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The Vast White: The Murderer’s Edge Part 1 by Jason Walters reviewed on Fantasy Book Review

Consisting of seven chapters, plus an interesting glossary of characters, peoples, places and languages, The Vast White is the first part of a dark fantasy series. It takes the reader to a distant land where war and the fantastic reign hand in hand. The preface has Archivist Zephyrus Livius presenting a light-hearted look at language and its meaning within this novel, including himself as the editor of the piece as though it is a chronicling of past times when darkness was all around and war never ended. The Vast White in this tale refers to the white desert where two armies fight to the death for supremacy over land.

Jason Walters changed his vocation as a bike messenger, moved house with his wife to Nevada and now writes full time, enjoying the desert which was the inspiration for this novel. One of the interesting aspects of this novel is the
glossary at the end that explains the peoples, places, languages of the various areas, nations, monsters and more. It goes into great detail. Sam Kennedy’s cover illustration shows the devastating battle between the two warring factions in the vast white desert, where evil lurks and blood spills. It is the huge white horse that looms over the heads of the fighters that will give an idea of the size of some of the monsters that are in this novel and the danger that they provide.

Two armies, the Etrusian and Bedune make war against each other for their own reasons. Their hatred and greed make it harder for others caught up in the warring to lead a normal life, those hurt have to survive as best they can while all out carnage happens all around them. The narrator of this first book is Highdome, a reveller, skirmisher and all round bad guy that  leads his band of cruel men and monsters against his enemies.

The book has a rich set of characters, their names as interesting as their temperaments. Horsehead, the general/wizard given the task of conquering the spice cities, instils terror in all who he comes across. Horsehead is a person of dubious morals, living by his own code of conduct, a dangerous person indeed; Shortround, a slave of Highdome, is an amiable character but also a member of the Red Regiment, a great fighter who acts as a comical relief; Morlock, a master of handling the sword in combat; Trog, a lizardman and friend of Highdome; Skulker, Highdome’s necromancer and a well-known stealth master; Virago, Highdome’s feral wyzard, a crazy woman who has an unpronounceable real name.

Aimed at age 14+ readers, The Murderer’s Edge acts as a beginning and an introduction to the characters and creatures that inhabit this world. Amid the carnage and war there is also strategy, and a surprisingly healthy amount of humour. It is a complex book to read but an engaging one. It would be advisable for the reader to visit the glossary at the back of the book before starting to read as the characters will be fresh in the reader’s minds once they do. There is plenty of intrigue, shocking moments, combat and humour that will keep the reader’s interest throughout.

A big thank you to Blackwyrm Books for the review copy.

Posted: November 8th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Blackwyrm Books

Baour: Strands of Death by Dirk Vandereyken reviewed on Fantasy Book Review

What the reader expects from a fantasy novel is usually a bit of sword and sorcery. They do not expect a courtroom drama involving a necromancer. In this novel the necromancer is Baour and he is accused of blasphemy against a god, and of bringing to life that which should stay dead. Baour uses his hands to weave strands (the strands of death referred to in the book’s title are the essential parts of non-life force that he manipulates to re-animate the once-corpse into a living, breathing human or sprite once again) like a spider weaves a web.

This novel consists of twelve chapters, plus an epilogue, in which characters give testimony of their own dealings with the necromancer. He is considered, by all, to be the most evil kind of man and fully deserving of the greatest punishment that can be given to one convicted of witchcraft.

There is an intense emotion exuded by the well-written characters, especially in the testimony given by Esmeralda. The reader must ascertain whether the villagers testimonies are rumour or truth and this leads to great tension and uncertainty. This is a compelling read, in-depth and intriguing.

Whether Baour is an honest man or a dangerous necromancer is never known until the verdict is given, just as it would be delivered in a court room today. Those who were were quick to condemn him find that the conflicting testimonies and the words of Baour himself lead to drastically changing thoughts.

Baour: Strands of Death  is the work of would be genius Dirk Vandereyken. Vandereyken who wrote his first fantasy piece at the not so tender age of eleven and has never looked back. His other interests include being a critic, editor and journalist.

A big thank you to Blackwyrm Books for the review copy.

Posted: November 8th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Blackwyrm Books

The latest Fantasy Book Reviews

It has been a busy week on Fantasy Book Review with new reviews being added daily.

The nominations for the World Fantasy Award were announced in August and we are reading and reviewing the five books that have been shortlisted for the prestigious award. Margo Lanagan’s stunning Tender Morsels has been reviewed while Jim Eaton has also provided an excellent review on Jeffrey Ford’s The Shadow Year (before moving onto The House of the Stag By Kage Baker and Pandemonium by Daryl Gregory). The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman was reviewed by Indra quite some time ago so that will soon be able to say which we believe to be the best of a damn good bunch.

Preita Salyer has been a fantastic addition to the team and has recently reviewed the entire Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs as well as Rick Riordan’s children’s fantasy The Lightning Thief.

• Moon Called book review
• Blood Bound book review
• Iron Kissed book review
• Bone Crossed book review
• The Lightning Thief book review

Angela Black has reviewed Palimpsest by Catherynne M Valente and Sandy Lender has reviewed the final book in the Bridei Chronicles The Well of Shades. Sandra Scholes has read and reviewed Blackwyrm Book’s Albrim’s Curse, by Trevis Powell and there is also a good debut by an English author, Harriet Goodwin, entitled The Boy Who Fell Down Exit 43.

And on top of all this we interviewed Steven Erikson, the author of the magnificent Malazan Book of the Fallen series. His answers are brilliant, please take the time to have a read.

We are also running a poll on what is the best fantasy film of all time. The poll itself is on all pages so please tell us what you think if you get the chance. Also, feel free to comment below if you think we are missing a classic…

It will be a busy month coming up, hopefully we can get as many books reviewed as we have already this year…

Posted: September 6th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Awards, Blackwyrm Books, Margo Lanagan, Neil Gaiman, Patricia Briggs, Steven Erikson

Albrim’s Curse by Trevis Powell

Review by Sandra Scholes

A town in peril of beasts in the woods introduces young Albrim, a boy who wants to be just like his father, a master bowman but instead he becomes embroiled in the mystery surrounding the ferocious beasts that are prowling and terrorising their town. Build as the beginning of the Were-War series; Gran’s Secret being the one after this and out in September this year. It brings the lead character Albrim into the spotlight when what they towns folk think is another sheep attack becomes more dangerous.

The cover by TSR aficionado Jeff Easley gives the reader as good a clue as to what to expect from this book with the appearance of the werewolf in all its gory glory slavering and pushing its way through the door at Albrim while his Gran shrieks in the corner, even though it starts frightening enough.

The newcomers to the town are welcomed when they discover they are the lawgivers who have come to rid them of the wolf terror that has struck the place subtly named Cobble. Though the name might sound normal the life there is certainly not dull. Albrim’s Gran is convinced the enemy will savage and kill the sheep, then them all, but the men who have come to save their town do not share their views as they plan how best to tackle the beasts head on. A few decide to stay behind to protect the folk there, Sir Garen and his fawning subordinate Yogarn make sure they stay but that does not seem to settle Gran’s mind one bit. And with twenty-eight warriors in a stand against the beasts they had better be good enough in combat.

Arrangements are made to go out with the warriors and get provisions for their trip into the danger zone, many have only been wolfing to prevent the beasts from damaging the homes, crops and livestock, this time their wolfing skills are called into play as they have to battle against a different kind of beast, a man-killer who is relentless and dangerous as a mysterious beast can be.

Set in medieval times, the novel is convincing enough to convey the peril the main characters are in, but no less so for young Albrim who later is mauled and left helpless after he is attacked by a wolf beast and cursed ever after, his Gran has him cared for by Mute a warrior who protects him from the beasts who they find out are called Quarg. The curse is now that Albrim has been injured by the beast he will become Quarg himself. He goes through life with the feelings normally associated with grief over the loss of the whole of his self as he is now part wolf. His life is completely transformed from humble beginnings with his Gran to terror and the danger of his eventually killing those he loves.

The characters are solid and believable in different ways. Albrim is an impatient boy who learns that his village once quiet and serene, though poor bears a hidden threat that turns his life upside down, yet making a man of him in the process. Gran is always the pessimist fearing the worst like an old soothsayer preaching nothing but doom and despair even when the other characters can actually handle the situations they come across. She constantly moans about their predicament, proving herself to be right as the story goes on.

Trevis Powell lives and works in Kentucky, his writing talent took him to write for Elmore Productions and later finding his work in various magazines and in gaming materials. Drawing more from his stories he established new characters, making them more detailed and moved onto writing novels instead which took him to the heights of Blackwyrm Fiction and this first book.

It has to be said the setting of the story is perfect, the characters well defined and the time period well researched by the author. The reader will hardly be able to contain themselves when waiting for the next volume.

Posted: September 5th, 2009
Author: Lee
Categories: Blackwyrm Books, Fantasy Book Review