REVIEW: The Silver Skull by Mark Chadbourn

The Silver Skull (Swords of Albion series #1) by Mark Chadbourn
Publisher: Pyr 24 November 2009
Format: Paperback, 424 pages
ISBN 10: 1591027837
ISBN 13: 9781591027836
1st book in a Series
Copy: Out of pocket


Back of the book "A Devilish plot to assassinate the queen, a cold war enemy hell-bent on destroying the nation, incredible gadgets, a race against time around the world to stop the ultimate doomsday device...and Elizabethan England's greatest spy!"


This is my first Mark Chadbourn novel and I had a lot of high hopes for it but it just did not get it done for me. While the novel is full of high action and a great deal of mystery and intrigue, I found it to be mundane.


One of the reasons that I did not find The Silver Skull as entertaining as other reviewers, is that it attempted to take things from other famous British literary icons and it just did not work for me. For instance, Will Swyfte, our hero is given a few gadgets to help him in his mission. While you could state that it is in the same vein as James Bond, I found it to be a little too close for comfort. Another reason that The Silver Skull did not work for me is that I read Dan Abnett's Triumff: Her Majesty's Hero, which I also did not enjoy, and they both had very similar characters. A cocky and always lucky protagonist who is the Queen's go-to-guy in an emergency. While this could nearly describe a lot of protagonists in literature these two just rubbed me the wrong way. The third thing that I just did not like was the weapon that they were all hunting, the silver skull, just seemed unimaginative as far as weapons go. What it can do was interesting but the skull itself did not have the impact it should have in my opinion.


One thing that I found Mark Chadbourn does well, is that he has a real understanding of British myths and folklore. He can create an eerie situation when the called for. Early on in the novel, we flash back to when Mary Queen of Scots is being beheaded and the setting and pacing is dead on. You come away from the scene with the hairs on the back of your neck raised. 


I can not tell you exactly why I did not find this book as charming as the rest of the world, perhaps it was because I was getting over the flu when I read it and that somehow soured my experience. Whatever the reason, I did not find the book to be what I expected it to be. Which is a shame. There were a lot of great things to be found within it's pages so, maybe a re-read is called for when I have some time. The Silver Skull could be read as a standalone but, it does leave things open for sequels which is what is planned. Perhaps I will give the second book a shot and see if it changes my prospective of things.


Plot  7.5
Characters  7
Style  8


Overall  6/10

SFF Blog Recap

31 May - 6 Jun

Welcome to this week's SFF Blog Recap! I enjoy gathering these very interesting posts every week. I hope you enjoy reading them too.

(The blog posts below are ordered alphabetically according to their Blog Site names. So there's no favoritism. You should have picked a name starting with one of the first letters of the alphabet ;) ).

Babel Clash

"Once upon a time - and really not all that long ago - it all seemed so simple. We’d build our rockets, go into space, and plant flags. Then we’d go there en masse, as a species - not just exploring, not just bringing back a few soil samples, but establishing ourselves as a permanent presence. Colonising, in other words. But nowadays … the problem with colonising is that, not to put too fine a point on it, it’s a bit, well, colonial. "

• To colonise or not?

A Dribble of Ink

"Disappointment aside, the big question is who’ll fill del Toro’s shoes. The obvious choice, to me at any rate, is Jackson. Despite being a fan of del Toro, he’s always struck me as too dark a director for the project, and one of The Hobbits biggest strengths (and why I much prefer it to The Lord of the Rings, is its whimsical, storybook nature."

• An Aside | Del Toro leaves ‘The Hobbit’ *UPDATED*

Fantasy & SciFi Lovin' News & Reviews

"I'm under no delusions that I am an influential reviewer. Heck, I'm thrilled anyone would ask me to review anything. I review books and movies because it's fun. I like to spread the word about certain books throw in my two cents concerning popular movies. It's an ego driven exercise for sure, but as long as I can get away with it, I'll probably keep doing it.

But do reviews have a meaningful impact in the real world?"

• Do Reviews Matter Anymore?

Fantasy Book Critic

"This book is a re-imagining of the poem Dante’s Inferno and like the original poem; it is about the journey of the narrator and main protagonist Joseph “Joe” Dante. "

• "Dante's Journey" by JC Marino (Reviewed by Mihir Wanchoo)

"JC Marino is the author of Dante's Journey. Mihir Wanchoo was able to conduct an interview with this new debut author."

• Interview with JC Marino, Author of Dante's Journey

Graeme's Fantasy Book Review

"When you live in London it’s very easy to forget what a magical place it can be. Think about it... When you’re not in the office, you’re either commuting to it or away from it and you don’t have much of a chance to stop and take a look at where you are. When you get home after a days work (and fighting everyone else on the Underground...) the last thing you want to do is turn around and head back into the thick of it!"

• ‘Kraken’ – China Mieville (Tor UK/Del Rey)

Jack of Ravens

"You don't want to seem like a nutter when you're on public radio. So when the host asks me – as they always do – where do you get your ideas from, I steer clear of the truthful answer: "psychic connections through the aether" or "hypnagogic messages dictated by our mysterious overlords"."

• Inspiration For Writing

The Mad Hatter's Bookshelf & Book Review

"Lou Anders should need no introduction to the regular readers of this blog as his work as impresario of Pyr Books since its inception has been quite lauded as they are now celebrating their fifth year. Anders has been nominated for numerous awards including the Hugo and Philip K. Dick as well as winning the Chesley Award for art direction. He has also edited some well known anthologies such as Sideways in Crime, Fast Forward 1, and the forthcoming Swords & Dark Magic and recently retitled Masked."

• INTERVIEW | Lou Anders Editor of Pyr

Mark Charan Newton

"Just a quick heads-up: I’ll be at the charming Goldsboro Books signing limited edition numbered copies of City of Ruin, from 2pm on Saturday 19th June. These are the only special editions there will be, so if you’re an ebay legend, then this is the time to get a copy."

• Goldsboro Books Signing – 19th June

NextRead

"Now lists are always odd things to make and some can be more controversial than others… but I’ve been looking at the new catalogues from a lot of UK publishers wondering what is going to be exciting to read. And there are a lot of exciting books. There are books that I know I want to read at some point, there are books coming out in a series that I’m catching up with (so would be more exciting if I was waiting for them) and there are books that are debuts that I wanted to try. There are loads of other reasons too why I’m excited but I hope you get the idea. I like new books full stop."

• Personal: Top Five Books from July to December 2010

State of Review

"Tablets priced at about $100 will be unveiled at Computex in Taiwan, which begins Monday – the first major trade show since the release of the iPad in April."

• Rival tablets ready to bite into iPad lead

Through a Forest of Ideas

"Since I started the topic of discussing writing goals and knowing what you want from your imagination, it’s smart to coordinate those goals with a good business sense and aim them so that you can expect a career from this in the end. It seems like I know what I’m talking about, but I can assure you that this is a brand new epiphany, sparked by my last post."

• Series vs. Standalones

Voyager Books Blog

"Unholy Ghosts is the first book in Stacia Kane’s Downside Series & it was phenomenal! It is one of the most grittiest, in your face Urban Fantasies I’ve ever read & I loved it... If you read one new Urban Fantasy series, make it Unholy Ghosts."

• Boy Books and Girl Books

Free Reading

Grasping for the Wind

"I met Elissa Malcohn at Oasis 23, where she sat on a panel intended to introduce readers to new worlds. (It was, in essence, readings from the various authors, most of whom were poets.) Malcohn read a chapter from the first book in her Deviations series, a series that had been picked up by a small press, but never got published due to that publisher’s going defunct. Instead of sitting on her hands, Malcohn decided to release her entire series as free ebooks for readers."

• Free Fiction: The Deviations Series by Elissa Malcohn

Suvudu Free Book Library

"To celebrate the upcoming July 13 release of Tongues of Serpents, the eagerly awaited sixth book in Naomi Novik's fan-favorite Temeraire series, we're delighted to offer the series' first volume His Majesty's Dragon in the Suvudu Free Library for a limited time."

• Free Library: His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik!

Giveaways

Fantasy Book Critic

"In honor of Michael Scott's Blog Tour visit, Fantasy Book Critic is lucky enough to offer 1 autographed copy of The Necromancer by Michael Scott, and a second winner will get a surprise gift."

• GIVEAWAY: Autographed Copy of Necromancer by Michael Scott

Fantasy/Sci-Fi Lovin' Giveaways!

"Courtesy of Grand Central Publishing I have a copy of Procession of the Dead by Darren Shan to offer for giveaway."

• Giveaway! "Procession of the Dead" by Darren Shan

"Courtesy of Penguin Books I have a copy of Terminal World by Alastair Reynolds to offer for giveaway."

• Giveaway! "Terminal World" by Alastair Reynolds

"Courtesy of Penguin Books I have a copy of Distant Thunders by Taylor Anderson to offer for giveaway."

• Giveaway! "Distant Thunders" by Taylor Anderson

Graeme's Fantasy Book Review

"Whatever the reason, I'll be giving 'The Folding Knife' a go at some point soon and thanks to Orbit three other readers will be able to do exactly the same (only if they're from the UK though...)"

• Giveaway! 'The Folding Knife' (K.J.Parker)

"'The Passage' seems to be the book this year that everyone is making a big deal of. If someone hasn't read it and raved about it then they're planning to read it just so they can rave about it afterwards. At least that's what I'm hearing ;o)"

• Giveaway! 'The Passage' (Justin Cronin)

"You've read my review for 'Dog Blood' (What do you mean you haven't? Just scroll down the page a little...), now you've got the chance to win a copy all for yourself :o)"

• Giveaway! 'Dog Blood' (David Moody)

Grasping for the Wind

"Thanks to New Video Digital, I have a copy of, The Guild: Season 3 to give to one lucky winner."

• GIVEAWAY: 1 copy of The Guild: Season 3

"The Indigo Court Series is a new one for me. I’ve been writing the Otherworld Series for a long time, now, and love it—but with the Indigo Court Series I’m exploring darker themes and the books are, in a sense, more magical than my OW Series."

• GUEST POST AND GIVEAWAY: Origin of the Indigo Court Series by Yasmine Galenorn

Pat's Fantasy Hotlist

"Thanks to the cool folks at Subterranean Press, one lucky winner will receive an ARC of Speculative Horizons, an anthology edited by Yours Truly!"

• Win an Advance Reading Copy of SPECULATIVE HORIZONS

"Thanks to the kind folks at Grand Central Publishing, I have three copies of Jacqueline Carey's Naamah's Curse up for grabs!"

• Win a copy of Jacqueline Carey's NAAMAH'S CURSE

REVIEW: Outrageous Fortune by Tim Scott

Outrageous Fortune by Tim Scott
Publisher: Spectra
Format: Tradepaper, 371 pages.
ISBN 10: 0553384406
ISBN 13: 978-0553384406
Reviewer: Victoria

On the back of the book. . .

In this outrageously funny, outrageously inventive debut, one of the most outrageously talented new writers to break into the sci-fi scene in decades asks the most loaded question of all. . .

"Don't you hate it when this happens?"

. . .that's what the business card asks Jonny X67, dream architect to the rich and jaded.  It's all the thieves who stole his house left behind.  And if that weren't bad enough, a saleswoman named Caroline E61 drops from the sky to sell him a set of encyclopedias and won't take no for an answer.  Can his luck get any worse?

In this rip-roaring roller-coaster ride through a brilliantly imagined future of paranoid absurdity, Jonny X will learn the answer soon enough when he falls afoul of a lunatic motorcycle gang nicknamed the Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse, a relentless Belgian assassin, and his own irate girlfriend.  Traversing a cityscape whose neighbourhoods are organized by musical genres, running into joke-telling elevators and holographic computer viruses, Jonny is about to learn what a nightmare its going to be to get his old life back in a reality warping faster than the speed of imagination.  Outrageous Fortune heralds a marvelous new talent sure to be delightfully altering the minds of readers for years to come.

This book is hilarious.  It's one of the funniest books I've read in a while.  Hands down.  It had me laughing all the way through.  The dialogue is sharp and witty, the setting is a mixture of Douglas Adams and Orwell, and the characters are fully formed walking canisters of awesome.  If you were to put Douglas Adams, Tom Holt, George Orwell and maybe some William Gibson into a box and then shake the heck out of it, Tim Scott would pop out like a crazed jack-in-the-box.

The book opens up with the hero, Jonny X67 standing on the sidewalk in front of where his house used to be.  Someone stole his house.  That, to me, is absoloutely fantastic.  They didn't just go in there and steal the stereo and computer, they just came in and took the whole damn thing.  That was the first surprise.  Then, as we follow Jonny around some more, we realize something else. . .  The city is divided into musical genres.  There's the ambient noise neighbourhood, the techno neighbourhood, the soul, the punk, the rave, the country and the all-abhorrent Christmas music neighbourhood.    This allows Scott to really play with characters.  What type of person would choose to live in the punk neighbourhood?  The soul neighbourhood?  The jingle neighbourhood?  And who wants it to be Christmas every day of the year?

And while everyone lives in their musical niche, they're bombarded with virus ads, a paranoid society and an Orwellian government.  Not to mention paperwork.  Lots and lots of paperwork.

As funny, interesting and novel as this book is, Scott does owe quite a bit to Douglas Adams.  Scott shares Adam's absurd humour and whimsical settings.  Some readers might not be able to get past this, because there are a fair amount of similarities, but if you can, and just take this book for what it is, you'll be highly rewarded with an entertaining read.

Characterization: 8.5
Plot: 8.5
Style: 9

Overall Rating: 8.5

INTERVIEW: Artist Mickel Yantz

As a change of pace and as a thank you to Mickel for creating our banner art. We have interviewed Oklahoma based artist Mickel Yantz. Yantz is a great friend and university colleague. He is currently busy with several artshows and conventions. You can also check out his bi-weekly comic strip at http://myfuzzynuts.com.

Speculative Book Review: How did you gain an interest in art?

Mickel Yantz: I have been interested in artwork since birth. It started with Saturday morning cartoons. I grew up drawing Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam and Muppet characters. As I got older I experimented in various art classes until I decided to become an Art major in college.

SBR: Who are the major artists that have influenced you?

MY: Its quite eclectic. Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, Keith Haring, Leonardo Davinci, Van Gogh, MC Escher, Coop and Shag. I also have had a large influence from Native artists. I grew up in the Northwest and was surrounded by tribal art and now I work with wonderful Native artists that have influenced a lot of what I have done.

SBR: What is your favorite medium to work in?

MY: That’s a tricky question. In a regular week I do digital work, acrylic painting and now I am doing more with wood and glass sculpture.

SBR: You are currently the curator of the Cherokee Heritage Center in Oklahoma, what does that job entail and what is the best part of the job?

MY: I am in charge of all exhibits and art shows, plus I supervise the permanent collections. I enjoy designing exhibits that brings history and culture into an environment that tells the visitors a story that makes them enter a certain time or place. I also have a great time doing our two annual Native art shows. Its like a party when all the artwork comes into the museum. Plus I get to touch the cool antique objects no one else can.

SBR: Your comic strip Nut Cracks has quite a following on the internet, have you considered publishing your comic or expanding into other options for the comic strip?

MY:I have had a blast doing my comic. I have been selling prints for about a year, but there has been a growing request for a book, so it may be coming in the future. I would love to see Fuzzy get animated too. Stay tuned.

SBR: Nut Cracks is always fresh and entertaining, how hard is it to come up with new material two times a week?

MY: I find that life naturally brings me things that I laugh about. There are so many things that I want to say to people that wouldn’t be appropriate in today’s society, so I go home and have a squirrel say it for me. Life makes me laugh.

SBR: What or who inspires you?

MY: People who are passionate about something. They look beyond what society or popular culture throws at them and they decide they want more from themselves and go out and do it. That’s inspiring

SBR: You do several art shows and cons, where will you be next?

MY: I have a solo show coming up on June 11^th and 12^th in Tahlequah, OK that with show case my comics and my new sculpture series. It’s called “Split Personality” since both mediums are so different. You can check out all my work at my website www.mickelyantz.com.

Everyone at Speculative Book Review and especially myself want to thank Mickel for agreeing to do the interview and for providing us with a great looking banner. We wish Mickel the best of luck with his ever-growing comic book and look forward to seeing it in print soon.

REVIEW: White As Snow by Tanith Lee

White As Snow by Tanith Lee
Publisher:  Tor Books
Format:  Tradepaper, 320 pages.
ISBN 10:  0-312-87549-5
ISBN 13:  978-0-312-87549-7
Reviewer:  Victoria

On the back of the book. . .

Once upon a time there was a mirror. . . .


So begins this dark, unusual retelling of the story of Snow White by the writer reviewers have called “the Angela Carter of the fantasy field”—a whole novel based on a beloved story, turning it into a dark and sensual drama full of myth and magic.


Arpazia is the aging queen who paces the halls of a warlord’s palace. Cold as winter, she has only one passion—for the mysterious hunter who courts the outlawed old gods of the woodland. Coira is the princess raised in the shadow of her mother’s hatred. Avoided by both her parents and half forgotten by her father’s court, she grows into womanhood alone . . . until the mirror speaks, and blood is spilled, and the forest claims her.


The tragic myth of the goddess Demeter and her daughter, Persephone, stolen by the king of the underworld, is woven together with the tale of Snow White to create a powerful story of mothers and daughters and the blood that binds them together, for good or ill. Black queen. White maid. Royal huntsman. Seven little folk who live in the forest. Come inside, sit by the fire, and listen to this fairy tale as you’ve never heard it told before.


Once upon a time there was a mirror, and a girl as white as snow. . . .


Tanith Lee has created a dark tale that is more reminiscent of the violent fairy tales of old, before they were tamed for children.  If you're a squeamish reader, especially when it comes to sexual violence, then this book will not be for you.  It can get uncomfortable, and there were times when my eyes opened wide in horror at what was being done and said. 
 
But, it is also beautiful.  Lee's prose drips with honey and tastes like dark chocolate.  She has a way with words that gives her novel a dream-like quality, however macabre it is.  It's always teetering on the edge of nightmare.
 
The wicked queen, Arpazia, is a tragic figure, a victim herself.  Lee brings the figure of the queen new life.  She is not merely a villain, she is a person, with faults and fears and desires.
 
If you like the macabre, than you'll like this novel.  It's beautiful and terrifying.
 
Characterization:  8
Plot:  9
Style:  9
 
Overall Rating:  9
 

REVIEW: The City & The City by China Miéville

The City & The City by China Miéville
Hardcover: 312 pages
Publisher: Macmillan (UK) (15 May 2009)
ISBN-10: 1405000171
ISBN-13: 978-1405000178
Copy: Bought On-Line
Reviewer: Yagiz

When the body of a murdered woman is found in the extraordinary, decaying city of Besźel, somewhere at the edge of Europe, it looks like a routine case for Inspector Tyador Borlú of the Extreme Crime Squad. But as he probes, the evidence begins to point to conspiracies far stranger, and more deadly, than anything he could have imagined. Soon his work puts him and those he cares for in danger. Borlú must travel to the only metropolis on Earth as strange as his own, across a border like no other. With shades of Kafka and Philip K. Dick, Raymond Chandler and 1984 , "The City & The City" is a murder mystery taken to dazzling metaphysical and artistic heights.

On the surface, The City & The City is a detective novel. It is told in the first-person and its narrator is Tyador Borlú of the Besźel Extreme Crime Squad. Borlú investigates the murder of a young foreign woman. Her body is found in Besźel but the investigation slowly reveals that the case spans both cities. As the case progresses, the focus of the story shifts to the setting. For a while, the reader doesn't really comprehend how exactly these two cities are connected. In the beginning it is easy to suspect various possibilities, especially for the readers who already know how unpredictable Miéville's imagination can be.

At its core, Miéville's 2010 Clarke Award-winner book is the tale of two cities: Besźel and Ul Qoma. The author doesn't reveal the exact location of these cities but given the references to some eastern European countries like Turkey and Bulgaria, the reader's mind places them on the eastern edge of Europe. The truly unique setting is executed brilliantly and Miéville masterfully reveals how intertwined his twin cities are.

The readers who have read the author's previous books may be surprised or even disappointed in the lack of strongly weird and fantastical traits. As Miéville seems to like to experiment with different concepts in his books, one may expect to encounter highly surreal aspects. However the setting and its execution are what make this book unique. Furthermore the characters are very satisfactory. As usual, the prose and the author's style don't disappoint.

I also think that The City & The City is a thought-provoking book. Before moving to a relatively small Irish city, I had only lived in very large cities, including Istanbul, the fourth largest city in the world with its 13 million inhabitants. Miéville made me think about the cities contained in these metropolises. I'm not only talking about China Town or Little Italy, but he made me think about the inner-cities with financial, cultural, religious or educational frontiers set by their inhabitants. It was about the beggar or the drunkard that we unsee in the corner of a street or about the districts we avoid at all costs.

With his amazing imagination and talent, Miéville continues to be unconventional. His astonishing ability to confuse and surprise his readers persists in his award-winning The City & The City. I would highly recommend this truly unique book.

Plot: 9
Characters: 9
Style: 9

Overall 9/10

Reviewer: Tyson

The City & the City is my first experience with Miéville and I came into this book not knowing what to expect. What I had after I had finished the book was a top-notch detective story with elements of the fantastical.

While it takes a while to figure out just what the heck is going on between the two cities, you do see a lot of parallels to life in a large city, I live in one of the largest cities in the world, Seoul. Seoul has one of the largest population by density and in order to survive the rigours of daily life you have to blank or zone out some of the seedier elements of the city. In The City & The City you are required to forget or un-see the other city or face the possibility of punishment, imprisonment, or far worse.

The City and the City was an exceptional detective novel with a great twist. It was a great introduction to Miéville and does an excellent job of showing us why it is the award winner that it is.



Plot: 8
Characters: 8
Style: 9

Overall 8.5/10

REVIEW: Wolfsangel by M.D.Lachlan

Wolfsangel by M.D.Lachlan
Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Gollancz; trade paperback (20 May 2010)
ISBN-10: 0575089598
ISBN-13: 978-0575089594
Copy: Bought online
Reviewer: Cara

Summary:
Wolfsangel is a story of Vikings and mad gods, a story about hunger – for love, for life and for death.

Wolfsangel opens with a raid on a Saxon settlement led by Authun, a Viking King cursed with the inability to produce an heir. Having sought the counsel of the witches of the Troll wall, he leads his warriors on a mission to steal a child born of the gods. But he finds two babies, identical twins, and takes them both, along with their disfigured mother, back to his lands. There the twins are separated, one, Feileg, is given to the witches and the other, Vali he keeps to raise as his heir.

We follow both boys as they grow to maturity. Feileg lives the cruel life of a berserker child till the age of seven when he is given over to the wolves. Vali leads a more (relatively) pampered existence as King Authun’s heir, fostered in the realm of King Forkbeard. Determined to prove his love for Adisla, Vali captures Feileg, not knowing they are twins, and brings him back to Forkbeard’s village. There, Adisla shows kindness to the captive wolfman and when she is captured by raiders, the brothers unite to find her and rescue her from slavery.

A tale in the tradition of the Norse sagas, Wolfsangel evokes the harsh, cruel world of the Vikings, with their fierce warrior culture and dark, demanding gods. Life is harsh, particularly for Feileg, and M.D.Lachlan does not hold back in his descriptions of raids and battles, capturing the bloodlust and ruthlessness of the men, for whom death holds no fear. A counterpoint to the visceral reality of the warriors is the female witch cult hidden behind the Troll wall. The Witch Queen is a sinister character, her mind twisted and warped by the tortuous feats of endurance that enhance her magical abilities. This is no sparkly magic but rather the magic of nightmares and demanding gods.

There is a twist in Wolfsangel, but one which has been highlighted in the pre-release publicity (though I will not reveal it here, just in case). I would have preferred to come upon this through reading the book rather than the plot summaries, as it would have been a spectacular revelation. But this is only a minor complaint and did not spoil my enjoyment of the novel. The book begins as an historical narrative, with occasional glimpses of magic and the role of the gods, but as the story gathers pace, the gods interfere and we are promised more of Odin, Fenris and Loki in the series to come. I particularly liked Loki, the trickster god, who had a minor role here and, I hope, will feature more in subsequent books.

I appreciated M.D.Lachlan’s style of writing. There was an almost journalistic, factual feel to the prose, which was intercut with more dreamlike sequences. I found this reflected the lives of the main characters with their harsh and practical reality yet supernatural belief in the gods and their powers. The plot races along at a cracking pace, delivering an action-packed, exciting read. Wolfsangel will appeal to anyone who is interested in Norse mythology and Viking life. It is a quest novel at heart, but also a story of love and humanity. The exploration of the relationships between the three main characters was very well done and added emotional depth to an all-action adventure without slipping into sentimentality.

Having been aware of Wolfsangel for some time, I was pleased that it did not disappoint. I was fascinated by the gods Odin and Loki and their influence on the human characters. The witches too were deliciously dark and sinister and I would love to see more of them in the next book in the series. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed reading M.D.Lachlan’s fantasy debut. A quote from Joe Abercrombie on the back of the book sums up Wolfsangel perfectly:

Part fantasy, part horror, part historical adventure, bound up with a tight, lean style and featuring some of the strangest and most sinister magic I’ve encountered.

Plot: 7
Characters: 8
Style: 8

Overall rating 8/10