowed efficiently and effectively, and he didn’t make the story overstay its welcome, finishing it off at just the right time.  Splitting the perspective chapters between the various characters involved in the plot also worked well, as you quickly get multiple eyes on the dangerous unfolding situation.  I liked the great mixture of distinctive character perspectives that emerged, and the slow-burn introduction of the three kidnappers was pretty awesome, especially as they all have compelling individual backstories, and it quickly becomes apparent that none of them are natural team players.  Honestly these three antagonists proved to be a major highlight of the entire story, and their dysfunctional relationship, over-the-top actions, and well-crafted pasts that examine interesting, failed takes on the American dream increased my enjoyment of the entire book.

However, most of Lindstrom’s character work revolves around protagonist Winston Greene, who serves as the heart and soul of the book.  A formerly famous actor who has reached has-been status and now only works bit gigs, Greene is a character with many parallels in real life, which makes his story even more relatable.  Initially shown to be a flawed but caring man, Lindstrom slowly reveals several of his darker demons, including the price he paid for fame, his battle with alcoholism, his struggles being a father and husband, and the guilt he harbours for his past mistakes.  Lindstrom builds in a very good narrative about Greene trying to redeem himself throughout the course of Hollywood Hustle, especially when it comes to his daughter and granddaughter, and you really find yourself pulling for him as a result.  The author also uses Greene’s character to help highlight the many negatives involved with a Hollywood career, which adds an interesting and personal edge to much of the plot.  The protagonist’s cynical views of the acting scene, especially after a complicated and currently expired movie career, make for a great inclusion, and I personally loved the fun fictional movie quotes attributed to Greene that are scattered throughout the novel.  Greene really felt like a character that Lindstrom was pouring himself into, and I deeply appreciated how compelling and powerful his story got at times.

Overall, I quite liked Hollywood Hustle, and I felt that it was a good, solid debut from this interesting author.  While Jon Lindstrom has some growing to do as a writer, this was an excellent first effort, especially when it comes to creating great characters, and I hope we see some more entertaining books from Lindstrom in the future.

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Top Ten Tuesday – My Favourite Debuts of 2023

On By The Unseen LibraryIn List20 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers sharing lists on various book topics. The official topic for this week involved Bookish Goals for 2024 which, while interesting, isn’t something I plan to contribute to.  Instead, I am going to be continuing listing some of my favourite books of 2023 (make sure to check out my previous lists that highlight my favourite sequels, audiobooks, pre-2023 novels, new-to-me authors in 2023, and favourite books of 2023), by examining my favourite debuts released in 2023.

2023 was an awesome year for debuts as there were an excellent array of new authors releasing some impressive and entertaining first novels which I was lucky enough to receive.  I always love checking out new authors when they produce their first book or dive into a whole new genre, and I was blown away with some of the debut talent on display this year.  As such, I am glad that I can highlight some of the absolute best of these releases in this Top Ten list.

To be eligible for this list, the book had to be a 2023 release that was either the author’s first novel ever, or a novel that was different from an author’s previous work (their debut in the genre).  I didn’t end up reading as many debuts in 2023 as I did in previous years, but I was still able to pull together a full list of 10 books.  I am pretty happy with the results, and I feel captures my favourite debuts of the year and highlights them accordingly.  So, let us see what made the cut.

Top Ten List:

The King of the Spoil by Jonathan D. Beer

The King of the Spoil Cover

The Warhammer 40,000 franchise had a strong year when it came to fiction, and I was very happy to see that the franchise gave several impressive new authors the opportunity to write their first novel ever.  I read several of these intriguing debuts last year and the first one I’m going to highlight here is The King of the Spoil by Jonathan D. Beer, Beer’s first full-length novel.  A compelling, entertaining and amazing novel in the Warhammer Crime sub-series, The King of the Spoil showcases the fallout following the assassination of a major gang lord in a massive, crime ridden city.  An extremely epic and very fun debut that comes highly recommended.

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Headland by John Byrnes

Headland Cover

A great Australian crime fiction debut that sees three cops trapped in a flooding town, while a killer hunts them.

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How to Kill a Client by Joanna Jenkins

How to Kill a Client Cover

An impressive legal thriller from new Australian author Joanna Jenkins.  How to Kill a Client followed several members of a prestigious Australian law firm after one of their most important, and unpleasant, clients, is murdered and the lawyers become potential suspects.  Witty, gripping, and extremely addictive.

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Ashes of Cadia by Jude Reid

Creed - Ashes of Cadia Cover 2

After writing several Warhammer 40,000 short stories and novellas, Jude Reid released her first full-length novel in 2023 with Ashes of Cadia.  Forcing a complex protagonist to return to the desolate ruins of her home planets, years after her legendary father lost it in battle, Ashes of Cadia was a moving and dark novel that had me hooked from the very beginning.

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Deadly Game by Michael Caine

Deadly Game Cover

Legendary actor Michael Caine begins his writing career in his 90s with this fun and over-the-top thriller about a maverick London police officer hunting for stolen nuclear material.

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Judgement Day by Mali Waugh

Judgement Day Cover

A gripping Australian murder mystery that saw a damaged detective attempt to solve the sinister murder of a family court judge who was killed in her own chambers.  One of the best pieces of Australian fiction all year and a top debut that comes very highly recommended.

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Longshot by Rob Young

Longshot Cover

The last Warhammer 40,000 novel I am going to feature on this list is Longshot.  The debut novel of impressive new author Rob Young, Longshot follows a veteran sniper as she attempts to overwhelm an advanced alien force while also dealing with the prejudices of her own comrades.

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Echo Lake by Joan Sauers

Echo Laker Cover

A fun and entertaining cozy crime fiction read that makes good use of the local Australian scenery.  A favourite debut of mine in 2023, especially as Sauers expertly featured several nearby towns I am very familiar with.

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The Interpreter by Brooke Robinson

The Interpreter Cover

A unique and intriguing debut from Australian author Brooke Robinson that followed a court interpreter in London who begins to twist her translations to put people she thinks are guilty away.  However, when someone catches on to what she is doing, she finds her entire life spiralling around her.  An excellent and compelling debut from a great new author.

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The Girl from London by Olivia Spooner

The Girl From London Cover

The final debut on this list is The Girl from London by Olivia Spooner, a fantastic and intense historical drama.  While Spooner has written a couple of books before, The Girl from London was her first historical novel, and I enjoyed her unique World War II story that cleverly retold the story of a civilian ship destroyed by the Nazis off the coast of New Zealand.  An outstanding book, I hope Spooner writes more historical books in the future.

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Well, that is the end of this list.  As you can, there were some incredible debut novels that came out this year and I had a blast getting through all of them.  Each of the above debuts are really worth checking out, and I had an amazing time exploring these talented authors’ first forays into fiction.  I am really excited to see what these authors produce next, and I have a feeling that quite a few are going to become major names in their genres.  I am also excited to see what amazing debuts come out in 2024, and I have already enjoyed my first debut from this year with Argylle by Elly Conway.  Make sure to check back this time next year to see what debuts from 2024 are the best from this year.

Warhammer 40,000: Creed: Ashes of Cadia by Jude Reid

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer10 Comments

Creed - Ashes of Cadia Cover 2

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 9 September 2023)

Series: Warhammer 40,000

Length: 14 hours and 36 minutes

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Exciting new Warhammer 40,000 author Jude Reid presents an action-packed and captivating novel that takes the reader to one of the most desolate places in the franchise’s universe, the ruins of Cadia, with the exciting novel Creed: Ashes of Cadia.

Last year proved to be an outstanding year for new authors producing their first Warhammer 40,000 novel, with several highly talented authors, such as Rob Young (Longshot) and Jonathan D. Beer (The King of the Spoil), producing amazing and intense reads in this fantastic universe.  One of the most interesting of these 2023 Warhammer 40,000 debuts was the impressive and captivating Creed: Ashes of Cadia by new author Jude Reid.  Reid’s first full novel after writing multiple Warhammer 40,000 short stories, Ashes of Cadia takes the reader on an epic journey with a new major protagonist.

Years after the fall of Cadia to the dread forces of Chaos, the Imperium of Man is still reeling from the carnage wrought in its aftermath which saw a massive warp rift cleave their besieged intergalactic realm in two.  Led by the returned Primarch Roboute Guilliman, humanity fights back as best it can in a great crusade, but its victories are never enough.  When word reaches Guilliman of a potential weapon on the most unlikely of locations, desperation requires him to investigate, and there is only one person he can call on for this dangerous mission.

After continually proving herself on the field of battle, Ursula Creed has succeeded her father, Ursarkar E. Creed, in becoming the new lord castellan of Cadia.  Leading the remaining Cadian forces in the Imperium, Ursula hopes to erase the stain of her legendary father’s great defeat, however, she can never seem to leave behind his complicated legacy.  When summoned by Guilliman for a secret mission, Creed is shocked to discover that she is being sent back to one place she never thought to return to, the shattered remains of Cadia.

Accompanied by a select team of Cadians with an unusual mixture of skills and experience, Ursula is sent to the surface to recover her father’s final battle plans and the secret weapons they supposedly lead to.  However, the surface of Cadia is a blasted wasteland, filled with foul energies and unnatural magic that causes even the dead to attack the invaders.  Left without support and hopelessly outnumbered, Ursula must lead her unprepared followers onwards in the hope of securing the prize.  But terrible evils lay claim to the remnants of Cadia, and Ursula will be forced to confront both the forces of Chaos and her own inescapable legacy as the daughter of Creed if she wants to survive.  Can Ursula succeed where her father failed and redeem Cadia, or is she already lost?

Reid had a very ambitious story idea for Ashes of Cadia, in that she needed to provide a human solider focused, character-driven adventure narrative that simultaneously examined the complex legacy of the Cadians in a new way, while also providing the reader with an intense and action-packed read.  Reid more than succeeded, as Ashes of Cadia takes the reader back to Cadia, one of the most significant landscapes in the Warhammer 40,000 universe and puts several intriguing and damaged protagonists through absolute hell.

Starting off a little slow to establish the main cast, remind people about the Cadian legacy, and set up the mission, Ashes of Cadia doesn’t really speed up until the protagonists land on shattered Cadia, and naturally all hell breaks loose.  The protagonists essentially find themselves thrust into a zombie apocalypse scenario, as a sorcerer attacks with a horde of living dead and decimates the protagonist’s team, leaving them trapped on the planet.  The disparate band of damaged and disillusioned survivors are forced to journey across the ravished planet to find either an escape or the rumoured secret weapon, encountering all manner of horrors, tragedy and continuous losses of supporting characters, all the while being hunted.  At the same time, the cast become more and more disheartened and internal conflicts seek to fracture them in a range of emotionally charged scenes.  This harsh adventure takes them to several key places on the ruins of the planet, as they get closer to their various personal goals.  There are some interesting false starts and twists, as well as some heartbreaking scenes, and you are constantly on edge, especially as a new danger of betrayal might emerge just around the corner.  I liked the reveal of Creed’s treasure in the novel, especially as it has some interesting potential consequences for the future of the Cadians, and the use of Creed’s daughter as a protagonist was a smart choice.  While I did see the big twist of the book regarding a certain traitor coming, it was still really well written, and I loved how Reid tried to misdirect with multiple bloody red herrings.  Everything leads up to a big, brutal, and over-the-top final confrontation, the sees the survivors redeemed in various ways, and it ended up being a fantastic and powerful piece of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.

Reid wrote a very intense and personal novel here with Ashes of Cadia, and I really enjoyed her captivating writing style.  Expertly splitting the focus of the book between several complex and unconventional soldiers with their own individual baggage, Ashes of Cadia becomes a much more emotionally charged novel than I was expecting, but the result was an impressive read, especially as you quickly get invested in the various character arcs.  However, Reid is no slouch when it comes to the action, as the many combat sequences are sharp and brutal, keeping you on your toes as any of your favourite figures can quickly fall.  While the pace of Ashes of Cadia does slow a bit at the beginning and in the middle, for the most part Reid keeps her novel moving along, and I had a hard time putting it down as a result.  I especially loved how well Reid portrayed the fallen planet of Cadia throughout this novel, especially as she really laid out the horrors and dangers associated with this planet.  Fans of Warhammer 40,000 fiction who know this planet well will be shocked by how disturbing and different it turns out, and I loved that we finally got an adventure in the ruins.  A brilliant and exceptionally written novel, you will have a lot of fun with this book.

As I have mentioned a few times in this review, Ashes of Cadia is a significant piece of Warhammer 40,000 fiction, mainly because it provides a continuation to a lot of the major story elements that have been a big part of the franchises fiction since the lore changes surrounding the fall of Cadia.  Quite a bit of in-universe time has taken place since that event, and most of the recently released Warhammer fiction focuses on how the loss of the planet effected the Imperium and the many Cadian soldiers fighting throughout it.  If followed through, the events of Ashes of Cadia are going to give these Cadian characters and stories new purpose, and I loved that we also have new Creed character to follow in Ursula.  Reid does an excellent job of building up to these reveals, and there was another interesting look at how traumatised and demoralised the Cadians are, which really fit into the plot of this book.  There are also a lot of references to other novels and events from the lore that fans of the franchise will appreciate, and I personally liked how it had some connections to another Warhammer 40,000 novel from last year, The Fall of Cadia by Robert Rath (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2023).  As such, Ashes of Cadia is probably best enjoyed by those established fans of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, especially those who have enjoyed the recent influx in Cadian fiction.  However, there is still a lot for newer readers to the franchise to enjoy, especially as Reid does a wonderful job of explaining the key lore elements that lead up to this story.  General fans of adventure, science fiction and even horror, can have a lot of fun with Ashes of Cadia, and this turned into quite an intense and bloody war narrative.

Easily the most distinctive part of Ashes of Cadia is the complex and damaged cast of characters that make up the main cast.  Reid produced some unique figures for this impressive narrative, and their individual stories, as well as the general despair of the Cadian trooper following the loss of their planet, proves to be a major driving point in the plot, and I really enjoyed seeing the various character arcs unfold.

Ashes of Cadia’s story had three primary point of characters, and Reid did a pretty good job of jumping the story around them, showcasing each of their unique and well-written storylines.  The most prominent of these is the titular Ursula creed, the current lord castellan of the lost planet of Cadia.  The daughter of the beloved Cadian leader who lost the planet before disappearing, Ursula has big boots to fill, especially as she is resentful for her father’s legacy and the fact she barely knew him.  The resulting insecurities, responsibilities and bitterness play a huge part in her character arc, and watching her walk in the steps of her father and attempt to become the leader he was proved to be a great part of the plot.

The next major character, Shael Laskari, adds a more general viewpoint to the story as a recently graduated cadet who is chosen to accompany Creed to the surface for propaganda reasons.  Inexperienced and fearful, Laskari is the everywoman of Ashes of Cadia, and it proved interesting to see her deal with the unknown horrors of the planet while also trying to find her courage in her squad.  Reid also does an exceptional job with the unique character of Mac Ossian.  A former medic and member of a Cadian regiment, Ossian was assigned to a penal legion after killing his former commander, and now finds himself back on Cadia as part an expendable distraction.  Managing to meet up with Creed’s unit, Ossian spends much of the book trying to prove his loyalty and worth, while also wondering if Creed and Cadia still deserves his surface.

These central characters are accompanied by several fantastic supporting cast members, several of which have their own exceptional character arcs.  I personally really enjoyed Colonel Hadrian Aurelius Van Haast, who serves as a guide with local knowledge of the area.  Van Haast is a stupendously arrogant figure, who you can’t help but dislike, and he added a fantastic dynamic to the cast.  However, this arrogance is a cover for a much darker secret, which Reid slowly and expertly reveals as the book continues.  I also must highlight Ossian’s fellow penal legionnaire Liga Yager, another prisoner who tries to survive after being dropped on Cadia to die.  Due to her much more cynical perception of Creed and the Cadians, as well as her compelling backstory, Yager goes on a very different path than Ossian, and proved to be a devil on his shoulder that speaks some much-needed truth.  Finally, I loved the villain of the story, the Death Guard sorcerer, Livor Opilionis, who is mostly called The Huntsman throughout the book.  The Huntsman is a gloriously sinister and dangerous foe, who relentlessly hunts them throughout the ruins of Cadia, heralded by his hunting horn and packs of plague zombies, and the confrontations the protagonists have with him always leads to carnage.  This outstanding cast of characters, and more, really turned Ashes of Cadia into an amazing novel, and I loved the brilliant character arcs that Reid developed around them.

As with most Warhammer 40,000 books I check out, I made sure to grab Ashes of Cadia on audiobook.  The Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks are always pretty damn awesome, and I love how much the action, horror and unique setting came through in this format.  Coming in with a decent runtime of just over 14 and a half hours, Ashes of Cadia was a very easy book to listen to, and I managed to knock it off quickly.  It helped that Ashes of Cadia was narrated by the superbly talented Colleen Prendergast, who is swiftly becoming the go-to narrator of Warhammer 40,000 audiobooks with female Cadian protagonists.  Prendergast has a great and intense voice for Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and I love how well she was able to move the plot along.  She also provides a series of great and fitting voices for the cast of this book, especially the female characters.  I loved how dignified and complex she made some of these characters, as well as how monstrous and threatening the main antagonist sounded in his terrifying scenes.  As such, Ashes of Cadia was an absolute joy to listen to and I would strongly recommend this audiobook version to anyone interested in this fantastic piece of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.

Creed: Ashes of Cadia was a fantastic, dark and captivating novel from Jude Reid, who produce an impressive debut with some intriguing potential for the wider Warhammer 40,000 universe.  Loaded with action, intrigue and several complex characters, Creed: Ashes of Cadia was an excellent read that cleverly ties into the history and existing lore of this complex and highly fun franchise.  Intense, moving, and oh so brutal, Ashes of Cadia comes highly recommended, especially for fans of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.

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Quick Review – Deadly Game by Michael Caine

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Quick Review, Thriller1 Comment

Deadly Game Cover

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (Trade Paperback – 28 November 2023)

Series: Standalone/Book One

Length: 327 pages

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Legendary actor Sir Michael Caine presents his debut novel, the fun and ultra-exciting thriller, Deadly Game, which follows a maverick cop investigating a case with world-changing implications.

I’m sure I’m not the only person who was surprised when they saw that Michael Caine was releasing a novel in late 2023.  While I absolutely love Michael Caine as an actor, I didn’t realise he had any aspirations as an author, so Deadly Game was easily one of the more interesting releases of last year.  As I am a fan of unusual thrillers, I naturally had to get my hands on a copy of this book, especially as it had an interesting plot behind it.  While I was mainly intrigued by its author, Deadly Game proved to be a wonderful and compelling book that I had a great time reading.

Plot synopsis:

DCI Harry Taylor has no respect for red tape or political reputations – but he’s great at catching criminals.

And all his unorthodox skills will be needed as an extraordinary situation unfolds on his a metal box of radioactive material is found at a dump in Stepney, East London, but before the police can arrive it is stolen in a violent raid.

With security agencies across the world on red alert, it’s Harry and his unconventional team from the Met who must hit the streets in search of a lead. They soon have two wildly different suspects, aristocratic art dealer Julian Smythe in London and oligarch Vladimir Voldrev in Barbados. But the pressure is on. How much time does Harry have, and how many more players will join the action, before the missing uranium is lighting up the sky?

Caine had an interesting story idea for Deadly Game that I think worked quite well.  The mysterious and violently taken radioactive material amps the stakes of the book right off the bat, and it perfectly sets up the story about DCI Harry Taylor’s team being let off the leash to hunt down the material without any oversight or restrictions.  The early goings of this story are a lot of fun, and I liked the build-up of different villains who might be involved in the theft.  The book got particularly fun when Caine introduced the two rival crime lords, Julian Smythe and Vladimir Voldrev, who come in as major suspects to the crime.  Due to their connections, it is likely that at least one has the material or knows where it is, and their extreme hatred for each other means that they are willing to trade stories about their rival to the police.  I loved the fantastic way that Caine portrayed both these over-the-top villains, and their introductory scenes with the protagonist, as well as some of the fun background that went into them, were highly entertaining, especially as they both played off the serious protagonist extremely well.

The second half of Deadly Game is where the fun really begins, as Taylor and his team get close to finding the material, only for their various opponents to get the drop on them in several ways.  There are some great scenes here, and I liked the efficient way in which Taylor and his team deal with the neo-Nazis for example.  However, things take a pretty major turn near the end, and it was a bit surprising just how far Ciane took this part of the story.  I loved the sudden darker tone that resulted, and it made for quite an intense final third of the book.  Everything leads up to the big confrontation with the hidden antagonist of the novel, and I really loved the fun, well-planned out and utterly over-the-top twist that resulted here.  It was somehow simultaneously smart and ridiculous, and I loved everything about it.  The story wraps up quite nicely from there, and there are hints that Caine might have some sequels in the works, which I personally wouldn’t mind, as I had a lot of fun with the outrageous narrative in Deadly Game.

Deadly Game had a quite a unique feel to it that revels in its roughness and over-the-top nature.  Something about how the characters talked and acted felt very cockney, and it honestly reminded me a lot of some of the author’s tough-guy roles in film.  While certain elements of this writing style aren’t going to appeal to everyone, I had a fun with it, and particularly enjoyed the amazing action scenes, the intriguing characters, and the elaborate and fun scenarios that emerged.  While some of the characters, both protagonist and antagonist, are a little silly and weird in places, they still proved to be a fantastic group of people to follow, and the resulting chaos from their actions makes for an excellent story.  The main character’s portrayal as a cop who hates politics and red tape and just wants to get the job done wasn’t amazingly original, but it worked for the story being told, and Caine did try to make him somewhat nuanced.  I think that Caine got the right balance of intrigue, mystery, suspense and action throughout the course of Deadly Game, and I was very interested in finding out who was behind the events and how things unfolded.  There was something cinematic in a lot of the resulting scenes, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Caine had a film adaptation in mind whilst writing it. Indeed, a Guy Ritchie directed version of Deadly Game could be pretty fun, especially if they got Hugh Grant in to play either of rival gangsters.

Overall, I had a great time with Deadly Game, and it proved to be an awesome and interesting debut from the legendary Michael Caine.  While not everyone is going to love this novel, I felt it was really entertaining, and it was great to dive into its outrageous plot, especially with some of the big moments and twists towards the end.  As such, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something exciting, and if the idea of a thriller written by Michael Caine appeals to you, then you’ll probably enjoy Deadly Game.  It will be interesting to see what happens to this in the future, and I personally wouldn’t mind some sort of adaptation or sequel at some point.

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Waiting on Wednesday – The Ascent by Adam Plantinga

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday7 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  For this week’s Waiting on Wednesday I check out an awesome and fun upcoming thriller that I know I am going to have an amazing time with, The Ascent by Adam Plantinga.

The Ascent Cover

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I have made no secret over the years that I love thrillers with over-the-top sounding plots to them, especially as they usually work out to be fantastic and captivating reads.  This remains true for this week’s Waiting on Wednesday as I highlight The Ascent by Adam Plantinga, which sounds so damn cool and exciting.

Set for release at the start of 2024, The Ascent is the debut thriller from Plantinga and has a brilliant prison break plot behind it.  Teaming up a heroic and angry ex-cop with the governor’s daughter in a maximum-security prison where every convict has been released, The Ascent will see the protagonists forced to slog their way u25p six floors of killers and dangerous prisoners to survive.  I unashamedly love the sound of this book and with a plot like that you know that you will be in for a ton of action, elaborate set pieces and crazy characters.  I already know that I am going to love this over-the-top book and I cannot wait to get my hands on it.

Plot Synopsis:

 When a high security prison fails, a down-on-his luck cop and the governor’s daughter are going to have to team up if they’re going to escape in this “jaw-dropping, authentic, and absolutely gripping” (Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author) debut thriller from Adam Plantinga, whose first nonfiction book Lee Child praised as “truly excellent.”

Kurt Argento, an ex-Detroit street cop who can’t let injustice go—and who has the fighting skills to back up his idealism.

If he sees a young girl being dragged into an alley, he’s going to rescue her and cause some damage. 

When he does just that in a small corrupt Missouri town, he’s brutally beaten and thrown into a maximum-security prison.

Julie Wakefield, a grad student who happens to be the governor’s daughter, is about to take a tour of the prison. But when a malfunction in the security system releases a horde of prisoners, a fierce struggle for survival ensues.

Argento must help a small band of staff and civilians, including Julie and her two state trooper handlers, make their way from the bottom floor to the roof to safety.

All that stands in their way are six floors of the most dangerous convicts in Missouri.

Quick Review – The Interpreter by Brooke Robinson

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Quick Review, Thriller3 Comments

The Interpreter Cover

Publisher: Harvill Secker (Trade Paperback – 6 June 2023)

Series: Standalone

Length: 317 pages

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Debuting Australian author Brooke Robinson presents an intriguing and captivating first novel with The Interpreter, which looks at a previously unseen player in the crime fiction genre, the person translating testimony in the background.

Plot Synopsis:

THE MOST DANGEROUS PERSON IN THE COURTROOM ISN’T THE KILLER…

Single mother Revelle Lee is an interpreter who spends her days translating for victims, witnesses and the accused across London. Only she knows what they’re saying. Only she knows the truth.

When she believes a grave injustice is about to happen, and a guilty man is going to be labelled innocent, she has the power to twist an alibi to get the verdict she wants. She’s willing to risk it all to do what’s right.

But when someone discovers she lied, Revelle finds the cost might be too high… and she could lose everything, including her son.


The Interpreter proved to be a very interesting book that I had a good time getting through.  Following the titular interpreter, Revelle Lee, The Interpreter had a very cool crime fiction story to it that contained both mystery and a compelling dark thriller element to it.  I loved how the story focused on an interpreter in the legal scene, and Robinson did a very good job of diving into this unique profession, especially as the author takes a ton of time to show how such individuals work and the range of scenarios they might find themselves in.  The author also provides the reader with a compelling introduction to the character of Revelle Lee, a dedicated interpreter with a past who is trying to learn the parenting ropes after adopting a boy from a troubled home.

The main story quickly dives into Revelle’s life as she balances her interpreting duties with being a single parent who nothing seems to go right for.  You soon begin to realise how complicated Revelle’s life is, especially as she is constantly worrying about her new child being taken away from her.  Initially shown to be necessarily neutral in the courtroom, Revelle becomes personally invested in a case when someone she knows becomes the victim of a terrible attack.  When she is required to interpret for the police in this case, she alters the witness’s testimony to ensure the potential suspect has no alibi.  I love this intriguing slide away from impartiality that she adopts, especially as it builds off some of her prior frustrations, and she starts to implement her new idea of justice into some of her other jobs.  However, this decision eventually brings some degree of regret when it turns out one of the people she worked against might have been innocent, and she tries to find out the truth.

It is around this time that the author works in a secondary point of view character, a mysterious figure who is stalking Revelle and her son, working from the shadows to destroy her.  This intriguing hidden antagonist works to increase the tension of the plot, and their eventual identity is tied to the secrets from the protagonist’s past, which is being simultaneously explored to give her more depth and a tragic background.  Robinson soon works these story elements together in a very interesting way, and the final third of the plot is loaded with particularly tense moments as the protagonist tries to deal with the attacks from unseen angles, as well as the increased demands on her interpreting ability as she tries to determine the right course of action to take.  I liked how the plot came together, although the identity of the mysterious antagonist did come a little out of nowhere.  Still, this was a well-crafted and intriguing story, and it was fascinating to see more details about interpreters.

While I did enjoy this fantastic novel, I did have some issues getting too attached to the protagonist, and this reduced my overall enjoyment a bit.  I appreciated the deep dive into the world of professional interpreters through Revelle’s eyes, as well as her complex past and desire to be a good parent, but I honestly had a hard time liking her.  This is probably because there was a certain narrative stupidity to her as she makes the worst decision possible for herself and her child time and time again.  While this is usually fine in fiction, I found myself getting a little annoyed at times with how she acted, and this impacted how much I wanted to see her succeed.  I did enjoy how Robinson tried to showcase through Revelle’s actions the importance of being neutral in the legal system, as her desire to get justice has major consequences for her.  However, the protagonist fails to learn from her mistakes, even at the very end, which was very frustrating.  This was probably the main issue I had with The Interpreter, and while it was mostly outweighed by the book’s positive features, these character elements really bugged me.

Overall, I felt that The Interpreter was a pretty solid debut from Brooke Robinson, who has an interesting future in crime fiction.  While the plot and the characters did have some issues, this was a compelling and intriguing read, especially as Robinson expertly captured the experiences and insights of professional interpreters in the legal and criminal justice fields.  I really enjoyed seeing how The Interpreter unfolded and this book is well worth the read for people interested in a fantastic crime fiction novel with a distinctive hook to it.

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Echo Lake by Joan Sauers

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery4 Comments

Echo Laker Cover

Publisher: Allen & Unwin (Trade Paperback – 2 May 2023)

Series: Standalone/Book One

Length: 375 pages

My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

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Acclaimed Australian screenwriter Joan Sauers makes her crime fiction debut in a big way with the clever and enticing mystery novel, Echo Lake, a riveting read that makes great use of its iconic Australian setting.

Following an ugly divorce, historian Rose McHugh decides to completely uproot her life and move out of the hustle and bustle of Sydney.  Following her dreams of a rural lifestyle, Rose moves to the Southern Highlands of Australia, buying a rustic cabin outside the town of Berrima.  However, despite her hopes of an idealised and quiet life in the countryside, Rose is about to discover that the Southern Highlands have some big secrets.

After an encounter with a local thug, Rose makes an intriguing discovery of an undeveloped roll of film buried in her back garden.  Burning with curiosity, Rose develops the photos, only to discover that they contain the last known pictures of a beautiful young woman who went missing six years earlier and who the police suspect was murdered.  Fascinated by the mysterious turn of events, Rose decides to do her own digging into the case.

However, rather than the fun adventure she was expecting, Rose soon finds herself in grave danger when one of the people she talks to winds up dead.  Going against the advice of the police, Rose continues her investigation, working with a cohort of new friends from around the local towns.  But the closer she gets to the truth, the more she discovers that there is something sinister going on in her new home.  Can Rose uncover the truth before it is too late, or will she also end up a cautionary tale of the Southern Highlands?

This was an excellent first novel from Sauers, who takes the reader on a magical and entertaining journey into a great Australian setting with this gripping murder mystery.  Echo Lake is a fantastic read that really does a good job of drawing you in with its scenic and beautiful locales before hooking you with the captivating mystery.  Sauers starts the story off strongly, showcasing the location while also introducing you to protagonist Rose McHugh, whose complex history, relationships, and canine companion makes her quite an appealing character.  The initial chapters focus on her getting her bearing in the various towns of the Southern Highlands, including meeting members of the supporting cast, before she is dragged into the mystery of the missing woman thanks to a discovery of film in her backyard.  From there the mystery develops at a quick pace, as a witness is murdered, and Joan finds herself both a target and a suspect.  Doing her own investigation, she uncovers several new clues that slowly begin to unravel the mystery, which becomes her new obsession.  At the same time, Sauers provides an intense and compelling examination into Rose’s life in the Southern Highlands, as well as her complex history and desires for the future.  There are some moving moments as Rose attempts to get her life on track and this ties nicely into the final revelations about who the killer is and how they have been targeting people.  This results in an intense and captivating conclusion that I was pretty hooked to, and this ended up being a really good and entertaining read.

I quite liked how Echo Lake turned out, and Sauers did a fantastic job of creating a novel that was both exciting and heartfelt.  Echo Lake falls within the cosy mystery subgenre as the book is often focused on Rose’s life and amateur sleuthing rather than scenes of death and carnage.  I felt that the author got the right balance of character development, scene setting and personal drama within Echo Lake that served as a great counterbalance to the crime fiction side of things.  You really get to know and appreciated Rose and the cast of supporting characters, and it will be fun to see them again if Sauers ends up doing a sequel.  I will admit that I wasn’t always the biggest fan of the protagonist, mainly because Sauers gave her psychic vibes (a major cliché for me) and she makes a lot of silly decisions.  Despite this, I still really enjoyed her emotional journey, and she served as a great focus for the plot.  Sauers also produced a great mystery in Echo Lake, and I liked how twisty and complex it got in the places.  The raft of intriguing and memorable supporting characters worked to create multiple possible suspects, each of whom may have had a connection to the case, and you are left wondering for a good portion of the novel who might have done it.  I think the eventual reveal of the killer was done well and Sauers set it up with some clever clues.  As such, this ends up being a very impressive read and I had a great time getting through this classy and compelling read.

While I loved the story and characters, for me the best and most iconic part of Echo Lake was the author’s brilliant use of setting as she explores the Southern Highlands of Australia.  The Southern Highlands is a historical area of Australia that lies between Canberra and Sydney, and which is now filled with picturesque small towns that cater to the tourist trade.  Sauers’ is clearly a fan of this area and makes great use of this setting throughout Echo Lake, featuring several notable local towns and bush locations, often in entertaining and clever ways.  Due to a lifetime of travelling between Canberra and Sydney, I am well familiar with these towns, and I can say that Sauers did a pretty awesome job of capturing their feel and layout.  You can really sense each town’s distinctive vibes through Sauers’ writing, and I loved how she captured the beauty and sense of community that they have.  The author goes out of her way to feature as many iconic places from these locations as possible, including several of the better cafes, stores, pubs, and even the local dog park.  I was personally happy that Sauers featured the iconic and fun antique shop, Dirty Janes, in her novel (a favourite of my wife/editor), and Echo Lake often came across a bit like a tourist brochure at times.

However, the really impressive setting descriptions in Echo Lake come when Sauers looks at the bushland that surrounds the central town locations.  Many of the most dramatic moments of Echo Lake occur out in the ancient bush and walking trails the area is known for, and the author does a beautiful job showing how isolated, quiet and hauntingly beautiful these bush locations can be.  These descriptions run the gauntlet from awe-inspiring to extremely sinister, depending on the tone of the story, but they always work to enhance the book no matter the scene.  As such, I was deeply impressed by the authors use of setting, and I loved how well she featured this familiar Australian location into this amazing novel.

Overall, Echo Lake was a great first novel from Joan Sauers who produced a comfortable and intriguing Australian murder mystery.  I loved the interesting story and striking settings of Echo Lake, which work wonderfully together to produce a captivating and entertaining read.  A fantastic novel that is really worth checking out.

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