4.4 stars. Red Country would score higher compared to other authors' books, but I can't give it the same perfect score I gave its predecessor, The Her4.4 stars. Red Country would score higher compared to other authors' books, but I can't give it the same perfect score I gave its predecessor, The Heroes. Still an enjoyable story, still expertly narrated by Steven Pacey, but pales slightly compared to previous entries in the First Law series....more
A Ritual of Flesh isn’t just a great second part to Lee Conley’s The Dead Sagas. It’s twice the length of A Ritual of Bone, expands on the intricacy wA Ritual of Flesh isn’t just a great second part to Lee Conley’s The Dead Sagas. It’s twice the length of A Ritual of Bone, expands on the intricacy with its wealth of characters and multiple POVs from separate and interlacing plot-lines. It doubles down on the epidemic of the dead, and the two books together ultimately make for an epic Norse-esque fantasy horror which still has more adventure yet to come in future instalments. The characters are well fleshed-out and the world-building is solid, fuelling the reader’s imagination with its joyless landscapes and ancient cities, its societies and cultures, the struggles of the various classes and occupations from street urchin to sovereign, and it’s all intriguingly threaded together into a gloriously gruesome grimoire that makes the already excellent first book feel more like an extended prologue (but that is not at all to diminish from “A ritual Of Bone”, which was exactly what it needed to be to bring us into this unravelling epic).
I listened to both “Bone” and “Flesh” on audiobook, narrated by RJ Bayley. The collaboration between Conley and Bayley is less of a partnership made in Heaven and more of a blood-pact made in a smouldering corner of some infernal tomb. Bayley’s narration and character voices are perfect. This is a narrator who clearly takes pride in his craft and understands what’s needed to bring this sort of story to life (and death).
Look, you get the point, right? Good, then I’ll end my review here so you can go and enjoy the Dead Sagas first two books for yourself....more
A Wizard’s Sacrifice brings back all of the action, romance and complex threads that were prevalent in the first book of the series, and A.M. Justice A Wizard’s Sacrifice brings back all of the action, romance and complex threads that were prevalent in the first book of the series, and A.M. Justice does it all with the same strength of detailed storytelling. Each scene is flavour to the five senses, which works equally with the quieter and action-packed moments alike. Leah Casey returns as the audiobook narrator, and once again delivers it all expertly in perfectly-produced audio, bringing the characters and scenes fully to life. There’s no need for me to write a long review, just enough to say that anyone who enjoyed A Wizard’s Forge will equally enjoy A Wizard’s Sacrifice whether you’re reading it or listening to it. ...more
Lee Conley's “A Ritual Of Bone” is a relentless tale. Dark magic has brought a dire plague to the land – a plaque which reanimates the dead and turns Lee Conley's “A Ritual Of Bone” is a relentless tale. Dark magic has brought a dire plague to the land – a plaque which reanimates the dead and turns anyone infected by them into something equally nightmarish. Set in a bleak, Norse-esque region, the unrelenting tone paints the picture in stark clarity; even any mention of trees and grasses does little to add colour to the gritty image of dirt, stone, death and stalwart individuals that dominate the story. The combination of the various locales of the setting were, for me, particularly reminiscent of the Elder Scrolls and could almost fit nicely as a spiritual companion story to that game series. In fact, I would say that A Ritual Of Bone (and further books in Lee Conleey's Dead Sagas series) would make for a great TV series to fill the niche between Game Of Thrones and The Walking Dead.
I listened to the audio edition of this book, and I really must say how excellent a narrator RJ Bayley is. His grim narrative tones drip with a brooding menace, and his character voices are perfect for the setting. Right from the offset, while listening to him deliver this tale I found him strongly reminiscent of one of my favourite voice actors, the great Matt Berry, and yet RJ Bayley is no cheap imitation; in fact, I would say that his delivery of A Ritual Of Bone has given me the most enjoyment I've had from an audiobook in a long while. Massive kudos to Mr Conley and Mr Bayley for breathing life and undeath into this story.
When the audio edition of the second book in the Dead Sagas is published, I would certainly like to listen to it, both to hear RJ Bayley's delivery again and to find out what lies in store for the surviving characters of this unfolding ttale. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys grimdark or any other form of gritty adult-oriented fantasy. ...more
Moroda is an engaging fantasy/sci-fi hybrid with airships, shape-changers and dragons – elements which feel partially inspired by (and an admiring nodMoroda is an engaging fantasy/sci-fi hybrid with airships, shape-changers and dragons – elements which feel partially inspired by (and an admiring nod to) the Final Fantasy series. It's a fun and dramatic adventure with a colourful array of unlikely travelling companions brought together by circumstance amid a looming war.
I listened to the audiobook edition of Moroda. The vocal narrative is crisp and almost completely flawless, which, at just short of 13 hours of audio, is a quality accomplishment for narrator Georgie Leonard. Georgie's particular brand of dialect is one for which I have always had a bit of a soft spot; this, combined with her clear skill in recording and editing, makes it a pleasure to sit back and enjoy L.L. McNeil's first entry in the World Of Linaria series....more
I enjoyed Lucifer's Nebula every bit as much as book #1 (Lucifer's Star), possibly even more so. The crew are all back with their sharp banter (especiI enjoyed Lucifer's Nebula every bit as much as book #1 (Lucifer's Star), possibly even more so. The crew are all back with their sharp banter (especially William, who you just can't help but smirk at his snarky dislike of Cassius). The galaxy-building is rich, both in present and historical. The narration is once again flawlessly superb. I recommend the Lucifer's Star series to any fan of adult-oriented space-based hard SF. ...more
A Wizard’s Forge follows Victoria through her mid teens to her early twenties, starting with her innocent beginningsbut quickly plunging her into a brA Wizard’s Forge follows Victoria through her mid teens to her early twenties, starting with her innocent beginningsbut quickly plunging her into a brutal sexual servitude, far from home, in the clutches of a narcissist of the worst order. The unrelenting months of physical and psychological abuse shred Vic’s psyche, the constant rape and mental dominancy brainwashing her into a meek girl who exists only to sate her master’s cruel appetites. Through sheer luck of circumstance, she eventually manages to escape her imprisonment and finds herself in a comparatively safe haven. She’s free from the clutches of her once-master, but the emotional wounds run deep. Haunted by the memories of her captivity, the broken Vic begins to rebuild her life and her self, but the girl she had been is gone, and the future she should have had is a shattered dream. Though it takes her a long time to rise from the ashes of her ordeal – battling through a gamut of real and overwhelming emotional responses – she does finally manage, but the woman who emerges is one of steel, broken in a very different and deadlier way, forged into Vic the Blade, with one strong undercurrent driving her every action – vengeance.
At the opening of the third act, the story skips forward five years, but, although Vic has reinvented herself as the Blade, the scars still remain. What follows is a slowburning narrative that follows Vic as a military captain through patrols and skirmishes and power-play, through her connections to the supporting characters, and a plot that takes her slowly but surely towards the man she escaped from all those years ago. But this isn’t just a story about one woman’s self-healing and desire to right what had been wronged her; though Vic and her actions are at the core of it all, the stakes run much deeper and wider. The tyrant who kept her as his sex slave is a lord of great authority and power, the sort who rules by domination rather than respect, a man who has wronged far more people than merely Vic.
I’ve skirted over the edges of the plot there because I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but suffice to say that A Wizard’s Forge is a story that is clearly at A.M. Justice’s heart, that is so comfortable in its telling and its pace that even the mere details of character actions and at-times poetic narrative descriptions bring it to vivid and detailed life. I mentioned that this is something of a slowburner; though interspersed with plenty of action, the story does focus strongly on Vic’s relationships with several major characters and is in no rush to skim the minutiae. In a very loose sense, A Wizard’s Forge put me in mind of The Handmaid’s Tale, but, to be honest, I’d say it blows that famous novel out of the water. That’s just my preference, of course. Slow-paced does not have to equal boring, so, if you’re happy to immerse yourself into a less-rushed story that explores relationship and emotion dynamics and has a rich, gradually unfolding world, then you should enjoy immersing yourself into A Wizard’s Forge. Four and a half stars from me, and I’m certainly looking forward to the next instalment in the series....more
I listened to the audiobook of this far-future, ship-based, first-person sci fi novel and I really enjoyed it. The combination of C.T. Phipps’s highlyI listened to the audiobook of this far-future, ship-based, first-person sci fi novel and I really enjoyed it. The combination of C.T. Phipps’s highly-detailed galactic history, strong prose and character interactions, plus Eric Burns’s excellent narrative delivery – especially the dialogue, most notably of the main character, Cassius – make the audio version of Lucifer’s Star a fun and atmospheric ride and a difficult book to stop listening to. The gestalt entity of Phipps-Burns switches flawlessly from gritty drama to dark humour in this first novel of what I’m sure is an epic space opera series. I highly recommend it....more
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