My Thoughts On. . .

The Hanged Man

Rune St John is the sole survivor and last scion of his dead father’s court, the Sun Throne. A role that has left him destitute and something of a maverick among New Atlantean society.

But he gets by, and together with his Companion, Brand, they make ends meet by serving as super-efficient/superpowered private eyes. And they’re good at what they do.

Just as well, really.

Remember, this is New Atlantis, a place where the old gods and new world reside in an uneasy alliance. So, when a new threat emerges – one that could possibly destroy the fragile balance between the two societies – Rune and Brand have to pull out all the stops to ensure chaos doesn’t ensue.

And as is so often the case, it starts so innocuously.

The Hanged Man has set his sights on Rune’s ward, Max, and attempts to assert a marriage claim on the young man initiated at a time when Max’s family – the Heart Throne – were still a power to be reckoned with. But the Heart Throne is no more. Max has no house, no wealth, no sigils of power, and no real assets. So why is the Hanged Man so fixated on him? Fixated enough to try and kidnap him in broad daylight? It doesn’t add up.

Rune sets out to investigate, because the Hanged Man is known to be something of a sadist, a member of the Arcanum who surrounds himself with necromancy and mutilation magic. And just as ominously, those who refuse him always go missing, be they child or adult.

As you can imagine, things get down and dirty very, very quickly.

And that’s what I enjoyed about The Hanged Man, the second book in the Tarot Sequence by K.D. Edwards. Not only is it a wonderful combination of noir chic, living legends come to life, and urban fantasy, but it leaps out to grab your attention from the off, and doesn’t let go until the very end. And no wonder. Relatable characters, well-crafted dialogue, superb imagery, and one of the most believably engaging magic systems you will ever see, create an overall helter-skelter ride that you won’t want to end.

Try this series out. You won’t regret it.

My Review of. . .

Time of Contempt

Ciri, the foretold child or prophecy, the one reputed to have the power to change the world for good or evil, is finally on the way to the magical college on Thanedd Island. Yennefer, her guardian for this stage of her training, has decided it best that Ciri learn how to master the powers to which she is so instinctively and naturally adept.

A wise move, and one it seems, that is bound to succeed. For who could offer harm in a place full of sorcerers?

Alas, there are other powers at play who seek to intervene. They have also heard of the child of prophecy and seek to control her destiny to their own ends. And as we go on to see, Thanedd Island is nothing but a powder keg. The perfect environment in which to light a fuse that will remove sooo many obstacles at once. But to whose benefit?

Yes, it seems even the highest echelons of the mighty sorcerer’s guild aren’t above a spot of political intrigue. The trouble is, when the magically mighty start throwing tantrums, people get hurt. War. Betrayal. The settling of old scores and the birth of new ones. You just know its going to end badly.

How badly? You’ll find out in yet another thoroughly enjoyable and well written adventure that engages you from the moment its starts, and doesn’t let up until the end. Even better, Andrezej Sapkowski skillfully grants us a deeper understanding of Ciri, Geralt and Yennefer. Their affiliations. Their self-imposed ethics. Their individual love of the land they serve. How their complicated, threefold relationship works. And as the story unfolds and they become separated, how each of them holds up when tragedy and loss strikes. Excellent stuff.

My Thoughts On. . .

Blood of Elves

Destiny converges, twisting ever tighter, ever faster, toward a building crescendo of probability. And at the center of it all, Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer struggle to stay ahead of the game.

Keeping his word, Geralt adheres to the Law of Surprise, and drops off the face of the earth. Nobody knows where he is. Which is just as well. Everyone, from one end of the land to the other, is searching for him and his child surprise, Ciri. So where else would he take her, but somewhere safe. A place where she can begin her training to become a witcher: Kaer Morhen.

The thing is, Ciri isn’t like any other apprentice they’ve had. Realizing this, Geralt and Yennefer find it necessary to provide a much broader and deeper curriculum, so that Ciri has a better understanding of the power to which she is so naturally adept. And it is only by coming to terms with what she is that Ciri stands a chance of surviving, for war foments all around them. Races that have lived together in relative peace for hundreds of years are now driven by violence toward one another. And the ever-present threat from Nilfgaard can’t be ignored.

Coincidence? Or rather, fulfilment of ancient prophecy?

Find out for yourselves, in this engaging, immersive and rather enjoyable romp through the world of the witcher. Quite a bit of background history is revealed in this novel, allowing you a better understanding of Geralt, Ciri, and Yennefer’s circumstances, and how this binds them together into an indomitable force for good.

My Review of. . .

The Last Wish

Geralt is a Witcher, a man trained from childhood to protect mankind against the things that go bump in the night – and then some!

Having never played the games for which the Witcher is renown, I developed an interest in the books following the TV adaptation, as I wanted to delve more into the history and background of the world Geralt inhabits. And I have to say, The Last Wish does just that, providing a succession of windows, giving us glimpses of Geralt’s nomadic existence and the prejudices he has to endure as he struggles to live by the tenets he holds dear.

It’s cleverly done too. Despite his reputation as a butcher, Geralt is a thoughtful man who will extend mercy and justice just as often as he exterminates the nightmare creatures he is sent to kill. Dry humor, a gritty appreciation of the human condition, and great action scenes help blend folklore and fairytale together in a magical mix that elevates fantasy to a different level.

Awesome.

My Thoughts On. . .

Shakes

Shakes, by Mike Massa, is a rather enjoyable introduction to several of the ‘Lost Soldiers’ from the Caine Riordan Universe – courtesy of Charles E. Gannon & Bain Books.

In a nutshell:

The Lost Soldiers are combat specialists from various countries around the world, who are abducted from Earth at the moment of their deaths. Spirited away by their saviors, they are preserved in an advanced form of suspended animation, and awake over a hundred years later to find everyone they knew and loved is gone – and that their skills are needed to help fight someone else’s war. (A subject very dear to my heart).

In this outing, we are introduced to Major Rodger Murphy, Lieutenant Harry Tapper, and Sgt Marco Rodriguez on their mission to help the indigenous tribes of R’Bak free themselves from the oppressive rule of their cruel overlords.

An easy-going pace; engaging characters; great action; and an environment that combat veterans will relate to only too easily, make for an entertaining story that will keep you turning the page from beginning to end.

As I mentioned at the beginning. I enjoyed Shakes very much, and am sure fans of Caine Riordan – and new readers alike – will find it a worthy addition to an already established universe.