The Marching Dead

Marius don Hellespont #2

by Lee Battersby

The sequel to  The Corpse-Rat King . Find the dead a King, save himself, win the love of his life, live happily ever after. No wonder Marius dos Helles is bored.

But now Keth, his one love, is missing. Gerd has re-entered his life, and something has stopped the dead from, well, dying. It's up to Marius, Gerd, and Gerd's not-dead-enough Granny to journey across the continent and put the dead back in the afterlife where they belong. But someone has the dead riled up and spoiling for a fight, and now the dead are marching.

File Fantasy [ Dead Not Buried | Relatively Insane | Marching Orders | No Rest ]

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Humor

411 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Lee Battersby is the multiple-award winning author of the novels 'The Corpse-Rat King' and 'Marching Dead' (Angry Robot, 2012, 2013) as well as the children's novel 'Magrit' (Walker Books, 2016) and over 70 short stories, many of which are collected in 'Through Soft Air' (Prime Books 2006). He has appeared in markets as diverse as Year's Best Fantasy & Horror Volume 20; Year's Best Australian F&SF; Year's Best Australian Fantasy & Horror vol. 3; and Dr Who: Destination Prague.

His work has been praised for its consistent attention to voice and narrative muscle, and has resulted in a number of awards including the Aurealis, Australian Shadows and Australian SF ‘Ditmar' gongs. He was the 6th Australian, and 1st Western Australian, winner in the international 'Writers of the Future' competition in 2001.

Lee lives in Rockingham, Western Australia, with his wife, writer Lyn Battersby and an increasingly weird mob of kids. He is sadly obsessed with Lego, Nottingham Forest football club, dinosaurs and Daleks.

You can read more about him at his blog The Battersblog, and he will often wave back if you throw pebbles at his window.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Marius don Hellespont finds himself dead for a second time and his girlfriend missing, he goes out into the world seeking answers. It seems Scorbus, the king of the dead he helped crown, is bent on waging war against the living. Can Marius find Keth and stop the king he put into power?

At the end of the Corpse Rat King, I was hoping I'd read about Marius again. Lee Battersby must have heard my prayers, as he has served up another adventure of that loveable miscreant.

The Marching Dead picks up not long after The Corpse Rat King left off. Marius' idyllic retirement is shattered and he ventures out seeking answers with sometimes hilarious results. Battersby's writing is somewhere on the Terry Pratchett-Joe Abercrombie spectrum, funny without detracting from the seriousness of the story. Here's a quote that I loved about the dead mingling with the living:

The natural order had not simply been overturned. It had been bent over a barrel and sodomized.

See what I'm talking about? There were a lot of lines of this caliber peppered throughout the text. Battersby falls right between Terry Pratchett and Joe Abercrombine on the fantasy humor spectrum.

While Marius has changed a bit from his initial outing, his fundamental tricksy nature has remained unchanged. His relationships with Keth, Bryn, and the others kept the story going. I really liked his talk with Billinor, the boy king.

The ending was a little more predictable than the ending of the Corpse Rat King but it was really the only way it could go at that point.

Four stars! When is the third book coming out, Lee?

Read an interview I did with Lee Battersby over at Shelf Inflicted

[sj · Rating 5 out of 5]

The King is dead. Long live the motherfucking King.

Oh, Lee Battersby.  You sure showed me, huh?  When I said I enjoyed but didn't love The Corpse-Rat King last August, it's like you took it as a PERSONAL CHALLENGE and decided to write a book you knew I would LOOOOOVE.

What?  That's not what happened?  Oh.  Hm.

Well, anyway.

For the rest of you - if you're too lazy to click that link up there, The Corpse-Rat King was the first of Battersby's Marius don Hellespont novels, in which a downright scoundrel is mistaken for the King of the Dead, and the only way he can extricate himself from the situation is to find them a new King.

The Marching Dead picks up several years later, after Marius has settled into a staid rural existence with Keth, his One True Love.

Life is decent, if boring, and Marius has learned to derive pleasure from the small things - like aiming the cat at the stickerbushes he's planted outside the window.

Here's where this gets difficult for me to write.  There are literally TENS OF THINGS I want to discuss, but to do so would mean spoiling the crap out of this book for you guys.  And since Angry Robot was kind enough to avoid spoilers in their blurb, I don't even really feel comfortable wading too far into those waters.

Since I'm not being a spoilery asshat, here are some things you can look forward to, should you decide to pick up The Marching Dead:

*Real and true ASSASSIN NUNS, not those stupid assassin nuns I've written about before that don't really do any assassinating.
*Too many eff bombs for my reader to accurately count.
*Some kind of icky sex.
*"You're fucked.  Love Dad"
*Some of the best fantasy worldbuilding I've encountered in a very long time, with nary an infodump in sight.
*A particularly poignant scene that made me cry my eyes out.
*Tons of laughs, many of them of the uncomfortable variety.

One of the things I loved most about The Marching Dead is that it works well on its own.  I don't think you need to've read The Corpse-Rat King to appreciate it at all.  It's difficult to find books in a series lately that effectively standalone, but this one definitely does.  That's not to say I don't think you should go read the first RIGHT THIS SECOND to prepare yourself for this one (US and ebook release March 26, everywhere else April 4) because I totally do.

There.  Now you have your reading assignment for this week.  Go read the first book, then pre-order this one.

I need someone I can discuss them with.

(Thanks for the eARC, Angry Robot!)

[Sarah (is clearing her shelves) · Rating 3 out of 5]

23/12 - I can't believe it's been over a year since I read The Corpse-Rat King (I also can't believe it's only a day till Christmas, but that's another story). When I saw this at the library I was sure I'd read the first book in the series earlier this year, thank goodness for GR and BL or I'd always be under-estimating how many months/years had passed since my last interaction with a particular series or author.

Not quite as hilarious a beginning as The Corpse-Rat King, but I am loving not-dead-enough Granny. She looks like she could provide a similar level of hilarity as I found in the first book. To be continued...

24/12 - I still don't get how this 'being dead' works in this world. If you don't need to breathe, eat, drink, sleep, poop, and you are 'dead' why on earth do you feel any pain? I mean, earlier in the book Granny stuck her hand inside Marius' fatal sword wound a number of times, and the only reason Marius protested was because it was weird and disgusting to see a hand stuck in his chest, not because it hurt or anything like that. So why now, does having every bone in his body broken cause another dead man to experience excruciating pain? It doesn't make any sense. To be continued...

27/12 - After a promising beginning, partially spurred on by my own expectations from the first book, I was a little disappointed with the middle and end of The Marching Dead. It just wasn't quite as funny as The Corpse-Rat King, and considering my thoughts on how high (or low, depending how you look at it) the bar was set with that book that's saying something. I mentioned loving Granny when I first started reviewing? She didn't get nearly enough one-liners and then got kidnapped for a chunk near the middle. She was definitely an underutilised character who could have provided a lot more laughs if given the chance. I really do hope, and think it would be right if, this is the last book in the series. This wasn't as good as The Corpse-Rat King and I believe that if a third book was written it would be even less funny, below three stars. Battersby should quit while he's (sort of) ahead.

[Tim Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah Marius don Hellespont, you thought you had retired. You got the girl. You saved the world. You got the lovely cottage out in the country with the white picket fence, surrounded by flowers, complete with the requisite cat. Well, that was maybe more her dream (especially the cat part), but Marius wanted to make her happy, so if she is happy, he is happy.

Two things though. One, Marius is bored, bored, bored. And two, wishing for a little excitement, Marius very much learns the meaning of the saying “be careful what you wish for.”

In short order, an old enemy appears, Drenthe, who attacks Marius, kidnaps Keth, dragged frightened beyond all measure into the underworld, and oh, along the way our intrepid hero (anti-hero?) finds that Scorbus, the man he gave to the dead as their king, was maybe not such a good choice. Not only are the dead not really dying anymore anywhere, but Scorbus is amassing an enormous undead army to wage war on the living. To solve one problem he may need to solve the other.

Where to begin though? Fortunately Marius is not alone in his quest as Gerd and his Granny (now also dead, not that that would stop her from doing anything) join him in not only saving Keth but also the world.

Overall this was an enjoyable book, a well written and an entertaining adventure. There was a lot to like about this sequel. Gerd is much developed as a character and gets on more equal footing with Marius, showing he is not the simple country bumpkin he appeared early in _The Corpse-Rat King_. Granny is a real hoot, a very enjoyable character to have around, suffering fools and the arrogant very poorly indeed. Keth – and her relationship with Marius – gets further developed as well. Growing as a character the most however is Marius himself. Not the man avoiding responsibility at all cost as he did in the first novel, he is more mature, taking responsibility for not only saving Keth but for righting the wrong he created in giving Scorbus the throne of King of the Dead. We also get to find out a lot about Marius’ childhood and the things that made him the way he is. Very nice character development.

The rich history and culture of this world once again is not mere window dressing but an integral part of the story, as the history of Scorbus himself is a key factor in the events of the novel. The depth of this world continued to impress me, as though it was recognizably European it had enough twists and turns as well as untold or briefly hinted at stories to really drag me in.

There were lots of new characters introduced, all interesting and some unique, ranging from Arnobew (a good friend but clearly quite insane, running around as he does in all of things cardboard armor) to Fellipan (the sexy –and undead – bordello queen that more than complicates Marius’ relationship with Keth). The relationships between the various characters didn’t remain static either, something understandable as many of Marius’ old acquaintances (as well as some of the new ones) could be decidedly on the fence at times on whether or not they were good or evil and whether or not they were to be trusted or were treacherous.

The humor was toned down a bit from the first book, which I think is a bit of a good thing, as sometimes it came off as a little forced in the first novel (not that either book lacked for laughs). The pace was brisk and the action well described. I loved the non-standard, out of the box solutions Marius continued to come up with in the book to the many problems he faced. A few things could have been better explained, chiefly relating to the nature of undeath in this world, and though we get some more information on how things work after death (and the abilities of the undead) still more would have been nice.

This book had a definitive ending too, though just enough was left open that a sequel of sorts could be easily imagined. I would definitely read anything else that followed the adventures of Marius and Gerd.

[Kate Sherrod · Rating 5 out of 5]

had a lot of love last fall for the first novel in this series, The Corpse-Rat King. So much love I almost gave it five stars. Really, the only reason I didn't was because I was pretty sure the best was yet to come.

And I was right. With this sequel, The Marching Dead, Battersby kicked up everything I loved about the first novel by a notch or two -- world-building, storytelling, hilarity, and most of all, characters who just made me punch the air over and over again, usually while laughing. Gerd, the trusty dead bumpkin sidekick on whom our hero Marius relied on last novel, comes into his own as a bona fide second hero, for one... but there's more. For instance, Gerd's newly dead Granny, who could go toe to toe with Lady Sybella and the awesome cranky biddy gang of the Lymond Chronicles, but who, ultimately, would shock them speechless with her command of bawdy songs. And Alno the dead bastard cat. And Arnobew, aka Warbone, the crazy cardboard warrior. And Marius' parents, who are both real pieces of work. And...

See what I mean, here? Generally, any book that finds me giving lists of characters in the first paragraph or two of my blog is one that has made me very, very happy.

But wait, there's more. Like plot twists that actually surprised me. Like genuinely grounding the bizarre, over-the-top story in the hero's character, past and present and making it work. Like featuring lines of dialogue like "It's not necrophilia if we're both dead" and having it feel completely natural, tasteless absurdity and all. Like a stupendously badass order of nuns with whom no sane would ever want to tangle. Really, the only way I could have been happier would have been if Battersby had managed to throw in some kind of awesome Busby Berkley cockroach scene or something. My only complaint is that, well, this seems like an awfully small world; Marius do keep running into every (impressively bosomed) woman he's ever slept with and winding up needing something from her years after leaving on messy terms.

Which is to say that, yes, I could have done without the love rhombus.

But that's a small matter, really. And it's the big matters that, well, matter. Because amid the violence and the guffaws, The Marching Dead has a thing or two to say about belief and religion, about life after death (obviously) and about responsibility, which not even Marius can run away from. There are some poignant moments between the scenes of slapstick carnage and smartassery. As there should be when the subject is death.

As soon as things look to be getting too serious, though, Battersby always comes out with a send up. Because ultimately, he seems to want to tell us, death and fear of death are laughing matters, if anything is. It's just that the joke is on us. As is the vomit, blood, other body fluids....

Battersby is one messed up dude. Delightfully so. We should all be so lucky. All the stars.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

The previous book was comedy -- well-graced with serious notes, and with plenty of drama in the antics, but a comedy. This book stands on that build-up to hand you a serious story (with plenty of laugh lines).

Our buddy Marius ("hero" would be too strong a word) has come home, made up with his pissed-off old flame, and settled down to an honest life with the woman he loves. Of course he is bored crapless. Fortunately, in some sense, the dead rise up and drag the woman he loves away into the underworld. The dead also stab Marius through the chest. This doesn't slow him down like it would most people -- he's got some experience being dead himself -- but it's no way to make friends.

With kidnapping and murder as an opener, matters quickly get desperate, and they stay that way. Marius winds up running around the continent, as he did last book, but this time it's not because he's been shanghai'd into a whimsical quest. He's trying to prevent a disaster -- and it's kind of his fault. And Keth is pissed at him *again*, and she's not wrong *either*...

What I find interesting here -- aside from the deft stake-raising from farce to catastrophe -- is that this a distinctly unromantic book. That's unusual in fantasy, and I don't just mean "genre romance is taking over". This is a story where magic will not turn up at the end to make everything right; nor will the gods, the Force, or the force of a happy ending. It's all down on Marius -- and Marius, despite some unusual talents, is not omnipotent. Therefore, not to be spoilery, but the ending is kind of grim. I'd say "realistically grim", but this *is* a world where the dead get up and walk.

(Oh, gah, I've just made it sound like a zombie apocalypse novel. No. Farthest thing from the author's mind.)

This is also (I'm certain this is the same theme), a distinctly *agnostic* book. I won't go into details, because that *would* be spoilery. But I'll say that this might just *be* a "grand evocation of rationality" in a way that other authors have flailed at.

(What is it about comedy writers that they do humanism so well?)

[Mieneke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Last year Lee Battersby's The Corpse-Rat King was one of the first books to come out of Angry Robot's first Open Door month and I was excited to see what could come out of such a process. While I did have some problems with the book – difficulties connecting to the main character and some pacing issues – I quite enjoyed the story and I was left wanting to discover how Battersby would finish Marius' story. In The Marching Dead I found a great return to this story. I liked that we return to a Marius who has what he wanted at the end of the last book and he's bored to death. He wasn't made for the peaceful, quiet country life. So the sudden reappearance of Drenthe, the soldier who dragged him to the underworld last time, while shocking, is as much a relief as an annoyance.

Unlike in the previous book, in The Marching Dead Marius is immediately sympathetic, there was no warming up period needed. Partly this was due to the fact we already know Marius and his quirks, but the fact that his quandary at the beginning of the book is quite relatable – who hasn't gotten what they thought they wanted, only to find out it wasn't as wonderful as they thought? – also helps in this respect. He's also quickly surrounded by people he grudgingly has to admit he cares about, such as Gerd and his Granny. In addition to the return of these two, there are several wonderful, new characters, among whom Drenthe, Billinor, Fellipan, Arnobew and yes, even Keth. I especially loved Billinor, the young, somewhat innocent King of Scorby. The way Marius helps him find his voice and lets him say a proper goodbye to his father was touching and I really enjoyed his role in the book. This broad array of characters lets Battersby show off his biggest strength: fun, cynical banter. His dialogues are always strong, but never as strong as when the banter turns a bit sardonic and dark.

The Marching Dead is more than just a quest to rescue the girl, and later rescue the world; however, it's also the story of one man accepting his calling. I loved the emotional journey Marius takes, returning to his childhood haunts and letting us glimpse what made him the person he became and his realisation of who he needs to become. We follow his slow shift of perspective – put into words in the latter part of the novel – moving from thinking as a living person to thinking as a dead person, the benefits of which truly come to light once they start planning for the final battle in the book. Marius has to release those bonds that tie him to life and it's not an easy process. Of course, the story isn't all doom and gloom; there is plenty to laugh about, some great action and some lovely world-building. As I noted in my review of The Corpse-Rat King, the bone cathedral gave me the creeps and in this book Battersby adds several more arresting landmarks to his world. The most impressive of which has to be the cliffs of Tylytene and its nunneries. I found this locale fascinating and this community of nuns seems to harbour plenty of stories should Battersby choose to revisit them.

The resolution of the novel is bittersweet, with everything wrapped up neatly, if not totally happily. The Marching Dead is a fabulous final to this duology and Marius' story is definitely something different, but very enjoyable. Battersby's first series can be chalked up as a success and I for one am curious to see where the author will go next.

This book was provided for review by the publisher.

[Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine a zombie Jack Sparrow trapped in Wonderland, with the wits of Locke Lamora and the vulgar mouth of a dirty sailor. You might get an idea of Marius Don Hellespont. The Marching Dead is the sequel to 2012’s excellent The Corpse Rat King by Aussie-Author Lee Battersby. While I didn’t post my thoughts on The Corpse Rat King here on the blog I will quickly note that I was thoroughly impressed and became an instant fan of Mr. Battersby.

The sequel picks up after the events of The Corpse Rat King, and once again Marius is on the run, this time in search of his beloved Keth. New characters include Marius’ parents, some ninja-nuns, (no typo there, you read correctly… ninja nuns!) zombie sailors, a busty pirate wench, and a warrior who wields armor made of card-board. It might sound crazy, but it just kind of works! The novel has a sense of whimsy and doesn’t take itself too seriously. You don’t really question the world, or how the physics work, you just hold on and go for the ride.

Marius Don Hellespont is a rising star in the fantasy genre and in my opinion, he deserves a bit more attention. Lee Battersby hasn’t written the next Name of the Wind, but he has written a fun novel that fans of cloak and dagger fantasy should enjoy. I haven’t seen any of the big book bloggers talking about Battersby yet, which comes as a surprise due to the fact that he is published by the increasingly popular Angry Robot. Check him out for yourself if any of the above sounds intriguing, it’s a quick read and was certainly entertaining. Marius Don Hellespont, I hope we meet again!

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up at a sale, not knowing it was the second book in a series. As some of the reviews suggested it could be read independently, I decided to give it a go.

Will I seek out the first book in the series after readin this one? Well, no.

There's several reasons. The world in the Marching Dead just doesn't feel real. It just feels like a string of backdrops for Marius's adventures, which also seem to lack in direction. For the first half of the book I had no idea why Marius went to the places he choose to visit, and the one he visited seemed to be not connected to a living and breathing world.

After the first 50 pages I also stopped counting all the plotholes. Why some of the dead stuck around the place where they died, and other still went to join the army of the king of the dead? I have no fucking clue.

The humor of the book is most based on the main characters being sarcastic to each other, which can be funny, but in this case just felt like every character had the same characterL that of a mean asshole.


In conclusion, Battersby obviously does know how to write quick paced, well flowing prose, and at some points I did find some discriptions and dialogs funny, but the 2 dimensional characters and the directionless plot don't invite me too read more of his work just yet.

[Benjamin Kahn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a terrible book but beyond the premise, not that original. The story starts out light and lively but soon loses the light tone. I found some parts too earnest and other parts too cute. The protagonist is not a character that you really care that much about and the whole plot seemed a little weak and ill-conceived at times. The whole backstory with his parents and his evolving relationship with his girlfriend really provoked nothing in me beyond a "who cares?"

This is a sequel to a book that I haven't read so it's possible that if I had read the original, I might have got more out of this one. With that said, I found the book to be competent but unspectacular. A good concept that fails due to poor execution and a lack of imagination.

[S.B. (Beauty in Ruins) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was almost a year ago that Lee Battersby completely blew me away with The Corpse-Rat King, an extremely funny, extraordinarily imaginative tale that I thoroughly enjoyed, and have gleefully recommended over and over again. I've been waiting for the follow-up almost from the moment I turned the last page, and I'm pleased to say The Marching Dead was definitely worth the wait.

In a slightly more mature sequel, Battersby eases up a bit on the slapstick and reigns in the bizarre sense of adventure, but still maintains the same imaginative literary sense of the macabre that made the first book such a success. We pick up the story of Marius dos Helles a few years later, with our reluctant hero relaxing at home with the love of his life - except, of course, for when he's shifting back into dead flesh and stealing into town for a drink. Before long, however, that boringly idyllic life is brought to a screeching halt when Keth is dragged kicking and screaming into the realm of the dead, and Marius finds himself on the wrong end of Drenthe's sword . . . again.

Cue the return of Gerd, who is given a chance to rise above his minor sidekick role to become a main character, and his Granny, who is very much dead, but still looking after her favourite boy. As Gerd explains to Marius, "We buried Granny in the village graveyard. After a week, she dug herself out and came to me for answers." I thought Gerd was underused in the first book, so it was nice to see him have a chance to shine here. Not only does he stand up to Marius and hold his own, but he sticks with the man who led him to his death, browbeating him into doing the right thing more than once. As for Granny, her sharp-witted nastiness serves as a welcome foil for both men.

Whereas the first book was all about Marius trying to find new ways to duck his responsibilities, and new (dead) people to thrust those responsibilities upon, this book is very much about him confronting his past and claiming the destiny he escape first time around - albeit reluctantly. Battersby reveals the man behind the corpse, introducing us to his parents, and providing some insight into why his life of privilege ended with him robbing corpses on a battlefield. It makes for a more sombre and serious tale, at least in parts, but the added depth is very much appreciated.

There are more than a few new characters here to love, including Brys (the sexy Pirate with the ample bosom), Fellipan (the dead sexy bordello Mistress with the ample bosom), and Arnobew (the madman with a cardboard sword). It's definitely a more well-rounded cast than in the first book, and four-sided love triangle between Marius, Keth, Brys, and Fellipan is both a lot of fun and source of surprising sorrow by the end. The visual depiction of Fellipan is about as over-the-top erotic as they come, and her personality delivers on that dangerous premise, even as she assures Marius that it's not necrophilia if they're both dead.

Once again, Battersby absolutely nails the narrative style, balancing humour and horror, fantasy and felony. It's another quick-moving, well-written story that amuses, excites, and concludes with some rather deep, and remarkably heavy musings on the subjects of life, death, and the afterlife - or the lack thereof. Some readers may be a tad offended by the nunnery to which Marius' mother has retired, having been home to "celebrated healers, whores, and the occasional holy woman," but the practicality of hedging their bets against shifts in mythology is to be admired. I wasn't quite sure where the story was headed, and I appreciated the way it kept me guessing, and managed to surprise me, without making me feel cheated.

I suspect - or maybe just desperately hope - that is not the end for Marius and Gerd but, if it is, then I can walk away with no complaints. The Corpse-Rat King and The Marching Dead make for an entirely satisfying duology, firmly establishing Marius dos Helles as one of the finest - and funniest - reluctant heroes in the history of fantasy. If you enjoyed the first one, you'll love this one too, and if you have yet to enjoy the first one . . . well, what the heck are you waiting for?


Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Battersby’s beloved scoundrel returns anew - and if the first one was a necromantic fantasy novel, this is a deceased detective tale. Still rife with riffing and ridicule, our protagonist begins bored and ends up dead again, pursuing the love of his life (scoundrel-ing) and also his lady love is taken to boot. There seems to be a tonal shift here and while the humor is rich and the wordplay is fine, there seems to be a diminishment in character, though Battersby richly adds “Granny,” a character who seems to be a perfect foil for our protagonist.

If this follow up seems to have less glimmer than its predecessor, take that as a sign that Battersby’s first novel in this world was so rich and satisfying that the slightest shift in tone and flavor alters the palate, changes the flavor, and reminds us that this is just a dessert after a sumptuous feast of the first novel; a tart finisher or a bourbon chaser. Simple put, if you love the first novel, and enjoyed the righteous jerk that is Marius, then this novel will delight you, though it seems that, if I may continue my culinary parallel, there are many just desserts in this novel, and the flavor profile runs from the overly rich to the tart, a variance not seen in the first book, but, perhaps, needed and justified in this fine follow up. After all, a dead scoundrel still must pay his dues....

[Tim Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Four stars because I think it succeeded in what the author tried to do. Hey, it's a light read, although not as light as volume 1.

You mustn't think too hard while enjoying the snark here. The plot is held together with masking tape and old glue that doesn't stick very well.

Keth, when she appears, is mostly Debbie Downer. Gerd seems to have one astonishing power that he never really thinks about. I never did quite figure out Drenthe, or how the dead were so easily swayed from one side to the other. Or even what they all really wanted.

This book would be a failure, I think. had it not gradually led to Marius finally thinking through what he was and what was happening, and what ought to happen next.

But we did get that, and it was OK. We got to enjoy Marius solving puzzles and challenges in hi snarky way. It was sufficiently fun, but I'm glad he seems to have tied off this plot arc, at least. I'm not sure I need to know what Marius might do next, if he ever reappears.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

While this is a fun, brisk read like its predecessor, it has some flaws that were less present in the first book. The action is a bit murky during some important passages, including the climactic battle. The protagonist develops a bit more of a conscience, but that ends up making him less appealing as a character. A lot of questions were left unanswered. If a third book is forthcoming, I’m sure I’ll read it, but the sequel didn’t quite live up to the high standard set by the first volume.

[Lewis Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having loved 'The Corpse-Rat King', I loved its sequel just as much. The characters old and new were exciting, the plot was tight, and the humour was as dry and hilarious as the first. Now, hopefully Lee can write number 3...?

[Carolyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried a third time to get into it. I'm not sure why, but sorry it didn't hold my interest. And I'm a Walking Dead fan. Odd.

[The Speculative Post · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a big lover of grey areas. Fantasy has lately been oscillating between Lord of the Rings style stalwart heroes, and Grimdark nearly villainous anti-heros, so it was really a great find for me to pick up Lee Battersby whose protagonist Marius is quickly climbing the ranks of my favourite fantasy characters. He’s not a -bad- guy per se, but he knows which side his bread is buttered on: the side that he gets to eat and you don’t. He may save the day, but he probably does it either against his better judgement, by accident, or because it is in his best interest to at least pretend to want to do it that way, and it makes him a much more developed and vibrant character. You find yourself growing fond of him in a very ‘you magnificent bastard!’ sort of way, without him ever really descending into actual depravity.

Not that this book is warm and snuggly. Battersby is definitely writing for an adult audience, and fairly graphic violence, lots of profanity, and healthy (for the undead anyway) amounts of sex abound, so this might not be the best book to buy for your younger readers. But if you enjoy a great read that isn’t going to pull any punches, you could do a lot worse. The story is pretty original, and makes the right use of tropes: enough to save on a lot of exposition, and not nearly enough to make the story seem derivative. The pacing is excellent, and the plot hits all the right beats at the right times. Clocking in at just over 400 pages, I got through it in maybe two days. Not to suggest that it is ‘light’ or fluffy, just that you’re kept interested, and there’s always something just about to happen that you can justify spending 10 more minutes to get the payout. And then 10 more minutes.

Probably my favourite thing about The Marching Dead, and the thing that brought the comparison to Terry Pratchett most to my mind, is the fact that there is also a surprisingly deep philosophical element to a lot of what happens. Marius finds himself ruminating on the role of royalty for the people, on religion, faith, the afterlife, and even while jokes are being cracked on all manner of serious subjects, there are some really interesting insights that come into play, as well. They elevate the story from what would have already been a great and funny novel into something even better. I said in my introduction that it has been a long time since new fantasy has made me laugh out loud. But to make me laugh out loud -and- have something to think about is even more of a rarity. Bravo.

In addition to any of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels, those intrigued by the occasionally grim, occasionally silly style of The Marching Dead would likely also enjoy some of the older Ed Greenwood Forgotten Realms novels like Spellfire. Those who enjoy reading a slightly more adult level of narrative should also check out Spider Robinson’s Callahan’s Lady for a sci-fi take on the slightly grittier and perhaps raunchier style. And puns. Many glorious puns.

[prk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marius don Hellespont is dead bored. Literally. Despite being life-challenged he won the heart of the girl he loved and retired to the country with her, where with nary a shady scheme in sight, he's bored out of his considerable wits.

Then the dead stop dying, his love gets kidnapped, and as Marius chases after her, he finds himself in a player in a much bigger game - a war between the dead and the living. Unsatisfied with being King of the Dead below, Scorbus wants to eradicate all the living and rule over both above and below.

Having not read The Corpse Rat King, I wasn't sure what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised by The Marching Dead. While it started off somewhat stereotypically (fridging the hero's love to motivate him), the rest of the novel was less predictable and quite enjoyable.

While I knew I was missing come context and character back-story from the Corpse Rat King, it didn't stop me enjoying The Marching Dead - Battersby had enough callbacks with cues for me to pick up the salient points as I read. That said, the characters seemed fairly well formed with minimal development during this book, something which may have been different for those introduced to them in the prequel. I also think Marius's visit to his adolescent home and catchup with his parents may have had a stronger impact on those who'd read him in the prequel, but it's difficult to say.

The plot was solid, and while it felt like it was on rails for the first half, it was deliberately set up that way with the characters also aware of it. It was only in the second half to last third that the characters started to act a bit more independently, and I found that a much more interesting read.

I enjoyed Battersby's writing style, and in particular the incredibly black and inappropriate humour dotted throughout. While it had me laughing out loud, others may react a little differently.

If you've read and enjoyed the Corpse Rat King, then you'll probably enjoy this. If you haven't, and enjoy some irreverent, black-comedy fantasy, then I'd suggest starting with that, but this does work remarkably well as a standalone if you've acquired a copy.

prk.

Disclaimer: Whilst I read this as a judge for the 2013 Aurealis Awards, this review is my personal opinion and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging co-ordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.

[Mick · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been four years since the events of The Corpse-Rat King and Marius von Hellespont, conman, scoundrel, and one-time King of the Dead, has finally stopped running. Now he's living in the countryside with the love of his life, Keth, looking after their cat and making a (mostly) honest living.

It all comes crashing down when Keth is taken from him to the land of the dead, and he finds himself with a sword through his chest. It seems the King of the dead, who Marius crowned four years ago, has been busy. Unable to deliver on his promise to give the dead the heaven they want, King Scorbus is going to give them the world of the living instead, and he has an army. With still-dead pig-farmer Gerd and his hilarious and also-dead Granny in tow, Marius is forced to save the world and his beloved, even if it means dealing with unpleasant family reunions, vicious smugglers, undead madames, assassin nuns, and all manner of weird and hilarious characters.

The Marching Dead, while continuing the excellent standards in worldbuilding, character, and wordplay set by Lee Battersby in the previous book, is much darker in tone and content. The stakes are much higher, with the fate of the world - and more personally, Marius's love - in question. While Marius remains a funny and charming main character, and both Gerd and Granny are hilarious as his sidekicks, the slapstick humour of the original is severely reigned in. The previous book was about Marius trying to save his hide however he could, but in The Marching Dead he's angry and desperate and willing to do anything to save not his life, but the world.

The thoughtful conclusion, in which Marius confronts some ugly truths about the nature of life and death and takes on a difficult responsibility, makes for a suitable but somewhat sombre end if this series happens to be a duology. Still, I'd love to see more adventures of Marius and Gerd if Battersby writes another book. There's a lot more running to do.

[Mark Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Marching Dead is the second book in the Marius don Hellespont series. I read (and very much enjoyed) the first book, The Corpse Rat King, a little while back, so was very pleased to get my teeth sunk into the sequel.

First up I have to say that the things I loved about the first book were very much present in the second. Marius was still an excellent bounder and cad, although slightly less reluctant than in the first novel. The Marching Dead had a much wider cast than the first novel, but all the characters were well drawn and engaging.

And the writing was just as captivating as I remembered from the first novel. Witty dialogue and excellent descriptive text and galloping along at a frenetic pace. The humour in this book really engaged me - dark and biting at some times, downright silly at others. In some ways I felt that this book was trying to make more serious points than the first, but it was done in such an engaging manner that I hardly noticed!

Apart from that, my comments are very similar to my review of The Corpse-Rat King, so I won't repeat myself too much. I will say however that I liked the ending. It was not romanticised and artificially sweetened, which brought the story together for me very well.

An excellent story and well worth the price of entry. Highly recommended.

I also reviewed this book on my website.

[Zach Sparks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the second book marginally less than the first one. It had everything I liked about the 1st one but right at the very end it got very preachy about the evils of religion and I couldn't tell if it was necessary to the way the universe in the book was constructed or if it was the actual opinion of the author. The same thing happened on my first read through of The Golden Compass; I enjoyed it right until it got really preachy. I don't mind religion in fiction or anti-religious sentiments either for that matter, I just require that they add something to the story. I can make the case both for and against it in The Marching Dead. Was it necessary in order to resolve the conflict? Yes. Could the conflict have been solved another way? Possibly, but it would have been messier. Honestly, it probably wouldn't bother me as much as it does if it had ended on a happier note. I think Lee Battersby has left it open for a third book, and I hope he ties up the series a little bit... neater than he did here. That being said, I hope there is a third one. I will read it (or listen to it, Michael Page does an excellent job narrating) and I will revisit this review then.

[Daniel Ruffolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Marching Dead by Lee Battersby is pretty much the quintessence of a rollicking good time. Clever, witty, and occasionally a little bit smarmy, but in the way you really enjoy, this sequel (which can still be read as a stand-alone) to Battersby’s first novel The Corpse-Rat King builds on an already great protagonist and quasi-anti-reluctant hero Marius don Hellespont. Battersby reads like a cross between Joe Abercrombie on April Fool’s Day and Terry Pratchett after one too many pints of beer. It’s been too long since I’ve read any new fantasy that made me laugh out loud.

Read the full review at Strange Currencies
https://strangecurrencies.org/2016/01...

[Katharine (Ventureadlaxre)]

Katharine is a judge for the Sara Douglass 'Book Series' Award. This entry is the personal opinion of Katharine herself, and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of any judging panel, the judging coordinator or the Aurealis Awards management team.

I won't be recording my thoughts (if I choose to) here until after the AA are over.

[Janice · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the first in this series, I grabbed this sequel as soon as I saw it. Good, rather dark, humor. Witty and well paced. One of those that moves right along and is over before you realize it.

[Tom Reed · Rating 3 out of 5]

the 2nd in a series.
sadly, whilst having a bit more plot than the first, and having some interesting moments, there just wasn't much to it. there were also several editing errors.

[Dawn Paris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this one even more than its predecessor. Marius is a great flawed and reluctant hero.

[David Marshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its quite good but nothing but a pale shadow of The Corpse-Rat King which was one of the standout fantasies of 2012.

http://opionator.wordpress.com/2013/0...

[Geoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it.
Even better than the first book, which I also loved.

[Vik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this book and The Corpse-Rat King. Great world and they're so funny. Marius don Hellespont is a bit of a hero in his own conniving underhanded hilarious way.

[Micaela · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I wasn't all that impressed with The Corpserat King: a little too rude and crude and not enough to make up for it for my taste, although with some entertaining and clever bits. The Marching Dead is much better. It is still quite rude and crude, and I still don't think the crude humor is necessarily good crude humor. However, the entertaining and clever bits have multiplied (along with the cheese factor). Also, forgive me if I'm wrong, but we seem to have completely rewritten Marius's backstory, not that this particularly matters. This book is an unapologetic undead romp, featuring three corpses and a live cat traipsing across the continent, one of the corpses being Granny, who goes by no other name. There are insane rich people and warrior nuns. The running commentary (look at this grotesque civilization!! Doesn't it make you feel guilty about your own culture??) is amusing. Now, towards the end, it gets fairly predictable and even preachy, if it's possible for a prose littered with curse words to be preachy, but that didn't particularly bother me. The book was enjoyable, better than expected: expect well-done fun, not high-brow art.