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Completely barmy, but in a good way!

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 06-09-24

Okay! Someone please tell me what the hell is going on this book. Please!

I have to say that this was something completely different. It was like William Gibson, Douglas Adams and William Burroughs had a midnight threesome whilst off their heads on a shed load of acid and dope whilst playing Warhammer and spawned Complete Darkness.

Right, I am going to try and explain the plot of this book – well as far as I understand it!

London 2.0 or L2 is the hub of the world, and it is run by a multinational corporation that may or may not be run by the devil. One day, some information comes to light on dark matter from a money crunching experiment that has been tasked by someone that is really important. This leads to a bunch of MP’s and leaders been massacred in a penthouse.

At the other side of this, there is Cleric 20, a substancely challenged individual who has some dodgy predilections who may or may not be the hero of the piece.

Amidst a cast of humans, robots, artificial intelligence and a soundtrack that includes Carter USM, PWEI and The Pixies (all bands close to my blackened heart).

I have to say that this book is completely all over the place. However, this is in a good way, although it may not be to everyone’s taste. The book skips from scene to scene, flips from past to present tense and then changes perspective at the drop of a hat. It’s like the author has tried to do a comic book that mixes frenetic set pieces and ultra violence.

Throughout the story there are various footnotes that explain the world and the various organisations that are mentioned in the book.

Did I enjoy the book?

Well actually! Yeah I did! I might have to go back and give it a listen again coz I am sure that there is loads of stuff that I have missed on first listen, and in addition to that, I am sure that I missed loads of references to geek culture that I really want to capture.

If you like mad books that are insanely paced and lots of violence then this may be the book for you.

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Cracking sci fi adventure

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 04-05-24

I have got to say that this was an excellent read. Every time I read a Steve J. McHugh book, I always think to myself that I must read more, but as you know, life and TBR’s have a pesky habit of getting in the way of me picking up different books, and I am sure that it’s the same for everyone else.
The first book that I read by Steve J. McHugh was Crimes Against Magic, and I enjoyed that one immensely, so when I was invited on the tour for this latest novel, it was a no brainer.
Atoned takes place in the already established Union Empire Universe, which was introduced in the novella Blackcoat, focussing on the Blackcoat Celine Moro (who coincidentally makes an appearance in this book).
Atoned is the first book in The Wardens series and centres on the main character Felix Drake.
When Felix Drake is called to a triple homicide by his boss Celine Moro, the incident will unravel a plot to destabilise the Union throne and will shine a light on secrets that Felix had thought hidden in his past.
I really enjoyed this mix of noirish action thriller and sci fi as the plot runs to its final conclusion. As we get deeper into the book, there are twists and turns aplenty. The book itself is a light read and McHugh does a good job of mixing light hearted banter amongst the characters and intense action scenes.
Added to that, there is a likeable set of characters that help the story along, and whilst the side characters do their job of supporting the main character, you can’t help but have favourites amongst them. One of these being the sentient cybernetic lifeform Bokk, who doesn’t act like machines should.
I must say that if you liked things like Firefly, I am sure that you will enjoy this book, and whilst it is not set in a sci fi western setting, it has a similar feel to it.
The audiobook itself is a great rendition of the book. I have listened to many Podium Audio productions and they have always been good quality and this was no exception. Added to that, the narrator is Tim Gerrard Reynolds who happens to be one of my favourite narrators and has a great range when it comes to narration. In fact, shortly before listening to this one, I was listening to him narrate another series that I really enjoy.
I can’t recommend this one enough. It’s a great book, but now I need to read Blackcoats to get up to date.

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fantasy/steampunk

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 16-10-23



Petre is a royal quadruplet and he's in hiding - from his conniving, scheming family.

That is until he receives a letter summoning to swear fealty to his sister who is to become the ruler. Well, she would be, but his brother has got other ideas and thinks that he has a claim.

Now, this is a familiar tale that we have all heard before, except when Connor Caplan gets a hold of a familiar trope and then injects it with a heavy dose of complete barminess.

Whilst you think you have heard this one before, Connor Caplan decides he is going to write a complete mash up of genres that includes thyroid science swords, biomechanical horses that explode and one giant dysfunctional family

Following Petre's POV, you are thrown into a world where not one, but two cataclysmic events have occurred and science has gone wild.

Petre's voice really comes through in this story, but Caplan also populates the story with a full complement of strong characters who feel like an active part of the book rather than being plot devices to move the story along.

The plot has a good balance of action and politicking, particularly when Petre's family enter the story proper.

In addition to that there's some really vivid world building that includes things like ghostfog that makes those that encounter it into some form of revenant, possessed by a hungry ghost.

So, I never know how to finish these things, so I will tell you that I enjoyed the book immensely.

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Under the Sea!

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 26-07-23

Corin Hayes Omnibus

This book contains 3 books and 1 short story. So there's: -
Silent City
Nothing is ever Simple
Three times The Trouble
Additionally, there's a short story called The Passenger.

In The Silent City, we are introduced to Corin Hayes, an ex soldier who hires out his expertise with a fish suit (a special pressurised deep-sea diving suit). Corin is a man with issues, his daughter was murdered, his marriage wrecked, and he is the sole survivor of some disaster in which his crew died, dragged through the courts and is now pretty washed up.

The story takes place in a dystopian world in which human kind is now living under the sea due to some catastrophe on the surface.

Subsisting on a diet of alcohol and the odd job, he is subsequently hired by the aide of the mayor to carry out a consultant role, hiring him out to whoever needs needs him.

In this first book he is sent to a city that is known as a silent City, which is an underwater city that is off the grid for whatever reason. However, disaster strikes and the city is destroyed, killing everyone there, well except Corin, who discovers that it was not an accident.

The second book, Nothing is ever Simple, Corin finds himself sent off again. As the title says nothing is ever simple and Corin finds himself involved with shady criminal gangs as he is kidnapped and forced to install an unknown device and steal some priceless artifact as payment for getting involved in a little altercation.

The third book sees Corin again in more hot water. This time he finds himself at the bottom of the ocean attempting to find a priceless artefact for another one of the cities. However, he soon finds that things are not as it seems and he is subsequently thrown in prison where he meets a young girl and her teenage nanny. He finds that they the youngest is the daughter of one of the leaders of a criminal gang. Determines not to leave the youngsters at the mercy of the opposing criminal gang and he saves them, returning them to their families, thus creating just that little more trouble and Corin sees himself in the middle of a Triad gang warfare.

This was such a fun series and collects books one to three.

Corin is a brilliant character that you can't help but like, even though he constantly makes the wrong decision, but usually for the right reasons.

Initially, the books have a noirish feel to them, but as the books develop, it becomes more action adventure.

The story takes place in an underwater environment following some unknown catastrophe which has left the earth desolate and uninhabitable.

There's some interesting world building and technical details, particularly in relation to the 'fish suit' which is a deep sea suit that was originally developed by the military to perform special ops missions, but following the end of the war, they were decommissioned with the owners of the suits carrying out specialised jobs in each of the cities.

As this is an omnibus, it's interesting to watch the development of both the character and the writer. Initially, whilst the character is immediately likeable, he's a bit of a well trodden character. However, like I said, he is such an amenable character that you can't help but like him, and it's similar with the writing. Even though it's set in a science fiction background, there's a familiarity of noirish/action adventure stories, and as I do enjoy these kind of stories, it was refreshing to read this type of story. The books are never short on action and the pace and the plot of these stories make them an easy enjoyable read.

I initially came across G.R. Mathew's writing in Seven Deaths of An Empire and really enjoyed his Roman based fantasy so it was good to see this other side of his writing and also see how he got to where he is at currently.

As for the books themselves, they are really good. I enjoyed them, so much so that after I had listened to the first books, I have gone on to buy the fourth in the series as I enjoyed the series so much. So you can see that I liked them!

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Maybe, I am not living in the past

Overall
2 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
2 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 23-07-22

Recently, I have been reacquainting myself with some of the old horror books that I read when I was younger. One of these was The Howling by Gary Bradner.

The Howling is one of those werewolf stories that gets cited as being a classic werewolf tale. However, for me it was a dichotomous book that ultimately missed its mark.

The story revolves around the main protagonist of Karyn who at the beginning of the story is the victim of a brutal rape after her husband, Roy has gone to work. In an attempt to overcome the trauma of the incident, they move to a semi rural village on the outskirts of L. A. The village that they have moved to is a tight knit community that holds a secret. Throughout her stay in the village Karyn hears a strange howling in the woods, and when her dog goes missing, she knows that some kind of evil lurks in the town.

Now, like I said this book is pretty dichotomous in a number of ways. For one there is the way that Karyn's recovery from the brutaility that she has experienced is just plainly awful. I am sure that in the late 70's there was the emergence of some victim support, but unfortunately Karyn never gets the chance to access any, and the way that Karyn overcomes her trauma is to enter into some kind of physical relationship with her husband, Roy and then wonder why she has no interest in sex.

And whilst we are on the subject, Roy is simply the worst husband ever. Instead of being supportive, he thinks that it is a good idea to have an affair with local temptress, Marcia because his traumatized wife 'is having a few problems'. It's like 'whaaaat?' oh my lord!

I have to say, I very nearly DNF'D this book several times. The sex scenes are super cringe, and I really had a hard time with the characters. And in all honesty, the werewolf bits are few and far between for the first half of the book.

Now on to the other side of the coin, in what does Gary Bradner do well.

In all honesty, when he gets down to writing the horror aspects of the story, Gary Bradner is really good. He has a good descriptive style that puts you in the middle of the situations, and on top of this he can build and evoke tension when the situation demands.

It's just the rest of the stuff, like one dimensional characters (particularly Roy who is so shallow, he is virtually transparent), and the predictability of the storyline. However, in its defence, the predictability of the storyline may in fact be due to its age, but I am not sure that that wholly absolves it.

I think one of the reasons that I didn't DNF this book sooner was primarily down to Encycopocalypse's excellent production of the story. Again, they do a commendable production with this audio presentation, and I think it is mainly down to Stephen Caffrey's excellent narration that I stayed with this book

*please note I received an advanced listening copy of this in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed are my own.

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Dark and grim infused sci Fi fantasy

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 22-03-22


Jordan Loyal Short begins his sci - fi/ fantasy Trilogy, Dreadbound Ode with this dark tale of rebellion and Revolution in The Scald's Black Verse.

Brohr is the grandson of Anders Nilstrom, a deeply scarred veteran of The Tyrianite invasion of his homeworld Heimir. Brohr is a mix of Norn and Tyrianite, born of a brutal assault by Tyrianite troops, which leaves his mother pregnant with twins

However, his twin is killed at birth and bound to him by a dark ritual performed by his grandfather shortly after Brohr's birth.

Skip forward quite a few years and Brohr is planning to run away with his girlfriend. However, things don't go according to plan when his supposed best friend tattle tales on his plans and they are stopped. As a result, Brohr loses his temper, and subsequently beats said best friend half to death.

As a result, he is shunned even more than he was, and things go from bad to worse when he is out drinking and gambling. The result of the night, which is one that is echoed in towns all over the universe it seems, is violence. However, whilst the man that Brohr became involved with is unconscious, he is killed be a shadowy apparition. The event is witnessed by two others Lyssa and Hendrick.

This incident is the catalyst for an event that will change all their lives forever.

I have got to say that this book surprised me, and I did not expect it to go the way that it did. Initially, the world building points to a Norse inspired fantasy. A pitch black Norse inspired fantasy, I may add! However, things soon took a different turn with the introduction of space faring invaders that are oppressing the people of Heimir and the whole book goes in a direction that I did not foresee.

The story is made up of four diffiering POV’s; Brohr, Lyssa, Hendrick and Brasca, each of them very different. Brohr is possessed by the spirit of his dead brother and resembles a berserker (or The Hulk, or even Slaine the Horned God when he goes into his warp spasm). Then there is Lyssa, an independent young woman who is totally bored of working in her father’s tavern. Next up is Hendrick, a spoilt prig of a boy whose father is the Mayor, and also one who has done very well from allying himself with the oppressing forces. And finally, there is Brasca, the Tyrianite Prefect sent to Heimar as some kind of political punishment.

The story is mainly confined to one place, the village of Skolja (although there is some mention of other towns in the world). Whilst in some ways it may seem that it is limited in its world building, it does add to the intensity of the book. And I have to say, I did find this book quite intense.

Like I mentioned earlier, this is a dark fantasy, pitch black even, but this works well. It highlights the oppression that the inhabitants of the village are experiencing, and it also heightens that sense of foreboding that is ever present throughout the book.

Throughout the story, there seem to be a plethora of differing influences in there, such as; epic fantasy, grimdark, ecological disaster, sci fi and even some folk horror. Whilst it may make you wonder how these elements can be melded together, Jordan Loyal Short makes them work extremely well and provide a fantasy tale that is quite individual.

The magic system is quite intriguing, with the Scalds using blood magic, which is used for all sorts of things like hiding evidence and intent. However, other forms of magic are used in the book, and we learn about bindings.

The characters are all well realised, with Lyssa being the standout for me. At times I found Brohr to be a little less than the sum of his parts and could be quite frustrated with him, whilst Hendrick was a typical lordling’s son. The other character Brasca was well realised and complex. It was interesting to see his story unfold to show how he had fallen from a star of the Tyrianite Empire to being demoted to his current position.

I liked that Jordan Loyal Short used some typical other fantasy elements like the chosen one trope, warring gods or the found family trope, and twisted them to fit the story.

So, if you like your dark fantasy flavoured with a bit of grimness and spiced up with a touch of Sci Fi and horror then give The Scold’s Black Verse a try.

In terms of the audio book itself, it was well produced, easy to listen to with the narrator, Aaron Smith, doing a fantastic job of differentiating the characters and giving them individual qualities.

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A mesmerising tale from begining to wnd

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 20-02-22

The Skin is the debut book by J.E. Hannaford and is the first book in the Black Hind’s Wake Trilogy.

It is the tale of Selkie. A mythological being that is trapped on land. She is trapped after her and her sister have been swimming in their natural form of a seal. As they lounge on an island they are unwittingly trapped, and as a way of saving her sister, who is pregnant, she swaps her skin (which is the natural seal skin, which is taken off to give them human form) with her sister in order to save her from the wretched humans that inhabit the world.

She is then sold into servitude by her capturer who now holds her skin hostage to make sure that Selkie complies.

Whilst in the service of a thoroughly reprehensible collector, she is unexpectedly saved from her cruel life by Sal, a mysterious individual that owns a pleasure barge, and at first seems as nefarious as her owner.

From there story revolves around Selkie’s story to free herself from captivity, find her missing skin as well as finding her place in the world.

I found The Skin to be utterly mesmerising from beginning to end. I was thoroughly enthralled with how J.E. Hannaford manages to interweave folklore with dystopian fiction and fantasy.

The characters in the book are complex, as is their nature. Whilst Selkie is finding her purpose following her being cruelly ripped away from the life she had before, we follow her as she has to live with the fact that she may never get back the life she once had and also having to live with the human inhabitants of the world that they destroyed. I would be hard pressed to determine which is my favourite character in the book as they are so well realised and burn into your consciousness with their clarity.

One of the things that stood out for me was J.E. Hannaford’s world building. For me I found it distinctly indistinct it its clarity, and whilst you are given hints that this is a world that has been wracked by an unknown catastrophe, you are not entirely sure until the very end the full details. Which I have to say I loved as it adds to the puzzle of the story.

I also enjoyed the fact that J.E. Hannaford not only shows the effects of the damage that humankind has done ecologically, but that it has had an effect sociologically as well, as the human race has reverted to a kind of medieval feudalism, despite having quite modern technology.

She also raises some interesting questions on the role of zoos in biodiversity conservation, especially in the light of the fact that the human race is a destructive force towards nature and a harbinger of disaster in its treatment of nature and the ecology of the planet.

J.E. Hannaford skillfully interweaves folklore into the tale, and I must admit that it is the first time that I have seen a Selkie used as a main character, which brings some originality to the story. However, not only are there Selkies, she incorporates a whole host of creatures from both folklore and mythology, highlighting the connection between these creatures and the natural world.

I listened to this on audio and loved Emily Mounts narration of the story as she really brought the story to life.

The Skin is an excellent read and I could see anyone that likes folklore, nautical fantasy and dystopian fiction enjoying this one

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A really interesting mix of mythology & fantasy

Overall
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Story
4 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 21-12-21

The Gifts of Pandora successfully manages to interweave Greek mythology with a compelling, gritty retelling of the story of Pandora.

This is my first introduction to Matt Larkin’s books, and I have to say that I enjoyed this inaugural foray into his writing.

The story itself is a retelling of the myth of Pandora’s box. However, this retelling successfully merges other characters from mythology and even other timelines to make it an intricately woven tale of love and tyranny.

When we meet Pandora, she is employed as a sex worker whose only goal is to service the needs of the men around her. She is bitter and resentful, especially due to the circumstances that has resulted in her current circumstances. As a child, her mother Europa was sexually assaulted and killed by the tyrant Zeus, and she was subsequently forced into servitude.

However, when she meets Prometheus, all this changes. When disaster (and when I mean disaster, I mean the eradication of the line of Pleiades by the God Zeus), Prometheus saves Pandora and takes her to his Aviary on his secluded island. From there, Pandora discovers that he is not like the other Titans and that he has no desires for her and actually wants nothing from her. Pandora is not used to this kind of treatment and subsequently a friendship grows between the pair.

The story is densely populated with figures from Greek Mythology. However, they are presented in a different light to what you would expect. Most of the gods that are in the book tend to be characterised as insufferably spoilt monsters that kill on a whim and have no regard for anything around them.

Zeus for instance, is a hateful, spiteful tyrant who is paranoid about his position as the God of Olympus. He kills with impunity and forces everyone to accept him as the Godlike figure that he sees himself as. He meters out punishment for no apparent reason and his view on the female of the species is that they are to be used and abused as he sees fit.

In fact, most of the male gods are like this.

In turn, most of the female Olympians are malicious and vile, and it is difficult to see them in the light of they had previously been cast in mythology.

The book is done from multiple points of view that span across characters and timelines. At first, this can be a little daunting as there is a fantastically large cast of characters, with the main one’s centring around Pandora in the Silver Age of man, and then alternating to Pyrrha in the Golden age. However other figures in mythology get to tell their points of view, such as Artemis, Athene and Kirke. And again, flitting along different timelines. At times this complexity can confuse the reader, but once you get used to the format of the story, it does become a little easier.

The Gifts of Pandora is not an easy book to read, primarily due to the massive cast and the alternating timelines. However, it is rewarding when you get used to it. Matt Larkin’s writing is immersive, and you become attached to the characters that it is telling the story of, particularly Pandora and Pyrrha and how they intersect through the various timelines.

Furthermore, Kirke’s story is equally intriguing. In the book, she is the manufacturer of Nectar, which in mythology is the divine drink related to Ambrosia, the food of the Gods. However, in The Gifts of Pandora, Nectar is a powerful narcotic that is outlawed by Zeus as it can bestow the power of the Gods on humans, and that is something that he definitely does not want. Kirke manufactures this on Prometheus’s island with Kalliope. However, she eventually has to move her base of operations when she is found out by Pandora, which leads to some disastrous results

Prometheus is a deeply introspective, benevolent individual who throughout the book is accepting of his fate (which we all know). But even that, in the hands of Matt Larkin is altered and twisted to fit his interpretation of the Greek Legends.

The story itself takes many different directions that I did not see coming, and in all honesty left me aghast. Particularly the ending, which I did not foretell at all.

The book is quite a dark book, and there are several references to sexual assault, although there are no graphic scenes. However, it does highlight the brutal and degrading view that the gods have of women. However, at the centre of the story there is a heartfelt tale of love and family in there that keeps you reading the story.

The story itself is complex and it is extremely well crafted. Especially how the timelines, whilst initially seeming quite disparate, eventually manage to converge and give an end to the story that took me wholly by surprise.

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A Brilliant addition to the story!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 27-09-21

The Timelessness series has firmly ensconced itself in my favourite series list and with the third book, Nephilim's Hex, Susana Imaginàrio has upped the ante no end.

I recall when I wrote my review for The Dharkan, Susana Imaginàrio kindly responded to the review that I wrote explaining that if I thought The Dharkan was good (if you recall dear reader, I gave it 5💫 on Goodreads) then Nephilim's Hex was going to blow my mind Well, she was not wrong! Nephilim's Hex is a belter of a book and gosh was I surprised at this.

One of the things that I like about this series of books is that it kind of puts me in mind of a television series and works both on the macro and the micro level, in that each book is quite contained on the one hand but there is an over arcing story that is moving towards its ultimate conclusion.

In this, the third installment of the series, we finally get to meet The Nephilim. And they are a cold race that rely on the technology that they have installed in Niflheim. There's some interesting stuff going on with the Nephilim in that their tribute is a number of human women, which fits into the mythology of the Nephilim and how they are portrayed within Christian mythology as fallen angels who were cast from heaven for having relationships with human women.

This is one of the standouts that I love about Susana Imaginàrio's books and how she interweaves her love of mythology whilst at the same time subverting the myths to fit the story.

Now, I am purposefully avoiding the plot as I feel that any indication of plot points in the story would unravel the silken thread of this intricately woven web and it is best that you discover these for yourself. However, what I will reveal is that there are Revelations aplenty in this book which move the story on towards its ending.

In terms of characters, we spend more time with the other players that are part of the story and only spend a small proportion with the Goddess of Snarkiness, Psyche, although she does remain prominent but in other ways. In Nephilim's Hex we spend more time with the Titan of Time, Chronos, and his new protégé, Ideth, and a new character that is introduced to us, Hecate. However, old favourites like Loki are still knocking about creating havoc (as is Loki's nature) and there is also Seshat.

Again, I was lucky enough to receive an audio book from the author (although, I have it in book format too, and I make no excuses for my obsession with this story, so there!). And again, Sarah Kempton' s wonderful narration brings the writing to life. She gives each character their own distinctive personality with their own vocalisations and mannerisms, to such a point that you can imagine the book is being played out before your eyes.

If you haven't you haven't read the Timelessness series, why not? This is an absolute gem of a series that keeps going from strength to strength.

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The Dead Walk!

Overall
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Story
5 out of 5 stars

Reviewed: 02-09-21

I have to say that Ritual of Flesh is a more accomplished book than the original. It’s not that I did not like A Ritual of Bone, but from the outset it felt that Lee Conley had found his beat and he is about to produce a 19 minute prog opus that steadily reaches its crescendo.


When I finished the first book, I had questions. Lots of the questions, but the main one revolved around the Apprentice. Who was he? What is he up to? Does he have a plan? What is that Dark force that is hanging around in the background orchestrating events like Palpatine at a political rally?

Well, let me tell you dear reader, these questions get answered. Well, kind of! Look, Lee Conley is an author. He likes to maintain an air of mystery, likes to keep you interested. I mean he needs to get you come back doesn’t he.

Sorry, I went off on a tangent there, didn’t I? Anyway, let’s get back to the point. Yes, Lee Conley does give these answers. However, I am not going to tell you what these answers are. Job done, review over!

No just kidding!

The book starts immediately after the first book. Initially, bringing in the quiets tones, that have a slight twang of ominous tension. In the first instance, Lee Conley expertly weaves a number of different events that are happening in the world of Arnur. Much like the first book, we have a multiple point of view, with the Apprentice making his way to the college in order to report the findings of his master’s experiments. Whilst in another part of the land Bjorn is collecting his bounty and also imparting the findings that he found about the cannibals. Meanwhile Lord Arnulf is making his way to the capital, Arn to warn of the impending doom and also back up these claims by taking his son, Ewolf to show him. You remember the one that got bit and turned into a feral killing machine.

Oh, and then there is Nym’s story, which I found to be one of the most engaging character arcs. It shows her daily struggles that she has to contend with. How she is managing on a daily basis, her attempts to keep her wayward brother in check. However, there is a wider picture at work here, in that it highlights the social decline following the pandemic that has struck the land and how brutal this degradation is.

It is also interesting that he gives Ewolf a part in the story. Not only when he is being transported, but as he turns into one of the feral beats that eat human flesh. He manages to convey a sense of intelligence and purpose in the creatures, rather than mindless killing machines.

Throughout the story, there are lots of events happening. However, never once did I feel lost with the sheer amount of story that Lee Conley crams into this book.

I think the most interesting storyline was the one of the Apprentice. Lee Conley details his change from an unassuming student, whose only aim is to gain his position as master, to the place where he gets to by the end of the book, full of confidence and willing to make his own destiny, whatever the cost.

All the way through the first part of the book there is some pretty nifty ominous foreshadowing of events. You get a palpable feeling that something is going to happen

It is in this first part tha Lee Conley firmly orchestrates all his instruments into play. Each one adding to the texture of the story, whilst showcasing each individual player in their own right.

All of the characters get time to grow and to play their part in the story. And on top of that he also manages to broaden the world that the characters live in. Besides the Apprentice, there is a full cast of characters, and each one is realised and individual. Even down to the most insignificant guard.

However, all this is a power play to get to the events that you know are coming, and when they do come the pounding beat brings in the pulse banging events. Everything increases tenfold when events take off. It’s like he turns the action up to 11 and there is no stopping till the end. It was at this point that my headphones were permanently glued to my ears until I got to the breath taking end, and my goodness what an end it is.

There is tragedy, loss and horror as the wall of undead make their appearance. And a relative tsunami of horror envelops the city of Arn as each of the characters fight for their lives and sanity in the raging torrent of the cursed.

As it reached it's conclusion, I let out a breath that I knew I was holding and relexed. However, I must say…… I still have questions!

At its core, Ritual of Flesh has all the tones of a twisted epic fantasy, with regular tropes being played upon. In some respects, you will find the found family element, particularly when events start to take hold, and each of the individual characters are thrust into finding each other.. You will also recognise the unassuming boy finding his destiny in The Apprentice's story. In addition, there are dark forces at play looking to destroy the equilibrium. However, when you add the icing on the cake of 'The Cursed', it takes it into a whole new level.

Postscript
Now as I told you, I listened to the audiobook of Ritual of Flesh, and I have to say this is one of my favorite audiobooks that I own. RJ Bayley does a fantastic job of bringing the characters to life, giving each one a distinctive voice and character. He magnificently manages to convey the change that the Apprentice undergoes, and he successfully manages to initially show the uncertainty of his character and the weakness that he feels and his transformation by the end of the book

In addition to that, he manages to convey the emotions and nuances of each individual character.

You never get lost in the story and all of the words are audible. I sometimes find that the sound design can get muddled in some audiobooks I have listened to, and on occasion have lost aspects of dialogue. However, with Ritual of Flesh, the production is clear and accessible.

The story is told distinctively in a North of England accent, and I have to say that hats off to RJ Bayley and Lee Conley for the correct pronunciation of water. Now you might question what that means, and I will explain. Normally, water is pronounced with a soft ‘a’, and sounds like ‘warter’. However, in parts of Northern England it is pronounced with a hard ‘a’, like in ‘apple’ and that is how I grew up hearing it pronounced.

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