Monthly Highlights – September 2019

After last month’s bumper collection of my highlights from July and August, it’s back to a single month for the latest roundup of the best things I’ve read of late. September was a busy month for my reading schedule, so I had plenty to choose from! I spoke last month about broadening out my reading a bit, and I’ve certainly done that (including a couple of non-SF titles that I won’t cover on Track of Words), but this month all but one of my highlights have been Black Library releases – there’s been a lot of good stuff coming out of BL recently, even if their marketing hasn’t always done such a great job of publicising it.

As with last month I’ll go through each of my highlights in turn, talking a little about why I enjoyed each one so much and linking out to my reviews. If you read through to the end you’ll also see a quick section where I look ahead to some of the books (and a book-related event) that I’m particularly looking forward to in October. Without further ado, then – let’s get straight on with the highlights. I’ll start with the one non-BL book that I’ve picked out.

The Quantum Garden by Derek Künsken
Last year I read Derek’s first novel, the utterly bonkers but absolutely wonderful The Quantum Magician (albeit didn’t review it until recently), a story about a conman from a new branch of humanity – homo quantus – genetically-engineered to be able to experience the quantum realm. If you enjoy a bit of actual science in your science fiction then you should definitely check it out, but now the sequel – The Quantum Garden – is about to be released as well!

It’s due to be published on the 15th October from Rebellion, who were kind enough to give me an advance copy, and if anything it’s that rare thing – a sequel which surpasses the original. Maybe it’s because the characters are already familiar and a lot of the world building is already done, or perhaps it’s because I was comfortable with the science from last time, but this just felt compelling and easy to read, and like a natural continuation of what had come before. It’s streamlined and less convoluted, focused on just a few characters who really shine, and along with the fascinating (albeit still a touch baffling) quantum science there’s loads of enjoyable time travel paradox-avoidance. It might not be for everyone, but hard SF fans should absolutely love this series. I know I do!

Check out my review of The Quantum Garden.

Blood Rite by Rachel Harrison
If you’ve been reading my reviews for a while then you’ll know how much I love Rachel’s Antari stories (hint: I LOVE them). If I’m honest I was a little nervous about Blood Rite, largely because it looks on the surface to be as tie-in as they come – it’s designed to accompany the release of Games Workshop’s Space Marine Heroes miniatures, after all. I needn’t have worried! Cleverly constructed and plotted, deeply characterful, it’s both packed with typical 40k action and strongly character-driven – you might think those two are mutually exclusive, but this proves otherwise.

I’ve read quite a lot of Blood Angels fiction in the last few years, and while some of it has been truly excellent I’m tempted to say that in terms of sheer character this is my favourite depiction of the sons of Baal yet. It’s a 150 page novella so it’s obviously not as thorough and insightful as something like Guy Haley’s Dante, but as a close-focus exploration of the Blood Angels’ flaw I thought it was beautifully done. After having just read something (naming no names) which felt like a step back towards an older style of pure-action, narrative-light BL storytelling, this was a welcome reminder that 40k fiction can, when written well, transcend its roots and provide genuinely powerful stories. Don’t just take my word for it – at £3 it’s a total bargain!

Check out my review of Blood Rite.

Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work by Guy Haley
I get that Belisarius Cawl is a divisive character within the 40k fandom, but any time he’s shown up previously in Guy’s stories – the Dark Imperium books, Wolfsbane etc. – I’ve felt that he’s absolutely stolen the show. With that in mind, I was always going to be excited by a full novel dedicated to the character…and I’m delighted to say that I wasn’t disappointed. The Great Work gave me everything I wanted with Cawl and more, not just more time to explore the way he thinks, works and interacts with other characters, but his history as well, and some powerful moments which really put his actions into context.

What I wasn’t expecting from this book was for it to wrap up the Scythes of the Emperor story that Laurie Goulding had been working on a few years ago, and the sheer volume of hints, teases and revelations around not just the Scythes but Sotha, the Pharos, Cawl’s involvement in the Primaris Marines and his plans for the future. If I had time I would go back right away and re-read the whole Scythes arc, then go back through The Great Work again! It was that good. Now I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that Guy has more stories planned for Cawl!

Check out my review of Belisarius Cawl: The Great Work.

Ghoulslayer by Darius Hinks
Full disclosure – I’m a HUGE fan of the old Gotrek and Felix stories, and have loved all of the Gotrek stories in Age of Sigmar so far, so I went into this novel confident that I’d love it regardless of how well Darius handled the character of Gotrek. As long as it featured Gotrek smashing his way through hordes of bad guys while grumbling about something or other, I’d have been at least entertained if not outright happy. Thankfully Darius did a bang-up job of capturing this most beloved of characters, and continuing to explore his ongoing rampage through the Mortal Realms!

I thought it was interesting how this felt both entirely in keeping with the wider series, and also just a little different in tone. I’ve seen people grumble about Felix not being around now that Gotrek’s in AoS (although I’ve a feeling he might reappear at some point…in some form), and with Maleneth as Gotrek’s main companion in the novel there’s no doubt that we get a slightly different perspective on the slayer…but in my mind that’s a good thing. Sure, it’s different – but only subtly, and the core of what makes these stories great is still there. In this instance, Darius has also thrown in some intriguing AoS world building, a damaged Stormcast Eternal, and some truly chortle-inducing lines from probably my favourite Warhammer/Age of Sigmar character of all time. Loved it!

Check out my review of Ghoulslayer.

Last Flight by Edoardo Albert
I’ve picked this as my single short story recommendation for the month, not because all the other short stories I read weren’t good but just because this was such a standout for me. It’s only the second Black Library story from Edoardo Albert – an established historical fiction author in his own right – but on the merits of this, and his previous story Born of the Storm, I can see why BL have already got him to contribute to the upcoming novella series in November. It’s just so assured; you can tell right away that this is an author who really knows what he’s doing, and who’s comfortable with his characters and what he wants to do with them.

On top of that, this story captures the atmosphere of being inside an aircraft as it flies across an endless, unchanging ocean – in as much as I can understand it, having not experienced it myself – just beautifully. It’s the sort of story that, once you’ve finished reading it, makes you positively long to read more set on that world. I don’t know if BL have commissioned Albert to write any further stories on Sagaraya, but I would read them in a heartbeat if they have! Seriously – as an example of what’s possible in a standalone short story, especially for anyone interested in writing and trying to build atmosphere in their stories, this should be right at the top of your list!

Check out my review of Last Flight.

Looking forward to…

As I said earlier, it’s been a busy month for reading – I picked those titles as my highlights, but once again there were plenty more that I could have picked to include on the list. Looking ahead to October, there’s yet more that I’m excited to read, as well as a science fiction and fantasy event that I’m really looking forward to attending – here are the three things I’m most looking forward to:

• Gollancz Fest: a full day of seminars and signings held in Foyles bookshop in central London, this promises to be jam-packed full of fantastic SFF authors and I can’t wait to hear from them. I just know I’m going to come away from it excited to get reading, and keen to check out new authors I hadn’t come across before! If you’re around in London on the 19th October, why not join me?
• Inferno! Volume 4: I make no secrets of how much I love BL short stories, and I’ve been tremendously impressed by the first three instalments of this new Inferno! incarnation. With stories from some of my favourite new and established BL authors (including Edoardo Albert, Tom Parrott, JC Stearns and Mike Brooks, among others) I just know there’s going to be loads to enjoy in this new anthology.
• Angel Mage by Garth Nix: it’s been a LONG time since I read a Garth Nix book, but the Sabriel series was an absolute favourite of mine when I first read it many years ago. Gollancz are publishing his latest novel – and his first non-YA fantasy – in October, and I’m lucky enough to have got my hands on an advance copy. I can’t wait to check it out!

***

So there you go, just a few of my reading highlights from September as well as a few things I’m particularly looking forward to in October. I’d love to hear about what you’ve enjoyed reading or listening recently, so do drop me a line in the comments below, or get in touch on Twitter. I’ll be back with another roundup post next month!