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Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Iron Angel (Deepgate Codex #2) in Books

Nov 15, 2019

Iron Angel (Deepgate Codex #2)

Alan Campbell | 2009 | Horror, Science Fiction/Fantasy

6.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

The first novel in the Deepgate Codex trilogy, Scar Night, explored the immediate surroundings of the suspended city of Deepgate. This second entry follows the fallout from the battle of Deepgate as the balance between the powers of the world realign themselves.

As with Scar Night, Campbell's imagination creates some stunning characters and imagery; the Soft Men, John Anchor, a nightmarish journey through hell. The descriptions are extremely evocative, the whole having a sort of Gothic Steampunk feel to it.

This is, however, weaker than Scar Night, partly because there is just so much Campbell is keen to show us that the detail gets lost, and at times the story grinds to a halt for some lingering descriptions of something that although interesting has no real bearing on the story and just means momentum is lost. The result is unfortunately a bit of a mess.

Not a bad book by any means, but a case of an author's enthusiasm for their own creations reducing the focus on developing an interesting and coherent story

Kudos

Phil Leader (619 KP) rated Mort in Books

Nov 20, 2019

Mort

Terry Pratchett | 2012 | Fiction & Poetry

8.7

(19 Ratings)

Book Rating

In lots of ways Mort is the first book which feels like a 'proper' Discworld novel, fusing the fantasy setting, humour and allegorical commentary together into a delightful, coherent whole.

The story itself is a good one: Death takes on Mort as an apprentice so he can take a break. When Mort breaks the rules he causes a wound in space/time that needs to be healed. And the more Mort does the job of Death the more the job begins to take its toll on him.

There is so much to like about this book. The humour is spot-on with some great one-liners, characters and footnotes. The exploration of the mechanics of how Death really operates on the Discworld fits perfectly with the logic of how the rather unique world operates and is the first glimpse into just how complex and rich the series of books could be.

The Discworld was still evolving rapidly at this point and Mort represents a real statement of intent for the future.