Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Colonisation
Despite all the content warnings, this is a remarkable and unique read. Most of the icky content is there for criticism and the mysteries and surprises are worth enduring it all for.
Update: Like The Vorrh before it, this book is greatly enriched and made more accessible in its audio book edition, so it gets a fifth star.
This was a better, more interesting, more coherent book than the first, but would make no sense without the first. More later at my blog.
This was a better, more interesting, more coherent book than the first, but would make no sense without the first. More later at my blog.
I’m fascinated by this series. Neither this nor its predecessor were in my power to put down. Though decidedly less opaque than The Vorrh, The Erstwhile manages to build upon Catling’s vague foundations beautifully. Here, Catling uses his poet’s sensibilities with a surgical precision, infusing the work with just enough of his bizarre, imaginative prose that made The Vorrh so entrancing to keep you on your toes while simultaneously allowing your a clearer view of his haunting world. Lingering questions are answered and clarified here, though Catling holds enough back and brings up entirely new questions to keep you wanting more. The more surreal elements of The Vorrh are tempered here, replaced by something a little more standard, but don’t let that dissuade you; The Erstwhile is every bit the haunting work of deep imagination as its predecessor. The final book in the trilogy, The Cloven, is scheduled for release in mere days, and for the first time in I don’t know how long I find myself excited to make my way to the bookstore to pick up a book on the day of its release.
I devoured this book! And perhaps it devoured me a little. At first I struggled to get back into Brian Catling's writing style, but once I was in, it was one of those books I thought about all day and craved. The plot got thicker and thicker, more dramatic and mysterious, cruel and almost inhumane. One of the first books to really challenge my perception of the fantasy genre, totally expanding my mind.
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This series continues to be an absolute mess, plot-wise, with some occasional good writing.
Although the ending did surprise me a bit, so now I'm curious what characters the 3rd book will focus on, but not sure I can endure it...
Although the ending did surprise me a bit, so now I'm curious what characters the 3rd book will focus on, but not sure I can endure it...
Again, this took me so long to read but when I was reading it I enjoyed it and flew through it. Things are coming together and I think the third book will really make or break the book for me.