Tag: Great Characters

Hill 112 by Adrian Goldsworthy

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction1 Comment

Hill 112 Cover

Publisher: Head of Zeus (ebook – 23 May 2024)

Series: Standalone/Book One

Length: 495 pages

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Prepare to dive headfirst into the deadliest of struggles as acclaimed historical fiction author Adrian Goldsworthy provides a captivating look at the Normandy invasions with his epic novel, Hill 112.

Adrian Goldsworthy is an impressive historical fiction author who has been producing some great novels as of late.  A respected historian, Goldsworthy made the jump back to fiction in 2011 when he started his Napoleonic Wars series.  I had the great pleasure of reading the first few books in the series, including True Solider Gentlemen and Beat the Drums Slowly, and Goldsworthy prove to be an outstanding author who would focus his stories on intriguing historical elements.  His Napoleonic Wars series ended up featuring six novels before he dove into Roman historical fiction in 2017 with his Roman Britain series.  Starting with Vindolanda and also featuring six novels, the Roman Britain series sounds very awesome, and it is one I need to check out in the future.  Due to how much I enjoyed some of Goldsworthy’s previous books, I made sure to grab a copy of his latest release, Hill 112, which provides a compelling examination of the bloody invasion of Normandy during World War II.

June 6th, 1944.  After years of enduring the Nazi onslaught, the Allies are finally ready to begin their campaign to invade occupied France.  But to liberate France and free all of Europe, the Allies first must make a perilous landing and brave the full force of the German army waiting for them.  The destination for their fateful landing: Normandy!

As the Allies begin their invasion, three young soldiers, former classmates from south Wales, are amongst the troops landing in Normandy.  The charismatic James must put his previous experience as cricket captain into practice by leading a troop of Sherman tanks into fray.  The athletic Mark is forced to prove himself as the young officer in charge of a platoon of infantrymen, while Bill, the group’s resident firebrand, finds himself in the middle of the fighting as he serves as a private soldier.  However, none of these young men are truly prepared for the carnage to come.

The battle-hardened German army is determined to push the Allies back into the sea, and soon both sides find themselves caught up in a brutal battle for survival.  Into the middle of this, James, Mark and Bill find their courage and luck tested like never before as they finally experience the horrors of war and the seemingly unbeatable Germans.  Their fates, and that of the entire Allied war effort, will be decided in one of the most brutal fights of the Normandy campaign, the battle for Hill 112.

Goldsworthy brings together one of his heaviest and moving novels yet with the incredible Hill 112.  A gritty and realistic war story that seeks to capture the experiences of young soldiers during Normandy, Hill 112 was a fantastic and moving novel that drags readers right into the heart of the fighting.

Hill 112 has a great story to it that, while simple in concept, hits the reader hard and provides a powerful look into the realities of war.  Told from the perspective of three young soldiers as they experience their first taste of combat, Hill 112 is a very moving war novel that is hard to look away from at times.  Starting with the first day of the Normandy landings, you initially follow James, who leads the charge with his tank unit, while Mark and Bill wait back in England for their deployment to the front.  While this did make James’s chapters a lot more interesting and exciting than the others’ at the start of the book, I liked how Goldsworthy chose to start the remaining two characters off back in England.  Not only was historically realistic, but it allowed you to get to know these two protagonists and other supporting characters before the fighting, while also building up the tension, especially when you compared their experiences with what James was going through on the front.

It doesn’t take long for Mark and Bill to make it over to Normandy, and from there the reader becomes enmeshed in seeing all three protagonists facing the tough campaign in Europe.  There is a lot of action and a ton of tragedy in this part of the book, and it was fascinating to see them slowly adjust to the new normal of battle, as they experience the true horrors of war.  Goldsworthy continued to keep the three protagonists separated for most of the story, which allows each of them to grow, while also showcasing several different fronts at the same time.  Their storylines start to converge as the book continues, especially when they find themselves at the foot of the tactically significant Hill 112.  The last third of the book is essentially all out fighting as the three protagonists attempt to survive the desperate battle for the hill.  The carnage flies thick and fast in this part of the book, and you are constantly on edge as the three characters fight on, while also trying to understand the necessity and impacts of war.  I was deeply captivated for this entire part of Hill 112, and I couldn’t stop reading as I waited to see the fates of all three characters.  Goldsworthy did not disappoint, as the ending to this book was extremely shocking and powerful, and you come away wondering about the sacrifices, experiences and emotions of those involved in the fighting.  This was a such a great character-driven war story, and I came away very impressed with how it all unfolded.

I deeply enjoyed the compelling and powerful story that Goldsworthy created for Hill 112 that hits all the right notes for the reader.  Goldsworthy made the clever choice to provide the reader with a more insular look at the invasion, as the viewpoint is limited to the lower-ranked protagonists, more concerned with their own battles, rather than a look at the large war going on around them.  This proved to be an excellent choice of focus, and I deeply appreciated the way in which Goldsworthy was able to get into the mindset of the young soldiers fighting this war.  The constant switching between the three main protagonists allowed for a complex and intriguing story, as they experienced different battles while coming to terms with the fighting in their own ways.  Goldsworthy has a real talent for showing the chaos of war, and you are thrown into innumerable skirmishes, firefights and large-scale battles, all of which is captured in its full destructive glory.  You can honestly feel the bullets flying and the shells landing as you pour through Hill 112, and the constant conflict, danger and excellent portrayal of the fighting ensures that readers have a very hard time pulling their attention away from this amazing book.

Goldsworthy clearly did an exceptional amount of research for Hill 112 as this book is loaded with historical detail as the author meticulously covers key events of this initial invasion.  While the main regiments featured in Hill 112 are fictitious, Goldsworthy bases them on actual participants of the fighting, and you get incredibly detailed depictions of the early days of the Normandy campaign for the English and Canadian forces.  This includes events that followed from the initial landings on Normandy all the way to the conclusion of the fighting around the titular Hill 112, a key historical battle.  Readers get a very compelling and intensive look at how the campaign unfolded, and it was interesting to see how hotly contested this initial fighting in France was, especially as most modern war movies/television series usually show swift victory the moment the allies are off the beaches.  The battle of Hill 112 was naturally a compelling part of the book which the author covers in heavy detail, noting the movement of all the relevant units and the various attacks.  I got so engrossed in Goldsworthy’s recounting of this battle, and readers are left haunted and amazed that so much death occurred for a simple hill in the countryside.

The author really did not spare any detail when it comes to the fighting, and you get a comprehensive vision of the potential experiences of the participants in these battles.  Goldsworthy really dives into every single aspect of the solider experience, and you come away with insights into the conditions, equipment, training and attitudes of the troops, all of which greatly adds to the gritty realism of the story.  This is particularly true in the battle scenes, and it was very compelling to see how the soldiers would have fought, as well as other factors that came into play, such as the Allies’ overwhelming artillery.  I especially enjoyed the many scenes that focused on vehicular combat as one of the protagonists spends most of the book inside a Sherman tank, fighting against German armoured units.  The sequences in the tank are always a high-strung affair, and Goldsworthy expertly captures the cramped conditions, fast-paced fighting, and constant peril that the British crews experienced.  The author further increases the authenticity of the book by having his protagonists experience various incidents that were recorded to have happened during these invasions.  The author cleverly retells these events to feature his characters, and the various experiences, some of which are quite hellish, add a lot of intensity to the book.  Goldsworthy really pulls no punches when it comes to showcasing the experiences of Allied soldiers in Hill 112, and it proves hard not to deeply appreciate his ability to utilise a massive amount of historical detail to tell a good story.

I must also highlight the intriguing characters featured within Hill 112 who added a lot to the impact of the book.  The three main characters, James, Mark and Bill, are all quite intriguing in their own way, and I appreciated how they ran the gambit of young people who would have joined the war effort after leaving school.  Goldsworthy ensures that each of these main characters have a compelling backstory which contrasts in a moving way to their current experiences, and it was moving to see them grow up throughout the course of the horrendous ordeals they find themselves in.  These three main characters are also accompanied by a huge supporting cast of fellow soldiers, officers, tank crews and other figures, each of whom travel with the protagonists to engage in the fighting.  Many of these supporting characters are exclusive to the chapters told from the perspective of a particular protagonist, allowing for unique interactions, and Goldsworthy often provides relevant backstories for these supporting characters as well.  This cast of additional characters gets quite extensive as the book continues, which can make remembering everyone a little hard at times.  However, that proves to be a short-term problem at best, as the supporting players usually doesn’t last too long in the fighting.  This proved to be an excellent and intense character-driven novel, and I really appreciated how well Goldsworthy captured the experiences of these young soldiers in war.

Adrian Goldsworthy once again brings the past back to haunt his readers in the outstanding and moving novel, Hill 112.  A highly detailed and impressive war novel, Hill 112 does an incredible job capturing the experiences of young soldiers in the Normandy campaign and you will quickly become absorbed in the resulting story.  Highly recommended, especially for those fans of military history, Hill 112 was such an amazing read.

Amazon

Devil’s Kitchen by Candice Fox

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Thriller10 Comments

Devil's Kitchen Cover

Publisher: Bantam Australia (Trade Paperback – 26 March 2024)

Series: Standalone/Book One

Length: 480 pages

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Amazon

One of Australia’s very best thriller authors continues her hellacious 2024 with the outstanding and epic read, Devil’s Kitchen.

Candice Fox is a very impressive author who has been doing an amazing job representing Australian authors on the international stage with her epic thrillers.  Starting off with some intriguing outback thrillers, including her Archer and Bennett series and Crimson Lake books (the latter of which have been adapted into the Australian television series Troppo), it didn’t take long for Fox to gain worldwide appeal, especially once she started collaborating with James Patterson.  Fox with Patterson has written several amazing reads, including the Detective Harriet Blue series, The Inn, 2 Sisters Detective Agency, and Fox’s other 2024 read, The Murder Inn.  Fox has also been writing some amazing standalone thrillers in recent years, including Gathering Dark, The Chase and Fire with Fire.  I have had an amazing time with these outstanding books, and they usually end up being some of the top books by an Australian author each year.  However, Fox’s latest novel, Devil’s Kitchen, might be her best thriller yet.

Everyone knows firefighters are heroes, and in the FDNY, no team is more daring or brave than the members of Engine 99.  For years this tightknit band of firefighters has stood against the worst blazes New York has to offer, working together to save lives and keep the city safe.  However, beneath this heroic façade, the four members of Engine 99 harbour a dark secret: they are ruthless and successful thieves.

Utilising their knowledge of fire to create opportunities and destroy evidence, the Engine 99 crew have pulled off several impressive heists and stolen millions of dollars.  With their loyalty, skills and ability to work within the system, the team seems unbeatable.  However, that changes when the family of one member of the team, Ben, goes missing.  Convinced that someone else on the Engine 99 crew had something to do with their disappearance, Ben attempts to make a deal with the law to save them.  However, Ben is unprepared for the carnage his actions will bring down.

Andrea ‘Andy’ Nearland is a professional undercover operative with a dangerous past.  She has spent years learning to get close to people to learn their darkest secrets and will do anything to bring her targets to justice.  Joining the team after obtaining intensive firefighting training, Andy begins the arduous task of gaining the rest of the team’s trust with Ben’s reluctant help.  However, getting through the web of secrecy surrounding the rest of Engine 99 and finding out what happened to Ben’s family will be difficult, especially as the team plots their most ambitious heist yet.  With tensions running higher than ever and her obsessive employer trying to drag her out, can Andy find out all of Engine 99’s dark secrets before it’s too late, or will her tangled web of lies and emotional connections bring her down?

This was a particularly epic book from Fox that I couldn’t put down.  Featuring an ambitious and powerful narrative that pushes the boundaries of relationships, loyalty and doing the right thing, Devil’s Kitchen had me hooked the entire way through, and this was truly an outstanding read.

I really cannot emphasise enough what a great story Devil’s Kitchen had, and this ended up being a dark and compelling thriller.  Featuring a gripping prelude that ensures you get drawn into the story, Devil’s Kitchen is quickly split between the perspectives of main characters Andy and Ben, as Andy begins her infiltration of the Engine 99 crew after Ben contacts the authorities about his crew’s criminal actions.  Joining as a new member with a romantic connection to Ben, Andy attempts to gain their trust, while the crew begins planning a new heist with destructive potential.  What follows is an intriguing game of cat and mouse as Andy uses her skills at infiltration to try and find out all their secrets, even the ones that Ben doesn’t want her to know, all while the rest of the crew battle their suspicions about her motivations.

The plot goes in some intriguing directions as Devil’s Kitchen continues, as all the team’s dark secrets and Andy’s troubled past come to light.  Andy proves to be a very smooth operator as she gets closer to finding out the truth, while Ben is a complex and haunted figure, desperate to save those he cares about, while also hoping to keep his worst secrets to himself.  I loved the many layers of deception, personal struggle and compelling personalities contained within the story, as the protagonists attempt to discover what happened to Ben’s missing family and how it ties into his heist work.  At the same time, Andy and Ben get closer, and Andy is forced to deal with her overprotective employer and former lover, whose jealousy and concern about the situation causes more trouble for her.  The last third of the story is particularly epic, as the truth in all its forms gets out, and everyone is thrown into some desperate directions.  Fox pulls together some excellent twists and turns here, and all the big reveals were suitably shocking and intense.  This was probably one of Fox’s best conclusions, and all the elaborate story threads come together perfectly, ensuring that the reader comes away satisfied with the various solutions to the book’s big mysteries.  At the same time, there are some dark and shocking moments, and I honestly did not expect how tragic Fox would make her conclusion.

I have a lot of love for how Fox brought her story together, and this proved to be a very well-written book.  The intense back and forth between the two perspective protagonists presents the reader with a dramatic and complex read, especially as both have hidden motivations and desires.  In many ways this is almost a psychological thriller, especially as Fox does an outstanding job diving into why Andy desires connections in every identity she takes on, while Ben is caught between his intense loyalty to the crew and his desires to save his loved ones.  This balance of thriller storyline and character arcs really works, and I ended up invested in both Andy and Ben’s unique storylines, even if that threatened to lead to tragedy.  Fox keeps up a fantastic and fast pace for this novel, and I honestly couldn’t put Devil’s Kitchen down at times, I was so engrossed in seeing the next dark turn or compelling character moment.

I have mentioned Andy and Ben a few times, and they really were the tortured heart and soul of the team.  Fox portrayed Ben as an outstandingly complex figure, and you really get invested in his motivations for both staying quiet and trying to end his crew’s heist careers.  Ben is forced to experience some major moral dilemmas in Devil’s Kitchen, and despite his criminal focus, you can’t help but feel bad for him.  While I enjoyed Ben’s chapters and story arc, I found Andy to be the more compelling character and I loved the idea of a master infiltrator who can go undercover and get close to people.  Fox does an excellent job of expanding out her motivations and insights while ensuring that the reader will be interested in finding out more about her past.  These gradually reveal some intriguing details into why she is so good at taking up new identities and her dangerous habit of getting too close to her targets becomes a recurring theme.  I found Andy’s clever perspective to be some of the best parts of Devil’s Kitchen, and her various techniques for getting closer to her targets were extremely clever.  I think there is a lot of potential in an extended series focused on Andy (or whatever her name will be in the future), especially as there are some open doors when it comes to her past.

Aside from Andy and Ben, I have to highlight the three antagonists of the story, the other members of Engine 99.  Made up of a damaged veteran firefighter, an unhinged fixer, and a young trainee with a gambling problem, they, along with Ben, have become a tightknit group, loyal only to each other and dedicated to earning a sufficient retirement.  Due to the story requiring Andy to get closer to them and learn their secrets, you get drawn into their tangled relationships and connections, especially as the secret to what happen to Ben’s family, as well as their latest plot, lies in uncovering that.  I really enjoyed getting to know these three additional figures, especially as you get drawn into their dark motivations and outlooks on life.  They prove to be suitably complex and intriguing antagonists for the story, and it was fascinating to see how Andy and Ben navigate their interactions with them.

Overall, I felt that Devil’s Kitchen was a pretty amazing novel from Candice Fox, and it was one of her most impressive thrillers so far.  Featuring a particularly intense, character-driven storyline focused on lies, deception and misdirection, Devil’s Kitchen had me hooked from the very beginning and I could not rest until I uncovered every single clever twist and outrageous reveal.  An exceptional read from one of Australia’s best authors, I cannot wait to see more from Fox, especially as she has yet another book coming out later this year.

Devil's Kitchen 2

Amazon

Warhammer 40,000: Cain’s Last Stand by Sandy Mitchell

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer4 Comments

Cain's Last Stand Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 1 January 2008)

Series: Ciaphas Cain – Book Six

Length: 10 hours and 30 minutes

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Amazon

I’ve been on a real roll with the amazing Ciaphas Cain series by Sandy Mitchell (a pseudonym of Alex Stewart) lately, which is easily one of the funniest Warhammer 40,000 series out there.  Amazing books like For the Emperor, Caves of Ice, The Traitor’s Hand, Death or Glory and Duty Calls have all proved to be highly entertaining, and I like the author’s take on a less heroic figure in the martyr-filled grimdark Warhammer 40,000 universe.  As such, when in need of a particularly fun read, I made the very easy choice to power through another entry in this classic series last week with the sixth book, Cain’s Last Stand.  This was an unsurprisingly awesome book, and I loved the intriguing story that emerged.

Commissar Ciaphas Cain, legendary hero of the Imperium and self-professed fraudulent coward, has done the near impossible and survived decades of brutal service in the Imperial Guard.  Now effectively retired from active duty, Cain has returned to the planet of Perlia, which he helped save from an ork invasion early in his career, and now spends his time teaching Commissar cadets at the planet’s Schola Progenium.  However, the battle is never truly over for Cain, and soon dark forces begin to descend once again.

Half a galaxy away, Abaddon the Despoiler has launched his 13th Black Crusade, determined to invade the Imperium of Man.  While most of the fighting occurs around the fortress world of Cadia, a splinter fleet has broken off and is heading deep into the Imperium, defeating several forces sent to stop it.  When it becomes apparent that this fleet is heading directly for Perlia, Cain is once again forced into action, especially as he knows exactly what they are coming for.

An ancient alien device of devastating power lies hidden on Perlia, one capable of reshaping reality itself, and Cain is one of the few people who knows it’s there.  With no means of escape available and the fate of the galaxy in the balance, Cain is forced to lead the defence of Perlia against the oncoming Chaos tide.  With only a ramshackle army of local soldiers, militia and students from the Schola under his command, the defence of the planet looks grim, especially when faced with a charismatic Chaos lord and his fanatically loyal soldiers.  Worse, a far greater evil has its eyes on Perlia, one that Cain fears above all else.  Can the legendary hero of the Imperium pull out one last impossible victory before he rides off into the sunset, or has Cain finally met his match at the site of his greatest triumph?

Mitchell continues to bring joy to the dark Warhammer 40,000 universe with this epic sixth entry, which I had so much fun with.  Cain’s Last Stand was an excellent read, and I loved the cool and elaborate story that emerged.

I think Cain’s Last Stand might be one of my favourite stories that Mitchell has so far used for the Ciaphas Cain series, especially because it differs from the standard narrative patterns of the series, while also cleverly tying together some intriguing ongoing storylines.  Set further into the future than any of the previous books, you get to see a nearly retired Cain in action, as the series finally ties itself into the events of the 13th Black Crusade (the original version of it, not the darker recent retcon).  I liked how Mitchell takes the reader back to the setting of the fourth book, Death or Glory, and the initial scenes of Cain as a reluctant but capable teacher, were very fun.  The switch from Tyranids to Chaos as the main threat is handled extremely well, and I liked the continued niggle that even worse enemies are lurking around.  The subsequent reveal that the reason behind the invasion is due to the ancient artefact first hinted at in Death or Glory and then expanded on in Duty Calls was great, and Mitchell does an excellent job of tying the various ongoing storylines together.

The second half of Cain’s Last Stand proves to be a very fun planetary invasion arc, especially as Cain works to rally an unusual array of defenders, including untrained militia, under strength garrison forces, and his own students.  The forces of Chaos prove to be excellent foes for this story, and I liked the much more insidious nature of the threat that emerged, especially as there was a slow build to the reveal.  After plenty of action, clever ploys, some touching tragedy, and so much misdirection from the protagonist, the story eventually heads to the inevitable last stand, which cleverly mirrors a similar event from Death or Glory.  Mitchell does a great job of building up anticipation for this event, and it doesn’t disappoint as there are some excellent action sequences and fun revelations that occurred.  I particularly enjoyed the big bluff that leads to the death of a certain enemy, especially as it was a classic Cain antic.  The final reveal about the actual big bad of the story was well handled, and it leaves this storyline open for the future, which I am very excited for.  An overall excellent addition to the series that builds on the prior novels while offering existing fans something new to enjoy.

Mitchell continues to utilise the fantastic writing style that has made the other Ciaphas Cain books so much fun, and I love how it cleverly enhances the narrative of Cain’s Last Stand.  As always, the cool journal format, equipped with entertaining footnotes and in-universe texts from Inquisitor Amberley Vail, ensures that you get a frank and cynical look at events in the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and I love the inherent humour that results.  The various action scenes are exciting and fast-paced, and the constant commentary of complaints and annoyance that emerges from the protagonist are very entertaining.  This action and compelling humour are well offset by some of the darker elements of the plot, including some genuinely tragic moments, and you get thrown around the emotional ringer as a result.  This mixture of elements helped to create a much more impactful and complex read, and I appreciated some occasional seriousness to go with the impressive humour.

As with most books in the Ciaphas Cain series, Cain’s Last Stand can be read as a standalone read, especially as the author does a good job of rehashing relevant events from the prior novels.  However, for the full experience, especially when it comes to some fascinating storylines, reading the last two books would be good, and I really enjoyed how the author kept bringing the story back to these prior adventures.  While there was once again some repetition between books as Mitchell reutilises his favourite lines, I felt that the more original story and important connections to previous books ensured that Cain’s Last Stand stood out and got away from some of these minor issues.  An excellently written book that will appeal to both new readers and established fans of the series.

As always, I must give a callout to the outstanding characters featured in Cain’s Last Stand.  This of course includes Commissar Ciaphas Cain, the main protagonist and narrator, whose harrowing adventures we continue to follow.  I’ve talked a lot about the exciting dichotomy of Cain throughout my previous reviews, especially as he can be considered both a hero and a coward, and I loved seeing that occur again in Cain’s Last Stand.  Cain continues to be both a self-serving cad and a peerless commander, and it always fun to see himself plot to survive while discounting his own accomplishments.  His adventures in this book are particularly fun, and the inclusion of the protagonist as a teacher trying to get his methodology of command to Commissar cadets was a great choice from Mitchell and plays nicely on some of his offhand comments in previous books.  This, as well as the return to a planet important to his mythos, ensures that Cain has a lot to think about in Cain’s Last Stand, and I really enjoyed the way his past adventures keep coming back to haunt him.  This was a powerful adventure for Cain, and I always enjoy seeing the protagonist debate his own legacy whilst doing his trademark daring deeds.

The supporting cast for Cain’s Last Stand was also very good, and it provided an interesting mixed of established characters, returning figures, and raft of great new comrades.  This includes Inquisitor Amberley Vail, whose role as the overarching narrator of the book, as well as the person behind the footnotes, ensures that her fun influence is felt the entire way through.  Cain’s faithful bagman, Jurgen, was also a welcome inclusion, and his loyal service and fun interactions with Cain were as great as always.  Jurgen once again showed why he is the true MVP of the Ciaphas Cain series, and you have to love the entertaining contrast between his Baldrick-esque appearance and his impressive abilities.  Other great characters include a favourite character from Death or Glory, an interesting array of fellow teachers from Cain’s Schola Progenium, and other unique comrades for the protagonist.  I particularly enjoyed the class of Commissar cadets who are being instructed by Cain, and it was fun to see the range of different personalities they had.  Throw in a smarmy Chaos warlord whose charisma and influence outweighed his abilities and stature, and you had a great cast for Cain’s Last Stand, and I had a lot of fun seeing Cain interact with them.

I once again had an outstanding time with the audiobook format of this book, and frankly there is no better way to enjoy a Ciaphas Cain novel.  Thanks to the epic and well-cast multiple narrators, readers get an amazing experience when they listen to Cain’s Last Stand, especially as it helps to really capture the crazy nature of the plot.  The main narrators are Stephen Perring and Penelope Rawlins, who voice Cain’s perspective and Inquisitor Vail’s notes respectfully.  Perring once again does an incredible job voicing the main cast of the story, especially Cain and Jurgen, while Rawlins has a lot of fun including her character’s informative, if often sarcastic, comments throughout the plot.  These two main narrators complement each other extremely well, and I always have an awesome time listening to them.  The audiobook also features the talents of additional narrators Richard Reed, John Banks and Phillipe Bosher, each of whom voice fun in-universe texts and pieces of propaganda to liven up the main plot and provide some amusing context for the main story.  I have so much love for how these narrators bring the story together and this proved to be another impressive audiobook to listen to, especially as its great style really fit the fantastic story Mitchell came up with.  With a run time of 10 hours and 30 minutes, this is a very easy audiobook to get through quickly, and I managed to finish it off in no time at all.

Cain’s Last Stand was another amazing entry in the Ciaphas Cain series by Sandy Mitchell, and I have so much love for this entertaining and fun Warhammer 40,000 series.  This sixth book was a particularly impressive entry in the series, and I loved the complex story that emerged, especially as it brings together several previous adventures from Mitchell’s outstanding protagonist.  A clever, exciting and overall funny book that I could not get enough of, Cain’s Last Stand comes highly recommended and I look forward to continuing this series in the future.

Amazon

The Gathering by C. J. Tudor

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Five-Star Books, Horror, Murder Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller7 Comments

The Gathering Cover

Publisher: Michael Joseph (ebook – 16 April 2024)

Series: Standalone/Book One

Length: 412 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Acclaimed author C. J. Tudor continues her excellent run of clever and dark thrillers with the intense, inventive, and gripping horror murder mystery, The Gathering.

C. J. Tudor is a talented and highly inventive author who has been producing some intriguing reads over the last couple of years. Starting with her 2018 debut, The Chalk Man, Tudor has consistently produced some compelling books with clever horror or psychological thriller elements. Her other books include The Hiding Place (also titled The Taking of Annie Thorne), The Other People, The Burning Girls and The Drift.  While Tudor’s intriguing novels have often stood out to me, generally because their unique plots, I unfortunately haven’t had the opportunity to read any of her prior works, which is something I really regret.  However, this has recently changed as I was lucky enough to receive a copy of Tudor’s latest book, The Gathering, an intriguing murder mystery thriller with some distinctive element behind it.

Welcome to the small town of Deadhart, Alaska, home to a small population of living humans and a colony of vampyrs.  Maligned and hunted beings throughout the world, vampyrs in America now have legal protection from unsanctioned killings, as long as they don’t harm any humans.  While members of the Colony attempt to stay away from humans, old hatreds, prejudices and grudges rear their ugly head when a young teenager is found murdered with his throat ripped out and his body drained of blood.

Detective Barbara Atkins, a specialist in vampyr killings and physiology, is sent to Deadhart to determine if a vampyr committed the murder and authorise a cull if the Colony is unwilling to hand over the perpetrator.  Arriving in the small town, Barbara finds the local inhabitants afraid and angry, looking for vengeance for the death of the boy and determined to wipe out the vampyrs for good, especially as this case bears a striking similarity to a previous killing blamed on the Colony 25 years ago.

Beginning her investigation, Barbara soon discovers that there is far more to the case then initially appears.  Much of the evidence has been staged, and no one is willing to tell her the truth about what has really going on in town.  When more deaths occurring throughout Deadhart and the town in uproar, Barbara deputises former Deadhart sheriff Jenson Tucker, whose investigation into the previous killings nearly left him for dead.

As Barbara and Jenson attempt to discover the culprit, it soon becomes clear that someone is attempting to stir up a conflict between the people of Deadhart and their vampyr neighbours.  With both settlements on the warpath, Barbara and Jenson need to dive into Deadhart’s dark history to truly understand the crime before them.  But is the killer a bloodthirsty vampyr, a psychotic human with a taste for chaos, or something far worse?

Tudor absolutely blew me away with this exceptional and highly clever read.  The Gathering was a brilliant book that expertly combined an inventive and well-established concept with a complex murder mystery.  Loaded with intriguing and damaged characters and a dark story of death, revenge and oppression, The Gathering was an extremely awesome book that I could not turn away from.

Thanks to its vampyr focused murder mystery, I knew I was going to really enjoy the plot behind The Gathering well in advance of reading it, and boy was I proven right.  Tudor does a wonderful job quickly and effectively setting the scene, and you are soon introduced to the town of Deadhart, the concept of vampyrs and the particulars of the murder.  What follows is a complex case as protagonist Barbara Atkins is forced to investigate as an outsider, as most of the town is filled with anti-vampyr sentiment.  Further complications are added when Atkins finds a range of dark secrets hidden throughout Deadhart, both in the present and in the past, which have bearing on the modern case.  At the same time, the various residents of Deadhart and the Colony react in different ways to the murder, using it to restart old grudges or bring long-festering hurts to the surface.

The Gathering’s narrative progresses at a fast and compelling pace, and you are soon treated to revelation after revelation, as well as several additional killings.  I loved the combination of a modern-day investigation and dives back into various periods of Deadhart’s history that emerged, especially as clues in the past have huge bearings on the modern story.  Tudor cleverly builds up several simultaneous mysteries and ongoing storylines, and soon the protagonist is not only trying to discover who the killer is but prevent a war between Deadhart and the Colony.  Everything leads up nicely to a pretty epic conclusion, which was well foreshadowed, with some pretty awesome revelations coming to the fore.  I loved how well several compelling character arcs came full circle during this confrontation, and the main antagonist of the plot proved to be quite sinister and well established.  Several other tertiary mysteries are also solved near the end, and Tudor ensures that many storylines are tied off in a satisfying and clever way.  There are some awesome twists at the end, including one surrounding one of the book’s most compelling characters, and this last twist in particular is likely to lead to additional books in the series.  I honestly was the hooked the entire way through this amazing story, and I really appreciate how Tudor brought it together.

I’m a huge sucker for classic for thrillers with distinctive twists to them, and The Gathering was a great example of this.  Tudor managed to pull together a complex murder mystery that not only features an isolated Alaskan town with a dark history and multiple complex and haunted characters, but also contains an elaborate vampiric society and history.  All these elements are used extremely well throughout The Gathering, and I was extremely impressed with how Tudor was able to tie everything so effectively together.  Tudor makes sure to tell multiple character-focused storylines at the same time, which allows for a more multifaceted plot that goes in some very interesting direction.  The split focus on several captivating and distinctive figures works wonders to enhance this, and Tudor uses this to showcase the rising tension in the town, and the various perspectives surrounding it.  There are some great plot lines here, and the way that they interacted and came together was very impressive.  I was particularly impressed by the chapters that kept coming back to an unnamed figure being held prisoner by a mysterious captor.  This storyline was weaved throughout the novel, and I was constantly left guessing about who the figures were and how it would work into the main story.  The reveal surrounding it was not what I was expecting, but I loved how well it set up a major twist at the end.  Other character-focused storylines also proved to be just as compelling, and the way everything came together was very impressive.  I honestly knocked out this book in just over a day, it was that damn good, and I cannot emphasise how cleverly Tudor brought everything together.

One aspect of this book that I really must highlight is just how great a setting Deadhart proved to be as it enhances the plot of The Gathering in so many excellent ways.  The well-written depictions of the frigid Alaskan wilderness and secluding storms allows Tudor to bring together a classic thriller background of an isolated, snowed-in town, where the protagonist is unable to get backup and is forced to rely on unlikely help from the local outsider.  While this always makes for a great story background, Tudor enhances it by building up a dark history around Deadhart and the Colony, that plays so well into the modern storyline.  This unique history of the town was expertly explored by Tudor, and it worked to produce a much more complicated mystery, one dotted with historical grudges and family feuds.  I particularly loved how effectively Tudor explored the growing terror infesting Deadhart as the killings continue, as both the humans and the isolated vampyrs begin to fear what is to come.  This undercurrent of fear and the resulting rage it leads to is almost palpable at times, and you can fully understand how and why the various characters act the way they do.

Another element of The Gathering that really impressed me was how well Tudor set up an alternate world where vampyrs exist.  The whole concept of the vampyrs as biological offshoots with several classic vampiric traits, including blood drinking and an aversion to sunlight, is quickly and effectively established by Tudor, who does a wonderful job of immediately bringing readers into this world.  As the book continues, the reader gets a more in-depth look at the vampyrs, their biology, their psychology, and their history, especially when it comes to their interactions with humans.  This examination of the interaction with humans is particularly key, as Tudor explores the prejudices that emerged, as humans learned to hate the entire species.  Featuring some fantastic parallels between other social rights issues, the relationship between the two species is explored in detail, and then applied to isolated Deadhart.  Watching the prejudices of the town come to light again was a great part of the book, especially as it is well contrasted by looks at the vampyr community.  As the story continues, you soon realise that there are monsters on both sides of the biological line, and figuring out who is crossing this line is a major part of the plot.  Defining vampyrs in both a scientific and social way proved to be very interesting, and I liked the attempts at humanising the figures and making them less of a horror monster.  That being said, there are some dark and scary scenes in The Gathering, especially when the vampyrs get angry.  Overall, the use of vampyrs is in The Gathering was very cleverly, and Tudor really highlighted her writing ability by setting this up so effectively.

The final element of the book I want to highlight is the amazing group of complex and damaged characters featured throughout The Gathering.  Tudor clearly has an aptitude for bringing together a compelling cast, as the reader is treated to a range of different figures, each of whom have their own compelling histories and dark pasts mottled by the troubled relationships between humans and vampyrs.  The most prominent of these is the visiting detective, Barbara Atkins, who is forced to battle mystery, local hatred, and her own unique feelings about vampyrs as she determines whether a cull is required.  Showcased as the calm and reasonable inclusion to the investigation, Barbara finds herself severely tested by the town’s prejudices and mistrust, while trying to find the truth no matter what.  Much of Barbara’s actions are guided by rationality, although there is an intriguing look back into her past, as her own experiences with small towns with vampyr colonies plays a big role in her motivations.  As such, she is an excellent central protagonist, and I loved how well she played the outsider figure coming into town.

In addition to Barbara, The Gathering also features a complex group of locals, each of whom have their own connection to Deadhart’s dark history and the hostile relationship between the town and the Colony.  Standouts include former sheriff Jenson Tucker, whose previous investigation of a vampyr death left him as the town pariah.  Tucker goes through a powerful redemption arc in The Gathering, and he proved to be an able secondary protagonist as he comes to terms with his many secrets.  Other great characters include an ancient vampyr, trapped in the form of a child, whose connection to the dark side of Deadhart becomes a driving force for their revenge.  There is also a mysterious local preacher determined to bring violence to the vampyrs, and who proves to be an intriguing counterpoint to the main protagonist Barbara.  Finally, the various members of an original Deadhart family with a long simmering hatred for all thing vampyr, adds a great amount of drama to the plot, not only because of their connections to the previous killing in town but because their well-established fear of vampyrs leads to much of The Gathering’s conflict.  These characters, and more, are very well written, and their dark attitudes, fearful actions and unique viewpoints add a great deal to this already impressive and emotionally charged novel.

C. J. Tudor deeply impressed me as The Gathering turned out to be one hell of a read. Expertly utilising her inventive and clever alternate world in conjunction with a captivating mystery, Tudor wrote a particularly epic tale in The Gathering, and I had such a lot of fun getting through it. An intense and powerful read, The Gathering is one of the best books I have read so far in 2024 and I cannot recommend it enough.

The Gathering Cover 2

Amazon

Play of Shadows by Sebastien de Castell

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Five-Star Books18 Comments

Play of Shadows Cover

Publisher: Jo Fletcher Books (Trade Paperback – 26 March 2024)

Series: Court of Shadows – Book One

Length: 482 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Prepare yourself for a riveting good time in the impressive and wildly entertaining fantasy novel, Play of Shadows by the always amazing Sebastien de Castell.

Last year I had the very great pleasure of being introduced to Sebastien de Castell when I received a copy of his book The Malevolent Seven.  Set outside his major series, The Malevolent Seven was a wickedly clever and chaotic book that followed seven dangerous mages who suddenly find themselves as humanity’s last hope.  I had a wonderful time with The Malevolent Seven, and it honestly was one of the most entertaining fantasy books I read in 2023.  As such, I was curious to read more from de Castell and I recently got the chance when I received a copy of his new novel, Play of Shadows.  Serving as the first official book in his new Court of Shadows series, Play of Shadows is set within de Castell’s overarching Greatcoats universe, where most of his novels have been set, including his original Greatcoats books, the Spellsinger series and his Argosi series.  While I haven’t had the pleasure of reading any of de Castell’s Greatcoats books before, I loved the awesome sounding story of Play of Shadows, and I decided to check it out, which proved to be a very wise decision.

Damelas Chademantaigne is one of the most unfortunate people in the entire city of Jereste.  The grandson of two legendary Greatcoats, Damelas has always had a strong sense of justice, but he lacked the skills with a sword needed to back it up.  So when he finds himself forced to accept a duel from the Vixen, the most feared duellist in the entire city, to save his ailing grandfather, his chances of surviving the night seem impossible.  However, a fleeing Damelas finds sanctuary in the most unlikely of places: the Operato Belleza and its resident acting company, the Knights of the Curtain.

Now part of the illustrious company, Damelas finds himself protected by the city’s laws regarding actors and begins to eek a living as a minor player.  However, his temporary haven soon becomes a deadly trap when one night he spontaneously manifests the spirt of the city’s greatest historical villain, Corbier, the Red-Eyed Raven.  Identified as a newly emerged Veristor, an actor who can literally bring the past to life during a play, Damelas begins to constantly hear Corbier’s voice in his head and finds himself exploring the notorious rogue’s life each time he appears on stage.  Forced to continue by the machinations of Jereste’s new duke, Damelas begins to tell the untold true history of Corbier, and it soon becomes apparent that he was far from the unrepentant monster everyone believed him to be.

As the play continues, Damelas gains the attention of the entire city, who become enthralled with finding out the truth.  However, not everyone wants the past to come out, and soon Damelas finds out just how dangerous the theatre can be as he is targeted by the city’s nobles, a militant band of bravos, and the Vixen seeking her pound of flesh.  Diving deeper into Corbier’s mind, Damelas beings to uncover a deadly conspiracy that threatens the entire realm.  But can a mere actor, even one personifying a legendary fighter, survive the onslaught of villains on his tail?  It’s going to take all of Damelas’s courage and skills as an actor, as well as the help of an eccentric collection of fellow players to make it to final curtain.

Wow, now this was an outstanding and epic book that I could just not put down.  I was unprepared for how impressive Play of Shadows would be as de Castell unleashes a brilliant and complex read, loaded with intrigue, adventure, and a ton of theatrical humour.  Entertaining and enthralling in equal measures, this was an incredible read and one that gets a full five-star review from me.

Play of Shadows is an epic book full of big personalities, big stakes, and an elaborate story of intrigue, adventure, and self-discovery.  Set in the Three Musketeer’s inspired realm of the Greatcoats books, Play of Shadows initially seems set to feature the same focus on duels, bravos and rogues, as the rest of the series as the protagonist is forced to flee a fight from the infamous duellist, the Vixen, which sets him on course for his destiny.  However, the first scene of Play of Shadows, in which Damelas escapes his pursuers by tricking his way into becoming an actor, changes expectations and perfectly sets the scene for the rest of the exciting, compelling, and wildly entertaining novel.  I love how de Castell set a fantasy novel around the theatre , and having the protagonist be an actor rather than a master swordfighter is a great touch, especially for a Greatcoats book.  Indeed, much of the book is set out like a play, which proves to be a clever guideline for the plot, while also allowing in the author’s fantastic humour about actors, the theatre, and the protagonist’s unlikely situation.

From there the story evolves into a compelling direction, as Damelas finds himself at the centre of the all the intrigue infecting the city, especially once he starts to manifest the great historical villain Corbier, the Red-Eyed Raven, as part of a legendary magical gift.  This allows him to showcase the true events surrounding the past, which differ very greatly from the established history of the city.  Due to the deep secrets hidden amongst the true history, the protagonist finds himself the target of many interested parties and becomes a tool in the battle between shadowy forces.  The plot of Play of Shadows then begins to revolve around the three separate acts of the resulting play that tells the real story of Corbier.  Each of these different acts reveal new secrets about the past that impact the present, and prove to be excellent centres for the plot, especially as each performance becomes increasingly deadly for Damelas and his fellow players, and there intense, action-packed, tragic moments occurring after each of them.

Between each of these acts of the play, Damelas is forced to interact with a variety of deadly and over-the-top figures, each of whom have a different motive to help or to kill the protagonist.  The author also uses this time to provide new insights into both the historical and present-day conspiracies being uncovered as Damelas and his friends attempt to discover the true secrets of the city.  De Castell does a really good job of building up the stakes in each of these intermissions, and there are some amazing set-pieces loaded here, from high-intensity duels, larger-scale battles between unlikely foes, and a raft of political intrigue and personal issues.  Everything leads up to Play of Shadow’s massive climax, where the final act of the play unfolds, and all the secrets are revealed.  There are some excellent twists and turns here, and while a couple of reveals are a little overly foreshadowed, the overall picture that is exposed is quite interesting and ensures that the rest of the trilogy is going to be very interesting.  The big climax fight is so over-the-top bonkers, as all manner of magic, betrayals, personal vendettas, duels, and even an outrageous monologue, are used to resolve the issue.  The reader comes away intensely satisfied, amused, and very curious about the future of the series.

Play of Shadows was a fast-paced, exciting, and continuously amusing book that was so much fun to get through, while also maintaining a darker edge that struck readers with tragedy and intense moments when they least expected it.  This set-up of the book around the various acts of the play worked extremely well, and I loved how de Castell kept bringing the book back to the importance of the arts, even in the swordcraft-focused nation of the Greatcoats series.  The magic of performance, both literal and figurative, is a major part of the book’s setting, which I thought was a clever choice from de Castell that made Play of Shadows really stand out.  Much of the book’s humour is derived from the outrageous members of the acting troupe and their takes on the dramatic events overtaking their city.  This comedic feature of the book was so much fun, and some of the best scenes involved the actors attempting to pivot the scenes around the protagonist’s unlikely visions.  Other highlights include impromptu moments that made the actors great heroes in real life, or a sudden, extremely risqué monologue that manages to keep an approaching army at bay.  This overarching action and entertaining theatre focus is well-balanced by a high level of intrigue and a dash of mystery, due to the elaborate conspiracies that seem to be infesting the city.  De Castell does an exceptional job of contrasting these intriguing elements throughout Play of Shadows, and I really got drawn into its story as a result.

As I mentioned above, Play of Shadows falls within de Castell’s wider Greatcoats universe, which I personally don’t have any experience with.  I must admit that I was initially a little wary of reading Play of Shadows, not only because I had no pre-knowledge of the other Greatcoats books, but because de Castell also released another Court of Shadows book last year with Crucible of Chaos, which serves as book zero in the series (Play of Shadows is the first official novel).  However, my fears proved to be for naught as Play of Shadows stands on its own and easily welcomes new readers in.  While there are references to the wider Greatcoats universe, having no pre-knowledge of this doesn’t impact a reader’s enjoyment or understanding of this book, and anything that does is naturally explained.  Even the inclusion of a couple of characters from the previous series towards the end of the story was well handled, and the reader can easily follow what is happening while getting a good idea about who the characters are.  The same is true for the apparent prequel, Crucible of Chaos, and people can easily start the Court of Shadows series here, rather than with book zero.  While I am sure that established Greatcoats fans would probably get a little more out of these references than I was, this is a very good book for those readers who want to experience de Castell’s style or wider universe for the first time.  As such, I would recommend Play of Shadows to all fantasy fans, and you really don’t need to do any other reading first.  I am really looking forward to seeing how the Court of Shadows series continues, and I may also go back and read some of the other Greatcoats’ books, mainly because I am really enjoying de Castell’s writing and unique stories.  I must try and read Crucible of Chaos before anything else though, and I will be interested in seeing how it unfolds and connects with this current book.

One of the great highlights of Play of Shadows is the excellent cast of characters featured throughout the book, all of whom add so much to the fantastic plot of the book.  Naturally, most of the focus goes towards central protagonist and point-of-view character Damelas Chademantaigne, whose unexpected exploits in the theatre lead to so much drama.  Damelas is a great entertaining fantasy protagonist, with a complex past, an often-irreverent take on current events that leads to a good chunk of the book’s excellent humour, and a desire to change the world, even if it wants to kill him.  De Castell works in some amazing character development for Damelas, as he attempts to escape his pragmatic past that saw him run from a duel, to become the unlikely hero of his city.  Watching him gain the skills and courage he needs thanks to the murderous spirit in his mind is just great, and de Castell does a wonderful job of highlighting his abilities as a Veristor.  The tight line between controlling his gift and insanity is quite thin, and I loved the various sequences where he tried to showcase the past on stage, only for it to go in unexpected directions.  Damelas goes through a lot in Play of Shadows, especially as he witnesses the many tragic consequences of his search for the truth, and I felt that de Castell perfectly showcases his doubts, fears and anger at how he is being manipulated.  This was some incredible character work and I look forward to seeing how de Castell features Damelas in the future books now that he has found his purpose.

The rest of the cast of Play of Shadows are also quite impressive, and I love the huge array of outrageous and memorable figures that de Castell expertly dropped into the story.  The historical ghost, Corbier the Red-Eyed Raven, was a brilliant ethereal figure in Damelas’s head, and the author has a lot of fun contrasting the instinctive and expert killer that is Corbier, with the inexperienced and pragmatic Damelas.  In addition, Damelas’s acting companions, the Knights of the Curtain, also prove to be exceptional figures, and you really grow to care for this outrageous and eclectic group of actors.  Every Knight brings something fun to the table, although my favourite had to be Damelas’s best friend, Beretto, the gentle giant, who steals every scene he’s in with his jokes, insights, and desire to ship Damelas with dangerous killers.  However, props also need to go to head actor Abastrini and director Shoville, both of whom rise above expectations and show they have heart and the true passion of an actor.  I also had a lot of fun with the Vixen, the ruthless duellist who serves as one of the best villains in the book.  Her vengeful pursuit of Damelas is a major part of the book, and the various encounters they have, especially once Damelas gains the skills and courage to fight back, are very awesome.  Throw in a beautiful assassin, a sarcastic musician who doubles as a secret agent, a duke with a complex past, and Damelas’s grandfather, a legendary retired Greatcoat who has some brilliant scenes, including one amazing sequence that shows why you don’t mess with old fighters, and the cast of Play of Shadows is something truly special.  I had so much fun witnessing the battles and hijinks of this amazing group of characters, and I cannot wait to follow their future adventures in the rest of the series.

Overall, Play of Shadows was a particularly impressive novel from Sebastien de Castell that has made me very keen to read the rest of his books.  Loaded with action, intrigue, humour, and an entertaining ode to the magic of the theatre, Play of Shadows was a remarkable and highly fun fantasy novel that I could not get enough of.  Easily one of the best books I have so far read in 2024, Play of Shadows comes highly recommended, and I cannot wait to see how this outstanding series continues.  You will not be disappointed by this book!

Amazon

Warhammer 40,000: Sabbat Martyr by Dan Abnett

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer8 Comments

Sabbat Martyr Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 1 December 2002)

Series: Gaunt’s Ghosts – Book Seven

Length: 10 hours and 35 minutes

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Amazon

In addition to my review for Straight Silver, I also present a review for the impressive and epic seventh novel in Dan Abnett’s Gaunt’s Ghosts series, Sabbat Martyr.  This was an outstanding and fantastic addition that perfectly followed on from some of the previous books in the series, including Necropolis, Honour Guard and The Guns of Tanith, while also throwing the beloved protagonists into all manner of trouble.

It is a time of miracles in the Imperium of Man.  As Warmaster Macaroth continues his extensive and exhaustive Sabbat World Crusade, the forces of the Imperium are stretched like never before.  However, word has reached the ears of all the faithful in the Sabbat Worlds that the legendary Saint Sabbat has reincarnated on the isolated and pious world of Herodor.  There, in Civitas Beati, a holy city dedicated to her, the reborn Saint awaits the faithful, the pilgrims, and the mighty warriors of the Imperium.

Amongst those summoned to Herodor are the battle tested and weary soldiers of the Tanith First-and-Only, better known as Gaunt’s Ghosts.  Thanks to their previous victories, as well as their involvement in miracles associated with the Saint, the Ghosts and their leader, Colonel-Commissar Gaunt, have been personally chosen by Sabbat to be her honour guard.  However, nothing on Herodor is as it seems, and Gaunt finds himself drawn into deceptive military politics and the manipulated beliefs of the city.  Worse, the forces of the Emperor of Mankind aren’t the only ones who have heard the call of the new Saint.

As Gaunt attempts to establish order in the city, an unstoppable danger appears on the horizon in the form of the infamous followers of Chaos, the Blood Pact.  Lead by the terrible Chaos warlord, Enok Innokenti, the invading forces of Chaos have one mission: find and kill the reborn Saint, and, by doing so, rob the Imperium of hope.  Desperately outnumbered and faced with impossible odds, Gaunt and his ghosts will need to do all they can to save the Saint and the city.  However, the dread Innokenti will have the Saint’s head by any means necessary and has sent nine deadly and corrupt killers to ensure this happens.  Can Gaunt and the Tanith First-and-Only pull off a miracle in the name of their blessed saint, or is this their final battle?

Abnett pumps up the feels and brings together some amazing storylines in this seventh excellent Gaunt’s Ghosts book.  An action-packed and highly intense read, Sabbat Martyr was another exceptional read, and one that I absolutely powered through thanks to its addictive and powerful story.

Sabbat Martyr has a pretty impressive story behind it, especially as Abnett wraps up the Saint sub-series within the larger Gaunt’s Ghosts books, in a big way.  Starting off fairly typically, with the Ghosts arriving on a new world to take care of some riffraff, Abnett quickly sets the scenes and revisits several of the key existing storylines and character arcs.  However, Sabbat Martyr goes in some intriguing new directions as Gaunt and his soldiers encounter what appears to be a reborn Imperial Saint, who has inspired a new bout of religious fervour and devotion in the region.  This proves to be an interesting new angle which ties this book into the larger concerns of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, rather than focusing on the fight of the common footslogger.  I liked this change of focus, especially as it fits with the hints raised in the preceding novels, and the initial intrigues of the novel added a level of uncertainty that worked quite nicely.  A fantastic, extended battle scene ended the first third of the book nicely, especially as it leads to some big revelations and sets the scene for the second half of the book.

The second half of Sabbat Martyr is where things get really interesting.  Abnett cleverly uses the start of this half to quickly extend several great character arcs, which sets some figures up for some dark times, while others are restored in interesting ways.  However, you don’t have a chance to fully appreciate that, as Abnett then launches the reader right into a new phase of war, as deadly enemies literally rain down around the protagonists.  Essentially the entire second half of the book is pure warfare, as the forces of Chaos arrive and harry the Imperial forces on every front, including with an extended space combat sequence.  From there, the enemy arrives on Herodor in force, including the nine promised deadly killers, and all the protagonists are thrust into a deadly battle for survival.

I loved this last part of the book, especially as Abnett knows how to write an exceptional war sequence.  Expertly splitting the story between numerous point-of-view characters, the resulting carnage is epic, with the protagonists forced into intense street fighting to survive.  All these battles are well crafted, and show the protagonists at their most desperate, as they are slowly pushed back with seemingly no hope to win.  I really loved these battles, as well as the simultaneous character arcs that tied into them, and you really get drawn in towards the big climax.  I did think that Abnett slightly rushed this last half, mainly because he was trying to fit in too much at once.  While the nine killers get a good introduction, they weren’t utilised as effectively as they could have been, and their appearances are a little briefer than you would have liked.  Indeed, there is so much potential material in this second half that Abnett could have honestly fit his story across two books and really expanded everything out.  Still all the big battles are very epic, and the big climatic fight sequence proves to be everything you could have wanted.  Abnett wraps everything up with some major tragedy, as multiple character arcs come full circle in a big and emotionally charged way.  As such, readers, especially established fans of the series, come away from Sabbat Martyr shaken while Abnett clearly and decisively ends a major chapter in the Gaunt’s Ghosts series.

Abnett does a really good job bringing this epic story to life, and I deeply appreciated just how dark and intense Sabbat Martyr got in places.  Expertly utilising multiple character perspectives to tell an elaborate story, you really get sucked into the massive carnage that emerges, and I really must commend Abnett for the impressive battle scenes.  Abnett has his methodology set for the Gaunt’s Ghosts books by this point in the series, and I love how smoothly his story unwinds.  The blend of character focussed storytelling and intense action makes for an exciting read, and I really got invested in this outstanding seventh entry in the series.  I did appreciate how Abnett took his protagonists into the much wider realm of faith, saints and holy power that is well established in other Warhammer 40,000 fiction, but not something we’ve typically seen in this series.  It honestly made for a unique change of pace, and Abnett does a great job wrapping ongoing storylines around it.  I also appreciated how several loose ends and antagonists from previous novels got revisited here, including one of the big issues I had with Honour Guard which got nicely resolved here.  This does mean that unlike the other Gaunt’s Ghosts books, Sabbat Martyr is less accessible for new readers, although Abnett does a good job of summarising old storylines where needed.  As such, this proved to be an epic entry in the wider series, and I really enjoyed how this chapter of the Gaunt’s Ghosts books came to an end.

As with all the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, the heart of Sabbat Martyr lays in the extended cast of protagonists from whom the elaborate story emerges.  Abnett has a very well-established cast of characters for Sabbat Martyr, and it was frankly moving to see how this story unfolded for them.  The author does a good job splitting the story amongst the cast, and I appreciated how this book, unlike the previous novel, didn’t overdo the number of primary cast members.  The resulting character arcs and personal stories proved to be very moving and intense to different degrees, and Abnett really got dark in places, especially when it came to bringing certain character storylines full circle.

Now, I won’t go into too much detail about the characters here, because I don’t want to ruin some major parts of the book.  However, I will say that Gaunt is once again a great central figure, and it was intriguing to see him impacted by his fate, as well as the many friendships he’s made throughout the series.  In addition, Gol Kolea gets a nice addition to his story, which I really appreciated, while one of the original Ghosts, Brin Milo, finds himself going on some bold new adventures that tie in nicely to his long-hinted destiny.  The feud between Lijah Cuu and Hlaine Larkin that was such a dark and memorable part of Straight Silver, comes to a great conclusion here, and Cuu really proves to be the ultimate villain of this series.  Agun Soric’s battle with his unusual messages is another highlight, especially as Abnett works in some powerful personal struggles, as well as a very dark ending that will leave you hurting.  All these character arcs, and more, are handled perfectly and all readers, especially those who have enjoyed the rest of the series, will really appreciate how Abnett continues or concludes them here.  However, I may never forgive Abnett for the big tragedy that occurs at the end that ensures the Tanith First-and-Only will never be the same again.

It goes without saying that I ended up listening to Sabbat Martyr on audiobook, especially after how impressed I have been with the previous Gaunt’s Ghosts audiobooks.  Coming in with a run time of 10 and half hours, Sabbat Martyr was another descent length Warhammer 40,000 audiobook that I just flew through.  This format works so well to tell epic Warhammer 40,000 stories, and I loved how effectively the fight sequences came through in Sabbat Martyr, as you can so easily envision Abnett’s massive action set pieces.  A lot of how effective Sabbat Martyr’s audiobook is comes down to excellent narrator Toby Longworth, who is one of my favourite audiobook narrators.  Longworth, the established narrator for all things Gaunt’s Ghosts (as well as Abnett’s other audiobooks like, Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus), has long perfected the voices he uses within these audiobooks, and it was great to hear his established tones and voices again.  The narrator really has all the key characters down and love the fitting and effective voice each of them has.  This impressive voice work deeply enhances an already awesome story, and you really get to feel the emotions and actions of each of the characters.  I honestly had such a great time listening to the Sabbat Martyr audiobook, especially in some of the more intense action scenes which swept my imagination away, and this is easily the best format by which to enjoy this amazing book .

With fire, blood and faith, Abnett wraps up a major part of his iconic Gaunt’s Ghosts series in a big way with the epic Sabbat Martyr.  Loaded with war, personal conflict, powerful developments, and some memorable tragedy, Sabbat Martyr was a worthy and intense addition to the series, and one that I couldn’t stop listening to.  I had such an exceptional time with this book, and Sabbat Martyr, and indeed the entire Gaunt’s Ghosts series, is required reading for all Warhammer 40,000 fans.

Sabbat Martyr Cover 2

Amazon

Warhammer 40,000: The Traitor’s Hand by Sandy Mitchell

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Comedy/Satire, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer10 Comments

The Traitor's Hand Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 1 January 2005)

Series: Ciaphas Cain – Book Three

Length: 9 hours and 6 minutes

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Amazon

After updating my list about my favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels last week, I was keen for more action from this awesome franchise, so I decided to quickly listen to the entertaining and fun novel, The Traitor’s Hand by Sandy Mitchell.

One of the things that I like most about the Warhammer 40,000 franchise is the sheer range of different stories and genres that can be found within it.  For example, one of the most popular series is a particularly funny and amusing series that focuses on a Blackadder-esque Imperial Commissar as he finds himself involved in all manner of over-the-top heroics.  This series is the Ciaphas Cain books, which follows the titular protagonist who has accidently become regarded as a great hero of the Imperium of Man, despite most of his actions being more for self-preservation.  The first two books in this series, For the Emperor and Caves of Ice, were extremely fun reads, and I have been meaning to check out the next book in the series for a while.  As such, when I had my recent Warhammer 40,000 craving, the third Ciaphas Cain book, The Traitor’s Hand, was an easy choice.

Commissar Ciaphas Cain, hero of the Imperium or unrepentant coward?  Constantly forced into the direst of circumstances despite doing everything in his power to avoid them, Cain has built up a reputation he considers entirely undeserved, especially as being known as a hero always seems to get him into trouble.  His latest assignment will test him like none other, especially when he is forced to go up against the great archenemy of the Imperium, the forces of Chaos.

With a Chaos fleet approaching the tidally locked planet of Adumbria, Cain and the soldiers of the Valhallan 597th are rapidly redeployed towards the planet to aid in its defence.  Despite wishing to stay off the frontlines, Cain’s experience and uncanny ability to find trouble forces him to join in the hunt for a Chaos cult hidden throughout the planet that has awakened in advance of the coming fleet.  However, the more he digs, the more he discovers that there is something far more sinister going on within the planet than anyone realises.

As the invading enemy arrives on the planet, it soon becomes apparent that two rival bands of Chaos worshippers are attacking Adumbria with very different goals in mind.  Leading the fight against the enemy, Cain needs to work out just what their objectives are before the world is destroyed in the Chaos crossfire.  However, with deadly enemy forces all around and a rival commissar determined to undermine him, can even the terminally lucky Cain stop them, especially when an old nightmare returns seeking revenge against him.

The Traitor’s Hand was an extremely awesome book from Mitchell that I had so much fun getting through.  Containing the outstanding blend of action, humour and intriguing characters that the Ciaphas Cain series is known for, The Traitor’s Hand was pretty damn epic, and I managed to power through it in about a day of intense listening.

This third Ciaphas Cain novel had a great story behind it that I had a wonderful time listening to.  While it does follow some similar story conventions to the previous books in the series, in that Cain and the Valhallan 597th arrive on a planet to face one foe, only for Cain to inadvertently discover another threat hidden under the surface, I think Mitchell did a good job distinguishing this book from the previous entries.  The introduction of a rival Commissar and alternating bands of Chaos worshippers makes for a great central storyline, and you get really involved in the battle for the planet and the attempts to discover a hidden Slaaneshi cult who are performing dark rituals.  The entire story evolves in a familiar manner, with Cain’s attempts to avoid a fight leading him into darker situations each time, while his keen insights allow him to determine where the true threat to the planet is located.  The big final sequence for The Traitor’s Hand was pretty damn awesome, as Cain leads a small force into a massive battle royale between warring Chaos warbands while also facing a dangerous foe from his past.  While the big bad’s identity was overly foreshadowed, their inclusion was very intense and lead to a gripping conclusion.  I do wonder if this repetitive story structure is going to be sustainable for the series in the future, but I really got stuck into this entertaining and exciting narrative and powered through it so damn quickly.

I absolutely loved the fun style of the Ciaphas Cain books which Mitchell once again uses to tell a fantastic story.  Primarily told from the first-person chronicle perspective as Cain recounts his many adventures, you get to see his insights into events that occur.  While on the surface this appears to be a typical Imperial Guard focused Warhammer 40,000 story, it is a much lighter read, as the book revolves around Cain’s continued attempts to get out of danger only to encounter worst problems.  It is really entertaining to see his excuses and manipulations, especially as nearly every action he does is calculated to avoid danger, which he shamelessly admits to.  The continued increase of stakes, desperate response from Cain and the inevitable lucky escape makes for some fun reading, and Mitchell does an excellent job of layering a strong amount of comedy into a usually dark universe.  This humour is expertly enhanced by the overarching narration of the book, provided by Inquisitor Vail’s editorial notes as she collates Cain’s memoirs.  Vail’s various notes, quotes and included histories of the story provides some much-needed context to the plot, while the entertaining and often sarcastic way they are delivered works extremely well.  I think that Mitchell got the right blend of humour, action, and dark moments throughout the course of The Traitor’s Hand, and I really got engrossed in the hilarious and action-packed story that emerged.  I did feel at times that Mitchell did get a bit repetitive with some of his phrases and lines, which you really notice with an extended read, but this is honestly a pretty minor complaint, and The Traitor’s Hand proved to be an amazing read.

I liked how well Mitchell featured the Warhammer 40,000 universe in The Traitor’s Hand, especially as he once again seeks to showcase the horrors of the franchise from the eyes of a human solider, even one as lucky as Ciaphas Cain.  The various Chaos factions prove to be great villains in this story, and I loved the cool comparisons between the Slaaneshi cult and the Khorne-worshipping warband.  You also get a great insight into the life of the common soldier or civilian, and it was fun to see the various responses many of them have to the reveals about Chaos and their dark designs.

Like most of the Ciaphas Cain novels The Traitor’s Hand can easily be read as a standalone book, and no real pre-knowledge of the Warhammer 40,000 universe is really needed.  Indeed, I really appreciated how efficiently Mitchell is able to ease new readers into the wider Warhammer 40,000 universe.  In addition, readers don’t really need to have checked out the prior Ciaphas Cain novels either, as Mitchell does a good job of summarising the necessary key points from these books when needed.  There were some strong references to the Ciaphas Cain short story, The Beguiling, which if you had read would have increased the impact of The Traitor’ Hand to a degree, however, it is also not necessary to have read it first, as Mitchell recaps it very well.  Overall, I felt this was a great piece of Warhammer 40,000 fiction that many people can get into.

A key highlight of any Ciaphas Cain novel is the excellent character work that Mitchell installs into the story.  This is certainly the case in The Traitor’s Hand, with most of the character work revolving around the protagonist and main point-of-view character, Commissar Ciaphas Cain.  While Mitchell has done a great job setting up this figure in the previous two books, it is always so much fun to see a story through Cain’s eyes, especially as the protagonist bears the duality of being a hero and a coward at the same time.  Fitted with a well-honed sense of survival, Cain is constantly trying to find ways to get out of danger and has proven quite adept at manipulating people to get what he wants.  However, due to bad luck or because he finds himself trapped by his own legend, Cain is constantly dragged into the most dangerous situations possible.  While it would be easy to dislike a character like this, readers quickly become aware that Cain isn’t as big a coward as he believes, and instead he is quite a skilled, brave and caring leader whose “cowardly” actions are often borne by shrewd assessment and tactical awareness.  Throw in his excellent sense of humour, his entertaining insights into the universe, and his vast experiences with the many different things trying to kill humans in the Warhammer universe, and Cain is such a great protagonist to follow.

Aside from Cain, The Traitor’s Hand features a raft of other great characters, each of whom bring a lot to the story.  For example, Inquisitor Vail, despite not appearing in person, serves a big role in the book, editing Cain’s unreliable manuscripts.  I loved her witty over-arching narration and notes throughout the book, and it was fun to have someone constantly calling out Cain for his wilder statements.  I also loved the continued inclusion of Cain’s aid, Jurgen, the man capable of killing anything in the galaxy with his trusted meltagun.  I love how Mitchell sets Jurgen up as the Baldrick to Cain’s Blackadder in this series, especially with his attitude, hygiene and loyalty, although he proves to be a vital ally.  It was also interesting to see Mitchell continue to explore just how vital Jurgen is to Cain’s success, especially due to his status as a Blank, and I love the entertaining team the two characters combine into.  New character Commissar Tomas Beije, an old school rival of Cain’s, serves as a great secondary antagonist for much of the story, and it was entertaining to finally see a character suspicious of Cain’s status as hero, especially as he looks deranged spouting out accusations we know to actually be true.  Finally, the various members of the Valhallan 597th, many of whom were introduced to us at the same time as Cain, continue to grow as characters and serve great supporting roles in the story, and it was touching to see how their relationship to the protagonist has grown over the years.

I have often said throughout my many reviews on the subject that the best way to enjoy a Warhammer 40,000 novel is its audiobook format.  Nowhere is that truer than the Ciaphas Cain audiobooks, which really capture the zany feel of the series through its excellent narration and style.  Most of this is due to the excellent use of multiple narrators, whose mixture of voices creates a particularly epic read (indeed this one of my favourite audiobook series with multiple narrators).  The Traitor’s Hand features four separate narrators, each of whom add so much to my enjoyment of this audiobook.  Each of these narrators has a distinctive role, with the amazing Stephen Perring providing the bulk of the narration in this series, as he narrates the chapters told from the protagonist’s perspective.  Perring serves as an epic centre for this audiobook, especially as he does such a good job capturing the larger-than-life Ciaphas Cain with his acting.  Perring’s take on Cain’s cocky dialogue, as well as his more honest chronicling of events, is impressive, and I love how he captured the various aspects of Cain’s character.  There are some other great voices featured throughout these chapters as well, as Perring assigns fitting and entertaining voices to each of the major characters.  My favourite of these is probably Jurgen, especially as Perring really tries to make him sound as much like Tony Robinson as possible.

While Perring does most of the narration in The Traitor’s Hand, the additional voice actors also add a lot to the story, especially Penelope Rawlins.  Rawlins voices the character of Inquisitor Vail, the Imperial Inquisitor and acquaintance of Cain who is compiling the memoirs for publication.  As such, Rawlins voices the prelude, chapter introductions and footnotes contained in this book to showcase the editorial notes that this character is adding in to make Cain’s ramblings easier to read.  Rawlins serves as a good contrast to Perring, especially as her character’s more serious tones are the direct opposite of Perring’s flippant take on Cain.  I love how seamlessly the production works Rawlins’ voice into the various points of the audiobook where her character cuts into the main story, and you really get into the groove of her explaining key details about the universe and the characters.  Throw in the additional voice work of Emma Gregory and new narrator Andrew Spooner, who give their voices to various in-universe texts that provide additional information for the reader, and you have a strong team who masterfully enhance Mitchell’s brilliant story.  These great actors really help to make this entire audiobook production so much fun to listen to, and with a runtime of just over nine hours, you can very easily sit back and listen to The Traitor’s Hand in one fantastic sitting.

With The Traitor’s Hand, Sandy Mitchell continues to showcase why he is one of the strongest, and funniest, authors of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.  Filled with the series’ trademark humour, intriguing characters and intense action, The Traitor’s Hand was an entertaining audiobook from start to finish that I could not turn off.  An outstanding and highly recommend novel, The Traitor’s Hand was so damn good, and I cannot wait to see how Mitchell continues this amazing series.

Amazon

The Sandman – Act II (Audiobook) by Neil Gaiman and performed by a full cast

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Comics/Manga, Extended Universe, Fantasy, Five-Star Books, Horror, LGBT+, Superhero, Tie-in Novel6 Comments

The Sandman - Act II Cover

Publisher: Audible Original (Audio Drama – 22 September 2021)

Series: The Sandman – Volume 2

Script: Neil Gaiman and Dirk Maggs (script adapter)

Director: Dirk Maggs

Length: 13 hours and 47 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

The gloomy and complex fantasy adventures of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman continues in this epic second audiobook volume that once again brings Gaiman’s unique imagination and characters to life with an outstanding cast of actors.

Back in 2022 I had an outstanding time listening to the first volume of the audiobook adaptation of The Sandman comic.  The original series, which started in 1989, is one of the most iconic comics of all time and features a unique adventure that only someone as twisted and imaginative as Neil Gaiman can come up with.  Following Dream, the anthropomorphic personification of dreams and human imagination, The Sandman is a truly interesting comic that blends horror, fantasy and superhero storylines together.  Some people might be more familiar with the recent Netflix series that adapted the first couple of comics and which has a second season on the way.

While I loved the show, I personally had a much better time with the audiobook version of the comics that was released a couple of years ago.  Featuring a truly exceptional cast of celebrity and established audiobook narrators, the first volume of this series was so damn good, and I loved how well it established the characters and universe of The Sandman while also adapting Gaiman’s unique vibes and dark themes.  This first volume was extremely addictive, and I made sure to listen to the second volume shortly after.  The second volume, or Act II as it will be called in this review, continues the comic storyline and features some amazing stories, fun characters and new cast members.

In a universe of strange and deadly creatures, many beings are considered immortal, but only seven siblings can truly claim to be endless.  The Endless, each a personification of a certain universal or human concept, are powerful and mesmerizing in their own way, but the most enchanting and mysterious is Dream.  Known by many names, including Morpheus, this being governs the Dreaming, a vast realm of creation’s collected dreams and stories, protecting the imagination that makes life worth living.  But circumstances outside of his control have set him on a dark path that not even he can escape from.

Still dealing with the consequences of his forced absence from his realm, Morpheus is working to recover everything he lost while avoiding the enemies he made along the way.  The most powerful of these is Lucifer, the fallen angel and lord of Hell, whom Morpheus insulted when he stormed Hell to take back his stolen helm.  Despite not wishing to cross Lucifer again, Morpheus is convinced to set right the biggest wrong of his life and free his former lover from Hell.  However, he is unprepared for the reception that awaits him as Lucifer chooses to damn him in a far more sinister way: by gifting him control of his dark domain.

Finding himself in possession of the key to Hell’s gates, Lucifer must determine who will become the new ruler of Hell.  Setting up a gala in the Dreaming, Morpheus receives visits from an array of gods, demons, angels, and other immortal beings, each of whom seek to control Hell for their own reason.  Soon, Morpheus finds himself in the middle of a host of scheming beings, many of whom will turn on their host to get what they want.  At the same time, weird things are happening in the Dreaming, as an ancient and unstable realm begins to drag in inhabitants from the real world and influence the waking world.  Can Morpheus ensure his realm stays whole whilst dealing with the most dangerous beings in creation?

This was another outstanding adaptation of The Sandman comics that was so damn epic to listen to.  Adapted by director Dirk Maggs and featuring all Gaiman’s impressive storytelling and dark characterisation, The Sandman – Act II was extremely impressive, and you really get drawn into the unique world of the original comics.  Adapting issues #21-40 and #50 of the original comics, The Sandman – Act II brings together the stories of Season of Mists and A Game of You, and several entries from Fables & Reflections.  All these adaptations are so damn good, and I love the elaborate and epic cast that helps to bring the tale to life.

Due to how the audiobook is set out, there are three distinctive parts to The Sandman – Act II, which provided their own unique stories and characters.  The first of these is titled Season of Mists, and features Morpheus finding himself wrapped up in the fate of Hell.  Starting with an entertaining and dysfunctional family dinner, where Morpheus reunites with all his siblings (bar one), the story then turns to Morpheus’s biggest regret, his relationship with the ancient African queen Nada (whose story was told in the last audiobook), which trapped her soul in Hell.  Travelling to Hell to free her, Morpheus finds that Lucifer has banished all the demons and damned souls from his realm and is abdicating as ruler, leaving the key to Hell’s gates with Morpheus.  Morpheus is soon tasked with deciding the fate of the dimension, which results in a flurry of immortal beings arriving at his home to request the key.  The resulting conference proves to be highly entertaining as Morpheus is forced to deal with all manner of bargains, schemes and betrayals as everyone seeks his favour.  I loved how the entire dramatic conference unfolds, and the interactions between the various over-the-top figures and the implacable Morpheus results in some great drama and hilarious sequences.  The conclusion of this storyline is amazing, as a new irony overtakes the denizens of Hell, Morpheus finds himself meeting various beings who will change him in the future, and the seeds are set for a new story around Lucifer (as seen in his own comic and television series).

Honestly, this is probably the best part of The Sandman – Act II, as not only is Season of Mists particularly gripping, but it makes full use of both the existing voice cast and several new figures to really enhance the content.  The battle of wits between several larger-than-life characters is extremely compelling and clever, and Gaiman does a remarkable job expanding the canon of The Sandman.  There are so many subtle and delightful character interactions scattered throughout this storyline, and listeners will love the impressively devious stakes that are being discussed.  This includes some fantastic and deep soul searching for the protagonist, who is forced to revisit one of his darkest deeds.  Thanks to his own experiences of being locked away, Morpheus understands his harsh past actions a lot better, especially when prompted by members of his family.  I always appreciated how Gaiman shows that Morpheus isn’t really a hero but a force of nature who arrogantly follows his own whims.  However, in this case he is a somewhat better person, even if he is still selfish in his actions, and it takes some real prompting for him to do the right thing.

Gaiman also makes sure to feature some additional amazing character arcs, the most intriguing being Lucifer’s when he decides to perform the ultimate rebellion against his father by abandoning Hell.  Lucifer’s portrayal by a returning Michael Sheen is exceptional, especially during his interactions with Morpheus, and his take on the events that led him to rule Hell are very powerful.  In addition to Sheen, Season of Mists also features the inclusion of several amazing new actors, each of whom are used to their full potential.  Jeffery Wright and Kristen Schaal are perfect additions to the Endless, voicing the taciturn Destiny and the bubbly Delirium respectfully.  However, it is the one-two punch of Bill Nighy as Odin and David Tennant as Loki that really sold this chapter to me.  Bill Nighy and David Tennant are two of my absolute favourite actors, and their takes on these two Norse gods are just amazing.  While Nighy brings gravitas and cruelty to Odin, Tennant’s wheedling, manipulative Loki was so damn fun, and both were the highlight of every scene there were in.  The rest of the cast in this chapter were epic as well, and this entire section was such a highlight of The Sandman – Act II, with its placement at the top of the book successfully drawing listeners in and ensuring they don’t go anywhere.

The other main storyline in The Sandman – Act II was titled A Game of You, and is an adaptation of one of the less popular comic arcs.  This story is an intriguing female-led additional to the series, which primarily follows Barbie, a minor figure from the previous The Doll’s House arc, who has uprooted her life and moved to New York to live with an eclectic mixture of residents in an apartment building.  When figures from Barbie’s long-lost dreams arrive in the waking world, Barbie is dragged back into a fantasy adventure, while her friends in New York deal with minions of the mysterious Cuckoo, a dream parasite preying on Barbie’s mind.  The resulting attempts to help Barbie result in chaos and tragedy as they trespass into the Dreaming and come face to face with Morpheus as a he fulfills an old bargain.

Now I must admit that A Game of You was a little weaker than I was hoping, especially when compared to the preceding Season of Mists.  The decision to focus on Barbie, who honestly didn’t stand out too much in her previous appearance, was an interesting choice by Gaiman, and this arc doesn’t have the most engrossing story.  However, I did still have a great time listening to this part of the audiobook, especially as it focuses on showcasing both the magic and danger of dreams, as well as the impacts that interactions with Morpheus can have on mortals.  The more distinctive fantasy focus of this story makes for a nice change of pace, and I liked how well Gaiman simultaneously showed events occurring inside and outside of the protagonist’s dreams.

One side effect of listening to A Game of You immediately after Season of Mists is that the less substantial cast is a lot more noticeable.  That’s not to say that A Game of You doesn’t have great characters.  There are some amazing figures featured here, including several unique protagonists who have compelling connections to previous story arcs from the series.  There are also some nicely progressive LGBT+ elements for a comic released in 1991-92, especially when it comes to the trans woman character, Wanda, who is handled with tact and who has a particularly impactful story arc.  There are also fewer celebrity voice appearances in this arc, although I did rather enjoy the inclusion of actress Emma Corrin of The Crown fame as the ancient witch Thessaly, as her intense and distinctive voice added a lot to this fantastic character.  While it is easy to nitpick A Game of You, especially after some of the previous arcs, this is s till a particularly impressive storyline, which is masterfully brought to life with this production, producing something that is very fun to listen to.

These two main storylines are impressively augmented by a series of short stories scattered throughout the course of the audiobook.  Most of these short stories fall between Season of Mists and A Game of You, with several more wrapping events up.  There is also a short story in the middle of Season of Mists that showcases the impacts the closure of Hell has, which leads to the Dead Boy Detectives series.  Gaiman comes up with some truly interesting and unique shorter stories to add to the main plot of the book.  Most of these stories involve various mortals or other supernatural creatures encountering either the Endless or some of Morpheus’s creations, and they usually serve as some form of cautionary tale.  I loved the intriguing underlying themes that Gaiman loaded into each story, including about the impermanence of power and examinations of the human condition, and the author also has fun in launching his distinctive characters into various historical periods.

While all the shorter stories contained in The Sandman – Act II are awesome in their own way, a couple do stand out due to their excellent stories and fantastic performances.  For example, the complex story Three Septembers and a January, retells the tale of Joshua Abraham Norton, self-declared Emperor of the United States, with Dream and his siblings shown to be responsible for his strange actions.  This story is both fascinating and dark, as you witness a man torn apart by the whims of the ethereal siblings.  Listeners grow particularly attached to this tale due to the performance of John Lithgow as Joshua Norton, who adds some excellent humour and no small amount of tragedy with his moving voice work.  Other great stories include Thermido, which sees the return of Lady Johanna Constantine from the first audiobook.  Voiced by the absolutely fabulous Joanna Lumley, this story follows Constantine as she steals into France during the height of the revolution to steal something from Robespierre.  This story was fast-paced, clever, and substantially dark, all of which helped it to stand out, especially with the compelling twists and ironic historical fates.  It was also amazing to get a whole story told by Joanna Lumley, who was somewhat underutilised in the first audiobook.  Finally, the tale August, which follows Augustus Caesar as he disguises himself as a beggar and tells his life story to a dwarf, proves to be quite impressive, especially with Brian Cox playing the titular character.  Each of these shorter stories are masterfully presented, and I loved how complex and powerful their stories were, even with the shorter length the author had to work with.

Overall, I really appreciated the entire story of this volume.  The blending of two fantastic main storylines, as well as the scattering of intriguing and unique short stories, makes for quite an epic continuous listen.  The short stories were well utilised as the director spread them out amongst the audiobook providing a good break between the two extended plotlines, as well as some fun listens in the epilogue.  Not only were all the entries in The Sandman – Act II fantastic and compelling, but each of them had such a distinctive feel that really highlights the author’s style and ability to blend various genres together into one powerful story.  The interesting array of over-the-top characters makes for quite a fantastic listen, especially as Gaiman attempts to capture the many burdens of having cosmic responsibility, while other stories look at how characters are affected by dreams and imagination.  The mixture of fantastic tales and dark moments is always cleverly undercut with moral lessons or complex observations about the human experience.  You honestly come away from The Sandman in deep thought while still being traumatised or wildly entertained by how events unfolded.  There is honestly nothing else quite like The Sandman in fiction, and I always have great admiration for the elaborate and multifaceted tales that Gaiman comes up with.

Just with the first volume of this epic audiobook collection, the production really captures the epic nature of the comic, which makes it a real joy to listen to.  Even with its runtime of nearly 14 hours, this is such an easy and addictive audiobook to listen to, and it proves hard to ever stop listening to the elaborate story that emerges.  A lot of this is down to the impressive nature of the production surrounding this audiobook, as the director goes out of his way to enhance the audio experience for the listener.  Everything about this audiobook, from the emotionally charged music, the elaborate sound effects, and the brilliant cast of actors and narrators, is designed to remind you what an imaginative and unique story you are listening to.  Heck, even the way that the various chapter titles are announced is epic, and I always get a kick out of the impressive way they are read out.  Honestly, the entire audiobook production is just perfect, and anyone who listens to it is in for an exceptional time they will not forget.

As part of my hyping up of the audiobook production, I have to highlight the sheer range of talent lending their voices to this audiobook production, without whom The Sandman – Act II would be nowhere near as exceptional as it was.  I have mentioned several of the newer voice actors in the review already, but The Sandman – Act II also featured the exceptional returning cast from the first audiobook, each of whom provided fantastic new performances that really stuck in the mind.  For example, Andy Serkis is so much fun as Matthew the Raven, while Justin Vivian Bond and Miriam Margolyes serve as fantastic and fitting versions of Desire and Despair respectively.  Kat Dennings proves to be an outstandingly effective incarnation of Death, especially as her positive portrayal captures the more compassionate and likeable version of Death that Gaiman envisioned for his comic.  Even Neil Gaiman has a key vocal role in the production, serving as the narrator who highlights events and details not captured by the dialogue.  Gaiman proves to be an impressive narrator for this story, and his distinctive and wise voice matches the feel of The Sandman perfectly.  However, most of these are overshadowed by James McAvoy, who plays the titular Sandman, Morpheus, in this production.  McAvoy is honestly perfect in this role, and the gravitas, sense of unknowing, and great sadness of this character is so perfectly portrayed by the actor’s voice.  McAvoy does such a good job portraying the imperialistic and arrogant tone and personality of Morpheus and the reader can really envision his actions and thoughts.  McAvoy honestly does the best presentation of this character it is possible to do (television series included), and you will fall in love with his take on this sinister and mysterious figure.

The Sandman – Act II is an outstanding and incredible audiobook production that does such a remarkable job of bringing more of Neil Gaiman’s iconic comic to life.  Perfectly adapting the distinctive and dark comics into a new format, listeners get the benefit of both an excellent narrative and some amazing audiobook production with a remarkable cast.  An absolute joy to listen to from start to finish, The Sandman – Act II was a brilliant follow-up to the first production, and I cannot recommend it enough.

Amazon

The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Five-Star Books7 Comments

The Maleficent Seven Cover 2

Publisher: Angry Robot (Trade Paperback – 10 August 2021)

Series: Standalone

Length: 416 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

One of the fastest rising authors of dark fantasy fiction, Cameron Johnston, returns with his most entertaining book yet, the outstanding and epic novel, The Maleficent Seven.

Cameron Johnston is a great author who I was lucky to come across a few years ago with his debut novel, The Traitor God.  Bought on a whim because it sounded cool, The Traitor God ended up being one of my favourite fantasy books of the year thanks to its excellent revenge storyline.  The Traitor God was such an epic read and I ended up grabbing the intriguing sequel the following year, God of Broken Things.  God of Broken Things (one of my favourite books of 2019) proved to be an outstanding sequel, and it ensured that I would be keeping an eye out for more of Johnston’s work.  This included his 2021 novel, The Maleficent Seven, which had an awesome plot behind it.  I honestly have been meaning to read The Maleficent Seven for ages but could never fit it into my schedule.  That was until last year, when I managed to power through the entire book in a single plane ride.  The Maleficent Seven ended up being a pretty darn exceptional novel that I wish I read a hell of a lot sooner.

It is a dangerous time in the lands of Essoran, as the Lucent Empire, a nation of apparent holiness and light, continuously expands, sweeping away all opposition and either burning or converting the survivors to their faith.  Despite their apparent benevolence, the Lucent Empire has a dark side dedicated to destroying all magic, heretics, and anything it deems evil through fire, blood and death.  The final stage of their invasion is set, but to proceed they first need to cross through the mountain road, which exits at the small town of Tarnbrooke.  All looks lost for the inhabitants of Tarnbrooke, who are likely to burn in the Lucent Empire’s light, until an unlikely figure appears to lead them.

Forty years ago, the dread demonologist Black Herron led a black horde of bloodthirsty soldiers, dark creatures and monsters on a deadly campaign that rocked all Essoran.  Total conquest of the realm looked certain, until she suddenly disappeared the eve of the final battle.  Without the will of their leader to hold them together, the army fell to infighting allowing their enemies to prevail.  No one knew what happened to Black Herron, until she reappears in Tarnbrooke, having lived there in disguises for decades.

Determined to stop the Lucent Empire and their fanatical leader no matter what, Black Herron takes over the town and prepares it for siege.  But even a being as powerful as Black Herron is unable to stop an entire divinely infused army by herself.  Instead, Herron seeks to bring together the six deadly captains of her army, whose skills and ferocity helped her to nearly conquer the world.  Together, this assortment of dangerous beings, including a vampire, a necromancer, an orc chieftain, a war god, a pirate queen and a deranged alchemist, might stand a chance against the coming storm.  But first they need to learn to work together once more, especially as each of them have a very different reasons to fight with Black Herron again.

The Maleficent Seven is a powerful, captivating and fantastically over-the-top novel that showcases Cameron Johnston’s impressive writing skill and ability to bring together great characters with dark fantasy settings.

Now, as you can probably guess from the name, The Maleficent Seven is a dark fantasy take on classic films like The Magnificent Seven and its predecessor, Seven Samurai.  Johnston sets the scenario perfectly, first introducing protagonist Black Herron and her previous evil horde, which disbands in the starting chapter.  From there, we get a time skip and are introduced to the book’s antagonists in the form of the Lucent Empire, their divinely empowered inquisitors and their leader, the Falcon Prince.  Their initial actions are enough to paint them as dangerous religious zealots who use their divine light and apparent holiness as a shield for their dark ambitions.  Their quest leads them on the road to Tarnbrooke, where the elderly Black Herron waits for them, having decided to make a stand and bring together her six former captains.

The first half of the book is dedicated to recruiting the six captains, who have scattered across the world.  All evil or deadly figures, none of them particularly wants to fight another war, but each are drawn back for different reasons, including family, pride, revenge and more.  Johnston does a good job of breaking up the recruitment process throughout the early chapters, and each of the revealed captains turn out to be crazier than the last, enhancing your anticipation for how they are going to act in the coming battles.  At the same time, you get to know the Lucent Empire, as they send agents against the captains, trying to eliminate the danger they pose.  Johnston lays down some very solid groundwork in this first half of the book, and you quickly get drawn to each of the seven main characters for various reasons.  There are a great range of character arcs spread out amongst these unlikely protagonists, and while a couple of them are purposely irredeemable, the rest prove to be surprisingly likeable and complex.  Johnston also takes the time to build up the antagonist, showcasing just how sinister they truly are, while also providing some slightly predictable revelations about their leader.

The second half of the book is dedicated to the battle for Tarnbrooke, which after seeing how crazy the first half of The Maleficent Seven is, you know is going to be good.  There is some good additional setup once the captains arrive in town, with the building of siegeworks, the training of the townsfolk, and other unusual preparations, all of which is reminiscent of the films the book is an homage to.  Johnston also builds up some additional character interactions that I really enjoyed, as certain townsfolk become connected to different saviours and there is some good follow-up regarding the protagonist’s prior adventures.  The resulting siege is everything you could hope for and more.  I am a huge fan of sieges in fiction (check out my previous list on the subject) and The Maleficent Seven is a particularly good example of an epic siege, especially as Johnston goes very over-the-top when it comes to the different weapons and methods the defenders employ.  Everything from vampiric conversion, exploding pigs and drugged townspeople are used to hold the line against the enemy in several brilliant and brutal fight sequences, while a major sea battle simultaneously occurs, featuring, amongst other combatants, a giant kraken.  All the fighting is fierce, desperate, and pretty damn bleak, while the characters each go through their own intriguing and powerful journeys.  I honestly was enthralled once the main fighting started, and Johnston really did not let up until the end.

The final sequence of the main fight turns into an impressive and extremely horrific brawl for survival as the protagonists fight against increasingly desperate odds.  There are also several betrayals as certain telegraphed plots from the evil protagonists come to fruition, and everyone fights to survive and come out on top.  You will be a bit unprepared for who lives and who dies during the final few chapters as Johnston loads up some fantastic twists and cool revelations that constantly leave you guessing.  Even when you’re sure you know who is going to survive, Johnston swiftly changes everything around with a few hilariously ironic reveals, as well as some more tragic deaths.  I liked how Johnston imbued the story with a certain level of hope towards the end, even if that was somewhat overshadowed by the carnage surrounding it.  There were also some darker moments in the conclusion, as certain characters realise just how damned they truly are.  Throw in a final great twist that really tied together a hidden motivation from the very start, and Johnston ends The Maleficent Seven on the perfect note for the reader.

Johnston did a remarkable job with this awesome book, and I loved how dark, powerful, and compelling The Maleficent Seven turned out to be.  Thanks to the unique array of characters, insane fight sequences and entertaining twists, The Maleficent Seven will prove really appealing to a wide array of readers, especially as Johnston got the right balance of action, tragedy, and humour throughout the entire read.  I especially loved how well the author flipped the established concept of heroes defending a town from villains on its head with the inclusion of seven fantasy supervillains leading the charge against a holy army.  The clever reveal that the apparently good warriors are far more sinister than the literal monsters is so well handled, and it was impressive to see a classic idea so well refreshed.  Throw in some excellent world building, an interesting collection of fantasy creatures and the sheer overwhelming chaos of a desperate siege, and there is something in The Maleficent Seven for all fantasy fans.

Something I really loved about The Maleficent Seven was the cool collection of characters who made up the key cast.  All the titular seven are very well represented throughout the book, and it proves very hard not to fall in love with each crazy member of the team; thanks to the narrative split, you get some intriguing insights into their motivations, actions, and history.

Of these characters, my favourite was probably Tiarnach, the fading war god who has fallen on hard times.  Thanks to the death of all his followers and his inability to fight against the Lucent Empire, Tiarnach starts the book off as a broken, drunken figure with barely any power left.  Joining Black Herron’s cause to get revenge and some form of redemption, Tiarnach becomes the defenders’ nominal drill instructor, trying to whip the townsfolk into a fighting force.  The connection Tiarnach forms with the townsfolk, his journey towards redemption, and the fact that he is one of the few characters without ulterior motivations, ensures that readers are drawn towards him.  He easily has one of the best, most tragic character arcs in the entire book, and I really enjoyed how Johnston utilised him.  The same can also be said for the legendary orc warrior, Amogg.  Amogg leaves her responsibilities behind to sate her desire for battle and alleviate her restlessness.  Thanks to her blunt and entertaining personality, Amogg was another character the reader connects to.  However, Johnston ensured that she became a true favourite when she begins to turn the women of Tarnsdale into an effective fighting force against their will.  Watching her empower and lead a band of fighting women into battle was very impressive, and her storyline was heartwarming and bleak in equal measures.

The other five characters each have their moment to shine.  The vampire, Lorimer Felle, was a suave and brutal figure whose inability to die, connection to his one loyal servant, and desire for destruction left a major impression.  Verena, the pirate queen, was also really good, although she kind of gets overshadowed by the other characters.  Jerak the alchemist was the most unhinged, and I loved how he ended up becoming more of a danger to his friends than his enemies thanks to his gruesome experiments.  Maeven, the necromancer, has one of the more complex story arcs in the book as she blurs the line between ambition, revenge and a desire for family.  While she fights alongside the others, her own need for vengeance and power leads her down a dark path, especially with her connections to the Lucent Empire’s leader.  Maeven’s entire story goes in some very dark directions, and I appreciated the dark note Johnston left it on.  Finally, the leader of the group, Black Herron, has a very interesting storyline that runs the gambit from dark queen to unlikely hero.  Johnston does a great job showcasing her rise and fall throughout the story, and the question of why she chose to abandon her conquest and her army is a fantastic part of the book.  All these protagonists are outstanding in their own way, and I loved how Johnston was able to weave together some compelling, entertaining, and occasionally sad storylines around such wonderfully outrageous figures.

Look, with a story this awesome there was no way I wasn’t going to love The Maleficent Seven, and I think my lengthy review above proves this point extremely well.  Cameron Johnston was on fire when he wrote his third full-length novel, and The Maleficent Seven proved to be a particularly intense, clever and impressive read.  Bringing together entertaining characters with insane violence amid a classic story scenario, The Maleficent Seven proved near impossible to put down and I loved every second I spent reading it.  A highly recommended read for all fans of dark fantasy, I cannot wait to see how Johnston’s next book (coming out later this year) turns out.

Amazon

Peace Talks by Jim Butcher

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

Peace Talks Cover

Publisher: Penguin Audio (Audiobook – 14 July 2020)

Series: Dresden Files – Book 16

Length: 12 hours and 52 minutes

My Rating: 5 out 5 stars

Amazon

After nearly four fantastic years, I have officially come full circle with the epic Dresden Files series as I check out the final book I needed to read with the entertaining and compelling entry, Peace Talks.

Back in 2020, I had the very great pleasure of discovering Jim Butcher’s iconic Dresden Files urban fantasy series.  A powerful, action-packed, and intense read, Battle Ground was one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2020, even though I started with the 17th entry in the series.  I had so much fun with Battle Ground that I instantly went back and listened to the first Dresden Files novel, Storm Front, which cemented my love for the series.  Since then, I have been slowly working my way through the entire Dresden Files audiobook collection, loving every second of it.  There are so many exceptional entries in this amazing series, with some of my favourites including Fool Moon, Dead Beat, Small Favour, Changes, Ghost Story, and Skin Game, just to name a few.  There was frankly not a single book in this series I didn’t love, and I had such a wonderful time with each of them.  I have been on the final stretch of this series for the last couple of months, which ended when I got through the intriguing Peace Talks.

Harry Dresden, professional wizard, White Knight, and supernatural defender of Chicago is adjusting to many of the changes in his life, including a new romance and his duties as a father.  However, things always have a way of becoming even more complicated for Dresden as the sins of his past and his twisted loyalties come back to haunt him, especially when an important gathering of supernatural entities is set to take place in his city.

Ever since Dresden destroyed the Red Court of vampires, the Fomor, an ancient and long hidden kingdom, have been making a play for power.  Their dark exploits have led them into conflict with many supernatural nations, and after years of skirmishes, the Fomor are finally ready to talk peace with the larger supernatural world in Chicago.  Assigned to summit as security for the White Council of wizards, as well as a liaison between the wizards and the Winter Court of Queen Mab, Dresden has his hands full, especially as he expects all hell to break loose.

As the various delegations descend upon Chicago, Dresden is proved right when his vampire half-brother, Thomas Raith, instigates a diplomatic incident that could lead to his death.  Forced to work with Thomas’ sister, Lara Raith, Dresden works to free his brother without starting a war.  But his actions soon draw the ire of several people close to him, especially as his loyalty to the White Council are in doubt.  Worse, an ancient evil has arrived in Chicago, one determined to destroy all chances of peace and bring about untold disaster.  Can Dresden save his brother while preparing for a force capable of destroying everything he has sworn to protect?

Peace Talks is a compelling addition to the long-running Dresden Files series that takes readers on an interesting ride in the lead up to the next big adventure.  Filled with great character moments, intriguing revelations, and some cool world-building, this was a solid addition to the series that I absolutely powered through.

Butcher comes up with a good story for Peace Talks that not only sets up some interesting plot points for later, but also tells its own unique narrative that is hard to put down.  To fully enjoy Peace Talks, you must appreciate that it is primarily a prelude for Butcher’s other 2020 release, Battle Ground, and as such a lot of story elements from it don’t get any real payoff until the second book.  As I’d already read Battle Ground before getting to Peace Talks, I could see where a lot of the hints, character arcs and storylines were going, so I think that gave me a bit more appreciation for what Butcher was doing here.

The story itself is an excellent character-driven narrative that contains a lot of great elements I really appreciated.  Starting off by showcasing the new normal for Dresden as a parent and partner, the story quickly moves along to the introduction of the summit, which brings several recurring characters back into the mix.  As various troubles begin to build on the horizon, the story introduces its major hurdle as Thomas apparently attempts to assassinate the leader of a supernatural nation.  Convinced of his innocence, Dresden reluctantly works with Thomas’ sister Lara to try to free him, resulting in a prison break sequence during a busy event.  Dresden’s determination to save his secret brother even at the risk of war begins to alienate several of his allies, including his grandfather, eventually resulting in an epic confrontation that was the highpoint of the book.  At the same time, the peace conference proves to be an intriguing addition to the plot, as you get to see some compelling interactions from multiple supporting characters, including many who haven’t been in the same book before.  The conclusion of the summit comes rather fast and shockingly, with the major antagonist for the next book arriving and making their intentions clear, and you come away greatly anticipating the chaos to come in Battle Ground.

I loved how Peace Talks came together as Butcher brings his usual charm, sharp writing and entertaining wit to the table in a big way.  Peace Talks features the trademark blend of mystery, adventure, character development, fantasy elements and snarky humour that I deeply enjoy about all the Dresden Files books, and it’s hard not to get caught up in the story.  There is a great focus on intrigue, politics and personal perception in this book, and I liked how a lot of the threats were more subtle and in the realm of future consequences rather than direct action.  Butcher also focused on setting up for the next book, and much of Peace Talks is geared towards providing context and character introductions for the coming war in Battle Ground.  While in some ways this reliance on setting things up for the next book made the events of Peace Talks seem a little less important, it was an overall strong book, and a great entry to the wider Dresden Files series.  While I do think that people should be really starting the series earlier than the 16th entry, new readers could slot themselves into the Dresden Files series here as Butcher continues his accessible style, minus a few references to some short stories.  Peace Talks also features some clever and subtle clues to major twists and big events in Battle Ground which you don’t fully appreciate until you read the following book.  I honestly came away from Peace Talks with an even greater appreciate for Butcher’s long-term writing skills, as well as his ability to expertly telegraph some major events.

I did feel that certain elements of Peace Talks did feel a bit rushed, especially when it came to the big bad who was revealed at the end of the peace summit.  Having already read Battle Ground, I was expecting more buildup for the villain Ethniu in Peace Talks, especially as she hasn’t been mentioned at all in any of the preceding 15 books.  However, she kind of just shows up, kicks ass for a few seconds, and then leaves, making her threats for the next book.  You don’t even get any history for her aside from the fact that she’s a long-dormant Titan who is annoyed at the world.  In hindsight, this is a little weak, and some explanation about who she is, how she took over the Fomor, or her history with the other magical leaders would have been good.  Butcher also failed to really set up any connection between her and Dresden before their fights in Battle Ground, which I think you needed.  This and other rushed bits of character interaction towards the end of Peace Talks weakened the overall story of both books, and it was clear that Butcher was keen to finish Peace Talks off and get into the major war sequences of the sequel.

As with most Dresden Files entries, Peace Talks excelled in the character department, which was a major highlight of the book.  Peace Talks features a huge cast of characters, most of whom are being reintroduced from previous novels so Butcher can feature them in Battle Ground.  As such, Peace Talks is loaded with some compelling interactions and character moments, especially as the protagonist must deal with a range of friends, family and foes who he hasn’t seen in years.

Naturally, most of the character work revolves around protagonist and point of view character Harry Dresden.  Dresden is such a fun character to follow, mainly because of his immaturity, sense of humour, and the lack of fear and respect he holds for powerful beings.  However, while deep down Dresden is still the same loveable rogue we’ve been following for years, he has been experiencing some major changes in his life that have had some intriguing impacts on his personality.  Peace Talks sees him dealing with a lot of these major life events in various ways, and it was interesting to see how much Dresden and his situation has changed since the start of the series.  Much of the book revolves around his changing relationships with certain people, including his new romance with Karrin Murphey, which finally came official in the previous book Skin Game.  This romance is one of the nicest parts of the whole book, and the two characters are just perfect for each other, which twists certain future emotional knives a little deeper.  It was also sweet to see Dresden as a father, even with their complicated relationship and the trauma surrounding them.

However, I think the most dramatic character relationship that was featured in Peace Talks involved Dresden and his mentor/recently revealed grandfather Ebenezar McCoy.  The two of them have been rocky for years, but their emotions finally spilled over in Peace Talks, especially when it came to Dresden’s relationship with Thomas and his plans to raise his daughter.  The anger between the two bubbles over throughout the course of Peace Talks, mainly because Dresden is forced to hide the true reasons for helping Thomas due to McCoy’s hatred of vampires.  The eventual and inevitable confrontation is very brutal as the two are unable to come to common ground and both think they are in the right.  The big fight between them is one of the best scenes in the book, and it simultaneously showed how powerful McCoy truly is while also highlighting how much more skilled Dresden has gotten over the years.  The eventual result is very heartbreaking, showcasing the fact that no one can hurt you more than family, while also containing a fun bit of sneakiness from Dresden.  It will be interesting to see where this relationship goes in the future, but it’s clear this family has some major issue to work out.

In addition, it was also particularly interesting to see Lara Wraith, leader of the White Court and Thomas’s half-sister become such a prominent character again in Peace Talks.  Butcher spent a good chunk of Peace Talks reintroducing Lara as a major character who is going to be a big part of the series going forward.  While this does result in the usual overly sexualised shenanigans that have accompanied Lara since her introduction in the infamous adult-film focused Blood Rites, Lara mostly proves to be a compelling and complex character.  Indeed, there were some moving examinations of her relationship with Thomas that showed just how much she cared for him.  While the differing goals and expectations for Thomas result in some conflict between Dresden and Lara, they prove to be an effective team, with a bit of hostility buried beneath them.  Considering these two are going to be forced to spend a lot of time together in the future, I liked how Butcher built up their relationship here, and it will be interesting to see how it develops in the future.  Overall, I felt the characters featured in Peace Talks were handled really well, and I loved the unique and powerful interactions that emerged.

As with the entire Dresden Files series, I ended up listening to Peace Talks on audiobook, and frankly there is no better way to enjoy one of these epic novels.  Coming in with a runtime just shy of 13 hours, this was slightly shorter Dresden Files book, especially when compared to the other later books in the series.  This shorter runtime allowed me to power through Peace Talks in no time at all, especially as I was once again wrapped up in the silky tones of narrator James Marsters.  Marsters, who is one of my favourite audiobook narrators, primarily due to his work in this series, is so damn good, and I love how effective he is at telling Butcher’s story.  Marsters honestly gets the tone of each scene perfectly and the way he inhabits each of the featured characters is just amazing.  I once again must highlight how well he portrays protagonist Harry Dresden in this book, and you can really sense the character’s conflicted emotions.  Due to the large cast associated with Peace Talks, Butcher needs fill in quite a few roles, including a ton of recurring figures from previous novels.  I felt that he did a great job voicing all of them, and it was fun to see him dust off a few voices that we haven’t seen in a few books.  Everything came together perfectly with Masters narration in Peace Talks, and this was another epic Dresden Files audiobook that I just loved listening to.

Jim Butcher provides another powerful and intriguing addition to the Dresden Files series here in Peace Talks.  Simultaneously setting up the events for the sequel Battle Ground while also telling a powerful, character-driven tale of betrayal and family trouble, Peace Talks was a great read that proves hard to put down, especially for established fans of the series.  A highly recommended book that leads to bigger things.

Amazon