Hello and welcome to the May 2023 Short and Sweet roundup here on Track of Words, where I’ve chosen three more recent reads to talk about. This instalment is very much a set of twos: I’ve gone for the second book in a fantasy duology, the second novel in a science fiction trilogy, and the second part of a Black Library duology. I didn’t set out to pick all these book twos, I promise – it just happened that way! As always, these are books that I want to make sure I talk about, but which for one reason or another I don’t have the time or headspace to cover in a full standalone review.
The Righteous by David Wragg
Book two in the Articles of Faith duology, this picks up pretty much straight away after The Black Hawks (you can read my review of that here) and finds Chel and Rennic locked up and awaiting execution. After a daring escape which sees them reunited with Prince Tarfel and the rest of the Black Hawk Company, they set out to find allies and take the fight to Tarfel’s traitorous brother, who holds pretty much all the power now. As they search for ways to bring down the King, they’re forced to consider the reality of their situation and consider whether it’s really possible to win against seemingly insurmountable odds.
If you enjoyed The Black Hawks then chances are you’ll have fun with this, but it’s really not as tight and well-constructed as the first book. That one ended on a real cliffhanger, and it’s good to get back to the characters and find out what happened next, but there’s a lot of things just happening to the characters in between the breakout right at the beginning and the finale. The characters sort of ramble their way in and out of bad situations, with a constant sense that they’re never really going to be able to achieve what they set out to do. The enjoyable tone of voice is still present and correct, there are some good moments, and as the pace picks up towards the end it does find its way back to a similar sort of entertainment level as book one, but all told it’s a bit too long, and lacks the tight focus of The Black Hawks.
Devil’s Gun by Cat Rambo
Following on closely from the events of You Sexy Thing (read my review here), this sees the crew of the Thing each trying to come to terms with what happened and who/what they want to be, while the ship itself continues to try and understand its passengers. With the shadowy presence of Tubal Last hanging over them, Niko and the crew set out to find Petalia (Niko’s once-lost, now-estranged love), hopefully keep her safe, and figure out what to do next. Before they go far though, they stumble across an archaeologist/con artist who claims to be able to find an ancient, deadly weapon they could use against Last. Working together is a risk, but it’s also an opportunity that Niko can’t turn down.
I loved You Sexy Thing – it was pacy, action-packed, great characters, and just a lot of fun. I’d been looking forward to the sequel for ages, but honestly I’m puzzled by Devil’s Gun. The characters are all there, and it was fun to spend more time with them and get to know them all a little better. The plot though, and the pacing…it just felt completely off. Nobody so much as leaves the Thing until 50% of the way through, and it hits 60% before the plot properly starts going. After that, the remaining 40% is good fun, balancing action and excitement with interesting character development, but it all feels a little rushed. Which is no surprise really, after that slow first 50%.
Your enjoyment of Devil’s Gun may depend on how much you liked the characters last time around, and how much you can appreciate just spending time with them talking, planning, training and cooking for a full half of the book. Oh, and also how you feel about head-swapping mid-chapter, which occurs with alarming regularity here – I got used to it, but I don’t love it. I think it probably happened in You Sexy Thing too, but somehow it seems more noticeable here. Anyway. Overall, I did kind of enjoy this in the end and I do want to know what happens next, but it feels like a very strangely paced book. Proceed with caution, I’d say. (Devil’s Gun is due out in September)
The Twice-Dead King: Reign by Nate Crowley
Another volume two in a duology, this follows on from The Twice-Dead King: Ruin (read my review here) and sees Oltyx – now king of Ithakas – attempting to lead what remains of his dynasty to safety. Aboard a deteriorating flagship, and pursued by a vast fleet of vengeful humans, Oltyx has to come to terms with his newfound power, while bearing the responsibility of finding a way to safeguard his people. The pressures of leadership are great though, and as well as the external threats he also has to maintain the loyalty of his subordinates, and come to terms with who he really wants to be.
I read Ruin in 2022 and was blown away – it was one of those books that absolutely deserved the hype that had built up around it – and I’m delighted to say that Reign is just as good. It’s another rich, thoughtful and thought-provoking novel that’s equal parts painfully bleak and uproariously funny, packed full of themes and ideas that keep unfolding the more you think about them. Reading a Crowley novel is a genuine pleasure: not many authors could write a book about ancient, theoretically immortal alien robots and in the process tell such a human story that really explores mental health, while at the same time poking fun at 40k as a setting, and make all of that work on every single level. All told it’s a powerful, fascinating, occasionally unexpected and entirely fitting conclusion to a truly wonderful story. More like this please, Black Library.
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That’s all for this Short and Sweet roundup – if you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading and I hope you found that interesting! I’ll be back soon with another review roundup and more books to talk about, but in the meantime if you have any comments about these roundups, or if there’s anything else you’d like to see me cover, do let me know. You can drop me a line in the comments below, or find me over on Twitter.
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