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Twenty Palaces #4
The Iron Gate
Stormy Bay is a dying town nestled against an eerily placid ocean, and Ray Lilly is trapped in it. He can barely remember his name let alone his mission for the Twenty Palace society. Worse, he realizes that for some time now he’s been living as a puppet, his body and mind under the complete domination of an unknown power, and the townsfolk think this puppet is his real identity.
And that power can still seize control of Ray’s body at any time, forcing him and the people around him to playact in nonsense stories that center around a mysterious boy and his monster dog.
The town and its people shift and change, but only Ray seems to notice. He has no idea what sort of magic has imprisoned all these ordinary folks in Stormy Bay, but he does know he needs to get them, and himself, out.
But that might mean crossing a line he has never crossed before. While Ray has certainly taken lives in his work for the society, it was always in self-defense or in the desperate moments before impending calamity. Can he bring himself to commit cold-blooded murder, even to save dozens of lives?
A Twenty Palaces novel.
And that power can still seize control of Ray’s body at any time, forcing him and the people around him to playact in nonsense stories that center around a mysterious boy and his monster dog.
The town and its people shift and change, but only Ray seems to notice. He has no idea what sort of magic has imprisoned all these ordinary folks in Stormy Bay, but he does know he needs to get them, and himself, out.
But that might mean crossing a line he has never crossed before. While Ray has certainly taken lives in his work for the society, it was always in self-defense or in the desperate moments before impending calamity. Can he bring himself to commit cold-blooded murder, even to save dozens of lives?
A Twenty Palaces novel.
390 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 27, 2022
49 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
October 2, 2022
CRIMINALLY UNDERRATED
This is one of the best fantasy series ever, especially modern, and I'm thrilled to see it continue.
Buy it.
This is one of the best fantasy series ever, especially modern, and I'm thrilled to see it continue.
Buy it.
October 15, 2022
★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
SETTING THE STAGE
It's been a while since the last Twenty Palaces fiction was published (a novella 5 years ago, a novel more than twice that), let me give a quick review.
Magic is in the world, people who come across a book of it run the risk of opening a gate to another dimension and letting monsters (called predators) into our world. Once in, they won't stop until our reality is gone.
Standing in the way is the Twenty Palaces Society—their peers track down the books and those who are using them and stop them. Almost always this is a lethal stopping. Annalise has been a peer for quite a while now, she gets the job done without really worrying too much about what stands between her and the target.
Ray Lilly is her wooden man. His job is to be a distraction, getting the attention of the troublemakers (human) and the predators focused on him, so Annalise can dispatch them. He's not supposed to survive for long, but somehow he's both lived and proven pretty effective when helping Annalise. Before this, he was a criminal—a car thief, freshly released from prison and trying to live a better life for the sake of the relatives who supported him.
WHAT'S THE IRON GATE ABOUT?
Annalise sends Ray into a building in a small coastal town to do some recon. They know a predator is in the building, but before she does something (probably destroying the building) he goes in—something happens and his ghost knife (the one spell Ray possesses) lands at her feet. Ray's been taken by that predator but is still alive. She cancels the "apocalyptic tsunami of magic" she had planned for the building to wait for Ray to either die (which would get that tsunami rescheduled) or to escape.
Meanwhile, Ray finds himself in an Everytown, USA. Everyone calls him "Carl" and...ugh, I'm just going to copy and paste from the book description, because it's more concise (and better) than what I've come up with:
While she waits to find out what's going on with Ray, Annalise devotes her time, energy, and money into keeping other people from getting access to that building. The last thing she wants is anyone else feeding that monster.
IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS
Ray's Ghost Knife could easily be the MVP of this series. Despite being a simple spell—and Ray's version of it screams "bargain basement" in an endearing and charming way—is a surprisingly effective and reliable piece of magic. It turns out to be as versatile as a certain someone's Sonic Screwdriver.
The way it's utilized in this book is completely different than we've seen before, and is probably responsible for me spending more time thinking about it than I would've otherwise (although it's always been a favorite thing in each book/story). As much as I enjoy the whole world and magic system that Connolly has given us, it might really be this tiny element—which almost seems to be a forgettable gadget when we first saw it—that could be his masterstroke. Just for what it's allowed him to do in each setting.
CHARACTER GROWTH
There are certain characters you run into in novels/series that are formed. They don't display a lot of growth and development and that's fine, they don't need to. Most of the time, that's a flaw in the writing/character design—but sometimes the character just is who they are and that's good. Everyone around them changes and grows, but they remain a rock. Like a rock that Marcus Aurelias would talk about amidst the raging waves.
Annalise Powliss has always seemed like one of those characters to me—Ray and the civilians they were around would change, and Annalise would remain pretty much the same (maybe relaxing a bit and trusting Ray, but that's it). But man, over the course of this novel, things happen to change her. The Annalise who drives away from this is not the one we met in Child of Fire.
I've liked her since the beginning, but this version takes less effort. More than that, I enjoyed watching the transformation (and how much she hated it when she noticed it happening, yet she rolled with it).
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE IRON GATE?
This book is everything I've thought this series could be—not that I thought the previous novels, novellas, short stories, etc. lacked anything, but this seemed to be a slightly better version of them. That's probably because Connolly's a better novelist now than he was when he started the series.
Given the set-up for this series, that extra-dimensional powers are about to break into this reality and devour everything—there's an inherent darkness to the books. Ray, Annalise, and the rest of the Twenty Palaces are the equivalent of the proverbial little Dutch Boy, and they might be running out of fingers to hold back the destruction. There's a sense of futility to what they're about, every victory is Pyrrhic. That doesn't take away from the gripping nature of the storytelling or the entertainment value of the novels—but you don't shake the feeling of impending loss. I didn't feel that this time—I have a few theories to explain it, but most feel inadequate, so I'm not going to share them. I don't know if that's a tweak Connolly's making to the series, something tied to The Iron Gate's events, or if he's setting us up for something. I'll buy any of those explanations—or a combination.
I wonder a little bit if that makes this a more commercial novel than the previous ones. Hopefully—and hopefully word gets out about this book and it finds the audience it deserves.
There's so much in this book to celebrate—the way Ray figures out what's going on and how he tries to address it, everything Annalise gets up to, the way things wrap up, and the promise of the last chapter for what's to come. Connolly is firing on all cylinders here, and it's great to see. You've got unique magic, great action, flawed protagonists, unexpected humor, and a couple of compelling intertwined plots—what more can you ask for?
This would be a good jumping-on point for this series, Connolly gives you enough to get your footing in this world and overarching story while immersing you in this book's plot (actually, he probably made this as accessible for new readers as the first book was). This is an Urban Fantasy for those who want something out-of-the norm, and is well worth your time.
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
“My name is Ray Lilly,” I said to the empty room.
There it was. I’d remembered my name, and with it came the realization that I had come to this place, whatever this place was, to find someone—no idea who at the moment—and kill them.
SETTING THE STAGE
It's been a while since the last Twenty Palaces fiction was published (a novella 5 years ago, a novel more than twice that), let me give a quick review.
Magic is in the world, people who come across a book of it run the risk of opening a gate to another dimension and letting monsters (called predators) into our world. Once in, they won't stop until our reality is gone.
Standing in the way is the Twenty Palaces Society—their peers track down the books and those who are using them and stop them. Almost always this is a lethal stopping. Annalise has been a peer for quite a while now, she gets the job done without really worrying too much about what stands between her and the target.
Ray Lilly is her wooden man. His job is to be a distraction, getting the attention of the troublemakers (human) and the predators focused on him, so Annalise can dispatch them. He's not supposed to survive for long, but somehow he's both lived and proven pretty effective when helping Annalise. Before this, he was a criminal—a car thief, freshly released from prison and trying to live a better life for the sake of the relatives who supported him.
WHAT'S THE IRON GATE ABOUT?
Annalise sends Ray into a building in a small coastal town to do some recon. They know a predator is in the building, but before she does something (probably destroying the building) he goes in—something happens and his ghost knife (the one spell Ray possesses) lands at her feet. Ray's been taken by that predator but is still alive. She cancels the "apocalyptic tsunami of magic" she had planned for the building to wait for Ray to either die (which would get that tsunami rescheduled) or to escape.
Meanwhile, Ray finds himself in an Everytown, USA. Everyone calls him "Carl" and...ugh, I'm just going to copy and paste from the book description, because it's more concise (and better) than what I've come up with:
[Ray] realizes that for some time now he’s been living as a puppet, his body and mind under the complete domination of an unknown power, and the townsfolk think this puppet is his real identity.
And that power can still seize control of Ray’s body at any time, forcing him and the people around him to playact in nonsense stories that center around a mysterious boy and his monster dog.
The town and its people shift and change, but only Ray seems to notice.
While she waits to find out what's going on with Ray, Annalise devotes her time, energy, and money into keeping other people from getting access to that building. The last thing she wants is anyone else feeding that monster.
IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS
Ray's Ghost Knife could easily be the MVP of this series. Despite being a simple spell—and Ray's version of it screams "bargain basement" in an endearing and charming way—is a surprisingly effective and reliable piece of magic. It turns out to be as versatile as a certain someone's Sonic Screwdriver.
The way it's utilized in this book is completely different than we've seen before, and is probably responsible for me spending more time thinking about it than I would've otherwise (although it's always been a favorite thing in each book/story). As much as I enjoy the whole world and magic system that Connolly has given us, it might really be this tiny element—which almost seems to be a forgettable gadget when we first saw it—that could be his masterstroke. Just for what it's allowed him to do in each setting.
CHARACTER GROWTH
There are certain characters you run into in novels/series that are formed. They don't display a lot of growth and development and that's fine, they don't need to. Most of the time, that's a flaw in the writing/character design—but sometimes the character just is who they are and that's good. Everyone around them changes and grows, but they remain a rock. Like a rock that Marcus Aurelias would talk about amidst the raging waves.
Annalise Powliss has always seemed like one of those characters to me—Ray and the civilians they were around would change, and Annalise would remain pretty much the same (maybe relaxing a bit and trusting Ray, but that's it). But man, over the course of this novel, things happen to change her. The Annalise who drives away from this is not the one we met in Child of Fire.
I've liked her since the beginning, but this version takes less effort. More than that, I enjoyed watching the transformation (and how much she hated it when she noticed it happening, yet she rolled with it).
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE IRON GATE?
This book is everything I've thought this series could be—not that I thought the previous novels, novellas, short stories, etc. lacked anything, but this seemed to be a slightly better version of them. That's probably because Connolly's a better novelist now than he was when he started the series.
Given the set-up for this series, that extra-dimensional powers are about to break into this reality and devour everything—there's an inherent darkness to the books. Ray, Annalise, and the rest of the Twenty Palaces are the equivalent of the proverbial little Dutch Boy, and they might be running out of fingers to hold back the destruction. There's a sense of futility to what they're about, every victory is Pyrrhic. That doesn't take away from the gripping nature of the storytelling or the entertainment value of the novels—but you don't shake the feeling of impending loss. I didn't feel that this time—I have a few theories to explain it, but most feel inadequate, so I'm not going to share them. I don't know if that's a tweak Connolly's making to the series, something tied to The Iron Gate's events, or if he's setting us up for something. I'll buy any of those explanations—or a combination.
I wonder a little bit if that makes this a more commercial novel than the previous ones. Hopefully—and hopefully word gets out about this book and it finds the audience it deserves.
There's so much in this book to celebrate—the way Ray figures out what's going on and how he tries to address it, everything Annalise gets up to, the way things wrap up, and the promise of the last chapter for what's to come. Connolly is firing on all cylinders here, and it's great to see. You've got unique magic, great action, flawed protagonists, unexpected humor, and a couple of compelling intertwined plots—what more can you ask for?
This would be a good jumping-on point for this series, Connolly gives you enough to get your footing in this world and overarching story while immersing you in this book's plot (actually, he probably made this as accessible for new readers as the first book was). This is an Urban Fantasy for those who want something out-of-the norm, and is well worth your time.
October 14, 2022
Another 20P book, another winner. Connolly's contemporary setting magic-noir series consistently lands right in my sweet spot and this book is no exception. This outing we even get an extended amount of time and character development for Annalise, who has been a bit of a cypher in past books, as well as a bit more information about Ray's early life. This is /not/ the book to start with, though I think it would be perfectly readable even without being already invested and informed in Ray and Annalise's earlier life. You'd be missing out greatly on a lot of satisfaction that comes with having more questions answered and details fleshed out.
October 7, 2022
I'd probably really give this 4.5 stars overall though I am bumping it up to five because I love this series and have been following it for ten years. The first three books were published by a traditional publisher, and the first one was a best seller, and then the publisher pulled the plug. Instead of just giving up, the author continues to write these stories and self-publish them. He did a kickstarter to get this novel and the next one going.
Ray Lilly is an ex con who got hired to be a "wooden man" - a sort of sacrificial guard for Annalise who works for the secret society of the Twenty Palaces. The Twenty Palaces work tirelessly to stop magical incursions. In this world, there is a magic that people can perform that will get you almost anything you want, but the price is that it is given by monsters from another dimension who want to consume human life. But Ray starts the series in ignorance where he has some small knowledge of magic but doesn't know the scale of things, and is not expected to survive long. Yet somehow his knowledge of human nature helps him survive.
In this novel, Ray is trapped in a world that resembles a cartoon like Scooby Doo and he's the villain of the piece, and he wakes up as his body is being piloted by some kind of malevolent force. He has to remember who he is and figure out why he's there. I guess you could read this book without reading the rest of the series but I wouldn't recommend it!
Ray Lilly is an ex con who got hired to be a "wooden man" - a sort of sacrificial guard for Annalise who works for the secret society of the Twenty Palaces. The Twenty Palaces work tirelessly to stop magical incursions. In this world, there is a magic that people can perform that will get you almost anything you want, but the price is that it is given by monsters from another dimension who want to consume human life. But Ray starts the series in ignorance where he has some small knowledge of magic but doesn't know the scale of things, and is not expected to survive long. Yet somehow his knowledge of human nature helps him survive.
In this novel, Ray is trapped in a world that resembles a cartoon like Scooby Doo and he's the villain of the piece, and he wakes up as his body is being piloted by some kind of malevolent force. He has to remember who he is and figure out why he's there. I guess you could read this book without reading the rest of the series but I wouldn't recommend it!
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November 19, 2022Oooh, another Twenty Palaces book, yaaayyyyy!! If I had a nickel for every gritty supernatural scooby-doo inspired horror novel I’d read in the last few years I’d have at least 2 nickels. Which isn’t a lot but it’s weird it happened twice. Is this a whole sub-genre now?
December 5, 2022
After a long break, this is an interesting return to the series.
The disjointed re-introduction to the main hero's personality, cleverly used in this story works well to get us back into feeling connected with Ray. As well as getting a look at Annalise's bonding with people gives an inside into what it means to live as long as the Peers of the Twenty Palace Society tend to do.
The story itself is split clearly into an A-plot and B-plot, with Ray dealing with the consequences of being a Predators' last meal, and Annalise dealing with being... more human than she is used to over the last several decades or so.
While I personally wasn't the biggest fan of the B-plot I can appreciate what it did for Annalise as a character and hope it will work towards a better dynamic between her and Ray in future books.
The A-plot reads like a nice mystery, with the twist being well executed - that is all the pieces are there for the reader but hidden well enough in the storytelling to surprise you but still be completely logical in retrospect.
The overarching plot also seems to speed up by a lot with how the series introduced a new main antagonist directly competing with our main cast for the three magic books and currently having a bet score than them in that regard.
The disjointed re-introduction to the main hero's personality, cleverly used in this story works well to get us back into feeling connected with Ray. As well as getting a look at Annalise's bonding with people gives an inside into what it means to live as long as the Peers of the Twenty Palace Society tend to do.
The story itself is split clearly into an A-plot and B-plot, with Ray dealing with the consequences of being a Predators' last meal, and Annalise dealing with being... more human than she is used to over the last several decades or so.
While I personally wasn't the biggest fan of the B-plot I can appreciate what it did for Annalise as a character and hope it will work towards a better dynamic between her and Ray in future books.
The A-plot reads like a nice mystery, with the twist being well executed - that is all the pieces are there for the reader but hidden well enough in the storytelling to surprise you but still be completely logical in retrospect.
The overarching plot also seems to speed up by a lot with how the series introduced a new main antagonist directly competing with our main cast for the three magic books and currently having a bet score than them in that regard.
October 16, 2022
I didn’t even know this book was coming out so when I saw it I actually screamed out loud and immediately clicked on the buy now button. This is my favorite UF series. Love the characters, the premise, the whole storyline. This book had a lot of character growth for Annalise which I enjoyed. Ray also had time for an honest look at himself.
February 19, 2023
Liked it, but not sure i needed to know how pretty Ray was.
October 18, 2022
I have waxed lyrical about this series before. To see that, unexpectedly, Connolly was about to drop another 2 installments this year before finishing it up with a final novel next year-ish was very welcome news.
Connolly epitomises the struggle of small to mid-list authors these days. They just can't get any traction, sales wise. This series (not so much the fantasy he turned to in a fit of almost pique after the sales of the first three novels just weren't there) should have been a shoo in for decent sales. Critically acclaimed, universally rated highly by those of us who have read the books, it's sales should grow. That they don't is a great shame.
I punched this out in 2 days as a palate cleanser after some hefty re-reads. My previous views of this series stand. The set-up is nicely skewed from the urban fantasy norm, the characters different if a touch bleak and the actual menace is usually brought by stupid and venal people. As opposed to magical beings fulfilling their one-dimensional nature.
For this book he goes all closed house mystery with a perspective from both inside and outside using his 2 main protagonists. This allows for a really good level of development of said protagonists that maybe had been a little lacking in the series to date.
A firm recommend from me.
Connolly epitomises the struggle of small to mid-list authors these days. They just can't get any traction, sales wise. This series (not so much the fantasy he turned to in a fit of almost pique after the sales of the first three novels just weren't there) should have been a shoo in for decent sales. Critically acclaimed, universally rated highly by those of us who have read the books, it's sales should grow. That they don't is a great shame.
I punched this out in 2 days as a palate cleanser after some hefty re-reads. My previous views of this series stand. The set-up is nicely skewed from the urban fantasy norm, the characters different if a touch bleak and the actual menace is usually brought by stupid and venal people. As opposed to magical beings fulfilling their one-dimensional nature.
For this book he goes all closed house mystery with a perspective from both inside and outside using his 2 main protagonists. This allows for a really good level of development of said protagonists that maybe had been a little lacking in the series to date.
A firm recommend from me.
January 20, 2023
I was disappointed by this book. I enjoyed the previous Twenty Palaces novels and I was glad that Connolly found a way to continue the series as indie-published books. However, this one was in need of an editor. The mystery works fine at first: Ray Lily is trapped in a pocket-universe with people forced to act out cartoonish roles. How can he wake them up and get out? No spoilers, but then things get simple and easy: kill the bad guy. The whole thing felt half-baked and didn't incline me to read the next one.
January 22, 2023
Full disclosure, I just love this series. Urban fantasy, but, fair warning, way, way more gritty than the norm, fantastically well realised world building with characters that just jump off the page with their level of realism and the fact that they are incredibly flawed. In all honesty the 'good guys' aren't that much better than the 'bad' but at least they're trying to prevent us all being eaten by creatures from the dungeon dimensions.
The first book in the series was published way back in 2009 (now I'm feeling old) and was nominated as one of the best 100 novels of the year. It was rapidly followed by two more, then inexplicably (well, presumably the sales weren't good enough) dropped by the publishers and the series went into hiatus.
Connolly did produce some more short stories which were well received (certainly by me, at least) and he now has two more full blown books in the series funded via kickstarter, of which this is the first, so 4th in the series.
Certainly the author has lost none of his mojo. Ray Lilley, the 'wooden man', the expendable first man in who gets eaten, etc, awakes in what is pretty much a Scooby Doo cartoon, playing the role of the villain “who would have got away with it if it weren't for those darn kids” with no control over his actions. Gradually his 'Iron Gate' a tattoo spell which provides resistance to magic allows him to take some agency and to start the process of understand and attempt to escape the predator he is trapped within. Meanwhile his principal (some really excellent character growth here) is waiting outside the 'empty spaces' where he is trapped to see if he can escape. There's a nice in universe explanation for the time lapse between publishing of the books, too.
Honestly, please just buy these books if you have any interest in fantasy (urban or otherwise) or even if you just appreciate good writing. You will not be disappointed.
The first book in the series was published way back in 2009 (now I'm feeling old) and was nominated as one of the best 100 novels of the year. It was rapidly followed by two more, then inexplicably (well, presumably the sales weren't good enough) dropped by the publishers and the series went into hiatus.
Connolly did produce some more short stories which were well received (certainly by me, at least) and he now has two more full blown books in the series funded via kickstarter, of which this is the first, so 4th in the series.
Certainly the author has lost none of his mojo. Ray Lilley, the 'wooden man', the expendable first man in who gets eaten, etc, awakes in what is pretty much a Scooby Doo cartoon, playing the role of the villain “who would have got away with it if it weren't for those darn kids” with no control over his actions. Gradually his 'Iron Gate' a tattoo spell which provides resistance to magic allows him to take some agency and to start the process of understand and attempt to escape the predator he is trapped within. Meanwhile his principal (some really excellent character growth here) is waiting outside the 'empty spaces' where he is trapped to see if he can escape. There's a nice in universe explanation for the time lapse between publishing of the books, too.
Honestly, please just buy these books if you have any interest in fantasy (urban or otherwise) or even if you just appreciate good writing. You will not be disappointed.
May 6, 2024
Като начало, овчедушният ми възторг, че Конъли е намерил вариант да публикува още два романа от една от най-яките ърбън серии писани някога, сигурно се е отразило на оценката ми. Кикстартъра и независимата публикация си имат плюсовете и минусите. Като начало: УХААА нови романи от Двадесетте двореца. В другия край – личи си острата липса на професионална редакция, не че Хари Конъли не е обигран писател, та не говорим за грамотност, сюжетни дупки или разминаване на хронологии. Просто можеше да стане по-добре. Най-вече ако е имало някой да го съпикяса да спре да експериментира с формата и да ни даде така желаното поредно приключение на Рей и Анализа в доказано работещия дух на предишната трилогия.
Както ми тръгна в началото – Рей е заклещен в малко градче, с изтрита памет и нещо му налага роля като от анимационен филм – се съмнявах, че Конъли ще успее да направи смущаващо зловеща версия на Скуби-Ду в духа на серията, но се справя прилично добре и с напредването на повествованието, дори успя ненатрапчиво да ми обърне стомаха наопаки. През това време Анализа е изолирала зоната, където Рей е погълнат от въпросния хищник и наблюдаваме добро развитие на героинята ѝ, нещо което почти липсваше преди.
Двете сюжетни линии са чудесно хронологично напаснати, нещо за което редовно мрънкам при структура в която се прескачат историите на двама герои. Епизодите с Анализа вкарват много добър контрапункт с чисто конвенционалната си естественост, спрямо делириумното приключение на Рей Лили. Романът е разтегнат в почти седем години време, което също е много добре изиграно.
Абе, каквото и да си говорим, аз съм доволен. И съм леко потресен, че доказан писател и доказана серия е трябвало да прибегнат до самиздат и кикстартер, но това е съвременната действителност – свиквайте, как се вика.
А, виждаме начало на нова и много обещаваща арка, дано бате Хари да продължи след следващата книга.
Както ми тръгна в началото – Рей е заклещен в малко градче, с изтрита памет и нещо му налага роля като от анимационен филм – се съмнявах, че Конъли ще успее да направи смущаващо зловеща версия на Скуби-Ду в духа на серията, но се справя прилично добре и с напредването на повествованието, дори успя ненатрапчиво да ми обърне стомаха наопаки. През това време Анализа е изолирала зоната, където Рей е погълнат от въпросния хищник и наблюдаваме добро развитие на героинята ѝ, нещо което почти липсваше преди.
Двете сюжетни линии са чудесно хронологично напаснати, нещо за което редовно мрънкам при структура в която се прескачат историите на двама герои. Епизодите с Анализа вкарват много добър контрапункт с чисто конвенционалната си естественост, спрямо делириумното приключение на Рей Лили. Романът е разтегнат в почти седем години време, което също е много добре изиграно.
Абе, каквото и да си говорим, аз съм доволен. И съм леко потресен, че доказан писател и доказана серия е трябвало да прибегнат до самиздат и кикстартер, но това е съвременната действителност – свиквайте, как се вика.
А, виждаме начало на нова и много обещаваща арка, дано бате Хари да продължи след следващата книга.
July 15, 2023
Money well spent. I do love this series! _The Iron Gate_ is a refreshing return to form after the tepid novella that preceded it. In particular I enjoyed getting more insight into Annalise, a fascinating character who, in recent books, had received superficial treatment. Ideally, Mr. Connolly would have continued with her development as seen through the eyes of Ray Lilly, the protagonist; up to now, the fact that our knowledge of her is limited to what Ray observes made her tantalizingly mysterious and inscrutable, so this book's foray into first-person narrative from her point of view, while well-handled, does explode the mystery surrounding her. That point aside, the story is gripping, charming, and _mostly_ well-written, though there are some jarring gaffes: on p. 64, the narrative momentarily switches from first- to third-person narration ("I turned toward the rusting hulks and saw a bicycle .... Moving it into the light, he saw there was no rust on it."). Some pages later, the author depicts Annalise offering some advice to Becca: "Surprisingly, Becca took his advice to heart." Still later, Annalise mentions "duck" tape, a nonstandard usage not consistent with her usual voice. Likewise, Ray is depicted as referring to a Swedish-made Volvo as "a couple of tons of German engineering," a mistake that a veteran car thief and automotive connoisseur would not make. As I've said in other reviews, the problem with such careless errors is that they disrupt the willing suspension of disbelief that readers engage in, in order to enter into the author's world. Each slip-up jars us and brings us back into the real world and inspires us to wonder whatever happened to the concept of copy editors and galley drafts for proofreading.
February 3, 2023
You can chalk up half a star for my excitement at having a new Twenty Palaces book to read. Also, the author's writing is noticeably better (not that it was ever bad), and I can see how much he's grown since the first book.
Ray, along with his boss Annalise, work for a society that hunts down magic no matter where it is. It's usually contained in books that have to be destroyed before the entire world is turned into a hellscape. Yes, that's what could happen if magic is used by anyone, no matter how harmless it seems to be.
While scouting ahead, Ray finds himself trapped in a small town called Stormy Bay. Annalise is stuck on outside waiting for him to return.
The first scene in the book is so creepy. There are a few more unsettling moments as Ray investigates the town, and tries to find a way out.
On the other side, Annalise works on a way to help Ray get out. As she does, she meets new people, and finds allies. This is a huge change for Annalise, and I love that she has some character growth in this book.
The investigation was good, but it did drag in places. In spite of that, I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The ending was a big bang as usual for this series. I really enjoyed this, and I'm looking forward to the next book.
Ray, along with his boss Annalise, work for a society that hunts down magic no matter where it is. It's usually contained in books that have to be destroyed before the entire world is turned into a hellscape. Yes, that's what could happen if magic is used by anyone, no matter how harmless it seems to be.
While scouting ahead, Ray finds himself trapped in a small town called Stormy Bay. Annalise is stuck on outside waiting for him to return.
The first scene in the book is so creepy. There are a few more unsettling moments as Ray investigates the town, and tries to find a way out.
On the other side, Annalise works on a way to help Ray get out. As she does, she meets new people, and finds allies. This is a huge change for Annalise, and I love that she has some character growth in this book.
The investigation was good, but it did drag in places. In spite of that, I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The ending was a big bang as usual for this series. I really enjoyed this, and I'm looking forward to the next book.
October 3, 2022
I've really enjoyed every story in this series, and this novel is another great one. The protagonist Ray helps find extremely dangerous magical entities that have been brought to Earth from alternate dimensions and destroy them.
The author has done a great job of making all these magical creatures very alien, very inhuman, and coldly frightening. As is often the case with this series, the book starts out as a cool, slow-burn mystery and ends in wild action and brutal battles. There's also a narrative arc for the series involving finding and destroying the magical books that allow people to draw the magical beings (called predators) to Earth.
In this story, Ray has been pulled into a false world the reader will recognize but protagonist doesn't, because he's lost many of his memories. He begins to figure out the rules for the world and thus understand his place in it, which is: he's supposed to be the predator's lunch, and if he doesn't find a way out of its belly, he's going to spend an eternity being digested.
The author has done a great job of making all these magical creatures very alien, very inhuman, and coldly frightening. As is often the case with this series, the book starts out as a cool, slow-burn mystery and ends in wild action and brutal battles. There's also a narrative arc for the series involving finding and destroying the magical books that allow people to draw the magical beings (called predators) to Earth.
In this story, Ray has been pulled into a false world the reader will recognize but protagonist doesn't, because he's lost many of his memories. He begins to figure out the rules for the world and thus understand his place in it, which is: he's supposed to be the predator's lunch, and if he doesn't find a way out of its belly, he's going to spend an eternity being digested.
November 9, 2022
Impossible to put down of course. I can never get enough Twenty Palaces and Ray Lilly and his boss. The hard-boiled voice is superb and the antagonists always so freakishly original. This series balances mystery with urban fantasy and bleeds into horror so subtly and masterfully that I keep on turning those pages even though I usually can't handle horror. HC, thank you for writing 20P again! Can't wait to read The Flood Circle.
TW/CW: Attempted rape scene, not terribly graphic and physical, although the threat is menacing (in line with the tone of the whole book). This was used as a plot device in a way I've never seen before, so the book didn't lose its usual 1-2 stars for overreliance on a tired fantasy trope. Hopefully, we won't see SV again in 20P, since I don't have anymore free passes after Circle of Enemies and its own invisible rapist. Two books are enough. There's so much else going on in this rich 20P world that we won't need to keep going there in the next two books, hopefully.
TW/CW: Attempted rape scene, not terribly graphic and physical, although the threat is menacing (in line with the tone of the whole book). This was used as a plot device in a way I've never seen before, so the book didn't lose its usual 1-2 stars for overreliance on a tired fantasy trope. Hopefully, we won't see SV again in 20P, since I don't have anymore free passes after Circle of Enemies and its own invisible rapist. Two books are enough. There's so much else going on in this rich 20P world that we won't need to keep going there in the next two books, hopefully.
November 5, 2022
Unlike the majority of raters, I'm going to settle for a 4 star ranking on this one. Think of this book as Ray and Annalise going on an interesting side quest.
I've read and enjoyed all of Connolly's Twenty Palaces books and got this as a result of backing his Kickstarter. I'm by no means disappointed with The Iron Gate, but it felt a bit like a filler novel to me. We got some character growth from Annalise, which was really cool to see, but not enough to warrant a full novel. And, not to spoil anything, but Annalise kind of seems to go back to her normal, pre-Iron Gate personality in the next book (The Flood Circle).
All in all, if you like Twenty Palaces and want to see Ray work through a mystery, The Iron Gate will be pretty enjoyable. If you want some more lore building and/or Annalise, you'll be disappointed.
In the grand scheme of the Twenty Palaces series, this novel doesn't bring a whole lot to the table but is a fun, quick read.
I've read and enjoyed all of Connolly's Twenty Palaces books and got this as a result of backing his Kickstarter. I'm by no means disappointed with The Iron Gate, but it felt a bit like a filler novel to me. We got some character growth from Annalise, which was really cool to see, but not enough to warrant a full novel. And, not to spoil anything, but Annalise kind of seems to go back to her normal, pre-Iron Gate personality in the next book (The Flood Circle).
All in all, if you like Twenty Palaces and want to see Ray work through a mystery, The Iron Gate will be pretty enjoyable. If you want some more lore building and/or Annalise, you'll be disappointed.
In the grand scheme of the Twenty Palaces series, this novel doesn't bring a whole lot to the table but is a fun, quick read.
April 12, 2023
I love Harry Connolly’s work, that’s all I can say.
If you haven’t read the book series he started in 2010 it’s a must read, this is a kickstarted continuation of his ‘Twenty Palaces’ series. I hope there are more, the only way there can be is if people buy up his books and publisher realizes there is a taste for stories like this.
The basic premise of the universe is that Magic is real, along with supernatural creatures such as demons, spirits, and werewolves. The person who we have the story told through is Ray Lilly works for a mysterious organization of sorcerers known as the Twenty Palace Society.
Ray is a ‘wooden man’ . He is in the service of the real hunter, and meant to die. He’s good at not dying, but not good at not getting his butt kicked doing it.
Child of Fire is the first book, find it, and read it. It’s a whole new spin on the world of magic and it needs to be read.
If you haven’t read the book series he started in 2010 it’s a must read, this is a kickstarted continuation of his ‘Twenty Palaces’ series. I hope there are more, the only way there can be is if people buy up his books and publisher realizes there is a taste for stories like this.
The basic premise of the universe is that Magic is real, along with supernatural creatures such as demons, spirits, and werewolves. The person who we have the story told through is Ray Lilly works for a mysterious organization of sorcerers known as the Twenty Palace Society.
Ray is a ‘wooden man’ . He is in the service of the real hunter, and meant to die. He’s good at not dying, but not good at not getting his butt kicked doing it.
Child of Fire is the first book, find it, and read it. It’s a whole new spin on the world of magic and it needs to be read.
May 21, 2023
This was a fresh approach to the series, in a lot of ways. There's a good deal of what looks like setting up for the future, but I've heard he ends the series in the next book. Anyway, Ray wakes up in the middle of a Scooby Doo cartoon where he's playing Carl the Shifty Handyman. Annelise isn't around, and in fact all he can remember about her is a name and the suspicion that if she were here, she'd know what to do.
Our two protagonists move along two isolated plotlines, him in the weird confines of Sleepy Harbor and her in the seaside mountains of Oregon. I really like the time we spend with Annelise, hanging out in her head while she waits for Ray to get his ass in gear and save himself. Honestly, the solution to his getting out of town was a little simple and disappointing; it didn't feel earned. But Connolly takes the 'leave no man behind' trope and sets it on its ear. (In advance I'll tell you, the dog doesn't die.)
Our two protagonists move along two isolated plotlines, him in the weird confines of Sleepy Harbor and her in the seaside mountains of Oregon. I really like the time we spend with Annelise, hanging out in her head while she waits for Ray to get his ass in gear and save himself. Honestly, the solution to his getting out of town was a little simple and disappointing; it didn't feel earned. But Connolly takes the 'leave no man behind' trope and sets it on its ear. (In advance I'll tell you, the dog doesn't die.)
October 13, 2022
His best Twenty Palaces novel yet
Without a doubt, this is his best novel yet in the Twenty Palaces series. In terms of writing, I consider it some of his best so far, comparable to another novel of his, a Key, an Egg, and an Unfortunate Remark. I have to reread the series to date, but I would have to say that he has done more character building and growth in this one book that he has in several previous ones. I would say that this is a culmination of both the time he has spent improving his craft and all the plot and character development that he has put into the world up to this date. This book was easily a day one purchase for me and I look forward to reading more. If you want a synopsis of the actual story, just read his description above and buy his book. Nice work, Harry.
Without a doubt, this is his best novel yet in the Twenty Palaces series. In terms of writing, I consider it some of his best so far, comparable to another novel of his, a Key, an Egg, and an Unfortunate Remark. I have to reread the series to date, but I would have to say that he has done more character building and growth in this one book that he has in several previous ones. I would say that this is a culmination of both the time he has spent improving his craft and all the plot and character development that he has put into the world up to this date. This book was easily a day one purchase for me and I look forward to reading more. If you want a synopsis of the actual story, just read his description above and buy his book. Nice work, Harry.
April 13, 2025
Holy crap.
I finished this a few minutes ago after having reread the first three recently, as well as Twenty Palaces once and Twisted Path twice. And I say again, holy crap. I love this series so much in part because it continues its reign as “Urban fantasy I want to live in the least.” with The Iron Gate.
Terrifying predator, a split perspective narrative bringing a lot of warmth to the character of Annalise, and a passage of time that accounts nicely for the downtime the series experienced.
I do wish I’d known that the Twisted Path audiobook was included in the audio of Iron Gate, as that is mentioned nowhere in the title details or cover, and the Twisted Path audio only shows as unavailable. Hardly a complaint.
Going to take some downtime myself and read more lighthearted books before tackling Flood Circle. Holy crap.
I finished this a few minutes ago after having reread the first three recently, as well as Twenty Palaces once and Twisted Path twice. And I say again, holy crap. I love this series so much in part because it continues its reign as “Urban fantasy I want to live in the least.” with The Iron Gate.
Terrifying predator, a split perspective narrative bringing a lot of warmth to the character of Annalise, and a passage of time that accounts nicely for the downtime the series experienced.
I do wish I’d known that the Twisted Path audiobook was included in the audio of Iron Gate, as that is mentioned nowhere in the title details or cover, and the Twisted Path audio only shows as unavailable. Hardly a complaint.
Going to take some downtime myself and read more lighthearted books before tackling Flood Circle. Holy crap.
October 29, 2022
Very happy to see more books in this series. This certainly wasn't my favourite such - I found the allusions to a certain popculture series more jarring to my suspension of disbelief than anything, even despite the in-book explanation for such. I also grew to like the supporting cast members who vanished from the book mid-stream.
Nonetheless, it is a refreshing change to get a truly *dark* urban fantasy series not inclined to pull punches. Far too many authors will simply churn out book after book maintaining the status quo in their universe and having the protagonist swoop in and always save the day with minimal cost.
I look forward to the next book and would happily support a Kickstarter for the final book in the series.
Nonetheless, it is a refreshing change to get a truly *dark* urban fantasy series not inclined to pull punches. Far too many authors will simply churn out book after book maintaining the status quo in their universe and having the protagonist swoop in and always save the day with minimal cost.
I look forward to the next book and would happily support a Kickstarter for the final book in the series.
October 25, 2022
Twenty Palaces has been one of my favorite Urban Fantasy works of all time so I was very excited for this book when I heard about it. When a series doesn't get a new work for a long time, there's a decent chance that it is gone for good or that the new entry will not be able to capture the same tone as the older ones for some reason or other. I'm glad to say that is not the case here.
Iron Gate is probably the best the series has ever been giving us some interesting insight into the protagonists and what they think of each other. The setup and gradual reveal of where Ray has been trapped was very well done and we got some interesting worldbuilding.
Iron Gate is probably the best the series has ever been giving us some interesting insight into the protagonists and what they think of each other. The setup and gradual reveal of where Ray has been trapped was very well done and we got some interesting worldbuilding.
October 10, 2022
So great to have another Twenty Palaces novel from Harry Connolly.
This one is entirely unique. Rather than falling into any MacGuffiny patterns concerning the spellbooks and the Predators it instead offers an almost absurd setup as we start in media res, one that's entirely delightful.
However, for once it's not Ray that I love most, but Annalise. Viewpoint chapters for her characterize her wonderfully. I hope we get more of those in the next book (which I'm likely to hoard rather than spending both volumes of this series in quick succession).
This one is entirely unique. Rather than falling into any MacGuffiny patterns concerning the spellbooks and the Predators it instead offers an almost absurd setup as we start in media res, one that's entirely delightful.
However, for once it's not Ray that I love most, but Annalise. Viewpoint chapters for her characterize her wonderfully. I hope we get more of those in the next book (which I'm likely to hoard rather than spending both volumes of this series in quick succession).
November 12, 2022
The Twenty Palaces series is hands down one of my favorite horror adjacent modern fiction stories. This book, and the next, were self published through a kickstarter which I was delighted to be a part of.
If you are new to the series, pick it up from the start. My feelings on this book in context of the series, was that it was very good. Some nice comedy, some light horror, and some of my favorite characters doing what they do.
Some copy-edit gaps in the book I dl'ed from kickstarter, but that's a reality when you are dealing with such things. nbd.
Read them.
If you are new to the series, pick it up from the start. My feelings on this book in context of the series, was that it was very good. Some nice comedy, some light horror, and some of my favorite characters doing what they do.
Some copy-edit gaps in the book I dl'ed from kickstarter, but that's a reality when you are dealing with such things. nbd.
Read them.
July 2, 2025
Engrossing
This was an engrossing and compelling mystery that slowly unwinds to show what's behind it all. Ray wakes up in a familiar (to the reader) scenario that feels wrong and then resets itself. His journey to discover who he is, why he is where he is, and what he is doing, as he peels back each layer of the situation and the rules of his imprisonment. For each breakthrough or answer he uncovers, only more new questions come up. Who is the ultimate villain of the piece?
And what is Annalise doing while her 'wooden man' is reliving a life not his own?
This was an engrossing and compelling mystery that slowly unwinds to show what's behind it all. Ray wakes up in a familiar (to the reader) scenario that feels wrong and then resets itself. His journey to discover who he is, why he is where he is, and what he is doing, as he peels back each layer of the situation and the rules of his imprisonment. For each breakthrough or answer he uncovers, only more new questions come up. Who is the ultimate villain of the piece?
And what is Annalise doing while her 'wooden man' is reliving a life not his own?
January 3, 2023
3.5 stars. The first two thirds of the book was so slow that even an excellent final third couldn't drag it up to a 4. The weakest entry to date.
Ray has apparently been taken by a predator and has wound up in a captive community based on Scooby-Doo. He doesn't have his memory other than knowing his name.
While he's trying to figure a way out, Annalise is in the real world slowly becoming a real girl while working on a way to rescue Ray.
Ray has apparently been taken by a predator and has wound up in a captive community based on Scooby-Doo. He doesn't have his memory other than knowing his name.
While he's trying to figure a way out, Annalise is in the real world slowly becoming a real girl while working on a way to rescue Ray.
March 21, 2024
I was so excited when I discovered that there were finally two more books in this series after having waited so long. And this was what we got. It honestly was a bit disappointing. I'd gotten used to the edgy, dark vibe of the previous books and this wasn't that. It didn't even get intense until the last 20% of the book and even then, it wasn't what it used to be. I'm really hoping the next one is back to the original darkness. But still glad to see Ray and Annalise again.
December 15, 2022
"Trapped in a loop" stories are hard to pull off. HC almost does it, but I still got annoyed a few times. I almost wonder if it was a way to fill a 7 year gap to bring the books to the present day.
I may have more thoughts on this later, but still, it was nice to see Ray and Annalise again. The latter gets more character development here, but it also bites her in the butt.
January 6, 2023
4.5 stars. The triumphant return of Twenty Palaces. Ray Lily starts the book already under the domination of an eldritch predator and beyond the reach of outside help. Annalise finally gets her own story, and (possibly affected by years with that irritating Ray guy) considers what living a normal life might look like.
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