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Immortal Treachery #2
As Flies to Wanton Boys
Three years have passed since Tarmun Vykers’ victory over the mad sorcerer who called himself the End-of-All-Things. But they’ve been three long years, confined to a sick bed with a grievous wound that will not heal, cannot be healed by any means known to man. And then something unthinkable happens, and Vykers is summoned once again to save the kingdom. This same mysterious event ensnares Long Pete and his companions, reuniting them for a mission whose consequences none can anticipate and not all will survive. Will Vykers master his wound, or will it finally end him? Can Long Pete serve both his Queen and his family? And what of the A’Shea, Aoife, who finds herself torn between her faith and her powerful attraction to the Reaper? In a world in which the gods play with the fates of men as mischievous boys torture insects, nothing but strife is certain.
The author does not recommend this book for anyone under the age of seventeen.
The author does not recommend this book for anyone under the age of seventeen.
553 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 27, 2013
14 people are currently reading
202 people want to read
About the author
Allan Batchelder
10 books194 followersAllan is a professional actor, educator and former stand-up comedian. In addition to Steel, Blood & Fire, he's also written plays, screenplays, online articles, dialogue for computer games, greeting card sentiments and more. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in acting from the National Theatre Conservatory and a Master's in Teaching from Seattle Pacific University. He is a huge fan of Shakespeare, Steven Erikson, Joe Abercrombie, Glen Cook, George R.R. Martin, Tad Williams, and R. Scott Bakker. Allan lives in Seattle with his wife and son, where he enjoys walks on the beach, reading in the garden and puttering around on his computer. Oh, and naps. He LOVES naps.
Allan is a professional actor, educator and former stand-up comedian. In addition to Blood, Steel & Fire, he's also written plays, screenplays, online articles, dialogue for computer games, greeting card sentiments and more. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in acting from the National Theatre Conservatory and a Master's in Teaching from Seattle Pacific University. He is a huge fan of Shakespeare, Steven Erikson, Joe Abercrombie, Glen Cook, George R.R. Martin, Tad Williams, and R. Scott Bakker. Allan lives in Seattle with his wife and son, where he enjoys walks on the beach, reading in the garden and puttering around on his computer. Oh, and naps. He LOVES naps.
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Allan is a professional actor, educator and former stand-up comedian. In addition to Blood, Steel & Fire, he's also written plays, screenplays, online articles, dialogue for computer games, greeting card sentiments and more. He holds a Master of Fine Arts in acting from the National Theatre Conservatory and a Master's in Teaching from Seattle Pacific University. He is a huge fan of Shakespeare, Steven Erikson, Joe Abercrombie, Glen Cook, George R.R. Martin, Tad Williams, and R. Scott Bakker. Allan lives in Seattle with his wife and son, where he enjoys walks on the beach, reading in the garden and puttering around on his computer. Oh, and naps. He LOVES naps.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 5, 2016
It's books like this that make me love the Grimdark genre so much. The characters are all brilliantly written, the writing is hilarious at times (I love Spirk), it's brutal, it's exciting, I couldn't recommend this series enough! Go read it people =)
January 20, 2016
I can't for the life of me remember the last time I read a book of 600ish pages so quickly. I finished it in two days (in two 12 hour bouts). As Flies to Wanton Boys by Allan Batchelder is a page-turner if ever I read one.
The story in this second installment of the Immortal Treachery series is totally different when compared to the first book. It's easy to see that the author's writing has matured. The stuff that made the first book so good -witty dialogue/banter, over-the-top gory action scenes, a mysterious world full of fantastical creatures and weird and scintillating magic- is still there, but everything feels just a tad more fleshed out. The point of view characters are "ensouled" (for a lack of a better word). They each now have their own distinct personality, their own past, and act under their own (often selfish) motivations. Characters that played a secondary role in the first book now make the move from relative obscurity into fame (or infamy). Personal favorites are the idiotic Spirk (there's more to this guy than meets the eye), the best-actor-in-the-world (according to himself) Rem and, inexplicably, the troubled Captain Kittins. Of course the (surviving) heroes of the first book also shine in this book. Tarum ‘The Reaper’ Vykers is as arrogant, belligerent, proficient and devil-may-care as ever (although there's a lot more introspection on his side now). Aoife has evolved from a somewhat weak character, ruled by events around her, into a powerful player of her own; a magnificent force to be reckoned with. Vykers’ resident Shaper Arune, as witty (and sometimes snide) as ever, faces a thorny conundrum, which is infuriating for her, but very interesting for the reader. These old acquaintances and newly fleshed out characters together set the stage for an engaging story.
Vykers and his posse -among whom we find Aoife, the Historian and Three- goes on a quest to find and retrieve the Queen, who has suddenly disappeared from her palace. The Reaper, still being wounded after his battle with the End-of-all-Things at the end of book 1, sets sail for a mysterious continent to the south where his prowess is being tested like it hasn't been tested before. Meanwhile, Long Pete and his crew are ordered by the Queen’s household to infiltrate the Eight Great Noble Houses to find out if one of them has something to do with the Queen's disappearance. Each infiltrator has to walk a fine line, as it cannot be made known that the ruler of the Kingdom has disappeared, lest chaos ensues.
This book has anything a great fantasy book needs: a relentless warrior, going on a quest to save the Queen; a Gentleman Basterds-like infiltration scheme with amazingly high stakes; and above and beyond it all the machinations of Greater Powers: the Fey stir, the race of giants come forth from their crags and crannies, and Gods and Goddesses step onto the stage to take matters into their own hands. This is a must read for every fantasy fan.
Rating: 9.2/10 (***** GoodReads/Amazon)
The story in this second installment of the Immortal Treachery series is totally different when compared to the first book. It's easy to see that the author's writing has matured. The stuff that made the first book so good -witty dialogue/banter, over-the-top gory action scenes, a mysterious world full of fantastical creatures and weird and scintillating magic- is still there, but everything feels just a tad more fleshed out. The point of view characters are "ensouled" (for a lack of a better word). They each now have their own distinct personality, their own past, and act under their own (often selfish) motivations. Characters that played a secondary role in the first book now make the move from relative obscurity into fame (or infamy). Personal favorites are the idiotic Spirk (there's more to this guy than meets the eye), the best-actor-in-the-world (according to himself) Rem and, inexplicably, the troubled Captain Kittins. Of course the (surviving) heroes of the first book also shine in this book. Tarum ‘The Reaper’ Vykers is as arrogant, belligerent, proficient and devil-may-care as ever (although there's a lot more introspection on his side now). Aoife has evolved from a somewhat weak character, ruled by events around her, into a powerful player of her own; a magnificent force to be reckoned with. Vykers’ resident Shaper Arune, as witty (and sometimes snide) as ever, faces a thorny conundrum, which is infuriating for her, but very interesting for the reader. These old acquaintances and newly fleshed out characters together set the stage for an engaging story.
Vykers and his posse -among whom we find Aoife, the Historian and Three- goes on a quest to find and retrieve the Queen, who has suddenly disappeared from her palace. The Reaper, still being wounded after his battle with the End-of-all-Things at the end of book 1, sets sail for a mysterious continent to the south where his prowess is being tested like it hasn't been tested before. Meanwhile, Long Pete and his crew are ordered by the Queen’s household to infiltrate the Eight Great Noble Houses to find out if one of them has something to do with the Queen's disappearance. Each infiltrator has to walk a fine line, as it cannot be made known that the ruler of the Kingdom has disappeared, lest chaos ensues.
This book has anything a great fantasy book needs: a relentless warrior, going on a quest to save the Queen; a Gentleman Basterds-like infiltration scheme with amazingly high stakes; and above and beyond it all the machinations of Greater Powers: the Fey stir, the race of giants come forth from their crags and crannies, and Gods and Goddesses step onto the stage to take matters into their own hands. This is a must read for every fantasy fan.
Rating: 9.2/10 (***** GoodReads/Amazon)
January 20, 2016
This is the second instalment in the "Immortal Treachery" series with the Reaper returning as the main protagonist. I loved the first book a lot; it had great characters, brutal action and an amazing battle as ending. The second provides more greatness!
In the first book it became quickly clear what you're in for; not so in the second one. The second book provides much more mystery and in the end you'll notice that the story is very different. The queen goes missing and it's up to the Reaper to go in pursuit. You also have Long and his band that are thrown into the adventure and are responsible for the search of any accomplice in Lunessfor.
That's the outline of the story, and this time it takes a lot of time before something gets revealed regarding the fate of the queen. The story itself is slower than the first but it remaines interesting and has some great scenes and adds good humor on the side. A lot of the action from the first seems to be replaced by intrigue, mystery and spying. Don't get me wrong, you still have some fights along the way (and some nice surprises as well), but it has been toned down a bit. It depends on what you expect from a book if you'll like it or not. I for one, liked it a lot! And when the moment came I started to aks myself the question when the real action would start (around the 65% mark) ... Allan Batchelder delivered in a fantastic way and I really couldn't put the book down anymore! Even after the resolution of the story he still has some nice surprises up his sleave.
The world still remains a big mystery and adds to the overall intrigue. Allan Batchelder expands his world further and brings more questions to the table. He has planted several seeds and I expect him to sow them in one of the next installments. Don't expect too many answers just yet.
Also one of the main strengths in this book is the characterisation; the developement of Kittens is a very good example and probably one of the best ones done in this book (but definitely not the only one). The Reaper is his amazing self again and many of the other characters remain great to read about as well.
I feel that the writing, already good in the first book, has even improved further in this one and that Allan Batchelder has developed further as a writer. He has proven again that he deserves much more acknowledgement.
In short: a must-read!!!
Rating: 8/10
In the first book it became quickly clear what you're in for; not so in the second one. The second book provides much more mystery and in the end you'll notice that the story is very different. The queen goes missing and it's up to the Reaper to go in pursuit. You also have Long and his band that are thrown into the adventure and are responsible for the search of any accomplice in Lunessfor.
That's the outline of the story, and this time it takes a lot of time before something gets revealed regarding the fate of the queen. The story itself is slower than the first but it remaines interesting and has some great scenes and adds good humor on the side. A lot of the action from the first seems to be replaced by intrigue, mystery and spying. Don't get me wrong, you still have some fights along the way (and some nice surprises as well), but it has been toned down a bit. It depends on what you expect from a book if you'll like it or not. I for one, liked it a lot! And when the moment came I started to aks myself the question when the real action would start (around the 65% mark) ... Allan Batchelder delivered in a fantastic way and I really couldn't put the book down anymore! Even after the resolution of the story he still has some nice surprises up his sleave.
The world still remains a big mystery and adds to the overall intrigue. Allan Batchelder expands his world further and brings more questions to the table. He has planted several seeds and I expect him to sow them in one of the next installments. Don't expect too many answers just yet.
Also one of the main strengths in this book is the characterisation; the developement of Kittens is a very good example and probably one of the best ones done in this book (but definitely not the only one). The Reaper is his amazing self again and many of the other characters remain great to read about as well.
I feel that the writing, already good in the first book, has even improved further in this one and that Allan Batchelder has developed further as a writer. He has proven again that he deserves much more acknowledgement.
In short: a must-read!!!
Rating: 8/10
June 13, 2018
AS FLIES TO WANTON BOYS is a superior sequel to the original STEEL, BLOOD, AND FIRE. The plot is deeper, the characters are more evocatuive, and the action more exciting. I have to say that Allan Batchelder is one of the better independent fantasy writers I've read and this is probably his best work.
The book opens with Tarmun Vykers, the protagonist of the previous book, permanently bedridden from the injuries inflicted on him by the villain of the previous book. In a setting with magic, anything is possible and he gets a chance to recover in order to rescue the kidnapped queen of his nation. This despite the fact the queen and he have long been old enemies. Vykers assembles a small group of men to rescue her and sends them to infiltrate the Eight Houses that had reason to work against her.
I think my favorite story of the group has to be that of Kittens. The man has a tragic story of being recruited to infiltrate a Duke's house, only to discover the man is a sadistic evil psychopath who wants the murder of his bastard daughter as well as gladiator slaves taken care of by Kittens. Watching him try to balance the evil deeds he needs to do to maintain his cover with his sense of morality is intense--as is his tragic failures in that pursuit.
The ending of the novel is a big surprise and I'm interested in picking up the third novel of the series to see how it goes.
9/10
The book opens with Tarmun Vykers, the protagonist of the previous book, permanently bedridden from the injuries inflicted on him by the villain of the previous book. In a setting with magic, anything is possible and he gets a chance to recover in order to rescue the kidnapped queen of his nation. This despite the fact the queen and he have long been old enemies. Vykers assembles a small group of men to rescue her and sends them to infiltrate the Eight Houses that had reason to work against her.
I think my favorite story of the group has to be that of Kittens. The man has a tragic story of being recruited to infiltrate a Duke's house, only to discover the man is a sadistic evil psychopath who wants the murder of his bastard daughter as well as gladiator slaves taken care of by Kittens. Watching him try to balance the evil deeds he needs to do to maintain his cover with his sense of morality is intense--as is his tragic failures in that pursuit.
The ending of the novel is a big surprise and I'm interested in picking up the third novel of the series to see how it goes.
9/10
January 26, 2016
Likes:
- Characterization
- Long's gang infiltration
- Absurdly lucky plotlines and events
- The queen's revelation
General remarks:
- Sad to see Three go
- Don't care much for the Vykers-Arune-Aiofe interest triangle
- Don't know what to think about the cliffhanger at the end.
8 (full review will follow)
- Characterization
- Long's gang infiltration
- Absurdly lucky plotlines and events
- The queen's revelation
General remarks:
- Sad to see Three go
- Don't care much for the Vykers-Arune-Aiofe interest triangle
- Don't know what to think about the cliffhanger at the end.
8 (full review will follow)
July 15, 2017
I love what Allan did here: though keeping within the epic grimdark fantasy world created with the first volume, the plot flavor (if you will) of this one is more along the lines of mystery. The Queen has disappeared, there are virtually no clues as to what's happened to her, and our heroes from book 1 are dispersed to various places to find out what they can. It leads each of them into a crazy adventure of his or her own, some mostly comic, some mostly tragic, many a blend of the two. And I had truly no idea how the mystery (or rather, mysteries, since the questions multiply) were going to turn out, and was thus surprised by the ending. (But satisfied!)
That's actually one of the things I like best about Allan's writing: the whimsical delight and bawdiness thrown in to lighten up the grimdark. In fact, it sometimes made the darker parts catch me off guard and gave them more shock value. There was at least a death or two that made me suck in my breath in disbelief ("That didn't just happen?? No!!").
We also get a splash of romance in this one, which I really enjoyed, being all sentimental like that. Some of it even gets LGBTQ representation points, which was even more fun. And that ending--ha! Some quite incredible new twists to throw us into the next volume, whose plot flavor I can't even begin to imagine yet.
I...dare I say this?...yes.
That's actually one of the things I like best about Allan's writing: the whimsical delight and bawdiness thrown in to lighten up the grimdark. In fact, it sometimes made the darker parts catch me off guard and gave them more shock value. There was at least a death or two that made me suck in my breath in disbelief ("That didn't just happen?? No!!").
We also get a splash of romance in this one, which I really enjoyed, being all sentimental like that. Some of it even gets LGBTQ representation points, which was even more fun. And that ending--ha! Some quite incredible new twists to throw us into the next volume, whose plot flavor I can't even begin to imagine yet.
I...dare I say this?...yes.
April 21, 2024
Un po' meno di 4 stelle...
Ormai l'ho capito! In questa saga non c'è niente di prevedibile, scontato o normale..
Dopo un primo volume davvero originale, l'autore tira fuori un secondo libro inaspettato..
Se nel primo libro c'era stato un nemico assoluto da contrastare, qua, tre anni dopo la fine della guerra, la regina sparisce e The Reaper viene inviato a cercarla.. Ma questa trama diciamo che viene messa in po' da parte, perché succede poco e nulla sino alla fine, dove c'è un po' più di attenzione su questa storia.. Diciamo che l'attenzione maggiore ce l'hanno i soldati del primo libro che qua devono infiltrarsi nelle 8 grandi famiglie della città e trovare tracce di complotto contro la regina.. naturalmente questa è stata la parte più grande della storia ma anche la più divertente da leggere.. infatti ogni personaggio avrà la sua avventura, violenta, irriverente, ironica, disagiata e caotica..
Diciamo che sembra un volume di passaggio per altro, dato anche il finale che in parte si apre a tutt'altro.. e forse un po' troppo slegato dal primo volume..
Certo, è scritto bene e diverte, però a livello di trama non è stato il massimo, l azione è davvero poca, soprattutto il sense of wonder qui viene a mancare del tutto rispetto alla genialità del primo, e a volte i Pov nei vari sottocapitoli non sono proprio gestiti benissimo.. nonostante ciò, resta un libro ben fatto, un po' al di sotto del primo, ma che comunque ti intrappola fino alla fine, diverte e risulta originale.. sotto con il terzo..
Ormai l'ho capito! In questa saga non c'è niente di prevedibile, scontato o normale..
Dopo un primo volume davvero originale, l'autore tira fuori un secondo libro inaspettato..
Se nel primo libro c'era stato un nemico assoluto da contrastare, qua, tre anni dopo la fine della guerra, la regina sparisce e The Reaper viene inviato a cercarla.. Ma questa trama diciamo che viene messa in po' da parte, perché succede poco e nulla sino alla fine, dove c'è un po' più di attenzione su questa storia.. Diciamo che l'attenzione maggiore ce l'hanno i soldati del primo libro che qua devono infiltrarsi nelle 8 grandi famiglie della città e trovare tracce di complotto contro la regina.. naturalmente questa è stata la parte più grande della storia ma anche la più divertente da leggere.. infatti ogni personaggio avrà la sua avventura, violenta, irriverente, ironica, disagiata e caotica..
Diciamo che sembra un volume di passaggio per altro, dato anche il finale che in parte si apre a tutt'altro.. e forse un po' troppo slegato dal primo volume..
Certo, è scritto bene e diverte, però a livello di trama non è stato il massimo, l azione è davvero poca, soprattutto il sense of wonder qui viene a mancare del tutto rispetto alla genialità del primo, e a volte i Pov nei vari sottocapitoli non sono proprio gestiti benissimo.. nonostante ciò, resta un libro ben fatto, un po' al di sotto del primo, ma che comunque ti intrappola fino alla fine, diverte e risulta originale.. sotto con il terzo..
August 17, 2018
After the first book in the Immortal Treachery series, I couldn’t have been the only one wondering where the sequel was going to go after ‘Steel, Blood & Fire’ seemingly razed half the continent and ended in such an epic battle of good vs evil (or not-as-evil vs evil). If anything, ‘As Flies to Wanton Boys’ is an even better sequel. It starts out on similar beats, hero Tarmun Vykers is broken and on the verge of defeat (although in much more comfortable circumstances) until he’s needed for what might be one last mission. Others get drawn in on the main or their own quest until the story is hurtling toward a bloody conclusion.
Without giving too much away, the stories are well paced and full of variety. Although I preferred the blood and guts action some of the medieval intrigues that weren’t fought with swords or fireballs were the most fascinating. I was particularly pleased to see a couple of minor favourites from the first book, Kittens and Mardine, given much larger roles here. And the world-building was terrific as the main story steps outside the classic dark ages Europe analogue for sunnier climes. Everything a sequel should be. The revelations of this book and denouement set things up for more gripping stuff in the ongoing series!
Without giving too much away, the stories are well paced and full of variety. Although I preferred the blood and guts action some of the medieval intrigues that weren’t fought with swords or fireballs were the most fascinating. I was particularly pleased to see a couple of minor favourites from the first book, Kittens and Mardine, given much larger roles here. And the world-building was terrific as the main story steps outside the classic dark ages Europe analogue for sunnier climes. Everything a sequel should be. The revelations of this book and denouement set things up for more gripping stuff in the ongoing series!
March 20, 2021
Great book. Sometimes I get intimated by books of this length or worry I may become bored. Not the case at all with this one, it flew by.
Also, loved the ending didn't see that coming. Can't wait to see where the story goes from here.
Also, loved the ending didn't see that coming. Can't wait to see where the story goes from here.
May 6, 2017
Read this book
May 9, 2017
I really liked it! And loved the twists at the end.
September 6, 2018
Yep!
Unexpectedly, a great story. I'm looking for Book three as soon as I finish this review that's not really a review.......
Unexpectedly, a great story. I'm looking for Book three as soon as I finish this review that's not really a review.......
May 1, 2019
Hahaha what an ending! Really well written book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2016
The first book was epic and very interesting. I enjoyed it greatly. The second book doesn't come close to matching the first book. It is much slower and nowhere near as epic. Don't get me wrong. Not every book has to have a battle over the fate of the world or some epic nature. But it better be interesting with interesting characters and that's where this book failed. Not only is there no epic story line in this book, much of the book centers around Long Pete and his crew. I found their stories and plot to be unrealistic (very much for some of the stories), uninteresting and/or completely irrelevant with no bearing on the story. It takes half the book just to see where the story is going. The second half is better than the first half but at the end of the day this second book just can't hold a candle to the first. I loved Vykers in the first book and he takes more of a backseat in this one and even he couldn't save this book for me.
Quite honestly anyone that reads the first book could read a 1 page summary of the second and skip right to the third one. But I will no longer continue reading this series.
2.5/5
Quite honestly anyone that reads the first book could read a 1 page summary of the second and skip right to the third one. But I will no longer continue reading this series.
2.5/5
November 18, 2015
Tarmun Vyker's services are necessary again for the Virgin Queen, although she would rather keep her distance from him and his amazing killing skills. She and her Shaper sorcerers have kept Vykers alive from the magical wound he sustained at the end of book one, and they have given him a belt that will keep some of his discomfort at bay, but he is not fully Vykers. Yet, he must journey over the ocean, which few ships ever return from, to rescue the Queen. He is reunited with #3, his Chimera colleague, and Aoife (still growing into her role as a forest person - get it? Growing?), as well as the Historian, an ageless man who has some knowledge of what they will face over the ocean. Tarmun will find enemies to meet the sharp edge of his sword, although he is definitely weakened, and Arune, the Shaper who shares his head will have her hands full with sorcerous protections for him. New lands, new creatures, new surprises, including a twist at the end that will blow you away, yet one that does not trick the reader. Good, not so clean, sorcerous barbarian fun! Highly recommended!
August 22, 2015
Even better than the first book. Brilliant blend of action, adventure, great characterization, and humor. I almost never give a five star rating, but Batchelder is easily the most underrated author in fantasy. Only because he's new and mostly unknown. I can think of several popular fantasy authors I've read and enjoyed in the recent years, and these books are head and tails above!
If you enjoy high fantasy written for adults you really should dive into this world.
If you enjoy high fantasy written for adults you really should dive into this world.
August 28, 2015
Sequel to Steel, Blood and Fire. The story of the Reaper continues as he's called for yet another impossible quest. Same as the first book - Really fun to read, with tons of action and good humor on the side.
January 20, 2016
Just as good as the first.
It is honestly amazing to me that these books are not more popular. The story is simply one of the most entertaining I have read.
It is honestly amazing to me that these books are not more popular. The story is simply one of the most entertaining I have read.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews