A review by cupiscent
The Vagrant by Peter Newman

Did not finish book.
Another reluctant no. This book does some really interesting things - the world is a bleak mid-apocalypse, barely one step from hell; the style has a literary bent and a deft hand with language - that meant I was keen to be hooked, and I kept giving this just-one-more-chapter long after I'd have set aside a lesser beast. But all it did with those just-one-more-chapters was repeat its formula: (...maybe spoilers?)
Spoilerthe Vagrant reaches a new place, hits trouble, makes an ally, has a moment to regroup, is betrayed by said ally, makes an escape with the help of a genuine ally who is sadly left behind in the mayhem. Continues walking.


The Vagrant's story is the only one we follow (except for interludes with the bad guys, with whom we're presumably not supposed to sympathise on account of them being literally demons), but there's a strong omniscient distance to the narrative, and the Vagrant himself does not talk. So we have no idea what's going on with him. The back cover text tells me he has a purpose, but I don't know what it means, whether it's really worth the collateral damage he's accruing, whether he shouldn't just stop. Maybe that's the point - maybe I'm supposed to be entranced by this mysterious, silent, ass-kicking man, forging relentlessly across the landscape when given so many opportunities to stop or fail. But caring about him has passed me by, since I don't know who he is, or why he's more worthy of my care than any of the other people we've (briefly) met.

In any case, when his progress is the only plot, it seems obvious that nothing is going to significantly impede that progress, which really takes the tension out of the obstacles, betrayals, et al. Leaving me with no reason to keep reading save the style - which really is quite nifty.

But not quite that nifty. Giving up at page 112.