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Dogsland #2
When We Were Executioners
J. M. McDermott returns to Dogsland in the stunning novel When We Were Executioners, book two of a sweeping fantasy series that revels in the small details of life.
Corporal Jona, the demon-stained Lord of Joni, died in the woods. His lover, the Senta Rachel Nolander, is a demon-tainted fugitive, running from the wolfskin-clad priest and priestess of Erin, who track her through the city based on dreams plucked from Jona’s crying skull, plotting to cleanse the world of the lovers’ demonic taint. Past and present collide as the tale of two ill-fated outcasts unfolds, and the executioners of Erin grow ever closer to their quarry.
Corporal Jona, the demon-stained Lord of Joni, died in the woods. His lover, the Senta Rachel Nolander, is a demon-tainted fugitive, running from the wolfskin-clad priest and priestess of Erin, who track her through the city based on dreams plucked from Jona’s crying skull, plotting to cleanse the world of the lovers’ demonic taint. Past and present collide as the tale of two ill-fated outcasts unfolds, and the executioners of Erin grow ever closer to their quarry.
256 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2012
2 people are currently reading
184 people want to read
About the author
J.M. McDermott
37 books78 followersHis first novel was plucked from a slush pile and went on to be #6 on Amazon.com's Year's Best SF/F of 2008, shortlisted for a Crawford Prize, and on Locus Magazine's Recommended Reading List for Debuts. His short fiction has appeared in Weird Tales Magazine, Fantasy Magazine, Apex Magazine, and Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet, among other places. He has a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Houston, and an MFA in Popular Fiction from the Stonecoast program of the University of Southern Maine.
By night, he wanders a maze of bookshelves and empty coffee cups, and by day he wanders the streets of San Antonio, where he lives and works.
He tries to write in between.
By night, he wanders a maze of bookshelves and empty coffee cups, and by day he wanders the streets of San Antonio, where he lives and works.
He tries to write in between.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 6, 2012
Warning: review contains necessary spoilers for book 1, Never Knew Another
When We Were Executioners is the sequel to Never Knew Another, one of my top 10 books of 2011. This trilogy follows an unnamed narrator and her husband, both Walkers and priests of the Goddess Erin, as they investigate the death of a demon-child, the soldier named Jona, in the city of Dogsland. The narrator has formed a connection with Jona’s memories and through them, is able to follow in his footsteps and perform their mission: to eradicate – through the power of fire, through the power of death – all the signs that he was ever alive.
To the Walkers and followers of Erin, the stain of corruption and evil brought by the demon-children is an inevitable reality and they will stop at nothing to obliterate not only everything that Jona ever touched but also the lives of two other demon-children that Jona knew: his lover, Rachel Nolander and his enemy Salvatore Fidelio.
In terms of story, When We Were Executioners picks up right where Never Knew Another left off with the two Walkers still in pursuit of Rachel and Salvatore. As before, the narrative is divided between the anonymous narrator, whose narrative remains stilted and aloof reflecting perfectly the character herself, and the narrative provided by Jona and Rachel’s memories. The different narrative threads intermingle perfectly to provide different points of view of how life is in Dogsland. To Jona, Dogsland is everything he knows, where his family has lived and despite all the things he has come to hate about it – the corruption, the politics – there are things he still loves about it. To Rachel, it is a place where she found, alongside her brother, succour and love. It is also a place of despair, poverty and potential damnation.
To the Walkers, used to the life in the woods, the life in Dogsland is putrid and corrupt and the demon-children are objects of scorn and hatred. The narrator and her husband share a zealous belief in the inevitable corruption of Jona, Rachel and Salvatore – although the more the narrator taps into the memories inside her mind, the more she seems to realise that things might not be as black and white as that – but once she realises that her zeal might be compromised, she demands the promise from her husband that their mission will be accomplished no matter what. And this is what makes this series so interesting: Jona and Rachel are supposed to be evil but through their memories, they are anything but. The more we read about Jona, the more it becomes clear that some of the decisions he makes take him down a path that are certainly damning. The point is: are those decisions made because of his inherent evil nature or because of the circumstances he finds himself in? As such, Jona is an anti-hero: be sympathetic, charismatic and loving as well as desperate, thoughtless and extremely vicious.
These three characters are only but a few of the pieces of this puzzle though and I can’t help but to feel that Dogsland itself is in fact the main character of this trilogy. Through the eyes of the three characters, we see all of its sides: its multi-faceted aspects, its multi-cultural environment, with the wide-spread corruption that begets extreme poverty and social disquiet. If at times, one feels inclined to believe that the demon-children are inherently evil, this assumption is easily put to test by observing the non-demon inhabitants of Dogsland who might as well be easily described as such. But how much of that is truly nature? How much of that is truly circumstance? I feel that this is not a series that provides easy answers to those questions and a lot of it is left at the reader’s discretion and is definitely something else that recommends it.
Moreover, just like in the previous books, the Fantasy elements are played down and are merely another side of each character. The Walkers for example, become Wolves when they don their wolf-skin and any excretion from a demon-child’s body can burn through anything and cause anyone that comes in contact with them to die or become ill. These things are just what they are, an inherent, essential part of the world-building.
All that said, I found the story to be progressing very, very slowly and this book doesn’t move much beyond what we had already seen in Never Knew Another. At this point in time though, I am not entirely certain how I feel about it – at some points, I felt that story lagged considerably and the many characters and different layers to be confusing. At others, I felt this was exactly the point, things are meant to be confusing and detailed because it is the job of the Walkers to sift through all of Jona’s memories in order to see what matters to their mission. This aspect of the story only reaffirms what I believe: plot and pace don’t matter as much as portraying all aspects of this city and its people in detail. This is much more of an observation rather than a negative criticism though, as overall, When We Were Executioners was another fantastic entry in this series.
It is really hard to say or predict how all the pieces of this puzzle will fit together in the end but I can’t wait to see it all coming together. I am invested in the lives of Jona and most of all, the lovely Rachel Nolander not to be there as soon as possible.
When We Were Executioners is the sequel to Never Knew Another, one of my top 10 books of 2011. This trilogy follows an unnamed narrator and her husband, both Walkers and priests of the Goddess Erin, as they investigate the death of a demon-child, the soldier named Jona, in the city of Dogsland. The narrator has formed a connection with Jona’s memories and through them, is able to follow in his footsteps and perform their mission: to eradicate – through the power of fire, through the power of death – all the signs that he was ever alive.
To the Walkers and followers of Erin, the stain of corruption and evil brought by the demon-children is an inevitable reality and they will stop at nothing to obliterate not only everything that Jona ever touched but also the lives of two other demon-children that Jona knew: his lover, Rachel Nolander and his enemy Salvatore Fidelio.
In terms of story, When We Were Executioners picks up right where Never Knew Another left off with the two Walkers still in pursuit of Rachel and Salvatore. As before, the narrative is divided between the anonymous narrator, whose narrative remains stilted and aloof reflecting perfectly the character herself, and the narrative provided by Jona and Rachel’s memories. The different narrative threads intermingle perfectly to provide different points of view of how life is in Dogsland. To Jona, Dogsland is everything he knows, where his family has lived and despite all the things he has come to hate about it – the corruption, the politics – there are things he still loves about it. To Rachel, it is a place where she found, alongside her brother, succour and love. It is also a place of despair, poverty and potential damnation.
To the Walkers, used to the life in the woods, the life in Dogsland is putrid and corrupt and the demon-children are objects of scorn and hatred. The narrator and her husband share a zealous belief in the inevitable corruption of Jona, Rachel and Salvatore – although the more the narrator taps into the memories inside her mind, the more she seems to realise that things might not be as black and white as that – but once she realises that her zeal might be compromised, she demands the promise from her husband that their mission will be accomplished no matter what. And this is what makes this series so interesting: Jona and Rachel are supposed to be evil but through their memories, they are anything but. The more we read about Jona, the more it becomes clear that some of the decisions he makes take him down a path that are certainly damning. The point is: are those decisions made because of his inherent evil nature or because of the circumstances he finds himself in? As such, Jona is an anti-hero: be sympathetic, charismatic and loving as well as desperate, thoughtless and extremely vicious.
These three characters are only but a few of the pieces of this puzzle though and I can’t help but to feel that Dogsland itself is in fact the main character of this trilogy. Through the eyes of the three characters, we see all of its sides: its multi-faceted aspects, its multi-cultural environment, with the wide-spread corruption that begets extreme poverty and social disquiet. If at times, one feels inclined to believe that the demon-children are inherently evil, this assumption is easily put to test by observing the non-demon inhabitants of Dogsland who might as well be easily described as such. But how much of that is truly nature? How much of that is truly circumstance? I feel that this is not a series that provides easy answers to those questions and a lot of it is left at the reader’s discretion and is definitely something else that recommends it.
Moreover, just like in the previous books, the Fantasy elements are played down and are merely another side of each character. The Walkers for example, become Wolves when they don their wolf-skin and any excretion from a demon-child’s body can burn through anything and cause anyone that comes in contact with them to die or become ill. These things are just what they are, an inherent, essential part of the world-building.
All that said, I found the story to be progressing very, very slowly and this book doesn’t move much beyond what we had already seen in Never Knew Another. At this point in time though, I am not entirely certain how I feel about it – at some points, I felt that story lagged considerably and the many characters and different layers to be confusing. At others, I felt this was exactly the point, things are meant to be confusing and detailed because it is the job of the Walkers to sift through all of Jona’s memories in order to see what matters to their mission. This aspect of the story only reaffirms what I believe: plot and pace don’t matter as much as portraying all aspects of this city and its people in detail. This is much more of an observation rather than a negative criticism though, as overall, When We Were Executioners was another fantastic entry in this series.
It is really hard to say or predict how all the pieces of this puzzle will fit together in the end but I can’t wait to see it all coming together. I am invested in the lives of Jona and most of all, the lovely Rachel Nolander not to be there as soon as possible.
March 6, 2013
I don't write many reviews, but I felt compelled to write one here. This is one of the great fantasy books of our time and it's a shame that it's not reached a wider audience. If want plot driven, easily understood magic systems (whenever I read this on a cover, I run away), or fast paced action yarns, then avoid this book. If you want to find beauty in bleakness, intense thematic ground, or feel completely engrossed in a foreign world, you might actually enjoy When We Were Executioners. I wish I were a better writer so I could do justice to this review.
The slums portrayed are heart-achingingly brilliant. Forget fantasy, this is an incredible look into any pre-industrial slum where life hasn't achieved the value in the age of medicine, violence is an always present danger, and survival is the primary motivation for all. This is an immersive quality here that is rare. The details are stunning, oftentimes ugly, but handled in such a deft manner to render them new and familiar at the same time.
The central relationship between two people unfortunately born to a demon parent, is amazing. Part coming of age, part two people finding themselves in this crazy world, part survival, and all beautiful. McDermott shares with Cormac McCarthy the ability to render beauty in emotionally desolate, outwardly bleak worlds. He clearly loves his characters, warts (and more) and all. Not satisfied with simple plot moving characters, every secondary character gets a personality that is unique and astonishing in its way. In fact, there really isn't much of a plot. It's ostensibly about the search for one of the demon spawn lovers, but it's really about so much more.
I guess the best way to describe this book is that I inhabited it. It was like I pulled a wolf cloak around my body for the few days I read it and just lost myself in it. Plot meant nothing. The details of the relationships, characters, and setting sucked me in.
The slums portrayed are heart-achingingly brilliant. Forget fantasy, this is an incredible look into any pre-industrial slum where life hasn't achieved the value in the age of medicine, violence is an always present danger, and survival is the primary motivation for all. This is an immersive quality here that is rare. The details are stunning, oftentimes ugly, but handled in such a deft manner to render them new and familiar at the same time.
The central relationship between two people unfortunately born to a demon parent, is amazing. Part coming of age, part two people finding themselves in this crazy world, part survival, and all beautiful. McDermott shares with Cormac McCarthy the ability to render beauty in emotionally desolate, outwardly bleak worlds. He clearly loves his characters, warts (and more) and all. Not satisfied with simple plot moving characters, every secondary character gets a personality that is unique and astonishing in its way. In fact, there really isn't much of a plot. It's ostensibly about the search for one of the demon spawn lovers, but it's really about so much more.
I guess the best way to describe this book is that I inhabited it. It was like I pulled a wolf cloak around my body for the few days I read it and just lost myself in it. Plot meant nothing. The details of the relationships, characters, and setting sucked me in.
August 12, 2012
Why did it take me so long to read this slim volume? I've been pretty busy lately, but that's not it. I think it's because I didn't want it to end. The fact is, if you're not reading everything by J.M. McDermott, you're missing nothing short of a revolution in fantasy.
March 27, 2012
I dug it. Full review over at Strange Horizons: http://www.strangehorizons.com/review...
August 20, 2017
"Hands are what make us human"
When We Were Executioners (2012), the middle book in J M McDermott's Dogsland trilogy, takes up where the first one, Never Knew Another (2011), left off. The Walker husband and wife who can change into wolves and are dedicated to eradicating the demon spawn of Elishta are still hunting for the immortal demon child Salvatore Fidelio (a thief who, "addled by eternity," serially loves and forgets young women) and trying to purify places contaminated by the dead demon child Jona Lord Joni (a landless noble who was a king's man by day and a "blood monkey" assassin by night). The Walkers' mission in the city wolves call Dogsland has become more challenging, because at the end of of the first book they let ruthless Lady Ela Sabacthani know they know she's the Night King crime lord.
We know from the start that Jona's lover Rachel (another demon child) has fled the city and that somehow as a result he has been killed ("In death he was a blight below a bluff where toxic mushrooms sprouted in his blood"). The Walker wife is haunted by the vivid memories of the lovers emanating from Jona's skull and pushing into hers "like a kept sea." She narrates chapters from their points of view while giving updates on the present progress of her and her husband's extermination and purification mission. The memories of Jona and Rachel make them sympathetic: "Her face and the way she looked at him make me happy, because Jona was loved by someone before he died." The Walkers are hunting Salvatore rather than Rachel, because they figure he's a greater and nearer threat to humanity.
This book develops the conflicting relationships between Rachel and Jona and Rachel and her big human half-brother Djoss. Ever since as a boy Djoss killed Rachel's demon father he's protected her, but as he becomes enmeshed in selling and using demon weed in Dogsland, their roles reverse. While Rachel loves Jona and he her (demon children in a hostile world) and they’re sharing their bodies, hopes, and pasts, Jona hides his assassinry from Rachel while she signals that at a pinch she’d choose Djoss over Jona. In the passages depicting Jona and the king's men's attempts to track down the people pushing demon weed and Djoss and his friends' attempts to steal and sell and use it, the novel seems a gritty fantasy police story. The novel also depicts Jona's disturbing treatment of Aggie, the novitiate of Imam he's framed as a demon child to protect her lover Salvatore, the real demon spawn. The less interested in Aggie's fate Salvatore becomes, the more outraged Jona becomes, even as he continues feeding the poor imprisoned girl food laced with his own demon blood to keep her testing positive for demon taint. The novel also reveals Ela's lonliness and ambition, which drive her to start feeling Jona out as a potential husband and co-ruler of Dogsland, despite Jona wanting Rachel more than power.
This book has many impressive set pieces: magical, like Jona leaning out Rachel's window looking up at lambent clouds, watching rain drops appear, and catching them in his mouth; romantic, like Jona showing Rachel his wing scars; funny, like Djoss coming home when Jona and Rachel are in bed together; ironic, like Djoss searching for Rachel and finding Aggie; horrifying, like Rachel witnessing Aggie's public burning and Djoss its aftermath; disturbing, like when Djoss accepts a pipe of demon weed and "A universe opened in his skull"; suspenseful, like when the king's men raid a dive where Djoss and his partner in crime have gone to divvy up some pelf.
This book has much imaginative, fantastic, and vivid writing: "Rachel pressed into him. Her warm scales funneled Jona's sweat into her mattress like tile roofs guiding rain to eaves. The scales nipped at his damp skin when she moved. If she pressed hard enough she might scrape him."
It's not for the squeamish. At one point Jona's fellow king's man (sick from sharing a bottle with Jona) literally craps out his intestines; at another Jona uses his demon blood to murder a man, boiling his eyes and melting his head. Yet the demon children aren't exactly the "abominations" the Walkers seek to extirpate. Jona is disappointing (his obedient murdering for the Night King) and disturbing (his twisted treatment of Aggie) and appealing (his desperate love of Rachel) and never feels evil. Sweet Rachel says, "I don't feel evil." Demon weed is more pernicious than demon spawn, owning the city and destroying its people.
Dogsland appears to be a living city via slang (pinkers, mudskippers, bliss, tight, roll, etc.) and denizens (sailors, gangers, bouncers, ragpickers, stevedores, vendors, porters, butchers, king's men, whores, maids, mothers, ladies and lords, etc.). The separation of the nobles on their artificial island from the riffraff of the city is increasingly wrong, with plans in the works to isolate the abattoir district on a new artificial island. The Walkers believe Dogsland is rotting from the inside and will be reclaimed by woods--and they're planning to speed the process via cleansing fire: "We will no longer be executioners chasing after a prize. We will be the fire that purifies this city for 1000 years." And the couple invokes "merciful Erin."
The book has many themes: the difficulty of happiness in a city; the devastating nature of drugs; the pain of love; the nature of humanity; the importance of empathy; the harm of political power abused; etc.
As with the first book, Eileen Stevens gives a great reading of this one. I regret that there is no audiobook of the last novel in the trilogy. And that this book, like the first one, ends with neither resolution nor rest. (I'll read the kindle version of the third!) Readers who liked the first book would like this one too.
When We Were Executioners (2012), the middle book in J M McDermott's Dogsland trilogy, takes up where the first one, Never Knew Another (2011), left off. The Walker husband and wife who can change into wolves and are dedicated to eradicating the demon spawn of Elishta are still hunting for the immortal demon child Salvatore Fidelio (a thief who, "addled by eternity," serially loves and forgets young women) and trying to purify places contaminated by the dead demon child Jona Lord Joni (a landless noble who was a king's man by day and a "blood monkey" assassin by night). The Walkers' mission in the city wolves call Dogsland has become more challenging, because at the end of of the first book they let ruthless Lady Ela Sabacthani know they know she's the Night King crime lord.
We know from the start that Jona's lover Rachel (another demon child) has fled the city and that somehow as a result he has been killed ("In death he was a blight below a bluff where toxic mushrooms sprouted in his blood"). The Walker wife is haunted by the vivid memories of the lovers emanating from Jona's skull and pushing into hers "like a kept sea." She narrates chapters from their points of view while giving updates on the present progress of her and her husband's extermination and purification mission. The memories of Jona and Rachel make them sympathetic: "Her face and the way she looked at him make me happy, because Jona was loved by someone before he died." The Walkers are hunting Salvatore rather than Rachel, because they figure he's a greater and nearer threat to humanity.
This book develops the conflicting relationships between Rachel and Jona and Rachel and her big human half-brother Djoss. Ever since as a boy Djoss killed Rachel's demon father he's protected her, but as he becomes enmeshed in selling and using demon weed in Dogsland, their roles reverse. While Rachel loves Jona and he her (demon children in a hostile world) and they’re sharing their bodies, hopes, and pasts, Jona hides his assassinry from Rachel while she signals that at a pinch she’d choose Djoss over Jona. In the passages depicting Jona and the king's men's attempts to track down the people pushing demon weed and Djoss and his friends' attempts to steal and sell and use it, the novel seems a gritty fantasy police story. The novel also depicts Jona's disturbing treatment of Aggie, the novitiate of Imam he's framed as a demon child to protect her lover Salvatore, the real demon spawn. The less interested in Aggie's fate Salvatore becomes, the more outraged Jona becomes, even as he continues feeding the poor imprisoned girl food laced with his own demon blood to keep her testing positive for demon taint. The novel also reveals Ela's lonliness and ambition, which drive her to start feeling Jona out as a potential husband and co-ruler of Dogsland, despite Jona wanting Rachel more than power.
This book has many impressive set pieces: magical, like Jona leaning out Rachel's window looking up at lambent clouds, watching rain drops appear, and catching them in his mouth; romantic, like Jona showing Rachel his wing scars; funny, like Djoss coming home when Jona and Rachel are in bed together; ironic, like Djoss searching for Rachel and finding Aggie; horrifying, like Rachel witnessing Aggie's public burning and Djoss its aftermath; disturbing, like when Djoss accepts a pipe of demon weed and "A universe opened in his skull"; suspenseful, like when the king's men raid a dive where Djoss and his partner in crime have gone to divvy up some pelf.
This book has much imaginative, fantastic, and vivid writing: "Rachel pressed into him. Her warm scales funneled Jona's sweat into her mattress like tile roofs guiding rain to eaves. The scales nipped at his damp skin when she moved. If she pressed hard enough she might scrape him."
It's not for the squeamish. At one point Jona's fellow king's man (sick from sharing a bottle with Jona) literally craps out his intestines; at another Jona uses his demon blood to murder a man, boiling his eyes and melting his head. Yet the demon children aren't exactly the "abominations" the Walkers seek to extirpate. Jona is disappointing (his obedient murdering for the Night King) and disturbing (his twisted treatment of Aggie) and appealing (his desperate love of Rachel) and never feels evil. Sweet Rachel says, "I don't feel evil." Demon weed is more pernicious than demon spawn, owning the city and destroying its people.
Dogsland appears to be a living city via slang (pinkers, mudskippers, bliss, tight, roll, etc.) and denizens (sailors, gangers, bouncers, ragpickers, stevedores, vendors, porters, butchers, king's men, whores, maids, mothers, ladies and lords, etc.). The separation of the nobles on their artificial island from the riffraff of the city is increasingly wrong, with plans in the works to isolate the abattoir district on a new artificial island. The Walkers believe Dogsland is rotting from the inside and will be reclaimed by woods--and they're planning to speed the process via cleansing fire: "We will no longer be executioners chasing after a prize. We will be the fire that purifies this city for 1000 years." And the couple invokes "merciful Erin."
The book has many themes: the difficulty of happiness in a city; the devastating nature of drugs; the pain of love; the nature of humanity; the importance of empathy; the harm of political power abused; etc.
As with the first book, Eileen Stevens gives a great reading of this one. I regret that there is no audiobook of the last novel in the trilogy. And that this book, like the first one, ends with neither resolution nor rest. (I'll read the kindle version of the third!) Readers who liked the first book would like this one too.
May 9, 2012
I hate it when a book in a series spends too long recapitulating what happened in previous books. This book was the exact opposite, which was good, but also bad because it had been a while since I read the first book and I had forgotten most of the players involved and what their alignment was. Halfway into the book, I finally got into the groove, as they say, but by the time I was really into the groove, the book had ended. Not much really happened in this one other than reveal the nature of Jonas and Rachel's relationship.
I'm still confused about the whole Night King thing and why the Wolves are so adamant about finding Djoss and Rachel. I guess that's up to the third book to explain. I hope.
I'm still confused about the whole Night King thing and why the Wolves are so adamant about finding Djoss and Rachel. I guess that's up to the third book to explain. I hope.
January 3, 2013
In the slums of Dogsland, two demon-stained lovers face bigotry, betryal and the servants of the goddess Erin who will stop at nothing to cleanse the world of their presence. A fantasy ripe with descriptions of the moral and physical decay of a city as well as the tragedy of the two protagonist. This a series to savor if you love lyrical writing, characters with depth and fantasy that has a dark, sharp edge.
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December 26, 2024When We Were Executioners is one of those books I have an extremely complicated relationship with and that’s why I chose to not give it any stars. I picked it up for the first time in a local library, back in middle school, when I was devouring any and all dark fantasy. And while I was excited to read it, I almost instantly hit a brick wall.
Polish translation of When We Were Executioners was so bad, that I had to force myself to go through the pages until I reached the moment, when I finally stopped minding crude and bad sounding sentences. I did enjoy the story, it was interesting, mixing everything I loved at the time — wolves, demons and shapeshifters. The world created by the author felt grim and depressing, but also deeply interesting. I felt pity for those tainted by the demons, but also cheered on the narrator’s and her husband’s hunt.
I will definitely pick up the original, English, version to compare it with the Polish translation, just to see how much I’ve missed due to the lack of skill from the translator.
Polish translation of When We Were Executioners was so bad, that I had to force myself to go through the pages until I reached the moment, when I finally stopped minding crude and bad sounding sentences. I did enjoy the story, it was interesting, mixing everything I loved at the time — wolves, demons and shapeshifters. The world created by the author felt grim and depressing, but also deeply interesting. I felt pity for those tainted by the demons, but also cheered on the narrator’s and her husband’s hunt.
I will definitely pick up the original, English, version to compare it with the Polish translation, just to see how much I’ve missed due to the lack of skill from the translator.
July 14, 2020
This is definitely the second book in a trilogy, or even the second act in a play, and with the world set up in act one, and the finale saved for act three, we are pretty much just cruising along, exploring relationships but not moving the plot by much.
You could say that exploring relationships and characters is what McDermott does, and that makes him stand out. But I did wish some new factors were introduced into the world.
I've already started reading the third act We Leave Together and things have started moving again.
You could say that exploring relationships and characters is what McDermott does, and that makes him stand out. But I did wish some new factors were introduced into the world.
I've already started reading the third act We Leave Together and things have started moving again.
May 14, 2018
Definitely darker than the first entry, and a bit less artful in it's braiding of different narrative and temporal perspectives and layers. The dirt and blood and muck is dirtier, bloodier and muckier than ever though. And the crafting of a world that is essentially the elemental plane of poverty and precariousness is quite stunning. In a depressing kind of way.
November 24, 2014
Απίστευτο βιβλίο. Απίστευτο. Απίστευτη κι η σειρά, ελπίζω το τρίτο να είναι ισάξιο των δύο πρώτων. Αν και ετούτο, το When We Were Executioners έχει ένα πρόβλημα σε σχέση με το Never Knew Another: πολλές φορές ξεχνάμε την οπτική γωνία των Walkers, ξεχνάμε πως ό,τι βλέπουμε, ό,τι γνωρίζουμε είναι μέσα από τα δικά τους μάτια. Στο πρώτο αυτό δεν το ξεχνούσες ποτέ.Κι ήταν το ωραιότερο κομμάτι του βιβλίου. Από την άλλη, ενώ στο πρώτο υπήρχε μια τραμπάλα που πήγαινε μια από 'δω (οι δαιμονοσπαρμένοι είναι καλοί) και μια από 'κει (οι Walkers είναι καλοί), εδώ η τραμπάλα είναι ολόκληρη βουτηγμένη στη λάσπη κι απλά τσαλαβουτάς. Οι περιγραφές της φτωχογειτονιάς, της κατάντιας και της σήψης, των ναρκωτικών (ανατριχιαστικές οι σκηνές με τα πρεζάκια), της ξεφτίλας των πλουσίων, της ωμότητας των μπάτσων, είναι τόσο λεπτομερείς, με τόσο γλαφυρό και στεγνό τρόπο απεικονισμένες που νιώθεις να πιάνεται η καρδιά σου, δε θες να συνεχίσεις να διαβάζεις και θες να συνεχίσεις να διαβάζεις. Και δεν ξεχνάς ούτε μια στιγμή τι θα γίνει στο τέλος, γιατί ο μάγκας ο συγγραφέας στο έχει ήδη πει από την πρώτη στιγμή, από την πρώτη γραμμή του πρώτου βιβλίου!
Είναι ένα απίστευτο βιβλίο, απίστευτο. πραγματικά συγκλονιστικό, να σε κάνει να κλαις μέσα στο λεωφορείο σα μικρό παιδί. Θα διαβάσω πριν το τέλος του χρόνου το τρίτο, που λέγεται We Leave Together και δε θέλω καν να διαβάσω το οπισθόφυλλο πριν το πιάσω στα χέρια μου. Αναρωτιέμαι πραγματικά κι αγωνιώ αν θα το κλείσει τόσο εκπληκτικά όπως το άρχισε και το συνέχισε.
Είναι ένα απίστευτο βιβλίο, απίστευτο. πραγματικά συγκλονιστικό, να σε κάνει να κλαις μέσα στο λεωφορείο σα μικρό παιδί. Θα διαβάσω πριν το τέλος του χρόνου το τρίτο, που λέγεται We Leave Together και δε θέλω καν να διαβάσω το οπισθόφυλλο πριν το πιάσω στα χέρια μου. Αναρωτιέμαι πραγματικά κι αγωνιώ αν θα το κλείσει τόσο εκπληκτικά όπως το άρχισε και το συνέχισε.
September 11, 2015
As is common with a lot of series and trilogies, this second book was not as good as the first, but it's closer to 3.5 stars. In truth, I'm trying to decide how I really feel about this book. In my review of the first book I mentioned the time period being medieval in feel but with post-apocalyptic overtones. There is no true time period given. The characters appear even more modern in this book. This is not my usual genre but these books are very good. This is a very dark story, I can say that. Both this book and the first end very abruptly. Not your typical demon tale. This novel is also more graphic than the first. Once again, I vascillated between trying to decide if it needed a better proofreader or if that was just the author's unique voice and style. If you're squeamish, this series won't be for you. I will say the characters vomit a lot. And I mean a LOT. That's actually a phobia of mine, so I'm glad I am not stained with demon taint because all the puking would be unbearable. I hope the third book rallies bsck to the first. I liked this book, but the characters lacked the mystery and heart they seemed to have in "Never Knew Another."
March 5, 2012
I was swept away by the first book, with its demon-hunters who wore wolf-skins and dreamed their prey's dreams. And I absolutely plan to read the next one. That said, I'm confused by this one exists as a standalone novel. It felt like a continuation of the previous one, with very little in the way of its own arc, and no new revelations about the characters. I closed it feeling a little bereft of something solid to have held on to.
I'd say: wait until We Leave Together comes out and judge based on reviews of that one.
I'd say: wait until We Leave Together comes out and judge based on reviews of that one.
June 25, 2012
Huh. I enjoyed the writing in the first book of the series, so I gave this one benefit of the doubt and bought it. But it continues just like the first book: Most of both books are told in flashback, and I continue to sympathize with the "bad guys" and to be horrified by the ethics of the woman shapeshifter who is the protagonist of both books.
I think I must not be the intended audience for this series. If you liked the first book of the series, you should like this one too.
I think I must not be the intended audience for this series. If you liked the first book of the series, you should like this one too.
February 28, 2012
The world is still fascinating, and the story isn't over. I don't know that this would stand as well on its own as the prior novel Never Knew Another but I plan to continue with the promised third installment when it comes out.
February 28, 2014
I love this series. Its beautiful and original.
The last one was meant to be out last year though! Where is it? I need it.
The last one was meant to be out last year though! Where is it? I need it.
October 31, 2013
Awesome. Had a knot in my throat the whole time.
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