Tag: War

Warhammer 40,000: The Last Ditch by Sandy Mitchell

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Throwback Thursday, Tie-in Novel, WarhammerLeave a comment

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 1 February 2012)

Series: Ciaphas Cain – Book Eight

Length: 9 hours and 29 minutes

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

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The mighty hero of the Imperium returns for another rip-roaring and highly entertaining Warhammer 40,000 adventure, with The Last Ditch by Sandy Mitchell, a wonderful Ciaphas Cain novel that proves exceptionally hard to put down.

I have been in a real Warhammer 40,000 mood lately, so I decided to continue my exploration of the franchise by diving back into one of its best and most hilarious series with another Ciaphas Cain novel by Sandy Mitchell.  The Ciaphas Cain series are particularly awesome Warhammer 40,000 novels that follow the adventures of the legendary human hero Commissar Ciaphas Cain as he faces down the many horrors the grimdark Warhammer universe has to offer.  However, what sets the series apart from other series in the franchise is the fantastic tongue-in-cheek way in which the supposed hero of the series sees himself as a substantial coward concerned more with his own survival, and whose heroic exploits are down more to luck and chance.  This results in a fantastic collection of books, each one of which throws the protagonist into danger despite his best efforts, often resulting in a series of hilarious and over-the-top adventures.  I have had an outstanding team reading the previous entries in the series, including For the Emperor, Caves of Ice, The Traitor’s Hand, Death or Glory, Duty Calls, Cain’s Last Stand and The Emperor’s Finest, and I have been eager to read the eighth novel in the series, The Last Ditch for some time.

Commissar Ciaphas Cain, famed hero of the Imperium of Man, is at the height of his legendary career, fighting back the many enemies of humanity despite his best attempts to stay out of battle.  However, despite his reputation usually landing him in the most challenging of conflicts, Cain’s next mission seems to be relatively straightforward.  Once again accompanied by the Valhallan 597th regiment of Imperial Guard, Cain is tasked with eradicating a simple ork infestation on the frozen planet of Nusquam Fundumentibus.  However, not even Cain’s most pessimistic musings of the future can prepare him for the horrors to come.

Travelling aboard a disreputable freighter, Cain and his soldiers are forced to make a deadly crashlanding on Nusquam Fundumentibus, right into the middle of an ork horde.  Engaged in a desperate fight for their lives against the greenskins, the Imperial Guard are blind to other threats hiding on the planet, threats that are far more insidious than a group of rampaging orks.

As the conflict continues and several isolated communities on the planet start to go dark, Cain soon becomes aware that something apart from the orks are stalking the citizens of Nusquam Fundumentibus.  Something ancient and malevolent lies hidden beneath the ice of the planet, and the new war has finally woken them up.  Outnumbered and outmatched, the Imperial Guard need to pull a desperate and no doubt suicidal plan to survive.  Luckily, they have a bonified hero to lead the charge, even if he’d rather be anywhere else in the galaxy.

The always outstanding Ciaphas Cain series continues in impressive form, as Sandy Mitchell adds further depth to some of the more entertaining and gripping novels in the Warhammer 40,000 franchise.  Combining intense action with the protagonist’s unique insights into the grimdark Warhammer universe, The Last Ditch was a brilliant addition to the series that I couldn’t get enough of.

Mitchell once again came up with an outstanding narrative for The Last Ditch that grabs your attention early on and keeps you hooked to the very end.  I must admit that I was a little apprehensive about reading The Last Ditch, as it looked like Mitchell was going to rehash the similar ice-world story found in Caves of Ice.  However, this book has a very different narrative, while still maintaining all the familiar story elements that make this series to dependable to read.  Starting off on a different footing with a fun transport arc that ends in deadly tears, The Last Ditch has an explosive first third (literally), which provided a lot of initial drama and risk.

The Last Ditch’s story quickly dives into even more awesome action, as the protagonist is reluctantly forced into action against the orks, while other dangerous threats lurk beneath the surface.  I liked how Mitchell did a good job building up tension in advance of the reveal about the true antagonists of the novel, with the reader knowing that something worse was coming thanks to Cain’s prescient narration from the future, and the author used this time to expand on his new setting.  The eventual sequence revealing this enemy had a great horror vibe to it as Cain explored tight quarters underground, and it led naturally into an extended campaign.  The rest of the book is a good mixture of connected action scenes, as Cain and the other characters slowly work out just how desperate the situation is and attempt to take steps to address it.  This works well as an overarching narrative, and you really appreciate the scope of the situation and the protagonist’s continued accidental heroics as he tries to run away.

All this perfectly leads up to a final big sequence, where the desperate protagonists are forced into a particularly brutal fight with little hope of survival.  Unsurprisingly, this requires Cain to engage in another suicide mission, which leads to some of the best action scenes in the entire book.  This entire last section of The Last Ditch is a particularly awesome thrill ride which I powered through so very quickly to see how everything came to an end.  Readers come away very satisfied from The Last Ditch, which honestly was one of the stronger books in this cool series, and I really enjoyed how Mitchell continues to entertain with his amazing and entertaining Warhammer 40,000 premise.

Mitchell maintains pretty much the same writing style for The Last Ditch he has previously utilised in the other Ciaphas Cain books, which allows for a very impressive light read.  It is told primarily in a chronicle/journal format written by an older Cain, which recounts the events of this adventure through the narrow focus of the protagonist’s unreliable memory.  This allows for a fun and self-centred take on events that examines Cain’s reluctant action while also loading up the story with some entertaining humour that provides a great satirical look at the usually grimdark Warhammer 40,000 universe.  This main narrative of action, adventure and supposedly cowardly behaviour is cleverly interspersed with a range of entertaining footnotes, commentary and in-universe texts that have been provided by the account’s patient, if sarcastic, editor, Inquisitor Amberly Vail.  This combination of narrative elements not only cleverly provides readers with and informative and light-hearted look at events taking place outside of Cain’s selfish storytelling, but it also pumps up both the humour and the stakes of the plot, especially as you become aware of the planet-wide impacts of the central adventure.

As with all the books in the series, The Last Ditch does work well as a standalone novel that readers can enjoy without any previous knowledge of the other Ciaphas Cain books, or indeed the wider Warhammer 40,000 universe.  While this novel is set in the middle of Cain’s personal chronology and makes mentions of several previous adventures, readers should have no trouble following along, with the point of these references made clear quickly through the writing and context.  Established fans of the series will also have a lot of fun with this book, especially as Mitchell continues Cain’s adventures with the Valhallan 597th, and there are a lot of entertaining familiar beats with this newer entry.  Like many of the previous books, The Last Ditch does have some repetition issues, with Mitchell reusing a lot of basic story ideas and phrases in Cain and Vail’s descriptions that returning readers will notice.  However, I felt that this entry was distinctive enough, especially with a more horror vibe to it, that any readers can come in and easily enjoy it.  This allows The Last Ditch to remain an awesome addition to the overall series, and it’s one I personally had an outstanding time getting through.

I also must once again highlight some of the great character work in this novel, especially when it comes to the main character of Commissar Ciaphas Cain.  A complex figure and self-professed coward, Cain spends most of the book trying to come up with ways to avoid combat and survive the inevitable danger his reputation and own bad lack force him to participate in.  With a very cynical and self-deprecating writing style, Mitchell always tries to emulate classic, comedic and craven military figures like Flashman or Blackadder with his depictions of Cain.  However, despite the protagonist’s best efforts to showcase himself as a dishonourable coward, his resultant heroic actions and Inquisitor Vail’s notes help to show the reader that his is somewhat lying to both us and himself, as he continues to be an inspirational figure.  This allows for quite a complex and relatively light-hearted read, as you are constantly wondering just how honest the protagonist is being with his observations and descriptions of his actions.  This all blends well with Cain’s witty and sarcastic humour, which lightly lampoons the usually serious Warhammer 40,000 universe and ensures that you are constantly entertained as you follow Commissar Cain into danger once again.

The rest of the cast of this novel are also a ton of fun, especially as many fan favourite characters from the previous novels are well utilised here.  This includes Cain’s faithful aide, Jurgen, who continues to toe the line between gormless soldier and ultra-effective sidekick, and is a very entertaining inclusion in any of these books.  Inquisitor Amberly Vail once again has a big impact, despite her actual appearance in the novel being quite negligible, and her no-nonsense overarching commentary allows for quite an amusing read.  The returning members of the Valhallan 597th regiment were a welcome inclusion, and it is always cool to see the close relationship that Cain has with these soldiers after so many adventures.  Throw in a young gung-ho commissar that Cain is forced to school, and a planetary governor trying to stay in control of her planet amongst the chaos of war, and the cast of The Last Ditch was pretty exceptional and continues Mitchell’s habit of showcasing entertaining and complex supporting characters.

I have long extolled the impressive virtues of the audiobook format when it comes to Warhammer 40,000 fiction, as it is just so much fun having the over-the-top stories read out loud.  Some of the very best Warhammer books in this format are the Ciaphas Cain audiobooks, due to their elaborate casts and the fantastic way their narrators capture the unique style of the series.  This is particularly true for The Last Ditch, which was another absolute joy to listen to, as its amazing narrators perfectly captured both the humour and complex action.  Coming in with a decent run time of nine and a half hours, listeners can absolutely fly through The Last Ditch audiobook, which once again features all the awesome elements that the rest of the series had.  This includes the use of several different narrators, with the incredible vocal talents of Stephen Perring, Penelope Rawlins, Emma Gregory, Toby Longworth and Andrew James Spooner, all adding a lot to the impact of this fun and fantastic story.

Perring is particularly awesome as he voices the main plot of The Last Ditch from the perspective of Cain.  Voicing the protagonist’s conflicted memories of the events, Perring perfectly captures the complex personality of the main character, while also providing a fun take on the action and adventure occurring around the protagonist.  Perring has a great range of different voices for this part of the book, with each of the characters getting a very fitting tone that showcases their separate personalities, including many recurring voices the narrator used in previous audiobooks in the series.  Perring is once again supported by Penelope Rawlins, who voices the character of Inquisitor Amberley Vail as she edits Cain’s memoirs.  Rawlins really dives into the sarcastic character of Inquisitor Vail in these supporting parts of the book, providing a calm, indulgently humorous voice that fits the fun feel of the series.  Rawlins’s interruptions and inclusions as Vail complement Perring’s narration extremely well, adding some great  humour to the plot without ruining the flow of the main story.  These two narrators work together extremely well to bring out much of the book’s humour, and I love how they both have kept coming back to this series to ensure some excellent continuity.

While Perring and Rawlins do the main narration, the additional narrators each have a fun supporting role in proceedings.  Emma Gregory probably gets the most use of the three as she once again voices the memoirs of an ambitious officer in Cain’s regiment, retelling events in a particularly bombastic way.  Gregory deliberately over-acts her part of the audiobook to show off the brash personality of the memoir’s author, and you have to love the pomp and self-importance that Gregory adds to her voice work in these scenes.  The other two, Longworth and Spooner, both of whom are well-established narrators of Warhammer fiction in their own right, have a lot of fun with more minor supporting roles in The Last Ditch, and their cool, if short, inclusions added some fun variety to the experience.  The overall result was another excellent listen that really enhances the fun and impact of the story and the larger franchise.  I honestly think that the Ciaphas Cain series has some of the best audiobooks, and The Last Ditch perfectly showcased how well these books come across in this fun format.

With all the fun action, humour and great focus on a fantastically flawed protagonist fans have come to know and love, Sandy Mitchell continues his exceptional Ciaphas Cain Warhammer 40,000 series with The Last Ditch.  A wonderful and deeply entertaining read, The Last Ditch was a joy to read from start to finish and I had such a brilliant time with it.  Indeed, I enjoyed The Last Ditch so much that I immediately dove into the next book in the series, The Greater Good, the second I finished it.

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Lives of Bitter Rain by Adrian Tchaikovsky

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy, Five-Star Books, Short StoriesLeave a comment

Publisher: Head of Zeus (ebook – 15 October 2025)

Series: The Tyrant Philosophers – Book 2.5

Length: 128 pages

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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From the amazing mind of Adrian Tchaikovsky comes a brilliant and heartfelt fantasy novella Lives of Bitter Rain, an outstanding read that provides some intriguing extra context to one of the author’s previous impressive releases.

Last year I had the great pleasure of reading the amazing Days of Shattered Faith by the legendary Adrian Tchaikovsky.  The third book in the author’s outstanding Tyrant Philosophers series (which previously featured City of Last Chances and House of Open Wounds), Days of Shattered Faith was an exceptional read that perfectly continued the loosely connected Tyrant Philosophers series with a tale of betrayal, personal growth and diplomacy gone wild in a world slowly being taken over by an empire of religion-hating perfectionists, the Palleseen.  I deeply enjoyed Days of Shattered Faith, which ended up being one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2025, and I have been eagerly awaiting the next entry in the series for some time.  However, before I get to that, I decided to also check out awesome novella Lives of Bitter Rain from Tchaikovsky, which served as an interesting companion-piece to Days of Shattered Faith, with a powerful and heartfelt personal story behind it.

Plot Synopsis:

City-by-city, kingdom-by-kingdom, the Palleseen have sworn to bring ‘Perfection’ and ‘Correctness’ to an imperfect world. But before these ruthless Tyrant Philosophers send in their legions, they despatch Outreach – the rain before the storm.

Outreach is that part of the Pal machine responsible for diplomacy – converting enemies into friends, achieving through words what an army of five thousand could not, urging the oppressed to overthrow the bloody-handed priests, evil necromancers and greedy despots that subjugate them.

Angilly, twelve-years-old, a child of Pal soldiers stationed in occupied Jarokir, does not know it yet, but a sequence of accidents and questionable life choices will lead her to Outreach. As she travels from Jarrokir to Bracinta, Cazarkand, Lemas, The Holy Regalate of Stouk and finally, Usmai, she’ll learn that the price of her nation’s success is paid in compromise and lost chances, and that the falling rain will always be bitter.

Lives of Bitter Rain was a very clever and highly addictive novella that dives into one of the main characters of Days of Shattered Faith, Sage-Invigilator Angilly, the Palleseen ambassador who spent most of the book caught between her duties and responsibilities to her people, and her feelings for the crown prince of the nation she was assigned to.  Providing a compelling personal history of Angilly that was mostly left out of Days of Shattered Faith, Lives of Bitter Rain is a wonderful tie-in to the main book that will appeal to a wide audience.

Starting off fast, as any good novella should, Lives of Bitter Rain quickly dives into the formative events of Angilly’s childhood and captured the tragic events and influences that led her to join Outreach.  From there, the book covers how Angilly went from a brainwashed Palleseen orphan to the more flexible and unconventional figure we meet in Days of Shattered Faith.  This leads naturally to the second half of Lives of Bitter Rains’ short narrative, which shows Angilly’s assignment to the nation of Usmai and the start of the relationship that will bring her so much pain in the accompanying full novel.  Tchaikovsky does an outstanding job tying up all the loose ends surrounding this main character by the end of Lives of Bitter Rain, which provides some intriguing and deeply tragic context to this character’s actions in advance of the story from Days of Shattered Faith.

This proved to be an exceptional new release from Tchaikovsky, who provides a short and sweet read in Lives of Bitter Rain.  I really enjoyed how intense and complex he made this novella, which told its own unique story while also providing some excellent additional character work.  The expansion of Angilly’s personal history, as well as her experiences in Usmai before the events of Days of Shattered Faith, really provides some fantastic context around a lot of her actions and emotional connections in the later story.  This was honestly a very perfect prequel narrative, and you can clearly see that Tchaikovsky had all these details about this character’s past and motivations in his head when he wrote Days of Shattered Faith.  Throw in some fantastic extra worldbuilding for his Tyrant Philosophers universe, especially for the always fascinating Palleseen, and this was an exceptional novella that I couldn’t get enough of.

One of the key things readers must consider when reading Lives of Bitter Rain is whether to enjoy it before or after Days of Shattered Faith.  Both options have some appeal to it, although I personally read it after enjoying the main novel, which meant that Lives of Bitter Rain provided a certain post-mortem enjoyment which I deeply appreciated.  Not only did you finally get some lingering questions about Angilly answered but it also ensured that I found certain events from the book a little more tragic in retrospect.  However, if I had read Lives of Bitter Rain in advance, I would have had a better idea of Angilly’s personality and relationships, as well as some advance knowledge about Usmai and the city of Alkhalend, both of which would have helped me appreciate the narrative more as I was reading it.  I personally think that I made the right choice reading Lives of Bitter Rain after Days of Shattered Faith, but there really isn’t a wrong answer here and readers who do it either way are guaranteed to have an amazing time with this cool, prequel novella.

Overall, Lives of Bitter Rain comes very highly recommended, especially for those who have already got caught up in the magic and insanity of Adrian Tchaikovsky’s Tyrant Philosophers series.  An exceedingly clever prequel novella with some deep character work behind it, Lives of Bitter Rain was well-worth the read, and I am now even more excited to dive into the recently released fourth Tyrant Philosopher’s novel, Pretenders to the Throne of God.

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Sins of the Fathers by John Byrnes

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Australian, Historical Fiction1 Comment

Publisher: Macmillan (Trade Paperback – 1 July 2025)

Series: Standalone

Length: 399 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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A rising author in the field of Australian drama and historical fiction, John Byrnes, had a very interesting book back in 2025 that I have been meaning to review for a while, Sins of the Fathers.

Byrnes is a relatively new Australian author whose work I have been rather enjoying in recent years.  Byrnes career started back in 2023 with his cool thriller Headland, a compelling modern crime fiction novel with some interesting dramatic twists around it.  Headland ended up being one of my favourite debuts of 2023, and I made sure to read his next novel, the historical saga The Youngest Son (one of my favourite Australian novels of 2024).  It looks like Byrnes intends to continue his focus on Australian historical epics going forward, as his third book was the intriguing and exciting novel from last year, Sins of the Fathers, which followed several compelling characters through several major events of the 1910s.

Plot Synopsis:

In 1910s Australia, the sins of the fathers leave behind a bloody legacy in this historical epic saga, perfect for fans of Peaky Blinders.

Two fathers, their sons and the feud that binds them.

In the early years of the twentieth century, Billy and Tommy Smith are growing up on the mean streets of Sydney’s Millers Point. It’s a hungry, hard-scrabble life, made even worse when their violent father returns home from a long stint in prison.

In the wealthy eastern suburbs, Charles Davies is living an entirely different life, the beneficiary of his father’s business acumen and insatiable, unyielding greed. Charles wants for nothing – except perhaps his father’s approval.

When an incident on The Point leads to the deaths of both Charles’ and the Smith boys’ fathers, a hatred is born that will follow the three men through their lives. In an epic saga taking them from Sydney to Gallipoli and the killing fields of France in World War I, to the melting pot of Darwin and the opal fields at Lightning Ridge, the men’s paths all lead to one final revenge.

But in the end, what price must be paid for the sins of the fathers?

Sins of the Fathers was a very good historical fiction read that thrusts several damaged youths into the grinder of early 20th century Australian history.  Starting off strong, the book primarily begins in early 1910, when violent father of Billy and Tommy Smith is released from prison back into their already hard lives.  As the Smith children attempt to survive in harsh poverty, their lives take a dangerous spin when their father is murdered, and the evidence points to crooked businessman Arthur Davies, who soon also dies.  This leads to a life-long, mostly one-sided feud between the Smiths and the spoiled son of Davies, Charles, who is determined to get revenge for the slights against him.  This revenge plot also extends to the Smith’s young neighbour Angeline, who serves as a love interest to Tommy throughout the book.

After these early chapters, the plot of Sins of the Fathers keeps jumping ahead every couple of years, with the protagonists examining some key historical events that impacted Sydney in the early 1910s.  Naturally, this leads to the three male characters of the book getting enlisted in the Australian Army for World War I, with the Smiths and Charles Davies eventually ending up on the same battlefield, with disastrous results for all involved.  At the same time, Angeline remains in Sydney and serves as an interesting fourth point-of-view character, as she uses her business acumen to survive and gain status.  Back in Europe, the three male characters are eventually separated and start making their own way in the world in their own standalone adventures.  The exception is Davies, who continues to attempt to get revenge and gain money by attacking his apparent rivals.  Byres explores some interesting different historical locales and periods throughout the second half of Sins of the Fathers, with some intense and exciting adventures befalling the cast.  Everything eventually leads up to all the characters reuniting towards the end of the book, as the protagonists attempt to overcome one last plot from Davies.  The end result is a very compelling and intense standalone narrative, that drags you in with its fun characters and cool historical content.

At this point Byrnes has settled well into the historical fiction groove, producing a complex and layered narrative across several entertaining characters.  Making good use of a split between four key characters, Byrnes did an excellent job exploring the turbulent 1910s in Sins of the Fathers, with some great dives into key elements of early Australia and World War I.  This exploration of this crucial decade served as a captivating backdrop to the personal narratives of the four main characters, and the mixture of personalities and their separate struggles allows for a highly enjoyable read.

The resulting narrative is loaded with action, adventure and some excellent examples of personal determination, which allows for a very fast-paced read.  I also loved the thrilling intrigue that surrounds the book’s antagonist, Charles Davies, who is a devious and entertaining brat incapable of taking responsibility for his actions.  Byrnes did such a good job creating another repellent villain here with Davies, and watching his various schemes against the protagonists and others really amps up the stakes of the book as the reader is eager to see him fail.  I frankly had the most fun with Davies’s various chapters, and it was an entertaining foil to perspectives of the more likeable protagonists.  Throw in some interesting twists about the death of the Smith’s father and the resulting rivalry between them and Davies, and the entirety of Sins of the Fathers plot really comes together into a clever and deeply personal historical journey.

Overall, I was quite impressed with John Byrnes’s second dive into the historical fiction genre, and Sins of the Fathers proved to be a strong and highly exciting piece of Australian fiction that you could really sink your teeth into.  An addictive epic that expertly showcased some key Australian moments and locations in the 1910s, Sins of the Fathers was a great read, and I am excited for whatever historical adventure Byrnes comes up with next.

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Seven Recipes for Revolution by Ryan Rose

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Fantasy2 Comments

Publisher: Daphne Press (ebook – 25 November 2025)

Series: What We Eat – Book One

Length: 480 pages

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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In the mood for a tasty fantasy debut? Then look no further than the clever and distinctive 2025 release, Seven Recipes for Revolution by talented new author Ryan Rose.

Plot Synopsis:

The Bear meets Attack on Titan in this exhilarating, food-based epic fantasy filled with high stakes and monster steaks, perfect for fans of Pierce Brown and Jay Kristoff.

Seventeen-year-old Paprick is a common butcher, carving slabs of meat from gargantuan monsters so elite chefs can prepare magic-granting meals for the rich. But Paprick’s true passion is cooking, and if he can learn the secret art, his dreams of liberating his people and sharing the monsters’ magic with the world could come true. He steals the precious ingredients needed to practise recipes at home, but if he’s caught, he’ll be executed.

As his desperation grows, he ventures into the black market and uncovers a spice imported from unknown lands. Combining it with the last of his stolen meat, he cooks a dish the world has never tasted before, with side-effects he couldn’t have foreseen.

The dish’s magic grows Paprick to kaiju-size, and legends of his powers spread among the people. Immediately, the rulers arrest him, but Paprick convinces them to make him a chef’s apprentice―if they ever want to learn his Recipe. However, his exposure to the world of high cuisine reveals the rot at its centre, and with his new power, rebellion is only a few recipes away…

Seven Recipes for Revolution was a particularly awesome book that really showcased Ryan Rose’s excellent imagination and ability to craft a compelling story around his unique food-based magic.  The first book in Rose’s What We Eat series; Seven Recipes for Revolution was an outstanding read that greatly impressed me with its clever story and unique ideas.

Rose produced a delicious story for Seven Recipes for Revolution, which quickly grabs the reader’s attention.  Primarily told in a chronicle format from the perspective of a future Paprick before his execution, you are soon transported to the protagonist’s early days as a common butcher in a segregated society of magical foodies.  This early part of the book serves as an excellent introduction to the protagonist and the larger world the series is set in, as you soon learn about the food magic of this nation, as well as the magical beasts whose meat give them power.  It doesn’t take long for Paprick to find himself in the middle of a deadly revolution when, after stealing magical meat from his job, he is able to create a new recipe that allows him to grow to massive size.  Able to leverage his discovery with the rulers of the city, the Rares, Paprick is allowed to become an apprentice chef, which leads him into even greater trouble.

What follows is an interesting centre to the narrative as Paprick enters a whole new world of cuisine in an excellent magical school narrative as Rose provides some compelling looks at the city’s main chef school.  I loved the mixture of interesting classes, which feature both cool magic and awesome-sounding food, and it serves as a great background to the rest of the plot as Paprick gets further involved with the revolution, as well as a bloody conspiracy lurking underneath the surface of Rare society.  The last third of the book is a fantastic blur of action and intrigue, as various secrets come to light and the protagonist faces some very dark choices and challenges.  The build-up to these events in the main story is well supported by the sequences occurring in the present day, as the future Paprick messes with the mysterious chronicler recording his story, while also providing some interesting hints of events to come.  All this leads up to a great conclusion, and I loved the fun twists that emerged as you get towards the end.  Readers come away very satisfied from Seven Recipes for Revolution, and you are left wanting to find out what happens next.

I really enjoyed how Rose pulled together his first book, and the unique fantasy story he came up with was particularly inventive and well-written.  Rose really showed off his creative style early, quickly introducing readers to a cool new fantasy realm where magic resides in the meat of gigantic beasts, known as emphon, and the way you prepare the food grants different abilities and powers.  It was really fascinating to see a complex and segregated fantasy society built around this magical cookery, and the resulting obsession with cooking and food that the characters gave Seven Recipes for Revolution a distinctive and complex feel.  Rose made full use of these creative elements throughout his story, and the resulting training, battles and intrigues related to secret recipes and culinary abilities was quite spectacular.

In addition to the amazing worldbuilding , I must compliment the way that Rose set out the story using the chronicle method, which shows the older Paprick telling his narrative to an initially unnamed archivist who has history with the protagonist.  Having a character retell the story of their life as narrative tool doesn’t always work, but I think was particularly effective in Seven Recipes for Revolution, especially as it added some fun uncertainty and visions of the future to the mixture.  Much of this is done through various interruptions from the archivist as they refute parts of Paprick’s story and claim that he is either embellishing or adding in material to make himself look better.  I liked how this established the protagonist as a bit of an unreliable figure, and you’re never quite sure where his story will go next.  The conversations about the future Paprick and the archivist give each other also adds to the anticipation of the main plot, and you are always waiting for the events they hint about to drop.  This cool style works so well with the combined fantasy and intrigue elements of Seven Recipes for Revolution’s plot, and you really get stuck into the food-based carnage and complex betrayals that emerge both in the main story and the plot surrounding the future recording of Paprick’s tall tale.

Thanks to his outstanding imagination and excellent storytelling ability, Ryan Rose’s debut novel, Seven Recipes for Revolution, was a particularly awesome read, and it’s one I’m glad I checked out last year.  Loaded with cool food-based magic, duplicitous characters and some amazing action, Seven Recipes for Revolution was addictive fun from start to finish, and I really enjoyed how it came together.  Seven Recipes for Revolution ended up being one of my favourite debuts of 2025, and I cannot wait to see how Rose continues his series later this year with his upcoming book, Eight Tastes of Treachery.

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Cold War by Jonathan Maberry

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Five-Star Books, Horror, LGBT+, Science Fiction3 Comments

Publisher: Blackstone Audio (Audiobook – 14 October 2025)

Series: NecroTek – Book Two

Length: 19 hours and 33 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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The insanity and complex storytelling of Jonathan Maberry’s incredible NecroTek series continues in 2025 with the impressive and deeply intense sequel Cold War.

2025 has been a pretty awesome year for fans of Jonathan Maberry, as we have not only gotten the new Joe Ledger/Rogue Team International novel, Burn to Shine, but Maberry also continued his excellent NecroTek series.  Released in collaboration with the iconic Weird Tales magazine, the series started last year with the amazing novel, NecroTek (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2024), this series saw Maberry combine compelling science fiction elements with his love for Lovecraftian horror, when, in the near future, a space station of scientists and soldiers is transported across the galaxy and forced to fight eldritch horrors.  As the book continued, several of the human characters to become the titular NecroTeks, undead pilots of gigantic alien war machines, who are forced to risk the destruction of their souls to fight back against the monsters coming for them.  Due to how powerful, compelling, and occasionally scary this novel got, I have been keen for the sequel, Cold War, for quite some time, and I made sure to check it out the amazing audiobook version of it a few weeks ago.

Plot Synopsis:

In NecroTek, Asphodel space station was accidentally teleported to the far side of the galaxy, where they became embroiled in a never-ending war against ancient cosmic horrors.

But there is much more to the story …

On Earth, scientists uncover an alien spacecraft buried for millions of years beneath Antarctic ice. Inside are terrible secrets and a creature desperate to escape.

Soon the scientists studying the Artifact begin to have terrifying dreams, driving many of them to madness and acts of shocking violence. Dr. Evie Cronin and her team struggle to find answers, fully aware that they may only be found out among the stars. Their investigation brings them to the orbit of Jupiter moments before the WarpLine gun misfires. Destiny is a vicious and devious thing.

On Asphodel Station, the newly created ghost-driven NecroTek fighting machines are engaged in a desperate battle for survival against the deadly shoggoth fleets. But a new and far more dangerous race of creatures is poised to attack, both with their own fleets and with nightmares forced into the minds of the dwindling human defenders.

The group of scientists from Antarctica and the survivors on Asphodel are pitted against an unstoppable enemy. If they fail, Asphodel Station will fall, and the Outer Gods will be free to wage a war of conquest across the galaxy—to Earth itself.

Jonathan Maberry once again delivers an impressive read with his outstanding and complex Cold War.  Featuring an intense, character driven story that takes its protagonists to hell and back, Cold War was a powerful, horror-laden science fiction novel that refuses to let you go.  I loved this book so much, and it gets a very easy five-star rating from me, and I have recently featured it on my recent favourite sequels and audiobooks lists of 2025.

Maberry produced a very exciting and captivating narrative for Cold War that goes in a very different direction than I would have expected after NecroTek, but which works as a very effective and expansive sequel.  Initially showcasing the events in the aftermath of NecroTek and the first big battle for Asphodel Station, the reader is quickly and effectively reintroduced to the key characters from the first book and given an update on how they have continued to adapt to being transferred across the universe.  The early chapters of Cold War also take the reader back in time a few years before the events of the first book, when a group of scientists uncover an ancient alien artifact in the Antarctic snow, keeping it secret from the world and all the protagonists of the first book.

Cold War’s narrative soon develops an interesting and noticeably uneven split in the storylines.  While a good chunk of Cold War continues to showcase the figures on Asphodel and their multiple struggles, including the slow reveal of a new terrifying group of antagonists, much more focus is given to the Antarctic research plot line, with longer chapters dedicated to this part of the book.  While this move away from the established plot is surprising, I personally thought it was very clever, as it allowed Maberry to further expand both the cast and the lore around the threats humanity was facing, while also bringing the story back to Earth.  The cool exploration and first-contact scientific elements of this Antarctic storyline were also deeply compelling, and I got extremely absorbed in this part of Cold War’s narrative as the book continued.  While there was more of a focus on the Earth-based narrative, the story around Asphodel was still very impressive, with some complex character development, multiple ultra-exciting sequences of space combat, and a growing sense of dread as dark forces stalk the protagonists.

The final third of Cold War sees the book’s two separate storylines come together in very direct way, which allows many of the unique characters developed in both NecroTek and Cold War to come together.  While the transition to this part of the book is quite sudden, it allows for a very exciting end run of the book, as Maberry pumps up the action, and takes the protagonists through hell and back.  Maberry brings out all his best horror writing as the now combined cast are forced to contend with a terrifying array of monsters and eldritch creatures, including another zombie substitute (Maberry loves his zombies).  All the storylines from the first half pay off in this final part of Cold War, and while there aren’t too many surprises, you’re constantly on your feet as you wait to see who’s going to survive and which side characters are going to get killed off.  The author leaves Cold War on a very interesting note, and I’m already extremely curious to see where he takes the NecroTek series going forward.

Maberry utilised his distinctive and well-honed thriller writing style in Cold War, which combined nicely with the science fiction story and the overarching horror vibes to create a brilliantly intense and fast-paced read.  Once again breaking the story up into a series of short and sharp alternating perspective subchapters, Maberry constantly jumps Cold War’s story between multiple key protagonists, as well as some antagonists, to produce a wonderfully layered and powerful narrative that constantly has multiple awesome interlocking storylines on the go.  This quick-paced style works well to enhance both the book’s horror and science fiction elements, and the constant jumps also increase the tension of the plot and produce some excellent action sequences, including some truly unique and ultra-impressive space combat sequences.  There were also some new delightfully terrifying horrors determined to kill the protagonists both in their dreams and real life cleverly introduced in this novel, and Maberry did an amazing job building them up as a threat the entire book.  Maberry also effectively splits his book into two separate narratives for much of Cold War’s runtime, with alternating chapters diving between the events in the present at Asphodel Station and the prequel storyline in Antarctica.  This cool split really changed the feel and focus of Cold War compared to NecroTek, and while Maberry allowed both storylines to run mostly independently, they also worked well to support each other.  All these great writing techniques and narrative choices allowed Cold War to really stand out as a sequel, and I liked how much stronger Cold War turned out as a result.

While Cold War does work extremely well as a sequel, with the author’s excellent storytelling choices and alternating timelines really adding a lot to the story from NecroTek, it does mean that this book is probably not as accessible to new readers as some of Maberry’s other works.  Maberry does do his usual excellent job of recapping key events in the text as the book continues, so new readers do get a pretty good idea of what happened and who the key figures are.  However, the full emotional impacts of events, as well as the significance of some of the revelations coming to light in Cold War’s big prequel narrative in Antarctica really aren’t going to hit readers as hard if they haven’t read the first book.  Indeed, Cold War might be best read by established fans of Maberry, who will appreciate the author’s continued utilisation of Lovecraftian elements, as Maberry continues to showcase his love for the classic horrors with some fun science fiction twists.  Experienced Maberry readers will also be more used to the author’s extreme content, as Cold War is as dark and disturbingly over-the-top as many of his books, with some very adult horror moments.  Readers should also be on the lookout for easter eggs to some of Maberry’s works, including a fun reference to the antagonist of the Joe Ledger novel Dogs of War.  As such, this is very much a book for those readers familiar with the author, although I think new fans would be in for an excellent time.

As with most of Maberry’s writing, one of Cold War’s big strengths is its excellent contingent of complex and often highly damaged characters, whose unique interactions and experiences during these terrifying times frame the book’s captivating narrative.  Cold War contains an interesting mixture of returning figures from NecroTek and a new batch of protagonists who end up taking over a good part of the plot.  This includes Professor Evie Cronin, the leader of the expedition who discovers the alien artifact in Antarctica.  Evie serves as a great new major protagonist for the series, and Maberry’s choice to set much of Cold War’s narrative around her, ensures that the NecroTek books continue to have a strong scientific basis to their narratives.  The author really tries to capture the shock, excitement and fear that would accompany the discovery of an alien ship through Evie’s experiences in Cold War, and she serves as a relatable and likeable major focus for much of the book’s plot.  Maberry also works in a nice romance angle between Evie and shooter Jenny Spears, that serves as a big emotional part of Cold War’s plot, and which added to the stakes and impact of some of the high-tension sequences.  Of the remaining new characters introduced in Cold War, my favourite was probably Dr Torquil Brollachan, a government scientist who takes over the investigation of the alien artifact.  A complex and guarded figure, Dr Brollachan serves as an interesting foil to Evie and his secret motivations and dangerous priorities turns him into a bit of a Dr Frankenstein figure at times (an apt comparison that Dr Brollachan would appreciate), resulting in some fantastic reveals in the second part of the book.

While these new characters are impactful and have some very compelling storylines around them, their inclusion does mean that the cast introduced in NecroTek don’t get as much time to shine as they previously did.  Still Maberry keeps many of their storylines going, and all of them serve as a key part of the book’s plot.  This includes the main character from the first book, Dr Lars Soren, whose steady presence continues to be a great part of Cold War, and I enjoyed how Maberry further explored his cosmic philosophy ideas in the interludes.  The continued inclusion of the dead characters brought back as NecroTeks was also very compelling, with their experiences, including that of Bianca Petrescu, providing some complex existential elements to the plot.  I also liked how Maberry choice to focus a lot more on pilot character Lieutenant Commander Veronica Roland, better known as Calisto, who was forced to step up and lead the human pilots defending Asphodel Station.  Calisto’s struggle to become a leader, as well as the distinctive and beautifully written fighter combat sequences, are another amazing highlight, and I appreciated how well her scenes were written in this sequel.  Throw in the entertaining Irish necromancer, Lady Jessica, who spends much of the book recovering from the events of NecroTek, and the cast of Cold War was a very awesome part of this book, and I personally cannot wait to see where all their captivating and haunting personal stories go from here.

Like I have with all the other Maberry novels I have had the pleasure of reading, I ended up enjoying Cold War on audiobook, which I find is the best way to enjoy the author’s thrilling narratives.  I always find that Maberry’s dark tales and intricate and exciting writing style always translate nicely to the audiobook format, and they tend to be some of the best listens each year.  Indeed, as I mentioned above, Cold War was one of my favourite audiobooks of 2025, and I ended up powering through this new audiobook’s 19-and-a-half-hour-long runtime.  Much of Cold War’s epic success on audiobook once again lies in the narration of Maberry’s long-time audiobook collaborator, Ray Porter.  Porter, who is one of my favourite audiobook narrators, always perfectly matches the dark and sinister tones of Maberry’s writing, and I really love the sense of menace and intensity he brings to audiobooks like Cold War, as he conveys the underlying threat and fear Maberry weaves into his tales.  Porter also expertly delivers all the book’s awesome action, great humour, and other deeper emotions, to the listener and there is always a great synchronisation between Porter’s narration and the intent of Maberry’s writing.  Porter also has an outstanding array of distinctive voices for the book’s characters, and I love how he always manages to bring the best out of Cold War’s complex casts.  All these voices, including for the various new characters introduced in this sequel, were extremely fitting for their respective cast member, and I appreciate how effectively Porter portrays each figure’s emotions.  Porter also does an exceptional job voicing the sinister monsters and other eldritch figures haunting the protagonists, and the impressive array of creepy voices really emphasises the dark nature of Cold War’s story to the listener.  All this results in quite an exceptional listen, and it’s one that I cannot recommend enough.  Honestly, I don’t think it’s going to be possible for me to ever not enjoy a Maberry novel on audiobook, especially if Porter is narrating, and there is a reason these epic listens always top my best audiobook lists each year.

Maberry’s outstanding NecroTek series continues in extremely strong fashion with the extremely captivating Cold War.  Cleverly expanding on the story from the first novel, NecroTek, Cold War effortlessly kept up the terrifying tension as multiple compelling characters continue to experience the dark horrors the universe has in store for them.  I had an exceptional time with Cold War, and I have no problem letting you know that this book will be appearing in my favourite novels of 2025 later this week.  I’m also extremely excited as a Maberry fan for 2026, as not only do we have the new Joe Ledger book, Red Empire, coming out in March, but the NecroTek series will also thankfully be continuing, with a third novel, Ghosts of the Void, tentatively set for release towards the end of the year.

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Star Wars: Master of Evil by Adam Christopher

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Science Fiction, Star Wars, Tie-in Novel3 Comments

Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio (Audiobook – 11 November 2025)

Series: Star Wars

Length: 15 hours and 27 minutes

My Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars

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Prepare for a dive to the dark side with the captivating and impressive new Star Wars novel, Master of Evil by Adam Christopher.

2025 has been a pretty good year for Star Wars fiction, with several awesome new books introduced to the existing canon.  My favourites have so far been The Mask of Fear by Alexander Freed and Sanctuary by Lamar Giles, although I have also just finished the outstanding and deeply compelling new release, Master of Evil.  The second Star Wars book from tie-in fiction author Adam Christopher, whose Stranger Things novel, Darkness on the Edge of Town, I previously had the pleasure of reading, Master of Evil is an exciting and complex book that I have been looking forward to for a while.  A very interesting read set in one of the best periods of Star Wars lore, Master of Evil had a great plot behind it, as well as a particularly epic cover.

Plot Synopsis:

After Revenge of the Sith, a newly forged Darth Vader hunts for the secrets of life and death under the watchful eye of Emperor Palpatine.

In the wake of Emperor Palpatine’s rise to power, the true nature of his most sinister enforcer remains a mystery. Darth Vader is a dominant yet illusive figure: the shadow cast by a malignant Imperial regime, unknowable to even its top officials. But even as his humanity gives way to myth, Vader remains haunted by the promises of the dark side, seeking the ultimate power that his master has hinted at but withheld—the power to conquer death itself.

On the volcanic world of Mustafar, Vader undertakes a dark ritual, bleeding a kyber crystal to forge his lightsaber. This act unleashes a power far greater than he anticipated, giving him a glimpse into the limitless potential of the Force.

Vader is determined to follow this vision, even if it means defying his master’s orders. Yet he finds the Emperor is suspiciously supportive of his mission, even sending Vader to the Diso system to investigate rumors of a Force-wielding shaman able to raise the dead. At his side are a cadre of the Emperor’s scarlet-robed Royal Guard, led by Colonel Halland Goth—a decorated soldier with a very personal interest in Vader’s mission.

Even as the Emperor’s true motivations reveals themselves, Vader falls deeper into obsession. His journey takes him far across the galaxy, chasing rumors and phantoms. But no matter how far he travels, he cannot escape the shadows within his own soul. Haunted by the echoes of his past, Vader circles the true resolution to his quest: only once all weakness is purged can he become a master of evil.

Adam Christopher presents one of the more unique and compelling Star Wars novels of 2025, with the awesome and complex Master of Evil.  Following several highly damaged characters as they move towards a dark collision course, Master of Evil had me hooked very early on, and I had an outstanding time with this novel, especially on its audiobook format.

I really enjoyed the exciting story Christopher came up with for Master of Evil, which drags the reader in with captivating Star Wars lore and some very personal character elements.  Starting off with an interesting prologue set around Count Dooku, the story soon skips to immediately after the events of Revenge of the Sith, focusing on the early days of the Empire.  While some early scenes are shown from the perspective of Vader, much of the novel is primarily shown through the eyes of new character Colonel Halland Goth, a Royal Guard assigned to Vader.  Tasked with reporting back on Vader’s actions, Goth accompanies him on his quest to find a Force-wielding shaman and learn more about the dark side of the Force.  While there is less of a direct focus on Vader and his inner thoughts than you’d expect based on the synopsis, Christopher does an excellent job of setting up Vader as a sinister and conflicted personality in this novel, especially with a cool scene on the planet Diso, where Vader clashes with the shaman. 

Following this first part of the book, the middle of Master of Evil slows down a little, as Christopher continues to develop his new characters and their motivations, as well as set up an interesting investigation arc as Goth tries to find out who or what Vader is.  There is a less direct Vader here, but I really got stuck into this part of the book and enjoyed the author’s compelling examination of his protagonists and their personal growth, as well as the early politics of the Empire and the manipulations of the Sith.  This eventually leads to an extended final third of Master of Evil, where several different groups attempt to find an abandoned Separatist spaceship filled with various secrets.  There is an excellent mixture of storylines here, with Goth chasing Vader and his chance of survival, other interested parties trying to get the treasure of the ship, and Vader accessing dark power hidden within.  While much of Vader’s adventures are told through the eyes of others, including clone troopers assigned to him, there are several fantastic scenes here where we directly see Vader access the dark side of the force hidden in the ship.  These scenes are particularly powerful, as we are given direct access to Vader’s conflicted mind, and the resulting Force visions give some outstanding insights to his psyche.  The other big character-driven storylines of Master of Evil also go in some fascinating directions, and Christopher loads them with action, self-discovery and tragedy, all of which is quite moving and addictive.  The conclusion of Master of Evil is particularly emotionally charged, and the novel ends on some complex notes that dedicated Star Wars fans are going to really appreciate.

I felt that Adam Christopher did an excellent job pulling together a compelling, character-driven Star Wars novel that was part adventure, part intriguing lore dive, that makes full use of its setting and examination of complex figures from the films.  The excellent story moves along at a swift clip throughout the entire book, and you really get dragged into the well-balanced mix of action, intrigue and emotionally charged pieces of Star Wars lore.  While parts of the book are a little slower to build up future story elements, for the most part Master of Evil was a very compelling novel that didn’t have any real wasted space. Despite some reservations I had before I read this book that Master of Evil was going to be way too lore-heavy for casual readers, I felt that Christopher produced a Star Wars novel that was actually pretty accessible.  Anyone with a good basic knowledge of Star Wars (or who has at least watched the original and prequel trilogies) will be able to follow this story along closely and have an excellent time with it. 

While I do think that Master of Evil is accessible to new readers, Christopher does feature some deep cuts into Star Wars lore that will primarily appeal to established fans of the series and its associated tie-in books and comics.  There are a lot of references to various bits of Star Wars fiction set before and after the events of Master of Evil, and Christopher has fun mentioning other books and comics.  For example, there are multiple references to the events of Charles Soule’s Darth Vader: Dark Lord of the Sith comic, the first volume of which mostly takes place just before this novel.  Indeed, Christopher replicates one of the key sequences from this comic in one of Master of Evil’s opening scenes, which honestly made for a gripping read, especially on the audiobook format.  There are also a ton of clever references to the main films either side of this book, Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, including some re-enactments of a couple of major scenes from another character’s perspective.  I also loved some of the vision sequences associated with Vader’s hunt for the dark side where he envisions alternate versions of established events, many of which come out in darker and more sinister ways.  This combines well with the book’s fascinating look at the early Empire era of Star Wars history, and this was a very awesome novel for those readers who love a lot of lore in their tie-in fiction.

While I had a lot of fun with the story, Christopher’s obvious strength as a writer in Master of Evil was the impressive and complex characters that he was able to utilise in the plot.  This excellent book featured an array of compelling characters throughout the plot, including a mixture of new protagonists and some iconic figures from the films.  I personally really liked the dynamics of characters that emerged, even if there were less appearances from established figures as I would have expected.  These new characters ended up providing a great outsiders perspective for the reader, and it was fascinating to see their associated views about the Empire and Darth Vader, especially when they start digging deeper into the mysteries of the Sith.

Of these characters, the most prominent is Commander Halland Goth, a Royal Guard, who finds himself enmeshed in the chaos of Vader’s quest.  Halland proved to be a compelling and complex character, whose evolution of perspective throughout Master of Evil was a powerful part of the book’s emotional depth.  A loyal soldier who wants to serve the Empire, Halland is slowly dying due to a painful disease, which forces him to make various compromises to achieve his goals.  However, the more he comes to see of Vader and the true nature of the Empire, the more Halland changes, and Christopher wrote a good redemption arc around this protagonist as the book continued.  While Halland is a great character, my favourite was his loyal protocol droid TC-99, also called Nines.  Nines, who has been heavily modified by Halland, has a very distinctive personality, which is a mixture of the established timid protocol droid mentality, and that of a close confidant to Halland ready to help him as he slowly dies.  Nines quickly steals the show with his sassy humour, caring personality and various quirks, as well as his ability to upload other droid minds and skills to help Halland achieve his goals.  Throw some other fun supporting characters including a manipulative ISB agent, a couple of clone troopers uncertain of their place in the new Empire, and two conflicted minor Force users, and this was an exceptional cast of new characters that Christopher wraps a unique narrative around.

While much of this book’s focus is on the new characters, this is still a Darth Vader novel, and he unsurprisingly turns out to be an excellent part of this book.  While there is a lot less direct focus on Vader and his perspective of events as you’d expect, he was still a consistent presence in the novel as he went about his own goals.  While I know some readers will dislike the minimalisation of Vader’s direct appearances in the plot, I personally enjoyed how Christopher set him as a mysterious and intimidating monster whose thoughts you can’t easily guess at.  It was fascinating to see all the other characters have no idea how to deal with him or his role in the Empire, and the constant threat and fear that felt as they talked to him was palpable at times.  While he was mostly shown from other characters’ viewpoints, there were a few chapters that do feature Vader’s direct perspective, which tended to be some of the book’s best sequences.  Many of these direct scenes involved Force visions or explorations of the Vader’s psyche, and it was quite powerful to see him interact with figures from the past in his mindscape.  Christopher tries to show a somewhat conflicted Vader in Master of Evil, one who has embraced his desire for power, but who still has some flashes of good in him, occasionally helping his subordinates.  Despite that, some of the later scenes show Vader making a very final choice about his place in the galaxy, which allowed for some impressively heartrending moments.  As such, I felt that Christopher did an exceptional job of showcase this iconic figure and his unique motivations in Master of Evil, and he served as a great dark centre to the story.

While I did receive a physical copy of this novel, I instead sought out an audiobook copy of Master of Evil.  Master of Evil is a particularly good example of how epic a Star Wars audiobook could be, as Christopher’s amazing story is deeply enhanced by the combination of an outstanding narrator and the wonderful use of classic Star Wars sound effects and music.  I always enjoy how well the iconic audio features from the films are utilised in Star Wars audiobooks, and especially impressive in Master of Evil.  The always awesome score from John Williams was perfectly inserted into various chapters of the books, often at climatic and key moments of the plot, and the resulting boost to the emotional impact of these scenes is always quite impressive to behold.  The inclusion of various distinctive Star Wars sound effects was particularly important to the ambience of Master of Evil, with crowd noises, blaster fire, spaceship sounds and the thrum of the lightsaber helping to drag the listener into the plot.  However, the most effective sound effect utilised in Master of Evil are the respirator sounds of Darth Vader.  The iconic breathing sounds add some major impacts to the story, especially in the scenes where the various perspective protagonists are attempting to describe the intimidating nature of this awesome villain, and there is a certain level of dread that invades the audiobook whenever Vader can be heard.  The sudden appearance or lack of this sound in scenes involving Vader is also quite impactful, and I really appreciated how the effect was modulated and altered to back up some key story details.

While the impressive music and sound effects are a major factor in why Master of Evil’s audiobook is so damn good, much of the credit for its success needs to go to narrator Marc Thompson.  Thompson is easily one of the best regular Star Wars audiobook narrators (and one of my favourite overall audiobook narrators) due to his outstanding vocal range and ability to replicate many key characters from the films and television series, and he has previously impressed me with his work on Thrawn, The Rising Storm, Scoundrels and Dark Disciple, just to name a few.  His work in Master of Evil was just as exceptional as always, perfectly voicing the book’s cast, and moving the story along at an exciting and tense pace.  I felt his voice for some key Star Wars characters, such as the Emperor and Count Dooku, was particularly impressive, and he also managed an outstanding Darth Vader, with the help of some vocal enhancements.  His excellent voice work was particularly useful for several sequences where iconic quotes from the films were read out in the context of this story, giving them the emotional weight they had in the original films.  There were even some moments where Thompson needed to have alternative character say these lines (for example, Anakin and Obi-Wan switching dialogue from one of their Revenge of the Sith scenes in a vision), and the narrator’s take on both actors’ dialogue was just perfect.  Even some of the voices that Thompson used for the new members of the cast, such as Holland Goth, were powerful and effective, and I liked how he presented them.  My favourite was the voice he used for Nines, which was entertainingly similar to Alan Tudyk’s K-2SO from Rogue One.  I particularly loved how well Thompson changed Nines’s voice to reflect the different droid personalities he uploaded into himself, and it helped turn Nines into one of the more entertaining, and heartfelt, characters in the book.  This unsurprisingly outstanding performance from Marc Thompson let me effortlessly fly through Master of Evil’s 15-and-a-half-hour runtime, especially with the cool music and sound effects, and I had such a great time listing to this audiobook.  As such, the Master of Evil audiobook comes very highly recommended, and it is a guaranteed hit, especially for those who already know and love the Star Wars audiobooks.

With some outstanding action and cool characters, Master of Evil proved to be an excellent and compelling Star Wars novel, and one I had an amazing time getting through.  Adam Christopher excelled at diving into some interesting bits of Star Wars lore, and I really enjoyed his fantastic take on this compelling period of Star Wars history.  While some readers will probably be disappointed in chapter’s focusing directly on Darth Vader, Christopher still tells an impressive narrative for those who are open to it.  An overall awesome new Star Wars novel that resulted in one of the better audiobooks of 2025.

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Warhammer 40,000: Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok by Denny Flowers

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Extended Universe, Five-Star Books, Science Fiction, Tie-in Novel, Warhammer1 Comment

Publisher: Black Library (Audiobook – 1 July 2025)

Series: Warhammer 40,000

Length: 6 hours and 55 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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One of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 authors, Denny Flowers, returns with one of the more entertaining novels of 2025 with Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok.

Denny Flowers is an interesting rising author of Warhammer 40,000 fiction who has so far written several particularly notable books.  Starting with his cool debut, Fire Made Flesh, Flowers went on to write his two exceptional Lucille von Shard novels, Outgunned and Above and Beyond (one of my favourite books and audiobooks of 2024), both of which are among some of my favourite pieces of Warhammer 40,000 fiction.  I also had a great time with Flowers’s inclusions in Da Red Gobbo Collection, Da Gobbo’s Demise and Da Wrong Type of Green, two hilarious entries that focused the always entertaining orks and grotz.  These short stories were quite hilarious, and it made me very excited when I saw that Flowers had a new Warhammer 40,000 novel focusing on the orks coming out this year with Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok.

Plot Synopsis:

“I made Ghazghkull. Not the Gods. Me.”

Grotsnik comes to the aid of Beastboss Bakum on Hive Prome, and it soon becomes apparent that the Mad Dok is feverishly working on something that could change the fate of ork-kind forever.

READ IT BECAUSE
How wild does a painboy have to be to earn the nickname “Mad Dok”? Find out as you follow Grotsnik – with eager scalpel in hand – as he plans his latest galaxy-changing creation. What could it be?

THE STORY
Da Mad Dok Grotsnik, creator of Ghazghkull Thraka, is a painboy beyond legend. What – and who – he harbours in his formidable brain is a mystery to every ork but himself, and an army of orderlies provides him with a constant supply of flesh with which to tinker.

So, when Grotsnik comes to the aid of Beastboss Bakmun, whose rampage on Hive Prome teeters on the brink of going out not with a Waaagh! but with a whimper, Bakmun can’t believe his luck.

Following a series of increasingly unlikely accidents, however, it soon becomes apparent that the Mad Dok is working on something in the depths of his colossal Painwagon. Something big. Something that could change the fate of ork-kind forever, surpassing Grotsnik’s own forging of the Prophet of the Waaagh!…

Denny Flowers continues to showcase why he is one of the fastest-rising authors of Warhammer 40,000 fiction with this highly entertaining and addictive new novel.  Perfectly taking on the always entertaining Warhammer orks, including the over-the-top titular character, Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok was an absolute hoot from the very beginning, and I laughed my way through the entire epic story.  One of the most hilarious novels of 2025, Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok gets a five-star rating from me due to the pure fun it contained.

Flowers comes up with an exceedingly fun narrative for Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok, which I ended up getting through in a very short amount of time.  As the title suggests, this novel follows the machinations of Grotsnik, an ork dok partially responsible for the creation of the legendary Ghazghkull Thraka, the boss of bosses for all ork-kind.  However, on the outs with his creation, Grotsnik joins up with a small band of orks led by Beastboss Bakmun, who is attempting to invade a mysterious human city.  Amongst this new band of orks is the aptly named Valtun the Patient and his clever grot Ikor, both of whom are very suspicious about Grotsnik’s intentions in joining them, especially once various members of the warband start going missing.  What follows is a hilarious series of events as Grotsnik gathers the material for his grand ambitions, while dealing with the strange humans and monsters within the city they are invading, as well as the unique intentions of other ork characters.  Primarily told through the perspective of Valtun and Ikor, who find themselves stuck in Grotsnik’s murderous orbit, these perspective protagonists slowly learn more about the titular character’s intentions, as well as the unique modifications he has made to himself, which turns him into something truly sinister.

Flowers moves this story along at a very quick pace full of funny interactions, crazy battles and the typical brutish humour that all fans of the orks will appreciate.  The action-packed and regularly over-the-top scenes that emerged were so damn fun, and there is honestly not a single slow moment in this book.  At the same time, Flowers installs a clever story throughout Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok, mostly based around the maniacal machinations of the titular character and his attempt to outsmart the suspicious Valtun.  It all leads up to a very entertaining ending that completely changes your perspective of Grotsnik’s intentions, while also leaving some of the remaining characters in ironic situations.  I personally loved where the multiple character arcs ended up at the end of this book, and while Valtun and Ikor were both great central figures, Grotsnik really stole the show with his weird behaviour, insane experiments, and the hilarious interactions he had with his unsuspecting patients/victims.  An overall awesome and well-written story that is guaranteed to suck you in with its exceptionally crazy characters and entertaining storytelling.

As with a lot of Warhammer 40,000 fiction, Flowers’s Da Mad Dok book is probably best read by established fans of the franchise, who will have a lot of fun seeing the titular character come to life.  Grotsnik’s unique mentality and connection to the most iconic ork character, Ghazghkull Thraka, makes him a very interesting figure to follow for those in love with the Warhammer canon, and Flowers clearly had a lot of fun utilising him in his story.  However, Flowers has already proven himself to be a very good at making his previous Warhammer 40,000 novels accessible to all readers, and this book is no exception.  Most people with a general knowledge of Warhammer lore and fiction can easily dive into Da Mad Dok’s narrative, and the inherent humour of the characters and the ork faction will keep them coming back for more.  I personally loved Flowers’s latest dive into the orks, and his takes on this crazy faction and some of their more distinctive members were both entertaining and accurate to the lore.  As such, Da Mad Dok has a ton of appeal, and I think most readers are going to have an exceptional time with it.

As has become my habit with all things Warhammer, I ended up listening to Da Mad Dok on audiobook, which is easily the best way to enjoy this fantastic and fun novel.  Coming in with a run time just under seven hours, Da Mad Dok is a very easy audiobook to power through, especially thanks to the great narration of Harry Myers.  Myers, who has really impressed me with books like Day of Ascension and The Wraithbone Phoenix, has an outstanding voice for Warhammer 40,000 fiction, which really fits the over-the-top nature of the universe.  He is particularly good at doing ork voices, such as in Da Big Dakka, Warboss and Da Red Gobbo Collection audiobooks, so I was very happy that he leant his voices to Da Mad Dok.  Myers uses some very fun and excessively gruff voices to bring the various ork characters to life, and the multiple laddish tones he employs are very fitting and very funny.  I cannot emphasise just how good Myers’s voice for these outrageous figures is, and I especially love how he changes from his deeper voices for the orks, to the more petulant and squeaky voice for the grot characters.  There is even a cool voice he uses for one of the more intimidating and iconic members of the cast towards the end of the book, which sounds particularly epic thanks to some vocal enhancement.  This great combination of voices, as well as Myers’s entertaining overall narration was extremely awesome, and it really enhanced Flowers’s already fantastic story.  I honestly cannot recommend this Warhammer 40,000 audiobook enough, and it ended up being one of my favourite listens of the year.

Thanks to the outstanding humour and overall craziness of its characters, Grotsnik: Da Mad Dok was a truly wonderful Warhammer 40,000 novel that is very easy to fall in love with.  Denny Flowers excelled at showcasing both the orks in general, and the cruelty and insanity of the titular characters, and the resulting intense and exciting story was a true joy to listen to.  An overall exceptional read, I cannot wait to see what epic Warhammer fiction Flowers writes next.

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The Strength of the Few by James Islington

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Fantasy, Five-Star Books5 Comments

Publisher: Text Publishing/Audible Studios (Audiobook – 11 November 2025)

Series: Hierarchy – Book Two

Length: 31 hours 8 minutes

My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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Australian author James Islington continues his Hierarchy series in epic form with the incredible and complex novel, The Strength of the Few, an outstanding and highly addictive fantasy novel that I had an incredible time getting through.

Back in 2023, I had the pleasure of reading the outstanding novel, The Will of the Many from James Islington, which I very quickly fell in love with.  Following a fugitive prince who finds himself enrolled in an academy for the children of the elite members of the nation that conquered his homeland, The Will of the Many had an intricate plot that forced the protagonist to deal with elaborate ancient puzzles, the unique magic of his world, unlikely friendships, deadly rebels, and all his hidden secrets potentially becoming uncovered.  I had such an amazing time reading The Will of the Many that it got a very easy five-star rating from me, and it ended up topping several of my end-of-year lists for 2023, including my favourite book, audiobook, new-to-me author and Australian fiction lists.  Unsurprisingly, I have been keen to see how the series would continue ever since I finished the final page of The Will of the Many, and the long-awaited sequel, The Strength of the Few, was one of my most anticipated novels of 2025.  I started reading The Strength of the Few the second I could, and it turned out to be another captivating read, with a plot that goes in some captivating and intense directions.

After infiltrating the Academy and running the mysterious Labyrinth, the man known to the Catenan Republic as Vis Telimus thought that he would finally understand some of the secrets of the nation that destroyed his people.  However, his encounters within the Labyrinth have instead resulted in the impossible and placed him in the firing line of an ancient evil determined to destroy his world.

While the original Vis continues to live in the Catenan Republic, attempting to avenge the massacre of his Academy classmates and friends at the Iudicium, he is unaware that the ancient devices within the Labyrinth replicated him across three separate words.  Mirrors of each other influenced and altered by different history, the worlds of Obiteum, Luceum and the world Vis already knows as Res, are divergent places, each with their own troubles, rulers and chaos.

Now one of the few beings existing across all three concurrent realities, Vis stands as the only person who can stop the upcoming Cataclysm that will burn away all he loves.  But first he needs to face the different challenges each world has for him, especially as he truly belongs in none of them.  Forced to fight, to learn how to control the unique powers his situation has granted him, and to understand the different worlds they find themselves in, all three versions of Vis will be pushed to their limits as they try to prove themselves and understand the secrets behind their unlikely journey.  If any version of Vis fails, then all their chance to stop the Cataclysm are finished.  But can Vis really survive in three separate realities, each of which is filled with beings who desperately want him dead?

Well damn, now that’s how you do a sequel.  The Strength of the Few was an incredible novel as James Islington expertly continued the elaborate and ambitious narrative of his epic Hierarchy books.  Featuring a layered story loaded with complex world-building, intricate story details and compelling characters, The Strength of the Few was an exceptional novel that gets a very easy five-star rating from me.

Islington came up with an especially complex and powerful story for The Strength of the Few, which served as a very worthy follow-up to the compelling events of the previous Hierarchy book.  Right out the gate readers are treated to an intricate plot, with the protagonist from The Will of the Many split into three different versions of himself in three separate mirror worlds.  Each version has its own very distinct narrative that revolves around that specific Vis trying to overcome the challenges of that specific world.  For example, the version of Vis on Res, the world that The Will of the Many was completely set in, continues to endure the politics of the Hierarchy, while also attempting to uncover those responsible for the massacre of his classmates at the end of the previous book.  The storyline set on Obiteum is a bit of a post-apocalyptic narrative, as Vis is forced to survive a broken world ruled by the enemy responsible for several previous Cataclysms, and must try to find a way into a forbidden city, half staffed by the living dead.  The final storyline set in Luceum offers a much more adventurous narrative, as a version of Vis that is completely unaware that he is in an alternate world, is forced to explore a new culture and attempt to survive amongst people who have no idea of his past or his destiny.

These three separate and very distinctive storylines each go in some interesting directions as the book continues, and the result is a very impressive and compelling overall narrative, especially as Islington expertly sets up necessary details in the early stages of the book and cleverly builds from there.  For most part, each of these storylines stay isolated, although some key details from each bleed into the wider narrative, and you can appreciate the significance of certain events or revelations in one storyline better thanks to the events in one of the other worlds.  Each plot line goes in some very interesting directions, with the dark politics of Res forcing Vis to engage in some complex schemes and deceptions, the struggles of Obiteum slowly getting to an isolated version of the protagonist, while positive character interactions in Luceum turn that Vis into a completely different person.  Islington starts to enhance the tension of all three storylines in the second part of the book, and there are some very amazing scenes that completely change the tone of each of the main storylines.  I felt the political instability of Res allowed for some particularly powerful moments, especially after a shocking scene about two-thirds of the way through book.  A growing war in Luceum also provides some compelling drama for that storyline, as Vis must decide what he wants in life, while the continued threat of discovery in Obiteum proves to be particularly draining.

The final third of the book contains some of the best scenes of The Strength of the Few, as Islington builds on all the novel’s great storytelling and complex worldbuilding to bring forth an epic conclusion.  Thrusting all three versions of Vis into mortal danger, the tension is particularly thick, as the protagonist and much of the supporting cast are in constant risk.  This includes a final desperate attempt to achieve his goal of killing a god in Obiteum, which hits a range of snags amongst the ancient city Vis has spent most of the book infiltrating.  At the same time, the Vis in Leceum finds himself in the middle of a deadly war, where his unique abilities and the unlikely rewards of a deadly ceremony weigh him down.  However, the most intense is the narrative set on Res, where Vis finds himself attempting to save who he can from the chaotic events brought on by those manipulating him.  Islington probably throws the book’s most shocking moments into the Res storyline, which nicely builds on a lot of the drama and intrigue from the first novel, and forces the protagonist to make some dark decisions, out of both vengeance and necessity.  One scene where the title of the book is quoted by an antagonist really sticks in the mind, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to forgive Islington with the dark bait-and-switch there.  All three of these storylines end on an interesting note that hint of destructive events for the future, and it is going to be fascinating to see how Islington continues the Hierarchy series going forward.

Thanks to the elaborate ideas that Islington had for this epic sequel, The Strength of the Few turned out to be an exceptionally written read, which provides an intense and compelling fantasy narrative, filled with some great emotional depth.  The inventive way that the author splits the book to follow three separate versions of the same protagonist worked surprisingly well, and it allowed for quite a unique character-driven story, which really showcases Islington’s writing ability.  I felt that the split between the three distinctive storylines was very well done, and these separate narrative threads each stood on their own merits, provide a distinctive experience in each.  I loved how there was something special in each of the storylines, and you got some interesting interactions, world building and different focuses with each of them.  All three were very well written, and there were honestly no weak links with any of the storylines, which is always a risk when you split the narrative like this.  I will say that the intrigue-laden narrative on Res was a particular favourite of mine, but both other storylines were also quite exceptional, and they balanced each other nicely with their alternating themes and varied character growth.  Throw in some creative expansion of the universe the narrative is set in, with its cool Will-based magic system, and three worlds each inspired by different ancient cultures (Roman, Egyptian and Celtic), and this was a very well written book, and I really appreciate how effectively Islington builds up his different worlds and showcases them to the reader.

The Strength of the Few proved to be an impressive continuation of the Hierarchy series, and I felt that Islington did an outstanding job building on the impressive fantasy elements and storylines of the first book.  However, the complex narrative split and the way that Islington dives immediately into the story does mean that The Strength of the Few is probably best enjoyed by those readers who have already gotten through The Will of the Many.  While Islington does re-examine key elements of the plot from the first book as The Strength of the Few continues, it is a very gradual process, and new readers trying to read the sequel first are likely to get confused if they don’t know some necessary details from the first book.  The Strength of the Few might have benefited from a good summary or recap at the front of the book to remind readers of some key details, especially if they haven’t had a chance to read re-read The Will of the Many since its 2023 release.  Still, for the most part, all readers should be able to follow and appreciate The Strength of the Few, especially once you get drawn into the three compelling storylines, and people who love extremely elaborate fantasy narratives with a lot of intricate detail are going to have an outstanding time.

I was once again impressed with Islington’s great characters in The Strength of the Few, as this book has a massive cast, made up of an interesting combination of figures from The Will of the Many, and new characters from the three separate worlds of the setting.  However, most of this book naturally follows the young protagonist from the first book, who is primarily known as Vis Telimus.  A studious and damaged figure who had already gone through a lot before the events of this novel, Vis has rather a unique experience in this sequel, as unbeknown to him, there are now three separate versions of him concurrently existing in the mirror worlds of this setting.

Islington perfectly sets up and utilises this three-way split of his protagonist, and readers are soon treated to three distinct variations of the protagonist, each of whom are altered by their experiences and losses, especially the two versions of Vis who lose their left arm.  It was fascinating to see how each of the Vises are influenced and changed by their respective traumas, and how their adventures are altered by the different information or people that they meet.  For example, the Vis in Res, who is essentially the same protagonist from The Will of the Many, finds himself longing for vengeance after the events of the Iudicium, and spends much of the book angry and forced to endure politics and lies.  The version of Vis on Luceum, while feeling lessened by the loss of his arm, soon finds peace in his new setting, and his eventual motivations for fighting and living are very different from his other incarnations, especially as he finds friends he can trust completely.  Finally, the Vis on Obiteum is one of the more confident incarnations of the protagonist, having full knowledge of the upcoming Cataclysm and his place in the three worlds explain early in the book.  As such, he soon becomes the most competent at utilising his Will talents and appears the most undamaged of the three due to not losing his arm.  However, in many ways the Obiteum Vis is the worst off out of all versions of the protagonist due to his isolation, the desolate surroundings, and the early expectations of murder and potential death that are thrust upon him.  I really cannot emphasise just how clever the split between these different variations of the protagonist is, especially with the subtle differences and alternate reactions to similar events or situations. It really makes for quite a distinctive and moving read, especially as all three versions of Vis experiences even greater trauma and damage as this sequel continues.

While Vis is the obvious focus of The Strength of the Few, there is a huge supporting cast utilised throughout this book, including various characters only found on each distinctive world.  Indeed, each version of Vis picks up its own supporting cast, which allows for some very different interactions in each of the major storylines.  Highlights include many of the recurring characters from the first book who serve as Vis’ friends and mentors in Res.  There is a particular focus on Eidhin and Aequa, who have an expanded role as Vis’s main confidants in this novel, and I liked some of the powerful storylines that formed around them.  Other major supporting characters from the first novel are showcased to a lesser extent in this sequel, primarily due to the book being split into three separate parts, although many of these characters still got a notable role in this sequel.

The cast supporting Vis on the desolate world of Obiteum is a lot more limited, mainly to emphasise the protagonist’s loneliness, although he does find a compelling mentor in Caeror, his adoptive uncle, who the protagonist was hunting for in the first book.  A couple of other native characters from Obiteum gain prominence later in this storyline as Vis attempts to complete his mission, and it is fascinating to see how their experiences living on a dead-world, impact their interactions with the protagonist.  Finally, the cast of the Luceum plotline represent a compelling counterpart to the supporting characters of the rest of the book.  While Vis has enemies in Luceum, he also finds several true friends who he can trust with all his secrets.  It was interesting to finally see Vis truly open up to other people, and it allowed for some very different interactions to the secrets and lies that define the protagonist in the other two storylines.  Throw in a compelling array of antagonists, as well as an entertaining manipulator who keeps chucking Vis into the deep end on Res, and this was an impressive cast for this great sequel.  It honestly was an extremely intriguing experience to have three separate casts of characters set around different versions of the protagonist.  While this narrative split did result in some restrictions when it came to character depth or a full exploration of relationships, I think the overall extended length of the book overcame this and allowed the reader to grow close to the supporting characters.  I will warn readers not to get too attached to the extended cast though, as Islington does get a little murderous as the book continues, however, all these characters are impressive while they last.

While I was lucky enough to receive a physical copy of The Strength of the Few, I ended up holding out for a little bit to listen to the audiobook version of this book instead.  I’m a big fan of audiobooks when it comes to ultra-elaborate fantasy narratives, as I tend to absorb and retain more of the details that way, and this worked out well with The Strength of the Few.  I felt that Islington’s complex story came across very effectively when read out, and all the elements, including the elaborate worldbuilding and the great character work, were well translated to the reader.  I also appreciated how the switches between the three different versions of the perspective protagonist, was easily discernible, and this was a very easy story to follow on audiobook.  The Strength of the Few audiobook saw the return of Euan Morton for narrator, who previously read out The Will of the Many, and who I quite enjoyed as a narrator of the Star Wars audiobook, Tarkin.  Morton has a very interesting cadence to his voice as a narrator, which provided a very unique edge to this audiobook.  While Morton’s narration style might not appeal to everyone, I felt that he did a good job voicing this compelling story, especially through the eyes of the complex protagonist, and his unique narration on this elaborate story worked extremely well.  I also felt that Morton excelled at pronouncing all the different names and titles that Islington featured in his plot, no matter their Roman, Celtic or Egyptian inspiration, and the characters of all three different worlds had a subtly different cadence and accent that helped to distinguish the separate storylines from each other.  As such, I really got stuck into this audiobook, powering through it quickly, even with its 31-hour runtime.  This was probably one of the more intense and moving fantasy audiobooks I had the pleasure of listening to in 2025, and I cannot recommend this format enough.

James Islington does it again with his incredible second Hierarchy novel, The Strength of the Few.  Brilliantly continuing his elaborate narrative from the first novel in a unique manner, The Strength of the Few was an ultra-addictive read, that really showcased Islington’s writing ability and imagination.  Clever, powerful and easy to get addicted to, The Strength of the Few was one of my favourite books of the year, and I cannot wait to see how Islington continues the series going forward.

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Days of Shattered Faith by Adrian Tchaikovsky

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Audiobook, Fantasy, Five-Star Books9 Comments

Publisher: Head of Zeus (Audiobook – 5 December 2024)

Series: The Tyrant Philosophers – Book Three

Length: 21 hours and 39 minutes

My Rating: 5 out 5 stars

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One of the current top authors of all things fantasy and science fiction, the improbably imaginative Adrian Tchaikovsky, continues to greatly impress with his outstanding and epic early 2025 novel, Days of Shattered Faith.

I think it is fair to say that few fantasy and science fiction authors are as consistently prolific and entertaining as the relentless Adrian Tchaikovsky, who has been continuously putting out clever books over the last few years.  While he has written many intriguing series and standalone novels throughout his career, I am more familiar with some of his more recent works, including the novella Ogres, the gripping interstellar novel Alien Clay, one of my favourite Warhammer 40,000 novels, Day of Ascension, and the hilarious and insightful robot apocalypse novel, Service Model (one of my favourite books of 2024).

While the above books are all quite exceptional, my favourite body of Tchaikovsky’s work has so far been The Tyrant Philosophers series.  A gripping, brilliant and highly amusing series, the Tyrant Philosophers novels are set in a cool fantasy world filled with magic, gods and demons, all with a fun Tchaikovsky twist to them.  With the first two books, City of Last Chances and House of Open Wounds, both of which were amongst my favourite books of 2023 (with City of Last Chances being one of the best audiobooks of 2023) the series has really grabbed my attention over the last couple of years.  Much of it is down to the author’s clever narratives that work to expand this intriguing fantasy world through some interesting overlapping characters and events.  In particular, the series examines the dark impact of the Palleseen, a conquering army of fanatics who violently supress superstition and belief in the gods in the name of expanding their own worldview of perfection and correctness.  Both the previous books in this series were quite impressive, and I was very eager to read Days of Shattered Faith when it first came out.  While I have been delayed in writing a review for this book, it proved to be an outstanding read, especially with its rich and powerful narrative.

Plot Synopsis:

Welcome to Alkhalend, Jewel of the Waters, capital of Usmai, greatest of the Successor States, inheritor to the necromantic dominion that was the Moeribandi Empire and tomorrow’s frontline in the Palleseen’s relentless march to bring Perfection and Correctness to an imperfect world.

Loret is fresh off the boat, and just in time.

As Cohort-Invigilator of Correct Appreciation, Outreach department, she’s here as aide to the Palleseen Resident, Sage-Invigilator Angilly. And Sage-Invigilator Angilly – Gil to her friends – needs a second in the spectacularly illegal, culturally offensive and diplomatically inadvisable duel she must fight at midnight.

Outreach, that part of the Pal machine that has to work within the imperfection of the rest of the world, has a lot of room for the illegal, the unconventional, the unorthodox. But just how much unorthodoxy can Gil and Loret get away with?

As a succession crisis looms, as a long-forgotten feat of necromantic engineering nears fruition, as pirate kings, lizard armies and demons gather, as old gods wane and new gods wax, sooner or later Gil and Loret will have to settle their ledger.

Just as well they are both very, very good with a blade…

Wow, what an incredible read.  Adrian Tchaikovsky continues to deeply impress with his elaborate and intense narratives, especially as he expertly continues his Tyrant Philosophers series in his distinctive and creative way.  Featuring a complex plot that follows various damaged and self-serving characters as they navigate the attempts to influence and control a mighty city, Days of Shattered Faith was an addictive read from start to finish, and I loved how the entire novel came together.  A very easy five-star read, Days of Shattered Faith was one of my favourite books and audiobooks from the first half of 2025, and I had such an exceptional time getting through it.

I really loved how Days of Shattered Faith’s story turned out, especially as Tchaikovsky managed to turn this into both a powerful standalone novel as well as a moving entry in the larger Tyrant Philosophers series.  This book has quite a complex and layered narrative to it, as it follows multiple intriguing characters through chaotic events that are about to overtake the city of Alkhalend.  Initially focusing on the two Palleseen characters, Sage-Invigilator Angilly and Cohort-Invigilator Loret, Days of Shattered Faith sees them as unlikely ambassadors in a city that mostly hates and fears the Palleseen and their attempts to subvert and control the world.  When the sudden death of Alkhalend’s ruler results in a brutal civil war, Angilly and Loret attempt to help the Palleseen supporting heir to retain the throne following a coup from his brother.  At the same time, various other figures in the city, including a familiar former priest and several unconventional doctors, attempt to survive the chaos engulfing their home.

Tchaikovsky does an excellent job building up a lot of complex storylines, details of the main setting, and character arcs in the first half of Days of Shattered Faith, all of which came into play in fantastic ways as the novel continued.  Following a large collection of complex character-driven storylines throughout the novel, Tchaikovsky moulds these together into a compelling overarching narrative, with these protagonists impacted by various major events.  This includes the brutal civil war at the centre of the novel, which completely changes the course of the narrative and sets several major characters down some compelling and dark spirals.  Due to the appearance of more Palleseen influence in the second half of the book, things in Alkhalend naturally go to hell in a variety of ways, especially when all the unconventional and imperfect methods of Angilly and her unusual Palleseen colleagues in Outreach are questioned and changed by her more by-the-book superiors, who also drop the subtle tactics when it comes to controlling the city.  This results in a darker, more intense second half of the novel, where every protagonist makes mistakes or experiences greater tragedy.  The author perfectly builds up the tension and suspense before leading up to the big revolution sequence where all the separate character arcs converge for the last time, which was as devastating and crazy as you would expect from Tchaikovsky.  Everything ends on a satisfying, heartbreaking note, especially as several characters find themselves in worse positions then when they started.  It will be very interesting to see where the wider narrative of the series goes from here, especially for the series’ recurring protagonist, but it’s clear that the events of Tchaikovsky’s universe can only get sadder from here.

Tchaikovsky has a very distinctive and compelling writing style for the Tyrant Philosophers novels that coveys his elaborate and entertaining narrative in some unique ways.  Once again relying heavily on multiple perspective changes to tell his layered story, Tchaikovsky embarks on providing a deep and personal story, set around a large collection of compelling supporting characters.  The author excels at creating elaborate and complex backgrounds for the various characters, which are worked into the larger plot extremely well, especially as each character has their own unique motivations and damage.  All these varied story elements are well woven together into one complex story, and it was fascinating to see all the different figures react to the continually changing events.  As with the previous books, Days of Shattered Faith has a range of tones within it, as Tchaikovsky works hard to produce the right balance of intrigue, action, world building and dramatic and moving character moments, all of which are done perfectly and work to create an impressive novel.  The elaborate battle sequences pair well with the subtle and often forced betrayals of the various characters, while deeper personal troubles and dark histories lurk just beneath the surface.  All these sequences are well laced with the excellent and often cynical humour of the author, which really ties the entire thing together quite nicely.  I loved how so many complex scenes were made better by the sarcastic and realistic commentary of either the characters or the narrator, which worked to highlight the dark, and often absurd nature, of so many of the fantasy elements of the story.

As with the last two books in the series, Days of Shattered Faith works well as both its own distinctive, standalone narrative and as a continuation of elements and character-focused storylines from the previous books.  Due to how it initially focuses on an original group of central characters navigating an unfamiliar setting in the series’ wider world, new readers can easily come into this series without any real pre-knowledge of the other books.  However, as the story eventually grows to focus on several major characters from the first two novels, I think those readers who know the full story of these figures and the complex events they’ve had to navigate will end up appreciating the plot of Days of Shattered Faith a little more, especially as Tchaikovsky continues to torture a certain former priest with even more tragedy and hardship.  The author also features references to events from the previous books throughout Days of Shattered Faith, and readers will find it fascinating to see how certain decisions or plots from the recurring characters, such as some vengeful religious conversion in House of Open Wounds, had larger, devastating impacts on the wider world.

Tchaikovsky once again pulls together an elaborate setting for his compelling narrative, as while Days of Shattered Faith is set in the same fantasy world as the other Tyrant Philosophers novels, much of the action occurs around the newly introduced complex city of Alkhalend.  Loaded up with cut-throat politics, various conflicting religions, distinctive magic, and various otherworldly beings who have migrated from other realities, Alkhalend is an exceptional focus for much of the plot.  Tchaikovsky excelled at introducing the various unique elements of Alkhalend and its surrounding nations in the early part of the book, and it was fascinating to see how they impacted the plot going forward.  Alkhalend honestly had so many fun and quirky unique fantasy features, and this had to be one of the more memorable settings I have had the pleasure to see in fantasy figure.

Of course, as this book is set within the Tyrant Philosophers universe, Tchaikovsky had to once again include the Palleseen, who serve as the main antagonistic group in the series.  Ideological zealots often bound by their own rules and processes as they slowly and greedily try to take over the world, all the books in this series are dedicated to examining their methods and serves as a humorous critique of militarisation and empire building.  While the previous books have either looked at the Palleseen as an occupying force or at their weaponisation of magical medical practices, Days of Shattered Faith focuses on their diplomats and how they influence conflicts in lands outside their empire.  This ends up showcasing a new side to the Palleseen machine, especially as the empire’s diplomatic department, Outreach, is made up of more fluid personnel, willing to go outside of standard practices to achieve their goals.  It was quite entertaining to see the differing methods of this empire conflict with each other, especially when it brings some conflict between the various Palleseen characters, and it added some great drama to the second half of the book.  I loved once again seeing the dangerous bureaucracy and insatiable desire for more magical material turn the Palleseen from reasonable allies to controlling occupiers as the plot continued, especially as it perfectly influenced various characters to take a new course of action.

As I have mentioned a few times above, Tchaikovsky loaded this novel up with an outstanding array of complex or damaged characters who are the true highlight of the plot thanks to their collective dark histories and layered motivations.  The sheer range of different characters in Days of Shattered Faith is very impressive, featuring a great mixture of locals of Alkhalend, Palleseen visitors, and other memorable figures seeking refuge in the sandy city.  Much of the plot was focused around the two members of Palleseen Outreach in the city, Sage-Invigilator Angilly and Cohort-Invigilator Loret, whose unique take on diplomacy often causes more chaos.  Angilly was a great lead for much of the plot as a pragmatic Palleseen operative, who finds her loyalty compromised by her romantic connection to the city’s crown prince.  This doomed romance leads to all manner of trouble for both characters, and the various betrayals and eventual end resulted in some of the author’s more tragic writing.  Loret, on the other hand, was a great fish out of water in this novel as she attempts to learn the rules of diplomacy and understand the many facets of Alkhalend, all while keeping her troubled past a secret.  I felt that Tchaikovsky used Loret well as a good stand in for the audience to showcase his new city setting in more detail, while her eventual development and tragic past connected to the events of the previous book proved to be a particularly compelling, if bloody, part of the plot.

The rest of the cast are also impressive, including a couple of opportunistic Palleseen operatives who have less issues with exploiting the people of Alkhalend for their own means.  I also personally enjoyed the return of several familiar figures from the previous Tyrant Philosopher novels, including the unusual batch of former military doctors who made their escape in the previous novel.  While given less focus in this novel, Tchaikovsky still makes excellent use of these fugitive doctors, and it was interesting to see how the most junior member of the troupe got upgraded to a major character now he’s a little older.  Accompanying the doctors is character now known as Happy Jack, who readers of the series may recognise as the priest of small gods from the first two novels, Yasnic.  Now bereft of his original petty deity, Jack has now found happiness and contentment in Alkhalend, especially thanks to an unlikely doomed romance.  Of course, that happiness can’t last too long, and Tchaikovsky soon returns to torturing one of his best characters, ensuring he’ll be even more compelling in the next book of the series.  Throw in the many other unusual denizens of Alkhalend, which includes pirates, necromantic priests, scheming nobles, and even a giant frog god, and the cast of Days of Shattered Faith is impressive, especially as the author carefully balances the many alternating character storylines to create an overall outstanding narrative.  I cannot wait to see what awesome characters Tchaikovsky comes up with in the rest of the series, but I’m expecting some truly fascinating figures going forward.

While I did end up buying a physical copy of Days of Shattered Faith, I ended up listening to its audiobook format instead, mainly because I had such a good time with the City of Last Chances audiobook.  Days of Shattered Faith also proved to be an incredible listen, with the audiobook format deeply enhancing the complex plot and showcasing all the excellent fantasy elements in even more detail.  Coming in with a notable runtime of nearly 22 hours, I was able to get through Days of Shattered Faith quickly, especially with the outstanding David Thorpe narrating the story.  A veteran narrator who has lent his voice to many of Tchaikovsky’s audiobooks, Thorpe did an excellent job bringing Days of Shattered Faith to life, especially as his tones and voices matched the style of the author’s writing.  Thorpe really dives into the various unique characters loaded into Days of Shattered Faith, coming up with a range of fun and fitting voices.  I felt that these voices, as well as his excellent narration of the complex fantasy plot details of this novel, turned Days of Shattered Faith into a very enjoyable audiobook, and it was such a good format to enjoy this unique story.  Easily one of the top audiobooks I have so far enjoyed in 2025, Days of Shattered Faith comes highly recommended in this format, and you are guaranteed to have an amazing time listening to it.

With even more crazy characters, distinctive fantasy elements, and a twisty and captivating plot, Days of Shattered Faith was another exceptional novel from Adrian Tchaikovsky.  A perfect continuation of the incredible Tyrant Philosophers series, Days of Shattered Faith had so many awesome elements to it, and I loved its complex story and compelling protagonists.  An outstanding read I loved so much, Days of Shattered Faith is one of the best fantasy novels of 2025, and I cannot wait to see how the rest of the series unfolds.  Indeed, the fourth book in the series, Pretenders to the Throne of God, is out in a few months’ time, and it is already shaping up to be another epic read.

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The Pilgrim’s Revenge by Scott Mariani

On By The Unseen LibraryIn Historical Fiction, Thriller2 Comments

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton (Trade Paperback – 26 August 2025)

Series: Will Bowman – Book One

Length: 323 pages

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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Prepare for war in Scott Mariani’s compelling and action-packed historical thriller, The Pilgrim’s Revenge, an awesome read with some real heart to it.

Scott Mariani is a veteran author whose work I have been meaning to check out for a while.  A major thriller author, Mariani is best known for his long-running Ben Hope series which features modern spy fiction narratives with the protagonist unwinding puzzles and conspiracy theories from history.  While I haven’t had the chance to read any of Mariani’s thrillers, his 2025 release, The Pilgrim’s Revenge caught my eye, especially as it is the first time that Mariani has written a full historical fiction novel.  The first book in Mariani’s new Will Bowman series, The Pilgrim’s Revenge was an intense and captivating take on the classic medieval historical fiction adventure, featuring a great revenge twist.

Plot Synopsis:

1190 – Humble layman Will Bowman lives in the countryside with his pregnant wife, when soldiers from Richard Lionheart’s army tear through his home. Will is beaten unconscious, and awakes to find his wife murdered, his farm burnt down, and his life forever changed.

In vengeance, Will infiltrates Richard’s army to find the marauding gang, and finds himself swept along in the march of the Crusades. With the help of new allies and fuelled by his loss, Will crosses Europe with the King’s army.

Can Will avenge his wife? Or will he be swept away by the unstoppable force of Richard’s Crusade?

The Pilgrim’s Revenge was an outstanding and action-packed novel from Mariani, who dives into full historic fiction with great enthusiasm.  Setting the scene quickly, with an introduction to point-of-view protagonist Will Bowman, a minor landowner and skilled hunter, the book soon takes a dark twist when a group of pillaging soldiers kill his pregnant wife, burn his farm and leave Will for dead.  Determined to get revenge, Will takes up his bow and starts following the attackers, determining them to be pilgrims on the way to join Richard the Lionheart’s attack on the Holy Lands.

After a good initial period in England, where Will encounters friendship and additional heartbreak as part of his personal journey, the protagonist soon boards a ship towards the Holy Land.  This middle section of the novel is useful for introducing several great supporting characters and provides some compelling historical context to the events that Will is a part of.  After some exciting sequences at sea, as well as a sudden action-packed siege, the plot takes the protagonist into King Richard’s orbit in Sicily as part of some established historical events.  Mariani also gives Will the first glimpses of his goal, which ends in an exciting and tense series of encounters that add some excellent drama and risk.  Following some surprising developments, Mariani continues to explore the early parts of Richard’s crusade, including his landing in Cyprus, which provides some awesome fight sequences, before setting the protagonist up for the big confrontation of the novel.  While the development of the later part of this story isn’t too surprising, it features some fantastic and exciting moments, and plays into the established historical events really well.  Wrapping up on an excellent, if unexpectedly complete, note, Mariani leaves the story open for more adventures, which we’ll probably see very soon.

I think that the author provided a strong story for The Pilgrim’s Revenge, and this proved to be an excellent piece of historical fiction with a bit of a thriller flair to it.  Loaded with action, intriguing descriptions of the period, as well as some entertaining characters, The Pilgrim’s Revenge was a great historical adventure, which Mariani ensures stands out from the various other novels set in this period thanks to its central character and he’s unique motivations.  I particularly appreciated the author’s use of the third-person perspective through the eyes of protagonist Will Bowman, which really paints a personal and insightful look at the events of the Third Crusade.  Having a simple English farmer, who has relatively little knowledge of the land outside his local community, slowly learn about the lands of the later 12th century as part of his own personal journey, really allowed new readers with less historical knowledge to dive into the events of this book a lot easier.  At the same time, Mariani clearly puts the work in describing the historical elements of the book, whether it’s the details of the crusade, interesting depictions of real-life figures, or even complex depictions of day-to-day life and the social, technological and military element of the time.  Thanks to the exciting, action-packed plot, readers can power through The Pilgrim’s Revenge quickly, but for those who stop to savour the author’s compelling writing, there are some amazing details and compelling character moments to appreciate.

Overall, The Pilgrim’s Revenge was an outstanding and captivating novel, as Scott Mariani sets up an exciting new series.  Featuring an enjoyable, action-laden plot, The Pilgrim’s Revenge was an amazing novel to get through, especially with its compelling depictions of war and life in the 12th century.  A very exciting read, I quickly flew through The Pilgrim’s Revenge and is worth checking out especially if you enjoy intense and detailed historical reads.  I look forward to continuing the Will Bowman series going forward, and I’ve already got a copy of the sequel, The Knight’s Pledge, which I am hoping to read soon.

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