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A review by nick_borrelli
The Wrack by John Bierce
4.0
First of all, let's get to the elephant in the room shall we? This book is about a plague that ravages a city, an empire, and the land that surrounds it. Interesting timing to say the least, but one that we cannot fault the author for. He himself even comments on the awkward coincidence of releasing his book during these awful and uncertain times. Be that as it may, it has no bearing on the story itself once you immerse yourself in the fantasy world that John Bierce has created. Honestly, as I got deeper and deeper into the book, I found myself not even making the connection anymore and was able to just settle in and focus on this solidly crafted tale.
This book is obviously brutal when it comes to the subject matter. A story about a plague isn't really going to be a barrel of laughs. As we follow the plague known as the Wrack and its devastating effects on the populace, I was a little detached at times just because we never really get to become too invested in any particular character before we move on to the next grisly death. This is where I wished the book would have been a little longer as I feel like the short length really made it difficult to flesh the characters out and I would have liked more depth. However, I thought that the writing was excellent and the descriptions of every pain and convulsion that the Wrack brought down upon its victims was vividly detailed. So the prose was a definite plus for me.
Another of the major strengths was the world-building in my opinion. The setting of Lothain and its surrounding environs was exceptionally conceived and a suitably dark background for the high body count tale that plays out on its stage. The magic was also quite good, especially how the communication network between cities was handled through the use of semaphores. These are not the traditional semaphores that you are familiar with, I can guarantee that. And the method of conveying these messages was something that was very original and added a mystical element that strengthened the overall story.
Ultimately, I very much enjoyed THE WRACK despite a couple of minor issues that I had. It delivered a satisfying story that kept me turning the pages. Yes it is a dark book and not for the faint of heart, but there are also some touching and very human moments that make this more than just a one-trick pony. I look forward to revisiting this world in future books (should there be more) and also checking out some of John's other works.
This book is obviously brutal when it comes to the subject matter. A story about a plague isn't really going to be a barrel of laughs. As we follow the plague known as the Wrack and its devastating effects on the populace, I was a little detached at times just because we never really get to become too invested in any particular character before we move on to the next grisly death. This is where I wished the book would have been a little longer as I feel like the short length really made it difficult to flesh the characters out and I would have liked more depth. However, I thought that the writing was excellent and the descriptions of every pain and convulsion that the Wrack brought down upon its victims was vividly detailed. So the prose was a definite plus for me.
Another of the major strengths was the world-building in my opinion. The setting of Lothain and its surrounding environs was exceptionally conceived and a suitably dark background for the high body count tale that plays out on its stage. The magic was also quite good, especially how the communication network between cities was handled through the use of semaphores. These are not the traditional semaphores that you are familiar with, I can guarantee that. And the method of conveying these messages was something that was very original and added a mystical element that strengthened the overall story.
Ultimately, I very much enjoyed THE WRACK despite a couple of minor issues that I had. It delivered a satisfying story that kept me turning the pages. Yes it is a dark book and not for the faint of heart, but there are also some touching and very human moments that make this more than just a one-trick pony. I look forward to revisiting this world in future books (should there be more) and also checking out some of John's other works.