Tag: Five-Star book

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Young Adult4 Comments

Publisher: Scholastic Audio (Audiobook – 18 March 2025)

Series: The Hunger Games – Book 0.5

Length: 12 hours and 48 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Acclaimed author Suzanne Collins presents the next epic and heartbreaking entry to her iconic Hunger Games series with the brilliant prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last few years, then you’ll probably be more than familiar with the Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, as well as the major film franchise that it spawned.  Set in a dystopian future where 24 teenagers are forced to fight to the death each year, the Hunger Games franchise is a very cool and inventive young adult series that expertly blends great characters, an overarching anti-authoritarian narrative and a ton of complex action with its excellent central concept.  I have been a massive fan of the Hunger Games since watching the first movie, which I went into blind and ended up deeply enjoying.  I have since read all the books, including Collins’s previous prequel, A Ballad of Songbirds and Serpents, all of which are extremely awesome and contain exceptional stories that cleverly add to the larger setting.

While I have enjoyed all the awesome Hunger Games books that Collins has so far written, there has always been one intriguing story from the universe that I always felt needed to be expanded on, that of the rascally old drunk mentor Haymitch Abernathy (played perfectly by Woody Harrelson in the films).  I especially have always wanted more detail about Haymitch’s own Hunger Games, which were briefly summarised in the second novel, Catching Fire.  Well, Collins has just granted one of my fondest literary wishes as her latest book captures just that with Sunrise on the Reaping.  Sunrise on the Reaping has been very high on my to-read list since it was first announced, and it was one of my most anticipated novels of 2025, as well as a much-anticipated film in late 2026.  I had a real blast listening to it, and boy did Collins take her story to all the dark places I wanted, and further beyond.

May the odds be ever in your favour!

As the dawn breaks on the 50th annual Hunger Games, few people have cause to celebrate, even young District 12 bootlegger Haymitch Abernathy, whose birthday unfortunately falls on Reaping Day each year.  Despite growing up in a totalitarian dictatorship, Haymitch believes that he has a good life, with friends, family and the love of his life.  However, he is unprepared for just how badly a single moment can change everything.

Selected as one of his district’s Hunger Games tributes, Haymitch suddenly finds himself torn away from everything he loves and must contemplate fighting for his life to survive in the Capitol’s arena.  However, this is no ordinary Hunger Games, it is the second Quarter Quell, and twice as many tributes have been taken from each of the districts, ensuring that his games will be the largest and most brutal battle ever seen.

Forced to compete alongside three other District 12 tributes, including one of his best friends, an oddsmaker whose family prospers by betting on the games, and the most stuck-up-girl in town, Haymitch knows that his chances of survival are slim.  However, something within Haymitch wants to fight back against both the Capitol and the controlling President Snow.  Finding unlikely allies, Haymitch seeks a way to make his impending death mean something and to strike a blow that the Capitol can’t ignore.  But can Haymitch survive long enough to make his stand, while still keeping true to his own loyalties and friendships? The fires of rebellion start to burn here, but Haymitch will soon find out that when flames start, people get burnt.

Well hot damn, that is how you do a prequel.  Suzanne Collins once again shows why she is the leading lady of dystopian young adult fiction, with the brilliant and powerful Sunrise on the Reaping.  A devastating prequel to her original Hunger Games trilogy that perfectly tells the haunting tale of Haymitch Abernathy, Sunrise on the Reaping was an exceptional novel that I can’t help but give a full five-star rating to.  This is a must-read for all fans of the Hunger Games series, but be warned: you won’t be prepared for how tragic the book gets.

I honestly have so much to say about the epic new story that Collins came up with for Sunrise on the Reaping, although I really don’t want to ruin anything for those who have yet to read it.  I will say that if you think you know the story from the summary in Catching Fire, then you are very, very wrong, as Collins twists everything you thought you knew about the 50th Hunger Games and Haymitch Abernathy, while breaking your heart in so many ways.

This dive into tragedy is very well established, and Collins does a brilliant job of initially setting the scene around young Haymitch and showing his early life, family and the other connections he has around District 12.  It doesn’t take long for Collins to turn the expected narrative on its head, thanks to a very clever bait-and-switch, and from that moment on, you really don’t know what to expect.  While much of Sunrise on the Reaping does follow the story beats you would expect from reading the previous books and from Catching Fire’s summary, Collins keeps cleverly turning or twisting them around, so that events like the Tributes parade, the pre-game training and the interviews go in some surprising and often even more traumatic directions.  At the same time, Haymitch has interesting interactions with an array of great supporting characters, many of whom will be very familiar to those who have read the previous Hunger Games books.  All this works to provide much more depth to a story that could have simply been about a massive teenage deathmatch, and which helps to drag you even more into the story, especially as it gives you some intriguing context about Haymitch’s upcoming actions.

Things get pretty crazy once the characters get into the games proper at around the halfway point, and Collins keeps this part of the story fast paced, as you watch Haymitch navigate the arena, surviving the fights and trying to enact his own plans.  This is the part of the book that really deviates from the previously shown version of these games, and I loved how much more detail and complexity Collins gives this latest batch of carnage as Haymitch tries to enact his own hidden goals alongside the previously known narrative.  This works to form quite a compelling plot, which I won’t talk about too much to avoid spoilers.  I will say that there are some truly devastating moments, and you cannot help but feel despair as you witness what really happened to Haymitch and his fellow tributes.  There are so many heartbreaking scenes scattered throughout this part of the book, as well as some great moments of rebellion and humanity, all of which keeps you hooked as you wait to see the brutal final moments of these games.  Collins does an amazing job wrapping everything up in a powerful way, although the conclusion is guaranteed to gut you.  While you know something bad is coming, the full enormity and devastation of the ending really does break you and ensures that will come away from Sunrise on the Reaping haunted and with a deeper appreciation of the rest of the series.

I deeply enjoyed how this epic novel came about, as Collins delivered a complex, powerful and distinctive character-driven read that has the right balance of moving character arcs, desperate survival, brutal tragedy and clever word building, all brought together by a series of shocking twists and heart-breaking reveals.  Once again told exclusively from the protagonist’s perspective, you witness events through the eyes of the young and rebellious Haymitch, which narrows the reader’s vision of the plot.  While I do hope that the film makers show some alternative perspectives like they did in the original Hunger Games films (i.e. what was happening in the control room), I think that this single-character perspective worked extremely well for the book, allowing the reader to get closer to the protagonist, appreciate his emotional reactions to the dark events unfurling around him, while also provide a great outsider perspective to the craziness of the Capitol and the arena.  Collins utilises this to tell a dark and haunting tale, and you are soon inundated with the many injustices Haymitch experiences that Haymitch experiences as he makes his may towards the inevitable Hunger Games.  I really appreciated how well Collins set out the various pivotal events of Sunrise on the Reaping, especially as there are some subtle hints about some of the big events cleverly scattered throughout both the early part of the book, as well as the brief synopsis of the games featured in Catching Fire.  I felt the author did an excellent job pacing everything out, and the reader is constantly on their toes as unexpected events hit the protagonist, and you never quite know what is going to happen next.

As with most of the books in this series, I found Sunrise on the Reaping to be a novel that will appeal to a wide range of readers, including both its intended young adult audience and older fans.  Thanks to the protagonist covering his adventure from start to finish, new readers can easily jump into the series here if they wanted to and not lose any of the book’s intensive impact.  Unsurprisingly, though, Sunrise on the Reaping is going to be best enjoyed by those readers who have enjoyed the rest of the Hunger Games books or movie adaptations.  Collins layers in a ton of references, cameos and hints at events to come, throughout the course of Sunrise on the Reaping’s plot, and eagle-eyed readers will have a lot of satisfaction picking up on them.  I personally loved some of the clever references to the previous prequel, A Ballad of Songbirds and Serpents, including one scene where President Snow utilises some of his knowledge gained from his sojourn to District 12 to rattle Haymitch.  I also quite liked the author’s depictions of the games 24 years before the events of the first novel, and it was interesting to see the similarities and differences between the events, especially after the more basic version that was showcased in A Ballad of Songbirds and Serpents.

One of the things that fans of the series will no doubt be interested in seeing is how the events of Sunrise on the Reaping are widely different to the summary included in Catching Fire.  While certain broad strokes of the event are the same as what Katniss and Peeta saw in the recording, most of what happened in the actual games and its lead-up is vastly different, with Collins showing some very surprising motivations and hidden events throughout the course of the book.  I found this to be extremely fascinating, mainly because it so cleverly invokes the overlapping theme of Sunrise on the Reaping: control of information as a powerful tool of authoritarian governments.  There are some very clever scenes where the Capitol edits and rewrites key events of the plot to suit their own propaganda, and it was fascinating to see tragedies, injustices and occasional flashes of kindness hidden away or completely erased to make Snow look good and Haymitch and the other tributes look like animals or noble patriots.  This allowed Collins to hide a very compelling early rebellion storyline amongst the events of the book, which puts the events of the main trilogy in a whole new light and makes you full reevaluate some of the supporting cast members.  Collins did this in a very clever manner which doesn’t devalue or contradict the events of the other Hunger Games novels but which allowed Sunrise on the Reaping to stand out as a major entry in the larger canon, with events that would resonate down the years.  I really cannot emphasise enough what an impressive act of long-term series writing this is, and you can tell that Collins put an exceptional amount of thought and planning into bringing this unique story to life.

This compelling read features an excellent and varied array of major and supporting characters, including a whole collection of major existing characters from the franchise, as well as several great new figures.  Collins wrapped some amazing storylines around these outstanding figures, and I was really impressed by how attached I grew to several of them, even though I knew what their eventual fate was likely to be.

Due to his role as the book’s main narrator and point-of-view character, most of Sunrise on the Reaping’s focus was around the young Haymitch Abernathy, and it was particularly fascinating to see a younger version of this iconic figure.  Initially shown to be a hopeful and confident teenager with ambitions of love and a future, you soon become quite attached to the young Haymitch due to his selflessness and his willingness to protect his friends and loved ones leading up to the games, as well as the inherent rebellious nature that makes him a target of the Capitol and Snow.  However, as the book continues and Haymitch experiences multiple tragedies, including a series of dark deaths, you witness his spirit start to break piece by piece.  While you had to know that Haymitch was going to have a hard time in this novel, especially after seeing the drunk and damaged figure from the original trilogy, it was still very heartbreaking to see every dark event that befalls him, especially while witnessing all his thoughts and emotions.  I really loved this deeper dive into Haymitch’s life, especially as you get to see why he had so little hope or resolve when you first met him in The Hunger Games, and this makes his entire story from the main trilogy even more impactful.  A truly amazing origin story for one of the best characters in the Hunger Games series.

Aside from Haymitch, Sunrise on the Reaping contains an outstanding array of supporting characters, many of whom Collins makes shine in the time that they appear.  This includes several great new figures, primarily those fellow tributes of Haymitch, whose story alongside the protagonist is highly impactful.  I’m not going to go into too much detail to avoid spoilers, but I felt that several of these new characters were extremely cool, and will no doubt become even larger than life on the big screen.  Highlights for me include Wyatt Callow, a young oddsmaker whose family business makes the other tributes distrust him; Louella McCoy, the youngest tribute from District 12, whose story is especially tragic; and Ampert Latier, a tribute with connections to a major character from the original trilogy.  Lenore Dove Baird, Haymitch’s love interest back home, is a very enthralling figure who has some potential connections to a major figure from A Ballad of Songbirds and Serpents, which allows for some very compelling and moving scenes.  Other interesting new figures included the cruel Capitol escort, Drusilla Sickle, and the reptile-obsessed stylist Magno Stift, while several other great characters step up in their own way.  However, it was the final District 12 tribute, Maysilee Donner, who really stole the show for me, and her fantastic wit and brutal barbs helped turn her into a major favourite of mine, especially when you realise that she isn’t as stuck up as people believe she is.

Collins wraps up this cast with several characters introduced in the original trilogy who have some memorable appearances here.  However, they aren’t just there to please the fans; Collins used them strategically to give a lot more depth to some of these recurring characters as you witness early key events in their personal history.  Many of these appearances helped to underscore why they are so willing to rebel or help Katniss, and I loved how well they were featured in the plot.  Special mention must go to a returning President Snow (the only character to appear in all five books), who was a spectacular antagonist in this latest Hunger Games book.  The author made sure to showcase Snow at his most cruel and vindictive during his scenes, and Collin’s use of him here was a pure masterclass of evil that you had to love.  I also need to highlight the fantastic deeper dive into Plutarch Heavensbee, whose motivations during the Catching Fire, are a little clearer after reading Sunrise on the Reaping, and it was awesome, if initially a little surprising, to see him so well utilised in this novel.

Overall, I think that the character work in Sunrise on the Reaping was quite exceptional, and I loved how well all these characters were featured in this book.  While the particularly large cast of supporting characters did mean that some tributes weren’t as well featured or explored as they could have been (this is also a side effect of there being twice as many tributes), the figures who were highlighted more than made up for this, and I loved the various complex and tragic story arcs that surrounded them.  I cannot wait to see how many of these characters come across in the upcoming Sunrise on the Reaping film, although based on the recent casting announcements, they are going to shine so brightly when they appear.

As with the rest of the books in the Hunger Games series, I chose to listen to Sunrise on the Reaping on audiobook, which is an exceptional way to absorb Collins’s dark and brutal tale.  Featuring a runtime of just under 13 hours, Sunrise on the Reaping has a decent length that I managed to move through quickly.  Thanks to some great narration and an excellent pace, the audiobook format did an outstanding job of enhancing many of the best elements of Sunrise on the Reaping, especially the central characters and the emotional depth of the protagonist.  The narrator of this audiobook, actor Jefferson White, was particularly effective, and I loved how he brought the story to life with his voice.  His take on many of the characters was pretty damn perfect, with his voice for the young Haymitch being particularly effective.  His young Haymitch, which was the default tone for much of the audiobook, was a great take on a younger Woody Harrelson, and I really felt that he captured the characters many nuances and emotions.  I also liked how White tried to sing out the various melodies that were so intrinsic to the plot of Sunrise on the Reaping, which ensured that they were a little more impactful.  This outstanding narration really helped to enhance my enjoyment of the books’ epic plot, and I honestly felt that this was the best way to enjoy this exceptional addition to the Hunger Games franchise.

I think the above five pages are more than enough to showcase just how much I loved Sunrise on the Reaping, which was such a brilliant addition to the Hunger Games series.  Suzanne Collins honestly outdid herself with this incredible prequel, and you will not be prepared for how complex and emotionally traumatising this outstanding novel is.  I honestly cannot not stop thinking about how Sunrise on the Reaping turned out and this is easily one of the better books (and audiobooks) I have so far enjoyed in 2025.

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A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Five-Star Books, Murder Mystery8 Comments

Publisher: Hodderscape (ebook – 8 April 2025)

Series: Shadow of the Leviathan – Book Two

Length: 432 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Robert Jackson Bennett continues to shine brightly with the epic second novel in his Shadow of the Leviathan series, A Drop of Corruption, an exceptional and incredible fantasy murder mystery that I could not get enough of.

Robert Jackson Bennett is an awesome author who has produced some impressive fantasy series over the last few years.  Best known for his Divine Cities and Founders trilogies, Bennett has consistently wowed audiences with his elaborate settings, great characters and intricate narratives.  However, even though I knew how good an author Bennett was, I honestly was not prepared for how much I would enjoy his 2024 novel, The Tainted Cup.

The Tainted Cup was a truly outstanding novel that saw Bennett bring together the fantasy and murder mystery genres into an exceptional and highly addictive fusion.  The first book in the author’s Shadow of the Leviathan series, The Tainted Cup followed the young assistant to an unnaturally gifted investigator as they attempted to solve several murders brought about by magical grass.  Set in a powerful Empire constantly under attack from giant leviathans, The Tainted Cup was a truly epic read, and I loved the elaborate narrative that emerged, as Bennett perfectly set a highly clever mystery amongst the chaotic and highly detailed fantasy setting.  The result was a five-star novel that ended up being one of my favourite books of 2024.  I really cannot emphasise enough just how good The Tainted Cup was, and I think it goes without saying that I was very keen to continue the series after that outstanding first entry.  As such, the second Shadow of the Leviathan novel, A Drop of Corruption, was one of my most anticipated books of this year, and it really did not disappoint.

On the borders of the Empire of Khanum lies the small canton of Yarrowdale, part of an independent kingdom that is reluctantly set to join the Empire.  A dank and impoverished land filled with swamps and waterways, the only thing of importance for the Empire in Yarrowdale is the high-security compound known as the Shroud.  A top-secret lab where the best scientists from the Empire dissect fallen leviathans to harvest the transformative magic found in their blood, the Shroud keeps Yarrowdale on the map and its inclusion in the Empire an inevitability.  However, when an impossible crime takes place within its borders, all eyes within the Empire will be looking towards it.

An important Imperial Treasury officer on assignment to Yarrowdale has gone missing, seemingly disappearing into thin air inside his locked and guarded quarters.  Needing answers, the Empire calls upon its most unlikely hero, the brilliant, and possibly insane, special investigator Ana Dolabra.  Accompanied by her loyal and often exasperated assistant, Dinios Kol, Ana soon invokes her uncanny talent for observations and ability to make unlikely connections to find answers.  But despite quickly working out how the victim disappeared, Ana discerns that the crime was only the first move in a diabolical master plan.

A dangerous and clever killer is stalking Yarrowdale, one with the ability to think ten steps ahead and effortlessly cover their tracks.  Worse, the killer has devious designs on the Shroud and is willing to use the facilities own dark science against it, crippling the Empire’s ability to defend itself.  To save the Empire, Ana and Din will need to discern the killer’s schemes and stop them before it is too late.  But have the pair finally met an opponent even more brilliant that Ana?

Wow, wow, wow, now that was an outstanding book!  Robert Jackson Bennett once again impresses to the extreme as A Drop of Corruption was an incredible read that I honestly could not put down.  Another excellent blend of brilliant mystery and inventive fantasy fiction, A Drop of Corruption was so damn good, and I loved every single second I spent absorbed in its captivating pages.  A very easy five-star read and one of the very best fantasy novels of 2025.

I just loved the story Bennett cooked up for A Drop of Corruption, and frankly I am still thinking about its many elaborate twists, turns and revelations.  Starting off with a good introduction to Yarrowdale, a setting starkly different to the locations from the previous book, the reader is soon brought up to speed about the unusual case within the isolated canton.  Told exclusively from the perspective of assistant investigator Dinios Kol, you soon become emmeshed in finding out how the treasury official disappeared from his guarded room, with his body soon discovered in the nearby waterways.  Thanks to the combination of Kol’s enhanced memory and the unique mind of lead investigator Ana Dolabra, the manner of the victim’s disappearance becomes apparent; however, this only raises more questions and reveals a dangerous killer stalking the canton.

Now I guarantee that at this point of the story you will be extremely hooked, thanks to the compelling mystery that is developing, as well as the intriguing characters, cool new setting and the hints of a very clever killer capable of outthinking the protagonists.  Following some cool moments that indicate just how far the killer is willing to go to achieve their goals, Bennett cleverly ties his mystery into some of the fantastic elements of the setting, including Yarrowdale politics, and the hidden science of the Apothetikal, the branch of the Empire dedicated to the biological alchemy that enhances people.  The author really raises the stakes as the book continues, especially with dangerous bioweapons, essential scientific advances, and ancient political turmoil all impacting the plot.  Bennett keeps the shocks going with several impressive scenes, especially the killer works to alter the destiny of both Yarrowdale and the Empire.

This leads up to the very exciting and fast-paced final third of the book, where all the pieces of the mystery come together.  Despite knowing the identity of their opponent, the protagonists are forced to work overtime to try and catch them as they constantly stay multiple steps ahead of them.  The protagonists are soon forced to take drastic action to get answers, and there are some great scenes as some interesting revelations come to light and various characters are forced to face the consequences of their actions.  After a particularly powerful scene that hints at dark secrets that will likely become a bigger problem later in the series, Bennett masterfully builds up to the final confrontation, where Ana provides her final deductions, and chaos reigns as a result.  This entire conclusion was so damn clever, and it was very satisfying to see Ana bring all the story threads and hidden elements of the mystery together in the climatic revelation scene.   This all results in a thoughtful, moving but overall satisfying end to the book that perfectly wraps everything up, and allows the series to continue.  Readers are guaranteed to come away from A Drop of Corruption very happy, and I know that I am even more eager to continue this series after this exceptional second outing.

As with the first Shadow of the Leviathan novel, A Drop of Corruption was an outstanding and captivating blend of fantasy and murder mystery storytelling elements, as Bennett wraps a particularly impressive investigation narrative around a distinctive fantasy setting.  In many ways an over-the-top fantasy Sherlock Holmes novel, A Drop of Corruption was so damn addictive, with no slow moments as the protagonists follow a deadly trail of a dangerous and unnatural killer.  The mystery itself is just perfect, and I loved how well the author enhanced the elaborate investigation with his own unique fantasy elements, carefully blending them together to create and even more elaborate tale.  Thanks to the constant revelations, carefully hidden clues, sudden outrageous twists and some very entertaining characters, I honestly found myself unable to put this book down, as I couldn’t wait to see what amazing reveal was coming next.  Bennett also successfully balanced the darker tone of the narrative with his own excellent character-driven humour, which ensured some lighter moments amongst the serious investigation and dangerous results.  This humour, which mostly lay around the author’s outrageous detective protagonist, often had me chuckling out loud, while never overpowering the murder mystery or fantasy elements.  Working well as either a standalone novel or a sequel to The Tainted Cup, there is something very fun for everyone in this book, and all fans of either fantasy or crime fiction can have a brilliant time here.

In addition to featuring a cool story with some wonderful blended elements, A Drop of Corruption also served as a great expansion of the outstanding fantasy realm introduced in The Tainted Cup.  I personally loved the overarching setting of the Empire of Khanum, which not only features gigantic, mutated monsters constantly attacking its walls from the sea, but also features a unique magical system of biological grafts originating from leviathan blood that alters people, animals and plants to benefit the Empire.  Many of these unique elements are on full display in A Drop of Corruption, with the focus on new grafts, research into the leviathans, and the existing enhancements of the protagonists all serving as key plot points in the main mystery.  Highlights include dangerous bio-weapons, grafts that turn the antagonist into a particularly dangerous opponent, and an elaborate look inside the research station known as the Shroud.  These unique fantasy elements are well re-introduced and expanded on as the novel continues and allowed for quite a unique crime fiction read as they are cleverly inserted into the plot.

Bennett also uses this book to explore new areas of his fantasy setting, particularly by introducing Yarrowdale, a semi-autonomous nation under the Empire’s influence that has yet to officially join it.  Filled with its own people, politics and history, as well as the influence of the Apothetikal, who have one of their most important bases there, Yarrowdale is a very different place to the previous settings featured in The Tainted Cup, and Bennett paints an elaborate picture of swamps, waterways and disgruntled locals who have their own opinions about joining the Empire.  As with the existing fantasy and setting elements of the book, Bennett expertly introduces and utilises this new setting into his narrative, and it serves as an effective and compelling background to the plot, especially when the case gets even more complicated, and the protagonists are forced to become involved in Yarrowdale politics and its royal family.  These scenes also allow Bennett to engage in a bit of social commentary, especially when it comes to the overall wickedness of kings (or other autocratic rulers), and it was fascinating to read his notes at the end where he expands on some of these points.  I really enjoyed this complex additional world building from Bennett, especially with how well it was utilised in the main story, and every new glimpse of the Empire of Khanum makes me an even bigger fan of this series.

I must also highlight the two awesome main protagonists that helped to make A Drop of Corruption so impressive, as Dinios Kol and Ana Dolabra were a highly entertaining duo.  Featuring an often exasperated but loyal subordinate working for a brilliant and eccentric detective, Bennett once again achieves the iconic detective/sidekick dynamic that fans of Sherlock Holmes will be familiar with.  In this case, Dinios serves the Watson role as the book’s only point of view, which allows him to be the sounding board for the mad detective, in this case Ana, while also being present for all of her deductions.  As such the reader, through Dinios’ eyes and ears, get the full explanation for how Ana reached her conclusion as she brings her assistant up to date.

This method of splitting the load between the detective and the sidekick is a classic for a reason, and I loved seeing the compelling story emerge from Dinios’s perspective, as he was front and centre for all the case’s twists and turns.  He was also a witness to all the crazy behaviour of his boss, and Ana did not disappoint, being her usual disrespectful and slightly unhinged self.  Most of the book’s humour came from Ana’s insane behaviour and the reactions of the other characters seeing it, which, alongside her incredible detective skills, is quickly making her one of my favourite fictional detectives.  I really enjoyed the dynamic that continued in this sequel novel between Dinios and Ana, and you get a great balance of eccentric genius and troubled young apprentice throughout the story.  While this partnership hits some snags in this book, especially as Dinios dreams of a more heroic career while Ana proves to be her usual impossible self, it proves to be a strong centre to the book, especially as certain revelations bring them even closer together.  A truly incredible central pair of protagonists whose entertaining antics I could not get enough of.  Throw in a great selection of supporting characters, including an intelligent and enhanced local assistant who manages to out-sass the protagonist, a multitude of suspicious individuals who have their own secrets around Yarrowdale, and an antagonist who is built up to be an insanely intelligent opponent for the protagonists, and this really ends up being an exceptional, character focused novel with some real emotional heart to it.

Overall, A Drop of Corruption was another exceptional novel from Robert Jackson Bennett, who did a truly outstanding job continuing his Shadow of the Leviathan series.  A Drop of Corruption was so damn good, and I loved every single part of this epic fantasy and crime fiction hybrid.  I honestly cannot recommend this book enough, and it easily one of the top fantasy reads of the year.

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Pyramids by Terry Pratchett

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Comedy/Satire, Fantasy, Five-Star Books, Throwback Thursday5 Comments

Publisher: Gollancz/Penguin Audio (Audiobook – 1989)

Series: Discworld – Book Seven

Length: 9 hours and 8 minutes (Planer version)/9 hours and 53 minutes (Enoch version)

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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After having an amazing time checking out the new audiobook versions of Guards! Guards!, Small Gods and Moving Pictures, I continue my latest revisit to Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series.  This time, I examine another one of my favourites with the deeply entertaining seventh novel in the overall series, Pyramids.  An outstanding standalone Discworld novel, Pyramids is a brilliant read that sees a young king go forth and then return to the insanity of his kingdom in a fun satire of ancient Egypt and its perception in Western media.

There are many mysterious realms on the magical Discworld, which travels on the back of four giant elephants standing on the back of a giant turtle.  However, few are more ancient than the tiny river kingdom of Djelibeybi.  Formerly a great empire that ruled over an entire continent, Djelibeybi is a mere shadow of its former self, its wealth drained away by the pyramids constructed to house its dead kings.  Nothing ever changes in Djelibeybi, that is until its young prince decides to get an education.

Prince Pteppicymon (Teppic), future ruler of the kingdom, has been sent away to the Assassins Guild of Ankh-Morpork, both to get the finest education on the Disc, and to learn a way to finally make his kingdom some money.  However, upon graduating, Teppic is forced to return to home when his father suddenly dies in embarrassing circumstances.

Now the god king of Djelibeybi, Teppic hopes to modernise his kingdom and introduce the comforts of the outside world.  However, Teppic has returned to a strange land he no longer understands and finds his desire for modernisation stymied by the controlling high priest Dios, whose intense love of tradition has long restricted Djelibeybi.  However, despite the best attempts of Dios, change is coming to the old kingdom, as a dark figure in the finest black stalks the city, while a massive new pyramid begins to mess with reality.  When disaster strikes, the people of Djelibeybi find themselves beset by both their gods and their dead, and only their king can save them.  But first, Teppic will need to work out how to find his kingdom again.

Pyramids continues to stand the test of time as one of my favourite Terry Pratchett books, as this compelling and wildly entertaining Discworld novel takes you on a wild ride through ancient kingdoms and eternal tradition, and every dangerous thing that comes with them.  An outstanding addition to the series that keeps you laughing the entire way through, Pyramids was peak Pratchett and gets another easy five-star rating from me.

I love the outstanding narrative that Pratchett came up with for Pyramids, which tells a fun adventure tale in an entertaining ancient Egypt facsimile.  While the narrative structure of Pyramids is slightly more basic than some of Pratchett’s other books, I think it is still quite a compelling story that keeps the reader entertained from start to finish.  Broken into several sections, Pyramids starts with an excellent introduction that showcases Teppic attempting to take his final exam at the Assassin’s Guild.  This proves to be a great fun opener, and I loved how Pratchett interspersed the over-the-top test with multiple flashbacks that showcase both Teppic’s childhood in Djelibeybi and his early days at the guild.  This works to set up a lot of key early story elements, while also serving as a memorable start, as the cool scenes of assassin testing are some of my favourites in the entire book.  This first section of Pyramids ends with Teppic finding out his father has died through an unlikely divine messenger, and he returns to Djelibeybi to take the throne.

Pratchett follows up this impressive introduction with a good central part of the story as you return to Djelibeybi proper and Teppic learns the downside to being a king.  Pratchett really works to explore the downsides of the kingdom, as Teppic begins to realise he is just a puppet with the high priest Dios truly in control.  There are some hilarious moments here, especially when it comes to the ridiculous traditions and history of Djelibeybi, and Teppic works well as a great outsider character who finally sees how silly everything is, although he is still bullied into constructing the biggest pyramid ever.  Pratchett also takes the time to introduces a colourful array of supporting characters with some compelling story arcs, including two ambitious embalmers, a disfunction family of pyramid builders, and the handmaiden Ptraci, who Teppic accidentally sentences to death.  His desire to save her leads to many of these issues coming to a head, with Teppic forced to flee from Dios, only to find himself trapped outside of the kingdom when the Great Pyramid goes off and splits Djelibeybi into its own reality.

This brings Pyramids into a compelling interim phase, as Teppic and Ptraci find sanctuary in Ephebe, while the trapped kingdom goes to madness, as all their many beliefs come to life, although not in the way they’d hoped.  I liked the fantastic contrast between the supernatural craziness going on in Djelibeybi and the more human-based chaos Teppic encounters in Ephebe as he tries to get answers out of the philosophers, before finally returning to the kingdom to save the day.  Eventually able to return thanks to a thirsty camel and an easily confused sphinx, Teppic works to destroy the Great Pyramid.  At the same time, several of the ongoing Djelibeybi storylines come together nicely, as the dead of the kingdom, including Teppic’s father, discover the truth about why they were mummified, and this leads to an outstanding and eventually explosive concluding sequence.  Pratchett wraps this up nicely with all the key characters getting the ending they deserve, and he leaves this story on yet another hopeful note that hints at an interesting future for the characters and the kingdom.

As with all the Discworld books, Pratchett does a wonderful job of telling a fun and compelling story in Pyramids that hooks you early with its fantastic elements, entertaining plot, complex satire, and great characters.  An interesting standalone entry in the Discworld series, Pyramids has a more straightforward story that is well split amongst an interesting cast of figures, each of whom find their role in the kingdom altered in some way, and I loved the chaotic plot that emerged.  Pratchett has a lot of fun exploring some great themes in Pyramids, including people attempting to break free of tradition (literally), and finding yourself.  The critique of unnecessary and restricting tradition works well as a central story element, and Pratchett leans into it heavily, showcasing how it can styme progress and lead to a slow death of a culture.  Thanks to that author’s great use of humour, you really begin to appreciate just how damaging or ridiculous some traditions can be, and I always get a chuckle at the hilarious sequences where Teppic’s over-long title is repeatedly read out again and again.

While there is some focus on death and assassination, for the most part Pyramids is a really light-hearted entry in the series, especially as Pratchett leans into the examination of ancient Egypt with its doppelganger in Djelibeybi and resulting satirisation of how ancient Egypt is portrayed in modern culture brings much of the book’s laughs.  Most of this becomes really apparent thanks to Teppic’s newly found modern sensibilities, but Pratchett also throws in some puns and lines that people with some knowledge of ancient Egypt will appreciate, and frankly I find a fun new joke every time I read this amazing book.  Many of Pratchett’s more modern takes on some of more well-known elements of Egyptian culture are very fun, with a lot of jokes about mummies, the economics of pyramid building, and what handmaidens do, proved to be really entertaining.

Much of the rest of the major jokes of Pyramids revolved around the varied reactions to the crazy events that seem to occur everywhere in the Discworld.  I personally laugh myself silly at the spontaneous football commentary that emerges when the various gods of Djelibeybi start to fight over the sun, and the resulting moments of theological debate end in a funny and snappy way.  The sequence with the Sphinx also makes for quite an entertaining inclusion, and Teppic’s assessment and rewriting of the classic riddle into a much more correct metaphor proves to be a lot of fun.  Finally, the opening assassin’s examination sequence is both tense and funny, and there is something about Pratchett imagining undergraduate assassins getting tested in a similar manner to student drivers that really shows off the inherent silliness of this series.  Throw in Pratchett’s usual array of clever puns, well-placed footnotes and witty dialogue, and Pyramids turns into a particularly funny read that still makes me laugh after all these years.

Out of all the amazing Discworld novels, Pyramids might be one of the best entries for a reader to start to explore this amazing series.  The very first standalone Discworld novel, Pyramids can be easily read without any knowledge of any of the previous books, and you really get a good sense of the larger setting and Pratchett’s ability to craft elaborate parodies of certain cultures or genres in a brilliant, self-contained manner.  While some of the elements of Pyramids are reutilised in some of the later books (the philosopher-filled city of Ephebe for one), for the most part none of the characters or storylines here are ever revisited, and you can really dive into Pyramids at any point of your Discworld reading experience.  The opening extended sequence set around Teppic’s exams and flashbacks does provide one of the best examinations of the Assassin’s Guild, a fun institution in the Discworld series, and it was really fun to see them in action here, even if the assassins do get slightly nerfed in some of the future books (especially the City Watch ones).  I do personally think that Pyramids was one of his true early classics, and this book lays at the start of a very big run of some of Pratchett’s best works, especially as he fully finalised his preferred style here.  As such, this is a great read for Discworld readers of all experiences, especially those looking to dip their toe into this amazing universe, and this is a very impressive example of Pratchett’s style and humour.

I do have to also provide a quick shoutout the fantastic array of characters featured within Pyramids, whose compelling storylines and well-thought-out story arcs really compliment the main narrative and help Pratchett explore his intricate central themes.  The main character, Teppic, serves as a great central figure for Pyramids, and his unlikely outsiders perspective allows for much of the plot change and chaotic moments.  Ptraci’s journey from passive handmaiden to unstoppable force of nature was very well handled, and I loved how Pratchett showcased just how much impact a suddenly confident woman can have on the world.  I also always find it quite hilarious that the previous king, Pteppicymon XXVII, only truly finds himself in death, and his later interactions with the embalmers Dil and Gurn lead to some truly heartwarming moments.  The Ptaclusp dynasty of pyramid builders added some fun family chaos to the mix, and their representation of the new generation taking over from the old was quite entertaining, even if the brothers (Ptaclusp IIa and Ptaclusp IIb) had differing views on what the future should be.  Teppic’s classmates from the Assassin’s Guild also added some excellent colour, especially the overconfident Chidder, although I felt that it was a shame that most of those great characters introduced in the opening part of the book where never utilised again.

Out of all the characters featured within the book, my favourite was probably Dios, who can probably be considered the antagonist of Pyramids.  The High Priest of Djelibeybi, Dios is the main administrator of the country, who strictly adheres to tradition and ritual and doesn’t allow Teppic to make any changes or independent decisions.  A strict and rigid person capable of bending anyone to his will, Dios is restricting tradition personified, and the lengths he goes to keep Djelibeybi the same is quite fascinating, while his struggles to keep Teppic in line lead to some amusing moments.  I honestly feel that Dios was one of Pratchett’s more compelling antagonists, as while he does some bad things he’s not actually a bad person; instead he’s someone stuck in the trap of always doing things a specific way and is incapable of thinking any other way.  You honestly feel a little sympathetic for him at times, especially when the full scope of his service is revealed, and while he continues to make the wrong decisions for the future of Djelibeybi, you can kind of understand why he is the way he is.  The final fate of Dios was really well written, if a little horrifying if you actually stop to think about it, although it fulfills his wish of everything staying the same.  A truly complex figure who plays off the rest of the outrageous and outgoing characters extremely well, Dios really tied this book together and I loved how well Pratchett featured him in Pyramids.

Unsurprisingly to anyone who has read my other rambling Discworld reviews, I have a lot to say about Pyramids on audiobook.  Audiobooks are my favourite way to enjoy any book, with the Discworld audiobooks being an exceptionally good example of how this format can make an already awesome novel even better.  Like the rest of the series, Pyramids has two really good unabridged audiobook versions, both of which come really recommended by me as brilliant ways to check out a classic book from Pratchett.

The first of these audiobook formats is the old-school version narrated by the legendary Nigel Planer.  I have mentioned Planer a few times over the years due to his exceptional work voicing over half the unabridged Discworld audiobooks and he remains one of my favourite audiobook narrators as a result.  His ability to come up with new character voices for every single audiobook was just incredible, and I love all his cool vocal choices, especially in Pyramids.  His take on the various characters was quite inspired, and you really get all the characters’ unique personalities, including Teppic’s modern spirit, Dios’s controlling reliance on tradition, the exasperation of the dead former king, and the overpowering personality of Ptraci.  Planer also perfectly showcases all the best jokes in Pyramids, including the fantastic over-the-top sequences where Dios repeats Teppic’s title, or the hilarious scene where the priest provides commentary for the divine fight for the sun.  I have so much love for all of Planer’s original Discworld work, and Pyramids is a particular favourite of mine as he takes that verbal gags that Pratchett sets up and makes them his own.

While the Planer version of Pyramids was the one that I grew up with, I have also had the pleasure of listening to the newer Pyramids audiobook that provides a fresh take on the story.  Part of the same Discworld audiobook series I have recently enjoyed for Guards! Guards!, Moving Pictures and Small Gods, this new version of Pyramids was also extremely good with some great voice work and a compelling pace.  Featuring a runtime just shy of 10 hours, this new audiobook is slightly longer than the Planer version and features the amazing voice work of Alfred Enoch, Bill Nighy and Peter Serafinowicz, with Enoch acting as the main narrator.

Enoch, who is probably best known for his role in the Harry Potter films, did an outstanding job as the main narrator for Pyramids, and I really appreciate his take on the compelling story.  His more youthful voice gave this version of Pyramids some additional energy, and you really move through the main story extremely quickly as a result.  I also really enjoyed how some of the protagonists turned out in this version of Pyramids, and while Enoch lacks the full range of fun character voices that Planer had, he still provides some impressive and fitting tones that expertly captures the various characters.  I felt that his voice for Teppic was especially well done, with his hopeful personality really shining through, while his voice for Dios had the commanding and controlling edge that it needed.  I felt that Dios was probably Enoch’s best voice, especially when it comes to the repetitive gag of having to intone Teppic’s full title.  I also actually quite like the voice he used for Ptraci, which was markedly different to the voice that Planer utilised in his version.  Enoch’s Ptraci voice was a little more curious and confident at times, and I got a much different personality vibe in this version which was quite interesting.  Enoch also ensured that his version of Pyramids stood out by pronouncing some of the character names in a different manner to Planer, mainly because he kept the P silent when it appears at some of the names (for example, Ptraci becomes Traci).  While this was a noticeable difference from the Planer version, I really liked it, as it actually captured Pratchett’s intended pronunciation based on how P is used in ancient Egyptian.  This ended up being an exceptional performance from Enoch, and one that I had a lot of fun with.

On top of Enoch’s main narration, this version of Pyramids also featured the voices of Bill Nighy and Peter Serafinowicz, who have the same roles in every audiobook of this new run.  Both play key parts in this audiobook, with Nighy voicing the various footnotes, while Serafinowicz was the voice of Death whenever he appeared.  Both provided an exceptional performance here, with Nighy in particular giving some excellent gravitas to the essential and humour-laden footnotes.  Serafinowicz’s role in Pyramids was a little more limited, mainly because Death only appeared a couple of scenes, but he really captured this awesome anthropomorphic personification perfectly when he did appear, providing a booming and impactful Death voice that was a lot of fun to hear.  Both Bill Nighy and Peter Serafinowicz’s inclusions were worked into Enoch’s overarching narration extremely well, and I felt that the three complemented each other nicely throughout the audiobook.  This ended up being an overall impressive take on Pyramids, and the new narrators really knew what they were doing here.  As such, this version also comes recommended, and while the Nigel Planer version is still living in my head rent free, this new take on Pyramids was very fun and I enjoyed hearing some new voices take it on.

Overall, Pyramids proved to be quite an awesome book, and I really think it was one of Terry Pratchett’s better early Discworld novels.  Featuring an outstanding story with some fantastic humour, Pyramids is an absolute joy to read, and I loved seeing the author’s distinctive parody of ancient Egypt.  Clever and loaded with complex comedic gold, Pyramids still cracks me up every time I read it, and I cannot recommend this book enough to anyone interested in checking out the exceptional Discworld books, especially in either of its epic audiobook formats.

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Small Gods by Terry Pratchett

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Comedy/Satire, Fantasy, Five-Star Books, Throwback Thursday5 Comments

Publisher: Gollancz/Penguin Audio (Audiobook – 1993)

Series: Discworld – Book 13

Length: 9 hours and 55 minutes (Planer version)/11 hours and 38 minutes (Serkis version)

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Thanks to an excellent road trip, I managed to revisit several awesome entries from the iconic Discworld series by the legendary Terry Pratchett, and it is time to highlight one of the very best books that Pratchett wrote, Small Gods.

I have never made any secret of the fact that I love all things Terry Pratchett, as the Discworld books were the formative series of my youth.  A massively popular collection of loosely connected novels set on a flat world carried through space on the back of four elephants atop a giant turtle, the Discworld books present a range of unique fantasy adventures backed with exceptional comedy and satire.  This series is so much fun, and I honestly love every single Discworld book, having read them all multiple times, usually while laughing myself silly.  Indeed, I am such a big fan of this series that I named my blog after a location in the universe.  Despite my overwhelming love for all things Discworld, I haven’t reviewed too many of the books on this blog, with Moving Pictures and The Last Continent previously being the only exception.  However, thanks to some great road trips giving me opportunities for revisiting some classics, I have recently published reviews for Guards! Guards! and an additional review for Moving Pictures.  I also recently re-listened to the impressive and thoughtful 13th entry in the series, Small Gods. An outstanding standalone novel that seeks to blend religious commentary with Pratchett’s strong humour and complex satire, Small Gods is one of the more thoughtful and moving Discworld books and is a must read for all fans of the franchise.

Floating through space on the back of a giant turtle, the Discworld is a place of magic, wonders, strange creatures and, unfortunately for the mortals just trying to live their lives, gods.  Instead of the wise and beatific beings we hope them to be, the gods of the Disc are a capricious and vain lot, empowered by the belief of their human worshippers.  But what happens when a mighty god loses his believers?

The militant nation of Omnia is an empire dedicated to the fervent worship of the Great God Om, an all-powerful being who knows all, sees all and is the only true god in the world.  The problem is none of that is true.  Instead, Om is a self-obsessed god among many, who barely pays attention to the people fighting in his name.  More importantly, he is currently residing in the body of a tortoise, stripped of nearly all his divine power, and the only person who can hear him is a simple novice, Brutha, who isn’t fully convinced that the talking tortoise smiting him with tiny thunderbolts is his god.

Determined to get back on top and find out why he lost his power, Om recruits Brutha as his unlikely prophet.  However, Brutha has his own problems as the sinister head of Omnia’s Quisition, Vorbis, has taken an interest in him.  Forced to accompany Vorbis on a diplomatic mission, Brutha soon begins to understand that the world is a far bigger place than he realised, and that there is something very wrong at the heart of his nation.

As the tides of history take Brutha and Om into strange new places, the two find themselves encountering unexpected dangers, including dangerous ideas, sinister eagles, rebels determined to prove that the world isn’t round, deranged philosophers and the small gods that lurk in the dark places.  To survive, Brutha will need to have faith in his god, but more importantly, Om will need to have faith in Brutha, especially when his own religion is turned against them.

After yet another re-read, Small Gods remains one of my favourite Discworld novels, and this is one of the very best examples of Terry Pratchett’s unique style and imagination.  A hilarious, yet thought-provoking read that cleverly dissects religion, divinity and people’s beliefs, Small Gods quickly grabs your full attention and refuses to let go until it’s powerful, terminal end.

I have so much love for the outstanding narrative that Pratchett pulled together for Small Gods, which tells one of the more unique standalone tales in the Discworld series.  I must admit, even after many reads, I am still very impressed that Pratchett decided to examine the nature of religion and belief through the lens of a hilarious odd-couple story that evolves into a road trip narrative.  Starting off on a very entertaining note with the unsuspecting new prophet of Om, Brutha, encountering his god in the form of a small, battered tortoise, Pratchett does a good job of introducing the nation of Omnia and its place in the wider setting.  This proves to be an effective start to the book, and a lot of the early themes and wider issues surrounding the nation of Omnia are well set-up.  You also get a great examination of the book’s three main characters, and their compelling early interactions in Omnia sets up a lot of the book’s character-driven narratives.  After this excellent introduction, Small Gods’ plot then moves to the bordering nation of Ephebe, which proves to be an intriguing centre of the novel, not only because it has some of the more entertaining sequences, but also because it begins to expand on some of the ideas from the front of Small Gods and you are given a good understanding of both Om’s situation and Brutha’s growth as a character.

The plot of Small Gods takes a powerful turn around halfway through, when Brutha helps further Vorbis’s schemes, only to then attempt to flee and do the right thing.  However, thanks to the influence of a rival god and unexpected technology, Brutha and Om are inadvertently stranded in the desert with a helpless Vorbis.  The following extensive scenes in the desert are probably the best parts of Small Gods, especially as Brutha begins to think for himself, and the philosophical clashes he has with Om set him up as the protagonist both the reader and the Omnians need.  Pratchett really dives into what it is to be human and divine in this section of the book, and I deeply appreciate the rich character development featured within these sections of the plot.  These desert scenes become even more impactful when Pratchett throws in a major obstacle for Brutha that threatens to push him over the edge into despair.  You really feel for Brutha as he has his crisis of faith, only to maintain his humanity in the last confrontation with Vorbis.  The subsequent scene on the metal turtle was very tense, and while I know some people dislike the end of Vorbis, I thought it was a very clever sequence, especially as Pratchett set up the hunting eagle perfectly.  Pratchett continues to wrap up the rest of the narrative in a very satisfying way, and while the war sequence might have been a little unnecessary, it allowed some great character arcs to come together and showed how much Om had grown as a god.  The final scene with Brutha once again showing his humanity no matter what, ended the book on satisfying and heart-felt note, I appreciated the hopeful tone Pratchett concluded his brilliant story on.  An overall impactful and moving narrative that brought together a lot of complex plotlines and character moments and ensured you were hooked the entire way through.

I have always believed that Small Gods was one of Pratchett’s better written books, as he effortlessly blended a complex fantasy narrative that examined religion with his typically brilliant humour and some outstanding characters.  Featuring one of his most complex and thought-provoking plots, Pratchett achieves so much with his intriguing inclusions, all without slowing down the speed of the book and keeping the tension and emotional charge of the book on high.  Introducing a cool new setting, Small Gods works well as a standalone entry in the larger series that cleverly expands on some previously introduced features, such as the selfish and somewhat stupid gods of the Disc, as well as cool locations like Ephebe (which was previously featured in Pyramids).  Due to its lack of major connections to the other entries in the Discworld series, Small Gods is a rather excellent introduction to Pratchett’s style and ability to dive into heavy topics with comedic content.  Like all of Pratchett’s books, Small Gods is hilarious, and I love the many different levels of humour contained with the book, that range from obvious jokes at over-the-top situations, subtle witticisms often contain within well-placed footnotes, to clever word or name gags.  Some of this humour is so subtle that it often goes over the reader’s head the first time, and you honestly need multiple readings to full appreciate every single joke or gag that Pratchett thought up (I still discover new jokes I previously missed every time I read a Pratchett novel).

However, the thing that ensures Small Gods stands out amongst the other brilliant Discworld novels is the author’s clever and insightful breakdown of religion and godhood on the Disc, which is both fascinating and entertaining.  A lot of the book’s powerful messaging, complex themes and some of the best humour, comes out of the exploration of the divine and how it relates to both this crazy fantasy setting and the real world.  While Pratchett does provide a lot of jokes about religion throughout the ages, he does it in a very intelligent and delicate way that makes the reader think.  Rather than simply dunking on religions and focussing on the negatives, Pratchett instead subtly satirises the institutions, manipulative leaders and unthinking traditions that can often complicate or weaponise religion.  A large amount of the plot revolves around Vorbis and the Omnian church violently trying the repress the idea that the world is flat and on the back of a giant turtle.  While this is primarily a fun parody of the Catholic church’s suppression of Galileo’s claims about the Earth orbiting the sun (and which is now both funnier and sadder, thanks to flat earthers), it also examines how some people utilise religion as an excuse for violent action and manipulate faith for their own ends, which is a powerful recurring them throughout the book.

At the same time, Pratchett also focuses on a compelling central character with true faith who explores the meaning of religion and how it impacts his people.  Seeing a likable character like Brutha recognise the problems in his nation allows readers to reflect and see the flaws in the organised religions Pratchett is parodying, while also appreciating the messages that these religions should strive for.  The various complex discussions, personal revelations and jokes within Small Gods allow for a very insightful read that reportedly resonates with both atheists and pro-religious figures (Pratchett apparently received a lot of fan mail from both groups who thought Small Gods was written for them).  I personally think that Pratchett’s thoughts and messages were extremely perceptive and layered with a great understand of humanity, and indeed many his compelling criticism or organised religion and how it is weaponised are more relevant now than when Small Gods was written, especially as it could also apply to other traditional institutions that are being abused.

Pratchett perfectly rounds out this incredible writing by featuring some of his very best characters, including several very complex figures who mature and evolve throughout the course of the book’s plot.  This includes the main protagonist, Brutha, a simple novice who finds himself the only person left who can hear Om due to his genuine belief in the god rather than in the institutions that surround the religious practices.  While initially portrayed as a somewhat dull and unthinking novice, you soon begin to realise that there is much greater complexity within Brutha, as well as the fact that he is a genuinely nice person held back by his simple ideas of life and faith.  Thanks to his interactions with Om, who provides greater clarity to his religious beliefs, as well as his experiences outside his insular nation, Brutha begins to evolve quickly as a person, gaining a greater appreciation for the wider world, as well as beginning the understand that the world isn’t quite as black and white as he believed.  It was fascinating to see Brutha develop as the book continues, especially as he begins to doubt his faith and rebel against the church and the god that had been his entire life.  His interactions with Om were quite entertaining, as the two eventually become a fun duo of equals, although Brutha does get the upper hand over his god in quite an entertaining and refreshing manner.  Brutha was also well defined by his relationship with the book’s antagonist, Vorbis, and their discussions about truth prove to be quite defining for Brutha as an inspiration for his rebellion.  However, unlike the rest of the cast, Brutha resists becoming the monster that Vorbis wants him to be, and his subsequent demonstrations of faith, reason and humanity, really set him up as one of Pratchett’s best and most likeable central protagonists.

Brutha is well matched by his god, Om, who honestly is one of the best deities featured in the Discworld series.  Formerly an all-powerful and arrogant god who didn’t care about his believers, Om finds himself suddenly trapped as a helpless tortoise who must desperately cling to Brutha to survive.  Om proves to be quite a fascinating and entertaining figure in Small Gods, especially as Pratchett perfectly portrays him as formerly powerful being who must now rely on the mercy of others.  His initial arrogance is very entertaining, and his subsequent wheedling manipulation of Brutha was a great follow-up that worked to keep him in the story.  However, it was his eventual co-evolution with Brutha that turned Om into a particularly compelling protagonist.  Despite his resistance, his bond to Brutha shapes him and forces him to see the world through human eyes, and the subsequent discourse on philosophy, life and how religion should be as they wander the dessert impacts Om just as much as Brutha.  This eventually causes them to reach an interesting and heartfelt religious partnership, and it was fascinating to see the previously selfish Om risk it all to save Brutha, especially when he is confronted by other gods who act the same way he used to.  I loved seeing this powerful and positive development in a divine figure, and Om really ended up being a compelling secondary protagonist with some of the best jokes.

While Brutha and Om are the heart and soul of Small Gods, this book would not be as impactful without its brilliant villain, Vorbis.  A cruel and unflinching figure, Vorbis is probably Pratchett’s most ruthless antagonist, who utilises the mechanisms of the church to achieve his goals.  However, rather than being a purely evil figure, Vorbis is shown to be simply someone who understands human nature and uses this knowledge to achieve his self-determined goals, which in some ways is worse than an obvious villain.  Pratchett does an outstanding job showcasing Vorbis’s dark, insular nature, and you come to really appreciate just how sinister he is, especially as his actions inspire other people to do evil things to try and match him.  He becomes even more immoral when compared to the very innocent Brutha, the only person that Vorbis occasionally sees as a real threat to his plans due to his legitimate belief, and their various interactions and discussion about the true nature of the world are quite powerful.  Pratchett features Vorbis perfectly throughout the book, and his final appearances, where he finally understands his own nature, are very satisfying to behold.

The rest of the cast of Small Gods are also quite impactful in their own way.  The blind philosopher, Didactylos, proves to be a fantastic voice of reason in the story, especially compared to the rest of the insane philosophers of Ephebe, and his very simple philosophy and viewpoint on life and truth give the characters, and the readers, much to think about amongst the discussions on religion.  Didactylos’s nephew, Urn, came across perfectly as a machine-obsessed proto engineer, whose storylines go in some interesting philosophical directions, especially when he realises what his inventions will be used for.  I had a very fun chuckle at the inclusion of Cut-Me-Own-Hand-Off Dhblah, a fun Omnian equivalent to the always entertaining Ankh-Morpork native, Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler, while the Sweeper, Lu Tze, gets a great introduction as a secret history monk who occasionally changes events for the better.  Finally, the zealous Sergeant Simony, who leads the internal Omnian revolution against Vorbis, proves to be a very impressive figure who, despite being a fervent misotheist (someone who hates one specific god), has a belief in freedom and the turtle that matches Brutha’s faith in Om.  Simony serves as a very good example of just how far Vorbis can drive someone trying to do the wrong thing to achieve their goals, and I felt that he matched the fervour and faith of the other major characters in some fascinating ways.  This cast of characters was overall superb, and I really appreciated how well they complimented each other’s story arcs, as well as the intelligent themes Pratchett was trying to get across.

As with all the Discworld novels, I have enjoyed Small Gods as both a physical novel and an audiobook, and frankly this epic story comes across extremely well in all formats.  However, I have a very special place in my heart for the Discworld audiobooks, and the outstanding stories, elaborate characters and impressive and clever humour always comes across extremely well in this format.  I have had the great pleasure of listening to Small Gods multiple times over the years, and I want to highlight the two different unabridged version of Small Gods.

The first audiobook version of Small Gods is the original production narrated by Nigel Planer.  Small Gods was a particularly impressive example of Planer’s voice work, as he had to come up with unique voices for a range of unusual characters.  The Planer version of Small Gods is the one that I grew up with, and it is engrained in my mind as a result, especially as the narrator effortlessly moves through Pratchett’s many complex ideas and plots and brings them out in a fantastic and humours manner.  Planer provides all the voices in his version of Small Gods, and he perfectly encapsulated all the key figures of the book with his exceptional narrations.  You really get the full range of these character’s personalities and emotions through Planer’s voice work, and I loved his clever takes on Pratchett’s distinctive cast.  As such, the Planer version of Small Gods is probably the gold standard for all Discworld fans, and it will always have a very special place in my heart.

There is also a recently released version of Small Gods that is narrated by three brilliant British talents, and which was the version I most recently enjoyed.  This new Small Gods audiobook features a runtime of around 12 hours, which is a little longer than the roughly 10-hour long Planer version and provides an interesting new take on the novel.  I really enjoyed the voice cast for this new audiobook, as not only do we once again get Peter Serafinowicz and Bill Nighy in their recurring roles, but it also features the primary narration of actor Andy Serkis.

Serkis, who has also narrated a recent version of The Lord of the Rings books that is worth checking out, does an exceptional job in Small Gods, ensuring a very fun experience for all listeners.  While there are some tonal shifts in this audiobook that fans of the Planer version may find a little surprising or jarring, for the most part I think Serkis matches and even occasionally exceeds Nigel Planer’s performance, and I very much enjoyed his take on the book.  His basic narration of Small Gods matches Pratchett’s style and humour extremely well, and I love how effectively he moves the story along, perfectly capturing the complex tone and energy of the plot.  However, it is Serkis’s entertaining voices that were the highlight of this version of Small Gods, as the characters are each given unique tones that fit their personalities in some fantastic ways.  His voice for Brutha, the central character, was extremely good, and I loved how well Serkis captured Brutha’s transformative journey and complex personality.  Utilising a fitting rural voice for the protagonist, Serkis successfully showcases Brutha’s changing mentality and deep moral roots with his narration, and you can honestly imagine this intriguing figure every time the narrator voices him.

In comparison to Brutha, the voices for Vorbis and the Great God Om were a lot more elaborate by necessity, and I really appreciated the fantastic tones that Serkis choice for these entertaining figures.  My favourite was probably the voice used for Vorbis, as the narrator gifted this antagonist a deep, rich and lingering voice that honestly put me in mind of Tony Jay or Alan Rickman with some added oily sinisterness.  This impactful voice perfectly fit Vorbis’ menacing personality, and whenever the listener hears the voice, you know bad stuff is about to go down for the rest of the cast.  As for Om, Serkis provides him with an unrefined and laddish voice with a Liverpool accent.  This interesting voice choice matched Om’s uncaring and selfish personality extremely well, and I liked how well Serkis’s chosen tone for this divine figure played into the overarching theme that gods on the Discworld aren’t as sophisticated as everyone assumes they are.  Most of the rest of the voices in Small Gods work extremely well, with Sergeant Simony and Cut-Me-Own-Hand-Off Dhblah having memorable voices as a result.  However, I felt that the strong American accents that Serkis assigned to Didactylos and Urn really didn’t work, and failed to match the tone of the rest of the audiobook.  While Serkis was probably trying to distinguish these two from the other Ephebian philosophers, their voices honestly grated on me, and I really wish he’d have tried something else.  Still, the rest of Serkis’ voice work was amazing, and I cannot emphasise how incredible most of his narration of Small Gods turned out to be.

Serkis’s main narration was perfectly enhanced with the inclusion of Peter Serafinowicz and Bill Nighy in their recurring roles from the new Discworld audiobooks.  Serafinowicz provides the voice of Death whenever he appears in this audiobook, which is a lot of fun as Serafinowicz has an extremely entertaining Death voice that captures the anthropomorphic personification in all his skeletal glory.  His multiple appearances in Small Gods, leading key character towards the desert of judgement, were very awesome, and I loved hearing Serafinowicz converse with the other characters as Death.  The audiobook production team does an excellent job sliding the Death voice into Serkis’s main narration seamlessly, and I love it when Serafinowicz’s voice suddenly appears during dangerous scenes, heralding that someone is about to die, and ensuring there is some great tension as you watch the other characters slowly realise something is very wrong.  Nighy, on the other hand, narrates the various footnotes that Pratchett included in his text, providing an extra layer of humour.  While there are relatively few footnotes in Small Gods, it is a key role that Nighy perfectly fulfils, and his calm, consistent tones, echoing Peter Jones’s similar role in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy radio and TV editions really highlighted the subtle comedy of these footnotes. These three exceptional actors come together perfectly and provide an outstanding overall performance that I could not get enough of.  This was a truly exceptional audiobook that I think is on par with the previous Planer version, and I would strongly recommend both audiobooks as an amazing way to enjoy Small Gods, especially if you need to listen to something while travelling.

Well, as I am currently just getting to the end of page seven of my review for Small Gods by Terry Pratchett, I think it is a safe assumption to say that I love this amazing book.  Easily one of my favourite Discworld novels, Small Gods perfectly blends a brilliant story and amazing characters with Pratchett’s amazing wit and his uncanny insights into compelling real-world issues.  An incredible and addictive read from start to finish, Small Gods comes extremely highly recommended and can easily be enjoyed by anyone wanting a clever, funny and heartfelt read, especially on its two audiobook formats.

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Mickey7 by Edward Ashton

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction2 Comments

Publisher: Macmillan Audio (Audiobook – 15 February 2022)

Series: Mickey7 – Book One

Length: nine hours and 15 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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I finally got around to reading the awesome and darkly funny science fiction novel, Mickey7 by Edward Ashton, a very cool read that is set to have an intriguing film adaptation later this year.

Mickey7 is a book that has been on my radar for a while, as it was one of the top science fiction books of 2022.  I heard a lot of buzz about Mickey7 when it first came out, and I liked the sound of the entertaining plot that author Edward Ashton came up with.  Thanks to some excellent early praise I saw about this I really meant to read Mickey7 when it first came out but could never quite fit it into my reading schedule.  However, inspired by the upcoming film adaptation, I used a recent road trip to finally check out Mickey7 and I regret not reading it sooner.

Plot Synopsis:

Dying isn’t any fun…but at least it’s a living.

Mickey7 is an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there’s a mission that’s too dangerous—even suicidal—the crew turns to Mickey. After one iteration dies, a new body is regenerated with most of his memories intact. After six deaths, Mickey7 understands the terms of his deal…and why it was the only colonial position unfilled when he took it.

On a fairly routine scouting mission, Mickey7 goes missing and is presumed dead. By the time he returns to the colony base, surprisingly helped back by native life, Mickey7’s fate has been sealed. There’s a new clone, Mickey8, reporting for Expendable duties. The idea of duplicate Expendables is universally loathed, and if caught, they will likely be thrown into the recycler for protein.

Mickey7 must keep his double a secret from the rest of the colony. Meanwhile, life on Niflheim is getting worse. The atmosphere is unsuitable for humans, food is in short supply, and terraforming is going poorly. The native species are growing curious about their new neighbors, and that curiosity has Commander Marshall very afraid. Ultimately, the survival of both lifeforms will come down to Mickey7.

That is, if he can just keep from dying for good.


Mickey7 proved to be an outstanding and highly entertaining book that I had a wonderful time getting through in one extended listen.  Edward Ashton masterfully crafted together a memorable science fiction narrative that is clever, thought-provoking, and particularly hilarious.  As such, I felt that Mickey7 deserved a full five-star rating, and I am very much looking forward to the upcoming film adaption.

I deeply enjoyed the unique, fun and compelling narrative that Ashton pulled together for Mickey7, especially as the author blends interesting science fiction concepts with entertaining characters.  Starting off with the initial event that sees the titular seventh iteration of protagonist Mickey Barnes thrust into a situation that would lead to his death, only to survive and encounter the next iteration of himself in his bed, Mickey7 has an awesome start to it that Ashton expertly introduces and leans into.  What follows is a fantastic, character-driven tale, as Mickey7 attempts to work things out with his clone, Mickey8, while trying to hide the fact that there are duplicate versions of themselves from the rest of the colony.  Forced to also contend with other personal dramas, as well as the emergence of a dangerous alien threat, the protagonist has a lot of balls to juggle at this point, and it proves to be quite captivating to see all the chaos unfold.  There is some great drama as the story continues and the two duplicates are inevitably found out, especially as the reactions that the other characters are quite varied. 

At the same time as all the crazy events of the book are occurring, the protagonist also uses his narration to dive into his own past, including the reasons he became an expendable and all the dark deaths he has already experienced.  This character history proves to be very integral to the protagonist’s journey in the current adventure, and you grow to appreciate his motivations for surviving after learning about his previous deaths.  Mickey7 also uses his narration to examine some intriguing insights into the wider universe the book is set into.  These details of the wider universe are very cleverly worked into the plot of the story, and these expansions in the lore are not only fascinating but also provide some interesting context to the protagonist’s situation and the reasons behind the actions of himself of his fellow colonists.  This includes history of the wider universe, discussion about other colonies, as well as the reason why duplicates of expendables are so reviled.  While this examination of the human expansion and experience in the future does take up a fair bit of the book, I think that Ashton got the right balance between the focus on modern day events and these insights and commentary from the protagonist, and they come together to make quite an entertaining tale.

Everything leads up to the big conclusion of Mickey7, as the protagonists are forced to face off against the aliens with the threat of execution hanging over their heads.  Ashton does a good job of wrapping up some interesting character interactions and development towards the end of the book, especially as the protagonist grows, while also learning to deal some of the toxic personalities in his life.  The author also builds on some interesting foreshadowing that had been present since the start of the book to provide a solution to one of the main issues the protagonist is forced to deal with, and I think that Ashton used it well to help bring his entire plot together.  The final confrontation with one of the book’s main antagonists was very therapeutic for both the protagonist and the reader, and Ashton leaves the plot in a fun place that I felt wrapped up the narrative and the character growth extremely well.

This proved to be a very impressive novel, and the author ensured that Mickey7 had the right blend of character development, harsh science fiction adventure, and comedic charm to be especially captivating.  Ashton makes great use of the first-person perspective for Mickey7, as he presents a very entertaining and personal tale of survival, rebirth and finding oneself in a science fiction setting.  Simultaneously telling his own personal story while also exploring the universe that the book is set in, Mickey7 proves to be a very amusing narrator, and I really liked his take on the events and the history going on around him.  Even with the commentary on both the protagonist’s history and the wider universe, which I maintain is essential for the how great the book turned out to be, Mickey7 is still a sleek and fast-paced read that gets its messages of self-determination, human nature and the continued desire to survive out in an entertaining way.  I honestly was hooked on this book from the very beginning, and the way it was presented allowed the reader to quickly power through it, while also enjoy its message.

One of the main reasons that Mickey7 was so enjoyable was the well-written and complex characters featured within it.  This includes the main protagonist and point-of-view character, the seventh Mickey Barnes, who quickly steals your heart.  A kind but irresponsible figure, Mickey7 is the sum of his original experiences and the dark deaths he encountered as part of this expedition.  Ashton does an excellent job showcasing both his personality and his history, and I liked how well he worked them into the plot of the book.  Mickey’s many foibles and shortcomings are well expressed throughout the book, and at times the protagonist seems a little dumb, especially when you learn his history.  However, thanks to his insightful narration, you really grow to appreciate Mickey’s take on the world, and it proved quite fun to see him interact with the unique situations he encounters, especially his fraught relationship with his own clone, Mickey8.  Thanks to a few weeks’ difference in memories, Mickey8 is a surprisingly different personality to Mickey7, and I loved seeing the impact that experiences and revelations can have on a person.  I really enjoyed seeing Mickey7 come to terms with his own nature, as well as his desire to survive, and he proved a great central protagonist for this ambitious novel.

The rest of the key cast of Mickey7 proved to be intriguing in their own way.  Love interest Nasha proved to be a great companion for Mickey, and I liked the dive into their relationship, especially when it comes to how Mickey’s deaths affect her.  She also helps initiate one of the more memorable scenes in the book when she finds out there are two Mickeys running around, which is honestly very amusing (I know I sniggered a lot).  Mickey’s friend Berto is also a fantastic figure in the book, mainly because his one-sided relationship with Mickey proves to be quite detrimental to the protagonist.  The way that Ashton explores Berto’s personality and actions is quite clever and compelling, and I liked the full explanation for his actions when it comes to Mickey’s previous deaths.  I also really enjoyed the expedition’s commander, Hieronymous Marshall.  A strict, militaristic figure, Marshall serves an antagonistic role in the plot, especially when he lets his prejudice against expendables impact his decisions.  While at times Marshall is a bit of a cliche controlling boss figure, he proves to be a good foil for the rest of the characters, and I loved his outraged reactions when things don’t go his way.  These characters, and a couple more, serve as a great supporting cast to Mickey’s tale of life, and I really loved the compelling edge they gave to the plot.

As I mentioned above, I chose to check out Mickey7 on audiobook, primarily because it made for good road trip entertainment, but I ended up really enjoying this format of Mickey7, which really got the book’s unique tone and narrative across.  Coming in with a runtime just over 9 hours, this proved to be a very easy audiobook to power through quickly, and I really appreciate how much it made Ashton’s compelling and complex narrative easy to experience and enjoy.  This was primarily because of the audiobook’s main narrator, John Pirhalla, who really dove into the key characters for this book and moved the plot along at a quick and exciting pace.  Pirhalla brought some very fun voices to the Mickey7 audiobook, and I loved how effectively he captured the main character, Mickey, with his voicework.  You get the full emotional range with Pirhalla’s take on Mickey, although I loved the continued exasperated tone that seemed to capture a lot of Mickey’s personality, as the protagonist continues to encounter more over-the-top problems and experiences.  This more humorous vocal tone for the main narration certainly lightened the mood, even in some of the more tense scenes, and I personally felt it added a lot to the audiobook’s charm.  Pirhalla also provides some effective alternate voices to capture the rest of the supporting characters, including the female figures, and you really got a great sense of personality and mentality with these fitting voices.  My personal favourite would have to be the voice that Pirhalla gave to Commander Marshall, and the rough, irritated and commanding tones matched so many stereotypical older, military leaders from film and television, that you could easily picture the character every time he talked.  Throw in some effective audio effects to capture the times that the characters were communicating digitally (which also featured a second narrator, Katharine Chin, who voiced the digital communications from female characters), and this proved to be a well performed audiobook that effectively captured Mickey7’s unique plot and tone.  As such, this audiobook comes highly recommended, and I can personally guarantee that the Mickey7 audiobook is an excellent entertainment for a road trip of several hours.

Thanks to its addictive and humours narrative, cool characters and intriguing universe building, Mickey7 lived up to its hype in my estimation, and I am very glad I decided to check out this novel by Edward Ashton.  Clever and continually entertaining, Mickey7 was so much fun, and I am really glad I finally got the chance to check it out.  I am quite excited to see how the film adaptation, Mickey17 turns out, which has some real potential thanks to its top rate cast and director.  I am also planning to read the sequel to Mickey7, Antimatter Blues, very soon, and I cannot wait to see how Ashton continues the story from the first book.

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Warhammer 40,000: Titanicus by Dan Abnett

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer3 Comments

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 1 September 2008)

Series: Warhammer 40,000/Sabbat Worlds Crusade

Length: 13 hours and 38 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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The Titans walk to war in this brutal and captivating Warhammer 40,000 novel from the legendary Dan Abnett, Titanicus.

Of the many great Warhammer 40,000 authors out there, few are as impressive as Dan Abnett, who has envisioned an incredible number of awesome battlefields and unique character-focused war stories across the Warhammer universe.  Abnett has written a ton of exceptional and powerful books around the franchise, including several series considered to be the seminal texts of the extended universe.  This includes his brilliant Eisenhorn trilogy (Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus), and he has multiple entries in my favourite Warhammer 40,000 books list.  However, his best-known series is the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, which I am currently in the middle of reading.

The Gaunt’s Ghosts books are a key series of Warhammer 40,000 fiction that follows the frontline human soldier of this grimdark universe.  Set in an extended multi-planet campaign, known as the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, the Gaunt’s Ghosts books follow a ragged regiment of soldiers as they attempt to survive the dark servants of Chaos coming for them.  I am having an exceptional time reading the Gaunt’s Ghosts series, with books like First and Only, Ghostmaker, Necropolis, Honour Guard, The Guns of Tanith, Straight Silver and Sabbat Martyr, really impressing me with the complex stories and intense action.  While I need to read more of the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, I have taken a quick break to read some of the spin-off novels Abnett wrote around his main series.  Also set around the Sabbat Worlds Crusade, these spin-off novels follow other campaigns in this massive sector spanning war and provide Warhammer fans with a more in-depth view of these battles.  These spin-offs include the exceptional Double Eagle, which I had the great pleasure of reading last year, and which featured so many awesome duels between flyers.  Titanicus was another spectacular book shows a new and highly destructive battlefront of the crusade by focusing on the iconic Titan Legions of the Adeptus Mechanicus.

As war rage across the stars, the forces of Chaos constantly seek a way to disrupt the vital Sabbat World Crusade and destroy the human forces fighting to bring new worlds into the Imperium of Man.  To that end, the archenemy launches an ambitious and devastating surprise assault on the vital forge world of Orestes, whose under-strength defenders find themselves under mass attack from Chaos Titan war engines.  With both the citizens of the Imperium of Man and the forges of the Adeptus Mechanicus under threat, the planet appeals for help and soon finds its prayers answered from the stars in dramatic fashion.

Fresh from their own wars and heading out to join the crusade, the Titans of the Legio Invicta arrive on Orestes, determined to help their Mechanicus brethren.  Finding the forces of Orestes severely outwatched, the Invicta Titans stride to war, causing everything to tremble at the god-machines wrath.  Soon the world is engulfed in an engine war, with both sides wielding enough firepower to crack the planet and the entire population of Orestes caught in the conflict.

But as the war continues, a far more insidious threat arises that could impact far more than just the war on Orestes.  Deep secrets from within Orestes Forge soon begin to spill out, risking a schism between the Imperium of Man and the Adeptus Mechanicus.  With the planet trembling under the battling machines and enemy forces growing by the day, can Legio Invicta overcome the peril growing within their brotherhood before Orestes and the entire galaxy is put to the flame?

Dan Abnett presets another brilliant war story that is epic in every definition of the word.  Successfully presenting the awesome power of the Titans, Titanicus is a deeply compelling and impressive Warhammer 40,000 novel that I honestly could not get enough of.  Intense, exciting and so darn cool, Titanicus gets an easy five-star rating from me, as Abnett once again shows just how talented he is.

Titanicus had a particularly awesome and multi-layered standalone war narrative behind it that hooked me thanks to the author’s nuanced take on the destructive conflicts of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.  Starting off with some dark death to hammer home how grim the situation is, you are soon thrust into the main story as the planet of Orestes comes under attack and the defenders are pushed to the limit.  However, hope soon arrives with the landing of Legio Invicta, who back up Orestes’s existing Titans and defenders with their own engines and troops.  Abnett quickly and effectively sets up multiple character specific storylines as the book progresses that show various alternative viewpoints of the war.  The author works hard to showcase multiple levels of the conflict, from the top commanders all the way to the lowliest of soldiers, and I really enjoyed some of the intriguing storylines that emerged.  This includes desperate tales of survival by following human troops caught behind enemy lines and pursued by mechanical monsters, compelling dives into the minds of the Titan pilots, looks at the various political forces on Orestes, and even some fascinating storylines inside the Adeptus Mechanicus forge.  Abnett did an amazing job highlighting the desperate strife and the complex conflicts these figures endured, and you get a fantastic overarching look at the machine war that proves hard to look away from. 

As the plot of Titanicus continues, the various storylines go in some interesting directions, as you follow each of the characters or groups on their own unique journeys.  Abnett did a really good job of ensuring these unique storylines effectively played off each other as the book continues, and the way characters reacted to events from other plotlines was quite clever and helped to produce a cohesive and intense overarching narrative.  The introduction of a compelling storyline around intrigue and dissent amongst the Adeptus Mechanicus characters provides some extra drama and character conflicts, which added some interesting complexity to the plot, especially as it gave you an alternative group of antagonists which worked well alongside the menacing forces of Chaos, whose perspective you don’t see.  I appreciated how well Abnett set this storyline up in advance, and there are some clever hints to this, and other big events, earlier in the plot.

The final third of Titanicus is particularly impressive and intense, as the author brings together his various storylines extremely well.  I especially enjoyed some of the massive action sequences, while the resolution of the Adeptus Mechanicus storyline was powerful and full of drama as big personalities try to overcome mistrust and dissent.  While I would have liked to have seen the final battle in full, I think Abnett’s effective summary worked pretty well, and I understand that spending another few hours in combat would have watered down the author’s main message.  Each major character’s arc is resolved in a very satisfying manner, and there is an excellent blend of dramatic moments and intense action to keep the reader hooked.  I appreciated how a couple of these conclusions were more depressing, rather than being uniformly happy, which fits both the grimdark nature of Warhammer 40,000 as well as Abnett’s overarching themes that war has no true winners.  This story really came together well, and I deeply enjoyed the complex standalone narrative that Abnett came up with.

This was another insanely well written novel from Abnett, who excels at telling dark, deeply personal war stories from multiple perspectives.  The author provides the perfect balance of excitement, deep intrigue and fantastic character growth in Titanicus, all expertly set within the amazing Warhammer 40,000 universe, and it proves to be such an addictive read.  I personally became engrossed in the various character-driven storylines that emerged throughout the plot, especially the long-running storylines that lasted the entire book.  However, even the more minor character arcs, such as the occasional scene from a normal citizen living in the city to an extended look at the crew of a doomed machine, was hard hitting and Abnett really gets you invested in these personal tales.  As I mentioned above, these often-separate storylines worked extremely well in concert with each other, and Abnett did such a good job pulling them together into a brilliant, overarching narrative. 

Of course, you can’t talk about Titanicus’s writing without going into how incredible the action sequences are.  Abnett crafts together so many deeply intense and powerful battle scenes throughout Titanicus that constantly had the blood pumping as you watched your favourite characters brave the dark gauntlet of battle time and time again.  The author had a lot of fun envisioning war on multiple fronts, and I loved how we got to see infantry fights, tank battles and entertaining skirmishes between various augmented foes as the story continued.  However, easily the most awesome thing about Titanicus is the Titans themselves.  Insanely massive and powerful walking war machines, the Titans steal any scene they are in, and there are so many great reactions as the normal human characters see the Titans fight, especially when the despoiled enemy machines advance on them.  However, it is the sequences shown from the perspective of the Titan pilots themselves that are the best, as you become fully immersed into the battles in the scenes as the machines rain down destruction and depth.  You can honestly feel the insane powerful and destructive ability of the Titans as you move throughout Titanicus, and every single battle involving one of these massive walkers is epic on so many levels. 

As with the rest of Abnett’s books, Titanicus proved to be a particularly strong entry in the Warhammer 40,000 canon.  Serving as a companion piece to the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, Titanicus is a must-read to anyone who has enjoyed Abnett’s main series and the overarching campaign it is a part of.  However, as there are no overlapping characters or major storylines, Titanicus can also be easily read as a standalone novel, and indeed would be a great introduction to Abnett’s writing style and his ability to write awesome war stories.  Titanicus would also be the perfect entry novel to anyone interested in exploring Warhammer 40,000 fiction, especially science fiction readers who love the idea of giant piloted war machines.  The cool action, complex character arcs and fantastic standalone narrative ensures that anyone can really dive into Titanicus and have a brilliant time, and I honestly think this book would appeal to a wide range of different readers.

However, as with most books in the franchise, Titanicus will mostly appeal to those established Warhammer 40,000 fans who will love Abnett’s dive into some unique aspects of the universe.  Naturally, this is primarily going to be around the Titans, who are a very awesome part of the Warhammer 40,000 setting that are often underutilised in fiction due to being too overpowered (or getting badly nerfed when they do appear).  I think Abnett did these war machines perfect justice in Titanicus, and you really come away appreciating every aspect of them, including their raw power, their powerful spirit, and the love the crews have for them.  However, Abnett also dives into the dark side of the machine, and some of the sequences that show the pilots losing their humanity were particularly jarring.  Honestly, I thought Abnett’s portray of the Titans was just brilliant, and I have yet to see another Warhammer author do any better.  Abnett also takes a lot of time to dive into the lore surrounding the Adeptus Mechanics.  While these parts of the book might be slightly confusing for newer readers, established fans will love seeing Abnett explore these machine-worshipping figures, especially as a theological schism becomes a major plot issue.  Other cool lore aspects include examining the uneasy relationship between the Imperium and the Mechanicus on planets they share, the dark side of human life on a planet under siege, and even little fun moments, like a toy maker finally finding success as he makes models of the Titans battling across the world.  All these elements make Titanicus a particularly epic read for fans of the franchise, and I personally loved seeing Abnett’s take on all these cool universe inclusions.

While the writing, story and Warhammer 40,000 elements are all exceptional on their own, what really brings them together and makes Titanicus truly awesome are the multiple cool characters scattered throughout the plot.  Abnett introduces a huge range of fantastic and complex characters in Titanicus who you grow quite attached to as the plot continues.  All the characters, from major figures to minor one-scene characters, are fantastically written and cleverly influence the plot in their own cool ways.  Highlights for me included the desperate crew of a destroyed tank who try to escape on foot, only to find more danger in front of them.  A group of inexperienced conscripts who are completely unprepared for the horrors of war also prove to be really entertaining, and you grow invested in their struggles to survive and the tragedies that await them.  Abnett also examines several intriguing Adeptus Mechanicus figures within the Orestes Forge, whose frustrations, ambitions and struggles for power are far more human than they’d like to believe.  However, the best character arc for me was the one that revolved around the crew of a Legio Invicta’s Titan who are forced to accept an Orestes’ Princeps (the pilot plugged into the Titan’s mind) when their own dies without a successor.  The resulting conflicts between the inexperienced and arrogant outsider pilot and the veteran Legio Invicta crew, which includes the Titan’s moderati (second-in-command), who finds himself under a suspended death sentence, sets the scene perfectly, and you become really intrigued in seeing how the Titan will survive.  Watching these figures come together as a crew is a highlight of Titanicus, although Abnett does an excellent job twisting that around later when internal conflict splits the protagonists.  All these characters, and many more, gave Titanicus some real emotional heft, and I became so damn invested in seeing the final fate of so many of these outstanding protagonists.

I think that it’s kind of a given that I listened to Titanicus on audiobook rather than seeking out a physical copy of the book.  Warhammer audiobooks are so damn good, and frankly there is no better way to enjoy the franchise’s awesome narratives and compelling action.  This is particularly true for Titanicus, as the intricate details and impressive combat sequences really shine through even better when read out.  I especially loved how incredibly epic the various Titan-on-Titan battles came across in this audiobook format, and the fantastic voice of narrator Toby Longworth ensured that you were enrapt by every single second of carnage.  Longworth, who is one of my favourite audiobook narrators, always does an exceptional job bringing Abnett’s amazing stories to life, and he was once again exceptional here in Titanicus.  Longworth captures all the characters in Titanicus perfectly, and you get a real sense of their personalities, emotions and their reactions to the insane events of the book.  This includes the various Adeptus Mechanicus figures, which Longworth voices in all their mechanical glory, and you can just imagine these augmented figures, and indeed all the complex characters of Titanicus, as Longworth describes them.  This makes for such an exceptional experience, and I flew through the audiobook’s near 14-hour long runtime extremely quickly.  There is honestly no other way to enjoy Titanicus than on audiobook, and you are guaranteed to have an amazing time.

Dan Abnett continues to showcase why he is such a highly regarded author of Warhammer fiction with the brilliant and captivating Titanicus.  Perfectly showcasing a war between one of the franchise’s most epic components, the massive Titan war engines, Titanicus was an exceptional read from start to finish and one that I cannot recommend enough.  I had such a great time with Titanicus, and I look forward to reading even more Warhammer 40,000 books from Dan Abnett this year.

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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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Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Comedy/Satire, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction7 Comments

Publisher: Tor (ebook – 6 June 2024)

Series: Standalone

Length: 369 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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The line between man and machine is about to blurred in the most hilarious of ways as one of the world’s best science fiction authors, Adrian Tchaikovsky, presents the brilliantly satirical novel, Service Model.

The last couple of years have seen me really get into the writings of acclaimed author Adrian Tchaikovsky, whose work in the fantasy and science fiction genres has been truly amazing.  While Tchaikovsky has written many books over the years, I am more familiar with his recent works, including the novella Ogres, one of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels, Day of Ascension, and his first two Tyrant Philosophers novels, City of Last Chances and House of Open Wounds, both of which were amongst my favourite books of 2023.  2024 has proven to be a particularly big year for Tchaikovsky, as he has released four separate books.  The first of these, Alien Clay, was a compelling and memorable science fiction adventure on a deadly prison planet filled with unusual alien life, and I had a great time with it.  I also made sure to check out the brilliant and fantastic novel, Service Model, which had a hilarious plot behind it that I just couldn’t turn away from.

In the far future, the remnants of humanity are utterly reliant on artificial labour and service.  Living in estates completely staffed by robots and advanced computer systems, the remaining humans have every aspect of their lives taken care of.  But what happens when their robot servants find new and dangerous ideas loaded into their heads?

Charles is the loyal body robot to one of these humans.  Content to serve and enact the often confusing and contradictory orders of his master, Charles’s life is one of routine and protocol.  That is until one day an apparent fault in his programming causes him to murder his master.  Now without an employer or a purpose, Charles is forced to leave the household and embark on a journey into the wider world, one he never knew existed.  Here, despite all his expectations, he encounters a crumbling world in which all the humans are gone and the robots that remain are stuck completing illogical or impossible tasks.

After a chance encounter with a mysterious and self-determined figure, Charles embarks on a new mission, to find new employment as a body servant and once again gain purpose.  However, finding a suitable employer in this new world is tricky as every potential boss is dead, insane, or trapped within their own contradictory tasks.  It soon becomes apparent that if Charles is to once again find a suitable purpose in life, he must either find the cause for humanity’s fall or take everybody down with him.

Service Model was a very clever, entertaining and compelling science fiction adventure that I could not get enough of.  Featuring Tchaikovsky’s trademark satirical wit and unique outlook on all manner of life, Service Model was a particularly awesome read that was equal measures funny and tragic, but all entertainment.  A fantastic and inventive novel I had to give a full five-star rating to.

Tchaikovsky really went out of his way to produce a hilarious and intense story about life, decisions and the crumbling future in Service Model, and I loved every single mad second of it.  Set around the unlikely protagonist, Charles (later rechristened Uncharles), Service Model starts with Charles satisfied with his existence as a body servant, until he unexpectantly kills his master.  Forced to leave the manor, Charles journeys towards the repair yard, only to discover that the world is nothing like he expected, and that everything built by humans is failing, taking the robots down with them.

Faced with nothing but inconsistencies and illogical fellow robots, Charles embarks on a quest to find a new human master or some form of purpose.  Assisted and occasionally hindered by the strange robot The Wonk, who is definitely not a human in disguise, Charles encounters the many unlikely and unusual examples of continued society left in the world, from an illogical attempt to keep human society going (essentially a human zoo), a group of insane librarians (more insane than typical librarians), rival robot armies, and other outrageous occurrence of robotic life.  The book pretty much revolves around Charles and The Wonk discovering these societies, learning their flaws, and then trying to find a way to help or escape their respective crazy ideas.  There are a ton of highly amusing interactions and outrageous scenes throughout this intense quest, and I loved some of the wonderfully weird scenarios that emerged as Tchaikovsky utilises his considerable imagination to envision the grim future.  Everything ends on a very interesting note, as the protagonists find the answers they are looking for, even if it’s not what they wanted, and there is a hopeful conclusion that fits the recurring themes of Service Model perfectly and leaves the reader thoughtful going out.

Service Model ended up being an outstanding and complex standalone science fiction novel that perfectly combined a fun adventure story with the author’s cynical humour to create a powerful and inventive read.  Tchaikovsky utilises a unique writing style for this book, that seeks to really drive home the robotic nature of the main protagonist to the reader.  While this does result in some aesthetic and stylistic choices that some readers might not enjoy, especially around the dialogue, I personally felt that it fit the story perfectly and was a clever way of expressing the thoughts and motivations of the unusual point of view protagonist.  You really begin to appreciate the programmed, yet changing, mindset of Charles as the book continues, and it proves interesting to slowly see this robot realise just broken the world around him is.  There are some surprisingly deep emotional moments captured within this tale of automated life, especially tied around the great characters of Charles and The Wonk, and it was fascinating and touching to see how they developed together.  As such, Service Model proves to be a multi-layered and complex read, and it proves very hard to pull away from it at times.

One of the main reasons that I enjoyed Service Model so much was the fantastic and intelligent humour that Tchaikovsky infused his story with.  Like with most of Tchaikovsky’s more light-hearted books, much of this humour is tied into the author’s cynical view of humanity and the future, and I loved once again seeing the author’s take on how doomed we are.  In Service Model, a lot of this humour is tied into the failure of systems, overreliance on technology and human shortsightedness as the various robot characters try to enact the various incomplete, ill-advised or just plain insane commands of the former human masters.  There are so many examples of Charles or other robots trying to complete these instructions to the best of their ability, only to bring greater chaos or misunderstanding to those around them, and it is fun, if a tad depressing, to see these events unfold.  Tchaikovsky throws in even more insane occurrences of this, as certain robots have taken their former illogical instructions or existing systems too far, resulting in elaborate quests, wars or other activities, often for a broken or non-existent purpose.  Seeing the protagonist explore these events and either try to navigate them or find their place within them results in some very absurd but clever moments, and I liked how Tchaikovsky played these events for laughs while also using them to show the protagonist just how broken the current way of thinking is.  I really enjoyed this dark humour, especially as the author uses it to make you think at the same time, and it helped to turn Service Model into quite an entertaining and captivating read.

Adrian Tchaikovsky continues to shine with this brilliant and addictive science fiction read.  Bringing together a compelling and moving story of self-discovery with some fantastic humour and a post-apocalyptic setting loaded with disorganised and distressed robots, Service Model keeps you laughing while also hitting you in the feels.  I had an exceptional time with Service Model, and it was a true pleasure to read.  I cannot wait to check out more of Tchaikovsky’s books in 2025, and my next stop will have to be the outstanding Days of Shattered Faith.

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Darkside by Michael Mammay

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Thriller4 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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