I've tried to get into this book a couple times this year but can't get excited about it. I definitely want to finish the trilogy though, so I'll be pI've tried to get into this book a couple times this year but can't get excited about it. I definitely want to finish the trilogy though, so I'll be picking this novel up later....more
The Fifth Empire of Man is the sequel to Rob J. Hayes grimdark pirate tale Where Loyalties LOriginally reviewed at Bookwraiths.
My rating is 3.5 stars.
The Fifth Empire of Man is the sequel to Rob J. Hayes grimdark pirate tale Where Loyalties Lie, and it continues the ferocious nautical adventures, dousing the pages with blood, battle, and cutthroat action!
Drake Morass is now the “king” of a fledgling pirate kingdom, but how long will it remain? With a a huge armada set to attack the new realm, survival seems a slim hope. But even this coming crisis pales in comparison with his most immediate problem, for, you see, Drake has made promises he can't keep and probably never intended to keep, and now he has to keep a close eye on his “trusted” lieutenants since he knows it is probably only a matter of time before one turns on him.
Topping Drake’s list of potential traitors is Keelin Stillwater. This gentleman pirate (I’m stealing that description from C.T. Phipps, because – well, it was a damn good description.) views himself as a true leader, who attempts to be fair in his dealings and take care of those under him. His natural ability making him a key concern for Drake, because the pirate king knows if Keelin turns against him others will join his cause.
Nearly equal to Keelin atop the “watch list” is the pirate Elaina Black, who has been breed to be the most vicious pirate to ever sail the seas. She is cunning, nasty, and has the respect of those she commands. Hell, with her on again off again relationship with Keelin, she might also be able to prod him to turn or gain his help if she decided to take over. Both equally possible in Drake’s eyes.
What comes out of this delicate situation is tons of killing, loads of cutthroat intrigue, an intense nautical battle, and even some piratical romance. All of it told in a fast paced style, which keeps the surprises (Oh, there are lots of surprises. No character safe from brutal death!) coming at a blistering pace, as piratical mayhem rules all from first page to last.
But, alas, nothing is perfect, and neither is The Fifth Empire of Man – though the issues I’m going to raise might merely be my personal tastes rather than true deficiencies.
First, this was a much darker, bloody, and violent book than its predecessor. A fact which took me by surprise, since I felt Where Loyalties Lie was fairly grim. Don’t take this to mean I’m in any way suggesting these elements were handled inexpertly or were out of place in the narrative, because I’m not. I truly believe Mr. Hayes set out to craft a realistic portrayal of vicious pirates, and he did so in fine fashion, but at times the depth of the grimdark here did bother me.
Second, the fight scenes (especially the huge naval battle) were too difficult for me to follow. There was just so much going on that I got lost and had to go back and reread whole sections to keep everything straight in my head. Certainly, the sort of chaotic fighting and events portrayed were completely realistic and accurately captured the nature of a battle at sea, yet I wished it would have been a bit more focused.
Lastly, I found myself missing Drake. Yeah, he is a sociopath, a liar, a vile sack of shit, but he was pretty damn interesting to follow in book one. This time he played a lesser role in the story, and I felt that the book suffered a bit from a lack of Drake.
Overall, The Fifth Empire of Man is a very good conclusion to a grimdark pirate series. It is exciting, violent, bloody, and filled with nautical scum who would kill their own mother if it suited their needs. Fans of grimdark will probably love this duology best, but I feel comfortable recommending this book/series to everyone who has an interest in what real pirates looked and acted like, not those Hollywood fop versions most of us have seen far too many times.
I received this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank him for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone....more
Grittier. More complex. More engaging. Stands a Shadow is a book which does not succumb to the sophomore book slumpOriginally reviewed at Bookwraiths.
Grittier. More complex. More engaging. Stands a Shadow is a book which does not succumb to the sophomore book slump but rises above its predecessor, making a reader crave more. Col Buchanan crafting a mesmerizing sequel to Farlander, one which grips a reader from the first page and never lets go, as an epic tale of revenge, war, and survival plays out across the pages. Or, to put it simply, this is a damn good book!
Picking up directly after book one, the Roshun assassin Ash is bent on revenge against the Holy Matriarch of the Empire of Mann after her treatment of his apprentice Nico. This overwhelming desire going against all Ash’s beliefs, repudiating everything his order stands for. But Ash is beyond caring, determined to follow after his chosen target as she heads across the sea at the head of a massive invasion fleet, bound for the city of Bar-Khos, which has been besieged by the Mannians for ten long years.
Caught up in the brutal struggle and quiet mission of vengeance are several other characters who find themselves struggling to deal with their own problems and fighting to find a way to survive the traumas of war. Foremost of these is Che, a trained agent of the Mannians (and wayward Roshun assassin), who begins to waver in his loyalty to Mann and watches as his beliefs begin to crumble under self inspection. Opposite Che in Bar-Khos is Bahn, a war-weary soldier, who finds himself loosing his nerve, desperately wishing to flee the looming threat of annihilation with his family. And, lastly, there is a refugee-turned-prostitute named Curl, who joins the Khosian army, filled with the need to stop the Mannians from destroying her new home as they did her former one.
While the action and adventure are front-and-center here and monopolize the pages, this story is truly built upon the struggles of one man: Ash. The world-weary assassin with his mysterious, haunted past looming over everything. His personal quest for vengeance for his apprentice (and a need to redeem himself from past failures) is so real, so compelling that it carries the narrative. Only the struggles of Che coming anywhere close to rising to Ash’s level. All of which means that Stands a Shadow only works if you become deeply engaged in Ash’s journey.
The only criticism I have of this book is the failure of the other supporting, point-of-view characters — outside of Che — to carry their portions of the narrative. Certainly, everyone begins with loads of potential and have brief moments of brilliance, but overall, their story arcs are fairly forgettable. Especially disappointing to me was Bahn and Curl, who start off with a complex, intertwined plot which gradually ends in a proverbial dead-end and is basically dropped by the author all together without any satisfactory resolution.
Well written, tension filled, and driven by a compelling character in Ash, Stands a Shadow raises the Heart of the World series to new heights, ever facet of this epic saga improved immensely over its predecessor, Farlander. Certainly, Ash and Che’s story lines are the highlights of the book, but the world building and tale of a brutal war adds to the richness of the narrative, making this novel and series one of my favorite finds in 2017....more
Steel, Blood & Fire is a dark, gritty, and brutal fantasy novel in the grimdark sub-genre. POriginally reviewed at Bookwraiths.
My rating is 3.5 stars.
Steel, Blood & Fire is a dark, gritty, and brutal fantasy novel in the grimdark sub-genre. People are tortured, raped, and killed in the George R.R. Martin style. The setting is medieval, portrayed in a realistic way with splendid touches of historical authenticity, and there is even quite a bit of magic, magical creatures, and god-like beings making appearances to spice up the ho-hum world. What sets Steel, Blood & Fire above many dark fantasy offerings, however, is Allan Batchelder deft ability to use this grimdark setting to weave an entertaining, fast-paced narrative which keeps you desperately turning the pages to see how things turn out.
Told through multiple point-of-view characters, the story seamlessly weaves back and forth between several individuals. The most important of these people are Tarmun Vykers aka the Reaper, Arune, and Long Pete. All of these individuals experiencing the turmoils of their time in a different way, allowing readers to see unique views of events through very different eyes, but each caught up in the same horrible circumstances, specifically the crusade of a man known only as The-End-of-All-Things, who is determined to destroy everything on the world, wipe it clean of every form of life. This monster leading a huge army which follows him not for riches or glory but out of abject fear of his sorcerous power and his utter ruthlessness. The path this evil one and his horde carve through our protagonists’ world easy to discern due to the trail of corpses and total destruction that stretch behind them.
From the above plot description, it is not difficult to surmise that Steel, Blood & Fire is a brutal novel at times. The narrative almost literally drips blood and revels in the dark side of humanity at certain points. Horrible deeds are done over and over again to innocent people. Thankfully, though, Allan Batchelder never allows those nihilistic tenants of grimdark to overwhelm what is, at its heart, a character driven story about an unlikely villain-turned-would-be-savior, a troubled healer, and a gigolo-turned-warrior. Vykers, Aruna, and Long gradually developing from one-dimensional people at the the beginning of this tale into fully realized individuals by the conclusion; people who have went through hell, learned many things, and come out the other side better human beings — we hope.
As for the writing itself, it was equal to anything being put out by traditionally published grimdark writers. In fact, Allan Batchelder surpasses many a dark fantasy writer, especially in his ability to tell an entertaining story with a fluid plot and non-stop character development. Certainly, I could complain about Vykers transformation from villain to hero being a bit too easy, Arune’s plot “telling” instead of showing too often, or the villain’s evilness being a bit too one dimensional, but the simple fact is none of those flaws in the book distracted me overmuch from what was an engaging, grimdark romp.
Steel, Blood, & Fire is an impressive work of dark fantasy which is both epic and horribly realistic, one I do not hesitate to recommend to other fans of the grimdark genre. Allan Batchelder now a writer I will be following and will be purchasing his continued writings in this series. And, so, for whatever it is worth, I’d strongly recommend others give this novel as try as well.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone....more
A noir crime story set in a fantasy setting Low Town is a dark tale of drug dealers, realistic politics, corrupt coOriginally reviewed at Bookwraiths.
A noir crime story set in a fantasy setting Low Town is a dark tale of drug dealers, realistic politics, corrupt cops, and vile sorcery. And while this is Daniel Polansky’s debut novel, it does not read that way at all, but displays the deft touch of a master storyteller, which is why it is a must read for all fans of grimdark.
In the ugly, dirty, and crime infested section of the finest city in the Thirteen Lands lies Low Town: a place few willing call home. And it is here that the Warden resides, using his cynical, streetwise, and violent skills to rule this slum as a crime lord. His days spent dealing drugs; his nights filled with turf wars for control; and the profits he makes from the drugs he deals paying off the guards to look the other way and setting him up in a bearable life.
But there is more to the Warden than meets the eyes. His past filled with unexpected friends, surprising triumphs, and mysterious falls from grace. All his varied experiences making him the perfect person to deal with a series of child murders in Low Town. The fact that children are dying in the slums not unusual, but the how and the why what draws the Warden into the dangerous game being played by powers seemingly beyond him, reinforcing to him yet again that in Low Town no one can ever be trusted!
Like many fantasy readers, I enjoy stories dealing with anti-heroes. Nothing against heroes, but there just aren’t that many out there these days whose causes are my own. (That happens as you get older and the world moves on I understand.) So the Warden immediately grabbed my attention. Daniel Polansky having created the perfect anti-hero for my tastes: A drug dealer and mafia boss who does despicable things yet still manages to retain some small portion of innate goodness, which rears its head occasionally. This guy’s shadowy past only slowly revealed and creating more questions than it truly answered. The constant evolution of who the Warden is and why he does what he does keeping me riveted to the pages.
But if I’m being completely honest (And you want me to be, right?), it was the noir crime plot line which I adored even more than the mysterious Warden. The constant clues, frantic search for answers, struggles with dirty guardsmen, devious secret police, and corrupt nobles, and the desperate desire to uncover the true murderers mesmerizing me. No doubt, much of this infatuation was due to my unfamiliarity with noir crime fiction, so this type of story line was very fresh and unique for me personally (though I know it won’t be for others out there); the tropes Polansky undoubtedly utilized from this other genre not turn offs but turn ons for me personally. Be that as it may, Low Town was the exact addictive brew I desired.
The only weakness in this narrative would have to be the minimal amount of magic or fantastical elements. Yes, there were magic users, a few paranormal creatures even, but Low Town and its surrounds were so normal most of the time that it was difficult for me to maintain my belief that this story was taking place in a fantasy world at all. Others might not find this an issue at all, preferring low magic settings, but I could have used a little more of the fantastical in my fantasy, if you know what I mean.
Overall, this was a great read, one of my favorites from the recent past. Low Town providing me with a strong dose of grimdark yet blending it so well with noir crime that it provided me with an exhilarating hit of something fresh and exciting. I’ll definitely be reading the next book in the series, and I highly encourage those who haven’t already done so to go out find this book and give Polansky a try, because this author is a damn fine crafter of stories....more
Michael R. Fletcher’s Manifest Delusions series is one of the most creative takes on grimdark I’ve ever experiencedOriginally reviewed at Bookwraiths.
Michael R. Fletcher’s Manifest Delusions series is one of the most creative takes on grimdark I’ve ever experienced. His blending of insanity and magical power an epiphany. And I can’t get enough of the creepy madness of the damn world and its people, which is why I had to read Fire & Flesh; this short story the initial steps by the author into his newly created world of mystical delusions.
Without going into too much detail and ruining the narrative, F & F focuses on the journey of Pyrocast Gehirn Schlechtes and his longtime friend Captain Pizarr. The two heading up the king’s oceanic expedition, tasked with crossing the wide sea, discovery new lands and establish a grand colony for the motherland.
The expedition gets off to a bad start, however, when Captain Pizarr throws the Ship’s Counselor overboard. This decision a break with sound judgment, for, in a world filled with Maniacasts, a counselor must be aboard every ship to aid its crew and passengers in controlling their insanity. And without their own “headshrink”, Gehirn and Pizarr’s expedition quickly becomes embroiled in magical delusions, which lead to an explosive end!
Having experienced the refined version of the Manifest Delusions world before reading Fire & Flesh, I can definitely tell this is Michael Fletcher first tentative steps into this place; the world and characters not as polished, demented, and disturbing as his later creations. But for the entertaining madness it is (and for the chance to study the evolution of Michel Fletcher’s mad creation), this is a story I thoroughly enjoyed and am glad I finally read.
Recommended for fans of Michael Fletcher and Manifest Delusions, lovers of the grimmest of grimdarks, or fans of maniacal madness, because this author always brings the madness. Always!
Death at the Pass is a damn fun read. A short morsel of Michael Fletcher madness, which entertains, tantalizes, andOriginally reviewed at Bookwraiths.
Death at the Pass is a damn fun read. A short morsel of Michael Fletcher madness, which entertains, tantalizes, and leaves you wanting more.
“Somewhere there was a Necromancer. Of that there could be no doubt.”
Thus begins Khraen the Corpses return to life. His first tentative steps out of the grave a desperate attempt to ascertain who has given his skeletal remains life, where he is, when he is, and why. Why probably being the most important of these, because having been returned to life Khraen isn’t in a big hurry to jump back into the grave.
What I loved about Death at the Pass was the humanity of Khraen, our animated dead guy. Learning about his past, the world he once knew, and see him quickly accept his undead life, struggle to survive his current situation, and somehow, someway find a path to a future was really compelling. Not only entertaining but thought-provoking and emotional. Which surprised me given how short a period of time I spent with Khraen. But in just a few pages, the fate of this skeleton actually mattered to me. Great writing by Michael Fletcher, as always.
Will you love this short?
Yeah, I think you will. It is a quick paced, easy to digest delectable morsel of undead fun. Plus it can be read for free here.
Continuing the story of Khraen the Corpse begun in Death at the Pass, Death and Dignity is an even more thoughtful yet devilishly funny Michael Fletcher short. My favorite grimdark author delivering yet another damn fun read.
In life, Khraen was Fist of Sorhd-Rach, First General of the Invincible Hand, powerful demonologist, and loyal servant to the Emperor of eternal Palaq Taq, who wielded the demon-infused sword Kantlament against his enemies. In undeath, he is a dead man trapped in the prison of his own rotting flesh hunted by sorcerers. Talk a horrible turn of events.
The story which flows out from this set up is not really about Khraen being hunted as much as it is the emotional turmoil our undead corpse is dealing with and his feelings of helplessness, as well as a brief character study of those hunting him. The best moments of the narrative where the author’s dark, gallows humor springs to life unexpectedly. The fact that the ending is rather surprising and open-ended merely an added plus.
Just as with the first installment of this series, Khraen, our animated dead guy, is the star of the show, the reason to keep turning the e-book pages. His struggle to accept his new undead life, reconcile his current state with his past life, and find some reason to keep existing damn interesting and a bit emotional at times. I mean, Khraen finds a way to laugh at his circumstances and trade a few jokes here and there even though he wishes he was still dead, and this refusal to give up made me really learn to like this dead guy, made me eager to read more about him and his journey.
But will you personally like this tale of Khraen the Corpse?
Well, it’s fast-paced, emotional, has some humor, can be read for free here, and shouldn’t take too long for you to finish. How could you not like that deal?...more
Where Loyalties Lie is the first book in the Best Laid Plans duology from Rob J. Hayes; a seOriginally reviewed at Bookwraiths.
My rating is 3.5 stars.
Where Loyalties Lie is the first book in the Best Laid Plans duology from Rob J. Hayes; a sequel of sorts to his The Ties That Bind trilogy, but one where no knowledge of the former is required to enjoy the later. And for those unfamiliar with what they will be getting when picking up this new, pirate epic from Hayes, please understand this author is a no holds barred grimdark master, whose characters are violent, profane, and without very many redeeming qualities. In other words, the “pirates” you’ll encounter here aren’t the Jolly Roger-type portrayed in Disney films, but the bloodthirsty, thieving, and murdering realities who terrorize the seas of the First Earth fantasy world.
Pirates are under attack! Their more civilized neighbors tired of the constant thievery; navies sent out in force to exterminate pirates from the sea. These forces more than willing to kill anyone attached to pirates, including women and children. And so Where Loyalties Lie begins with Captain Drake Morass and crew watching a pirate township and all within burnt to ashes by this grand crusade.
Watching the scene of fiery death causes the calculating, charming, and absolutely brutally Captain Drake to have an epiphany; a realization that he has to do something to increase his chances of surviving this onslaught and protect his current status. His plan – unite all the pirates in a sacred cause to drive back their foes, carve out their own independent pirate kingdom, and make Captain Drake their king!
Only one problem: everyone hates, fears and distrusts Captain Drake. And for good reason. He is a black-hearted villain who would use, betray, and discard anyone at anytime. Not to mention he is as violent as they come, willing to do the most terrible things to even those close to him upon a whim. His reputation as a damn monster fairly earned and not far from the truth.
But all that is a mere problem for old Captain Drake to overcome. A minor hurdle, if you will. Thus, he decides he needs a more trustworthy and naive captain as his right hand man. Someone whom the other pirates respect and trust; someone they will believe; someone who can convince them Captain Drake has changed, that he really believes in this grand crusade to unite them all, save them and create their own kingdom. Enter Captain Keelin Stillwater.
Keelin is a wanna-be do gooder. A pirate captain who tries not to murder and brutalize his victims, if at all possible. I mean, he is still a pirate, so all his lofty ambitions of not doing harm aren’t terribly convincing, but he does, at least, have them. And Keelin quickly falls in with old Captain Drake, giving the legendary Morass the poster boy for his grand crusade to give pirates change they can believe in.
Joining these two main characters in the ongoing tale are several others, most notably Elaina Black (daughter of feared pirate Tanner Black), Arbiter Beck (a familiar face from The Ties That Bind), and Captain Truck Khan (another pirate). Each of these characters getting their time in the spotlight, adding even more wrinkles to this complex tale of pirate brutality and betrayal.
All of which brings up the one thing prospective readers must keep in mind about Where Loyalties Lie: it is pure, unfiltered, one thousand proof, kick-you-in-the-teeth grimdark at its most potent. Rob Hayes’ cynical view of his characters and their self proclaimed altruistic motives easy to see. The people populating this story taking turns doing bad things, really bad things, including George R. R. Martin-like manipulation and coercing, graphic violence (even brutal rape), profane language, and a good bit of consensual sex. All of it is within the confines of the ongoing story, not out of place, and used to progress the plot along. But if you do not enjoy reading this type of grimness, please don’t say I didn’t warn you.
For grimdark lovers, Rob Hayes should be one of your go to writers. This guy can write a story with characters who are both charismatic, charming, calculating, yet are complete and total shites. I mean, there are so many WTF moments in Where Loyalties Lie that I’ve tried to block some of them out. Honestly, by the end of this narrative, I wanted to both drinking a beer with and ritually murder Captain Drake Morass, and don’t even get me started on Elaina’s dad who needs to be worked over by a torturer for a few years before he is quietly put down. That is how strong the emotions are that Rob Hayes’ writing can elicit.
If your okay with that, then this novel is a fine piece of nautical grimdark. It is pirates in a fantasy setting, who act like the thieves and scoundrels they are. Only here they are also caught up in a merry dance of killing and creating an empire. There is pirate politics, pirate battles, and pirate hypocrisy. Enough to keep even the most diehard fan of pirates and nautical warfare sit up and take notice. And mixed into the maniacal mayhem is an organically growing story of the people caught up in it all from mad Captain Drake to wanna-be-good-guy Keelin to the strong-yet-unsupported Elaina. Each of these people demanding that you keep reading to discover their ultimate fate.
Are their any major problems with the book? Not really. I mean, you have to be okay with all the graphic violence, rape, profanity, et cetera I mentioned earlier, and you have to really like pirates. Why I mention that last point is because I personally know people who hate pirates (and nautical stories in general), refuse to read books or watch movies about them. And Where Loyalties Lie is almost exclusively a nautical adventure, which takes place on ships and at sea. The battles are sea battles with deck combat. All the main characters are obviously pirates. So if you don’t enjoy those type of stories, this isn’t a book you should read.
To sum up, this is a grimdark tale of devious, destructive, yet intriguing pirates and those swirling around their ongoing circumstances. For lovers of grimdark, nautical fantasy, or villains as the focus, Where Loyalties Lies is a fantasy story not to be missed and will perfectly build within you a desperate need to get your hands on the next installment of the series.
I received this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank him for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone....more
The Court of Broken Knives is a novel which has taken me on a long journey. Not only alongsiOriginally reviewed at Bookwraiths.
My rating is 2.5 stars.
The Court of Broken Knives is a novel which has taken me on a long journey. Not only alongside the characters which Anna Smith Spark has created, though that is true, but also my own journey of self-discovery, as I’ve found myself on a quest to reconsider my reading preferences, modify my bookish desires. This causing my review to take months to finish, as I returned time and again to the book to do lengthy rereads, attempting to focus my mind, come to grips with the conflicting emotions which this novel had produced within me.
To be fair, when I finished The Court of Broken Knives back in November of 2017 I viewed it as yet another in a growing line of great grimdark, one I enjoyed so much that my rating was a solid 4 stars and included a spot on my Best Reads of 2017!. Anna Smith Spark’s bringing her beautiful writing style to the genre, adding her elegant, lyrical, and unique voice to a genre previously known mainly for its dark, pessimistic, violent, and decidedly masculine outlook on life. But under my initial euphoria was a growing seed of discord, one I will explain further after we set the stage.
The Court of Broken Knives takes place mainly in the city of Sorlost in the Sekemleth Empire. This legendary rich and powerful metropolis mired in decadent decay, moving steadily toward ultimate destruction unless something occurs to halt the downward spiral. Rising to the challenge. Lord Orhan, a nobleman and important councilor of the Empire, formulates an elaborate coup to destroy the Emperor and most of the ruling elite, thereby allowing him and his co-conspirators to take control and guide the Empire back to its former power and glory.
One of the keys to Orhan’s plans is a group of foreign mercenaries who quickly infiltrate the city; their leader an older, experienced warrior by the name of Tobias. This guy is a practical, ordinary man who isn’t the most gifted merc but is determined, quick witted, and practical to a fault. Those he leads tending to follow along in the same vein as their commander; all except for young Marith, who begins as a rather mysterious sort and slowly evolves into a fairly murderous individual with a horrible habit, terrible secrets, and a dark destiny. Tobias’ plans complicated and jeopardized by having to deal with Marith’s growing issues while still attempting to be the Orhan’s weapon to mete out death among Sorlost’s elite.
Not initially caught up in these events, there is also Thalia, high priestess of the god of life and death. This god not for the faint of heart, requiring regular human sacrifices (preferably small children) which Thalia is forced to personally perform. The constant killing taking its toil on her mental state. What makes it even worse is that she knows her life will remain this way until a new high priestess arises and kills her, just like she did to her predecessor. This stress, depression, and apprehension causing Thalia to seek escape from her prison, even if that means tying herself to an even worse person/cause!
Without a doubt, all this sounds like grimdark fantasy at its best, and the classic staples of the genre are indeed present in abundant supply. There are dark, jaded characters everywhere. Plot twists abound. Byzantine scheming and political machinations rule the day. Dark humor, bloody action, unhealthy love, diabolical betrayal, and cringeworthy deceit are the norm. Hell, in Marith, we even have a tortured, psychopathic character who would give anyone from George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire nightmares and make Mark Lawrence’s Jorg Ancrath take pause. But therein also lies the seeds of my problem with The Court of Broken Knives: it is horribly, terribly, completely, extremely, unbearable dark and grim.
A weird criticism I realize, especially coming from me: the grimdark convert who became an adoring fan after reading such classics as Lawrence’s Prince of Thorns, Fletcher’s Beyond Redemption, Polansky’s Low Town, and Abercrombie’s The Blade Itself. Be that as it may, after months of reflection and numerous rereads of certain sections of the narrative, I finally came to the conclusion that what bothered me about this novel was the fact it had taken the grimdark genre to its ultimate apex, serving up a world and story so grim, so dark, and so damn depressing that even I couldn’t really appreciate it. Let me try to explain why I say that.
For me personally, I prefer my stories to have contrasting characters, dueling ideologies, competing champions to keep things fresh and exciting. If the darkness is too thick, too grim, too all encompassing, I get bored. I mean, if all my choices are basically the same, why do I care if a certain character lives or dies, triumphs or fails. I don’t. And in The Court of Broken Knives, I really felt like there was no one to hold onto while all the goodness in the world died a painful death. There was no hero or anti-hero to pull for until he/she is cast down. No villain who has noble motives even if his/her means are vile. Nope, here the darkness is unrelenting; the characters completely unsympathetic; and the plot a choice between what shade of black I would prefer.
The prime example of all this are the main four characters of the story. Let’s take a closer look at them, see the choices of black.
First, there is Lord Orhan; a man who initially appears to be a misguided idealist, someone who dreams of a change for the better. Sure, he is willing to kill lots and lots of people to get the change he believes is needed, but he only wants to restore his city, his nation to greatness. Brings to mind Hitler, but I can feel it. Once you get to know him though he is pretty far removed from any semblance of an idealist. Instead, Orhan is revealed as a dissatisfied man, married to a woman he does not love, yearning after a man he probably should not trust, living a total lie for reasons he doesn’t even totally believe in anymore, and hating the mantle of would be savior he has assumed. Totally depressing.
Then we have Tobias, who is probably the closest thing to a decent human in the whole sorry bunch. Problem being he is a glorified assassin, determined to kill people for gold. His conscious is locked up at home somewhere, and he is willing to deal with anyone necessary to get the job done. A good quality for a mercenary, necessary even, but one which doesn’t cause him to be terribly sympathetic. The fact he is hooked up with Marith merely makes his faults even more pronounced and off-putting.
Next up is the mysterious Marith. Some have described him as pitable, but I never saw him that way. Where Jorg Ancrath of Lawrence’s The Broken Empire had some slim explanation for his sociopathic leanings, Marith is a despicable being in the present, past, and on into the future from the look of things. I can concede he has personal issues from his past, haunting tragedies to bear around, and a terrible addiction to deal with, but none of it made me pity him in the least. He is a sociopathic nightmare, wrapping his loathsome actions inside pathetic excuses while gorging himself on more and more extreme doses of violence and killing in the name of an ancient god. Not sympathetic at all for me.
Lastly, there is the deeply scarred Thalia, whose role sacrificing children to a blood-thirsty god has left her mentally handicapped, extremely warped, and generally unprepared for the real world outside her blood soaked temple halls. Her choices in this narrative leaving me wondering if she has the smallest ounce of wisdom anywhere inside her body since she becomes fascinated by a man who promises to do nothing but take her down a road even more bloody than her previous one. A choice which still strikes me as odd considering her desire to flee her former life.
Hopefully, you can now see that these characters are all shades of black, not grey, certainly not white, but dark black. This consequentially means their individual stories are dark and grim, as you would expect from deeply flawed, horribly jaded, and near inhuman (at least in the case of one person) characters. And compounding this problem is that there are no characters of a different shade (grey or white) to add contrasting points of view to the plot, insert a bit of levity, or bring a bit of light to the curtain of darkness which shrouds everything. Without those “lighter” characters The Court of Broken Knives remains bleak, gloomy, and destructive from its opening page to its last, immersing a reader into the depths of total grimness.
It’s a gridmark. It’s suppose to be dark, gory, and depressing. Get over it already. I hear some of you mumbling.
True. It is very possible my criticism of this novel is merely my own personal foible come to light, showcasing my growing weariness of unrelenting grimdark. And, yes, I can acknowledge that perhaps at another time, another place in my reading journey, I might have been drawn into Anna Smith Spark’s tale of darkness, embraced it, and loved every moment of it. But right now, I’m not interested in that type of tale. Instead, The Court of Broken Knives depressed me, reinforced my growing feelings that I don’t want to visit a world this dark, this horrifyingly grim, inhabited by such deeply flawed people anymore in the near future. I really need some light to fight against the darkness, some optimism to dilute the pessimism, some good to struggle against the bad, a few decent people to make me care about the struggle I’m reading about.
That leads directly into why my rating went from 4 stars in November of 2017 to 2.5 stars in May 2, 2018. Simply put, I finally realized why I initially gave The Court of Broken Knives those 4 stars: Anna Smith Sparks writing style; her beautiful words and phrases nearly able to overcome the suffocating darkness of the story itself, wash away the bitter taste in my mouth, and convince me I adored this grimmest of grimdarks. But the truth, hard as it was for me to accept, is that I simply don’t love this novel, don’t have any particular fondness for any of these characters, and never was caught up in their stories. Certainly, it is an okay read, especially if you enjoy grimdark at its most extreme, but not much better than that, hence the 2.5 stars.
Does all this mean you shouldn’t read the book? I can’t answer that. It is all based on your reading preferences. Michael Fletcher, author of Beyond Redemption, has dubbed Anna Smith Spark “the queen of grim dark fantasy”; a title which is well deserved and very accurate. And if you wish to immerse yourself in the complete darkness, cynical depression, and unswerving grimness, then this is a book which will not disappoint, because it truly is a grimdark for the ages. However, if like me, you are a bit tired of pervasive bleakness, amoral violence, and pessimistic nihilism, then this might not be for you. It is your choice.
I received this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank her for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone....more
It is damn difficult to top perfection. And in my opinion, Beyond Redemptionwas just about as near perfect a grimdaOriginally reviewed at Bookwraiths.
It is damn difficult to top perfection. And in my opinion, Beyond Redemptionwas just about as near perfect a grimdark as anyone can write, one of the most demented, darkest, and diabolical grims ever penned. But, somehow, Michael Fletcher did just that with The Mirror’s Truth. The mad man in the glasses and black cowl delivering a stunning sequel, one that sets a new standard for what a grimdark has to deliver in order to be considered great.
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It all starts where Beyond Redemption ended: with Bedeckt and his two friends, Wichtig and Stehlen, dead in the Afterlife. Of course, our tragic trio has grown bored of the hereafter. Hell: there is only so many things one can do while there. So, these guys escape back into the land of the living.
While the Sanest Man Alive, the Greatest Swordsman in the World, and the Keptic Killer have been “living” it up in death, back in the real world things have changed. Their former captive, Morgen, has taken up the reins of godhood, busily remaking the Geborene people into a near perfect race. Every thought of the young god focused on perfecting the dirty, brutish habits of his worshipers, refining them and make them into immaculate, clean pinnacles of his vision of mankind. Only problem is that Morgen is a damn lunatic like everyone else in the world.
Well, Bedeckt is going to put a stop to Morgen’s madness. The crazed god is his fault (in his mind, at least), so he is going to fix the mess he created. Doesn’t matter that those two friends he tried to abandoned back in the Afterlife have found a way into the real world and are bent on hunting him down and killing him. He won’t be stopped by the other, even more psychotic, assassins Morgen has sent after him. Nor will his own slow descent into the madness and sanity he has always risen above deter him. Bedeckt will not fail, because he is the Sanest Man Alive – which might mean he is also the most damn crazed shite in a world full of lunatics and sociopaths.
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From start to finish, this is one of the smoothest, most disturbing, and most compelling grimdarks I have ever read. From the near perfect pacing of the narrative to the engrossing storytelling, Michael Fletcher crafts a masterpiece and makes it look easy. Whether it is internal contemplation, savage torture, or scheming machinations, Michael Fletcher nails it, sells it, and makes a reader buy it whole-heartedly. Demented and crazed characters actually develop before your eyes, becoming understandable, even in their deep, dark madness. The fresh, inventive and intricately detailed world building brings to life a reality where madness and delusion creates the world around the characters, helping to mold them into different beings. The violence is visceral, always present, and horribly described when it finally finds it victims. And the ending . . . it is just pure Michael Fletcher madness, people. Great stuff. Can’t put it any more simply than that.
The only negative I will mention (So I can appear to be fair and hide my absolute fanboy feelings for this book/series.) is that the plot in The Mirror’s Truth is more narrow, less epic in feel than Beyond Redemption. Everything in this tale revolving around our protagonist Bedeckt, even though the other characters have their own stories going on simultaneously. While this didn’t bother me in the least, I could see many readers feeling bothered by the more focused plot line.
If you love grimdark and have not tried Michael Fletcher’s series, I have to go ahead and ask you to please turn over your grimdark fan club membership card, because you do not deserve to keep it. I mean, this series is a hidden gem of creativity, dementia, and pure violence, which grabs you by the throat and will not let go. It is 100% proof distilled madness delivered up by the Master of Grimdark Madness, Michael Fletcher. And you, my patient reader, need to go buy Beyond Redemption and read it already, because the bandwagon is leaving the station and everyone on board gets first choice at the bar.
I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank him for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone....more
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