“Elfslayer”, by Nathan Long (Black Library)

The latest adventure from the Black Library’s oldest duo

Trollslayer Gotrek Gurnisson and his human companion Felix Jaegar reluctantly travel to the port city of Marienburg to fulfil a last request from Felix's dying father, hoping to save the reputation of the Jaegar family name. However, a chance meeting with their old acquaintance Max Schreiber (who was a recurring character earlier in the series, and a rival for another recurring character, Ulrika’s attentions) knocks them well off course, after an initial, disastrous attempt to fulfil their supposedly simple task.

Max, the Imperial wizard has been sent by his college to investigate some disturbing magical phenomena off the northern coast of the Empire. Bringing along with him an impressionable seeress, who immediately becomes infatuated with Felix (who doesn’t want her attentions, and keeps finding himself in situations resulting in a reprimand from Max).

Pretty soon, the heroic duo and their companions find themselves caught up in a deadly situation, with seemingly no escape. As enemies old and new keep cropping up, Felix and Gotrek face their latest, perhaps greatest adventure.

When the novel opens, Gotrek has descended further into an alcoholic slump, and Felix is spinning his heels, waiting for something to happen. It’s amazing how quickly one gets back into the swing of the series, familiarising ourselves again with the characters almost instantly. It’s a bit of a slow start, and it takes a long while for the elves to actually show up, but the novel takes some interesting twists and turns, and Nathan Long’s writing is solid throughout. There’s a little more delving into Gotrek and Felix themselves and how they’ve managed to survive so long, with barely any evidence of time affecting them. The jokes and quips are still amusing, adding a lightness to the novel that makes it all the more enjoyable.

It took me a long time to work my way through the novel, because of a number of unavoidable distractions, so it’s possible that I could have enjoyed it a great deal more had I had the freedom to just sit down and read it.

If you are a fan of the series, or Warhammer as a whole, then you should certainly enjoy this novel. The next in the series, Shamanslayer is already out, too, so you won’t need to wait at all for your next fix.

A solid addition to the series.

“Triumff”, by Dan Abnett (Angry Robot Books)

It’s Abnett, sire, just not how we know him…

Sir Rupert Triumff: Adventurer, fighter, drinker, successful ladies-man. Could he also be the saviour of the Unity?

Triumff is a tongue-in-cheek historical fantasy set in a clockwork-powered version of our present day, predominantly in London, only things are very different indeed. Currently ruled by Queen Elizabeth XXX, the sun has never set on the Elizabethan Age. After the Re-Awakening, magic is accepted as real, with the Church having moved to control it (naturally). Her Divine Majesty Queen Elizabeth XXX rules over the Anglo-Hispanic Unity, a huge empire that has progressed little technologically – the magic has, effectively, taken the place of electricity and other technological advances. While the plebs might be happy to just live their lives, political intrigue, subterfuge, and backstabbing are rife in the upper echelons of society. Factions vie for ever-more control, power, and, of course, wealth. Even Triumff isn’t without a Ploy up his sleeve. As Triumff’s plans and those of a shadowy cabal of elite plotters collide, the streets of London start to ring with the sounds of violence.

Triumff is an amalgam of Flashman and Blackadder, in some ways - “seafarer, Constable of the Gravesend Basin and celebrated discoverer of Australia”. He is clearly a wastrel (we first meet him in a drunken duel), with a keen sense of self-preservation (an almost uncanny luck in this department); yet also fiercely loyal to Queen and country. It is another golden age of discovery and exploration, with huge fortunes ready to be made by those brave enough to venture forth and, ultimately, lay the seeds for conquer, plunder, and exploitation. As mentioned above, Triumff discovered Australia, which he hasn’t quite ‘finished’, thereby causing a whole host of problems for men who are chomping at the bit, ready to exploit the hell out of it. As Triumff drinks and brawls his way through the pages of this book, we see some truly unique fights (Public Baths, anyone?), which Abnett has always been skilled at writing.

This is a considerable departure from Abnett’s previous output. Having been a long-time fan of his Gaunt’s Ghosts series for the Black Library, I was interested to see what he might come up with when given complete free-rein and the opportunity to spread his own novelist’s wings.

The world he has created is an interesting one, and Abnett does an excellent job of realising it on the page. His inventions and creations within the world are also pretty interesting. For example, the all-purpose Swiss-army arsenal (the “Cantripwork Couteau Suisse”), is an inspired invention which adds frequent humorous asides as Triumff attempts to select the correct weapon for the latest scrape he’s managed to get himself tangled up in.

There are certainly absurdist elements to the novel (something that usually turns me off), but they are never over-done or excessive, providing just the right amount of oddity to intrigue without alienating the reader who might not think ‘humour’ begins and ends with Douglas Adams’s Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Abnett’s dialogue is frequently witty, sometimes daft, with some groan-while-you-smile puns. Even if the concept might be strange, the characters are well-created and written, with each complimenting the others, as well as fulfilling their roles perfectly. (Agnew, Triumff’s man-servant, reminds me a little of Wodehouse’s Jeeves.)

A difficult book to review, but one that is very enjoyable to read (after you get used to it being very different). If I had one criticism, it would the same as my criticism of Terry Pratchett’s early novels: it’s a little too joke-/pun-heavy. The exposition is understandably high, as Abnett introduces us to his new world, but while sometimes it can slow the plot (certainly at the beginning of the novel), it helps set the context very well. The present-day allusions are well-used and add a wry element to the storytelling.

Overall, not what I expected – but in a good way. Triumff is a swashbuckling adventure, in an alternative universe, which will entertain, amuse and engage the reader. It will certainly be interesting to see where the author takes the series in the future.

If you want something a bit more fun, something that takes itself and the genre a lot less seriously, Triumff comes highly recommended.

For Fans of: Joe Abercrombie, Blackadder, Terry Pratchett, George MacDonald Fraser, Douglas Adams, Michael Rubens

“Unseen Academicals”, by Terry Pratchett (Doubleday)

Football Comes to the Discworld, and something strange is afoot…

I suppose it was inevitable, but football has finally come to the ancient city of Ankh-Morpork. This is not the old fashioned, violent, grubby, pushing-and-shoving football. No, this is a new, faster football. There are proper goals, a new football that beguilingly goes ‘gloing’ when you drop it, and soars through the air, unlike the rock-solid old type which broke feet and heads equally.

Because of an obscure, old bequest made to the Unseen University (Ankh-Morpork’s school of Wizards), the wizards must win a football match, without using any magic. Archchancellor Mustrum Ridcully delegates the organisation and training of UU’s team (much like he delegates everything else) to Ponder Stibbons who holds, by his own reckoning, the majority vote on any University Council meeting he must decide to hold (simply because he fulfils so many positions within the university).

The prospect of the Big Match draws in a myriad of characters from the streets of Ankh-Morpork and also the servants quarters of the University. Trev Likely, a street urchin with a talent for kicking a tin can; Glenda, who makes lots of jolly good pies for the Wizards; Juliet, Glenda’s dim but beautiful young colleague in the Night Kitchen (with an awful, Holly Golightly accent), who might just turn out to be the greatest fashion model there has ever been. And then there is the mysterious, erudite, and eternally eloquent Mr. Nutt. No one knows much of anything about Mr. Nutt, not even himself, worryingly. All he knows is that he must attain worth, and can do pretty much anything. Then Ponder Stibbons asks him to help with the football preparations…

Unseen Academicals, the 37th Discworld novel, is a wonderful return to Unseen University. After a considerable absence, it was nice to finally be among the wizards again. The faculty continue to amuse, parodies as they are of university Dons and Fellows. Even poor Rincewind – the star of the first handful of Discworld novels, as well as others – who, as the new “Professor of Cruel and Unusual Geography” has “no students and no real duties other than to stay out of trouble”. The whole cast of them remains wonderfully inept and food-obsessed. Add to this the fact that the Dean has moved on to head a rival university, and tensions (not to mention Ridcully’s blood-pressure) are high. I was disappointed that they seemed to fade a bit out of the story in the second half, though.

The cast below-decks – Trev, Glenda, Juliet, and Mr. Nutt – provide a different approach to Unseen University, as we are given a glimpse into how things actually work, and what sort of people keep the place running. Each character is different and very well rounded. Nutt, especially, is one of the best additions to the Discworld in a long time (though, Moist Von Lipwig is pretty great, too).

I laughed a lot more while reading Unseen Academicals than I remember with some of the more recent Discworld novels. However, the plot didn’t seem as gripping as some of his previous Discworld outings. There’s a lot going on, for sure, but the story doesn’t move along at the sort of pace we’ve become used to with Pratchett’s writing. This might have something to do with the increased frequency with which we switch between perspectives, and the number of people’s eyes we see through. The characters remain intriguing and interesting – the Patrician and Librarian remaining two of the best characters ever created, by anyone. The dialogue is sharp and amusing throughout (his social commentary, certainly with regards to football fans, remains very keen also), filled with clever allusions and puns that will make you chuckle knowingly.

All in all, not one of the best Discworld novels, but Pratchett remains a superior author even with his ‘off’ days. Unseen Academicals will entertain you throughout – and that’s all we can ask from one of the UK’s greatest living writers.

Highly recommended.

“Blood Pact”, by Dan Abnett (Black Library)

Far from the Front, trouble comes for the resting Tanith First & Only

Kicking their heels on Balhaut, far from the warfront, the Tanith First & Only are awaiting their next deployment. After the bloody events of Only In Death, Colonel-Commissar Ibram Gaunt is recovering well, and getting used to his augmetics. While he finds himself slipping with ease into the easier life away from battle, the same cannot be said for his men: masters at war, unequalled in their given specialty (infiltration, scouting, and so forth), it turns out they don’t do well as a garrison force. As Commissars Hark and Ludd (Gaunt’s junior officers) discover, the more time spent with nothing-in-particular to do only makes restless Guardsmen go crazy, pushing the envelope and boundaries of what is allowed from Imperial forces.

All is going moderately well until Gaunt is called in by Section (the HQ of the Commissariat on Balhaut) to take part in the interrogation of a high-level prisoner. As events escalate to violence, Gaunt must navigate through the web of intrigue (on both sides of the conflict) to discover just what is so valuable about the prisoner’s knowledge. Without knowing who can be trusted, he has to rely on his wits and a small core of the Ghosts to survive and get to the bottom of things. The legacy of the Gereon campaign (in Traitor General and The Armour of Contempt) makes him distrusted by his superiors, and the Inquisition is sniffing about the Ghosts, looking for anything damning. Gaunt just needs to stay alive, keep his prisoner from being killed, and discover the truth that, supposedly, could help decide the fate of the Crusade. As Gaunt hunkers down, the various factions looking for him and his companions draw nearer, culminating in an explosive finale.

Each new Gaunt’s Ghosts novel is an event. Each time Abnett turns his attention back to Gaunt and company, he goes some way to reimagining the science-fiction war novel. He has been referred to as the “master of war”, which is a pretty good description: no other author can bring you into the mindset of the grunts on the ground, while retaining a keen eye on characterization, character development, and superb story-telling. Whenever there is a switch in perspectives, you really get a sense of the person’s character and voice. The author manages to keep things fresh and exciting each and every time (the only novel of his that I couldn’t really get into was Double Eagle, a stand-alone).

For Blood Pact, things are a little different in terms of style. For one, it’s is a slower novel, with the action only really starting quite a way into the book. The novel has a more thriller-feel to it, as he slowly unravels the story for the reader. From the very beginning, I was hooked by the story (it can sometimes take a couple of chapters for me to become truly taken with Black Library releases), and the plotting is expertly crafted for maximum effect. There’s a fair amount going on in every chapter – and, if it’s been a long time since you’ve read any of the previous Gaunt’s Ghosts novels, it might take a moment to remember who all the characters are – but the pace is balanced and there is never a lull in the story.

The second big departure is the more nuanced approach to the Imperials and Chaos/Archenemy forces. The Blood Pact soldiers of the title aren’t portrayed as mindless minions – rather they are presented in a more three-dimensional manner. Eyl in particular is a clinical, sociopathic adversary for Gaunt, frighteningly focused, with the perspective of a true believer. That the Imperials have taken an agent of Chaos prisoner, rather than execute him on the spot is also a new take on the galactic crusade that forms the backdrop of the whole series, and allows the author to take a look at the Imperium’s approach to non-combat warfare. Indeed, the author’s approach to the whole Warhammer 40,000 universe feels very different from other authors who take up the task of writing about it – things are more nuanced as a whole, deeper, and often far more intelligent and original, relying more on his own imagination than the information and background laid out by the army books. I wouldn’t be surprised, actually, if Abnett’s novels have gone a long way in redefining the universe he writes about.

Abnett’s sense of humour comes through well, without coming across as forced or out of place – it is almost Pratchett-esque, made up as it is of amusing asides and sarcastic remarks, slightly impish in nature; the interactions between different troopers and members of the regiment, as well as Ayanti Zweil and Dr Kolding adds further colour to the novel. Considering it’s set in a fictional future, it all feels very realistic, and Abnett’s skill at writing characters will make you care about each and every one of the Ghosts.

It’s difficult to go into much detail about the book without ruining the story, so I won’t go into the plot any more. Needless to say, Abnett has written another winner – perhaps the best so far – and any fan of his writing should snap this up ASAP. His writing is broad in scope, with a keen eye for human nature and the effects war can have on someone – not to mention the effects of reentry away from the battlefield.

Blood Pact should definitely appeal to readers of the Black Library’s wider catalogue, but also to fans of science fiction as a whole. Abnett’s noir-tinged war tales are exciting, engaging, and far more enjoyable than anything else in this genre. I also can’t help thinking that this is how good the writers of Battlestar Galactica wish their show had been (I was not a fan).

Military sci-fi at its peerless, superior best. Highly recommended.

Series Chronology: First & Only, Ghostmaker, Necropolis, Honour Guard, The Guns of Tanith, Straight Silver, Sabbat Martyr, Traitor General, His Last Command, The Armour of Contempt, Only in Death, Blood Pact

Abnett’s Other WH40K novels: Eisenhorn Trilogy, Ravenor Trilogy

Angry Robot eBooks!

Just a quick news flash: Angry Robots, the new imprint from Harper Collins, dedicated to releasing slightly more… esoteric fiction has made some of its titles available as eBooks in the UK!

They can all be found through a simple search on Waterstone’s website, but here are the covers of those currently available:

Best of all, they are all competitively priced, more in the range that many people would hope eBooks would be priced. No idea if this is just an initial, introductory price, though.

Reviews of Kell’s Legend, Angel of Death, and Nekropolis are in the works – there was no way I was passing up the offer…

“The Lost Symbol”, by Dan Brown (Random House)

Mr. Langdon goes to Washington

Much has been made of this novel’s release in the press, so allow me just a quick run-down of what this novel is actually about (which is usually forgotten amid all the hype):

Robert Langdon has been called to Washington, D.C., through a ruse put into place by our antagonist, “Mal’akh”. Mal’akh, the overly-tattooed evil mastermind of the piece, has recently managed to become inducted into the highest ranks of the Freemasons, as part of his quest to uncover a hidden mystery and the legendary power that comes with solving it. This secret is protected by the Masons, which explains his obsession with Peter Solomon – one of Langdon’s best friends and mentor. As Mal’akh manipulates Langdon through a series of twisted and convoluted clues throughout Washington D.C., his attention is also drawn to Katherine Solomon’s work in neotics. Eventually, Langdon and Katherine are thrown together to solve the puzzle, and hopefully prevent Mal’akh from achieving his goal. All the while, other factions vie for control of the secret, and Langdon finds himself, once again, put in situations no mild-mannered professor would ever actively seek out…

So, that’s the plot, but is The Lost Symbol any good? Brown has a tendency to polarise the reading public – be it through his questionable use of science and mythology (which, actually, isn’t much different to many other authors, but the Vatican took exception to Brown’s work), or his less-than-stellar gift for prose.

The Da Vinci Code was a fair book, with some good ideas let down by his rather sophomoric writing style (I couldn’t get into Angels & Demons, more due to my mood at the time than any failing on Brown’s behalf). What surprised me the most when it came to reading The Lost Symbol is that it’s both a good book and much better written. The author has managed to speed up his prose, improve the dialogue (there weren’t anywhere near as many clangers this time around), and write another interesting and engaging plot. In fact, this book did exactly what a novel in this genre should do – it manipulated mythology and science, mashing them together to make something new and interesting, it was populated by interesting characters that weren’t totally one-dimensional, and it held my attention.

There is, however, one considerable failing here. Brown seems to have a need to explain everything. Nothing can be left to the readers’ imaginations. Some might say this is because Brown had a particular vision that he wanted to re-create in our minds, which is all well and good when describing something Langdon has to study in order to solve a mystery or puzzle (which Brown does). But, for example, when Mal’akh is just striding through his home, and we’re told he’s walking through a corridor filled with expensive Italian art, why does Brown need to then list a number of obscure pieces of art that (chances are very high) most of his readers won’t know? It feels like showing off, somehow. And consistently referring to a character by his entire title is just annoying (“CIA field agent…” every time!). I can’t believe Brown was paid by the word, but reading this you could easily be forgiven for thinking that. A book that is meant to span only a few hours shouldn’t ever feel drawn-out.

Anyway, those are small niggles, that reduced the impact of the novel by making it far longer than it needed to be. By streamlining the content, pruning back the exposition, The Lost Symbol could well have been nearly perfect – and I wouldn’t have frequently thought “get on with it!” while reading.

Many people will roll their eyes at the prospect of anyone enjoying this novel. Many will outright refuse to even contemplate reading it. Some might read it, enjoy it, but not admit it to their friends and peers. These people are all missing out. Brown’s novels do exactly what they are supposed to do: entertain. The overdone and exaggerated reactions to Da Vinci Code are addressed in passing at the start of Lost Symbol, as Langdon comments on his surprise at the ferocious response to his work: “Scandal wasn’t my intention”, he tells a fan.

I enjoyed this novel, and if you have even a passing interest in novels that delve into science and mysticism, then The Lost Symbol will likely be right up your street.

Recommended.

Also try: Matthew Reilly, James Twining, James Rollins, Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child, Tom Grace

“The Spire”, by Richard North Patterson (Henry Holt/Macmillan)

Death and trouble on campus…

The story of Mark Darrow’s youth is a classic overcoming-hardship tale, complete with academic mentor and football scholarship.

He’s from an extremely poor area in Ohio, playing football to escape his life, when Professor Lionel Farr steps into his life and offers him the chance to go to Caldwell College – to become something more than a manual labourer or factory worker. The chance to really make something of his life. Darrow, taken in by Farr’s family life and what he sees on a visit to the campus (the professor has him over for dinner), decides he wants more from life and applies himself to his studies. So far, so up-from-your-bootstraps.

However, during his time at Caldwell, there is an accident after an alcohol-and-drug fuelled fraternity party, involving a black girl and one of Darrow’s best friends, Steve Tillmann. She is found dead at the foot of the Spire, which dominates the college aesthetic and mythology. As police investigate, Mark does everything he can not to implicate his friend, but the evidence (such as it is) mounts up and Steve is sent away for life without possibility of parole.

Sixteen years pass by, and Caldwell is in trouble again; this time, the college is suffering from an embezzlement scandal, after former president Clark Durbin appears to have siphoned off nearly a million dollars into a Swiss bank account. Farr approaches Darrow, now a highly successful trial lawyer in Boston, to return to Caldwell as its new president, in the hope of reviving the college’s ailing reputation and finances. After returning to Caldwell, Mark finds himself pulled back into the investigation, unable to assuage his guilt for not helping his friend at the time. The further he delves into the evidence and testimonies, the more he is convinced Steve didn’t do it, and he sets out to prove it, while also juggling his busy schedule as college president.

As always, Richard North Patterson has managed to use real-life conditions (difficulties of a small academic establishment) as a vehicle to discuss American society, all wrapped up in a perfectly-written thriller package. While the story of The Spire isn’t as politically charged as his Kerry Kilcannon trilogy (No Safe Place, Protect & Defend and Balance of Power) or The Race, Patterson is still able to write a plot filled with social commentary (black-white relations in small-town America) while retaining the readability of the best thriller writers. He has been described as the ‘thinking-man’s thriller writer’, which I would certainly have to agree with.

I found myself blitzing my way through the story, so fluid and expertly crafted were his prose and plotting (one sitting kept me up until 4am, as I rattled my way through the bulk of the novel, finishing it this morning before work). In Mark Darrow we may have a pretty typical protagonist for this type of novel (not to mention highly unlucky in his personal life), but he is written sufficiently well that you won’t really mind. The relationship between Darrow and Farr is interesting, with the elderly professor clearly the only man Darrow feels the need to impress or please, and whose respect he needs. Sure, the situation is one of those idealistic mentor-pupil relationships, which are basically unheard of in reality, but again the story is written in a way that you don’t care about any of the slightly clichéd thriller tropes used within. Equally, the relationship that develops between Mark and Taylor (Farr’s estranged daughter) was a given, but again expertly written.

Patterson continues to write excellent novels, and while this doesn’t quite live up to the standard set by Balance of Power and reaffirmed by The Race, it is nonetheless a great and very enjoyable read throughout. The pace never slackens, and the writing is tight and gripping throughout.

Highly recommended to all fans of thrillers and intelligent writing.

For Fans of: Mark Gimenez, John Sandford, David Baldacci, Lee Child, Michael Connelly

Other Great Campus-Related Fiction: Stephen White, The Siege (2009); Philip Roth, Indignation (2009); Tom Wolfe, I Am Charlotte Simmons (2006)

The Spire will be released in the UK February 5th 2010 by Macmillan: