Hello and welcome to this instalment of my Short and Sweet review roundup series, where I take a quick look at some recent reads that I haven’t been able to write full reviews for. Normally I do one of these per month, but for various reasons (you can read about how mad a lot of the last month was for me in this monthly roundup post) I didn’t manage one in June 2023. To make up for that, this instalment is a special Aconyte Books edition, in which I’m talking about a trio of Aconyte titles that I’ve recently read – two Arkham Horror novels and one Marvel: Legends of Asgard book. I’ve been trying to catch up on books I’ve been meaning to read for ages, and I’ve had these on the shelf since 2020/21, so it’s been great to finally find the time for them.
The Last Ritual by S.A. Sidor
Only the second Arkham Horror novel from Aconyte Books (published back in 2020), S.A. Sidor’s The Last Ritual kicked off the more cosmic horror-esque side of the range (compared to the more ‘pulp adventure’ vibes of books like Wrath of N’Kai) with a tale of surrealist art and interdimensional darkness. It’s the story of an artist – Alden Oakes – in search of inspiration, which he finds once he returns to Arkham and takes up with a community of fellow artists, led by the charismatic Juan Hugo Balthazar. When decadent parties turn into ritualistic murders, however, Alden and his journalist partner Nina Tarrington begin to suspect something dark may lie behind Balthazar’s genius.
There’s a really interesting premise here in the blend of surrealist art and cosmic horror, and some good characters in Alden and Nina, and Alden’s old friend Preston. It’s a fun read, but the pacing is a little odd, and it takes a bit too long to get to what feels like the main body of the book – the commune, and all the creepiness it entails. I’d have preferred more time spent really digging into the darkness of the art and where that comes from, and showing just how awful Balthazar was. As it is, the horror feels like it’s coming at a slight remove, a feeling that’s emphasised by Alden never really seeming all that scared – or at least however scared he says he is, he still just walks headlong into the next misadventure. It’s still an entertaining read, and I liked the framing device of having a slightly older Alden relating his tale to a young journalist, but I’d have loved it to have just dug a little deeper into the weirdness and darkness.
Litany of Dreams by Ari Marmell
The next novel in the cosmic horror-esque side of Aconyte’s Arkham Horror range (they all have these amazing art deco-style covers), Ari Marmell’s Litany of Dreams is one of my favourites so far. Miskatonic University student Elliot Raslo is falling apart, desperate to find some clue to the whereabouts of his missing best friend Chester, and worrying that he’s going mad with a snippet of a sinister chant echoing through his mind and tormenting his dreams. When Inuit hunter Billy Shiwak arrives in Arkham looking for an ancient artefact stolen from his tribe, the two men – along with the deeply uncomfortable librarian Daisy Walker – reluctantly work together, and uncover the truth of an arcane litany that can infect those who hear it.
This really hit the nail on the head for me, in terms of blending ‘20s Americana, creepy cosmic horror and a pinch of vintage pulp, with just the right amount of troubled dream sequences and a plot that’s enjoyably twisty in all the right places. All three of the main characters are great fun to read about, each with a really distinct voice, and I particularly enjoyed the contrast between Daisy and Elliot, both of whom are reluctant to believe in any kind of spirits and magic (at least to begin with) and Billy, whose doesn’t so much believe as know, and takes pretty much everything in his stride. Marmell does a great job of exploring the prejudices of the time, particularly in Billy’s case, and also digging into the emotional cost of going through this sort of trauma, in a way that not all horror stories manage. I really couldn’t put this one down, and it’s comfortably up there as one of my favourites in the series.
The Sword of Surtur by CL Werner
The second instalment in Aconyte’s Legends of Asgard range of Marvel novels, this is a classic fantasy adventure where the heroes are properly heroic, the villains genuinely villainous, and the stakes are sky-high. It’s the tale of Tyr, the Asgardian God of War, who sets out to steal the titular sword of the fire giant Surtur in order to protect his father from the prophecy of Ragnarok, and prove his valour to himself and his younger brother, Thor. Accompanied by brave huntsman Bjorn Wolfsbane and enigmatic, manipulative sorceress Lorelei, Tyr braves the many dangers of Muspelheim only to find the real danger is often as not beneath the surface, requiring more than strength of arms to defeat.
I expected this to be a fun, switch-your-brain-off hack and slash adventure, and to a certain extent that’s exactly what it is. There’s lots of battling fire demons and other assorted enemies; Tyr is as badass a warrior as you’d ever want to read about; the pace drops off now and then during the inevitable ‘walking from A to B’ sections. So far, so old-school fantasy, although when the pace is nipping along it’s all actually a lot of fun. What surprised me, though, was how the presence of Lorelei – who’s basically a walking betrayal – and a particularly dangerous enemy (naming no names) really drives the big theme of proving yourself to your family, living up to expectations and trying to step out from the shadow of someone else.
That theme gives all the action and adventure a real purpose, and I thought the combination worked very well. This sort of story is where Werner is at his best, and while it’s not the kind of fantasy novel I read a lot of these days, I actually thoroughly enjoyed it. Would read more like this!
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That’s everything for this instalment of Short and Sweet. I’ll be back with another one of these review roundups in a few weeks, once I’ve got some more books to talk about – and I might do another Aconyte special once I’ve caught up on a few more from the backlog! If you have any comments about these roundups, if there’s anything else you’d like to see me cover, or if you’ve read any of the books I’ve covered here, do let me know! You can drop me a line in the comments below, or find me on Twitter.
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