Tag: Multiple Character Perspectives

Quick Review – Deadly Game by Michael Caine

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Quick Review, Thriller1 Comment

Deadly Game Cover

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (Trade Paperback – 28 November 2023)

Series: Standalone/Book One

Length: 327 pages

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

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Legendary actor Sir Michael Caine presents his debut novel, the fun and ultra-exciting thriller, Deadly Game, which follows a maverick cop investigating a case with world-changing implications.

I’m sure I’m not the only person who was surprised when they saw that Michael Caine was releasing a novel in late 2023.  While I absolutely love Michael Caine as an actor, I didn’t realise he had any aspirations as an author, so Deadly Game was easily one of the more interesting releases of last year.  As I am a fan of unusual thrillers, I naturally had to get my hands on a copy of this book, especially as it had an interesting plot behind it.  While I was mainly intrigued by its author, Deadly Game proved to be a wonderful and compelling book that I had a great time reading.

Plot synopsis:

DCI Harry Taylor has no respect for red tape or political reputations – but he’s great at catching criminals.

And all his unorthodox skills will be needed as an extraordinary situation unfolds on his a metal box of radioactive material is found at a dump in Stepney, East London, but before the police can arrive it is stolen in a violent raid.

With security agencies across the world on red alert, it’s Harry and his unconventional team from the Met who must hit the streets in search of a lead. They soon have two wildly different suspects, aristocratic art dealer Julian Smythe in London and oligarch Vladimir Voldrev in Barbados. But the pressure is on. How much time does Harry have, and how many more players will join the action, before the missing uranium is lighting up the sky?

Caine had an interesting story idea for Deadly Game that I think worked quite well.  The mysterious and violently taken radioactive material amps the stakes of the book right off the bat, and it perfectly sets up the story about DCI Harry Taylor’s team being let off the leash to hunt down the material without any oversight or restrictions.  The early goings of this story are a lot of fun, and I liked the build-up of different villains who might be involved in the theft.  The book got particularly fun when Caine introduced the two rival crime lords, Julian Smythe and Vladimir Voldrev, who come in as major suspects to the crime.  Due to their connections, it is likely that at least one has the material or knows where it is, and their extreme hatred for each other means that they are willing to trade stories about their rival to the police.  I loved the fantastic way that Caine portrayed both these over-the-top villains, and their introductory scenes with the protagonist, as well as some of the fun background that went into them, were highly entertaining, especially as they both played off the serious protagonist extremely well.

The second half of Deadly Game is where the fun really begins, as Taylor and his team get close to finding the material, only for their various opponents to get the drop on them in several ways.  There are some great scenes here, and I liked the efficient way in which Taylor and his team deal with the neo-Nazis for example.  However, things take a pretty major turn near the end, and it was a bit surprising just how far Ciane took this part of the story.  I loved the sudden darker tone that resulted, and it made for quite an intense final third of the book.  Everything leads up to the big confrontation with the hidden antagonist of the novel, and I really loved the fun, well-planned out and utterly over-the-top twist that resulted here.  It was somehow simultaneously smart and ridiculous, and I loved everything about it.  The story wraps up quite nicely from there, and there are hints that Caine might have some sequels in the works, which I personally wouldn’t mind, as I had a lot of fun with the outrageous narrative in Deadly Game.

Deadly Game had a quite a unique feel to it that revels in its roughness and over-the-top nature.  Something about how the characters talked and acted felt very cockney, and it honestly reminded me a lot of some of the author’s tough-guy roles in film.  While certain elements of this writing style aren’t going to appeal to everyone, I had a fun with it, and particularly enjoyed the amazing action scenes, the intriguing characters, and the elaborate and fun scenarios that emerged.  While some of the characters, both protagonist and antagonist, are a little silly and weird in places, they still proved to be a fantastic group of people to follow, and the resulting chaos from their actions makes for an excellent story.  The main character’s portrayal as a cop who hates politics and red tape and just wants to get the job done wasn’t amazingly original, but it worked for the story being told, and Caine did try to make him somewhat nuanced.  I think that Caine got the right balance of intrigue, mystery, suspense and action throughout the course of Deadly Game, and I was very interested in finding out who was behind the events and how things unfolded.  There was something cinematic in a lot of the resulting scenes, and it wouldn’t surprise me if Caine had a film adaptation in mind whilst writing it. Indeed, a Guy Ritchie directed version of Deadly Game could be pretty fun, especially if they got Hugh Grant in to play either of rival gangsters.

Overall, I had a great time with Deadly Game, and it proved to be an awesome and interesting debut from the legendary Michael Caine.  While not everyone is going to love this novel, I felt it was really entertaining, and it was great to dive into its outrageous plot, especially with some of the big moments and twists towards the end.  As such, I would recommend this book to anyone looking for something exciting, and if the idea of a thriller written by Michael Caine appeals to you, then you’ll probably enjoy Deadly Game.  It will be interesting to see what happens to this in the future, and I personally wouldn’t mind some sort of adaptation or sequel at some point.

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Dark Arena by Jack Beaumont

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller4 Comments

Dark Arena Cover

Publisher: Allen & Unwin (ebook – 3 January 2024)

Series: The Frenchman – Book Two

Length: 456 pages

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5

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Former French spy Jack Beaumont presents a powerful and captivating sequel to his awesome debut with Dark Arena, a gripping read with a compelling look at European espionage.

Back in 2021 I was lucky enough to receive a copy of an outstanding debut spy thriller, The Frenchman.  Written by Jack Beaumont, the pseudonym of a former operative in France’s foreign secret service, The Frenchman was an incredible read that followed a French spy who attempts to stop an elaborate terrorist plot.  Featuring some amazing authenticity and a great story, The Frenchman was an exceptional read and it ended up being one of my favourite debuts of 2021.  I have been eager for Beaumont to follow up The Frenchman for some time, and I was extremely excited when I received an advanced copy of this long-awaited sequel, Dark Arena, especially as it quoted one of my Canberra Weekly reviews up front.  The first new novel I read in 2024, Dark Arena was another outstanding read from Beaumont that combined a powerful, character-driven narrative, with a complex look at recent European events and the potential underlying intrigue surrounding it.

When a member of the DGSE, France’s foreign secret service, is brutally murdered in front of his family by a team of Russian agents, Alec de Payns is brought in to investigate the mysterious circumstances surrounding his attack.  De Payns soon discovers that this bloody operation is related to a recent piece of intelligence the DGSE recovered, which identifies hostile actions the Kremlin is authorising throughout Europe.

Infiltrating a secret meeting of businessmen, terrorists and Russian mercenaries aboard a luxury yacht in the Mediterranean, Alec discovers details about a mysterious assassination plot that could tip the balance of power in Europe.  Determined to intervene for France’s advantage, de Payns and his team attempt to uncover the target of the assassination, as well as the underlying reasons for the death sentence.  But the more they dig, the more they begin to suspect that someone is manipulating the DGSE into a confrontation with the Russians.

Closing in on their targets, de Payns soon discover the full extent of their opponent’s plans, and the DGSE are soon left with hard decisions, especially as intervening could impact France’s energy security.  Caught between dangerous superpowers and with a war on the horizon, can de Payns and his team make the right choice, or will doing the right thing cost their country terribly?

This was a superb and extremely clever spy thriller sequel from Jack Beaumont, who expertly follows on from his debut with another outstanding novel.  Dark Arena is an incredible read, which I think I enjoyed even more than The Frenchman, due to its excellent twists and compelling examinations of European politics and espionage.

Dark Arena proved to be quite a thrilling read that got more intense the further you get into it.  Starting off with a shocking but important introduction that shows a French agent killed for the information he recovered, Dark Arena quickly moves onto the main plain, as Beaumont’s protagonist, Alec de Payns, is reintroduced and set to investigate.  The initial chapters of the book are a little slow as Beaumont reasserts his steady and methodical pace, but there are some vital and fascinating story elements introduced here, especially around the conspiracy the DGSE are hoping to unravel and the protagonist’s fraught personal life.  I enjoyed the slow build-up that Beaumont showcased here, mainly because it added the authenticity of the plot.  The story really starts to kick into high gear once de Payns begins his infiltration of a luxury yacht, and the scenes set aboard there are loaded with risk, threat, cunny tradecraft and realistic depictions of information gathering.

Dark Arena’s plot speeds up a lot more in the second half as de Payns and his colleagues begin to investigate several different angles and potential enemy agents.  The reveal that the Russians are planning an assassination is quite intriguing, especially as Beaumont ties it into the invasion of Ukraine, and it adds a certain layer of extra realism and intensity to the overall plot.  While I won’t go into too much detail about this here, I felt that Beaumont did an outstanding job working his complex narrative into these major real-world events, and it was fascinating to his take on some of the events leading up to the invasion and the world politics that ensured it happened.  There are also some great reveals surrounding the origin of the information that the DGSE and other European intelligence agencies have been working off, especially as it appears they are being manipulated by outside sources.  The protagonist’s personal life also gets thrown front and centre in the narrative, and while I wasn’t the biggest fan of the many coincidences that brought together his family with his mission, it was compelling to see him balance the two.  The full discovery of the various plots being orchestrated around Europe proves to be quite clever, and the resulting chaos as the DGSE tries to intervene despite a dangerous political situation results in some captivating moments.  There are some intricate action sequences, encounters between rival spies, and some big reveals, including finally getting a payoff regarding a character introduction from The Frenchman.  This ended up being a fantastic and awesome story, and I hope that we get some form of sequel to it soon.

I deeply enjoyed how Dark Arena was showcased as Beaumont has a very distinctive writing style, that relies heavily on detail and authenticity to enhance his compelling spy thriller storyline.  The focus on tradecraft and the multiple complex aspects of real-life espionage and intelligence work is so damn fascinating, and the author does such a good job of making all these elements seem so realistic.  Nearly every action the characters makes is loaded with intricate detail as Beaumont explains the reality of the intelligence officer’s life, and you will be enthralled by the various intricate ways that the characters attempt to outwit and avoid their opponents.  While references to these actions might seem a bit repetitive at times, I thought it was a great way of hammering home just how careful these characters need to be, especially after the shocking opening scene.  I really loved how much detail Beaumont shoved into every page of Dark Arena, and it made the resulting plot pop as you absolutely believed this was the sort of thing real spies would go through.  This already elaborate narrative is further enhanced by the multiple layers Beaumont added to the plot as he follows various members of the DGSE as they attempt to unwind the multiple mysteries presented to them throughout the book.  While I did occasionally feel that Beaumont was using too many characters, the various betrayals, secrets, and complicated loyalties that emerge from the various perspectives, including from a few antagonists, helps to create a powerful espionage tapestry, and I loved how well this amazing story came about.  While Dark Arena is a sequel to The Frenchman, most readers should be able to dive straight into this second novel, as Beaumont makes the plot of this book quite accessible and any necessary details from The Frenchman are covered again here.  Everything about this book is so well written, and I have a lot of love for Beaumont’s meticulous and distinctive style.

While there are several great characters in Dark Arena, the one who gets most of the focus is protagonist Alec de Payne.  A dedicated DGSE field agent, de Payne is a fascinating figure who serves as the heart and soul of the series.  His depiction as an agent is always very fascinating as Beaumont channels most of the espionage authenticity through his scenes.  However, the most compelling aspect of de Payne’s character lies within the struggles he has balancing his secretive profession with his life as a husband and parent.  Already away for long periods of time and constantly forced to lie to his friends and family, de Payne finds himself struggling more than ever in Dark Arena, especially when it comes to his relationship with his stressed wife.  Thanks to the events of The Frenchman, which saw his family temporarily kidnapped, De Payne finds himself pushed even further to the brink as his is suffering from paranoia and anger following the threat to his loved ones.  This really impacts his personal life, and the conflicts he experiences at home provide a powerful layer of drama to the plot, which I felt contrasted nicely with the intrigue and espionage of the rest of the book.  While elements of de Payne’s personal life do blend into his professional career, it is mostly kept separate, and I loved seeing the dichotomy between a stressed family man and an accomplished spy.  De Payne was such an incredible protagonist to follows as a result, and I felt his amazing story was a major highlight of this exceptional read.

Jack Beaumont provides an outstanding follow up to his epic debut with Dark Arena.  Once again featuring his ultra-authentic take on spies and international espionage, Dark Arena has a captivating and realistic plot that takes his excellent and complex characters into the heart of a recent history.  Intense, addictive, and so damn intricate, Dark Arena was an exceptional read from a rising star in the spy thriller game.

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Warhammer 40,000: The Fall of Cadia by Robert Rath

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer7 Comments

Warhammer 40,000 - The Fall of Cadia Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 5 August 2023)

Series: Warhammer 40,000

Length: 19 hours and 42 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Cadia Stands!  I ended 2023 on a very high note with one of the best Warhammer 40,000 novels of the year that follows one of the biggest events in the franchise’s recent lore, The Fall of Cadia by Robert Rath.

There were several amazing Warhammer 40,000 novels released in 2023, with some of my favourites including The Lion: Son of the Forest and Warboss by Mike Brooks, The King of the Spoil by Jonathan D. Beer and Cypher: Lord of the Fallen by John French, just to name a few.  However, in terms of sheer scale, epic battles, and larger-than-life characters, my favourite will have to be The Fall of Cadia.  As the name suggests, The Fall of Cadia follows the final battle for the planet of Cadia at the end of the 13th Black Crusade, which was a major campaign in the Warhammer 40,000 tabletop game.  The original 13th Black Crusade campaign happened back in 2003, with the official result being something of a draw.  However, in 2017, Games Workshop retconned the campaign to result in a much more substantial Chaos victory, which ended up having substantial impacts on the wider lore of the franchise, effectively reshaping the entire Warhammer 40,000 universe.

This change ended up being a pretty significant event, and Games Workshop provided some major write-ups about it that summarised the events and their explosive aftermath.  Indeed, the lore events initiated in this event have already been featured in several novels, and most of the current Warhammer 40,000 fiction examines the consequences of this campaign.  However, there has yet to be a novel solely dedicated to trying to capture the entirety of the action at the end, until now with The Fall of Cadia by Robert Rath.  Rath was a great choice of author to write this book as he is a truly amazing author of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.  His previous novels, Assassinorum: Kingmaker (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2022) and The Infinite and the Divine, have both been exceptional five-star reads, telling elaborate, character-driven stories that cleverly capture complex aspects of Warhammer 40,000 lore and turn them into impressive and addictive reads.  As such, he was the perfect choice to write The Fall of Cadia and he succeeded in creating a deeply moving and epic novel that perfectly brought the chaotic events that ended this infamous war to life.

In the far future of the 41st Millenium, few battlefields are more significant or more soaked in blood than that of Cadia.  A fortress world for the Imperium of Man, Cadia stands in the shadow of the Eye of Terror, a blazing rift that serves as a gateway into the Warp and the realm of the Chaos gods.  For any substantial invasion by the forces of Chaos into the Imperium to be successful, Cadia needs to be taken and destroyed, and for that task the Chaos Gods have chosen the Warmaster of the Black Legion, Abaddon the Despoiler.  Abaddon is a legendary warrior of hatred and spite who alone is capable of welding together the unruly and contentious forces of Chaos.  Over the millennia, Abaddon has launched 12 Black Crusades against Cadia, leading an unholy alliance of monsters, daemons, cultists and traitor Space Marines to battle.  However, each time Cadia has held, at great cost to the desperate Imperial defenders.  But now, as the forces of Chaos appear stronger than ever before, a 13th Black Crusade has been declared, one that looks set to destroy Cadia forever.

The Fall of Cadia starts well into the 13th Black Crusade, as, after weeks of heavy fighting, the forces of Cadia and humanity once again appear victorious, with the armies of Chaos retreating on all fronts.  However, despite the apparent victory over the heretics and the dark gods of Chaos, Lord Castellan Ursarkar Creed is uneasy, believing that the victory was too easy.  As the celebrations continue, Creed is soon proved right, as the Eye of Terror disgorges a new enemy force unmatched in size and deadly potential since the legendary Horus Heresy.

At its head flies a dread Blackstone Fortress, an alien superweapon capable of intense destruction and now crewed personally by Abaddon.  Faced with this threat, Creed attempts to bring together the various elements of humanities defenders, including legendary Space Marines, virtuous Sisters of Battle, the inhuman soldiers of the Adeptus Mechanicus, and the outmatched by steely rank-and-file troops of Cadia, determined to save their home.

As the final invasion of Cadia begins, Creed organises the defence the best he can to hold back the oncoming horde on land, in the sky, in space, and even far behind Cadian lines in their seemingly safe cities.  If Creed has any hope of succeeding, he will need to bring together the scattered armies of the Imperium on Cadia into a single cohesive force, but not all of the defenders are fighting for the same goals.  Even if these armies come together, can the legendary Creed hold off the fury of Abaddon and his dark gods?  Cadia’s last stand has begun, but who will be left alive at its end?

Robert Rath continues to showcase just how varied and impressive his talent for writing Warhammer 40,000 fiction is as he captures the incredible events of the last siege of Cadia.  The Fall of Cadia is epic in every way possible, as it presents the reader with a great coverage of these key lore events and the characters involved.  Elaborate, intense, and featuring so much damn carnage and war, The Fall of Cadia is an incredibly addictive read that got a very easy five-star rating from me.

I think it is important to point out that Robert Rath had a difficult task ahead of him when he was chosen to novelise the events surrounding the end of the 13th Black Crusade.  A lot of detailed lore has been written around this event, not only in the various guides, rulebooks and other material associated with the tabletop game but also in several years worth of novels and extended fiction that focused on the aftermath of the war.  Any novelisation about these events ran the risk of being a stale retelling of events that all Warhammer 40,000 fans already know about.  However, Rath rose to the challenge and presented a powerful, intense and memorable depiction of the events that really drags the readers in while showing just how incredible and epic a piece of Warhammer fiction can be.

To tell the events of The Fall of Cadia, Rath elected to cover everything in a massive, multilayered, character-driven narrative, told from every perspective imaginable.  Starting towards the final days of the battle, when Abaddon unleashes his true invasion of Cadia, the reader is soon engrossed a range of different storylines that cover many different angles of the battle.  Not only do we get to see the overall strategy of both sides but the reader is also thrust into personal wars and fights across the theatre.  So many amazing moments are covered, including a desperate last stand in the mountains, battles in the sky and space, Chaos infiltration in the cities, criminal enterprises, even internal dissension amongst the Chaos command.  These scenes are usually shown through the eyes of a complex characters, whose desperate fight for Cadia helps to define them and presents the reader with some impressive and captivating character arcs.  All these varied conflicts are expertly portrayed by Rath, who does a wonderful job capturing the intensity, brutality and lack of humanity involved in warfare, as his characters suffer on every battlefield imaginable.  The sheer epic and destructive nature of these conflicts really come across in Rath’s writing style, and I honestly visualised many of the scenes being described in cinematic detail in my head.

The first half of the book primarily focuses on these various scattered storylines, and it was a lot of fun to see the different theatres of war, especially as you start to get attached to the major characters.  All the battles featured are pretty awesome and intense in their own way, and I really have to emphasise just how skilled Rath is at bringing all the different elaborate bits of combat to life.  The complex story pieces start to come together in the second half, especially as each of the characters find themselves drawn to the same battlefields.  I really appreciated how the storylines tied together, and there are some brilliant moments featured here.  I also felt that the multiple deus ex machina moments towards the conclusion of a big battle sequence that Rath needed to include because they were part of the lore was handled about as well as they could be.  Rath did some good set-up for the most important of them earlier in the plot, and I liked how in many instances he tried to examine it from the perspective of the common soldier looking for miracles, so it often did not seem too ridiculous.

Everything leads up to the big final battle in the last third of the novel, and despite knowing how it was going to end, I still was extremely invested in the plot and eager to see how everything came about.  A lot of this was because I deeply enjoyed the compelling character arcs of the newer protagonists, but I was also very interested in seeing how Rath envisioned some of the more essential events.  The author really did not disappoint, as these epic and groundbreaking moments were expertly showcased to the reader in a powerful and captivating way.  The big deaths were pretty shocking and hurtful, especially if you did not know they were coming, and the major conflicts were so damn epic in their scope and impact.  The final devastating blows of the war really hit hard, especially as the climatic events featured some deeply personal moments alongside the mass devastation, which made everything that much more powerful.  I really loved how everything came together, and the poetic conclusion that highlighted the final fights of the surviving protagonists is going to stay with me for some time.  I am so damn impressed with how much passion and emotion that Rath was able to stick into this massive war story, and I honestly loved every single second spent reading The Fall of Cadia.

In addition to the amazing story, I really need to highlight the impressive array of characters featured throughout The Fall of Cadia.  Rath did a wonderful job of presenting the massive events of this book through a range of intriguing character perspectives on every side of the conflict, and there is a fantastic combination of new characters and established Warhammer 40,000 figures.  The author really tried to cover The Fall of Cadia’s narrative from every single angle he possibly could, and the resulting combination of generals, common soldiers, legendary warriors, ancient traitors and other interested onlookers, helped to make this Warhammer 40,000 story even more powerful and layered.  This includes several Chaos characters, whose tainted perspectives allow for a compelling view of both sides of the conflict.  The Fall of Cadia’s character arcs are mostly self-contained for the majority of the book, with their focus usually on that particular figure or theatre of the war.  However, there are some clever and moving interactions between the characters as the novel continues, and it is testament to Rath’s writing style and ability to create a massive web of overlaying character storylines that these interactions fit together so well into a cohesive and powerful narrative.  Rath really dove into the complex lives and personalities of every character he featured, even those that died quite quickly, and the resulting character arcs really added to the emotional impact of The Fall of Cadia.  You become heavily invested in these characters as a result, and waiting to see who survives the war is an important part of experiencing this novel.

So many big personalities were expertly featured throughout The Fall of Cadia and every reader is going to come away with their own favourites.  The better character arcs I personally loved included that of Major Marda Hellsker, who is forced to lead a desperate last stand for much of the book and grows into the leadership position thrust upon her.  Captain Hanna Keztral’s exploits in the sky also make for great reading, especially as she desperately tries to gain respect whilst flying an unarmed aircraft.  You also have to love the storylines surrounding Salvar Ghent, Cadia’s premier gangster, as he tries to exploit the war to his advantage before finding himself thrust into a much more prominent role.  I particularly loved how well Ghent interacted with some of the major figures in the book, and his entire storyline was one of the most entertaining.  The insatiable Necron collector Trazyn the Infinite was also a great inclusion in the plot, and Rath clearly had fun bringing back this hilarious character after featuring him so heavily in The Infinite and the Divine, and I got a good laugh at several of his pivotal scenes and petty moments.

However, the best characters in The Fall of Cadia had to be the opposing leaders of the war, Lord Castellan Ursarkar Creed and Abaddon the Despoiler.  Both are major figures in Warhammer 40,000 lore and Rath ensured that they were done justice in this novel.  Creed is shown to be a rough but brilliant commander, capable of inspiring an entire world while also suffering from the stresses of constantly being on the losing side.  I particularly enjoyed the subsequent inclusion of Colour Sergeant Jarran Kell alongside Creed as his long-suffering aide and best friend, and the two make for a very powerful character combination for many of the scenes shown from the defenders’ perspective.  Abaddon on the other hand is presented as the absolute beast that he is, and his obsessive desire to destroy Cadia is palpable.  I deeply appreciated that Rath showcased Abaddon as the ultimate villain in this universe, and his appearances were always exceedingly impactful.  Many of Abaddon’s appearances were cleverly shown through the eyes of his loyal servant, Dravura Morkath, whose rose-tinted opinions of her master barely covered the restrained evil within this figure.  I quite enjoyed Dravura as a character, especially as she has the most intriguing insights into the Chaos ranks, and the resolution of her storyline with Abaddon might be one of the most heartbreaking in the entire book.  These characters, and so much more, were such a brilliant part of The Fall of Cadia, and they helped turn what could have been a simple retelling of the lore into a particularly powerful and moving novel.

As with most Warhammer 40,000 novels, I feel that The Fall of Cadia is going to appeal to those fans of the franchise who already have a grip on the basics of the lore and main characters and can fully appreciate just how massive an event this book was.  Due to the material the book is based on, there were a lot of crazy events and characters featured here, some of which would be obscure even to casual fans of the game.  While Rath does an outstanding job of explaining and exploring the most important of these elements, some readers might occasionally be confused at what is going on or how certain characters came into being.  Still, I feel that most new readers can still have an exceptional time with this book, especially as the epic battles, impressive characters, and heartfelt military focused story, is so damn good.  The Fall of Cadia might even be a great gateway novel for those people trying to get into Warhammer 40,000 fiction, and it sure as hell encouraged me to read more Warhammer fiction.

One of the other things that I really appreciated about The Fall of Cadia was the way that Rath tried to paint a more nuanced picture of the planet of Cadia itself.  Cadia is usually portrayed as a bastion of military prowess and resistance without some of the issues other planets in the Imperium had, so it was quite interesting to see Rath’s different take on the subject, showing Cadia to be a planet with hidden issues and dissent.  In particular, Rath examines the problematic social structure of Cadia, where the active military are notably prioritized and those people who could not fight or be assigned other roles were considered a second-class citizen.  I loved how well Rath examined and focused on the issues surrounding this unique military class system, and it became a surprising key part of the book.  Indeed, the motivations of several characters are highly tied into these issues, with many seeking to prove themselves after being considered lesser for their contributions.  It also serves as an intriguing motivation for several antagonistic figures, and I loved just how well Rath was able to weave the structure of a planet into these intriguing character traits.  This, and more, really showcased Rath’s inventiveness and appreciation for the little details of the Warhammer 40,000 universe, and it is one of the reasons why I really enjoy his novels.

As with most Warhammer 40,000 novels, I chose to enjoy The Fall of Cadia on audiobook, which proved to be a very smart decision on my behalf as it was one of my favourite audiobooks of the year.  Coming in with a runtime of just under 20 hours, The Fall of Cadia is a bit longer than your typical Warhammer 40,000 audiobook, which reflects the massive story Rath came up with for this epic read.  I really loved how well this audiobook format brought the epic nature of this narrative to life and the many battles, wars, and unique characters felt even more impressive when read out.  I enjoyed the narration of Mark Elstob, who has previously lent his voice to other great Warhammer audiobooks, including Kal Jerico: Sinner’s Bounty by Josh Reynolds.  Elstob’s narration of The Fall of Cadia is extremely good, and I loved how passionately he presented every big event and piece of action.  I really enjoyed some of the great voices he came up with for the cast of The Fall of Cadia, and every larger-than-life character was gifted a fitting tone that perfectly captured their personalities and intensity.  His voices for the opposing leaders of the battle, Abaddon the Despoiler and Ursarkar Creed, are amazing examples of this, and you really get awesome impressions of both character’s opposing determination and charisma in some outstanding sequences.  I really cannot emphasise just how incredible this audiobook version of The Fall of Cadia is and it is definitely the best way to enjoy this world-shattering story.

Overall, The Fall of Cadia is a pretty exceptional piece of Warhammer 40,000 fiction that did such an impressive job of capturing this intriguing event from the game’s substantial lore.  Robert Rath is such an impressive author, and I am really glad he had the opportunity to cut loose and present this massive inclusion to the Warhammer 40,000 franchise.  The Fall of Cadia is easily one of my favourite books of 2023, and I loved how Rath told such an epic war tale in such a powerful and memorable way.  I honestly hope they make a movie based around this book in the future, because it would be so damn spectacular.  A highly recommended read that no Warhammer 40,000 fan should be without.

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Resurrection Walk by Michael Connelly

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Five-Star Books, Murder Mystery, Thriller9 Comments

Resurrection Walk Cover

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

Series: Mickey Haller/Lincoln Lawyer – Book Seven

Length: 407 pages

My Rating 5 out of 5 stars

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Acclaimed crime fiction author Michael Connelly returns with another outstanding and captivating read, Resurrection Walk, a clever and impressive legal thriller featuring two of Connelly’s best characters.

Gosh it has been a very good few years for fans of crime fiction author Michael Connelly.  Not only have we got two fantastic television adaptations currently going, but Connelly has been producing several great books across his multiple subseries.  Most of these books were part of his Ballard and Bosch series, with excellent novels like Dark Sacred Night, The Night Fire (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2019), The Dark Hours (one of my favourite books of 2021) and Desert Star (one of my favourite books of 2022), and he has also released a cool book from his fantastic Jack McEvoy series with Fair Warning (one of my favourite books of 2020).  Each of these novels has been excellent in its own way, but for the best Connelly fun nothing beats a Mickey Haller novel.

The Mickey Haller series, also known as the Lincoln Lawyer books, follow Mickey Haller, an infamous and effective defence attorney in L.A who got his nickname, “the Lincoln Lawyer” by working out of a Lincoln town car.  Known for intricate cases, elaborate court scenes and fantastic legal shenanigans, the Mickey Haller books are always a ton of fun and I love both the books and its current television adaption.  Connelly’s last Mickey Haller book came out in 2020 with The Law of Innocence, and I was very happy to find out that he was releasing a new one this year with Resurrection Walk.  Resurrection Walk was one of my most anticipated books of 2023, especially as it featured a great plot and fantastic team-up between Haller and Connelly’s best-known protagonist, Harry Bosch.

Following a successful case that freed an innocent man from prison, defence attorney Mickey Haller has gotten a taste for hopeless cases and is now working on helping those unfairly convicted of crimes they didn’t commit.  Hiring his half-brother, retired detective Harry Bosch to vet the various requests for help being sent to him, Haller hopes that he can do a little good alongside his usual controversial legal practice.  However, the first case that Bosch picks might be the most dangerous.

Several years ago, Lucinda Sanz was accused of killing her sheriff’s deputy ex-husband in front of her house, a crime she always claimed she was innocent of.  Reading through her case, Bosch is convinced that there is far more to the murder than the files indicate, especially when he discovers evidence that the victim was part of a notorious police gang.  Convincing Haller to take on Lucinda’s case, the pair begin to investigate further and begin the process of having her conviction appealed.

However, proving Lucinda’s innocence is no easy task, especially with substantial evidence proclaiming her guilt, a police force closing ranks against them, and no new witnesses willing to come forward.  Worse, there are many people who don’t want Lucinda’s case re-opened, and soon Bosch and Haller find themselves being threatened on all fronts.  With determined legal opponents facing them in the court and dangerous foes waiting for them at home, can even the Haller-Bosch dream team uncover the truth and save their client?

Connelly does it again with an outstanding and deeply addictive read that had me hooked from the very beginning.  Expertly bringing together two of his best characters into an intense and clever legal thriller, Resurrection Walk is an amazing book, and it was probably one of my favourite Connelly reads from the last few years.

Resurrection Walk has a brilliant story around it that sees the characters of Haller and Bosch teaming up to try and get an innocent woman out of prison.  While billed as a Lincoln Lawyer novel, the plot of Resurrection Walk is split between Bosch and Haller, with both characters working on the case from their own unique perspectives.  Connelly dives into the fantastic story of Resurrection Walk quickly, effectively setting up the primary case, while also including some intriguing minor side cases and the compelling personal issues of the two protagonists.  While a couple of the side cases and adventures at the start of the book do seem a little unnecessary in the context of the main plot, I quite enjoyed them, and Connelly does tie a couple of them back into the story in some compelling ways.

The main plot itself is extremely fun as it cleverly builds on Haller and Bosch’s existing character arcs, while also presenting the reader with a unique case.  Haller and Bosch working to free a woman who pled no contest to a murder charge was always going to be a recipe for success, and Connelly turns it into gold with his writing.  The author breaks the story perfectly down the middle between Haller and Bosch, and the combination of an intriguing investigation arc and Haller’s entertaining legal manoeuvrings was a ton of fun.  There were also some intriguing thriller elements as the two protagonists are targeted by parties interested in stopping their investigation, which really ensures the reader gets more invested in the story.  The start of the book deals with the initial investigations into their client’s claims and coming up with a game plan for a potential appeal.  This proved to be a fascinating and vital part of the book as it expertly introduced a lot of the salient points to the reader while also quickly indicating that there are a ton of anomalies at play.

I really liked that Connelly took his time getting to the trial, and it helped to set up anticipation for the legal shenanigans to come.  The trial in question takes up most of the second half of the novel, and it proved to be the best part of the entire novel as it brings together a lot of the story threads that Connelly previously set up.  By the time you get to it, the reader is pretty invested in Lucinda Sanz’s story of innocence, and you want to see her triumph over the system that oppressed her.  It also helped that Connelly was presenting a unique legal case in this book as Haller goes federal and sues the State of California with a habeas petition to try and overturn his client’s decision to plead out a murder they were framed for.  This results in a very different game plan for Haller, and the resulting trial goes in some very interesting directions.  Connelly really keeps the reader on their feet during the trial, and there is a blazing back and forth between Haller and his opposition, especially when both start playing some dirty tricks.  Both sides have victories and defeats, and I liked how Connelly kept the reader in constant suspense, as you were never certain which way the case was going to go.  Haller of course puts in his typical over-the-top and unconventional legal strategies, which throws the case in some interesting directions and leaves the reader very entertained at times.  It was especially fun when some of them backfire on him, and the reminder that the protagonist isn’t legally invulnerable was a great part of the plot.

Everything leads up to a big conclusion which wraps up the plot in an interesting way.  While I liked elements of the finale, I did think that Connelly got there a little suddenly, and it kind of messed up the overall flow of the book.  I also wasn’t the biggest fan of the fact that the major event that sealed the deal occurred outside of the courtroom, and I honestly would have preferred some form of elaborate legal tactic to save the day.  Still, there are some great moments at the end, especially when Haller uses a few more tricks to make things go his way, minus some funny legal repercussions, but it was a generally satisfying ending that I deeply enjoyed.

Connelly did a wonderful job writing Resurrection Walk, and I loved how well he set out the story.  I deeply appreciated how there was some real authenticity in the various legal elements of this book, from the unique trial, the boundless prep-work, and the other vital work involved in the process.  Connelly also broaches some interesting concepts during the trial, including AI generated crime scene renderings, which was fascinating, even if it didn’t always go the way you hoped it would.  This book has a wonderful pace to it, especially during the intense and moving trial sequences, and I loved how invested I got in events, including those associated with the main case, and the personal lives of the two dynamic protagonists.  Connelly has a lot of experience of inserting his main protagonist, Harry Bosch, into other protagonists’ stories, and I think that he was a strong inclusion in Resurrection Walk as an equal protagonist to tell an outstanding story.  There is an equal balance of storylines and actions between the two, and I deeply appreciated the different tenses that the author uses depending on who the perspective character is, especially as the first-person perspective is perfect for Haller and his ego, while the third-person perspective fits Bosch’s quieter personality better.  This, and other elements, ensured Resurrection Walk’s narrative really popped, and Connelly amazing writing helped to turn this into an amazing read.

I mentioned how well the author switched between these two well-established protagonists, but Resurrection Walk also had some awesome character dynamics and arcs that added to the overall impact of the plot.  Both Haller and Bosch have been going through some intriguing ongoing storylines for several of their last appearances, and it was great to see some resolution or continuation of it here.  Haller, for example, has been trying to come to terms with what he wants to do as a lawyer as he has been having a certain amount of dissatisfaction with being a defence attorney for the city’s scum.  Bosch, on the other hand, has been slowly (ever so slowly) dying of cancer for the last few books, and his work with Haller in Resurrection Walk is due to Haller getting him on his insurance.  However, this raises even more issues for Bosch, as he, a former cop, is now working for a defence attorney, and he finds himself on the other end of the law process as a result.  This results in some intriguing and tense interactions between the two protagonists, especially as these brothers have different interpretations of the law, and it was really fascinating to see them come at the same case from very different angles.  Tension, inner drama, and other personal concerns added some excellent emotional weight to Resurrection Walk’s plot, and I really enjoyed seeing these protagonists in action, especially as there is a certain amount of respect gained between them as the case proceeds.  The author handles both characters extremely well in Resurrection Walk, and while I am a little dissatisfied that Connelly seems to be backing away from Bosch being on death’s door (an experimental treatment is making him better), both of Connelly’s amazing and iconic protagonist have an amazing time in this book and their collaboration was pure gold.

Michael Connelly once again produces one of the best crime fiction books of the year with the exciting legal thriller Resurrection Walk.  This is a captivating and powerful novel that combines a fascinating and intense legal case with two fan favourite characters to produce an exceptional and awesome read.   I powered through Resurrection Walk in no time at all, and it ended up getting an easy five-star rating from me.  One of my favourite books of the year, I cannot recommend the clever, moving, and highly addictive Resurrection Walk enough.

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The Armour of Light by Ken Follett

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Five-Star Books, Historical Fiction4 Comments

The Armour of Light Cover

Publisher: Macmillan (Hardcover – 26 September 2023)

Series: Kingsbridge – Book Four

Length: 737 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Acclaimed author Ken Follett returns with another exceptional addition to his iconic Kingsbridge historical fiction series with the fantastic and captivating The Armour of Light.

Out of all the authors who dive into the complex and impressive genre of historical fiction, few are as well-known or epic as Ken Follett, who has been dominating the genre for years with his massive and epic thrillers.  I have only really had the chance to explore Follett’s historical fiction books, with his Century trilogy being a particular favourite of mine (one of my favourite trilogies of all time).  However, Follett’s most iconic work is his Kingsbridge series, which has long gained mass recognition and accolades

The Kingsbridge books are a series of massive, epic novels that chronicle the complex lives of the residence of the town of Kingsbridge in historical England.  Each book follows the lives of several intriguing characters as they attempt to survive the various challenges and turmoil of the age, often coming into conflict with each other in some elaborate and extended ways.  The series started in 1989 with The Pillars of Earth, which is probably Follett’s most successful novel.  Set over the course of 50 years in the 12th century, The Pillars of Earth showcased a range of personal, political, economic and social issues that the characters spent their lives overcoming in different ways, often loaded with dramatic or historical significance.  An exceptionally epic book, The Pillars of the Earth is very highly regarded and was turned into a compelling TV miniseries with an awesome cast.

Follett has since followed up his original novel several times throughout his career, with each of the Kingsbridge books set in a different period of the town’s history.  For example, the 2007 release World Without End (which was also adapted into a miniseries), is set in the 14th century around the start of the Hundred Year’s War.  The 2017 novel, A Column of Fire, was another compelling sequel that mirrored the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth I and featured a compelling plot involving Catholic spies and religious conflict.  The fourth book was the 2020 novel, The Evening and the Morning (one of my favourite books of 2020), which served as a prequel to the rest of the series and showed the founding of Kingsbridge in the early years of Viking infested 11th century.  All four of these books have been exceptionally good, and I love following a whole new group of characters while exploring the unique aspects and conflicts of their historical era.  Due to how much love I have for this amazing series, I was pretty damn excited when I found out that Follet had a new Kingsbridge novel coming out in late the 2023 with The Armour of Light.  Set during the early years of the English Industrial Revolution, The Armour of Light sounded so damn good, and it was one of my most anticipated books of 2023 as a result.

England, 1792.  As Napoleon Bonaparte begins his rise to power in France, the people of England look on in fear and curiosity at the changes wracking their neighbour.  As the march towards progress continues throughout England, many people find their way of life changing faster than they can adapt.  Nowhere is this felt more keenly that the town of Kingsbridge.  A major hub of England’s cloth industry, Kingsbridge has been transformed by the rampant industrialisation and modernisation of ancient textile processes.  Now the cloth workers of Kingsbridge are forced to work in crowded factories, pushing out vast amounts of material in often unsafe conditions.  But with each new advance and new dangerous machine, the number of workers needers diminishes, and soon many in Kingsbridge find themselves out of work and thrust into poverty.

As the march towards war with France continues, many inhabitants of Kingsbridge will find themselves thrust into a conflict between the rich and the poor of England.  Spinner Sal Clitheroe tries to make an honest living, but her stubborn determination to get justice continues to put her into conflict with the town’s rich and elite.  Wool merchant Amon Barrowfield attempts to salvage his family’s business, only to find tough rivals on every front.  Weaver David Shoveller attempts to run a fair business, but an ill-advised love affair could ruin everything, while Sal’s son Kit finds himself obsessed with the new machines manipulating the wool.  These figures personal struggles will define the struggle of their generation, as the fight for freedom and enlightenment coincides with a much bigger war.

Ken Follett has another fascinating and impressive character-driven read with The Armour of Light that once again follows several complex figures as they live their lives in historical England.  Clever, powerful and chock full of historical detail, The Armour of Light was an outstanding addition to the Kingsbridge series and just had to give it a full five-star review.

Much like the other books in the Kingsbridge series, The Armour of Light follows a group of intriguing characters as they navigate life during a turbulent period of England’s history and attempt to change their destiny and the destiny of the people they love.  Set between 1772 and 1824 (although most of the main story ends in 1815), you get an intriguing examination of each of these characters as they overcome all manner of adversity, oppression, war and more.  The scope of The Armour of Light’s story is pretty damn epic as Follett really lays on the challenges and tragedies for his characters to endure and overcome.  There is intrigue, politics, imprisonment, business rivalries, unexpected deaths, conscription, unrequited loved and much more as many of the protagonists find themselves going up against the system and often coming off second best.  You really grow attached to these characters as you follow them throughout the decades and see many of them grow up, find their callings, fall in love, and more, only to often see them then at their worst as they encounter setbacks they can’t overcome.  While most of the story deals with the industrial changes the characters are trying to get used to, the plot does also tie into the Napoleonic War.  Naturally, pretty much all the characters find themselves over in Belgium in 1815, so everyone is involved at Waterloo to some degree or another.  This proves to be an impressive end to the story, and it was fascinating to see where all the various characters ended up, especially after experiencing the deadliest of battles.  I had an outstanding time getting through this elaborate story, which honestly had me hooked the entire time.  Despite The Armour of Light’s near 750-page length, I managed to power through it in a matter of days, its story was that damn interesting.

As I mentioned, The Armour of Light is part of the Kingsbridge series and serves as a sequel to all four previous novels.  However, due to compartmentalised nature of the book’s plot and the focus on completely new characters, readers do not need a prior knowledge of the rest of the Kingsbridge books to enjoy The Armour of Light.  The novel is very accessible, and due to the substantial gap between it and A Column of Fire, readers should really consider this a standalone novel that any historical fiction fan can easily enjoy.  However, long-term fans of Follett and the Kingsbridge series will no doubt appreciate seeing how the setting of Kingsbridge has evolved over the years, especially in the face of industrial revolution, which changed the nature of the textiles industry that has always been central to the series’ plots.  There are also a bunch of clever references and connections to the previous novels, although if you don’t pick these up it in no way ruins your flow or enjoyment of the story.  As such, The Armour of Light is a book most readers and historical fiction fans will be able to enjoy, while also serving as an intriguing continuation to the Kingsbridge series.

One of the main reasons why I enjoy the Kingsbridge books so much is because Follett excels at showcasing fascinating historical periods and working his characters into unique situations based on the events of the period.  The Armour of Light is an incredibly good example of this as it examines the impact of the early Industrial Revolution on a textile town like Kingsbridge.  Follett really dives into the intricacies of the mechanised weaving process that would have taken place in factories like this, and the various issues they caused.  As the book progresses, the characters are introduced to new machines more efficient than the last, which causes more of the characters and inhabitants of Kingsbridge to lose work.  This leads to discontent amongst the working classes, many of whom are trying to raise themselves up through any means possible, and the rich factory owners and the other elites try to hold them down using various legal and political angles.  As such, the story captures interesting aspects about the English legal system and the controversial politics at the time, especially as parliament was so against unionisation and other actions after seeing the revolution in France.  I quite enjoyed the discussions that occurred surrounding the French Revolution and Napoleon at various points of the book, and it was fascinating to see the various classes reactions to these events, such as fear from the wealthy, and interest from the poor.  Other intriguing historical elements were also examined throughout the book, such as the growing rivalry between the Church of England and the Methodist faith, and I had a wonderful time seeing them all introduced into the plot.  Follett did a remarkable job working so many of these historical details into The Armour of Light’s story, and it helped to make this a fantastic and fascinating read I couldn’t put down.

Finally, I need to highlight the great characters featured throughout the plot.  Follett came up with an intriguing collection of figures to follow in The Armour of Light, and each of them goes through some compelling trials and tribulations.  I really enjoyed the range of different characters featured within the novel, although most of them were tied into the wool trade to some degree to really hammer home the novel’s main point about change and industrial revolutions.  Follett came up with some very interesting personal stories for each of these characters, and their powerful journeys through life, love and loss, was the true heart of the book.  This includes Sal Clitheroe, the heart and soul of the book, Amon Barrowfield, the always hopeful young merchant, and David Shoveller, a mostly noble figure who works to help those he can.  I also loved the striking Alderman Joseph Hornbeam, who served as the book’s main villain.  The wealthiest man in Kingsbridge, Hornbeam is determined to expand his empire no matter who he must crush to do so.  As such, he comes into conflict with many of the protagonists, and his actions are usually the crux for much of the book’s plot.  I really enjoyed Hornbeam as an antagonist, and Follett weaves some interesting storylines around him, including a hidden backstory, and a redeeming examination of his love of family.  Pretty much all the characters in The Armour of Light were extremely well written, although I thought it was a bit odd that every major female character either committed adultery or lusted after another man while married.  I’m not sure if that was commentary on women’s lack of choice back in the 18th and 19th centuries or some particularly interesting choices from Follett, but it was weird that it happened at least four times.

Ken Follett did an outstanding job continuing his amazing Kingsbridge series with the wonderful book, The Armour of Light.  A compelling and historically rich novel, The Armour of Light was another great read and I had such a fantastic time getting through it.  I have so much love for the Kingsbridge series, and I cannot wait to see what period Follett decides to explore next.  Highly recommended.

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Vendetta by Sarah Barrie

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Thriller10 Comments

Vendetta Cover

Publisher: HQ (Trade Paperback – 15 November 2023)

Series: Lexi Winter – Book Three

Length: 392 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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One of Australia’s most impressive crime fiction authors, Sarah Barrie, returns with the third book in her gritty Lexi Winter series, Vendetta.

For the last couple of years one of my favourite new Australian crime fiction series has been the Lexi Winter books by Sarah Barrie.  Set in Sydney and central New South Wales, the series follows Lexi Winter, a vigilante hacker who bears a massive and righteous hatred for child molesters.  The first book in the series, Unforgiven, saw Lexi attempt to take down a serial killing paedophile with connections to her complex past in a dark and bloody read.  This first book in the series served as a great introduction to Lexi and her police supporting characters, while also giving some fantastic insights into the events that formed her.  The second book, Retribution, saw Lexi as a newly initiated police officer who still broke the rules, especially when it came to hunting down her nemesis and destroying everyone who helped him.  The first two books in this series are so damn good, and I have been keen to see how this series would continue.  I recently got my wish as I just finished off the third book in the series, Vendetta, which proved to be an exceptional and dark read.

After taking down a notorious crime family, maverick rookie police officer and occasional vigilante hacker Lexi Winter is riding high.  However, a sudden phone call is going to take her down a dark path that will force her to revisit some of the worst parts of her past.  Two old friends she owes deeply are in trouble with a well-connected local motorcycle club, Chaos Reigns, and the only way Lexi can save them is to go undercover and pretend to work for the gang.

However, as Lexi begins her new assignment, she finds herself confronting a long-hidden ghost from her past.  Years ago, Lexi found a family with another outlaw motorcycle club, the Combat Crew, who harnessed her natural talent with computers and taught her every dirty trick she knows.  With members of Combat Crew making up the senior levels of Chaos Reigns, Lexi finds herself forced to deal with hardened criminals who know more about her troubled history than anyone else.  Forced to assume her old persona, Lexi works to once again earn their trust, but not everyone is convinced that she is on the level, especially when her connections with the police are discovered.  Worse, members of her police team are convinced that her undeclared past with Combat Crew makes her too much of a liability and soon Lexi’s loyalties are tested like never before.

But suspicions and secrets are the least of Lexi’s problems when she finds herself in the middle of a series of explosive attacks aimed at the members of Chaos Reigns.  The former president of Combat Crew, Arthur Cronin, has been released from prison and is more than willing to blow up anyone he feels was responsible for the murder of his wife and child.  Caught between deranged bikies and suspicious friends, Lexi must use all her skills to survive and save who she can.  But as the case takes more from her and more of her colleagues begin to turn on her, Lexi will be forced to finally decide where her loyalties belong and what side of the law she truly exists on.

Sarah Barrie continues to showcase why she is one of Australia’s fastest rising crime fiction stars with another powerful and gritty read.  Vendetta had one of the strongest plots of the entire Lexi Winter series so far, as not only did it present the reader with a great murder mystery/thriller plot but it also featured some intriguing character work.  Barrie does an excellent job of moving the plot of Vendetta away from the previous novels, and the interesting redirect towards a motorcycle club, a firm favourite villain organisation in Australian crime fiction, makes for an interesting change of pace.

The main story proves to be an intricate and compelling mixture of character driven narratives as the plot jumps across several excellent characters, most of whom were introduced in the prior novels.  The story primarily follows troubled protagonist Lexi Winter who is forced to go undercover in a motorcycle club to save some old friends.  Initially pretending to be a criminal, Lexi soon finds her cover blown and must work all sides as she tries to retain both the trust of her police colleagues and her old associates.  Having the protagonist forced back with the bikies who trained her was a masterstroke from Barrie, and I loved how conflicted it made both her and the reader, as you don’t know which way she’s going to turn.  Barrie really hammers home the importance of Lexi’s chapters by showing everything from her perspective in the first person, and you really feel connected to her adventure as a result.  The author makes things even more interesting by introducing a crazed bikie leader seeking revenge, internal police politics making things difficult for Lexi, and personal conflicts amongst the protagonists finally coming to the surface in some damaging ways.

The last half of Vendetta is probably the best.  After the great set-up at the start, Lexi is fully imbedded in Chaos Reigns and is committing all manner of criminal acts for them.  Watching Lexi at her worst was so damn powerful, especially as she appears to turn on her friends, and the resulting drama, anger and conflict made for some excellent reading.  You are constantly on your edge of your seat as the various story elements start to come together and the police start to close in on Lexi, Chaos Reigns’ criminal actions, and the mad bomber.  Things get pretty dark at times, and Barrie works in some big twists.  I saw a few of these coming, but the main reveals at the end were cleverly hidden and well set up in the first half of the book.  I loved the exciting and compelling end to the plot that allowed the protagonist to really shine and setting up some interesting future adventures.  Everything about this story was extremely awesome, and I really got invested in the high-stakes plot and the deeper personal aspects that resulted as well.

Despite the central crime being unconnected to the main series antagonist, Vendetta was a great Lexi Winter novel that masterfully moved the series and characters along.  I honestly think that the series needed a book with a different investigative target at this point in the ongoing narrative, and it builds up anticipation for the next interaction with the main villain in future entries.  The change in focus also allows Vendetta to be enjoyed more as a standalone novel than the second book, although I did notice a few minor plot gaps from the previous entries that Barrie could have done a better job exploring.  Barrie also continues some of the prevailing themes of the previous book, including comparisons between vigilantism and official police work, as Lexi tries to decide what side of the law best works for her to get her required revenge.  Naturally, those readers who checked out the prior novels are probably going to get a lot more out of Vendetta, and indeed it helped to explain certain character actions from the previous book that never quite made sense to me.  However, Vendetta is honestly a great and gritty piece of Australian fiction anyone can enjoy.

Once again, a major highlight of this series is the outstanding cast of compelling and damaged protagonists, each of whom has their own unique stories.  This is particularly true of the series’ titular protagonist, Lexi Winter, who Barrie has turned into quite a conflicted and complex figure.  We have already seen quite a lot of Lexi’s dark past in the previous books, especially in Unforgiven, and Vendetta builds on this extremely well, giving us insights into her criminal past, including the origins of her hacking abilities.  I loved how well this past was explored and featured throughout Vendetta, and it gave this already fantastic character some extra layers, especially it explores why she is more reliant to do things on her own then go through official channels.  This complex past with the motorcycle club ensured that Lexi had a particularly compelling and exciting storyline in Vendetta as she finds herself caught between her prior loyalties and the friends she made in the last two books.  As such, the reader spends much of the story unsure whose side Lexi is truly on, especially when key police characters turn against her, and I was constantly on the edge of my seat waiting to see how this would turn out.  I think Barrie resolved this extremely well, as Lexi’s strong moral compass always guided her along the right path, and I also enjoyed how parts of Lexi’s narrative come full circle, especially when she finds herself a protégé.  There is also some intriguing examination of Lexi’s view on relationships and love, much of which is impacted by her past, and I appreciated the compelling and mostly tasteful way that Barrie explored this.  I cannot wait to see how Lexi’s story continues in the future, as she is without a doubt the best character in the series.

In addition to Lexi, Vendetta features a brilliant and compelling cast of additional characters, many of whom have appeared in prior novels in the series.  Barrier introduces some great development and personal drama to surround these characters and it works to enhance the already powerful story.  Detective Senior Sergeant Finn Carson is once again very solid as the male lead of the book, and Barrie makes good use of his unique friendship/relationship with Lexi to build up some serious drama as he tries to work out her actions and motivations.  Lexi’s mentor, Detective Inspector Rachael Langly, also proves to be compelling figure in Vendetta, especially as, after going to bat for Lexi time and time again, it looks like her protégé has turned on her.  Finally, I was particularly happy that we got some further developments around Detective Sergeant Lisa “Cass” Cassidy.  Cass was an interesting inclusion in the second novel, although for some unexplained reason her main character attribute was being dismissive and hostile towards Lexi.  Barrie expanded on this in Vendetta, as Cass was revealed to have a hidden connections to Lexi’s past which is explored in this current case.  As such, Cass spends much of the book trying to hide her involvement with Lexi and her prior mistakes involving the bikies.  This adds some major fire and drama to the plot, and while Cass proves to be one of the more unlikable characters in the story Barrie masterfully paints her as a victim, and I deeply appreciated her journey and the deeper pain behind her actions.  Throw in a great collection of bikies and other criminals, including her old mentor and protector, and the intense personal connections in Vendetta really jump up, resulting in an outstanding read.

Sarah Barrie continues to showcase why she is one of Australia’s best current crime fiction authors with the outstanding third Lexi Winter book.  Featuring a particularly strong story that takes the reader on a dark journey in both the past and the present, Vendetta is a great read that had me hooked all the way to the end.  Loaded with violence, bad decisions and damaged characters, Vendetta one of Barrie’s best novels yet and I cannot recommend it enough.

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Quick Review – He Who Drowned the World by Shelley Parker-Chan

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, LGBT+, Quick Review2 Comments

He Who Drowned The World Cover

Publisher: Mantle (Trade Paperback – 29 August 2023)

Series: The Radiant Emperor – Book Two

Length: 487 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Rising Australian author Shelley Parker-Chan returns with the second part of her Radiant Emperor duology, He Who Drowned the World, an impressive and complex historical fantasy set in 14th century China.  He Who Drowned the World is the exciting sequel to the author’s first novel, She Who Became the Sun, which provided a compelling spin on a legendary Chinese Emperor by imagining them as a female who takes on her dead brother’s identity to achieve greatness.  She Who Became the Sun was a pretty awesome read, loaded with intriguing imagery, excellent characters, and a unique story.  I deeply enjoyed reading it when it first came out and it ended up being one of my favourite debuts and pieces of Australian fiction in 2021.  I was very excited to get a copy of He Who Drowned the World, especially as Parker-Chan does an excellent job of fishing off her epic story in a big and compelling way.

Plot Synopsis:

How much would you give to win the world?

Zhu Yuanzhang, the Radiant King, is riding high after her victory that tore southern China from its Mongol masters. Now she burns with a new desire: to seize the throne and crown herself emperor.

But Zhu isn’t the only one with imperial ambitions. Her neighbour in the south, the courtesan Madam Zhang, wants the throne for her husband – and she’s strong enough to wipe Zhu off the map. To stay in the game, Zhu will have to gamble everything on a risky alliance with an old enemy: the talented but unstable eunuch general Ouyang, who has already sacrificed everything for a chance at revenge on his father’s killer, the Great Khan.

Unbeknownst to the southerners, a new contender is even closer to the throne. The scorned scholar Wang Baoxiang has maneuvered his way into the capital, and his lethal court games threaten to bring the empire to its knees. For Baoxiang also desires revenge: to become the most degenerate Great Khan in history – and in so doing, make a mockery of every value his Mongol warrior family loved more than him.

All the contenders are determined to do whatever it takes to win. But when desire is the size of the world, the price could be too much for even the most ruthless heart to bear . . .


He Who Drowned the World proved to be a unique and captivating novel that continued to follow former monk turned general Zhu Yuanzhang as she attempts to free China from the Great Khan, outwit her rivals, and take the throne as Emperor.  Parker-Chan dives right into this scenario as the book starts, and you are soon enthralled by the complex, multilayered story that emerges.  Thanks to the power shift from the first book, the battle for control of China turns into a fight for dominance with four armies in the field, while the shadowy Wang Baoxiang manipulates events in his favour from the shadows at the capital.  The events are shown from the various unique perspectives of the four main characters, each of whom is trying to survive and win the throne by their own methods.  I love the blend of storylines that evolved here, whether it is the main protagonist’s plan to seize her destiny no matter what, Ouyang’s destructive quest for revenge, Madam Zhang’s attempt to manipulate all the men in her life to gain power, or Wang Baoxiang’s careful and lustful politicking.  All these character arcs are deeply fun in their own right, although I must admit I found Wang Baoxiang’s storylines to be the most fascinating, mainly because he was so deliciously devious and swiftly rose up as a brilliant villain.

As the book continues, the reader is treated to some amazing story points, including Ouyang being forced to work with Zhu, who keeps winning with inventive tactics; Madam Zhang’s plots failing her left and right; and Wang Baoxiang’s malevolent rise to power, taking down everyone he gets close to.  Each of these characters gets their moment to shine, and I loved some of the interactions that emerged, especially when the characters begin to meet each other.  Zhu and Ouyang in particular play off each other perfectly, with Ouyang’s sheer anger finding no purchase with Zhu’s more Zen outlook on life, which only infuriates Ouyang more.  I really loved the part of the book that focused on the complex alliance between these two characters, and its dramatic end also works extremely well, especially as it leads to that haunting scene where Ouyang encounters his destiny only for it to destroy him.

The entire book moves at an outstanding pace, and the compelling detail, unique world-building, and fascinating characters continue to build as the novel reaches its zenith.  The final fate of Ouyang really was a major highlight of He Who Drowned the World, and the rest of the plot that follows had me hooked to the end.  The last part of the book was a little more subtle than I was expecting, but it still featured some great moments as Zhu, who is not as benevolent as you would think, sacrifices much to try and achieve victory.  The taut emotions, devastating betrayals, and determined attempts for revenge really help this conclusion stand out, and I was enthralled the entire way through.  Parker-Chan ends everything on a somewhat hopeful note, which was nice after how dark the rest of the book was, and the reader will come away from He Who Drowned the World satisfied, if a little emotionally raw and shaken.

I really must comment on the fantastic and unique setting that Parker-Chan utilised for this duology.  The overarching setting of 14th century China is pretty awesome in itself as the author worked hard to capture the unique cultural aspects of the period, such as the control by the Mongolian dynasty, while also presenting all the chaos and war that emerged when Zhu attempted to claim the throne.  However, things get even more interesting as the author works in some subtle but significant fantasy elements that really make these books standout.  These elements are all tied into a person’s right to rule as those with the will, ability and destiny are gifted with a literal Mandate of Heaven, which allows them to call forth an aurora of light and fire to show their divine right to rule.  Several key characters in the series are gifted by the mandate, and the way they use it, whether to install fear, show their divinity, or utilise it for even darker purposes, is pretty damn fascinating.  The other major fantasy element revolves around ghosts that only a few characters can see, which end up being an interesting part of the plot.  The protagonist’s ability to see and occasionally manipulate these ghosts adds a certain edge to their story, especially as it serves as a representation of their deeper guilt, regret or determination, and I felt it was a fitting character element.  The manipulation of ghosts also results in some dark scenes, especially when one of the antagonists does some horrible things to get a supernatural advantage.  This interesting blend of historical and fantasy elements really helped to give the world of these duology a fantastic and unique tinge, and I really enjoyed seeing the elaborate war story Parker-Chan set out in it.

I also enjoyed how nearly all the major characters in this book had some compelling gender and orientation feature to them, which helped to define their character and take them to some interesting places.  This includes the main protagonist taking over a male identity and entering a unique relationship with their wife, while General Ouyang deals with the shame of being a eunuch, although that doesn’t stop him from being the biggest badass in the book.  These elements were really well handled by the author, who featured them in a thoughtful and tasteful manner, and it was interesting to see how this defined them.  Parker-Chan really dove into the emotional, cultural and spiritual nature of these factors, especially in their historical context.  I particularly enjoyed how all these characters tended to rise up above the shame or taboo nature surrounding this character element, and indeed many of them used it to their advantage.  I really enjoyed seeing how well Parker-Chan utilised these elements in the plot and it made for some great representation.

I really enjoyed this distinctive and fascinating novel from Shelley Parker-Chan who produced a remarkable conclusion to her impressive debut duology.  He Who Drowned the World was a powerful, intense and complex read that really showcased the horrors of war, ambition and self-delusion.  Featuring a moving and devastating narrative, loaded with great characters and a unique take on Chinese history, He Who Drowned the World is an exceptional read and a worthy sequel to Parker-Chan’s first book.

He Who Drowned the World Cover 2

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The Last True Templar by Boyd and Beth Morrison

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Thriller10 Comments

The Last True Templar Cover

Publisher: Head of Zeus (ebook – 14 September 2023)

Series: Tales of the Lawless Land – Book Two

Length: 492 pages

My Rating: 4.5

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The impressive sibling team of Boyd and Beth Morrison return with an epic and compelling sequel to their first impressive novel, The Last True Templar.

Last year I had the very great pleasure of reading the first book written by the pair of thriller author Boyd Morrison and historian Beth Morrison, The Lawless Land.  Following an excommunicated knight and a noblewoman as they try to keep a sacred relic out of the hands of a corrupt cardinal, The Lawless Land was an outstanding read that blended fascinating historical detail with an intense thriller storyline.  The Lawless Land ended up being one of my favourite books of 2022 and I have been eagerly anticipating a sequel for ages.  This second book in their Tales of the Lawless Land series, The Last True Templar, sets the awesome protagonists on a compelling new adventure, an elaborate treasure hunt through medieval Italy.

Italy, 1351.  After their first exciting adventure together, exiled English knight Gerard Fox and his determined companion, Willa, have decided to embark on a journey throughout a Europe still recovering from the ravishes of war and plague.  Determined to get married, the two seek a way to escape their complex pasts and move on to a future free of violence and persecution.  However, fate has something far more adventurous planned for them.

Arriving in a small village between Florence and Siena, Fox and Willa suddenly find themselves witnesses to a deadly ambush.  A band of skilled, masked bandits are targeting Luciana Corosi, the wife of a prominent Sienna businessman, determined to kill her and steal the payment she carries for a lucrative deal.  Intervening, Fox and Willa manage to save Luciana’s life, before escorting her home.  However, it soon becomes apparent that not everything is as it seems, especially as Luciana’s scheming husband, Riccardo Corosi, is behind the attempts of Luciana’s life.

Escaping from Riccardo’s clutches with Luciana, Fox and Willa soon find themselves embroiled in a complex scheme that reaches all the way back to the fallen Knights Templar.  Years ago, Luciana’s father helped the Templars hide their vast treasure from the Church before being betrayed by Riccardo.  Determined to save her family’s legacy and finally expose her treacherous husband, Luciana recruits Fox and Willa to her cause and requests their help in solving a series of clues leading to the treasure.  But with Riccardo and his men hot on their trail, can Fox and Willa find the legendary treasures of the Knights Templar, or have they finally met their match?

The Last True Templar was an interesting and enjoyable follow-up that captures the heart of the original book while changing some key story aspects and the background setting.  The result is a fantastic and exciting read that I had a wonderful time reading and which I managed to power through in a very short amount of time.

The plot of The Last True Templar is pretty damn cool as it places the author’s established protagonists into a whole new crazy medieval thriller scenario, this time involving the warring Corosi’s and their respective legacies.  Fox and Willa’s inadvertent entry into the plot is well handled and nicely ties into their current wanderings, and their continued presence in events feels pretty natural, especially as they are both trying to help a friend and achieve their own personal goal of getting married.  The authors do an effective job at building up and injecting the intriguing characters and real-life history that led up the events of the book early on and the story, and you soon get swept up in the resulting treasure hunt that is rich in Templar lore.  The story is masterfully told from a range of different perspectives, including the antagonists, which allows for some compelling insights into everyone’s respective motivations, histories and plots.  Several chapters are also set in the past, either to strengthen the history surrounding the missing Templar treasure or provide backstory and added drama for the characters.

The main story of The Last True Templar turns into an exciting, clever, and action-packed romp, as the authors set out some major thriller antics within a historical setting.  Just like with The Lawless Land, the initial thriller aspect of this story involves the protagonists attempting to stay one step ahead of the villains while learning about the dark history that surrounds their motivation.  However, the characters also get involved in an elaborate historical treasure hunt which sees them decode a series of historical clues to find the location of the treasure.  A storyline involving riddles and the hunt for ancient treasures is classic thriller fare, and I really enjoyed seeing medieval protagonists undertake this, especially as it takes them across 14th century Italy.  The authors come up with a fantastic and elaborate series of mysteries, riddles and clues for this aspect of the story, and I loved the constant and desperate roaming through various well-described cities as they attempt to puzzle together dated references and hints.

The authors’ use of multiple perspectives really helps to enhance the race aspect of the story, as you get to see key events through multiple eyes, including the scheming and double-crossing antagonists.  I loved seeing all the different moves each character made in The Last True Templar, and you are constantly on your feet as both groups get closer to the treasure while working to outsmart or outplay their opponents.  There are also some amazing set pieces scattered throughout this novel, including an elaborate horse race through the streets of a city, several skirmishes, and even ship-to-ship boarding action.  Everything leads up to an exciting and intense conclusion as both sides fight for the potential treasure, and all the compelling story elements come full circle.  All the characters get a compelling conclusion to their storyline, whether they want to or not, and the book ends on a satisfactory note that leaves the series open for further entries.

I loved the fantastic historical detail that was contained in The Last True Templar as the authors really immersed readers in the period.  The impressive depictions of the various Italian locations and cites was well done, and I could honestly see the settings in my mind’s eye as the protagonists visited them.  Much of the background setting and character attitudes and actions, whether it be in battle, business, or exploration, had some noticeable historical accuracy, and I loved the elaborate descriptions that accompanied the narrative.  I particularly enjoyed the author’s depiction of a historical Palio di Siena, which the protagonist was forced to participate in, and it honestly was one of the high points of the story.  However, the best historical detail in The Last True Templar is reserved for the examination of the Knights Templar and the hunt for their treasure.  The authors do an excellent job of exploring the legacy of the Templars, and I found it fascinating to see characters talk about them only a few decades after their fall.  This examination of the Templars adds a great deal to the narrative, as not only is it strongly tied to several of the new character’s backstories, but it also proves to be very relevant to the various riddles the characters need to unravel.  Each of the riddles is tied into a specific location or has some relevance to the Templars, and it was awesome seeing the characters work out and trying to solve them.  There were even some very clever instances where the relevant landmarks referenced in the clues were no longer there or current, even after only a few decades, which added some intriguing difficulties into the larger treasure hunt.  All these details, and more, were extremely interesting to me, and I had a wonderful time with how well the authors incorporated them into the plot.

I had a lot of fun with the characters in The Last True Templar, especially as we got to see more of Gerard Fox and Willa, both of whom were so well set up in the preceding novel.  An excommunicated knight likely to be charged with heresy for not repenting for his unfairly given punishment and a brave, independent and highly capable former servant, Fox and Willa make for an intriguing pair, and I love the idea of an entire series dedicated to them wandering around helping people.  The authors do an excellent job of reintroducing them in this sequel, and I really enjoyed how they were worked into this exciting story.  Since both of their backgrounds were thoroughly explored in The Lawless Land, you don’t get a lot of extra history for them in this sequel.  Instead, there is an intriguing storyline regarding their adventures in Europe and the struggles they have faced on the road together as a couple.  Their main issue involves their desire to get married, however, due to Fox’s excommunicated status, something he takes seriously despite the unfairness surrounding the entire situation, they are unable to find a church or priest likely to approve the ceremony.  This leads to some real strain on their relationship, and I liked how the authors dived into such compelling historical concerns for their character arc.  Despite this, the two remain a strong duo with a fantastic blend of talents, and it was a real pleasure to see their second adventure together.

The rest of the character focus is completely reserved for all the new characters involved in The Last True Templar.  In particular, you spend a lot of time with Luciana Corosi, an Italian matron who has been betrayed and manipulated by her evil husband.  A smart businesswoman with a painful history, Luciana proves to be an excellent addition to the main cast, and she plays off Fox and Willa extremely well as they work together.  I loved the intriguing history surrounding Luciana, especially all the betrayals she has experienced in her life, and it was great to see her finally try and reclaim her life and her destiny.  While Luciana is great, this book is would be nothing without a fantastic villain, and this role is well filled by Luciana’s husband, Riccardo Corosi.  A scheming former Templar who betrayed his order and Luciana’s father and turned his ill-gotten gains into a thriving business which he uses to control his city, Riccardo is a despicable antagonist you have a very easy time hating.  The authors show much of the story from Riccardo’s perspective, so you get some great insights into his various schemes, and you quickly realise just how irredeemable he truly is.  Partnered with a surprisingly loyal, if murderous, English knight, and a scheming female associate who plots against everyone, Riccardo is a great foil to the main cast, and I loved the various betrayals he brings to the table, even when it comes to his own followers.  This proved to be quite a fun and compelling cast of characters and I loved seeing their fantastic story unfold.

Overall, The Last True Templar was an outstanding read and I loved seeing more adventures from the team of Boyd and Beth Morrison.  This second Tales of the Lawless Land novel was very exciting and I loved the great new characters, intriguing historical detail, and compelling thriller centric plot.  An impressive sequel from start to finish, I deeply enjoyed The Last True Templar and I hope we get more books from these amazing authors in the future.

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House of Open Wounds by Adrian Tchaikovsky

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Five-Star Books25 Comments

House of Open Wounds Cover

Publisher: Head of Zeus (Ebook – 7 December 2023)

Series: The Tyrant Philosophers – Book Two

Length: 636 pages

My Rating: 5 out 5 stars

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The always deeply impressive Adrian Tchaikovsky returns with an exceptional and remarkable piece of fantasy fiction, House of Open Wounds, which presents the reader with a particularly unique and ruthlessly entertaining story, chock full of brilliant characters.

Few fantasy authors have the range and style of Adrian Tchaikovsky, whose distinctive contributions to the science fiction and fantasy fields are quite remarkable.  While Tchaikovsky has written several highly regarded series, I have only just scratched the surface of his works, having read a few of his recent reads.  This includes his first foray into the Warhammer 40,000 universe, with the captivating standalone read, Day of Ascension, as well as the brilliant and elaborate novella, Ogres.  However, my favourite book from Tchaikovsky so far would have to be the outstanding City of Last Chances.

The first book in The Tyrant Philosophers series, City of Last Chances was an outstanding read that I had the pleasure of enjoying earlier this year.  Set around a conquered city with several unique magical inclusions, City of Last Chances introduced the reader to a cool new world and told a range of character driven stories about resistance, religion and sacrifice.  City of Last Chances got a very easy five-star rating from me, and it honestly was one of the best books and audiobooks I enjoyed in the first half of 2023.  I had such a brilliant time with City of Last Chances that when Tchaikovsky announced he was releasing a sequel in the second half of 2023, I was ecstatic.  This sequel, House of Open Wounds, continued some of the complex storylines Tchaikovsky started in City of Last Chances, and it was one of my most anticipated books for the second half of the year.

There are few nations more feared or relentless than the ever-expanding Palleseen.  A rising empire of zealots who are determined to bring Perfection and Correctness to an imperfect world, the Palleseen have advanced out of their homeland in an unstoppable wave, wiping out all religion and superstition as they go.  As cities and kingdoms fall before their military might, their armies leave behind mounds of dead and wounded soldiers who require tending in field hospital tents just behind the frontline.

Into this chaos is thrust the god smuggler Yasnic.  A former priest, miracle healer and occasional rebel, whose previous experiences with the Palleseen saw him hanged, attacked and banished from his city, Yasnic has experienced many upheavals throughout his life.  Saved from another execution by the army bureaucracy, Yasnic and his box of orphan gods arrive at the frontlines, where he has been assigned to work in an unorthodox medical unit.

Made up of a mixture of former priests, gods, magicians, alchemists, artificers, necromancers and led by a gigantic brute known as the Butcher, the experimental medical unit treats the soldiers no one else can save and recycles the rest into the war effort.  Entrusted to save the Palleseen soldiers, but doomed if anyone ever discovers the full extent of their abilities, the surgeons and orderlies of this unit ply their bloody trade as best they can while living as part of an unusual family, but the arrival of Yasnic could change everything.

As Yasnic works to fit into the unit and save lives, his unusual connections to the weakened and hidden gods of the world slowly begin to cause chaos throughout the army.  Not only is he aware of the divine forces that secretly hang around the hospital, but his own illegal and crotchety God is determined to bring miracles to the Palleseen, whether that want them or not.  As an outbreak of impossible healing and sudden pacifism spreads through the regiment, can Yasnic keep himself and his gods alive, or will the full force of the Palleseen zealots come crashing down upon him?

This was another epic and truly remarkable novel from Tchaikovsky that had me hooked the entire way through.  Featuring a dark, bloody and fun story, House of Open Wounds was a particularly distinctive read that told its own captivating story while continuing some of the best elements from City of Last Chances.  Funny, thoughtful and moving in equal measures, House of Open Wounds was an incredible and addictive novel that gets another very easy five-star rating.

I was very impressed with the exceptional and moving narrative that Tchaikovsky pulled together for House of Open Wounds, and I was hooked the second I got into it.  After the events of City of Last Chances, the reader is thrust into a new part of Tchaikovsky’s fantasy world as you find yourself imbedded in a Palleseen battalion following the members of an unusual but effective military hospital.  Like City of Last Chances, House of Open Wounds is strongly character driven, as you follow the personal stories surrounding each of these unusual outsider characters and learn about their complex pasts while watching their lives play out in the present.  Much of the plot revolves around returning protagonist Yasnic and his God, who are drafted into the unit, and you get to see his experiences of the other characters, the wars, and the internal Palleseen bureaucracy.  Most of the first half of House of Open Wounds is dedicated to exploring the new cast of characters and introducing their unique stories, as they find themselves closely following a bloody and dangerous war.  This part of the book is primarily focused on the healing and medical work of the protagonists, as well as diving into their reasons for being there and the unique skills they bring to the surgical table.  Apart from that, there isn’t an amazing amount of major plot progression here, except when Yasnic starts to mix things up around the battalion.  While this pace is a little slow, this first half of the book was really fun and enjoyable, as you find yourself getting really lost in the characters’ lives, unique struggles, desires, and experiences.  It also helps that many of these character details, as well as the mundane events of the hospital, eventually lead to bigger things later in the main plot, and Tchaikovsky does an outstanding amount of set up here.

The plot picks up a lot more in the second half, when the main battalion moves to a different warzone and find themselves involved in a substantial fight that really pushes the medical unit to its limits.  The new battles, as well as the intriguing location they find themselves in, move several of the character arcs in some big directions, and you find out more and more about each of the main characters as a result.  The constant chaos that surrounds Yasnic also starts to take its toll on the main story, as his strangeness and the double-edged miracles he occasionally brings cause him to make enemies and upset the delicate balance of the Palleseen army.  At the same time, the Palleseen war machine starts to alienate the members of the medical unit, who find their talents being stolen to create weapons.  Everything leads up to the big finale, where the protagonists attempt to free themselves with an elaborate and ambitious plan.  This plan makes great use of all their individual skills and histories, and so many little details and elements from the story are used to bring a fun and creative conclusion to the book.  Each of the fascinating character arcs conclude nicely and I loved how Tchaikovsky masterfully brought everything together in a satisfying and entertaining way.

Tchaikovsky utilises his typical excellent and distinctive writing style to convey this elaborate and entertaining narrative to the reader, and I had such a wonderful time seeing it unfold.  As with the previous novel in the series, Tchaikovsky relies very heavily on perspective changes to tell a multilayered, character-driven story.  Like the previous book, many of the major characters are initially showcased in their own chapter at the beginning, which often leads to additional cast introductions.  As the book progresses, the chapters feature perspective changes so you can see more interactions and a wider view of the entire story.  I loved the immediate deep background on several of these characters, and while you still often must wait a while to get their full story, you learn enough to like them in the opening parts of the novel.  Tchaikovsky makes full use of these characters to tell a fantastic story, and I loved how well he showcases some unique events through their eyes.  As with the previous book, House of Open Wounds has a range of tones as Tchaikovsky works hard to produce the right balance of humour, excitement, and moving and powerful character moments.  The multiple detailed and confronting scenes of the bloody battlefield hospitals are well balanced out by the fantastic and subtle humour, which often comes from the outrageous situations that occur throughout the book, as well as the various character’s unique outlooks on life.  This made for a particularly compelling book as you found yourself moving from comedic scene to a more dramatic or tragic moment with frequent regularity, as you find yourself stuck onboard a well-thought-out emotional roller coaster.

House of Open Wounds proves to be an intriguing and clever follow-up to City of Last Chances, especially as the author deepens the lore surrounding this fantasy world and brings back two fantastic protagonists.  Readers of City of Last Chances will have an absolute blast with this book, as you get some interesting follow up to Yasnic’s compelling storyline while also seeing a different side to the antagonistic nation from the first book.  This is a somewhat loose follow-up, and you really don’t need to have read City of Last Chances to enjoy House of Open Wounds.  In many ways this is a good standalone novel, especially as most of the focus is on a whole new group of protagonists, and even Yasnic is given a new name for much of the book.  Tchaikovsky does ensure that some of the key details and plot points from the first book are carried over when needed, although he does leave a bit of context out in places so as not to overwhelm new readers.  As such, House of Open Wounds is a very accessible read, although established fans of Tchaikovsky are going to particularly enjoy this, especially if they loved City of Last Chances.

One thing you can always rely on Tchaikovsky to do is to pull together an elaborate and deeply compelling world to set his stories around.  This is extremely true in this series as Tchaikovsky has come up with a war-torn landscape filled with magic, gods, demons and a new rising empire.  The author did some interesting set up for this world in the previous novel, although the plot there was primarily contained inside a single city.  In House of Open Wounds, the reader gets to see a bigger chunk of this world, even though much of the plot takes place either on the battlefield or in the camp behind the lines.  Despite this, you get a better idea of the politics, wars and conquests that have taken place in recent history, and you particularly learn more about the Palleseen.  The Palleseen are a group of ideological zealots dedicated to bringing their version of perfection to the world, which primarily involves breaking everything down into logic and reason, and doing away with superstitions and beliefs.  As such, their goal is to rid the world of gods, deities and other superstitions, usually by conquering the lands and bringing them under the control of their relentless bureaucracy.  Most of this book is dedicated to exploring the nature of their war machine, and you really get to see just how corrupt and ambitious some of their members are as a result.

I loved the focus on the military hospital and the war camp for most of the book, especially as seeing the various members of Palleseen camp allows the reader to fully understand the many problems, compromises and cruelties the Palleseen experience on their road to perfection.  Tchaikovsky throws in some great critiques of militarisation and empire building throughout the book as you see these perfect Palleseen become racked with pride, ambition and greed to prove themselves and advance up the ranks.  Their determination to win means they turn a blind eye to gods and superstitions when it suits them, and that results in the experimental medical unit that serves as the centre of the book.  However, while they appear to only want the assembled gods, alchemists, and other strange magics for healing, really they are working to corrupt them into terrible weapons to further their war capability.  There are several great storylines that see the Palleseen turning benevolent tools and creatures into highly inventive tools of war, and it serves as a major plot point and motivation for several characters, including a few Palleseen who have enough of their colleague’s lust for power.  Combine that with the returning minor gods, who end up having their own impact on several characters, and the reader comes away with a very cynical look at the Palleseen, and empires in general, which both ridicules them and shows just how malevolent and insidious they can be.

The real key that pulls together House of Open Wounds is the huge array of memorable and complex characters that are introduced throughout the course of the plot.  Tchaikovsky does a remarkable job of introducing and swiftly building up some truly amazing characters in this novel, and their compelling and often traumatic personal stories become so highly ingrained in the plot as a result.  There are so many great protagonists and supporting figures in this novel, and I was personally impressed with how all of them were original characters that were not built up in the prior novel.

The main exception to this rule is Yasnic and his god, both of whom were introduced in City of Last Chances and who are masterfully inserted into this sequel.  Yasnic was honestly one of Tchaikovsky’s best characters in City of Last Chances and I was so glad to see more of him here, especially as the author somehow manages to work in even more development after all the defining character moments that shaped him in the prior novel.  Since we last saw him, Yasnic has moved on from being the last priest of a forgotten god and has instead become a more generalised religious figure, offering shelter and assistance to fallen and orphaned gods who no longer have any power or believers by carrying them around in a box on his back.  After everything he has gone through, including his own crisis of faith, Yasnic now has a different view of the world, although he is still being haunted by his demanding and petty god.  Yasnic has some wonderful moments in this book as he tries to fit into his new role while also hanging onto the trappings of his old life.  Desperate to save everyone he can, Yasnic finds his views and pacifism really badly damaged by the constant war and the relentless and orderly Palleseen, and he is forced to make some haunting compromises.  You really get some very interesting insights into Yasnic’s mind in this book, especially as you see how the aftermath of him abandoning his position as a priest impacted him.  You cannot help but feel for the extremely likeable Yasnic at times, as he is thrust into tragic and heartbreaking positions against his will, and his quiet determination and general positivity pluck at your heartstrings.  Throw in some great new friends, an unusual but surprisingly wholesome love interest and a series of unfortunate misunderstandings that frustrate even this gentle soul, and Yasnic once again stands out as a particularly awesome and likeable protagonist.

The other side of Yasnic’s character resides in the body of his tiny, stumpy, and petty deity, God, a former major healing god who has lost all his worshippers apart from Yasnic, but still maintains his powerful healing abilities.  However, God refuses to heal anyone unless they swear a vow of pacifism, and if they cause harm to someone in any way, it will result in their wounds automatically returning, generally resulting in a sudden death.  Thanks to his stubbornness, pride, and his whiny focus on Yasnic’s soul, God was one of the most entertaining characters in City of Last Chances, and I am really glad that Tchaikovsky brought him back for House of Open Wounds.  While he is still a judgemental, mischievous and ugly angel on Yasnic’s shoulder in this sequel, you get to learn more about God and why he refuses to help save people.  There are some surprisingly emotional scenes where God expresses why he is so bitter and you really get a much better understanding of his angry mind, especially when Yasnic makes the same mistakes, adding to God’s sadness.  I also loved how well God played off Yasnic as he proves to be a surprising and entertaining counterpoint to the humble and nice former priest.  While most of their dialogue is quite contentious, with God trying to control his increasingly independent former priest, you can see deep down that God cares about Yasnic, and they form quite an interesting and fun duo.  Tchaikovsky took God’s character arc in some interesting directions towards the end of House of Open Wounds, and I have a feeling he is going to be a real nuisance to people in the next book.

House of Open Wounds also features quite a fun range of supporting characters, each of whom has their own compelling story to tell.  This primarily includes the crazy and unusual group of associated healers and hospital workers that work in the experimental hospital unit, as well as the competitive and dangerous Palleseen officers controlling their destinies.  I won’t go into too much detail here, as I could honestly go one for a paragraph about each, but I was really impressed with how well Tchaikovsky set each of them up and explored their histories and stories as the booked continued.  There are some brilliant and very well fleshed out character arcs everywhere in House of Open Wounds, and I loved just how compelling a story Tchaikovsky was able to make as a result.

Adrian Tchaikovsky once again shows why he is one of the absolute best authors of complex and intelligent fantasy fiction with this outstanding and epic read.  House of Open Wounds is a deeply clever, compelling and moving read that hooks the reader with its unique scenarios, fantastic humour, and memorable characters.  I loved every single second I spent reading this novel and I really appreciated the amazing way Tchaikovsky chose to continue the great story started in City of Last Chances.  I cannot wait to see what over elaborate fantasy stories Tchaikovsky creates in this universe in the future, and this epic novel is one of the best pieces of fantasy fiction I enjoyed in 2023.

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Throwback Thursday – Lord of the Night by Simon Spurrier

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Warhammer4 Comments

Lord of the Night Cover

Publisher: Black Library (Paperback – 25 January 2005)

Series: Warhammer 40,000

Length: 413 pages

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

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Welcome back to my Throwback Thursday series, where I republish old reviews, review books I have read before or review older books I have only just had a chance to read.  This week I check out an impressive and dark older entry from the excellent Warhammer 40,000 extended universe, Lord of the Night by Simon Spurrier.

Readers of this blog will know that I have a lot of love for the always intense and fun Warhammer 40,000 fiction, having read quite a bit of it this year.  One of the better older pieces of this fiction I managed to check out this year was the awesome novel Lord of the Night by acclaimed author Simon Spurrier.  Spurrier is an excellent author who is best known for his work on various graphic novels and comics series across the major companies.  I have read a couple of his comics over the years, although my favourite is probably his run on the original Doctor Aphra series (check out my reviews for the awesome volumes Unspeakable Rebel Superweapon and A Rogue’s End).  Spurrier also wrote several Warhammer 40,000 novels back in the mid-2000s, including the highly regarded Lord of the Night.  I was lucky enough to get a copy of Lord of the Night second-hand, and I ended up reading it while away on holiday.  Unsurprisingly I loved it, as Spurrier came up with a powerful story about two complex characters caught up in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Interrogator Mita Ashyn of the Ordo Xenos is newly arrived in the service of veteran Inquisitor Kaustus after the death of her previous master.  Desperately trying to earn her place amongst the Inquisitor’s haughty acolytes and her mysterious new master, Mita is isolated due to the taint associated with her advanced psychic powers.  Seeking alien cultists on the hive-world of Equixus, Mita is tasked with rooting out minor corruption and heresy.  However, when an ancient ship crash lands on the planet, Mita receives psychic warnings of a dark and terrible foe.

Ten thousand years ago at the end of the Horus Heresy, Commander Sahaal was chosen by his crazed Primarch, Konrad Cruz, as the heir to the Night Lords legion of Space Marines.  However, before Sahaal could take command of the Legion, his Primarch’s most sacred artefact was stolen, and Sahaal’s pursuit of the thief saw him trapped out in the depths of space for millennia.  Awaking on his crashed ship on Equixus, Sahaal finds the artefact gone, stolen by thieves from the planet.  Determined to claim lordship of his legion, Sahaal will stop at nothing to reclaim what is rightfully his, no matter how many people he has to kill.

As Sahaal begins a deadly campaign of fear in the underbelly of Equixus, Mita appears to be the only person in the Inquisitor’s retinue concerned about the danger.  Working against the wishes of her master, Mita attempts to destroy the traitor Astartes that has invaded the city before it is too late.  However, Sahaal is a master of urban warfare and soon his solo campaign of destruction has the entire hive on its knees.  As the two lost souls move to confront each other, they soon discover that there are even greater secrets at work than either of them realises, and soon the fate of Equixus hangs in the balance.

This was a powerful and compelling Warhammer 40,000 story from Spurrier that had me hooked from the very beginning.  Focussed on the two unique perspective characters of Mita and Sahaal, Spurrier sets up an intriguing and vicious story with great thriller elements in a fantastic and gloomy hive-city setting.  Starting off with some effective set-up that introduces both protagonists and their complex lives, Lord of the Night soon evolves into an impressive cat and mouse scenario between the two as Mita fights to stop Sahaal before he recovers his prize and destroys the city from within.

This leads to all manner of chaos and destruction, as Sahaal initiates a brutal urban warfare campaign by enlisting the help of a curious raft of unconventional allies, while Mita manipulates the city’s official resources to her use.  While this battle rages, Spurrier also introduces some compelling and highly important side storylines which see Mita trying to gain the respect and aid of her secretive Inquisitor master, while Sahaal comes to terms with his missing years, his complex past, and what it is to be a Night Lord.  This leads up to several great confrontations before all the characters finally come together a brutal final sequence.  There are some great reveals here, especially about who is pulling all the strings surrounding the characters, and I loved some the brilliant twists that emerged.  The book ends on a pretty dark note, with both protagonists getting what they wanted, even though it nearly destroys them, and this ended up being quite an epic and captivating read.

I love how dark and intense Spurrier made this novel, and it has such an elaborate and complex narrative surrounding it.  The split between the two main characters works extremely well to tell an elaborate and multilayered story, and I enjoyed how the two separate arcs bounced off each other, with both dealing with betrayals, personal lows and the realisation that nothing is as it seems.  The grim setting of the hive city is also very impressive, and there is a reason that Warhammer 40,000 authors use it as a prime location for their stories.  The multiple layers of tunnels, caverns, and cityscapes makes for an outstanding background to this story of urban warfare and bloody revenge, and you can easily feel the confinement, corruption and fear that Spurrier envisions in this epic location.

Lord of the Night also turns out to be quite an impressive and elaborate piece of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.  Spurrier clearly has a great appreciation and love for the lore, and it really shows in his portrayal of both a secretive Inquisitor squad and the Night Lords Space Marines.  While Inquisitors are well covered in Warhammer 40,000 fiction, such as the Eisenhorn books by Dan Abnett (Xenos, Malleus and Hereticus), I personally loved seeing a book focussing on a Night Lord, especially as they are a little unrepresented in the extended universe fiction.  Spurrier really dives into what it is to be a Night Lord, especially during the Horus Heresy and before their full corruption, and his primary Night Lord character gives the reader a full course on how to terrorise and manipulate a city to get what you want.  It was so cool to see a Night Lord in all his fear-bringing glory, and it made for quite a dark and bloody read as a result.  Spurrier also does a great job of exploring some of the wider lore of the Warhammer 40,000 universe and working it into the plot of Lord of the Night.  This ensures that readers a little less familiar with the canon can enjoy this book fairly easily and not have to worry about external lore details.  That being said, fans of the franchise are always going to get a little more out this book and Lord of the Night proved to be a particularly good earlier novel in the canon, especially with its great insights into both the protagonist and antagonist.

One of the things that I most liked about Lord of the Night was the complex and impressive protagonists that the story was set around.  Despite being on different sides, Mita Ashyn and Sahaal have a lot in common with each other, having been lost and reviled in various different ways.  Mita proves to be a great example of how dark and unfair the Warhammer 40,000 universe is, as the thing that makes her a useful servant to the Imperium, her psychic abilities, also ensures that everyone sees her as unclean and tainted.  Watching her desperately trying to prove herself to the Inquisitor, his cronies, and the people of Equixus, only to be rejected and reviled, is very heartbreaking, and you can’t help but feel for Mita as she is routinely betrayed, spurned, or ignored.  Spurrier does some wonderful work with Mita as Lord of the Night continues, and it was great to see her find her confidence, fight back against those who oppress her, and start to question her superior and the teachings that bound her and her powers.  Watching her come to terms with her place in the Imperium, and still try to do the right thing was extremely powerful, and it leads to some impressive and emotionally charged scenes.

Sahaal also prove to be a surprisingly deep and complex character to follow.  Before reading Lord of the Night, I thought Sahaal would be a deranged Chaos Space Marine, and indeed the first few scenes with Sahaal show him to be a deadly and remorseless killer who uses terror as an effective weapon.  However, as the book continues, you start to realise that there is more to Sahaal than meets the eyes.  While he kills to achieve his goals, often in brutal ways, some of the interactions he has with his surprising allies, as well as a series of compelling flashbacks, paint him in a somewhat noble light defined by his loyalty to his Primarch and his ideals for control and order.  This paints a bit more as a victim of circumstance rather than a full Chaos infected traitor, and it was fascinating to see him act very differently from other antagonistic Space Marines characters.  There are some intriguing hidden depths to Sahaal that are revealed towards the end of the book, especially when certain manipulations are uncovered, and there are some good revelations regarding his actual mindset and mental status.  I also loved the scene where he is finally reunited with his beloved Legion, only to realise just how far they have fallen in his absence.  Sahaal ends up having some intriguing interactions with Mita throughout the course of the book, and the two play off each other perfectly, representing different angles of betrayal, loyalty and misunderstood misuse.  I deeply appreciated how well Spurrier utilised both of these point of view characters in Lord of the Night and the helped to turn this into quite an amazing read.

Overall, Lord of the Night was an exceptional read and a wonderful piece of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.  Simon Spurrier does an excellent job of bringing together two amazing, misunderstood characters together in a brutal battle across a terrified city and I was hooked the entire way through this plot.  Clever, intense, and loaded with some intriguing pieces of Warhammer lore, Lord of the Night is an outstanding read and it was one of the better pre-2023 Warhammer 40,000 novels I enjoyed in 2023.

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