Thank you to the author and publisher for the review copy.
Once he was a hero of the Great War, and then a member of the dreaded Black House. Now he is the criminal linchpin of Low Town. His name is Warden. He thought he had left the war behind him, but a summons from up above brings the past sharply, uncomfortably, back into focus. General Montgomery’s daughter is missing somewhere in Low Town, searching for clues about her brother’s murder. The General wants her found, before the stinking streets can lay claim to her, too.
So, Book Two of the Low Town novels and I have to say having read this, these have now moved very close to the top of my favourite fantasy novels. Having thought about it a little there are two reasons for this – The world these characters inhabit is rich, wonderful, awful and amazing all at the same time and Warden himself is one of the best characters I’ve found in this type of fiction. He is beautifully imperfect, unpredictable and intriguing. Two books in and you feel you have only just scratched the surface…and yet still feel you know him well.
In this instalment he is chasing down the daughter of General Montgomery, who is off searching Low Town for her brothers murderer. Warden has history with both the General and his son Roland so against his better judgment he agrees to get involved – of course in this world nothing is straight forward and soon he finds himself in deep water once again..
The pure storytelling here is a joy to behold – giving depth to the characters we met in The Straight Razor Cure and bringing new ones into the mix, I’m definitely in love with the people, Wren in particular. There is dark humour and an ironic outlook on life alongside a rollicking adventure that will hold you in its thrall until it is done.
I really cannot recommend these books highly enough, especially for those who love the Fantasy genre and who love depth and intelligence in plotting and characterisation. Brilliant. Bring on Book 3.
Happy Reading Folks!
Do you have to read book one to understand this one?
No but I would recommend that you do because its brilliant! š