Continuing where Nethergeist ended, the second volume follows Ayilia and her mishmash of reluctant allies as they arrive in disparate lands and must contend with nefarious creatures, Lifeless dissidents, and Vespasian, who is slowly becoming something ... else.
Meanwhille, Barrackus, Sheyna, and the rest of the Asthen Raiders have converged upon the Imperium, but little do they know that their greatest threat may come from one of their own.
Superb follow up to Nethergeist. Never really know what to expect with second books, but this is ace. Smart laconic prose and a dystopian tale which just gets progressively more unsettling. Which is exactly what I was hoping for. This is an ideal read for anyone who likes their sci-fi to draw from that rich well of dysfunction served up by the world we actually live in. Now more than ever. And as with the best sci-fi, much of this story feels eerily prescient given what's going on in that bigger world. A great read and a name to look out for.
I had been eagerly awaiting this sequel and the wait was definitely worth it. I enjoyed this novel every bit as much as the first in the series. It's another engrossing and thought-provoking work, and equally relevant to the current state of the world. I'm very much looking forward to the next Nick Stevenson book, as this is an author who is now firmly on my radar.