The A'Rak

Nifft the Lean #3

by Michael Shea

PROSPEROUS HAGIA'S VAULTS BRIMMED WITH GOLD. HER WAREHOUSES BULGED WITH THE GOODS OF THE SOUTHERN SEAS. SHE HAD THE SPIDER-GOD TO THANK FOR HER PROSPERITY.But beneath Hagia's ancient bargain with the A'Rak lay the direst danger. That mercenary kingdom had mortgaged its soul in its pact with the giant arachnoid. When the note fell due, death of the most hideous kind awaited the multitudes of that affluent and bustling nation.

As Hagia's debt falls due, two foreigners arrive in Big Quay, her capital: Lagademe and her team, foremost among the world's Nuncios -- deliverers of anything to anywhere -- and Nifft the Lean, thief and rogue extraordinaire.

Nifft and Lagademe, strangers to one another at the outset, will soon be struggling side by side for their lives -- and a nation's survival -- against the most hideous foe in the annals of Sword and Sorcery fiction.

Genres: Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Fiction, Literature

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

For the British author of thrillers and non-fiction see Michael Shea

Michael Shea (1946-2014) was an American fantasy, horror, and science fiction author who lived in California. He was a multiple winner of the World Fantasy Award and his works include Nifft the Lean (1982) (winner of the World Fantasy Award) and The Mines of Behemoth (1997) (later republished together as The Incomplete Nifft, 2000), as well as The ARak (2000) and In Yana, the Touch of Undying (1985).

Reviews

[Malum · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not quite as good as the other Nifft stories. It's a bit slower paced and the point of view shifts regularly rather than staying on Nifft.

It picks up toward the end, though, and there is no denying that Michael Shea had an incredible imagination and a true understanding of the sword & sorcery genre.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last of Nifft's adventures (well, aside from some additional short stories that appeared over the years and that would presumably have formed the spine of a fourth volume; alas).

This time, Nifft has come to Hagia, the land ruled by the A'Rak, the giant spider god who keeps things running smoothly enough and only requires a *koff* small gratuity in return; and really, what are a few people per year in the big scheme of things?

The story this time is told in alternating first-person sections -- half related by Nifft and the other half by Lagademe the Nuncio, who also finds herself in Hagia and *ahem* enwebbed in the events regarding the A'Rak and its worshippers; and again, while I think Nifft generally works better in shorter installments rather than at novel length, I was happy to spend a bit more time in his deeply grotesque and disturbing world.

[Lindsay Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The A'Rak are truly horrifying creatures; it makes me shudder to recall some of the passages (you will not forget the moment one is first met.) Shea manages to keep the monsters mind-numbingly frightening throughout, which would be impressive on its own if it wasn't also for the laugh out loud humour and ingenious worldbuilding mixed in.

[c5 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminded me how much I enjoy Shea's prose and word choice. The A'Rak differs from the earlier Nifft books in shifting between two main narrators. I didn't mind this, though I found myself occasionally losing track of which was speaking. Nifft is a fun character, and it's disappointing to think that there will be no further Michael Shea fantasy-horror adventure novels.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The A'Rak" is a really good fantasy adventure, but it doesn't quite measure up to the magic Shea weaves in his earlier fantasies -- which is a shame. I'd venture to say its still miles better than most of what clogs the fantasy shelves at your local Barnes & Nobles.

[Vladimir Ivanov · Rating 3 out of 5]

То ли я подустал от приключений проходимца Ниффта, то ли книга действительно послабее предыдущих. Очень медленно, очень много не относящихся к делу описаний, почти нет интриги, совсем нет фирменного босховского гротеска. Финальная битва горожан с гигантскими пауками неплохая, не спасает положение, но повышает оценку до 3.5

[JM · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arguably the weaker of Shea's three novels centered around his character the thief Nifft the Lean, I really enjoyed this one. Imagine if Fritz Leiber and Jack Vance decided to write a story about a couple of fantasy adventurers having to face the real form of Pennywise the Clown from Stephen King's "IT." If that doesn't sound cool and fun to you, you probably think "Ready Player One" and the "Twilight" series are awesome books.

[Lynn Calvin]

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