Top Five Books of 2012 in a Few Categories (with comments by Liviu Suciu)

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Top Five Overall:
1. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton2. Sharps by KJ Parker3. The Garden of Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng4. The Hydrogen Sonata by IM Banks5. (tie) The Blinding Knife by Brent Weeks5. (tie) Blood Song by Anthony Ryan
Comments: - the actual split is top 3 as any of those could have been my #1, then #4 and Banksian sense of wonder in an ok but not great story that is less than the sum of its occasionally outstanding parts and then the 2 fantasies where the extraordinary talent of Anthony Ryan in a traditional tale versus the exuberant, cannot put down, twists and turns style of Brent Weeks makes it hard to choose.
- coming back to 1-3, we have the stunning book of Kate Morton which is the first book in quite a while to truly surprise me and acquire a completely different meaning once you know what's what, while being otherwise her usual past-secrets fare, well written but somewhat limited as scope goes, versus the multifaceted Sharps with its own twists, versus the beautifully written The Garden of Evening Mists (2012 Booker shortlisted) which has its own share of surprises. Ultimately the lack of one dominating character in Sharps in the mode of Gignomai or Basso, and the missing 50-100 pages in The Garden of Evening Mists which would have made it a masterpiece for the ages, left me with The Secret Keeper as #1 for truly surprising me in a novel is hard and very rarely achieved, while otherwise the novel is well written too.
- since I started keeping more detailed records in 2008, this is the first year #1 is not an epic story of some kind (2008 right now #1 is By Schism Rent Asunder which is another book with a stunning surprise though it is also an epic sff, 2009 it's either The Kindly Ones (English edition - as I read the French in 2007, so it's a bit of cheating) or The Children Book, 2010 Surface Detail and 2011 Parallel Stories and its 1000 pages and many threads...)
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Top Five Fantasy:
1. Sharps (#2) by KJ Parker2. (tie) The Blinding Knife (#5/6) by Brent Weeks2. (tie) Blood Song (#5/6) by Anthony Ryan4. The Air War (#8) by Adrian Tchaikovsky5. Princeps (#11) by LE Modesitt
Comments: in addition to the top 3 discussed above, another winner from Adrian Tchaikovsky in a novel that I feared would be marred by the lack of my favorite characters who starred in Heirs of the Blade (taking place simultaneously) but actually surprised me with lots of great stuff, especially from Seda and her storyline which is outstanding, while the Imager second series and a prequel at that keeps getting better and better, and this while knowing the general outline of what will happen to boot...
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Top Five SF
1. The Hydrogen Sonata (#4) by IM Banks2. The Sacrifice Game (#8) by Brian D'Amato3. Jack Glass (#10) by Adam Roberts 4. In the Mouth of the Whale (#12) by Paul McAuley5. The Eternal Flame (#13) by Greg Egan
Comments: another winner from Brian D'Amato where Jed the narrator (well it's more complicated than that but too much detail would be spoilery) makes a run of the mill thriller a huge favorite though of course the outstanding Maya storyline helps a lot; the usually superb books from Adam Roberts, Paul McAuley and Greg Egan round the top 5 sf.
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Top Five Series Debuts:
1. Blood Song (#5/6) by Anthony Ryan2. (tie) The Red Knight (# 14/15) by Miles Cameron3. (tie) Mage's Blood (# 14/15) by David Hair4. The Red Knight (#23)by KT Davies5. Dark Eden (#28) by Chris Beckett
Comments: here I will refer to the earlier post on the top 3 debuts, while adding that KT Davies' debut (titled Red Knight too while as mentioned earlier, here the knight is a lady and the love interest is a prince rather than the more usual the other way around) stayed with me much more than I expected, while Dark Eden has great style in an otherwise fairly standard sf piece - the author has just signed a contract for the sequel so the series part.

I woud also want to add that Blood Song with its mainstream hc Ace release in July 2013 (though of course you still can buy the ebook today) is one of the debuts that has the chance to be remembered the way The Lies of Locke Lamora or The Name of the Wind are, namely as a book that automatically catapults the author to the first rank of today's fantasists.
And just in - on a post on his website, Anthony Ryan has just announced that the success of Blood Song allowed him to quit his day job and dedicate himself to full time writing!
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Honorable Mentions (sff):
1. The Night of the Swarm by Robert Redick2. A Rising Thunder by David Weber3. The King's Blood by Daniel Abraham4. Midst Toil and Tribulation by David Weber5. Red Country by Joe Abercrombie6. Blue Remembered Earth by Alastair Reynolds
All top 25's of mine and simply the fact that in the top 5 there have to be 5 books so to speak prevented them from being there. 

The Night of the Swarm has what I consider the perfect ending for a sff series and I would love to see something like this more often; this ending made the rather boxed-in first 500 pages - with some interesting stuff and twists but way too predictable and with the feel of "gotta cover this" as opposed to the exuberance of the first 3 volumes - acceptable and raised the novel to my top 25.

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Major unread/unfinished 2012 books:
The Rise of Ransom City by Felix GilmanThe Fractal Prince by Hannu RajaniemiCelebrant by Michael CiscoEmpty Space by MJ HarrisonThe Twelve by Justin Cronin
Opened all and read some pages from them, but I put them down for various reasons and will come back to them eventually as these are books I do not want to rush just to check a box.

GUEST REVIEW: Wards of Fairie by Terry Brooks (reviewed by Ryan Lawler)

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Official Author Website
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Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Elves Of Cintra
Read Fantasy Book Critic's review of The Dark Wraith Of Shannara

AUTHOR INFORMATION: Terry Brooks published his first novel, The Sword of Shannara, in 1977. It was a New York Times bestseller for more than five months. He has published over two dozen bestselling novels since, including the Magic Kingdom series, the Word and the Void trilogy and, further instalments in his Shannara series. A practising attorney for many years, Terry Brooks now writes full-time and lives with his wife, Judine, in Washington state.

OFFICIAL BOOK BLURB: When the world was young, and its name was Faerie, the power of magic ruled—and the Elfstones warded the race of Elves and their lands, keeping evil at bay. But when an Elven girl fell hopelessly in love with a Darkling boy of the Void, he carried away more than her heart.

Thousands of years later, tumultuous times are upon the world now known as the Four Lands. Users of magic are in conflict with proponents of science. Elves have distanced their society from the other races. The dwindling Druid order and its teachings are threatened with extinction. A sinister politician has used treachery and murder to rise as prime minister of the mighty Federation. Meanwhile, poring through a long-forgotten diary, the young Druid Aphenglow Elessedil has stumbled upon the secret account of an Elven girl’s heartbreak and the shocking truth about the vanished Elfstones. But never has a little knowledge been so very dangerous—as Aphenglow quickly learns when she’s set upon by assassins.

Yet there can be no turning back from the road to which fate has steered her. For whoever captures the Elfstones and their untold powers will surely hold the advantage in the devastating clash to come. But Aphenglow and her allies—Druids, Elves, and humans alike—remember the monstrous history of the Demon War, and they know that the Four Lands will never survive another reign of darkness. But whether they themselves can survive the attempt to stem that tide is another question entirely.

FORMAT/INFO: Wards of Faerie is 371 pages long and is the first volume in the Dark Legacy of Shannara trilogy. August 21st, 2012 marked the US Hardcover/Ebook publication of Wards of Faerie via Del Rey Books. It was also released in Hardcover/e-book format in the UK on 23rd August, 2012 by Orbit Books.


ANALYSIS: Every venture I have taken into Shannara of late has been one full of trepidation and low expectations. There have been quite a few highs and lows with Brooks over the past few years, but seemed the magic of Shannara had run out after the completion of the Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy. It's been 10 long years since the end of that trilogy, 35 years since publication of The Sword of Shannara, but Brooks has shown he still has what it takes to write an exciting Shannara novel.

Things start off according to the Shannara formula, a druid discovers some long lost magic and then goes about collecting a bunch of characters with familiar last names (Ohmsford, Leah, etc.) so that they can go on an adventure to retrieve the long lost magic for the greater good. It is a formula that has served Brooks very well over the course of thirty five years and it appears as though this venture will be no different. But then you start to notice things, little things, small subversions of his established formula. Things like an obsessive compulsive Ard Rhys whose lack of foresight borders on the incompetent. Things like brutal deaths and incapacitations, and a dynamic political world enacting machinations on multiple fronts. There is so much scope, so much more going on here compared to what we are first presented on the surface, and compared to what we have been presented with over the past ten years.

The biggest difference, but perhaps the most subtle difference, is the premise of the main quest. This is not a journey in response to a big bad guy threatening a small valley, this is a journey to retrieve an ancient magic because of a deep seated fear that it might be misused if found. "Maybe we should just leave it alone" is a phrase that gets repeated a lot throughout the book, but the druids just cannot let it go, and this single minded tunnel vision creates fractures and rifts in relationships all over the Four Lands which may not be recoverable. The druids play protagonist and antagonist in the same book. They do what they do for noble reasons, but in this book you can finally appreciate the point of view of all the other races in the Four Lands - you can understand why the secretive actions of druids only serves to fuel further distrust. It feels... authentic.

That said, despite the excellent execution, this book does not stray too far from the Brooks tried and tested formula. The characters are typically plucky and courageous, but at least you feel like they have more realistic motivations. Unfortunately, like a lot of first books in a Shannara trilogy, Wards of Faerie is a sacrificial lamb designed to set up the rest of the Trilogy. The self contained subplots were very good and well resolved, and I can see where the rest of the trilogy is going (which has me quite excited), but the setup and exposition is still just typical Brooks setup and exposition, and it makes this book seem pale compared to the promise of what is to come.

CONCLUSION: I've read every single Shannara book, and Wards of Faerie is in my top five, maybe even my top three. It's an action packed book that is very easy to read and makes me want to read the next book in the trilogy. Great job Terry, I look forward to reading Bloodfire Quest.

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GUEST REVIEWER INFO: Ryan Lawler is someone who likes keeping busy, working a full time job whilst trying to find time for completing a Master's degree, playing tennis, reading speculative fiction, romancing the missus, keeping up with his video game addiction and writing stories. Ryan was born and brought up in Australia and has worked as an avionics and software engineer. He lives with his family in the US currently and you can find more about him on his blog and follow him on twitter @RyanL1986. He also frequently reviews books on Fantasy Book Review.

 Ryan was kind enough to accept our guest review request on twitter and so many thanks to Ryan for volunteering his time and insight to Fantasy Book Critic.

Spotlight on Two 2012 Books by Brendan Connell: "The Architect" and "Lives of Notorious Cooks" (with comments by Liviu Suciu)

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Order The Architect HERE
"The mad and mystical Körn Society, based in Ticino, Switzerland, sets itself the task of building a grand, soul-uplifting Meeting Place for its members. An inspired architect, a visionary in stone, must be found, and one such is available: the mysterious and unpredictable Alexius Nachtman. But is he perhaps too visionary?

This is the effect of his book of sketches:

“Huge edifices, megastructures, poured from the leaves. Bridges which spanned oceans, towers which stretched into the clouds, huge fortresses which looked as if they could withstand the destructive force of an Armageddon. Vertical cities rose up from desert plains in startling anaxometrics, while spatial cities, cities built fifteen or twenty meters above their counterparts, stood forth as visions of utopian architecture, only to be outdone on subsequent pages by floating cities, vast nests of hexagonal pods resting atop lakes and oceans. Structures which straddled the earth and others which burrowed under it. Buildings which brought to mind lost civilizations or seemed to be the habitations of beings from another world . . . ”

Despite doubts, he is hired. And so, in this adventure of marble and mortar, of machines and workmen, of cult and manipulation, the most bizarre construction project since Babel commences its Cyclopean growth. Written by a contemporary master of the decadent and grotesque, The Architect is like Greek tragedy on hallucinogens—a brilliant, stylish short novel of eccentricity and decay"
Minireview (full read): The Architect is a short novel that is mesmerizing and makes you turn the pages once you open it.

While the story reveals itself soon as a pretty familiar one after a somewhat mysterious beginning where both the origins of the cult that is central to the novel and of the architect of the title are presented, the power of the book lies in the captivating style and the slowly turning up of the pressure and the stakes.
 
I would strongly recommend to at least check a sample of this short novel and see if the powerful imagery inside transfixes you too.
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Order "Lives of Notorious Cooks" HERE
"When he reached the age of 767, Peng Zu was sought after by the benevolent Emperor Yao, who wished to receive advice on ruling the nation. Peng Zu made a thick soup for the emperor out of pheasant, Job’s tear seeds and plums, well salted. Eating the dish, the emperor felt as if he were sitting on air. He was filled with a deep cosmic joy in which he saw everything clearly.

“You see,” Peng Zu said, “the gravest problems of state can be resolved over a bowl of soup. The people, seeing you live frugally will not resent you. When the ruler is calm, the nation is calm.”

Learn of the outrageous and sometimes dubious lives of Peng Zu and fifty other notorious cooks from the pages of history and legend, in a picaresque dictionary of delicious and playful story-telling"
Impressions (read about 1/3 of the stories so far): I have read some 15 of the "biographies" so far and they are invariably entertaining and strange; cooking in all ages and countries, from classical Greece and Rome to China to the modern day, weirdness and misdeeds, murder and love. While the inevitable repetition and momentum breaking that a themed collection/anthology makes this a book to savor in small chunks, so to speak, it is very entertaining and a break from the usual sff fare (!).
Make sure you read this when not hungry though!

Witch Bane by Tim Marquitz (Reviewed by Mihir Wanchoo)

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AUTHOR INFORMATION: Tim Marquitz is the author of the Demon Squad series, and the Sepulchral Earth serial stories. He is also an editor, a heavy metal aficionado, a Mixed Martial Arts fan and a member of the Live Action Role Playing organization. When he’s not busy writing dark stories, which catch his imagination he also manages to go about his day job. Tim lives in El Paso, Texas with his wonderful family.

OFFICIAL BLURB: Sebastian is whisked away at birth, just moments after his mother's death. He returns nineteen years later, a warlock trained in the arts of war. Raised in secret and fed on tales of revenge, he seeks redemption against the witches who betrayed and murdered his mother.

FORMAT/INFO: Witch Bane is 179 pages long, divided into forty chapters and an epilogue. Narration is in the third-person, via Sebastian, Emerald, Deborah Altus and Victor the Lord of the Hunt. December 28, 2012 marked the e-book publication of Witch Bane and it was self-published by the author. Cover art is by Carter Reid.

ANALYSIS: With any Tim Marquitz title, the reader should be ready to know a few things will be expected in the story:
a) It will be dark and most likely feature a grey protagonist.
b) The story will fast paced and twisted to say the least.
c) The world settings will be grim and foreboding.

So after reading almost of his previous titles, I was very excited to see him try his hand at sword and sorcery. This would be his slant on this excellent sub-genre and with Tim at the helm, one can never foretell how the story will end.

Witch Bane begins by introducing the reader to Sebastian who is a warlock and a teenage one at that. The land of Mynistiria is one wherein witches rule and one of the cornerstones of their power is that all male warlocks are to be executed and their blood to be utilized for nefarious purposes. Sebastian’s mother was a witch who tried to save him but to no avail. She failed and was murdered, her husband Darius rescued Sebastian and has trained him to avenge his mother. Sebastian’s journey will be a difficult one as not only will he have to control his power but also he will have to also account for the characters that his father and he come across.

Tim’s storytelling abilities come to the fore with this standalone effort. Combining action intrigue and plot twists, he manages to give us a revenge saga that might seem to be a straightforward story but is definitely more complex than it appears to be. There’s also the complication of the white witch and the person that she seeks. The witches’ council has their own problems to contend with as their power and status as rulers is being contested. There are further side plots to the story however the reader will have to find them out for themselves.

Firstly this story will be a treat for fans of David Gemmell, David Dalglish and R. A. Salvatore. The story has a brisk pace to it that keeps the reader unsettled and the plot twists come left and right to further entangle the plot threads that are complex to begin with. Characterization has been Tim’s forte and it is no different with Witch Bane, be it with a troubled teen like Sebastian or his withdrawn, silent father Darius, to the taciturn and deadly Victor or the unsuspecting, sheltered Emerald. Each character has their own quirks and the reader will have to decide which among them is the true victim.

This story while being a revenge drama also has shades of being a thriller. There’s plenty of action and intrigue. Tim Marquitz knows how to tell an epic story and with this one, he manages to narrow down the focus to a few characters. The epicness of this tale is quite understated and this story is all about one young lad’s search for revenge. He’s however bereft of the wiles that one gains with experience and Darius struggles to help him gain that edge which will help him in his quest. The story is mainly about Sebastian trying to find out who he is exactly and at the same time trying to find and kill the witches that have murdered his mother. This book can thought of to be a coming-of-age story but its one that’s dark and violent as one of Quentin Tarantino’s movies.

Sebastian as a character is the most endearing of the lot of POV characters as he’s been trained for revenge and revenge only. He doesn’t really know about foibles of mankind. He soon learns that not every issue is black and white and there are more than two sides to every issue/problem. The book also has another protagonist Emerald who discovers the life beyond her ivory walls and the story is mainly about the growth of these two. The story however doesn’t give us much time to dwell on these two characters as things keep on happening and we are taken to the visceral and unsettling climax. Tim has another ace up to his sleeve as he puts in a final twist and then ups the ante in the epilogue as well.

This book is a dark fantasy thriller and one that excels on the strengths of the author. This book has a few downsides in relation to the type of being story told. It doesn’t give the characters enough time or space to develop. The story being on the shorter side, the readers get a short brutal look into the lives of these characters and with many of them meeting gruesome ends. It feels as if we only get to know them partly. With the story’s length being what it is, readers wanting a deeper nuanced storyline might not find it entirely to their liking. There’s also the question of world building and in this case, its on the lighter side and therefore the reader will get a world that appears to be more but its secrets might be revealed in future books (if any).

CONCLUSION: Witch Bane is a dark story; it combines themes of revenge with that of a coming of age storyline. Tim Marquitz deftly handles these themes and gives the reader another quick-paced, twisted story about a boy who is learning to be a man and also avenge his mother’s death. Such a theme is very similar to that of Harry Potter books however this is far away from that memorable tale. Witch Bane is for those that like their tales darker, heroes gray and outcomes ambivalent. Read this book if you like to be thrilled and surprised.

Mini-Interview with Tim Marquitz (Interviewed by Mihir Wanchoo)

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Official Author Website
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Tim Marquitz recently released a sword and sorcery standalone called WITCH BANE. So I invited him to answer a few questions about his new book and the upcoming projects he’s involved in. So enjoy this mini Q&A and be sure to grab a copy of WITCH BANE.

Q] Welcome back to Fantasy Book Critic, Tim. Since the last time I interviewed you, you have branched out in terms of your books as well as in regards to your skills. How do you look upon this growth?

TM: Thanks, Mihir. Glad to be back.

I think my progression has a lot to do with my influences not being confined to a single genre as well as the evolving publishing world. Unlike a lot of “traditional” authors, I don’t feel as though I need to brand myself with a singular style. Able to self-publish without concern for genre, I simply write the stories that come to my head, be it fantasy or horror, novel or short story. I’m not bound to a publisher that mandates what I write or has spent money creating an identity.

As far as my skills go, the idea is to get better every single time I sit down at the keyboard. It’s all about growth. Doing something different with every story, there’s a lot of room for me to explore new ideas and ways to put them down.

Q] Please tell us about your new release Witch Bane, beginning from its inception to its eventual form.

TM: Witch Bane has been sitting around for a couple years now. Simple in concept, it was my first real attempt at writing fantasy less steeped in the elements of horror. It’s definitely more in the sword and sorcery/adventure vein of the books I grew up on: Elric, John Carter, etc. It’s small scale but written to be entertaining and fast.

I’d been submitting it to numerous agents and publishers since its completion, but for every new opportunity that arose, the book seemed to slip through the cracks. I finally decided just to release it myself.

Q] With this book, you make a return to fantasy after the Dawn of War trilogy. How would you say this book is different from that trilogy?

TM: Witch Bane was actually written before any of the Blood War books. Its scope is much smaller, the story a tiny fragment of the world rather than the epic concepts of the Blood War books. Witch Bane is more focused on story with far fewer points of view and called down to be more personal.

Q] A curious thing about your book’s protagonists is that almost all of them have had troubles in relation to their family (parents, children or spouses who are missing murdered, dead or estranged). These specific sets of troubles often power the story and the protagonists. What do you feel about this pattern?

TM: I think that idea is ingrained in who I am. My parents got divorced early in my life and I spent some time between them and the families that formed after the fact. There’s always been a sense of division in my life and my studies of Sociology have only built upon those foundations.

For me, the world isn’t about happily ever after, it’s about as happy as can be. Life is difficult, it’s fractured and short and violent and confusing, and a lot of that stems from our relationships with our families. I feel it’s only natural to write about the schism I see and have experienced.

Q] A series of yours that I’m enthralled by is the Demon Squad series. After the fourth book’s incredible climax, I have to ask when is DS 5 getting released?

TM: Thanks. I’m planning on releasing DS5: Beyond the Veil in late February or March of 2013. I’m plotting the book now and don’t expect it to take too long to write.

Q] What’s next for you in 2013, can you tell us about your upcoming projects?

TM: I’ve a number of things going on right now, and who knows what else will pop up. I’ve a story in an Angelic Knight Press anthology, No Place Like Home, coming out in January. I’ve also managed to convince the great people of Triumph Over Tragedy (R.T Kaelin and Sarah Chorn) to include one of my stories in their anthology. There are a ton of amazing authors in there, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Michael J Sullivan, and Mark Lawrence, just to name a few, and all the proceeds go to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Sandy relief.

Along with DS5, I’m also planning a new urban fantasy novel, which might evolve into a series depending on how it works out. I’ve also just signed a contract with a great publisher to release my dueling serial killers novella at the end of 2013. More on that as allowed. Lastly, of the planned works, I’m partnering once more with Angelic Knight Press to release another anthology around September 2013. This time it’s going to be a book of urban fantasy stories.

Beyond that, I have no idea.

RIP Gerry Anderson

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On Boxing Day it was announced that Gerry Anderson had passed away at the age of 83. Anderson was one of the most famous figures in UK TV in the 1960s and 1970s, working on a number of science fiction and fantasy shows. However, he will always be closely associated with a number of children's series featuring puppets operating highly-detailed vehicles: Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Joe 90 and Terrahawks.

 
In addition to his puppet shows, Anderson created several live-action SF series: UFO, Space: 1999 and Space Precinct (as well as the non-SF The Protectors). Despite his fame and his shows' place in popular culture, he was unable to find a format with longevity: aside from Terrahawks, none of his shows lasted more than two seasons. Thunderbirds returned with a live-action movie in 2004 which Anderson was not involved with, criticised heavily and was panned on release. Anderson did produce a two-season revival of Captain Scarlet in 2005 (using CGI) which was critically well-received, but which was not a financial success.

Despite the setbacks, Anderson's shows were always worth watching. They usually presented a positive view of the future and of the ways that technology could improve people's lives, though tinged with caution over its misuse. His shows also had production values that defied belief for their day: the model effects (and endless, artistically impressive explosions) on Thunderbirds are particularly stunning for a series made in 1965. His 1970-71 TV series UFO (which inspired the 1994 computer game X-COM and its sequels and recent remake) was also notable for being aimed squarely at adults, with a dark theme of paranoia running through the series along with a much grimmer tone than his other work, a move which was very successful.


Anderson also had an influence on other shows. His work inspired Ron Thornton, the creator of the CGI on Babylon 5 and, later, Star Trek: Voyager, to make space scenes more colourful and original (Thornton later worked with Anderson on the new Captain Scarlet). Anderson's habit of putting highlights from the episode in the title sequence of each episode also led to the creators of the newer Battlestar Galactica to do the same thing in their show, somewhat controversially. His work was also very popular in Japan, where even a tribute anime to Thunderbirds was produced in the 1980s (called Thunderbirds 2086 with the permission of the company that produced the original show, but without Gerry Anderson's involvement).

In 2011 Anderson was working on a revival of Thunderbirds using CGI, but the status of the project became uncertain after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and had to retire. Hopefully, this project will be revived and introduce a new generation of fans to his work and legacy.

Blood and Bone by Ian Cameron Esslemont

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Jacuruku: an island-continent located south-west of Quon Tali and west of Stratem. Separated from the rest of the world by large ice floes, Jacuruku has long existed in isolation. The peoples of western Jacuruku lie under the dominion of the Thaumaturgs, mages of tremendous power, whilst the eastern half of the continent is dominated by the jungle of Himatan, domain of the goddess Ardata.


Now the Thaumaturgs have launched an invasion of Himatan, determined to find the fabled city of Jakal Viharn. But even as their army drives deep into the jungle, so their homelands come under threat from the desert tribes of the far south, now united into a formidable army by an invading foreigner...who may not be as foreign as he first appears. Also newly arrived in Jacuruku are the Crimson Guard, summoned to bring to justice their renegade warrior Skinner and those sworn to his service. For K'azz D'Avore and his Avowed, this is an opportunity to heal a painful schism...but at a cost.

Blood and Bone is Ian Cameron Esslemont's fifth novel, taking us to the hitherto unexplored (but oft-mentioned) continent of Jacuruku. The setting is the key to the novel, with the reader soon feeling the humidity and discomfort of the jungle terrain. It's actually rather unusual for geography to be so integral to a Malazan novel (normally it's incidental), and it's a new approach that Esslemont handles well.

In terms of character, the book has a substantial cast taking in Jacuruku natives, Thaumaturgs, demigods, Malazan mercenaries and Crimon Guardsmen. Esslemont takes the time to establish story arcs which are contained within this one novel (such as Saeng's journey) as well as furthering long-running storylines established in earlier books, such the Crimson Guard looking for a new purposes in the aftermath of the Quon Civil War. There's also some excellent use of the established backstory (Jacuruku was once the site of Kallor's empire, the one whose destruction resulted in the Fall of the Crippled God) to drive forward the storyline. Unusually for a Malazan novel, I felt I had a pretty good handle on what was going on throughout. Newcomers might be tempted to jump aboard due to the main storylines being more or less self-contained in this book, but will likely be lost by references to past and simultaneous events (the novel takes place simultaneously alongside Stonewielder, Orb Sceptre Throne and The Crippled God).

Esslemont's prose is readable and compelling (and more accomplished in this novel than ever before), but a little lacking in artistry compared to Erikson's. However, it's also far more concise and approachable. Esslemont handles his large cast and his complex, multi-layered plot quite successfully. In fact,  Blood and Bone just about nudges it as his best book to date.

Blood and Bone (****½) is available now in the UK and will be published in May 2013 in the USA.