Throwback Thursday – Warhammer 40,000: Necropolis by Dan Abnett

On April 6, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer17 Comments

Warhammer 40,000 - Necropolis Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – January 2001)

Series; Gaunt’s Ghosts – Book Three

Length: 10 hours and 23 minutes

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Welcome back to my Throwback Thursday series, where I republish old reviews, review books I have read before or review older books I have only just had a chance to read. For my latest Throwback Thursday, I continue to dive into the mud and blood of the 41^st century with the awesome Warhammer 40,000 novel, Necropolis by Dan Abnett.

A few weeks ago I published a Top Ten Tuesday that listed my favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels, where I featured several great and impressive authors. However, out all these authors, the one I seemed to mention the most was the extremely talented Dan Abnett. Abnett, a veteran contributor to Warhammer lore, is one of the major pillars of the Warhammer 40,000 canon, having written several exceedingly iconic series or novels. I have really enjoyed some of Abnett’s books including his legendary Eisenhorn trilogy (made up of Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus) which I eagerly absorbed earlier this year.

However, one of Abnett’s most compelling series is his long-running Gaunt’s Ghosts series of books. This great series follows the tragic and deadly members of the Tanith First and Only, an Imperial Guard regiment let by legendary Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt. Known informally as Gaunt’s Ghosts, due to their position of the being the only survivors of the destroyed planet of Tanith, the Ghosts fight for vengeance and the hope of winning a new planet. The Gaunt’s Ghost series follows their adventures during the Sabbat World Crusades, a series of deadly campaigns in a Chaos controlled sector. I have deeply enjoyed this cool series, mainly because it shows a particularly accurate view of the life of the common soldier in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. The first two books, First and Only and Ghostmaker, as well as the prequel novel, The Vincula Insurgency, have served as excellent introductions to the characters and their mission, and I have been keen to continue this series. The third book in the series, Necropolis, features a brilliant new story that throws the Ghosts deep into the absolute hell of war.

On the planet of Verghast, deep in the Sabbat Worlds, the Hive City of Verunhive has long stood as a beacon of productivity and economic success, producing vast quantities of materials for the crusading Imperial armies. Their dominion on Verghast seems absolute, until a shocking and deadly surprise attack from the neighbouring rival city of Ferrozoica, leaves everyone in shock. Amassing an army of millions, Ferrozoica launches a continued and brutal attack on Verunhive and its holdings, determined to bring it to its knees, and not even the hastily assembled forces of Verunhive or the fortified walls of the hive seem capable of stopping them.

To maintain the manufacturing capabilities of Verunhive, Warmaster Macaroth dispatches several regiments of Imperial Guard to Verghast to unite the people of Verunhive and help put an end to the invasion Ferrozoica. Amongst the Imperial reinforcements are the Tanith First and Only, better known as Gaunt’s Ghosts, who are now hardened veterans after years of fighting under Colonel-Commissar Gaunt. Arriving in Verunhive, the Ghosts discover a desperate hive, fortified by inexperienced soldiers and untested leadership, who are ill-prepared for the horrors of war that are about to be unleashed upon them.

As the Ghosts and their new allies begin a desperate fight for survival, Gaunt soon discovers that the Hive is divided, with political intrigue, ambitious officers, and old rivals, all vying to control the war. As this division hampers the war effort, an even more dangerous discovery is made: the forces of Ferrozoica aren’t just rebelling, they are under the fell control of Chaos. Faced with a relentless horde of enemies that won’t stop their attack for anything, can the Tanith and the defenders of Verunhive rally to hold off the enemy are will the Ghosts finally meet their match in the ruins of the corrupt Hive City?

Abnett continues to show why he is one of the very best Warhammer 40,000 authors out there with this exceptional third entry in his Gaunt’s Ghosts series. Necropolis is a brutal and intense read that features a brilliant group of characters caught up in a desperate and deadly siege. Action-packed and exceedingly powerful, Necropolis was an incredible addition to the series that I powered through in no time at all.

Necropolis has an outstanding and exceptional story that places the Tanith regiment in the middle of a no-win scenario. I had heard that Necropolis had one of the best stories out of all the Gaunt’s Ghosts books, and it lives up to all the hype. One of the reasons for this is that, in contrast to the episodic nature of the first two books, Necropolis has one consistent and continuous story that is completely focused on the battle for Verunhive. The other major reason for me is that this book is a siege novel, which is something I particularly enjoy, and the subsequent extended war to control Verunhive was pretty damn epic as a result.

The book starts without the Ghosts even present, and instead Abnett takes the time to completely explore the start of the siege, showcasing the setting and introducing many of the new supporting characters and their unique storylines. This works to set the scene beautifully and you really go into the book fully understanding just how chaotic the ensuing war is going to be. Gaunt and the Ghosts are introduced a few chapters into Necropolis, and they are swiftly and expertly inserted into the story. Most of the returning characters are split up around the city and given their own distinctive storylines which often merge with those of the Verunhive citizens introduced in the opening scenes. At the same time, Gaunt finds himself involved in the political intrigue that is dominating the commanders of the city, which forces him to work with and against rival commanders, commissars and politicians.

The story moves at a pretty swift pace, and soon the reader is gifted with a series of brutal and powerful battles that drag in every major character in the book. All these battle scenes are pretty intense and deadly, with the protagonists significantly outnumbered by the forces of Chaos. Abnett really communicates the resulting desperation and fear that many of the characters feel, especially as the enemy starts to make further progress and the losses mount. These impressive war scenes mesh well with the instances of political intrigue and personal conflicts that several of the characters, particularly Gaunt, are experiencing during the war, and it becomes apparent that ambition, greed and corruption are going to cause just as many problems as the war outside. I loved the brilliant combination of character driven storylines that emerged, and all of them come together to present a comprehensive and compelling picture of the wider siege before them.

Naturally, things start going to absolute hell in the lead-up to the final act, and Gaunt and his soldiers face a huge variety of threats from both inside and outside of Verunhive. There are some great scenes of carnage, valour and bitter personal fights during this part of the book as each of the characters attempt to survive in their own way. Abnett really doesn’t hold back when it comes to the brutal war and readers should really not get attached to any of the characters, as the death toll is pretty significant. Everything leads up to a final, desperate battle, and I felt that the author handled it extremely well, pitting all the key characters into some outstanding fight sequences. I did think that the conclusion of one major fight was slightly cliched (as well as significantly underpowering the strength of a bolt pistol), but it was an overall excellent way to end the book. All the storylines that Abnett opens in Necropolis are closed in a satisfactory way, and many of the characters leave both hopeful and a little forlorn at what they have experienced. Abnett also leaves behind some hints of future storylines, especially around the personal lives of the Ghosts, and it looks like there is going to be a lot of changes in the next novel of the series.

Featuring a massive multi-perspective cast, Abnett tells a complex and expansive siege narrative that is guaranteed to draw the reader. As I mentioned before, I love a good siege book, and this probably one of the better ones that I have had the pleasure of reading (I will be adding it to the next version of my Top Ten Tuesday list on the subject). Abnett really captures the intensity and complexity of the siege of this massive Hive City, and this shines through in every major battle scene he produces. The reader is effortlessly drawn into every gritty and lethal fight that occurs, and I love how he shows all the perils associated with war, from morale, logistics and even the insanity of the Chaos invaders. The grim scale of the war and the massive city this book is set in are on full display as well, and you must love seeing the mechanics behind attacking this city, as well as the inherent tragedy such an invasion is having on millions. Accompanied by an amazing amount of complex, personal stories, and some outstanding, futuristic political intrigue, and you end up with a particularly gripping and well-written tale, and its one I could listen to again and again.

One of the things that I love about Abnett’s books is the way that he so easily and cleverly works the wider Warhammer 40,000 setting into his story. He does such a good job of including and subtly explaining every bit of relevant lore, technology or faction throughout the book and in such a way that even readers unfamiliar with the franchise can dive in here with Necropolis without any major issues. This accessibility to new readers is further helped by the way that most of the story focuses on the battles of the common Imperial soldier, and seeing their gritty perspectives and opinions of the book’s events really makes it easier to read. Necropolis also serves as quite a key entry in the Gaunt’s Ghosts series, and fans who enjoyed the first two books will love to see the Ghosts return to another brutal war. While Abnett does ensure that Necropolis is accessible to people unfamiliar with the series, readers are better served going back and reading First and Only and Ghostmaker first. This is mainly because these two books were so heavily focused on character development and introductions, and seeing this characterisation continue in Necropolis makes for a more enjoyable experience. However, readers can still jump into Necropolis without too many issues, and anyone is guaranteed an epic time if they do.

Abnett is always particularly skilled when it comes to characters, and Necropolis is no different as it features an amazing and large cast. This not only includes the recurring characters from the previous Gaunt’s Ghosts books, but also a series of new characters originating in Verunhive. Abnett does a wonderful job of introducing all these new characters while also simultaneously re-establishing all the previous protagonists and their particular character arcs. The reader ends up following a huge range of character storylines in Necropolis as a result, and it was fascinating to see all the different protagonists, both Ghost and Verunhive local, and their experiences in the war. However, I do think that Abnett might have gone a little overboard when it came to characters in Necropolis, as it became hard to follow so many distinctive personalities at times. I also found that some of the best characters from the first two books, such as Colm Corbec and Major Rawne, were a bit underutilised as a result. However, you still get a lot of Gaunt, and his excellent chapters perfectly capture the insanity behind the war as Abnett once again showcases him as the noble hero, although even he is not prepared for some of the complex figures waiting for him. I loved the contrast between Gaunt and his rival, Commissar Kowle, who is a lot more self-serving, and it was great to see more hostile interactions between Gaunt and the Royal Volpone commander General Sturm. This ended up being a great book for characters, and I look forward to seeing how some of the supporting cast introduced in Necropolis will go in future books, especially after so many join the Ghosts at the end of the book.

As with pretty much everything else from Abnett that I have enjoyed, I chose to grab Necropolis on audiobook, which was exceptional. Generally, all the Warhammer 40,000 novels are pretty amazing in their own way, but I have had a great time with the ones written by Abnett. I find the format fits his epic and powerful narratives extremely well, and the intense action, world building and characters, are all highlighted perfectly in the audiobooks. One of the main reasons for this is due to the impressive work of narrator Toby Longworth, who lends his voice to all of Abnett’s main works. Longworth is such a great narrator and I love how he brings the intense story to life, revelling in every action, shot and bit of carnage that Abnett imagines. His main skill is his ability to come up with a huge range of fitting and memorable voices for every major cast member, and his take on each of Abnett’s characters is always spot on. All the characters who appeared in the previous Gaunt’s Ghosts books return with the same voices that Longworth utilised then, and I loved both the consistency with the prior audiobooks and the unique way he gets into each of the recurring characters. The accent that he gifts all the native members of the Tanith First and Only is amazing, and it is really cool how he uses it to acknowledge their rugged history. Longworth’s talent for accents is pushed to the limit in Necropolis, as the plot features characters from several different planets. However, he succeeds in giving unique accents for all the different off-worlders, which included a pretty accurate Australian-esque accent, which gets my approval. This voice work, as well as the way the format generally enhances the cool story, ensures that the Necropolis audiobook is a fantastic way to enjoy this awesome book. With a run time of just under 10 and a half hours, listeners can easily power through this book in a few days, especially once they get caught up in the addictive narrative.

My love of the classic Gaunt’s Ghosts series keeps getting stronger and stronger as the third book, Necropolis was a particularly epic Warhammer 40,000 read. The legendary Dan Abnett provides readers with a powerful and captivating siege story that makes full use of its dark setting and comprehensive cast of characters. An exceptional read from start to finish, Necropolis comes highly recommended, and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next Gaunt’s Ghosts book.

Amazon

How to Kill a Client by Joanna Jenkins

On March 13, 2023December 11, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Murder Mystery, Thriller11 Comments

How to Kill a Client Cover

Publisher: Allen & Unwin Australia (Trade Paperback – 31 January 2023)

Series: Standalone

Length: 384 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Australian lawyer and debuting author Joanna Jenkins introduces herself in a big way with her fantastic first novel, the legal thriller How to Kill a Client, which takes the reader on a fascinating journey to the dark side of Australia’s legal profession.

As the in-house lawyer at a powerful international mining company, Gavin Jones oversees millions of dollars’ worth of legal contracts each year, including to the Brisbane office of the Australian legal firm Howard Green. Using them to negotiate lucrative contracts throughout Australia, Jones has become one of Howard Green’s biggest clients and the money he controls ensures that everyone at the law firm treats him like a god.

But while everyone fawns over Jones and his power, no-one actually likes him. A cruel, petty and vindicative man, Jones has messed with the careers and lives of everyone in his orbit, especially women, who he reserves a particular disdain for. His actions ensured the suffering of everyone he has power over, including his wife, his employees, and the female partners at Howard Green, as he seeks to wreck lives, destroy careers and give himself the lifestyle he feels he deserves.

So when Jones dies suddenly and suspiciously, everyone he knew is a potential suspect; thanks to his dodgy dealings and underhanded tactics, they all had a motive to kill him. As the police begin their investigation and the lawyers at Howard Green close ranks, it falls to partner Ruth Dawson, one of the few people without a motive, to protect her firm and its secrets. However, when her investigation reveals proof of who killed Jones and other dark secrets her firm is hiding, will Ruth reveal the truth or will she bury it to protect her firm?

How to Kill a Client is a clever and tricky novel that really showcases Jenkins’s skill as a new writer. Blending a fantastic and compelling crime fiction narrative with intense looks at the lifestyle of members of a successful law firm, How to Kill a Client was a gripping and interesting read that is really worth checking out.

I loved the cool story contained within this book which came across as part legal thriller, part personal drama surrounding high-level professionals, and part intriguing murder mystery. The story dives into the chaotic world surrounding the legal firm of Howard Green and its clients and effectively introduces all the key players in this drama, who have their own views on the troubles to come. Each primary characters is connected to the eventual victim, Gavin Jones. Jenkins spends the first half of the book showcasing Jones’s terrible nature and the various ways they are messing with everyone. Cleverly utilising multiple character perspectives, you are soon drawn into the various main characters’ lives and soon see all the various reasons why each of them may have wanted to kill Jones, as well as some of the suspicious steps some of them took. Jenkins perfectly sets up everything in the first part of How to Kill a Client, and by the time you reach the halfway point, you are firmly enthralled by the narrative and want to see how the rest of the book unfolds.

When the eventual death happens (a real high point) the reader is left wondering whether it was an accident, a mistake, or a deliberate action, with the evidence pointing towards a murder. However, due to the sheer range of suspects and motives, the story produces a twisty and fun range of plotlines that you need to navigate to get to the final conclusion. Jenkins really produces an emotional and captivating second half as you try to find out who killed Jones and why. There are some brilliant revelations unfurled here, and I loved how some cunningly hidden clues in the first half of the book were utilised in the final mystery. I was very impressed with the final reveals around how the killing was committed and why it happened, and you will come away from this story very satisfied, especially as Jenkins builds in some excellent character moments and ensures that all the remaining characters get a fitting end to their arcs. I found myself getting really caught up in Jenkins’ powerful and amazing story and I honestly powered through the last half of the book very quickly to see how everything ended.

Part of the reason why How to Kill a Client is such an effective read is that Jenkins introduces an excellent cast of intriguing and complex characters who are thrust into a variety of compelling situations throughout the course of the narrative. Each of the main cast, who Jenkins effectively builds up and utilises in the plot, are quite damaged, desperate or concerned in their own unique way, while many of the supporting characters are notably selfish or manipulative for their own ends. Characters like Ruth Dawson and Viv Harrison give some compelling and honest insights into how women are treated in this influential professional setting, while Anne Jones shows the harsh reality of a women trapped in an abusive relationship. At the same time, there is a great collection of supporting lawyer characters who Jenkins uses to show off the range of people and personalities one is likely to experience in Australia’s legal services.

However, out of all the characters in this book, the one I must highlight the most is probably the murder victim, Gavin Jones, mainly because he is such a despicable figure. Jenkins really goes out of her way to make Jones into one of the most unlikable and petty characters you are ever likely to find in fiction and boy does she succeed, perfectly capturing an insecure and manipulative narcissist who enjoys controlling people. Not only does he go out of the way to try and ruin the careers of several characters just because they are women, but he also demands attention from the male characters to feed is ego, while also abusing and controlling his wife to make him feel good. In a very short amount of time Jenkins builds Jones up into such an unlikable character that the reader finds themselves trying to reach into the book and kill him before the murderer does. This naturally adds quite a lot to the mystery of the book, as his malicious professional actions, deceits, violence and puppy killing (seriously, that one really angered me), ensures that everyone he came in contact with had a reason to murder him. The huge suspect pool around this unlikable character allows Jenkins to craft an impressive murder mystery and you’ll really get drawn into finding who finally snapped and killed this infuriating character. This villainous figure, and other great characters, all added so much to the plot of How to Kill a Client and really got invested in their stories very quickly.

One of the other features of How to Kill a Client that I particularly enjoyed was the author’s detailed and intriguing examination of an Australian law firm. Clearly utilising all her past experiences as a lawyer, Jenkins perfectly showcases how a firm would work and act in a variety of scenarios, and you really get the senses of the day-to-day chaos the individuals working there would experience, which adds a lot of authenticity to the story. Jenkins also dives into the backroom drama and politics that surround such entities, as the various lawyers cut deals and fight for control over various projects or clients. There is a particularly cynical edge to the book’s portrayal of legal firms in this novel, and Jenkins shows it to be a dark and unfulfilling practice at times, especially in some of the more elite firms. The author really showcases just how bad these companies are when it comes to the treatment of women as two of the book’s central characters are female partners in Howard Green who have to constantly deal with their male colleagues’ condescension and manipulations, and there are several pointed scenes where the arrogant male managers fail to listen to the women even when they are right. There is also a focus on the way law firms sycophantically woo potential clients, bending over backwards to get hired, and this adds some intriguing angles to the drama. Finally, there is also quite a dark look at the demand for profits over people, as there is a constant fear of firings and layoffs, even for the best employees. This critical presentation of a professional law firm is pretty striking and it results in some powerful scenes throughout the course of the book, especially as the people stuck in these firms often refuse to escape it, no matter how bad it gets. I felt this examination of the profession in Australia added so much to the outstanding story and it helps to make How to Kill a Client really stand out.

Overall, How to Kill a Client was an outstanding and captivating debut from new Australian author Joanna Jenkins and one I had a wonderful time reading. Blending compelling legal elements with a fascinating, character-driven mystery, How to Kill a Client has a brilliant story that takes the reader on a powerful and twisty journey. Slick, emotionally rich, and filled with exceptional characters, How to Kill a Client is one of my favourite debuts of 2023 so far, and I cannot wait to see what epic reads Jenkins will release in the future.

Amazon

Throwback Thursday – Warhammer: Giantslayer by William King

On March 10, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Fantasy, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer8 Comments

Giantslayer Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 3 April 2003)

Series: Gotrek and Felix – Book Seven

Length: 10 hours and 23 minutes

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Welcome back to my Throwback Thursday series, where I republish old reviews, review books I have read before or review older books I have only just had a chance to read. After having a ton of fun listing my favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels last week, I dive back into Warhammer Fantasy in a big way with the seventh epic entry in William King’s Gotrek and Felix series, Giantslayer.

While the Warhammer franchise has many great series, few are as iconic or long-lasting as the epic Gotrek and Felix books. Following a doomed dwarf Slayer Gotrek Gurnisson and his human chronicler Felix Jaeger as they travel across the Warhammer Fantasy landscape, trying to find a worthy death for Gotrek, these books are amazing and fun action-packed reads guaranteed to keep you entertained with their excellent stories. Each of these books is an outstanding read in their own way, and I have had a wonderful time getting through the previous Gotrek and Felix books by King, including Trollslayer, Skavenslayer, Daemonslayer, Dragonslayer, Beastslayer and Vampireslayer. Giantslayer actually marks the end of William King’s run on the Gotrek and Felix series, and he brings his tenure of the series to a powerful and impressive end.

Following their arduous and costly battle against the vampires of Sylvania, Gotrek, Felix and their companions attempt to deal with the losses they all have suffered. However, the evils of the Old World are never considerate of grief, and soon the heroes find themselves attacked by a horde of beastmen. Following them to their lair, they discover a mysterious cavern full of tunnels pulsing with unnatural power.

Separated from their friends and dragged through an unnatural gateway, Gotrek and Felix find themselves transported to the legendary island of Albion, home of ancient tribes, dark forces, and massive giants. Fate brings the two companions into contact with the legendary High Elven mage Teclis, who has journeyed to Albion to uncover the source of dangerous magical energy that threatens to sink the High Elves’ home island of Ulthuan and devastate the rest of the world.

Reluctantly agreeing to work with the elf mage, Gotrek and Felix travel across Albion, attempting to uncover the cause of the latest magical threat facing the world. They soon discover that the island is far from tranquil; instead it is a dark land corrupted by magical power and the dangerous legacy of the Old Ones, the mysterious beings who created the world. Worse, the island has been invaded by the dark forces of Chaos who are determined to harness Albion’s unique magic for themselves. Caught between dark sorcerers, corrupted giants, an army of greenskins and the long-lasting enmity that exists between elves and dwarves, can Gotrek and Felix work with Teclis to save the world, or will the Slayer finally find his doom on Albion?

Giantslayer was another great and highly entertaining Gotrek and Felix novel that successfully showcased the outrageous protagonists while further exploring the elaborate Warhammer Fantasy universe. This was another amazing book from William King, and I felt that he ended his run on this series on a great note, especially as Giantslayer contained a fantastic and fast-paced story. Taking place in the immediate aftermath of Vampireslayer, Giantslayer quickly thrusts the protagonists into the midst of the action while simultaneously introducing the reader to the character of Teclis, who serves as a great additional central character. The first few chapters of the book are pretty trippy in places, especially as all the characters find themselves trapped in a mystical realm, and the subsequent escape results in some fantastic sequences. The characters are then transported to Albion and must explore this intriguing new landscape while trying to overcome their many personal issues, namely the animosity between Gotrek and Teclis, which adds a fun edge to the entire narrative.

King expands the story as the book continues, introducing the reader to several fantastic supporting characters from amongst the people of Albion, and soon shapes the major threat facing the world, namely the forces of Chaos overwhelming the magical energy of the island for their nefarious purposes. King utilises an excellent series of villains at this point of the novel, including the recurring sorcerous twins who have been dogging the protagonists since Dragonslayer. Everything eventually leads up to the massive final confrontation as the protagonists and their allies find themselves in the middle of a massive three-sided battle as they attempt to achieve their goal. There is a ton of action, sacrifice, magical duels, and of course a giant, in this last part of the book, and King really built up an explosive and powerful conclusion to the entire novel. I really enjoyed how this entire book came together, and it was great to see the characters embark on a final adventure under King’s reign. While the story itself can be read as a standalone, the author does fit in a ton of references to the previous entries in the series and long-time readers will enjoy the cool callbacks.

I think that King did an interesting job of wrapping up his run on this series with this final fantastic action story, and fans of his writing style will not be disappointed with Giantslayer. This is very much another epic hack and slash Warhammer novel, and King always manages to make that style of novel stand out, especially with his excellent attention to detail and ability to make all the fun action really pop. The use of multiple perspectives, including through Felix, Teclis and several antagonists’ eyes, gives the reader a very wide narrative to explore, and I loved the fantastic and fun moments that emerged through their adventures. King utilises very quick pacing for this book, so it is quite easy to power through it, especially as there is really never a dull moment as the characters jump from one deadly scenario to another. I do have to be a little critical and point out that King is a somewhat repetitive writer; if he finds a phrase, description, or sentence that he likes, he tends to overuse it slightly throughout the plot. This is particularly noticeable after seven Gotrek and Felix books and readers of this series will no doubt know what phrases I am talking about (wool cloaks and beads of blood). However, while this repetition is occasionally distracting, it honestly didn’t mess up my enjoyment of the story too much and I had a ton of fun getting through Giantslayer.

Giantslayer also serves as a particularly interesting and lore-heavy addition to the Gotrek and Felix books as King spends a lot of time diving into the history of the Warhammer Fantasy world and the original creators, the Old Ones. The book is primarily set on the island of Albion, the setting for the 2001 Warhammer Fantasy campaign series, Dark Shadows, and the author really leans heavily into the setting, showing the rain drizzled island in all its swampy and deadly glory. King sets it a little before the events of Dark Shadows, and much like the campaign’s descriptions the island of Albion is shown as a very Celtic landscape, very much inspired by Scotland. This serves as a brilliant background to the main story, and I loved seeing the characters traverse and fight across the various settings to achieve their goal. As one of the few Warhammer Fantasy books set on Albion, fans of the Dark Shadows campaign can have a bit of fun with Giantslayer, and it was great to learn a little more about the local societies and the history of the island. History really is a major part of the book, and the protagonists end up finding a lot of about Albion and the Old Ones as the story continues. This includes a dive into the Path of the Old Ones, a series of magical gateways existing outside of the main reality which can be traversed. The sequences set within this gateway are very trippy and dark, especially as they have been invaded by daemons, and King really knows how to make all these unique locations stand out with his excellent writing. As a long-time Warhammer Fantasy fan who can remember the Dark Shadows campaign, I really liked the heavy lore inclusions in this book and I felt that King utilised them perfectly throughout Giantslayer to tell a powerful narrative with some really heavy stakes for the protagonists.

I need to highlight the great characters contained within Giantslayer, especially as you get to see more of the titular protagonists, Gotrek Gurnisson and Felix Jaeger. This odd-couple pair of suicidal Slayer and pragmatic human is always a ton of fun, and King keeps this up all the way to the end, as the two characters play off each other perfectly. Gotrek’s glee at each encounter is usually only matched by Felix’s understandable reluctance to travel into the dangerous places their quests take them, and you can always count on a sarcastic and fatalistic statement from Felix, and it makes for some amazing, if slightly predictable scenes. King has never done a lot of character development when it comes to these protagonists and this continues again in Giantslayer. Gotrek remains the same old unstoppable and unflappable Slayer that he always has been, constantly diving into danger, with the author never showing his perspective or providing too many hints at this past. While King does however provide some intriguing insights in Gotrek’s seemingly unkillable nature, this was pretty much a status-quo book for Gotrek, which still has its fun moments. Felix also had some minimal growth in this book, although King does dive into the emotional impacts that the previous adventures have had on the character, which does provide some insights into his cynical and reluctant personality. I did like the more scholarly bent that was shown around Felix in this novel as he learns more about the history of the world and it was fun to see him finally get the idea to start writing the books that have introduced all the prior Gotrek and Felix adventures.

While the character work around Gotrek and Felix was minimal in Giantslayer, King more than makes up for this with the inclusion of the master mage Teclis, one of the more significant High Elf characters in the game. Teclis is a very fascinating character in the lore, and I deeply enjoyed how King portrayed him throughout Giantslayer. King amped up the arrogant, ethereal and ancient qualities of Teclis in his storytelling, and you can really feel how apart from the various human characters he is, especially in the many scenes that he narrates. Teclis is also, by his nature, a rather darker cynical figure, even compared to other elves, and it was great to see this featured throughout the book, especially when it comes to his dealings with the other characters. Despite this, he is still a good person whose sole concern is the preservation of his homeland and the rest of the world. I think that King utilised him perfectly throughout Giantslayer and he served as a great alternative narrator to Felix. I loved seeing this iconic mage in action, and it was especially fun to see him interact with Gotrek considering how antagonist dwarfs and elves are with each other. The two engage in a petty war of words for most of the book, which proves to be highly amusing, as these usually collected characters end up bickering like children. This makes for an extremely unique dynamic throughout the novel that I found to be highly entertaining. King backs up Teclis with a series of great supporting characters and intriguing villains, all of whom add a certain amount of flair and strength to the story. While King once again fails to include any substantial or distinctive female characters, except for a few minor figures, I enjoyed the excellent character inclusions to the series and you get really invested in some new personal stories in this book.

While I did manage to get a physical copy of Giantslayer (as part of the Gotrek and Felix omnibus), I ended up listening to it on audiobook out of convenience, and due to my love of the format. Coming in at just under 10 and a half hours, this is rather easy audiobook to get through quickly, and I manage to knock it out in a couple of days. Like most of the Gotrek and Felix books, the audiobook format for Giantslayer was very fun and I loved how it managed to enhance the epic nature of the book. Not only does it really showcase King’s elaborate descriptions of the Warhammer world, but it also ensured that all the many action scenes really popped as you were drawn right into the heart of the battle through the cool narration.

It helped that the listener was once again treated to the awesome narration of Jonathan Keeble, a veteran voice actor and audiobook narrator who has lend his voice to a huge number of Warhammer audiobooks, including all the Gotrek and Felix books. Keeble is a particularly skilled narrator, not only because he produces a huge number of distinctive voices but because he brings a high level of excitement to his performances that really drags the listener in. I love how Keeble’s voice speeds up to match the carnage and the enthusiasm and energy that permeate his voice as he describes every blow or crazy moment makes you feel like you are sitting there watching it. I also love the very fitting voices that he brings to all the characters, all of which are pretty damn perfect and a lot of fun. The gruff and brutal voice of Gotrek and the sarcastic, scared, yet determined tones of Felix are still just as good here as they were in Trollslayer, and all the new voices introduced by Keeble in the Giantslayer audiobook work just as well. I loved the more ethereal and arrogant voice that Keeble used for Teclis, which really fit King’s portrayal of the character in the novel, and the cool Scottish accents that the natives of Albion spoke with were very distinctive and helped to really characterise these awesome supporting figures. Keeble also brings a great range of monster voices to the book to fit the various Chaos creatures, orcs and giants that are such a prominent feature of the plot, and I loved how dedicated he got to bringing these creatures to life with his narration. Keeble is a very talented narrator, and his performance adds so much to this audiobook while also helping to enhance the already exciting narrative of Giantslayer. As such, I would highly recommend the audiobook version of this book, and you are guaranteed to have a ton of fun listening to it.

Overall, I felt that William King brought his run on the iconic Gotrek and Felix to an end in a fantastic way with Giantslayer which was another awesome and electrifying entry in the series. Featuring an epic, lore-rich story, a ton of action, and the complex and enjoyable characters that King has spent seven books developing, Giantslayer is King at his best and all Warhammer fans will have a blast with this outstanding novel. This entire impressive series has been so much fun to get through and King’s work on these books really stand the test of time as the Gotrek and Felix series are still the premier Warhammer Fantasy books. I will hopefully dive into the next book in the series, Orcslayer, later this year, and while it will be odd not to have it written by King, I am very intrigued to see what Nathan Long brings to the franchise.

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Quick Review – I Say Your Name in the Dark Nights by Jonathan Maberry

On March 5, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Fantasy, Quick Review, Short Stories2 Comments

I Say Your Name in the Dark Nights Cover

Publisher: Macmillan Audio (Audiobook – 29 November 2022)

Series: Kagen the Damned – Book 1.5

Length: 1 hours and 20 minutes

My Rating: 4.5. of 5 stars

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Get ready to dive back into the crazy world of Jonathan Maberry’s epic Kagen the Damned series with the intriguing and fun novella, I Say Your Name in the Dark Nights.

Readers of this blog will know that I am a pretty big fan of acclaimed thriller/horror author Jonathan Maberry, and my experiences getting into his books are well documented across The Unseen Library. I have been a particular fan of his impressive Joe Ledger science fiction thriller books (which includes books like Patient Zero, The Dragon Factory, Code Zero, and Dogs of War), his sequel Rogue Team International series (made up of Rage and Relentless), as well as his standalone horror read Ink. These excellent thrillers cleverly feature science heavy villains or reimagined supernatural foes to great effect, and I love the dark and elaborate stories they contain.

Maberry changed his game around last year when he presented his very first pure fantasy novel, Kagen the Damned. An extremely dark and shocking read set in a new fantasy realm, Kagen the Damned follows Kagen Vale, a former hero and royal protector who loses everything in a single night when the force of the Witch-king of Hakkia suddenly invade, destroying his home, family and the children he was sworn to defend. Traumatised by the carnage he witnesses and forsaken by his gods, Kagen believes himself truly damned and walks around the country in a daze before managing to pull himself together to launch a counterattack. I had an outstanding amount of fun with Kagen the Damned, especially as Maberry made great use of his trademark writing style and successfully combined it with a fantasy setting and narrative. Kagen the Damned ended up being one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022, and I have been very keen to continue the series. While I haven’t had a chance to listen to the recently released sequel, Son of the Poison Rose (one of my most anticipated fantasy novels of 2023) yet, I did manage to quickly listen to the connected novella, I Say Your Name in the Dark Nights, which proved to be a lot of fun.

I Say Your Name in the Dark Nights is a short and sweet novella that showcases a quick and brutal adventure around Kagen during the period where he drunkenly wanders around the lands. Featuring an intriguing new enemy, this is a very typical Maberry read, with a ton of violence, sex and some impressive horror iconography.

Plot Synopsis:

Kagen Vale—disgraced former palace guard, damned by his own gods, on the run from bounty hunters and assassins—discovers that no matter where you try to hide, evil can find you. In this standalone short story, Kagen the Damned squares off against a clan of ferocious supernatural predators in service to the Witch-king.

I Say Your Name in the Dark Nights was an excellent read that is guaranteed to whet reader’s appetites between Kagen the Damned and Son of the Poison Rose. The plot itself is fast-paced and action packed as Kagen, drunk and depressed in the woods, comes across a young woman being chased by a pack of deadly wolves and rushes to her defence. However, Kagen soon finds himself at the mercy of his supposed damsel as she is revealed to be a deranged werewolf hired by the Witch-king to kill him. Maberry tells an effective and exciting story around this concept, which doesn’t take long to unfold. For example, the audiobook version I listened to was only an hour and 20 minutes long, which I finished in a single setting. As such, you really breeze through I Say Your Name in the Dark Nights, since Maberry ensures that it has a very concise and comprehensive story to it.

I really liked how this entire narrative came together, and it was fun to see Maberry’s typical writing style compacted down into novella form. The action is brutal and bloody, the characters are very over the top, and it serves as an interesting continuation of the previous narrative from Kagen the Damned. The plot itself is very self-contained, and at times it felt more like an extended interlude from the first book. As such, fans of the first novel will have the most fun with I Say Your Name in the Dark Nights, although anyone familiar with Maberry and his horror-based books will know what they are in for. The author has a lot of experience writing werewolf fiction, and the brutal transformations, excessive violence and inhuman nature of the characters, which really freak the protagonist out, make for some striking and compelling scenes. Due to the length, there isn’t a great deal of universe expansion here, which isn’t too surprising, as the author focuses more on the story. However, there are a few hints at the changing world, such as Kagen being forced to deal with more and more supernatural monsters, and he luckily comes across a useful weapon that may aid him in the future. Plus, Maberry really showcases the continued assistance/stalking that Kagen receives from the mysterious nightbirds, which hints at things to come while also increasing the Lovecraftian feel of the entire story.

A good deal of the focus of I Say Your Name in the Dark Nights is once again on the depressed and broken Kagen Vale. Just like with Kagen the Damned, Kagen is severely damaged and drunk, having still not recovered from the devastating events of the first book. While the action and events of the story briefly recover his wits, he is still forced to again deal with horrors outside his understanding and watching him try and overcome the odds whilst being severely outclassed is a fantastic part of this outstanding story. Kagen of course reverts to his more bloodthirsty and deadly persona to survive, but it takes every aspect of his being to get there, and you really feel his pain, both physical and emotional. The audiobook version really encapsulate this, especially with the always impressive narration of Ray Porter, who is such an expert at diving into Maberry’s complex and brooding protagonists. I deeply enjoyed seeing a struggling Kagen through Porter’s narration again, and it adds some great layers and impact to the overall experience.

Unsurprisingly, I loved my latest Jonathan Maberry experience, and I Say Your Name in the Dark Nights is an impactful and captivating read. Serving as an electrifying and compelling companion novella to the wider Kagen the Damned series, I Say Your Name in the Dark Nights provides a fun and brutal new adventure for fans to sink their teeth into, and anyone who loved Kagen the Damned will have an epic time here. I highly enjoyed this cool novella, especially in its audiobook format, and it has got me particularly excited for the next entry in the series. I am planning to start listening to Son of the Poison Rose this week, and I know I am going to have an exceptional time doing so.

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The Voyage of the Forgotten by Nick Martell

On February 25, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Fantasy, Five-Star Books8 Comments

Publisher: Gollancz (Audiobook – 3 November 2022)

Series: The Legacy of the Mercenary King – Book Three

Length: 19 hour and 47 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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One of the very last books I read in 2022 might be one of the very best: the latest epic novel from Nick Martell, The Voyage of the Forgotten, which showcases just how much of an impressive, rising talent this outstanding author truly is.

Since 2020, one of my absolute favourite new fantasy authors has been the very, very talented Nick Martell, who burst into the scene in a big way with his elaborate and compelling The Legacy of the Mercenary King trilogy. This series started with The Kingdom of Liars, an exceptional book that introduced Martell’s intriguing fantasy world and distinctive protagonist Michael Kingman. The scion of a formerly great family whose patriarch was executed for a murder he didn’t commit, Michael spent most of The Kingdom of Liars trying to prove his father’s innocence while also finding himself dragged into various conspiracies infecting his home city of Hollow. I had an amazing time reading The Kingdom of Liars, and it ended up being one of my favourite books, audiobooks and debuts of 2020. Martell expertly followed his first novel up a year later with the equally incredible The Two-Faced Queen, which continued many of the fantastic story threads from the first book. However, the stakes were raised even further with the protagonist forced to deal with immortals, dragons, assassins, serial killers and more, all while trying to stop the woman he loves from killing him. This was another exceptional read, and The Two-Faced Queen was easily one of the best books and audiobooks of 2021. Naturally, there was no way that I would not read the third and final book in the series as soon as I could. This third book, The Voyage of the Forgotten, was one of my most anticipated reads of 2022, and I eagerly dove into it just before the year came to a close.

After proving his father’s innocence and restoring his family’s place in Hollow society, Michael Kingman should be happy. However, the closer he comes to victory, the more tragedy and defeat he suffers. Not only is the love of his life, Serena, the queen of Hollow, engaged to a merchant prince with his own elaborate agenda, but dangerous conspiracies centred on Michael seem to emerge from around every corner. His sister is enslaved to an immortal Wolven King who seeks war with his soon to be freed brothers, while his mercenary mentor, Dark, is becoming one of the most dangerous creatures in existence, using his stolen dragon magic to wreak havoc and destruction in the name of love. However, his true enemy remains Angelo Shade, Dark’s father, who seeks to bring back his dead wife and will burn the world, and everything Michael loves, to achieve it.

Thrust once again into this deadly battle of forces outside his league or ability to comprehend, Michael only has his wits, his barely trained magic ability, and a few dedicated friends to fight against the immortal schemers who have spent years bringing their elaborate plans to fruition. However, Michael is well used to being outclassed and underestimated by everyone he goes up against, and he resolves once again to make everyone pay to keep those he loves safe from harm.

Gathering his allies, Michael embarks on a foolish quest to fully understand all the world’s secrets that have long been hidden from him and ensure that he has the weapons to survive. But his course of action will put him at odds with the deadly mercenaries of Regal Company, all three of the ancient Wolven Kings, and even his own mercenary company. Defeating all of them seems impossible, but that has never stopped him from trying before. Can even the legendary stubborn Michael Kingman succeed and achieve his goals of becoming a Mercenary King when fate itself seems set against him? And even if he succeeds, is he willing to pay the terrible price that victory demands?

Wow oh wow, what an epic book. Nick Martell continues to deeply impress me with his captivating story writing ability as he brings this trilogy to a powerful and momentous end that I was instantly addicted to. The Voyage of the Forgotten was a truly exceptional read, loaded with amazing characters, elaborate fantasy lore and an intense story that refused to drop my attention. I can find no higher praise for this book than the fact that I named it one of my favourite books of 2022 well before I had even finished it; the first half was that damn good.

Martell has come up with a pretty epic narrative for The Voyage of the Forgotten, and it is one that I will not forget in a hurry. However, the first thing that I need to say about the story is: if you haven’t read the first two The Legacy of the Mercenary Kings novels, go back and start at the beginning. Martell has loaded the entire series with a ton of intricate and interesting lore, and he starts rapid firing back to the events of the last two books extremely early on in the story. While there is a useful Dramatis Personae, as well as a fun summary of previous events from one of the side characters, which helped to refresh my memory, if you haven’t read the previous books you will get lost very quickly when trying to read The Voyage of the Forgotten. The narrator is constantly making references to previous events, revelations, or characters who only appeared in the prior books, and it can get a little confusing if you don’t know what he is talking about. As such, I would strongly recommend reading (or re-reading) The Kingdom of Liars and The Two-Faced Queen in advance, which is a very small chore considering how amazing they are.

Now, if you’re up to speed on the prior books, you are in for a real treat when it comes to The Voyage of the Forgotten’s story. Told mainly from the perspective of protagonist and calamity-magnet Michael Kingman, Martell weaves together an intriguing, action-packed and character-driven conclusion to the elaborate story he set up in the first two books, which also leaves a lot of room for the larger series to grow in the future. The author once again primarily utilises a chronicle style from Michael’s perspective, which really helps to tell this unique story, especially as it forces Michael’s chaotic and hilarious personality into the story and made every scene seem that little more entertaining and personal.

The narrative itself starts quickly and effectively, with a series of fun battles, big confrontations, and a horde of vengeful dragons, all of which ensures that the reader is quickly reintroduced to the chaotic main character and the multiple tangled webs and conspiracies that he has found himself involved in. The story quickly advances to the main issue of this book as Serena Hollow loses her memory, and Michael is forced into an epic quest to find a cure. This of course leads Michael to fight against the entire world, as everyone is opposed to his quest, and this ends up resulting in multiple intriguing or over-the-top encounters. At the same time, Michael is constantly trying to unravel the mysteries of the world and his many enemies. There are some epic scenes and sequences in this first half of the book that I really fell in love with, and Martell has some fantastic writing chops behind him that makes his outrageous concepts really work and come to life. For example, one of the best sequences in the first half of the book sees Michael trapped in his own mind, forced to experience multiple loops of a historical battle from an ancient time. The constant death and fighting that occurs over innumerable rotations slowly drives the protagonist mad, which Martell captures perfectly in exquisite detail. Partnered with this intriguing sequence are several scenes showing an external view of Michael’s body, which has been taken over by a malevolent entity. This ended up being one of the best moments of the entire book, especially as it has a very fun ending.

In addition to the action, Martell continues to unwind or add to the overlying layers of conspiracies, plots and personal or historical secrets that have always been such a fun part of this series. Several long-running story threads are finally resolved in the first half of the book, and it is so much fun to see Michael finally get quite a few intriguing answers. Martell really does not hold back with the revelations in The Voyage of the Forgotten, and the entirety of the book is loaded with characters unburdening their secrets (at least some of them) or discussing the unique history of the wider world. I absolutely loved every sequence where revelations about this universe and its fun inhabitants came to the surface, and it was fascinating to see how they fit into the wonderful tapestry that Martell has woven throughout this trilogy. This universe building is further enhanced by a series of great interludes with alternate narrators, which show events outside of Michael’s knowledge and experiences. Not only do these help to showcase some of the fun supporting characters from the first two books but it also deepens the narrative and shows what schemes his friends, and more importantly his enemies, are up to, which provides some fun foreshadowing.

Everything really comes to a head in the second half of the book as Michael and his companions are thrust towards their destinies. After several major setbacks and further revelations that show off the sheer scope and intricacies of the story, you and the protagonist are dragged back on the road towards the final epic confrontation. The author sets all of this off perfectly by finally answering some big secrets that have been bedevilling the protagonist since the beginning, and there is a particularly cool twist that makes you rethink every major event of the first two books. I really loved how Martell briefly changed the narration around when this big twist is revealed and had Michael address the audience directly to reveal why he never mentioned certain details in his previous storytelling. This helped to really sell the effectiveness of this major reveal, as well as showcase a previously unseen alternate layer to the character’s personality, and I personally thought that this was bit of pure genius from Martell. All this leads up to the big final confrontation as Michael finally comes face to face with Angelo Shade, the main architect of his family’s pain, as well as some other surprising foes. This big conclusion is everything you would want it to be, with some epic moments, utter tragedy and multiple character arcs coming full circle in all the right ways. While parts of this conclusion do get a bit overly complicated and metaphysical, I felt that it came together pretty damn perfectly in ways that really fit the universe and the controversial main character to a T. Readers will come away from this conclusion both heartbroken and hopeful, and I felt that it was an exceptional and very on-brand ending to one of the more distinctive fantasy trilogies of the last few years.

I honestly think that Martell wrapped this book up extremely well, and my only major disappointment is that there was not more crammed in, as I would have gladly listened to several more hours of it. The exceptional narrative, backed up with extensive lore, amazing character development and the very distinctive writing style helped to make this final book really pop, and I was honestly impressed every step of the way. I was also very happy with how Martell handled the sheer range of extensive storylines that he had set up in the previous books. My main concern before reading the final book was that Martell would be unable to wrap up every storyline or plot point he had set up. Indeed, there are still quite a lot of potential storylines and questions that were unresolved by the end of the book, but Martell is clearly setting up a sequel trilogy of some design in the same universe. Some of the best ongoing storylines have been left to continue in the future, and I for one am very excited for that as I hope to spend many more years getting lost in Martell’s world. I felt that the author was cleverly selective when it came to which storylines ended in The Voyage of the Forgotten, as he chose to close off the ones connected with protagonist Michael Kingman, while leaving others open. This ensures that any future stories will probably focus on some of the other characters that Martell has set up in this trilogy, and indeed it is pretty clear who that will be. I personally look forward to seeing a new take on this universe in the future, and it will be very interesting to see how the narrative continues with a major change in perspective.

One of the things that has always impressed me about The Legacy of the Mercenary King trilogy is the elaborate and well-thought-out fantasy world that the story has been set in. Its dark and grim nature, coupled with the intricate history, compelling magic system, and diverse people, has always added so much to the story, and this remains true in The Voyage of the Forgotten. Because he did not shut off this universe completely, Martell was given free rein to continue to expand on his elaborate universe, and boy did he. The reader is treated to a ton of extra information and history about this amazing world, including some of the strongest glimpses about the mysterious Wolven Kings, the world’s various immortals and other unique creatures, and their long-running battles throughout history. There are several glimpses of the past thanks to magic, and you really learn a lot about what previously befall many of the immortal characters and how this affects their current motivations. In addition, several new cities, islands, nations, groups and other great elements are featured heavily in the plot as Michael and his companions explore the wider world and engage on some massive sea voyages. Martell does a great job of incorporating these new elements or character history into his wider narrative, with the protagonists either spending substantial time exploring this information, or else discussing it with the clear intention that it might become a major detail in the future. I really enjoyed how many of the previous novel’s mysteries were answered thanks to world expansion featured in this novel, and it is very clear that Martell has a lot more planned for this fantasy world in the future.

Of course, I also need to mention the cool magical system that Martell features throughout The Voyage of the Forgotten, especially as it has some major and extremely clever implications on the plot. Like the first two books, the main form of magic featured is Fabrication, which forces the user to sacrifice their memories to perform magic. It is actually quite horrifying to see the consequences of Fabrication misuse, as some of the users forget friends, facts or family, and this is often enhanced by the user’s sacrifice or by the fact that they suddenly lose all concept of someone they’d grown close to. However, this is nothing to becoming a Forgotten, someone who has completely lost their memories or sense of self, and this is strong explored in this book. I deeply appreciate the amazing way that Martell utilises this memory loss throughout The Voyage of the Forgotten, especially when it relates to the protagonist, as he often does not remember what he is forgetting, and it is always very heartbreaking when you notice that he, or one of the supporting characters, has forgotten something or someone important. This darker side of magic is well counterbalanced by the various impressive usages that occur throughout The Voyage of the Forgotten, and there are some rather elaborate battles that take place as a result. Martell also does a very deep dive into the origins of magic in this novel, and you find out some interesting facts about Fabrication, as well as other magical disciplines that exist in this universe, many of which have been cleverly foreshadowed throughout the trilogy. I really enjoyed seeing some of the over-the-top magic that was utilised by other characters throughout the various battles, and there are some very interesting moments as a result. It will be very interesting to see what happens to the magic use in the future, especially considering the major changes to Fabrication theory that occurred at the end of The Voyage of the Forgotten, and I look forward to seeing how Martell continues that intriguing plot thread.

While I can go on about the story, setting, magic and writing, for me the true strength of The Legacy of the Mercenary King books has always been the outstanding and extremely complex characters. This remains the case in The Voyage of the Forgotten as Martell brings many of his best characters back for a particularly emotional adventure. There are so many major and dramatic character moments throughout this book as Martell used the end of the trilogy to wrap up multiple character storylines and events. I really appreciated some of the fantastic development and big character moments that occurred throughout this final book in the trilogy, and fans of the first two novels are going to be very moved by what happens to their favourite characters.

The primary focus of the plot is naturally Michael Kingman. Martell has done some real wonders around Michael Kingman in the last two books, and he has ended up being one of the most complex characters you are ever likely to encounter. A highly damaged individual who has had his mind warped by magic, has seen his family destroyed, has been forced to live up to an impossible legacy, and has been kept apart from the love of his life, Michael has had a lot of growing to do in the last two books, and Martell has really laid on the character development. As such, the Michael Kingman in The Voyage of the Forgotten is wiser and more mature than we have previously seen, although he still has some ways to go. However, Martell ensures that this growth continues in this final book, as he keeps trying to become a better person, especially when faced with the certainty of his death and the loss of people he loves. There are some major moments when Michael is forced to face damaging revelations or hard truths and each of them change him in some way, often during a pivotal and well-written scene. Martell also cleverly includes some great secrets about his past and his life that I thought were pretty damn epic, especially as it answers some major questions about his personal history and why he is stuck in the middle of events.

Despite all this, Michael is still the same cocky bastard that he was at the start of the trilogy and his overconfidence, determination and sheer ability to enrage anyone he comes into contact with is so damn entertaining. Seeing normally calm and collected characters trying to deal with the Michael problem always result in some of the funniest scenes, and I loved the often hilarious edge that the character brings to much of the story due to his amusing narration. As such, you find it very hard to dislike Michael, no matter how hard you try, and his unique and heartbreaking tale is one that will appeal to many people. Martell wraps up much of Michael’s great and intense story in this final book and it was very moving to see some of the dark sacrifices the character is forced to make to save his family and fix some of his biggest mistakes. I guarantee you will not be prepared for everything that Michael goes through in The Voyage of the Forgotten, but you won’t be able to turn away as Martell does some dark, yet wonderful things, to his best creation.

In addition, quite a lot of the book focuses on major secondary character Serena Hollow, Queen and love of Michael’s life, who has had a turbulent relationship with her Kingman. This relationship gets even more complex in The Voyage of the Forgotten, especially when Serena becomes a Forgotten without any idea of who she is or what her many responsibilities are. You see a much more free version of the character in this book, and I found the differences between this person and the vengeful queen of the second book to be very intriguing. The continued focus on the relationship between Michael and Serena hits extra hard as a result of this loss of memory, and it is fascinating and moving to see them attempt to rekindle what they had. Honestly, their entire story is pretty tragic in this final book, but I was nice to see a powerful conclusion to their doomed love story and Martell features some damn fine character work when it comes to Serena.

Aside from Michael, The Voyage of the Forgotten features a rich and extensive cast of characters, many of whom are returning from the previous two books. Standout characters include Dark, the mercenary killer who serves as Michael’s mentor and possibly most dangerous foe, as he attempts to find his own way to bring back the dead. Dark is a brilliant character, and I love how Martell has written such an edge of menace around him, although by the events of The Voyage of the Forgotten Michael is pretty much immune to it, resulting in some very entertaining interactions. You also have to love the sinister Angelo Shade as the main antagonist of the book. Michael’s former foster father and the man responsible for his family’s downfall, Angelo has been an outstanding manipulative bugger the entire way through this trilogy, and I loved seeing more of his games in this final book. Watching his elaborate plans come to fruition is pretty amazing, and Martell does a good job continuing to show his past and motivations, ensuring his obsession with bringing back his dead wife is mirrored by Michael’s attempts to save Serena. Other great characters like Naomi, Chloe and Alexis have some fantastic moments in this book as the main supporters of Michael and Serena, and it was great to see some of their storylines. The rest of the cast make some fantastic appearances as well, although it is interesting that several key characters from the first two novels only had minor appearances, and indeed I was a tad disappointed that some figures, such as amusing immortal nobleman, Charles Domet, were barely featured. However, it is clear that Martell is saving them up for future entries in this larger series, and I look forward to seeing what happens to them next. Overall, this was a great cast of characters and Martell should be congratulated on the amazing character work he did.

While I received a massive physical copy of The Voyage of the Forgotten, I chose to listen to the audiobook version of this book when it first came out, and boy was I glad that I did. I have often said that the audiobook format is the perfect way to absorb vast amount of lore and universe elements (at least for me), and, with all the revelations and expansions that Martell featured here, that proved to be a major boon. The story came across perfectly in this format, and you can easily visualise the powerful scenes, battles of wits, and some of the more outrageous actions of the characters, as they are read out to you. It helps that this audiobook was once again narrated by one of my favourite audiobook narrators, Joe Jameson, who has impressed me before with the first two audiobooks in the series, and with his work on King of Assassins by R. J. Barker and the fun Warhammer 40,000 novel, Fire Made Flesh. Jameson always does a remarkable job with his narration of Martell’s books, and his great tones and pacing help to move The Voyage of the Forgotten along at a fast clip. However, the main advantage of Jameson as a narrator is the cool voices he brings out for the characters. While I was not the biggest fan of a couple of his female voices, the majority of his narration was pretty much spot on and I felt that he really showcased the cool personalities and emotions of the key figures. However, the best voice is saved for the main protagonist and narrator Michael Kingman, who Jameson perfectly encapsulates throughout the course of the audiobook. Jameson really gets into Michael’s head with his narration and expertly portrays his personality, emotions and thought process. This great portrayal of the central characters adds so much to overall quality of the entire audiobook, and my enjoyment of The Voyage of the Forgotten as a whole, and I loved every damn second of Jameson’s narration as a result. This honestly was the best way I found to enjoy The Voyage of the Forgotten, and I very strongly recommend it as a result. With a run time of just under 20 hours, it does take a little bit of effort to get through this audiobook, however, it is more than worth the effort as you will have a fantastic time.

If this extensive write-up didn’t give it away, I clearly deeply loved The Voyage of the Forgotten. Nick Martell has wrapped up his The Legacy of the Mercenary King trilogy in an exceedingly epic way, and I deeply enjoyed how the elaborate, powerful, and character rich narrative came to an end. This is some of Martell’s best work yet, and if you haven’t experienced this amazing fantasy author’s work yet, you are really missing out. I look forward to seeing how Martell will continue this story in the future, and any follow-up trilogy that will jump to the top of my to-read list the moment it is announced. In the meantime, make sure to check out this exceptional book, as well as the proceeding two novels in the trilogy, as The Voyage of the Forgotten gets one of the easiest five-star ratings I have ever given out.

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Warhammer 40,000: Flesh and Steel by Guy Haley

On February 19, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Murder Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer9 Comments

Flesh and Steel Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 3 October 2020)

Series: Warhammer Crime

Length: 9 hours and 23 minutes

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

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I’m on a major Warhammer 40,000 review roll, so after checking out the awesome books Malleus and Hereticus by Dan Abnett, Sepulturum by Nick Kyme, For the Emperor by Sandy Mitchell and Kingsblade by Andy Clark, I’m moving on to the awesome Warhammer Crime book, Flesh and Steel by Guy Haley, which proved to be an exceptional read.

I have said this several times in the past, but one of the true strengths of Warhammer 40,000 fiction is that the franchise can cover so many different types of stories or genres and still result in some epic reads. A particularly good example of this is the Warhammer Crime subseries that melds intriguing and classic crime fiction concepts with a grim Warhammer 40,000 setting. I have deeply enjoyed the previous Warhammer Crime books I have read, including the twisty and fast-paced crime thrillers Dredge Runners and The Wraithbone Phoenix by Alec Worley, and the noir inspired psychological thriller Grim Repast by Marc Collins. As such, I just had to read another fantastic entry from this series with the intriguing Flesh and Steel by Guy Haley which saw a classic odd-couple police story meet a unique thriller from the Warhammer universe in glorious fashion.

The vast continent-sprawling city of Varangantua on the planet of Alecto is home to many vile and heartless crimes, most of which are ignored by the over-taxed enforcers of the Lex Alecto. However, some murders are so spectacular that they cannot be ignored, especially when they threaten the stability of the city’s entire economy.

Probator Symeon Noctis is a man who knows all about the obscene wealth that Varangantua can produce. A scion of one of the city’s richest houses, Noctis has fled from his cruel family and his tragic past by joining the enforcers and attempting to help the downtrodden inhabitants of the Nearsteel district. However, even someone as jaded and cynical as Noctis is unprepared for the strangeness of his next case when a bisected corpse is discovered in a neutral zone between Nearsteel and the Adeptus Mechanicus enclave of Steelmound, the two halves of the body neatly left on either side of the border.

Forced to cooperate with the Adeptus Mechnanicus, Noctis is partnered with Procurator Rho-1 Lux of the Collegiate Extremis to investigate the crime. But when all evidence suggests that the murder was committed by a mindless servitor, Noctis is dragged into a terrible conspiracy inside the Adeptus Mechanicus. Faced with tech-heresy, illegal modifications to servitors and even more bodies littering the streets, Noctis and Lux need to work together to solve this insidious crime before both their organisations are dragged down. But with more and more people gunning for them, can this unlikely duo survive to crack the case?

Now this was an awesome Warhammer Crime book. Loaded with great, complex characters, a compelling case, and some impressive Warhammer 40,000 elements, Flesh and Steel grabs your attention from the very start and refuses to let go. A fantastic novel that shows off just how incredible and inventive a tie-in to the Warhammer universe can be.

Flesh and Steel has a brilliant and deeply addictive narrative that I had an amazing time getting through. Told primarily from the perspective of protagonist Probator Symeon Noctis, the plot of Flesh and Steel revolves around an intriguing murder, where two halves of the same body have been placed on either side of the border between the main city and an Adaptus Mechanicus manufacturing enclave. With two competing jurisdictions, Noctis is forced to work with the Mechanicus investigator Rho-1 Lux, especially after the murder weapon is determined to be the victim’s servitor and additional victims are discovered. What follows is an intriguing buddy cop romp of a unique series of murders, as certain figures throughout the city are involved in crimes involving the always terrifying mindless man/machine hybrids, servitors. Forced to work together despite their differences, Noctis and Lux prove to be a skilled team, investigating both the Mechanicus and the businesses in the city. At the same time, Noctis is forced to deal with other concerns, such as an impossible missing person’s case, the machinations of his wealthy family, and his own intense personal issues as he tries to reconcile his complex life and the mistakes from his past. The result is a fantastic and moving tale that has the right blend of crime fiction, Warhammer 40,000 and character elements to it. While the mystery surrounding the various crimes isn’t too complex, especially as the perpetrators are obvious from the outset, the resulting conspiracy, and the impacts it has on the protagonists more than makes up for it, as you are drawn into a crime story that could only occur in the Warhammer universe. Haley ends the book on an interesting note that not only highlights the full extent of the protagonist’s personal issues but hints at future adventures and tragedies to come.

I really liked the cool setup-up surrounding this story, as well as the distinctive writing elements that Haley utilised, and I was particularly impressed with how the author was able to utilise some classic crime fiction scenarios in this unique Warhammer setting. The concept of a bisected body left across a border forcing a joint investigation between two agencies is reminiscent of The Bridge (or The Tunnel), and I liked the intriguing spin that Haley does on this by bringing in the Adeptus Mechanicus, who most humans have a very hard time relating to. This leads to the unique partnership between Noctis and Lux, which I felt Haley utilised to its full effect, especially as he does a remarkable job diving into each of their intriguing lives. While I mentioned that the mystery isn’t as complex as you would hope, Haley more than makes up for it by featuring some deeply compelling character elements, as well as perfectly fitting it into the already fantastic setting of Varangantua and the wider Warhammer 40,000 universe. I also really enjoyed the excellent way Haley told his story through the lens of Noctis’s journals. Not only does this provide some compelling and tragic hints at what is to come but it also paints the story through Noctis’s cynical viewpoint, which I quite enjoyed, especially as his infectious humour and sarcasm helped to make this one of the more light-hearted Warhammer Crime books at times. This distinctive and compelling read had me hooked the entire way through, and I felt that Haley came up with something extremely special for Flesh and Steel.

I was really impressed by the excellent Warhammer 40,000 elements featured, especially as some of the more distinctive elements of this universe were used to full effect to create a gripping and powerful read. Now, as with most of the Warhammer Crime books, I felt that Flesh and Steel stood well on its own and no prior reading is needed to fully understand this book, not even the preceding short story Haley published in the No Good Men anthology. Indeed, due to the great use of crime fiction elements, the strong focus on characters, and Haley’s attention to detail, readers unfamiliar with the franchise can easily jump into Flesh and Steel and have a good time, and it would serve as a good bridging novel for readers more familiar with crime fiction than anything else.

However, both new and established fans will deeply appreciate Haley’s compelling and all-encompassing examination of some very interesting elements of Warhammer lore that are cleverly and expertly utilised throughout the story. I was particularly impressed with the deep dive into the Adeptus Mechanicus, the inhuman tech-worshippers of the Imperium, who play a big role in the plot. This was honestly one of the more intriguing novels I have so far read that deals with the Adeptus Mechanicus, and I loved the author’s depictions of their elaborate and occasionally nightmarish settlement within the wider city of Varangantua. The protagonist spends quite a bit of time diving into their society, and I loved his cynical, if accurate, descriptions of them, as well as the apparently hypocritical role they serve in the wider Imperium. One of the most intriguing aspects of the Adeptus Mechanicus featured in Flesh and Steel involve servitors, the cyborgs who act as mindless manual labour machines throughout the Imperium. The creation and use of servitors, who are a common, if terrifying, background feature of the universe, becomes quite a key part of the plot, as they are end up being the murder weapons. This helps to shape Flesh and Steel into a particularly unique mystery story, one which could only occur within the Warhammer universe, and I loved the I-Robot homages (book and the movie) that resulted from them. Haley also treats us to several scenes that depict the creation of servitors, a process which involves lobotomising condemned criminals and turning them into barely human creations. These scenes honestly turn Flesh and Steel into one of the most horrifying Warhammer 40,000 books out there, and these gruesome inclusions work wonders to shock both the reader and the protagonist, while also deeply enhancing the complex murder case.

In addition, Haley also spends a good amount of time expanding on the already epic setting of Varangantua, which has been such an amazing background for the rest of the Warhammer Crime novels. There are many distinctive districts and areas to the vast city of Varangantua, and this great book introduces us to even more of them with new district of Nearsteel, which borders the Adeptus Mechanicus enclave and has its own range of issues and features. In particular, the area is slowly dying thanks to the actions of the Mechanicus, who are killing of the industries contained within, and you get to see the decay and degradation that follows. Haley keeps up the cool background of neon signs, dark bars, and corrupt police, that are a key feature of the wider Varangantua, and I loved the impressive Blade Runner resemblances that result. Haley further enhances the effect of these poorer districts by also visiting the high spires and estates of Varangantua uber-wealthy, as the protagonist, a former rich boy himself, makes several visits there. The elaborate manors, parties, and hang-outs of the gilded make for a fun and compelling comparison to the slums and desolate industrial areas of the rest of the novel, and I deeply appreciated how Haley used this multifaceted city to mirror the complex main protagonist and help show that he doesn’t really fit in anywhere. I always have a ton of fun exploring these new areas of Varangantua, and Haley really did a great job showcasing the city, and other key Warhammer 40,000 elements throughout Flesh and Steel’s narrative. I cannot wait to see what other crazy areas that Haley explores in some of his future books and stories, and I know I am going to love it.

While the story, the writing style, the dark setting and the cool Warhammer elements all made this book really stand out, I personally felt that the main strength of Flesh and Steel was the exceptional central characters, Probator Symeon Noctis and tech-priest Rho-1 Lux. Haley did a remarkable job with both these complex and damaged characters and both of them carry the main story extremely well. The combination of dramatic and tragic character arcs, combined with a fun overarching theme of them both being outsiders, is an essential part of the book’s narrative and you grow deeply connected to both the characters, and the book, as a result.

Most of the focus is on Noctis, who serves as the primary narrator, due to his personal journal (which is also an extended note to his lost daughter), being read out. Noctis is a very fun and cocky character, who seems to treat many of the events that he encounters in an inconsequential way. However, this is a major façade, as deep down Noctis is probably one of the most damaged and guilt-ridden characters you are likely to see in Warhammer fiction. A member of one of the richest families on the planet, Noctis was already pretty messed up before he became a cop, due to the terrible family dynamics and his controlling father. Further traumatic events, which are explored later in the novel, nearly break him, and he decides to escape some of his father’s control by joining the enforcers to help others. However, his family influence and wealth still follow him and he is considered an outsider by most of his colleagues. Despite this, Noctis doggedly continues and proves to be a very competent and capable investigator, even if he breaks all the rules and pisses off his boss to do so. His eye for the inequity of the city and the wealthy gives the story a bit of a preachy anti-capitalist vibe, but I felt that this fit his character arc perfectly, especially as he knows better than most just how badly the lower classes are being exploited. I also quite enjoyed how, despite Noctis’s dislike for his family’s intense wealth and intense hatred for all the nobility, he still uses their money to buy nice things for himself, including a fancy car and secure apartment. This apparent inconsistency between what he preaches and what he does, is addressed several times by both the protagonist and other characters, and his eventual and simple explanation of, “I never said I was perfect,” is a recurring theme of this character’s existence. Watching this conflicted and troubled figure attempt to reconcile his past and guilt with the current investigation and the people he meets is a powerful part of Flesh and Steel’s appeal, and the story would not be as strong without it.

The other major character is Procurator Rho-1 Lux, an Adeptus Mechanicus Tech Priest who acts as a detective and law enforcement officer who investigates crimes committed by or against the Mechanicus. Lux is a great character for a number of reasons, especially as the whole idea of a Adeptus Mechanicus cop is a pretty damn cool one. Initially shown to be an unflappable and rigid figure, you soon find a deeper layer underneath her augmentation as she proves to be just as emotionally unsure and determined for justice as Noctis. A member of an obscure order, Lux is a rare individual who converted to the machine cult rather than being born into it. This also makes her a bit of an outsider as she is not fully accepted by the Adeptus Mechanicus and is no longer fully human. This forces her to accept one of the few jobs that none of the other tech priests want, and it is interesting to see her views on humanity, the Mechanicus, and the law, which surprisingly often mirror Noctis’ cynical thoughts. Lux served as an interesting bridge between the human characters and the mysterious cyborgs of the Mechanicus, and it is fascinating to see how she changes her persona depending on who she talks to. Haley does a wonderful job of portraying Lux’s dual persona throughout the course of Flesh and Steel, and he even shows a couple of chapters from her perspective as extracts from her data core. These chapters have a more sterile and mechanical feel, and you see her data-laden observations in these compelling scenes. Probably the best part of her character arc though revolves around her interactions with Noctis, as the two form a very unusual team. Lux serves as straight person for much of Noctis’s antics, especially when it comes to their interactions with other Mechanicus figures, and usually tries to maintain her mechanical indifference. However, the two soon form an intriguing relationship, which forces Lux to examine some of her long-hidden emotions. I felt that the two played off each-other perfectly throughout the course of the book, and the joint explorations of their various pains and dark histories makes for quite a gripping read. I look forward to seeing more from this distinctive and surprisingly fun duo in the future, even if Noctic’s journals hint at more tragedies to come.

As is my usual practice with Warhammer 40,000 novels, I checked out Flesh and Steel on audiobook, which proved to be an epic and deeply enjoyable experience. Coming in at just under nine and a half hours, Flesh and Steel was a very easy audiobook to get lost in, and I felt that this amazing format really worked to enhance the exceptional story. The journal format of Haley’s storytelling, as well as the occasional jumps to other perspectives, is expertly portrayed on audiobook and I loved how some of the darker or grander elements of the book, especially the horrors surrounding the Adeptus Mechanicus workshops, became even more distinctive or sinister when listened to. It helps that the primary narration of Flesh and Steel was done by impressive voice actor, James Macnaughton, who really throws himself into the production. Each of his key characters are expertly showcased through his voice work and you really get a sense of their inner selves through his performance, whether it’s Noctis’s cockiness, disdain or self-loathing, or the strangeness of Lux, Macnaughton manages to encapsulate it all with his acting and this combines extremely well with Haley’s strong character-focused writing. A secondary voice is also utilised for the several chapters written from Lux’s perspective, and I liked how this different voice really helped to differentiate that the events were being shown from Lux’s internal processors. This performance, combined with the usual enticement of the audiobook format, ensures that this is the best way to enjoy Flesh and Steel, and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to try this epic book out.

Overall, Flesh and Steel is a pretty remarkable novel from Guy Haley that has ensured my continued addiction to all things Warhammer 40,000 and Warhammer Crime. Featuring a complex and powerful story that simultaneously explores a compelling mystery and some brilliant characters, it is very easy to get hooked on Flesh and Steel and I had a wonderful time powering through it. I cannot rave about this book enough and I am really hoping that Haley produces a sequel to Flesh and Steel very soon.

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Throwback Thursday – Warhammer 40,000: Hereticus by Dan Abnett

On February 3, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Thriller, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer23 Comments

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 30 July 2022)

Series: Eisenhorn – Book Three

Length: 9 hours and 48 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Welcome back to my Throwback Thursday series, where I republish old reviews, review books I have read before or review older books I have only just had a chance to read. For this latest Throwback Thursday, I finish off the outstanding and iconic Eisenhorn trilogy by legendary Warhammer author, Dan Abnett, by reviewing the exceptional novel, Hereticus.

I have mentioned several times in the last few weeks that one of my absolute favourite authors of Warhammer fiction lately is the amazingly talented Dan Abnett, whose works have shaped a generation of lore and extended fiction. I have really enjoyed several of the books in his excellent Gaunt’s Ghosts novels, such as First and Only, Ghostmaker and The Vincula Insurgency, which provide some captivating depictions of the common soldier in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. However, based on what I have read so far, Abnett’s best series is the epic Eisenhorn trilogy, which follows titular character Inquisitor Eisenhorn as he attempts to protect humanity from a range of diabolical threats. The first book, Xenos, served as an excellent introduction to Eisenhorn and his major supporting characters, while Malleus showed an older Eisenhorn as he attempts to unravel a massive conspiracy painting him as the villain. I absolutely loved these outstanding novels and they both got a full five-star rating from me, and I immediately dove into the third and final book, Hereticus, as I really wanted to find how everything ended.

For over 150 years, Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn has loyally served the Imperium of Men, disrupting and ending multiple conspiracies and plots by heretics, daemons, and malicious xenos. Throughout all this time, Eisenhorn has always tried to avoid the lure of the radical path that many of his fellow inquisitors tread, determined not to be corrupted by the forces he has sworn to destroy. But desperation can drive even the best man towards the brink and Eisenhorn’s previous deal with a dark figure is coming back to haunt him.

Overseeing a Inquisitorial examination of the planet of Durer, Eisenhorn receives news that an old foe, one who cost him the life of a dear friend, is active on world. Assembling his forces, Eisenhorn is unprepared for the full horror that awaits him, as his enemy unleashes an ancient evil capable of destroying worlds. Facing tragedy and near death, Eisenhorn is forced to do the unthinkable and use foul rites to summon forth a greater evil in the form of the daemonhost Cherubael to survive.

Shocked and disgusted by his actions, Eisenhorn attempts to recover and atone for his mistakes. However, before he can begin, his manor house is raided by a dangerous army of mercenaries and all his forces throughout the sector are brutally destroyed in an instant. On the run with only a few loyal followers left, Eisenhorn needs to discover the identity of whoever is orchestrating his downfall before it is too late. But to defeat his enemy, Eisenhorn is forced to dive deeper into heresy and call upon dark forces that are best left untouched. Can Eisenhorn retain his sanity and soul, or is the price of his victory his own utter damnation?

Wow, just wow. After how epic Xenos and Malleus proved to be, I knew that there was no way that I wasn’t going to love Hereticus. However, I was unprepared for just how brutal and intense Abnett made this final book in the Eisenhorn trilogy, as Hereticus ended up being an exceptional read that perfectly ends his great series on a very high note. Loaded with action, intrigue, and some amazingly complex characters, Hereticus gets another five-star rating from me, and this is honestly one of the best trilogies I have ever read.

Part of the reason why I enjoyed Hereticus so much is because it has an exceptionally epic story to it that really drags you in from the offset. Set 50 years after the events of Malleus (150 years since the start of the series), Hereticus starts off big and never really slows down. The book has a calamitous introduction that sees Eisenhorn and his comrades forced to confront a Chaos Titan which decimates them and forces Eisenhorn to call upon his captured daemonhost Cherubael. This fantastic introduction not only perfectly continues the story from Malleus but also shows Eisenhorn’s progression towards radicalism as he uses his new knowledge in some pretty dark ways. Following this introduction, which splits his main team up, the story continues strongly, as there is a major and extended battle sequence in the heart of Eisenhorn’s sanctum, which sees him forced out on the run. Becoming a fugitive from new enemies, old foes, and the Inquisition itself, the rest of the novel is a very captivating and intense character-driven read that shows a desperate Eisenhorn continue to make radical decision after radical decision, all in the name of defeating his enemies, no matter the cost. There are some extremely moving and powerful scenes scattered through the second half of the book, as Eisenhorn comes to terms with many of his long-running comrades, many of whom do not agree with his methods, as well as some deadly confrontations. Everything leads up to a trippy and action-packed finale, as Eisenhorn finally faces down an old enemy. While the ultimate confrontation is short and the main antagonist only has a brief appearance in the book, the real joy of the story is the hunt to find out who they are and what they are after, with a focus on investigation, intrigue, and ethics. The conclusion leaves everyone extremely satisfied, and Abnett leaves the series open for follow-up, even if a ton of character-centric storylines are permanently closed by a series of deaths and destruction.

The author once again does an amazing job presenting the complex story contained within Hereticus and I have a lot of love for the writing style that Abnett utilised in this series. Blending tense galaxy-spanning intrigue with the hunt for dark forces, massive mysteries, complex revenge plots, and a focus on the corruption of the spirit, there is a ton of fun for a lot of readers in this book, and I loved the elaborate conspiracy that was the fantastic focus of the plot. I especially enjoyed the overall theme of Hereticus that saw Abnett try and bring a lot of storylines and character arcs full circle back to the original novel in the trilogy, Xenos. The history of all the characters in the book, as well as multiple prior events, are essential parts of Hereticus’s plot, and I loved how the author was able to tie together a ton of compelling overlying storylines that really highlights the importance of the first two novels. The primary storytelling method, a chronicle style from Eisenhorn’s perspective, adds a lot of power and flair to the overall book, especially as it enhances the character-driven aspect of the story and gives you some intriguing insights into the conflicted protagonist’s mind. There are a ton of great scenes showcased as result of this first-person perspective, from multiple massive battles, to intimate conversations and even a very well-written psychic interrogation sequence. Abnett has a great eye for detail and some of the resulting action sequences and unique locations are painted in such a way that the reader fully grasped every action or cool element of the setting. This, and so much more, really helps Hereticus’ exceptional story shine through and I had so much fun seeing how this entire novel unfolded.

Like most of Abnett’s books, Hereticus can be read as a standalone novel, especially as the author does an exceptional job of recapping key events, characters, and relationships from the previous Eisenhorn entries. However, to get the full emotional impact of epic narrative, I would strongly recommend checking out Xenos and Malleus first, as you really understand how the character has changed over the course of the series, as well as how well the storylines have continued. I also felt that Hereticus proved to be a particularly good entry into the wider Warhammer 40,000 canon as Abnett continues to explore some of the most intriguing parts of this grim universe, including the dark cults that are constantly a threat to the Imperium’s stability and the Inquisitors who hunt them. The fantastic dive into the different types of Inquisitors and their different ways of fighting the enemy is pretty cool and I loved seeing the various rivalries and discussions that eventuated, especially as Eisenhorn has an opinion on everything. This book also takes the reader to a variety of unique locations within the Warhammer universe, with several unique planets becoming key settings for the plot. I loved seeing the variety of worlds out there in this massive universe, and Abnett has fun tying the events of this book into some of the wider canon aspects of the franchise. I would say that overall the Eisenhorn trilogy really is one of the best series to start reading Warhammer 40,000 fiction with, especially as you get a completely different and more elaborate story than the classic military fiction plots that make up the majority of the genre.

As always, I can’t go away from an Eisenhorn book without talking about the exceptional character work that Abnett brings to the table. This is especially true in Hereticus, as Abnett brings so many compelling character arcs to a tragic and moving end, while also ensuring that his impressive protagonist is changed forever.

As you would expect, the focus of Hereticus is on protagonist Gregor Eisenhorn, who serves as the book’s primary narrator. I mentioned during my previous reviews of these books that I have loved the complex and powerful story that Abnett has woven around Eisenhorn. Starting off as a relatively innocent and uncontroversial Inquisitor who was just trying to do what is right, Eisenhorn has slowly slipped down the path of the radical by employing the methods and powers of his heretical foes. Abnett has showcased this gradual fall perfectly in the first two books, and while he made some questionable decisions out of desperation in Malleus, you still believed that he could be redeemed. Hereticus really has you doubt this as he begins to employ darker methods during this book, which not only cost him but impact the people around him. However, this is not entirely his fault, as forces outside of his control drive him to do so. Pretty much every mistake that Eisenhorn has made in his past seems to come back to bite him in Hereticus, and these events, and more, force him to make hard decisions to survive and defeat foes who are even worse than him. While he does bad things, you can fully understand and appreciate why he feels he needs to do so, even if you don’t agree with them. Despite these bad things, Eisenhorn remains a sympathetic character for most of the book, and his own realisation that what he is doing is wrong just makes the entire story that much sadder. However, there is a layer of arrogance over this that makes you slightly concerned about Eisenhorn’s actions, and you’re never quite sure just how far he has truly fallen. Abnett covers Eisenhorn’s overall character arc pretty damn perfectly, and while the author throws the protagonist’s decline into overdrive in this book, it felt pretty natural and showcases just how destructive desperation is as his good intentions lead him to hell.

On top of Eisenhorn, Hereticus features a bevy of compelling supporting characters who add their own complex spin to the story. Many of the supporting characters from the first two books are once again featured in this third Eisenhorn novel, and I really appreciated how Abnett sought to bring many of their arcs and storylines full circle here. Unfortunately for fans of the series, wrapping up their storylines results in most of the supporting character’s deaths or severe injury, and quite a substantial number of supporting figures from the first two books have their final appearance here. While I won’t go into too much detail, several of these deaths are pretty damn tragic, especially after they follow on from some noble self-sacrifices or major character moments. I was honestly shocked at how brutal Abnett was when it came to killing off his supporting characters, but all of these instances really worked in the context of the story and ensured that Hereticus ended up being particularly memorable. Before these major deaths, though, the author dives into the powerful relationships that each of these supporting characters has with Eisenhorn, and there are some deeply emotional moments scattered through, especially as each of them have their own opinion about Eisenhorn’s recent actions and whether he has gone too far. Watching his oldest friends become disgusted or outraged by his actions really hammers home how far Eisenhorn has fallen, especially as he drags several characters down with him. Throw in some outstanding central antagonists, all of whom have a complex history with Eisenhorn, and some intriguing cameos from the previous novels, and this was an exceptionally character rich novel designed to hit you in the feels.

As with all of Abnett’s books to date, I grabbed the audiobook version of Hereticus, which was once again an exceptional way to enjoy this amazing novel. Coming in at just under 10 hours and featuring the impressive narration of Abnett’s go-to audiobook narrator, Toby Longworth, this format was an excellent way to enjoy this book, and I managed to power through this entire story in no time at all. Longworth really brings the entire story to life with his excellent narration, and he makes sure to infuse all the characters with a ton of personality, while also tailoring their voices to match their history and physical (or metaphysical) attributes. I also thought that several of the best scenes of this book, including some desperate battles, a cool interrogation scene, and some particularly poignant character interactions, were made even more epic in this format, as the exceptional acting from Longworth showcased them in a way they truly deserved. I was utterly enthralled the entire way through Hereticus’s audiobook and this was easily the best way to experience Abnett’s compelling tale.

Overall, I felt that Hereticus was a pretty amazing book and a suitably epic finale to Dan Abnett’s original Eisenhorn trilogy. Bringing together a powerful story with some unique Warhammer 40,000 elements and an exceptional dive into the mind of a fallen inquisitor, Hereticus was utterly addictive and ended up being one of the best Warhammer books I have ever read. I was really impressed with how Abnett concluded this incredible trilogy, and I felt that Hereticus was an excellent final entry that tied together some of the complex storylines from the first two books. I cannot recommend this entire trilogy enough; it truly is one of the cornerstones of Warhammer 40,000 fiction. I look forward to reading more from Abnett in the future, especially as there are several spin-offs associated with this trilogy, as well as a recently released fourth Eisenhorn book in The Magos. However, I think I will try and get through some Gaunt’s Ghosts books first, before diving back into Abnett’s Inquisitor stories, although if I ever want a powerful Warhammer thriller, I know where to look.

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The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

On December 27, 2022April 16, 2024 By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Five-Star Books5 Comments

Publisher: Del Rey (Trade Paperback – 20 September 2022)

Series: Lesson Three of the Scholomance

Length: 408 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Naomi Novik ends her addictive and clever Scholomance trilogy in a big way with the very impressive The Golden Enclaves, which takes the protagonists out of the school and into a whole new world of trouble.

For the last few years I have been having an epic time with the exceptional Scholomance series by acclaimed author Naomi Novik. Novik, who is best known for her Temeraire series, as well as the standalone novels Uprooted and Spinning Silver, has been absolutely killing it with the Scholomance books, which serve as a compelling, dark homage to classic magical school fantasy novels. Set within the deadly magic school, the Scholomance, the trilogy follows a group of teenage magic users who are attempting to hone their skills while surviving the school and the many dangerous magical creatures, known as maleficaria (mals) who inhabit it. The first book, A Deadly Education, introduced the reader to protagonist Galadriel “El” Higgins, a loner student who has a big secret, she is an unbelievably powerful magic user, capable of easily unleashing destructive magic that could level cities. Teaming up with Orion Lake, a mal hunter with a hero complex, El attempts to survive the school and ensure her and her friends survive. A Deadly Education was an excellent read and it ended up being one of my favourite books of 2020. Novik followed it up perfectly last year with The Last Graduate (one of my favourite books of 2021), which brilliantly continued the story while also ending it on a traumatic cliff-hanger which I may never forgive Novik for. Needless to say, I have been extremely excited for The Golden Enclaves and it was one of my most anticipated reads for 2022.

After trapping most of the worlds mals in the Scholomance and untethering it from reality, El looks to have finally defeated fate. Instead of turning into the city-destroying dark witch she was prophesied to become, she is now a hero who has saved generations of young magic users from needing to hide in the deadly school. However, her victory has come at a great cost, as the love of her life, Orion Lake, chose to stay behind in the dying school to wage his eternal war against the mals, including the ravenous maw-mouth that finally claimed him.

Traumatised, El attempts to regain her sanity at home, her only plan to one day implement her dream of ending the elite enclave system and using the Golden Stone sutras book she liberated from the school to bring about a new era of magical communities. However, fate still has other ideas in store for her, and El is about to come face-to-face with the full horrors that her world has in store for her.

Someone is attacking the previously protected enclaves, striking at their very cores, and inflicting untold damage on those who rely on them for shelter. When two fall within days of El coming back into the real world, she is recruited to find out who is responsible and hunt them down before an all-out enclave war erupts amongst the world’s magic users. However, El is far more concerned with finding a way back into the Scholomance, the school she fought so hard to destroy, and attempt to either save Orion or kill the maw-mouth that ate him. However, her mission will lead her to a dark truth that lies at the very heart of the enclave system and which will turn the entire world on its head. Worse, it will finally force El to face the truth, that she really is destined to be a destroyer, no matter how much she hates it.

There is a lot to unpack here with The Golden Enclaves and it is partly one of the reasons why it has taken me so long to write a review for it. I honestly did not know what to expect when The Golden Enclaves was released, especially as it was missing the great dark magic school setting which was one of the things that I most liked about the first two books. It was also clear that Novik would have to work very hard to follow on from her last book after she left it on such a major and heartbreaking cliff-hanger, and I did not know if this book would live up to all these expectations. Despite these concerns, I dove into The Golden Enclaves as soon as I got my hands on it, as I desperately wanted to see how everything was going to end. I quickly powered through the book itself and I found the final product to be extremely interesting and not at all what I was expecting. I did end up giving this book a full five-star rating, but this rating comes with some caveats.

Firstly, I should state that I really loved The Golden Enclaves and I felt that it perfectly wrapped up the series. Not only do the main characters get some further interesting development, as well as even more trauma and emotional damage, but the story goes in some very unique directions which ties together all the various loose ends. The story itself is pretty fast paced, if loaded with a lot of fantasy exposition, and follows on right from the events of The Last Graduate. The impact of Orion Lake’s decision to stay behind in the Scholomance really messes with El and she spends a good part of the book attempting to come to terms with it, often in some very unhealthy ways. However, before she can get too bereaved, she is forced to help the enclaves (magical communities that offer protection from mals to magic users) to try and discover who is responsible for destroying them. This results in a compelling, multi-continent trip where she visits various magic communities, gets involved with deadly world politics, as well as checking in with the supporting cast from the first two books, trying to discover answers. El also searches for a way to rescue Orion from the Scholomance, which culminates in her visiting the mostly destroyed school and finding out some heartbreaking revelations about the man she loves. Those aren’t the only big secrets El and her companions uncover as they soon discover the true terrible price of the enclave system, as well as who is truly behind the destruction of the enclaves and why. Novik layers these revelations perfectly, so each new one is even more impactful than the last, culminating in a particularly major gut punch regarding El and her prophesied destiny. All this leads up to a fantastic and complex final confrontation where El is faced with a terrible choice and must try to find a way out of it. Everything ends on an interesting and mostly satisfying conclusion, which I think ended the series on the right hopeful note, especially after all the dark trauma the characters have witnessed.

While the story itself is pretty compelling, I personally don’t think it stood on its own legs as much as the first two books in the series. Not only does it get a bit slow in places, but parts of the big conclusion are a little weak and not as impressive as I was expecting. Readers also really need to have read the first two books in the series; The Golden Enclaves would be pretty hard to appreciate without some context going in. For these reasons and a few more (I really missed the school), I might have been tempted to give this a lower rating if not for the big revelations which are deeply connected to the events of the first few books. Novik expertly ties the entire series together in The Golden Enclaves and if you look at this novel from a larger series perspective, than it is a pretty exceptional book with some very awesome moments to it. You soon release just how clever Novik has been with her first two novels as she previously set up every big revelation in The Golden Enclaves extremely well. The various discussions about the enclaves, the outside world and the character’s history comes full circle in this final entry and every lingering question you ever had is answered completely here. I was so damn impressed with how everything was wrapped up, especially with some emotionally devastating discoveries that were in line with the darker tone of this series, that I honestly could not put this book down. Novik really is an extremely talented author with an exceptional ability for planning out long-term storylines and this book really proves it.

In addition, I also deeply appreciated how Novik expanded and explained various fantasy elements that she introduced in the previous books and merged them into her outstanding story. While many of these fantasy elements, such as enclaves, maw-mouths, the creation of the Scholomance and the magical politics that dominate the world, have been discussed in the prior novels, Novik brings everything about them together in this final read and it works extremely well. The secret histories and crazy lore behind these events are fully revealed in The Golden Enclaves, and the true horror about magic and what people have done to hold onto it is pretty damn shocking. Novik does a remarkable job in filling in all the gaps she purposefully left out of the first two books and the reader finally gets to appreciate just how complex and integral to the plot they truly were. She also has a lot of fun expanding out the magical universe substantially in this final book as the reader is finally introduced to some settings outside of the magical school. I loved the elaborate international enclaves that the protagonist visits throughout this final book and the subsequent political squabbles, discussions of magical castes and the larger worldview of magic becomes a fascinating part of the book. All this intriguing expansion, as well as the impressive revelations about certain magical elements in the previous books, mostly make up for the lack of the magical school setting you’ve come to love so much, and I think that Novik handled a story outside of the Scholomance extremely well.

The final thing I want to mention is the outstanding character work contained within The Golden Enclaves. While I don’t want to go into too much detail here, I think that Novik hit the main characters out of the park in this final book and I loved the brilliant examinations of trauma, grief and deep psychological damage that many of them had after spending years inside a hellish death school. El continues to shine as the main protagonist and only point-of-view character, and her expansive, if highly cynical worldview, helps you get stuck into the narrative. El goes through a huge emotional roller coaster in The Golden Enclaves, as she is wracked with guilt, grief and anger for much of it, especially after her perceived failure to save Orion from himself. Watching her break down at the start of the book is extremely heartbreaking, and she never really seems to recover as she keeps finding herself getting dragged into crazy events in the real world. Many of these events impact her even further, especially once she realises just how evil many of the enclavers are, and she must work very hard to not unleash her destructive fury. However, one major final revelation really knocks her around, especially as it ties into her extended family who have long abandoned her, as well as her destined place in the world. I deeply appreciated the outstanding work that Novik put into El, and I also really enjoyed the supporting cast who were featured here as well. Many of your favourite characters from the first two books make another appearance here, and it was very interesting to see how they were dealing with the aftermath of their Scholomance education, as well as seeing their place in the wider world. There are a few surprising choices for major supporting characters in The Golden Enclaves, and some interesting interactions that resulted. Without spoiling too much, I will say that Orion does appear in The Golden Enclaves, and the storylines around him, especially the deep dive into his past, prove to be an outstanding and traumatic part of the plot. An exceptional expansion of the amazing character work that was such as distinctive feature of the first two novels.

Overall, The Golden Enclaves proved to be an epic final chapter in Naomi Novik’s amazing Scholomance series and I had an outstanding time reading it. While I did think that The Golden Enclaves had a few flaws, the way that Novik used it to tie the entire series together blew my mind and I was so deeply impressed with how every loose thread and inventive fantasy element was dragged together to create an outstanding final inclusion. The subsequent shocking and dark revelations, powerful character work and the compelling expansion of Novik’s fantasy universe help to make this a pretty incredible book and it is one that I had a wonderful time reading. I really cannot get over how well set up this final novel was and I think that it serves as a brilliant conclusion to one of my most favourite recent fantasy series. As such, I have to award The Golden Enclaves a five-star rating as one of the better books of the year, especially as I don’t think Novik could have written a more powerful and moving end to the incredible Scholomance books.

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The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman

On December 20, 2022April 12, 2023 By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Murder Mystery22 Comments

Publisher: Viking/Penguin Audio (Audiobook – 15 September 2022)

Series: Thursday Murder Club – Book Three

Length: 11 hours and 17 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Murder, comedy and the most badass team of investigators you are every likely to read about come together perfectly in the new Thursday Murder Club novel, The Bullet That Missed by Richard Osman.

Over the last three years, some of the most impressive and outright entertaining murder mystery novels have been part of the Thursday Murder Club series by British television personality Richard Osman. Set in a luxury retirement village in the English countryside, the Thursday Murder Club books follow the adventures of four outrageous pensioners who spend their free time solving cold cases. However, their lives get even more complicated when several murders occur around their village, and they endeavour to find out who committed them. The series started with The Thursday Murder Club in 2020, which had an outstanding blend of mystery, great characters and humour, all of which came together in a perfect and deeply addictive read. The Thursday Murder Club ended up being one of my favourite books, audiobooks and debuts of 2020, and I cannot rave about it enough. Osman followed this first book up last year with The Man Who Died Twice, an excellent sequel that presents the reader with another great mystery, while also exploring the characters even further. I had another amazing time with The Man Who Died Twice, and it also ended up being one of the best things I read all year, making my top books and audiobooks of 2021 lists. Needless to say after the first two epic books, I have been very excited for the third Thursday Murder Club novel, and The Bullet That Missed has been one of my most anticipated reads for 2022 for a while now.

After their last exciting adventure, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron, are continuing to solve murders in their spare time. Their latest case sees them dive into an infamous cold case in which a young, highflying television reporter was murdered just before breaking a story on a major crime ring, with her body never recovered from the ocean. Teaming up with the reporter’s famous presenter colleague, the Thursday Murder Club eagerly begin their investigation, hoping to shed light on her murder while having fun with their new high-profile friends.

However, it soon becomes apparent that the people behind the reporter’s death might still be active and are attempting to cover their tracks. Their only witness in the case is found dead in her prisoner cell shortly after the club attempts to question her, and even the notorious crime lord many believe responsible for killing their original victim is afraid to talk.

Not ones to be deterred, the club continues their investigation and soon long-hidden secrets from the past come spilling out. However, as they close on the killer, a completely different threat emerges from Elizabeth’s past. A mysterious new nemesis wants Elizabeth to return to her assassin roots and kill an old contact from her spy days, if she does not, everyone close to her will die. Forced to choose between her friends and her conscience, Elizabeth needs to find a way to defuse the situation before someone gets hurt. But is this new encounter just the thing the Thursday Murder Club needs to solve their latest crime before the murderer strikes again?

Well damn, what another brilliant and impressive read. Richard Osman went all out for his third book and I honestly think that The Bullet That Missed is some of his best work yet, possibly even eclipsing the original The Thursday Murder Club. Bringing together an elaborate and deeply enjoyable mystery storyline with some brilliant characters, outstanding humour, and a heck of a lot of great twists, I was instantly addicted to this latest book from Osman and couldn’t wait to find out how everything ended. An extremely captivating read, The Bullet That Missed gets a very emphatic five-star rating from me, and I had an incredible time reading it.

I loved, loved, loved the exceptional story that Osman came up with for The Bullet That Missed, especially as Osman provided a perfect blend of mystery, character growth and genuine human moments that the reader can’t help but eat up. Starting off shortly after the events of the last book, The Bullet That Missed sees the Thursday Murder Club using their usual charm and manipulative practices to investigate another cold case, gaining insight through the victims’ old colleagues, while also dragging in their usual friends and police colleagues. They soon find themselves in the middle of a cracking mystery and use their connections and well-earned insights to examine the various clues and persons of interests associated with the case. At the same time, Elizabeth is quite literally dragged into a dark place by a mysterious new figure who knows about her past and who forces her to choose between killing an old colleague from her spy days or watching Joyce and the rest of her friends die. This side plot adds quite a bit to the overall story, especially the introduction of several awesome new characters, and I really enjoyed how Osman tied it into the main mystery.

Combined with the various scenes that show the day-to-day lives of the many characters in the book, as well as some genuinely heartbreaking moments of love and loss, this proves to be one heck of a story that I was particularly rivetted to. I loved the unique investigation that resulted from the mystery, and the characters have so many clever and hilarious ways of getting to the truth. Osman throws in an appropriate number of red herrings and suspects, which serves to effectively muddy the water and keep the readers in suspense as they try to work out which of the many suspicious characters might have had a hand in the killings. I was able to pick out the main villain a fair bit in advance, although the journey to getting there and the eventual reveal was really good, and I loved every single second of it. I also didn’t see a bunch of the final twists coming, and you really appreciate all the cleverly hidden hints and clues that Osman seeded throughout the book. I came away from The Bullet That Missed exceedingly satisfied with how the story unfolded, and I really cannot emphasise just how amazing and awesome the plot was.

On top of this, Osman has an awesome writing style that I feel really enhances the elaborate and powerful narrative of The Bullet That Missed. I particularly enjoyed how the author made great use of multiple character perspectives throughout the book to tell the elaborate narrative. While the focus is generally on the four members of the Thursday Murder Club, the perspectives of all the other characters in the book are shown several times throughout the story. Not only does this allow you to get multiple intriguing views of the main mystery and the club’s actions, including from the book’s many suspects, but it also ensures that the reader gets closer to all these characters by learning their motivations, feelings, and personal histories. This makes for a much more compelling narrative, especially as you grow attached to the new characters quickly, while also getting to experience the powerful human developments impacting the main cast. Osman does a great job of keep the pace pretty consistent and enjoyable throughout the entirety of The Bullet That Missed, and you are constantly exposed to intriguing mystery developments, deeper emotional moments from the characters, or a ton of entertaining humour which can’t help but make you chuckle. This keeps up throughout the entire book, although it does pick up at several points, especially when the club are making some big moves, and it always works out well.

While one of the best things about The Bullet That Missed is the compelling mystery, a discussion of this book really would not be complete without mentioning the fantastic humour loaded into it. Osman is undeniably a very funny man, and he puts his excellent comedic skills to great use in this series, and particularly in The Bullet That Missed, with nearly every page containing some subtle, fun, comedic elements that I absolutely loved. A large amount of this humour revolves around the various ways in which the older characters of the book manage to outwit and manipulate the younger people they come across, whether it be by acting senile, or forcing them to accommodate them out of politeness. At the same time, the main characters’ very diverse and highly amusing viewpoints of the world around them, especially involving modern society or pop culture, are extremely funny, and it is entertaining to see an older perspective on this crazy modern world. Osman fits in quite a huge number of references to British culture throughout the course of the book, and I had a lot of fun hearing all the clever references to iconic shows and products that the character’s mention throughout the book, especially as they often talk about them in a very clever way. Throw in some fantastic coincidences, a lot of jokes about turning old, several hilarious self-referential jabs about the trouble with writing crime novels, and the perfect banter that occurs between the four main protagonists and their exasperated cohorts, and The Bullet That Missed was an exceedingly funny read that is guaranteed to keep you wildly amused with its various antics.

As always, one of the strongest parts of this latest Thursday Murder Club novel is the characters. Osman has created an amazing group of protagonists for this series, and he continues to build on them with each book, showcasing their strengths, personalities, and inherent vulnerabilities, as the find themselves in dangerous and unique situations. Most of the focus is again on the four members of the Thursday Murder Club who, by this third book, are really quite well established, and the reader is already very attached. Osman keeps up the wonderful interpersonal dynamic that was such an impressive feature of the first two books, and it continued to work extremely well in The Bullet That Missed, with several great new developments added in. Elizabeth and Joyce are once again set up as the book’s main characters, with a huge chunk of the book dedicated to them. Elizabeth, the former spy, proves to be an excellent manipulator, and it is always fun to see her talk about her days as a trained assassin, especially when her past comes back to haunt her. Joyce, on the other hand, is a legitimate sweetheart, and she really is the heart and soul of the book. I love how Osman changes the perspective in all her chapters to reflect her journalling the events of the story, and she provides some of the best descriptions of the events going on in the book. It is also very fun to see her in action as, despite appearing to be a harmless, sweet old lady, she is a tough as nails and can be just as manipulative as Elizabeth when she needs to be (the scene in which she meets the Viking was perfect).

Ron and Ibrahim are also used to great effect in The Bullet That Missed and both have some impressive outings in this book. I loved the many scenes featuring Ron, especially as he really stands out from the rest of the crowd by being a blue-collar rabble rouser who holds on to the old-school tough guy mentality. A lot of Ron’s story in The Bullet That Missed revolves around the other characters breaking through his tough exterior, especially as he has a new love interest in this book who gets him to open up in several amusing ways. I also loved the sense of vulnerability that surrounds Ron when he starts to realise that a lot of the men of his generation are starting to go and he suddenly doesn’t have as many people to connect with anymore, which gets used to great effect when he manages to get information by playing snooker with an old criminal with a similar mindset to him. The final main character is Ibrahim, who is honestly one of the nicest, most genuine characters you are ever likely to meet in fiction. Ibrahim gets an outstanding showing in this book, and it was really a relief to see him recovered after the terrible beating he received in The Man Who Died Twice. I loved how he was able to use his psychology skills in this book, and he even spent time working with the woman responsible for his beating, which results in some excellent scenes. All four of these main characters continued to impress me in this latest book and I cannot wait to see how their next adventure unfolds.

Aside from these major characters, The Bullet That Missed also contains a substantial supporting cast of entertaining characters who Osman uses to great effect throughout the course of the narrative. These characters include a combination of some entertaining new figures, as well as many returning characters who made such an impact in the previous novels. Many of these returning characters have been built up in a big way in the previous books, and it was great to see a lot of their character development continue, especially as they are generally better off after having met the Thursday Murder Club. I really loved that the three main supporting characters from the first novel, DCI Chris Hudson, PC Donna De Freitas and Bogdan, each come into The Bullet That Missed with some positive storylines surrounding them, and the new romance between Donna and Bogdan was so damn nice.

All the new characters in The Bullet That Missed were also very entertaining: an older makeup artist who takes a liking to Ron, a gigantic Scandinavian crime lord known only as the Viking, an eccentric local TV news host, and the local Chief Constable who also moonlights as a less-than-successful mystery writer. These great characters added a lot of flavour to the narrative, and it was fascinating to see how many were worked into the plot, especially as Osman was setting several of them up for returning appearances. I particularly loved the retired KGB officer turned criminal finance advisor, Viktor Illyich, who is an old contact of Elizabeth and who finds himself being hunted. He was a brilliant and entertaining addition to the plot, especially with his great methods of manipulation. You have to love that amazing scene where he applies his techniques to a young Virgin Media representative.

However, the best recurring character has to be Elizabeth’s husband, Stephen, who has been a bit of a tragic figure throughout the series due to his dementia, which Elizabeth tries to hide from the world. Stephen is perhaps the best character Osman has written, as the author provides a deep and extremely powerful view of the impacts dementia has on the sufferer and those closest to them. Watching Stephen slowly lose himself while Elizabeth suffers beside him has provided some of the most heartbreaking parts of this series. Stephen still proves himself to be a brilliant and caring figure, and Osman writes some great scenes for him in the series, especially when he plays chess with Bogdan, and it is always fun when he provides fantastic insights into Elizabeth’s cases. He was particularly effective in this book, especially after being kidnapped, and his knowledge and surprising criminal contacts allow Elizabeth to outsmart one of their enemies in several amazing scenes. Of course, these scenes are also loaded with sadness; with every positive step Stephen takes, he also loses a little, and every time he forgets a detail or a person it breaks your heart a little bit more. Honestly, every character in this book is pretty damn epic, and clearly creating amazing characters is one of Osman’s biggest strengths as a writer. I look forward to all the amazing character work that is bound to appear in the next Thursday Murder Club, and I am sure that I will fall in love with every single cast member once again.

While I did receive a physical copy of The Bullet That Missed, I chose to instead grab the audiobook version of this novel, as I had such an amazing time listening to the first two books in this format. As it was, I ended up being surprised and slightly disappointed to discover that Lesley Manville, who narrated the first two Thursday Murder Club books, wasn’t returning for this third entry. However, my disappointment was exceedingly short lived when I found out that she had been replaced by the amazing Fiona Shaw, who I have loved for years in things like the Harry Potter films, Killing Eve and Andor. Unsurprisingly, Shaw did an outstanding job narrating The Bullet That Missed, and she masterfully portrayed all the characters in a very fun and entertaining way. I loved all the great voices she used for this awesome audiobook, and each character got their own distinctive tone that allowed the reader to easily pick up who they were. Shaw brings a huge range of different accents to the table, and while her Swedish accent was purposely a little silly, it still fit the character extremely well. However, what really impressed me was the effort that Shaw took in matching the voices of most of the recurring characters with Lesley Manville’s previous take on them. All the four main members of the cast, as well as supporting characters like Donna and Bogdan, sounded extremely like their appearances in the previous two audiobooks, and while Shaw did do her own take on a couple of figures, I personally deeply appreciated her attempts to keep some continuity with the previous audiobooks. Shaw also kept the audiobook rolling along at a brisk pace, and the 11 hour and 17 minute runtime passed along in no time whatsoever, especially as you get deeper and deeper into the plot. Throw in another lovely interview with Richard Osman at the end and I felt that this was an absolutely incredible audiobook, and definitely the best format by which to enjoy The Bullet That Missed. I will be extremely happy if Shaw chooses to come back for the fourth Thursday Murder Club audiobook next year.

Richard Osman continues to show the world just how much talent he has a murder mystery writer with the third exceptional entry in the amazing Thursday Murder Club series, The Bullet That Missed. Continuing to follow his brilliant pensioner protagonists as they solve a complex murder in some clever and funny ways, The Bullet That Missed was an incredible addition to the series that is guaranteed to have you hooked from start to finish. I cannot recommend this book enough, and if you haven’t started reading the Thursday Murder Club books yet, you are really missing out.

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Fool’s Gold by Jon Hollins

On December 10, 2022 By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy2 Comments

9780356507651

Publisher: Orbit (Paperback – 26 July 2016)

Series: The Dragon Lords – Book One

Length: 517 pages

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Prepare for all manner of craziness and exceedingly entertaining fun as Jon Hollins presents an amazing book about heists and dragons with Fool’s Gold.

A few months ago, whilst perusing my local book fair, I happened upon a copy of Fool’s Gold by Jon Hollins (a pseudonym for fantasy author Jonathan Wood), which really grabbed my attention. The first book in Hollins’ The Dragon Lords trilogy, Fool’s Gold had a fantastic plot synopsis which involved heists and dragons. I was very intrigued by this cool book, which sounded so very fun, so naturally I made sure to grab it. As a result, it was nice and handy when I was in the mood for a fun fantasy book, and boy was I entertained by this cool read.

In the fantasy land of Avarra, there are many different magical creatures and beings who infest the world and bring all manner of chaos with them. However, no creature is as dangerous, arrogant, and domineering as the dragons, especially members of the destructive Consortium who have taken over the isolated nation of Kondorra and rule it as overlords. Employing a private army, the dragons impose massive taxes on the lands surrounding their lairs, driving the people into poverty and forcing many to lose everything.

It is only a matter of time before something gives, and when Willett Fallows loses his farm to greedy dragon who controls his village, he snaps and becomes a fugitive. On the run, Will finds himself in the most unusual of situations after a chance meeting with four unlikely wanderers in a nearby cave, including a skilled warrior woman, a murderous lizard man, a dragon obsessed academic with explosive magical powers, and his village’s local insane drunkard. Together the five new companions come up with an ambitious plan to steal all the gold from the local dragon lord and make their escape.

However, when their heist unsurprisingly goes wrong the friends find themselves in a surprising position as the nation’s apparent saviours. Suddenly worshipped by a massive following, the companions must find a way to escape both the deadly retribution coming their way and their own insane devotees. But no matter how hard they try, all their plans seem to backfire until they find themselves in the middle of a deadly religious war against the dragons. Can they pull off one more con to destroy the Consortium, or is everyone about to end up dead in a field of fire?

Fool’s Gold is an exceedingly fun and very entertaining read that I was able to finish off in a few days, especially once I got caught up in its exciting and fast-paced narrative. Hollins sets everything up very quickly, with the new fantasy world introduced, the dragon’s control of Kondorra established, and all five of the main characters brought together. While I wasn’t the biggest fan of the extremely coincidental meeting that saw all the protagonists meet up in the first few chapters, the story evolves at a much more appropriate pace from there, with the characters quickly planning their theft of the local dragon’s hoard. I was a little surprised at how fast the first heist came about, as I figured it would be a long-term plan that would unfold much later in the book. However, featuring this heist early on really works, as it sets up the rest of the story extremely well while also showcasing early just how crazy and over-the-top this book is going to be. The chaotic results of the first heist see the protagonists incorrectly declared religious saviours destined to bring down the dragons. Suddenly leading a ragtag army, the protagonists are forced to engage in several more attempted heists and plots against other dragons and their minions. While these plans often backfire in very funny ways, the protagonists keep failing upwards and must keep the con going while dealing with a multitude of problems, including deranged followers, immense responsibility, and deep personal issues. This all leads up to the final confrontation with the dragon Consortium, with the characters unleashing their most ambitious plan yet. Watching this final plan come together is pretty damn awesome, and the insane battles and crazy results that follow were so damn epic. I ended up really loving this compelling and very fun story, which Hollins leaves open for some intriguing sequels in the future.

Fool’s Gold is an incredibly fast-paced novel with a great writing style that makes it very easy to power through. The author has a brilliant and wicked secret of humour that infects his writing, and I found myself chuckling the entire way through, not just because of the jokes but because of the insane scenarios that resulted. I was also deeply impressed with how well Hollins brought together several genres to create a compelling and hilarious read. The book initially appears to be a classic fantasy read, as the author quickly and effectively sets up an intriguing new fantasy world at the start of the book, which contains several classic fantasy creatures and elements that are likely going to get expanded on in the sequels. However, it soon becomes apparent that this isn’t going to be a typical fantasy book, especially as the very modern sense of humour and language that Hollins employs gives it a whole new tint. I often enjoy when authors feature contemporary language and attitudes in fantasy novels, and I felt that Hollins uses it to great effect in Fool’s Gold, giving the book a distinctive tone. The author further brings in the brilliant heist elements to the book, which I deeply enjoyed thanks to all the fantastic plans and cons. It proved to be extremely fun to see all these elaborate and weird heists get planned out and executed in a fantasy universe, and it combines extremely well with the humorous tone and fantasy elements of the book. I deeply enjoyed how this captivating story came together, and I can’t wait to see how the next books in the series pan out.

I also really liked the cool characters featured in Fool’s Gold, especially as Hollins came up with a very eclectic and damaged group of central figures. The book primarily revolves around five protagonists, each of whom have multiple chapters told from their perspective and who unite as a team very early in the book. This includes Willett Fallows, the former farmer who turns to heist planning after the dragon’s greed takes everything from him. There is also the fantastic pair of Lette and Balur, a female adventurer looking to settle down and her lizard man companion who loves all forms of violence and is determined to fight and kill the biggest opponents he can find, in this case dragons. There is also Quirk, a former mage turned academic who arrives in Kondorra to study the dragons and finds herself dragged into the group’s plans so she can get a closer look at the dragons and their lairs. Finally, there is Firkin, a local drunk whose failure years ago to defeat the dragons drove him mad and who finds new life during the new adventures.

All five characters are pretty crazy in their own way, and I think they made for quite an intriguing and amusing focus for the narrative, especially all the interesting growth Hollins makes use of. Will’s evolution from a farmer to a master strategist was very well written and I appreciated the compelling examination of how the power he started to wield was potentially corrupting him, especially when he holds the lives of so many in his hands. The inevitable romance between Will and Lette was handled well throughout the book and it came across as a natural and well-developed relationship. Balur, the battle-loving lizard man was easily one of the most entertaining characters in the novel, and I loved seeing his mad rages and various attempts to kill the dragons they encounter, especially as it results in an incredibly funny and hilariously brutal final fight at the end of the book. I was also quite impressed that Hollins was able to keep up Balur’s unique style of speech for much of the story. Firkin’s rise from unpredictable drunk to unpredictable drunken religious mouthpiece and rabblerouser was exceedingly funny in places, especially as you are never quite sure whether he is actually insane or just messing with everyone. I did find his continued crazy speech a bit too much at times, although the occasional hints at his deeper intelligence and sanity made up for that. However, the best character work was probably reserved for Quirk as Hollins really dives back into her history as a child soldier/mage who was gently rehabilitated and taken into the academic lifestyle. Quirk finds herself reverting to her old destructive magical ways throughout the course of the adventure and she must figure out who she truly wants to be. I had a great time with all the cool characters in this book, although I do wish that the greedy and arrogant dragons might have gotten a little more development. Overall, I would say that the characters were some of the best parts of Fool’s Gold and look forward to seeing more of them in the future.

Unsurprisingly, I had a pretty wonderful time with Fool’s Gold and it ended up being as thrilling and compelling as I hoped it would be. Jon Hollins wrote a wildly entertaining and very funny fantasy heist narrative for Fool’s Gold, which came equipped with some great fantasy elements and a bunch of excellent characters. I really enjoyed Fool’s Gold and I will have to try to grab the next two books in the Dragon Lords trilogy, especially when I’m in the mood for some crazy, over-the-top adventure and excitement.

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