Tag: Grimdark

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Book Review: The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie.

The Trouble with Peace by Joe Abercrombie is book 2 in the Age of Madness Trilogy and continues the saga within the First Law world.

The Cover: There is more than 1 version for this book. I have the colourful cover depicting a flaming battle scene in the background with the standard of the wolf at the fore. It is a good cover, it aligns with others in the series and is typical of an Abercrombie cover. Looking back after reading the story I feel it really fits well with the book itself. The image works with this Grimdark title, I like the fonts, and it stands out on a shelf.  

The Good Stuff: Come on guys, you must know by now that I love Abercrombie’s work. He just has a way with words that sings to my mind. The characters, as always, are great. The story, as always, is gritty and gripping. The plot, dare I say it… as always, is full of politics and betrayals. What’s not to love about it. I love the character of Rikke, along with Stour and Vick. The Northmen really make these novels for me, that’s the raw fantasy side of things I love, but even the more refined characters can blow me away. Don’t wait, just grab yourself a copy and read it!

The Bad Stuff: Okay, I’ll be honest, this wasn’t my favourite Abercrombie title, but it is a great book. I love the dark, gritty, fantasy side of Joe’s work, and I find that as the world moves forward making ‘progress’, the fantasy is slowly draining away. Which is why I prefer the First Law Trilogy. But I will still continue to read his newer work in this world, because he is just so good.

Overall, this is another cracking title from (in my opinion) the Grandmaster of Grimdark, Joe Abercrombie. Actually, I think that might be my new nick name for him – Grandmaster Grim! Honestly, if you read within this genre and you haven’t read any of his titles, give him a go. He is a great author. This one gets a polearm piercing, battle raging 4.5 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here.

You can also find his titles available in libraries. If you liked this post please share it with your friends on social media.

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Would you like to try my writing? Here’s a few morsels of The Cold and the Dead.

Hello Readers,

Here’s another sample of my work for the 10% Club series of posts, I give you a few morsels of The Cold and the Dead, a short horror story with a setting akin to the western frontier.

The Cold and the Dead by Allan Walsh

Macey perched on the edge of her old rusty bed, wind howling through the cracked window, snowflakes blasting through the gaps of the wooden shutters as they clattered in their frames. A fire roared in the stone hearth, sending embers swirling up the chimney. A cold draught blew across Macey’s brow, breathing life into the flames, making them flare up in an angry dance. The bed creaked as she nudged herself forwards, closer to the warmth. She looked across at her father snuggled down into the threadbare cushions of the faded couch beside her. The golden glow of the fire flickered on his weathered skin, the incandescent light setting his hair shimmering.

“What you fidgeting for?” her pa asked.

“I’m cold, hungry, and bored, Pa. Seems winter don’t want to let up. It’s bad enough being cooped up on this here farm without being stuck inside for days on end ‘cause of a storm.”

“It’ll pass soon enough,” he said pushing himself up from the couch. He lifted the iron lid from the pot on the fire and scraped a ladle of broth into a bowl.”

“Here’s your soup,” he said, offering her a bowl, steam wafting from its brim. Macey took it, and held the soup under her nose, breathing in the rich aroma. She felt her mouth watering.

“That’s the last of the rations, should help a little with your hunger, but best take your time to savour it,” her pa said. He looked past her to the window.

“I told you not to sell all the cattle.”

“If that wolf didn’t get the chickens we’d have been alright. Let’s hope this weather breaks soon so I can go into town and get supplies.”

A howling wind caught the window shutters, slamming them hard against their bracing, giving Macey’s father a start. 

“It’s alright Pa,” Macey said with a smile, “You built this home with your own two hands. We’ll be safe enough from the storm tonight.”

“It’s the worst one I ever saw, love.”

“Worse than the winter Ma died?” she asked running her finger around the rim of her bowl. Through the corner of her eye she noticed her pa peer over at her, then look down at the floor.

“Ah, you remind me so much of her at times. You’ve got the same brown eyes. Eyes that sparkle like a river in the moonlight when you smile.”

Macey took a sip of her broth. “I wish I’d known her better, Pa.”

“So do I, love… So do I. She’ll always be part of you though, you know that well as I do.” The sound of the wind and the crackle of the fire faded away as Macey stared into the steaming bowl of soup. She looked up at her pa.

“What was she like? I mean… what was she really like?”

If you enjoyed this sample of my writing, please share it with your friends.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in some libraries. 

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New Release: The Cold and the Dead

Hello Readers,

I now have another short story release fresh of the e-press. ‘The Cold and the Dead’ is now available. You’ll find all the links below the blurb. And don’t forget the anthology, which will include this short story, will be coming out in the not too distant future.

***

Macey wants to forge her own path in life and make a name for herself, but it can be tough living in the wild country. Seems like everything wants to kill you out there.

The Cold and the Dead is a short horror story with a setting akin to the western frontier. If you like grim-dark adventure, skin-crawling horror, and hard-knock characters, you’ll love The Cold and the Dead.

***

If you don’t want to wait for the anthology, you can get a copy of ‘The Cold and the Dead’ at the following retailers:

Amazon.com

Amazon.com.au

Amazon.co.uk

I hope you enjoy the story, I’m quite pleased with the way it has turned out. Please let me know what you think and feel free to share this post with any of your friends or family who might enjoy a short horror story.

Thank you so much for your support.

Happy Reading,

Allan

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Cover Reveal: The Cold and the Dead

Hello Readers,

It is always an exciting time for me when I have a new release on the horizon, and it is no different as the release date for The Cold and the Dead draws nearer. And what is a new release without a cover reveal? Well, it’s just not as much fun is it. So with that in mind I’m super excited to share the cover with you. And here it is…

As always, I’ll post again soon to let you all know when the book has been released.

Happy Reading

Allan

Brisbane, Australia.

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Introducing: The Cold and the Dead

Hello Readers,

There’s more exciting news for you with my next new release on the horizon. I’m pleased to let you know that The Cold and the Dead is scheduled to be released at the end of this month. In case you’re wondering, yes, I am still planning to release a collection of my short stories in an anthology over coming months, and yes, the anthology will include this story, plus many more.

Anyway, to whet your appetite for The Cold and the Dead, I’ll be revealing the cover in the near future. This one is a short horror/grimdark tale, so if it sounds like something you’d be interested in, keep an eye out for the cover reveal post.

Happy Reading

Allan,

Brisbane, Australia.

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Book Review – Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson

Gardens of the Moon (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1)
Gardens of the Moon
by Steven Erikson

Gardens of the moon by Steven Erikson is the first novel in The Malazan Book of the Fallen series. The Malazan Empire seeks to dominate the Free Cities of Genabakis. Pale has fallen and the Empress has moved her attentions to Darujhistan, the last of the Free Cities. But there are forces working against her lust for power, and even the gods have joined in to complicate matters further.

The Cover: The image on the cover I have is of a dark edifice, a single light glowing out from a room at the top of its tower, the moon rising behind. A motif of a steel, Celtic adornment with a helm at its centre, sits at the top of the page, a brand that is carried over across the series.

I love this cover, it is the reason I picked up this book. The cover speaks to me, it says – This book is set in a Grim-dark world and is filled with fantasy. The font is strong and clean, with good colour choices that contrast well against the image, and it is branded nicely to mark the series. My only issue with it is that I don’t like the placement of the text. I feel like they have tried to fit too much on the page and couldn’t quite make it work cohesively.

The Good Stuff: WOW – This book is outstanding! I absolutely loved it. It has a so many characters; original characters with their own personalities and goals, all introduced seamlessly and entwined into the plot. A plot full of twists and turns where enemies are allies and allies are enemies. It has magic, magical weapons, and an array of creatures that belong in a world of fantasy, but these creatures are not all born of the more commonly known orcs, goblins, and elves.

The Bad Stuff: Many a good novel has its problems, and this one is no different. There are some sentences that I would have constructed differently, sentences like “Trotts removed from his sleeve a torn piece of cloth” and “Trotts asked “Watch what?” Some of the descriptions are dumped on the page, which is quite common in this genre, but I prefer them to be fed in a little more softly. There are flash back/time overlaps where Mr Erikson changes character Point of View (POV). The novel is also broken into 7 books across 24 chapters, each of which starts with a poem. I didn’t like this structure, it didn’t need the breaks defining the books for me. Overall, this book was more than I expected it would be. I’ve seen it so many times and thought, I’ll have to read that book one day. And I’m so glad I did. I just wish I hadn’t waited so long. Being the first book of Steven Erikson’s I’ve read, he is a new author to me, and when you find a diamond that shines like this, it justifies the reason to try new authors you are not familiar with. Despite its bad points, this book is a fantastic epic novel, and I absolutely loved it. It will suck the time out of your day like Dragnipur sucks the souls of its adversaries. I’m giving this one an unquestionable, sword wielding, magic flaring, 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

If you liked this post please share it with your friends on social media.

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Are you searching for authors like Joe Abercrombie? Why not check out this list.

pexels-photo-208674
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Hello Readers,

I know I harp on about Joe Abercrombie (JA) being my favourite author, and that’s because he is, but I have been trying to find some new favourite authors to add to the list. So I put a call out through some of my groups on social media to find similar authors to JA, and this is what my contacts came back with:-

  1. Anthony Ryan
  2. Luke Scull
  3. Daniel Polansky
  4. Mark Lawrence
  5. Scott Lynch
  6. Brian McClellan
  7. Richard Kadrey
  8. Charlie Huston
  9. Peter Newman
  10. Ed McDonald
  11. Steven Erikson
  12. Jonathon French
  13. Brian Staveley
  14. Michael R Fletcher
  15. Richard Morgan
  16. Anna Smith Spark
  17. Stephen Donaldson
  18. A Z Anthony
  19. Glen Cook
  20. Jay Kristoff

I haven’t read all these authors yet, but I have added them to my list of authors to try. Of those I have checked out, I offer my opinions below:

Anthony Ryan – I love this author and have added him to my favourites. I read his novel Blood Song, and while I don’t get a JA vibe from his work, I really enjoyed the book. Anthony has his own style and tells a great story. I highly recommend checking him out.

Luke Scull – This is another great author that I have added to my list of favourites. I read his Grim Company novel and I found his world and characters to be very similar to JA. In fact I constantly found myself thinking this guy is so like 9 fingers, or I love these Northmen. Luke does have a style of his own and tells a unique story that is interesting and pulled me through the book. I highly recommend giving him a go.

Daniel Polansky – I read the novel She Who Waits by this author. I can’t say that I see any resemblance to JA other than the world is really gritty. I didn’t love this author, I enjoyed the book enough to finish it, but I doubt I will read anymore of his work. The world was not quite what I expected or wanted and it threw me off a little right from the start. If you like Grimdark that isn’t your typical medieval world, don’t discount this author. His style is sound, his characters are well rounded, and his writing is solid, his world just wasn’t what I was looking for and I don’t particularly like 1st person POV. If however you are chasing an author similar to JA, I’d give this one a miss.

Brian McClellan – I read Wrath of Empire from this author, and I loved it so much that I have also added Brian to my list of favourite authors. I didn’t draw any similarities between his work and JA’s. Brian has his own style, a great world, great characters, and a good storyline. I thoroughly enjoyed his work and would definitely recommend him, just don’t expect his work to remind you of JA.

Richard Kadrey – I didn’t actually read this authors work, I picked up one of his books and read the first few pages. It didn’t grab me because it seemed to be more of a western world and I was after good old medieval fantasy. So, I can’t really make any comparisons to JA for this author, nor recommend/criticise his work.

Peter Newman – I tried to read The Vagrant by this author and it’s the one book on my DNF list. I didn’t like the authors style or the world the story was set in. I certainly wouldn’t compare this author to JA. I do not recommend reading this authors work if you’re looking for something similar to JA. I’m not saying don’t give him a try, I’m just saying this author isn’t for me and I can’t see any similarity to JA’s work. I do know people who have read and enjoyed this author, so make your own mind up on this one.

Well, I’m still working through the list myself and this is as far as I’ve gotten. I’m keen to give Mark Lawrence, Scott Lynch, Steve Erikson, Brian Staveley and Ed McDonald a go. So I’ll probably prioritise these above the others, but hopefully I will find a few more gems on this list that will be added to my favourite authors list.

Happy Reading!

This post was updated Sept 29, 2024. Check out the updated version here. 

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Book Review – The Grim Company by Luke Scull.

The Grim Company (The Grim Company, #1)

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Grim Company by Luke Scull is a grimdark fantasy set in a world where the gods have been slain by wizards. We follow the stories of several characters who’s fates seem intertwined. Characters such as Davarus Cole, an orphan who wants to be a hero; Brodar Kayne and his companion Jerek, a pair Northmen on the run; Eremul, a paraplegic mage seeking revenge; Sasha a rebel with troubles of her own; and Yllandris a sorceress with ambitions.

The Cover: This is a simple cover showing a helm sitting on a white background that fades to a golden brown. The image itself represents the fantasy genre well, the fonts are clear and I like the title. All up a suitable cover for the genre.

The Good Stuff: This is a solid fantasy world that is dark, dangerous, and full of magic. The characters are well developed with their own goals and desires. The plot is sound and brings everything together at the end, yet still leaves enough story questions to make you want to read the next book in the series. Some of the characters reminded me of Joe Abercrombie’s First Law Trilogy, but hey, who doesn’t love Joe and his characters.

The Bad Stuff: There are some over-packed sentences at the beginning of the book as the author tries to build the world. I found some characters focused on in the beginning of the book disappeared quite quickly, leaving me to wonder why they were highlighted in the first place. The character descriptions are also dropped in through small info dumps, which I think could have been written in more seamlessly. There was a point where soldiers in chainmail climb down a rope ladder while each holds a longsword in one hand leaving me wondering how that is even possible.

Overall, initially I had my doubts about this story, but the more I read, the more I got into it, and by the end I found I thoroughly enjoyed the book, even with the few points I mentioned in the bad stuff. I think this is because I am a little cautious when reading a new author and I tend to notice things in their writing, at least until I get drawn into the story. I would recommend this book to fans of dark fantasy/grimdark. It is getting a blood staining, bone breaking 4 out of 5 golden bookmarks from me.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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Book Review – Blood Song by Anthony Ryan.

Blood Song (Raven's Shadow, #1)Blood Song by Anthony Ryan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Blood Song by Anthony Ryan follows the story of Vaelin Al Sorna as he is given to the Sixth Order by his family. The Order are protectors of both the realm and the faith, the Sixth is their martial arm where the brothers are trained from childhood for one purpose – to become deadly weapons.

The Cover: This is a solid fantasy cover. The image, the fonts, the title, and the colours all complement each other, yelling ‘I am dark fantasy’ from the bookstore rafters.

The Good Stuff: Wow! I absolutely loved this novel. There is fighting, magic, magical weapons, politics, scheming, love, betrayal, and so much more. There were actually 728 pages in this book, around 200 more than I thought I was getting. The more the merrier I say. In a way it reminded me of ‘The Name of the Wind’ with the scribe taking down the story as it unfolds, only this is done so much better, placing you firmly in the world among the action. The author, Anthony Ryan, effortlessly feeds so many little details into the prose that the world feels so authentic. So real. And what a dark, tough, and gritty world he has created. The characters are true to themselves, well developed, each with their own personality, but dare not to become attached to them, there will be sadness. In this world there is plenty of death.

The Bad Stuff: What can I say here? I got so involved in this book that nothing really bothered me. The things I remember are the author’s tendency to use a phrase like ‘it could have been a minute or an hour’ where the character gets so absorbed in a task. This stood out to me, but by no means detracted from the story. I also saw a character name spelt incorrectly once – but shit happens! You can’t catch every typo even if you send a book to 3 different editors.

Overall, this is an excellent book. I loved every page of it. For me, this is what fantasy is meant to be and I would highly recommend it to any fantasy fan. This one is getting a dark encompassing, knuckle cracking 5 out of 5 golden bookmarks.

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

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The Witcher. What Do You Think?

Hello Readers,

I must admit that I am a big fan of Grimdark/Dark Fiction and I am also bit of a movie lover. So it is no surprise that I have long awaited the release of the Witcher series on Netflix. The computer game was highly regarded and raved about by many back in the day. I have yet to read the book, but it has high reviews and a relatively small amount of disappointed readers. As for the series… That has been compared to Game Of Thrones. I’m not sure I would put them on the same level, but one thing is for sure, there seems to be a lot of mixed feelings about the TV adaptation.

In my opinion it is slow to get started, but the more I watch it the better it gets. I really didn’t start to enjoy it much until episode 3, and after finishing the 1st season, I certainly would not liken it to G.O.T. It is nowhere near on the same level for me. If I had to make a comparison, I would compare it to the TV series Hercules or Xena. To be honest, I find Geralt’s character quite boring, but I think this is because the series portrays him to be void of emotions (and I am not sure if this is how the book portrays him). I find some issues around this as he clearly displays feelings for other characters, such as Yennefer. What Geralt lacks is made up for in the character of the bard, Jaskier. He can be annoying, but he’s funny and brings that little extra something to the show. I also like Yennefer’s character, she is likeable, but she has her own personal issues and a darkside to her that makes her very interesting to me.

Watching this series has prompted me to add the book to my ‘To Read’ list, and if you are after a copy of your own, you can purchase it from the following links:

Amazon.com.au
Amazon.co.uk
Amazon
Kobo

Anyway, overall I enjoy the show and will continue to watch through the next season when it comes out. If you have watched the show yourself, I’d love to know what you think of it. Just post your comments below.

Happy Reading!

Allan Walsh writes Fantasy and Horror. If you’re looking for something new to read in these genres, why not check out his books here. You can also find his titles available in libraries.

If you liked this post please share it with your friends on social media.

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