We Are The Dead

The Last War #1

by Mike Shackle

The war is over. The bad guys won. Now it's time to fight back.

For generations, the people of Jia - a land where magic has long since faded from the world, clinging on in only a few rare individuals - have been protected from the northern Egril hordes by their warrior caste, but their enemy has not been idle. They have rediscovered magic and use it to launch an overwhelming surprise attack. An invasion has begun.

And in moments, the war is over. Resistance is quashed. Kings and city leaders are barricaded in their homes awaiting banishment and execution, the warriors are massacred, and a helpless people submit to the brutality of Egril rule.

Jia's heroes have failed it. They are all gone. And yet... there is still hope. Soon the fate of the kingdom will fall into the hands of a schoolboy terrorist, a crippled Shulka warrior and his wheelchair bound son, a single mother desperate enough to do anything she can to protect her baby... and Tinnstra, disgraced daughter of the Shulka's greatest leader, who now lies dead by Egril hands.

A brand new epic fantasy: gritty and modern featuring a unique ensemble of characters who will lead a revolution against their overlords.

PERFECT FOR readers of Brent Weeks, Brandon Sanderson, and Peter V. Brett

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

532 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 8, 2019

Reviews

[Petrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review copy provided by the publisher—Gollancz—in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5 stars

So much bloodshed and actions, Shackle’s debut is fast-paced, grim, and unputdownable.

I’m very eager to recommend this debut to readers of The First Law World series by Joe Abercrombie and War for the Rose Throne series by Peter McLean. We Are the Dead is the first book in The Last War series by Mike Shackle, and it leans towards the grimdark sub-genre rather than heroic fantasy. “No More Heroes” is put at the top of the cover art, after all. I honestly thought I was super late in joining the party for this great book because it has been six months since this debut was first published, but I must say that I’m surprised that not many readers have read this yet. I hope more readers will give this book a go.

“The Shulka. The best of the best, experts in all the martial arts. Each and every one of them taught to consider themselves already dead, their lives given to protect all those who lived in the blessed land of Jia from any and all threat. This core belief gave the Shulka their strength. A Man who is already dead has no fear and can act without hesitation to vanquish even the most fearsome foe. For all the good it had done them when the Egril had invaded.”

We Are the Dead tells a war story about an invasion. The Egril invades the land of Jia based on the differences in faith; they kill, pillage, rape—no explicit scenes—and dominate the people of Jia and the Shulka because they want them to submit to their religion. As you can probably guess, this novel isn’t for the faint of heart. Bad things happen to everyone; the weak suffer most, and graphic violence does exist in the narrative. The structure of the plot is slightly reminiscent to The Heroes by Abercrombie. In The Heroes, the entire story of the book depicted three days of war and what happened—mentally and physically—to the people who participated in it. We Are the Dead took a similar approach; the main story revolves around what occurred within eight days of rebellion. There was simply no lull moment in We Are the Dead. I picked this up based on impulse—Gollancz or the author didn’t ask for a review from me last year—only because the book is suddenly available to request again on Netgalley and so I requested it; I knew nothing about it, and I didn’t expect I would be this enthralled by it. It’s violent, vicious, and action-packed without sacrificing crucial characterizations.

“There are bad people in the world who will always find an excuse to justify what they do. They’ll blame anyone and hate everyone who isn’t on their side. It’s not your fault they’re like that. It’s just how they are.”

A LOT of life-changing events could happen within eight days of rebellion, and Shackle showcases this through the perspectives of five flawed and believable characters. Do not expect to fall in love with these characters from the get-go; be patient, there’s a curve to their character development, and it’s rewarding to witness. I mean it, the perspective characters—especially Tinnstra and Dren—in the first half was practically unlikable; Tinnstra was an utter coward, and Dren was a self-righteous rampaging boy who I wanted to kill for the entirety of the first half. War, atrocities, and countless deaths have transformed these people into characters that may be realistic, but unlikeable and infuriating at times to read. I was able to, however, understand why the characters behaved like that, especially in the awful situation they’re stuck with; Shackle did a great job with their characterizations and their development, and that was enough for their narrative to hook me completely. Instantaneous lovable characters aren’t a required factor in my reading; compelling characters that make me want to invest my time for them, however, are, and Shackle nailed this. From disliking Tinnstra’s cowardice and Dren’s destructive behavior, I grew to find myself rooting for them as they gradually developed throughout the book. Seriously, you know the character’s lives are so damn pitiful that when they lose a loaf of bread, you feel freaking sad for them.

Also, for reasons I can’t explain, Tinnstra and the world of this series reminded me of this gorgeous artwork by Guweiz.

Picture: War by Guweiz



I do think that if you’re in the mood for a fast-paced and brutal fantasy, you can’t go wrong with picking We Are the Dead. I was totally in the mood for this kind of reading experience, and this novel delivered on all fronts. The writing is accessible and extremely engaging, the balance between moments of respite and blood-soaked action scenes was done brilliantly; almost every chapter ended on a cliffhanger that compelled me to keep on reading. One of my favorite aspect of this book was Shackle’s way of handling the swordfights; the slow-motion effects perceived by one of the main characters—often followed through by a deadly counter-attack—gave a sense of cinematic visual in my imagination, and I sincerely wish there will be more of it to come in the sequels. I’m also pleasantly surprised by the Japanese and Eastern influences in the world-building; the terminologies and weaponry found in this book such as the Shulka sword (Katana), the Skulls armor (samurai armor), Mizu (water in Japanese), Kage (shadow in Japanese), and Owari (the end in Japanese) were some extra elements that made me enjoy reading the book further. Plus, the existence of monsters, demons, and destructive magic power increased the level of dangers that the main characters faced.

“We are the dead who stand in the light. We are the dead who face the night. We are the dead whom evil fears. We are the Shulka and we are the dead.” Words she knew but had never understood, never spoken. She’d never known the power in them.”

I flew through this book within two days, that’s how much I enjoyed it. We Are the Dead is a vastly addictive and riveting debut novel. Bloody, gritty, and relentless; I’m sure that enthusiasts of The First Law World series by Joe Abercrombie and War for the Rose Throne series by Peter McLean will have a great time reading this one. Sometimes in real life, no heroes will come to save you; everyone has to stand up for themselves. Shackle tells a merciless and incredibly good story about the mayhem of war, resilience towards oppression, survival of the fittest, fear of death, and bravery to protect what matters. I didn’t anticipate this, but now I highly HIGHLY look forward to reading the next book—titled as A Fool’s Hope—in the series due for publication the last quarter of this year.

“You’re writing a new chapter now. The past doesn’t matter. It’s what you do now that counts.”

You can order the book from: Amazon UK | Amazon US | Book Depository (Free shipping)

You can find this and the rest of my reviews at Novel Notions

Special thanks to my Patrons on Patreon for giving me extra support towards my passion for reading and reviewing!

My Patrons: Alfred, Devin, Hamad, Joie, Mike, Miracle, Nicholas.

[John Mauro · Rating 5 out of 5]

My complete review is published at Before We Go Blog.

Buddy read with Tori. Our video discussion of A Fool's Hope is available on YouTube.

“She was a coward and she did what cowards do—she ran.”

We Are the Dead is the thrilling first volume of Mike Shackle’s grimdark fantasy trilogy, The Last War. The title of the book is taken from the oft-quoted 1915 war poem, “In Flanders Fields,” written by the Canadian poet and physician John McCrae during the second year of World War I. McCrae’s poem hauntingly captures the consequences of war from the perspective of fallen soldiers. Similarly, Mike Shackle considers the aftermath of a lost war after all the traditional heroes are defeated, and only ordinary people remain to resist the occupying forces.

The southern country of Jia has enjoyed relative peace for hundreds of years, protected by its seemingly invincible army of Shulka warriors. The Jians are contemptuous of the Egril, their neighbors to the north, whom they consider to be blond-haired, square-jawed savages. Unbeknownst to the Jians, the Egril developed advanced war technology and rediscovered magic, ensuring them a swift victory over the unsuspecting Shulka.

The story jumps ahead six months after the Shulka defeat, with Jia under occupation by the victorious Egril soldiers, also known as Skulls because of the hideous masks that they wear, as depicted on the cover of the book. The Egril impose their religion on the people of Jia, forcing them to abandon their four gods in favor of the Egril god Kage, the Lord of Great Darkness.

We Are the Dead is primarily a character-driven novel told from the perspectives of ordinary people with broken lives, who must overcome their personal issues in the face of a brutal occupation. First is Tinnstra, the daughter of the country’s most elite Shulka warrior, who considers herself to be a coward who would rather run away from danger than face it head on. Readers should be aware that the first chapter of We Are the Dead has quite a trigger warning as Tinnstra attempts suicide to escape the overwhelming expectations placed on her by her warrior family. But Tinnstra must overcome her self-doubts and do the right thing for her country when her brother sends her on a special mission in defiance of the Egril occupation.

Next is Dren, the obnoxious and self-righteous teenaged son of a fisherman who would rather mock warriors from the shadows than stand up and fight. Dren follows an increasingly dangerous path of political radicalization, becoming a terrorist who recruits others for suicide bombing missions. I actively hated Dren for most of We Are the Dead, but he experiences some rather unexpected growth by the end of the book which made him a more sympathetic character.

Jax is an older Shulka officer from a small military camp near the border with Egril. Jax’s overconfidence has cost his country dearly. Now one of the only remaining Shulka, he must embody the core principles of the Shulka prayer, “We Are the Dead”:

“This core belief gave the Shulka their strength. A man who is already dead has no fear and can act without hesitation to vanquish even the most fearsome foe.”

My favorite character in We Are the Dead is the widow Yas, who works as a cleaner for the Skulls. Yas is instructed not to even look at the Egril warriors, lest she be assaulted or even killed. But Yas becomes entangled with a spy who enlists her as part of an espionage campaign to aid the rebel Jians.

Mike Shackle excels at his depiction of gray morality with each of his main protagonists. That being said, one point-of-view character is pure evil: Darus, one of the Egril Emperor’s Chosen, who leads a Gestapo-type security force to quell any sign of rebellion. What if the Nazi torturer, Klaus Barbie, the infamous “Butcher of Lyon,” also had magical powers? That’s the best way I can describe Darus, who uses his powers of healing and regeneration to the most nefarious ends as he tortures his victims, only to heal them and torture them again.

Fortunately, the Egril aren’t the only ones with magic. There is also Aasgod, the Lord Mage who served as advisor to generations of Jian royalty and plays a critically important role in Tinnstra’s mission.

The worldbuilding in We Are the Dead is essentially a fantasy version of Nazi-occupied France during World War II but with elements of Chinese and Japanese cultures reflected in the countries of Jia and Egril, respectively. Mike Shackle’s carefully honed writing serves as the perfect vehicle to propel this fast-paced story forward. We Are the Dead is nearly impossible to put down. I particularly enjoyed the ending, where all the character arcs converge in exhilarating fashion.

We Are the Dead is military fantasy at its finest, a grimdark tale depicting the horrors of war and martial law from the perspectives of everyday people trying to resist foreign occupation. The Last War trilogy continues with A Fool’s Hope, the second book of the series.

[William Gwynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

20 Question Interview With Mike Shackle! - The Brothers Gwynne

We Are the Dead is a brilliant debut that marks Mike Shackle as an author to keep an attentive eye on. One of my favourite reads of the year so far for sure.

Firstly, I want to say a thank you to Filip Magnus for this great buddy read, which made the reading experience of We Are the Dead even better.

So, after hearing glowing reviews of We Are the Dead by many of my favourite reviewers, I thought I would enjoy this. But, I was surprised by how much I did. I loved it. This is a brilliantly constructed story, with a fast pace, engaging plot, compelling themes and a fantastic range of characters. Mike Shackle explores each aspect of storytelling and pulls them all together to form a great story.

“We are the dead who stand in the light. We are the dead who face the night. We are the dead whom evil fears. We are the Shulka and we are the dead.”

We are thrust into a world that seems to be heavily inspired by Japanese culture. The Shulka are a warrior elite who appear to be a cross between Spartans and Samurai, who have protected Jia from the Egril for centuries. But this has led to overconfidence, so that when the Egril launch an invasion and take over the country in eight days, Jia has no plan. We see the people oppressed in this new regime where you must either submit or hide to survive. Everyone feels the threat of death’s cold touch on a daily basis, with no respite and no retribution of freedom in sight.

When you see that on the cover it says ’No More Heroes’, you get the feeling this is going to be a gritty read. And oh, We Are the Dead delivers in that arena. It is not extreme, but there are many Grimdark elements to this story. I think that Mike Shackle depicts violence in an authentic manner that avoids being gratuitous, but allows the brutality of the world to feed into the plot and further build on the circumstance and motivations of course characters.

"You should never make fun of a man with a knife."

I really enjoyed the structure of this story. Each section is a day in the world we enter, and within this we as the reader are greeted by short-ish chapters that together form a fast pace that does not let up at all. In this, we have five perspectives:

- Tinnstra, the daughter of famous General, Grim Dagen, who is a well-trained warrior, but considers herself to be a coward. During this book she must either break or face her fears.
- Yas, a single mother striving to earn money for her mother and baby son, but in doing so it pulled into political intrigue.
- Jax, a famous general of the Shulka, until the country was taken over and he lost his arm. He is now a leader of the Hanran, a resistance group, who is striving to keep the hopes of a revolution alive.
- Dren, a rebellious teenager consumed by anger who is the leader of his own group who oppose the new rule of the Egril.
- And then Darus, one of the most sadistic villains I have encountered. He has the ability to heal all wounds. The greatest gift anyone can be given. But, he uses this skill to heal those he tortures, so that they do not die and that he can be entertained by their endless suffering.

These are five great perspectives who each engage with their own interesting storylines and themes that expose their vices and virtues. Mike Shackle asks the question of whether revolution is worth the deaths of innocents caught in the middle, and to do so he presents these questions to each perspective, where they justify their approach and the reader is left to make their own judgement. We have antagonists and anti-heroes who you at times simultaneously feel sympathy, aversion and attachment.

“It had always been a fool’s hope from the beginning.”

The prose wasn’t out of this world, nor was the concept. But that does not demean it in any shape or form. I see a lot of people see this as a detractor in books they read, but I don’t see why. Mike Shackle took what he could do best, and wrote something I would say was fantastic, equal to those books people say does perhaps explore prose and contribute something radical to the genre.

We Are the Dead is one of the best debut’s I have had the pleasure to read. Echoing what I saw Petrik say in his review, it is crazy this has not had more attention and a wider readership. Honestly, this is a fantastic story that I think everyone would enjoy. Every aspect, from prose to characters to plot is just superbly crafted. Please read this!

5/5 STARS

To purchase We Are the Dead with 10% off, use the discount code TBGWYNNE7 at The Broken Binding. Link here

I now have a YouTube channel that I run with my brother, called 'The Brothers Gwynne'. Check it out - The Brothers Gwynne

An expanded review to be found on BookNest:
BookNest - We Are the Dead

[James Tivendale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a review copy of We Are The Dead in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to Mike Shackle and Gollancz for the opportunity.

Tinnstra is the daughter of the legion's and the nation's finest Shulka warrior, Grim Dagon. Although an extremely extraordinary fighter herself, she is training as an initiate and always holds thoughts of doubt, fear, and incompetence in her mind regarding her potential actions. Putting it simply and abruptly, she is a coward. The Shulka are the elite soldiers. They haven't lost a war or even a quick skirmish in 700-years. The Egril attackers that the wall and fortress of the Gundan have been erected to keep away decide to try an attack and destroy all who would oppose them in Jia, under the watchful aid and guidance of Emperor Raaku, the son of a God, apparently. In their minds, the only real God.

The Shulka lose. Quite promptly and emphatically as the Shulka had underestimated their opponents' martial qualities. They didn't expect magic, or for armies to appear behind the defensive lines through magical wards, or the grotesque Paradise Lost-esque flying demons - the Daijuka - who wield six feet spears, with another 2 feet of swords on the end for good measure to slaughter all. They are terrifying. The Egril, on purpose, always wore weak armour and showcased easily destructible defences as a ploy. Not this time. The Shulka lose as they grossly overexaggerated how weak they thought their opponents were. The 'Skulls' as the Egril are known due to their facial attire as can be seen on the cover, win, and occupy the whole of Jia within a few days. It's not very nice for anybody who was/were there before. Of course, they never wished to welcome random murders, hangings, and totalitarianism. Alas.

Mike Shackle seems like an excellent writer. He's a truly talented wordsmith and composer of exquisite fantasy fiction. However, at certain points, this wasn't perfect. There are a few issues that griped me whilst reading but I acknowledge and understand why Shackle did it. It didn't always work for me, however, I will talk about these before going back to the many many positives. A lot of times the chapters ended up too abruptly to try and heighten or instil drama and intrigue. The words imploded and exploded were featured frequently in the last stage of a chapter. BOOM. End chapter. Often. Explodes. Too many witty, compulsive, oh-wow-where-did-that-come-from twists happened too frequently for me.

I really liked the majority of the Point of View perspectives, by the end. So, we have Tinnstra who I've mentioned, Jax - the one prominent remaining Shulka officer who is aiding the resistance against the Skulls, Yas, the loving mother and family orientated individual who has to work behind enemy lines to keep her young child alive, Drem, the young riled-up anarchist. The only real view we get from the opposite/dark side is that from Darus. He's a Chosen. An exquisitely infamous mage who is a torturer who manipulates and torments similar scenes to those of Glotka in The First Law, but when he knows he isn't getting the answers he wants, he can grow the limbs or heal the wounds of the afflicted... pain can go on forever. Dark.

Some of the characters didn't appeal to me straight away. Drem was an angry little rascal. Tinnstra is a coward who has the italic emotion thoughts flaunting through her scenes about how pathetic she is. Yas seems like an idiot too to begin with. I know in some stories you begin with a farmboy or unknowing fool who becomes a hero, somehow. Here, there were a lot of them. With all that being said, their progression was enjoyable to read about after I acknowledged it wasn't going to occur in a chapter or two.

This narrative is mid to high on the grimdark scale.

"A cruel joke by the four Gods - the tale of the coward, the queen and the mage and how they died."

Mike's enthusiasm for being so excited for being able to release a story for Gollancz really shines. He is an enthusiastic, elegant and excellent writer. However, I don't think this is completely showcased until the last half of the book. My friend, Michael at The Fantasy Hive, had similar views as we read this concurrently. I'm not saying this as a negative, I'm just trying to present that if you think it isn't for you then give it a bit more time. This is a stunning debut. I'm not sure of the exact history it may be based on but it reminded me of Japan vs. China and the control Japan had when I watched Ip Man. So, I'm not well-sourced or knowledgeable enough to write about legitimate parallels.

We are the Dead is a staggering, marvellous, and gripping fantasy debut that should be acknowledged alongside recent-ish excellent Grimdark debuts such as Ed McDonald, Peter McLean, Anna Smith-Spark, and Dyrk Ashton. We are the Dead isn't perfect but what it does well, it does really well. Highly recommended. We are the Dead will feature on many a best-debut of the year list.

[Edward Gwynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, this book is absolutely sublime. Utterly gripping, original fantasy that really must be counted amongst the best in the genre. With the last of the trilogy coming out this summer I highly recommend EVERYONE jumps onto this series and experiences the bloody, intense and fantastic story within these pages.

This book is a great mixture of:
Joe Abercrombie - the dark and gritty nature of the world as well as the realistic characters and nasty deeds.

David Gemmell - fantastic and iconic scenes and set pieces.

Peter McLean - Excellently scaled conflicts that grow to an obliterating crescendo.

[Library of a Viking · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finished this book last month! Definitely a very underrated grimdark fantasy. Fast-paced, bloody and filled with great characters!

Currently reading book 2 👀

4.5 🌟

[Mike's Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man, this book was such a wild ride. Mike sent me a copy of the book in late 2020 with no strings attached and I told him I would get to it eventually. Well, I am a man of my word and I did just that and now I feel foolish for waiting.

Something I hear a lot from people that know how much I love The First Law is "oh, Mike, you'll love this series. It's just like Abercrombie!" Long story short; that rarely turns out to be the case. But what I can happily verify about The Last War is that fans of Joe Abercrombie & Mark Lawrence are going to love it.

Shackle is able to write a world that feel grimy, dirty, hopeless, depressing, and reprehensible...and it was just what I needed. I've been warning viewers not to start this one if you're feeling a little blue. Because this book will test your spirit. The one thing I don't like in my Grimdark fantasy is when it becomes simply nihilism. That isn't entertaining to me. What Mike does that makes this story great is give you slight teases of hope before he slaps you in the face and says "git gud, noob." But nihilism it is not.

That isn't to say there is no enjoyment in this book. Yes, war is hell and living in a city that is under occupation by tyrants with zero compassion isn't going to be puppy dogs and rainbows. This story is dark and unforgiving. But you have clear characters to root for even if they're doing horrible things. All of the characters make questionable decisions and don't always choose the path of the light. That's what makes it feel realistic. These characters are damaged, scared, desperate, and they make the hard choices that you can't understand until you're thrust into that position.

I found this book incredibly refreshing and I cannot wait to continue. In fact, as of writing this I am already 150 pages into book 2. If you like morally grey characters that all have character flaws, you'll be hard-pressed to find another modern fantasy series that pushes that envelope of what is the norm with Dren, Tinnstra, Yas, and Jax. And that's just the kinda sorta "protagonists." I won't even spoil the 5th POV for you. Just know it'll leave an impression.

Hell of a debut for Mike Shackle and I want to thank him for sending me the book and for his patience in how long it took me to get through my backlog and give it a go. Highest of recommends to my Grimdark Fantasy lovers. You'll really enjoy this one.

[Deborah Obida · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Prayer of the Shulka

We are the dead who serve all who live.
We are the dead who fight.
We are the dead who guard tomorrow.
We are the dead who protect our land, our monarch, our clan.

We are the dead who stand in the light.
We are the dead who face the night.
We are the dead whom evil fears.
We are the Shulka and we are the dead.

We are the dead.
We are the dead.
We are the dead.
We are the dead.

We are Shulka and we are the dead.

The book began with the above prayer, I remember thinking how morbid it is, but while reading the book I understood what it meant. It doesn't mean they want to die just that they are willing to die for justice to reign. Since this is a war fantasy there are lots of well depicted fight scenes, the magic wasn't well explained but I still loved it. The plot even though it's not unique was well executed which is what makes a good read. Despite the above praises I had one issue with this book, the characters were not well depicted, all I got was age, build and gender, nothing on skin colour and eyes.

The world building is good but I've seen better, I love the way the author described the world, especially Tinnstra and Dren's part. The book is written third person perspective of four characters, out of those four two were annoying in the first half of the book.

We are the dead started with the invasion of the Jia by the Egril, the Jia have been in a decades or centuries of war with their neighbour the Egril, because the Jia always win they became arrogant and complacent. The Jia has an elite warrior/soldier known as the Shulka. With the latest invasion the Egril won, now they occupy the Jia land, they are tyrants and all the people of Jia live in fear, there was basically no law and order under the Egril reign.

I really love the character development of Dren and Tinnstra, the two of them are what I call realistic characters. Tinnstra was so scared of everything and Dren was an arrogant, self absorb fool. But the both of them changed when that was the only option they had, they realised their former way of leaving was terrible. The above two characters are also teenagers.

Jax and Yas are the brave ones, the both are adults and are willing to help their people. Jax is a Shulka who lost an arm during the invasion and is also the leader of the resistance. Yas is a mother of Ro who is just eighteen months. The both have lost people and are willing to make the world better than it is.

The other characters are also great, I love that they all have great personality. Some of them are Zorique, Kaine, Darus, Kara, Quist, Kara, Hasan, Greener, Gris and many others.

[Nick Borrelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over the past few centuries, the Jia have lived in relative peace. They have repelled every attack launched by their northern neighbors in Egril due in large part to their superior warrior caste known as the Shulka and also Egril's limited military prowess. Those in Jia now believe themselves impervious to assault from anyone who would even consider harming them. They were very wrong.

You see the Egril, who the Jia believe to be nothing but primitive barbarians and a nuisance on their northern border, have learned from their many past mistakes. They have been hard at work recently honing their battle plans. Battle plans heavily influenced by a newly-discovered and extremely powerful magic that has made them infinitely more formidable and not quite so easily vanquished as they once were.

When invasion does finally come via the mountain passes into the Jia's homeland, the results are both brutal and decisive. The people of Jia are left devastated and bewildered. Their much-touted Shulka warriors no match for the new and improved Egril warrior Skulls led by the Chosen, handpicked by the emperor himself with the sole purpose of conquering and subjugating the citizens of Jia once and for all.

The Jia soon find themselves under martial law as the conquering Skulls routinely carry out executions in the public square in an effort to deter any resistance that may begin to form. Life is literally a living hell for the everyday citizen as simply travelling from one part of Jia to another now requires proper paperwork and the clearing through various checkpoints.

Despite all of this, there is a small band of resistance fighters who hold out hope that what has taken place can and will be reversed. And even though the odds may be stacked heavily against them, they have a plan and a last-ditch hope that lies at the top of a desolate and treacherous mountaintop which they believe will be the answer to their prayers.

But time is running out and the occupiers gain more and more of a foothold with every passing minute. As the resistance attempts to locate Jia's King and hide him away from Egril conquerors out for blood, an ancient Shulka prayer becomes both a secret underground identifier for the resistance and an inspirational rallying cry, "We are the dead, Who face the night."

When I first saw the cover for WE ARE THE DEAD, I initially thought I was about to read some sort of zombie fantasy complete with reanimated warriors decked out in full body armor wreaking havoc. I couldn't have been more wrong as the title is actually the first half of the Shulka prayer that unifies and keeps the conquered people of Jia inspired as they attempt to resist a merciless and brutal enemy that now occupies their land.

Upon turning the final page a couple of days ago what I am certain of is that I've read one of the more perfect dark fantasy books in recent memory. There are so many layers to this story that make it one of my favorite reads of the year. This is a story about a people who had gotten fat and content over the years thinking they were immune from outside threats. It's a story about a brutal conquering army that shows no mercy on its new subjects. There are numerous scenes of savage violence and cruel torture. The book also opens with one of the best battles sequences I have ever read in a fantasy novel.

Yet amidst all of this carnage and mayhem, there is also a very discernible thread of hope and resiliency. This is where WE ARE THE DEAD shines. We are introduced to many who are not ready to go quietly. In truth some are more willing participants in the resistance than others, but are no less important figures.

WE ARE THE DEAD was a read that really hit all of the right chords for me. Shackle deftly incorporates superior world-building with a deep and interesting history supporting it. The story itself is a riveting one where you are consistently on edge as every main character is put into peril. The bad guys are incredibly bad to the point that there were times that I wanted to join the resistance myself so that I could kick some Skull butt.

What will really resonate with you when you read WE ARE THE DEAD though are the individual characters and how each one has their own reasons and motivations for fighting back against the tyranny that now shackles them and threatens their very existence. These are characters who are in some cases highly flawed but in the end have to make tough decisions that literally could mean the difference for the future of Jia, should it have one.

I find myself struggling for the right words to sufficiently express how impressed I was with this book. I'm also really angry at Mike Shackle for writing such a brilliant story and making me have to wait for the second book in the Last War trilogy. How dare he! But if it is as good as WE ARE THE DEAD I know it will be well worth the wait.

If you are looking for a fantasy read with phenomenal magic, battle scenes that are so vividly described that you experience them through all of your senses, villains who are entirely despicable, and a compelling story filled with crushing heartbreak and glorious redemption, then you need to pick up WE ARE THE DEAD right now and stop procrastinating. It is truly a can't-miss fantasy epic that doesn't come around very often.

[Sade · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐.5 rounding up to ⭐⭐

From Amazon:
With all the grit of Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence and Ed McDonald, this is fantasy with the sharpest of edges.
'The next Game of Thrones' Glen Cook, author of The Black Company
'Tarantino crossed with David Gemmell' Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones
'A powerful debut' Gavin Smith, author of The Bastard Legion.
⬆

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From Goodreads:
A brand new epic fantasy: gritty and modern featuring a unique ensemble of characters who will lead a revolution against their overlords.
PERFECT FOR readers of Brent Weeks, Brandon Sanderson, and Peter V. Brett

🖤
I'm curious. What swings a book for you to make it ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ or ⭐⭐⭐⭐ heck even ⭐⭐⭐. A myraid of things, i'm sure. All in all, I suppose after all is said and done, the story has to make you feel strongly in a positive way to get those good ratings.

There's obviously no perfect book out there. Some books come close but perfection is an illusion. Plots will stall. Characters will bore you. Maybe just maybe if you look hard enough you can find something, not a lot mind you, but something all the same, off with the best books.
This book though, you don't have to look too deep to pick it apart.

For an adult fantasy novel that supposedly delivers on showing you the despair of failure, grim harshness of defeat, the writing which infers on how the characters are presented and plot plays out, is shockingly mid, less than mid if we're being honest.
It is bogged down with repetition and no life. Unanimated is how i would describe the writing. Dead. Because of this, you as the reader can never infer the mood just from reading.
The best books I believe, don't necessarily have to spell out straight as this book ALWAYS does what a character is feeling. Maybe your eyes widen, Maybe your brows knit, maybe you sit a little straighter. Maybe you put in all these little things in your writing which in turn make the characters a complete complex being. Obviously 3 dimensional characters don't work for all book settings but I'm 100% of the opinion that, if you're going to hinge your plot on your characters maybe make them act better than cardboard cutouts.
Also, maybe you don't rush your story. Just saying.

🖤🖤
The characters are honestly nothing to write home about. I struggle, i'm not going to lie with plunking in random characters in a book and then saying nothing will happen without them or everything will go to shit if they're not there, or worse forcing a character into play when honestly they didn't need them to be there.

Look at jumpy for instance struggling with a panic disorder? maybe severe anxiety? but we'll go with just being a plain coward because there's probably an easy fix for being a coward. Spoliler: it's placebo magic.
Anyways, Jumpy is just trying to survive the day best as she can by toeing the line and reminding us how much of a coward she is, when whoops brother dearest pops in and is like:
Brother Dearest: 😄"hey sis, i've got a job for you."

Jumpy is like:😰"yeah, i want no parts in this"

Brother dearest is like:😔"You're the only one that can do it. Cos like basically in our whole rebel group network we have noone, nary a person that looks innocent enough to do this super important part of our spy work that we've spent ages trying to perfect."

Me reading this book thinking: *Lucky that he found his sister and the plan could go on.🙄*

Jumpy is finally like: 😫😫"Fine. i'll do it. but i want to come back to my house and keep repeating to myself how much of a coward i am"

Mike Shackle writing this part in the story like: 😈😈😈
and i'm here like, UGH!!! Seriously???
If you don't know how Jumpy's story eventually turns out then you've obviously not read enough fantasy books.

OTHER CHARACTERS: JAX, MAD HATTER, ANGRY BOY etc
🤔 Now that i think about it, was Jax supposed to be a main character in this book? Anyways, Jax the Shulka guy, leader no more who is in charge of ummm running some part of the rebellion. Wait, was he? 🤔. Only they really seem to have zero information most of the time and well we never really see him do anything tangible really, no planning nothing. The book does say everything is hush hush and in secret but now that i think about it, we never really get to see him in his element as a leader of the rebel group. We never really get to see him do anything if we're being honest. I guess the book just needed a point figure to bring people together.
Additionally, i guess Shackle was tired of writing Mad Hatter drolling over sticking people with knives and basically giving himself a hard on from doling all that 'torture' since he decided to kill Kaine and Kara off screen like they didn't matter. oh wait, they probably didn't.

Then there's Angry boy. Angry at the world, I'm the big bad Wolf, boo hoo my parents are dead so I'm going to off everyone character.
Now the only reason. And i mean the only reason (like i'm not joking) Angry Boy is eventually relevant in this book is at the very end when there's a plan made and they decide to use the bombs he has. and this is around the 80 something % mark. Before this, his character is just honestly pointless to the story as a whole beyond showing that he's angry.
And this is where i need authors to realise naming your chapters after characters puts you at a disadvantage. Beyond the fact that why on earth are you limiting the scope of the happenings in your novel to a select few characters. You can introduce side characters without putting the bulk of the plot on them. Heck maybe elevate them to more central characters as the book progresses.
We can say the same thing about Yas's character. I mean why would you just pluck a random character out of thin air and in all effect say nothing moves without them? Like why?

The Chosen characters were just a joke. Can't be bothered with writing on those ones.
Also, what was the reason for dividing the chapters between days? 8 days to be specific. Was that a mistake? Did i miss something? Does this book count days differently? Is it a play on something i'm not aware of? Because everything here certainly did not go down in 8 individual days.

This book is your classic tale of good defeating evil. Finding your strength in spite of the odds being against you. There's light at the end of a dark tunnel kind of schtick. Which is not a bad thing. It is basically Sanderson's whole type of game play if we're being honest but this is done without a belieavable plot, strong writing or even remotely well done characters. The consensus is that the book is a believable grim fantasy, an excellent one at that.
I say it absolutely is not.

Read and form your own opinins though.

p.s: totally random but i've seen some reviews say this book has Japanese influence (not sure, i really can't tell since i'm not from there) but is that influence noticeable because all i could see was that the characters sounded somewhat identical to British people in speech mannerism.

Basically me at the end of this book, after i'd put up with over 300pages of mediocre plot and writing:

[Peter McLean · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are the dead.

One invasion. Six months of brutal occupation. Eight days of blood.

In a world reminiscent of Warring States period Japan crossed with WWII Occupied France, the revolution is coming.

This book has everything you could want from that premise: The Resistance. A Samurai general's disgraced daughter forced to face up to her responsibilities and become a hero. Faceless enemy stormtroopers and sadistic magic SS officers. A single mother forced into the Resistance against her will. Nightmarish genetically-engineered monsters. A teenage terrorist leading a cadre of suicide bombers. The choice between duty and starvation in a civilian reality where the Resistance are every bit as dangerous as the enemy.

Hell, this thing could have been written just for me. It's like Tarantino's Inglorious Basterds crossed with David Gemmell in a quasi-Asian fantasy setting, and it is absolutely splendid. Shackle has come up with something really special here, and I enjoyed it enormously.

We are the Shulka and we are the dead.

[Nils | nilsreviewsit · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘A flick of his fingers and the knife was an inch away from her eye. ‘You should never make fun of a man with a knife.’
‘Unless you have a bigger one of your own, little brother.’ Tap, tap, tap. Her hunting knife rested against his thigh.’
~
Firstly let’s kick off this review with what the book is briefly about. We are the Dead, by Mike Shackle, begins with an invasion. What a way to start, right?! A full on battle; explosions, bodies hacked down, guts spilling, and oh so many deaths. In the land of Jia, where our story is set, there has been an ongoing conflict with the radical Egrin race. The Shulka’s (The Dead), who are elite warriors born and meticulously trained to protect the citizens of Jia, have fought against the Egrin, who are perceived to be savages and a lesser foe, for centuries. However, this time, when the Egrin invade they are no longer incompetent warriors, and through the use of mysterious magical abilities, they have the means to win. The story that proceeds from there is one of what happens when the bad guys win.

Before I go on to discuss the book in further detail, I must note that this one has a lot of dark scenes. I don’t give specifics for Trigger Warnings in my reviews, but if you’re triggered by certain things, then please private message me and I’ll be happy to go into more detail for you.

One of my favourite elements of We are the Dead, was the fact that Shackle presents to us a world where there are no heroes in the story. Every character portrayed at their core are just people trying to survive by any means they can. This is not your typical fantasy where the farm boy goes off on an adventure that changes his life, (and I don’t mean that in any negative way, I love the farm boy story arc, I’m just showing the contrast here). No; this is a story where the underdog’s of society attempt to fight back after being defeated. They use the mere scraps that they’re given to persevere, and if that means a character needs to commit dark deeds, then so be it. I find it so remarkable that Shackle delivered a book where every aspect of it is so morally grey.

So, this leads me into discussing the characters a bit further. We had Tinnstra, daughter of an infamous Shulka, but lacking in courage to be the type of warrior her father was. Throughout the book we see her inner conflict between wanting to survive, and feeling guilt over not following on her family’s legacy. Although I found Tinnstra’s overwhelming fear to be a bit too repetitive at times which became tedious, I appreciated how well her story arc developed later on. Then there was Jax, a maimed Shulka general. I think Jax was my favourite character, because despite his disability, he still remained determined to kick some Egrin ass. You gotta respect a character like that, right?! I also particularly enjoyed the character Yas, and her story arc. She was a young mother, desperate to keep her son and her mother safe, but after becoming embroiled in matters out of her depth, this became increasingly difficult. I found Yas to be so realistically portrayed.

Then onto the more darker characters; firstly we had Dren, a teenage terrorist. I found Dren to be the most fascinating character throughout the book, because I went from absolutely loathing his character, to actually really liking him by the end. He was initially annoying, stubborn, and infuriatingly blinded by the need for revenge. His close mindedness was frustrating to say the least, and honestly you often just wanted to slap some sense into him. However, Shackle still makes you understand why he is the way he is. In every chapter from Dren, anger seeps from the page, he’s illustrated as a kid from the slums, he had little to begin with and then what he did have, the Egril stole when they invaded. In his mind his actions are justified, and he doesn’t care about the consequences. I found that I couldn’t really not sympathise with with his motives, even if I didn’t agree with them.
~
‘We’re never going to win this war if if most people just shrug and do fuck all except moan about how life ain’t what it used to be. If you choose to a be a sheep, then don’t be surprised when you end up in the slaughter yard.’
~
Then, lastly there was Darus, a Chosen from the Egril army, who specialised in torture. His scenes always provided so much action, and introduced us to the magical abilities and monstrous creations that the enemy army used to keep the Jians oppressed. Now, I got to admit. I loved Darus’ character! Bloody hell he was all kinds of evil, I’m talking proper sadistic here, and all his scenes were filled with an abundance of gore. But... erm... I kinda found it so entertaining!

I have to praise Shackle on his highly emotive prose too, because goddamn did this book make me feel things! If a character was scared whilst on a mission, I felt that way too, and if they were angry, I’d be furiously shaking my fist at the book! As you do! However, I did find myself disappointed with how one of the character’s narrative turned out in the climax of the story, but again, at least Shackle made me care enough to feel this way, because these characters clearly ended up having such an impact on me.

To conclude, We are the Dead is a book about finding sparks of hope amongst the ashes, it’s about fighting back from oppression, surviving, and carrying on. There are no good deeds done here, no heroic chivalry, but there are people with reasons.

Arc provided by Gollancz in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the copy!

[Dom · Rating 5 out of 5]

* You can find my full video review here: https://youtu.be/dkXFBkGUA14 *

We Are The Dead is a fantastic tale of rebellion against an occupying force. For years, the Egril have attacked the border fortresses of the Jia and for years they have been easily repelled.

The Jia see the Egril as barbarian savages, wearing furs instead of armour and wielding bones instead of weapons.

In secret, though, the Egril have rediscovered magic, and have properly armed and armoured warriors that the Jia have never seen.

Having lulled their neighbours into a false sense of security, the Egril have been plotting a full-scale invasion.

The characters we follow are mostly Jia rebels of different levels.

Tinnstra is daughter of one of the greatest Jia warriors, and she’s expected to follow in his footsteps like her brothers did.

Tinnstra though, is a coward, and when it comes to fight or flight, it’s usually an easy choice for her to make.

Her bravery shows through though, as more and more, she finds herself having to stand up for what’s right, even when the pointy end of a sword is too close for comfort.

Dren is waging war on the occupying force one warrior at a time, using bombs to pick them off and not worrying about the collateral damage he causes.

Then, we have the organised rebels who are playing the big game, but who Dren hates because he can’t see them fighting back.

When these three storylines are weaved together with innocents being pulled into the fight and the evil Darus giving us a POV on the opposing side, it makes for a brilliant tale.

I really loved how this one all pulled together, and seeing the rebellion from different viewpoints was a real treat.

The character work is really good, the storyline compelling and the twists and turns thrilling.

There are some really gruesome moments involved too, with some pretty horrific torture that’s not shied away from.

All in all, this was a surprisingly excellent read.

[Brent · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent and Bloody

I picked thus up on the recommendation from Mike of Mike's Book Reviews and I'm glad I did because it was the type of fast paced violent fantasy story that ended up hitting the spot.

The story starts with an invasion which turns into and occupation and a resistance movement. That already is an easy sell for me because I love that type of story. You see how both trained warriors and average citizens react and cope with a brutal occupation of their country. Shackle uses multiple povs to full effect by showing it too you from every angle from an experienced battle commander to a single mom trying to survive. And in doing so no punches are pulled. Brutality, torture, and murder abound in this book and it doesn't happen "off page". While it's certainly nowhere close to the darkest most violent stuff I've read just beware this ain't Legends and Lattes.

But if I come for the violence and battle I'm staying because the story and the story of the characters is damn compelling. Are they Abercrombie or King level characters? No certainly not but they have some pretty good arcs for just the first book. It's actually a good sign to me that characters whom you were worried might be annoying or dull at the start end up being ones you root hard for at the end. Yes it's good to love characters from page 1 as well, but a good arc is a good arc. And finally, I appreciated the magic here. I thought it was going to be another low magic grim dark fantasy, but honestly the magic is quite present and central to the story in a lot of interesting ways.

As far as what I did not care for, first and foremost it has to be the villains. The villains themselves are supposed to have religious motivation, but it often just seems that they're evil for evil's sake. That's especially true for the villain pov we get. I found it hard to find him scary or intimidating because he often felt cartoonish. And the only other weird thing was that a lot of this world feels very Asian inspired, but the characters' dialogue is often full of British colloquialisms like "bollocks" or "taking the piss". Of course this is fantasy and there are no rules, but it did break my immersion sometimes.

Those things aside I really enjoyed this book and the story and world Mike Shackle is building. I was very into it and often didn't want to stop reading. I already bought the rest of the trilogy and can safely recommend this one.

[Andris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some popular booktubers are comparing "We are the dead" to the books of Joe Abercrombie and Mark Lawrence, so I decided to give it a try. Well, that comparison is like comparing Sharknado to Jaws.
Two-dimensional and dull protagonists, ridiculously evil and stupid bad guy, quite naïve plot and very simplistic prose. Feels like a grimdark fan-fic written by a teenager.
I do not recommend.

[Tori Tecken · Rating 5 out of 5]

See my full thoughts here in a spoiler livestream chat done with John Mauro.
--> https://www.youtube.com/live/Kb6kn63R...

We Are the Dead is a grimdark standard. I have read quite a few novels within this tone of story now and this book was far and away the leader of the pack. Mike Shackle takes the tattered, gory flag of dark and desperate military fantasy and raises it above the crowd.

One of the ways that modern military fantasy brings its themes to vibrant life for readers is by working through a set of characters that invite the intimate emotional investment that comes from daily survival. We become so wrapped up in the smallest victories of these characters, the humanity amidst the brutality, that it sucks us in and never lets go.

That is a difficult balance to achieve in this type of tale. Often the characters fall flat or disappear in the midst of the struggle. When brutality becomes the point, the horrific plot beats strive for higher and higher shock value to the detriment of the characters, and ultimately, the reader.

In We Are The Dead, Mike Shackle manages to walk the tight rope between characters and war in a way that lets these ordinary heroes tell their own story, weaving us tightly into the days, hours, and minutes amidst the rubble of the lives they once knew.

As the hook line on the front cover reads, there are "no more heroes." Mike Shackles ragtag crew of misfits take center stage in a battle they were never meant to fight. The sudden destruction of their world calls them to the front lines... the mother, the coward, the wounded veterans, the street urchin. Shackle's characters are so incredibly well written, they will haunt you long after the last page closes.

Shackle's portrayal of motherhood, in particular, and the plight of those responsible for the weaker and helpless victims of the war, speaks to the depth and care of the author's intentions.

Moving forward, it will be difficult for any other first book in a series to reach the level that We Are The Dead achieved for me as a reader. It is now my personal standard for grimdark military fiction.

[Antigone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jia was once a country of magic. The water and the crops it fed gifted the populace with powers aplenty with which they grew content, then indolent, then blissfully accustomed to the status quo. Years passed and slowly the magic began to withdraw - or was quite possibly diverted to their enemies in the north. Those enemies, so long underrated and dismissed, have turned their new-found skills toward warfare and domination.

Tinnstra is the daughter of Jia's premier warrior clan. Her father is a legend, her brothers well on the way to upholding that familial fame. Thick in the preparatory courses of her military training, we are introduced to this young woman alone in her quarters, holding a knife to her arm as she searches out a vein. The shameful secret of her cowardice had been revealed in the exercise yard that day. It was death or disgrace, and her choice is made...or would have been had Jia's mortal foes not chosen this instant to attack.

The chaos of invasion brings several characters to the fore - among them Dren, a teenage wastrel whose fury at the loss of everything he's known sets him on a path of rage and vengeance. There is Yas, the new mother, forced through the loss of her husband to take work as a maid in the citadel of the enemy. And then there is Jax, the crippled veteran fresh from the front, now pouring his tactical knowledge into the establishment of an underground resistance.

This story is structured to the teeth and filled with promise. Unfortunately, our author is new to the game and falls to several freshman mistakes - chief of which is his over-reliance on expletives, and modern-day expletives to boot. Pulls you right out of the narrative. Equally, one must decide which sub-genre of fantasy the tale will inhabit. Based on its themes and characterizations, We Are the Dead should have played as straight up action-adventure along the lines of Hobb, Eddings, Feist, and J.V. Jones. But somebody's had his nose in a little Lawrence or Abercrombie, so that near-cliche of a brutal torturer makes himself known. The plotting is a fundamental connect-the-dots affair, but the pacing gives us reason to believe the story will be going somewhere.

Shackle has potential. We'll simply have to see what happens once he finds his sea legs.

[Theo A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mike Shackle’s We Are The Dead is a gripping introduction to a dark and brutal fantasy world, making for a strong entry in the grimdark sub-genre. The story is set in a land that has been overrun by a powerful and merciless enemy, the Egril, leaving its people desperate and on the brink of collapse. The atmosphere is masterfully created - constant tension and despair. No character is safe and hope is not easily found. This first installment in The Last War trilogy is a harrowing journey, filled with relentless action, moral ambiguity, and heart-wrenching stakes.

The characters are a true highlight of the novel, each deeply flawed and compelling in their own way. Tinnstra, a coward struggling to find her courage, offers a refreshing and relatable protagonist who evolves in unexpected ways. Dren and Jax were standouts for me as well.

While the main antagonists are given some depth, their development fell a little short and lacked some of the complexity I thought was possible. With a little more backstory and nuance, they could have been much more memorable.

Overall, We Are The Dead is a fantastic start to a series that will undoubtedly satisfy dark fantasy fans. This world is unforgiving, and the stakes are high, drawing readers into a relentless narrative that doesn’t shy away from difficult themes. And there were some REALLY crazy moments. I am eager to continue with the series and was left impressed at the world and story the author created.

A word of caution: the novel is intense and includes graphic depictions of violence, and atrocities reminiscent of other notable occupations.

[Booksblabbering || Cait❣️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

For seven hundred years, no enemy had ever defeated the Shulka in battle. They were chosen from the elite noble and trained to be invincible. The best of the best. The bravest of the brave.

Unexpectedly, the Egril, their old enemy, attacks. However, they were not the mindless barbarians they were supposed to be and they decimate the Shulka, bringing with them demons and a new God to devoutly follow.

Tinnstra was the daughter of a Shulka legend, yet she didn't fit in. She was a coward. She wanted to live.
Dren was the son of a fisherman, but the invasion lost him everything. Now, he is hellbent on revenge and will burn down the world if it means taking some of the Egril down with him.
Yas is a young newly made widow, penniless, and now a cleaner for the enemy to feed her mother and baby.

Along with other perspectives, this epic tale questions what to do after an invasion. Do you accept the reign and try and survive, or do you fight back, endangering yourself and those around you?
Dren is essential to this idea. He’s a sixteen year old boy angry at the world. He’s fine with killing innocents so long as he’s fighting back. However, is the cost worth it? It makes him hard to like, but also understandable.

This is such an interesting book, as the occupation makes the good guys seem as evil as the bad guys. This makes you question who is worse - oftentimes, there is more hatred for the actions of those who should be allies.

”They should be fighting. Everyone should be. We're never going to win this war if most people just shrug and do fuck all except moan about how life isn't what it used to be. If you choose to be a sheep, then don't be surprised when you end up in the slaughter yard.”

If you enjoyed this, I would recommend The Black Coast.

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[Hamad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book at the beginning of the month, and I only read two chapters before stopping and deciding to read it when I am in the right mood. I thought it was well written, but it seemed that the book is brutal and not to be taken lightly. A bit later the same month, I gave it another chance and I am so glad I did as I found myself pleasantly surprised by the story.

I sometimes don't understand the ratings here at Goodreads. This is an epic story and deserves much more than the 2K ratings it has here. As I said, the story is dark like Abercrombie or Michael Slater worlds. It begins with an invasion and a ton of action and that's why I put it down the first time. Shackle doesn't shy away from brutality and sometimes graphic descriptions. The Jia are shown to be an undefeatable land until one day they are invaded by the more primal Egril hordes who rediscovered magic and are invading the land to share their new religion.

The writing is great, and the chapters are mostly short. The book is almost 500 pages divided into 71 chapters spanning only 8 days! The story is thus fast paced but there is a lot happening that sometimes it is easy to forget that it all happens in almost a week. In addition, there are a ton of cliffhangers that make it hard to stop reading.

The world-building is great. The writing is very atmospheric, and you can feel the desperation and darkness that has fell upon these lands which I think is the most important thing when it comes to this genre. There are devils and there is a soft magic system adding more to the grimdark elements of the story.

The characters are all fleshed out and they come from different backgrounds with different motives, and we get to experience that through multiple POVS which is a bit confusing at first with everything thrown around but slowly they make more sense, and they start to form a bigger picture and connect making it even more intriguing.

Plot wise, I think there is not something totally new here as I have seen most of those elements in books I read before. The torture, invasion, battles are not new, but I think they were done very well which makes this worth the read.

Summary: A deadly Grimdark fantasy that is fast paced and executed very well. I don't think there is a lot to criticize but I think it requires a certain mood and mindset to go through. I am looking forward to book two which I heard is better in all aspects!

[TheReadingStray · Rating 5 out of 5]

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Badass Main Character ✓ Female Main Character ✓ Heart-Wrenching ✓ Rebellion ✓ Witty and Gritty ✓

“You’re writing a new chapter now. The past doesn’t matter. It’s what you do now that counts.”

What is the Book about?

The war is over. The enemy won. Now it’s time to fight back.

For generations, the people of Jia – a land where magic has long since faded from the world, clinging on in only a few rare individuals – have been protected from the northern Egril hordes by their warrior caste, but their enemy has not been idle. They have rediscovered magic and use it to launch an overwhelming surprise attack. An invasion has begun.

And in moments, the war is over. Resistance is quashed. Kings and city leaders are barricaded in their homes awaiting banishment and execution, the warriors are massacred, and a helpless people submit to the brutality of Egril rule.

Jia’s heroes have failed it. They are all gone. And yet… there is still hope. Soon the fate of the kingdom will fall into the hands of a schoolboy terrorist, a crippled Shulka warrior and his wheelchair bound son, a single mother desperate enough to do anything she can to protect her baby… and Tinnstra, disgraced daughter of the Shulka’s greatest leader, who now lies dead by Egril hands.

Rating
Plot ★★★★☆
Characters ★★★★★
Excitement ★★★★★
Atmosphere ★★★★★
Writing Style ★★★★☆

Favourite Character
Tinnstra, Yas

My thoughts while reading it

A Symphony of Sacrifice. In the realm of fantasy literature, where swords clash and magic weaves its intricate tapestry, Mike Shackle’s “We Are the Dead” stands as a formidable colossus, a narrative juggernaut that transcends the boundaries of traditional storytelling. In this epic tale of war, sacrifice, and the indomitable human spirit, Shackle crafts a masterpiece that resonates with emotional depth and explores the crucible of military existence like never before.

At the heart of this gripping saga lies the relentless pulse of warfare, pulsating through every page with an intensity that leaves readers breathless. Shackle’s ability to depict the gritty reality of military life is nothing short of mesmerizing. The battle scenes are not merely spectacles of swords and sorcery; they are visceral experiences that plunge the reader into the heart of the chaos. The acrid scent of blood, the thunderous clash of steel, and the anguished cries of the fallen – each element is meticulously woven into a symphony of warfare that transcends the confines of the written word.

The characters that populate this war-torn landscape are not mere pawns in a fantastical chess game; they are living, breathing entities burdened by the weight of duty, honor, and sacrifice. Shackle’s exploration of the psychological toll of war is both poignant and harrowing. The protagonists, weathered by the crucible of conflict, grapple with their own demons, torn between duty and personal turmoil. The camaraderie among soldiers is not glamorized; instead, it is presented in all its raw, unfiltered glory, showcasing the profound bonds forged in the crucible of battle.

Tinnstra, undoubtedly, undergoes one of the most profound character arcs that one can fathom within the pages of a book. Spoilers be damned, Tinnstra becomes even more epic as the first instalment unfolds; in fact, she becomes the most exquisitely crafted character I have ever encountered in literature. Tinnstra, burdened by the weight of her illustrious family’s expectations and haunted by the ever-present fear of her own martial nature, stands as the most atypical warrior one could ever read about. Her journey, marked initially by timidity and marred by selfish choices, is nothing short of a narrative triumph. Tinnstra, introduced as a character shackled by the burden of her perceived inadequacies, undergoes a metamorphosis that is, without hyperbole, utterly inspiring. Here, Shackle displays an unparalleled ability to imbue his characters with a genuine sense of humanity. Tinnstra, once a frightened soul drowning in self-doubt, emerges as a beacon of strength and determination—an embodiment of the indomitable human will. Her character arc is not just a narrative triumph; it is a symphony of growth, a testament to Shackle’s prowess in infusing his characters with an authentic essence of humanity. From the shadows of self-doubt, Tinnstra steps into the light of self-discovery, and it is a journey that resonates long after the echoes of battle have faded away. Shackle not only demonstrates his narrative finesse but also creates a luminary of empowerment, a paragon of resilience whose impact lingers, leaving an indelible mark on the reader’s soul. Tinnstra’s evolution transcends the mere realms of storytelling; it becomes a profound exploration of the human spirit, a tale that echoes the triumph of courage over fear.

Yas, too, stands as a character seldom explored in the realms of fantasy—a captivating presence that leaves one yearning for more. Yas, the selfish mother, caught in the web of rebellion against her desires, repeatedly thrust into a conflict she wants no part of, all for the sake of providing a better life for her child. Yas is ruthless, devoid of guilt, and unapologetically self-centred. Finally, a “villainous” character who, in truth, belongs to the realm of the virtuous—or does she not? She serves as a reminder that humans are more straightforward than one might think, and heroes don’t always act out of altruism but rather from selfish motives.

On the other side of this narrative tapestry is the initial impression of Dren—a foolhardy boy, an archetype explored in various tales. However, Shackle’s brilliance lies in his ability to subvert expectations. What commences as a seemingly naive and impulsive character arc transforms into a nuanced exploration of maturity and self-discovery. Dren evolves from a reckless youth into a seasoned rebel. The reader becomes a witness to the crucible of growth, and Shackle’s narrative finesse is evident as he navigates the intricacies of Dren’s character development. By the story’s end, Dren is not a foolish boy but a man, tempered by the fires of experience, a testament to the transformative power of adversity.

In these characters—Tinnstra, Yas, and the evolution of Dren—Shackle not only crafts a tale of military fantasy but also delves deep into the human psyche. Each character is a tapestry of contradictions, with layers of complexity that unravel gradually, revealing the scars and vulnerabilities that lie beneath the veneer of stoicism. The author deftly navigates the labyrinth of human emotions, presenting a cast that feels authentic and relatable, even in the fantastical setting.

The narrative unfurls as an unyielding tapestry of fortitude, guiding readers through a relentless journey within the crucible of unbridled intensity. It advances with a rapid cadence, an unbroken torrent of brutality set against a backdrop of unyielding darkness. Amidst this tumultuous narrative, a poignant thought emerges—a contemplation that this tale, rather than being titled “We Are the Dead,” might more aptly be named “The Chronicle Where Nothing Ever Goes Right.” The protagonists, resilient in their own right, navigate a landscape perpetually cloaked in adversity.

In the skilled hands of Mike Shackle, the harsh realities of the Egril occupying force and the valiant struggle of the Jian people against their oppressors are laid bare with unrelenting force. Yet, in stark contrast to Abercrombie’s somber undertones, a glimmer of optimism persists throughout this grimdark odyssey. Even within the shadows, I never found myself engulfed in a sea of hopelessness. Shackle, with a relentless hand, crafts a narrative that embraces the grim and gritty while never severing the thread of hope. There is always a beacon on the horizon, a delicate balance that stands as a testament to Shackle’s ability to infuse a grimdark tale with a profound sense of hope and optimism, resilient in the face of unyielding darkness. In the realm of this relentless narrative, “We Are the Dead” proves itself a masterful choice for those seeking a fast-paced and brutal fantasy experience. The writing is not only accessible but also exceptionally engaging, weaving a delicate balance between moments of respite and blood-soaked action scenes. Each chapter concludes with a gripping cliffhanger, compelling the reader to press on. The presence of monsters, demons, and destructive magic heightens the level of danger faced by the main characters, contributing to an immersive and thrilling reading experience. If you crave a tale that marries relentless pacing with engaging prose, “We Are the Dead” delivers on all fronts, offering a symphony of darkness and hope within its compelling pages.

In conclusion, Mike Shackle’s “We Are the Dead” is a triumph of military fantasy, a magnum opus that explores the human condition within the crucible of war. With its masterfully crafted prose, emotionally resonant characters, and a relentless exploration of the military ethos, this epic stands as a testament to the enduring power of storytelling. Shackle has not only created a compelling narrative but has etched a timeless saga that will linger in the minds and hearts of readers long after the final page has been turned.

Reading Recommendation? ✓
Favourite? ✓

[Bea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid 5.
This is just the grimdark I am looking for.
Bloody and brutal.
Spent my evening reading this until I finished it.
Could not put it down.
The characters are great and heck even that villain is fantastic!

[Shardblade · Rating 5 out of 5]

"We are the dead who serve all who live.
We are the dead who fight.
We are the dead who guard tomorrow.
We are the dead who protect our land, our monarch, our clan.

We are the dead who stand in the night.
We are the dead who face the night.
We are the dead whom evil fears.
We are the Shulka and we are the dead."

I thought this was an incredible debut novel from Mike Shackle and I am very interested in reading more books in this series. At the start of the book I found the main character, Tinnstra, to be pretty annoying even if she was written to be realistic. But after getting through a pretty slow start and when I started to pick up on clues on how the Shulka were plotting to overthrow the Egril I found the book to be very engaging.

I did eventually come to like reading about Tinnstra and Zourique the most out of any of the plot lines because of their amazing relationship and the characters they get to meet on their journey to safety. However I do wish some of the villains had been more fleshed out because the end of both of their character arcs felt very rushed. Also I would have liked it if Jax had been given some more chapters because I found the story of him and his son to be very tragic and interesting.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

"We are the dead who serve all that live
We are the dead who fight"

A debut fantasy that is violent and dark, this story follows a range of characters who are living in a world under occupation by tyrants and looming rebellion. There's a feeling of hopelessness and depression as the characters, who are being terrorised every day, make questionable decisions to achieve their goals or escape from their fears. The story has magic, intrigue, old gods, chaos, loyalty and duty slowly weaved in alongside a fast-paced plot.

A gritty, brutal and unforgiving world that is described so clearly that I could visualise these characters and places in my mind. I really look forward to continuing on with the series.

[Jennifer (bunnyreads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Really enjoyed this one.

***

For ages, the Shulka have been the line of defense against the Egril, who in the past have been seen as barbarians. In truth the Egril have always presented themselves that way, their weapons primitive and their attacks messy affairs lacking leadership and discipline. But that all changes and very quickly when the Egril’s invade and decimate Jia’s pride, their Shulka army. And that was just the beginning…

This starts with a huge bang and doesn’t let up at all. The brisk style of the writing is packed full of information. The craftily placed tidbits work to fill in details through conversations, duties, and memories while keeping the pages turning – everything is supremely well-meshed and we just breeze through, picking up facts without even noticing we are doing so. I like this style a lot (as I am sure everyone knows by now).

The world and magic were very cool and felt like this was the tip of the iceberg with a ton of room to expand into the next book/s but the characters were the highlight for me. I love a good well-built world and neat magic but I probably am not going to care as much if I don’t have somebody to root for.

There are a few characters that we follow:

Tinnstra of clan Rizon – a proud house (and the first Shulka warriors) she has done her family a dishonour by being expelled for cowardice from the academy.

I’m always been a bit of sucker for the underdog makes good kind of character, and their journey to overcome adversity whether it’s outside, or within themselves. Tinnstra is that kind of character. She comes from a family of warriors, people willing to throw themselves in the line of fire and die trying, she just doesn’t have the courage or the heart for it herself.

Tinnstra could be really frustrating at times, because I wanted her to snap out of that paralysis, to quit mentally whining and kick some ass, but her fear also made me sympathise with her more so than if she’d been brandishing her weapon yelling “Die Bastards!”

The scene that showed her fear the best for me, was one with her cowering in terror, crying, but still too petrified to move out of dangers way – my heart went out to her in that moment, more so than any of the instances where she was remembering how she screwed up, or was berating herself for not being more courageous. I liked the slow procession her character took to find that courage and that we could see her progression.

Dren – A fisherman’s son. I think if Mike Shackle nailed anyone in characterization – it was this character, Dren, the fourteen-year-old kid who I equally wanted to hug or join Jax in his thoughts about throwing him in the sea.

I started calling him “the little asshole” in my head. Which really is quite rude of me because he is only fourteen, with a chip the size of a mountain on his shoulder and a hurt just as large in his heart. Poor kid.He was so angry at the world for everything that had happened, and he lashed out at anything and everyone, not caring who died as long as one of them was an Egril. I felt he was so real, and a lot of why I did get so frustrated with him was that his attitude was too close to my memory of my own child and dealing with him at that age (not that my child was out blowing shit up but let’s just say I swore off kids after that age group).

Dren has quite a journey through this book, and some of it was heart-wrenching. He was my favourite even when I wanted to slap him silly.

Yas– Works as a cleaner for the Skulls. Yas doesn’t want to be a part of anything, especially anything that’s going to call attention to her and endanger her child but she gets dragged into the revolution anyway.

Jax and Kaine – Father and son. Jax won me over for his complete love of his son and his total sense of duty to what he felt needed to be done.And Kaine as well for his dedication. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree here, and like his dad he never gave up, despite his injuries.

Darus and Skara – The Emperors Chosen. They were in the vanguard that invaded Jia first, they’re brother and sister and I wondered if all the magic users, were as crazy as Darus. They are really the only big magic users we see outside of the Tonin – the gateway openers who seemed quite demented as well, but not overly functional outside of their job opening the gate.These two (Darus and Skara) were the worst kind of crazy, and that’s the functioning in a leadership position kind.

Most of our viewpoint of the Egril is through Darus and Skara or the Egril soldiers (which didn’t paint a pretty picture of them) but we also had the occasional glimpse of a more human side – a scared young soldier trying to throw up a white flag or something as innocuous as smiling and manners towards a shop employee and I appreciated these for making the enemy not just the “bad guys”.

***

There were moments in the story where you could see the trail, the event or the thing that had to happen to push or spur that character forward to their path. But then there were also times that the story took a total left, and I was like, What the hell just happened here? When you read a lot, those surprise moments are rare so the fact that there were a few; impressed me.

The TLDR:

We Are the Dead is worthy of your attention. From start to finish this will keep you on the edge of your seat. This is an outstanding debut, you don’t want to miss it.

Other notes

The last third of the book was like an ocean swell of build and recede, hope would swell and success was close at hand, until finally everything surges and crashes upon the shore. Then we just wait for the water to clear and see what or if anything was left behind. So stressful.

Fast/sight reader problems – It took me a good half of the book to keep The Skulls and The Shulka separate in my head because the words are similar looking/sounding.

Zorique reads/feels a lot older than her age at times, even accounting for societal influences.

I really liked the breakup of the book into Days, for giving me a good stopping place.


4.75


A huge thank you to Mike Shackle for supplying a copy of We Are the Dead.

[Dave DelFavero · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think what author Mike Shackle has here is a well-written and very thought out start to a brand new series. For a first time published author he’s got something really incredible here with a lot of potential for many directions going forward. The war is over and our heroes have lost but not defeated. You follow several main characters’ perspectives as their city has been overrun by an evil empire where the Egril from the North now rule. Our main protagonists along with everyone else are now dealing with starvation and lack of hope in a world of despair. There’s magic, there are old gods, torture, intrigue and much more. A very gloomy landscape yet I found myself continuously drawn back into this book desperate to find out what our heroes would do next. Would there ever come redemption or was all hope rendered completely lost? There were some instances where you had a bit of too much repetition of certain aspects but nothing that detracted me from the story too much. There’s certainly some very unique and great people you just can’t get enough of. I give this first installment a solid 4 stars and I absolutely can’t wait to see where Mike Shackle takes the continuation in book two: A Fool’s Hope. Do yourselves a favor and pick this one up. I’d say it’s definitely worth your time.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 stars

Gritty brutal unforgiving, We are the dead is the first entry of Mike Shackle of the last war trilogy. We are the dead is a grimdark book and Mike Shackle showed that he hasn’t a tendency for the easiest paths. This tale isn’t for the faint of heart and on my part I absolutely love it. Fast pace and great plot which aren’t leave us any chance de rest , we are the dead blows everything on it way.

The plot is classic at first , a kingdom protected by an ancestral warrior cast against an old enemy. Time had dull their fear and the enemy took them by surprise.
The kingdom of Jia fell overnight and the new rulers are relentless and violent conquers.
The question what now for the people of Jia?
Accept their fate or fight back?
This question will rest upon a disowned warrior, a young full of anger and a cripple and old warrior.

They are the dead and the war had just begun.

[Maja · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many of my GR friends have praised this book. Me? I was bit on the fence and this book kept entering and leaving my radar. I was still a bit sceptic when I started the book. It took me a while to get into it. But it grew on me and I ended up enjoying it a lot!

The first four chapters begin with the country of Jia being invaded by the Egril. The two have always been in conflict with each other but the Shulka, Jia’s elite soldiers, have always been able to keep Egril away. Not this time as Egril bring demons and mages. Then the book makes a jump six months forward. The invasion is still going, with the Egril beating down every attempt at rebellion. We get to follow a bunch of character for eight days in their struggle to fight the Egril.

One of the things I was sceptic to was the short time span the book take place in. While I don’t like books with too big time spans, I do enjoy when at least some time passes go give space for a lot of development. Because it would take quite drastic events to give characters a significant development.

Also, I wasn’t a huge fan of the six-month time jump. There was so much to explore there. Especially during the earlier part of the invasion.

The characters were okay. Some of them felt a little one dimensional in the beginning. Like, with Tinnstra it was a huge focus on her being a “coward”. With Dren, he was defined solely by his hatred towards the Skulls for invading his home, and towards the Shulka for not dealing with the problem. Both Tinnstra and Dren do go through development and as they did, they grew more likeable. I also enjoyed Yas’ and Jax’s chapters. I found Darus’ chapters the least interesting.

[ThatBookGal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy Crap!! Review to come soon...I need to process about a million thoughts first.

**********

Ok, its a week later and whilst I've not really finished processing, I am ready to share my views! Hoooooly crap, I know I said that already, but seriously, what an opening sequence. In a blink of an eye, there’s battle, there’s horror, and there’s gore galore. Setting expectations high for the rest of the book, this debut novel absolutely does not disappoint.

With an original landscape, a host of complex characters, and villains to be truly fearful of, this was such a smooth and exciting read. I felt on constant edge throughout the whole book, mostly because those bad guys are the very definition of bad. I normally struggle with books that have multiple POV's, because there's always someone I just don't care about, but I think Shackle utterly nailed it, with each character as interesting as the other.

I've written a much longer review over on the blog, if you're interested. But I'd just say, read this, if you love fantasy, if you love bad ass characters, and if you want to be on the edge of your seat for an entire book, read this.

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfectly grimdark: it starts with the barest sliver of hope, and each chapter carves it down tinier and tinier. Relentless, brutal, and sometimes shocking stuff. Shackle brought me to places I didn’t want to go but I couldn’t turn away. Strong, relatable characters making impossible decisions that push boundaries. Some scenes are going to be replaying in my mind for quite some time.

It’s 1am. Onto book two.