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Ordshaw #6
Given to Darkness
Ikiri demands blood. Whose will it be?
A malevolent force stirs from the heart of the Congo. One child can stop it – but everyone wants her dead.
Reece Coburn’s gang have travelled half the world to protect Zipporah, only to find her in more danger than ever. Her violent father is missing, his murderous enemies are coming for them, and her brother’s power is growing stronger. Entire communities are being slaughtered, and it’s only getting worse.
They have to reach Ikiri before its corruption spreads. But there’s a long journey ahead, past ferocious killers and unnatural creatures – and very few people can be trusted along the way.
Can two criminal musicians, an unstable assassin and a compromised spy reach Ikiri alive? What will it cost them along the way?
This is the conclusion to the Ikiri duology.
A malevolent force stirs from the heart of the Congo. One child can stop it – but everyone wants her dead.
Reece Coburn’s gang have travelled half the world to protect Zipporah, only to find her in more danger than ever. Her violent father is missing, his murderous enemies are coming for them, and her brother’s power is growing stronger. Entire communities are being slaughtered, and it’s only getting worse.
They have to reach Ikiri before its corruption spreads. But there’s a long journey ahead, past ferocious killers and unnatural creatures – and very few people can be trusted along the way.
Can two criminal musicians, an unstable assassin and a compromised spy reach Ikiri alive? What will it cost them along the way?
This is the conclusion to the Ikiri duology.
309 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 19, 2021
1 person is currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
Phil Williams
25 books138 followersPhil Williams is an author of fantasy, horror and dystopian fiction, including the Blood Scouts epic military fantasies, the Ordshaw urban fantasy thrillers and the post-apocalyptic Estalia series. He also works as a fiction editor and writes reference books to help foreign learners master the nuances of English, two of which are regular best-sellers on Kindle. As a long-term teacher and tutor of advanced English, he runs the popular website “English Lessons Brighton”.
Phil lives with his wife by the coast in Sussex, UK, and spends a great deal of time walking his impossibly fluffy dog, Herbert.
Phil lives with his wife by the coast in Sussex, UK, and spends a great deal of time walking his impossibly fluffy dog, Herbert.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 11, 2022
Given to Darkness was supposed to be my final read of 2021 but I ended up sick about half-way through and had to put it on hold for a couple of weeks, so it also has the pleasure of being my first read of 2022, as well.
*
Jumping into the story immediately following the aftermath of the last book we find Trask and co. licking their wounds and planning their next step in their quest to reunite Zip with her mom, deep in the Congo and hopefully put a stop to the Ikiri and the darkness that is seeping into the world.
Kept From Cages was a lot of fun and its thriller-type pacing had me burning through the pages, Given to Darkness is no different in that way- it’s still fast fun with some genuinely creepy and occasionally horrifying scenes. But the darker parts of the story are balanced with splashes of humour and more occasions of the all-important down-time that gives our main players a chance to get to know one another before they risk it all for each other.
*
Phil’s scene-setting is crisp and clear- building our surroundings with ease but, knowing when to draw the line, letting our minds do some of the heavy-lifting and more importantly, our senses. The groundwork is there and with the little nudges he gives, that dawning sense of dread and build of fear is much more potent.
I think that is what makes some of the best horror. It’s a skill of William’s writing that caught my attention back when I read The City Screams (still a favourite of mine). Outside of the unique stories in his world of Ordshaw, a lot of why I keep coming back to his work is for that creepy mysterious atmosphere he builds into them with such ease.
*
One thing I enjoyed in Kept From Cages was the interplay between the characters (especially Reece and Zip but also Trask and Kat) and friendships that grew out of that story. Their concern for each other, and for a child they didn’t know (and one that comes with a lot of scary baggage) was a highlight for me.
This time around the family connection extends to not just Zip and her newly “found family’ but also to Trask and Kat and others, deepening those relationships that we only touched on in the last story and making each of their decisions and the consequences that much more impactful for them and us.
I couldn’t have picked a better book to usher out a new year and begin another because this final book of this quick-paced duology is just the right blend of supernatural horror and exciting action, bound together with friendships, lessons in compassion, and most of all, family. It’s a quick and enjoyable read that is a deeper well than you’d expect from the genre and well-worth jumping in to this branch of the Ordshaw Universe and seeing what its all about.
Other notes-
I’m sorry but Kat steals the show, every page she appears on. I loved her.
Huge thanks go out to Phil Williams for the ecopy.
*
Jumping into the story immediately following the aftermath of the last book we find Trask and co. licking their wounds and planning their next step in their quest to reunite Zip with her mom, deep in the Congo and hopefully put a stop to the Ikiri and the darkness that is seeping into the world.
Kept From Cages was a lot of fun and its thriller-type pacing had me burning through the pages, Given to Darkness is no different in that way- it’s still fast fun with some genuinely creepy and occasionally horrifying scenes. But the darker parts of the story are balanced with splashes of humour and more occasions of the all-important down-time that gives our main players a chance to get to know one another before they risk it all for each other.
*
Phil’s scene-setting is crisp and clear- building our surroundings with ease but, knowing when to draw the line, letting our minds do some of the heavy-lifting and more importantly, our senses. The groundwork is there and with the little nudges he gives, that dawning sense of dread and build of fear is much more potent.
I think that is what makes some of the best horror. It’s a skill of William’s writing that caught my attention back when I read The City Screams (still a favourite of mine). Outside of the unique stories in his world of Ordshaw, a lot of why I keep coming back to his work is for that creepy mysterious atmosphere he builds into them with such ease.
*
One thing I enjoyed in Kept From Cages was the interplay between the characters (especially Reece and Zip but also Trask and Kat) and friendships that grew out of that story. Their concern for each other, and for a child they didn’t know (and one that comes with a lot of scary baggage) was a highlight for me.
This time around the family connection extends to not just Zip and her newly “found family’ but also to Trask and Kat and others, deepening those relationships that we only touched on in the last story and making each of their decisions and the consequences that much more impactful for them and us.
I couldn’t have picked a better book to usher out a new year and begin another because this final book of this quick-paced duology is just the right blend of supernatural horror and exciting action, bound together with friendships, lessons in compassion, and most of all, family. It’s a quick and enjoyable read that is a deeper well than you’d expect from the genre and well-worth jumping in to this branch of the Ordshaw Universe and seeing what its all about.
Other notes-
I’m sorry but Kat steals the show, every page she appears on. I loved her.
Huge thanks go out to Phil Williams for the ecopy.
September 25, 2023
The sequel to Kept in Cages, this book continues right where the previous story left off, so do read that one first! If you’ve also read Phil Williams’ Ordshaw series then you will have some interesting background insight into the MEE organisation and history, and into the combination of energy surges and ‘monsters’ that form the background of the worldbuilding, but it isn’t necessary in order to understand and enjoy this duology. (Note: Not necessary, but still good fun and still worth doing!)
We begin this story with the survivors from the previous dragging themselves from the wreckage and considering their next moves. Which inevitably leads them back to Ikiri and the root cause of all the carnage and violence. Along the way we get plenty of telepathic and physical fighting – as befits an action thriller – with some horror, magic and monsters mixed in, just to keep things interesting.
There is one particular dreamlike scene in the caves of Ikiri which is well worth keeping an eye out for: it is exactly the kind of chilling and surreal that captures my imagination and haunts my nightmares… I loved it!
By the end of the book, this storyline of Zip and the Cutjaw Kids is resolved and complete, but there is still LOADS of story potential in the long-running issues of the MEE and novisan and, of course, there is always Ordshaw!
I would love to see some of these characters (particularly Kristinja and Rurik) pop up again in the Ordshaw extended universe and think that all of Phil William’s books would make great films and or/TV series material, à la Stranger Things or The Matrix.
In the meantime, if you still want more from this author, you can check out his Estalia series and his latest book (first in a new Blood Scouts series), However Many Must Die releases on 10th October but is available to pre-order right now!
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
We begin this story with the survivors from the previous dragging themselves from the wreckage and considering their next moves. Which inevitably leads them back to Ikiri and the root cause of all the carnage and violence. Along the way we get plenty of telepathic and physical fighting – as befits an action thriller – with some horror, magic and monsters mixed in, just to keep things interesting.
There is one particular dreamlike scene in the caves of Ikiri which is well worth keeping an eye out for: it is exactly the kind of chilling and surreal that captures my imagination and haunts my nightmares… I loved it!
By the end of the book, this storyline of Zip and the Cutjaw Kids is resolved and complete, but there is still LOADS of story potential in the long-running issues of the MEE and novisan and, of course, there is always Ordshaw!
I would love to see some of these characters (particularly Kristinja and Rurik) pop up again in the Ordshaw extended universe and think that all of Phil William’s books would make great films and or/TV series material, à la Stranger Things or The Matrix.
In the meantime, if you still want more from this author, you can check out his Estalia series and his latest book (first in a new Blood Scouts series), However Many Must Die releases on 10th October but is available to pre-order right now!
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...
October 17, 2021
What a thrilling and action-packed conclusion to the Ikiri duology! I loved being reunited with this amazing cast of characters and getting answers to the questions I had after reading Kept From Cages. It's a dark and dangerous world that Williams paints in this series with lots of intriguing yet terrifying supernatural elements and you can tell that there's so much more that can still be explored! I know that there are already other books that are set in this universe and I'm definitely keen to check them out soon! I finished this last night and I already miss these characters so much and was super sad to say bye to them at the end but I was happy with how things worked out and overall, it was a very satisfying conclusion. Full RTC!
Special thanks to Phil Williams for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Special thanks to Phil Williams for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 14, 2021
This is an incredible finale to the Ikiri saga! I have become so attached to some of the characters that I truly hope they make a reappearance in another series by the multi- talented Wordsmith Phil Williams. The world is so well described I can easily see it in my mind. I highly recommend it.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the author and this is my honest and unsolicited opinion.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC from the author and this is my honest and unsolicited opinion.
October 12, 2021
The previous book in this duology introduced me to a new set of troubles afflicting this version of our world, in which the weird and supernatural coexist with everyday life, as introduced in Phil Williams’ Sunken City trilogy based in the fictional city of Ordshaw.
Where the weirdness surfacing in Ordshaw remained more or less confined to the city itself, and more precisely to its subterranean levels, in the Ikiri Duology upheavals manifest in a very public and quite bloody way, requiring the shady Ministry for Environmental Energy to stretch its resources to find plausible explanations for the sudden, tragic bouts of violence erupting worldwide, and to keep the consequences under wraps as much as possible.
In Kept from Cages we met MEE agent Sean Tasker trying to deal with the situation and finding an unexpected - and weird - ally in Katryzna, a young woman with a violently unpredictable attitude. On the other side of the world, a band of criminally-inclined musicians met with a strange child, Zip, who soon proved to be the key to the strange events plaguing the world. Once the two groups met, the story truly launched into its inexorable path…
The unlikely allies are now faced with the need to go to the source of the disturbance, a place deep in Congo’s forest called Ikiri, from which the spreading corruption seems to originate and where dark mysteries need to be solved, both for the sake of the world at large and for young Zip’s safety in particular, since too many people seem intent on killing her.
With the scene being set in book 1, and the characters introduced, Given to Darkness can finally embark, unfettered, into the adventure proper: not that Kept from Cages was a restful story, of course, but here the author could finally indulge into the breathless journey he must have envisioned from the start, while also enjoying the space to let his characters grow and take on new facets while they deal with the unending string of dangers and threats peppering their path.
For instance I liked very much the way outlaw musicians Reece and Leigh-Ann become even more protective of young Zip, whose emotional growth is driven forward by circumstances that are far too complex and harrowing to be heaped on the shoulders of a child: the way they almost become substitute parents, and the comparison with Zip’s real father - a heartlessly manipulative individual who is quite easy to hate - makes the goodness of their hearts shine even brighter.
Agent Tasker turns out to be a decidedly more human face for the Ministry, whose ways - as often seen in the Sunken City trilogy - can be quite callous, and I have to admit he grew up on me, while in the first book I was not too sanguine about him.
Still, the character that truly shone for me in this novel is that of Katryzna, mostly because we are finally allowed a deeper glance into her personality beyond the external armor of cold-blooded violence she likes to wear: getting to know her better, and learning about the person behind the mask of the brutal killer was a very intriguing - and at times emotional - journey which left me with a very different outlook on this ruthlessly determined figure.
What can you expect from this book - and from the whole duology as well? Certainly a great deal of non-stop action sprinkled with humor, even though the darkness in the title is a definite, and often suffocating, presence. If you are looking for adventure, mystery and a good measure of fantasy elements, you need look no further than this book and its predecessor.
Given to Darkness will be available from October 19th, which is exactly a week from today: the conclusion to this engaging series is indeed just around the corner, so… happy reading!
Originally posted at SPACE and SORCERY BLOG
Where the weirdness surfacing in Ordshaw remained more or less confined to the city itself, and more precisely to its subterranean levels, in the Ikiri Duology upheavals manifest in a very public and quite bloody way, requiring the shady Ministry for Environmental Energy to stretch its resources to find plausible explanations for the sudden, tragic bouts of violence erupting worldwide, and to keep the consequences under wraps as much as possible.
In Kept from Cages we met MEE agent Sean Tasker trying to deal with the situation and finding an unexpected - and weird - ally in Katryzna, a young woman with a violently unpredictable attitude. On the other side of the world, a band of criminally-inclined musicians met with a strange child, Zip, who soon proved to be the key to the strange events plaguing the world. Once the two groups met, the story truly launched into its inexorable path…
The unlikely allies are now faced with the need to go to the source of the disturbance, a place deep in Congo’s forest called Ikiri, from which the spreading corruption seems to originate and where dark mysteries need to be solved, both for the sake of the world at large and for young Zip’s safety in particular, since too many people seem intent on killing her.
With the scene being set in book 1, and the characters introduced, Given to Darkness can finally embark, unfettered, into the adventure proper: not that Kept from Cages was a restful story, of course, but here the author could finally indulge into the breathless journey he must have envisioned from the start, while also enjoying the space to let his characters grow and take on new facets while they deal with the unending string of dangers and threats peppering their path.
For instance I liked very much the way outlaw musicians Reece and Leigh-Ann become even more protective of young Zip, whose emotional growth is driven forward by circumstances that are far too complex and harrowing to be heaped on the shoulders of a child: the way they almost become substitute parents, and the comparison with Zip’s real father - a heartlessly manipulative individual who is quite easy to hate - makes the goodness of their hearts shine even brighter.
Agent Tasker turns out to be a decidedly more human face for the Ministry, whose ways - as often seen in the Sunken City trilogy - can be quite callous, and I have to admit he grew up on me, while in the first book I was not too sanguine about him.
Still, the character that truly shone for me in this novel is that of Katryzna, mostly because we are finally allowed a deeper glance into her personality beyond the external armor of cold-blooded violence she likes to wear: getting to know her better, and learning about the person behind the mask of the brutal killer was a very intriguing - and at times emotional - journey which left me with a very different outlook on this ruthlessly determined figure.
What can you expect from this book - and from the whole duology as well? Certainly a great deal of non-stop action sprinkled with humor, even though the darkness in the title is a definite, and often suffocating, presence. If you are looking for adventure, mystery and a good measure of fantasy elements, you need look no further than this book and its predecessor.
Given to Darkness will be available from October 19th, which is exactly a week from today: the conclusion to this engaging series is indeed just around the corner, so… happy reading!
Originally posted at SPACE and SORCERY BLOG
October 19, 2021
Pervasive menace. These are the two words I’d use to describe Given to Darkness. Throughout the story I turned each page with a sense of anxious uncertainty, wondering what was going to happen next. In a way its atmosphere of foreboding is found in horror stories, it almost qualifies in that category for me. The story has more than its fair share of weapon-wielding psychopaths, some of them undead and unkillable. But it’s the monsters, the genetically-mutated creatures from nightmare that add to the tension. Needless to say, they prefer to attack at night, out of the darkness, when all you can see are slashing claws and biting jaws.
Phil Williams has created an extension to his Ordshaw stories where the supernatural element of Novisan appears in various parts of the world. In the first book, Kept From Cages, various factions descend on an area in the Congolese jungle where bizarre events have taken place. The original expedition to Ikiri returned with superpowers which turned some insane. Others didn’t return, at least not as human beings.
In the sequel, our heroes face greater and greater threats as they try to return the seven year old phenomenon, Zipporah, to Ikiri in the hope she can stop a global threat. It’s the regularity of those threats, and the resulting extreme violence, that generates the pervasive menace I mentioned.
It’s always going to be exciting when you pitch normal human beings against super-powered maniacs and monsters. Especially so when the normal people are engaging characters who you care about. And Mr Williams is not afraid of making these people suffer so you have no guarantee who will survive to the end.
The climax is both terrifying and mind-blowing. Once inside Ikiri we are introduced to concepts which felt to be almost science fiction rather than fantasy. It’s one of the reasons for loving this book, and Phil Williams’ work generally. Genre borders are like life in the EU, they’re invisible. These stories defy such limitations and why not? Why limit the imagination and put it into neat little boxes with genre labels?
It’s not easy, sustaining menace throughout a novel but Phil Williams succeeds. Every detail, the stare of a man across a hotel bar room, the crashing of glass, the unpredictability of a friendly assassin, is critical to this pervasiveness. Now I’ve finished reading it, I can go and relax, lower my blood pressure. At some point, go into my garden in the dark. Just not yet.
Phil Williams has created an extension to his Ordshaw stories where the supernatural element of Novisan appears in various parts of the world. In the first book, Kept From Cages, various factions descend on an area in the Congolese jungle where bizarre events have taken place. The original expedition to Ikiri returned with superpowers which turned some insane. Others didn’t return, at least not as human beings.
In the sequel, our heroes face greater and greater threats as they try to return the seven year old phenomenon, Zipporah, to Ikiri in the hope she can stop a global threat. It’s the regularity of those threats, and the resulting extreme violence, that generates the pervasive menace I mentioned.
It’s always going to be exciting when you pitch normal human beings against super-powered maniacs and monsters. Especially so when the normal people are engaging characters who you care about. And Mr Williams is not afraid of making these people suffer so you have no guarantee who will survive to the end.
The climax is both terrifying and mind-blowing. Once inside Ikiri we are introduced to concepts which felt to be almost science fiction rather than fantasy. It’s one of the reasons for loving this book, and Phil Williams’ work generally. Genre borders are like life in the EU, they’re invisible. These stories defy such limitations and why not? Why limit the imagination and put it into neat little boxes with genre labels?
It’s not easy, sustaining menace throughout a novel but Phil Williams succeeds. Every detail, the stare of a man across a hotel bar room, the crashing of glass, the unpredictability of a friendly assassin, is critical to this pervasiveness. Now I’ve finished reading it, I can go and relax, lower my blood pressure. At some point, go into my garden in the dark. Just not yet.
November 2, 2021
I’m aware the cover and the blurb make this one sound really dark. And while I cannot deny that there is a lot of mayhem and death – there is also a madcap energy running through the book that means it isn’t an unduly bleak, depressing read. Partly, the lighter tone is down to the magnificently eccentric characters. Of course the classic trope of talented child with awesome powers is personified in Zip – but in this book, she is also shown to be more vulnerable. As her father disappears off, leaving her without a backward glance, it’s down to the American musicians, Leigh-Ann and Reece, to look after her. And then, there’s Katryzna, the Russian assassin – who is now trying to adapt within this group brought together while trying to fight a terrible evil.
Of course, coping with the monsters and constant danger facing them is a major part of the book. But for me, the highlight was watching the members of the group become closer as they end up trying to protect each other. The character forced to make the greatest change is former lone killer, Katryzna. Now aware that she needs to take into account the needs of the other team members, she often ends up having loud arguments with her conscience – a character named Rurik. The dynamic is often very funny as well as poignant, without tipping into caricature. It’s a fine line and Phil walks it well.
There is also the tragedy of what has happened to Zip’s shattered family, which looms over the book in a dark counterpoint, making this one hard to put down. As ever, the action scenes pop and the vivid depiction of the dark evil crawling through the African landscape as they get ever closer to Ikiri nicely winds up the tension. And the climactic denouement doesn’t disappoint. All in all, I really enjoyed this series – Williams’ accomplished writing spins a story full of light and dark, good and evil without ever trying to be moralistic. A memorable read that is highly recommended for fantasy readers looking for something different. The author provided me with a review copy, which in no way has compromised my honest opinion of Given To Darkness.
9/10
Of course, coping with the monsters and constant danger facing them is a major part of the book. But for me, the highlight was watching the members of the group become closer as they end up trying to protect each other. The character forced to make the greatest change is former lone killer, Katryzna. Now aware that she needs to take into account the needs of the other team members, she often ends up having loud arguments with her conscience – a character named Rurik. The dynamic is often very funny as well as poignant, without tipping into caricature. It’s a fine line and Phil walks it well.
There is also the tragedy of what has happened to Zip’s shattered family, which looms over the book in a dark counterpoint, making this one hard to put down. As ever, the action scenes pop and the vivid depiction of the dark evil crawling through the African landscape as they get ever closer to Ikiri nicely winds up the tension. And the climactic denouement doesn’t disappoint. All in all, I really enjoyed this series – Williams’ accomplished writing spins a story full of light and dark, good and evil without ever trying to be moralistic. A memorable read that is highly recommended for fantasy readers looking for something different. The author provided me with a review copy, which in no way has compromised my honest opinion of Given To Darkness.
9/10
September 21, 2021
Another fun, thrilling adventure to round out the Ikiri duology.
If you were a fan of Phil Williams's Kept From Cages, you're going to enjoy this continuation. Given To Darkness picks up right where the previous book left off, with our sprawling cast of characters all together and trying to figure out how to proceed to put the darkness emanating from Ikiri to rest.
A lot of what's great about this book is what was great about the previous one, which I mentioned in my review for it, so I won't repeat myself here (but just to recap: great pacing, an interesting cast, weird monsters). What this book builds on even more, though, is its connection to Williams's overarching universe he's creating with his books, starting with the Sunken City trilogy (which is also excellent and well worth a read).
You don't have to have read those other books to fully appreciate Given To Darkness even a little bit; this duology completely stands on its own, as does that other trilogy and another standalone novella, but I love how Williams has weaved elements from his previous series into this new one. There's returning character Sam Ward, for one, as well as references to Ordshaw and novisan and other bits and pieces from the world he's fleshing out. You can tell Williams has spent a lot of time with this world and knows the ins and outs of it like the back of his hand. Its history and magic and mysteries all spill out from the edges of these pages, creating a true sense of wonder as well as a new mystery secondary to the main plot. While the primary mystery and conflict surrounding Ikiri is wrapped up in these two books, there are larger questions lingering at the periphery, waiting to be explored in future volumes.
I love a shared universe, and Williams is doing a great job of building his out. If you haven't read any part of it yet, you really can't go wrong anywhere, but the Ikiri duology is a solid place to start.
If you were a fan of Phil Williams's Kept From Cages, you're going to enjoy this continuation. Given To Darkness picks up right where the previous book left off, with our sprawling cast of characters all together and trying to figure out how to proceed to put the darkness emanating from Ikiri to rest.
A lot of what's great about this book is what was great about the previous one, which I mentioned in my review for it, so I won't repeat myself here (but just to recap: great pacing, an interesting cast, weird monsters). What this book builds on even more, though, is its connection to Williams's overarching universe he's creating with his books, starting with the Sunken City trilogy (which is also excellent and well worth a read).
You don't have to have read those other books to fully appreciate Given To Darkness even a little bit; this duology completely stands on its own, as does that other trilogy and another standalone novella, but I love how Williams has weaved elements from his previous series into this new one. There's returning character Sam Ward, for one, as well as references to Ordshaw and novisan and other bits and pieces from the world he's fleshing out. You can tell Williams has spent a lot of time with this world and knows the ins and outs of it like the back of his hand. Its history and magic and mysteries all spill out from the edges of these pages, creating a true sense of wonder as well as a new mystery secondary to the main plot. While the primary mystery and conflict surrounding Ikiri is wrapped up in these two books, there are larger questions lingering at the periphery, waiting to be explored in future volumes.
I love a shared universe, and Williams is doing a great job of building his out. If you haven't read any part of it yet, you really can't go wrong anywhere, but the Ikiri duology is a solid place to start.
October 24, 2021
Great book with an exciting ending! I have enjoyed all the Ordshaw books and this one rounded off the series with a bang. The book kept me reading most of the night. I loved the characters and hope some will return in new stories. I would like to see what happens with Katryzna, Zipporah, and Ezekiel in the future.
October 21, 2021
A really well written, excellent fantasy zombie story! Great characters, brilliant ideas, it hooked me from the start & oh what a great adventure! Brilliant final part to this overall amazing series! I do strongly recommend this writer & all of his works!
April 16, 2022
Never a disappointment
I love Ordshaw books, you never quite work out where they are going to take you. Unnormal people looking for normal things, like acceptance, love, understanding. Can't wait for the next one
I love Ordshaw books, you never quite work out where they are going to take you. Unnormal people looking for normal things, like acceptance, love, understanding. Can't wait for the next one
January 24, 2022
Given to Darkness was an action packed, epic and sometimes a little creepy finale to the Ikiri duology & I’m definitely going to miss spending time with these characters. This book picks up pretty much straight after the final scenes in book one, with the characters that spent the total of book one apart now having to work together. Reece and Leigh-Ann aren’t sure if they can trust the ‘government’ officials who seem to want to take over, having not had the best experience with those in the law. And it’s made worse when they meet the slightly crazy Katrzyna. But they are in it for the long haul, and if that means working with them to protect Zip and defeat the evil of Ikiri, then that’s what they’ll do. Agent Tasker isn’t sure taking two musicians to one of the most dangerous places on the planet is the cleverest idea, but they seem unwilling to leave Zip and he knows they could most definitely use the help if they are to get back to Ikiri safely, especially if they have to watch out for the creatures sent by Zip’s brother to stop them returning. But as is often the case, things don’t quite go to plan, the gang find themselves not only running from Zip’s brothers influence and that of Shearjoy, but also Mason, Zip’s father who is determined to end the reign of Ikiri, no matter the cost. Bonds will be tested, friendships will be made, but in the end the safety of the world will come down to one little girl and the band of misfits that are on a mission to protect her.
As I said above, one of the things I will miss most about these books is the characters. They are all effortlessly real, and I almost felt as if I became one of the gang whilst reading this series, and I just loved seeing how all the interactions we get between them in this book. These people couldn’t be further apart from each other; a government official, a contract killer, two musicians from the south & a young girl, it sounds like it should be a comedy sketch, and in some ways it was. While there were plenty of laugh out loud moments that were used effectively to break up the tension, I also loved the parts where they learnt to work together and in the end trust each other. I’m a huge fan of well written characters and Williams gives us them in spades, but my favourite throughout the series has to be Katrzyna. She reminds me of Vilanelle from Killing Eve with the quirkiness to her personality, her almost lack of a conscience and her skills in a fight. But the more you read from her perspective, you realise that she has some serious attachment and emotional issues, and I just adored seeing her thrive as one of the team, not always following the instructions, but coming to care for the people around her and throwing herself into danger to save them.
Williams uses his characters effectively to project the emotion he wants the readers to feel in the moment, giving us the perfect blend of action, horror and comedy. While the cover and description of this series might give it a darker feel to readers going in, there are plenty of light moments throughout the book whether they are humorous or just the slow interactions between characters, but he also gives us plenty of tense moments, ones where I was gripping the pages white knuckled. The feeling of suspense I got through this book was like no other, Williams knows how to end a chapter effectively leaving you scrambling to find out what happens next only to have it jump to another place entirely, at some times it was a torturous wait, but in others it was the perfect time to add a little levity to the story and take away from the intense and action filled scenes with some slower ones.
For readers that haven’t experienced a Williams novel before I wouldn’t worry too much, though he does weave in parts from his other series, the Ikiri duology completely stands on it’s own two feet. There was no moment when I thought ‘ I should have picked up the previous books’, instead Williams effortlessly introduces us to his world, characters and magic system without it feeling overwhelming or info dumpy to those who have read his previous books. Given to Darkness is filled with epic fight scenes but without a doubt the star of the book was the final scene in Ikiri, I was absolutely glued to the pages and found myself effortlessly visualising the scene, feeling I was there experiencing the action right besides the characters thanks to Williams descriptive writing.
Overall I adored this duology thanks in large part to the wondrous characters that live inside it. Williams urban fantasies are like no others, bringing the world we know and love into a whole new light filled with magic and creatures that will both make you laugh and your skin crawl. I’m certainly going to be picking up his other works and hope that he brings these characters into some of his future works.
As I said above, one of the things I will miss most about these books is the characters. They are all effortlessly real, and I almost felt as if I became one of the gang whilst reading this series, and I just loved seeing how all the interactions we get between them in this book. These people couldn’t be further apart from each other; a government official, a contract killer, two musicians from the south & a young girl, it sounds like it should be a comedy sketch, and in some ways it was. While there were plenty of laugh out loud moments that were used effectively to break up the tension, I also loved the parts where they learnt to work together and in the end trust each other. I’m a huge fan of well written characters and Williams gives us them in spades, but my favourite throughout the series has to be Katrzyna. She reminds me of Vilanelle from Killing Eve with the quirkiness to her personality, her almost lack of a conscience and her skills in a fight. But the more you read from her perspective, you realise that she has some serious attachment and emotional issues, and I just adored seeing her thrive as one of the team, not always following the instructions, but coming to care for the people around her and throwing herself into danger to save them.
Williams uses his characters effectively to project the emotion he wants the readers to feel in the moment, giving us the perfect blend of action, horror and comedy. While the cover and description of this series might give it a darker feel to readers going in, there are plenty of light moments throughout the book whether they are humorous or just the slow interactions between characters, but he also gives us plenty of tense moments, ones where I was gripping the pages white knuckled. The feeling of suspense I got through this book was like no other, Williams knows how to end a chapter effectively leaving you scrambling to find out what happens next only to have it jump to another place entirely, at some times it was a torturous wait, but in others it was the perfect time to add a little levity to the story and take away from the intense and action filled scenes with some slower ones.
For readers that haven’t experienced a Williams novel before I wouldn’t worry too much, though he does weave in parts from his other series, the Ikiri duology completely stands on it’s own two feet. There was no moment when I thought ‘ I should have picked up the previous books’, instead Williams effortlessly introduces us to his world, characters and magic system without it feeling overwhelming or info dumpy to those who have read his previous books. Given to Darkness is filled with epic fight scenes but without a doubt the star of the book was the final scene in Ikiri, I was absolutely glued to the pages and found myself effortlessly visualising the scene, feeling I was there experiencing the action right besides the characters thanks to Williams descriptive writing.
Overall I adored this duology thanks in large part to the wondrous characters that live inside it. Williams urban fantasies are like no others, bringing the world we know and love into a whole new light filled with magic and creatures that will both make you laugh and your skin crawl. I’m certainly going to be picking up his other works and hope that he brings these characters into some of his future works.
October 8, 2021
Given to Darkness is a fantastic white-knuckle ride through a genre-bending thriller-horror-contemporary-fantasy-land.
It picks up right where Kept from Cages leaves off, with even more intriguing plot threads weaving their way into the story.
Intense and full of heart–well maybe not FULL of heart, it does get quite grim, and violent, at times–Williams continues to serve up incredible stories with complex, fascinating characters.
Everything about this entire series is done just right – the blend of urban and fantasy, the pacing, the flow, the dialogue, the relationships, all come together to create a thoroughly engrossing and completely satisfying reading experience.
I highly recommend this series, and this author, to anyone who doesn't mind being kept up at night by an absolute page-turner.
It picks up right where Kept from Cages leaves off, with even more intriguing plot threads weaving their way into the story.
Intense and full of heart–well maybe not FULL of heart, it does get quite grim, and violent, at times–Williams continues to serve up incredible stories with complex, fascinating characters.
Everything about this entire series is done just right – the blend of urban and fantasy, the pacing, the flow, the dialogue, the relationships, all come together to create a thoroughly engrossing and completely satisfying reading experience.
I highly recommend this series, and this author, to anyone who doesn't mind being kept up at night by an absolute page-turner.
October 21, 2021
I was so excited to get the chance to read a copy of this book early, and Phil Williams did not disappoint.
Given To Darkness picks up where the last book, Kept From Cages, left off. The same great characters and intense, exciting plot! I could not stop reading, and was left wanting more. A great second half of the Ikiri storyline!
Given To Darkness picks up where the last book, Kept From Cages, left off. The same great characters and intense, exciting plot! I could not stop reading, and was left wanting more. A great second half of the Ikiri storyline!
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