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The Weep #1
Nightwatch on the Hinterlands
Set in the universe of Rory Thorne, this new sci-fi mystery follows an unlikely duo who must discover the motive behind an unusual murder.
THE TEMPLAR: When Lieutenant Iari hears screams in the night, she expects to interrupt a robbery or break up a fight. Instead she discovers a murder with an impossible suspect: a riev, one of the battle-mecha decommissioned after the end of the last conflict, repurposed for manual labor. Riev don't kill people. And yet, clearly, one has. Iari sets out to find it.
THE SPY: Officially, Gaer is an ambassador from the vakari. Unofficially, he's also a spy, sending information back to his government, unfiltered by diplomatic channels. Unlike Iari, Gaer isn't so sure the riev's behavior is just a malfunction, since the riev were created using an unstable mixture of alchemy and arithmancy.
As Gaer and Iari search for the truth, they discover that the murderous riev is just a weapon in the hands of a wielder with wider ambitions than homicide--including releasing horrors not seen since the war, that make a rampaging riev seem insignificant...
THE TEMPLAR: When Lieutenant Iari hears screams in the night, she expects to interrupt a robbery or break up a fight. Instead she discovers a murder with an impossible suspect: a riev, one of the battle-mecha decommissioned after the end of the last conflict, repurposed for manual labor. Riev don't kill people. And yet, clearly, one has. Iari sets out to find it.
THE SPY: Officially, Gaer is an ambassador from the vakari. Unofficially, he's also a spy, sending information back to his government, unfiltered by diplomatic channels. Unlike Iari, Gaer isn't so sure the riev's behavior is just a malfunction, since the riev were created using an unstable mixture of alchemy and arithmancy.
As Gaer and Iari search for the truth, they discover that the murderous riev is just a weapon in the hands of a wielder with wider ambitions than homicide--including releasing horrors not seen since the war, that make a rampaging riev seem insignificant...
416 pages, Paperback
First published October 19, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
December 6, 2022
Stars: 5 out of 5.
Do you have those rare occasions when a book just "click" with you? That you get so immersed in it that you love every single moment. And even if you can see some flaws, they don't distract you from the pure joy of reading it? Well, that's what happened to me with Nightwatch on the Hinterlands. I loved it from the very first sentence I read until the last one.
I think a big part of my enjoyment comes from the wonderful characters the author created. Iari and Gaer couldn't be more different, but they feel so "alive" and interesting that it was a delight to read both of their points of view. You could see how their reluctant partnership slowly progressed and mutated from ambassador and escort to colleagues to friends. They are different and bring different skills and beliefs to the table, but both are very interesting individuals.
I also think that the world seen through our characters' eyes is also rather unique and fascinating. Technically, it's a scifi book, because we have space-faring races and spaceships and space stations and high technology weapons like the mecha Iari is wearing. But most of their technology is based on arithmancy and alchemy, so, dare I say, magic. Heck, Iari is part of a religious order of battle monks whose life is dedicated to preventing incursions from the Weep, which is a tear in the reality of the multiverse leading to a not so welcoming layer of it. So is this scifi or is this fantasy or a little bit of both? I'm not sure, but I loved every moment of it.
I need to mention that the blurb mentions that this new series takes place in the same world as the author's previous books, but since this is the first book I have read by this author, I can't attest to that. I can however say that this reads perfectly well as a standalone. I was never confused by the worldbuilding, and if I missed some references to the author's prior works, it wasn't critical to this story.
The plot of the book is also interesting. What at first looks like a Riev malfunction turns out to have some much bigger, dare I say, earthshattering implications. And I loved how Iari pursued this investigation with a bullheaded determination, no matter how hurt she got in the process. That tenacity is part of what makes her so endearing. That and the fact that she would do anything to protect those she considers friends, even if one of them is the ambassador of a not-so-friendly race that caused the Weep in the first place, and the other is a Riev - who, until recently, was considered machinery, not an actual person.
The whole idea about Riev is fascinating as well, though rather horrifying. Especially considering what we learn as the story progresses - that they retain some sort of consciousness and sense of self. I believe that Oversight was created precisely to suppress that, and once it had been disabled, the Riev started thinking for themselves again. Some better than others. I would be interested in exploring the implications of this further in the next book.
And while the main intrigue of this book has been resolved by the end, there are a lot of thread still left untied. Plus we have a whole new set of questions to answer. So I would say that that this book sets up the series quite nicely.
All in all, this was an excellent first book in a series and a good introduction to a fascinating world for those who aren't familiar with the author's other books. I will definitely pick up the next book in the series.
Do you have those rare occasions when a book just "click" with you? That you get so immersed in it that you love every single moment. And even if you can see some flaws, they don't distract you from the pure joy of reading it? Well, that's what happened to me with Nightwatch on the Hinterlands. I loved it from the very first sentence I read until the last one.
I think a big part of my enjoyment comes from the wonderful characters the author created. Iari and Gaer couldn't be more different, but they feel so "alive" and interesting that it was a delight to read both of their points of view. You could see how their reluctant partnership slowly progressed and mutated from ambassador and escort to colleagues to friends. They are different and bring different skills and beliefs to the table, but both are very interesting individuals.
I also think that the world seen through our characters' eyes is also rather unique and fascinating. Technically, it's a scifi book, because we have space-faring races and spaceships and space stations and high technology weapons like the mecha Iari is wearing. But most of their technology is based on arithmancy and alchemy, so, dare I say, magic. Heck, Iari is part of a religious order of battle monks whose life is dedicated to preventing incursions from the Weep, which is a tear in the reality of the multiverse leading to a not so welcoming layer of it. So is this scifi or is this fantasy or a little bit of both? I'm not sure, but I loved every moment of it.
I need to mention that the blurb mentions that this new series takes place in the same world as the author's previous books, but since this is the first book I have read by this author, I can't attest to that. I can however say that this reads perfectly well as a standalone. I was never confused by the worldbuilding, and if I missed some references to the author's prior works, it wasn't critical to this story.
The plot of the book is also interesting. What at first looks like a Riev malfunction turns out to have some much bigger, dare I say, earthshattering implications. And I loved how Iari pursued this investigation with a bullheaded determination, no matter how hurt she got in the process. That tenacity is part of what makes her so endearing. That and the fact that she would do anything to protect those she considers friends, even if one of them is the ambassador of a not-so-friendly race that caused the Weep in the first place, and the other is a Riev - who, until recently, was considered machinery, not an actual person.
The whole idea about Riev is fascinating as well, though rather horrifying. Especially considering what we learn as the story progresses - that they retain some sort of consciousness and sense of self. I believe that Oversight was created precisely to suppress that, and once it had been disabled, the Riev started thinking for themselves again. Some better than others. I would be interested in exploring the implications of this further in the next book.
And while the main intrigue of this book has been resolved by the end, there are a lot of thread still left untied. Plus we have a whole new set of questions to answer. So I would say that that this book sets up the series quite nicely.
All in all, this was an excellent first book in a series and a good introduction to a fascinating world for those who aren't familiar with the author's other books. I will definitely pick up the next book in the series.
November 8, 2021
The nitty-gritty: A complex world full of fascinating characters, Nightwatch on the Hinterlands is an excellent start to a new science fiction series.
I was so excited when this book was announced, a story set in K. Eason’s Rory Thorne universe but far in the future with different characters. And wow, was this a lot of fun! Nightwatch on the Hinterlands takes many of the world-building ideas I loved in Rory Thorne and expands on them even more. This is a very tech-heavy, tightly focused story that falls on the “hard” science fiction side of the spectrum, which doesn’t always work for me. But Eason tempers the technical elements with fascinating world-building, carefully developed characters and plenty of high stakes action, all of which made this a blast to read.
The story is set on the remote planet of Tanis and follows several main characters. Lieutenant Iari is a tenju templar, born and orphaned during the Expansion War. Iari joined the templars in order to fight, but now that the war is over, her job is to stop the Brood, the deadly monsters that appeared after the vakari inadvertently created a rip in the void called the Weep. The other main character is Gaer, a vakar ambassador who has been sent to the planet to work with Iari, but who in fact is acting as a spy and is secretly sending critical information back to his people.
Iari and Gaer have an uneasy relationship, but when the body of a murdered wichu is discovered, and when witnesses claim that a riev was responsible for the murder, Iari knows something isn’t right. Riev, the giant robot-like creatures that were created during the war to kill the vakari, haven’t been able to kill anything since the war ended, and why would one kill a wichu anyway? Wichu are a peaceful race who use magical arithmancy to repair broken riev, so the reasons behind the murder are a big mystery.
Iari takes a chance and decides to question a group of riev in the area where the murder took place, and is shocked to discover a much deeper and disturbing mystery: someone has figured out a way to reprogram riev to kill. With the help of two riev called Char and Brisk Array, Iari and Gaer start investigating the murder, but someone doesn't want them to find out the truth.
Readers who love complex worlds will adore this book, and the world-building was by far my favorite part of the story, closely followed by my love of the characters. And do note, if you haven’t read the Rory Thorne books, you can easily start here. Eason imagines a multiverse set far in the future where a mysterious rip in the universe—called the Weep—was accidentally created with magic during the war. The Weep allows a terrible breed of monsters to come through called Brood. There are different types of Brood, like boneless and swarm, and wow were they terrifying! The scenes where Iari and her friends are trying to kill them reminded me of the bone-numbing terror I felt when I watched Alien for the first time.
Then there are the riev, whose original purpose is gone—the war is over and the vakari are no longer the enemy. Char was one of my favorite characters, and I loved the way Eason delves into the moral issues of robots and sentience. Riev were linked together by the Oversight, a network that gave them a hive mind, so to speak. But the Oversight is no longer in use, and a funny thing is happening: Char starts using the “I” pronoun, suggesting that riev are becoming individual entities. I loved seeing Char and Brisk Array develop their personalities over the course of the story, and the fact that Iari has a soft spot for the riev made me like her even more.
I also loved the wichu, tiny artificers who love to surround themselves with bright colors. The wichu started out as the enemy during the war, but defected over to the side of the Confederation. I pictured them as Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz, although I’m not sure if that’s what the author was going for!
In fact, most of the characters in this story aren’t human. Instead, we have Iari, who is tenju, a rather large humanoid race with tusks, and Gaer, a vakar who is skilled in arithmancy and reading auras. Iari is a devout templar, a religious group whose members are also fierce fighters. Iari has been exposed to fighting her entire life, raised as a war orphan and later as a templar. She’s had a needle socket surgically installed at the base of her skull which monitors her vital signs and communicates with her battle rig during a fight, a highly specialized suit of armor that not only protects the wearer but gives them super strength and speed. Iari takes her job seriously and shakes off injury in order to keep fighting, but she’s sometimes rash and jumps into the middle of the action without thinking things through.
I loved Gaer’s character as well. The vakari were enemies of the Confederation until only recently, so he’s still treated with suspicion. I loved his ability to read auras, which is rather intrusive, sort of like reading someone’s mind. There are some funny scenes where he can see Iari’s emotions—the ones she’s trying to hide—but reading auras also comes in handy because Gaer can tell whether or not someone is lying. Gaer is also adept at arithmancy, the ability to see and create magical mathematical equations called hexes, which we were first introduced to in the Rory Thorne series. In Eason’s world, mathematics is used to shape reality, and the multiverse depends on math to keep it in order. This unusual combination of magic and science is one of my favorite elements in the book, and I especially loved that Gaer, whose race is still feared by some people, is one of the most talented arithmancers in the story.
A third main character—another tenju named Corso—appears around the 25% mark in the story and joins in the search for the killer. Corso is an old war buddy of Iari’s, and they appear to have some history, but he wasn’t in the story enough for me to really get a feel for him.
As for the plot, it’s a fairly simple murder mystery. But what makes this story so complex are all the world-building details and the relationships between the characters. Because there are so many different alien races sharing space, the dynamics among them can get very tense. I especially loved the relationship between Iari and Gaer, which isn’t a romantic one, by the way, although I can see the author going there eventually. Gaer becomes very protective of Iari, and she does not like that at all. I wouldn’t call this story humorous, but there are some very funny scenes between the two, mostly because they are both fighters and Iari doesn’t want anyone seeing her weaknesses.
The mystery itself is complicated by the fact that certain species aren’t acting in the normal way, and so the reader slowly begins to understand how they interact with each other: tenju and vakari, tenju and wichu, riev and wichu, riev and vakari. The Brood is their common enemy, so they all end up working together to stop the Brood from swarming. Add in a bunch of political intrigue, which I haven’t even touched on in this review, and you have a dynamic story full of unpredictable characters.
The only negative I wanted to mention relates to the author’s narrative style, which tripped me up a bit. In the Rory Thorne books, the story is being told by an unknown narrator who often chimes in with his or her own opinions about what’s happening. It was a little jarring at times and took some time to get used to. In Nightwatch, we mostly bounce back and forth between Iari’s and Gaer’s points of view, and they often insert odd mannerisms into their speech that make it seem like they’re breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to the reader. Eventually I grew to love this quirky style, but some readers might struggle with it.
The stakes become higher and higher as the story progresses, with all of the characters in mortal danger at one time or another. By the end of the story, Eason has neatly set up the next book in the series but at the same time satisfactorily resolved all the big plot points. I can hardly wait to read the follow-up! Highly recommended.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
I was so excited when this book was announced, a story set in K. Eason’s Rory Thorne universe but far in the future with different characters. And wow, was this a lot of fun! Nightwatch on the Hinterlands takes many of the world-building ideas I loved in Rory Thorne and expands on them even more. This is a very tech-heavy, tightly focused story that falls on the “hard” science fiction side of the spectrum, which doesn’t always work for me. But Eason tempers the technical elements with fascinating world-building, carefully developed characters and plenty of high stakes action, all of which made this a blast to read.
The story is set on the remote planet of Tanis and follows several main characters. Lieutenant Iari is a tenju templar, born and orphaned during the Expansion War. Iari joined the templars in order to fight, but now that the war is over, her job is to stop the Brood, the deadly monsters that appeared after the vakari inadvertently created a rip in the void called the Weep. The other main character is Gaer, a vakar ambassador who has been sent to the planet to work with Iari, but who in fact is acting as a spy and is secretly sending critical information back to his people.
Iari and Gaer have an uneasy relationship, but when the body of a murdered wichu is discovered, and when witnesses claim that a riev was responsible for the murder, Iari knows something isn’t right. Riev, the giant robot-like creatures that were created during the war to kill the vakari, haven’t been able to kill anything since the war ended, and why would one kill a wichu anyway? Wichu are a peaceful race who use magical arithmancy to repair broken riev, so the reasons behind the murder are a big mystery.
Iari takes a chance and decides to question a group of riev in the area where the murder took place, and is shocked to discover a much deeper and disturbing mystery: someone has figured out a way to reprogram riev to kill. With the help of two riev called Char and Brisk Array, Iari and Gaer start investigating the murder, but someone doesn't want them to find out the truth.
Readers who love complex worlds will adore this book, and the world-building was by far my favorite part of the story, closely followed by my love of the characters. And do note, if you haven’t read the Rory Thorne books, you can easily start here. Eason imagines a multiverse set far in the future where a mysterious rip in the universe—called the Weep—was accidentally created with magic during the war. The Weep allows a terrible breed of monsters to come through called Brood. There are different types of Brood, like boneless and swarm, and wow were they terrifying! The scenes where Iari and her friends are trying to kill them reminded me of the bone-numbing terror I felt when I watched Alien for the first time.
Then there are the riev, whose original purpose is gone—the war is over and the vakari are no longer the enemy. Char was one of my favorite characters, and I loved the way Eason delves into the moral issues of robots and sentience. Riev were linked together by the Oversight, a network that gave them a hive mind, so to speak. But the Oversight is no longer in use, and a funny thing is happening: Char starts using the “I” pronoun, suggesting that riev are becoming individual entities. I loved seeing Char and Brisk Array develop their personalities over the course of the story, and the fact that Iari has a soft spot for the riev made me like her even more.
I also loved the wichu, tiny artificers who love to surround themselves with bright colors. The wichu started out as the enemy during the war, but defected over to the side of the Confederation. I pictured them as Munchkins from the Wizard of Oz, although I’m not sure if that’s what the author was going for!
In fact, most of the characters in this story aren’t human. Instead, we have Iari, who is tenju, a rather large humanoid race with tusks, and Gaer, a vakar who is skilled in arithmancy and reading auras. Iari is a devout templar, a religious group whose members are also fierce fighters. Iari has been exposed to fighting her entire life, raised as a war orphan and later as a templar. She’s had a needle socket surgically installed at the base of her skull which monitors her vital signs and communicates with her battle rig during a fight, a highly specialized suit of armor that not only protects the wearer but gives them super strength and speed. Iari takes her job seriously and shakes off injury in order to keep fighting, but she’s sometimes rash and jumps into the middle of the action without thinking things through.
I loved Gaer’s character as well. The vakari were enemies of the Confederation until only recently, so he’s still treated with suspicion. I loved his ability to read auras, which is rather intrusive, sort of like reading someone’s mind. There are some funny scenes where he can see Iari’s emotions—the ones she’s trying to hide—but reading auras also comes in handy because Gaer can tell whether or not someone is lying. Gaer is also adept at arithmancy, the ability to see and create magical mathematical equations called hexes, which we were first introduced to in the Rory Thorne series. In Eason’s world, mathematics is used to shape reality, and the multiverse depends on math to keep it in order. This unusual combination of magic and science is one of my favorite elements in the book, and I especially loved that Gaer, whose race is still feared by some people, is one of the most talented arithmancers in the story.
A third main character—another tenju named Corso—appears around the 25% mark in the story and joins in the search for the killer. Corso is an old war buddy of Iari’s, and they appear to have some history, but he wasn’t in the story enough for me to really get a feel for him.
As for the plot, it’s a fairly simple murder mystery. But what makes this story so complex are all the world-building details and the relationships between the characters. Because there are so many different alien races sharing space, the dynamics among them can get very tense. I especially loved the relationship between Iari and Gaer, which isn’t a romantic one, by the way, although I can see the author going there eventually. Gaer becomes very protective of Iari, and she does not like that at all. I wouldn’t call this story humorous, but there are some very funny scenes between the two, mostly because they are both fighters and Iari doesn’t want anyone seeing her weaknesses.
The mystery itself is complicated by the fact that certain species aren’t acting in the normal way, and so the reader slowly begins to understand how they interact with each other: tenju and vakari, tenju and wichu, riev and wichu, riev and vakari. The Brood is their common enemy, so they all end up working together to stop the Brood from swarming. Add in a bunch of political intrigue, which I haven’t even touched on in this review, and you have a dynamic story full of unpredictable characters.
The only negative I wanted to mention relates to the author’s narrative style, which tripped me up a bit. In the Rory Thorne books, the story is being told by an unknown narrator who often chimes in with his or her own opinions about what’s happening. It was a little jarring at times and took some time to get used to. In Nightwatch, we mostly bounce back and forth between Iari’s and Gaer’s points of view, and they often insert odd mannerisms into their speech that make it seem like they’re breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to the reader. Eventually I grew to love this quirky style, but some readers might struggle with it.
The stakes become higher and higher as the story progresses, with all of the characters in mortal danger at one time or another. By the end of the story, Eason has neatly set up the next book in the series but at the same time satisfactorily resolved all the big plot points. I can hardly wait to read the follow-up! Highly recommended.
Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.
November 24, 2021
8/10 stars
My full review on my blog.
An opening to a new series set in the Rory Thorne universe, Nightwatch on the Hinterlands is a fast-paced SF noir mystery inspired by WH40K and D&D, featuring a duo of unlikely allies embroiled in a conflict that starts small but grows exponentially – and quite satisfyingly – throughout the book.
I haven’t read the Thorne books, but the author and publisher are adamant that Nightwatch can be read without prior knowledge of the world – and honestly, I think it’s better this way, because discovering the context and various subtexts is a big part of the fun. There might have been some references to the Thorne books or characters which I missed, but generally the plot of Nightwatch is independent and moved far into the future, with completely new protagonists and problems. The Warhammer inspiration is surprisingly enjoyable, with nanotech-enhanced and devout Templars clad in full-body, mecha-like armor and dedicated to fighting against chaotic Brood swarming out of multi-dimensional fissures in the void (the Weep).
The D&D allegiance of Eason is also worn on her sleeve, as Nightwatch’s world is populated with orc-like race of tenju, dragonborn-like race of vakari, gnome-like wichu specializing in artifice, and human-like humans as well as a mysterious and slightly elf-like race of k’bal (there’s also one other race, but it’s only mentioned a few times and I forgot the name ;)). There’s also a separate group which I hesitate to call a race or species – the riev, which seem to be a cross between Frankenstein’s monsters (animated corpses sewn from disparate body parts) and cyborgs, with a rudimentary form of hive mind. Riev were created as a weapon in the war against vakari, and later Brood. Now, decommissioned, they search for a new purpose. Each race has its own culture and aptitudes, and a lot of technological progress among humans and tenju came from the original inequalities between the colonizing dominant race of vakari and the rest. Taking a leaf out of Clarke’s book, Eason depicts magic in her world as a highly advanced mathematical science (arithmancy) to which certain races have more propensity than others.
All in all, it’s a refreshing mix, making something maybe not original but at least its own from old tropes and themes.
There is a lot of exposition, but to be fair, a lot of it actually comes handy – at least at the beginning. Then it gets too much, but fortunately the repetitions are minimized. The worldbuilding is extensive, and enjoyable, with various factions, plenty of historical and cultural baggage (yes, there was a war on, not that long ago, and now the former enemies must learn to live side by side in the face of greater threat that was a direct result of the war they made), and a lot of stereotypes and general inter-species mistrust that feels quite natural.
[...]
Nightwatch on the Hinterlands is an enjoyable and satisfying mix of fantasy, light SF, and noir mystery. It takes old ingredients, spices them up with just the right amount of references and nostalgia, garners them with appetizing hints of politics and history, and makes a fresh, tasty dish. Quite a pleasant surprise, indeed! I was hoping for a standalone when I picked it up on NG, but now I’ll be looking forward to the next installment. The cover is pretty neat, too! 🙂
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks.
My full review on my blog.
An opening to a new series set in the Rory Thorne universe, Nightwatch on the Hinterlands is a fast-paced SF noir mystery inspired by WH40K and D&D, featuring a duo of unlikely allies embroiled in a conflict that starts small but grows exponentially – and quite satisfyingly – throughout the book.
I haven’t read the Thorne books, but the author and publisher are adamant that Nightwatch can be read without prior knowledge of the world – and honestly, I think it’s better this way, because discovering the context and various subtexts is a big part of the fun. There might have been some references to the Thorne books or characters which I missed, but generally the plot of Nightwatch is independent and moved far into the future, with completely new protagonists and problems. The Warhammer inspiration is surprisingly enjoyable, with nanotech-enhanced and devout Templars clad in full-body, mecha-like armor and dedicated to fighting against chaotic Brood swarming out of multi-dimensional fissures in the void (the Weep).
The D&D allegiance of Eason is also worn on her sleeve, as Nightwatch’s world is populated with orc-like race of tenju, dragonborn-like race of vakari, gnome-like wichu specializing in artifice, and human-like humans as well as a mysterious and slightly elf-like race of k’bal (there’s also one other race, but it’s only mentioned a few times and I forgot the name ;)). There’s also a separate group which I hesitate to call a race or species – the riev, which seem to be a cross between Frankenstein’s monsters (animated corpses sewn from disparate body parts) and cyborgs, with a rudimentary form of hive mind. Riev were created as a weapon in the war against vakari, and later Brood. Now, decommissioned, they search for a new purpose. Each race has its own culture and aptitudes, and a lot of technological progress among humans and tenju came from the original inequalities between the colonizing dominant race of vakari and the rest. Taking a leaf out of Clarke’s book, Eason depicts magic in her world as a highly advanced mathematical science (arithmancy) to which certain races have more propensity than others.
All in all, it’s a refreshing mix, making something maybe not original but at least its own from old tropes and themes.
There is a lot of exposition, but to be fair, a lot of it actually comes handy – at least at the beginning. Then it gets too much, but fortunately the repetitions are minimized. The worldbuilding is extensive, and enjoyable, with various factions, plenty of historical and cultural baggage (yes, there was a war on, not that long ago, and now the former enemies must learn to live side by side in the face of greater threat that was a direct result of the war they made), and a lot of stereotypes and general inter-species mistrust that feels quite natural.
[...]
Nightwatch on the Hinterlands is an enjoyable and satisfying mix of fantasy, light SF, and noir mystery. It takes old ingredients, spices them up with just the right amount of references and nostalgia, garners them with appetizing hints of politics and history, and makes a fresh, tasty dish. Quite a pleasant surprise, indeed! I was hoping for a standalone when I picked it up on NG, but now I’ll be looking forward to the next installment. The cover is pretty neat, too! 🙂
I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My thanks.
did-not-finish
June 16, 2022I feel bad DNFing this one since I insisted that my library buy a copy (no other libraries in our system had it yet), and because I LOVED the first Rory Thorne book.....but after about 35 pages I can tell this one isn't for me.
I'm not a huge fan of hard sci-fi (space ships and aliens and such), but I loved Rory Thorne because of the fairy-tale elements and the amusing voice. The sequel didn't work as well for me, and this book even less. It's set in the same universe (in the future?), but has a very different voice and style.
My primary issue is that this is definitely hard sci-fi with a bunch of different alien species and terminology to keep track of while also trying to follow the plot. The scene flow was tough because it felt like there was a line of dialogue or action, and then a paragraph of exposition, and then a line to bring us back to the scene, then even more exposition. I kept forgetting what was going on in the actual plot. I need the worldbuilding to feel more grounded and tangible before giving us a bunch of stuff about the bigger world.
As it was, there too many terms to keep track of (and no glossary) so it was hard for me to really visualize what was going on. Take the very first paragraph:
The scream sneaked into a gap between a barful of shouted intimate conversations and the Kreeshan Blue cover band. Iari almost missed it. Thought she imagined it. Voidspit band with it's two stringy alwar--sibs, guess by their matching noses, howling like they were on fire--and a wild-haired tenju wrestling with an auto-harp. The auto-harp appeared to be winning. It was a big harp.
*blinks*
By the time we got to the end of that paragraph of confusion, I'd almost forgotten the original point: the scream.
That was kind of how the writing of this book felt for the thirty or so pages that I read. The scene or the dialogue or the subject that they were talking about would get lost among the terminology and the info-dumping.
Compare that to the first paragraph of Rory Thorne:
They named the child Rory, because the firstborn of every generation was always a Rory, and had been since the first of that name had cut his way through the cursed briars on the homeworld and saved the kingdom of Thorne--and, incidentally, the princess--from the consequences of poor manners.
This first paragraph works so much better for me: there's a hint of both the fairy tale aspect (cursed briars, princess) and the sci-fi component (homeworld) as well as the book's tongue-in-cheek pompous tone (the consequences of poor manners). Both first paragraphs include an interjected aside, but in this case it was brief and didn't interrupt the main thought. And most importantly it didn't include 5-6 invented terms for the reader to try to interpret and remember.
Some other reviews mention that they found the beginning hard to get through, but then it took off and got awesome. So if you ARE a fan of hard sci-fi with lots of alien species and weapon terminology, then you should still give this a shot. Without the amusing voice and the retold-fairy-tale component, I personally don't have enough incentive to push through.
Oh well....moving on!
I'm not a huge fan of hard sci-fi (space ships and aliens and such), but I loved Rory Thorne because of the fairy-tale elements and the amusing voice. The sequel didn't work as well for me, and this book even less. It's set in the same universe (in the future?), but has a very different voice and style.
My primary issue is that this is definitely hard sci-fi with a bunch of different alien species and terminology to keep track of while also trying to follow the plot. The scene flow was tough because it felt like there was a line of dialogue or action, and then a paragraph of exposition, and then a line to bring us back to the scene, then even more exposition. I kept forgetting what was going on in the actual plot. I need the worldbuilding to feel more grounded and tangible before giving us a bunch of stuff about the bigger world.
As it was, there too many terms to keep track of (and no glossary) so it was hard for me to really visualize what was going on. Take the very first paragraph:
The scream sneaked into a gap between a barful of shouted intimate conversations and the Kreeshan Blue cover band. Iari almost missed it. Thought she imagined it. Voidspit band with it's two stringy alwar--sibs, guess by their matching noses, howling like they were on fire--and a wild-haired tenju wrestling with an auto-harp. The auto-harp appeared to be winning. It was a big harp.
*blinks*
By the time we got to the end of that paragraph of confusion, I'd almost forgotten the original point: the scream.
That was kind of how the writing of this book felt for the thirty or so pages that I read. The scene or the dialogue or the subject that they were talking about would get lost among the terminology and the info-dumping.
Compare that to the first paragraph of Rory Thorne:
They named the child Rory, because the firstborn of every generation was always a Rory, and had been since the first of that name had cut his way through the cursed briars on the homeworld and saved the kingdom of Thorne--and, incidentally, the princess--from the consequences of poor manners.
This first paragraph works so much better for me: there's a hint of both the fairy tale aspect (cursed briars, princess) and the sci-fi component (homeworld) as well as the book's tongue-in-cheek pompous tone (the consequences of poor manners). Both first paragraphs include an interjected aside, but in this case it was brief and didn't interrupt the main thought. And most importantly it didn't include 5-6 invented terms for the reader to try to interpret and remember.
Some other reviews mention that they found the beginning hard to get through, but then it took off and got awesome. So if you ARE a fan of hard sci-fi with lots of alien species and weapon terminology, then you should still give this a shot. Without the amusing voice and the retold-fairy-tale component, I personally don't have enough incentive to push through.
Oh well....moving on!
January 25, 2022
A Templar and a Vakari walk into a bar
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than Mos Eisley spaceport. We must be cautious."
Two non humans are sitting in Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina enjoying a drink and the local music when they hear screaming outside. They set off to investigate and find a dead Wichu, think Jawa with a more colorful wardrobe. The hunt for the killer and motive begins.
I wanted to give this four stars but....
A line of dialogue a paragraph of description.
A line of dialogue a paragraph of internal dialogue.
A line of dialogue a paragraph of the reaction to what was said.
A line of ...Sss. For the love of Hrok and Ptah enough!
"How well do you trust Gaer?"
It took 108 words, yes I counted, to get the answer from Iari.
"Sir, I trust him. Completely."
I enjoyed the characters and the worldbuilding but it was a tedious journey.
Books like this should be easier simpler to follow, like a Star Wars movie or an episode of Star Trek.
"You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy than Mos Eisley spaceport. We must be cautious."
Two non humans are sitting in Chalmun's Spaceport Cantina enjoying a drink and the local music when they hear screaming outside. They set off to investigate and find a dead Wichu, think Jawa with a more colorful wardrobe. The hunt for the killer and motive begins.
I wanted to give this four stars but....
A line of dialogue a paragraph of description.
A line of dialogue a paragraph of internal dialogue.
A line of dialogue a paragraph of the reaction to what was said.
A line of ...Sss. For the love of Hrok and Ptah enough!
"How well do you trust Gaer?"
It took 108 words, yes I counted, to get the answer from Iari.
"Sir, I trust him. Completely."
I enjoyed the characters and the worldbuilding but it was a tedious journey.
Books like this should be easier simpler to follow, like a Star Wars movie or an episode of Star Trek.
June 7, 2022
It’s a story fond of explaining everything quite regularly and lost me in making me care about the story
October 23, 2021
Thank you to DAW and NetGalley for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This was an excellent book with a really good mystery with geat political intrigue and some thriller elements! It was intriguing and suspenseful all the way through, and even the parts without action scenes still maintained the constant tension that made this such a good book. I haven't read the Thorne Chronicles (Nightwatch on the Hinterlands is set in the same universe) so there was definitely a steeper learning curve for me with the worldbuilding, but I thought it was all explained very well without any info dumps and it wasn't hard to pick up the details that you need to understand what's happening.
One of my favourite things about this book was that even though humans were present in the story, none of the main characters were human. A lot of sci-fi books that I've read that have humans in them tend to focus on the humans, and the alien characters often end up as secondary or tertiary characters, so it was a really great and very welcome change to read a book that didn't do that. The physiologies of the tenju, vakari, and wichu were all really interesting and distinct and well explained, and it was really interesting to get different perspectives on how much these physiological differences are understood by other species.
Iari and Gaer were both such great characters, it was very enjoyable to read this story through their perspectives. The characterisation of the non-POV characters through their perspectives was also done really well: Char, Tobin, Iffy, Luki, and all of the other secondary and tertiary characters were all fully fleshed out.
The system of arithmancy in this book was so interesting, and the parameters were very well established. Religion plays a larger role in this book than I usually see in sci-fi but it wasn't intrusive and it fitted into the world really well.
The ending of this book wrapped up the story really well but also left enough open to give the reader an idea of how the story will continue in the next book. I can't wait for the next one to see how the story continues and to learn more about arithmancy and this super interesting world!
This was an excellent book with a really good mystery with geat political intrigue and some thriller elements! It was intriguing and suspenseful all the way through, and even the parts without action scenes still maintained the constant tension that made this such a good book. I haven't read the Thorne Chronicles (Nightwatch on the Hinterlands is set in the same universe) so there was definitely a steeper learning curve for me with the worldbuilding, but I thought it was all explained very well without any info dumps and it wasn't hard to pick up the details that you need to understand what's happening.
One of my favourite things about this book was that even though humans were present in the story, none of the main characters were human. A lot of sci-fi books that I've read that have humans in them tend to focus on the humans, and the alien characters often end up as secondary or tertiary characters, so it was a really great and very welcome change to read a book that didn't do that. The physiologies of the tenju, vakari, and wichu were all really interesting and distinct and well explained, and it was really interesting to get different perspectives on how much these physiological differences are understood by other species.
Iari and Gaer were both such great characters, it was very enjoyable to read this story through their perspectives. The characterisation of the non-POV characters through their perspectives was also done really well: Char, Tobin, Iffy, Luki, and all of the other secondary and tertiary characters were all fully fleshed out.
The system of arithmancy in this book was so interesting, and the parameters were very well established. Religion plays a larger role in this book than I usually see in sci-fi but it wasn't intrusive and it fitted into the world really well.
The ending of this book wrapped up the story really well but also left enough open to give the reader an idea of how the story will continue in the next book. I can't wait for the next one to see how the story continues and to learn more about arithmancy and this super interesting world!
June 5, 2023
3.5, but I'll round up
August 28, 2022
Nightwatch on the Hinterlands (The Weep #1)
I'm not completely certain I finished this book. It's set in the same universe as The Thorne Chronicals, which I very much enjoyed in audiobook. This book was more difficult for me to follow in audiobook format. I suspect it would have been slightly easier in written form. The premise is that a diplomat and a templar, each of differing non-human species that traditionally don't like one another all that much, are solving a mystery together with strange magic/science afoot and lots of opportunity for disaster. They end up recruiting to the templars a third cyborg species that is looked down upon by most. The setting is an edge world in the middle of nowhere, with limited manpower and the threat of creature invasion from a tear in reality always hanging over their heads. There are a LOT of made up words/names to learn to get through this book. I wish more authors used EASY made up words, or skipped them altogether. They detract from comprehension too often, from my perspective.
I'm not completely certain I finished this book. It's set in the same universe as The Thorne Chronicals, which I very much enjoyed in audiobook. This book was more difficult for me to follow in audiobook format. I suspect it would have been slightly easier in written form. The premise is that a diplomat and a templar, each of differing non-human species that traditionally don't like one another all that much, are solving a mystery together with strange magic/science afoot and lots of opportunity for disaster. They end up recruiting to the templars a third cyborg species that is looked down upon by most. The setting is an edge world in the middle of nowhere, with limited manpower and the threat of creature invasion from a tear in reality always hanging over their heads. There are a LOT of made up words/names to learn to get through this book. I wish more authors used EASY made up words, or skipped them altogether. They detract from comprehension too often, from my perspective.
September 6, 2023
“Courage is facing that which is within your strength to face but doing so does not guarantee your victory.”
What a delightful little murder mystery in a sci-fi setting with delightful characters and a well fleshed out world. Evidently this book is set in the same universe as some of the author’s other books, but this is very clearly able to be read without prior knowledge. This book just clicked with me in a way that’s hard to describe, but I think has a lot to do with giving my imagination just enough rope to imagine being in the same city on the same world with the same problems, but not too much rope that I felt lost. It’s a delicate balancing act with sci-fi that I think the author does very well.
Lieutenant Iari, a tenju Templar, and Gaer the ambassador she’s supposed to be protecting investigate a mysterious death outside the bar they’re relaxing at, and get wrapped up in a complex web of half truths and outright lies. A dead wichu artificer is at the heart of the mystery, and witnesses say she was slain by a riev (half man, mostly machine) gone rogue. Investigating the rievs leads Iari to Char, a damaged riev who chips in on the investigation and causes Iari to question a lot of what she (and basically everyone) thought they knew about the riev and what they were capable of. There’s a lot more to the investigation, but in the interest of not including spoilers, I’ll just say that it’s better read than summarized.
If you couldn’t tell from my summary, there’s a lot of world building and lore thrown around, sometimes in a very short period of time. You’ll either love it (as I did) or find it too chaotic and confusing and bounce off hard. I also love how real and alive the characters felt, and the snappy dialogue in parts was one of my favorite experiences in reading this book. Each character felt different and unique, and there’s even something there for the shippers in the audience.
It is quite complex though, and it moves fast. The names can be particularly difficult, though I listened to the audiobook and had an easier time there, I think, particularly when it came to wichu naming conventions. If you need things explained, or if you need time to let complex ideas involving politics, history, or intricate magic systems settle, this might not be for you.
But it definitely was for me, and I’ve already got book two on my radar to pick up soon. I want some movement on my Iari x Gaer ship.
What a delightful little murder mystery in a sci-fi setting with delightful characters and a well fleshed out world. Evidently this book is set in the same universe as some of the author’s other books, but this is very clearly able to be read without prior knowledge. This book just clicked with me in a way that’s hard to describe, but I think has a lot to do with giving my imagination just enough rope to imagine being in the same city on the same world with the same problems, but not too much rope that I felt lost. It’s a delicate balancing act with sci-fi that I think the author does very well.
Lieutenant Iari, a tenju Templar, and Gaer the ambassador she’s supposed to be protecting investigate a mysterious death outside the bar they’re relaxing at, and get wrapped up in a complex web of half truths and outright lies. A dead wichu artificer is at the heart of the mystery, and witnesses say she was slain by a riev (half man, mostly machine) gone rogue. Investigating the rievs leads Iari to Char, a damaged riev who chips in on the investigation and causes Iari to question a lot of what she (and basically everyone) thought they knew about the riev and what they were capable of. There’s a lot more to the investigation, but in the interest of not including spoilers, I’ll just say that it’s better read than summarized.
If you couldn’t tell from my summary, there’s a lot of world building and lore thrown around, sometimes in a very short period of time. You’ll either love it (as I did) or find it too chaotic and confusing and bounce off hard. I also love how real and alive the characters felt, and the snappy dialogue in parts was one of my favorite experiences in reading this book. Each character felt different and unique, and there’s even something there for the shippers in the audience.
It is quite complex though, and it moves fast. The names can be particularly difficult, though I listened to the audiobook and had an easier time there, I think, particularly when it came to wichu naming conventions. If you need things explained, or if you need time to let complex ideas involving politics, history, or intricate magic systems settle, this might not be for you.
But it definitely was for me, and I’ve already got book two on my radar to pick up soon. I want some movement on my Iari x Gaer ship.
November 6, 2021
Book Review: Nightwatch on the Hinterlands by K. Eason
4/5🌟
I recieved an e-arc from DAW books in return for an honest review.
Nightwatch on the Hinterlands feels like a scifi noir detective novel. It is a fast paced ride through a complex alien society, packed full of action and politics.
In this novel you follow the unlikely pair, Iari and Gaer. Two aliens👽 on opposing political factions who stumble upon a murder on a backwater planet.🌏 Whilst investigating, they quickly get pulled into a hidden plot that might have dire consequences for the entire universe.
When I say this book is fasted paced, I mean it. The investigation takes place at a rapid pace, pulling us from frantic action scene to frantic action scene. This made me stay engaged the whole trip and everything felt really high stakes.
The world is quite complex featuring several alien races, a unique mix of technology and magic and a complex history. All this is wonderfully described without feeling like an information dump. I loved visualising everything, especially Gaer a vakari bird/lizard alien.🦎 Apparently this book falls in the same universe as The Thorne Chronicles which I haven't read, but I did not have the feeling I was missing something.
The numbers based magic/science is very cool and blends the fantasy with the scifi genre in a unique way. It also has the awesome Templars who wear mechanical armor linked to their bodies. I couldn't stop imagining everyone looking like knightlike versions of Halo's Masterchief. I would even go as far as to recommend this book to people who normally read fantasy. Oh did I also say it features killer cybors?!🤖🗡
All in all a very accessible, quick and most of all unique read!
Thanks again Netgalley, K Eason and DAW books for providing me with this copy!
4/5🌟
I recieved an e-arc from DAW books in return for an honest review.
Nightwatch on the Hinterlands feels like a scifi noir detective novel. It is a fast paced ride through a complex alien society, packed full of action and politics.
In this novel you follow the unlikely pair, Iari and Gaer. Two aliens👽 on opposing political factions who stumble upon a murder on a backwater planet.🌏 Whilst investigating, they quickly get pulled into a hidden plot that might have dire consequences for the entire universe.
When I say this book is fasted paced, I mean it. The investigation takes place at a rapid pace, pulling us from frantic action scene to frantic action scene. This made me stay engaged the whole trip and everything felt really high stakes.
The world is quite complex featuring several alien races, a unique mix of technology and magic and a complex history. All this is wonderfully described without feeling like an information dump. I loved visualising everything, especially Gaer a vakari bird/lizard alien.🦎 Apparently this book falls in the same universe as The Thorne Chronicles which I haven't read, but I did not have the feeling I was missing something.
The numbers based magic/science is very cool and blends the fantasy with the scifi genre in a unique way. It also has the awesome Templars who wear mechanical armor linked to their bodies. I couldn't stop imagining everyone looking like knightlike versions of Halo's Masterchief. I would even go as far as to recommend this book to people who normally read fantasy. Oh did I also say it features killer cybors?!🤖🗡
All in all a very accessible, quick and most of all unique read!
Thanks again Netgalley, K Eason and DAW books for providing me with this copy!
December 9, 2023
4.5 stars. Not quite giving it 5 stars because I don't think it has a ton of reread value, but I really enjoyed this sci-fi novel! It's got funky aliens, has a cool plot, interesting twists, and I'm really excited to read the next book. I really loved all the characters and how they grew throughout the book. Also the sass of a choice few of them was hilarious (if you've read this, you know who I mean).
I didn't appreciate all the f-bombs. The author goes to great pains to translate normal objects and swear words into her book's "alien tongue", (ie. Light bulbs are called "teslas", swearwords are made up words like "void and dust" and "settat"), so when her characters drop 20 f-bombs in one chapter it's annoying, lazy and throws off the flow of the book. Why would a bunch of alien races all be saying f*** but not sharing any of their other lingo? Just took away from the value of the dialouge.
But, overall, I thought it was a really good book and I'm really excited for the next one.
I didn't appreciate all the f-bombs. The author goes to great pains to translate normal objects and swear words into her book's "alien tongue", (ie. Light bulbs are called "teslas", swearwords are made up words like "void and dust" and "settat"), so when her characters drop 20 f-bombs in one chapter it's annoying, lazy and throws off the flow of the book. Why would a bunch of alien races all be saying f*** but not sharing any of their other lingo? Just took away from the value of the dialouge.
But, overall, I thought it was a really good book and I'm really excited for the next one.
January 15, 2024
I think a sci-fi novel like this takes a lot of imagination and prior consumption of media like it to thoroughly enjoy. While I did enjoy the story I found myself constantly wondering how the characters (of which there were many and of different species) and the environment appeared.
I think I got confused about the different roles of the characters but nevertheless I think I’ll read the second book as well, hopefully to gain a little more insight!
I think I got confused about the different roles of the characters but nevertheless I think I’ll read the second book as well, hopefully to gain a little more insight!
September 26, 2022
After I got the hang of the world and it’s terms (some I still don’t get 😅) I really enjoyed this book! It’s a good sleuthing book that just happens to be very sci fi. I bet if I read the other books in this universe it would be easier to digest. I’d check out the next one..I think it’s a duology?
June 15, 2022
it was kinda a struggle to get through the first quarter when the world building was still being explained but after that it was sick
August 3, 2025
Took a while to get into the nature of the alien characters but their personalities were great and the plot was strong.
September 1, 2023
My second ever one star review... 400 pages and I still don't know what happened in this book. I googled twice to make sure this wasn't a sequel because this is crazy sci-fi but nothing is explained!? The author uses wacky words for literally everything expecting the reader to just understand what she means. Granted this woman is crazy good at writing her own world and I bet in her mind this book was sick but as a reader I was just lost the entire time.
January 9, 2022
essentially a better, well-written Ready Player One
February 23, 2022
Complex sci-fi world, plenty of alien culture, danger, and friendship. Dense at times, but interesting overall.
September 7, 2022
DNF'd at around 40%. The pacing and style is not to my taste. When a scene gets stopped in the middle of dialogue for multiple pages of world building and info dumps, it becomes hard to get into scenes and care. This pattern made it feel like a lot of telling instead of showing. The technology/magic was interesting, but wasn't exposed clearly or well it seemed. Perhaps this is due to not having read the other books based in the same universe, but as a separate series it seems like it would be good to make the world more accessible for people starting here.
April 23, 2022
I picked up a couple of books from the library, as I knew I was to be stuck at home. I didn’t know anything going in about the author or even the universe, other than the blurb stating this book is standalone. It sounded fun. Templar & the spy.
What I found was a story full of wonderfully crafted characters in a world where technology & magic are fused together. It is a bit like Robert Jackson Bennett’s Foundaryside books, but with lots of aliens. Oh, how neat those aliens are. This isn’t a straight up murder mystery. It is more a tale of how two unlikely individuals come to trust one another. Plus lots of fighting and magic. And aliens.
Iari, the templar, is played straight. It is Gaer that makes the book really come together. He is a spy, but also an arithmancer, a wonderful term for techno-mage. He has enough character for an entire squad of templars. The author shifts perspective between chapters and those that are from Gaer’s perspective illuminate his internal snark.
Plus Gaer has given me new swear words to try out. Even Iari comments that they seem to work better than those found in common speech. How many recent books have done that?
At the end it leads the reader to believe there are more stories around the group that surrounds Iari & Gaer. I look forward to future tales in the universe of the Weep.
=====
[Gaer] bared his teeth, the vakari way to say hello, I’m about to kill you.
[Gaer thinking]
...a setatir storm in the middle of the setatir night.
Gaer bit back a how the setat should I know that because, well, he already had an idea.
What I found was a story full of wonderfully crafted characters in a world where technology & magic are fused together. It is a bit like Robert Jackson Bennett’s Foundaryside books, but with lots of aliens. Oh, how neat those aliens are. This isn’t a straight up murder mystery. It is more a tale of how two unlikely individuals come to trust one another. Plus lots of fighting and magic. And aliens.
Iari, the templar, is played straight. It is Gaer that makes the book really come together. He is a spy, but also an arithmancer, a wonderful term for techno-mage. He has enough character for an entire squad of templars. The author shifts perspective between chapters and those that are from Gaer’s perspective illuminate his internal snark.
Plus Gaer has given me new swear words to try out. Even Iari comments that they seem to work better than those found in common speech. How many recent books have done that?
At the end it leads the reader to believe there are more stories around the group that surrounds Iari & Gaer. I look forward to future tales in the universe of the Weep.
=====
[Gaer] bared his teeth, the vakari way to say hello, I’m about to kill you.
[Gaer thinking]
...a setatir storm in the middle of the setatir night.
Gaer bit back a how the setat should I know that because, well, he already had an idea.
March 2, 2022
Meh. They're calling this The Weep #1. Don't think I'll be sticking around for the end of this series. I didn't really quite grasp the whole situation of the different wars and alliances between the species. And I never got a great understanding of the different species either. More than anything, the bleakness of this world wore me down.
May 28, 2022
My first 5-star read of 2022 was entirely worth waiting for.
Because I fucking loved this story.
And do you wanna know how much I loved it?
It doesn’t even have a map.
Yeah, I know. A SFF read without a map and I’m not shitting all over it for it’s audacity.
What a time to be alive and reading.
Now I'm not sure if this was the intention of this story, but if I was to make comparisons, Nightwatch on the Hinterlands is what I imagine a mash-up of the buddy cop dynamics of Rush Hour but make it darker and more horror inclined with a strong female lead like Ripley in Aliens alongside a potential invasion of demon-like monsters that must be prevented at all costs akin to the original Doom or Quake video games would be.
Is that a lot to contend with?
Yes.
Did I love every minute of it?
A resounding yes.
The writing of this story is informal but not uncouth. It’s very much reminiscent of inner dialogue and thought and it feels very real. I dig it. I also dig how informative it is at the same time; there’s no infodump, but information sharing with a dose of slight snark. The casualness of the dialogue is still steeped in we mean business and it worked so well for me.
What’s interesting about the informal writing style is that I think sometimes there was some grammar that could be touched up - as if it was a typo or something that slipped past an editor - but then when I read over the section again, I was left with a sense of intention behind the supposed mistakes. Like perhaps the mistakes were not mistakes but rather a stylistic choice to impart sentiments of a more internal nature and thus an extemporaneous one as well. It was quick but not bothersome and truly I’m still intrigued at how strong a voice it cultivates. It all contributes to this blunt, no time, no nonsense writing style and I really liked it. It was very effective at capturing the sense of urgency and danger that’s coupled to the investigation and at propelling the plot along.
So it’s really no surprise that I was so freaking into all of it: the fast pace, the action, the brief glimpses we got of the characters' backstories and inner thoughts, THE WORLDBUILDING. All of it! It was fantastic, and so easy to slip into that even when I was immediately lost in the world when I started, I actually enjoyed all that was unknown. There’s so much I still don’t know or truly understand but I felt so immersed in the plot that I was in awe of everything happening around me in the story. It starts off with such a solid start despite the reader’s lack of comprehension of the world and it’s workings. There’s a distinct lack of knowledge but as you learn more it almost feels intuitive at the same time. There’s truly something captivating about the writing that’s just did it for me.
And the way information is relayed to the reader works so well for me because the pacing is so in the moment, only the relevant and applicable information needed by the characters to react accordingly is provided. There’s no needless dives into historical tangents, no info dumps that express too much in too little time. It’s all very blunt and catered to the character’s perspective.
And the worldbuilding? Fucking stellar. I love this world and the violence that it leans into; the Brood are terrifyingly vicious monsters of the nightmare variety, the vakari arrogance is fascinating and amusing, the arithmancy descriptions are not daunting in the least and the indentured service of the riev makes their lack of person status grate that much more. I was almost immediately invested in everything and I‘m so excited that what was originally planned as a standalone will actually be getting a sequel.
I even became fascinated with the religious aspects, which were more of a core aspect of the novel than I initially anticipated, but they really take the edge off all the tense situations that this hodgepodge assortment of characters find themselves in. And with how solid the characterization is, it complemented the relationship dynamics of the team so well, because it was very evident that the team was in its early days, but there was this fluidity and resilience to them as a whole which was already so strong. Trust is not easy between the members due to their differing races and upbringings but they’re forced to attempt it because they won’t survive otherwise, and it’s simply wonderful.
It’s high octane, high danger, high stakes, bleak as fuck and I just freaking love everything about it. The bureaucratic bullshit between the PK and Aedis just breeds this brilliant flavour of tension that I could not get enough of. The political intrigue was sky high between the Aedis and Five Tribes. Iari’s got this strength to her character that is completely separate from her gender; she’s just a bad ass templar through and through. That coupled with Gaer's sarcasm was everything. And Char is incredibly endearing despite having such robotic delivery in his speech (the curse of being riev). Even the mecha had varying degrees of personality: you could conspire with them, they occasionally made jokes and yet they still embraced all that was deadpan and lack of expression.
I lived for the illegal aura readings, the Brood battles, the traipsing around B-Town in full gear and becoming the talk of the town wherever they went, the blasphemy of the Aedis when they wired tech with flesh, the silent prayers to Ptah, the commitment to rank, everything. This was truly such an inventive story and world and I’m still revelling in its volatility.
It’s not even a question that I recommend this without a second thought to anyone that’s even remotely interested in sci-fi mystery, because there’s some noir and horror elements, friendship and found family vibes and a whole lot of action that made it so I couldn’t put it down.
I enjoyed this so much, and this book needs so much more love, so go read it.
Because I fucking loved this story.
And do you wanna know how much I loved it?
It doesn’t even have a map.
Yeah, I know. A SFF read without a map and I’m not shitting all over it for it’s audacity.
What a time to be alive and reading.
Now I'm not sure if this was the intention of this story, but if I was to make comparisons, Nightwatch on the Hinterlands is what I imagine a mash-up of the buddy cop dynamics of Rush Hour but make it darker and more horror inclined with a strong female lead like Ripley in Aliens alongside a potential invasion of demon-like monsters that must be prevented at all costs akin to the original Doom or Quake video games would be.
Is that a lot to contend with?
Yes.
Did I love every minute of it?
A resounding yes.
The writing of this story is informal but not uncouth. It’s very much reminiscent of inner dialogue and thought and it feels very real. I dig it. I also dig how informative it is at the same time; there’s no infodump, but information sharing with a dose of slight snark. The casualness of the dialogue is still steeped in we mean business and it worked so well for me.
What’s interesting about the informal writing style is that I think sometimes there was some grammar that could be touched up - as if it was a typo or something that slipped past an editor - but then when I read over the section again, I was left with a sense of intention behind the supposed mistakes. Like perhaps the mistakes were not mistakes but rather a stylistic choice to impart sentiments of a more internal nature and thus an extemporaneous one as well. It was quick but not bothersome and truly I’m still intrigued at how strong a voice it cultivates. It all contributes to this blunt, no time, no nonsense writing style and I really liked it. It was very effective at capturing the sense of urgency and danger that’s coupled to the investigation and at propelling the plot along.
So it’s really no surprise that I was so freaking into all of it: the fast pace, the action, the brief glimpses we got of the characters' backstories and inner thoughts, THE WORLDBUILDING. All of it! It was fantastic, and so easy to slip into that even when I was immediately lost in the world when I started, I actually enjoyed all that was unknown. There’s so much I still don’t know or truly understand but I felt so immersed in the plot that I was in awe of everything happening around me in the story. It starts off with such a solid start despite the reader’s lack of comprehension of the world and it’s workings. There’s a distinct lack of knowledge but as you learn more it almost feels intuitive at the same time. There’s truly something captivating about the writing that’s just did it for me.
And the way information is relayed to the reader works so well for me because the pacing is so in the moment, only the relevant and applicable information needed by the characters to react accordingly is provided. There’s no needless dives into historical tangents, no info dumps that express too much in too little time. It’s all very blunt and catered to the character’s perspective.
And the worldbuilding? Fucking stellar. I love this world and the violence that it leans into; the Brood are terrifyingly vicious monsters of the nightmare variety, the vakari arrogance is fascinating and amusing, the arithmancy descriptions are not daunting in the least and the indentured service of the riev makes their lack of person status grate that much more. I was almost immediately invested in everything and I‘m so excited that what was originally planned as a standalone will actually be getting a sequel.
I even became fascinated with the religious aspects, which were more of a core aspect of the novel than I initially anticipated, but they really take the edge off all the tense situations that this hodgepodge assortment of characters find themselves in. And with how solid the characterization is, it complemented the relationship dynamics of the team so well, because it was very evident that the team was in its early days, but there was this fluidity and resilience to them as a whole which was already so strong. Trust is not easy between the members due to their differing races and upbringings but they’re forced to attempt it because they won’t survive otherwise, and it’s simply wonderful.
It’s high octane, high danger, high stakes, bleak as fuck and I just freaking love everything about it. The bureaucratic bullshit between the PK and Aedis just breeds this brilliant flavour of tension that I could not get enough of. The political intrigue was sky high between the Aedis and Five Tribes. Iari’s got this strength to her character that is completely separate from her gender; she’s just a bad ass templar through and through. That coupled with Gaer's sarcasm was everything. And Char is incredibly endearing despite having such robotic delivery in his speech (the curse of being riev). Even the mecha had varying degrees of personality: you could conspire with them, they occasionally made jokes and yet they still embraced all that was deadpan and lack of expression.
I lived for the illegal aura readings, the Brood battles, the traipsing around B-Town in full gear and becoming the talk of the town wherever they went, the blasphemy of the Aedis when they wired tech with flesh, the silent prayers to Ptah, the commitment to rank, everything. This was truly such an inventive story and world and I’m still revelling in its volatility.
It’s not even a question that I recommend this without a second thought to anyone that’s even remotely interested in sci-fi mystery, because there’s some noir and horror elements, friendship and found family vibes and a whole lot of action that made it so I couldn’t put it down.
I enjoyed this so much, and this book needs so much more love, so go read it.
October 25, 2021
Nightwatch on the Hinterlands (Weep 1) by K. Eason is sci-fi set in the same universe as her earlier Rory Thorne series. Not having read that, I can’t say if characters from it make an appearance, but the plot doesn’t hint at a connection and the book can easily be read as a standalone.
That said, the first part of the book seemed to assume a greater knowledge of the world than this reader had. It took a while to get into, but it didn’t slow down the reading much. However, I still have some questions about the appearances of various species and the location of B-town.
The book is set on a remote, unremarkable planet called Tenhu. The only thing that makes it interesting is the Weep, a huge fissure in space to another dimension that runs through it. Deadly creatures called the Brood bleed from there, which requires a constant presence of Templars to make sure they don’t get out.
The world is a combination of (mostly) low-tech sci-fi and high fantasy. There’s space travel and nanotech, which gives strength to and heals the Templars, but hexes are used for powering their armour. Arithmancy and other spells are used in battle (the Weep was created by a massive spell). The town where the events take place doesn’t have any transportation and people walk everywhere, which gives it a fantasy feeling. Both sides, sci-fi and fantasy, go together seamlessly and make an interesting and unique whole.
Iari is a Templar of a large, tusked species native to the planet called tenju. She’s been relegated to babysitting Gaer, an ambassador from the vakari, an insectoid species with highly advanced arithmancy (they’re responsible for the Weep). The vakari used to be the enemy before the Brood became the common threat, and Gaer is the only representative of his species on Tenhu. He’s also a spy.
Both have their own point of view chapters, and I found them interesting and likeable characters. Iari is a highly dedicated Templar with a tight moral core, even if she has a habit of questioning her orders. Gaer was a unique character with his arithmancy and ability to read auras. The third point of view character, Corso, was a down on his luck PI and Iari’s former commander. He was a good addition, even if his POV chapters were mostly plot-related.
Nightwatch on the Hinterlands is a murder mystery that gains larger proportions. An artificer of a species called Wichu, who are responsible for the technology and magic that powers the templars, is killed. The killer seems clear: a riev. They’re battle-mechas, constructs that are part (dead) people of different species, part mechanic, and also Wichu creations. As the first on the crime scene, Iari and Gaer begin to investigate.
From the start they run into anomalies. Riev aren’t supposed to kill. They’re not supposed to have singular identities or individual desires, but they do. One of them, Char, even ends up as part of Iari’s team and was one of my favourites. But the anomalies don’t end there. They run into Brood that act as if they’re being commanded. But who’s commanding them and why?
This was a slow but enjoyable mystery with bursts of violent action. All its elements stem from the unique features of the world, which makes the story feel organic and interesting. The motivations of the killer remained a mystery though, but the next book will be about that. I’m looking forward to reading it.
I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
That said, the first part of the book seemed to assume a greater knowledge of the world than this reader had. It took a while to get into, but it didn’t slow down the reading much. However, I still have some questions about the appearances of various species and the location of B-town.
The book is set on a remote, unremarkable planet called Tenhu. The only thing that makes it interesting is the Weep, a huge fissure in space to another dimension that runs through it. Deadly creatures called the Brood bleed from there, which requires a constant presence of Templars to make sure they don’t get out.
The world is a combination of (mostly) low-tech sci-fi and high fantasy. There’s space travel and nanotech, which gives strength to and heals the Templars, but hexes are used for powering their armour. Arithmancy and other spells are used in battle (the Weep was created by a massive spell). The town where the events take place doesn’t have any transportation and people walk everywhere, which gives it a fantasy feeling. Both sides, sci-fi and fantasy, go together seamlessly and make an interesting and unique whole.
Iari is a Templar of a large, tusked species native to the planet called tenju. She’s been relegated to babysitting Gaer, an ambassador from the vakari, an insectoid species with highly advanced arithmancy (they’re responsible for the Weep). The vakari used to be the enemy before the Brood became the common threat, and Gaer is the only representative of his species on Tenhu. He’s also a spy.
Both have their own point of view chapters, and I found them interesting and likeable characters. Iari is a highly dedicated Templar with a tight moral core, even if she has a habit of questioning her orders. Gaer was a unique character with his arithmancy and ability to read auras. The third point of view character, Corso, was a down on his luck PI and Iari’s former commander. He was a good addition, even if his POV chapters were mostly plot-related.
Nightwatch on the Hinterlands is a murder mystery that gains larger proportions. An artificer of a species called Wichu, who are responsible for the technology and magic that powers the templars, is killed. The killer seems clear: a riev. They’re battle-mechas, constructs that are part (dead) people of different species, part mechanic, and also Wichu creations. As the first on the crime scene, Iari and Gaer begin to investigate.
From the start they run into anomalies. Riev aren’t supposed to kill. They’re not supposed to have singular identities or individual desires, but they do. One of them, Char, even ends up as part of Iari’s team and was one of my favourites. But the anomalies don’t end there. They run into Brood that act as if they’re being commanded. But who’s commanding them and why?
This was a slow but enjoyable mystery with bursts of violent action. All its elements stem from the unique features of the world, which makes the story feel organic and interesting. The motivations of the killer remained a mystery though, but the next book will be about that. I’m looking forward to reading it.
I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 19, 2023
I want to preface my review by clarifying that I haven't read K. Eason's other work, and I also don't usually read murder mysteries. I mention this because I've read a few other reviews here that mention this book is set in the same universe as another series and that having read them helps you understand the history/worldbuilding a bit better, and also because I'm unfamiliar enough with the tropes of the mystery genre that I may not have picked up on certain tropes and conventions.
With that in mind, I can say that I genuinely enjoyed this book. I was looking for a fun and fast-paced sci-fi, and Nightwatch certainly delivered. I liked watching the mystery unfold, and the slow but steady humanization(?) of the riev was a lot of fun for me as someone who really vibes with stories about the ethics of AI. I also disagree with a lot of the reviews that say the setting feels overexplained—there were certainly places where it felt like we were getting a lot of detail at once, but I personally feel like we drop really neatly into the middle of things and only get added context about the history of the war and the alien races when it's particularly relevant.
I do think the mystery feels a little overexplained in places, though, and I wasn't a fan of how it was handled overall. The multiple POVs lead to a few instances of dramatic irony in which we know the answers to questions Iani and Gaer haven't started asking yet, and spend a couple chapters waiting for them to catch up. It's a sort of falsely generated tension that slows down the story instead of speeding it up. There are also a few characters that are introduced purely for the sake of conveniently delivering exactly the right information at exactly the right time, so the whole thing progresses in a tidy, linear way that I feel takes away from the winding fun of a mystery. Again, I don't spend a lot of time with this genre, but I like when new information contextualizes old clues instead of being a perfectly polished and packaged clue all on its own.
I also want to touch on the detail that is simultaneously my favorite and least favorite part of the book—Gaer is straight-up just Garrus Vakarian from Mass Effect and it's so obvious that it's ridiculous. I'm genuinely surprised that I didn't see any other reviews that mentioned it, because it's apparent within a couple pages of him being introduced and the similarities only grow more egregious from there. Even without considering the name (his name is the first syllable of "Garrus" and his race is the "vakari," are you absolutely joking me), the dude is described as a "bird-dinosaur," participated in mandatory military service, expresses emotions primarily with his jaw plates, wears a blue-tinted optic, and . Yeah, he's an arithmancer, but most of his arithmancy involves doing calibrations on other runes and such.
Am I mad about this? No, I am a chronic and terminal Garrus lover—I was delighted from start to finish. I just think the fact that it was so obvious is a bit of a problem; should I be spending the entirety of a traditionally published book feeling like I'm reading an AU? If it's a coincidence, it's a hell of a coincidence. If it's not, I feel like someone should have caught this.
I definitely still recommend it, though, especially to Mass Effect fans.
With that in mind, I can say that I genuinely enjoyed this book. I was looking for a fun and fast-paced sci-fi, and Nightwatch certainly delivered. I liked watching the mystery unfold, and the slow but steady humanization(?) of the riev was a lot of fun for me as someone who really vibes with stories about the ethics of AI. I also disagree with a lot of the reviews that say the setting feels overexplained—there were certainly places where it felt like we were getting a lot of detail at once, but I personally feel like we drop really neatly into the middle of things and only get added context about the history of the war and the alien races when it's particularly relevant.
I do think the mystery feels a little overexplained in places, though, and I wasn't a fan of how it was handled overall. The multiple POVs lead to a few instances of dramatic irony in which we know the answers to questions Iani and Gaer haven't started asking yet, and spend a couple chapters waiting for them to catch up. It's a sort of falsely generated tension that slows down the story instead of speeding it up. There are also a few characters that are introduced purely for the sake of conveniently delivering exactly the right information at exactly the right time, so the whole thing progresses in a tidy, linear way that I feel takes away from the winding fun of a mystery. Again, I don't spend a lot of time with this genre, but I like when new information contextualizes old clues instead of being a perfectly polished and packaged clue all on its own.
I also want to touch on the detail that is simultaneously my favorite and least favorite part of the book—Gaer is straight-up just Garrus Vakarian from Mass Effect and it's so obvious that it's ridiculous. I'm genuinely surprised that I didn't see any other reviews that mentioned it, because it's apparent within a couple pages of him being introduced and the similarities only grow more egregious from there. Even without considering the name (his name is the first syllable of "Garrus" and his race is the "vakari," are you absolutely joking me), the dude is described as a "bird-dinosaur," participated in mandatory military service, expresses emotions primarily with his jaw plates, wears a blue-tinted optic, and . Yeah, he's an arithmancer, but most of his arithmancy involves doing calibrations on other runes and such.
Am I mad about this? No, I am a chronic and terminal Garrus lover—I was delighted from start to finish. I just think the fact that it was so obvious is a bit of a problem; should I be spending the entirety of a traditionally published book feeling like I'm reading an AU? If it's a coincidence, it's a hell of a coincidence. If it's not, I feel like someone should have caught this.
I definitely still recommend it, though, especially to Mass Effect fans.
June 29, 2023
Nightwatch on the Hinterlands is a fast-paced science fiction mystery with alien battles, espionage, and alarmingly slim odds. It kicks off a new spin-off series from the Rory Thorne duology, which laid some groundwork for me to understand the major players in terms of species and politics. Other than that, there isn't a big crossover element since Rory & Co.'s tale is a part of history when this story takes place. I suspect a reader could pick this up without the background and learn what they needed as they went, but I'm not sure how the world-building would seem in that context in terms of legibility and density.
The book uses many familiar science fiction elements in clever forms. I was reminded of Mass Effect and Star Wars at certain points and more far-flung World of Warcraft and noir detective stories at others. But that isn't to say the book is stale or lacking its own spark of life. The arithmancy and hex work introduced in Rory Thorne continues to intrigue, and this book takes more the route of using this magic-like tool nonchalantly rather than the theoretical examination offered in the original duology. I think it's easy enough to follow as is. I enjoy the theory side, but I appreciated reading this without asides to tangle things up. If you aren't bothered by a lack of detailed explanation in your magic systems, I think you're good to go just experiencing it when it comes up in this book.
The story gives us two loveable protagonists, unlikely friends and steadfast allies. Iari is a Templar, part of a religious organization that protects the world from Brood, nightmarish creatures that invade from fissures in reality called The Weep. She fought in the last surge of Brood almost a decade ago and dreads the day the next one begins (it's not a question of if but when). Gaer is a vakari ambassador and not-so-secretly a spy, and his species is still widely distrusted from a war that predates the Weep. Iari has served as his escort for the past year since even his diplomatic status may not be protection enough. During their time together, they've become friends, so when Iari feels duty-bound to investigate a grisly murder that spirals into much more, it's only natural that Gaer tags along. Their investigation takes them into uncharted territory, with magically reanimated corpses gaining sapience, Brood arriving outside of a surge and behaving strangely, and a spooky altar not attached to a known religion that features blood stains and unfamiliar, impossible arithmancy. Gaer is curious about the work of the unknown arithmancer, working on puzzling out the how and the why. He's also determined to support his friend, who always seems to be throwing herself into danger to protect everyone else. The way Iari sticks to her morals with bullheaded certainty and brings out the best in everyone else is uplifting. She cares about everyone and makes tough decisions to step in and help others when it's the more difficult path. By the end of the book, we see a circle of loyal friends growing around her, and my heart grew a few sizes. The mystery is compelling and the battle scenes riveting, but it was the characters and relationships that won me over. There's also some high-quality banter, and my fingers are crossed for a romantic subplot in book two. P.S. Iari is a bi icon, so that deserves its own shoutout and recognition.
The book uses many familiar science fiction elements in clever forms. I was reminded of Mass Effect and Star Wars at certain points and more far-flung World of Warcraft and noir detective stories at others. But that isn't to say the book is stale or lacking its own spark of life. The arithmancy and hex work introduced in Rory Thorne continues to intrigue, and this book takes more the route of using this magic-like tool nonchalantly rather than the theoretical examination offered in the original duology. I think it's easy enough to follow as is. I enjoy the theory side, but I appreciated reading this without asides to tangle things up. If you aren't bothered by a lack of detailed explanation in your magic systems, I think you're good to go just experiencing it when it comes up in this book.
The story gives us two loveable protagonists, unlikely friends and steadfast allies. Iari is a Templar, part of a religious organization that protects the world from Brood, nightmarish creatures that invade from fissures in reality called The Weep. She fought in the last surge of Brood almost a decade ago and dreads the day the next one begins (it's not a question of if but when). Gaer is a vakari ambassador and not-so-secretly a spy, and his species is still widely distrusted from a war that predates the Weep. Iari has served as his escort for the past year since even his diplomatic status may not be protection enough. During their time together, they've become friends, so when Iari feels duty-bound to investigate a grisly murder that spirals into much more, it's only natural that Gaer tags along. Their investigation takes them into uncharted territory, with magically reanimated corpses gaining sapience, Brood arriving outside of a surge and behaving strangely, and a spooky altar not attached to a known religion that features blood stains and unfamiliar, impossible arithmancy. Gaer is curious about the work of the unknown arithmancer, working on puzzling out the how and the why. He's also determined to support his friend, who always seems to be throwing herself into danger to protect everyone else. The way Iari sticks to her morals with bullheaded certainty and brings out the best in everyone else is uplifting. She cares about everyone and makes tough decisions to step in and help others when it's the more difficult path. By the end of the book, we see a circle of loyal friends growing around her, and my heart grew a few sizes. The mystery is compelling and the battle scenes riveting, but it was the characters and relationships that won me over. There's also some high-quality banter, and my fingers are crossed for a romantic subplot in book two. P.S. Iari is a bi icon, so that deserves its own shoutout and recognition.
May 3, 2022
3.5 stars for me.
To see my full review on The Bossy Bookworm, to link to the Greedy Reading List Six Great Stories about Robots, Humans and Alien Life, and AI, or to find out about Bossy reviews and Greedy Reading Lists as soon as they're posted, please see Nightwatch on the Hinterlands.
Find hundreds of reviews and lots of roundups of my favorite books on the blog: Bossy Bookworm
Follow me on Instagram! @bossybookwormblog
Or Facebook! The Bossy Bookworm
In K. Eason's science fiction mystery Nightwatch on the Hinterlands, a templar, Iari, and a spy, Gaer, have built a somewhat formal working relationship. Neither is quite sure where the other's loyalties begin and end, nor are they intimately acquainted with the other's history or personal motivations.
They begin to forge a stronger bond (despite how irritating they each find the other), but there's no time to waste, because high-stakes danger is quickly building to a crisis point around them.
Iari and Gaer band together to solve the mystery of a murder committed by a riev, a decommissioned battle-mecha robot from the last conflict--a murder that shouldn't have been possible, because everyone knows rievs don't kill. Yet all evidence points to the impossible, and odd evidence piles up, then vanishes--as do the witnesses and promising contacts who might have illuminated Iari and Gaer as to the local dynamics and the power dynamics of the local criminal world.
Searching for the truth leads the unlikely duo on a search to uncover who is controlling the riev--and they find that it's someone with nefarious goals that go much farther and are much more elaborately imagined than one recent killing.
I think this was because of personal timing and my reading-during-vacation distraction circumstances, but I did have ongoing trouble following the logistics and political machinations and motivations here.
It didn't matter, though, because I was most invested in and engaged by the interplay of characters--particularly the grudging friendship and grumpily built but rock-solid loyalty between Iari and Gaer. And I was wholly charmed by the rievs (former battle robots) who mysteriously show sentience and surprising preferences for personal pronouns, and who are set on reinventing themselves in drastic fashion.
To see my full review on The Bossy Bookworm, to link to the Greedy Reading List Six Great Stories about Robots, Humans and Alien Life, and AI, or to find out about Bossy reviews and Greedy Reading Lists as soon as they're posted, please see Nightwatch on the Hinterlands.
Find hundreds of reviews and lots of roundups of my favorite books on the blog: Bossy Bookworm
Follow me on Instagram! @bossybookwormblog
Or Facebook! The Bossy Bookworm
In K. Eason's science fiction mystery Nightwatch on the Hinterlands, a templar, Iari, and a spy, Gaer, have built a somewhat formal working relationship. Neither is quite sure where the other's loyalties begin and end, nor are they intimately acquainted with the other's history or personal motivations.
They begin to forge a stronger bond (despite how irritating they each find the other), but there's no time to waste, because high-stakes danger is quickly building to a crisis point around them.
Iari and Gaer band together to solve the mystery of a murder committed by a riev, a decommissioned battle-mecha robot from the last conflict--a murder that shouldn't have been possible, because everyone knows rievs don't kill. Yet all evidence points to the impossible, and odd evidence piles up, then vanishes--as do the witnesses and promising contacts who might have illuminated Iari and Gaer as to the local dynamics and the power dynamics of the local criminal world.
Searching for the truth leads the unlikely duo on a search to uncover who is controlling the riev--and they find that it's someone with nefarious goals that go much farther and are much more elaborately imagined than one recent killing.
I think this was because of personal timing and my reading-during-vacation distraction circumstances, but I did have ongoing trouble following the logistics and political machinations and motivations here.
It didn't matter, though, because I was most invested in and engaged by the interplay of characters--particularly the grudging friendship and grumpily built but rock-solid loyalty between Iari and Gaer. And I was wholly charmed by the rievs (former battle robots) who mysteriously show sentience and surprising preferences for personal pronouns, and who are set on reinventing themselves in drastic fashion.
November 5, 2021
[Potential bias alert: I know the author a little.]
This novel begins a new arc with new characters set in the same multiverse as the author's duology "The Thorne Chronicles." Where the earlier duology combined space opera with retold fairy tale, this book has a noir thriller feel: dark urban streets with menace aplenty. I liked it very much. While it is very far from a copy of the Murderbot stories by Martha Wells, it shares some of that verve, and, in one of its plot threads, a concern for beings that are part-organic, part-construct, stripped of rights.
First and foremost, which is true also of Eason's other work, I loved the characters, both the protagonists and the supporting cast. The narrative switches between two major and one supporting point-of-view characters. There's Lieutenant Iari, a templar sworn to defend against the (terrifying) Brood. There's Gaer, an ambassdor and arithmancer from the species Iari's side formerly fought against in a bitter war. There's Corso, once Iari's sergeant, now a civilian investigator. None are human, but all are essentially human. All three are great, though I have a special soft spot for Gaer. The characters are great, but it is the interactions between the characters, their chancy friendships that are best of all.
The story is compelling and atmospheric, throwing the reader headlong into its world from the first page. The prose is alive with wit, but never undermines its characters. The action scenes are flamboyant and distinctive. I love Eason's depiction of arithmancy -- also prevalent in "The Thorne Chronicles" -- as something that straddles the border between math and magic.
Four out of five arithmantic stars.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
This novel begins a new arc with new characters set in the same multiverse as the author's duology "The Thorne Chronicles." Where the earlier duology combined space opera with retold fairy tale, this book has a noir thriller feel: dark urban streets with menace aplenty. I liked it very much. While it is very far from a copy of the Murderbot stories by Martha Wells, it shares some of that verve, and, in one of its plot threads, a concern for beings that are part-organic, part-construct, stripped of rights.
First and foremost, which is true also of Eason's other work, I loved the characters, both the protagonists and the supporting cast. The narrative switches between two major and one supporting point-of-view characters. There's Lieutenant Iari, a templar sworn to defend against the (terrifying) Brood. There's Gaer, an ambassdor and arithmancer from the species Iari's side formerly fought against in a bitter war. There's Corso, once Iari's sergeant, now a civilian investigator. None are human, but all are essentially human. All three are great, though I have a special soft spot for Gaer. The characters are great, but it is the interactions between the characters, their chancy friendships that are best of all.
The story is compelling and atmospheric, throwing the reader headlong into its world from the first page. The prose is alive with wit, but never undermines its characters. The action scenes are flamboyant and distinctive. I love Eason's depiction of arithmancy -- also prevalent in "The Thorne Chronicles" -- as something that straddles the border between math and magic.
Four out of five arithmantic stars.
About my reviews: I try to review every book I read, including those that I don't end up enjoying. The reviews are not scholarly, but just indicate my reaction as a reader, reading being my addiction. I am miserly with 5-star reviews; 4 stars means I liked a book very much; 3 stars means I liked it; 2 stars means I didn't like it (though often the 2-star books are very popular with other readers and/or are by authors whose other work I've loved).
January 26, 2023
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in The Weep series; right now there are two books in this series. I got an eGalley of this book through NetGalley to review.
Thoughts: This is the first book in The Weep series, which is a spin-off series of The Thorne Chronicles (which I have not read). I ended up enjoying this quite a bit. This first book is a bit of an info dump and I initially struggled to sort all the sci-fi terms and races, but once I got further into the story this wasn't an issue.
We mainly follow Lieutenant Iari who is a Templar. Now that their nation is no longer at war the Templar are assigned with protecting the peace in the town Iari lives in. Iari to called to some commotion and expects a fight or robbery but instead finds out a Riev has murdered someone. The Riev's aren't supposed to kill people, they are biomechanical soldiers that were decommissioned after the war. She fears that this is tied somehow to The Weep, which can cause breaches in reality.
Iari is joined by Gaer, a vakari ambassador, who is a previous enemy of Iari's people and an arithmancer. Gaer has his own agenda but for now decides to help Iari unravel this mystery. All of the characters in this book are highly entertaining and I loved reading about them.
This is fast-paced and action packed and was hard to put down. There's a lot to get your mind around here. There's a whole history of alien races and their interactions, the concept of the Weep which is warping reality in spots, and the different technologies (arithmancy and other biotech). I enjoyed unraveling it all and of course there is a very well done mystery. If you strip all the sci-fi away this is basically a well done investigative mystery.
I thought this was well written and easy to read and really ended up enjoying the world, the characters, and the plot. I definitely plan on continuing the series. This was very different from a lot of other sci-fi I have read and I enjoyed it.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoyed this. If you can get based all the initial data dumping, it's a fun story. There's a ton of action in here, some intriguing concepts, and some cool aliens races. I really ended up having a fun time reading this and look forward to reading the second book in the series. I would recommend if you enjoy space opera with a lot of mystery and action and some fun alien races.
Thoughts: This is the first book in The Weep series, which is a spin-off series of The Thorne Chronicles (which I have not read). I ended up enjoying this quite a bit. This first book is a bit of an info dump and I initially struggled to sort all the sci-fi terms and races, but once I got further into the story this wasn't an issue.
We mainly follow Lieutenant Iari who is a Templar. Now that their nation is no longer at war the Templar are assigned with protecting the peace in the town Iari lives in. Iari to called to some commotion and expects a fight or robbery but instead finds out a Riev has murdered someone. The Riev's aren't supposed to kill people, they are biomechanical soldiers that were decommissioned after the war. She fears that this is tied somehow to The Weep, which can cause breaches in reality.
Iari is joined by Gaer, a vakari ambassador, who is a previous enemy of Iari's people and an arithmancer. Gaer has his own agenda but for now decides to help Iari unravel this mystery. All of the characters in this book are highly entertaining and I loved reading about them.
This is fast-paced and action packed and was hard to put down. There's a lot to get your mind around here. There's a whole history of alien races and their interactions, the concept of the Weep which is warping reality in spots, and the different technologies (arithmancy and other biotech). I enjoyed unraveling it all and of course there is a very well done mystery. If you strip all the sci-fi away this is basically a well done investigative mystery.
I thought this was well written and easy to read and really ended up enjoying the world, the characters, and the plot. I definitely plan on continuing the series. This was very different from a lot of other sci-fi I have read and I enjoyed it.
My Summary (4/5): Overall I really enjoyed this. If you can get based all the initial data dumping, it's a fun story. There's a ton of action in here, some intriguing concepts, and some cool aliens races. I really ended up having a fun time reading this and look forward to reading the second book in the series. I would recommend if you enjoy space opera with a lot of mystery and action and some fun alien races.
hard-dnf
December 28, 2024Usually I would give a book to 20% before DNFing but I just couldn't. I was extremely confused the whole time I was reading. The writing is very flat with little to no emotion and I just couldn't get into it. I felt like I was reading a text book. There were also a lot of terminology used based in this world with very little explanation of meaning. This made the experience very choppy as I was constantly stopping to try and make sense of things that had no explanation. Not to mention the over usage of 'big words' that felt uanessacry. I'm no English major and neither are most people & I feel like a lot of people would struggle with this writing like I did. Between the made up terminology & the 'big words' I had no idea what was a real word that I just wasn't familiar with & what was made up.
I have read books before based around topics I am unfamiliar with. Take This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada for an example. I have no knowledge of the tech discussed and very little regarding DNA and the science stuff mentioned but it was explained in a way that could make sense to anyone and also didn't feel like info dumping. It can be done but from what I read so far of this book the execution just wasn't there.
Also am I the only one that has a pet hate for every name in a book being impossible to pronounce? I don't mind unique names but if EVERY single character has a name where I literally have no idea where to even start to pronounce it it starts getting annoying and hard to follow. This one had that for both character names & locations! Can we normalise pronunciation guides at the start of books please?!
I have read books before based around topics I am unfamiliar with. Take This Mortal Coil by Emily Suvada for an example. I have no knowledge of the tech discussed and very little regarding DNA and the science stuff mentioned but it was explained in a way that could make sense to anyone and also didn't feel like info dumping. It can be done but from what I read so far of this book the execution just wasn't there.
Also am I the only one that has a pet hate for every name in a book being impossible to pronounce? I don't mind unique names but if EVERY single character has a name where I literally have no idea where to even start to pronounce it it starts getting annoying and hard to follow. This one had that for both character names & locations! Can we normalise pronunciation guides at the start of books please?!
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