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A review by songwind
The Empire of the Dead by Phil Tucker
4.0
This book works on a few levels.
At its most basic, it's a heist novel with a classic pulp twist. Instead of stealing, they're off to rescue an innocent from sacrifice by blood-soaked priests. It has all the best bits - reluctant calls to action, acquiring the specialized team, conflicting egos and motivations, plans and unexpected twists. In fact, I heard that the early title for the book was Archarsis' Six (not really.)
The main characters are a study in contrasts. Both are carrying a heavy burden of guilt, anger and depression stemming from an event in their shared past. The differences in how they deal with it (or avoid dealing with it) are interesting. The progression of their relationships with each other and with others is very well done.
Finally, the world building is pretty interesting. It's a world steeped in magic and mystery. Where the dead are put to work in the fields, and demigods rule cities in the name of gods that manifest to all. The setting isn't terribly specific, but there are parts of it that evoke Mesoamerica and Mesopotamia - both unusual in Western fantasy.
At its most basic, it's a heist novel with a classic pulp twist. Instead of stealing, they're off to rescue an innocent from sacrifice by blood-soaked priests. It has all the best bits - reluctant calls to action, acquiring the specialized team, conflicting egos and motivations, plans and unexpected twists. In fact, I heard that the early title for the book was Archarsis' Six (not really.)
The main characters are a study in contrasts. Both are carrying a heavy burden of guilt, anger and depression stemming from an event in their shared past. The differences in how they deal with it (or avoid dealing with it) are interesting. The progression of their relationships with each other and with others is very well done.
Finally, the world building is pretty interesting. It's a world steeped in magic and mystery. Where the dead are put to work in the fields, and demigods rule cities in the name of gods that manifest to all. The setting isn't terribly specific, but there are parts of it that evoke Mesoamerica and Mesopotamia - both unusual in Western fantasy.