No Man's Land

by Richard K. Morgan

The Great War was supposed to be the war to end all wars-and maybe it would have been, had an even greater, otherworldly foe not arisen to extinguish the conflict. Overnight, as guns blazed away in France and Flanders, village after village in the quiet British countryside were swallowed by the Forest. And within the Forest lurk the Huldu-an ancient fae race, monstrous in their inhumanity, who have decided that mankind's ascendency over the world can endure no longer.

Enter Duncan Silver. Scarred by the war, fueled by a rage deeper than the trenches in which he once fought, Duncan is determined to show the Huldu that the world is not theirs for the taking. Armed with a cut-down trench gun filled with iron shot and a deadly iron knife, Duncan will stop at nothing to return the children the Huldu have stolen from the arms of their families. No matter how many Huldu he may have to slaughter along the way.

But when he is hired by a mother to return her four-year-old daughter, Miriam-taken by the Huldu six months past and replaced with a Changeling-all hell breaks loose. Miriam is a pawn in a much bigger game for dominance than Duncan ever expected, and several long-buried secrets from his past are about to be violently resurrected.

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, Horror, Adult, Fiction

448 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication March 24, 2026

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.

Richard K. Morgan (sometimes credited as Richard Morgan) is a science fiction and fantasy writer.

Reviews

[Lotta Z · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for this ARC! All thoughts are my own!

This is going to be a DNF for me sorry. All the swearing and the writing style just isn't working for me and life is just too short to read a book I'm not enjoying. Also, it's oddly sexual and I've read in other reviews that it only gets worse so that's a no from me.

If those things don't bother you then this one could work for you!

🤍

[J Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought Gone Machine came out today so I went on Amazon to order it. I found out quickly that there isn't even a cover for the book, much less a release date. I double-checked Google and see their release date listed as June 14th, 2022, not 2023. I'm a year late and still somehow early. Story of my life. Anyway, does anyone have any updates on the release or what happened overall with the publisher?

[Bevany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really fun concept for a book and I was so excited to read it. There were parts of the story that were interesting and the mmc was well written but most of the plot didn't hold my interesting.

[Ashley]

Just got sent an unsolicited ARC of this so I will be reading it much, much sooner than planned!

[Lisalena]

Why is this book listed but not available anywhere to purchase??

[Trisha]

This cover is GORGEOUS! I can't wait to read it!

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

[Jensen McCorkel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick very high level summary.
Post WWI Britain is overrun by the Huldu (ancient race of Fae). The Hudlu believe that humans have been in power for too long and wish to reverse that. Children start to go missing and return but do they really return or are they changelings. Our MC is on the hunt to get these children back and return the changelings.

My take.
I really wanted to like this story. The premise is super interesting but I just could not get into the authors writing style. The pacing is all over the place for me and in places is very slow and drawn out. The profanity at times seem misplaced and only added for shock value and trust me I cuss like a sailor at times so profanity is not an issue for me as long as it seems to fit with the flow and feeling of the story. I also had issues with aspects of the story, for example there is a part with an 11 year old boy and a fae woman that is sexualized. Not my thing at all. At that point I tried to continue with the story but I ended up DNF’ing the story at about 60%. Like I said this book was just not for me. Some will probably love it.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

In post-WWII Britain, peace proves fleeting as an ancient and otherworldly threat emerges. The Huldu, a powerful Fae race, begin stealing children, casting a new shadow over an already fractured land. Duncan Silver, a hardened war veteran burning with anger, is hired by a desperate mother to find her missing daughter, Miriam. Armed with little more than his trench gun and old scars, he enters the Forest to retrieve her, but what starts as a rescue mission quickly turns personal, and perilous, when he crosses the wrong Fae.

This standalone grimdark fantasy marks a shift from the author’s usual works yet retains his signature hardboiled edge and gritty intrigue. Whether writing science fiction or fantasy, Morgan creates atmospheric, lived-in worlds with flawed, complex characters. Duncan Silver is a flinty and relentless protagonist, and through his brooding resolve, the story unfolds with unflinching violence and moral corruption. Though the pacing can be slow at times, the sleek prose and distinctive take on Fae mythology lend the tale a dark allure. An absorbing, brutal read perfect for fans of C. Robert Cargill.

(This review was originally written for Library Journal magazine.)

[Opal Edgar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Post-WWI human destruction, disenchantment and rage, but with elf war and spooky forests added to the mix.
This is a dark, gritty fantasy for people who want graphic content. Harsh, furious and lascivious - and sadly I'm a little squeamish about that last one, so it wasn't so great for me.

I have tried to see Richard K. Morgan's "Altered Carbon" TV series and couldn't get past the first episode. There was just too many sex scenes getting in the way of the plot. I thought this might have been a TV thing, hyping the sensationalism... but turns out it's just the author's style.

This felt the same. The plot could have been good, but I just can't make myself pick up the book anymore, I just find it very off-putting. Not for me, which I was sad about as the voice is good, very vivid and more literary than most fantasies, and the world was very intriguing.

[Genevieve Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was very very very difficult to rate.

No Man's Land is a historical fantasy following Duncan, a WWI veteran, who returns home to discover that an ancient, magical Forest has erupted all over England, bringing myths back into stark reality and transforming home into just another war zone.

Duncan becomes a woodsman, one of the few who have the skills to enter the Forest and make it back alive. He makes a living tracking down children abducted by the malicious, capricious fae and returning them to their families. However, when he is hired to rescue four-year-old Mimi Rush, he stumbles into a plot much bigger than just a simple changeling.

This plot concept is unmatched. The minute I read "WWI/fae hunter" I was on board. The possibilities are endless, the setup so fresh and interesting. And the bones of a fascinating story ARE there.

The worldbuilding is one of the high points of this book. We are very familiar with the concept of deadly, malevolent semi-sentient forests, and this one delivers pretty well. It's creepy, mostly relying on gore rather than suspense to drive home the necessary fear, and plays by its own strange rules. The Huldu, a race of sinister fae creatures, had their own interesting lore as well, although we only really got a tiny glimpse into it. I was fully hooked by Duncan's mission to rescue Mimi, and the pieces of his secret past we got to learn along the way.

The second half of the book, dealing more with real-world issues of scheming government agencies and national intrigue, was less gripping to me. But it was still full of action and should have been plenty for me to enjoy the reading experience, and probably end with a 3.5- or 4-star rating.

Unfortunately, I am rating this book 2.5 stars, and that is for one reason.

There are nine* women in this book with speaking roles and actions that matter to the plot.

There are TWO of them that:

1) Haven't had sex with Duncan
2) Aren't portrayed as wildly lascivious and horny to the point it becomes weird
3) Aren't described using words like "an air of ribald arousal" "crinkly but still quite remarkable cleavage" "voluptuous" "nubile, seductress air" and constant focus on breasts

"Jeez, okay, but you just said the book was good otherwise. Can't you just look past the sexual content if that's not your thing?"

No. I can't. It's like trying to read while somebody sits next to you and continuously stabs you with large needles. Like sure, maybe the plot is interesting, but I can't really focus on or enjoy it because I'M BEING STABBED WITH NEEDLES.

This story is like if a Tarantino movie (gory, wild careening violence) was crossed with a low budget porn film (awkward, off-putting, gross).

There are only a few real sex scenes, but that doesn't stop the book from incessantly flashing back to sex memories, telling you about Duncan's masturbation habits, his state of arousal at all times, making passing comments on everyone's breasts, and just adding a weird, off-putting sexual tone to literally every interaction:

• A dryad heals Duncan's wound by using her bodily fluids.

• The Fae Queen shows up naked almost every time she's onscreen, and at least half of those times it makes sure to tell us that her genitals are visible. She seems to be the only female fae we meet in the whole story, and the relative state of undress of the male fae is NEVER once mentioned, much less their genitals.

• Niamh, Duncan's situationship girlfriend, reacts to violent trauma (including sexual assault) and a diagnosis of terminal cancer by begging Duncan to have sex with her. She's awake and onscreen approximately three times: 1) having sex with Duncan, 2) being rescued by Duncan, 3) having sex with Duncan.

• Duncan remembers an elderly woman he met in Europe during the war and describes her "outrageously flirtatious girlishness" as if there was "still a young French sexpot" inside her, despite her age.

Can you see what I mean?

In addition, there's a repeated theme of sexual coercion that shows up, with men as the victim and women as the aggressor:

• The Fae Queen makes sexual advances to Duncan when he's an eleven-year-old boy.

• Belle D'Or coerces Duncan into having unpleasant sex that he didn't want to have in exchange for room and board.

• Annie and Sal essentially date rape Jerry by casting a loyalty spell on him and then having a threesome with him.

• Annie's every action continues to be lustful and sexually suggestive even after Duncan reacts with discomfort multiple times.

• Annie explains how she prefers to take on male apprentices because she enjoys having sex with them more than female apprentices.

The ONE time a woman is the target of sexual assault is the one I mentioned above, where vague "things" happened to Niamh off-screen and afterward she begs Duncan to make it all better by having sex with her.

The vulnerability of men to sexual coercion could be an interesting theme to explore, but it's not really explored. The twisted nature of Duncan's experience as a child and Annie and Sal's actions with Jerry is acknowledged by the text, but that's it. We quickly move on to more important things, like killing a bunch of people. It's odd because, while I do find unnecessary sexual content gross in general, the TONE of all this explicit content is half the time so twisted, creepy, and sinister that it's hard for me to even figure out what the purpose of its inclusion is.

What are we saying? That at least 78% of women think of nothing but sex at all times and want nothing more in life than to lie down with every breathing creature they cross paths with? I can't speak for every woman, and I'm sure there are some lascivious women out there, but it's SO pervasive and SO indiscriminate that it becomes overwhelming and makes it impossible to enjoy the story.

PLEASE STOP STABBING ME WITH NEEDLES.

This was not at all what I was expecting from the blurb, but I would have enjoyed it anyway if it weren't for all of the aforementioned stuff. I wish I could have enjoyed it, because there were a lot of very interesting concepts here.

*I did not include in my count of women Mrs. Crammond, the random French grandma, or the water monster.

[Marie Grim · Rating 4 out of 5]

No Man’s Land by Richard K Morgan is a dark fantasy set in an alternate Britain immediately following World War I. Written in third person with a singular POV, the story follows Duncan Silver, a former Captain in the British Army who now spends his days stalking the Forest to retrieve human children taken by the Huldu, a strange and savage race of Fair Folk who reentered the world with the Unbinding of the Great Forests.

Now the Forest covers all of the British Isles save for islands of human habitation carefully guarded by iron and fire, with armored trains the only means of safely traveling through the Forest to reach other cities. The Huldu emerge rarely from its eaves, but the Forest is always creeping forward.

Duncan is contracted to retrieve a young child taken into the Forest by its bereft mother, an event which kicks off various intrigues and danger, with multiple factions attempting to intervene. Duncan must rely on all of his skills as he gathers friends to save the child from the Forest, and shapes the future relationship of Britain and the Huldu in the process.

Sharp and well-written, this novel is a masterful
blend of folklore, history, and fantasy. I really enjoyed the atmosphere crafted by the author, full of dark forests and deep waters. There’s a lurking horror threaded throughout that amps up the tension. The world-building is fantastic, with an almost apocalyptic feel to it, and I would readily read anything set in it again. It is a nice change of pace to see a fantasy that doesn’t cast the Fair Folk as the heroes - there are no shadow daddies here, or fair otherworldly maidens. They are cruel, strange, and Other, and provide an excellent foil.

The characterizations are good, Duncan being the most fleshed-out with the Huldu Queen Mebhuranon coming in second. The side characters don’t have their own arcs, and are mostly one-dimensional, but there is enough meat on some of their bones to be interesting. Duncan’s arc is fantastic. Duncan’s history with the Huldu is hinted at throughout, with major reveals coming in the back half of the book - but the mystery is maintained by leaving some things unanswered or only half guessed. This is more of a reveal than a twist book.

The style of dialogue I didn’t always love, but I adjusted to it after a few chapters and it bothered me less as I went. This is not a spice book, but sex and sex-adjacent things are described. There were a few sections that yanked me out of the writing, and an odd emphasis on describing female genitalia where it could have been left off, but overall the sexual content was tolerable. I think the purpose was to add to the extreme otherness of the Huldu and build contrast, as the Huldu are unconcerned by the body in a way humans (especially Victorian era ones) are not, but it wasn’t my favorite approach. The female characters are mostly filling maiden/mother virgin/whore stereotypes, and the majority of the actions they take are sexual in nature. The plot did not need the content but it is there and it’s a take the bad with the good sort of situation, but be aware if you avoid those things in your reading. There are plenty of action scenes and detailed depictions of firearms/explosives/weaponry and their use, and gratuitous violence.

The pacing is relatively consistent and quick, and I felt engaged the entire time I was reading. I finished it in one day over several back to back reading sessions as I could not put it down, and then obsessed over it for several days after completion. The conclusion was full of reveals and emotion and I thought it was really well done. It left me with a combination of satiety of knowing how the story ended while still wanting more from the world. Alas, for brilliantly crafted standalone titles.

I’d highly recommend this to fans of dark fantasy or grimdark fantasy, and potentially to alternate historical fantasy fans as long as they enjoy a darker, grittier tone. I think the style of writing may not be for everyone, as the dialogue can be choppy and the language used coarse, but the story within is absolutely worth shunting aside annoyance at some of the phrasing. I have not read any other works by the author, so I can’t compare them (which I plan to rectify). If you like brash antiheroes, otherworldly villains, with dark woods and creeping fears bundled together, then this is the book for you. Despite my qualms about some of the phrasing and the sexual content, this is still a four star read for me and I can’t wait to grab a hard copy when it releases.

[ROLLAND Florence · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Europe is still recovering from WWI, the Fae are rising. And they demand respect.

Humans have been ruling for far too long, and now that their science and industry are destroying nature, now that they chop down millenial trees to burn as coal and run factories... Something has to happen. Creatures of the Forest, who so far gleefully ignored humans (or sometimes played with them, through innocent jokes) are going to war. They are ancient, they are smart, they have the Sight and they are cruel. They know how to hold a grudge - for years, for decades, for *centuries*.

Children start to disappear, replaced by changelings. The creatures of the Forest take them as pets - they are fascinated by these miniature humans, their little faces, their singing voices. But like a child gets tired of his puppy when he grows up, the same happens to humans captured by the fairies.

Silver's job is to go into the Forest, negotiate or fight the Fae, and get those children back to their parents. He charges a pretty penny for this type of specialised and dangerous mission. The man is rough around the edges, but he comes with a backstory - actually, many backstories. It is really interesting to follow the main character, his evolution, and all the layers of PTSD that push him to self-medicate with cocaine and alcohol. It would be way too time consuming to actually face his demons.

WWI is over, but the memories, the nightmares, the disabled soldiers are still there.
The Great War has just begun - and this time, it is the Fae against the Humans. It does not look like the Humans have a chance to win, but they might, maybe, with the help of the witches.

NB: This is NOT a book for children, or even for teenagers!

No Man's Land is violent, unhinged, and deeply disturbing Dark Fantasy. This is a novel that takes you into the Forest, both through the story and metaphorically. You will explore the darkness and come out of it, but not quite the same. There are deeply disturbing scenes in this novel - torture, murder, sex (including Fairies inviting an 11 year old boy to join an orgy). All those scenes are there to serve a purpose. I did not feel like R. K. Morgan was feeding into the sex-for-the-sake-of-it trap. But goodness, I nearly gave up on the book because... This is dark. But at the same time, it is quite the trip. You need to be in the right mindset to enjoy it. This is not the kind of novel that I would gift to a friend, unless I know them really well.

Thank you NetGalley, Del Rey and R.K: Morgan for the ARC.
I hope this novel finally comes out - after being announced and held back for too long.
Honestly, I get it, because this is not an easy one to market. But at the same time, I feel like it fills a gap in Fantasy. For me, it was absolutely great in the ramp up to Halloween!

[Hannah Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got hooked by the cover and the blurb. This story had me divided. This is NOT a Midsummer Nights Dream! I repeat. If your expecting cosy and feel-good - this book is not for you!

No Man's Land is a gritty, harsh and a bit twisted. Duncan is an officer back from the trenches of World War one to discover that the Forest (yes - capital because it deserves its own personality) has taken over a great part of rural Britian. Leaving the larger cities intact. Those who lived in these country towns and hamlets were...unfortunate. Homes, churches and towns ruined and overnight turned into moss and plant covered rubble worthy of centuries of neglect. The Forest is full of creatures from British folklore, most notably the Huldlu an ancient and cruel Fae race who believe that the humans have had enough time dominating the world. It's their turn. They have long memories. Children are being swapped with changelings at an alarming rate. Duncan calls himself a woodsman and uses his specialized skills to retrieve these children from the clutches of the Fae and return them to their families.

He's hired by a Mrs Rush to do the same for her child Mimi, but there's more than meets the eye with this child and Duncan unintentionally sets a series of events into motion that affects nations and mankind. Duncan is definitely an unreliable narrator. There is much more to his skills and upbringing than just common trench warfare. The reader learns more of this as the story unfolds. And this author does NOT skip on the realities of this and what woman experienced in Europe during war time. I feel like it was a little unnecessary to the plot, but might have been a way of making the overall mood of the story more harsh and twisted? There were elements of child hypertextualization that really gave me the ick. It wasn't necessary at ALL.

I appreciated the unfolding of his background as the story progressed. The pace of the story galloped, then slowed, then galloped again. It kept me on the edge of the seat, but then the resolution kept me hanging a little considering this is a stand-alone novel.

I did like the descriptive quality of parts of the forest. It made me feel like if was sitting there on a boulder enjoying the dappled light through the leaves. Only to then need to run with much anxiety!

Overall, I'm divided. I would have enjoyed this story more if the unnecessary gritty and hypersexualized aspects weren't present. Turn up the fantasy aspects of the Forest a little and spend more time on the resolution and I would rate it the extra two stars.

Thank you Netgalley for the free e-book that kept me very occupied on a long-haul flight. The air turbulence added extra atmosphere to the story!

[M. L. Valard · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This was a slightly grim and rather pulpy action fantasy of a book. Rather like movies of a similar flavor if one goes into it willing to accept it for what it is, it was a pretty good time. The main character, Duncan Silver, is an action hero: women want him, men fear him, and one gets the impression both are right to do so. Which is not to say there is nothing to him beyond his ability to be grim and fearless and really tear things up. One of the things I enjoyed the most about reading him through the course of the book was the way his own history was slowly unveiled.

Both that slow reveal and the thread throughout: of his actions and the purpose of his actions did a great deal to endear him to me and keep me enthralled with the story. It was also a very interesting story in general. The premise intrigued, the world building felt quite original and very detailed. There is some darkness in the world made here and in the huldu enemies that tread neatly over the border to horror in just the right ways.

I liked a lot of the cast of side characters and enjoyed the way the story arced from a slow beginning to a rather messy end. The action sequences were fierce and pretty visceral and very easy to imagine as sequences in a film. I particularly enjoyed how utterly creepy some of the Forest parts were. The hero was interesting and engaging and mostly easy to sympathize with even at his coldest and fiercest.

For me, what flaws I found I think largely stemmed from the fact it is written fully and very consistently in the main character's viewpoint. His view of the female characters felt very authentic to his own lens, but it did leave me wondering more about what they might have actually thought or cared about beyond the way he saw them which was not always the most flattering. Or at least not always flattering in any way beyond their physical attractions.

Still, I think reading the book for what it is, it was quite enjoyable. The hero was fierce and brave, the action was fierce, the stakes were high and I very much wanted to know how it would turn out. It gets high marks for the world-building, the intriguing story premise, and the occasional breathtakingly gorgeous imagery. It promised a WW1 veteran hunting fae and it did deliver!

I received a free eARC through NetGalley in exchange for my review but the opinions are entirely my own.

[Magdalena (magdal21) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not gonna lie, I picked this book up mostly because I am really interested in the First World War, especially the effect this conflict had on the lives of those who managed to return from the front. The premise was completely up my alley, and there were quite a few elements that I genuinely liked, mostly the First World War related content. At the end of the day though, I sadly don’t think this was the right book for me.

I have to say that the core concept of this book is very intriguing. Vicious and dangerous fae appearing in Britain right after the Great War, kidnapping children, spreading chaos, and essentially trying to exterminate humankind is a strong premise and quite refreshing for a fae story. I liked how it felt like moving straight from one war into another, only this time with an enemy that is much harder to comprehend and fight, especially in a country already devastated by loss. Duncan, the main character, is exactly the kind of protagonist I enjoy reading about. We learn more about him through fragments of his past that are slowly revealed, and his traumatic experiences were by far the most interesting part of the book for me. They really helped me understand who he is and why he acts the way he does.

That being said, I really thought I would like this book more, and I still struggle to pinpoint exactly why I didn’t. I think it mostly comes down to the writing style. This book is extremely Duncan oriented and overly descriptive, sometimes to the point where the details felt unnecessary. Because of that the pacing really suffered, especially in the middle. It was all kind of bizarre for me, because I genuinely liked the plot and wanted to learn more about Duncan’s past and what would happen next, but the reading experience itself felt tiring rather than enjoyable. To be clear, the story is definitely there and it is interesting, but the way it is told just didn’t work for me.

It’s hard for me to say whether I would recommend this book because it really depends on the reader. I am sure it will have its fans. If you enjoy so called old man fantasy, where everything is filtered through the perspective of a single male character, this might work for you. But if you are not into overly descriptive writing or books that can be very brutal, pulpy, and gory at times, this is probably one to skip.

Than you NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Daniel Warne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 3.25☆ (Above Average)

Blurb Review: An uneven, but largely good novel for those who enjoy a hard edge to their stories. The first act is relentless in the best ways but then the second half cools to a slow burn that left me wanting more of what came before.

**Thanks to NetGalley & DelRay for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

Worldbuilding/Immersion: 4.25☆
The worldbuilding shines in this one - the Forest realm is realized excellently and the conflict it has brought about in early 1900s England felt true.

Characters: 3.5☆
Well done, Duncan's backstory was fleshed out nicely and provided a good counter to the ongoing plot.

Plot: 2.75☆
This was the weakest point for me and I think it was a promise/payoff issue. The setup was great and the rising action of the first half was great. But it felt like the inciting reason for the story was solved at the end of the first half in a climactic sequence and then the second half did not deliver anything that surpassed that. It honestly felt like the entire second half was falling action, with a mini-climax to end off the story. The second half lacked higher stakes, clear direction, and a lot more action that would have been necessary to fulfill (and surpass) what was setup in the first act.

Investment/Stakes/Emotional Impact: 3.25☆
Really good in the first half, slightly below average in the second half.

Writing/Prose: 3.25☆
I enjoyed Morgan's prose, which took a bit of getting used to. He writes in a shotgun style that matched the story, with lots of statements piled on each other. (In this style: "He went out the door. Cars on the street. Bird buzzed his head. Sunlight glinting on the windows. Stepped into the traffic. Narrowly avoided a runner." etc.)

Content Warning: Rated hard R for graphic violence, language, and sexuality.

***
Fiction Review Rubric:
5☆ = Masterful
4.75☆ = Exemplary
4.5☆ = Outstanding
4.25☆ = Really Great
4☆ = Great
3.75☆ = Really Good
3.5☆ = Good
3.25☆ = Above Average
3☆ = Average
2.75☆ = Slightly Below Average
2.5☆ = Below Average
2☆ = Mediocre
1.5☆ = Poor
1☆ = Pretty Bad
0.5☆ = Truly Awful

[Lune At · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wasn’t able to finish this book.

Thank you, Netgally and publisher Del Ray for giving me this early copy.
So, I gave this book a fair shot.
I am a picky reader. And I know not all of my reads might be my immediate favourite.
I was rather intrigued by the premise of this story. The idea of an ever growing Forest full of everything Fae and mystical was something I could really get behind. That’s why I requested this one. And the story itself was rather fascinating. I liked the concept of this rougher, closed off character type. Someone who is willing to help those in need in uncertain times even though he has no obligation to do so.

It was the writing that fell a little short for me. Please, know that I was raised in a home where language and storytelling are often discussed and picked apart. So, I am rather snobbish when it comes to books.
I very quickly found the writing to be quite repetitive. The same phrases, and sometimes sentences, were often used in the same paragraph or page which was something that made it unable for me to fully immerse myself into the story. And I must admit that the lack of definitive and indefinite articles was something that peeved at times. .

Because of the writing I also thought there was a lack of depth in the protagonist. I was given only glimpses of a person I was supposed to root for. And there wasn’t enough detail to really get a grasp of our man. Which was probably the author’s intent. But by giving me so little in over a hundred pages made it hard for me keep my mind from wandering. Yes, this character is written to have a tough skin. Yes, he is a private person but I, as the reader, need to find something in him that makes me either care or intrigued about him. And the bits and pieces I got were a little too repetitive, and thus too little, for me. So, in my opinion, the writing didn’t line up with what the author was clearly trying to convey.

But if one likes writing style than this book is a joy to read. Because its premise is interesting, thought out and I really liked the folklore aspect. It’s a slow paced story which really gives the reader the time to soak up its contents. So, I would take this review with a grain of salt and try it anyway.

[Mon · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most unhinged and wildly original books I've ever read.

It drops you right in the thick of it and does not hold your hand by way of infodumping or exposition. Morgan treats his readers like the adults they are and you've just gotta roll with it.

I was totally lost at the beginning and wondering what the hell is going on but soon enough I went aha! and everything - well, almost everything - clicks into place. I suggest you do read the blurb because you will need even that vague starting point.

I really love the fae, and all too often I find that books about faeries land between two categories: romantasy and children's stories.

Not this one, and it's glorious. No Man's Land depicts them as ancient, brutal, and absolutely terrifying.

Set a few years after World War I, England has found itself almost completely overrun by the Forest (yes, with a capital F, thank you very much!) and the creatures that inhabit it. Our main character, Duncan, was a soldier in the trenches and now calls himself a woodsmen, rescuing stolen children who have been whisked away by the Fae and replaced with changelings.

A little girl is taken and when Duncan sets out to do his duty, he sets in motion more than he realises - way, way more.

What follows is complete and total mayhem and carnage with more bodies dropping than I could keep track of.

All the characters are delightful and so real - all the way from a gruff Lancastrian (whose accented speech is written phonetically - it was tough at first but I soon enjoyed deciphering just exactly what the hell he was saying) to terrifying fae warriors hellbent on vengeance.

I'm so sad I've finished it and it's a standalone. I would give anything for more. Five unhinged stars, and thank you so much to Del Rey and Netgalley for the ARC.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was, by far, the author's most accessible book and arguably his best. I say this because it's an alternate history where the forest and fae have taken over the land but it's still grounded in this world that we are familiar with so there is no need to figure out a new world and society like some of Morgan's more exotic science fiction novels or his other fantasy trilogy. The prose also seemed to have been simplified a bit because I felt like it flowed better than his other works. I will say I'm not a usual Morgan fan because I actually prefer his fantasy world but have always been interested in what I call the, “beautiful brutality” of his prose. What I mean by this is he writes about very violent subjects but in a… almost poetic way.

I did give it four stars and not five because I did find the first half to be more interesting and engaging than the last half. I believe the reason for this is because the first half was spent almost entirely in the forest (which I loved in this setting) and the other half to be set mostly in the “real world”. I also found the first half to be focused on the characters I liked the most and the other half opened it up a bit more to a larger cast but I'm sure others may think differently.

I did find my interest was kept throughout and I really like the main character and how (in some ways) he is the embodiment of masculinity but is also, at times, kind and compassionate and deeply scarred by his past. Looking forward to Richard Morgan taking more risks with books like this!

[Kate Hyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard K. Morgan is not as popular (yes, I know he has won awards) as he ought to be, possibly because he writes too close to the bone for some.
That said, I was glad I re-read the first chapter prior to sitting down to my review, because the abiding memory I had of it was bleakness and despair.
However, the opening page is a triumph of beautiful prose, simple yet poetic, practical yet spiritual, the perfect image of man in nature. Morgan may be the victim of his own brilliant writing, as the world-building is exemplary and almost too convincing - and this post WW1 world is not the carefree Roaring Twenties that occurred in the real timeline - and quite depressing for at least the first third of the book. But No Man's Land definitely pays dividends to those that persevere.
The plot itself is delicately unfolded, with backstories and political machinations from humans and evil Faeries alike (I leave it to the reader to decide which is worse); the pace, while occasionally lagging, is mostly ennervating; the characters credible (yes, even the sex scenes!) and sympathetic, and the action both perfectly described and suitably gory. But mostly it is Morgan's dazzling prose that carries this often dark, but ultimately freeing, book. I think it is one that will repay multiple readings, revealing more subtlety, and giving more pleasure, with each one.
My thanks to Netgalley for the DRC, all opinions are my own, but also my thanks to the author for a delightful, if harrowing, time with the bould Duncan.

[LongSunMalrubius · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore, and NetGalley for the e-ARC!

Well, it was a Richard K Morgan book.

It seems that a lot of the reviewers on here aren’t familiar with his work (at least, the reviews didn’t mention it). Author of Altered Carbon, seedy sex, decent prose, and compelling plots are his forte. I got all of that here.

The fundamental premise, a fae invasion of Earth during the middle of WWI, which causes an instant stop to the fighting as the nations of Europe deal with the supernatural problems now plaguing the countryside, is one of the best I have ever come across. In fact, I’m not even sure the author realizes what a good premise this is.

The problem, as other reviews have mentioned, is Morgan goes really seedy and explicit in a story that doesn’t exactly call for it. His cyberpunk works are like this as well- except there, seediness is expected and part of the genre. Here, it comes across as almost anti-Romantasy.

Getting past that, and Morgan’s experience as an author shines- this by no means a bad book, with a plot that keeps you hooked and keeps unfolding across the book. Our main character is haunted and competent in the best ways, and the side characters, while not the best I have ever read, all fit right into the world Morgan has created.

If you are looking for a fantasy that feels very different than the majority on the market, I’d recommend checking this one out!

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love historical fantasy as a genre so the idea of one set in England in the bleak years directly after the First World War hooked me right away. In this strange alternative timeline the inhuman creatures of fairy tales, the Fae, have reemerged after centuries to conquer huge swaths of Britain, replacing human towns and villages with a giant, evil forest. The story follows Duncan Silver, a damaged WW1 veteran turned “woodsman” who ventures into these brutal woodlands to retrieve stolen children from the Fae, who have a penchant for taking human babies to raise as slaves.

I really liked Duncan as a character. His grim backstory gave him a nice amount of depth and contextualized him into the story in an organic way. The action is terrific and the creepy fae elements are handled really well. It also feels like Morgan went to great lengths to depict the period vividly and that greatly helps to anchor this otherwordly story.

I did find it difficult to follow at times and may even need to re-read it at some point. Major plot points seemed to pass by without emphasis and I’m still unclear on several things. It also felt like the magical elements disappeared for a large part of the novel and my attention flagged a little at that point. There’s probably twice as much graphic sex as it needs may put off some readers.

Overall though this was a banger and if you like a little historical fiction with your dark fantasy it’s well worth your time.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

[Cathryn Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

No Man’s Land – the Great War comes to an abrupt end when the Fae rise up and the Forest swallows vast swathes of land overnight, leaving only the bigger cities unmolested. Duncan Silver survives the horrors of the trenches, only to continue fighting when he gets home, rescuing stolen children from the Huldu.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was completely different from what I expected, a wild ride through a changed Britain filled with strange and terrifying creatures. There are plenty of vicious, bloody battles and horrifying flashbacks to the war, and enough humour to counterpoint the darkness.

The characters are brilliantly done, each one real and fully fleshed out with their own issues. Duncan’s backstory is revealed slowly throughout the book, to great effect, casting a different light on many things that happen early on.

It is a gloriously brutal and gritty depiction of post-war Britain hurled headlong into another conflict they don’t understand, with unlikely heroes and normal people just trying to survive.

The only minor quibble I had was that it is set in Britain but the spellings were American English, which is not overly important but was a little jarring the first time I noticed it.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to go beyond the usual Fae stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray for the ARC.

[Jade aka MrsTosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again I have been drawn into reading a book that I generally wouldn't have picked up if I am honest. Let me start by saying I love the cover art of this book and was really intreagued when I read the synopsis. That being said this book was not at all what I was expecting.

Duncan is back from WWII the war that was suppost to end them all, however arriving back home he realises something is very wrong. Within the Forest lurk the Huldu-an ancient fae race, monstrous in their inhumanity, who have decided they want to take back control of the earth. Children start going missing and are being replaced by changelings. Duncan realises he needs to do something about this and can't let the fae win not after what he has just survived.

The world building in this book was brilliant, I really felt like I was walking through the forest forever turning my head to check what was learking behind me. The writing however was not for me, I lost track the plot just seemed to be all over the place. Whilst I am into fantasy I am not really into sci-fi so maybe that was the issue it felt a little too far fethched for me. The concept was a brilliant one but it is just not my style.

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey Publishing for a copy of this ARC in eschange for an honest review.

Book expected to be published: March 24, 2026

[☆Laura☆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

En un Reino Unido transformado por la Primera Guerra Mundial y por el avance imparable de un Bosque antiguo que parece tener voluntad propia, Duncan Silver intenta sobrevivir entre dos realidades. Como veterano marcado por las trincheras y como hombre con un vínculo inexplicable con el bosque, acepta trabajos que otros no aceptarían. Su especialidad es recuperar a los niños que los Fae roban bajo la protección de la noche. Cuando devuelve a Ellie Furlough sana y salva, todo indica que ha cumplido con otro encargo peligroso pero manejable, hasta que los Huldu aparecen para advertirle que saben quién es y que lo han estado observando desde mucho antes de que él entrara en el Bosque.

La amenaza despierta recuerdos enterrados y revela que Duncan no es un simple intermediario entre mundos. Y cuando una nueva niña es reemplazada por un changeling, se ve obligado a internarse más profundo que nunca en la Forest, un lugar donde el tiempo se distorsiona, la luz se detiene y cada raíz parece escuchar. Allí se cruzan sus pasos con Mebhuranon, una reina Fae que intenta contener a sus propios guerreros, y con Svalenkari, un señor ancestral que disfruta desmembrar humanos tanto como desafiar a su propia raza.


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Antonella · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Tolkien and Guillermo del Toro had a trench-side rendezvous, this book would be their lovechild. Set in a Britain where the Great War is interrupted by something even older and more terrifying than artillery, this story plunges us into a world where fae monsters (the Huldu) don’t sparkle they steal children and swallow villages whole.

Our narrator, Duncan Silver is war-scarred, iron-wielding, and absolutely done with everyone’s nonsense. He’s not here to negotiate. He’s here to kill Huldu and bring back the stolen. Think Liam Neeson in Taken, but with a trench gun and a vendetta against ancient folklore.

Brutal, bold, and brimming with iron and fury.

Who Should Read This Book
✔️ You love brutal, broken, noble protagonists like Mad Max, Geralt, or The Hound
✔️ You enjoy historical fiction with eerie, speculative twists especially WWI settings
✔️ You’re obsessed with changelings, iron folklore, and fae that bite, not sparkle
✔️ You crave morally complex heroes with trench-born rage and quiet grief
✔️ You want fantasy that feels mythic, cinematic, and emotionally raw
✔️ You’re here for vengeance, secrets, and forests that swallow villages whole


🎶iron by woodkid
🎶the woods by


*arc provided by netgalley

[Brady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Del Rey and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. WW1 was supposed to be the war that ended all wars, except in Britain overnight the countryside was swallowed by the Forest. Within the Forest were the Huldu, an ancient race of fae who were monstrous in their inhumanity. They’ve decided that mankind’s ascendancy over the world can go on no longer. But luckily there is Duncan Silver, who is fueled by rage, and determined to show the Huldu that the word isn’t theirs for the taking. Armed with just an iron knife and a gun with an iron shot he is determined to end the Huldu invasion. But when he’s hired by a mom to return her daughter Miriam, who the Huldu took, it seems Miriam may be a pawn in a mix bigger game and secrets from Duncan’s past are about to be violently resurrected. Can he stop the Huldu? Or will he die trying? A violent and dark fantasy! I enjoyed the world building! And Richard K. Morgan masterfully mixes a world in with magic and warfare collide! Suspenseful and had me hooked the entire time!

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in return for my honest opinion.

This story centers on Duncan Silver , a veteran of the Great War. He lives in an area where parts of the forest were cut down and would grow back overnight. The forests grew quickly and overtook towns forcing people to leave. Creatures of the forest, Fae and the Huldus, ventured into populated areas leading to fights with the humans.

Duncan has been going into the forest to rescue children taken by the Fae and replaced with changelings. As the story progresses, we find out more about Duncan’s childhood and how that has made him the man he is today. I found the story very enjoyable. liked the character development, the other characters, and the adventure. I would recommend this book. I found it to be a lot of fun and will definitely look for other books by this author! Happy reading!

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review copy received from NetGalley

Consider, for a moment, the idea of a changeling. The child whisked away in the night by fae creatures, replaced by a manikin crafted in the child's image by supernatural means. Now imagine someone who's job it is to get those stolen children back, by any means necessary.

That is the protagonist of No Man's Land, Duncan Silver, woodsman and veteran of the War to End All Wars - which as we know did not, in fact, end all wars, and in the context of this book was quickly followed by the rapid and extensive expansion of faerie-infested forestry.

If you're familiar with the author's other works - Altered Carbon, Thin Air, Thirteen - then you know the drill; an experienced protagonist capable of and comfortable with extreme violence in a hyperspecialized profession at the lawless margins of society. I enjoyed it in those books, and while No Man's Land breaks from the sci-fi standard, I found I liked the divergence significantly more than I thought I would.

The Huldu, such as the fae are rendered here, are depicted as ancient and monstrous, the violence graphically descriptive, and the sexual commentary a bit excessive at times (at several points it felt more intrusive and unnecessary than in the author's other books), but all in all I enjoyed the book and felt it reliably delivered what I was hoping for.

[Mark Stackpole · Rating 4 out of 5]

[A plot summary is not a review]

DelRey is marketing this as a change of pace for Mr. Morgan.

It's hardly that - No Man's Land includes all of his storytelling tropes: a tough, total badass (see Ringil Eskiath or Hakan Veil) battling against both brutal bureaucracy and overpowering enemies, a violent narrative during which secrets are revealed that utterly change your understanding of the situations and characters, all leading up to a seemingly hopeless last stand for our protagonist at the climax.

Sure, it's a formula, but Richard Morgan nevertheless makes his formula an exhilarating experience for the reader. I love me a good catharsis and this novel has several satisfying ones.

Very much recommended. (TY NetGalley)