REVIEW: THE PRINCE OF LIES

Cover by Larry Rostant

THE PRINCE OF LIES

NIGHT'S MASQUE VOL. III

BY

ANNE LYLE

ISBN: 978-0-85766-281-1

Pages:

Publisher: Angry Robot Books

Published: 29 October 2013

On the cover:

(From the publisher's website)

Elizabethan spy Mal Catlyn has everything he ever wanted – his twin brother Sandy restored to health, his family estate reclaimed and a son to inherit it – but his work is far from over. The renegade skraylings, the guisers, are still plotting – their leader, Jathekkil, has reincarnated as the young Prince Henry Tudor. But while he is still young, Mal has a slim chance of eliminating his enemies whilst they are at their weakest.

With Sandy’s help, Mal learns to harness his own magic in the fight against the guisers, but it may be too late to save England. Schemes set in motion decades ago are at last coming to fruition, and the barrier between the dreamlands and the waking world is wearing thin…

   This is the last book in a trilogy, so it's not really an ideal starting point. If you are completely new to the Night's Masque books, I suggest you start with The Alchemist of Souls (review).

   After going abroad in the previous volume, we are back in familiar territory this time; London at the time of Will Shakespeare. A minor supporting character here, but a name that may be familiar to some readers. The Bard isn't the only historical person to make an appearance, there's also some other names that will be familiar to those who have picked up a history book.

   As before the historical backdrop is a major strength of Lyle's. This is in my opinion foremost Alternate History of the kind that can be easily mistaken for Historical Fiction. (If you have a friend who likes Historical Fiction who you want to try SFF, I suggest getting them started on the Night's Masque books.) Those who have read this blog before will know that I like history, and that for me a solid historical background is a great plus for me in a novel.

   Lyle is almost a little to good at it. There were times I wanted to look up some of the character's true history, only for my brain to catch a moment later that they are products of Lyle's imagination. If you find Tudor courtly intrigue an interesting basis for fiction, you'll get plenty of that here. Just not from our historical timeline.

   There's action and suspense in this story pretty much from the beginning. Apart from a very well handled few chapters that gets us up to date there's not any passages in this novel that lack anything happening. The pacing is reminiscent of an Action Thriller, and that works very well. Well, unless you really should be going to sleep. I got so carried away by this story that I had to finish the book, it was past 5 am when I finally lay down to sleep. But let's face it, that is a huge compliment to Lyle's storytelling ability. This is a book it's really hard to put down.

  I mentioned courtly intrigue before, and parts of this story takes place in the middle of the royal court of England. Maliverny Catlyn has certainly circled such places before, but this time he's taken much closer to the centre, and that adds a lot to the stakes this time around. Not that what has happened in the two previous volumes has seemed inconsequential, but now we get to really see what the prize in the game that is being played is all about.

   Lyle does keep the tension high throughout this novel. Once the reader knows who the players really are, it also becomes clear that the outcome is in doubt. That feeling does not let up. It isn't until the final few pages that you get a resolution...of sorts. And that's the only thing I can really say didn't sit perfectly with me in this novel. I am still ambivalent about the ending. It is by no means bad, and it brings the story of this trilogy to a satisfying end. But there's a hint of more here, and I know Lyle is working on something else for now. So I can't really decide if it's teasing  to hint at more, or keeping our hopes -as readers- up that we will be able to return at some point to this excellent world. (I wouldn't mind a short story now and then.)

   Before I finish off this review I need to mention the characters, they are an excellent troupe. Mal is of course great as usual, and Lyle manages to give him even more depth than previously. Coby again gets to shine, and show off that she can handle herself in any situation that is thrown at her. 

   There's other characters in here too, and they by no means become cardboard cutouts. The whole cast here not only supports the story, they have an integral part in it. Even the aforementioned Bard is more than a throwaway reference, he has an actual function in the story.

   As the third book in a trilogy goes, this is an excellent one. I mentioned the only point I had problems with above, but that is really a non-issue. Whether you like Alternate History, Historical Fantasy, or Historical Fiction there is plenty to like here.

   Lyle has given me a great three volume journey through an excellent world that is just slightly skewed from the one we live in. I can state without a doubt that the ~1,500 pages of reading have been very much worth it, and I will not hesitate to encourage others to start on it.

NOTE: I got an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher/NetGalley.

REVIEWS: The Alchemist of Souls  The Merchant of Dreams

LINKS: Anne Lyle  Angry Robot Books

REVIEW: THE MERCHANT OF DREAMS

Cover by Larry Rostant at Artist Partners.

THE MERCHANT OF DREAMS

NIGHTS MASQUE VOL. II

BY

ANNE LYLE

ISBN: 978-0-85766-278-1

Pages: 519 (+ acknowledgements)

Publisher: Angry Robot Books

Published: 18 December 2012

On the cover:

Exiled from the court of Queen Elizabeth for accusing a powerful nobleman of treason, swordsman-turned-spy Mal Catlyn has been living in France with his young valet Coby Hendricks for the past year.

But Mal harbours a darker secret: he and his twin brother share a soul that once belonged to a skrayling, one of the mystical creatures from the New World.

When Mal’s dream about a skrayling shipwreck in the Mediterranean proves reality, it sets him on a path to the beautiful, treacherous city of Venice – and a conflict of loyalties that will place him and his friends in greater danger than ever.

   The second book in a trilogy can sometimes become bogged down in being nothing more than a transition between a beginning and an end. This is not the case with this second volume. It is of course the middle volume in the sense that it does follow on from a book it helps to have read, and that it doesn't hide that there's another book to come, but we do get a story that has both a beginning and an end here.

   After the events of the first book, we have left London behind when this book begins. Although I was fascinated by Lyle's alternate history London, I think going abroad was a good choice. Expanding the setting means that there is also room to explore several aspects of this alternate history. Especially the skraylings get put into a bit of a larger context by the change of surroundings. And perhaps more importantly, the change of setting gives us a natural backdrop to learn more about the skraylings and their place in this version of the Elizabethan Era.
   This is perhaps the aspect of SFF in general, and Alternate History in particular, that fascinates me the most. I am into history, so I like my SFF to have a sense of history behind it. To have grown "organically" from some point into what I am presented with. Especially important for anything with an alternate timeline, of course.
   Lyle doesn't disappoint in this regard, there is a solid history in the background of this story. And despite the introduction of the alien skraylings, it feels very real. It is a tangible, vivid world, that feels like it is really alive. The feeling that this is Historical Fiction is present throughout.

   A solid setting doesn't make a book though, it's an important backdrop, but there also needs to be a story in there to make it a novel. Fortunately there is one, and it is one filled with interesting events. These events are centered on the Catlyn brothers' strange relationship to the skraylings on one level, and on the greater scale of the politics having to do with the skraylings' place in the world. Those two parts of the story not only intersect, they are inseparable.
   There is quite a lot going on here, on both personal and geopolitical levels. I'm not giving away much when I say that we will be going to Venice, and that the city will be the springboard for some very interesting events. Things happen fast in this story, but it doesn't actually feel like it all the time. Lyle's style of writing means that the story flows so smoothly that when I finished the book I had a bit of trouble accepting that I had actually read five hundred pages. And I absolutely mean that as a compliment.
   Trying to think through why I almost felt like I was tricked by the pagecount, I came up with a sort of explanation. Lyle is a great storyteller, and she delivers the story without a lot of fuss. Although there are a lot of events that have major implications, they aren't really advertised as such. So at the end of the novel I had to think about if there really was five hundred pages of story here; and that there is. This is free of any padding, and it "reads leaner" than it is. And when you spend time with these characters, time -and pages- really fly.

   The characters here are excellent. Maliverny Catlyn is as excellent a swashbuckler as he was last time, and he gets to do a bit of growth in his personal life. We also get to see quite a few of the supporting characters from last time again, while we get to meet some interesting new faces. But the one who I think really shines this time is Jacomina Hendricksdochter (, that's her with the pistol on the cover). She was prominent last time around too, but this time she really gets to come into her own. We get to see her grow into a women, and take up the fight when needed. And by the end of this novel, we can really see that she has started on a new path in life.

   There really is a lot to love in this novel. Lyle gives us a story that has suspense, intrigue, and action. Set in an alternate reality that feels totally real. The characters feel alive, and are very interesting companions on the journey the story takes the reader.
   This is excellent Alternate History/Historical Fantasy/Historical Fiction, and if any of those three genres sound like they are interesting to you, you should do yourself the favour of picking up Anne Lyle's Night's Masque books. This sequel is simply a great reading experience.

REVIEW: The Alchemist of Souls 

LINKS: Anne Lyle  Angry Robot Books

REVIEW: LORD OF SLAUGHTER

Cover art by Paul Young
Cover design by Patrick Knowles

LORD OF SLAUGHTER
BY
M.D. LACHLAN

ISBN: 978-0-575-08968-6
Pages: 403
Publisher: Gollancz
Published: 13 June 2012

On the cover:

On a battlefield strewn with corpses, a ragged figure, dressed in wolfskin and intent on death, slips past the guards into the tent of the Emperor and draws his sword.

The terrified citizens of Constantinople are plagued by mysterious sorcery. The wolves outside the city are howling. A young boy had traded the lives of his family for power. And a Christian scholar, fleeing with his pregnant wife from her enraged father, must track down the magic threatening his world.

All paths lead to the squalid and filthy prison deep below the city, where a man who believes he is a wolf lies chained, and the spirits of the dead are waking.

The Norsemen camped outside the city have their own legends, of the wolf who will kill the gods, but no true Christian could believe such a thing.

And yet it is clear to Loys that Ragnarok is coming. Will he be prepared to sacrifice his life, his position, his wife and his unborn child for a god he doesn't believe in?

And deep in the earth, the wolfman howls...

   This is the third volume in Lachlan's series, following from Wolfsangel and Fenrir (link to reviews of both at bottom). It continues the theme of rebirth, and cycles that was also heavily present in Fenrir. Vikings are again playing an important part, but this time we have moved to Constantinople, or Miklagard as the Vikings would say.
   The setting is a very interesting one, and Lachlan is very good at making it come alive. Unfortunately it is also the source of some disappointment to me. You see, the Varangian guard were the Viking elite soldiers of the Eastern Roman Emperor, and there is a lot of interesting history connected to them. And I expected that to be more prominent in the book.

   Note the words "I expected" above, this isn't actually a flaw of the book. It's my expectations, based on my knowledge of history, making me want something the author actually did not put in his story. Normally I wouldn't mention something like that, I prefer to stick to reviewing what is actually in the book. And if we are honest, there is always something personal that colours how we interpret, and feel about, what we read. But in this case it did lead to me always waiting for something that never showed up while reading the story, and I wouldn't be honest if I said that didn't effect my enjoyment in a pretty direct way.
   I could of course wait a couple of years, read this book again without my expectations, and then review it. But that is not really fair in my opinion, and it's not really something I do. I don't re-read to change my opinion. Instead I'll write this review giving the impression I got when I read it, with my assumptions in the background. Just be aware that when you read this, that if you know nothing of the Varangian guard, or the Vikings in Miklagard, you are likely to have a different experience.

   I've mention that Lachlan makes the setting come alive, he also does a great job with the characters. They are very interesting in themselves, and they come very quickly to life when they are introduced. The whole build-up phase of the book, about the first half, is great. Everything is set up very nicely, but then it feels like the book does a big shift.

   The shift goes from the story that has been built up, and the setting, to the greater story that this series is about, and for me that didn't really work. What is a great setting, and some great characters, are put on the back-burner to a much more magic/supernatural oriented story. And that makes it feel like all the good build-up that goes before it doesn't really count. From here on in the story could really be set anywhere and be told with any characters. And the strength of the previous book, Fenrir, is precisely that it feels like it has to be told exactly where it is with exactly those characters.

   This is by no means to be taken as it is a bad story, because it isn't. Taken in isolation this is a very good story, whose only problem is that it has some repetition because one of the characters is discovering things that are already known to the reader.
   Ordinarily that wouldn't really be an issue for me, especially when it is well done, like it is here. But this is book three of a cyclic story, and it feels too repetitive when we get that story rediscovered twice in the same volume. Because if you are like me, you will have read the two first books, and already be aware of it.

   When trying to sum up my reaction to this, I'd say it was ambivalent. This is actually a good story, and there is no doubt that this shows that Lachlan is both a good writer and a good storyteller. But it's also got some of the typical diseases of the middle volume(s) of a Fantasy series, it's bogged down in it's own history, and starting to repeat itself.
   As I said above, I also feel that the setting becomes too much of a background here. Some of that is because of the expectation I outlined at the beginning of this review, and some of it has to do with the story ending up somewhere that could be everywhere. Making the set-up, of both setting and characters, feel a bit wasted. And in so doing, the story also becomes repetitive, whereas with a setting affecting it, it would feel much fresher.

   So, overall a good novel, but with some flaws that can make it hit or miss. I'd absolutely recommend someone who has interest in the Vikings and their mythology pick up this book. Reading the previous volume isn't essential.
   For those that have read the previous volumes, if you have no problems with the repetitious nature of part of the story, you should enjoy this. But if  you, like me, was hoping for another exploration into the Viking's journey around the world, then you may be disappointed.

REVIEWS: Wolfsangel  Fenrir

LINKS:  Gollancz  Gollancz Blog

REVIEW: THE ALCHEMIST OF SOULS

Cover art by Larry Rostant

THE ALCHEMIST OF SOULS

NIGHT'S MASQUE VOL. I

BY

ANNE LYLE

ISBN: 978-0-85766-214-9

Pages: 518

Publisher: Angry Robot Books

Published: 27 March 2012

On the cover:

When Tudor explorers returned from the New World, they brought back a name out of half-forgotten Viking legend: skraylings. Red-sailed ships followed in the explorers’ wake, bringing Native American goods – and a skrayling ambassador – to London. But what do these seemingly magical beings really want in Elizabeth I’s capital?

Mal Catlyn, a down-at-heel swordsman, is seconded to the ambassador’s bodyguard, but assassination attempts are the least of his problems. What he learns about the skraylings and their unholy powers could cost England her new ally – and Mal his soul.

   For Historical Fantasy or Alternate History, two of the genres this book belongs to, the pace of this book fells pretty slow. But when you look at this as Historical Fiction, something the story also is, the sedate pace becomes much more understandable. Expectations can influence how you look at the tempo a story is told, and I went into this expecting more of a Historical Fantasy/Alternate History structure, basically something a bit faster paced. It took some time before I got used to this having a structure more common in Historical Fiction, but once I realised and accepted that, I stopped waiting for the pace to pick up and instead got much more enjoyment out of what this really is.

   What this is, is a very detailed and interesting journey into an alternate version of the Elizabethan Era. Lyle paints a really vivid picture of the London of Elizabeth I. It's very easy to get pulled into the setting and immersed in the world this story is set in. There's lots of details that help with this immersion, but Lyle writes in such a way that the setting doesn't intrude on the story. The details that add flavour are in the background and don't intrude on what is going on.

   And there really is a lot going on. I mentioned the sedate pace earlier, but that doesn't mean boring in this case. The story may move along at a leisurely pace, but it is not uneventful. Much of this is due to a very excellent cast of characters.
   Lyle's troupe of players is a very interesting group of individuals. The main character, Mal, is absolutely someone that has enough in his background to drive a narrative all by himself. There's lots of secrecy around him in the (story's) present day but also some things from his past that contribute a lot to making him a well rounded and interesting character. But Mal isn't alone in this story, there are quite a lot of other players around. Most of them have stories that rival Mal's in terms of how interesting they are.
   What really lifts this story's ensemble for me is the way they interact, and play against each other. Every one of them brings something with them when they enter the stage, and they all feel as an organic part of the whole. Even the aliens have a depth to them that make them much more interesting than they often are in Historical Fantasy.

   Yes, I said aliens. The main element that pulls this away from being pure Historical Fiction is the non-human race that inhabits this world. I found it especially interesting how Lyle has managed to integrate them into the story in the way she has. Often creatures such as these seem tacked on, blatantly there to be played against for the protagonists. In this case they are not, without them the story of some of the characters would be very different. (And of course this world would be quite something else too.) This is definitely one of the best novels out there when it comes to the natural integration of a non-human group/race into the narrative. They actually feel part of the history of this Elizabethan England.

   I have mentioned how this story is not a fast paced one, and how it takes its time. That by no means should be taken as there being no suspense, or action, present in the course of the novel. There's plenty of suspense here. Lyle is very good at holding back enough information from the reader to make this a book you are likely to read in a fairly short time, while nicely avoiding holding back so much that it gets annoying for the reader.
   When it comes to the end of the novel, that is certainly an action-filled and fast paced affair. After the relatively sedate pace previously in the novel it can almost be too much when things start moving this quickly. It can be jarring when there's such a great difference in pace from what the reader is used to. But Lyle can't really be faulted for this change of pace, it feels natural. It's the way things happened in the story, and I can't really see how they could have been different.

   As someone who has both a greater than normal interest in history, and is a fan of SFF, this was a perfect novel for me. This novel bridges the gap between the historical and the fantastic extremely well, and I think this story is a great meeting place for fans of Historical Fiction and Historical Fantasy. I have absolutely no doubts about highly recommending it to fans of both genres, and I think Alternate History fans are close to obligated to give it a try.
   I'll end with saying I'm very thankful that I have the second volume in this series sitting on my TBR pile as I write this.

LINKS: Anne Lyle  Angry Robot Books

REVIEW: FENRIR

Cover art: Paul Young

Cover design: Patrick Knowles

FENRIR

BY

M.D. LACHLAN

ISBN:  978-0-575-08964-8

Pages: 532

Publisher: Gollancz

 Published: 21 July 2011

On the cover:

The Vikings are laying siege to Paris. As the houses on the banks of the Seine burn a debate rages in the Cathedral on the walled island of the city proper. The situation is hopeless. The Vikings want the Count's sister. In return they will spare the rest of the city. Can the Count really have ambitions to be Emperor of the Franks if he doesn't do everything he can to save his people? Can he call himself a man if he doesn't do everything he can to save his sister?

His conscience demands one thing, the demands of state another. The Count and the church are relying on the living saint, the blind and crippled Jehan of St Germain, to enlist the aid of God and resolve the situation for them.

But the Vikings have their own gods. And outside their camp a terrifying brother and sister, priests of Odin, have their own agenda. An agenda of darkness and madness. And in the shadows a wolfman lurks.

    This is a continuation of the story in Wolfsangel, but it is not the usual direct sequel we are so used to from fantasy. Instead it is the next installment in the cycle of the story. And the cycle is also the central theme of Lachlan's fantasy series. The protagonists here are not the same as in Wolfsangel, but they are aspects of them. The story is moving on with different players, and I found this worked well.

   Lachlan maintains the saga-like quality of his prose, which is a good thing. It worked very well in Wolfsangel, and if anything it works even better here.

   The story is really fast-paced. There's quite a lot of action, and even in quieter parts of the novel the story is moving along steadily. I can't think of any part of the book that was really a "rest-period", and this makes it a book that can be difficult to put down.

   There's a lot of magic in this book. But Lachlan doesn't use this as a prop, it is integral to the story he is telling, and it never feels like it is out of place. As with Wolfsangel there is also a presence of gods here, the dark and fallible Viking variety that will be familiar to students of Norse mythology.

   The characters we encounter in the book have their separate tales to tell, and all of them are interesting. There are several main characters here that could easily have carried a novel by themselves, and they are propped up with supporting characters that are interesting in their own right.

   Lachlan makes use of several points of view. This can be annoying in some stories, but here they add up to giving a much greater whole than the sum of the individual viewpoints. The different protagonists are used to great effect to draw the story together and form a single narrative.

   This time the location is outside the Scandinavian homeland of the Vikings, mostly in modern day France, but we also get to go to Russia. As someone who is Norwegian and interested in history I think it was really refreshing to see these lesser known locations for Viking activity used to great effect here. And it also makes me excited to find out where we are heading next in Lachlan's saga.

   I can't think of anything I disliked in this book, it is very close to a perfect novel. For anyone who feels that modern fantasy is getting a bit stale this will be the perfect antidote. And if you have any interest in Vikings or Norse mythology Lachlan has created an excellent fantasy for you. This is a perfect read for dark winter evenings.

Review: Wolfsangel

Links: M.D. Lachlan  Gollancz  Gollancz Blog

REVIEW: WOLFSANGEL

Cover Illustration: Paul Young

Cover Design: Patrick Knowles

WOLFSANGEL

BY
M. D. LACHLAN

ISBN: 978-0-575-08957-0
Pages: 438
Publisher: Gollancz
Publishing Date: 20 May 2010

On the cover: 

The creature looked at his body and it seemed to him a very fine thing. His hands were strong and large and his muscles were wound to his bones like tree roots around rock. His teeth felt like shining knives in his head.

A story of Vikings and mad gods, a story about hunger - for love, for life and for death.

The Viking King Authun leads his men on a raid against an Anglo-Saxon village. A prophecy has told him that the Saxons have stolen a child from the Gods. If Authun, in turn, takes the child and raises him as an heir, the child will lead his people to glory.
But Authun discovers not one child, but twin baby boys.

 Authun takes the children and their mother home, back to the witches who live on the troll wall. And seals all their fates.

One child will hunt a wolf, the other will become a wolf.

Both will become rivals in love. And both are tied into the schemes of a witch queen and a dead god; Odin, lord of the hanged.

    Let us start with getting one thing out of the way, I am Norwegian. And you get kind of wary of people stepping in and using your cultural heritage when you come from a small region like the Nordic, or Norse, one. To give you an example, there was some jealousy in Norway when the Disney film Hercules was announced, we have just as rich a pantheon of gods. But once the film was released, and the Greeks started complaining, people sighed in relief that we hadn't been Disneyfied. -This is what a foreigner who wants to use  Norse legends and sagas as inspiration has to tackle. (To be fair, there is still lots of Viking blood in the British Isles.)

    There's no slow start to this book. Chapter one has plenty of action, and throws you straight into the story. But although this book has plenty of action, that is not what is its real strength. What Lachlan does best is take you under the skin of the characters.
   With few central characters he has time to let us really get to know them, and as the story progresses you get pretty intimate with the lead players. There were times where I really empathized with the characters in a way that few books make me do.

    There's quite a bit of magic in the book. Thankfully Lachlan has stayed close to the shamanistic nature of Norse magic instead of using a AD&D based system. The magic here is very much a part of the story, and it is well integrated, and a Viking of the period would have no problem recognizing it.
    Lachlan also integrates the other paranormal elements seamlessly into his story. And when gods are involved you get a bit of the paranormal.

    The lack of the huge overt treat, that is the mainstay of much fantasy, does make the pace seem deceptively slow. But there is a lot going on, and there is no down-time to get you bored. The story has an inner drive that captures you, and keeps you reading.
    While Lachlan gives us much information in the first sixty or so pages, he holds back a lot for the reader to discover later. The story has many twists and turns, and at times it will have you fooled as to what is going on. It draws to a satisfying conclusion, but promises there is more to come. And if you are like me, you will want to read more of this saga

   Lets go back a bit, to where I started this review. Did Lachlan manage to stay true to the original Norse Sagas? -I think he did, in more ways than one. Not only has he gotten the feel of the sagas almost perfect, but he has stayed true to the Norse myths.
    There is no doubt that Lachlan has done his research for this novel. -To be honest, I got to say that I know he's been to Norway before writing it. He has also obviously done extensive research on the historical period, what is known as the Viking Age [Vikingtiden] here in Norway.
    Lachlan has  managed to combine the sagas with fantasy and horror, and pulled off a magnificent novel. I am eagerly awaiting the follow up Fenrir, that is released later this year.

A COUPLE OF NOTES:
-If a publisher from Norway, or any of the other Nordic countries reads this: Check out the book, I think it is well worth translating and publishing.
-M.D. Lachlan is the not so secret pseudonym of journalist and author Mark Barrowcliffe.

-This book was sent to me by the author.

LINKS: M.D. Lachlan  Gollancz