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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
A fine debut novel, The titular hero conveys so much whilst saying so little.
When the crap hits the fan, the pacing feels like it's accelerating you along for the ride, a ride you can't escape/get off of. When the action and tension stills, you as the reader will feel drained as if your body thinks it to be real life! All the feelz man!
The magical Sword has opinions of its own.
The baby is very judgemental but forgiving.
The companion has a secret.
The Goat... The Goat doesn't take no crap from anyone. ANYONE!
Come read this story for the action, the adventure. Stay for the Goat!
(Everyone who reads this loves the goat - FACT!)
When the crap hits the fan, the pacing feels like it's accelerating you along for the ride, a ride you can't escape/get off of. When the action and tension stills, you as the reader will feel drained as if your body thinks it to be real life! All the feelz man!
The magical Sword has opinions of its own.
The baby is very judgemental but forgiving.
The companion has a secret.
The Goat... The Goat doesn't take no crap from anyone. ANYONE!
Come read this story for the action, the adventure. Stay for the Goat!
(Everyone who reads this loves the goat - FACT!)
A fantastic mix between Mad Max and The Dark Tower. Awesome characters and setting!
Can I - for a second here - rave about this book?
The main protagonists: a mute, a baby and a goat. When I read the blurb, I was more than sceptical. I mean, what kind of dialogue do you expect with these protagonists? Something between scree and bleaaaaat and silence, right?
No. Completely wrong. Newman pulls it off. 402 pages of a highly interesting story with lots of dialogue (you wouldn't believe how much talking in a book can be done without using voice).
Another big plus: the world. It's basically New Crobuzon, but with demons. And a singing sword. The mixture is so new and refreshing, I was blown away.
I understand this is a debut novel and it shows in the beginning. The prose starts out a little wooden, but smoothes out soon (this is where the missing star is gone). It has to be said, the book is written in the style a Jaqen H'ghar talks, you have to like him talking, to like this prose. For me, it was a match. Might not be everybody's cup of tea, tho.
ETA: humour. This book has it. Mostly caused by the goat. Not the ROFL-type, but the sweet-smile type.
The main protagonists: a mute, a baby and a goat. When I read the blurb, I was more than sceptical. I mean, what kind of dialogue do you expect with these protagonists? Something between scree and bleaaaaat and silence, right?
No. Completely wrong. Newman pulls it off. 402 pages of a highly interesting story with lots of dialogue (you wouldn't believe how much talking in a book can be done without using voice).
Another big plus: the world. It's basically New Crobuzon, but with demons. And a singing sword. The mixture is so new and refreshing, I was blown away.
I understand this is a debut novel and it shows in the beginning. The prose starts out a little wooden, but smoothes out soon (this is where the missing star is gone). It has to be said, the book is written in the style a Jaqen H'ghar talks, you have to like him talking, to like this prose. For me, it was a match. Might not be everybody's cup of tea, tho.
ETA: humour. This book has it. Mostly caused by the goat. Not the ROFL-type, but the sweet-smile type.
I enjoyed this quite a bit. I was a little concerned by the arcs of some female characters, but those concerns were completely allayed in books 2 and 3.
It occasionally gets just a little too cute or a little too grimdark, but overall it's really, really good. The worldbuilding is spectacular and pays off in spades over the course of the series.
It occasionally gets just a little too cute or a little too grimdark, but overall it's really, really good. The worldbuilding is spectacular and pays off in spades over the course of the series.
In a dangerous war-torn world, a mute knight travels to the Shining City to deliver a weapon of great power. Also, he's got a baby and a goat in tow.
This story is an intriguing and successful blend of fantasy and science fiction, particularly of the post-apocalyptic variety. The various settings may, on the surface, seem familiar to those who read both genres, but there are more than enough surprising (and sometimes macabre) details to set them apart as places that are altogether different. The characterization of our titular protagonist is superbly done, especially considering the fact that he never speaks, and we're not given access to his thoughts either. He interacts with others throughout his journey through a series of facial expressions and gestures. One of the highlights of his interactions with other characters is his relationship with the infant he carries along on his journey. It must be challenging to an author to convey love and trust between two non-verbal characters, but Newman pulls it off here spectacularly. The goat receives special mention here as well, being yet another non-verbal character who expresses her opinion about the world and makes her mark upon it in an endearing way. I'll not focus too much on the plot, because I can't seem to write about it without venturing into spoiler territory. I will say that it held my interest throughout, and I felt it was very innovative and original, even when the "character travels the land to deliver an item of power" trope is somewhat of a mainstay in fantasy.
I'm very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series, [book:The Malice|26160162].
This story is an intriguing and successful blend of fantasy and science fiction, particularly of the post-apocalyptic variety. The various settings may, on the surface, seem familiar to those who read both genres, but there are more than enough surprising (and sometimes macabre) details to set them apart as places that are altogether different. The characterization of our titular protagonist is superbly done, especially considering the fact that he never speaks, and we're not given access to his thoughts either. He interacts with others throughout his journey through a series of facial expressions and gestures. One of the highlights of his interactions with other characters is his relationship with the infant he carries along on his journey. It must be challenging to an author to convey love and trust between two non-verbal characters, but Newman pulls it off here spectacularly. The goat receives special mention here as well, being yet another non-verbal character who expresses her opinion about the world and makes her mark upon it in an endearing way. I'll not focus too much on the plot, because I can't seem to write about it without venturing into spoiler territory. I will say that it held my interest throughout, and I felt it was very innovative and original, even when the "character travels the land to deliver an item of power" trope is somewhat of a mainstay in fantasy.
I'm very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series, [book:The Malice|26160162].
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was original fast paced and very entertaining.
The main character is a mute with a baby, a goat and a bad ass sword. The story is of his travels across a world that has been corrupted by a monstrous race the rose from a breach in the planets crust. The monsters are strange and unique.
It has two simultaneous stories, the present story of the Vagrant and of the war tat leads to the current tale. Both were enjoyable.
I really enjoyed the fact that the vagrant did not speak and that you never got any internal dialogue from him. It was interesting to learn about him solely through his actions.
I would recommend this to any one that is interested in a unique story with interesting characters. I am very much looking forward to reading more in this series.
The main character is a mute with a baby, a goat and a bad ass sword. The story is of his travels across a world that has been corrupted by a monstrous race the rose from a breach in the planets crust. The monsters are strange and unique.
It has two simultaneous stories, the present story of the Vagrant and of the war tat leads to the current tale. Both were enjoyable.
I really enjoyed the fact that the vagrant did not speak and that you never got any internal dialogue from him. It was interesting to learn about him solely through his actions.
I would recommend this to any one that is interested in a unique story with interesting characters. I am very much looking forward to reading more in this series.
This book is not for people who want something standard, obvious and cliched. It will make you work for it at times, but you'll be glad you got on the ride.
I have to admire the ambition of someone who writes a mute protagonist in a completely alien world and who still manages to pull it off. If you feel like dipping your toes into something a little less obvious, give this book a try.
I have to admire the ambition of someone who writes a mute protagonist in a completely alien world and who still manages to pull it off. If you feel like dipping your toes into something a little less obvious, give this book a try.
Actions speak louder than words
I heard the author speak at the Grim Gathering II in Bristol where he gave a short summary of his book "A one parent family in a post-demonic apocalypse." Look closely at the exquisite cover and you will see the key elements in this tale. A ragged man with a sword in one hand and a baby in the other walking a street of ruined buildings above a title set out in neon lights. Before the first page is turned, the book is challenging expectations.
There is a story line, and a back-story line. By the end the latter has converged pleasingly on former to explain all things that need explaining. But it is the spare writing, and the exoticness of the world building that carried me along.
In some ways it reminded me of the Gunslinger by Stephen King and its iconic mental image of an enigmatic hero on an unexplained journey through a blasted land. This is a world not so much stalked as comprehensively mugged by disaster on an epic scale. On a long walk the protagonist acquires a staggering variety of both allies and enemies.
However, it is more complete and self-contained than the first instalment of the Dark Tower series. At the Grim Gathering, the author said he always had a beginning and an end in mind and a misty patch inbetween where pretty much anything could happen. That over-arching certainty guides the Vagrant's footsteps and reassures the reader that there is purpose in the present and resolution in the future.
The world building is broad and imaginative, in that not just one but two worlds are conjured up before the reader. There is the world that was. A world destroyed, the advanced civilisation where ships sailed in the sky and tanks like armoured trains went to war with demons, where knights still wielded swords in harmony and the mysterious power of the Seven, with their great champion Gamma, stood ready and on ceaseless and unchanging watch against invasion from the Breach.
Then there is the world that is. A world infested with entities which enslave the humans from without and within. Creatures of chaos flood north across a now benighted continent. Their power is constrained only by infighting between their factions and the necessity of finding ways to shield themselves from the toxic environment where they have won victory. These demons are unlike any others, creatures of essence and desire, rather than corporeal entities. More an infection than an invasion, they corrupt as much as conquer. A taint stains the land and its people.
My other reference point is a 1981 film Mad Max 2, the (original) road warrior. There is that atmospheric journey through a shattered civilisation in which little islands of humanity strive to eke out some shadow of their former existence. Broken technology is cannibalised by desperate people as the Vagrant travels North past a barren landscape of twisted plastic and metal on a mission both personal and professional.
The people have been crushed by defeat and by taint. Things that were, or could have been human, have been corrupted beyond recognition. But still sparks of humanity and honour reside in the unlikeliest of places and can be kindled anew in a world where there is hope for all, and tears for those that fall.
The story is told in the present tense, even the backstory flashbacks. It is an approach still unusual to my old eyes. However, I saw it done to great effect in "The Girl With All The Gifts," and here - as there - the present tense narrative lends an edgy uncertainty as we follow our hero through a tale augmented with a variety of minor points of view (including a goat's uncomplicated eye).
The writing is unobtrusively good. Like Mark Lawrence's writing, Peter Newman's avoids battering you with purple prose, or savouring its cleverness in convoluted gymnastics of vocabulary. But open a page at random and you will find lines that make you nod in appreciation. "mist leaking in wheezy clouds" "Busy clots of people move about"
The final departure from convention, or perhaps the first is in the protagonist's voice. For Newman has determined that for the Vagrant, actions must perforce, speak louder than words.
(Just re-read this - my first officially recorded Goodreads re-read. Just as fresh as the first read, with more time to enjoy the demonic scenery and writing)
I heard the author speak at the Grim Gathering II in Bristol where he gave a short summary of his book "A one parent family in a post-demonic apocalypse." Look closely at the exquisite cover and you will see the key elements in this tale. A ragged man with a sword in one hand and a baby in the other walking a street of ruined buildings above a title set out in neon lights. Before the first page is turned, the book is challenging expectations.
There is a story line, and a back-story line. By the end the latter has converged pleasingly on former to explain all things that need explaining. But it is the spare writing, and the exoticness of the world building that carried me along.
In some ways it reminded me of the Gunslinger by Stephen King and its iconic mental image of an enigmatic hero on an unexplained journey through a blasted land. This is a world not so much stalked as comprehensively mugged by disaster on an epic scale. On a long walk the protagonist acquires a staggering variety of both allies and enemies.
However, it is more complete and self-contained than the first instalment of the Dark Tower series. At the Grim Gathering, the author said he always had a beginning and an end in mind and a misty patch inbetween where pretty much anything could happen. That over-arching certainty guides the Vagrant's footsteps and reassures the reader that there is purpose in the present and resolution in the future.
The world building is broad and imaginative, in that not just one but two worlds are conjured up before the reader. There is the world that was. A world destroyed, the advanced civilisation where ships sailed in the sky and tanks like armoured trains went to war with demons, where knights still wielded swords in harmony and the mysterious power of the Seven, with their great champion Gamma, stood ready and on ceaseless and unchanging watch against invasion from the Breach.
Then there is the world that is. A world infested with entities which enslave the humans from without and within. Creatures of chaos flood north across a now benighted continent. Their power is constrained only by infighting between their factions and the necessity of finding ways to shield themselves from the toxic environment where they have won victory. These demons are unlike any others, creatures of essence and desire, rather than corporeal entities. More an infection than an invasion, they corrupt as much as conquer. A taint stains the land and its people.
My other reference point is a 1981 film Mad Max 2, the (original) road warrior. There is that atmospheric journey through a shattered civilisation in which little islands of humanity strive to eke out some shadow of their former existence. Broken technology is cannibalised by desperate people as the Vagrant travels North past a barren landscape of twisted plastic and metal on a mission both personal and professional.
The people have been crushed by defeat and by taint. Things that were, or could have been human, have been corrupted beyond recognition. But still sparks of humanity and honour reside in the unlikeliest of places and can be kindled anew in a world where there is hope for all, and tears for those that fall.
The story is told in the present tense, even the backstory flashbacks. It is an approach still unusual to my old eyes. However, I saw it done to great effect in "The Girl With All The Gifts," and here - as there - the present tense narrative lends an edgy uncertainty as we follow our hero through a tale augmented with a variety of minor points of view (including a goat's uncomplicated eye).
The writing is unobtrusively good. Like Mark Lawrence's writing, Peter Newman's avoids battering you with purple prose, or savouring its cleverness in convoluted gymnastics of vocabulary. But open a page at random and you will find lines that make you nod in appreciation. "mist leaking in wheezy clouds" "Busy clots of people move about"
The final departure from convention, or perhaps the first is in the protagonist's voice. For Newman has determined that for the Vagrant, actions must perforce, speak louder than words.
(Just re-read this - my first officially recorded Goodreads re-read. Just as fresh as the first read, with more time to enjoy the demonic scenery and writing)
This book makes me regret giving some other books 5 stars because this one puts them to shame.
I borrowed this because of the cover (sue me) and I was not disappointed.
Funnily enough my mum looked at the cover once and directly commented about how it reminded her of assassin’s creed (she had to suffer through me playing it in the living room for years) and I agree, it does look a bit like it. When reading this book though, I found it more reminiscent of the more recent devil may cry games.
What intrigued me about this book was that the main character does not speak, which seems like a perfect set up for a very boring book, and yet I flew through it in days, I could not put it down. I have gotten into the habit of constantly checking page numbers and calculating how much is left while reading, and this is one of the few books where I only checked to remember my place.
The setting of this book is some kind of alternative/futuristic world in which everything has gone to hell, literally. Eight years ago, something happened and now demon type creatures called the Infernals infest the world. With them comes the taint. Through all this the vagrant travels with a baby under his coat and the most stubborn yet brilliant goat ever (honestly one of my favourite parts was the goat). Along the way he meets people, loses people, and the goat eats basically everything in sight.
This was such a unique read, especially since not only does the MC not speak, but the book also does not give insight into his head, so that the only way you get to know him is through his manners and interactions. This of course means the book is quite a bit shorter than your typical fantasy novels, but it does not diminish its value. What it does do is create some interesting narratives. The book is set up so that it follows the vagrant on his journey, but also jumps back in time to explain how certain things came to be. Not only that, we also get sections about the Infernals hunting the vagrant, and even ones focused on the goat or the baby. We get more insight into the goat’s head than the vagrants and it is brilliant and adds a fair amount of humor to the story, without it seeming out of place. Now, the baby might as well be one of the best written babies I have ever read about (not that they show up too much in the books I read). It is so realistic and so freaking adorable!
Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book, I loved all the characters and I loved how vivid the descriptions were. I could see the world in my mind the whole time while reading it. One of the best books I’ve ever read, and I can’t wait to read the next one.
I borrowed this because of the cover (sue me) and I was not disappointed.
Funnily enough my mum looked at the cover once and directly commented about how it reminded her of assassin’s creed (she had to suffer through me playing it in the living room for years) and I agree, it does look a bit like it. When reading this book though, I found it more reminiscent of the more recent devil may cry games.
What intrigued me about this book was that the main character does not speak, which seems like a perfect set up for a very boring book, and yet I flew through it in days, I could not put it down. I have gotten into the habit of constantly checking page numbers and calculating how much is left while reading, and this is one of the few books where I only checked to remember my place.
The setting of this book is some kind of alternative/futuristic world in which everything has gone to hell, literally. Eight years ago, something happened and now demon type creatures called the Infernals infest the world. With them comes the taint. Through all this the vagrant travels with a baby under his coat and the most stubborn yet brilliant goat ever (honestly one of my favourite parts was the goat). Along the way he meets people, loses people, and the goat eats basically everything in sight.
This was such a unique read, especially since not only does the MC not speak, but the book also does not give insight into his head, so that the only way you get to know him is through his manners and interactions. This of course means the book is quite a bit shorter than your typical fantasy novels, but it does not diminish its value. What it does do is create some interesting narratives. The book is set up so that it follows the vagrant on his journey, but also jumps back in time to explain how certain things came to be. Not only that, we also get sections about the Infernals hunting the vagrant, and even ones focused on the goat or the baby. We get more insight into the goat’s head than the vagrants and it is brilliant and adds a fair amount of humor to the story, without it seeming out of place. Now, the baby might as well be one of the best written babies I have ever read about (not that they show up too much in the books I read). It is so realistic and so freaking adorable!
Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book, I loved all the characters and I loved how vivid the descriptions were. I could see the world in my mind the whole time while reading it. One of the best books I’ve ever read, and I can’t wait to read the next one.