Lynx is a mercenary with a sense of honour; a dying breed in the Shattered Kingdom. Failed by the nation he served and weary of the skirmishes that plague the continent’s principalities, he walks the land in search of purpose. He wants for little so bodyguard work keeps his belly full and his mage-gun loaded. It might never bring a man fame or wealth, but he’s not forced to rely on others or kill without cause. Little could compel Lynx to join a mercenary company, but he won’t turn his back on a kidnapped girl. At least the job seems simple enough; the mercenaries less stupid and vicious than most he’s met over the years. So long as there are no surprises or hidden agendas along the way, it should work out fine. I’ve always imagined being a mercenary in some far off, fantastical land would be the hardest of lives to live. Based on what I’ve learned in Stranger of Tempest, the latest offering from Tom Lloyd, it would appear I was entirely right. When you join Anatin’s Mercenary Deck, chances are you’re going to find yourself living fast and very probably dying young. I warmed to Lynx immediately….

Sherlock Holmes is an unparalleled genius who uses the gift of deduction and reason to solve the most vexing of crimes. Warlock Holmes, however, is an idiot. A good man, perhaps; a font of arcane power, certainly. But he’s brilliantly dim. Frankly, he couldn’t deduce his way out of a paper bag. The only thing he has really got going for him are the might of a thousand demons and his stalwart flatmate. Thankfully, Dr. Watson is always there to aid him through the treacherous shoals of Victorian propriety… and save him from a gruesome death every now and again. An imaginative, irreverent and addictive reimagining of the world’s favourite detective, Warlock Holmes retains the charm, tone and feel of the original stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle while finally giving the flat at 221b Baker Street what it’s been missing for all these years: an alchemy table. Reimagining six stories, this riotous mash-up is a glorious new take on the ever-popular Sherlock Holmes myth, featuring the vampire Inspector Vladislav Lestrade, the ogre Inspector Torg Grogsson, and Dr. Watson, the true detective at 221b. And Sherlock. A warlock I’m a huge fan a Sherlock Holmes. I always have been. From…

For as long as anyone can remember, the Clowns and Humans of Blueville have co-existed peacefully. Sure, each species thinks the other is a little weird but that’s never been something to fight about. Until, that is, a series of freakish terrorist attacks – seemingly perpetrated by clowns – turn the two bloodlines against each other. When war breaks out, the future of both species hangs in the balance. It’s going to take a suicide mission to stop the carnage and only misfit circus trainee Colin Clarke and his three best friends have the courage to volunteer for this impossible task. Their quest takes them to the mean streets of Cheadle, the most dangerous city in the world. There, in a final bid to defeat their true enemy, they must confront the darkness lurking at the very heart of clownkind. Odds bodkins, but Clown Wars: Blood and Aspic is an extraordinarily bonkers book. Part comedy, part horror and more than a little urban fantasy, this a new collaboration from Jeremy Drysdale and Joseph D’Lacey. So sit back, relax, and prepare yourself for a carnival of curiosities, a plethora of puns and a jolly good story to boot. Colin Clarke is…

Sharp Ends “is the ultimate collection of award winning tales and exclusive new short stories from the master of grimdark fantasy, Joe Abercrombie. Violence explodes, treachery abounds, and the words are as deadly as the weapons in this rogue’s gallery of side-shows, back-stories, and sharp endings from the world of the First Law. Let’s get this out of the way right up front –  I’m a huge fan of The First Law trilogy. In fact, I’ll go further than that, I’m a huge fan of all the books set in the First Law universe. With that confession in mind, you’ll not be surprised when I tell you the opportunity to learn more about some of the characters, and the world that they inhabit, was too good to miss. Sharp Ends, Joe Abercrombie’s latest, collects together thirteen adventures chronicling life over a twenty-six year period. The good news, if you’ve read any of Abercrombie’s First Law books then there is going to be so much here you’ll enjoy. Some of my personal favourites… A Beautiful Bastard – The Union army may be full of bastards, but there’s only one big enough to think he can save the day single-handed when the…

The sequel to When the Heavens Fall features gritty characters, deadly magic, and meddlesome gods Once a year on Dragon Day the fabled Dragon Gate is raised to let a sea dragon pass into the Sabian Sea. There, it will be hunted by the Storm Lords, a fellowship of powerful water-mages who rule an empire called the Storm Isles. Emira Imerle Polivar is coming to the end of her tenure as leader of the Storm Lords, but she has no intention of standing down graciously. As part of her plot to hold on to power, she instructs an order of priests known as the Chameleons to sabotage the Dragon Gate. There’s just one problem: that will require them to infiltrate an impregnable citadel that houses the gate’s mechanism — a feat that has never been accomplished before. But Imerle is not the only one intent on destroying the Storm Lord dynasty. As the Storm Lords assemble in answer to a mysterious summons, they become the targets of assassins working for an unknown enemy. And when Imerle sets her scheme in motion, that enemy uses the ensuing chaos to play its hand. Time for some fantasy and the latest from Marc…

Please note Jani and the Great Pursuit is a direct sequel to Jani and the Greater Game. If you haven’t read that first then it is highly likely that this review may contain minor spoilers. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya! Understood? Splendid…tally ho!! Jani and her stalwart companions Lieutenant Alfie Littlebody and Anand Doshi find themselves chased from India, via Greece, to London by the British authorities, Russian spies and a Hindu priest – who all want what Jani carries, the ventha-di: the key that will open the door to other worlds. In London she attempts to rescue the imprisoned alien Mahran – the only person who might help her save the Earth from the invasion of the merciless Zhell, the self-styled Masters of the Cosmos. But will she escape London and reach Tibet before the forces of evil capture her – and before she is betrayed by someone she considers loyal to her cause? Back in August 2014, I read a novel called Jani and the Greater Game by Eric Brown. It had a wonderful steampunk edge and was a perfect example of how good action/adventure should be. Jani and the Greater Game was great fun. I remember I…

Be warned The Silver Tide is the third book in a trilogy. If you haven’t read books one and two there is a good chance that the following review may contain some mild spoilers. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! Tales of the Black Feather Three and their exploits abound far and wide, and Wydrin of Crosshaven, Lord Aaron Frith and Sir Sebastian have become sell swords in demand. Having foiled powerful mages and evil magic, they now face a challenge unlike any before – in the form of Wydrin’s mother. Devinia the Red, notorious pirate and captain of the Poison Chalice, is intent on finding the fabled treasure hidden within the jungles of the cursed island of Euriale. She needs the skills of her daughter Wydrin and her companions to get there, and our heroes cannot resist the lure of coin and adventure. But no explorer has returned from the heart of the island, and it’s not long before the Three find themselves in the clutches of peril. Deep within the island of the gods, there are remnants of forces best left undisturbed… And so with a heavy heart we have come to the final book in The Copper…

A small group of commuters and tube workers witness a fiery apocalypse overtaking London. They make their escape through a service tunnel. Reaching a door they step through…and find themselves on a wild shore backed by cliffs and rolling grassland. The way back is blocked. Making their way inland they meet a man dressed in a wolf’s cloak and with wolves by his side. He speaks English and has heard of a place called London – other people have arrived here down the ages – all escaping from a London that is burning. None of them have returned. Except one – who travels between the two worlds at will. The group begin a quest to find this one survivor; the one who holds the key to their return and to the safety of London. And as they travel this world, meeting mythical and legendary creatures, split between North and South by a mighty river and bordered by The White City and The Crystal Palace they realise they are in a world defined by all the London’s there have ever been. Reminiscent of Michael Moorcock and Julian May this is a grand and sweeping science fantasy built on the ideas, the…

Please note – The Girl on the Liar’s Throne is the third book in The Erebus Sequence and it is likely that if haven’t read the first two then this review may contain minor spoilers. Don’t say I didn’t warn you in advance. Anea, once the Silent Queen of Landfall, find herself imprisoned in the dark waters far beneath the vast castle of Demesne. Her throne, like her memories, have have been stolen. Eris, the impostor, discovers even the semblance of ruling is a lonely business in a place as corrupt as the Ravenscourt. Her rule, like her appearance, is a sham. They are a world apart but entangled in a web of subtle deceit, old secrets and dark ambitions. As an ancient enemy plots his rise, old alliances must be laid aside and new friendships formed. Can the Silent Queen regain her throne? Will Eris break free of her prison of lies? Can the kingdom escape the ruin that civil war will bring? It seems as though all the series I’ve started over the last couple of years are coming to an end at the same time. Earlier this month there was Judged by Liz de Jager, the final…

Please note Judged is the third book in a series. It is highly likely if you haven’t read the first two books then this review will contain some spoilers. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya! Kit’s job description includes solving crimes – the supernatural kind . . . Glow, a fae-created drug, is rapidly going viral and the suppliers have to be shut down. Teaming up with Aiden and Dante, Kit follows leads across London, tracking down dealers. They stir up trouble, making themselves a target for the gang they’re trying to stop. In the Otherwhere, Thorn stumbles across a secret that could destroy both the human and Fae worlds. The Veil that separates our human world from the fae realms is weakening and the goddess is dying. And if she dies and the Veil fails, madness and chaos will wreak unstoppable havoc upon both lands. Thorn turns to the only person he knows who’ll be able to help him: Kit. Torn between working the Glow case and her loyalty for the young prince, Kit is propelled headlong into a world of danger. She faces enemies from both the Otherwhere and our world. And as the stakes are raised, the…

Hitman Don Drake owes a gambling debt to a demon. Forced to carry out one more assassination to clear his debt, Don unwittingly kills an innocent child and brings the Furies of Greek myth down upon himself. Rescued by an almost-fallen angel called Trixie, Don and his magical accomplice The Burned Man, an imprisoned archdemon, are forced to deal with Lucifer himself whilst battling a powerful evil magician. Now Don must foil Lucifer’s plan to complete Trixie’s fall and save her soul whilst preventing the Burned Man from breaking free from captivity and wreaking havoc on the entire world. Magic is a tricky beast, what with all the subtle intricacies and specifics that have to be just so. It’s hardly a surprise then that the powers the magic can offer are open to a certain amount of abuse. For every good miraculous thing that can come from magic, there is an evil, violent opposite. The key lesson? Practitioners of the arcane arts needs to be wary, what goes around comes around. Don Drake, the magically imbued hitman, is going to learn that the hard way. He is about to have what can at best be described as “an exceptionally bad…

“Caenthell will stay buried, and the North will not rise again until I freely offer my sword to a true descendant of the High Kings—or until one takes it from my dying hands!” With this curse, the Warlock Malessar destroyed Caenthell. The bloodline of the High Kings disappeared and the kingdom faded into dark legend until even stories of the deed lost their power. But now there is an Heir to the North. Cassia hopes to make her reputation as a storyteller by witnessing a hardened soldier and a heroic princeling defeat Malessar and his foul curse. But neither of her companions are exactly as they appear, and the truth lies deep within stories that have been buried for centuries. As Cassia learns secrets both soldier and warlock have kept hidden since the fall of Caenthell, she discovers she can no longer merely bear witness. Cassia must become part of the story; she must choose a side and join the battle. The North will rise again. It feels like it has been an absolute age since I’ve read any epic fantasy. I decided to remedy this oversight by checking out The Heir to the North by Steven Poore. Cassia is…

Please note The Cathedral of Known Things is a direct sequel to The Relic Guild. If you haven’t read this first then it is highly likely there will be elements of this reviewed that could be considered a little bit spoilery. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…Still there? Good show, onwards! Divided, hunted and short on resources, the surviving members of the Relic Guild are in real trouble. Their old enemy, the Genii, and their resurrected master have infiltrated Labrys Town and taken over the police force. So the Relic Guild must flee their home, and set off on a dangerous journey across the worlds of the Aelfir. One that will lead them to a weapon which might destroy the Genii. Or the whole universe… And forty years before all this, the war which led to the fall of the Genii continues. And what happens to the Relic Guild during that conflict will change the course of their desperate flight. Over the last couple of years there have been a raft of exciting new talents appear on the UK fantasy fiction scene. Liz de Jager, Jen Williams and Den Patrick have all released multiple books that are great fun. Last…