Landfall

by Peter Newman

Albion. Land of mists and mysteries, where mankind resembled gods. But these gods were flawed and they turned their powers on each other, making rivers of blood and birthing horrors we were not meant to know, until giants battled demons over the fate of the world. And then, as the fighting reached its peak, a great power reached out and Albion simply vanished.For over a thousand years it has been hidden from the eyes of men. When the impenetrable mists hiding Albion began to lift, the King of the Old World sent a rag tag group to explore and settle there. Initially, reports of wonders and wealth came back, then, without warning, all went quiet.Now a new convoy is being sent, seven ships sailing for the mysterious land of Albion. Their crews and captains have many reasons to risk the journey, a mix of opportunists, adventurers, and those keen to leave behind their old lives. But the sins of the past are not so easily left behind and the lure of power and magic weaves its spell long before arrival. Before the ships have even made landfall, old rivalries simmer and, without warning, one ship turns its weapons upon another…Landfall is the first novel staged in the world of the internationally popular MMO game Albion Online.Albion Online is the first true cross-platform MMO available for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS and Android. The game offers players an extensive character customization system with no class restrictions, a completely player-driven economy and dynamic PvP battles. The action of the open game world revolves around sieging, claiming and defending territories.

Genres: Fantasy

416 pages, Paperback

Published February 17, 2016

About the author

Peter Newman co-writes the Hugo and Alfie Award winning Tea and Jeopardy podcast and is also the voice of the butler, Latimer.

His debut novel, THE VAGRANT, was published by Harper Voyager and won the David Gemmell Morningstar Award for best newcomer in 2016. It was followed by THE MALICE, and then THE SEVEN.

There are also two shorter stories set in the same world, available as ebooks. THE HAMMER AND THE GOAT (which is set parallel to THE VAGRANT) and THE VAGRANT AND THE CITY, which is set between books 2 and 3.

He has also written for WILDCARDS, and Fantasy MMO ALBION ONLINE.

He's currently working on a new series. Book 1, THE DEATHLESS, is coming out in the UK in June 2018.

Reviews

[Booniss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Landfall is a tie in novel to the Albion game, but don't let that put you off if you like the premise - you don't need to know anything about the game and it's several cuts above the usual tie-in novel standards, being terrifically funny and endlessly quotable (I especially like "draining the lizard" as a euphemism for a bloke having a wee) featuring characters who are pretty well rounded.

Serving as an introduction to the characters you can play, Landfall sets things up nicely beginning with a battle at sea between pirates and Royal Fleet, which results in them all being shipwrecked and divided on a magical island so that some end up in the opposite group. Each of the main characters has an arc or quest they have to follow - of these my favourite was Tia, badass pirate, mother and potty mouth. She is brilliant fun. The quests of course overlap and there's a lot of fun to be had with things like their discovery of the island's magical properties and plenty of double crossing, backstabbing and skulduggery.

There were a few moments when it was for me a little too obvious that Landfall is a game tie-in - for instance, one group meets a man who pays them to take some cargo through a dangerous wood, which reads almost exactly like stock game dialogue, and there are a few exposition scenes where things like the guilds are explained. I did however like the way the chapters opened with notes from a guide written by one of the characters, which I felt was a much more elegant way of getting the information across.

Overall however Landfall is a huge amount of fun with women pirates, Jason and the Argonauts-style fighting skeletons and even a talking cat, along with plenty of gore and mayhem. I enjoyed it immensely.

[Joseph Caponi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for a friend, and I previously played the game before. Honestly, I don't quite know why anyone would read this. It feels like it was written to try to get people excited about the game, but I don't know why you'd read this before playing the game itself, since there's much better fiction out there instead.

The book reads like the author had a checklist and is trying to walk you through the game's features in a heavy-handed way. This wouldn't be so bad if it was more of a tongue-in-cheek work, but the plot swings from taking itself seriously to almost making fun of itself due to its absurdity and cliché-ness.

[Rescribo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hadn't even heard of the game when I picked up the book. I thought it was good, and that it stood well on it's own - there were no areas where an understanding of the game was necessary to understand the story. I was a little disappointed where things left off - while a good place to end, I wanted to know how all the main character arcs ended. (But I do understand that not all arcs can conclude at the same time).

I am undecided if this should be 3 or 4 stars.

[Christopher Harmon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprisingly good read. If you are in the mood for a light-hearted sword and sorcery book with R rated violence, this is a good pick up.

[Dan Findlay-Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little read, good characters and a fun ride