No Man's Land

by Richard K. Morgan

The Great War was supposed to be the war to end all wars-and maybe it would have been, had an even greater, otherworldly foe not arisen to extinguish the conflict. Overnight, as guns blazed away in France and Flanders, village after village in the quiet British countryside were swallowed by the Forest. And within the Forest lurk the Huldu ‒ an ancient fae race, monstrous in their inhumanity, who have decided that mankind's ascendency over the world can endure no longer.

Enter Duncan Silver. Scarred by the war, fueled by a rage deeper than the trenches in which he once fought, Duncan is determined to show the Huldu that the world is not theirs for the taking. Armed with a cut-down trench gun filled with iron shot and a deadly iron knife, Duncan will stop at nothing to return the children the Huldu have stolen from the arms of their families. No matter how many Huldu he may have to slaughter along the way.

But when he is hired by a mother to return her four-year-old daughter, Miriam ‒ taken by the Huldu six months past and replaced with a Changeling ‒ all hell breaks loose. Miriam is a pawn in a much bigger game for dominance than Duncan ever expected, and several long-buried secrets from his past are about to be violently resurrected.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Horror, Historical, Fiction, Adult, Urban Fantasy

478 pages, Hardcover

First published March 24, 2026

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Richard K. Morgan (sometimes credited as Richard Morgan) is a science fiction and fantasy writer.

Reviews

[Lotta Z (Not active due to sickness) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for this ARC! All thoughts are my own!

This is going to be a DNF for me sorry. All the swearing and the writing style just isn't working for me and life is just too short to read a book I'm not enjoying. Also, it's oddly sexual and I've read in other reviews that it only gets worse so that's a no from me.

If those things don't bother you then this one could work for you!

🤍

[Christina Baehr]

I was intrigued by the gorgeous cover, and the blending of noir elements with folklore was promising, but the grimdark mood & language, graphic violence, and casual sexualisation of the first female character to appear made me quickly realise this was not for me. Perhaps the protagonist has a redemption arc, but I'm not the reader to appreciate it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for this ARC.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love historical fantasy as a genre so the idea of one set in England in the bleak years directly after the First World War hooked me right away. In this strange alternative timeline the inhuman creatures of fairy tales, the Fae, have reemerged after centuries to conquer huge swaths of Britain, replacing human towns and villages with a giant, evil forest. The story follows Duncan Silver, a damaged WW1 veteran turned “woodsman” who ventures into these brutal woodlands to retrieve stolen children. The fae have a nasty habit of abducting infants to raise as slaves, it seems.

I really liked Duncan as a character. His grim backstory gave him a nice amount of depth and contextualized him into the story in an organic way. The action is terrific and the creepy fae elements are handled really well. It also feels like Morgan went to great lengths to depict the period vividly and that greatly helps to anchor this otherwordly story.

I did find it difficult to follow at times and may even need to re-read it at some point. Major plot points seemed to pass by without emphasis and I’m still unclear on several things. It also felt like the magical elements disappeared for a large part of the novel and my attention flagged a little at that point. There’s probably twice as much graphic sex as it needs and that may put off some readers.

Overall though this was a banger and if you like a little historical fiction with your dark fantasy it’s well worth your time.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

[Jensen McCorkel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick very high level summary.
Post WWI Britain is overrun by the Huldu (ancient race of Fae). The Hudlu believe that humans have been in power for too long and wish to reverse that. Children start to go missing and return but do they really return or are they changelings. Our MC is on the hunt to get these children back and return the changelings.

My take.
I really wanted to like this story. The premise is super interesting but I just could not get into the authors writing style. The pacing is all over the place for me and in places is very slow and drawn out. The profanity at times seem misplaced and only added for shock value and trust me I cuss like a sailor at times so profanity is not an issue for me as long as it seems to fit with the flow and feeling of the story. I also had issues with aspects of the story, for example there is a part with an 11 year old boy and a fae woman that is sexualized. Not my thing at all. At that point I tried to continue with the story but I ended up DNF’ing the story at about 60%. Like I said this book was just not for me. Some will probably love it.

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review copy received from NetGalley

Consider, for a moment, the idea of a changeling. The child whisked away in the night by fae creatures, replaced by a manikin crafted in the child's image by supernatural means. Now imagine someone who's job it is to get those stolen children back, by any means necessary.

That is the protagonist of No Man's Land, Duncan Silver, woodsman and veteran of the War to End All Wars - which as we know did not, in fact, end all wars, and in the context of this book was quickly followed by the rapid and extensive expansion of faerie-infested forestry.

If you're familiar with the author's other works - Altered Carbon, Thin Air, Thirteen - then you know the drill; an experienced protagonist capable of and comfortable with extreme violence in a hyperspecialized profession at the lawless margins of society. I enjoyed it in those books, and while No Man's Land breaks from the sci-fi standard, I found I liked the divergence significantly more than I thought I would.

The Huldu, such as the fae are rendered here, are depicted as ancient and monstrous, the violence graphically descriptive, and the sexual commentary a bit excessive at times (at several points it felt more intrusive and unnecessary than in the author's other books), but all in all I enjoyed the book and felt it reliably delivered what I was hoping for.

[Opal Edgar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Post-WWI human destruction, disenchantment and rage, but with elf war and spooky forests added to the mix.
This is a dark, gritty fantasy for people who want graphic content. Harsh, furious and lascivious - and sadly I'm a little squeamish about that last one, so it wasn't so great for me.

I have tried to see Richard K. Morgan's "Altered Carbon" TV series and couldn't get past the first episode. There was just too many sex scenes getting in the way of the plot. I thought this might have been a TV thing, hyping the sensationalism... but turns out it's just the author's style.

This felt the same. The plot could have been good, but I just can't make myself pick up the book anymore, I just find it very off-putting. Not for me, which I was sad about as the voice is good, very vivid and more literary than most fantasies, and the world was very intriguing.

[Bevany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really fun concept for a book and I was so excited to read it. There were parts of the story that were interesting and the mmc was well written but most of the plot didn't hold my interesting.

[Ashley]

Just got sent an unsolicited ARC of this so I will be reading it much, much sooner than planned!

[Lisalena]

Why is this book listed but not available anywhere to purchase??

[Sarah]

DNF’d @ 34% — I am calling this a soft DNF (aka: I might come back. Maybe.)

There was a lot I liked here — the premise sounded so cool, especially with very bloodthirsty & folklore-based fae meets post-WWI era England, and a WWI soldier (PTSD and all). There was intrigue building for what was going on with this missing child and Duncan’s past.

There was also a lot that I did not like. I was struggling to get through to 30% — there was a ton of world building but it felt like I was constantly waiting for something to happen at the same time? I am also not that big of a fan of how every female character we met ended up sleeping with the MMC/had some sort of sexual past with him/sexualization in his eyes. The writing style felt a bit…much. But at the same time, when there was action, I was really invested in it.

I think that this author’s writing style (at least for this book, because I have no read any of their other work yet) would lend itself really well to audiobook, and I might give this another chance in the future because of that. But that being said, I am soft DNF-ing for now, potentially coming back, because there were elements here that I think I would be really invested in.

Thank you very much NetGalley and Del Rey for this ARC! All thoughts are my own opinions, and I will update all my reviews when/if I come back to this on audiobook.

[Belinda S 》beesblurbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soft DNF @ 30%.

The premise of this and everything the book promises on paper is right up my alley. I especially love how the fae and mythical creatures are depicted - a stark contrast to what is currently popular on the market.

The setting is also well done. I have been able to create an image in my head of where we are and where we are going with ease.

Where this has fallen flat for me is the pacing. I have reached a third of the way through the book and really do feel like the story itself has been meandering.

I think and hope I will return to this one at some point in time.

Thankyou to the publishers and Netgalley for an early copy of No Mans Land. this is my honest review and all opinions are my own.

[LordTBR · Rating 5 out of 5]

A grimdark tale full of harrowing landscapes, flawed and plagued characters, and an ancient magic sweeping the countryside. Morgan’s prose will have you smelling the blood and earth, feeling the dampness of the forest, and craving more from the narrative. A fantastic story.

[Trisha]

This cover is GORGEOUS! I can't wait to read it!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

[Marie Grim · Rating 4 out of 5]

No Man’s Land by Richard K Morgan is a dark fantasy set in an alternate Britain immediately following World War I. Written in third person with a singular POV, the story follows Duncan Silver, a former Captain in the British Army who now spends his days stalking the Forest to retrieve human children taken by the Huldu, a strange and savage race of Fair Folk who reentered the world with the Unbinding of the Great Forests.

Now the Forest covers all of the British Isles save for islands of human habitation carefully guarded by iron and fire, with armored trains the only means of safely traveling through the Forest to reach other cities. The Huldu emerge rarely from its eaves, but the Forest is always creeping forward.

Duncan is contracted to retrieve a young child taken into the Forest by its bereft mother, an event which kicks off various intrigues and danger, with multiple factions attempting to intervene. Duncan must rely on all of his skills as he gathers friends to save the child from the Forest, and shapes the future relationship of Britain and the Huldu in the process.

Sharp and well-written, this novel is a masterful
blend of folklore, history, and fantasy. I really enjoyed the atmosphere crafted by the author, full of dark forests and deep waters. There’s a lurking horror threaded throughout that amps up the tension. The world-building is fantastic, with an almost apocalyptic feel to it, and I would readily read anything set in it again. It is a nice change of pace to see a fantasy that doesn’t cast the Fair Folk as the heroes - there are no shadow daddies here, or fair otherworldly maidens. They are cruel, strange, and Other, and provide an excellent foil.

The characterizations are good, Duncan being the most fleshed-out with the Huldu Queen Mebhuranon coming in second. The side characters don’t have their own arcs, and are mostly one-dimensional, but there is enough meat on some of their bones to be interesting. Duncan’s arc is fantastic. Duncan’s history with the Huldu is hinted at throughout, with major reveals coming in the back half of the book - but the mystery is maintained by leaving some things unanswered or only half guessed. This is more of a reveal than a twist book.

The style of dialogue I didn’t always love, but I adjusted to it after a few chapters and it bothered me less as I went. This is not a spice book, but sex and sex-adjacent things are described. There were a few sections that yanked me out of the writing, and an odd emphasis on describing female genitalia where it could have been left off, but overall the sexual content was tolerable. I think the purpose was to add to the extreme otherness of the Huldu and build contrast, as the Huldu are unconcerned by the body in a way humans (especially Victorian era ones) are not, but it wasn’t my favorite approach. The female characters are mostly filling maiden/mother virgin/whore stereotypes, and the majority of the actions they take are sexual in nature. The plot did not need the content but it is there and it’s a take the bad with the good sort of situation, but be aware if you avoid those things in your reading. There are plenty of action scenes and detailed depictions of firearms/explosives/weaponry and their use, and gratuitous violence.

The pacing is relatively consistent and quick, and I felt engaged the entire time I was reading. I finished it in one day over several back to back reading sessions as I could not put it down, and then obsessed over it for several days after completion. The conclusion was full of reveals and emotion and I thought it was really well done. It left me with a combination of satiety of knowing how the story ended while still wanting more from the world. Alas, for brilliantly crafted standalone titles.

I’d highly recommend this to fans of dark fantasy or grimdark fantasy, and potentially to alternate historical fantasy fans as long as they enjoy a darker, grittier tone. I think the style of writing may not be for everyone, as the dialogue can be choppy and the language used coarse, but the story within is absolutely worth shunting aside annoyance at some of the phrasing. I have not read any other works by the author, so I can’t compare them (which I plan to rectify). If you like brash antiheroes, otherworldly villains, with dark woods and creeping fears bundled together, then this is the book for you. Despite my qualms about some of the phrasing and the sexual content, this is still a four star read for me and I can’t wait to grab a hard copy when it releases.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

In post-WWII Britain, peace proves fleeting as an ancient and otherworldly threat emerges. The Huldu, a powerful Fae race, begin stealing children, casting a new shadow over an already fractured land. Duncan Silver, a hardened war veteran burning with anger, is hired by a desperate mother to find her missing daughter, Miriam. Armed with little more than his trench gun and old scars, he enters the Forest to retrieve her, but what starts as a rescue mission quickly turns personal, and perilous, when he crosses the wrong Fae.

This standalone grimdark fantasy marks a shift from the author’s usual works yet retains his signature hardboiled edge and gritty intrigue. Whether writing science fiction or fantasy, Morgan creates atmospheric, lived-in worlds with flawed, complex characters. Duncan Silver is a flinty and relentless protagonist, and through his brooding resolve, the story unfolds with unflinching violence and moral corruption. Though the pacing can be slow at times, the sleek prose and distinctive take on Fae mythology lend the tale a dark allure. An absorbing, brutal read perfect for fans of C. Robert Cargill.

(This review was originally written for Library Journal magazine.)

[Suki J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.25 stars.

In the years following World War One, a vicious race of Fae have taken over the countryside with their forests, stealing children and replacing them with changelings. Duncan Silver, who has faced his own demons in the trenches, now hunts down Fae and recovers stolen children, driven by his own personal vendetta.

I really liked the idea of historical fantasy set in this time period, and the cover caught my eye. Unfortunately this wasn't quite it for me. I enjoyed the historical elements but the fantasy didn't feel as strong. I did find the central character of Duncan and his experiences and motivations interesting though, and that kept me reading.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Great War was meant to bring an end to wars, but another conflict arises with a different, older foe as the Forest resurges with one man at the center of the growing fight in No Man’s Land by Richard K. Morgan.

To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.

After his service in World War I, armed with ample rage, extensive knowledge of the fae, and weaponry of a wicked iron knife and trusty cut-down gun, Duncan Silver takes on jobs in the Forest, which has been overtaking the human world at a rapid pace, to recover children who’ve been taken from their families by the Huldu, an ancient fae race. His latest job is to return Mimi, who was taken six months earlier and replaced by a changeling, which winds up becoming far more complicated when Mimi becomes a pawn in a grander scheme to negotiate power and peace between fae and humans, while Duncan’s past and secrets violently catch up with him. As Duncan investigates and plans to retrieve the young girl, he uncovers the various and strange connections between them as he’s revisited by haunting remembrances of the actions he’s taken throughout his rather unique life.

Through an interesting combination of post-WWI historic reality and fae-related magical fantasy, a gritty and brutal narrative unfolds with an involved plot to be navigated with characters being used and betrayed for both selfish and what might seem noble ends. There’s an abundance of traumas depicted, with PTSD and confrontation of loss, kidnapping and navigating the circumstances or demands of your captors, with each character dealing with it in their own way and slightly differently depending on the situation they’re facing or the stage of life they’re in. While the story does a good job of incorporating ample description and details to flesh out the world and the players in the situation at hand, the narrative progresses in odd stuttering stops and starts with lulls and then intense bouts of action for an odd, unsettling pacing.

Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 out of 5 stars.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Lune At · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wasn’t able to finish this book.

Thank you, Netgally and publisher Del Ray for giving me this early copy.
So, I gave this book a fair shot.
I am a picky reader. And I know not all of my reads might be my immediate favourite.
I was rather intrigued by the premise of this story. The idea of an ever growing Forest full of everything Fae and mystical was something I could really get behind. That’s why I requested this one. And the story itself was rather fascinating. I liked the concept of this rougher, closed off character type. Someone who is willing to help those in need in uncertain times even though he has no obligation to do so.

It was the writing that fell a little short for me. Please, know that I was raised in a home where language and storytelling are often discussed and picked apart. So, I am rather snobbish when it comes to books.
I very quickly found the writing to be quite repetitive. The same phrases, and sometimes sentences, were often used in the same paragraph or page which was something that made it unable for me to fully immerse myself into the story. And I must admit that the lack of definitive and indefinite articles was something that peeved at times. .

Because of the writing I also thought there was a lack of depth in the protagonist. I was given only glimpses of a person I was supposed to root for. And there wasn’t enough detail to really get a grasp of our man. Which was probably the author’s intent. But by giving me so little in over a hundred pages made it hard for me keep my mind from wandering. Yes, this character is written to have a tough skin. Yes, he is a private person but I, as the reader, need to find something in him that makes me either care or intrigued about him. And the bits and pieces I got were a little too repetitive, and thus too little, for me. So, in my opinion, the writing didn’t line up with what the author was clearly trying to convey.

But if one likes writing style than this book is a joy to read. Because its premise is interesting, thought out and I really liked the folklore aspect. It’s a slow paced story which really gives the reader the time to soak up its contents. So, I would take this review with a grain of salt and try it anyway.

[Genevieve Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was very very very difficult to rate.

No Man's Land is a historical fantasy following Duncan, a WWI veteran, who returns home to discover that an ancient, magical Forest has erupted all over England, bringing myths back into stark reality and transforming home into just another war zone.

Duncan becomes a woodsman, one of the few who have the skills to enter the Forest and make it back alive. He makes a living tracking down children abducted by the malicious, capricious fae and returning them to their families. However, when he is hired to rescue four-year-old Mimi Rush, he stumbles into a plot much bigger than just a simple changeling.

This plot concept is unmatched. The minute I read "WWI/fae hunter" I was on board. The possibilities are endless, the setup so fresh and interesting. And the bones of a fascinating story ARE there.

The worldbuilding is one of the high points of this book. We are very familiar with the concept of deadly, malevolent semi-sentient forests, and this one delivers pretty well. It's creepy, mostly relying on gore rather than suspense to drive home the necessary fear, and plays by its own strange rules. The Huldu, a race of sinister fae creatures, had their own interesting lore as well, although we only really got a tiny glimpse into it. I was fully hooked by Duncan's mission to rescue Mimi, and the pieces of his secret past we got to learn along the way.

The second half of the book, dealing more with real-world issues of scheming government agencies and national intrigue, was less gripping to me. But it was still full of action and should have been plenty for me to enjoy the reading experience, and probably end with a 3.5- or 4-star rating.

Unfortunately, I am rating this book 2.5 stars, and that is for one reason.

There are nine* women in this book with speaking roles and actions that matter to the plot.

There are TWO of them that:

1) Haven't had sex with Duncan
2) Aren't portrayed as wildly lascivious and horny to the point it becomes weird
3) Aren't described using words like "an air of ribald arousal" "crinkly but still quite remarkable cleavage" "voluptuous" "nubile, seductress air" and constant focus on breasts

"Jeez, okay, but you just said the book was good otherwise. Can't you just look past the sexual content if that's not your thing?"

No. I can't. It's like trying to read while somebody sits next to you and continuously stabs you with large needles. Like sure, maybe the plot is interesting, but I can't really focus on or enjoy it because I'M BEING STABBED WITH NEEDLES.

This story is like if a Tarantino movie (gory, wild careening violence) was crossed with a low budget porn film (awkward, off-putting, gross).

There are only a few real sex scenes, but that doesn't stop the book from incessantly flashing back to sex memories, telling you about Duncan's masturbation habits, his state of arousal at all times, making passing comments on everyone's breasts, and just adding a weird, off-putting sexual tone to literally every interaction:

• A dryad heals Duncan's wound by using her bodily fluids.

• The Fae Queen shows up naked almost every time she's onscreen, and at least half of those times it makes sure to tell us that her genitals are visible. She seems to be the only female fae we meet in the whole story, and the relative state of undress of the male fae is NEVER once mentioned, much less their genitals.

• Niamh, Duncan's situationship girlfriend, reacts to violent trauma (including sexual assault) and a diagnosis of terminal cancer by begging Duncan to have sex with her. She's awake and onscreen approximately three times: 1) having sex with Duncan, 2) being rescued by Duncan, 3) having sex with Duncan.

• Duncan remembers an elderly woman he met in Europe during the war and describes her "outrageously flirtatious girlishness" as if there was "still a young French sexpot" inside her, despite her age.

Can you see what I mean?

In addition, there's a repeated theme of sexual coercion that shows up, with men as the victim and women as the aggressor:

• The Fae Queen makes sexual advances to Duncan when he's an eleven-year-old boy.

• Belle D'Or coerces Duncan into having unpleasant sex that he didn't want to have in exchange for room and board.

• Annie and Sal essentially date rape Jerry by casting a loyalty spell on him and then having a threesome with him.

• Annie's every action continues to be lustful and sexually suggestive even after Duncan reacts with discomfort multiple times.

• Annie explains how she prefers to take on male apprentices because she enjoys having sex with them more than female apprentices.

The ONE time a woman is the target of sexual assault is the one I mentioned above, where vague "things" happened to Niamh off-screen and afterward she begs Duncan to make it all better by having sex with her.

The vulnerability of men to sexual coercion could be an interesting theme to explore, but it's not really explored. The twisted nature of Duncan's experience as a child and Annie and Sal's actions with Jerry is acknowledged by the text, but that's it. We quickly move on to more important things, like killing a bunch of people. It's odd because, while I do find unnecessary sexual content gross in general, the TONE of all this explicit content is half the time so twisted, creepy, and sinister that it's hard for me to even figure out what the purpose of its inclusion is.

What are we saying? That at least 78% of women think of nothing but sex at all times and want nothing more in life than to lie down with every breathing creature they cross paths with? I can't speak for every woman, and I'm sure there are some lascivious women out there, but it's SO pervasive and SO indiscriminate that it becomes overwhelming and makes it impossible to enjoy the story.

PLEASE STOP STABBING ME WITH NEEDLES.

This was not at all what I was expecting from the blurb, but I would have enjoyed it anyway if it weren't for all of the aforementioned stuff. I wish I could have enjoyed it, because there were a lot of very interesting concepts here.

*I did not include in my count of women Mrs. Crammond, the random French grandma, or the water monster.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

You may know Richard for writing SF (Altered Carbon, Thin Air) or perhaps his A Land Fit For Heroes series involving Ringil the elf (The Steel Remains, etc).

In his new book, his first fiction novel for eight years – Thin Air was published in 2016 - he takes up that idea of ‘A Land Fit for Heroes’ that was mentioned by Prime Minister Lloyd George in 1918 by setting the book in the post-war setting of 1920’s England, but adds to it Grimdark folk-magic.

This is a book about war and the consequences of war, both physical and magical. It is about change, the need for change and the need to cope with such change. It is anti-war, in the sense that men’s violence against other men is seen as wrong and that honourable men can be forced to do dishonourable deeds for the sake of their country.*  There is a general disillusionment with society and the governments who run it.

We also have the return of Nature, with a Forest reappearing to the English countryside almost overnight. Home of the Fae, it is encroaching upon civilisation, upon the urban towns and cities that have expanded in the 19th and 20th centuries. A sign of the Fae regaining strength once more, and with it a return by humans to mysticism, folklore and witchcraft – Conan Doyle’s belief in fairies is given as one example. People are looking for answers, and as technology and science are not giving them, they are returning to older ways.

Which is where we come in. Duncan Silver is a gun for hire, someone who can retrieve children taken from humans by the Fae and return them to their parents. The plot begins with what seems to be a simple job – four-year-old Miriam has been taken by the Huldu and Duncan has said that he will get her back, even though this means he has to travel into the Forest, the domain of the Fae.

Of course, this is not as simple as it first appears. The situation is much more complex and wide-ranging than first appearances would suggest.

Richard does say in his Acknowledgements that this was not the book he was expecting to write and that it is different to his other books.

To some extent, I agree with that – dealing with fairies and other mythical creatures in a post-WW1 Britain is not like Thin Air or Altered Carbon. And yet there are elements that to me are similar, recognisable in his other work.

This being a Richard Morgan book, this is all told with energy, graphic violence and deliberately colourful language.

What also seems prevalent is the rage that fuels Duncan’s actions. Duncan is an angry man, and this is repeatedly shown throughout the book. Prone to fits of rage at the unfairness of everything, I did feel that he is clearly suffering with what we would now refer to as PTSD. He takes his anger out on others in impressively violent ways - especially those from the magic world of the Fae, who would steal children from their families and leave a changeling in their place, and any form of official authority.

Duncan comes across as a “man’s man”, as perhaps reflective of the 1920’s the story is set in. Although society is changing, No Man’s Land still feels like a human world with men holding onto power. Silver at times seems to be trying to deal with this change, and failing. There were times when this seemed to boil down to this being a place where men do manly things, whose actions speak louder than words, whilst women are there mainly to either be a support or to be used by men. This may not sit well with some readers.

Duncan himself is a man of those times of change – angry, snarling, taciturn, often struggling to convey his thoughts and feelings to others and yet still wanting to save children, people, the world – because he thinks that he can and morally feels that he should. He felt a little like a Clint Eastwood/Dirty Harry-type character to me, even down to the “are you feeling lucky, punk?” snap-liners. Regular mention of Duncan’s weaponry, and in particular his cut-down McCulloch shotgun – his equivalent of Dirty Harry’s Magnum .45, surely – reinforces that image. It is a book definitely written with a male gaze prevalent.

And as already said, it is also not for minors. There are sex scenes throughout, often fairly graphic, to illustrate how Duncan and the Fae interact – nothing is for free.

With all of this in mind, it is quite difficult for me to decide whether I like this book or if others will. I do not consider myself anti-violent or prudish and yet there were parts that actually made me wince whilst reading, both for their visceral imagery and explicit content. Some of the set action pieces are excellent, and Morgan’s descriptions of life in the trenches of WW1 are appropriately horrific, lest we forget. But at the same time there were moments when the dialogue felt a little more 2000 than 1920’s, which was a little jarring.

What surprised me most of all was that the characters in the end seemed rather impersonal – whilst I got what Silver was doing and why, I didn’t feel any empathy towards him, which surprised me.  He is, even at the conclusion, still a rather unsympathetic character, a machine doling out violence. This may be deliberate - it is clear that he is a dangerous man –but it also meant that these were characters I could admire but not love, despite all of the horrible things that have happened. He is not the sort of hero that I would want to sit and have a pint with, but I guess that is the point. It could also be said that  difficult deeds need such a character to get things done.

In summary, No Man’s Land is a book that didn’t entirely work for me. All of the author’s usual keynote elements are there, and fans of Richard’s earlier work will get what they expect, in a new setting, and possibly like it. Personally, I did not enjoy (if that is the word to use) the book as much as, say, Altered Carbon, but I did appreciate that the author is writing something very different.

Being a standalone means that new readers may therefore try this one to see if they like Richard’s work.

*(Reading and writing about this as I am in March 2026, with global events being what they are, made me feel that we don’t learn from history. Something I’m sure Richard is aware of.)

[Patrick St-Denis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was more than a little curious when I first read the blurb for Richard Morgan's newest, for it seemed to be quite unlike everything he had written up until this point. He actually talked about this in the acknowledgements, stating that he is grateful to everyone who encouraged him to write the book he wanted to write rather than the one he felt constrained to put out, and who gave him the freedom to take all the time he needed in order to come up with the former instead of the latter.

Still, even though it is a departure from his previous works, No man's Land retains many of the signature facets that characterize every Richard Morgan novel. It's also somewhat of a milder approach for the author, at least as far as sex and violence are concerned. Looks like A Land Fit for Heroes may have taught him a thing or two in that regard.

Here's the blurb:

A compelling standalone dark fantasy set in a gritty post-WWI Britain that has been overrun by the fae, from the award-winning author of Altered Carbon

The Great War was supposed to be the war to end all wars—and maybe it would have been, had an even greater, otherworldly foe not risen to extinguish the conflict. Overnight, as guns blazed in France and Flanders, village after village in the quiet British countryside was swallowed by the Forest. And within the Forest lurk the Huldu—an ancient fae race, monstrous in their inhumanity, who have decided that mankind’s ascendency over the world can endure no longer.

Enter Duncan Silver. Scarred by the war, fueled by a rage deeper than the trenches in which he once fought, Duncan is determined to show the Huldu that the world is not theirs for the taking. Armed with a deadly iron knife and a cut-down trench gun filled with iron shot, Duncan will stop at nothing to return the children the Huldu have stolen to the arms of their families. No matter how many Huldu he may have to slaughter along the way.

But when he is hired by a mother to return her four-year-old daughter, Miriam—taken by the Huldu six months past and replaced with a changeling—all hell breaks loose. Miriam is a pawn in a much bigger game for dominance than Duncan ever expected, and several long-buried secrets from his past are about to be violently resurrected.

It takes some time for the plot to make sense because in order to understand Duncan's place in this new world order we must first go through a number of flashback scenes that are a bit slow in coming. For all of that, No Man's Land is never dull and Morgan hooks you up basically from the first chapter. It's just a question of trusting him to deliver what's needed to keep you on your toes. And to be honest, the author seldom fails to deliver and once he gets the ball rolling this one is quite a ride!

The post-WWI setting is quite interesting and so different from what is normally the norm in the genre today. Duncan's harrowing memories of war in the trenches also add a layer of realism to his character. It felt as though there were lots of anachronisms, but it appears that a lot of research went into this one and that it's as historically accurate as can possibly be. I for one would never have thought that telephones and drugs were so readily available in Britain at that period. It's definitely this setting that gives No Man's Land its unique flavor and that's what I enjoyed the most. The Huldu at first seemed too much like the fae from A Land Fit for Heroes, but Morgan quickly gives them their own vibe and place in our world's history. I would have liked to find out more about them, but there is more than enough to keep you absorbed throughout the novel.

As a matter of course, Duncan Silver takes center stage. He's a three-dimensional protagonist though, as mentioned, it takes some time for the truth about his past to come together and give him more substance. Some may consider him too badass, but any soldier who emerged from the trenches of WWI was indubitably scarred for life. Some more than others, it goes without saying. Duncan's relationship with Niamh and the scenes with Mimi humanize him somewhat, yet he is and remains a hard man throughout the novel, even if the flashback scenes show that this wasn't always the case. The rest of the supporting case don't necessarily shine, other than the witches, the Fae Queen Mebhuranon, Garner, Crammond, and Arthur, but in their own way they keep the plot moving forward. The author's use of British/Scottish/Irish brogues made a lot of these men and women come alive in unexpected ways.

Although No Man's Land is by no means a page-turner, the rhythm is never an issue. It just takes some time for the various storylines to coalesce into an overall plot that makes sense. The whole thing meanders a bit in the middle when the government and the Holy Order of Sword and Orb become involved. But as soon as those plotlines are woven into the greater scheme of things, the novel truly gets moving and doesn't let up till the very end.

Richard Morgan has a thrilling endgame in store for his readers, which then brings us to a shocking finale. Some will say that it came out of left field, but it was foreshadowed enough earlier in the book to make sense. It's unclear whether or not No Man's Land is a standalone novel or if it's the first installment in what will be another series. A part of me would like to discover more about the Huldu and their return across the globe following the Great War. Yet another part of me believes that this tale has run its course and that should be the end of it. Time will tell. . .

Another interesting, entertaining, and ass-kicking yarn by Richard Morgan!

For more reviews, check out www.fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com

[Chewable Orb · Rating 3 out of 5]

No Man’s Land by Richard K. Morgan
3.35 rounded down to 3 🔮 orbs
Est. Pub. Date: March 24, 2026
Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore

Circling down the abysmal whirlpool….

💡 Orbs Prologue: A frigid cylindrical liquidity whirlpools me away to another time and place. Like a whisk beating my egg-like brain into frothy goodness, an ill-timed vertigo displaces my mind. Surprisingly, I land seated atop a sturdy branch of a thriving tree. With the wind lapping at my ears, I hear something to my immediate left that had escaped my initial glance. “Hi, Orb, I’m Orb!” it said. Bamboozled, I took in my doppelganger. After a brief but vexing interaction, I learned that this realm of existence was full of these “changelings,” a replacement birthed by the forest, or rather, the fae known as the Huldu. A strong familiarity thrummed in my heart, as if I belonged to this place long, long ago. Whoosh! Beyond the tip of my crooked nose, a solid black arrow coated with what one could only assume was a poisonous concoction stuck out of the hardened amber bark of the tree. “They are coming. Best start running!” The fake Orb howled at me, throwing itself off the branch in search of protection. Within the underbrush located directly ahead, intermittent howls followed calculated movements while they stalked their prey. The only real issue, dear reader, is that I seemed to be the target of their fury….

🧐 A small glimpse: A grizzled war veteran, Duncan Silver, has become a savior of sorts. For some coin, he will enter the adjoining forest to retrieve missing children. One might ask, why would Duncan be the only person willing to take on this type of job? An answer that lies deep within the shadows of the forest itself. This is no ordinary landscape. From the casual onlooker, the canopy of trees is a beauty to behold. Yet, lo and behold, a secrecy lies in wait, possessing an abundance of disdain for humanity for infringing upon the society of the Huldu. Slowly, wrapping vines have strangled more territory within the community while humans were off fighting a battle amongst each other. Duncan’s newest task is to bring Miriam home from the clutches of the Huldu. Along this adventure, Duncan will stare straight into his past, reliving torturous memories, further fueling his anger and hatred. For Duncan is not quite what he seems…

👍 Orbs Pros: Author Richard K. Morgan straps on his shotgun and rebukes all oncomers. There is an admirable creativity that Morgan has employed in this story, often leaving my visceral sensations awash with amazement. Wars from within, from afar, and from something magical await your reading eyes. Witches! Magic! Lore! Yes, these are things you can expect in the jambalaya of artistic madness. Over the top! The scope of this story spans multiple genres, melding the real-time trenches of modern warfare with ancient creatures of mysticism. An underlying bit of romance! Beneath this gruff exterior, Duncan remains a bit of a softy when it comes to a certain someone in his life, thus providing a more well-rounded main protagonist.

👎 Orbs Cons: Although I did enjoy the story, it felt a bit long-winded. There were times I just wanted the action to restart, but the novel kept getting bogged down by trivial conversations between characters, which, quite frankly, I didn’t care about. Many side missions kept diverting my attention away from our main quest. Perhaps those who played a game like The Witcher may have experienced an example of what I am talking about. The conclusion? It felt somewhat anticlimactic.

Recommended! The novel has a lot going for it. Richard K. Morgan’s prose was impressive. Be forewarned that it can slog in certain instances, and cutting a hundred pages might have created a tighter presentation for better overall enjoyment.

💡 Orbs Epilogue: As I take in the surrounding fae, a gunshot rings throughout the forest. The noise from the fiery explosion emanates, exposing the nearby birds from the secrecy of their nests as they take hurried flight in angry protest. “Stay there!” someone shouts through the veil of a smoking rifle. Moments of sheer chaos ensue, and the three Huldu are dispatched in rapid and gory succession. The gunman introduces himself as Duncan, and he thankfully assures me that he is my ally. “You need to leave. There will be more, and I can’t protect you from their power. I noticed a blue shimmering portal outside of town. Know anything about that?” Swallowing slowly, I admitted that I may be the cause of this mysterious portal, an entrance to my own private purgatory. Duncan nods, in solemn understanding of atoning for past wrongdoings. Glancing casually, my eyes focus on the sunstruck glint of a long, slender ceremonial blade wielded by an unruly Huldu in the distance. Fear blinds me through terror-filled eyes as I start running for the circular escape route. Arrows plummet through the sky, littering the ground like pins in a cushion. Before me, the blood-coated, talon-like claws of a wretched creature reach out, grazing one of my sweat-stained shoulders. Slowed but undaunted, I dive like an Olympic swimmer into the darkness….

Many thanks to Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore for the ARC through NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion.

[The_Phae_Library (Francesca Phae) · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a 3.75.

A review will be placed closer to publishing.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore for an advance copy of this work of dark, dark fantasy dealing with a world changed by a Great War, a landscape overrun by dark threats, and a darker force, a veteran who has seen much, that walks the forests, looking for the lost, the stolen, and a reason to go on.

The Great War changed the landscape of Europe, the lives of millions, the fate of countries and rulers. The War also changed literature. Those who had survived being shot in Italy, gassed in the trenches, blown apart in Flanders Field. People who saw men on horseback fighting giant metal tanks, while strafed by knights of the sky. From this war came different books, realistic tales of battle, of madness even poetry. The experiences of war shaped a young man whose thoughts of the past merges with the modernness of battle. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings gave rise to the fantasy genre, with much based on the loss of friends, of innocence, of myths told by mothers to children, about what lurked deep in the woods. What would the world be like if the war instead of giving people ideas to create books, let the things thought of as myths become real. Stories of strange creatures stealing children, doing dark magic in the woods. Coming to life as the world burned. No Man's Land by Richard K. Morgan, is a story of magic, war, rememberance, trying to do right, making mistakes, and how war never leaves a person, and how violence always seems to be a solution.

Duncan Silver saw much in his time on the Western Front. Death from battle, death from misadventure, and many a death from stupid things. Silver also saw weird rituals that kept men alive, folk magic from deep in Britain's past. Things he never thought would return to a modern world doing its best to destroy an entire generation of men. However in England the forests were on the move, taking over villages, wiping out civilization and returning to the past. Among the forest were the Huldu, strong creatures of faerie magic, with their own rules and own ways of doing things. With a hatred of modern life, and the magic to do things about it. The Huldu love to mess with humans, hurting them, kidnapping children and replacing them with changelings. These victims humor the Huldu for short periods of time, before they tire. Duncan Silver knows their ways, learning a bit of magic, carrying a trench shotgun loaded with silver shot to kill the Huldu. And making his living by trying to find those kidnapped. Though his success does vary. Silver is hired to find a girl missing for a number of years, possibly. What seems simple, as simple as fighting the Huldu can be becomes more twisted and complicated than it seems. This girl is worth a bit to someone powerful. Someone that might be bringing all the Huldu together. Someone that might known things about Silver. Someone that might make the world burn again.

A dark and gritty piece of fantasy, from a writer that I knew as a dark and gritty science fiction writer. This is not an all ages book. The book is dark, with lots of themes that adults might not hav a problem with, but some that a few might. The darkness is in the characters, the way they deal with each other, the Huldu, who are almost Nazi-fae types, even Silver who moves from likable to icky in the same paragraph. As a book about war should be, this is a violent book. Characters die in bad ways, some character that people might be surprised by. The Huldu are interesting as is the magic and the world that is slowly changing around the characters. A book that will leave a mark.

For those who like their fantasy dark, the kind of dark that absorbs every bit of life possible. This is the first book I have read by Morgan that was not a science fiction novel, and Morgan is good at capturing the place and the character. And the violence. Not for everyone, but for those that do, this is a interesting story that goes to a lot of different places.

[ROLLAND Florence · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Europe is still recovering from WWI, the Fae are rising. And they demand respect.

Humans have been ruling for far too long, and now that their science and industry are destroying nature, now that they chop down millenial trees to burn as coal and run factories... Something has to happen. Creatures of the Forest, who so far gleefully ignored humans (or sometimes played with them, through innocent jokes) are going to war. They are ancient, they are smart, they have the Sight and they are cruel. They know how to hold a grudge - for years, for decades, for *centuries*.

Children start to disappear, replaced by changelings. The creatures of the Forest take them as pets - they are fascinated by these miniature humans, their little faces, their singing voices. But like a child gets tired of his puppy when he grows up, the same happens to humans captured by the fairies.

Silver's job is to go into the Forest, negotiate or fight the Fae, and get those children back to their parents. He charges a pretty penny for this type of specialised and dangerous mission. The man is rough around the edges, but he comes with a backstory - actually, many backstories. It is really interesting to follow the main character, his evolution, and all the layers of PTSD that push him to self-medicate with cocaine and alcohol. It would be way too time consuming to actually face his demons.

WWI is over, but the memories, the nightmares, the disabled soldiers are still there.
The Great War has just begun - and this time, it is the Fae against the Humans. It does not look like the Humans have a chance to win, but they might, maybe, with the help of the witches.

NB: This is NOT a book for children, or even for teenagers!

No Man's Land is violent, unhinged, and deeply disturbing Dark Fantasy. This is a novel that takes you into the Forest, both through the story and metaphorically. You will explore the darkness and come out of it, but not quite the same. There are deeply disturbing scenes in this novel - torture, murder, sex (including Fairies inviting an 11 year old boy to join an orgy). All those scenes are there to serve a purpose. I did not feel like R. K. Morgan was feeding into the sex-for-the-sake-of-it trap. But goodness, I nearly gave up on the book because... This is dark. But at the same time, it is quite the trip. You need to be in the right mindset to enjoy it. This is not the kind of novel that I would gift to a friend, unless I know them really well.

Thank you NetGalley, Del Rey and R.K: Morgan for the ARC.
I hope this novel finally comes out - after being announced and held back for too long.
Honestly, I get it, because this is not an easy one to market. But at the same time, I feel like it fills a gap in Fantasy. For me, it was absolutely great in the ramp up to Halloween!

[Hannah Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got hooked by the cover and the blurb. This story had me divided. This is NOT a Midsummer Nights Dream! I repeat. If your expecting cosy and feel-good - this book is not for you!

No Man's Land is a gritty, harsh and a bit twisted. Duncan is an officer back from the trenches of World War one to discover that the Forest (yes - capital because it deserves its own personality) has taken over a great part of rural Britian. Leaving the larger cities intact. Those who lived in these country towns and hamlets were...unfortunate. Homes, churches and towns ruined and overnight turned into moss and plant covered rubble worthy of centuries of neglect. The Forest is full of creatures from British folklore, most notably the Huldlu an ancient and cruel Fae race who believe that the humans have had enough time dominating the world. It's their turn. They have long memories. Children are being swapped with changelings at an alarming rate. Duncan calls himself a woodsman and uses his specialized skills to retrieve these children from the clutches of the Fae and return them to their families.

He's hired by a Mrs Rush to do the same for her child Mimi, but there's more than meets the eye with this child and Duncan unintentionally sets a series of events into motion that affects nations and mankind. Duncan is definitely an unreliable narrator. There is much more to his skills and upbringing than just common trench warfare. The reader learns more of this as the story unfolds. And this author does NOT skip on the realities of this and what woman experienced in Europe during war time. I feel like it was a little unnecessary to the plot, but might have been a way of making the overall mood of the story more harsh and twisted? There were elements of child hypertextualization that really gave me the ick. It wasn't necessary at ALL.

I appreciated the unfolding of his background as the story progressed. The pace of the story galloped, then slowed, then galloped again. It kept me on the edge of the seat, but then the resolution kept me hanging a little considering this is a stand-alone novel.

I did like the descriptive quality of parts of the forest. It made me feel like if was sitting there on a boulder enjoying the dappled light through the leaves. Only to then need to run with much anxiety!

Overall, I'm divided. I would have enjoyed this story more if the unnecessary gritty and hypersexualized aspects weren't present. Turn up the fantasy aspects of the Forest a little and spend more time on the resolution and I would rate it the extra two stars.

Thank you Netgalley for the free e-book that kept me very occupied on a long-haul flight. The air turbulence added extra atmosphere to the story!

[Annemieke / A Dance with Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

2,5 stars

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.

TW/CWChild Abduction | Violence | Death | Sex | Oversexualizing Females | Swearing

No Man's Land is set post first world war in the United Kingdom. It is a gritty fantasy that focuses on Fae, Men and Politics.

I wanted to like No Man's Land and reading the first 20% I really thought i was going to. But the book slowly transforms into something else. It doesn't grab its own chances.

Duncan Silver is initially an interesting character to follow. A soldier returned from the first world war who has seen more in his life than he perhaps should have. He has an anger simmering below the surface and he points that at the huldu (fae) in the forest that have been taking children and replacing them with changelings. Duncan could have been deepened out a lot more. For a book that is almost 500 pages, it doesn't really let Duncan have a decent arc. There is certainly a lot happening around and with him. But I don't feel that he changes in anyway. Nor is there any depth. He doesn't deal with his anger. There are a lot of thoughts but not many other emotions. And he makes no progress with that. It is such a missed chance.

As mentioned, this book is fairly gritty. I don't nessecarily mind that in my fantasy here and there. I don't often mind swearing and I didn't here. This is a book mostly in the streets in a time period where a lot of this was normal. However there is an oversexualization of the women in this book. He has slept with all the women in this book except two. And those two instantly don't stand out at all. As much as the author tries to give these women more, the focus lies with the sex very much so. Which seems to be a thing with this author as I have come to learn since.

The book has two halves. One is very much the focus on getting the child back and fighting the huldu. The other half is political. A bit too much to be honest. It doesn't really work with the first part as much. Instead of killing fae, they are killing those like them. Men. Because politics. I kind of tapped out at this point. He seemes to have some decent people around him but he drags them down. They don't even know what is really going on but they follow him. I thought that was a weak point.

This book had its strong points, especially at the start. But it petered out over the book and ended up being too long.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

He's done it again.

If you've read any of Richard's other books, then you know basically what to expect, and I think you'll really enjoy this one. It's one part A Land Fit for Heroes, and one part something new. If you haven't, well, one of the things Richard is known for is his almost trademark brutality and grit. Comparisons to someone like Joe Abercrombie in terms of style are pretty spot on, except without as much humour and with added... grit.

This is a fantasy novel set in the very shadow of the first world war, an alternate history where rebuilding and reintegration efforts were interrupted by an invasion of, well, elves. Except these elves, in typical grimdark fashion, are anything but friendly. Like seemingly everyone else, Duncan Silver has demons he's running from, but he happens - for reasons - to be particularly good at killing the Fae. And I guess Richard needed more of that sort of thing after his last fantasy trilogy because there's plenty of that here, except with guns this time instead of blades (although there's still plenty of close in bladework here). In fact, I can't help but feel that this was one part an excuse to pay off the title of that trilogy, in a sense.

But it works. What starts off as sort of a missing persons job turns into something else entirely as the novel goes on. What's here is very good, but I think I got the sense as I went through the book that this was really rather more of a first third of a larger story. Which isn't at all a mark against this novel, in fact if Richard chooses to write more in this universe, I will definitely be there for the sequel(s). It's almost as though he's got one literary foot in fantasy and another somewhere else, and that strange combination of old and new just oozes style and you can't help but be wrapped up in the world on display here. It's easy to follow his almost trademark cynically lyrical prose as he traces the ways this world differs from recorded histories, and yet human motivations and aspirations remain as predictably banal and brutal as ever.

There is, as mentioned, some familiar territory here, both as far as antagonists go and the hero's journey that Duncan has started here. But the details are different, and that's enough to make the whole thing feel fresh and new. I'm very much looking forward to any future works in this world. Or, really, just Richard's next book, because he very much still has it.

(Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for review)

[M. L. Valard · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This was a slightly grim and rather pulpy action fantasy of a book. Rather like movies of a similar flavor if one goes into it willing to accept it for what it is, it was a pretty good time. The main character, Duncan Silver, is an action hero: women want him, men fear him, and one gets the impression both are right to do so. Which is not to say there is nothing to him beyond his ability to be grim and fearless and really tear things up. One of the things I enjoyed the most about reading him through the course of the book was the way his own history was slowly unveiled.

Both that slow reveal and the thread throughout: of his actions and the purpose of his actions did a great deal to endear him to me and keep me enthralled with the story. It was also a very interesting story in general. The premise intrigued, the world building felt quite original and very detailed. There is some darkness in the world made here and in the huldu enemies that tread neatly over the border to horror in just the right ways.

I liked a lot of the cast of side characters and enjoyed the way the story arced from a slow beginning to a rather messy end. The action sequences were fierce and pretty visceral and very easy to imagine as sequences in a film. I particularly enjoyed how utterly creepy some of the Forest parts were. The hero was interesting and engaging and mostly easy to sympathize with even at his coldest and fiercest.

For me, what flaws I found I think largely stemmed from the fact it is written fully and very consistently in the main character's viewpoint. His view of the female characters felt very authentic to his own lens, but it did leave me wondering more about what they might have actually thought or cared about beyond the way he saw them which was not always the most flattering. Or at least not always flattering in any way beyond their physical attractions.

Still, I think reading the book for what it is, it was quite enjoyable. The hero was fierce and brave, the action was fierce, the stakes were high and I very much wanted to know how it would turn out. It gets high marks for the world-building, the intriguing story premise, and the occasional breathtakingly gorgeous imagery. It promised a WW1 veteran hunting fae and it did deliver!

I received a free eARC through NetGalley in exchange for my review but the opinions are entirely my own.

[Magdalena (magdal21) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not gonna lie, I picked this book up mostly because I am really interested in the First World War, especially the effect this conflict had on the lives of those who managed to return from the front. The premise was completely up my alley, and there were quite a few elements that I genuinely liked, mostly the First World War related content. At the end of the day though, I sadly don’t think this was the right book for me.

I have to say that the core concept of this book is very intriguing. Vicious and dangerous fae appearing in Britain right after the Great War, kidnapping children, spreading chaos, and essentially trying to exterminate humankind is a strong premise and quite refreshing for a fae story. I liked how it felt like moving straight from one war into another, only this time with an enemy that is much harder to comprehend and fight, especially in a country already devastated by loss. Duncan, the main character, is exactly the kind of protagonist I enjoy reading about. We learn more about him through fragments of his past that are slowly revealed, and his traumatic experiences were by far the most interesting part of the book for me. They really helped me understand who he is and why he acts the way he does.

That being said, I really thought I would like this book more, and I still struggle to pinpoint exactly why I didn’t. I think it mostly comes down to the writing style. This book is extremely Duncan oriented and overly descriptive, sometimes to the point where the details felt unnecessary. Because of that the pacing really suffered, especially in the middle. It was all kind of bizarre for me, because I genuinely liked the plot and wanted to learn more about Duncan’s past and what would happen next, but the reading experience itself felt tiring rather than enjoyable. To be clear, the story is definitely there and it is interesting, but the way it is told just didn’t work for me.

It’s hard for me to say whether I would recommend this book because it really depends on the reader. I am sure it will have its fans. If you enjoy so called old man fantasy, where everything is filtered through the perspective of a single male character, this might work for you. But if you are not into overly descriptive writing or books that can be very brutal, pulpy, and gory at times, this is probably one to skip.

Than you NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.