2020 continues to fly by despite the craziness still taking place, so it’s time once again for my latest Monthly Highlights article. While August was another slightly slower month for me in terms of the number of books I read (compared to a couple of months ago, at least), it’s been a really busy few weeks on Track of Words with reviews and author interviews, so I hope you’ve been enjoying the content. I’ve also continued to shift back towards a place where I’m mostly choosing books that I’m planning on reviewing – after a few months of finding it tough to get in the headspace for writing reviews, I feel like the words are flowing a bit better at the moment!
As usual I’ve tried to keep things as succinct as possible, and I’ve linked out to reviews where they’re available. Without further ado, however, let’s get straight on (in the order in which I read them) with August’s books…
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
I remember seeing this in a bookshop and thinking the cover looked AMAZING; thankfully, the story inside (the most important bit) turned out to be even better than the cover! Imagine a beautiful, emotional blend of fantasy and fairy tale, throw in fabulous descriptions of Mexico and lashings of Maya mythology, and you’ll be somewhere in the ballpark of this fantastic novel. If that sounds good, and likewise the juxtaposition of a straight-talking, pragmatic young woman with an ancient, recently-freed god of death, then I can heartily recommend this book!
Check out my review of Gods of Jade and Shadow.
Terminal Overkill by Justin D. Hill
After reading Road to Redemption last month I thought it was about time I got fully caught up on Black Library’s range of Necromunda novels, so I started off with this one. I’d heard talk of it being quite a dark story, but I don’t think I was prepared for quite how dark…or how many giant spiders it would feature! I thought this had a slightly strange structure which gave it a slightly uneven pace, but the almost-horror feel and the conversational first-person perspective were both pretty cool, and I do like a good coming of age story. It’s quite different from most of BL’s Necromunda stories, but in this case that’s a good thing!
Check out my review of Terminal Overkill, and a Rapid Fire interview with Justin D. Hill.
The Psychology of Time Travel by Kate Mascarenhas
Time travel is a science fiction trope that I have mixed feelings about, but I loved the idea of a book which focused on the effects it has on characters rather than the technology itself. Told from alternating viewpoints across multiple timelines, this is a clever, character-driven story which takes a sci-fi staple in a different direction to anything I’ve seen before. It’s the sort of story that you can start picking apart a little once you’ve finished, but it had me absolutely hooked while I was reading it, so I’m ok with that. I read this one purely for fun so haven’t reviewed it, but check it out on Goodreads for a bit more info.
Soulless Fury by Will McDermott
Will McDermott’s return to writing for BL after a whopping 13 years offers yet another different style of Necromunda story – this time a madcap, all-action adventure story pitting classic character Mad Donna Ulanti against a straight-talking enforcer (Servalen, who also happens to be a psychic null). There’s room for all sorts in Necromunda, but I do love this sort of pacy, action-packed romp where the relatively straightforward plot gives the author loads of room to pack in cool locations and dig into the characters. Mad Donna might not be subtle, but I loved the way McDermott played her off against Servalen, and the fact he gave them both ‘pets’ – an ogryn and a cyber-mastiff!
Check out my review of Soulless Fury, and a Rapid Fire interview with Will McDermott.
Curse of Honor by David Annandale
My third Aconyte book, and first experience of the Legend of the Five Rings setting, I went into this not really knowing what I was going to get. What I got was a fantastic fantasy-horror story complete with samurai (which I love), evil spirits, clan politics and an overwhelming sense of impending doom – and I loved it! I’d probably say this is the Aconyte book I’ve enjoyed the most so far, and the best thing I’ve read from David Annandale in…well, in a long time – if not ever! I really can’t recommend Aconyte’s growing range of books enough – the first couple are out very soon, with this following on in a month or so – definitely worth checking out.
Check out my review of Curse of Honor.
Bloodlines by Chris Wraight
The recent Warhammer Horror range has been a bit of a breath of fresh air, and now there’s a Warhammer Crime range kicking off with this novel, from the ever-reliable Chris Wraight. I’m yet to read one of Chris’ novels that I haven’t enjoyed, and this is no exception – I mean, it ticks pretty much all the crime cliche boxes, but despite being a little bit safe as crime fiction goes it’s extremely readable and thoroughly satisfying. I would also go as far as to say that if you’re interested in ‘domestic 40k’ then this is the best example – even above the usual recommendation of Abnett’s Xenos. There’s clearly a huge amount of scope in this range and the city – Varangantua – in which it will all be set. If it’s all as good as this, I’ll be very happy!
Check out my review of Bloodlines, and a Rapid Fire interview with Chris Wraight.
The Last Days of Ector by Guy Haley
Back in 2015 I read (and enjoyed) Haley’s novel Valedor, but for some reason I didn’t get round to reading the accompanying novella…well I’ve finally remedied that, and I’m glad I did. As I’ve said MANY times before I love a novella, and this was the perfect length for an action-packed Space Marine story which actually spends far more time exploring the recruitment practices, mindset and methodology of its subjects – the Crimson Castellans – than it does showing them fighting endless waves of tyranids. It’s character-driven, nicely paced and plotted, and another great example of how good Guy Haley is – highly recommended.
The Colonel’s Monograph by Graham McNeill
This has been on my ‘to-be-read’ pile ever since I picked it up in November ‘19 as part of BL’s Novella Series 2, and it’s another example of a book I should have read a long time ago! McNeill might be known more for bombastic, sweeping epics than small-scale slow-burners, but this tale of a grieving archivist gradually descending into madness aptly demonstrates that he’s perfectly capable of producing subtle, beautiful storytelling too. It’s very much the style of horror I’m most comfortable with, largely eschewing gore and obvious scares in favour of gentle pacing and creeping psychological dread. That might not be for everyone, but I think it’s great to see this sort of story finding a place in the Warhammer Horror range.
Check out my review of The Colonel’s Monograph.
The Mangle Street Murders by M.R.C. Kasasian
Another book I picked up purely for entertainment purposes, with no view to reviewing, this is a sort of modern, humorous take on the old-fashioned ‘great detective’ story. Set in 19th century London, its detective character – Sidney Grice – leans very much towards the acerbic, almost heartless side of the usual Holmes-esque stereotype, so much so that it must be a deliberate attempt by the author to make him almost entirely unlikeable (largely to amusing effect, albeit sometimes things go a bit too far). Thankfully he’s balanced out by the tremendously entertaining presence of his ward, the young March Middleton, who deflects much of Grice’s sharpness with her dry wit and compassion. I wouldn’t call this a fully successful story, but I enjoyed it enough to be happy to try the second in the series when I fancy another dose of light, entertaining crime fiction.
Saturnine by Dan Abnett
This was a re-read (by way of the audiobook) so I won’t go into too much detail, other than to say that I don’t normally revisit books so soon after first reading them…but I happily made an exception here. I first read Saturnine only five months ago, but even with such a short gap between readings I loved every minute of this audiobook – helped, of course, by Jonathan Keeble’s typically fantastic narration, not to mention the wonderful Emma Gregory who handles the Jenetia Krole POV sections. What the audiobook loses in pacing (for a fast reader like me) it gains in impact, with a few sections towards the end hitting me right in the feels even though I knew exactly what was coming, and it’s testament to Abnett’s fabulous storytelling that this book remains incredibly powerful even upon a swift re-read. I just feel bad for whoever’s writing the next book in the series, following on from something this good!
Check out my review of Saturnine, and a Rapid Fire interview with Dan Abnett.
Notes From Small Planets by Nate Crowley
I was lucky enough to get an advance copy of this brilliant but utterly bonkers book – it’s due to be published on the 17th September, and I would urge you to go out and pre-order it right now! I’ll be putting together a review in due course, and in the meantime I’m trying to work out how to describe it without either spoiling the fun or making it sound like a straightforward parody…which it absolutely isn’t. Essentially it’s a detailed travel guide (complete with maps, advice on where to eat, suggested itineraries, the lot!) to some of the funniest and most cleverly-observed fantasy and sci-fi worlds imaginable, equal parts loving homage to and merciless piss-take of so many tropes that we all know and love. I honestly can’t remember the last time I laughed out loud so often while reading – it’s a mad little book, but I love it so much!
Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch
I’ve reached Rivers of London book 4 in my revisiting-by-audiobook of this fantastic series, and if anything I’d say this is the one I’ve enjoyed coming back to the most, so far. That’s possibly because I’ve read the first three a few times now, while I think this must have been the first time I revisited Broken Homes since I read it back in 2014. It really ramps up the threat level of the Faceless Man, introduces another great antagonist, does some crazy things with Elephant and Castle, and shifts Peter’s relationship with Lesley May in a new direction which I absolutely didn’t see coming the first time around! Kobna Holdbrook-Smith’s fabulous narration is, as always, the absolute icing on the cake – I’m tempted to move straight onto Foxglove Summer just to keep the good times coming!
Check out my review (from 2014) of Broken Homes.
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I usually keep these articles to just books (as opposed to short stories etc.) but this time I also want to quickly mention the fabulous audio drama Dredge Runners by Alec Worley, which was released alongside Chris Wraight’s novel Bloodlines in the first wave of new Warhammer Crime stories from Black Library. Where Bloodlines is a pretty straight crime thriller, Dredge Runners is very much a crime caper, with a mismatched pair of protagonists (in this case an ogryn and a ratling) pulling off cons, hustling for survival, and reeling off brilliantly sharp and witty dialogue as they’re going. It might just be my new favourite BL audio drama, for its combination of fantastic characters, brilliant dialogue, and pitch-perfect religious/propaganda/advertising broadcasts. Definitely check it out.
Check out my review of Dredge Runners, and a Rapid Fire interview with Alec Worley.
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I hope you had a good August, however you ended up spending it! As always I’ve been grateful to the books I’ve been reading for the escapism they provide – I’m an unashamed fan of choosing books for their fun quotient, rather than worrying about reading anything ‘worthy’! With that in mind, I’m looking forward to digging into my TBR pile over September, and hopefully coming across some new titles that will prove just as much fun too.
I’d love to hear about what you’ve enjoyed reading or listening to recently, whether you’ve read and enjoyed any of the books I tackled this month, and whether there’s anything you’d like to see in these highlights/roundup articles…so do drop me a line in the comments below, or get in touch on Twitter.