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leksikality's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I'm still not quite sure what genre it fits into but it's almost like a post-apocalyptic fantasy. Or this world, but several thousands of years in the future with fantasy.
It's really enjoyable, though, and all the characters are horrible. Definitely not your expected protagonist types for this kind of thing and that's a nice change.
It's really enjoyable, though, and all the characters are horrible. Definitely not your expected protagonist types for this kind of thing and that's a nice change.
spacepenguin22's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
shalini_gunnasan's review against another edition
4.0
This is my first Ben Galley book - I know most people go for Heart of Stone first, also in my list - and all I have to say is, the man can spin a fine yarn. It is fast-paced, the worldbuilding interesting (and yes, I want to see it all tumble down!), characters maybe a little less compelling but still, they are fun.
Onwards to the sequel~
Onwards to the sequel~
connor_523's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
hannahhmh's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the world building in this book, I thought it was a really interesting take on ghosts. The characters were also distinct and interesting. My only criticism is that this book mainly feels like set up, with not a whole lot of plot progression.
bethtabler's review against another edition
4.0
Ben Galley's epic story, Chasing Graves is the quintessential grimdark fantasy:
Dark and brooding characters, check.
Inhospitable political climate, check.
Violence, check.
Fantastic plot, check.
The world-building is exceptional. Galley has created a city unlike any I have read before named Araxas, City of Countless Souls. Imagine a place that stretches horizon to horizon. Dark towers of glittering crystal reach towards the sky and on the ground, the dead walk. The dead are in the form of souls. These souls are people who have died and had the souls taken into perpetual servitude. The oligarchy of Araxas is those few who can command control of the most dead. Araxas is a seat of power for the region, also as you can guess it is a seat of danger and murder.
Character-wise, the first book follows the intertwining narratives of four main characters. The first is of the Empress in waiting. The daughter of the absent Emperor that rules this city from behind closed doors, fearful for his life. Our main character, Caltro, comes to Araxas for an important meeting, only to be murdered in the streets. His soul stolen and sold into slavery. A mysterious woman traveling in the desert dragging a body and a man with a golden eagle's talon for a foot that runs a trade of stolen souls. All of these characters dance around the plot. They peak in and out of each other's stories. They tease the reader with small details that lead us to the larger story. Believe me; Galley is playing the long game in this story. There are no cute and resolved plots for this book. Chasing Graves is a long and luxuriously executed first book that is throwing us head first into the next story.
One of the few detractors I have from the book is at times the pacing slowed. Particularly with the Empress in waiting. I believe that to be a function of backstory and world-building creation and nothing that Galley had control over. That, and I can't really stand her. I find her character to be a well-written brat with a lot of power. I foresee her changing quite a bit in future books, growing as necessity dictates in the political climate.
These characters are not likable, and like in most grimdark stories, they aren't meant to be. There isn't a plucky protagonist that steals the heart of a young maiden. Grimdark is just that, dark. It can be almost cruel in its narrative. Anyone who has read any G.R.R Martin or Mark Lawrence knows how unforgiving a grimdark author can be with his characters. What I like a lot of this book is that it is a dark fantasy, but there are shining brilliant moments of redemption or humor. It is not all muck and mire and savagery. There is light, at least a little bit. That gives me hope and a cause to cheer for Caltro, and I think much more than a typical fantasy story because Caltro, by the end of this tale, will have been through hell and I hope come out in some way on the other side.
That is something to cheer for, and I can't wait to read about it.
Dark and brooding characters, check.
Inhospitable political climate, check.
Violence, check.
Fantastic plot, check.
The world-building is exceptional. Galley has created a city unlike any I have read before named Araxas, City of Countless Souls. Imagine a place that stretches horizon to horizon. Dark towers of glittering crystal reach towards the sky and on the ground, the dead walk. The dead are in the form of souls. These souls are people who have died and had the souls taken into perpetual servitude. The oligarchy of Araxas is those few who can command control of the most dead. Araxas is a seat of power for the region, also as you can guess it is a seat of danger and murder.
Character-wise, the first book follows the intertwining narratives of four main characters. The first is of the Empress in waiting. The daughter of the absent Emperor that rules this city from behind closed doors, fearful for his life. Our main character, Caltro, comes to Araxas for an important meeting, only to be murdered in the streets. His soul stolen and sold into slavery. A mysterious woman traveling in the desert dragging a body and a man with a golden eagle's talon for a foot that runs a trade of stolen souls. All of these characters dance around the plot. They peak in and out of each other's stories. They tease the reader with small details that lead us to the larger story. Believe me; Galley is playing the long game in this story. There are no cute and resolved plots for this book. Chasing Graves is a long and luxuriously executed first book that is throwing us head first into the next story.
One of the few detractors I have from the book is at times the pacing slowed. Particularly with the Empress in waiting. I believe that to be a function of backstory and world-building creation and nothing that Galley had control over. That, and I can't really stand her. I find her character to be a well-written brat with a lot of power. I foresee her changing quite a bit in future books, growing as necessity dictates in the political climate.
These characters are not likable, and like in most grimdark stories, they aren't meant to be. There isn't a plucky protagonist that steals the heart of a young maiden. Grimdark is just that, dark. It can be almost cruel in its narrative. Anyone who has read any G.R.R Martin or Mark Lawrence knows how unforgiving a grimdark author can be with his characters. What I like a lot of this book is that it is a dark fantasy, but there are shining brilliant moments of redemption or humor. It is not all muck and mire and savagery. There is light, at least a little bit. That gives me hope and a cause to cheer for Caltro, and I think much more than a typical fantasy story because Caltro, by the end of this tale, will have been through hell and I hope come out in some way on the other side.
That is something to cheer for, and I can't wait to read about it.
kecampbell17's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
bookish_benny's review against another edition
5.0
I've had Chasing Graves on my TBR for so long and I finally took the plunge in starting it last week. It's the first of Ben Galley's books I've chosen to read despite now owning 8 in total across this series and Emaneska.
I'm pleasantly surprised with how much I love Chasing Graves because being the first book by an author I've read, it's like going in blind, not really knowing what to expect. I knew there were links to Egyptian themes and something about ghosts but that was really it.
Having now read this story I feel confident this is a book for anyone who enjoys dark, pacey, character driven fantasy - Abercrombie's stories come to mind for example, as well as those from Mike Shackle.
Chasing Graves follows multiple characters, some with their own chapters and some who are involved in those chapters. We have Caltro Basalt who is a locksmith and arguably the main character within this story, Nilith who is travelling with the body (and talking ghost) of her husband Farazar and Empress-in-waiting Sisine who is getting frustrated with her father, the Emperor.
Then there are some supporting characters like Boss Boran Temsa who is a local gang lord dealing in ghosts, or shades as they're referred to, who's own story evolves as his actions start to effect those aforementioned.
They're all very different characters and each, naturally, have their own goals. I won't go into these because that would lead into spoiler territory however I will point out that through Ben's own choice he has split the writing style for these characters. Caltro is written in first person but everyone else is written in the third person. I didn't find this off-putting at all and actually enjoyed Ben doing something different to the norm within his story. It does put the focus more on Caltro but I would argue that he is the main character and so it doesn't really take anything away from the other characters.
By the end of the story I was fully invested in all the characters. There was no chapter I got to and thought 'oh not this character again'. I'm sure the chapters run in the same order so A, B, C, A, B, C etc giving you an equal split of characters until the very last chapters where the story is set up with a couple of shock reveals which I loved.
The worldbuilding is really well done. I enjoyed the sprawling city of Araxes and the surrounding areas mentioned in other viewpoint(s). I mentioned Egyptian influences and these are everywhere within the book but it's not pyramids and sphinx, it's more everyday items like papyrus, the lamps, the oils, and the mention of old gods now dead. I would like to think that there is a similar background to this story as there is in Mark Lawrence's Prince of Thorns of what I've caught so far and I'm really excited to see where this goes, maybe with a cool time hop to accelerate certain things?
Overall this is a fantastic story that really takes the idea of fantasy and molds it around a very original idea where death isn't the end. I really recommend you pick this trilogy up on Amazon in it's current Kindle bundle like I have since I'm so confident from this first entry that the rest of the stories will be just as good if not even better. There are also physical copies of Chasing Graves available from The Broken Binding: https://www.thebrokenbinding.co.uk/product-page/chasing-graves-ben-galley
Also, did you know that between December 2018 and March 2019, Ben launched the Chasing Graves Trilogy. 98 days!
I'm pleasantly surprised with how much I love Chasing Graves because being the first book by an author I've read, it's like going in blind, not really knowing what to expect. I knew there were links to Egyptian themes and something about ghosts but that was really it.
Having now read this story I feel confident this is a book for anyone who enjoys dark, pacey, character driven fantasy - Abercrombie's stories come to mind for example, as well as those from Mike Shackle.
Chasing Graves follows multiple characters, some with their own chapters and some who are involved in those chapters. We have Caltro Basalt who is a locksmith and arguably the main character within this story, Nilith who is travelling with the body (and talking ghost) of her husband Farazar and Empress-in-waiting Sisine who is getting frustrated with her father, the Emperor.
Then there are some supporting characters like Boss Boran Temsa who is a local gang lord dealing in ghosts, or shades as they're referred to, who's own story evolves as his actions start to effect those aforementioned.
They're all very different characters and each, naturally, have their own goals. I won't go into these because that would lead into spoiler territory however I will point out that through Ben's own choice he has split the writing style for these characters. Caltro is written in first person but everyone else is written in the third person. I didn't find this off-putting at all and actually enjoyed Ben doing something different to the norm within his story. It does put the focus more on Caltro but I would argue that he is the main character and so it doesn't really take anything away from the other characters.
By the end of the story I was fully invested in all the characters. There was no chapter I got to and thought 'oh not this character again'. I'm sure the chapters run in the same order so A, B, C, A, B, C etc giving you an equal split of characters until the very last chapters where the story is set up with a couple of shock reveals which I loved.
The worldbuilding is really well done. I enjoyed the sprawling city of Araxes and the surrounding areas mentioned in other viewpoint(s). I mentioned Egyptian influences and these are everywhere within the book but it's not pyramids and sphinx, it's more everyday items like papyrus, the lamps, the oils, and the mention of old gods now dead. I would like to think that there is a similar background to this story as there is in Mark Lawrence's Prince of Thorns of what I've caught so far and I'm really excited to see where this goes, maybe with a cool time hop to accelerate certain things?
Overall this is a fantastic story that really takes the idea of fantasy and molds it around a very original idea where death isn't the end. I really recommend you pick this trilogy up on Amazon in it's current Kindle bundle like I have since I'm so confident from this first entry that the rest of the stories will be just as good if not even better. There are also physical copies of Chasing Graves available from The Broken Binding: https://www.thebrokenbinding.co.uk/product-page/chasing-graves-ben-galley
Also, did you know that between December 2018 and March 2019, Ben launched the Chasing Graves Trilogy. 98 days!
queenterribletimy's review against another edition
4.0
You can find this review on my blog!
I've got an ARC in exchange of an honest review from the author.
In everyone’s life comes that point when we start to think about what awaits us after death depending on your beliefs. A happy afterlife? Torture? A place in between where we wait until our fate is decided? Or something else? The people of Araxes aren’t wondering much, they know all too well what comes for them: endless servitude as shades. The luckier ones can get their freedom and a choice in the matter, but most people is not so fortunate.
“The part of loss that cuts the deepest is that you never know which moments are the last until they’ve already been and gone. The last meal, the last kiss and such. What hurts is how it pales to the glorious finale you might have imagined.”
Araxes is not called the City of Countless Souls for nothing. The soultrade is in full bloom and no one is safe, especially after the sun goes down. Caltro Basalt is well aware of this fact upon arriving to Araxes, to learn about his mysterious employer-wanna-be called Etan. But alas, the traders’ bribe are worth more than mere passengers and they ship arrives to port late. And so our Caltro meets his fate way too soon. Aided by a strong want for justice and some ambiguous warning from dead things claiming to be the dead gods. Fortunately Caltro is not one to sit on his ass idly and wait for miracle to happen and thus keeps getting into trouble with his new master, the widow Horix and her personal shade Vex. The latter hates Caltro with a passion from the moment they meet. This results in being punished. And if you wonder what exactly can be tormenting for a ghost who doesn’t need, air, food, sleep, then just wait. A walking, talking reanimated cat is just the bonus to scare the shit out of him.
His new master, tal Horix is quite an interesting character. I still can’t decide if I like her or not. She is definitely not the harmless, senile old lady some might think. The only thing sharper than her mind is her tongue and she is not afraid to show off both. She recognises an opportunity when she sees one and Caltro picks her interest. Sadly, we have to wait to learn why the interest, so be patient, my friends.
I quite liked Caltro, his snarkiness and headstrong personality and that he got damn good lines from Galley:
“Suppressing stress can be poisonous to a soul, and seeing as I was all soul, I needed to be careful.”
He, being the main character, is the only one who got his POV written in first person, and it works really well. Although he works as a locksmith, and prides himself as the best lockpick in the Empire, he has a strong desire for justice. When it comes to himself, that is. My only complaint is that we don’t spend more time with him, learning more about his past. And because he is the most interesting character of the whole cast, the only one you can actually care about. Sure, the others have their own hardships and agendas, but Caltro is the most human of them all. Even if he has to live the rest of his ‘life’ as a shade. We know his current situation, and his goals, but we hardly get to know him really. Or any explanation why the sudden interest of dead things in him. But I guess we’ll get answers in the next two books.
Another plotline is centered around Nilith, he fierce Krass women from the steppes, who were forced into a marriage with a wealthy merchant in Araxes years ago. Getting fed up with her husband finally, she decides to get to the end of the matter. She hunts down her ‘beloved’, kills him, and plans to drag him through half the Arctian Empire back to Araxes to properly bound his ghost to herself and claim his wealth. Time is running out, she only has 40 days to accomplish this according to the laws regarding Indenturement. Besides carrying a rotting corpse and bearing with Farazar wearing her patience thin. Not talking about all the dangers that awaits them on their way. If I want to be honest, I didn’t see much point in this plotline until the very end. And while the banter between husband and wife was entertaining – especially the fact they finally were forced to keep each other’s company and learn about the other after many years of marriage – but sometimes I wished we were moving on from this POV. I’m just no fan of a plotline which revolves around traveling from A to B. Things do make sense by the end though and that makes it worth. It also provided a cool opportunity to get a glimpse into the mythology of the world, when the old lady, the bedlam popped up. I pretty much enjoyed that scene.
We have two other side plotlines, one following Sisine, the Queen-in-waiting as she tries her wings in politics and leading without her parents’ watching eyes. She is more than a pretty face, she has wits, knowledge, years of training in court politics and a healthy dose of cunning and wilfulness. I’m waiting to see what her plans will come to later in the trilogy. And then we have Boran Temsa, soultrader, merchant with big dreams rising over his own social status. He is ambitious, ruthless and he has questionable morals.
“A person who longs to change the past will only see themselves as a product of what could have been. The longing changes nothing of the present.”
The book follows several plotlines, which doesn’t quite intertwine yet. Being the first book of a trilogy, Chasing Graves is mostly about world-building, and setting things up for the next two books. And though it is a highly enjoyable book with a pretty cool setting and awesome ideas, it left open too many questions. I felt like there wasn’t enough of an arc to the story, and ended quite abruptly. Maybe Nilith’s plotline the only one that actually got a half closure with the revelation and all. I also would have liked to read more about the mythology, clearly inspired by a few ancient religions like the egyptian or the greek – the dead gods has similar names to the Egyptian’s and the river Nyx together with the copper coins might be familiar from Greek mythology.
Galley clearly knows what he is doing, and was able to wave together a story about life and death, revenge and greed, justice and blind fate. Chasing Graves is a dark, compelling entry into a trilogy. The characters and the world is complex and well-built, the story intriguing enough to make you want more. Even if I’m still waiting for that feeling of being completely impressed. So, Mr Galley when is the next book coming out again?
I've got an ARC in exchange of an honest review from the author.
In everyone’s life comes that point when we start to think about what awaits us after death depending on your beliefs. A happy afterlife? Torture? A place in between where we wait until our fate is decided? Or something else? The people of Araxes aren’t wondering much, they know all too well what comes for them: endless servitude as shades. The luckier ones can get their freedom and a choice in the matter, but most people is not so fortunate.
“The part of loss that cuts the deepest is that you never know which moments are the last until they’ve already been and gone. The last meal, the last kiss and such. What hurts is how it pales to the glorious finale you might have imagined.”
Araxes is not called the City of Countless Souls for nothing. The soultrade is in full bloom and no one is safe, especially after the sun goes down. Caltro Basalt is well aware of this fact upon arriving to Araxes, to learn about his mysterious employer-wanna-be called Etan. But alas, the traders’ bribe are worth more than mere passengers and they ship arrives to port late. And so our Caltro meets his fate way too soon. Aided by a strong want for justice and some ambiguous warning from dead things claiming to be the dead gods. Fortunately Caltro is not one to sit on his ass idly and wait for miracle to happen and thus keeps getting into trouble with his new master, the widow Horix and her personal shade Vex. The latter hates Caltro with a passion from the moment they meet. This results in being punished. And if you wonder what exactly can be tormenting for a ghost who doesn’t need, air, food, sleep, then just wait. A walking, talking reanimated cat is just the bonus to scare the shit out of him.
His new master, tal Horix is quite an interesting character. I still can’t decide if I like her or not. She is definitely not the harmless, senile old lady some might think. The only thing sharper than her mind is her tongue and she is not afraid to show off both. She recognises an opportunity when she sees one and Caltro picks her interest. Sadly, we have to wait to learn why the interest, so be patient, my friends.
I quite liked Caltro, his snarkiness and headstrong personality and that he got damn good lines from Galley:
“Suppressing stress can be poisonous to a soul, and seeing as I was all soul, I needed to be careful.”
He, being the main character, is the only one who got his POV written in first person, and it works really well. Although he works as a locksmith, and prides himself as the best lockpick in the Empire, he has a strong desire for justice. When it comes to himself, that is. My only complaint is that we don’t spend more time with him, learning more about his past. And because he is the most interesting character of the whole cast, the only one you can actually care about. Sure, the others have their own hardships and agendas, but Caltro is the most human of them all. Even if he has to live the rest of his ‘life’ as a shade. We know his current situation, and his goals, but we hardly get to know him really. Or any explanation why the sudden interest of dead things in him. But I guess we’ll get answers in the next two books.
Another plotline is centered around Nilith, he fierce Krass women from the steppes, who were forced into a marriage with a wealthy merchant in Araxes years ago. Getting fed up with her husband finally, she decides to get to the end of the matter. She hunts down her ‘beloved’, kills him, and plans to drag him through half the Arctian Empire back to Araxes to properly bound his ghost to herself and claim his wealth. Time is running out, she only has 40 days to accomplish this according to the laws regarding Indenturement. Besides carrying a rotting corpse and bearing with Farazar wearing her patience thin. Not talking about all the dangers that awaits them on their way. If I want to be honest, I didn’t see much point in this plotline until the very end. And while the banter between husband and wife was entertaining – especially the fact they finally were forced to keep each other’s company and learn about the other after many years of marriage – but sometimes I wished we were moving on from this POV. I’m just no fan of a plotline which revolves around traveling from A to B. Things do make sense by the end though and that makes it worth. It also provided a cool opportunity to get a glimpse into the mythology of the world, when the old lady, the bedlam popped up. I pretty much enjoyed that scene.
We have two other side plotlines, one following Sisine, the Queen-in-waiting as she tries her wings in politics and leading without her parents’ watching eyes. She is more than a pretty face, she has wits, knowledge, years of training in court politics and a healthy dose of cunning and wilfulness. I’m waiting to see what her plans will come to later in the trilogy. And then we have Boran Temsa, soultrader, merchant with big dreams rising over his own social status. He is ambitious, ruthless and he has questionable morals.
“A person who longs to change the past will only see themselves as a product of what could have been. The longing changes nothing of the present.”
The book follows several plotlines, which doesn’t quite intertwine yet. Being the first book of a trilogy, Chasing Graves is mostly about world-building, and setting things up for the next two books. And though it is a highly enjoyable book with a pretty cool setting and awesome ideas, it left open too many questions. I felt like there wasn’t enough of an arc to the story, and ended quite abruptly. Maybe Nilith’s plotline the only one that actually got a half closure with the revelation and all. I also would have liked to read more about the mythology, clearly inspired by a few ancient religions like the egyptian or the greek – the dead gods has similar names to the Egyptian’s and the river Nyx together with the copper coins might be familiar from Greek mythology.
Galley clearly knows what he is doing, and was able to wave together a story about life and death, revenge and greed, justice and blind fate. Chasing Graves is a dark, compelling entry into a trilogy. The characters and the world is complex and well-built, the story intriguing enough to make you want more. Even if I’m still waiting for that feeling of being completely impressed. So, Mr Galley when is the next book coming out again?