Tag: Great Characters

Warhammer 40,000: Interceptor City by Dan Abnett

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer8 Comments

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 22 February 2025)

Series: Sabbat World Crusades/Warhammer 40,000

Length: 15 hours and 35 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Take to the skies once more as legendary Warhammer 40,000 author Dan Abnett presents another ambitious and rip-roaring novel of dogfights and explosive characters in the incredible novel, Interceptor City.

Dan Abnett is an author who I have mentioned multiple times in this blog, primarily because he is one of the best and most prolific writers of Warhammer fiction.  Abnett’s impressive work is a substantial pillar of the extended Warhammer 40,000 universe, especially with his entries in the Horus Heresy range, as well as his own various unique series, several of which are amongst some of my very favourite pieces of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.  This includes his outstanding Eisenhorn novels (Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus), his long-running Gaunt’s Ghosts books (First and Only, Ghostmaker, Necropolis, Honour Guard, The Guns of Tanith, Straight Silver and Sabbat Martyr), as well as gripping standalone titles like Titanicus. However, one of his very best books is the exceptional Double Eagle, for which Abnett has just released a sequel.

Double Eagle was an incredible novel first released in 2004 that sought to add a new, unique vantage point to the author’s Sabbat Worlds Crusade, the massive, multi-planet war served as a background the Gaunt’s Ghosts books.  Double Eagle followed members of a regiment of fighter pilots as they sought to control the skies above the Sabbat Worlds.  An intense, beautifully written, character-driven novel, Double Eagle got an easy five-star rating from me thanks to its outstanding and epic dogfights and examples of fighter-on-fighter combat.  Double Eagle was easily one of the best Warhammer books I have ever read, and I was very excited to find out that Abnett was finally releasing a sequel.

The Emperor protects, the Aeronautica remembers!

It has been more than 20 years since the battle to save Enothis and the Sabbat Worlds Crusade continues to rage, with millions of soldiers from the Imperium of Man fighting and dying to claim the planets from the arch-enemies grasp.  For some the crusade seems like a distant event, but for those on the scarred planet of Lysander, war is a daily occurrence, especially as the air forces of Chaos constantly seek to destroy the Imperial defenders with massive bomber flights.  The latest front of this campaign is the ruined hive city of Vesperus, which the enemy is using as cover to launch bombing attacks where the Imperials least expect it.  In response, the fighter pilots of the Aeronautica Imperialis have been ordered to secure the destroyed spires and massive building and turn Vesperus into a city of interceptors.

Into this precarious warzone flies former famed fighter pilot Bree Jagdea.  No longer the heroic ace who led her squadron to victory on Enothis, Jagdea now only pilots cargo haulers, determined to stay out the fighting.  However, an encounter with an old comrade leads her back into danger when she agrees to help the war effort by driving a needed replacement fighter to the Circus 66 squadron, currently serving in the ruins of Vesperus.  Planning to leave immediately after dropping off her precious cargo, Jagdea instead finds herself conscripted to join the ranks of the squadron as they face overwhelming odds against massed opposition from the forces of Chaos.

With no way out of the fight, Jagdea must once again contend against opponents in the sky if she wants survive and escape this new hellish posting.  However, this is not the air combat she is familiar with, instead the fighting in Vesperus is a cramped and deadly affair as their fighter aircraft must fight amongst the devastated and towering buildings of the Hive, where even the slightest error could result in death.  Forced to adapt to the new urban conditions Jagdea attempts to bring out her former skills and talent to survive the enemy all around her.  But with mysterious deaths haunting the squadron and the addictive thrill of danger once again luring her in, can Jagdea once again become a hero, or will she finally face her fate in the sky?

Well damn, now that’s how you do a sequel!  Dan Abnett continues to showcase why he is one of the very best authors of Warhammer fiction with the exceptional Interceptor City.  A particularly intense and captivating read that brings back one of Abnett’s best protagonists, Interceptor City was everything I hoped it would be, and more, as this novel simply blew me away.  One of my new favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels, Interceptor City gets a very easy five-star rating from, and I love the unique direction Abnett took this long-awaited sequel.

I have so much love for the narrative in Interceptor City, especially as Abnett decided to provide something very special for this sequel.  Abnett could have produced another open-skied flying story set right after the events of Double Eagle, and this probably would have been good enough to keep most Warhammer fans happy.  Instead, the author decided to raise the stakes in a big way by producing a deep and intense character-driven novel that brings back and focusses solely on a traumatised and retired version of his previous novel’s protagonist 20 years after the events of the first book, and places them into an impossible combat situation amongst suffocating spires and devastated city blocks to produce some outstanding action.

Told exclusively from the point of view of protagonist Bree Jagdea, Interceptor City went in some very interesting directions that bring the reader quickly into the fray.  Effectively setting up the unique situation on Lysander and Jagdea’s current emotional state, the story soon introduces some of the key supporting characters, before bringing Jagdea to the thick of the fighting in the devastated hive city of Vesperus.  Forced by circumstances to once again fly in combat, Jagdea finds herself in a new craft alongside an insane group of pilots trying to survive against impossible odds.  This results in the powerful main body of the plot as the traumatised Jagdea attempts to survive in an array of lethal fights amongst the massive, destroyed buildings of the Vesperus hive.

Abnett works in some incredible aerial sequences throughout Interceptor City, and you really become absorbed in the elaborate flying duels amongst the ruined buildings.  There is a great character-driven story here as Jagdea remembers her old instincts and slowly adapts to the new flying conditions she is forced to fight in.  At the same time as the brilliant action sequences, Jagdea also gets to know the other eccentric members of her new squadron, and there are some amazing character moments as she tries to understand their desperation, insanity and unique methods, while also trying to improve the survival rate of the less experienced pilots.  The flying scenes get more intense as the plot continues, especially as Jagdea regains her confidence, and you begin to understand more of the squadron’s madnesses.  There are some truly impressive story moments here, including a harrowing survival sequences and multiple complex aerial fights, that are cleverly worked together into one coherent and compelling plot.  Thanks to a great subplot, the later part of the book has a darker edge of mystery that requires to protagonist to try and understand the deeper motivations of the supporting cast.  While the solution of this mystery is somewhat obvious, it proves to be very well set up, and Abnett utilises it to masterfully increase the novel’s tension and stakes.  Interceptor City ends on a dark but fun note, as Abnett bucks against the expected final confrontation and allows the protagonist to end events on her own terms in a very over-the-top fashion.  This proved to be an extremely addictive narrative that really dives into the heart of the protagonist and provides some powerful and action-packed moments.

I loved this amazing Warhammer 40,000 novel, and I felt that Abnett presented it in such an impressive way.  Cleverly settling in as a standalone novel amongst the author’s other Sabbat World Crusade books, Interceptor City features a somewhat different style from Double Eagle, which works to make this sequel stand out on its own.  Rather than the extensive, multiple viewpoints that Double Eagle featured, Interceptor City is told exclusively from the perspective of the damaged protagonist Bree Jagdea.  While this does mean that you don’t get the full-picture war story that made Double Eagle cool, it allowed Abnett to really dive into his impressive protagonist’s story and showcase her personality and emotional state.  This ensured that this sequel was a particularly powerful and complex read, especially as Jagdea is a shadow of her former self after burning out as a pilot and crashing at her peak.  Now back into the cockpit, Jagdea is forced to come to terms with her own fears and doubt, as well as try the legacy of her past actions.  Abnett did an exceptional dive into Jagdea’s mind throughout Interceptor City, and he utilised the sole viewpoint to really explore her fears, hopes and the reasons behind her retirement.  This proved to be quite exceptional, and while readers are advised to read Double Eagle first to see this protagonist at her flying peak, new readers can easily dive into Interceptor City and appreciate its powerful emotional heart.  Throw in an over-the-top cast of eccentric pilots and killers with some additional complex and fascinating stories that the protagonist gets to know and trust, and Interceptor City has an impressive amount of character work that I found really fascinating.  Abnett layers this was a very grimdark tone, which allows the reader to full appreciate the desperate situation the protagonists are, and readers come away with an intense and impressive appreciation for the story.

While the great writing and the impressive focus on the protagonist’s mind ensures Interceptor City had an amazing story, the true highlight of this book is the outstanding depictions of aerial combat.  Abnett somehow managed to exceed his various impressive aerial sequences from Double Eagle in this sequel, and the resulting scenes of fighter-on-fight combat were so damn impressive, especially as the author describes them in exceptional detail.  The change of scenery from open skies to cramped urban flight conditions was extremely smart, and it ensured that Interceptor City’s flight scenes really stood out.  While the protagonist isn’t facing the overwhelming numbers of enemy fighters she encountered in Double Eagle, she is now forced to deal with small groups of skilled pilots amongst the wreckage of Vesperus, flying at impossible speed where even the slightest mistake could lead to death.  This results in some extremely nerve-wracking and claustrophobic sequences, as the protagonist tries to simultaneously fight and survive the dangerous environment she is flying through.  These fight sequences were so damn cool, and I loved how Abnett slowly improved the protagonist’s performance with each flight to reflect her growing confidence and mastery of the new location.  It is honestly impossible to stop reading Interceptor City during any of these sequences, especially the massive high-stakes ones at the end, and I frankly could not believe how Abnett made the dogfights and flying scenes even more epic in this outstanding sequel.

As is my preference with all things Warhammer, I chose to check out Interceptor City on audiobook rather than seeking out a physical copy.  Warhammer audiobooks are so damn good, and I love how well the elaborate and dangerous Warhammer 40,000 setting comes across when it is read out by a skilled narrator.  Abnett’s Warhammer 40,000 novels are a great example of this, as his compelling character and intense, tailored action really comes across on audiobook, especially in the hands of one of my favourite narrators Toby Longworth.  Longworth, who has lent his voice to most of Abnett’s books, really understands the best way to present the author’s fantastic narratives, and I love his cool take on all his Warhammer novels.  This was particularly true with Interceptor City, as Longworth did a masterful job bringing this complex tale to life, moving the main plot along at a quick pace and ensuring the action sequences were as epic as possible.  The passionate way he reads out the complex dogfights is just brilliant, and I found myself getting more and more drawn into these scenes as Longworth effortlessly vocalises every turn of the fighter and every lethal explosion in a tense and powerful manner.  You really got a sense of the protagonist’s desperation and the claustrophobic flying conditions she experienced thanks to this narration, and I was honestly on the edge of my seat for some of these outstanding sequences.  Throw in Longworth’s great array of compelling voices, which perfectly match the character they are assigned to, unique space accents and all, and the full impact of this amazing Warhammer 40,000 novel really comes out in the audiobook format.  Coming in with a run time of 15 and a half hours, Interceptor City is an epic audiobook to get drawn into, and I powered through this format in no time at all.  I actually wished it was a longer audiobook, it was that much fun, and as such I cannot recommend this format enough.

Dan Abnett was once again on fire with this exceptional and impossibly impressive Warhammer 40,000 novel.  A worthy sequel with its own incredible narrative, Interceptor City was a blast from start to finish and I had such a great time getting through this ambitious read.  Powerful, exciting, and loaded with some of the best Warhammer action sequences you are likely to read, Interceptor City comes highly recommended, and this might be one of my new favourite books.  I cannot wait to see what awesome Warhammer 40,000 novel Abnett writes next, and I hope we don’t have to wait another 20 years to see a new aerial adventure from this amazing author.

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Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Five-Star Books, Thriller7 Comments

Publisher: Michael Joseph (Trade Paperback – 18 February 2025)

Series: Orphan X – Book 10

Length: 493 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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One of my favourite thriller authors, Gregg Hurwitz, returns with a powerful and particularly addictive new entry in his Orphan X series with the emotionally charged and pulse-pounding read, Nemesis.

Gregg Hurwitz is an author I have had a wonderful time enjoying over the last few years, primarily thanks to his exceptional Orphan X books.  Following former government assassin Evan Smoak, formerly known as Orphan X, this compelling thriller series explores Smoak’s vigilante actions as the Nowhere Man, a source of lethal justice for those who can’t get help anywhere else.  I started reading these books several years ago with the amazing fourth entry, Out of the Dark, which saw the protagonist go to war with a corrupt US President, and I have been hooked ever since, grabbing every subsequent entry in the series.  This includes the outstanding novels Into the Fire, Prodigal Son, Dark Horse, The Last Orphan and Lone Wolf, each of which did an intriguing job of continuing the series while also exploring Hurwitz’s complex protagonist and his unlikely family.  I really enjoyed all these books, and I have been eagerly awaiting the 10th novel, Nemesis, for a while now, especially as it promised to follow on from the intriguing cliff-hanger at the end of Lone Wolf.

No greater friend.  No worse enemy.

Evan Smoak, the Nowhere Man, has spent years taking on impossible vigilante missions, while also keeping his former government owners at bay.  No matter how hard the mission, Smoak always succeeds, in no small part to the group of loyal friends who have his back.  But Evan is about to discover the sad truth that it’s those closest to you that can cause you the most pain.

After foiling a lethal assassin with a penchant for taking out innocent bystanders, Evan is disturbed to discover that the assassin’s weapons were sourced from his trusted comrade and armourer, Tommy Stojack.  Shocked and determined to get answers, an emotionally compromised Evan finds himself unwilling to forgive Tommy for his lapse in moral code, and the two strong-willed warriors soon find themselves at odds.  When Evan’s next attempt to talk sees him ambushed by a flurry of thugs and shooters, he decides that it’s time to go to war, even if that means killing his best friend.

However, Tommy has his own problems to deal with.  Receiving a call for help from the son of an old war buddy, Tommy travels to a dying American town, filled with anger, corruption and racial tension.  Attempting to honour his debts, Tommy finds himself mentoring a group of neglected and angry young men whose uninformed actions have led to tragedy.  However, Tommy’s seemingly simple mission soon turns deadly when Evan arrives in town and takes issue with the actions of those under Tommy’s protection.  Thrown into opposite moral paths and plagued by assassins, local troubles and their own substantial personal issues, Evan and Tommy find themselves in conflict, with everyone around them caught in the crossfire.

Hurwitz continues to shine as one of the premier authors of thriller fiction with this particularly intense and complex entry in his Orphan X series.  Featuring a compelling plot loaded with action and captivating character moments, Nemesis was an addictive read that hits the reader hard and never gives them a chance to recover.  This was probably one of my favourite Orphan X books so far, and thanks to Hurwitz’s brilliant writing, I have very little choice but to give Nemesis a full five-star rating.

I was really impressed with the plot for Nemesis, which honestly went in some compelling directions that I didn’t expect, but which provides great closure and intense character moments, while also loaded up with the series’ trademark action.  Following on from Lone Wolf, Nemesis sees a preoccupied protagonist, Evan Smoak, distracted and distressed by the revelations that his best friend and armourer Tommy Stojack supplied weapons to a deadly assassin who killed multiple innocent people in the previous book.  Forced by his moral code into a confrontation, Evan finds himself in conflict with a stubborn and unapologetic Tommy.  However, what starts as a major disagreement between friends turns into a full-on war, when the two find themselves on different sides of an ethical fence, while also fending off assassins and killers after Tommy.

Hurwitz paced this narrative out extremely well, with a great intro and an early action set piece that worked to showcase the protagonist’s emotional instability.  The initial confrontation between Evan and Tommy sparks up the intensity of the plot, and the reader becomes engaged in seeing how the conflict between them will continue, especially after the second sequence forces Evan to fight for his life.  The author then takes the book in a very interesting direction, as Tommy journeys to a small town in heartland America to help the son of an old comrade and finds himself mentoring a group of young want-to-be militia members who have gotten into trouble.  Hurwitz spends a lot of time focusing on Tommy’s attempts to guide the group and trying to gently resolve the dark things they have done.

While this journey to middle-America initially seemed an odd choice for plot progression, Hurwitz utilises it perfectly to showcase Tommy’s character and the differences in approach and personality between him and Evan.  Conflict inevitably emerges when Evan arrives and attempts to solve matters in a black-and-white manner, forcing Tommy to intervene.  This provides even greater emotional turmoil, and I loved how well the author set it out.  You find yourself getting really drawn into the nuanced situation that emerges, and I loved seeing the alternating methods and personalities of the two protagonists.  After an impressive action sequence where Evan and Tommy come together one time to face off against a scary group of assassins, Hurwitz sets up the book’s final confrontations, which are loaded with some brilliant moments that pushes both main characters to the edge.  I deeply enjoyed how Hurwitz resolved the entire situation, and you are on the edge of your seat the entire time, which results in a particularly addictive read.  I honestly was very satisfied with this book, right up to the final twist, which was impactful and clever, but for which I may never forgive Hurwitz.  This was easily one of Hurwitz’s best narratives, and I really appreciated the complex, character-driven thriller storyline he envisioned for this latest Orphan X book.

Hurwitz did an exceptional job bringing Nemesis’s complex and captivating narrative together, and I honestly feel that this is some of his best writing.  Featuring a fantastic continuation of the ongoing series, Nemesis had the perfect blend of action, intrigue and character-focused drama, which allowed for quite an addictive read.  The various action sequences scattered throughout the book are intense, brutal and very-well put together, and I loved how they showcase the various moods of the protagonist, as we go from his usual smooth sequences to more frenetic fights when he is emotionally compromised.  While these typical thriller elements are a lot of fun, it is the focus on the characters and the intense emotions between them that makes Nemesis particularly impressive.  Hurwitz sometimes struggles with the balance between action and character development, but I felt that this one was perfect, especially as he featured an array of damaged figures, including two former best friends in deep conflict.  While I do think that Nemesis could have gone without another manufactured conflict between Evan and his ward, Joey, for the most part it was exceptional to see the various character interactions and dives into the protagonist’s psyche that emerged.  This blended extremely well with the overarching thriller narrative and the fantastic action of the plot, and resulted in a particularly powerful read that, while more emotionally charged than most thrillers, worked extremely well in the context of this series.  I really appreciated how carefully Hurwitz set out these elements in Nemesis, and there is really something for everyone here including some thought-provoking discussions, awesome action scenes, and some major emotional moments that will hit you hard and really stick with you.

As with most books in the Orphan X series, Nemesis can be read as a standalone novel, as Hurwitz does an excellent job of recapping key events, elements and characters from the previous novels for new readers.  I personally felt that to get the full emotional impact of Nemesis, readers really need to have read some of the previous books in the series first.  Not only does the cause of the key conflict of Nemesis occur in the previous novel, Lone Wolf, but seeing just how close the emotionally shuttered Evan is with Tommy ensures you understand the emotional stakes of Nemesis and how far apart these two former friends have gotten.  However, if you decide to make Nemesis your first entry in the Orphan X series, you’ll still be in for an amazing treat, and I feel that Hurwitz features enough context and recaps to allow any reader to enjoy Nemesis.  This honestly was a very impressive book in the Orphan X series, and it will be very interesting to see where Hurwitz goes with this next.  The author has set up some big emotional hurdles for the next novel, and I look forward to seeing how his protagonist overcomes them.

As I have mentioned a few times above, I felt that Hurwitz’s character work was the element that made Nemesis particularly exceptional.  Not only does Hurwitz cleverly build on a range of existing character storylines and developments from the previous book but he also introduces several compelling one-off characters whose interactions with the main cast make for some impressively powerful moments.  Naturally a lot of the development is reserved for series protagonist Evan Smoak, the former government assassin turned vigilante.  Evan has always been an exceptionally complex character due to his unusual upbringing, lack of emotional awareness and OCD, and many books have dealt with his inability to deal with other people in his life.  Hurwitz does an excellent job revisiting that here in Nemesis as Evan faces another emotional hurdle when he is forced to come into conflict with his one true friend.  The emotional stress this puts him under turns him into a bit more of a deranged and careless creature.  The fantastic emotional range showed by Evan in Nemesis was fascinating, and Hurwitz writes some great story moments around his anger, poor judgement and strict moral code.  Few Orphan X books have pushed the protagonist in more ways than Nemesis, and I honestly felt every emotional bruise that occurred in this book, including the final one that is going to have some major repercussions for the protagonist.

Aside from Evan, the main character of Nemesis was the protagonist’s former friend turned opposing figure, Tommy Stojack.  Tommy, the gruff and cantankerous old soldier, has always been one of the more entertaining characters in the Orphan X books, and it has always been fun to see the unlikely friendship between him and Evan.  Given a much larger role in Nemesis, Tommy serves as a secondary protagonist and major point of view character, which really suits him.  I deeply enjoyed seeing more of Tommy’s perspective, especially as it is starkly different to Evans.  His interactions with many of the supporting characters of Nemesis really help to showcase his personality and mindset, especially when he takes on a stern mentor role for several younger characters.  However, it is the intense and strained relationship with Evan that is the major highlight of this book, as Hurwitz provides a compelling deep dive into their friendship.  Thanks to both characters pride and belief that they are right, the two face off several times in this book, proving that friends really make the worse enemies.  I really appreciate how well Hurwitz used Tommy in Nemesis, and the emotionally charged circumstances that surround his inclusion help to deeply enhance this book.

Aside from Evan and Tommy, there is a very fun and intriguing supporting cast in Nemesis who add to the story in some compelling ways.  Evan’s ward, Joey Morales, is her usual fun, rebel self, and while I think some of her conflicts with Evan are a little unnecessary, I liked her continued coming-of-age storylines, as well as a fun scene she has with Orphan V.  I felt that the highlight of the supporting characters was a small group of rebellious, angry young men who Tommy chooses to look out for.  Although they’re a hard group of characters to initially like, Hurwitz provides some fascinating context to their actions as the story continues.  I really appreciate the intelligent social commentary that Hurwitz featured around these characters, and you end up feeling a little sorry for them, despite what they have done.  Throw in some great villains, including four related assassins who are honestly quite freaky in their appearances, and this was an outstanding cast of characters, whose complex and captivating personal stories and interactions ensure that Nemesis is a particularly powerful read.

The always impressive Gregg Hurwitz continues his Orphan X series in incredible manner with Nemesis.  An exception and memorable entry in this always fun series, Nemesis had a brilliant and emotionally charged narrative behind it, loaded with amazing character moments.  Guaranteed to hook you with its fun action and complex character dynamics, Nemesis was so damn good, and I am still not over all of Hurwitz’s excellent, and brutal, twists.

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The Bluff by Joanna Jenkins

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery5 Comments

Publisher: Allen & Unwin (Trade Paperback – 4 March 2025)

Series: How to Kill a Client – Book Two

Length: 432 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Impressive new Australian author Joanna Jenkins presents another captivating piece of crime fiction with the gripping and emotionally charged read, The Bluff.

Back in 2023 I had the very great pleasure of reading the fantastic legal thriller, How to Kill a Client.  The debut novel of Australian author Joanna Jenkins, How to Kill a Client followed various members of a prestigious Australian law firm who are forced to deal with the fallout of the murder of one of their biggest clients, a man who everyone in the firm had a motive to kill.  Jenkins produced an outstanding story in her first novel, and How to Kill a Client ended up being one of my favourite debuts and pieces of Australian fiction of 2023.  Due to how good her first book was, I have been keeping an eye out for anything else from Jenkins and I was very happy to see she had a new book coming out in 2025 with The Bluff.  A surprising sequel to How to Kill a Client, The Bluff has been on my to-read list for a while, and I was very glad that I finally got the chance to check it out.

Plot Synopsis:

People like Dash didn’t die. He was only what? Mid-thirties? Well off. Adored. By some anyway. World at his feet. Well, Myddle at his feet, which was his world.

Ruth Dawson has taken a break from big city law to fill in for a few months at a mate’s small-town legal practice in Myddle. It’s not what she’s used to . . .

So when she hears the front door of her office open she’s expecting a weird demand, or a question she doesn’t know the answer to. But it’s Bea Baulderstone’s mum, worried that she hasn’t seen her seventeen-year-old daughter for five days, and Constable Gazza Parker is refusing to report the girl missing.

Ruth tries to find Bea, but Myddle is a wall of indifference. Then Dash Rogers is found at his farm gate, dead from a gunshot wound, and suddenly the town is very interested in Bea’s whereabouts.

An unputdownable thriller of deception and greed, The Bluff reveals an enmeshed web of family and community loyalties, set in the lush rural hinterland of east coast Australia.


The Bluff was an extremely captivating and complex Australian thriller from Joanna Jenkins that stands on its own feet while also serving as a great sequel to How to Kill a Client.  Featuring a fantastic character-driven story loaded with mystery, impressive storytelling and an excellent rural setting, The Bluff had me hooked very quickly, and I ended up powering through it in a day.

I really enjoyed the amazing story that Jenkins came up with for The Bluff, as she provides both an intriguing mystery, and some great character development.  A mostly standalone plot set after the events of How to Kill a Client, the reader is reintroduced to high profile layer Ruth Dawson, who is taking a break from the high-flying life to manage a small law firm in the small New South Wales town of Myddle.  This change in setting and story focus towards a rural thriller, rather than the big-city legal thriller of Jenkins’ previous book, proved to be quite effective, as was the very clever way the author set out The Bluff’s story.

Jenkins ensured that readers get dragged into The Bluff’s tale almost immediately, with two very quick sequences at the start: one that showed a key moment of the plot without any context, and then a subsequent scene where the protagonist is reintroduced and then finds out about the narrative’s two main mysteries, a missing girl and a murder.  With these important bits of information in your brain, the reader is then transported back six months and is shown all the events that occurred over this period that led up to the disappearance of Bea Baulderstone and the murder of Dash Rogers.  Through this six-month period, you become acquainted with all the key players around Myddle and observe their interactions with the victims and the protagonist, and you begin the appreciate the complex web of relationships, problems and personalities that surround the case, as well as the many potential motivations for the book’s main crimes.

This dive back in time was an outstanding writing choice by Jenkins that allowed the reader to really appreciate the full breadth of the relationships and troubles that accompany the crime, all while perfectly utilising The Bluff’s excellent rural setting.  With every brick of plot laid down to hint at the events to come, you find yourself becoming more and more involved with the plot as you try to picture how and why the murder will occur and which of the many interesting and emotional characters may commit it.  The inclusion of a countdown at the start of each new chapter gives a great ticking clock vibe to The Bluff, and you become more and more anxious and excited as you get closer the plot’s principal event.  The reader also begins to appreciate just how despicable the main murder victim is, and that allows for an even more compelling read, as you can see just how many potential people have a motive to kill him, as well as cause the disappearance of the missing girl.

The final third of The Bluff is probably the best, and I flew through it to find out how the story ends.  The final series of events leading up to the pivotal killings are particularly dark (and potentially triggering for some readers), and it was fascinating to see everyone’s emotional state in advance of this crime, especially as there are so many potential suspects.  However, rather than show the killings there, Jenkins instead jumps back to the timeline from the front of the book and spends the last 100 or so pages dealing with the subsequent investigation, with the protagonist pulling events together.  I liked this delay, as it provided an excellent trickle effect for the twists and also allowed the protagonist to shine as she uses her knowledge of events and her own skills at deduction to identify the culprit and protect her friends in the town.  The eventual solutions for the mysteries were very clever, and Jenkins did such a great job subtly dropping the clues throughout the backstory of the plot and setting up the various motivations.  I really appreciated the many complex and compelling twists which fit into the plot perfectly, especially the last one that really made you think.

This entire brilliant story is wrapped up in some great character arcs, as Jenkins features a range of protagonists and potential suspects, each of whom were quite compelling and brought different shades of drama to the plot.  I loved seeing their complex relationships and interactions throughout the plot of The Bluff, especially those that could lead to them committing the book’s main crimes.  There are some really great characters here, and it was especially interesting to see more of series protagonist Ruth Dawson, who is not only continuing to move on from the personal trauma and loneliness that was a key part of How to Kill Your Client, but is also trying to figure out where her life is going after the collapse of her previous law firm.  These character arcs come together in a very satisfying manner at the end of The Bluff, and a lot of this book’s complexity and strength came from how relatable and compelling Jenkins’ made these various characters, especially when it comes to their anger, fear and potential ability to commit murder.

Overall, The Bluff was an exceptional and deeply impressive sequel from Joanna Jenkins that I think was even stronger than the excellent first book.  Featuring a very clever and well-written narrative that brings together powerful character storylines and a great rural setting with complex mystery, The Bluff proved to be extremely captivating, and you will become engrossed in uncovering the full extent of the plot.  One of the best Australian crime fiction books of 2025 so far, The Bluff comes highly recommended and is really worth checking out.

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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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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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Quick Review – The Book That Broke the World by Mark Lawrence

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Quick Review7 Comments

Publisher: Harper Voyager (Trade Paperback – 9 April 2024)

Series: The Library Trilogy – Book Two

Length: 369 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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The master of elaborate fantasy fiction continues his outstanding and intricate Library trilogy with the captivating novel, The Book That Broke the World.

Mark Lawrence is an exceptional author who has been wowing fantasy and science fiction fans since 2011 with impressive reads that borrow heavily from both genres.  Some of his better-known series include the Broken Empire novels, the Book of the Ancestor trilogy and The Book of the Ice trilogy (which includes The Girl and the Stars and The Girl and the Mountain).  His current body of work, the Library trilogy, might be his most ambitious series yet as he envisions a complex and intense story of hope, discovery and secrets within an impossible library that bends time, reality and the lives of its many alien inhabitants.  The first book in the series, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, was an epic read that told the story of Evar and Livira, two teenagers brought to the library in very different circumstances, who work to uncover its many mysteries.  This was such a great read, especially as Lawrence loaded in a particularly clever central twist that blew my mind, and The Book That Wouldn’t Burn ended up being one of my favourite books of 2023.  As such, the sequel, The Book That Broke the World, was one of my most anticipated reads for 2024, and it ended being a very interesting second entry in this amazing series.


Plot Synopsis:

We fight for the people we love. We fight for the ideas we want to be true.

Evar and Livira stand side by side and yet far beyond each other’s reach. Evar is forced to flee the library, driven before an implacable foe. Livira, trapped in a ghost world, has to recover her book if she’s to return to her life. While Evar’s journey leads him outside into the vastness of a world he’s never seen, Livira’s destination lies deep inside her own writing, where she must wrestle with her stories in order to reclaim the volume in which they were written.

And all the while, the library quietly weaves thread to thread, bringing the scattered elements of Livira’s old life – friends and foe alike – back together beneath new skies.

Long ago, a lie was told, and with the passing years it has grown and spread, a small push leading to a chain of desperate consequences. Now, as one edifice topples into the next with ever-growing violence, it threatens to break the world. The secret war that defines the library has chosen its champions and set them on the board. The time has come when they must fight for what they believe, or lose everything.

The Library Trilogy is about many things: adventure, discovery, and romance, but it’s also a love letter to books and the places where they live. The focus is on one vast and timeless library, but the love expands to encompass smaller more personal collections, and bookshops of all shades too.


Lawrence had to achieve a lot in this sequel, as he needed provided a compelling follow-up to his previous novel while also advancing the story in a clever and unique manner.  I felt that he succeeded on all fronts, as The Book That Broke the World proved to be just as complex, intense and addictive as the first book in the series.  Set in the immediate aftermath of the shocking events of The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, The Book That Broke the World continues to follow star-crossed lovers Evar and Livira as they to try and find each other despite the insurmountable odds of existing in different times and being born different species who are constantly at war with each other.  This new novel once again sees them parted, primarily due to one of the characters being a ghostly presence in the other protagonists’ time, and they soon end up discovering new periods of history within the library as war, strife and a new dangerous race upset the balance of events.  There is a certain feeling of tragedy and frustration for much of Evar and Livira’s narrative, as the two remain separated from each other, and you really get invested in their story, as well as the lives of their associated supporting characters, especially as the blending of timelines leads to some new interactions.

While it was great to continue to follow the adventure of the same main characters from the first book, the thing that made The Book That Broke the World’s narrative really stand out was the inclusion of new point-of-view protagonists whose additional narrative supported the unique story of Evar and Livira.  The first of these, Arpix, was a major secondary character in The Book That Wouldn’t Burn, and his use as a perspective protagonist here was very effective, especially as it allowed for a more measured view of some of the crazy events occurring throughout the book.  Arpix was a great character in this sequel, and I especially enjoyed seeing him interact with Evar and his family as Lawrence throws him into a delightful romance narrative with a very unlikely but entertaining figure.

However, it was the other additional point-of-view character who really turned The Book That Broke the World into something special, as Lawrence introduced a seemingly new protagonist, Celcha, a slave in the city surrounding the library, who finds herself drawn to its secrets thanks to the machinations of her unusual brother and the ghosts that visit him.  A member of an alien species who came from a different period than Evar and Livira, Celcha has an intriguing narrative within The Book That Broke the World, as she tries to escape the manipulations of other visitors from the library while also trying to learn more about her species.  Celcha’s narrative is at first separated from the rest of the storylines, and it is initially unclear what role it is going to play in the larger plot.  However, the way that Lawrence ends up tying it together with the rest of the plot is very clever, especially as he utilises the uncertainty of when Celcha’s story fits into the overarching timeframe of the narrative to tie up many mysteries from the first book while weaving in a complex new player.  These intriguing, character driven arcs come together extremely well by the end of the story, and you will be amazed at how well Lawrence’s many complex puzzle pieces fit together by the end for an addictive and memorable narrative.

As with most of Lawrence’s writing, The Book That Broke the World is a very complex and lore-heavy book that requires readers to really pay attention to the many, many details loaded into the overall text of the plot.  This results in a very elaborate narrative as Lawrence is constantly working in compelling details about his intriguing universe while also layering down constant hints and plot points that will become relevant later for twists and other reveals.  Readers really get caught up in the majesty of the massive setting of the Library trilogy, and I really appreciated how Lawrence was capable of blending fantasy elements with more science fiction focused occurrences, like advanced technology and time travel.  I also loved how well the author used the various character perspectives to further enhance the scope of the narrative and the setting, and you must appreciate the mystery and scope of his ambitious setting and the elaborate narrative around it, especially when it comes to the many fascinating side characters and protagonists he works in the plot.

While this proves to be a great book to read, it isn’t always the easiest novel to follow, as Lawrence throws in a lot of high-concept moments and plot points that sometimes seem a little too complicated for the narrative’s own good.  Readers are also required to remember a lot of key details from The Book That Wouldn’t Burn to fully appreciate the scope and cleverness of this second entry in the series.  While I was able to recall most of the details of the first book (the recap at the front was quite helpful), I can imagine some readers might have a little more difficulty, especially if there is a big gap between reads in the series.  Despite that, I think it would be possible to jump into the Library series from this second novel, but you really would be better off reading The Book That Wouldn’t Burn first as it allows you to become much more invested in the various compelling character arcs and emotionally laden storylines.

Mark Lawrence continues to showcase his inventive and unique fantasy style with The Book That Broke the World.  Providing readers with a complex and compelling sequel to his first Library novel, The Book That Broke the World continues the intense narrative in some fantastic directions, while constantly working to make the plot even more intricate and powerful.  An outstanding piece of fantasy fiction that will keep you guessing to the end, The Book That Broke the World comes highly recommended, and I look forward to the fast-approaching final entry in the series that is out in a few months’ time.

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Blood Over Bright Haven by M. L. Wang

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

Publisher: Del Rey (Trade Paperback – 29 October 2024)

Series: Standalone

Length: 431 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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One of the biggest rising stars in fantasy fiction, M. L. Wang, effortlessly showcases her amazing talent with the outstanding read, Blood Over Bright Haven.

M. L. Wang is an awesome author who I have been hearing a lot about over the last few years. Debuting back in 2018 with her first book, The Sword of Kaigen, Wang blew away the fantasy crowd with this intriguing debut fantasy novel that featured a compelling Asian inspired setting and theme. While I have yet to have the pleasure of reading The Sword of Kaigen, it is currently high on my to-read list, especially as it has received an exceptional amount of love in fantasy circles.  As such, this has made me very curious about Wang, so when I saw that her new book, Blood Over Bright Haven, was coming out in Australia, I made sure to grab a copy of it.  Wang’s second adult fantasy novel, Blood Over Bright Haven was originally self-published in 2023, although I think I will be counting it as a 2024 release later this year.  I really loved the sound of this cool book from Wang, and boy did Blood Over Bright Haven deliver, as it proved to be an epic and highly impressive read.

In a world full of death, despair and fear, the city of Tiran serves as a gleaming beacon of civilisation and safety.  Protected by a magical dome that keeps out the destructive Blight, a mysterious occurrence that destroys everything it touches, Tiran has managed to survive while the rest of the world withers away.  Many of Tiran’s citizens believe that the dome, and the magic that powers it, are a gift from the city’s forefathers and only they have the right to benefit from it.  However, not everyone is treated the same within Tiran.

Sciona is a talented young mage seeking to become the first women ever admitted to the High Magistry at the University of Magics and Industry.  After studying for 20 years Sciona finally proves herself worthy to become a highmage and is excited to push the field of magic forward with her inventive techniques and unparalleled ambition.  However, despite everything she has achieved, when Sciona arrives at the university, she is treated with scorn and derision by her male colleagues and assigned only a janitor to help her rather than a qualified assistant.

Determined to show everyone what she is capable of, Sciona sets out to pioneer new ways of harnessing magical power that will allow Tiran’s dome to be expanded.  Forced to work with the tools in hand, Sciona decides to train her new assistant, the Kwen janitor Thomil, and soon discovers a bright and focused mind.  A former hunter from the plains who sort sanctuary with the city after seeing his entire tribe torn apart by the Blight, Thomil has lived within the oppressive Tiranish system for ten years, trying to survive the city’s prejudice for the Kwen.

Despite their differences, Sciona and Thomil form a formidable team, especially when Sciona begins using Thomil’s knowledge of the world outside of Tiran to good use.  But their work will uncover a dark secret, one rooted at the heart of Tiran’s history and their ability to harness magic.  Can Sciona and Thomil overcome the shocking truth before them to ensure both their people’s survival, or will everything they know come crashing down?

Well damn, now that was a particularly awesome book!  While I had high hopes for Blood Over Bright Haven, this honestly blew me away as Wang produced a truly inventive and powerful novel loaded with dark twists, complicated characters, and a unique magical system.  I could not stop reading Blood Over Bright Haven once I started as this was such an addictive and memorable read.  As such, I have very little choice but to award Blood Over Bright Haven a well-deserved five-star rating, and this was easily one of the best fantasy books I read in 2024.

Wang brings together an addictive and complex stand-alone fantasy narrative for Blood Over Bright Haven that I am frankly still not over due to its very clever twists and dark turns.  Starting off with a great prequel scene that sets the stage for much of the drama to come, you are soon introduced to main character Sciona as she works to become a highmage in the male-dominated magical trade of the city.  The fantastic entrance exam for the High Magistry was honestly the part of the book that first really grabbed my attention, and I loved how it simultaneously introduced the ambitious protagonist and several key plot points, all while presenting the basics for the novel’s distinctive magical system.  I really cannot emphasise how well these initial scenes set the rest of Blood Over Bright Haven up, and you really plunge into the rest of the story from there.

From there the book quickly evolves into a complex story that is part intriguing magical research story part societal piece, as Sciona tries to overcome the inherent sexism of her colleagues while also working with her new assistant Thomil.  Thomil, a Kwen from outside of the city, provides some further insights into the plight of the refugees in the city, which really amps up the excellent social commentary that the author is making.  Thomil’s introduction also allows Wang to further dive into the complex elements of the book’s magic as Sciona teaches him the basics to make him a better assistant.  You swiftly become attached to this new partnership between the idealistic and academic Sciona and the more pragmatic Thomil, and their combined dive into magical theory and the deeper issues of the city proves fascinating, right up until you hit the book’s big twist about halfway through.  Now, I don’t want to reveal too much about this twist because it is so damn impactful, but I also really want to gush about how clever it is.  I must commend Wang for how effectively she set up elements of this reveal in the first half of the book and I was really impressed with how it made so much sense looking back.  It also completely changes the entire tone and context of much of the previous plot, which is frankly brilliant, and you go into the next part of the book a little traumatised as a result.

Naturally the second half of the book is very dark, as Sciona and Thomil try to move past the terrible secrets they have learned.  This results in multiple brilliant scenes, as Sciona has her eyes full opened to all the secrets and lies around her.  I particularly enjoyed the great sequence where Sciona overcomes the initial trauma of learning the book’s big secret by completely outthinking a doctor (who’s alchemical ‘cures’ is another grim plot inclusion which allusions to the historical medical treatment of women), and her somewhat naïve attempts to rationalise everything going on.  Wang takes the reader into the final third of the book with some major moments as the protagonists go on the offensive and try to show the city the truth, even if they don’t want to see it.  I particularly enjoyed the protagonist’s initial inventive attempt to sway people to her cause, which backfires in some shocking, if predictable ways, and everything is set up nicely for the final big twist, which I had honestly been hoping for most of the book.  Wang wraps everything up brilliantly, and there is a bleak, yet hopeful, conclusion, which I think fit the powerful overarching narrative extremely well.  You honestly come out of finishing Blood Over Bright Haven extremely thoughtful, and I cannot emphasise enough just how complex, compelling and clever this entire story was.

I deeply enjoyed how Wang set out her outstanding story, and I really found myself drawn to her compelling writing style in Blood Over Bright Haven.  A very impressive and though-provoking stand-alone fantasy read, Wang balances a lot of great elements in her writing and sets it out extremely well for the reader to appreciate.  The focus on some complex and highly relatable protagonists, whose perspective of the story allows to fully appreciate the hidden horrors of the plot, works extremely well, and I got so drawn into the various elements of the story as a result.  Wang also proves effective at changing the tone of the book to match the plot, and I appreciated how the feel of the book went from a determined tale of magical research against the odds to something far bleaker.  The background setting of Tiran was also extremely effective at helping to showcase the various social issues and concerns that Wang was strongly alluding to with her writing, and the more you learned about the city, the more you understand the points that the author was making.  Wang also proved very effective at hiding the set-up for her big twists throughout her writing, including in examining history and magical theory, which is something I really appreciated.  All the elaborate elements and reveals are extremely well foreshadowed in the earlier parts of the book, and I really enjoyed how everything came together in this plot.

As I have mentioned quite a few times above, I loved the compelling fantasy elements of the Blood Over Bright Haven, which were extremely inventive and highly memorable.  This includes the magical city of Tiran, which, in addition to providing societal elements for the plot, also had a compelling history tied around magic and religion.  However, the best fantasy elements of Blood Over Bright Haven was the truly unique magical system that so much of the plot was focussed on.  In this case, magic revolves around a spellograph, essentially a magical steam-punk computer/typewriter, that allows its wielder to perform magic by setting out specific tasks and drawing energy from an alternate dimensional plain.  While this sounds a bit clunky, it works extremely well, and Wang does an impressive job of setting it out and explaining it to the reader.  The more you learn about this elaborate system, the more you appreciate Wang’s inventiveness, as she clearly put a lot of thought into the various processes and aspects of her system.  The author furthers this by focusing much of the narrative around the protagonist’s magical research, and the reader finds themselves following all of Wang’s thoughts and complex in-universe theories to their inevitable conclusions.  This outstanding magical system adds so much to the book, especially as so much of story’s darker moments are tied into understanding the full extent of how the citizens of Tiran came by their magic and how they utilise it.  This was easily one of the more inventive new sorcerous concepts that I have seen in fantasy fiction for a while, and I cannot emphasise enough about how impressive I found it.

Finally, I need to highlight the great characters who Wang’s impressive narrative was set around, the brilliant, self-absorbed magical student Sciona and the former hunter turned desperate refugee Thomil.  While on paper they sound like the leads of a rom-com, Wang has some elaborate and deep storylines around them that allow for some massive emotional depth and character growth.  The two characters play off each other extremely well in the first half of the book, being an interesting duo trying to prove to the world what they can do.  Both characters represent the oppressed classes of Tiran, and it was fascinating to see the different ways in which they try to address it, from Sciona trying to prove herself to those who will never respect her, while Thomil learns to knuckle under to survive, despite his pride and deep fury.  While there is a little bit of a romantic edge to them at the start, the big reveal at the centre of the novel and their wildly different, but understandable, reactions to it, drives a big wedge, especially as it forces Sciona to finally fully address the many ills of her society, while Thomil comes to understand just how badly he has been wronged.  I felt that both protagonists had some brilliant changes in their personality in the second half of the book, especially Sciona, who loses everything she previously believes in.  Their subsequent interactions are laced with tension, especially as Sciona still attempts to see good in those around her, while Thomil has a more realistic viewpoint.  Despite this, Thomil still tries to help her, and their final interactions, especially once Sciona finally understands everything, is very heartfelt and moving.  These two protagonists are so well written, and Wang’s ability to dive into their minds and hit them with dark emotional curveballs created some gripping and powerful moments.  Throw in Thomil’s wild, but entertaining niece, and a group of fantastic villains whose entitlement, selfishness, and determination to continue institutionalised oppression (cough, sounds familiar, cough), really make you hate them, and this proved to be an outstanding character-driven book.

M. L. Wang is easily one of my favourite new fantasy authors as Blood Over Bright Haven was so damn good. The epic combination of compelling narrative, extremely inventive fantasy elements, effective social commentary, and great characters made for a particularly impressive read, which sticks in your mind long after you put Blood Over Bright Haven down. I honestly cannot recommend this fantastic book enough, and you are in for an incredible treat if you decide to pick it up.  As for myself, I am planning to check out The Sword of Kaigen in the new year, as I really want to read more awesome fantasy fiction from this brilliant new author.

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Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder by K. J. Parker

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Comedy/Satire, Fantasy, Five-Star Books3 Comments

Publisher: Orbit (Trade Paperback – 5 December 2023)

Series: Corax Trilogy – Book Three

Length: 323 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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One of the masters of comedic fantasy, K. J. Parker, ends his fantastic Corax trilogy on an outstanding note with Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder.

As we get to the end of 2024, I’m desperately trying to finalise reviews for books I read earlier in the year.  This includes the third and final entry in the Corax trilogy by K. J. Parker, which I enjoyed a few months ago.  Parker, a pseudonym of author Tom Holt, released his entire Corax trilogy in 2023, which follows a resourceful and ill-fated rogue, Saevus Corax, as he finds himself in all manner of trouble.  Set in the same universe as the author’s The Siege series, which featured Sixteen Ways to Defend a Walled City (one of my favourite books of 2019), How to Rule an Empire and Get Away with It (one of my favourite books of 2020) and A Practical Guide to Conquering the World (one of my favourite books of 2022), this was a trilogy with a lot of potential, and I eagerly grabbed all three books the first chance I could.

While I managed to get all three of the Corax novels last year, I only had the chance to read the first novel, Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead before 2023 ended.  This first entry in the trilogy was pretty damn incredible, and I loved the wonderful and highly entertaining story it contained, especially as it was masterfully layered with Parker’s trademark humour.  Saevus Corax Deals with the Dead got an easy five-star rating from me, and it ended up being one of my favourite books of 2023.  I quickly got onto the second book in the series, Saevus Corax Captures the Castle, earlier this year, and just like the first entry, it proved to be a remarkable read that I had a wonderful time with.  As such, I made sure to read the final book in the trilogy, Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder, as quickly as I could, and it proved to be great reading whilst away on holiday.  I regret not writing something about Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder sooner, as it was an outstanding and epic read that I could not put down, but hopefully I can make up for it now.

After years of schemes, daring cons, an unwilling coronation and other unfortunate adventures, Saevus Corax is still stuck doing the only job he’s good at, battlefield salvage.  Unglamourous and often disgusting work, it provides a basic living for his large crew of outcasts and rogues as they tour their world’s many scattered battlefields, rescuing and repurposing everything they can recover from the dead.  However, Corax’s band are about to encounter the only thing that can make their business unprofitable, a massive total war that threatens to burn the entire continent.

Seeing the signs of upcoming mass conflict, Corax and his crew attempt to flee to safer climates where they can still potentially make a living.  However, Corax finds his plan to escape thwarted by the family he has long tried to run away from.  His sister, Phantis, has finally caught up with him, but instead of the vengeance she always promised, she needs his help to survive a coup gone bad.  Despite his reluctance to get involved, Corax attempts to help, only to get dragged into even more danger.

Soon, with war coming closer and various factions seeking to kill him and claim the many bounties on his head, Corax is forced into one final scheme to get enough money to retire and escape from everything.  Reuniting with his old flame, the beautiful con artist Stauracia, Corax attempts to find a long-lost treasure that could solve all his problems.  But with betrayal coming from all sides, can Corax survive the chaos to come, or has he finally encountered a situation that even he cannot think his way out of?

Parker continues to showcase why he is the master of hilarious fantasy fiction, as Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder was another amazing read with a captivating and unique plot behind it.  Masterfully wrapping up the Corax trilogy with a dark and entertaining story, Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder had me hooked the entire way through and, just like all the other books in the series, it gets a full five-star rating from me.

This third Corax book proved to be an excellent read, with Parker taking his audience on a final wild ride of schemes, betrayal and family drama, as Saevus Corax comes face to face with all his demons.  While easily enjoyed as a standalone novel, Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder is best read after the rest of the trilogy, especially as many of the ongoing storylines and character relationships come to an end here.  The plot of this book is epic and entertaining, as war, his ongoing conflict with his family and a desire to finally live a normal life drive Corax towards one final scheme while also trying to wipe away the sins of his past.  However, as this is Corax, nothing goes to plan, and he soon encounters multiple setbacks and conflicts that he is forced to overcome in his typical resourceful way.  However, this time Corax experiences some truly devastating betrayals and dark moments that destroy him in a way never seen before.  Parker really lays in the clever twists for this last book in the trilogy, and you will not be prepared for some of the dark routes he goes.  I felt that the big betrayal halfway through the novel was pretty impactful, although the final twist of the knife from his worst enemy at the end was the most heartbreaking.  Everything comes to an impressive end that, while satisfying, fits within the tragic narrative that is the protagonist’s life, and honestly could the author really have left this series on a true happy ending?

The author continues to utilise the writing style and intriguing setting that made the first two Corax books and the preceding Siege trilogy so successful.  While this similarity in style and substance does deal a certain dose of repetition to this third book, I still have a ton of fun reading them, and Parker makes it work so well in the context of his story.  Utilisng a chronicle format from the perspective of the protagonist, Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder recounts the events of this final adventure, once again loaded with Corax’s distinctive and often satirical commentary and observations on events.  The author relies heavily on twists, betrayals and deep intrigues throughout the plot, all of which are carefully pulled together, explored and savagely roasted by the protagonist as he experiences them.  The continued cynicism and sarcastic take on the world that Corax witnesses and human nature in general brings in much of the book’s humour, and it is hard not to enjoy Corax’s unique thoughts.  This first-person perspective is such an effective storytelling method for the series, and I love how it enhances the humour of the story while also serving as a good tool for exploring the various aspects of the semi-fantasy/alternate history world that the author is setting so many of his books in.  Parker’s style really fits the complex narratives of deception, lies and betrayal that are the hallmark of the Corax series, and I am so glad that he set out this novel the way that he did.

The final Corax book was just as character focused as the previous entries, and I appreciated how Parker brought his various character arcs to a final close in Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder.  Most of the focus remains on titular perspective protagonist, Saevus Corax, and it was great to see his unique story come to an end.  A typical Parker protagonist, in that he is clever, funny, unrepentantly cynical and just a little bit tragic, Corax has been a great figure to follow, especially due to the elaborate schemes and complicated history that define his life.  Constantly analysing the world and relying on the predictability of human nature, Corax is a dangerous person, especially when dealing with the various people trying to manipulate him as he tries to do the right thing.  While he is usually able to outsmart everyone, several betrayals in this book really get under his skin, and he ends up being particularly rash and devastated at times.  Despite this, he is still the clever, surprisingly honest, and often thoughtful figure that you have come to love in the previous novels, and I really appreciated seeing how his story concluded in this final Corax novel.

Aside from the protagonist, Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder features an interesting range of supporting characters, many of whom have a complex relationship with the protagonist.  The most prominent of these is the manipulative force of nature, Stauracia, a con-artist who has a lot of history with Corax.  Corax and Stauracia play off each other perfectly, and I always enjoy seeing their unique form of courting involving cons, lies and deceit.  Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder is the book that really defines their relationship, and it was awesome to see their chemistry on full display as they try to work together for the ultimate final score.  The rest of the cast is pretty fun as well, with the highlight being Corax’s sister Phantis.  Parker has spent the entire trilogy hyping up Corax’s family as dangerous antagonists, and the author didn’t disappoint when it came to finally featuring one.  Phantis is an incredibly selfish, vindictive and manipulative figure, and it was great to see the fantastic scenes between her and Corax, which amped up the family drama.  While I was slightly disappointed we didn’t get to meet another member of Corax’s family that has been talked about a lot, Phantis was more than enough for this book, especially as she hits Corax where it really hurts in some of the darkest scenes of the book.  Throw in the recurring background characters from the previous novels, including Corax’s band of scavengers, and this proves to be a great cast with a lot of fun features.  However, readers are warned not to get too attached to any of them, as Parker has final book killing fever and deals with several characters in intriguing ways, especially as many are tempted by betrayal and their own sinister schemes.

In the end, Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder was yet another outstanding and deeply clever novel from K. J. Parker that I honestly cannot rave about enough.  Providing its own addictive and funny narrative, while also bringing the entire Corax trilogy to a fitting end, Saevus Corax Gets Away with Murder was an epic read that proves near impossible to turn away from.  Parker is such an impressive author, and I look forward to seeing what he produces next, especially as he appears to have a new series starting in mid-2025.

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Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Comedy/Satire, Extended Universe, Fantasy, Five-Star Books, Murder Mystery, Throwback Thursday14 Comments

Publisher: Gollancz/Penguin Audio (Audiobook – 1989)

Series: Discworld – Book 8 / City Watch – Book One

Length: 13 hours and 29 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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I recently revisited one of my favourite books in Terry Pratchett’s iconic Discworld series, Guards! Guards!, and I just had to review it to showcase how much fun this series can be.

I have never made any secret of the fact that I love all things Terry Pratchett as the Discworld books were one of the formative series of my youth.  A massively popular series set on a flat world carried through space on the back of a giant turtle and four elephants, 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 this series, I haven’t reviewed many Discworld books (the exception being Moving Pictures and The Last Continent).  That changes with my review of the outrageously funny Guards! Guards! which I recently enjoyed while on a road trip.

Guards! Guards! is a particularly entertaining addition to the Discworld series that I have a lot of love for.  Serving as the first book in the City Watch sub-series, Guards! Guards! sees Pratchett blend his typical fantasy and comedy elements with a complex murder mystery.  This book follows the ragtag city watch of this world’s main recurring city, Ankh-Morpork, as they try to solve a series of deaths caused by a monstrous murder weapon.  Due to its brilliant and hilarious story, as well as the fact that it perfectly sets up the rest of the awesome City Watch books, I generally consider Guards! Guards! to be one of my absolute favourite Discworld novels, and I have featured it in various Top Ten Tuesday lists over the years.

On the fantastical and impossible Discworld no place is more dangerous, corrupt or morally unhealthy as the legendary and stinking city of Ankh-Morpork.  The Disc’s largest city, Ankh-Morpork has many terrors haunting its urban depths, where life is cheap and death lurks around every corner.  However, not even the hardest criminals, deadliest wizards or most manipulative politicians are prepared for an ancient and malevolent creature that is about to be unleashed upon the city.

A shadowy secret brotherhood has engineered an elaborate plan to seize power in Ankh-Morpork through use of an unlikely weapon, a dragon.  Summoning a fully formed fire-breathing dragon to cause terror, the brotherhood hopes to use the resulting carnage to bring in their own puppet to control the city.  However, the dragon has its own ideas about what sort of terror it wants to bring down on humanity.

With the rest of the city powerless against the dragon, it falls to the ramshackle Ankh-Morpork Night Watch and its depressed captain, Sam Vimes, to try and stop it.  The only problem is the Watch are the biggest joke in the city, incapable of standing up to normal crime, never mind carnage caused by magical dragon.  But with an unnaturally keen new recruit guilting them into action, and a terrifying dragon fanatic with a crush on Vimes keeping them in line, the Watch is going to try and save the day, even if no-one wants them to.

Guards! Guards! still reigns supreme as one of my top Discworld novels from the always impressive Terry Pratchett.  Featuring a unique plot, loaded with an outstanding mix of mystery, humour and fun fantasy elements, Guards! Guards! brilliantly sets up one of Pratchett’s best sub-series while presenting its own epic and powerful story.  An exceptional read from start to finish, this book gets a very easy five-star rating from me, and I love it so damn much.

The plot of Guards! Guards! is so damn clever and is peak Pratchett in its inventiveness and impressive characters.  Presenting an entertaining and humourous noir murder investigation in a fantasy series, Guards! Guards! has a lot of moving parts to it, including some impressive character-driven story arcs, all of which come together beautifully for a particularly intense and insane story.  Starting off very strong with some great introductions to various key characters, including the young and keen Carrot Ironfoundersson, who journeys to the massive and corrupt city of Ankh-Morpork to join the Night Watch, providing fresh blood, irrepressible honesty and uncontrolled enthusiasm to the small squad of rejects and failures currently staffing it.  Carrot’s arrival corresponds with the start of a bold conspiracy, as a secretive mystic brotherhood plots to dethrone the Patrician and take over the city.  The initial scenes of this book are extremely good, and I love how Pratchett expertly sets up the entire narrative with some hilarious moments, including the opening sequence with the Elucidated Brethren of the Ebon Night, whose petty ideology shows you just what sort of criminal minds we are truly dealing with.

Things go in a chaotic direction as the Night Watch, led by the drunk and depressed Captain Vimes, witness a direct murder by dragon and begin their own investigation into the matter.  Pratchett expertly pivots the story around from its comedic fantasy start into a complex police procedural/noir murder investigation, as the protagonists try to find out why the dragon is terrifying the city and who benefits from the apparent crime.  At the same time, several great character arcs emerge, including a truly nice, if unconventional romance, new friendships, and a fun analysis of dragon mythology.  There is a great twist about halfway through the book as the down-and-out Night Watch witness an interesting change to the classic dragon fantasy tale that sees a unique king take over the city.

The final third of the book is some of Pratchett’s strongest writing, as Vimes identifies the true culprit and must work to undo the damage they caused.  There are some great moments in this last part of the book as Pratchett presents his own unique and hilarious take on classic fantasy tropes, including the famed million-to-one shot, the heroic rescue, and the successful defeat of a dragon.  I felt that the identity of the main villain of the story was very clever, and Pratchett sets it up well with subtle clues, although if you know Pratchett’s thoughts on certain government positions it’s not too surprising.  Still, the final confrontation between the protagonists and this villain is great, and being literal has never been so deadly.  Pratchett leaves Guards! Guards! on a hopeful note, and it’s impossible not to come away with a smile on your face.

Pratchett was really on-point when it came to writing Guards! Guards! and I loved how perfectly it came together.  As with all books in the Discworld series, Guards! Guards! features an exceptional mixture of fantasy and humour elements, as the unusual and cynical Discworld produces some unusual situations, layered in with a great plot and some fantastically complex characters.  A lot of the humour is derived from classic fantasy scenarios that are taken up to 11 and shown in outrageous manners, accompanied by sarcastic comments from the characters as they witness them.  For example, this book serves as an ode to the guards and watchmen from classic fantasy fiction, and there are some funny scenes when these self-aware guards realise how expendable they are in a fantasy story.  However, Guards! Guards! also features a brilliant third element as Pratchett also features a compelling crime fiction read, accompanied with an addictive murder mystery.

The blend of fantasy and crime fiction elements works incredibly well, and it is highly entertaining to watch a serious investigation consider magic, suddenly appearing dragons, and the unique background setting of Ankh-Morpork.  I also loved how many clever and subtle jokes Pratchett was able to weave in because of these crime fiction inclusions, and he ends up lovingly roasting so many classic tropes from police procedurals and noir detective novels.  Despite having read this book many times, I still laugh like crazy at all the humourous moments in Guards! Guards!, especially as you always discover a new joke or pun you previously missed.  I honestly don’t have time to list all the funny scenes in Guards! Guards!, but favourites include the various meetings of the petty and mostly incompetent Elucidated Brethren, Carrot’s naïve overreactions upon discovering crime in the city, and various musings on how to achieve a perfect, million-to-one chance.  Pratchett once again expertly backs up his humour in Guards! Guards! with a series of entertaining footnotes spread throughout the book, that prove to be nearly as much fun as the main story.  These brilliant footnotes contain additional jokes, sarcastic comments, or interesting expansions of the Discworld universe, and they always bounce off the main story perfectly, providing extra laughs and food for thought where necessary.  I really cannot emphasise just how well this blend of genres worked with Pratchett’s unique and endearing humour, and it proves impossible not to have an exceptional time while reading this book.

As with most Discworld books, Guards! Guards! works exceedingly well as a standalone novel, and I feel that anyone wanting a laugh could easily jump in and follow the story without any issues.  Due to its early position in the shared Discworld universe, you don’t have to know anything about the other entries in the overarching series to jump right in, as Pratchett goes a tad light on some of the more outrageous Discworld elements.  As such, I consider Guards! Guards! to be one of the very best entry novels to new Discworld readers.  It also proves to be a brilliant first book in one of Pratchett’s best sub-series, and so many key details of the subsequent City Watch books are introduced here.  This includes some excellent early looks at the chaotic city of Ankh-Morpork and key recurring characters in the larger universal plot.  Ankh-Morpork is a great background setting for Guards! Guards! and it was the first book completely set within the bounds of the city.  I loved seeing this crazy city in even more detail, and all the fun elements set up here help to make it an epic setting.  As such, this is a great book for any Discworld reader, new or old, and it’s one of my favourites for very good reason.

As with pretty much all of Pratchett’s works, the key things that made Guards! Guards! so impressive were the amazing and unique characters that were featured throughout the plot.  Pratchett had a real knack for producing complex, multi-layered figures who can be both comedic and tragic at the same time, and who you couldn’t help but love.  Guards! Guards! was a particularly good example of this, as Pratchett featured a range of brilliant and entertaining characters who would go on to be become major recurring figures in the Discworld canon.  Indeed, Guards! Guards! is one of the most significant books for new characters, and it is frankly amazing how many exceptional major and iconic figures were introduced here.  Each of these characters were so well written, and you have to love both their specific arcs in this book, as well as how they were expanded on in later works.

The most prominent character in Guards! Guards! is Captain Samuel Vimes.  A cynical and damaged man whose habit of calling out social inequities has seen him assigned to the joke position as head of the Night Watch, which he deals with by drinking vast amounts of alcohol.  A parody of every hard-drinking cop and private eye in classic noir fiction, Vimes starts the book with no prospects and too many dead friends.  Given new purpose when the dragon appears in the city, Vimes turns his innate rebellion to a purpose and tries policing and detecting.  Pratchett does an exceptional job setting up Vimes here in Guards! Guards!, and it is no wonder he goes on to be one of his top protagonists.  Vimes’s depressed investigative method proves quite successful, and it was entertaining to watch Vimes attempt to solve the case while sarcastically calling out his fellow citizens’ base stupidity and selfishness.  Pratchett also sets up an impressive redemption arc around Vimes, which comes about through a combination of trusted colleagues, romance, and a renewed determination to uphold the law.  While he ends the book still irritated with the world, the road forward to Vimes doing bigger and better things is well established, and you really get drawn into his arc as a result.

Another impressive character is naïve and innocent City Watch recruit, Carrot Ironfoundersson.  Due to his complex home situation and a late life revelation that he’s human rather than a dwarf (being six and a half feet tall wasn’t a clue to him), Carrot is sent to Anhk-Morpork with a desire to become a watchman, which he incorrectly believes is a noble calling.  Thanks to his literal personality and highly moral upbringing, Carrot proves to be an anathema to the lawless folks of Anhk-Morpork, as he comes to town bringing justice, enforcing obscure laws, and actually arresting thieves: “change your ways”.  A brilliant parody of ultra-righteous fantasy kings, Carrot serves as an outstanding comic relief for much of the book, especially when it comes to his wholesome interactions with the exceedingly criminal inhabitants of the city.  However, beneath his comedic cover, Carrot is written as a complex figure of change, and his ability to inspire the other characters, either through guilt or determination, leads to some big moments.  Pratchett did an amazing job with Carrot in Guards! Guards!, and it was fascinating to see how he evolves from his initial innocent personality, to a more clever, but still determined, character.

Aside from Vimes and Carrot, the other two watch characters are Sergeant Fred Colon and Corporal Nobby Nobbs, both of whom are excellent and solid comedic characters.  The stereotypical fat sergeant and dodgy corporal, Pratchett has fun setting them up as unassailable fixtures of the Night Watch as they do the jobs nature intended for them, and I love how they play off each other.  While Colon has some hilarious scenes, including his attempt at archery and his various ill-timed run-ins with the dragon, you can tell that Pratchett had a lot more fun writing Nobby.  While not all his over-the-top characteristics from the series are shown in Guards! Guards!, Nobby is still a particularly entertaining figure.  Between his coarse language, petty criminal mindset, and uncharacteristic foppish behaviours, every scene with Nobby is highly amusing, and I love how Pratchett expanded off clever stereotypes about lifetime corporals to create this wayward figure.

Outside the members of the City Watch, there are a fantastic array of figures who help to make Guards! Guards! a particularly enthralling story.  This includes one of the few female characters in the book, Sybil Rankin, a dragon-loving heiress who ends up being Vimes’s unlikely love interest.  Deliberately written as the direct opposite of a noir femme-fatale in both personality and appearance, Sybil is a force of nature, using her accumulated nobility to pull the Night Watch, especially Vimes, into her orbit.  It proves impossible not to like Sybil as you watch her confidently go after Vimes or try to put the dragon to heel, and she ends up being one of the most complicated female characters that Pratchett wrote (which is saying a lot when you think of some of his other great female characters).

The other major character that I want to separately highlight is the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, Lord Havelock Vetinari.  While he has appeared in previous Discworld novels (notably Sourcery), this is the first book that showcases him as a full character.  Generally depicted as a Machiavellian mastermind and one of the few people capable of controlling the chaotic city, Vetinari has some great early scenes.  However, it’s not until the second half of the book when you realise just how fantastic a character he is.  Deposed by the false king, Vetinari initially appears to be completely powerless in the dungeons, until Vimes is thrown in with him and begins to realise that he is still in control, especially as he’s managed to cultivate a new intelligence network (procured by providing wartime strategy to magical rats), while also getting locked in a dungeon specifically designed to keep him safe.  His subsequent scenes tormenting the book’s real antagonist and talking about the nature of humanity with Vimes really cement him as an impressive figure, and the seeds for his many later inclusions as the Disc’s ultimate political mastermind are well sown here.

While I know I’ve been going on a bit about characters (blame Pratchett for being such a good writer), I just need to highlight a few more figures who have a great role in Guards! Guards!.  This includes the Librarian, one of Pratchett’s most iconic characters, who proves to be just as much fun outside of a wizard focused book, and it was entertaining seeing him interact with a separate group of friends.  You get a great introduction to the character of Cut-My-Own-Throat Dibbler, whose mercantile tendencies are on full display here.  The unusual swamp dragon Errol proves to be an unlikely pet, and his arc about finding love and his true form was particularly heartwarming.  Finally, I must mention the book’s great antagonist, who fully embraces the mad tendencies that his position demands.  While I won’t go into too much detail about who he is, I will say I loved seeing his various internal rants about the world, and the scenes with his incompetent henchmen were so damn funny.  All these characters, plus even more hilarious figures, are instrumental to so much of Guards! Guards! brilliant charm and humour, and after being introduced to them here, it’s impossible not to follow them on their full journey.

I have had the pleasure of reading Guards! Guards! in a couple of different formats over the years, but to my mind the best way to enjoy this book, and indeed any Discworld novel, is on audiobook.  The Discworld audiobooks are something very special, and I find that the unique stories, excellent humour and elaborate characters really come across when read out by a passionate narrator.  With the recent re-release of various Discworld audiobooks, there are now two different unabridged versions of Guards! Guards! fans can enjoy, and I want to highlight them both here.

The first Guards! Guards! audiobook is the original version with the talented Nigel Planer, who narrated 22 of the original 23 Discworld audiobooks.  Guards! Guards! is one of his best performances, and it set the scene nicely for many of his subsequent Discworld audiobooks, especially as he settled on a lot of key character voices and tones here.  While it has been a little while since I’ve listened to Planer’s version of Guards! Guards!, I have enjoyed it so many times it is permanently engrained in my head (I used to grab the tape cassette version out of my local library all the time).  Planer, who does all the voices himself, really captures the essence of Pratchett’s storytelling and excels at expressing the author’s unique humour through his vocal work.  I also felt that his portrayal of many of the key characters was second to none, and he really brought to life all the City Watch protagonists, as well as some other long-running figures, in some impressive ways.  He would revisit many of these voices in multiple subsequent performances, and it is a testament to his skill that the initial tones he came up with here, worked so well in the later books.  I frankly have so much love for Planer’s original take on Guards! Guards!, which definitely still stands the test of time, and his excellent and heartfelt voice work defines many of the City Watch characters for me.

While Nigel Planers original version is perfect, current Discworld fans may be more familiar with the latest audiobook production of Guards! Guards!, which was part of a recent re-recording of all the Discworld books.  These new audiobooks each feature a different famous British performer voicing the main plot, while acclaimed actors Peter Serafinowicz and Bill Nighy have key roles in every single production.  While these have been out for a little while, I only just listened to my first one .  Coming in at a runtime of 13 and a half hours, which is a tad longer than the roughly 10-hour long Planer version, this Guards! Guards! audiobook was extremely fun, and it served as excellent entertainment on a recent road trip.

The new version of the Guards! Guards! audiobook is primarily voiced by British radio and television personality Jon Culshaw.  Culshaw is amazing in the role, and I was deeply impressed with his take on the Guards! Guards! characters.  Each unique character comes across extremely well in Culshaw’s capable hands, and I enjoyed his take on their unique characteristics and eccentric personalities.  He perfectly showcased protagonist Samuel Vimes’s drunken despair and depression, while various other key members of the watch, such as the extremely keen Carrot and the more cautious Colon, are shown extremely well.  I also felt that Culshaw did an incredible job with several complicated figures from the story, such as the infamous watchman Nobby Nobbs, who Culshaw gifts a gruff and weaselly voice that sounded a lot like David Bradley or Jon Pertwee.  His Lord Vetinari is also amazing, and the deep and threatening tones really capture the character’s dangerous nature.  Finally, I felt that his take on the main female character, Sybil Ramkin, was just perfect, and you really got the full blast of her big personality and excessive aristocratic characteristics.  Many of the other side characters were also perfectly portrayed to my mind, and I must highlight the excellent way in which he disguised the voice of the main antagonist during some key secret society scenes.

Culshaw’s primary narration is well backed up by Peter Serafinowicz and Bill Nighy in their respective roles.  Serafinowicz provides the voice of Death whenever he appears in this audiobook, which works out extremely well even with Death’s relatively minor role in Guards! Guards!.  Serafinowicz has an exceptional Death voice, and hearing it suddenly appear throughout Guards! Guards! is so damn epic, especially during one scene where Death is hiding amongst the soon-to-be deceased.  Nighy, on the other hand, narrates the various footnotes.  Nighy was a perfect choice for this, 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.  I felt that all three of these distinctive actors really vibed together in the Guards! Guards! audiobooks, and the switch between them was seamless, allowing for a particularly awesome listen.  Throw in an interesting short afterword about fantasy elements by acclaimed author Ben Aaronovitch, and this proved to be a remarkable and compelling audiobook I could not get enough of.  While Nigel Planer’s original narration of Guards! Guards! is always going to live in my head rent free, I felt that this new version more than lived up to the hype surrounding it, and I really appreciated the unique and powerful performances these new narrators brought to the table.  Frankly both of the audiobook versions comes highly recommended by me, and it is impossible to be dissatisfied by them at all.

Whew, well in case you could guess from this massive review (it got away from me), I love Guards! Guards! and I have some very strong feelings for it.  One of Terry Pratchett’s best Discworld novels, Guards! Guards! is the perfect blend of fantasy, crime fiction and humour that you could ever want, and I always get wrapped up in its elaborate story.  A wildly entertaining and comedic novel from start to finish, Pratchett added so much heart to this book, and you get drawn into the impressive characters and compelling, crime fiction plot.  A brilliant start to the City Watch subseries, Guards! Guards! is so damn good, and I know I will be reading it many more times in my life.  I can think of no better way to emphasise just how amazing Guards! Guards! is than to mention that I used it to introduce the Discworld to my wife, who is now powering through the series on her own.  So do yourself a favour and check this book out now!

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