Tag: Penguin Random House Australia

Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Short Stories1 Comment

Publisher: Del Rey (Trade Paperback – 17 September 2024)

Series: Standalone/Short Story Collection

Length: 433 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

A must-read for all fans of fantasy author Naomi Novik is the excellent and highly enjoyable short story collection, Buried Deep and Other Stories.  Featuring an intriguing combination of stories from across Novik’s imagination and established fantasy universes, Buried Deep and Other Stories was a particularly awesome read that I had a lot of fun getting through.

Naomi Novik is a well-established and impressive fantasy author who has produced some amazing works over the years.  Best known for her iconic Temeraire series, which envisioned the Napoleonic Wars with dragons, Novik has produced some great books and stories over the years, including some interesting standalone works.  I best know Novik from her excellent Scholomance books, which showcased a dark and impressive take on the magic school genre.  The Scholomance books, made up of A Deadly Education (one of my favourite books of 2020), The Last Graduate (one of my favourite books of 2021) and The Golden Enclaves (one of my favourite books of 2022), were all extremely awesome, and this remains one of my all-time favourite book trilogies.  As such, I was very interested in reading more from Novik and Buried Deep and Other Stories offered an amazing opportunity to explore her varied writings.

Buried Deep and Other Stories contains an auspicious 13 short stories, which run the gambit from entertaining to moving and bring together both previously published short stories and new tales fresh from the author’s imagination.  While some of the reads are standalone stories, there were also entries from Novik’s more familiar universes, all of which comes together to make quite an awesome overall volume.  I was initially drawn to this book by the promise of a continuation of series I’ve previously read, but I ended up staying for the whole inventive array, especially as you are gifted a vision into Novik’s future works.

Novik starts the book off strong with the fast-paced story, Araminta, or, The Wreck of the Amphidrake, a Regency-style adventure with fantasy elements that follows a young, adventurous woman who wants more than a planned marriage.  A chance pirate attack and a gender-morphing amulet provide the opportunity she is looking for while also leading to various amorous adventures.  This was a very fun, and slightly randy, swashbuckling adventure that successfully highlights the author’s flair for combining historical periods with her own fantasy ideas.  This proved to be a great first entry to Buried Deep and Other Stories, and I appreciated that Novik started things off fun.

Novik kept the book going strong with the amazing Afterhours, which serves as a follow-up to her awesome Scholomance trilogy.  I must admit that of all the stories in this book, Afterhours was the one that I was most excited for, primarily because I had such a great time with the Scholomance novels, and I really wanted to see how the universe continued.  Novik did not disappoint with a captivating story set a couple of years after The Golden Enclaves, with a look at a new class studying at the Scholomance magical school.  Despite the Scholomance evolving and becoming less exclusive, some things remain the same, with the unusual witch Beata, finding her school life made difficult by the rich and powerful enclave students, including her roommate.  Desperate to survive, Beata and her friends break curfew to obtain rare supplies, only to encounter some of the remaining monsters roaming the school.

This proved to be an entertaining and wonderful return to the Scholomance series, and I for one was glad to get a look at the school and its unusual setup following the chaotic events of the original trilogy.  Novik does an excellent job expanding on her existing universe, and fans of the series will love this continuation, as well as a major cameo at the end.  However, this story is open to reader’s unfamiliar with the Scholomance books, especially as Novik focuses the plot on a protagonist unaware of the full details of the previous books, allowing for an excellent outsider’s perspective as you explore the setting’s unique features.  It was great to return to this iconic setting, and Afterhours was a fun read that both stood on its own, while also providing some awesome moments to the author’s existing readers.

The third story in this book, Vici, is a quick but highly fun entry that ties into the dragon taming world of Novik’s Temeraire universe.  Indeed, Vici shows the origin of the universe’s entire dragon riding premise with a Roman historical tale that sees a young Mark Antony hatch a dragon egg.  Novik produces a particularly entertaining and hilarious story, as her irresponsible Mark Antony (inspired by James Purefoy from the Rome television series), finds himself in all manner of trouble, made worse by his impressionable talking dragon.  I loved this simple but highly effective story, which not only expertly works dragons into Roman history, but which also keeps the reader extremely amused with some great humour and over-the-top moments.  One of the funniest stories in Buried Deep and Other Stories, and a wonderful mood lightener between other heavier entries.

This leads us to the book’s titular short story, Buried Deep, which serves as a powerful retelling of the Minotaur myth.  Told from the perspective of King Minos’s daughter, Ariadne, Buried Deep follows her journey to becoming a priestess of the shrine that holds her brother, Minotaur, as he stalks the labyrinth under the island.  Novik seeks to cast both Ariadne and Minotaur in a more sympathetic light, showing them as victims of their father’s schemes, with Ariadne seeking to undermine Minos by using the labyrinth to enhance her reputation.  Thanks to its deep emotional edge and near gothic style, Buried Deep proved to be a particularly unique and memorable take on the Minotaur myth, and I loved seeing Ariadne’s perspective of events.  You really appreciate her bond with Minotaur and the pain that his imprisonment has on her, and this was one of the more moving entries in Buried Deep and Other Stories.  This story effectively showcased Novik’s ability to transform well-established stories and myths, and I’m glad Buried Deep was featured here.

The next story is the fantastic entry, Spinning Silver.  A clever take on the classic Rumpelstiltskin fairytale, this story follows Miryem, the daughter of a village moneylender, who takes over her weak father’s business and becomes a successful businesswoman.  A boast about her ability to make money brings her to the attention of a malicious faerie who demands that she prove her ill-timed words three times by turning his silver coins into gold.  What follows is a fantastic and clever series of events as Miryem uses her business sense and quick thinking to technically fulfill the terms of the magical contract while also trying to get out of the unfavourable marriage promised as a reward.

I really loved Spinning Silver for a multitude of reasons, especially as it has a compelling narrative that brilliantly retells a famous fairytale in a darker and more modern manner, while also featuring a great historical Russian setting.  This proved to be a particularly enthralling tale of fortitude and tough decisions that also subtly examines the historical hardship of the Jewish population of Eastern Europe.  Spinning Silver is also an interesting inclusion as it bears the same name as one of the author’s novels.  This short story, which was published a few years before the Spinning Silver novel, was the inspiration for Novik’s later book, with the author reusing elements from it.  While readers who have already enjoyed the Spinning Silver novel will see some similarities between it and this short story, the entry in Buried Deep and Other Stories is very much worth checking out as Novik takes this short story in a different direction to give it quicker and more definitive conclusion.  I think that the Spinning Silver short story works a little better than the overall novel, mainly because the concept was more focused and reached its key points sooner, but both prove to be excellent reads.  This honestly proved to be one of the strongest entries in Buried Deep and Other Stories, and I see why Novik chose to expand it into a novel.

The fun continues with the fantastic story Commonplaces, which serves as the author’s unique entry in the Sherlock Holmes mythos.  Set after the events of the classic Sherlock Holmes short story, The Final Problem, Commonplaces focuses on the character of Irene Adler after she hears about the events at Reichenbach Falls.  This was a short but sweet story that provides an interesting modern look at the impact Holmes has on the characters he encounters.  Novik’s take on Adler, which only utilises details from A Scandal in Bohemia, is particularly authentic, and doesn’t fall into the exaggeration that many of her current popular culture portrayals are known for.  Shown solely from Adler’s perspective, you get some great interpretations into her personality, as well as her observations of the enigmatic Holmes.  I felt the story went in some very interesting and memorable directions, and I liked how it both cleverly referenced A Scandal in Bohemia but also covered a potential romance between Holmes and Adler in its own way.  Novik adds in a few subtle implications about Holmes’ romantic interests and inclinations, which I thought was a nice touch, and the resulting story effectively ties up the entire storyline between these two iconic figures.  An overall fantastic story, Commonplaces is a fun and quick short that will appeal to a lot of readers.

Novik continues to delight with the seventh entry, ironically named Seven, which was one of my favourite stories in Buried Deep and Other Stories.  Set in a unique fantasy city called Seven, the story is set around the city’s famous ceramics trade, which constantly ensures that the city is surrounded by seven giant singing statues.  Whenever one of the statues breaks, a replacement is made from a beautiful yet deadly special clay by the city’s then master clay-shaper.  Seven primarily follows Kath, a clay-shaper’s widow, who takes over her husband’s business with the help of grouchy kiln master and ceramic devotee Grovin, and eventually forms a reputation as a radical artist due to the simplicity of her pots and ceramics.  Chosen to build the next singing statue, Kath is initially reluctant due to the life-shortening nature of the special clay, until the machinations of Grovin forces her hand.

I really loved Seven, and I think it is the story that best showcases how imaginative and skilled Novik is as an author.  I was deeply impressed with how effectively Novik was able to build up a new fantasy city and then set up a complex and character-driven tale that debated art versus practicality in only 25 pages.  You easily get drawn into the struggle of Kath as she becomes a famous artist and creator with all the trouble that entails, while simply trying to provide for her family.  Novik works this initial premise extremely well, and then cleverly twists the entirety of Seven into a tale the examines the dark side of art appreciation.  This darkness is conveyed by the complex and gruff character of Grovin, a man who only loves the beauty of ceramics, and whose desire to see more of Kath’s art forces him to some dark places.  I loved the ironic twist that forces Grovin to live a life less devoted to the arts to get what he wants, and I really appreciated how Novik explored his obsession, and the differing views of what ceramics represent between the two main characters.  If I had one complaint, it would be that the story wasn’t long enough; I would love to have seen a more concrete conclusion than the philosophical end Novik came up with, but this was still an exceptional story that really hooked me in with its creativity and unique focus.

Continuing onwards, Novik throws in two great short stories that break up the book in preparation for the longer stories towards the end, with Blessings and Lord Dunsany’s Teapot.  Lord Dunsany’s Teapot is a tale of magic and imagination in the depths of horrifying war, while Blessings is a fun story about a young baby who gets over-blessed by six drunk and competitive fairy godmothers.  Both these stories have their own unique flavour, and I liked how well they played off each other in short order.  Lord Dunsany’s Teapot was a quick magical story with descriptive dark war elements to it that highlight the need for an escape from horror, while Blessings was an excellent comedic take on the fairy godmother trope from popular fairytales.  I enjoyed both these stories, although Blessings was probably my favourite due to its hilarious, quick-fire content.

Next up we have the tenth entry in Buried Deep and Other Stories, with the book’s only science fiction contribution.  Seven Years From Home is a striking story about futuristic colonialism in which a young diplomat from an ever-increasing galactic federation visits a prospective new member planet where a war is brewing between new, technological reliant colonists and the original settlers of the planet who have genetically modified themselves and are now in tune with nature.  This was an interesting take on the classic story of technologically advanced colonists warring with nature-loving natives with an outsider amid the natives learning their ways.  However, Novik takes her story in some different directions, with the natives proving to be far more adaptable than you would expect, and I loved this brilliant and intriguing tale.  While it features a great story, Novik ensures that Seven Years From Home really stands out thanks to the protagonist, who finds herself caught between her loyalties to her home empire and the new friends she makes on her adventures.  There were some great scenes as the protagonist becomes even more conflicted with her choices, especially as the information she sends home keeps the war going, and her attempts to find the same mindset of her hosts.  This story ends with some touching tragedy and a great twist, and I felt that Novik’s foray into science fiction was a fantastic success.

Continuing, we have the book’s second foray into the Temeraire universe with the fabulous entry Dragons & Decorum.  Set to the backdrop of the Napoleonic War that the main Temeraire books are based on, Dragons & Decorum is a reimagining of Pride and Prejudice with dragons.  The primary story sees Elizabeth Bennett becoming a Longwing captain in the Aerial Corps, flying her dragon as professional soldier, much to the horror of her mother.  However, despite her new role, Elizabeth still finds herself drawing the attention of Mr Darcy, and the two engage in a tumultuous courtship, with even more complexity thanks to Elizabeth’s romance-obsessed dragon and the ongoing war.  Novik clearly had fun working elements of her dragon-focused world into this literary classic, and I loved her fantastic take on the classic book, especially as dragons add new entertaining angles to the romance.  I felt that the author perfectly blended the more outrageous elements of her universe with the Pride and Prejudice plot, while also cleverly imitating Jane Austen’s writing style.  The result is a particularly amusing entry that will appeal to both fantasy fans and Jane Austen fans, and I just love the hilarious impacts any book’s relationship to the Temeraire universe can have.

On the home streak we have the intriguing and dark story, Castle Coeurlieu, which saw the very young bride of a castle lord grow close to her similarly aged stepson and learn the unusual history of the castle in which they live, including several stories about people visiting a mysterious tower within its bounds.  When plague strikes the region and her new friend flees to the tower, the protagonist follows, only to discover unusual occurrences, including three women playing with cards inscribed with the fate of the castle’s inhabitants.  While Castle Coeurlieu wasn’t my favourite entry in Buried Deep and Other Stories, it proved to be a compelling darker story that added in some grimmer elements towards the end of the book.  I enjoyed the different layers of lore surrounding the setting, and the curious young protagonist was well written and provided a great view to the plot.  An overall interesting addition to the volume, that serves as a great buffer between two of its biggest stories.

The final story contained within Buried Deep and Other Stories is the captivating adventure tale, The Long Way Round.  The longest entry in the collection, The Long Way Round was probably the story I was most looking forward to reading outside of After Hours, mainly because it provides readers with the first glimpse at Novik’s next upcoming book, currently titled Folly, following two siblings, canny sailor Tess and brilliant boat-builder Aston, who embark on a journey to cross the seemingly empty seas surrounding their known world and try to discover new lands.  Forcibly accompanied by their High Lord, a young wizard looking to prove himself, Tess, Aston and their crew set out on their adventure, only to make some unexpected discoveries with major implications for their entire world.

Featuring a great combination of likeable characters, well-written nautical elements, and a compelling new world filled with unique elements, The Long Way Round was a particularly addictive entry in Buried Deep and Other Stories.  Novik once again does a remarkable job effectively building up the scenario and the new fantasy realm in a short run time, and readers quickly find themselves getting invested in the protagonist’s journey, especially as the author does an excellent job exploring their motivations and desires.  The set-up and apprehension of the first part of The Long Way Round is well balanced by the subsequent mystery contained in the second half of the story, as the protagonists find what they seek, even if they are uncertain what it is.  Novik provides the reader with a series of stimulating and intriguing visuals and curious elements, and you really get into the spirit of the adventurous narrative elements.  This honestly proved to be an addictive read, and I found the clever, character-driven nautical adventure to be moving and fascinating at the same time.  I also found myself coming away from The Long Way Round extremely curious about Novik’s next book, and I will be interested to see whether it will be a direct sequel to this or something set further in the future.  Either way, the mystery of the titular follies is something I hope to explore in the future, and I am now even more excited for Novik’s next book whenever it comes out.

Overall, Buried Deep and Other Stories turned out to be an awesome short story volume from Naomi Novik that showed me her true range and skill as a fantasy author.  This book provides a fantastic collection of works, that hit you on every part of the emotional spectrum, including fun comedic reads and darker, tragedy charged narratives.  I was also particularly impressed by the inclusion of unique standalone stories whose elaborate fantasy concepts were well established and the expertly utilised to tell compelling stories.  The blend of original stories and windows into the author’s current and upcoming fantasy universes also ensured that readers of Buried Deep and Other Stories are in for a brilliant time.  It proved very easy to jump between these different fantasy worlds, and I felt that all readers can appreciate and follow the stories contained within, even if they were tied into the author’s other series.  As a fan of Novik’s writings, it was great to get some additional stories from her various universes, and the final story, The Long Way Round, has really gotten me excited to check out her next book.  Folly (or whatever its name may change to) is now very high on my to-read list, and I hope we see it soon.  As for Buried Deep and Other Stories, this was an incredible and fantastic short story collection that comes highly recommended for fans of Naomi Novik, as well as general fantasy fans looking for some compelling, shorter reads.

Amazon

The Last Shield by Cameron Johnston

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Five-Star Books2 Comments

Publisher: Angry Robot (Ebook – 13 August 2024)

Series: Standalone

Length: 376 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

One of the rising stars of dark fantasy fiction, Cameron Johnston, returns with an intense, gritty and addictive novel of revenge, desperation and brutal murder, with the brilliant novel, The Last Shield.

One of the more intriguing authors of fantasy fiction I have enjoyed reviewing in recent years is the outstanding Cameron Johnston, who has deeply impressed me with his small but excellent collection of works.  Since his debut book in 2018, The Traitor God, I have grown to enjoy Johnston’s novels, especially as his first book was a brilliant story of dark magical revenge.  Following up with the awesome sequel, God of Broken Things, Johnston cemented himself as an author to watch, and I have yet to be disappointed by him since.  His third novel, The Maleficent Seven, was a fantastically bonkers read that saw a small town become the unwilling recipients of a band of monstrous defenders when a massive army comes to destroy them.  I had an amazing time with The Maleficent Seven, and indeed all of Johnston’s books, which is why I was so eager for his latest novel, The Last Shield.  One of my most anticipated books of 2024, The Last Shield had an epic and cool plot behind it, and I was so very eager to check it out.

In a world of warring realms and dark magic, the ancient forest realm of Sunweald survives by serving as a buffer country between two far mightier nations on either side of its borders.  A realm of tradition and druidical magic, the heart of the nation lies in Sunweald Palace, where the Lord Regent, and the young heir to the throne reside, guarded by Sunweald’s elite warriors, the Shields.  Rough and old, Sunweald Palace is an impenetrable fortress designed protect the nation’s royal family, as well as safeguarding a massive vault of unspeakably powerful magical artefacts.

Despite its peaceful status, Sunweald finds itself beset by a group of vicious brigands, the Wildwood Reivers, who have made a living stealing away magical artefacts and trading them across the border.  Led by a mysterious witch, the Wildwood Reivers have grown bold, even launching an attack on the royal family.  When word reaches the palace of the location of the brigand’s base, the Shields depart to destroy them once and for all.  However, their mission is a devious decoy, as through treachery, dark magic and deceit, the Wildwood Reivers and their allies manage to take over Sunweald Palace.

With the Shields away and traitors holding the wall, the brigands plan to loot the palace’s ancient vaults and steal every magical artefact hidden within.  However, the Wildwood Reivers face one substantial obstacle to their success, Briar, feared, if hobbled, commander of the Shields.  Despite being outnumbered, wounded and near retirement, Briar is determined to perform her duty and reclaim the palace.  Using her knowledge of the palace’s secret tunnels and ancient corridors, Briar sets about dismantling the invaders in brutal fashion.  But battered, alone and loosing strength, can even a legendary Shield like Briar face the overwhelming odds and lethal magic set against her?

Gosh this was a very impressive and exciting read.  Cameron Johnston has a real flair for fantastically over-the-top narratives, and The Last Shield is some of his best work yet.  A complex and compelling tale of revenge and redemption, The Last Shield was a non-stop thrill ride, and I loved the deeply intense story that emerged.  This was a truly outstanding book that gets a full five-star rating from me thanks to how much sheer fun I had reading it.

The narrative that Johnston pulls together for The Last Shield is extremely awesome, and it can best be described as a gender bent, dark fantasy Die Hard, with some amazing fantasy elements.  An excellent standalone story, The Last Shield was a constantly moving book, which drew me in with its clever plot concept and the promised resulting violence.  Part of the reason the story works so well is the initial setup, which introduces the new intriguing world, but more importantly effectively gets you across the central characters and the main setting of Sunweald Palace.  There are some great early character moments here, especially when it comes to the main protagonist, Briar.  The veteran leader of the Shields, Briar is badly wounded in the opening scenes of the book, which kicks off a great arc for her as she attempts to find her purpose after the injury potentially robs her of her position.  Some other key character arcs and storylines are also introduced here, including around the young heir to the throne, whose brush with death drives him closer to the disapproving Briar as a mentor.  Johnston also takes the time to explore the full extent of the conspiracy to takeover Sunweald Palace, and you grow to appreciate just how dastardly the plot is.  As such, you are well prepared for the chaos and carnage to come, and the anticipation Johnston expertly builds up in first part of the book, really enhanced the overall impact of The Last Shield.

As such, the reader is very much ready to go when the villains initiate their plan around a third of the way into The Last Shield.  The resulting takeover is as dark and brutal as you’d expect, and the reader is well prepared to despise the antagonists and root for any sort of victory from the protagonist.  You don’t have to wait long as the despondent Briar quickly finds herself in the ideal position to fight back and begins her bloody and justified one-woman assault on the invaders.  Johnston initiates a series of intense, powerful and increasingly desperate battles, as Briar encounters greater and great hurdles and opponents as she attempts to save the Lord Regent and stop the looting of the castle’s vaults.  The author expertly ramps up the intensity every confrontation, and you really find yourself more and more off the edge of your seat as the story proceeds and Briar becomes increasingly injured.  There are some brilliantly brutal confrontations all the way to the end, and the author throws in some great twists and major final threats.  I honestly loved every second of the epic second half of The Last Shield, and Johnston wrote an amazing, blood-soaked story.

I felt that Johnston did an outstanding job bringing his cool story to life in The Last Shield, and readers are in for a great time if they check this book out.  The excellent blend of dark action, intriguing fantasy, and powerful characters really worked for me, and I felt that Johnston perfectly blended storytelling elements throughout the entire book.  The writing of The Last Shield is crisp, fast-paced, and well planned out, and it proves impossible not to be drawn into the fantastic scenario and intriguing storytelling.  Cameron does an excellent job exploring the new fantasy world that The Last Shield is set in, and you really get drawn into the bronze-age Celtic setting, and the focus on a small kingdom with some intriguing gender roles.  I particularly enjoyed how Jonston managed to emulate the feel of a classic action thriller like Die Hard or Under Siege and blend it with the dark fantasy setting.  The resulting scenes, which forced a nearly retired badass female palace guard to crawl through the secret tunnels of the castle to save the male reagent while disrupting a magical heist, were so damn fun, and it was a fantastic take on a classic film trope.  It helped that Johnston brought his typical, over-the-top mindset to the action sequences in The Last Shield, presenting the readers with an increasing bloody series of fights as the protagonist unleashed her inner fury.  These scenes of carnage and brutality paired perfectly with the complex narrative and character arcs that Johnston built up, and the resulting book was so much fun.

I need to highlight The Last Shield’s awesome characters which were a fantastic part of the book.  I have mentioned the main protagonist, Briar, a few times already, and frankly she was the heart of The Last Shield due to her intense personality and well-written storyline.  Johnston very cleverly set up Briar’s story at the start of the novel, first showing the warrior in her prime, before hobbling her and forcing her to consider retirement before the main plot kicked off.  As such, the version of Briar we see for much of the novel is a desperate, tired and absolutely pissed-off figure, especially when she realises the many betrayals that led up to both this current assault and her previous injury.  I loved how well Johnston set up this character’s revenge arc, and it was so much fun to see Briar finally get her hands on all the people responsible for her misery.  The author really dives into Briar’s mindset and emotions as the book continues, and it proves very, very hard not to root for her, especially when she is driven to her absolute limit.

While most of the focus of The Last Shield is on Briar, there are several other great characters featured throughout the book who also enhance the story.  The most prominent of these is probably the heir to the Sunweald, Ves, who has excellent parallel character growth to Briar.  Initially portrayed as a young fop, Ves grows due to the sacrifices he witnesses in his name and the brash mentorship of Briar, and he ends up proving himself in his own way.  Aside from that, I really need to highlight the excellent group of villains who Briar finds herself up against.  Featuring a band of traitors, brigands, an assassin and a dark witch, the antagonists of The Last Shield play off the stoic Briar extremely well, especially as each of them enrage her in a different way.  Johnston does a fantastic job showcasing the antagonist’s perspective throughout the course of the story, and their early scenes really work to ensure the reader dislikes them.  I personally loved seeing their point of view once they realised that Briar was loose in the castle with them, and the outrageous sequences of fear, anger and regret that followed are incredibly fun.  These characters proved to be a great boon to The Last Shield’s plot, and I deeply enjoyed the fantastic and powerful storylines that Johnston built around them.

Cameron Johnston continues to greatly impress with his fourth novel, The Last Shield.  An exceptional, addictive and gloriously over-the-top dark fantasy novel that takes inspiration from some classic action films, The Last Shield was pure entertainment and excitement, that I could not turn away from.  With great characters, an awesome setting, and so much damn action, there is something for every dark fantasy fan in The Last Shield, and I cannot recommend it enough.  One of my favourite fantasy books of 2024.

Amazon

Quick Review – Confessions of the Dead by James Patterson and J. D. Barker

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Horror, Quick Review, Thriller1 Comment

Publisher: Century (Trade Paperback – 2 July 2024)

Series: Standalone

Length: 454 pages

My Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Amazon

One of the weirder and more compelling thrillers of 2024 so far has to be the unique Confessions of the Dead by the superstar team of James Patterson and J. D. Barker.

2024 has been an excellent year for both Patterson and Barker, as both authors have produced some excellent books.  Barker wrote the engrossing and highly adult thriller, Behind a Closed Door, while Patterson has continued to release a raft of compelling thrillers cowritten with talented authors, including The No. 1 Lawyer with Nancy Allen and The Murder Inn with Candice Fox.  As such it is unsurprising that the two would come together again this year with another collaboration, this time with the intriguing novel, Confessions of the Dead.  Their last collaboration, Death of the Black Widow, was one of my favourite books of 2022, so I was very excited to read Confessions of the Dead, especially as it featured a particularly interesting plot.

Plot Synopsis:

The smallest towns hide the darkest secrets . . . Drawing elements from the horror genre, this eerie standalone suspense thriller is perfect for fans of Stephen King.

The dead tell no tales . . .

Hollows Bend is a picture-perfect New England town. The crime rate – zero – is a point of pride for Sheriff Ellie Pritchett.

The day the stranger shows up is when the trouble starts.

The sheriff and her deputy investigate the mysterious teenage girl. None of the locals can place her. She can’t – or won’t – answer any questions. She won’t even tell them her name.

While the girl is in protective custody, the officers are called to multiple crime scenes leading them closer and closer to a lake outside of town that doesn’t appear on any map . . .


Confessions of the Dead proved to be an intense and captivating horror/thriller hybrid as Patterson and Barker make the full use of their inventive narrative to unleash death, destruction and horror onto a seemingly innocent small town.  Starting off with a rain of suicidal birds hitting main street, and only getting darker and weirder from there, Confessions of the Dead follows several intriguing characters as they witness their fellow townspeople descend into madness and begin to enact dark and violent acts against each other, all while a mysterious teenage girl silently witnesses their hatred and crimes.  Things get even weirder, when it becomes clear that their town has become fully isolated from the outside world, with shadowy soldiers holding watch from the outskirts of town.  The various storylines soon reveal the dark secrets of Hollows Bend and the young girl seemingly causing the chaos, and you will not be prepared for the full truth that is revealed, and the terrifying implications.

This proved to be a rather interesting and horror-laden story that takes the readers in some surprising directions.  The narrative within Confessions of the Dead is spooky, deeply personal, and occasionally outrageous, as dark deeds slowly begin to sweep the town, turning the innocent townspeople against each other.  Patterson and Barker do a really good job of building up the mystery in the first half of the book.  There are so many intriguing secrets and mysteries lurking in this first part of the book, which are well matched by scenes of horror and human violence.  The fast-paced chapter changes that are such a distinctive part of Patterson’s writing style work wonders in conveying the unusual situation, and I loved how well the plot switched between multiple unique characters, all of whom have some dark secret they are hiding, even if they don’t know what it is.  The authors also add in some intriguing wrinkles to the plot through the use of multiple well-placed interludes that show a point in the future where one of the book’s protagonists is being interviewed by a member of the mysterious organisation keeping the town.  These inclusions really helped to build up tension as they hinted at events to come, while the elaborate setup surrounding the interviews, gave some idea of how serious the situation really was.

Everything leads up to a very intense second half of the book, as Confessions of the Dead’s story gets darker and darker.  Indeed, the authors build together a real horror/thriller vibe for Confessions of the Dead, which I honestly enjoyed, and it was great to see a more unusual and inventive thriller come out of the Patterson production machine.  There is an interesting combination of storylines in the second half of the book, from vigilante townspeople, monstrous killers, and even a Stranger Things/Goonies inspired sideline following a group of the town’s younger residents as they try to investigate the chaos engulfing the lives of their parents.  The authors set up a big and intriguing conclusion to the story, that provides a particularly unique ending that will stick in the reader’s mind.  I did think that Patterson and Barker did perhaps make the ending a little too complicated and meta for its own good, and that certain aspects of the crazy conclusions impacted my overall enjoyment of the book.  Still, this was for the most part a great story, and I had fun getting through it.

Confessions of the Dead was a particularly fascinating and memorable 2024 thriller that I was glad I checked out.  Written by the brilliant team of James Patterson and J. D. Barker, Confessions of the Dead had a wonderfully dark and brutal plot behind it, that allowed for quite the outrageous read.  Grim, intense, and featuring some interesting concepts, Confessions of the Dead proved very hard to put down and it will be interesting to see where these two authors go the future.

Amazon

Quick Review – Eruption by Michael Crichton and James Patterson

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Quick Review, Thriller1 Comment

Publisher: Century (Trade Paperback – 4 June 2024)

Series: Standalone

Length: 424 pages

My Rating: 3 out 5 stars

Amazon

If you’re in the mood for an easy-to-read, fast-paced thriller with cinematic scenes of destruction, then look no further than this year’s big blockbuster novel, Eruption.  Eruption was a very interesting 2024 novel that caught my attention early in the year due to the eye-catching superstar writing team of Michael Crichton and James Patterson.  Apparently based on the notes of the late, great Crichton and then written by the world’s biggest thriller author, Eruption was a somewhat improbable creation that came to fruition this year in a big, explosive way that fans of crazy, over-the-top reads are bound to love.

Plot Synopsis:

Two of the bestselling storytellers of all time have created an unforgettable thriller.

A once-in-a-century volcanic eruption is about to destroy the Big Island of Hawaii.

But a decades-old military secret could turn the volcano into something even more terrifying…

Now it’s up to a handful of brave individuals to save the island – and the entire world.


Eruption turned out to be a unique and memorable read, although not necessarily for all the right reasons.  The overall plot idea is exciting and easy to get into, with a massive volcanic eruption on the Big Island of Hawaii becoming a much more cataclysmic event when the predicted lava flow is expected to destroy a secret government vault containing decades of illegal radioactive waste material.  If the vault is breached, the resulting fallout from some of the vault’s more destructive contents would destroy all life on the planet.  To prevent this, a team of volcano experts from the observatory overlooking the volcano must work with the army and other skilled individuals to find a way to disrupt the lava flow and save the world.

On paper, this plot idea has a lot of potential, and the combination of Crichton’s vision and Patterson’s ability to create intense and exciting books should ensure that this is a pretty epic read.  Indeed, the reader does end up with a highly detailed volcano disaster novel that you could see Crichton imagining, brought to life with the quickfire storytelling and short-burst chapters that readers of Patterson would be familiar with.  However, despite all this, Eruption just doesn’t quite work, and a lot of people are going to come away from this book disappointed.

The main reason for this disappointment is that Eruption’sstory, while interesting in places, is very weak and just a little bit stupid.  While I don’t want to spend an entire review badmouthing every flaw with the story, there were several plot and writing issues that really bugged me which I must mention (SPOILER ALERT).  The first thing I couldn’t get past was the multiple weird and sudden jumps in the timeline that occurred throughout the book, which really throw me off from the story.  This was a minor structural issue in itself, but when combined with the other gaps and issues in the storytelling it’s very noticeable, and I hated it.  In addition, I felt that most of the characters acted like caricatures, and they routinely made stupid decisions again and again.  This includes a group of slightly ridiculous antagonists who, after nearly dying in a helicopter accident halfway through the book, decide to try the exact same thing several chapters later with results you can’t even call ironic, just dumb.  Another memorable issue involves the main protagonist’s major love interest dying in another country from an unrelated volcanic eruption (because why not?), only for the protagonist to mostly forget about them by the end of the book and instead start hitting on the other hot girl he works with.  To top this all off, they throw in a ridiculous ending which has the veneer of cleverness but literally makes all the protagonist’s actions in the book useless, and which kind reveals that none of the experts you’ve been following know that much about either volcanoes or geology.

Now, while I could completely trash Eruption for all its glaring storytelling issues, I’m a positive man, so I will also highlight bright points which will appeal to some readers.  For example, the authors have clearly done some research on volcanoes and volcanic eruptions, and they load up the book with the relevant science and history of volcanic occurrences in Hawaii.  Readers get a real crash course in volcanology, which proves highly fascinating at times, especially as the authors emphasise just how unpredictable and dangerous they can be, especially major volcanoes like those on Hawaii.  This deep understanding of volcanoes also translates into some amazing and thrilling sequences once the inevitable eruptions occur.  Massive and cinematic carnage unfolds before the readers eyes in the second half of the book, and the authors go out of their way to capture the intensity and deadly potential of a volcano, especially through a variety of gruesome deaths.  All these destructive scenes are really enhanced by the quickfire chapter changes featured throughout the book, and the authors do an excellent job of consistently building up tension as you count down to the potential destruction of the world.  All this ensures that, even with the issues I mentioned above, Eruption proves to be a hard book to put down, and you can really get lost in the insanity.

Overall, Eruption proves to be a mostly interesting and fun read, that will stick in the mind, especially as you witness the combined work of two legendary authors.  While there are a lot of obvious flaws, especially with the narrative, Eruption will still appeal to readers looking for a ton of action and over-the-top excitement.  I can honestly see Eruption being turned into a very cinematic action blockbuster at some point in the future, and if that appeals to you, you will have fun reading this cool book.  However, I do hope they fix up the storytelling holes in any eventual adaptation of Eruption.

Amazon

The No.1 Lawyer by James Patterson and Nancy Allen

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller6 Comments

The No.1 Lawyer Cover

Publisher: Century (Trade Paperback – 3 April 2024)

Series: Standalone

Length: 423 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

The blockbuster team of bestselling author James Patterson and former lawyer Nancy Allen return with the outstanding and highly entertaining legal thriller, The No.1 Lawyer.

I have been having an outstanding time getting into the various works of James Patterson the last few years, especially as he produces so many excellent books in collaboration with a range of exceptional authors.  This includes 2 Sisters Detective Agency and The Murder Inn with Candice Fox, Death of the Black Widow with J. D. Barker, Lost with James O. Born and The Perfect Assassin with Brian Sitts, just to name a few.  One of the more interesting people he has been collaborating with is veteran lawyer and author Nancy Allen.  Best known for her Ozarks Mysteries and Anonymous Justice series, Allen has also cowritten two legal thrillers with Patterson, including The Jailhouse Lawyer and Juror No.3.  The No.1 Lawyer is the third collaboration between Patterson and Allen and proved to be an amazing amount of fun.

Stafford Lee Penney is a high-flying lawyer with a shining reputation in the city of Biloxi.  The son of a notorious mob lawyer, Stafford Lee has worked his way out of the mud and holds the distinction of being the best defence attorney in the state of Mississippi.  However, this dubious title comes at a cost, and Stafford Lee’s marriage is in the toilet and his home life is a mess.  Throwing himself into his latest case, Stafford Lee defends a prominent doctor accused of a heinous murder in the trial of the century.

Determined to show that he’s the best, Stafford Lee provides an impassioned defence in this controversial case.  However, Stafford Lee is unprepared for the fallout of his decision to defend the undefendable, when his wife is murdered and he loses everything.  Broken and devastated, Stafford Lee sinks into a drunken losing streak that destroys his reputation and ends his once promising career.

With the help of his friends, Stafford Lee attempts to return to legal profession he loves so much, even if just on the periphery.  But he is unprepared for the dark truth that his wife’s killer might still be on the loose.  Worse, it soon becomes apparent that someone is targeting Stafford Lee personally, and he soon finds himself accused of murder.  To survive, Stafford Lee needs to once again become the No. 1 lawyer of Biloxi to win the biggest trial of his career, his own.

Patterson and Allen are in strong form as they bring together an outstanding and highly exciting legal thriller that is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.  The No.1 Lawyer was an awesome book, that wowed me with its cool court scenes, intriguing protagonists, and thrilling plot.

The team of Patterson and Allen come up with a fun and compelling narrative for The No.1 Lawyer and it was one that I found hard to put down at times.  The authors find the right balance of legal thriller, murder mystery and character driven storylines throughout The No.1 Lawyer and you really get drawn in as a result.  The first half of the book is firmly anchored around a big murder trial that the protagonist has been hired as the defence lawyer for.  This proves to be a fascinating case, especially as it raises some intriguing ethical concerns about Stafford Lee defending a likely guilty man, and the case gets highly personal and crazy at times.  This first half of the book also introduces some key plot points that become very relevant later, while also showcasing the main cast in a great way.  This first part of the book ends on some big moments, and while I was hooked all the way there, the compelling conclusion to the first part of the story ensured that I had to keep going with The No.1 Lawyer.

After the death of the protagonist’s wife, the story goes in some fantastic and personal directions as Stafford Lee ends up spiralling and very much losing his way.  This is easily the most emotionally charged part of The No.1 Lawyer, and you really come to appreciate the author’s character work and how they cover grief and loss.  A good chunk of the middle of the book is dedicated the protagonist rebuilding his life one brick at a time, while he also finds his way back into the legal profession, albeit at a much lower level than before.  These various scenes are really heartfelt, and the authors also use them to further set up additional plot points for the rest of the book.

The final third of The No.1 Lawyer is where all the action unfolds, and Patterson and Allen don’t hold back, with additional murders, frame jobs and a new trial where the protagonist must defend himself for murder.  I really enjoyed how bleak things got for the protagonist here, especially after seeing him get back on his feet in the previous part of the book, and it was great to see him once again get into top legal form to defend himself.  The big trial here was very fun, as Stafford Lee stopped caring about decorum and decided to go for a very aggressive defence, and the resulting scenes were pretty damn fun.  There was also a compelling murder investigation in the sidelines, which melded well with the legal thriller parts of the book.  The big reveal of who was behind the killings was very interesting, if not too surprising, and while I liked how it turned out, especially the violent confrontation, I would have preferred a fun court sequence to reveal the truth.  Still, Patterson and Allen more than make up for this with the final big twist, which I thought was extremely clever, and which will blow more than a few people away.  I had such a great time with this amazing and epic story, and this was easily one of the most entertaining narratives of 2024 so far.

I am a big fan of legal thrillers, and Patterson’s writing style combined well with the knowledge of Allen to create a very good example of the genre.  The various court scenes and accompanying legal work are well showcased, and you really get drawn into the outrageous and captivating court sequences as a result.  The cases being discussed also prove to be quite complex, and I enjoyed seeing the various secrets and lies that the authors hide within the details.  I also had a good chuckle at Patterson and Allen producing a fun homage to John Grisham here with The No.1 Lawyer, especially as they featured a legal thriller down in Biloxi.  The two provide their own excellent take on this infamous city, and I liked the small town feel you often got with everyone knowing each other, especially as that led to some intriguing legal complications.  Everything is kept very sharp and fast paced, and the multiple quickfire chapters that are so typical of a Patterson book help to keep readers extremely engaged with the plot.

While there is obviously a lot of focus on murder and legal proceedings in The No.1 Lawyer, I felt that human elements of the story helped to make this book particularly good.  Nearly all the main characters in The No.1 Lawyer are deeply flawed in ways that only humans can be, and the authors do a wonderful job showcasing this as the plot continues.  This is particularly true for protagonist Stafford Lee Penney, the young hotshot lawyer whose obsession with his career has cost him his marriage and a normal homelife.  We follow Stafford Lee through the many highs and dramatic lows of his life, which presents a rollercoaster of emotions to the reader which are so damn compelling.  The many scenes where Stafford Lee loses everything and finds himself in a drunken depression were very moving, and the authors did an amazing job of capturing his grief and despair.  Watching him rebuild himself with the help of his friends was an excellent part of the book, and you really grow attached to him as a result, which makes the trials that follow even more intense.  I also appreciated how the way in which the book captures the many pressures associated with being a top-notch lawyer, especially as it shows that no matter how hard it gets, the protagonist loves his profession and the thrills that comes with it.

The No.1 Lawyer also features a fantastic supporting cast that move the story along in some interesting directions.  Stafford Lee’s two close friends, Mason Burnett and Jenny Glaser prove to be his emotional rock for much of the book, and the various scenes where they support Stafford Lee at this worst are some of the strongest in the entire novel.  Jenny’s concurrent investigation into the various killings around Biloxi also prove to be an interesting part of the book, especially as it often clashes with Stafford Lee’s wishes, and she proved to be a fantastic female lead.  However, I did think the inevitable romantic arc between Stafford Lee and Jenny was a little forced at times, and the book might have been fine without it.  Other key characters include Stafford Lee’s original client, who proves to be a fun key suspect, a notorious Biloxi gangster, and the various members of the state’s court system, all of whom prove quite invested in Stafford Lee’s various cases.  The opposing prosecution for Stafford Lee’s main trials is of particular note, especially as the cases get quite personal for them.  All these characters, and more, prove to be excellent additions to the plot and I really enjoyed the fun directions the authors took them in.

Overall, I had an amazing time with The No.1 Lawyer, and it proved to be a very epic and entertaining book that I really got invested in.  The brilliant team of James Patterson and Nancy Allen created an excellent legal thriller, and I really appreciated how compelling and exciting the story got at times.  Slick, entertaining, and loaded with substantial emotional charge, The No.1 Lawyer was a fantastic novel that is really worth checking out.

Amazon

Nero by Conn Iggulden

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction6 Comments

Nero Cover

Publisher: Michael Joseph (Trade Paperback – 28 May 2024)

Series: Nero – Book One

Length: 396 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

One of the absolute best authors of historical fiction in the world today, Conn Iggulden, returns with an exciting new series as he examines the life of Rome’s most infamous Emperor, Nero.

Conn Iggulden is a historical fiction author that I have a lot of respect for, especially as consistently presents intense and compelling reads that focus on some of the most interesting people and conflicts of the historical world.  Starting off over 20 years ago with his iconic Emperor series, which covered the complete life of Julius Caesar, Iggulden has moved through various historical periods and locations with his works.  This includes his impressive Conqueror series, which followed the life and legacy of Genghis Khan, his outstanding War of the Roses books, the fantastic standalone novel The Falcon of Sparta, and his clever Athenian series, made up of The Gates of Athens and Protector.  All these series have been really impressive, effectively balancing historical detail with exciting storytelling, and Iggulden is a favourite author of mine as a result.  Due this I have been really excited for his latest novel, Nero, which provides an intriguing look at the events that led to the ascension of the titular Emperor.

Rome, AD 37.  The greatest city in the world is in turmoil.  The decrepit and vengeful Emperor Tiberius has returned to Rome after a lengthy absence, and his first act is to order the strangulation of the man he left in charge.  As a flurry of sanctioned killings and destruction begins to reign down upon Rome, a young boy is born who is destined to burn everything around him.

Born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, the boy is the son of a former champion charioteer of noble lineage, and Agrippina, the great-granddaughter of the Emperor Augustus.  With family ties reaching all the way back to original emperors, Lucius is already considered an eventual claimant to the Roman throne.  However, there are many within Rome who want power and influence for themselves and care little for the hopes and ambitions of a noblewoman and her young son.

With dark clouds on Rome’s horizon, Agrippina soon discovers that the greatest threat comes from closer to home than she realises in the form of her brother, Caligula.  Banished and robbed of everything, including her young son, Agrippina finds herself at the mercy of those around her.  However, Agrippina does not intend to be powerless forever, and when fate intervenes, she finds herself with the opportunity to influence the very heart of Roman politics.  Can Agrippina ensure the rise of her young son, the boy who will eventually be known as Nero, and will Rome ever be the same again?

This was an intriguing and gripping novel from Iggulden, who continues to show why he is one of the most consistent and entertaining authors of historical fiction.  Nero is a fascinating and thrilling read that cleverly examines the early life of the future emperor from those around him and proves very hard to put down.

Nero contains a typical Iggulden narrative, in which he focuses on a historical figure and follows them from birth to their eventual rise to power.  In Nero’s case, this book is clearly the first part of a larger series as it is dedicated to examining the childhood of the future emperor and the many events that lead to him to the throne.  As such, the focus of this novel is more on his parents, and the various other dangerous Roman figures who were around at this time.  Starting in the latter days of Tiberius’s reign, the author parallels Nero’s birth with the start of Tiberius’s purges in Rome, while also showcasing his troubled parents, including his mother Agrippina, who is essentially the main character here.  This proves to be an interesting start to the book, especially as you get a good look at many of the key figures the story is going to focus on, while also showcasing just how crazy stories recounting the history of Rome can get.

The author quickly moves the story along to the reign of Caligula, which drags the protagonists closer into the limelight due to Agrippina being the new emperor’s sister.  Naturally, it doesn’t take long for affairs to devolve into chaos, and there are some major changes that really impact the lives of the principal cast.  The second half of the book features a decent time skip which brings certain figures back into prominence and allows Agrippina to focus on her ambitions.  Iggulden does a great job showcasing Agrippina’s change of heart and new desire for power, and I liked the intrigue, political machinations and manipulations that were at the heart of this second half of Nero.  Everything leads up to an interesting conclusion, as Iggulden adds in some exciting military action, which contrasts nicely to the political and personal struggles of the first half of the plot.  The book ends on a solid note that ensures readers will come back to the series in the future, especially as the story of Nero is only just beginning.  This proved to be a very intriguing story, and I enjoyed how Iggulden showcased the many infamous historical events and wove a great, character-driven story around them.

Nero had a great tone that was a combination of character driven plot, over-the-top Roman antics and intriguing history, which I really enjoyed.  Loaded with a fast-paced and brutal story, you quickly get absorbed into the many political intrigues and dysfunctional relationships that lie at the heart of the plot, and Iggulden did an outstanding job flipping the perspective around a range of compelling historical figures and showcasing their unique views on intriguing events and the future emperor.  The story is constantly sharp and compelling, I liked how intense events got, especially as Iggulden ensured that certain dark moments of history are shown in all their glory.  I deeply enjoyed the author’s depictions of Roman history, and his take on events really stood out compared to some other series I have read set in the same period.  The chaotic nature of the antagonists, the mood of the city, and the general insanity of the times were all very impressive, and they formed a great background to the outrageous plot.  Iggulden has such a knack for displaying Roman history (as evidenced by his first epic series) and he really makes the ancient city, and iconic figures stand out for all readers.  While he does appear to take a few liberties with the historical record for storytelling purposes (honestly, what historical fictions author doesn’t ?), many of the most iconic moments of the time were captured perfectly, and he constantly ensured that the mood of the city was examined in detail.  I deeply enjoyed this fantastic and captivating historical tale, and Nero proved to be a highly addictive book to check out.

I want to also highlight some of the amazing characters featured in Nero, especially as most of them proved to be awesome takes on major historical figures.  As I mentioned before, the character of Nero himself doesn’t get a lot of time as a perspective figure in this first novel, mainly because he is quite young for most of the plot, although he does get a few intriguing moments in the second half of the book.  Instead, most of the book was dedicated to showing the formative events of his youth, as well as how he ended up in the position to eventually become emperor.  I felt that this was a smart decision on Iggulden’s behalf, and I really enjoyed seeing this in-depth examination of Nero’s history, especially as most Roman historical fiction series tend to include him as an overexaggerated villain rather than a product of the crazy times he grew up in.  I look forward to seeing how he evolves in future books, and it will be interesting to see how Iggulden utilises him as a major perspective character.

With Nero growing into the role, the character who probably gets the most focus is Agrippina the Younger, Nero’s mother and future empress.  Due to the way the plot plays out, Iggulden spends a lot of time exploring this controversial figure, and I rather enjoyed seeing the in-depth examination of the events that preceded her marriage to Claudius.  You get a very complex picture of Agrippina here, including the many tragedies surrounding her family, the violent marriage that resulted in Nero, and the terrible treatment by her brother Caligula.  Iggulden does an excellent job showcasing how these events impacted Agrippina’s personality, and you can see how and why she becomes more ruthless and determined to be the one in control.  While she does a lot of despicable things, Iggulden almost makes her a sympathetic character, although certain dark events stop you from ever truly loving her.  I deeply enjoyed the author’s portrayal of Agrippina in Nero, and she proved to be a compelling and intriguing force.

Other characters of note include Nero’s father, Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, a violent drunken former famous charioteer who Iggulden showcases in a manner similar to a modern-day angry failed sports star trying to relive their glory days.  Constantly enraged that the world has left him behind and caught up in events beyond his control, Gnaeus cuts a dark and brooding figure that proves very hard to love.  Despite this, Gnaeus was a very intriguing addition to the plot, and his fraught interactions with Agrippina left a mark that resulted in some intriguing plot points.  I must also mention the great depictions of the three emperors who preceded Nero, Tiberius, Caligula and Claudius.  All three of these emperors are notorious, and Iggulden went out of his way to show their many eccentricities and issues, as well as the impacts that they had on the Roman empire.  I always love seeing authors depict the unique events these figures were responsible for, and Iggulden did not disappoint.  As such, they all end up being major and memorable figures in Nero, which proved to be quite important, as their actions and reigns will no doubt be referenced and compared to Nero in the rest of the series.  Throw in a great collection of other fantastic historical figures, and Nero had a great cast that really brought some amazing monsters from history to life.

Conn Iggulden continues to showcase why he is one of the top authors of historical fiction.  Nero was an outstanding book that masterfully showcases the early life of the infamous emperor with a wildly entertaining story.  Exciting, dramatic and very over-the-top, Nero was an incredible read that I deeply enjoyed.  I look forward to seeing how Iggulden brings this series together in the future, and I am already very excited for the inevitable sequel.

Amazon

Devil’s Kitchen by Candice Fox

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Thriller9 Comments

Devil's Kitchen Cover

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

Series: Standalone/Book One

Length: 480 pages

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

Amazon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Devil's Kitchen 2

Amazon

Quick Review – The Winter Palace by Paul Morgan

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Drama, Historical Fiction, Quick Review4 Comments

The Winter Palace Cover

Publisher: Penguin Books (Trade Paperback – 26 March 2024)

Series: Standalone

Length: 329 pages

My page: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Amazon

Compelling Australian author Paul Morgan presents an intense and intriguing historical drama that examines the tragic lives of a Polish husband and wife who find themselves torn apart by war and circumstance in The Winter Palace.

Plot Synopsis:

If he had died, I would know it in my heart.

In 1939, Anton, a captain in the Polish army, says goodbye to his wife, Elisabeth. He is leaving to defend their homeland against the invasion by Nazi Germany and Russia. They make a vow that – whatever happens, however much time passes – they’ll meet again at the Winter Palace, their stately home in the Polish countryside.

The winds of war draw them far apart. Anton is captured and sent to Siberia as a POW. He eventually joins a lost army that battles through snowstorms and scorching deserts in Central Asia to find freedom. Anton survives, driven by his determination to join Elisabeth again. She, meanwhile, is forced to be the ‘mistress’ of a Nazi officer before escaping to join the Polish resistance.

As the war ends, Anton and Elisabeth are at the opposite ends of the world. Anton is in Australia. Elisabeth is in Poland, awaiting his return for months and then years. Will they ever meet again at the Winter Palace?

From 1930s Europe to present-day Australia, this is a sweeping story of love that cannot be broken by time, distance, war or even death.

Morgan came up with a powerful and captivating tale in The Winter Palace which really hits hard.  Following Anton, a Polish military captain, and his wife Elisabeth, The Winter Palace features a well-planned-out split protagonist storyline that shows their respective dark journeys during the destructive chaos of World War II.

Both character-focused storylines are interesting and dark in their own ways, especially as the two protagonists go through hell and back as part of their respective war stories.  Anton’s plot follows the fate of the Polish soldiers who were captured during the joint Nazi and Soviet Invasion.  In Anton’s case, he experiences being a Soviet POW, a reluctant Soviet soldier fighting the Nazis, and then a member of the Allies when the Soviets send their freed Polish soldiers to Palestine.  Elisabeth’s story is more Poland focused, as she is forced to become a Nazi ‘mistress’ before escaping and finding purpose, first as a nurse, and then as a member of the Polish resistance.  Both storylines go in some very compelling directions, as the protagonists experience major traumas, tragedies and struggles, all while the two characters are convinced that they will never see their spouse again.

I honestly have a hard time saying which of these two storylines was my favourite, as both hit you in different ways.  Anton’s was possibly the more interesting to me as a fan of military history, and I found his constant struggle to survive the direct imprisonments he experienced to be both moving and intense.  There are some very direct tragedies in Anton’s experiences, including a particularly dark moment in the first half of the book, and I really found the story of the captured Polish soldiers to be extremely fascinating.  However, the other half the book that focuses on Elisabeth is just as dark, if not even more traumatic, especially as the protagonist experiences evil she can’t fight back against, at least not at first.  Watching her overcome her constant oppression and pull together a satisfying life that allows her to help people on many fronts was particularly inspiring, and I really enjoyed how her arc came together.

While these storylines are separate for the entirety of the plot, I felt that Morgan did a good job playing them off each other. The corresponding tragedies, the near misses in finding out each other’s fates, and the decisions they make as a result are all moving and captivating, and you are constantly enthralled to see if or how they will get back together.  I think that the ending Morgan left the book on was particularly moving, and it fit the overarching themes of the tragedy of war and not knowing about those left behind.  I also appreciated how Morgan didn’t overuse the trope of Australian descendants finding out the wartime secrets of their parents or grandparents.  Instead, readers were given a simple but highly effective connection to the present that ended the story on a thoughtful and peaceful note that was a great conclusion to such an intense story.

I really must emphasise how impressed and intrigued I was by some of the historical elements captured in The Winter Palace.  Morgan does an amazing job of showcasing various alterative experiences suffered by the Polish, from the initial invasion all the way up to the end of the war.  This includes a great rundown of how many citizens, especially women, were abused in Poland as the troops rolled in, which ensured a dark aura around the potential homecoming many characters were hoping for.  However, I found the historical details of the Polish soldiers and civilians captured in the opening days of the invasion to be the most interesting.  Watching the various hardships and journeys that these individuals had to go through during the war, including being POWs, having to fight alongside their former captors against the Nazis when they found themselves on the same side as the Soviets, and the transfer of their army to the Middle East to serve with the Allies on the Western front was extremely fascinating and it was an part of history you don’t see often in fiction.  These historical details from Morgan where some of my favourite parts of the book, and I deeply appreciated the compelling story he told around them.

Overall, The Winter Palace by Paul Morgan was an outstanding and compelling historical drama that really grabbed my attention.  Powerful, unflinching and focusing on a complex and dark period of our history, this was an emotionally charged and excellent read that is really worth checking out.

Amazon

Lone Wolf by Gregg Hurwitz

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Thriller8 Comments

Lone Wolf Cover 2

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

Series: Orphan X – Book 9

Length: 420 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Amazon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lone Wolf Cover

Amazon