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Bartram's Maw #1
She Topples Giants
Traveling mercenary Samantha Redwyne just wants an easy job so she can afford to protect her loved ones, when she finds herself swept up in a city's violent rebellion. An idealistic revolutionary leader seeks her sword, urging her to fight for a cause. But causes don't always pay, and an eccentric and seductive baroness, more concerned with the latest masquerade than her own citizens, promises plenty of coin and a life of leisure for Samantha's lethal services. Samantha finds herself embroiled in schemes and intrigue between these two great forces, and after tragedy and the ultimate betrayal, she puts her life on the line to save her friends. Her fight grows far beyond a simple town revolution, and she must give everything she has in the name of survival, redemption, and bloody revenge.
635 pages, Paperback
First published March 22, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
June 14, 2022
** Note: this review contains spoilers. **
I came to this tale after reading The Wolf and the She-Bear last year, so I was somewhat expecting Samantha Redwyne to be the sole protagonist but this book has a wide variety of POVs and spends a lot of time with other characters. The cast is pretty distinct; each POV character has a unique voice that sets them apart from the others. Aside from Sam, some of them (especially Ingrid and Blixen) are easy to like and cheer for. Blixen in specific had a well-defined character arc that saw her grow and develop from someone unlikable to a more classic protagonist. The antagonists are suitably bad and easy to hate. I also enjoyed the rapid-moving narrative style of the book. It consists of short chapters that fly by and the prose was easy to process and digest.
That said, this is definitely aimed at the grimdark adult audience. There is a high level of violence in the story and some scenes are quite graphic. A "Red Wedding" type of scene midway through deletes about half the cast, including some I was growing attached to up to that point, and none of their deaths were pleasant. Characters fall into bed with each other with regularity and while that action isn't erotica-level explicit, it's plenty descriptive.
The book's pace threw me a bit since (per the previous paragraph), the plot built an action crescendo early, which was riveting reading, and then slowed waaaaay down again, and kind of had to build back up. I don't mind that from book to book in a series but in one volume, it felt uneven.
Overall, I enjoyed this a fair bit and will be continuing the series.
I came to this tale after reading The Wolf and the She-Bear last year, so I was somewhat expecting Samantha Redwyne to be the sole protagonist but this book has a wide variety of POVs and spends a lot of time with other characters. The cast is pretty distinct; each POV character has a unique voice that sets them apart from the others. Aside from Sam, some of them (especially Ingrid and Blixen) are easy to like and cheer for. Blixen in specific had a well-defined character arc that saw her grow and develop from someone unlikable to a more classic protagonist. The antagonists are suitably bad and easy to hate. I also enjoyed the rapid-moving narrative style of the book. It consists of short chapters that fly by and the prose was easy to process and digest.
That said, this is definitely aimed at the grimdark adult audience. There is a high level of violence in the story and some scenes are quite graphic. A "Red Wedding" type of scene midway through deletes about half the cast, including some I was growing attached to up to that point, and none of their deaths were pleasant. Characters fall into bed with each other with regularity and while that action isn't erotica-level explicit, it's plenty descriptive.
The book's pace threw me a bit since (per the previous paragraph), the plot built an action crescendo early, which was riveting reading, and then slowed waaaaay down again, and kind of had to build back up. I don't mind that from book to book in a series but in one volume, it felt uneven.
Overall, I enjoyed this a fair bit and will be continuing the series.
October 15, 2021
An amazing, little heard of fantasy novel. It's got nearly everything you'd want from a fantasy adventure.
Want a beserker giant of a woman with a pet wolf? It's in here.
Want a sneaky thief that everyone underestimates? It's here.
Want a bard who isn't afraid to bash someone over the head with their instrument? You bet this has it.
Want the sly courtesan who is adept at spying and poisons? We got one of those.
Want a bit of steampunk in your life? There's a small bit of that in here.
Want a hopped up fairie that loves to sleep in womens bosoms? Got that too.
Villains include everything from your run of the mill crooked police force to your dream eating super spiders, and everything in between.
While the story is a bit of a slow burn to begin with, once the action starts the book is hard to put down.
Can't wait to start the next book in the series.
Want a beserker giant of a woman with a pet wolf? It's in here.
Want a sneaky thief that everyone underestimates? It's here.
Want a bard who isn't afraid to bash someone over the head with their instrument? You bet this has it.
Want the sly courtesan who is adept at spying and poisons? We got one of those.
Want a bit of steampunk in your life? There's a small bit of that in here.
Want a hopped up fairie that loves to sleep in womens bosoms? Got that too.
Villains include everything from your run of the mill crooked police force to your dream eating super spiders, and everything in between.
While the story is a bit of a slow burn to begin with, once the action starts the book is hard to put down.
Can't wait to start the next book in the series.
June 28, 2020
I went into this blind with the sample, and was immediately drawn in and would recommend you skip the reviews (this included) and do the same. The sample is long enough, and strong enough to make its own recommendations.
The only warning I would give is that this is most definitely for an adult audience on account of the explicit (if infrequent) violence when things heat up. The vast majority of the book has little more than light hearted bar brawls where characters are bopped on the head with no long term consequences but when it gets down to actual life-or-death combat, characters don’t go down quickly or cleanly, and the book does not shy away from the realities of this.
This is easily one of the best books I have read this year. There is nothing that would give this away as a self-published debut other than perhaps the length, but even with that the pacing didn't feel off, rather the major publishing houses prefer shorter novels from new authors.
I felt plot developments and twists were foreshadowed exactly the right amount. Whilst I was blindsided by the exact way events unfolded in many cases, nothing happened with no warning at all and there was a good balance between feeling smug that you were right, and being shocked by how wrong you were.
This book is very much small-scale, character driven fantasy that is, aside from the aforementioned infrequent dark sections, mostly the light hearted and humorous antics you’d expect from adventurers trying to make ends meet and satisfy the various vendettas and vices they pick up along the way. Even at its broadest scope, the entire conflict is dependent on none of the powers that be caring enough about the backwater towns to intervene.
Supporting characters are very much the archetypal fare you’d expect of adventuring parties (rogues, bards and peddlers galore) and they do very much play into their roles, but those that get drawn close to the main storyline have solid character development based on their experiences and few finish the same person they entered the tale as.
The book opens up with the main character picking up the quintessential solo side quest from (track down an ‘ogre’ for some yokel villagers) before joining up with her old band for a good old caper in a gambling den to track down the local drug lord. Things heat up with the brewing rebellion that sets the scene for the rest of the novel, but any more stars delving into spoiler territory.
I strongly recommend just picking this up and seeing where it takes you.
The only warning I would give is that this is most definitely for an adult audience on account of the explicit (if infrequent) violence when things heat up. The vast majority of the book has little more than light hearted bar brawls where characters are bopped on the head with no long term consequences but when it gets down to actual life-or-death combat, characters don’t go down quickly or cleanly, and the book does not shy away from the realities of this.
This is easily one of the best books I have read this year. There is nothing that would give this away as a self-published debut other than perhaps the length, but even with that the pacing didn't feel off, rather the major publishing houses prefer shorter novels from new authors.
I felt plot developments and twists were foreshadowed exactly the right amount. Whilst I was blindsided by the exact way events unfolded in many cases, nothing happened with no warning at all and there was a good balance between feeling smug that you were right, and being shocked by how wrong you were.
This book is very much small-scale, character driven fantasy that is, aside from the aforementioned infrequent dark sections, mostly the light hearted and humorous antics you’d expect from adventurers trying to make ends meet and satisfy the various vendettas and vices they pick up along the way. Even at its broadest scope, the entire conflict is dependent on none of the powers that be caring enough about the backwater towns to intervene.
Supporting characters are very much the archetypal fare you’d expect of adventuring parties (rogues, bards and peddlers galore) and they do very much play into their roles, but those that get drawn close to the main storyline have solid character development based on their experiences and few finish the same person they entered the tale as.
The book opens up with the main character picking up the quintessential solo side quest from (track down an ‘ogre’ for some yokel villagers) before joining up with her old band for a good old caper in a gambling den to track down the local drug lord. Things heat up with the brewing rebellion that sets the scene for the rest of the novel, but any more stars delving into spoiler territory.
I strongly recommend just picking this up and seeing where it takes you.
October 2, 2022
Here I go againOnce again, I ship the heck out of the novella and the novel fizzles out for me.
The Wolf and the She-Bear was the bomb! I didn't even mind spending $4.00 for a novella. The writing and action were tight and straight to the story. It even had some colorful fae stuff thrown in.
Then I get to She Topples Giants and the story was one big disappointment.
By the time I got to Part II it felt like it was time for the story to stop. Boredom set in. You could do Part I of this book on stage because you would only need 2 backgrounds.
Maybe I'll finish this up another day/year. Morgan Stang has a good story to tell. He just needs shorten it up a bit to move things along.
April 24, 2026
I've just finished this mammoth of a book. With 635 pages and with 125 chapters it can be read fast (of some sorts).
What is this book about you may asked - well it's about a mercenary She-Bear Samantha Redwyne and she is involved in a rebellion. But it's more than that. In the beginning of the book we are introduced to Samantha and her old group called Bartram's Maw. She had been a leader of it but wanted to go solo, but it seems things converged. Bartram's Maw were recruited to fight the nobles while she is passing through. In other side of the fence you've got the noble Blixen which is slowly bleeding the peasants dry with taxes. But this is more than that because characters will change sides, the plot indeed jump and all of these situation is solved (not going to tell you how) at around 400 page mark. Then comes the second part of the novel where some characters changed and I mean changed a lot.
About the things I enjoyed - the pacing (sometimes strong sometimes slow) and some characters Moffat (briefly there) Samatha , some of Bertram's Maw people and most of all Blixen.
The plot is interesting and to be far there are several secondary quests than enhance the story.
What I didn't enjoy - maybe it's when I am reading but I would say what's her (I assume she is she and not he - I mean all of the main characters of the her novels are female and lesbian) political stance and I don't mean the lesbianism society. Please. I mean, almost all important characters are lesbian and some sex scenes were a bit akward to me (TO ME!). The author is not shine to criticise feudalism (Which was not good) but hinting communism is good - this is my opinion. At least that's what I got from all exposure that exist on the novel.
I enjoyed Samantha & Victoria but at times they were boring. Spoiler! . I didn't understand Samantha. Sometimes she was a brute with no intelligence, sometimes she was smart. It was odd.
I mean some of this plot story (at least until most people are hacked) looked like a prelude of something else. As I said this looked like two stories into one. Probably that's why it was 600 pages.
The second and third book are smaller and they will follow two (at least) of this characters.
My opinion...
I enjoyed. I thought it was a bit political to my liking and the sex scenes were a bit boring and to be fair I don't like LGBT themes on my books - sue me. BUT having said that I enjoyed sufficient to grab the next novel probably in June. Just so you understand I have read another book by her - Morgan at Spindle Manor and it was one of my favourite books of that year. So much that I purchase everything from the author. 78/10
Oh I forgot to mentioned - There is a wolf pet (probably same name as the author dog)
What is this book about you may asked - well it's about a mercenary She-Bear Samantha Redwyne and she is involved in a rebellion. But it's more than that. In the beginning of the book we are introduced to Samantha and her old group called Bartram's Maw. She had been a leader of it but wanted to go solo, but it seems things converged. Bartram's Maw were recruited to fight the nobles while she is passing through. In other side of the fence you've got the noble Blixen which is slowly bleeding the peasants dry with taxes. But this is more than that because characters will change sides, the plot indeed jump and all of these situation is solved (not going to tell you how) at around 400 page mark. Then comes the second part of the novel where some characters changed and I mean changed a lot.
About the things I enjoyed - the pacing (sometimes strong sometimes slow) and some characters Moffat (briefly there) Samatha , some of Bertram's Maw people and most of all Blixen.
The plot is interesting and to be far there are several secondary quests than enhance the story.
What I didn't enjoy - maybe it's when I am reading but I would say what's her (I assume she is she and not he - I mean all of the main characters of the her novels are female and lesbian) political stance and I don't mean the lesbianism society. Please. I mean, almost all important characters are lesbian and some sex scenes were a bit akward to me (TO ME!). The author is not shine to criticise feudalism (Which was not good) but hinting communism is good - this is my opinion. At least that's what I got from all exposure that exist on the novel.
I enjoyed Samantha & Victoria but at times they were boring. Spoiler! . I didn't understand Samantha. Sometimes she was a brute with no intelligence, sometimes she was smart. It was odd.
I mean some of this plot story (at least until most people are hacked) looked like a prelude of something else. As I said this looked like two stories into one. Probably that's why it was 600 pages.
The second and third book are smaller and they will follow two (at least) of this characters.
My opinion...
I enjoyed. I thought it was a bit political to my liking and the sex scenes were a bit boring and to be fair I don't like LGBT themes on my books - sue me. BUT having said that I enjoyed sufficient to grab the next novel probably in June. Just so you understand I have read another book by her - Morgan at Spindle Manor and it was one of my favourite books of that year. So much that I purchase everything from the author. 78/10
Oh I forgot to mentioned - There is a wolf pet (probably same name as the author dog)
June 13, 2024
For a debut of Stang, this wasn't too bad!
The dark fantasy vibes he's known for in Lamplight is minor compared to the rest of the book. It's more of a character and political drama, with battle scenes and dry humor with a big dollop of gore.
Prose: it's passable
Worldbuilding: there's not a whole lot but there is some. Not enough to satisfy me so I have to dock it a star here.
Dialog: it's the selling point of the book, though a few times characters go on monologuing for a few pages that it loses meaning.
Vibe: stereotypical medieval town with a dark atmosphere but it changes a few times along the way
Plot: I also need to deduct half a star here. It's entertaining enough but there are times when it's too predictable, however, the major plot twists were a surprise
Pacing: slow as molasses, but picks up around the 150 pg mark then goes through several uptick in the pace
Characters: the other up side to this book is characters, though a ton of them are one dimensional, you get a few multifaceted characters to keep you satisfied
All in all, though this is a 3.55/5, I'm still rating this 4 stars because I still enjoyed it, I don't hate that much to give it a 3. Also it's a huge accomplishment of a debut doesn't go lower than 3.5 stars as their part in quality can only go up from there (and we've seen it in Lamplight)
Go in with low expectations and it's a fun ride on KU!
TW: animal death, gore, violence, sexual assault, minor POC trope
3.55/5 Would love to meet Jim again
The dark fantasy vibes he's known for in Lamplight is minor compared to the rest of the book. It's more of a character and political drama, with battle scenes and dry humor with a big dollop of gore.
Prose: it's passable
Worldbuilding: there's not a whole lot but there is some. Not enough to satisfy me so I have to dock it a star here.
Dialog: it's the selling point of the book, though a few times characters go on monologuing for a few pages that it loses meaning.
Vibe: stereotypical medieval town with a dark atmosphere but it changes a few times along the way
Plot: I also need to deduct half a star here. It's entertaining enough but there are times when it's too predictable, however, the major plot twists were a surprise
Pacing: slow as molasses, but picks up around the 150 pg mark then goes through several uptick in the pace
Characters: the other up side to this book is characters, though a ton of them are one dimensional, you get a few multifaceted characters to keep you satisfied
All in all, though this is a 3.55/5, I'm still rating this 4 stars because I still enjoyed it, I don't hate that much to give it a 3. Also it's a huge accomplishment of a debut doesn't go lower than 3.5 stars as their part in quality can only go up from there (and we've seen it in Lamplight)
Go in with low expectations and it's a fun ride on KU!
TW: animal death, gore, violence, sexual assault, minor POC trope
3.55/5 Would love to meet Jim again
December 15, 2024
DNF, might reread some day
August 11, 2021
My She-Bear is back and your gonna be in trouble
We pick back up with Samantha in a small town on the border of the Northern Kingdom. Just so happens her old band is in town. Great timing because the town is in trouble. Corrupt guards, cruel and aloof upper class, drug barons, and revolutionaries have all set up shop. Morgan Stang continues to impress me. Highly suggest!
We pick back up with Samantha in a small town on the border of the Northern Kingdom. Just so happens her old band is in town. Great timing because the town is in trouble. Corrupt guards, cruel and aloof upper class, drug barons, and revolutionaries have all set up shop. Morgan Stang continues to impress me. Highly suggest!
December 28, 2021
Such a good book! The writer, Stang, is ruthless. Great storytelling.
Needs an editor.
Needs an editor.
April 30, 2026
3.5 rounded down to 3.
Since I read Morgan Stang's previous book last year, I figured it would be fitting to try the first one.
She Topples Giants seems like a daunting book at first. As I've stated before, books with over 600 pages are very hard to justify, especially debuts. And while with most 600+ page books, a lot of dialogue and a few scenes could have been cut out to make the book a bit shorter and more concise, I found myself breezing through. I think I read 300+ pages in a day just because I couldn't stop!!! Even though the writing style feels very TV writing, Stang still knows how to set a scene and characterize without too much exposition.
The plot has a pretty clear division between parts 1 and 2. I'm not sure why there were 5 parts of uneven lengths, but hey, I'm not the author. The first part is mostly set-up and character work, while the second half deals with the fallout from the midpoint and where most of the character development for our main cast takes place. It takes a little while to really ramp up, so unless you're really committed to seeing the plot through, there's nothing too exciting for the first 150 pages.
I have a love-hate relationship with large casts. While I love seeing different dynamics and see a range of diversity, it can sometimes get a little challenging trying to keep track of everyone. This is the type of book where about a dozen+ characters get thrown at you at once, and you gotta figure it out. The good news is, around the 50% mark, half of them die!!! Even a few characters where I was like "oh surely, they're gonna make it out and be okay. Nope!!! . Samantha/Red is a solid main character who made some fucked up choices but is still extremely compelling, Kirby is delightfully annoying, Punikin is such a strange little creature that I couldn't help but be enamored, Jesse is a solid supporting member, and I even loved Blixen before and after she got her head out of her ass and decided to take the common folk . Yevauld, who was a surprising standout, was such a compelling character. I clocked him being Shady from the get go. But his orchestration with Violet's murder and manipulating Wilddershins to turn on each other in order for him to regain control was so interesting. And then he tries to marry a countess and become the gentry he so hated, claiming it's in the name of commoners??? Ugh. Wonderful. I usually hate the "revolutionary bad" trope, but this book did it in a refreshing way. I also didn't expect to love Moffet. At first, she's your typical damsel in distress with a twist! She's labeled as a bad omen for being paralyzed from the waist down, and Sam rescues her and attempts to find a home for her. I've never seen a character go from being a staunch pacifist (telling Sam not to murder the villagers multiple times) to losing the ability to forgive and orders Sam to kill Yevauld. I honestly thought Stang was gonna chicken out and then BOOM!!!! I was pumping my fist. Honestly, I haven't seen this many diverse female characters in a book in a long time. Good job, Stang.
Except Victoria Belltower.
If there are 0 Victoria Belltower haters in the world, assume I'm fucking dead. The fact that she received so few consequences for SELLING A CHARACTER INTO SLAVERY and essentially scamming them multiple times before that is such a bullshit move. Not to mention all the times she acts like the crew should be oh-so-grateful for her doing the bare minimum right thing. Throughout the story, she’s portrayed as a selfish, arrogant twat who constantly calls out other people (rightfully, mostly Blixen), and she got a MINOR telling-off. That was it!!! Sure, she got
With Victoria’s continued presence in the series combined with the fact that the sequel is half the length of this book, I’m a little nervous about continuing on. Perhaps at a later date I’ll come back to this series.
Since I read Morgan Stang's previous book last year, I figured it would be fitting to try the first one.
She Topples Giants seems like a daunting book at first. As I've stated before, books with over 600 pages are very hard to justify, especially debuts. And while with most 600+ page books, a lot of dialogue and a few scenes could have been cut out to make the book a bit shorter and more concise, I found myself breezing through. I think I read 300+ pages in a day just because I couldn't stop!!! Even though the writing style feels very TV writing, Stang still knows how to set a scene and characterize without too much exposition.
The plot has a pretty clear division between parts 1 and 2. I'm not sure why there were 5 parts of uneven lengths, but hey, I'm not the author. The first part is mostly set-up and character work, while the second half deals with the fallout from the midpoint and where most of the character development for our main cast takes place. It takes a little while to really ramp up, so unless you're really committed to seeing the plot through, there's nothing too exciting for the first 150 pages.
I have a love-hate relationship with large casts. While I love seeing different dynamics and see a range of diversity, it can sometimes get a little challenging trying to keep track of everyone. This is the type of book where about a dozen+ characters get thrown at you at once, and you gotta figure it out. The good news is, around the 50% mark, half of them die!!! Even a few characters where I was like "oh surely, they're gonna make it out and be okay. Nope!!! . Samantha/Red is a solid main character who made some fucked up choices but is still extremely compelling, Kirby is delightfully annoying, Punikin is such a strange little creature that I couldn't help but be enamored, Jesse is a solid supporting member, and I even loved Blixen before and after she got her head out of her ass and decided to take the common folk . Yevauld, who was a surprising standout, was such a compelling character. I clocked him being Shady from the get go. But his orchestration with Violet's murder and manipulating Wilddershins to turn on each other in order for him to regain control was so interesting. And then he tries to marry a countess and become the gentry he so hated, claiming it's in the name of commoners??? Ugh. Wonderful. I usually hate the "revolutionary bad" trope, but this book did it in a refreshing way. I also didn't expect to love Moffet. At first, she's your typical damsel in distress with a twist! She's labeled as a bad omen for being paralyzed from the waist down, and Sam rescues her and attempts to find a home for her. I've never seen a character go from being a staunch pacifist (telling Sam not to murder the villagers multiple times) to losing the ability to forgive and orders Sam to kill Yevauld. I honestly thought Stang was gonna chicken out and then BOOM!!!! I was pumping my fist. Honestly, I haven't seen this many diverse female characters in a book in a long time. Good job, Stang.
Except Victoria Belltower.
If there are 0 Victoria Belltower haters in the world, assume I'm fucking dead. The fact that she received so few consequences for SELLING A CHARACTER INTO SLAVERY and essentially scamming them multiple times before that is such a bullshit move. Not to mention all the times she acts like the crew should be oh-so-grateful for her doing the bare minimum right thing. Throughout the story, she’s portrayed as a selfish, arrogant twat who constantly calls out other people (rightfully, mostly Blixen), and she got a MINOR telling-off. That was it!!! Sure, she got
With Victoria’s continued presence in the series combined with the fact that the sequel is half the length of this book, I’m a little nervous about continuing on. Perhaps at a later date I’ll come back to this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 15, 2025
This book is absolutely nuts. Do you like Berserk? Do you like dark fantasy? Do you like low key (in the beginning) sapphic rivalry? Do you like fairies, trolls, and sneaktheives? Do you like very intelligent wolves? Do you like tall ladies who could snap you in half? Do you like political upheaval in the peasant class? If you said yes to any of these, you are going to like this book. There is a lot of gore, so fair warning on that. This story twists like nobody's business, and on one hand you can see the path that's laid out, and on the other hand, I was not at all expecting the turns. There's a lot of loss here too, and it was surprisingly difficult to read through. I say surprisingly because I really didn't expect after a quarter of the book for it to go the way it did. Bartram's Maw was a fun combination of skills and characters who seemed to really draw Sam out of her shell. I know they had their own mission there, but I did enjoy Sam's chapters a lot more. Also Blitzen is hilarious. At first I hated her, I thought she was cliche and silly and would quickly die. Boy was I wrong!
When revolution actually rolls past, I thought the story couldn't possibly continue after so much had happened, but it kept pushing forward, and we finally get to see Sam reluctantly admit she does really care about Victoria, though true admittance comes at the end of the story. Sam doesn't ever quit, and at times it becomes a detriment. I wouldn't call her an inspiration, but she is 100% genuine, and she cares. About people, strangers, her friends, and random forest creatures she meets on the way. Sam felt human and conflicted and while one wouldn't normally expect a berserking mercenary for hire to be struggling internally with the cost of violence on the soul, it didn't feel forced. You can like Sam or you could hate her, but it's very hard to hate her. I wouldn't call it a revenge story really, nor strictly an adventure story, and definitely not a romance, but it is without doubt a story worth reading and an excellent beginning to the overall impact of Bartram's Maw on the world.
When revolution actually rolls past, I thought the story couldn't possibly continue after so much had happened, but it kept pushing forward, and we finally get to see Sam reluctantly admit she does really care about Victoria, though true admittance comes at the end of the story. Sam doesn't ever quit, and at times it becomes a detriment. I wouldn't call her an inspiration, but she is 100% genuine, and she cares. About people, strangers, her friends, and random forest creatures she meets on the way. Sam felt human and conflicted and while one wouldn't normally expect a berserking mercenary for hire to be struggling internally with the cost of violence on the soul, it didn't feel forced. You can like Sam or you could hate her, but it's very hard to hate her. I wouldn't call it a revenge story really, nor strictly an adventure story, and definitely not a romance, but it is without doubt a story worth reading and an excellent beginning to the overall impact of Bartram's Maw on the world.
Read
November 25, 2024Well, darn it. I was excited to read this one, I thought I had found a new gritty, grimdark series that I had somehow missed before. The Goodreads score and the reviews are very good. I'm sure this is someone's cup of tea, but sadly it isn't quite mine and I'm going to DNF about 8 chapters in. It's not because this is a terrible book, it isn't so far. I didn't even get far enough into it to make any real judgments. I simply prefer my fantasy to feel less cozy and more epic, heroic, and/or hard bitten i.e. Tolkien, GRRM, Abercrombie etc. This felt more tilted to the Legends and Lattes end of the spectrum. So I'm not giving a rating, and am only leaving this review to indicate to others what my sense of this book. People can jump on it if they like cozy (feels like it may become a rougher type of cozy though), or if you don't like cozy maybe try it anyway, it might hit you different. Despite bouncing off this I'm still going to try Morgan Stang's mystery series.
December 27, 2023
Wonderful. Almost as good as I expected it to be.
I like Morgan Stang's books.
I loved his 'Lamplight Murder Mysteries' and I loved 'The Wolf and the She-Bear' so I had high expectations from this one.
It does not disappoint. It is fast paced, filled with great characters and a good story. It had enough to keep me satisfied.
The only thing I didn't expect was the grim-darkness and the explicitness in some chapters. Some fight scenes are crazy gory and will shock you. I also did not enjoy the unnecessarily graphic sex scenes. It felt out of place because the rest of the book has a more restrained tone.
All in all, a great read.
I'll definitely read the rest of the books.
I like Morgan Stang's books.
I loved his 'Lamplight Murder Mysteries' and I loved 'The Wolf and the She-Bear' so I had high expectations from this one.
It does not disappoint. It is fast paced, filled with great characters and a good story. It had enough to keep me satisfied.
The only thing I didn't expect was the grim-darkness and the explicitness in some chapters. Some fight scenes are crazy gory and will shock you. I also did not enjoy the unnecessarily graphic sex scenes. It felt out of place because the rest of the book has a more restrained tone.
All in all, a great read.
I'll definitely read the rest of the books.
December 18, 2022
This is a weird story, filled with weird characters, which seems to be a theme with Morgan Stang. But, I liked it... for the most part. The story is not without its issues - there's a very abrupt shift in tone at about the halfway point, taking the story from the darkly absurd to the downright horrific. Thankfully it doesn't last. There's also a very substantial pacing issue in the latter half of the book, with the protagonist twiddling their thumbs in the forest for months, which normally would have made me drop the book, but the characters, and undercurrent of dark humour kept me going. Also, Pumpkin is precious and needs to be protected at all cost.
I think I'll read the next book.
I think I'll read the next book.
July 2, 2023
Good fantasy about mercs and revolutions
Morgan Stang writes fantasy well, with good world building and strong characters. “She Topples Giants” is a rarity in which the good guys don’t always live happily ever after, and sometimes characters you’ve grown fond of don’t make it to the end of the book.
The book contains both graphic violence and sex, none of it gratuitous but rather important to the story. The sex is both straight and sapphic— if you’re offended by either you might consider a different author.
There are some words misused (aid for aide, for example) and some typos, but they are few and forgivable in an indie author who writes this well.
Recommended.
Morgan Stang writes fantasy well, with good world building and strong characters. “She Topples Giants” is a rarity in which the good guys don’t always live happily ever after, and sometimes characters you’ve grown fond of don’t make it to the end of the book.
The book contains both graphic violence and sex, none of it gratuitous but rather important to the story. The sex is both straight and sapphic— if you’re offended by either you might consider a different author.
There are some words misused (aid for aide, for example) and some typos, but they are few and forgivable in an indie author who writes this well.
Recommended.
August 31, 2021
A good book but not for the faint of heart
This is a good book, don't get me wrong, with a lot of twists and turns but personally I wasn't a fan of the handling of what happened to Bartram's Maw and a lot of the deaths were kind of akin to torture porn hence the mention of not being faint of heart. But that aside, it's a good book. Victoria and Red are great together. And Punkin is the best.
This is a good book, don't get me wrong, with a lot of twists and turns but personally I wasn't a fan of the handling of what happened to Bartram's Maw and a lot of the deaths were kind of akin to torture porn hence the mention of not being faint of heart. But that aside, it's a good book. Victoria and Red are great together. And Punkin is the best.
January 2, 2024
Best book I've read in quite some time!
Unique cast of characters, Great and unique story that had me guessing until the very end. I have absolutely loved everything written by Stang, going to keep reading all the rest!
Unique cast of characters, Great and unique story that had me guessing until the very end. I have absolutely loved everything written by Stang, going to keep reading all the rest!
August 7, 2025
Really good book, but wtf was going on with those deaths? Had me really the whole way until that. Much too graphic without any warning. Whew. I don’t want be a baby but that was too much. Otherwise the story was excellent.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 26, 2021
I am not the target audience for this book. DNF. It began waaay too slow, characters felt too simple, and almost everyone spoke the same way. To me, it read like a CW show.
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