The Heart of Stone

Heart of Stone #1

by Ben Galley

Mercenary. Murderer. Monster. Task has been called many names in his time.

“Echoes of Brandon Sanderson and Scott Lynch.”
– SFF World

“Grimdark with heart and soul.”
– Anna Smith Spark, author of The Empires of Dust Trilogy

“A very, very good read."
– Fantasy Faction

“A brutal delight with thrilling action and heart, rowdy and wise, bloody and tender at the same time."
– Dyrk Ashton, author of The Paternus Trilogy

Best Self-Published Fantasy Novel
– 2017 Booknest Fantasy Awards

———

Golems are built for war and little else. In centuries past, they were a terrifying staple of the battlefield. Empires were conquered on the backs of golems. Now, time and fear have whittled their kind down to a precious few, kept only by kings and warlords.

Task of Wind-Cut is one such machine of war.

Task was built to kill. Built to win. Thousands have died at his stone hands. He cared once, perhaps, but far too many years have passed and too much blood has been spilled. Task has become numb to the chaos he wreaks for his masters. A slave to the spells that bind him.

Now, Task has a new master to serve and a new war to endure. In the far reaches of the Realm, Hartlund is in the grip of civil war, tearing itself in two over coin and crown. This time, Task will fight for a boy king and a general bent on victory.

Beneath his formidable stone, Task longs for change. For an end to this cycle of warfare. For proof of light and good amongst the foul darkness of humanity and war. It will take the mind of an unusual stable-girl to change his.

———

ABOUT THE HEART OF STONE
Packed with action and yet emotionally charged, The Heart of Stone is an epic military fantasy novel that explores the facets of human nature and the roots of warfare and conflict. Told through the eyes of Task, a five hundred year-old golem, this standalone fantasy is perfect for fans of Brandon Sanderson, Mark Lawrence, Scott Lynch and Joe Abercrombie.

———

MORE PRAISE FOR THE HEART OF STONE
“From the fascinating world-building to the intriguing, colorful and memorable characters, The Heart of Stone is a pleasure to read.”
– BookNest

“Dark, brutal and violent, and packed with heart and emotional depth, The Heart of Stone is an intriguing novel.”
– Alan Baxter, author of The Alex Caine Series

“This is Ben’s best book yet. Plain and simple.”
– Michael R. Miller, author of The Dragon’s Blade Trilogy

"A solidly written and fascinating dark fantasy."
– BiblioSanctum

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, High Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Military Fiction, Magic

406 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 30, 2017

About the author

Ben Galley is a British author of dark and epic fantasy books who currently hails from Vancouver, Canada. Since publishing his debut Emaneska Series, Ben has released the award-winning weird western Scarlet Star Trilogy and standalone The Heart of Stone, the critically-acclaimed Chasing Graves Trilogy, and the new Scalussen Chronicles.

When he isn’t conjuring up strange new stories or arguing the finer points of magic systems and dragon anatomy, Ben explores the Canadian wilds, sips Scotch single malts, and snowboards very, very badly. One day he hopes to haunt an epic treehouse in the mountains.

Find all of Ben’s books or join his Discord and Patreon at: www.linktr.ee/bengalley

Reviews

[Melanie (meltotheany) · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC provided to me by author Ben Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The Heart of Stone is a very addicting read, with very heart filled characters that will make you question your empathy. It may also be the only book I've ever read that's main protagonist is a Golem.

“A knight. A girl. A lord. A golem.”

Task is a Windcut Stone Golem, the last of his kind, and was solely made for killing, destruction, and war. Yet, Task has a soul, a heart, and feelings, no matter how hard he tries to suppress them. After being made and then sold from warmonger to warmonger for 400 years, unable to do anything but listen to his master's orders, Task has been taught to turn his feelings off and never get close to anyone. That is, until a little girl teaches him that feeling things do not make you weak and everyone is capable of love and doing the right thing, always.

“Friendship was a dangerous thing for a golem.”

Lesky is a stable girl, carrying all the lessons her mother taught her, while still having a sharp wit and tongue. Lesky made this story for me. She was so wise beyond her years, yet still so vulnerable. She was the heart of this story, and she constantly broke mine while reading. Despite being young and being dealt such an unfair hand at life so early, she is so strong and capable. Lesky was everything in this story to me.

Besides Lesky, my favorite character was Alabast Flint, the Knight of Dawn. He has a preceding reputation from slaying a dragon in his youth, which has given him a lot of fame, which he has chosen to squalor in gambling halls and brothels. Now he has a drinking problem and owes some very scary people money. That is, until his debt is paid and he is recruited, maybe against his will, to kill a Windcut Stone Golem. It should be no problem since he's killed a dragon, true?

Last, but not least, we have Lord Lash. I always get so disheartened when I read books surrounding war and none of the leaders are disabled in any way. This book gives you the representation and it feels so believable and authentic. Lash leads Last Fading, who has been winning this civil war for 9 years. That is, until the other side, the Truehards, purchase a Windcut Stone Golem named Task!

“You humans are fascinated by the death of your own kind. You bicker as an excuse to battle, caring not what damage it wreaks in the process. There will always be wars. And I will always fight them”

The main villain in this book is also so expertly written. I was constantly reevaluating and making up crazy theories, just trying to figure out whose side this person was on. The constant twists and turns with this character were nothing short of amazing, and the emotional journey I went on reading about them was pretty insane. Honestly, this was one of the best villains I've ever read about, and I'd love to know their complete backstory.

“History was a bloody mess, scraped up and strained into the books of the people who made the mess in the first place”

But even with the amazing characters, The Heart of Stone's pacing is just so very slow. I was constantly getting fed breadcrumbs and promises for this huge civil war, but all I got was a few gory and violent snippets, but never any real war action. I also felt like the first 85% was very world building and character based, with drawn out promises of war, then that last 15% had everything coming at me really quickly, with a new promise of a brand new story line.

This book was still super enjoyable, and don't get me wrong, the messages within this book were great and very important, but it made the almost 400 page book feel even longer. In addition to as much as I loved the characters and their growth, it just didn't help the book and its constant war theme from not dragging. It also made for a very anticlimactic ending, which for sure leaves a foot in the door for additional stories in this world. (Which I totally would read!)

And I know there is a lot of world building to do in a standalone novel, but the magic system didn't feel completely cohesive, either. I wish I knew more about Glimpses and Grims, and the full spectrum of their power. I feel like we were only privy to certain aspects, since old magic is banned in this world, but it left me with a lot of questions. Again, I know only so much be done with 400 pages, but with the down time of the war developments I feel like we could have learned more about the magical abilities in this world.

“Humans put far too much trust in their muskets. They wielded them like wizards’ staffs, as if just pointing and praying could solve any problem.”

Despite those two qualms, I really enjoyed this book and think it was a pretty strong stand alone. Plus, I love these characters and will cherish a few for days to come. I also love supporting independently published authors and I truly think this book is a gem of 2017's fantasies. The Heart of Stone is unique and captivating, and has some really important messages inside of it.

Blog | Twitter | Tumblr | Instagram | Youtube | Twitch

[Petros Triantafyllou · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Heart of Stone is the first book of Ben Galley that I ever got to read, and oh-boy do I ache for more.

Task is, and was for all of his life, a war machine. Build with stone and magic more than four hundred years ago, his only purpose is to serve. Bought and sold between Kings, Generals and Warlords, Task doesn’t pick sides - he kills everyone instead. But just because he is good at it, it doesn’t mean that he likes it. So when he’s given a chance for redemption, he is willing to sacrifice everything to get it.

"The golems were originally status symbols. Simple magic tricks to entertain and boast to travellers. When a golem one day defended a Chanark king against an assassin, they began to used for war. A race started, one to build bigger and better machines of war. From stone, to bone, to wood, to mud, to flesh, golems have fought alongside men for decades. They are made to wreak havoc. In Haspia, where the finest golem-builders in the Harmony reside, the world golem means 'chaos'."

Ben Galley’s first stand-alone novel is an engaging and exquisite story with interesting premise and a different setting than your average fantasy book. From the fascinating world-building to the intriguing, colorful and memorable characters, The Heart of Stone is a pleasure to read.

Galley took a risk in not following the traditional three-act structure, relying instead on the readers’ pure interest in the characters until the plot is laid in the second half of the book. The risk paid off, and the author successfully managed to braid themes of morals, ethics and principles with the POV of an immortal Golem.

The Heart of Stone will be released on March 30, 2017 and there’s only one thing that you should do. Pre-order.

You can find more of my reviews over at http://BookNest.eu/

[Haïfa · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can find this review and more at Booksprens.

I would like to start by thanking the author for providing a copy of the Heart of Stone in exchange for an honest review. I would also like to mention that I alternated reading the ebook and listening to Adam Stubbs's amazing narration (via Audible).

Nine feet tall, four hundred-year-old and made of stone and magic, Task is one of the last Golems in the Realm and a powerful, nearly invincible war machine. Task is bought by the Truehards of Hartlund to help them win a nine-year civil war opposing the king and his nobility (the Truehards) to a group of former councilors, merchants and workers calling themselves the Last Fading. Despite being alien, feared, and even hated, the Wind-cut Golem is Hartlund’s last hope. But what if Hartlund’s war fulfills Task’s secret hope to finally find purpose, redemption or peace?

‘There are three rules I am bound to. I cannot disobey my master, I cannot harm my master, and I cannot harm myself. Those are the three pillars we each must abide by.’

I'm so glad I gave Ben Galley's story a go. I didn't get the opportunity to read many self-published books so far but I’m convinced regardless, from my limited experience and mostly from the multiple experiences of trusted friends, that the Heart of Stone is a little gem in the lot, for multiple reasons.

For one thing, Galley's writing is quite good. I expected typos and perhaps some awkward turns of phrases. Instead, I found the writing extremely polished and really beautiful in places. But I shouldn’t have been surprised by the “polished” part, considering that the writer is also a self-publishing consultant who helps new authors publish their books. More than the form however, it was his way with words that made Galley’s story compelling for me.

‘War drives men to great things. Great evils, great sacrifices, great bravery. But also great innovation.’

Now a lot of people might be deterred by the pacing of this book. I can’t really blame them, as the first half or so was pretty slow and though a few battles were fought, there wasn’t enough context to make them particularly impactful or distinguishable from one another. However, I felt that slowness was necessary because it allowed Galley to give a lot of substance to his characters and to learn a great deal about their pasts (especially Task and Alabast, the legendary Knight of Dawn, tasked by the Last Fading to defeat the Golem).

He told me the reason we humans struggle and fight is because we know the only immortal part of our mortal selves is our names.

I also found it extremely refreshing to be in the head of a sentient golem, capable of feeling and thinking but with limited needs, desires and freedom. Some readers might feel Task was too “human” but his way of thinking felt pretty different to me, primitive somehow and even simplistic. I loved to learn more facets of him and I was glad that despite the tremendous growth he underwent, that development felt honest and consistent. And that applies for pretty much every other character in the book in my opinion.

Galley also put a lot of emphasis in the interactions between his characters and I think that’s what I loved the most in this book. The relationships Task formed, so varied and so different from the coldness, mistrust and hate he’s known for centuries, were complex and progressive as well as beautiful life lessons.

Ideas were living things. They exploded into being, having evolved with time. They could blaze brightly or sour and wither away, like life. Because, like all life, ideas need to be fed to survive.

But despite all the things I liked about the Heart of Stone, two things prevented me from giving it a full 4 stars rating or even 5 stars: unexplained events and the worldbuilding.

Firstly, two decisive events happened off-screen. Missing the first was okay, even though it would have added welcome action sequences. The second however was really a shame because witnessing it would have given so much more impact and closure to the story.

As for the worldbuilding, most of the first half of the book lacked context and I was pretty lost and frustrated at the beginning. The good news however is that almost every question I had has been answered and every contradiction or what I considered to be a plot-hole was addressed in the most suitable moment, which allowed for a few revelations and suspenseful occurrences.

Most of the worldbuilding came from the excerpts that opened each chapter and the flashback dreams Task had. And they did provide a lot of information about the different kinds of “old magic”, the religion and the history. But I would have liked some information to be incorporated in the story and not just provided in a concise and sometimes enigmatic way. However, I have to give a special mention to the original elements introduced in this world and that added an additional fantastic touch: animals, seasons and months, magical trees and moon/star systems!

Finally, I would have loved to learn more about the different kinds of magics the Mission (the church) has been guarding jealously and about the Windtrickers and how Golems were built. Ben mentioned in his acknowledgements that he might be visiting the Realm again with either a sequel (following the story of one of the major characters) or a prequel about a younger Task. So I’ve got the hope we might learn more about the old magic.

Before I conclude this review, I’d love to mention the audiobook and the amazing job Adam Stubbs did. I don’t have a big experience with audiobooks yet but I really, really loved how Adam interpreted the characters and the different accents, voices and even personalities he gave them. Hell, I couldn’t even understand how Task was supposed to sound. I mean how do you begin to imagine how “two rocks grinding together” might produce words and thoughts? Well, Stubbs did it in an almost natural and pretty convincing way! I hope your throat didn’t ache too much afterwards, dude! He also gave Alabast a great voice and I got a definite “Inigo Montoya” feel from him, not only because of his drinking issues, dueling skills and tortured past, but mainly from the accent and the funny way he delivered his retorts!

Conclusion
The Heart of Stone is an original, gripping and a genuinely human tale. I won’t lie, this was a slow book but I could feel the dedication and the authenticity Ben Galley put in his characters and their relationships. I would have loved a longer book, with more action scenes and more detailed explanations about magic and history but I can’t deny how much I enjoyed this book and the peculiar atmosphere it had. If you're a lover of character-driven stories interspersed with gory battles scenes, scheming, secret agendas and an original approach of war, this book is for you!

3.5 stars, rounded up.

[Esme · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was excited to read this one, I knew a little bit about it before I picked it up, I knew that it had a golem as one of the main characters which is what got me so interested - I love non human POV's. I'm so glad to say this didn't let me down and I absolutely loved it.

----

**Bingo: Self Published, 2017, Non-human protag**

----


**Characters:**

* **Task** - Task was meant to be the star of the show in this novel, and man did he deliver. He's such a complicated character, he's over 400 years old and was bred for war. He wasn't a servant like some golems, he was designed for the sole purpose of being a war machine. Even though he's absolutely bound by his magic to follow the will of his master, he's found subtle ways of expressing discontent if he doesn't like the orders, and has in the past tried to talk his way out of things he really doesn't want to do. Through the story we get flashbacks of Tasks past, and we get a ton of character growth from the past as well as what's going on in the present. Task has normal likes and dislikes, thoughts, emotions, and personality traits that a human does, but he's treated like dirt. One of the more endearing things is that he loves the rain, I love the rain too - but the reason why he loves the rain is beautiful.

* **Lesky** - I don't typically like spunky younger characters that are there for levity in a more morose world with lots of war, sometimes I just feel like they're out of place. For whatever reason I loved Lesky, she wasn't so over done that it was annoying, and she gained a ton of wisdom from her mother that serves her well throughout the novel. Lesky befriends Task and their odd ball pairing was just charming and delightful to read.

* **Ellia** - I don't even know where to start with this one, she's there as sort of an advisor, but her character takes several turns through the book getting more and more complex and more insane.

* **Dartridge** - this is Tasks master, and although he's had worse in the past, Task isn't a fan of this dude. He's childish, arrogant, and careless, his father is a general and he's trying to live up to his expectations but fails all the time. He has the capacity to be cruel and unyielding and ultimately has a huge hand in how the civil war will play out.

* **Alabaster Flint** - The Fadings answer to the Kings loyalists getting a golem to fight for them, he's a knight who once slew the last living dragon, and The Fading (the rebels) have employed him hoping he can conquer Task

-----

**Plot:**

There's a civil war, the boy Kings loyalists, and the rebels who are displeased with the leadership and want a better life. The war has been going on for 9 years and it's been a blood bath. The country of Hartlund is poor, starving, sick, and tired of the war, both sides are desperate for an end to the fighting. What I really loved about this book is that you get to see both sides of the war, and the gritty realism of the lower class soldiers getting shit on and used up was really well done. It did a great job of showing both sides of a war have great costs, and that there are decent people on each side. There's actually a decent amount of material in the book that makes you pause and reflect.

---

**Magic:**

There's something called old magic, which is mostly feared and thought not to exist anymore. Most people didn't even know there were still golems in the world, and Task is one of the last. There's also a more common type of magic that lets people do different things. Glimpses, Gazers, and Blinders can all do different sorts of magic, a lot of it revolving around getting in peoples heads. This book has a decent amount of magical elements, but it's nothing like Brandon Sandersons stuff, it's more toned down than that.


----

**Worldbuilding:**

You get two maps in the beginning of the book, a world map and a close in of the country of Hartlund. The characters march with their armies through some of the country side, so you can look at the map if you want to. Most of the plot takes place in Hartlund although there's mention of the other countries within the world. There is a set religion in this world, and their god is known as The Architect, and their holy script is known as The Manual. There wasn't a ton of info around this, but you do get drip fed the culture and religion as the book goes on.

This book also did something similar to what Sanderson did in Stormlight Archives - common animals were replaced by magical counterparts with a common set of biological features. In Stormlight most of the animals have crustacean like features, in this book most animals have a combination of scales, fur, and back ridges.

There are also different kinds of golems, and the material they're made out of makes a big difference, for instance wood golems tend to rot which drives them mad.

The setting is in the north where the countryside is cold, wet, and unforgiving in the wind.

----

**Pacing:**

I couldn't put this book down, the pace was pretty quick and there were a bunch of battles and action scenes, the book is almost 500 pages and I think I finished in less than 36 hours of picking it up.


-----


**Audience:**

* People who like multi pov
* People who like seeing both sides of a war
* people who like complex characters, some they may not like
* people who like odd ball pairing friendships
* people who like non human pov
* people who like flintlock fantasy
* people looking for female protags (not task)
* people who like a moderate amount of magic, not too much not too little

[Kitty G Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first read of the #SPFBO (Self Published Fantasy Blog Off) books. I was definitely hoping for good things as I've previously read a book by Ben Galley, and enjoyed it, but as this is a new series I wasn't sure what to expect.

I would describe this as a fun, military-focused story which centres around the Fading and the Royalists. Basically the Fading are a fracture group who have broken away from the throne becuase they believe the young boy-King is being ruled by his advisors and isn't able to govern properly.

Into all this walks Task, a stone golem who is over 400-years old, made entirely of stone, and magical. Task is seen by many humans as a mindless beast, but in reality he has feelings, thoughts and even a conscience. Task's long life has been fraught with bloodshed and he's filled with the desire to just escape and free himself from the mad slaughter he's constantly been ordered to do by his masters. Task is bound by his master's will, and he's used as a machine for torture and killing. He thinks of humans as 'skinbags' becuase essentially that's what they are, and he's so rarely seen kindness from them that they barely merit more than that.

The world this is based in also has dragons (thought the last one has been slain by Alabast) and Grims and Glimpses. Glimpses seem to have a foresight ability, whilst Grims are much more sinister and can control thoughts. Grims are incredibly rare but they do still exist.

What I most enjoyed about this book was that it surprised me. Although the story is very battle-heavy and there were some slower scenes of battle that I didn't love, I found the relationship between Task and the people around him fascinating. Task's thought-process is interesting to read about, and seeing him receive love and kindness for a change from a character called Lesky made me really happy for him.

Overall, I would say that this book had a lot going for it, including the fact that it's just a good solid read. I liked a lot of the ideas in the story, and although it's not supposed to be a series, the author has said there may be more coming in the world, which sounds good to me. A very fun fantasy, 4*s

[Scarlett Readz and Runz....Through Novel Time & Distance · Rating 4 out of 5]

A land is torn apart for ages historically by political powers. The Truehard’s army is seeking victory against the vengeance of opposing forces. Their new weapon is a stone golem, created to wreack havoc via a path of destruction alongside the brave soldiers.

Task is his name. He is the main character, the golem that was created by the architect to obey his current master. And many of those he has had in his lifetime.

“There are three rules I am bound to. I cannot disobey my master, I cannot harm my master, and I cannot harm myself. Those are the three pillars we both must abide by.”

He is the last Wind-Cut golem and was woken in the year twenty-three sixty-one for the Khandri mines. He has no soul and is made to be bent beyond his will. He has fought on all fronts of the war before and he has learned to nod along and let them talk; let them believe he cared about the endless plight of humanity.

“The golems were originally status symbols. Simple magic tricks to entertain and boast to travelers. When a golem one day defended a Chanark king against an assassin, they began to be used for war. A race started, one to build bigger and better machines of war. From stone, to bone, to wood, to mud, to flesh, golems have fought alongside men for decades. They are made to wreak havoc. In Haspia, where the finest golembuilders in the Harmony reside, the word golem means chaos.' “

War and political intrigue play a large part in this novel but are balanced out by interesting and flawed characters. Told in alternating pov’s, the story stays dynamic in plot and the chapters often end on little cliffhangers. Quotes at the beginning of chapters give hint of a world built in the imagination of the author, giving way to fill the the gaps of ideology, heritage and history for the reader.

Task is by far my favorite character. Even though he has been built of stone, Galley created the golem to be intuitive to the elements of nature. Abrasions by wind and weather leave him invigorated or the opposite. He feels time washing away the sand of his stone.

“Only stone can truly know stone”

When Task meets Lesky, a young girl working in the soldiers camp, he is experiencing something like friendship. A connection to this curious girl, wild and attentive, with questions galore, seems to lower his guards and a moment that reminded me of the Iron Giant, let’s Task appear to have a tender heart.

With the world at war and troubled leaders making underhanded decisions for their people, a magic is interspersed within. Tormenting dreams lead to intuitive actions that may save lives and perhaps create freedom for some of the characters. I can’t really say more about that or I would give things away.

Not intended to receive a sequel, I think there is room left to add to the story, it would certainly work and I’m curious of the further fate of some of the characters.

Outstanding to me was the descriptive writing of the novel. Several of the passages I had to go back on because they create such vivid outstanding imaginary to enjoy. Take this passage here for example:

”The Bilgesnapper was a stout craft. Its squat shape and mean, flat row bluggeoined the waters aide, bothered not a penny by the swell.

With the sails stripped almost bare, and the below-decks crammed with two-score of sweating rowers, the rest of the barge’s crew had taken to sulking below the gunwales. They blew into their hands and grimaced through the murk. Each of them rocked back and forth in odd and silent unison, slave to the monotonous canter of the sea.

'Their ain’t nought miserabler than a Lundish fading’s day,’ wheezed an old sailor, trussed up in two thick coats and still shivering. His olive skin spoke of a southern heritage and time spent in the sun. Even the seawater and drizzle hadn’t managed to bring a chill to it.”

The entire novel was just well imagined and written. I never knew one could breathe life into a character made of stone and make him feel so intelligent and humble like a good friend. It is those stories I enjoy most. Good clean storytelling, characters of a mixed bag and heroic underdogs. Amazing.

This book is one to recommend!

More of my reviews here:
https://scarlettreadzandrunz.com/

[Marielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful book and how much I liked the main characters! I'll write a review but I'll cretainly read more by Ben Galley!

[Julia Sarene · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5* I was lucky enough to get an arc of this one!

Let's start this off with a quote to set the tone:
"People don’t like the reflection of what I am to them. I may be different, all stone and dust instead of skin and blood. But they still see themselves. Copied. Faked in stone. They see their Architect’s work in something that isn’t flesh, and they can’t help but be offended by it, scared by it. Fear breeds hate."

So this one felt quite a bit more serious in tone, than Bloodrush, which is the last book of the author I've read.

I really liked the non-human perspective, and the outside society view it granted throughout the story. It was one of the biggest hooks for me, and kept me well grounded all the way through.
I also liked how there were some unexpected twists. While you knew that SOMETHING was off, you couldn't guess just what it was, and I really enjoy being surprised by characters.
Those characters were really interesting, and nicely different to each other - and I happily stayed with them for the whole adventure. Especially the young stable girl Lesky was a great one to follow. There's good, ones, bad ones and also quite some grey ones. It also lets you hanging to decide who to root for in the war that is going on for quite a while. I like sides not being obvious from the start.

A nice bonus were some different types of magic that showed up (glimpses, gazers, ...)

The prose was fluent and easy to get into. It nicely stepped to the background, so you don't realise you are reading, but can delve into the story.

And the ending was exactly perfect for me! Left me blinking for quite a while!


To the few small complaints I had:
What annoyed me a bit was the exchange of the word "fuck" for the word "deff". It wasn't a new word that made sense in the world, but it was the exact same thing as "fuck or fucking" just as "deff or deffing".

I would also have liked either a bit more humor, or a bit more "philosophical thoughts" - as I like it more on the outer spectrums of those two, not so much on the middle ground. That is purely personal taste though.


All in all a really good read that I can highly recommend to anyone looking for a good stand alone fantasy novel or for a non-human main character!

[Mili · Rating 5 out of 5]

5🌟 😍😍! My first Ben Galley and I am hooked! It is a standalone novel about a Golem, a magically made creature that is forced to obey a master. Built for war. They can be made of wood, bone and in this case stone. Task is his name, and he is not a machine. He has feelings and thoughts of his own but is forced to obey cruel masters through the years. He longs for change. So we slowly get to know Task, a small glimpse into his making and then back to current moments where is meets a new master. Again to be used in war, he hopes this master will be different. People are asses so of course not 😏.
The writing is captivating and makes the characters come to life. Task especially is amazing. Full of emotion and longing for peace. When Task touches a surface he knows its past, that also counts for humans....then we meet Lesky a girl that works the stables and is not afraid of Task. She is stubborn and set on making friends with the Golem.
There are characters with their own agenda busy manipulating and magic. And it was fun when Alabast was introduced as a drunk hero who has killed the last Dragon. His character is hilarious and I love how full he is of himself 😏. I just loveddd all the character interactions in this book! And the battles were gruesome and harsh. With ugly scenes all over.
The story has a gripping pace all the way to the end, which is beautiful. And I hope for more future work in this realm. Oh and the humor is great!!!
.
Task - ' He was left alone with the headless corpse; left with his thoughts and the mess in his palm. He stared down at it. What was once a world of ideas, memories and feelings was now just a muddle of grey and red, punctured by milky shards of bone.'
.
Alabast - ' Urinating in a count's soup after an argument over dragons and wyverns was the highlight of the evening, closely followed by his forcible defenestration at the hands of the duchesses' elder brother.'
' His once-famous sword arm was now used mainly for wine-pouring, and he doubted he could cut anything but a fart in the training yard.'
.
Collar - ' I ain't wakint him at this hour. No bloody way. He'll have my cock and balls for matching bookends.'

[Laura Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a solid, competently written novel that fantasy fans can appreciate and enjoy. Galley has created memorable characters you’ll want to read more of and breathed life into an unconventional hero you probably won’t want to say goodbye to.

Read the full review on Fantasy-Faction.

[Nils | nilsreviewsit · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Survive or die. That’s a peasant’s war, my stone friend. That’s the cause we’re fighting for.’
~
Heart of Stone by Ben Galley was such a captivating and utterly impressive fantasy standalone, and one that I had such a pleasure reading.

The story follows, Task; a nine foot tall, more than four hundred year old golem. Yes, that’s right, our main protagonist is a golem, made of stone and old magic, and I freaking LOVED that! Task, and others of his kind, were built for war. They were an ultimate weapon, and one no army would ever want to reckon with. So, naturally, when civil war has been destroying the city of Hartlund for nine years, the general from the Royalist Truehard army purchased Task, in order to swiftly end their war with The Fading.
~
Sparks flew from every sword cut. Stone-chips sprayed with every bite of the axes, and yet Task dealt with each soldier in turn. He was merciless. His first master had taught him two lessons: shock and awe. Now, he passed on that wisdom. The men were wheat to him, ready to be cut and counted.’
~
However, Task is different from his kind; he is the last Wind-Cut golem, but more importantly he is sentient. He is intelligent, he knows the consequences of his actions, and he feels emotions the same as any human would. More than four hundred years of brutal, gory, cruel warfare; bound by magical oaths and enslaved to vile masters who see him only as a war machine, have all taken its toll on Task. Now he longs for change; a life of never experiencing human kindness has chipped away at the very core of Task, and his sole goal is to find an end to it.

Throughout the whole book, I was rooting for Task, his battle scenes were incredible; the golem could do some serious carnage, and it was bloody brilliant, because of course I love a good head rolling, gut spilling, stabby stabby battle! Battles are always my favourite parts in any fantasy book, but I also love it when an author can show realistically what consequences those actions have afterwards. Therefore what really captured my heart, was the way Task inwardly was repulsed by his actions, his destruction weighed heavily on him, and his lack of choice; the very thing that makes a person who they are, was denied to him. That was incredibly heartbreaking. I really appreciated that Galley didn’t portray the violence Task committed in a gratuitous fashion, he showed what kind of grief and trauma that brutality caused. Galley is truly a gifted author, one who can create such vivid, unique and memorable characters, that simply put me on an emotional rollercoaster.

The well developed characterisation didn’t just stop at Task, as the other main characters were just as well written and rounded. I felt that this created such a rich story, ensuring that the golem wasn’t the only stand out character. Lesky, was most definitely my favourite. She was young, determined, feisty, witty and had such a fantastic view on life. She literally believed she could achieve anything she ever wanted, no matter how far fetched or despite her disadvantaged circumstances. The way she befriended Task, the way she showed him tenderness and a better side to humanity - it made me goddamn cry! Task and Lesky’s friendship was my favourite part for sure.
~
‘You say your master made a mistake? Made you broken? I think he made the finest golem there is. One who’s more than stone, not just some mindless machine. One who can make a choice for himself. One whose got a conscious. A heart.’
~
Then there were the military characters; General Huff, leader of the Truehard army and the Knight, Alabast, hired by The Fading army. These two in particular were always so hilarious, and worked perfectly to cut through the darker themes of the book! General Huff was clearly incompetent due to his lack of experience with warfare, and his ignorance because of his privileged background. Some of the orders he gave bordered on being extremely ridiculous! Alabast was one of those knights who constantly wanted to shirk his role in the army and find alcohol instead. It’s important for me let you know here that I have a deep love for Joe Abercrombie books, and these two were so reminiscent of some of his comedic characters!

Lastly, I’d just like to add, the ending of the book left me shocked, sad and thinking about the characters long after I’d finished. It’s so great to find a novel that makes you do that! So all that’s left for me to say really is that this was a stellar read, and I really hope Galley ventures back into this world again at some point.

[Wol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plot

Task is a 400 year old Golem, amongst the last of his kind. He was built with old magics as a tool of war, bound to the bidding of his human master. But something went wrong in Task’s creation that gave him the ability to think and feel. Weary of the ugliness and chaos of war, over the years he has deadened himself to the destruction he is forced to wreak on humankind. That is, until he meets a fearless young stable girl who awakens feelings in him that have long lain dormant.

Dangerous feelings – like hope.

Characters

Task – A complex non-human PoV, Task is a Golem with independent thought and feelings. The magic binding him has rules that he is forced to follow, including obedience and an inability to hurt his master, though he has found small ways to resist when he finds his orders to be distasteful.

Lesky – A plucky stable girl with a cheerful and interesting outlook on life, Lesky is a likable and persistent child who responds to Task with curiosity rather than the more common reaction of fear.

Dartridge – Task’s Master and General of the Truehards (the loyalists). Dartridge is a privileged and spoiled man who was handed his position by his father, rather than through merit and hard work. He is short tempered and arrogant to the point of sadism, and is disliked by his men.

Ellia – A charming noblewoman with unclear motivations and a manipulative personality. I find myself reminded of Mrs. Coulter from Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy.

Alabast – A legendary knight who has fallen from grace. Famous for slaying the last dragon, now he spends his days drinking and running away from his debts. He is coerced into serving The Fading (the rebels) as their own “weapon of war” against Task.

The Dregs – A group of Truehard soldiers, the lowest in rank and generally overlooked and mistreated. They are a ragtag group who show Task kindness because like them, he’s an outcast.


My Thoughts

First off, I’d like to say that if you’re an audiobook fan then this is one you should own. The performance of Adam Stubbs is nothing short of incredible – his Golem voice quite literally made my jaw drop, and he just does a stellar job from top to bottom.

The Heart of Stone is a multi-PoV military fantasy with a beating heart. A civil war is raging between the Truehards and the Fading – the Truehards are loyal to the king and believe that the Fading attempted a coup after the death of the previous king. The king’s heir, however, was a small boy at the time of the previous king’s death, and the Fading feel that the boy king’s advisers don’t have the best interests of the realm at heart. Both positions are understandable, and one of the many nice touches of the novel is that there are characters who have a lot in common on both sides. There’s a definite feeling that these people could be friends if their situation hadn’t pitted them against one another.

Character development is a big strength of the novel, and that’s something that always makes me happy. Task’s thought processes are alien and fascinating, but he’s imbued with such an interesting sense of morality and humanity that he’s relatable even when he’s mulling over his resentment of humans (to the point that he calls us ‘skinbags’ as a mark of his disgust). All of the main circle of characters are well developed and their motivations are logical (although sometimes shrouded in mystery for the sake of the plot). Lesky in particular is a child character who manages to be precocious and wise without being irritating, which is an achievement in itself. Add to that a fallen knight – Alabast has a drinking problem, a womanizing problem, a debt problem and a yellow belly. Despite this he’s a charming rogue of a character and his growth throughout the novel really won me over.

The magic system of the Golems and the abilities of humans is pretty well explored and interesting, and I don’t want to get into it too deeply here since it’s integral to the plot. The setting is functional and the cultures are developed enough that it feels like an authentic world and not just a backdrop to the story. The dialogue between characters is one way in which the novel really shines, in fact probably my favorite scene in the whole novel is just a simple card game being played between a bunch of the characters. Their interactions and chemistry were so spot-on that they began to feel less like characters in a book and more like friends. I can’t ask for more than that.

The conclusion is excellent and wraps up tidily without loose threads – it’s a very satisfying, bittersweet ending that had me close to tears a couple of times. I know this is one I’ll be happy to revisit over the years. If you’re looking for a standalone novel that delivers, look no further.

Score: 8.6/10

More reviews and custom cocktails can be found at my blog, The Tome & Tankard Inn

[Dyrk Ashton · Rating 5 out of 5]

The opening chapter of The Heart of Stone had the 15 year old kid in me cheering and the author in me applauding. I was hooked, and that enthusiasm for the story never abated throughout.

I mean, it's a golem, a monster, a war-machine made out of stone. It's like 400 years old, 9 feet tall, and it's name is Task. What more could I want? Extremely well drawn and memorable characters arranged in a rounded and wonderful cast, maybe? Well it's got that. A really interesting alternate world? Check. Characters to both love and love to hate? Check. Gory battles galore? Done. Alrighty then.

I found this book to be quite fresh, though it plays on many of my favorite fantasy tropes. In a way it's flintlock fantasy in that there are cannons and (flintlock) firearms, but also swords and magic. It's also reminiscent of both Frankenstein and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. There's a little Scanners: A Novel thrown in there as well.

But the heart of the book is the stone heart of Task, and his road to self-discovery and redemption - with a whole lot of fighting thrown in.

A brutal delight with thrilling action and heart, rowdy and wise, bloody and tender at the same time. I had a blast, and got my heart broken too. I highly recommend checking this one out.

[Lukasz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Task is a war machine built to win wars and follow orders of his masters. During long centuries of existence he’s seen it all and he doesn’t have a lot of esteem for skinbags (humans). Sadly, because of magic binding him, he can’t just run away to paint, read grimdark books and live in peace.
He is thrown amidst a kingdom's civil war between royalists, the Truehards, and the capitalist factions under the Last Fading. His master, as many before him, turns out to be a petty and cruel man and a coward deep inside. He doesn’t have to be brave though. He sends others to fight and die. Throughout the book we learn more about the conflict and discover things aren’t always as they seem.

Task is a stone Golem – last of his kind. His creator called him a failure as Task thinks and feels, struggles to bend the rules just a bit. Also he has a wry sense of humor. He learnt not to care about people but despite his better judgment he befriends some Dregs and a young stable girl Lesky. Lesky is crucial to the plot. It’s her relationship with the Golem that makes him question his, seemingly unchangeable, destiny.

As the story progresses other interesting characters appear. My favorite was Ellia who is complex character with her own goals and schemes. I would think it reasonable to hate her but I can’t. She plays a long game and she’s ready to sacrifice a lot to reach her goals. Then we have Alabast Flint – infamous Knight of Dawn who hadn’t fought anything but a hangover recently. His introduction to the story brings a lot of comic relief and takes some edge of it. As we learn more about him though, we start to appreciate him more.

The books is quite long (close to 500 pages) but given the scope of events (civil war, different factions, a religious group playing its own game, Task arc) it’s just too short. I felt, especially in the end, that some things were rushed. I may be wrong but I think this book should be 30 % longer or divided into duology. The conclusion was unsatisfying to me. I really think the book would benefited from developing more characters like Alabast or Lord Lash.

It’s a minor criticism though. I won’t be surprised if this book will win this year’s SPFBO. All characters are memorable and written with finesse, the story has many layers and twists. Important questions are asked and I think that balance between grimdark and humorous is perfect. The book final is really strong and emotive. It’s a stand alone novel and it means no cliffhangers, no padding.

[Anna Spark · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I’d recommend it.

There we go. Don’t need to write anything else.

No, damn it, Ben interviewed me a while back and made way more effort. Okay, here's a review:

It’s nicely written – and I know these things, trust me, I’m very particular about people's prose. Densely plotted with some nice, neat little plot twists and lovely nods to classic fantasy tropes (actually, thinking about it, I’d possibly not recommend it if you’ve never read a fantasy novel in your life before). It’s cynical, but there’s a real warmth to it: you know all the characters are flawed, the hero guy might not be a hero, the victory might not be worth the cost, but you still care about them, want them to survive and to succeed. There’s an energy to the book.

What really makes it is the central character, the eponymous Heart of Stone. Task the Golem, a living war machine, spent four hundred years fighting in conflicts all across his world, there’s really nothing about human violence that he hasn’t seen. Sentient but not possessed of free will, poor chap (and don’t we all know how that feels from time to time?). A weapon that thinks, that can understand the consequences of his actions, but that cannot choose not to fight for whoever owns him. For some I name no names but I may refer to them elsewhere as my favourite ever authors, this would be an excuse for looooong passages of existential philosophy 101 navel-gazing. Here Task just … gets on with it, with wry humour, self-awareness and a bleak but ultimately redemptive view of humanity that seems ever more necessary with every passing Trumpish day. I found myself genuinely liking Task*. He really is the heart of the book. Boom boom.

The world building is refreshingly brief (see snarky comment on my unnamed favourite favourite authors above). In fact, The Heart of Stone reads more like a thriller that just happens be set in a secondary world, and the better for that. There’s enough different that it’s plausible nine feet tall magically created living war machines exist there, but no great underlying vastly complex theology and history that runs back a billion years. Just people in a world, being alive, trying to keep that way.

Some of the characters are maybe a little too broadly drawn, a little too obvious. General Huff, for example, is too much of the upper-class twit caricature. My one big objection, embarrassingly, is with the brilliant, beautiful, runs rings around everyone else, fully subjective female. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with her as a character. But … gods, can I as a feminist legitimately complain that the brilliant, beautiful, runs rings around everyone else, fully subjective else female character trope is somehow a bit irritating? I probably shouldn’t, should I? She’s cool. She’s clever. She’s sexy but not overtly sexualised. She’s got some good plot twist touches. She just not quite my cup of tea. In the Biblical sense.

As a final hurrah THIS BOOK CONTAINS A DISABLED CHARACTER BUT DOESN’T MAKE A BIG PONDEROUS THING ABOUT IT. This is great and makes me so happy. One of the characters just happens to be in a wheelchair. He doesn’t make some big speech about how bitter he is, or how valiantly he’s fought against a world that hates him, or how he’s been blessed by cruel misfortune to finally understands himself as a better man. He’s not a clunkingly obvious metaphor for teenage alienation. He’s simply a character who it’s mentioned a couple of times happens to be in a wheelchair, like another character might be mentioned to have dark hair. I’m talking about disability in sff at Eastercon. The Heart of Stone will definitely get a positive mention there.

*Note: that’s ‘liking’ not in the Biblical sense, guys. He may be a nine-foot muscular living war-machine, but he’s also the hero. Mr Nice. I do have some standards, you know.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imagine, if you will, a scenario where an unprecedented weapon turns the tides of war. There are many instances over the course of our history where this is evident: a longbow, gunpowder, and the atomic bomb have all been instrumental in providing the decisive blow. But what if this weapon had a conscience? A name, a soul? Meet Task, a 400-year-old stone golem, hero protagonist of Ben Galley’s Heart of Stone. He is such a weapon, and this is his story.

If we can look at humanity through the lens of an outsider, there’s potential to gain wisdom from such an uncommon perspective. In Task’s case, he has witnessed first-hand some of the worst of what humanity has offered: countless wars, starvation, destruction, genocide, displaced peasants fighting for a chance to eat and live, while nobility plays with their lives like they’re nothing more than pieces on a game board. Unfortunately for Task, this is a life in which he cannot escape. He was created centuries ago using long-dead “old magic,” and has suffered contractual slavery while passed amongst ruthless masters for decades. Task cannot break his contract or turn upon his master, so he’s used as a tool, a war machine, to achieve nefarious ends for power-hungry nobles and unqualified generals.

Task is not the only golem of this world, but he is one of the last. He’s also considered “broken,” as stated by his creator. Dozens of golems have been conjured (and long since destroyed), but only Task is able to question, discern, or philosophize. He second-guesses his orders, but is forced to follow through on them, and is therefore viewed as defective. Although he has an indestructible exterior, the opposite is true beneath his armor: his heart longs to be pure, his soul is good, but the guilt of his forced actions cause him nothing but torment and nightmares. He longs to be free and released of his enslavement, but the old magic won’t ever let him go.

The story begins with Task being purchased by a new master, an arrogant and petty general who wishes to become famous for ending a civil war that has deadlocked the land for nearly a decade. While Task is leads the army on a bloody rampage through the opposition, he comes into contact with an unlikely crew of companions: a brave, young, and powerful girl named Lesky, an alcoholic warrior of legend who has fallen from grace, and a mysterious, vengeance-seeking Baroness with potentially devious political machinations. It is through these new relationships that Task finds himself in a unique position to work towards achieving something he’s never encountered before.

Galley is clearly a gifted writer; his settings are descriptive and tangible, his characters shine with personality, and the plot dips and weaves through surprising twists and clever turns. Task is an interesting lead, as his battle rage is just a breath away from his devoted compassion and quiet sadness. The supporting cast focuses on just a few POVs, but there are some ancillary characters that have some scene-stealing moments as well. There were a couple of issues that I had some trouble with, however. There is one person who has a Master Plan, but there was no way to achieve it without another character’s help, and this character wasn’t available to help until the plan was nearing its conclusion. It made me wonder how that plan was supposed to succeed, since no one knew about the late-developing X-Factor when these plans were conceived. Another small gripe was that some of the villains of the story felt extremely one-sided. Their characterization seemed a bit flat, as I felt that they could always be counted on to make the wrong decision, every time. It started to feel a bit predictable and unrealistic. Perhaps some morally grey mixed in with their ubiquitously black hues would have fleshed out these characters a bit more, but overall it didn’t take away much from my enjoyment of the story.

Heart of Stone is a clever rumination on the nature of war and guilt, freedom and responsibility, and fighting for something bigger than yourself. The war that rages through the battlefields of the empire draw a nice parallel with the war that rages within Task’s soul as he struggles to break free from his enslavement, protect the ones he loves, and gain the freedom to make his own choices. This story was written as a standalone, though there is ample history and open plot threads where new stories of Task and his companions can be told. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can recommend it to anyone who enjoys non-human protagonists, while gaining new perspectives on the nature of mankind at war with itself.

Note: I split time reading and listening to the audiobook version of this story, and commend Adam Stubbs on an excellent narration of the story. His stony, layered rumbling used for Task’s voice, as well as the nuanced accents he used for the various soldiers throughout the story were quite impressive. If you’re on the fence about listening to an audio version of this story, I fully recommend it.

Score: 7.7 / 10

[The Nerd Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

A podcast review of this book is available here The Nerd Book Review


Some details.
Task is a 400+ year old golem who was created to be a machine for war. He’s always been a bit broken as far as golems are concerned because he thinks and feels and doesn’t enjoy killing. Unfortunately he is unable to disobey his master.
Task is then thrown into a civil war that has been raging for 9 years. He makes a friend in a teenage girl who isn’t scared of Task. Lesky, The girl, is clearly special in some way and her friendship will lead Task to become disobedient to his current master. Anything past this would be getting into real spoiler territory.
This book is very enjoyable and was a quick read that flowed very well. I enjoyed having a different perspective with the golem who thinks and feels. I really enjoyed the back and forth of wondering what side Frayne would end up on.
I think that the thing that is stopping me from giving this a 5* rating instead of a 4+ is that the story wraps up just a little too neatly for my taste. I can’t really explain this without really having spoilers but the book finishes up in a very traditional fantasy novel way.
I have to admit I’m surprised this book didn’t get picked up by a publisher right away, unless the author didn’t want to go that route. It is very polished and reads so smoothly. It seems like a book that would appeal to a large swath of traditional fantasy readers.

[Trevor Sherman · Rating 5 out of 5]

My full review with my "amazing" Goblinized™ art can be found at https://thebloggoblin.com/2017/02/20/...

The main Character is a 400 year old Stone Golem. His name is Task and his “task” is to kill people. He is bound by the magic that made him to serve his master. So for 400 years he has been moved around and sold from one master to the next. And since he is thought of as a war machine that means he was sent from one war to the next.
Like I said before the world is a pretty Grimdark place with a lot of wars. Since Task was created all of the wizards that made golems have died and Task is the last of the Windcut stone Golems. When he arrives in Hartlund he is told that he is needed to turn the tide of a civil war that has been going on for 9 years already and his side is losing. His new master is a pompous ass hat just like all of his others and orders him to the stable until they march. That is where he meets Lesky a little girl that works the stable and she becomes his first friend in a very long time. That’s all I am going to say as far as plot goes.
This is the first book by Ben that I have read and I ended up really liking his style of world building, but was a bit nervous at first. For example there are large lizard type things that are used like horses and he doesn’t sit and describe what they look like. They are slowly described throughout the book through things like someone touching their scales or saying how they moved. There are a few things like that and while I usually don’t like that type of world building he did it really well.
I am going to be honest and say there is a lot of violence in Heart of Stone, but it is there for a reason. Its not dismemberment for the sake of upping the gore factor. Even with all of the gore and the battles I was amazed at my reaction to some of the later parts of the book. Just like with the descriptions of the lizard things happening slowly, my emotional attachment to some of the characters happened almost unnoticed by me, however it was a deep attachment.. It wasn’t until one part when something happened to someone when I felt a real tear that I knew I cared about these imaginary people. When I say things like “brought a tear to my eye” in reviews it usually means that I felt kind of choked up, but I really had a tear or two on my cheeks while reading this and that has not happened to me in a long time.


Final Thoughts
I really enjoyed Ben’s style of writing. It was almost sneaky the way he made me care about the characters. This is a standalone book not a series which is kind of nice. It has been a while since I read one of those, and even longer since I read one anywhere near good as this book. This is the first novel I have read by Ben Galley but it most certainly will not be the last. Heart of Stone is one action packed, bloody, emotional ride and I loved it. It receives 5 out of 5 Little Goblins© from me

[Kareem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having already read and enjoyed Bloodrush by Ben Galley I was delighted to receive an arc of Heart of Stone.

As ever with Ben, the books he produce feel like a quality product — you know as much effort goes into every aspect of the book as the actual writing of it.

Sadly I cannot give the book the 5 stars so many other (much more qualified and renowned) bloggers and reviewers have, for a few reasons, but mainly it is the beginning. The story just didn’t hook me as quickly as I’d like, 50 pages is usually the marker but in this case it was near 130 before I felt committed. But I must stress that that is entirely subjective. This story is a standalone, as such there is a fair amount of worldbuilding involved (the subtleties of worldbuilding have never really lit a fire in my boxers). That said, I know a lot of people who love that side of things. I guess it was just too much too soon for me, as usually with a series these elements can be spread out over a series.

Similes were another distraction — though some of them are absolutely fantastic — the volume of them was just a little overwhelming. Again . . . subjective.

Finally, the omniscient narration was at times a little jarring. The head hopping had me confused a time or two (but then, that could be my lower lifeform intelligence). In all honesty that is me coming up with criticisms that I hope might help in future. It only happened a few times and it was no biggie to go back a sentence or two to get my head straight.

Right, now that is out of the way I can move on. The rest of the book was deffing brilliant! All the things that held me back suddenly became a distant memory and I got caught up in the story’s wonderful plot arcs and pace. Ben’s descriptive ability is enough to make me envious, I said the same thing about Bloodrush, and he has, if anything, gotten better at it.

Characters and characterisation are a big strength here too. No character comes to mind as someone I didn’t in some way care about. There is real (pun alert!) heart in these characters. Relationships between the cast feel real and you soon find yourself urging Task and his supporting characters along.

Alabast is a Kareem favourite!

And the antagonists were fantastic too. There is one character: Huff, who reminded me of Basil Fawlty, only dialled up to eleven. There are others too, but I don’t wish to spoil it for anyone. Suffice it to say they are complex and believable and I really didn’t like them. And that is all I want in a baddie 

The action is explosive throughout, and manages to avoid becoming repetitive.

There is a lot of emotion (I wanted to say heart but I only get one pun per review . . . it would have been awesome though, jus sayin) in the pages, and that prevents it from being your more standard rampaging monster book, giving it a welcome uniqueness.

After the beginning it’s a 5 star book for me and I can’t think of a fantasy fan who wouldn’t find something to love about this book.

So when it comes out, buy it!

[Mogsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/08/20/...

Maybe it was my mood, maybe it was the timing, or maybe it was just the nature of this book itself, but for some reason The Heart of Stone took me a long time to read. That said, I really enjoyed it. The story is not just about war and fighting, as the description had initially led me to believe. Amidst the action, we also have a lot of adventure and intrigue, as well as a number of unexpected twists in perspective and moments of pure emotion.

The story follows Task, a creature known as a Windcut Stone Golem. Built to be weapon of war by a long-ago creator, he is the last of his kind but also unlike any that came before or after him, for deep within that flinty exterior is a very real heart and soul. Task feels. He thinks. He dreams. However, for as long as he can remember, he has been suppressing that part of him in order to serve his purpose as a killing machine. For four hundred years, Task has been passed from army to army, bound by an ancient magic to obey the commands of his masters. He has fought in many wars, taken countless lives in battle, and seen enough examples of human avarice to know that this cycle of violence will never end. For a long time, he has believe that it is best to simply keep to himself and do as he is ordered.

But now, Task has been brought out once more to serve a new master in a bitter civil war between the crown and a fractured group of rebel nobles. Fighting on the side of the Royalists, he winds up being under the command of Huff Dartridge, a ruthless general who will go to any length to achieve victory over the enemy Fading. Not to be cowed though, the other side also has a secret weapon, acquiring the services of the Knight of Dawn whose reputation as a dragon slayer is sure to make him a formidable foe against a stone golem.

Still, as the war wages on, Task finds that his magically-bound loyalties are becoming tested as Huff’s demands grow more unreasonable and cruel by the day. In spite of himself, he also finds himself growing emotionally attached to some of the men and women he fights with. In particular, he strikes up a friendship with a young stable girl named Lesky, who teaches Task that there may be more to his existence than simply destruction and killing, and for the first time in centuries, Task finds himself pondering his purpose and questioning the nature of the war he is forced to fight.

Ben Galley is an author I’ve wanted to try for a while—or more precisely, ever since I first heard of him a few years ago in the inaugural Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off in which his book Bloodrush scored very highly with the blogger judges. I’m quite glad I finally got to read his work, because I really enjoy his style of writing and the way he goes deep into the hearts and minds of his characters. It is especially important in a novel like this, which features a non-human protagonist made of magic and stone. The people around Task may dismiss him as a mindless beast, but in truth, he possesses far more humanity than even some of the actual human characters in this book. It was a pleasure to get to know him, seeing through his eyes and finding out his deepest thoughts and desires.

I also really liked the plot. While it was not as evenly paced as I would have preferred, I did enjoy the story’s incredible battle sequences as well as many of the slower, more introspective sections in between. In fact, I found these quieter moments to be just as important as the action, if not more so, since so much of this book was about Task discovering himself and learning to be his own master. I had a great time watching the relationships develop between him and the other characters, especially the special bond he has with Lesky, who was one of my favorites. There’s also plenty of political intrigue in this tale, and a formidable villain whose machinations lend this novel a healthy dose of suspense by keeping you guessing at their endgame every step of the way.

All told, Heart of Stone is a solidly written and fascinating dark fantasy novel, one I would highly recommend to readers who enjoy character driven stories and reading about compelling non-human protagonists. It’s true that it’s a bit of a slow-builder, but I think it’ll get easier to appreciate the intricate details of the plot once all the pieces fall into place. Despite my quibbles about the pacing, ultimately this is a very engaging, unique, and wonderful book. Ben Galley has a real knack for this, and I look forward to reading more by him in the future.

[DarkChaplain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review also published here

Disclaimer: The author contacted me via email to ask for/offer a review copy. I accepted the request and have not regretted it. Since then I've also ordered a print copy for my shelf off Amazon.

The Heart of Stone is already a strong contender for my favorite books in 2017. Not just because it is still early in the year, mind you, but because it had an incredible blend of emotion, action, philosophy and compellingly complex characters. I'm honestly still amazed by how human a story built around a stone golem could end up being.

Task, our Golem, is thrown amidst a kingdom's civil war between royalists, the Truehards, and the capitalist factions under the Last Fading. He is beholden to his master, who turns out to be a very petty man with ego problems. He is to follow orders and slay the enemy combatants indiscriminately, constantly biting his tongue and trying not to care. He isn't like other golems, of course. He thinks, he feels, he can even be genuinely funny. He is, as much as you can say it about Golems, a freak of nature. He is used to the grind of war, the stares of fear, the orders and cruelty of his masters. That doesn't mean he is fine with any of them. He struggles to bend the rules a little bit, and despite his better judgement, ends up befriending a young stable girl at the Truehards' camp.

The girl, Lesky, was the anchor of the entire story. She is bright, clever, even wise sometimes. She brings relief to what could otherwise be a pretty dark story. Not that it isn't dark, but Lesky's character brings a degree of hope to it all, and her growing friendship with Task, despite all odds, makes not just the Golem care, but the reader as well. I loved how her and Task's dynamic gave color to the entire book. It was touching to see them interact, both making me smile and close my eyes in regret during the sadder moments. The novel may be about a long-running civil war, threats of a world war looming, Task's rebellion against the magic binding him, but at the core it is a story about a Golem and his unlikely best friend, and how friendship can change your entire outlook and give you strength.

On the other side we get introduced to the Last Fading's counter weapon, the Knight of Dawn Alabast Flint. Slayer of the last dragon, Alabast has turned to more.. dubious pasttimes. He's a regular at whorehouses, borrowing money from all the wrong people, an alcoholic, and gets recruited to slay a Golem while down on his luck. He attempts to escape his bonds and wiggle out of his sheer impossible quest. He offers a neat contrast to task, who has mostly resigned himself to silence and grim acceptance of his role. Both of them have their duties, both are forced into them, yet both long for ways to escape them and be free. Alabast proves a compelling counterpoint to Task in more ways than one, and the comedy he brings to the book isn't to be underestimated.

The last of the characters I want to specifically talk about is Ellia Frayne, councillor to the royalists and zealot of the Mission, the realm's religious authority. She is a highly complex character with her own goals and schemes, and it is clear from very early on that she's taking the war into her own hands with subtle nudges to both Task and his master. I won't spoil her role in the story, but damn me if I didn't loathe and love her for her place here. She could go from relatable to appalling very easily, and it wasn't so easy to figure out where she stood on things. In many ways, she is also the glue holding the different factions in the book together, allowing the reader a better understanding of the ongoing politics in the kingdom.

The Heart of Stone is, in many ways, about the final months of a civil war that has lasted almost a decade. But more than that, it uses the war and the various injustices committed throughout as a vehicle for the characters to grow and connect. The war isn't shown gratuitously; it isn't glorified or the point of the book. Instead it offers context for everything, and rather than play out all of Task's fights in the book for the reader's benefit, Galley often chose to just depict the aftermath, the state of mind of the Golem and lowly soldiers, the carnage and cleanup duties. In my opinion, he nailed the horrors of war and the ways in which such a long-lasting conflict can ruin the environment it is held in. There is no call to arms here, but a clear message of avoiding war at all costs, because little good will ever come of it. I felt it was a very mature way to depict war and one I enjoyed a great deal for the way it was executed.

However, the book starts off relatively slow. I liked the pace, personally, and how it held back a lot of top-down information from Task - and by extension the reader. The first half feels very personal and focused as a result. Task's role in the world, the war, the Truehards, is explored in great depth, as is his friendship with Lesky. There are introductions for Alabast and his recruitment by the Last Fading. Ellia is seen scheming here and there, and Task slowly shifts his mindset towards hope.
But only in the second half does the overarching plot really kick off. Things start spiralling out of control as Task comes to doubt and think more about his place and the Truehards and Fading. It gets progressively more exciting as more is revealed. I think limiting exposure for the most part to what Task himself can witness was clever, but I can see why some readers may not be fully engaged by the early sections. The problem, if it is one at all, solves itself, however.

One nitpick I have is that a lot of the underlying causes for the war were so long in the past, the reader has to rely on reports from witnesses. The novel tells of various atrocities in brief terms, like at campfires, but we don't actually get to see them committed. As a result there is a lot of (intended) ambiguity in who is right and who is wrong, whether the Truehards are righteous or not. While it ends up giving pretty definitive answers on almost everything later on, I would have liked to get some slightly more visible evidence. The Mission especially, could have benefitted from a more active role. A lot is implied, but in the end The Heart of Stone doesn't let its focus slip too far from Task and co.
For this book in particular, I liked that approach. I liked the focus. But I'd be damned if I didn't want to see more of this world. Galley crafted something very interesting here, with its own mythology and various kingdoms and their dilemmas. Even if this is a standalone novel with a clear end point, I would love to see the author take this world and tell more stories within it, whether sketching out past events or building further into the future.

In the end though everything slots together neatly like the stone plates making up the Golem's body. The character dynamics, the war, the wider world, the rising emotions, they all worked to create a memorable story with a lot of heart. There were plenty of sections that could just get you thinking. There was humor, tension, fear and anger in it. Galley managed to change my mind on various characters as things progressed, which I take as a big achievement.
Despite the personal delays I experienced in finishing this novel, it was always a joy to go back for more. With it being a stand-alone novel, I'm afraid there won't be anything to come back to next year, like if it was a trilogy and that makes me somewhat sad. I've grown to love Task, Lesky and even the infamous Knight of Dawn.

There not being any clear sequels makes it very easy to recommend, however. I know I'm not the only one who gets annoyed with the wait between installments in a series, or needs a change of pace sometimes. I'd honestly recommend The Heart of Stone if you'd like to read something more grounded with a clear start and end point. No cliffhangers, no padding, but fully satisfying in its conclusion. For that, I already chalk it down as one of my favorite reads of the year, and come the new year, I'll be sure to recommend it again. Ben Galley's put himself on my list of authors to look into further, as well.

[Michael Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I really enjoyed this novel. It had some really great action scenes and quite a few POV characters I liked. The only problem I have with this novel is that since it is a stand alone, there was A LOT that the author had to cram into this book. I also really enjoyed that ending!

[J.P. Ashman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genuinely the best standalone novel I've had the pleasure of reading!

Completely unique protagonist as far as I'm aware. Used to tackling golems as mindless automatons in D&D and so on, it was completely refreshing, intriguing and exciting to read a well planned and thought out world and story from a golem's point of view.

The supporting characters are fantastic and important in the progression of Task as a character. They made him as much as he made them.

Twists and turns and laughs and sobs, The Heart of Stone has it all; the action is cinematic and visceral.

I'm a huge fan of this book! Gutted there's no more, although the story is well rounded and ends brilliantly.

Solid five stars from me.

I received a paperback advanced copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Charlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just finished Heart of Stone and what a brilliant book.

Task is a five hundred year old wind-cut golem, a purpose built war machine capable of tearing men in half, crushing cannons and rerouting entire battles in his favour. He is also an abomination. Whilst bound to a master and his orders through old magic, unlike others of his kind he is entirely self-aware, capable of doubting his own actions and the actions of those around him. This makes him a question mark but one that for some reason has survived long after almost every one of his brethren has fallen. When he is sold to his newest master his edict is a simple one. Win the war on behalf of the truly deserving side by destroying the enemy and bring peace until the land. The thing is he has seen all this before and is reaching a point where he’s wondering if he should make his own damn mind up about who the good guys actually are.

You don’t go into a book about a sentient wrecking ball without wanting some hardcore action and Galley delivers. The mind of a golem in the thick of a fight is a ferocious thing and there was enough blood and guts and rendering of human bodies to quench just about anyone’s battle thirst. Whether he is charging the lines on an open field or going alley to alley and man to man inside the walls of a formerly imposing city the energy, the flow and the stakes are perfect. It would have been easy to take this character to a point where he was not exciting because there was no threat of danger but Galley keeps him vulnerable enough that we fear for him but invulnerable enough that we can enjoy the spectacle without his unique brand of flesh pulverisation becoming rote.

Task hit the tree hard, shoulder first, splintering its trunk. The soldier wailed all the way too the ground where something crunched and silenced him.
“Mine now!” Task seized the trunk with both hands and hauled it over his knee. With his elbow, he snapped it to an oar’s length and raised it like a sword.
Humans put far too much trust in their muskets. They wielded them like wizards’ staffs, as if just pointing and praying could solve a problem.
Even an angry golem using half a tree as a club.

A few other characters make up the core of the book’s players. Lesky is a young stable girl, an absolute firecracker when it comes to guts and spirit and one of the few people to view task with curiosity instead of fear. Her straight talking nature as well as her relative innocence with compared to the rest of the skin bags results in her and Task forming an interesting friendship. We also have Alabast, the enemies answer to Task, the Knight who slayed the last known dragon and has been living off the accomplishment ever since whilst ensuring that he never again entered again took a fight he didn’t know he could win. There’s the schemeing Ellia, a woman with as many identities as sides to her duplicitous nature, who is playing a long game that no one has any idea about and a general or two. There were a couple of assholes I cared just enough about to hope that they would find some redemption and one I was not upset to see taken as a spoil of war. It’s a strong ensemble and one I enjoyed.

Another I enjoyed in the book was the real connection it has to the earth and the land it takes place upon, because it helps us inhabit the mind of a Task in a better fashion. He feels every vibration and can in fact read the story of a stone by laying his hand upon it and by the end of the book it felt like I had a real sense of the feel and layout and smell of the land.

Roads are like roots. Intrepid things, roaming the landscape in their first for use: for boots to grace their dirt or stones, or for weary paws and wheels to rattle over them. When they find it, they gorge themselves, swelling up and up until the tangle and knot, growing villages between their lattices. Then they must stretch out again, questing for grounds ever new. And so grows a country.

It was a bit like hanging out with the crazy earth bender from Avatar and becoming more aware of everything happening around the action rather than the action itself.

Heart of Stone is a fantastic book and as a protagonist Task is truly unique and special. He is a force of nature with a heart of gold, you love him, you respect him, you get the feeling he would die for you but you sure as hell don’t want to get on his bad side………basically he is Keanu Reeves. The standard of the writing and the prose is much higher than I would expect from a debut novel and I look forward to picking up some of his other books that have been released since this one. Heart of Stone has been on my tbr list for ages but I needed a little encouragement because I hadn’t yet read anything by Ben Galley. Being a part of this blog tour gave me the impetus I needed and I hope this review does the same for others.

[Rebekah Teller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Task is a stone golem hundreds of years old. But something went amiss in his construction, and he has a sense of conscience independent from following his given master's orders. We begin the story with Task arriving at his newest master, purchased as a weapon in yet another war. The war experience in this story feels authentic, including down time between battles, getting to know soldiers, cleaning up the aftermath of skirmishes. These moments in between the conflicts lead to more character insight. There's plenty of blood, rain, grit, gunpowder, broken bones, broken weapons, broken buildings, and broken men.

"There was no honour or duty here, just raw human downfall. It was easier to hate an enemy than to forgive or understand them."

This is my first read of Ben Galley's work. I have heard many praises for The Heart of Stone, and was excited to delve into this one. I had some difficulty connecting with this story and the characters, up to a point, but I believe this experience was intentional. I think, what Galley admirably achieves with this book, is that the reader's experience parallels the golem's experience with humanity. For about a third of the book, it feels like too many characters, like every other war for hundreds of years, and little reason to care much about what they are doing.

Task grew on me, slowly, but once he did I was captivated. As Task's experience kindles a new appreciation for humans, so too does the reader become more intrigued with the story. The point of view characters decrease in number and increase in depth. The down time between battles decreases, plots thicken, intrigue is revealed and backgrounds are unveiled. When I noticed the book taking this direction, I had hoped for it to avalanche, that the pacing and intensity would exponentially increase as a boulder rolling down a hill. While the pacing picks up some, it lacks a growing sense of urgency. But it morphs into something else, a growing sense of purpose, which is truly what Task has been pursuing.

There's not much difference between the soldiers on each side. The more Task understands that, the more he understands the true futility of war. And though he was built as a tool to end wars, his true desire becomes ending war. As Task goes through a transformation from skepticism and detachment, to connection and concern for the fate of the humans he fights for, the author has built a parallel experience for the reader.

The golem magic is really cool and battle scenes are well described. The Heart of Stone is filled with insightful introspection that applies to humans universally. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy a fantasy novel with rich, historical style worldbuilding, unique magic with limitations, and an unpredictable twist of events with epic repercussions.

[Hiu Gregg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thought-provoking story with some heartfelt character work, a tonne of shit-your-knickers battle scenes, and a fantastically narrated audiobook.

[Rusty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have found that the best books are the ones that stick with me long after the last page. It could be the humor, the suspense, the detailed world-building, the complex characters, or hopefully all of the above. It might be something in the book that challenges the way I look at the world or (even more importantly) at myself. The best books refuse to go away quietly, and they rise to the top.

A year ago, I went on some recommendations from other reviewers and I read The Heart of Stone by Ben Galley (the first of his books that I ever read). After finishing the book, I remember thinking that this would be one of those books that would stick, and it definitely has, earning its spot among my all-time favorites.

This is the story of a 421-year-old golem, a magically animated 9-foot-tall creature crafted from rocks and stones for the sole purpose of being an unstoppable war machine. The magic that created Task (the golem’s perhaps fitting name) also binds him with three unbreakable rules: He cannot disobey his master, he cannot harm his master, and he cannot harm himself. His 18th and current master (General Huff Dartridge the Third) is using Task to bring an end to a long civil war. Sadly, Huff is also the 18th greedy, power-hungry master for Task, and Huff is motivated to make a name for himself using quick, brutal attacks, and unrelenting advances, all with a complete disregard for the consequences of his actions.

Perhaps most surprising to all those that Task meets is that this creature not only can talk, but is very smart and has a deeply developed conscience. In fact, four centuries of life have given him a unique perspective of not only warfare, but humanity as well. He is not simply a brute, a hammer to crush enemy armies, but he is very aware of strategy, and he knows the difference between good leaders and awful ones. Sadly, living his life primarily in conflict, at war, and watching endless fighting, he has decided that humanity is despicable and irredeemable. They are “skin bags” to him, and he doesn’t believe they can ever be trusted.

In his latest assignment, he meets Lesky, a cheeky young girl who serves the soldiers in the army. She is determined to make this giant her best friend (against his protestations), citing that her Mam said that best friends need to have five things in common. She is persistent and loyal, and she has no fear. She is impulsive and always speaks her mind with Task. Over time, she starts to soften the hard-hearted (pun intended) Task, and causes him to re-consider his long-held opinions about people.

By the end of the book, Task becomes arguably one of the most “human” characters in fantasy, certainly among non-human main characters (MC’s) if not altogether. Perhaps the character with the biggest “heart” is one who literally doesn’t have one biologically. He is full of compassion, is loyal, is compelled by the greater good, and is sacrificial. We see him evolve and change, and he becomes unforgettable.

A favorite quote in the book says it best (from the words of Lesky: “You don’t realise how human you are. All of us. Alabast, Ellia, me, Huff, even you, with a mind made out of stone. We all walk around pretendin’ we’re not broken in some way. Most spend their lives hiding it. But we are broken. And you know what? That’s fine. In fact, it’s perfect because it’s imperfect. Each crack, each blemish, each scar, whether of the skin or in the mind, they make us whole. We’re made through livin’, not by bein’ born. What we learn is what shapes us. Some choose a friendly shape, others somethin’ more jagged and sharp. That is what it means to be human, Task. We can choose. You say your master made a mistake? Made you broken? I think he made the finest golem there is. One who’s more than stone, not just some mindless machine. One who can make a choice for himself. One who’s got a conscience. A heart.”

Beyond Task and Lesky (and the previously mentioned General Huff), there are a number of other well-written supporting characters. It is easy to love the loveable ones and hate the awful ones.

Of course, there is so much more to the story than great characters, and the rest of the book is still very good even if you could somehow separate Task out of the mix. This story exists in the context of years of conflict and turmoil. The unrest has been due to not only political and military reasons, but is also due to environmental ones as well. This story feels part of a larger story that has existed for generations. It is richly told and dovetails neatly with the personalities that give the story life.

I struggle to find many weaknesses in this book. I will say that there are some scenes that can be a bit graphic. (This is a book based in a war setting after all.) But it runs the gamut from charming to vicious to funny to heart-breaking, and it all fits into one self-contained story.

This book is highly, HIGHLY recommended. In fact, if you have the means to do so, I suggest that you listen to the audio book as it is so very well done and enhances the experience beautifully. I score this book a 4.85 out of 5 stars (97/100).

[Michael Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Ben’s best book yet. Plain and simple.

Task is a 400-year-old golem; a ‘wind cut’ stone war machine who has served countless masters and fought their wars. Yet Task was always something more. His very first word, spoken just after his creation, is ‘why?’ This baffles Task’s creator:

“Fourteen golems, and you’re the first to ask ‘why’.”

And this aptly draws Task character.

Yes, he is a war machine, yes he can be brutal, but this golem has a brain inside that head and a better heart than most in his chest. Though beaten down by the magic that binds him to his masters, and very nearly numb to the world after centuries of fighting, when Task is thrown into the middle of the Hartlund civil war he begins to question again: why?
Luckily for Task he is befriended by Lesky. She’s a little girl with a whoppingly large foul mouth and plenty of wit besides. Right from the get go you understand what she is all about and her stubborn attempts to befriend Task account for some of the most heart touching parts of this story. Throw in the half-drunken, shell of a legend that is Alabast, a man living in his own shadow, and you’ve got quite the solid trio of POV characters. This was just as well, for the first half of the novel is a slow simmering build towards the explosive end third. It might be a touch slow for some but I felt the characters were interesting and enough on their own to draw me in. There’s a lot to like in this regard.

I said this is Galley’s best book and this carries into the writing as well. Galley has a unique style which some might find rich but I found the prose to be his most refined yet while still maintaining that distinctiveness.

As a standalone story I wonder whether so much world building was required. It’s not overbearing but I wonder if we needed some of those foreign nations and tidbits of history added to the mix. More attention to the people of Hartlund fighting this civil war might have served better, but this is more a pondering thought than a critique. While we get a lot more information on Hartlund later on, it comes close to the end and being spread throughout the story might have helped build the intrigue about certain events which kick started the war.

There is magic in this world (obviously, there is a nine-foot talking golem running around) but it’s low key. Many will enjoy this stripped back, grittier fantasy but those who like a sprinkle of magic will find some as the book progresses. But make no mistake, this is closer to grimdark than epic or heroic fantasy. The civil war (which I like to imagine is modelled off of the English Civil War) is absolutely brutal. There is no glory in it. There are no heroes basking in it. There is only death, incompetent leadership, death, hard living, oh, and death. BUT there is laughter too. Grim laughter but the dark humour is a welcome relief throughout the novel.

If it isn’t clear already, I think the Heart of Stone is more than worth your time and money. If this is your first-time hearing about Ben Galley, then what better book to start on than a standalone story about a wind-cut golem with a tender heart.


(I was lucky enough to receive an advanced review copy of this book)

[The Captain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahoy there me mateys! It was the cover of this standalone novel featured on Drew’s blog, that originally drew me to this book. This book involves an un-aging and self-healing magic stone golem named Task who has been a slave for four hundred years with only one purpose. Death. With a new war comes a new master. Task has been purchased by the losing side in a civil war. But this war feels different. Ye see Task was inadvertently given something resembling feelings when he was created. But waging continuous war on behalf of the “skinbags” has made him apathetic and numb. But an unusual master and the subsequent events of the war begin to draw Task’s begrudging attention . . .

The characterization in this book was wondrous. There be three characters in particular that I adored:

- Task – I loved this golem. He is cynical, perceptive, and tortured. I loved seeing the world through his non-human eyes. I love watching him bend and change. Plus his magic is cool.

- Lesky – She is a plucky, resourceful stable girl who has landed very hard on the bad side of life. I loved her wit, tenacity, and her worldly wisdom passed down from her mom. I was rooting for her the whole time.

- Alabast Flint – He came to fame by slaying a dragon and has been tasked with hunting down and killing the golem. He is a drunken, self-serving reprobate who ye love to hate. But redemption may be his.

The juxtaposition of these three characters was a delight. While war may be the overarching theme, the relationships were the heart of the story. Though the plot is slow-moving, it was following these evolving relationships that avidly kept me attention.

That said, I enjoyed the politics of the story. There were many times where the plot took a turn I wasn’t expecting. I especially liked how it was usually hard to pick a side in the conflict. I thought the bad guys were both interesting and nuanced. And I actually loved the ending. All in all, I am glad I picked this one up and be interested in exploring the author’s other works. The chasing graves trilogy about ghosts sounds cool. Arrr!

Side note: Check out Matey Drew @ thetattooedbookgeek’s author interview! Gotta love his zany interviewing style.

[Graham Austin-King · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first of Galley's books I have read and I have to say I was impressed. The concept alone is enough to pique anyone's interest. A golem, long established in myth and fantasy as being a semi-mindless automaton, yet with a soul and the ability to care.

Used as a war machine for centuries and bound to the will of its master, the golem, Task, has seen enough bloodshed to horrify a generation. Yet despite his skills at warfare, Task is unable to refuse the orders of his masters.

Galley drags the reader, kicking and screaming through the range of human emotions. From anger and contempt to compassion and finally sadness, Heart of Stone is a well-crafted novel that will leave its readers cursing the fact it's a standalone.