Tag: Long Running Series

Revenge of Rome by Simon Scarrow

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction5 Comments

Publisher: Headline (Trade Paperback – 12 November 2024)

Series: Eagles of the Empire – Book 23 

Length: 411 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

The action continues in one of my favourite Roman historical fiction series with the outstanding and captivating read, Revenge of Rome by Simon Scarrow.

I have long extolled the ability of Simon Scarrow, who is one of the top current authors of historical fiction, as well as a personal favourite writer of mine.  I have had a blast reading and reviewing many Scarrow books over the years, including his Berlin Wartime Thriller series (see my reviews for Blackout and Dead of Night), as well as several great standalone reads.  However, his main body of work is the exceptional Eagles of the Empire series.  One of the premier Roman historical fiction series, the Eagles of the Empire books follow two elite Roman officers as they fight their way across multiple wars, provinces and battlefields.  I have been a fan of this series from the beginning, and the books within it have been a key part of my yearly review schedule, including The Blood of Rome, Traitors of Rome, The Emperor’s Exile, The Honour of Rome, Death to the Emperor and Rebellion.  As such, the latest book in the series, Revenge of Rome, has been a highly anticipated read for me, and I have been very keen to get my hands on it.  The 23rd novel in the series, Revenge of Rome, follows on immediately after the events of Death to the Emperor and Rebellion, which covered the main events of Boudica’s uprising, and deal with the deadly aftermath of this massive conflict.

Britannia, 61 AD.  Following the final stand of the Roman army that broke the massive rebel horde, the uprising against Rome has ended but there is still no peace in Britannia.  Boudica, the warrior queen who sparked the rebellion, has escaped and still holds the eagle standard of the defeated Ninth Legion.  With the eagle in hand, Boudica and her Iceni tribe are living proof that Rome can be beaten and while she survives the flames of rebellion continue to smoulder.

Desperate to hunt Boudica down and make her pay for her crimes, Rome assigns two veterans to end the threat she poses, Prefect Cato and Centurion Macro.  Survivors of countless battles and campaigns Cato and Macro are the perfect soldiers to take down Boudica, especially as they share a long history with her.  Determined to do their duty, even with their conflicted feelings, Cato and Macro lead their troops into the lands of the Iceni to either capture or kill Boudica.

However, Boudica is no easy prey to capture.  Despite her defeat, she still has many skilled warriors fighting under her banner, each of whom holds great hatred for the Romans.  Worse, the war has made Boudica both cruel and cunning, and she soon engages in a brutal war of attrition, determined to break the Romans before they can overwhelm her.  To succeed, Cato and Macro will need all their cunning, grit and experience to finally bring Boudica down.  But can even these wily Roman officers contend with the wrath of an entire nation and their vengeful queen, or will Britannia rise once more to destroy the Roman invaders?

Revenge of Rome was another excellent and exciting entry in the Eagles of the Empire series that proved to be an absolute blast to get through.  A very intense, character driven read that focuses on an interesting period of Roman history, Revenge of Rome was an outstanding book that really drew me in.

Scarrow did an amazing job continuing the intense story from the last two books, and I frankly feel that this has been some of his best writing in years.  Starting off with a cool alternate look at the main battle from Rebellion, Revenge of Rome primarily explores the events immediately following the massive uprising and the destruction wrought on the Roman settlements.  Once again following Cato and Macro as they are given an impossible task, Scarrow presents a back-to-basics narrative as the two officers train up a new regiment (from the Second Legion, which was a nice callback to the first few books), to lead it into combat against the rebelling tribes.  The first half of the book follows Cato’s initial strategy of diplomacy and scouting, as he tries to figure out how to defeat Boudica with limited troops.  At the same time, Boudica works to reignite her rebellion, causing chaos amongst the other tribes and scoring some early victories.  This proves to be an intriguing first half of the book, especially as it nicely sets up the rest of the narrative, while also examining the aftermath of the rebellion, and the initial attempts of the Romans to regain control.

While the first half of Revenge of Rome was exciting, the best action occurs in the second half as Cato and Macro lead their troops against the Iceni and attempt to find their hideout.  There are some great small-scale conflicts the further we get along and Scarrow did an effective job showcasing Boudica as a truly dangerous foe.  Everything nicely leads up to the final battle, where the protagonists discover the Iceni’s fortress in the swamps (thanks to an excellent plot line about Cato trying to win back the hearts and minds of the locals) and engage in a deadly siege.  The action flies thick and fast here, and there are some awesome fight sequences as both sides initiate some clever tactics.  I really got caught up in the final battles and flew through the last 100 pages or so which detailed the siege.  While there is a natural focus on the brutal combat, Scarrow also provided some powerful character moments which helped to make Revenge of Rome even more intense and moving.  Scarrow ends everything on a final, if hopeful, note and it looks like the Eagles of the Empire series will be entering a new phase.  It will be interesting to see where Scarrow goes next, and I look forward to seeing how a certain new character is worked into the plot.

Scarrow always utilises a great and consistent style with the Eagle of the Empire books, which allows for some fantastic and exciting stories.  Revenge of Rome is no different, as we are presented with a compelling tale that sees the Romans taking on the local tribes of Britannia in a deadly game of cat and mouse.  I felt that Scarrow did a great job amping up the character emotions in Revenge of Rome, especially as we get some great alternate views of the main antagonist, Boudica, and her vengeful crusade.  The resulting carnage is well-written and intense, and Scarrow is very effective at portraying historical combat through his writing.  I really love the detail in which Scarrow showcases both the Romans and the Britannia tribes, and the compelling action sequences make for some brilliant reading.  The historical period featured within Revenge of Rome also proved to be very interesting, as Scarrow dives into the aftermath of Boudica’s rebellion and the state of Britannia at the time.  I really appreciated this fascinating focus; especially as most historical fiction authors tend to only portray the main rebellion and leave it at that.  I felt that Scarrow also did an outstanding job capturing the emotions of both the Roman soldiers and the surviving tribes throughout the book, and it was really intriguing to see some of the politics and logistics involved in the aftermath of the deadly occurrences of the previous novels.  Like most books in the series, Revenge of Rome can easily be read as a standalone novel, as Scarrow writes an inclusive narrative that cycles back to key events of previous books when necessary.  However, to get the full emotional impact of Revenge of Rome I would recommend first reading the prior two novels, Death to the Emperor and Rebellion, as their stories are extremely well linked.  However, even if you only read Revenge of Rome, you are in for a great historical adventure with some intriguing features.

I also felt that Revenge of Rome had some very strong character work in it as Scarrow brings back his classic protagonists alongside a few intriguing additions.  After 23 books, Cato and Macro are still the same characters we’ve come to know and love, although Scarrow does find ways to keep them fresh.  While Cato is his usual tactical and empathetic self, especially when it comes to finding ways to defeat the enemy, Macro is in his full-on non-commissioned officer mode, serving as the hard-boiled soldier’s soldier.  Thanks to some over-the-top drill sergeant scenes, Macro quickly steals focus, and he is the more entertaining of the two protagonists.  Scarrow also throws in some especially emotional sequences for Macro, as he deals with the continued conflict against his former love interest, Boudica, his guilt for the damage she caused, and the secrets she revealed to him in the previous novel.  One of these secrets comes to fruition nicely in the final part of the book, and it will be interesting to see how the evolves going forward.

Aside from Cato and Macro, there is a great array of additional interesting characters scattered throughout the novel who have their moment to shine.  This includes multiple Roman figures, many of whom previously appeared in previous novels.  Of these, I particularly enjoyed Scarrow’s portrayal of a young Tribune Agricola.  Agricola, a real historical figure destined to become a famous general, is shown here as a brash young officer eager for command.  His ongoing storyline of learning the ropes under Cato and Macro proves to be a lot of fun, and I liked the inference that Agricola’s later success can be attributed to the harsh early tutorage of the protagonists.  However, out of the all the supporting characters, I felt that Scarrow did his best work with Boudica.  Boudica, who has appeared in several earlier Eagles of the Empire books, has one of her best outings in Revenge of Rome.  Despite losing in Rebellion, Boudica is still a determined revolutionary, turned vengeful from the Romans treatment of her and her daughters.  As such, she is unrecognisable compared to her previous appearances as an ally to Cato and Macro, and she proves to be one of their most dangerous enemies.  I felt that Scarrow really captured her revenge-darkened heart in Revenge of Rome, and there are some great scenes where she continues to take her war up another notch.  It was honestly really moving to see her in this final showdown against the protagonists, and I appreciated how effectively Scarrow focused on this iconic historical figure in this latest book.

Simon Scarrow once again deeply impressed me with an Eagles of the Empire novel as Revenge of Rome was another captivating and exciting novel, loaded with awesome historical action.  An excellent addition to the series that provides an outstanding wrap-up of one of Scarrow’s best storylines, Revenge of Rome comes very highly recommended, and I look forward to seeing where the author takes the series next.  In the meantime, we have A Death of Berlin to look forward to from Scarrow early next year, which should be another dark and complex Berlin Wartime Thriller.

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Goodbye Girl by James Grippando

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Thriller12 Comments

Goodbye Girl Cover

Publisher: Harper Audio (Audiobook – 9 January 2024)

Series: Jack Swyteck – Book 18

Length: 12 hours and 2 minutes

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

In the mood for a complex, gripping and endlessly entertaining legal thriller?  Look no further than the exciting and compelling read, Goodbye Girl by acclaimed author James Grippando.

I am still relatively new to the thriller genre, and I have been trying to catch up on all the different and compelling thriller authors out there I have yet to experience.  One new-to-me author I just came across was James Grippando, who has been writing intriguing thrillers since 1994.  A former lawyer, Grippando has produced a raft of awesome sounding books over the years, including several great standalone novels and his iconic and long-running Jack Swyteck series, which focuses on a titular defence attorney who gets caught up in a range of deadly and intense cases.  I personally became interested in Grippando earlier this year when I came across the synopsis for his new Jack Swyteck book, Goodbye Girl, which really appealed to me.  The 18th book in the series, Goodbye Girl, sounded like so much fun and I ended up having an outstanding time reading it.

Jack Swyteck, Miami’s top criminal defence attorney, has defended many infamous and notorious people throughout his career, but none had the star power of his new client, beloved popstar Imani Nichols.  A Grammy-winning star with worldwide fame, Imani is every definition of successful, except when it comes to the money she makes.  Signed to a controlling contract as a teenager, the rights to Imani’s original songs are now firmly owned by her ex-husband and manager, Shaky Nichols, who receives all the royalties for her music.

Determined to get back at her ex-husband, Imani has begun a controversial campaign, encouraging her fans to “go pirate” and download her early music illegally, ensuring that no-one, especially Shaky, makes any money from her songs.  In response, Shaky has engaged in ruinous litigation against Imani, who in desperate need of counsel, hires Jack to defend her.  The case swiftly turns into a salacious media circus, where allegations of infidelity, manipulation and abuse fly from both sides of the courtroom.  However, this scandalous trial is only the beginning, and soon Jack is forced to defend his client against far more serious charges.

Years earlier, a young man was found brutally murdered by asphyxiation and his body displayed in Biscayne Bay, chained to a piling with the words “goodbye girl” written on his chest.  When connections between the victim, Tyler McCormick, and Imani and Shaky are discovered, the police believe that they are responsible for his death, and suddenly Jack must now defend the estranged spouses in a complex murder trial.  Caught in the sensational trial of the century, Jack and those closest to him are forced to contend with the chaotic consequences of this case, including enraged Russian oligarchs, deadly hitman, and a deranged serial killer who bears a murderous grudge against online pirates.

Goodbye Girl was an incredible novel from Grippando that had me absolutely hooked from the very beginning.  A powerful and exciting thrill-ride filled with intense legal cases, complex investigations and fantastic characters, Goodbye Girl was a truly awesome read that proved very, very hard to put down.

I really got drawn into the awesome story that Grippando came up with for Goodbye Girl, as this book features a thrilling tale of murder, broken relationships, and betrayal, all centred around a series of intense legal cases.  The primary story initially sees Jack defend the famous singer Imani from a complex civil case from her ex-husband, which turns into a highly entertaining and salacious legal affair in the courtroom.  This initial trial is quite fun, especially as it bears some similarity to the infamous Johnny Depp/Amber Heard case, and it proves to be a compelling initial occurrence.  However, things get far more complicated as the protagonist’s client, and her former husband, are drawn into other cases, including federal charges of piracy, and the gruesome murder of a young man, Tyler McCormick, who has a past connection with the singer.

While Jack is caught up in these various complex, but highly entertaining, trials, the narrative splits to follow several other protagonists on parallel adventures.  Jack’s best friend, Theo Knight, becomes embroiled in related trouble in London, as he manages to annoy a Russian oligarch involved in the piracy business.  At the same time, Jack’s wife, Andie, begins investigating a series of murders that mirror the death of Tyler McCormick, and she soon finds herself hunting a deadly serial killer with a very specific motivation and methodology.  These intriguing storylines combine nicely with the main legal-thriller elements of the plot, resulting in a complex, multi-directional narrative which expertly keeps the reader’s attention.  Grippando loads up the story with some clever misdirection, over-the-top moments, and a few big twists, all of which increases the intensity and attractiveness of the plot.  I honestly was surprised at some of the directions that the author took the story, and I loved how crazy parts of the book got, especially when it came to why victims of the serial killer where being targeted.  The author keeps the tension going right to the end, and I loved the clever resolution to the various storylines, especially as the reader comes away extremely satisfied.

I really enjoyed how Goodbye Girl was written, especially as Grippando has an entertaining and fast-paced style that really drew me in.  The extremely strong story was well enhanced by the author’s ability to quickly jump between his protagonists, as well as a few antagonists.  The multitude of unique perspectives added a lot to the impact of the story, especially as the three main protagonists each experienced their own intense hurdles, including thrilling action in London, and an intense hunt for a serial killer in America.  While Theo and Andie’s storylines are a lot of fun and add a lot to the overall plot, the highlight of this book is the intensely compelling legal-thriller elements, which centre around main protagonist Jack Swyteck.  Throughout the course of Goodbye Girl, the protagonist becomes involved in a raft of different cases and trials, all of which are extremely compelling, and tie into the main story in some very interesting ways.  Grippando really utilised his experiences as a lawyer to create a series of realistic courtroom sequences, and I loved seeing the fantastic and fun back and forth that occurred in the court.  These trial scenes were really well written, and the reader gets effortlessly drawn into proceedings, especially as the protagonist is forced to engage in a range of tricky and entertaining legal manoeuvres in the various complex cases.  These court sequences were some of the best parts of the book, and the other story threads played off them extremely well, ensuring a complex and twisty narrative.  Throw in some fascinating and highly relevant discussions about online piracy, which becomes a key part of the plot, and Goodbye Girl really had something for all thriller and crime fiction fans.

I must admit that when I started reading Goodbye Girl, I did initially worry that it would be hard to come into the Jack Swyteck series at the 18th entry.  However, this proved not to be the case, as Goodbye Girl proved to be a very easy novel to enjoy without any prior knowledge of the other books in the series.  Most of the story contained within Goodbye Girl is insular, and readers can dive right into the plot without having read any of the other books.  While there are references to prior cases and the character history, none of it is especially relevant to the current plot, and Grippando’s explanations allow the reader to easily follow what is going on.  The author also does a great job of once again showcasing the relationships between the existing characters, so all readers get the full emotional experience of the story.  The author did feature some complex character interactions amongst the recurring protagonists. which seems likely to continue in future, however, nothing was exclusive to fans of the prior books.  There is also a range of cool new characters, especially the big personalities associated with the main case, and I enjoyed their entertaining interactions with the main characters, even if Grippando did lean too heavily into deliberately featuring “pick-me girl” characters.  As such, Goodbye Girl can easily be enjoyed by new and existing readers without any difficulty, and indeed anyone interested in a fantastic and compelling legal thriller will be spoiled by this book.

I ended up grabbing Goodbye Girl on audiobook, which is often my favourite way to enjoy a good novel.  This proved to be a great idea in the case of Goodbye Girl as the audiobook version was very fun to listen to and really brought the awesome story to life.  Coming in with a run time of 12 hours, this was a relatively quick audiobook to get through, and I had a blast listening to the complex story.  It helped that Goodbye Girl featured the vocal talents of one of my favourite audiobook narrators, Jonathan Davis.  Davis, who I best known for his work on some epic Star Wars audiobooks (including Master & Apprentice, Lords of the Sith, Maul: Lockdown and Kenobi), is an exceptional narrator with a variety of cool voices and accents at his disposal.  I really liked how Davis read out Goodbye Girl, and the fun characters and over-the-top scenes that emerged were highly entertaining when narrated by this amazing talent.  The various characters are each giving fitting and fun voices that I really enjoyed, and Davis brings a range of serviceable accents to the fore in the various international settings.  I also appreciated how he helped to enhance the magic of the author’s various court sequences, and the fantastic back and forth between the various character in the trial really came across in a clear and effective manner through Davis’ narration.  Due to this amazing narration, as well as how thrilling it was to listen to this great story be read out, I strongly recommend Goodbye Girl on audiobook.

My first experience with James Grippando’s amazing writing proved to be a lot of fun as the new Jack Swyteck novel, Goodbye Girl, ended up being quite extraordinary.  Featuring an outstanding narrative that blended a complex array of legal cases and trials, with some exciting thriller elements, Goodbye Girl was an exceptional read from start to finish and I got so drawn into this novel as a result.  This was such an incredible book, and I now fully intend to read all the new Jack Swyteck books from Grippando in the future.

Amazon

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

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

Cain's Last Stand Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 1 January 2008)

Series: Ciaphas Cain – Book Six

Length: 10 hours and 30 minutes

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Amazon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amazon

Waiting on Wednesday – Capture or Kill by Don Bentley (series created by Vince Flynn)

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday5 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  In my latest Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight a new entry in one of my favourite thriller series that looks to take the franchise in a new direction with Capture or Kill by Don Bentley.

Capture or Kill Cover

Amazon

Ever since I started writing this blog one of the main spy thriller series that I have been enjoying are the exciting Mitch Rapp books.  Initially written by Vince Flynn, the Mitch Rapp books follow a grizzled American spy who is sent out to stop the biggest threats to the United States in a very violent fashion.  The first 14 Mitch Rapp books were written by Flynn before his passing in 2013, with the series subsequently continued by Kyle Mills.  I personally have enjoyed the last several books by Mills, including Red War, Lethal Agent, Total Power, Enemy at the Gates, Oath of Loyalty and Code Red, which have contained some outstanding storylines, including attacks on America’s power grid and a dangerous US President trying to take down the protagonist.  As such, this series is now firmly on my must-read list every year, and I always look forward to an over-the-top adventure with Mitch Rapp.

The 2024 addition to the series is set to come out in September, however, there have been some interesting developments on that front.  The main change is that Kyle Mills is no longer writing the series and instead it has been taken over by veteran thriller author Don Bentley.  Bentley, who already has a lot of experience with other major thriller series, looks to take the series back to its roots with Capture or Kill, especially as it will see Rapp return to take on dangerous threats in the Middle East.

Plot Synopsis:

Mitch Rapp faces an Iranian foe bent on destabilizing the Middle East in the newest thriller from Vince Flynn’s #1 New York Times bestselling series, now written by the “worthy successor to Tom Clancy” (Publishers Weekly) Don Bentley.

April 2011: On a remote mountaintop overlooking the remains of the Iranian nuclear weapons program, Azad Ashani witnesses a Quds Force demonstration of a capability meant to upend America’s war in the Middle East. Ashani, director of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security and Irene Kennedy’s former back channel to the Iranian government, recognizes the demonstration’s true significance, and the nation-ending conflict it will provoke. Alone, Ashani stands no chance of preventing this rush to madness.

But with the help of one man, he just might.

In Washington, DC, CIA director Irene Kennedy briefs the president that the operational window to kill or capture Osama bin Laden at his recently discovered compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan is rapidly closing. But before he’ll authorize a commando raid on Pakistani soil, the president demands irrefutable proof of bin Laden’s presence.

Proof he trusts just one man to provide.

Preventing a looming war in the Middle East while delivering justice for the nearly 3,000 Americans killed on 9/11 would be a big ask for anyone.

Mitch Rapp isn’t just anyone.

This sounds like a pretty fun new adventure for the Mitch Rapp series, and I am very intrigued to see how Bentley takes over the character in this 23rd book.  Pitting Rapp against terrorist foes and the Iranian government is a classic adventure for this action protagonist, and I am curious to see the story go back a few years to 2011.  I have no doubt whatsoever that Capture or Kill is going to be a particularly exciting and epic read, and I cannot wait to get my hands on it later this year.

Warhammer 40,000: Duty Calls by Sandy Mitchell

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer6 Comments

Duty Calls Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 22 May 2007)

Series: Ciaphas Cain – Book Five

Length: 9 hours and 37 minutes

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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One of the most entertaining authors of Warhammer fiction, Sandy Mitchell, continues to shine with the fifth book in his excellent Ciaphas Cain series, Duty Calls.

I doubt anyone is too surprised to hear that I broke a recent lull of reading by resuming the Ciaphas Cain series.  The Ciaphas Cain books, written by Sandy Mitchell (the alternate penname of author Alex Stewart), are an outstanding series that aims to bring a little humour to the crazy and dark battles of the gothic Warhammer 40,000 universe.  I have deeply enjoyed the first four books in this series, For the Emperor, Caves of Ice, The Traitor’s Hand and Death or Glory, and this honestly is one of the very best Warhammer 40,000 series out there.

Commissar Ciaphas Cain, hero of the Imperium and self-confessed self-serving coward, continues his exciting and deadly adventures when a new dark threat rises to destroy humanity.  After his last harrowing adventure with the Valhallan 597th, Cain is keen for a less deadly experience, and his new deployment to help crack down on civil unrest on the planet of Periremunda seems to be the ticket.  However, nothing is ever simple when Cain is involved.

Upon arriving on Periremunda, Cain quickly finds his life in danger as a series of assassination attempts are made against him.  Realising that his assailants are genestealers, the deadly scouts of the Tyranid swarm, Cain begins to understand the true danger Periremunda is in, as the genstealers herald the approach a Hive Fleet.  But unstoppable hordes of alien creatures are the least of Cain’s worries as he is reunited with his old flame, Inquisitor Amberley Vail.

Ostensibly on Periremunda to help the Imperial Guard stave off the Tyranid invasion, it soon becomes apparent that Vail is there for a darker reason.  Something incredibly important has been hidden on the planet that has the potential to change the entire Imperium.  Forced to assist Vail, Cain and his trusty aide, Jurgen, find themselves thrust into the deadly intricacies of a battle between hidden underground factions.  But with hungry Tyranids all around, deadly assassins gunning for Cain and a mysterious Chaos cult causing mischief, can Cain survive his deadliest encounter yet?

Duty Calls was an awesome addition to the Ciaphas Cain series that builds on several of the prior adventures, while also testing the protagonist in some fun new ways.  I loved the interesting story contained with Duty Calls, and this was one of Mitchell’s stronger additions to the series.

This fifth Ciaphas Cain novel had a great story behind it, although I am sure that prior readers will be familiar with the overall thrust of the narrative, with the seemingly cowardly Cain arriving on a new planet to face one threat, only to discover a much more dangerous enemy hiding beneath the surface that he is forced to reluctantly face and defeat, once again accidentally proving that he is a hero.  While Mitchell does try to break this story premise up throughout the series, this is a recurring story format, which can get a little too repetitive.  However, I think that Duty Calls stands on its own feet and Mitchell does a good job distinguishing it from the previous entries in the series.  The initial hidden threat of genestealers transforms into a massive Tyranid invasion, and it proved intriguing to see the protagonist face off against the ravening alien forces.  Tyranids are easily one of the best antagonists in the entire Warhammer 40,000 canon, and while they lose a little of their fighting ability in the face of Cain’s plot armour, they proved to be a great threat in Duty Calls.

While Mitchell could have probably left Duty Calls as simply a military novel, the inclusion of major recurring character Inquisitor Amberley Vail ensures that Cain is thrust into a much more subtle form of danger alongside the Tyranid invasion.  Caught between warring factions of the Inquisition and Adeptus Mechanicus, Cain is used as a pawn in the resulting shadow war, and there are some great scenes as Cain dodges assassination attempts, hidden Chaos cults, and other unseen dangers, all while trying to work out what the elaborate conspiracy is.  Novels that focus on the plots and conspiracies of Inquisitors are always very cool in the Warhammer 40,000 universe (see my reviews for Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus by Dan Abnett), and Mitchell fits Cain into this intrigue laden story arc extremely well.  It helped that there was some excellent set-up for this in the previous novel, and it was good to get a continuation here.  The resulting combination of storylines comes together really well, and Duty Calls has a really impressive and addictive narrative that will appeal to all fans of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.

As with the previous Ciaphas Cain novels, Mitchell does a great job of balancing the various elements of Duty Calls perfectly.  While primarily a military focused science fiction read, Duty Calls also has some great elements of intrigue and espionage, which ensures extra levels of excitement and danger.  However, I feel that the best part of Duty Calls is the inherent humour that Mitchell produces, which is a real rarity in Warhammer fiction.  Most of this is due to the hilarious and cynical narration of the main character, who pulls no punches when it comes to describing how ridiculous events are and the fact that he’s caught in the middle of them.  Extra humour is also built in due to the contained chronicle format that Mitchell has set the series out in, with the protagonist’s journal entries enhanced by extra documentation, descriptions, references and notes from Cain’s associate, Inquisitor Vail.  Vail’s sarcastic take on Cain’s description of events throughout these extra notes is a lot of fun, and the additional in-universe texts and broadcasts seek to showcase just how ridiculous humanity and the Imperium has gotten in the war-torn future, with over-the-top bits of propaganda and biased historical documents.  All this adds to quite a funny book, and this built-in comedy pairs remarkably well with the more serious parts of Duty Call’s narrative to create a truly addictive and fun read.

I felt that Duty Calls was a strong entry in the Ciaphas Cain series, especially as it builds nicely off the events of the preceding novel, Death or Glory.  Due to the series looking at different time periods of Cain’s career, Duty Calls is set between the second and third books, although it makes a lot of references to the first novel, and the events of Death or Glory, which took place many years before.  While the jumps around the timeline are a little confusing, Mitchell makes it work, and I liked seeing the return of several recurring characters, as well as a continuation of some mysterious storylines from the previous book.  Despite these connections, Duty Calls also works quite well as a standalone novel, and new readers can jump into the series here without too many issues.  Indeed, Duty Calls is a good introduction to both the Tyranids and the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and the Ciaphas Cain books are very much engineered for new Warhammer fans.  I will say that after reading several Ciaphas Cain books in a row, Mitchell’s proclivity for repeating elements from his other novels is a bit more obvious, and you do get a little weary of hearing the same phrases, descriptions and character depictions again and again.  Still, Mitchell ensures that Duty Calls is a particularly entertaining read, so its easy to really get stuck into it, and I deeply enjoyed seeing this unique series continue.

As always, I must mention the great characters featured within Duty Calls.  The most prominent of these is series protagonist Ciaphas Cain, who might be one of the more complex and debated figures in the Warhammer 40,000 canon.  Shown by his own admission to be a coward and a false hero, Cain spends most of the book trying to come up with ways to avoid combat and surviving the inevitable battles that his reputation and own bad luck force him to participate in.  His memoirs are filled with cynical allusions to the methods he utilises to survive, and you can see that Mitchell is trying to emulate classic characters like Flashman or Blackadder.  However, despite the character’s constant assurances that he is no hero, you see time and time again that there is far more to Cain, as he routinely defeats the enemy, often thanks to his own caution, survival instincts and ability to inspire his fellow troops.  I love how you are constantly rooting for Cain, despite his attempts to weasel out of trouble, and his self-deprecation about his actions really makes you feel for him, especially as its apparent that he is just one filled with self-doubt after not being an over-the-top martyr like the other heroes in the Warhammer 40,000 universe.  At the same time, Cain also provides a lot of the book’s humour, as you are bombarded with his fun comments and cynical attitude about everyone he encounters.  As such, I really appreciate Cain as a central character in this series, and it is always so much fun to follow him throughout his adventures.

Aside from Cain, there is an interesting array of characters featured in Duty Calls who I had a lot of fun with.  Many of them are recurring from the previous novels, and it was good to see various familiar faces again.  This includes Cain’s faithful aide, Jurgen, who Mitchell portrays in a manner like Baldrick from Blackadder, due to his apparent gormless attitude and poor personal hygiene.  However, in many ways Jurgen is just as much a hero as Cain, often being the one to save the day with his skills and big gun, and he forms a great team with Cain, especially as his Commissar is usually the one drawing the enemy’s attention from his aide’s attacks.  I also really enjoyed seeing the return of Inquisitor Amberley Vail, both as a character in Cain’s adventures and the person publishing his memoirs.  Vail proves to be the perfect foil to Cain for many reasons, and I like how she’s the only person who can effectively manipulate Cain and doesn’t fall for his lies and schemes.  Vail constantly calls out Cain, both in person and through the footnotes she amends to his chronicles, and I love how she has his number, while also clearly caring for Cain as a partner.  Duty Calls really shows just how dangerous Vail can be though, especially as she gets into the fight and makes some tough decisions.  Other interesting characters include several familiar soldiers from the Valhallan 597th, the outrageous members of Vail’s inquisitorial retinue, and a several intriguing antagonists who prove to be great and over-the-top opponents to the sensible Cain.  All these characters added a lot to the impact of the book, and I cannot wait to see how they fit into Cain’s adventures again in the future.

Readers who have seen my previous Ciaphas Cain reviews know that the only way I am going to enjoy this series is through its audiobook format.  All Warhammer novels make awesome audiobooks, but the Ciaphas Cain audiobooks are something particularly special thanks to the use of multiple narrators.  Duty Calls features six separate narrators who add a great deal to the production thanks to their fantastic voices and entertaining takes on the characters and universe.  Most of this narration is done by the superbly talented Stephen Perring, who lends his voice to all the chapters told from Cain’s perspective.  As such, he covers most of the first-person action and adventures of the main character, and his take on the complex Cain and his colleagues is exceptional.  The way he captures the various aspects of Cain’s character through his voice work is impressive, and you really get a sense of the multiple layers surrounding his motivations.  Perring also does a really good job of capturing the other intriguing characters Cain interacts with, including his aid Jurgen, and the eclectic members of the Inquisition that crosses his path.

After Perring, the most prominent narrator is Penelope Rawlins, who provides narrations for the various inclusions written by Inquisitor Vail.  As such, Rawlin’s voice is constantly interjected into the audiobook at various points as she reads out the footnotes, context pages, and personal remarks from Vail, as she attempts to make Cain’s story more readable.  Rawlins has really perfected her Vail voice over the course of the series, and it is always great to have the playful, informative, and often gently exasperated tones of a chronicling Inquisitor come through the plot.  There is also some good contrast between Perring and Rawlins, especially as both voice the character of Vail throughout Duty Calls, and they serve as a winning main team.

The other four narrators, Emma Gregory, Richard Reed, Tara Rawson and Andrew James Spooner are also very fun, even if they are used a little sparingly.  These four narrators’ voice extracts from various in-universe texts, chronicles and new casts that Inquisitor Vail has added to Cain’s manuscripts to give them more context.  These talented narrators go all out in voicing these intriguing and often over-the-top inclusions, and I love the humorous spin their excellent narration adds to them as a result.  Gregory is particularly noteworthy, especially as she once again voices the ridiculously patriotic memoirs of an officer fighting alongside Cain, but all these extra narrators do such a great job.  This excellent and entertaining combination of voice actors and audiobook narrators turns Duty Calls into a real treat to listen to, and I honestly cannot recommend this format enough to anyone interested in checking out the Ciaphas Cain series.

I continue to fall further in love with the Ciaphas Cain series as Sandy Mitchell produces another amazing and fun story in Duty Calls.  Loaded with action, humour, and a particularly complex protagonist, Duty Calls had everything I’ve come to expect from the Ciaphas Cain series, and I deeply enjoyed how Mitchell continues to showcase the Warhammer 40,000 universe in his own distinctive way.  I can think of no better way to highlight just how much of a great time I had with Duty Calls than to reveal that I automatically started listening to the sequel Cain’s Last Stand, the moment I finished it.  Highly recommended to all Warhammer fans and new readers wanting some fun science fiction adventures.

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Think Twice by Harlan Coben

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller4 Comments

Think Twice Cover

Publisher: Century (Trade Paperback – 14 May 2024)

Series: Myron Bolitar – Book 12

Length: 419 pages

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

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Legendary thriller author Harlan Coben returns with another outstanding and twisty read that forces his longest running protagonist into a dark and deadly adventure with Think Twice.

Harlan Coben is an amazing writer who has been setting the world on fire for years with his exceptional thrillers that contain impressive twists and unbelievable turns, all set around distinctive and clever story ideas.  Many of his best books have been turned into fantastic television series, and his work has a habit of transforming into excellent dark content.  I personally have come into the Harlan Coben fandom a bit late, beginning with I Will Find You last year.  I loved the excellent story it contained, and it ensured that I would continue to check out Coben’s work in the future.  I’m very glad that I did, as his latest novel, Think Twice, proved to be a particularly epic read.  The latest entry in Coben’s long-running Myron Bolitar series, Think Twice reintroduces his iconic protagonist Myron Bolitar and sets him loose for his 12th novel.

After many ups and downs, former basketball player and incorrigible troublemaker Myron Bolitar is back in the sports agent game, once again situated in his New York office, surrounded by his unusual friends.  Working hard to bring his business back to its old glory, Myron is unprepared for a ghost from his past to literally come back and haunt him in the strangest way when two FBI agents visit his office, seeking his help to find a suspect in a recent double murder.

The investigation into the murder has revealed DNA evidence that points towards Myron’s former client and rival, Greg Downing.  The only problem is that Greg Downing died three years ago, and Myron was the one who gave the eulogy.  With the FBI convinced that he is lying and knows something about Greg’s whereabouts, Myron is intrigued, especially as his complicated history with Greg has given them an unbreakable connection.

Determined to find out whether Greg could be alive, Myron teams up with his partner in crime, the dangerous billionaire Win, to seek the truth.  Their investigation leads them from New York to Las Vegas to Montana and back again as they attempt to find any hint about what happened to their old client.  But the further they dig, the more it becomes apparent that there is a dangerous killer on the loose who likes to hide their misdeeds in the most sinister of ways.  But is Greg alive and perpetrating these crimes, or is someone else setting him up for the fall? And does that someone now have Myron in their sights?

Wow, now this was such a good thriller.  Coben really pulled out another wild and clever story with Think Twice and I got so drawn into this fantastic read.  Making full use of his interesting story premise, existing character arcs, and habit for outrageous twists, Coben had me hooked the entire way through, and I had so much fun with Think Twice.

I really loved the compelling story that Coben came up with for Think Twice, and frankly I got addicted to it in the opening pages as the reader is swiftly introduced to multiple awesome aspects of the plot.  The initial scenes with main point-of-view character, Myron Bolitar, reveal that a recurring character believed dead is still alive and is the main suspect in a murder case, while separate sequences told from an unknown person’s perspective, reveal intimate details of a unique serial killer stalking the country.  The story quickly develops into a hunt for the presumed dead client, as Myron and Win seek to find and help him before the FBI can.  This turns into a great missing persons investigation for the first third of the novel, as the protagonists hunt across America, digging up clues and coming into conflict with other interested parties in the case, including a sinister mob boss with a fun nickname.

This first third of the book, while a tad slower than the rest of the narrative, proves to be a great introduction to the story, and Coben does an excellent job of setting up some key plot elements and character introductions that pay off well in the rest of the book.  The author keeps the narrative going strong, and you are soon introduced to more mysteries, secrets and threats as the protagonist tries to discover what is happening and who is truly responsible.  There is a great deal of tension and mystery the entire way throughout the story, and I really got caught up in this book, powering through the second half of Think Twice in less than a day.  Coben brings the entire mystery together extremely well, and I think that this book had a very strong conclusion.  There are some great twists in the lead up to the big confrontation, and events get very frenetic and deadly in all the most exciting ways.  After some massive moments, Coben loads up additional twists to really strike the reader hard, and you will come away feeling bruised from the resulting whiplash.  I really enjoyed how these twists came about, and I think that Coben did an outstanding job setting them up and subsequently unleashing them.  This was honestly a brilliant story that had me hooked the entire way through.

The author set a great tone for Think Twice that ensured the reader was constantly engaged and forced to keep reading.  The entire story is very fast-paced, and the outrageous characters featured within are fun and exciting, allowing you to connect both with their unique investigation methods as well as the myriad personal dramas that result from their interactions.  While most of the story is told through the eyes of main character Myron, several key parts of the book are shown from alternative perspectives.  This helped to create a much more intense read, especially the scenes that show the unknown antagonist’s thoughts and kills.  Not only does this help set up some great twists but it also ensures that the reader gets drawn into the resulting game of cat and mouse.  Other perspectives, especially towards the end and helpfully distinguished by changes in font, are also well done and herald some massive events.  Coben did a great job of blending the story’s sports-themed mystery with the more intense, character-driven elements of the plot, and I ended really impressed with how this entire book came together, especially with the clever and compelling twists.

Unlike some of the other Coben books that I have read, Think Twice is part of a series and follows on from the previous mysteries contained in the Myron Bolitar books.  Indeed, the storyline in this 12th entry is strongly related to previous books in the series, especially the third novel, Fade Away, with many of the characters introduced there coming back in a big way.  While there are many references to this previous book, Think Twice still works well as a standalone novel, and Coben ensures that all the key plot elements from Fade Away and other Myron Bolitar books are explained quickly and effectively as the story continues.  As someone who has not read any of the books in the series, I was easily able to follow the plot of Think Twice while still getting drawn into the key character arcs and storylines.  However, I feel that established fans of the series will probably get a little more out of Think Twice, especially when it comes to the continuation of some intense character interactions.  As such, Think Twice is going to appeal to a lot of readers, and someone a little newer to Coben’s work can easily jump into this long-running series with barely any issues.

The final thing I want to highlight about Think Twice are the intriguing and fun characters that Coben features throughout his book.  Coben clearly likes big personalities with complicated feelings, and I had a lot of fun getting to know the cast of this series, especially as there are some distinctive oddballs here.  The most prominent character is series protagonist Myron Bolitar, a former star basketball player turned sports agent, lawyer and occasional investigator.  Myron proves to be a fun protagonist to follow, and I liked his morality and sense of right and wrong, which contrasts well with other key characters.  Coben did a good job of drawing the reader into Myron’s personal issues, of which there are many, especially when it comes to the side characters in this book.  Thanks to the renewed focus on his old rival, Greg Downing, several figures from previous books are reintroduced, including his old flame and his biological son that was raised by Greg.  This leads to substantial drama, especially as the various relationships are strained from previous betrayals and lies.  Myron’s complicated relationships with these returning side characters proves to be a key part of the book, and it was interesting to see him finally get some closure with some characters, while renewing old issues with others.

Aside from Myron and the returning characters from Fade Away, the cast of Think Twice are entertainingly unusual, and it proved interesting to see the fun range of figures the protagonist surrounds himself with.  The former women’s tag-team professional wrestlers who have become Myron’s colleagues was an interesting touch from Coben that I certainly had fun with, and Myron’s entertaining family who interact with him in the background were also entertaining.  The main supporting character you have to talk about is Myron’s best friend and confidant, Win.  Windsor Horne Lockwood III is ultra-rich, ultra-eccentric and just a little bit crazy.  A deadly figure with no moral compass, Win backs his friend up in many ways, and has no problem getting lethal when the situation calls for it.  Win honestly steals most scenes he is in, and he plays off Myron really well, ensuring that they come away as an amusing and effective team.  Throw in a great antagonist with clever methods who remains hidden for much of the book, and Think Twice has some great characters whom Coben uses to their full extent to tell an interesting story.

Thanks to its outrageous story, cool plot concepts and excellent twists, Think Twice proved to be an amazing read that I could not get enough of.  Slick, clever, and highly addictive, Think Twice really showcased Harlan Coben’s ability to pull together a brilliant thriller.  I had such a great time reading Think Twice, and I cannot wait to see what unique story Coben pulls together next.  Highly recommended to both established Coben fans and new readers looking for a distinctive thriller.

Think Twice Cover 2

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Waiting on Wednesday – Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller, Waiting on Wednesday5 Comments

Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  I run this segment in conjunction with the Can’t-Wait Wednesday meme that is currently running at Wishful Endings.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  For this week’s Waiting on Wednesday, I highlight an exciting and epic upcoming legal thriller with Witness 8 by Steve Cavanagh.

Witness 8 Cover

Amazon

Over the last few years, I have really grown to enjoy the work of thriller author Steve Cavanah.  A compelling author with an awesome body of work, Cavanagh routinely produces intense and captivating thrillers with unique plots that really draw the reader in.  For example, last year, Cavanagh released the impressive novel Kill For Me Kill For You, which provided a fantastic new take on the classic plot of Strangers on a Train.  The distinctive thriller storylines that the author features in his works really appeal to me and Cavanagh is currently on my must-read list every year.

Cavanagh is best known for his Eddie Flynn legal thriller series, which is his main body of work.  Starting in 2015 with The Defence, the Eddie Flynn novels follow a former conman turned defence attorney who finds himself involved in a series of unique and deadly cases.  I have had a wonderful time with some of the latest books in the series, including The Devil’s Advocate, which saw Flynn attempt to save an innocent man from a murderous district attorney, and The Accomplice, where Flynn’s client was the wife and alleged accomplice of a brutal serial killer.  I had an exceptional time with these amazing legal thrillers, and I have been very excited to see how Cavanagh will continue the Eddie Flynn series in the future.

It looks like we won’t have to wait too much longer for the next book from Cavanagh, as we have a new novel coming out in August with Witness 8.  The eighth book in the Eddie Flynn series, Witness 8 will see Flynn defend another innocent person in unusual circumstances as the prime witness in a murder trial plays her own twisted games.

Plot Synopsis:

Ruby Johnson is a nanny and maid to wealthy families in Manhattan’s West 74th Street.
She knows their routines. Their secrets.
One night, on her way home, Ruby witnesses a neighbour’s murder.

She knows the victim. She knows the killer.
She makes an anonymous call to the police and names the murderer.
But Ruby didn’t tell the truth…
Because there’s something wrong with Ruby Johnson.

Eddie Flynn, conman turned trial lawyer, must defend an innocent man accused of this terrible crime.

As Ruby’s deadly game begins, one thing is certain.
It won’t be the last murder this witness is involved in…

I absolutely love the sound of Witness 8’s plot and I already know I am going to love this book.  Cavanagh always has fun portraying corrupt members of the trial process with their own agenda, whether it be death-loving prosecutors or a murderous juror, and his new focus, a lying witness with sinister plans is going to be good.  I have no doubt that Cavanagh is going to twist this case into something special, and I cannot wait to see how the thriller unfolds.  Expect high stakes moments, entertaining court scenes, and over the top legal manoeuvres as the unconventional lawyer protagonist goes up against both the system and the nefarious Ruby.

Honestly there was no way that I wasn’t going to grab Witness 8 when it comes out.  Cavanagh has really impressed me with his last several novels and I am a real sucker for a good legal thriller.  As such, I am extremely confident that I am going to absolutely love Witness 8 and it will probably be one of the most entertaining and exciting books of 2024.  An epic new book from one of my favourite legal thriller authors.

Lone Wolf by Gregg Hurwitz

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller8 Comments

Lone Wolf Cover 2

Publisher: Michael Joseph (Trade Paperback – 20 February 2024)

Series: Orphan X – Book 9

Length: 420 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Leading thriller author Gregg Hurwitz continues his high-octane Orphan X series in a big way with the epic and compelling novel, Lone Wolf.

The Orphan X books by Gregg Hurwitz is an epic series that follows a former elite government assassin, Evan Smoak, known to the intelligence community as Orphan X.  Upon leaving the program, Smoak decided to make up for his prior misdeeds by becoming an elite vigilante, The Nowhere Man, who helps those with nowhere else to turn.  This series started back in 2016 with Orphan X, although I personally started reading it with the fourth book, Out of the Dark.  Out of the Dark had a great plot behind it that really drew me in, as Evan went to war with a corrupt US President.  This resulted in an amazing and highly entertaining read that made me a fan of Hurwitz’s writing and ensured I would grab the next book in the series, Into the Fire.  Into the Fire was a particularly epic read, and the Orphan X books quickly entered my yearly must-read books list as a result.  I have since had an outstanding time reading the following releases, with Prodigal Son, Dark Horse and The Last Orphan being awesome in their own way.  As such, when 2024 came around, I had very little choice but to read the latest Orphan X book, Lone Wolf, which took the protagonist in another interesting direction with a deadly adventure.

Evan Smoak, better known as either as Orphan X or the Nowhere Man, is suffering a personal crisis.  Having reached out to his long-lost father, Evan is in a dangerous emotional spiral, and is no longer the calm and confident secret agent he once was.  Looking for an easy mission to get back into his stride, Evan finds himself with an unusual job, helping a young girl find her lost dog.  Initially reluctant, Evan agrees to help, but this unlikely job will lead the infamous vigilant into all manner of trouble.

An elite female hitwoman is in Los Angeles, taking out a range of seemingly unconnected people.  Known only as the Wolf, she excels in targeted strikes and apparent accidental deaths, leaving no trace behind.  However, her final kill leaves behind two witnesses when Evan arrives on the scene looking for the lost dog.  Forced to intervene to save the daughter of the Wolf’s last victim, Evan finds himself a target of an assassin just as deadly as himself.

With the girl he just saved still in danger from a vengeful Wolf, Evan decides to save her and stop this killer terrorising his city.  But first, he needs to work out who hired her and what secrets lie behind their deaths.  His investigation leads him to two rival tech billionaires, both of whom had a motive for hiring the assassin and organising the killings.  To save the day, Evan needs to find out which of them is responsible and destroy them and the psychotic killer they hired.  But is the emotionally compromised Nowhere Man up to the task?

Lone Wolf was another outstanding addition to the Orphan X series that really showcased Hurwitz’s distinctive writing style.  Blending an intense, action-packed story, with some outstanding character development, this was an amazing book that I deeply enjoyed reading.

Hurwitz comes up with a pretty excellent story for Lone Wolf that dragged me in very quickly.  Starting off with some intense and personal character work around Evan Smoak that follows through from the last few books, Hurwitz does a good job setting the scene for much of the story off the bat, especially when it comes to the protagonist’s distracted headspace and his reliance on his unconventional family.  The author also spends this time introducing one of the book’s main villains, the Wolf, who serves as an effective mirror for Orphan X.  This initial setup works very well, as you quickly get drawn into the plot by the Wolf callous nature, while also getting invested in the protagonist’s emotional well-being.  These story aspects quickly collide, as Evan, who finds himself helping his recently discovered niece, accidently intrudes upon one of the Wolf’s kills.  The resulting extended action sequence is glorious, as Evan is forced to contend with the assassin and an army of cops, while trying to keep the daughter of the Wolf’s last victim alive.  This entire action scene is a major highlight of the first half of the book, and Hurwitz wrote a brilliant continuous and frenetic chase sequence that pushes Evan to the limit.

Following this chase sequence, the pace of the book slows down a little, although Evan still finds himself in trouble as he enters a game of cat-and-mouse with the Wolf over the fate of the bystander he just saved.  Forced to determine who hired the Wolf, Evan begins a compelling investigation angle where he probes two rival billionaires with twisted and unique morals.  At the same time, Evan also finds himself in several intriguing personal situations, including trouble with his half-brother, mentoring his adopted daughter, and even a rather entertaining side-story about a battle for control of his building’s HOA.  These work to keep the unique feel of the Orphan X series intact, and I loved how emotionally rich the book got at times.

The final third of Lone Wolf is mostly awesome, starting off with a great sequence that sees Evan interrogate a gang of thugs who have details he needs about the Wolf.  The very entertaining and over-the-top way he goes about getting said information is so damn good, and it was another major highlight off the book.  Unfortunately, the rest of the novel seems a little rushed, and frankly Hurwitz could have benefited from including another 100 pages or so to really wrap everything up perfectly.  While it is still a fun and exciting read, the reveal about who is truly behind everything isn’t too surprising, despite some attempts at misdirection.  In addition, the final confrontation against the main antagonists is somewhat weak, and could have been a little more epic, especially as one character went down way too easily.  Still, the deep character development aspects of the story end up being extremely strong, and I liked the intriguing final twist that is going to cause additional drama in the next book.  As such, I felt this was a really good story and I got so wrapped up in it.

I really enjoyed how Lone Wolf came together, especially as Hurwitz brought his usual blend of intensity and compelling human moments to this latest book.  There is a great balance here between character development and thriller action, which I deeply appreciated.  Indeed, I felt this was one of the better-balanced novels that Hurwitz has written recently.  While the action sequences are always the highlight of this book, I have really appreciated how Hurwitz seeks to offset them with more typical moments, and the focus on character relationships and ordinary occurrences, such as a funny HOA election, adds a certain level of fun to the book.  I really do think this was a great entry in the Orphan X series, and like most of the books in this series, Lone Wolf can mostly be read as a standalone, as Hurwitz is good at revisiting the key plot points from the previous books.  However, those readers going in with a greater understanding of some of the characters, especially the protagonist and his complex relationships, will get a bit more out of this book, and it was fantastic to see the further development.

As I have alluded to a few times above, a lot of Lone Wolf’s strength lies in the excellent character work that Hurwitz layers into the story.  Much of this is done to attempt to humanise the usually deadly protagonists featured within, especially as many of them are trying to adjust to a more civilian focused life after years being government assassins.  The most prominent of these is Evan Smoak, the infamous Orphan X who his trying to redeem himself as the Nowhere Man.  While Evan is usually a calm figure, minus his OECD, in this book he finds himself completely outside of his headspace as a bad encounter with his biological father at the start throws him completely out of whack.  This was a very interesting situation, and it was really moving to see this implacable figure so out of sorts and relying on his family, both adopted and newly discovered, to find himself.  Watching Evan grapple with the many personal battles surrounding him is an amazing part of the book, and you really get drawn into his emotional concerns.  At the same time, Evan continues to struggle with the more mundane elements of a normal existence, and the various awkward encounters he has with certain family members and the residence of his building, show you just how lost and damaged he truly is.  All this results in a great portrait of a complex figure, and Evan Smoak is honestly one of the best and most unique thriller protagonists out there.

While Evan is the focus of the book, he would be nothing without the unique array of side characters that have been drawn to him over the years and who supporting him in various ways.  The most prominent of these is Joey Morales, Evan’s surrogate daughter and former trainee spy who serves as his tech support.  Flippant, immature and only slightly more normal than her mentor, Joey serves as the major humanising force in Evan’s life and is a key ally, despite being a teenager.  Joey is always a fun highlight, especially as she can push the protagonist’s buttons while bringing out his protective side.  However, I liked how Hurwitz showed in Lone Wolf that despite her advanced knowledge of the world of espionage, she is still a teenager girl, and the scenes where Evan talks her through a social crisis, is surprisingly heartwarming and really captures their close relationship.  The other major character is Tommy Stojack, Evan’s armourer and one of the few constant figures in his life.  While cantankerous and unusual, Tommy serves as Evan’s rock for much of the series, and it was great to see him in this role again.  While Tommy isn’t too controversial in Lone Wolf, there were some interesting developments with him that are going to be cool to follow in the next book.

Of course, no thriller would be complete without its villains, and Hurwitz did a great job of this with both the Wolf and the nefarious billionaire who may be behind her.  Both are threatening in their own way, although I think I preferred the Wolf, as her deadly skills, ruthlessness, and enjoyment of the kill, made her an interesting opponent for Evan.  The billionaire figure was also great, and his various monologues about the state of society and how his control of personal information allows him to control people in so many ways, was nearly as menacing as the killing.  Throw in some intriguing new family elements for the protagonist, as well as the eccentric residence of his apartment complex (minus his long-term love interest who has been seemingly cut from the books), and this was an excellent group of characters whose interactions deeply enhanced the narrative.

Gregg Hurwitz continues to impress with his latest addition to the very cool Orphan X series with Lone Wolf.  An emotionally charged thriller with powerful character work, Lone Wolf is an outstanding read that comes highly recommended.  I cannot wait to see how Hurwitz follows up Lone Wolf in the future and I remain a massive fan of this amazing series.

Lone Wolf Cover

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The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Thriller3 Comments

The Atlas Maneuver Cover

Publisher: Hachette Audio (Audiobook – 20 February 2024)

Series: Cotton Malone – Book 18

Length: 13 hours and 21 minutes

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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The always exciting Steve Berry continues his long-running Cotton Malone series with the intriguing and addictive novel, The Atlas Maneuver, which once again blends modern plots with historical riddles.

Over the last few years, I have been having a wonderful time getting to know the works of acclaimed thriller author Steve Berry.  Known for his intricate and complex works that dive into the past, Berry is an amazing author whose style and story focus really appeals to me.  I have had a wonderful time getting through the last several books in his main series, the Cotton Malone books, as well as his standalone novel, The Omega Factor.  Cotton Malone is a particularly fun series following the titular Cotton Malone as he attempts to stop sinister modern-day plots that have their roots in ancient conspiracies and secrets.  All the Cotton Malone books I have read have been extremely epic in their own way, including The Malta Exchange, The Warsaw Protocol, The Kaiser’s Web, and The Last Kingdom (one of my favourite books of 2023), and I cannot recommend them enough.

As World War II entered its final phase, the retreating Japanese hid vast quantities of looted gold and other stolen valuables throughout the Philippines.  Stored in hidden underground bunkers, the gold was supposed to be used to rebuild Japan after the war and expand its interests.  But with the location of the vaults lost, most of the gold remained hidden, except for a small fraction recovered by the United States government and the nascent CIA, who kept it for themselves in secret.

In the present day, retired Justice Department agent Cotton Malone, is in Switzerland, working for an old CIA friend to keep a potential asset safe.  However, when someone tries to take his target out, Cotton soon finds himself thrust into the middle of a dangerous battle between a shadowy branch of CIA and the Bank of St. George, one of the world’s oldest financial institutions, with whom the recovered gold was entrusted.

Forced to act, Cotton begins to unravel a dangerous conspiracy and discovers that the directors of the Bank of St. George are seeking to initiate a radical plot involving bitcoin, the elusive online currency, which could destabilise the entire financial world and leave them in control.  Working with a skilled Japanese agent, his lover, and a ghost from his past, Cotton seeks to stop the plot before it is too late.  But with a deadly team of CIA assassins also closing in, no-one is safe and everyone is a target.

This was a pretty interesting novel from Berry that I had an excellent time with.  Thanks to its unique thriller story combining historical secrets with contemporary mysteries and plots, The Atlas Maneuver proved to be an amazing and intricate novel that I found to be quite impressive.

I really enjoyed the compelling story that Berry came up with for his latest novel, especially as he once again successfully blends an elaborate historical conspiracy with an exciting modern thriller story.  This story came together extremely well and overall proved to be quite an exciting read as Berry comes up with several compelling story arcs that you become absorbed in.  Starting off with a glimpse at the origins of the hidden Japanese war loot, The Atlas Maneuver soon jumps to Cotton Malone as he finds himself drawn into a plot to disrupt the world economy by a powerful bank through bitcoin.  Working with an old flame whose financial brilliance is behind much of the bank’s plans, Cotton desperately tries to keep her safe, while also contending with a relentless Japanese agent.  At the same time, Cotton’s partner Cassiopeia Vitt and old CIA associate Derrick Koger attempt to discover the location of the lost wartime gold that was supposed to be in the bank’s possession.  Their inquiries lead them into conflict with the bank, as well as a shadowy arm of the CIA that attempts to take out everyone associated with the case.

The alternating thrusts of the hunt for lost gold and the attempts to stop the elaborate financial attack make for great reading, and Berry continuously raised the stakes while also dragging the story back to the past with the fun historical inclusions.  While the story did drag in places, especially around the middle, I honestly couldn’t turn away from this book at times, especially when the action got particularly intense and there were multiple fun figures to follow.  Berry perfectly sets up the big conclusion of The Atlas Maneuver, which has surprisingly more devastation than expected.  I loved the dark and ironic ending to some of the storylines that emerged, and I felt this strong finish enhanced the entire book as a result.  Berry also leaves the story on an excellent emotional cliffhanger, that I feel is really going to pay off later in the series, and I will ensure I come back for the next Cotton Malone book.

I really liked how Berry set out his methodical and intense story as he once again relied on his classic style that prioritised historical inclusions, while also ensuring that the new book is accessible to all readers.  Thanks to the author’s excellent use of multiple perspectives, you get a great wide-angle perspective story, which allows you to understand the motivations, desires and actions of most of the opposing parties.  I always love books that show the story from the antagonist’s perspective, and this was a great example of that as you got to see the leader of the evil bank manipulate one of the other main characters, while also trying to implement her wider plan.  Berry utilises these multiple perspectives to tell an excellent overarching story, and while the parts focusing on Cassiopeia Vitt and Derrick Koger felt a little too detached from Cotton Malone’s storyline, for the most part this was a very cohesive tale.  The writing is also very tight and fluid in The Atlas Maneuver as Berry does a great job moving the story along, while also including his trademark historical lectures and flashbacks.  The mixture of modern-day action, elaborate schemes and examinations of the past was pretty on-point for this latest Cotton Malone book, and you really get drawn into the story as a result.  There were also some fantastic character interactions, especially as the protagonist is forced to interact with a love interest from his past who looks set to change the status quo of the series.  I had such a good time reading this book, and it proved to be an excellent addition to Cotton Malone series.

I always love the elaborate and compelling dives into various parts of history that Berry takes the reader on in the Cotton Malone series.  Berry, who clearly does his research on all things history, once again set his new novel around a unique piece of history, which has intriguing implications for the modern day thriller storyline.  In this case, much of the story revolves around Yamashita’s gold, the infamous treasure hoard supposedly located in the Philippines.  The author does a deep dive into the subject highlighting all the history surrounding it, as well as mentioning many of the intriguing details that followed it as people attempted to find it.  Much of the plot of The Atlas Maneuver revolves around the fate of this gold, and Berry really does a great job of highlighting its importance and the cultural implications surrounding it.  While certain elements of Yamashita’s gold featured in The Atlas Maneuver were exaggerated or changed for narrative purposes, you really get a good grounding in history surrounding it.  I found this focus on the lost treasure to be highly fascinating, especially as it wasn’t something I was too familiar about before.  However, this only proved to be the tip of the historical iceberg, as other intriguing historical events were also cleverly featured throughout the book.  compelling examinations about the early days of the CIA, banking history, the financial affairs of Switzerland and Luxembourg, and post-war recovery of Japan are also covered in interesting detail, much of which helps to give context to the current story and which are cleverly inserted into the modern-day plot.  These historical elements are truly fascinating, and I love the unique conspiracies and hidden secrets that Berry creates utilising them.

In addition to this 20th century history, Berry also chooses to dive into something a little more modern with a detailed look at bitcoin, which also has a significant impact to the plot of The Atlas Maneuver.  Berry dives into the history surrounding bitcoin, how it came into being and how it eventually expanded out in a major currency.  While some of this history is altered for the book, there is still a lot of detail about its origins and how it become prevalent throughout the world, which I honestly didn’t know a lot about, and was quite fascinating.  Berry also tries to capture other aspects of bitcoin, such as its function, how it is mined, and how it is currently viewed throughout the world.  There is a focus on bitcoin’s potential, and how it can be used to change economies and grant financial freedoms to people.  I liked how Berry took a neutral, if hopeful, stance around bitcoin, as while certain characters are critical of the cryptocurrency, many see its potential and hope to make the world a better place through its usage.  I honestly found the entire inclusion of bitcoin to be highly interesting, and the focus on its manipulation, creation and exploitation drove the plot to some cool places.

Another aspect of all Berry’s books that I really enjoy is his highly detailed examinations of various intriguing places that his protagonists end up in.  These background settings are always a key part of the book, and I like how well Berry incorporates them into the story, especially as the history or unique locations are invariably explored or utilised in the plot.  While The Atlas Maneuver lacks some of the grandiose sites that I enjoyed in the previous books, there is still a range of cool locations featured here that are well done.  This includes deep looks at several cities and locations with Switzerland and Luxembourg, as well as a lengthy excursion to Morocco.  Berry loving describes all the historical cities, lakes and other key locations in high detail, and it is always very clear when he is working from memory, especially as some of his characters’ reactions clearly mirror his own.  These detailed depictions always allow the reader to effectively envision the locations quite clearly, and it is a lot of fun imagining the daring exploits taking place in these picturesque locales.  I always love Berry’s descriptions of these locations, not only because I find the history fascinating, but because there are so many places featured in these books that I want to visit.  As such, this is a great part of The Atlas Maneuver, and I cannot wait to see what cool locations Berry features in his next book.

As has been my custom with most of the Cotton Malone series, I ended up listening to The Atlas Maneuver on audiobook, which ended up being a pretty great way to enjoy this book.  Coming in a nearly 13 and a half hours, this is a moderately long audiobook, so it took me a little while to get through it.  However, I felt that the way it helped to portray the intense action and thrilling storyline was very impressive, especially as having the story read out to me engrained the elaborate historical details a little better.  The Atlas Maneuver once again featured the fantastic voice work of veteran audiobook narrator Scott Brick, who has lent his voice to all the previous Cotton Malone books.  Brick has a very serviceable voice that works well for the thriller books he usually narrates, especially as it helps to highlight the great action sequences and elaborate conspiracies.  Thanks to his good voice work, the plot of The Atlas Maneuver moves along at a brisk pace, and I really got swept up in the elaborate story.  As such, I feel that the audiobook version is a great way to enjoy The Atlas Maneuver, and I had an excellent time getting through it.

Overall, The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry was an amazing book that I had an outstanding time getting through.  Once again successfully combining intriguing and elaborate historical conspiracies with an exciting thriller storyline, The Atlas Maneuver was a blast from start to finish and will be deeply appreciated by both fans of the long-running Cotton Malone series and new readers experiencing Berry’s writing for the first time.  A compelling read that comes highly recommended.

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Warhammer 40,000: Straight Silver by Dan Abnett

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer9 Comments

Straight Silver Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 1 December 2002)

Series: Gaunt’s Ghosts – Book Six

Length: 9 hours and 52 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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After having a blast reading and reviewing The Traitor’s Hand, my desire for more things Warhammer 40,000 needed to be sated, so I dove into the exceptional and gritty Gaunt’s Ghost book by Dan Abnett, Straight Silver.

While there are some truly impressive Warhammer 40,000 authors out there, few can match Dan Abnett in terms of quality and impact.  One of the most significant authors of Warhammer fiction, Abnett has produced a great number of books in the franchise over the years, which includes several must-read series for all Warhammer fans.  These include his substantial contributions to the massive Horus Heresy series, as well as the iconic Inquisitor extended series.  The Inquisitor books include his impressive and highly compelling Eisenhorn trilogy, made up of Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus, and which are amongst my favourite literary trilogies.  While I am a huge fan of these novels, probably his most grounded and well-known contribution to the Warhammer 40,000 canon are the Gaunt’s Ghosts novels.

The Gaunt’s Ghosts books are an extended series that follows the members of the Tanith First-and-Only, a weary and battle-hardened regiment of Imperial Guard soldiers.  Led by Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt and known for their stealth abilities and the destruction of their home planet, the Tanith First-and-Only have taken up the name Gaunt’s Ghosts and are fighting in the massive Sabbat World Crusades hoping to find a new planet to call home.  This series emphasises the common human soldier and the gruelling realities of war in the grim Warhammer 40,000 future, and it is one of the most compelling series out there.  I have had an outstanding time with this series and all the books I have read, including First and Only, Ghostmaker, Necropolis, Honour Guard, The Guns of Tanith, and the prequel novel The Vincula Insurgency, have been extremely epic and complex, perfectly blending great characters with intense action.  Despite still having several books to go, the Gaunt’s Ghosts novels are one of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 series for a very good reason and I had no hesitation diving into the next book of the series, Straight Silver, when I needed something fun to read.

As the massive Sabbat World Crusades gain traction against humanity’s enemies, the Imperial forces finally have the capacity to send aid to the long-isolated planet of Aexe Cardinal.  There the loyalist nations of the Aexe Alliances have been locked in a gruelling 40-year war against the Chaos corrupted Shadik Republic.  Amongst the Imperial reinforcements sent to Aexe Cardinal are the veteran Ghosts of the Tanith First-and-Only, who are ready to make a dent in a new foe.

However, upon arriving on Aexe Cardinal, the Ghosts are surprised to find themselves under the command of the Aexe Alliance rather than their own generals.  Forced to serve the whims of their new allies for political reasons, the Ghosts are soon thrust into the archaic way of fighting that have led the war to linger for decades.  Worse, their new commanders refuse to use the Ghosts to their full potential, and the lightly armoured scouts find themselves fighting in bloody trench warfare.

Forced to endure confined conflict in ill-maintained trenches, the Ghosts find death constantly on the horizon as raids, bombardments, gas weaponry, and their own shattered morale begin to take their toll.  To keep his regiment alive and sane, Gaunt volunteers his troops for the most dangerous missions where the Ghost’s scouting skills can be best utilised.  However, the resulting campaigns will test Gaunt and his troops to the utter limit as the relentless forces of Chaos come crashing down upon them.

Straight Silver proved to be an exceptional entry to this amazing Warhammer 40,000 series.  Featuring some powerful and gritty action that took its protagonists to dark places, this sixth entry in the Gaunt’s Ghosts series was so damn good that I managed to power through it in no time at all.

Abnett did a brilliant job coming up with a particularly intense and dark story that plants the protagonists and the reader into the middle of a gritty warzone.  The main story is initially a little basic, with the Ghosts arriving on a new planet and finding themselves caught up in another long-standing war.  However, the book takes an outstanding turn when the Ghosts, who work best as a scout force, are forced into an elaborate trench warfare scenario.  Thanks to the excellent World War I inspired setting, the Ghosts are figuratively thrust back into the past and are forced to fight an old-fashioned type of war with their lasguns going up against firearms, chemical shells, and fixed lines of trenches.  The constant grim trench battles, raids and fights across no man’s land that dominate the first half of this book are very intense, gory, and pointless, and the reader is swiftly drawn into the unusual and dangerous scenario the Ghosts find themselves in.  Abnett masterfully captures so many aspects of this grim scenario, and you have to appreciate how brutal he makes the battles and the terrible conditions the characters find themselves in.

All these initial battles are expertly shown through the eyes of the many recurring characters of the Gaunt’s Ghosts series, and you swiftly begin to feel their despair and the rising tensions within them.  This works well with many of the existing character arcs, as several figures deal with grudges, uncertainty about duty, and growing relationships.  This excellent use of character arcs and perspectives humanises the fight, and you can’t help but get dragged even more into their hopeless situations.  I particularly enjoyed how Abnett deliberately made the antagonists a purely human force, with no named enemy characters serving as the villain.  This helps to reinforce that the true antagonist of the plot is human nature and their ability to wage unforgiving war, as the two opposing armies destroy everything around them.

While Abnett could have kept the characters in the trenches for a while and still had a good book, he chooses to accelerate the plot about halfway through Straight Silver, as the Ghosts are given a chance to prove themselves by going on two deadly missions.  This splits the story, as Gaunt leads half the characters on a series of deadly raids behind enemy lines, while another small group of key characters find themselves away from the fighting as they scout a critical location in the woods.  Naturally both storylines result in deadly chaos for the relevant protagonists, but I loved how they played out.  The storyline with Gaunt was brutal infiltration across no man’s land at its finest, and there are so many shudder-inducing moments as they continuously encounter the horrors of war.  The other storyline is much more a slow burn, as the characters find themselves isolated in the woods and only have themselves to fight with, as the grudges and resentments introduced at the start of the book are refreshed.  While the characters come together when an enemy presents itself, they are still caught up in their raw emotions, and this results in some dark moments.  Both storylines are resolve in an impressive and compelling manner, and the reader will come away enthralled, excited, and a little angry, as one excellent villain gets away with everything again.  You are honestly left wanting more, especially as Abnett throws in some tantalising hints for the future, and the bloody battles and horrors of Straight Silver will stay with you long after you’ve finished.

As with most books in the Gaunt’s Ghosts series, Straight Silver can be read as a mostly standalone read, as many of the key characters and story arcs are expertly reintroduced throughout the course of the book.  While readers will always get more out of Straight Silver if they read the other Gaunt’s Ghosts books first, especially as that will allow them to become more attached to the characters, a new reader can easily pick up Straight Silver and have an outstanding time getting through it.  Straight Silver and the Gaunt’s Ghosts books can also be readily enjoyed by those people with minimal pre-knowledge of the Warhammer 40,000 universe.  The Gaunt’s Ghosts books exist in their own little pocket of the universe, with the story completely focused on their own struggle as soldiers.  As such, this makes these books perfect entry level reads for those wishing to learn more about Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and anyone with a love for science fiction or military fiction is going to love Straight Silver.

I’m always impressed with the amazing range of characters that Abnett fits into each of his Gaunt’s Ghost novels, as the author tries to constantly capture the entire experience of the regiment in a Band of Brothers sort of way.  Unlike his Eisenhorn books, which had one perspective character, the Gaunt’s Ghosts follow many different protagonists, which allows you to see a massive picture of events unfolding.  This works really well, and I loved the huge range of unique perspectives and personalities that emerged, as well as the different views of the fights and internal conflicts.  I did think that Straight Silver might have featured a few too many different perspectives, as Abnett tried to bring some new characters to the fore.  This meant that several of the established cast from the previous book didn’t have a chance to shine here and were often sidelined, while the newer characters didn’t impress as much in their first big appearance.

There were still a ton of great character arcs going on, and even with less time in the spotlight, many of these characters made the most of it.  Main protagonist Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt gets a good showing, especially as he is forced into conflict with his friend, the highly moral Chief Medic Tolin Dorden, and he is forced to balance his responsibilities as a Commissar with the love he holds for his soldiers.  Newly promoted Sergeant Tona Criid proves to be an absolute badass character, and it was great to see her take command and kick butt.  Sergeant Agun Soric has some great scenes as he slowly comes to realise his latent psychic abilities, while the formerly charismatic Gol Kolea is a hard figure to read about, after suffering a head wound in the previous book and losing his intelligence.  However, the best storyline in Straight Silver involves the mad sniper Hlaine Larkin and the nefarious trooper Lijah Cuu (sure as sure).  Thanks to their interactions in the previous book, the slippery murderer Cuu has a major grudge against Larkin and is determined to kill him, just like he did Bragg.  This results in a deadly game of cat and mouse between the two, as Larkin tries to survive both the enemy and Cuu.  Cuu comes away as such a good villain for this book (even more than the enemy), and you can’t help but hate the guy, especially as there is something slick and scary in his every appearance.  These characters, and many more, helped to turn Straight Silver into an exceptional read, and you really get wrapped up in their unique experiences of war.

I doubt anyone who has every read one of my Warhammer reviews will be surprised that I ended up listening to Straight Silver on audiobook.  All Warhammer books are so much better in this format, and the Gaunt’s Ghosts audiobooks are a great example of this, especially with narrator Toby Longworth.  Longworth, who is one of my favourite audiobook narrators, has lent his voice to most of Abnett’s Warhammer audiobooks, and he always does a remarkable job moving the story along and describing the book’s epic battle sequences.  This is extremely evident in Straight Silver, and I very quickly powered through this audiobook because of how good it is.

I especially loved the awesome voices that Longworth came up with for the various characters featured throughout the book, and he goes out of his way to ensure that every figure has their own distinctive and fitting voice.  Many of these voices are carried over from the previous audiobooks, and it was great to get the continuity for each of the recurring characters, so much so that by this point listeners of the other Gaunt’s Ghosts books can figure out who is talking just by hearing their particular tone.  One thing I particularly appreciate is the range of accents that Longworth distributes across the audiobook.  Each group of soldiers, such as the original Tanith troopers, the new Verghastite recruits, and the soldiers of Aexe Cardinal, are given their own distinctive accents, and this cool attention to detail is what makes Longworth such a good narrator.  This was such an epic audiobook; with a runtime of nearly ten hours, most people can power through it, especially when they get caught up in the epic story.

Straight Silver is a particularly epic and impressive addition to the Gaunt’s Ghosts series as Dan Abnett takes his fame regiment down into battle hell.  Loaded with intense moments, a powerful background setting, and multiple engaging character arcs, Straight Silver is an exceptional read, and it is honestly one of the strongest Gaunt’s Ghosts books I have so far read.  An utterly addictive Warhammer 40,000 novel, I can give it no higher honour as a reviewer than to say the moment I finished it, I instantly grabbed the next book in the series, read it, and will be putting up a review for it now.

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