The Monsters We Feed

by Thomas Howard Riley

The morning before he found the dead body, Jathan Algevin thought he had his whole life just the way he wanted it. He knows his city inside and out, and doesn’t bother carrying a sword, trusting his wits and his fists well enough to get by, hustling extra coin by ratting out loathsome magi to the law for execution. He and his sister, Lyra, have watched out for each other ever since the day they were orphaned by a bloodthirsty rogue sorcerer, and now they finally have steady work, good friends, and the freedom to spend every night laughing at the bottom of a bottle. But nothing lasts forever. When he stumbles across a brutal murder, Jathan discovers a strange crystal lens that opens his eyes to an invisible world of magick and terror lurking just beneath the surface of his own, making him question everything he thought he knew. But will gazing into this new arcane realm lead Jathan to save lives, or help destroy them? With dangerous people hunting for the lens, monstrous lies unraveling his life, and a hidden underworld calling to him, it is only a matter of time before his whole world comes crashing down. Will he find the answers he is looking for, or will he only find a monster needing to be fed? Rated-R Dark Fantasy Noir in a city of hope, lust, and brutality, where swords are banned, and magick is just as likely to get you killed as it is to save your life. There are always things about ourselves that we don’t want to see. There are always things we can’t stop doing no matter how hard we try. We all lie. We all have secrets. We are all feeding monsters.

Genres: Fantasy, Dark

314 pages, Paperback

Published December 6, 2022

About the author

Thomas Howard Riley currently resides in the wasteland metropolis, where he reads ancient books, plays ancient games, watches ancient movies, jams on ancient guitars, and writes furiously day and night. He sometimes appears on clear nights when the moon is gibbous, and he has often been seen in the presence of cats.

He always wanted to make up his own worlds, tell his own stories, write his own history, create his own people, honor the truths of life, and explore both the light and the darkness of human nature. With a few swords thrown in for good measure.

And some magick. Awesome magick.

He can be found digitally at THOMASHOWARDRILEY.COM
On Twitter he is @ornithopteryx, where he is sometimes funny, always clever, and never mean.

Reviews

[Douglas Lumsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to receive an advance copy of this book for an honest review. I received no compensation.

I read and thoroughly enjoyed Riley's debut novel, We Break Immortals, and was eagerly looking forward to his follow-up set in the same world but in an earlier time. I am happy to say that The Monsters We Feed exceeded my expectations.

Riley's latest features the same highly developed world and exquisitely detailed magic system that we found in his previous work, but the tone of this story is different. By focusing on one psychologically damaged character, Riley has produced a story that is much darker than his previous, and this one is, in some ways, deeper and more fulfilling. I loved We Break Immortals as an elaborate adventure story. I love The Monsters We Feed as a brilliant character study centered on the theme of obsession.

Jathan, traumatized by the death of his parents, has grown into an obsessed and angry young man, prone to violence and to living in excess. He is filled with hate for all users of magick, and he is devoted to preserving the memory of his parents by ensuring that he and his sister will spend their lives in their old family home. When Jathan stumbles across a dead body and finds a tool for detecting magick, however, his obsessions turn his life upside-down. To say much more would spoil the surprises, so let's just say Jathan has a lot to learn about the world and the people he thinks he knows.

Like We Break Immortals, The Monsters We Feed is a page-turner that builds to a heart-pounding climax packed with action and emotion.

I want to finish this review with a note on the tone of Riley's prose. Although the language is raw and visceral, and the setting is provincial, The Monsters We Feed is written with an air that suggests a much larger and richer world exists outside of Kolchin, the city where the events of Jathan's story take place, and beyond the imaginings of Jathan himself. Riley devotes a great deal of attention to the description of Jathan's world (along with his narrow and unreliable view of it), and the reader soon feels like a lifelong resident of the place. This short passage is a good example:

"He careened out of Tenement Lane and cut through the deep basin of the Bowl District, where the houses were small and the sewers in disrepair, and the old Arradian hydraulic pumps for running water long since rusted out and left unreplaced. But at least here you could look up and see the sky, watch a sunset or sunrise, and know that the world did in fact go on in all directions."

I fell right into Riley's prose and his imagery. Luminaworld became my world, Kolchin became my city--and Jathan's obsessions became mine, too. That's a sign of some fine writing!

[Stacey Markle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dark fantasy noir tale that surprises at every turn of the page. I loved the characters and the evil villains (there are so many) but what I loved best is our main character and watching his spiral into first, obsession and then, truth. It's a bumpy ride for Jarthan.
This is terrific writing, with atmospheric prose and excellent pacing. There are dark violent passages, brutal in their descriptions but tempered with glimpses of hope and growth.
This story really is one to move up the TBR!

[H.L.Tinsley H.L.Tinsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this book from the author, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Monsters We Feed is a short novel, a fantasy noir that dips a tentative toe into the murky waters of darker fantasy. While it does take on some grimdark elements, I will say for those readers who, like myself, like their fantasies quite bleak, this does lean more towards the dark fantasy than grimdark. For readers who want to test their resolve with some darker, greyer story elements, this sits quite nicely between ‘bleak’ and ‘not quite as bleak as other books’.

Overall, I found this was well-written with some absolutely brilliant highlights. There were a few aspects that didn’t quite land for me, which I will explain further down. The things that did work for me were the prose – Thomas Howard Riley is a talented writer and can undoubtedly turn a phrase. Some parts made me laugh out loud, and I found several wonderfully structured quotable moments.

The world-building is well set up and immersive. Parts of the world gave me Lies of Locke Lamora vibes, particularly in terms of the aesthetic. I didn’t fully understand the political/economical setup of the city if I am being totally honest, but the sensory elements and ‘vibe’ of the place were easily visualised, and there was plenty of unique character to the city and its inhabitants. I really liked the magic detection system a lot; Thomas Howard Riley sets this up well, making it believable and interesting. Plot-wise I think there’s a great story here, which keeps moving along at a pace that isn’t too slow and isn’t too fast. I would have liked some more back-story earlier in the book, but the author hits the right beats at the right time to keep the pages turning.

To give a full and honest review, I do have to mention the parts of the book that, while not at all bad, didn’t quite land for me. Unfortunately, I never quite gelled with the main character or his sister. They were well-written and had plenty of intriguing qualities that will please many readers. However, as in the real world, there are inevitably some people you just don’t quite click with. My main issue was that while I understood the main character’s motivations from a logical point of view, I didn’t ever feel I was with the character from an emotional point of view.

I did find The Monsters We Feed a difficult book to score as I enjoyed some elements more than others. In terms of quality of writing and overall execution, this book shines. In terms of my own investment in the characters, I felt I just needed a little more. The four star score given is based on my appreciation of this story being well worthy of this rating from an objective POV.

That said, my overall opinion of this book is that for the right reader, this is a well-executed, quick, and entertaining read, and I can see some of the things that didn’t quite work for me will be exactly the things other people love about it. There’s a lot to enjoy here, so I thoroughly recommend picking this up and giving it a try.

[Terry Rudge · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was brilliant.
I haven't read anything from this author before and this was just unexpectedly fantastic

Right from the first page I was completely captivated. The world building in this story was phenomenal and as someone who really likes to envision the world and setting, this completely nailed that element. I felt like I could visualise every scene.

I thought the magic system was super unique and the right level of complexity, intrigue and mystery. It was the perfect balance for me

I must say at times the MC got on my nerves and he was a bit wishy washy at times. However his growth and final twenty percent of the book, more than made up for it

I look forward to exploring more from this author

Also this quote 👌

"“Our secrets and lies are the monsters we feed. You should know that. Every time you tell a lie you are giving it a little piece of your soul to eat. The older the lie the bigger the piece."

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so much to the author Thomas Howard Riley for providing me with an eARC copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

In The Monsters We Feed, we follow Jathan, who at the beginning of the story is tipping the magistrates on where to find a female magick user and getting paid for it. He believes that all magick users are abominations and that he's helping by turning them in and getting what he wants in the process is a consequence he's not against. He's very closed minded about so many things, especially about magick, and outsiders.

"Anything is better than a damn outsider."

His life changes when he finds a dead Glasseye and keeps their monocle. He becomes obsessed with it. And after knowing what one of the filters are for, he becomes even more obsessed with finding traces of magick being used.

"He needed to know where magick had been. He needed to be aware. The urge was an itching, prickling, burning, like thornbrush under his skin."

This story is fascinating in how it explores different facets of this character's (Jathan) mind and how the fact that he's so closed minded affects him and the people around him. He's not a very likeable character. I wanted to shake him at several points. He's a very frustrating character as he doesn't grow much during at least half of the story. His character’s growth begins as he discovers so many secrets of his city, and the fact that the people closest to him and the people he’d trusted the most were not who he thought they were. His story arc is a very realistic one, I think.

"We hide from our truths because deep down we know they are foolish, and we don't want anyone to see how foolish we are. So we create elaborate lies to conceal ourselves from those we love."

Jathan's sister, Lyra, has a very different personality from his brother's. She wants to see the world, while Jathan is convinced that they won't ever leave Kolchin because that's the way it should be.

"It was a place where you were born and you lived and you worked and you stayed and you died."

The magic system is amazing. It is based on telekinesis and physics. The descriptions of it being used and the consequences of using it make it an almost cinematic magic system.

"Magick exhausts those who use it."

The plot centers around Jathan's obsession with the Jecker monocle, all that he sees and all the trouble he gets into because of it.

"When he woke, the monocle was all he thought about."

The setting is very grim, there's a lot of crime and the gangs pretty much own the city.

"The Kolcha river stank this close to the beach. Mostly because this tended to be where the facedown bodies usually snagged in the reeds or dragged onto the sandy patches."

I love when the Dripping Bucket is mentioned in any book and in this one is no exception. It's a fantastic connection to find in different books.

“’[...] I would have bet money on the Drinking Bucket or one of the other sourhouses on Winesink Row.’”

Overall, this is a fast paced, very compelling and thrilling story that just hold your attention until the very last page. I highly recommend it.

All of the quotes were taken from an ARC copy of the book. They may change in a finished copy.

[Luke Tarzian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sexy, magickal, mind-fuck of a fantasy noir. Thomas Howard Riley demonstrated mastery of long-form storytelling in his debut WE BREAK IMMORTALS. In THE MONSTERS WE FEED, Riley also shows his ability to stick to one point of view and do it well.

I was lucky to revive an ARC of this book; my opinions are my own. I’m excited to read more in the world Riley had created.

[Jamie Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know that I can praise this book highly enough. It's intense in the "I need to take a break but absolutely cannot set this story down because I NEED to know what happens" kind of way. I read it in two days and now I've got a book hangover. Which is the only kind of hangover worth having to be honest.

[E.G. Radcliff · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Monsters We Feed is the prequel to We Break Immortals (an excellent book of epic proportions) but it reads like a standalone. It’s an excellent book for any fantasy lover, by a truly talented writer.

While the 5-star WBI epic required the usual investment in learning the many characters, the world, and its magic systems, The Monsters We Feed offers a more limited cast—to its advantage. As a reader, you get to know the characters Jathan and Lyra more deeply. It’s lighter, but not light.

Riley also deftly uses the story to draw powerful metaphors for the idea of “otherness”, class, corruption, light, and dark—but in a seamless way such that readers will likely see parallels in whatever world they inhabit.

When I returned to the story after having been called to a meeting in the middle of a fabulously written fight-flight scene (grrr!), I finished the book but was left wondering if something at the end of the book really happened to Jathan, or was it hallucinatory during his brush with death (I felt this way after Life of Pi, too). It was what I was hoping would happen… but did it? Read The Monsters We Feed and see what you think!

[ash | · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a city that clung tenaciously to the fragile embers of hope, The Monsters We Feed is set in a brutal world of hidden magick and lust fueled memories.

The Monsters We Feed is marketed as a standalone character driven dark fantasy noir and this description is immediately clear within the first few pages. I think it’s important for an author to nail down the tone and atmosphere and this is an area that I can easily identify as a strength with Riley’s newest novel. This tightly written story immerses the reader within vivid imagery and detailed descriptions. I loved how much care and attention went into building up the city around the characters because the city ended up feeling like its own complete character. I was a few pages in when I knew this story was something special because the world demanded to be heard.

The Monsters We Feed takes place within a city in Amagon, which is the same nation where Riley’s debut, We Break Immortals, began. You do not need to read We Break Immortals to enjoy The Monsters We Feed, but if you’re like me and love when authors bring in connections to their other work, there are some easter eggs to discover here from We Break Immortals. If you’ve previously been intimidated by the size of Riley’s debut, I recommend giving this one a try. Despite being smaller, it is well balanced.

The story takes off when, Jathan, finds himself in possession of a tool that can be used to see into a hidden world of magick and allow him to trace this magick back to a user.

“Kolcha was a way of life. And the Kolcha people would fight to keep it that way.”

How the city embodied its own sense of identity was a highlight for me. The sprawling city of Kolchin was once a place of abundance but has now found itself full of shifty and morally ambiguous characters, corruption, and brutality. What initially felt like one vast network was actually built upon layers of societal influence sprung up within the city providing a multitude of hidden networks. When one layer was peeled back there was another to be discovered and I waited alongside the characters with bated breathe as each was exposed. With its hundreds of narrow streets that are reached by arched walkways, tunnels, and labyrinths, Riley’s narrative brought these narrowed, dark alleyways to life and I felt as if the walls were watching my every move, collecting my deepest fears and darkest desires. It was a visceral and immersive reading experience. Living there was hard but to those native of Kolchin, there was a sense of pride in calling it home and I loved these details within the world-building.

“It was a place where everyone knew where they stood, and every position had its rules, and if you followed them you would prosper just enough. It was a place where you were born and you lived and you worked and you stayed and you died.”

The magickal system was based on the ability to move objects with the mind. When someone uses magick, there is this sort of residue left behind called afterglow that can not be seen with the naked eye. The author illustrates the various ways magick is used.

Even though Jathan is portrayed to be incredibly unlikable, I found his character journey to be very fascinating. Jathan is a very complicated character, and his characterization was expertly developed. He is quick to anger and enjoys a good tavern brawl yet his encounters with his sister and the secondary characters have a softness to them. He embarks on an obsessional road after obtaining this magical item, initially believing that he is protecting his sister Lyra. Jathan is compelled to look for the afterglow of magic. Riley directs the narrative into Jathan’s own direct point of view allowing the reader to observe his increased compulsions to seek out magick, the promises he makes, and the secrets he gathers.

Before I finish my review, I wanted to mention that Jathan finds himself stopping by everyone’s favorite chain of taverns that have reached across worlds and books and authors… The Dripping Bucket. I love when this tavern is mentioned and it really does bring me so much joy to see many various authors embrace this idea and include it within their own works. I am looking forward to where the next Dripping Bucket will land.

In summary, The Monsters We Feed is a dark, lust-filled story of magick and murder that doesn’t let up until the very last page. I know this was originally supposed to be “just a novella” but I’m so glad Riley Jathan took control and kept the words flowing. Expanding the story and giving it some extra room to develop definitely worked out marvelously in my opinion.

Thank you to the author for sending me a review copy of The Monsters We Feed.

[Seanchalant · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Monsters We Feed is a very different beast from We Break Immortals, Thomas Howard Riley’s debut novel. WBI was an epic, multiple-POV, fantasy adventure-extravaganza, while the TMWF is an intimate, gritty, single-POV character driven mystery/revenge story.

Jathan, our protagonist, is a narrow minded man with anger problems and more than a touch of bigotry. For reasons you will discover, Jathan absolutely hates anything to do with magick. Users of such are nothing but trash to him. When he stumbles across a tool that allows him to see the traces of magick, he slowly descends into obsession, consequences be damned. Consequences that drive the story and send him on a path of destruction, betrayal and maybe, just maybe, growth.

Jathan’s narrow world view is contagious as you read his story. With only his POV, the reader has little reason to doubt his beliefs. THR wonderfully frames Jathan’s beliefs in a way that make you feel for him. To say anymore will venture into spoiler territory, so I’ll just say the character work is so great and any growth, or un-growth, is well realized, believable and gripping.

Also different from WBI, TMWF takes place all in one city. But like the best cities in fantasy, Kolcha feels like a world unto itself. I feel as if I walked the streets myself, a vicarious companion on Jathan’s raucous nights out at the bar, or creeping in the dark hunting magick. The sights, the sounds, the smells, all beautifully brought to life by THR’s vivid prose.

The Monsters We Feed is a perfect gateway into Luminaworld, especially for those intimidated by We Break Immortals. Thomas Howard Riley knows how to tell a compelling story, build a magickal world and craft real, flawed and relatable characters. He is now a must-read author for me, now and from now on.

[WS_BOOKCLUB · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Monsters We Feed by Thomas Howard Riley has a heartbeat. It beats with anger, desperation, and something in between love and hate. The pages pulse with life in all its gritty messiness. The book is visceral and brutal, and utterly compelling.

Taking place in the same world as We Break Immortals (although you can absolutely read The Monsters We Feed as a standalone), the book starts with a bang. Well, actually it starts with the mention of a dead body, setting the tone from the first eleven words. This is not a happily ever after sort of fantasy. Rather, it is an R-rated look into the complexities of human nature. It’s full of sex (lots and lots of it) and violence (lots and lots of it), as well as characters that bypass “morally gray” and waltz right into “evil” territory.

Jathan, our main character, is an incredibly messed up person. He’s a bundle of anger wrapped in hard edges and lies told to himself and to others. His parents were killed when he was a child, leaving him with a loathing for magick. Years later, he lives with his sister Lyra in his family home (which she is desperate to leave). She is his rock, but he is her anchor, weighing her down and holding her back. Jathan happily uses her as an excuse for his less-than-savory actions, which include selling out any users of magick he comes across in exchange for money. His sweet sister deserves better, to be honest. So does her friend who inexplicably finds him attractive.

Jathan makes yet another in a string of bad decisions when he loots a dead body, finding a Jecker Monocle. This device allows him to see “traces” of magick, making it a heck of a lot easier to track down and sell out magick users. Of course, this brings a new brand of trouble as Jathan soon finds himself suspecting his sister of having a liaison with a hated magick user.

The magick in both The Monsters We Feed and We Break Immortals is incredible. It’s extremely complex but Riley describes it in a way that explains it without adding to confusion or making it boring. So much rides on Jathan’s feelings about magick and the way the Jecker Monocle is used that it was imperative to have a fully developed magic system. A vague idea or underdeveloped magic would not have worked. Luckily, Riley doesn’t do anything by halves. The magic- like the rest of the book- is fully formed, a living, breathing thing.

The fact that The Monsters We Feed is told solely from the point of view of such an unlikable character makes it even more interesting. Where Jathan lacks in charisma, he makes up for in layers upon layers of fear and grief masquerading as anger and sometimes even as love. His self-destruction is engrossing, although sometimes painful to read. I really felt sad for him at times.

Once you start reading a book like this, there’s no stopping or putting it down until you’ve turned the last page. The writing is excellent, the world is immersive, and the characters are fascinating. I’m not big on sex scenes in books (I know it’s odd that I am fine with fantasy violence, but book sex makes me uncomfortable; I never claimed to be normal), but everything else was awesome.

If you like fantasy that blurs the line between right and wrong, that has flawed characters with questionable morality and drags secrets usually hidden away into glaring light, The Monsters We Feed is for you.

*My review originally appeared on Before We Go Blog

https://wittyandsarcasticbookclub.hom...

[S. Bavey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Monsters We Feed is a standalone novel from within the same universe as Riley’s debut, We Break Immortals. It is unnecessary to read WBI first. The world of this story is self-contained and yet there are hints to the fact that a wider world exists outside the boundaries of this story.

Jathan Algevin and his older sister Lyra are the main protagonists in this character driven ‘not-a-novella’ (a phrase coined by the author as he came to realise he was incapable of writing anything as short as a novella while working on this book). Jathan is the only point of view character, which enables us to get to know him fairly well via his inner monologue and to forgive some of his character flaws as a result.

Jathan and Lyra’s parents were killed when he was just ten. He has always believed they were murdered by sorcerers and has been on a kind of crusade against magick wielders ever since he was told the story of their death by his ‘second parents’, who he went to live with after the death of his parents. Jathan has been collecting information about magick users and passing it on to the magistrates for money as a form of vengeance for his parents' death. He has an obsessive personality and this is his longest standing obsession, consuming his entire being to the detriment of all else - his job, his budding relationship with Lyra’s friend Nessifer and even his relationship with his beloved sister.

The first line of the book sets the tone for the entire story. The tone is fairly dark and there is certainly plenty of fighting and violence therein:

“Everyone’s life changes the first time they find a dead body.”

When he finds a “Jecker Monocle” on the aforementioned dead body, this device which is used by “Render Tracers” - those who hunt down evil sorcerers - enables Jathan to see traces of magic and track the person they originated from. Finding the evil, murdering sorcerer whose magick traces he views through the monocle then becomes his newest obsession. It takes him repeatedly into the dangerous labyrinth of filthy tenement buildings where violent gangs roam the streets until he ultimately finds his quarry. The life and daily habits of this murderous sorcerer become his new obsession.

He has to run for his life from multiple gang members on more than one occasion, witness horrific violence and tragic death in order to come to terms with a reality which he is too stubborn to notice at first, before he can figure out his priorities and grow as a character. These high stakes chases are excellently paced and the fights are well-choreographed by the author, so that the reader finds themselves on the edge of their seat hoping he will somehow get away. Sooner or later his luck has to run out and unfortunately innocent people bear the brunt of his unhealthy obsessions.

Meanwhile Lyra has been keeping some rather large secrets from her brother and longing to be able to tell them to him, but unable to find the right words or opportunity. Unlike her brother, she is a very likeable, playful and positive character who deserves better treatment from Jathan, for whom she made many sacrifices, working extremely hard to get him away from his second parents and back to a life with her. Despite all of this he constantly disparages her love life to their friends and accuses her of keeping a secret lover:

“Our secrets and lies are the monsters we feed. You should know that. Every time you tell a lie you are giving it a little piece of your soul to eat. The older the lie the bigger the piece. Then one day you have nothing left. Then the lies eat you.”

He is so unaware of anything other than himself and his obsessions that he fails to see how desperately she wants to move away from the house in which their parents were murdered.

Jathan’s friend and sometime lover, Nessifer, has been longing to become his latest obsession - if only she can break through his stubbornness and persuade him of her worth. I was inclined to tell her to keep well away from him unless he managed to change significantly. Jathan’s inability to focus on his work and his relationship with Nessifer, his fanciful obsessions and dangerous narrow mindedness where magick users are concerned, make him a fairly pitiable character. I kept finding myself rooting for him to change - to go and talk to his sister about her supposed lover who he was getting all tied up in knots about, instead of constantly finding himself at the bottom of a bottle or roaming the labyrinth of tenement buildings.

There are some exceedingly quirky elements in this story which I loved and which I imagine the author had a lot of fun with:

“He loved the idea of dogs, but hated actual dogs, so he dressed up an armada of cats in dog costumes he had designed. They pranced about in very undoglike ways, but Trabius demanded they be referred to as hounds.”

There are also some easter eggs which throw light on some of the characters from We Break Immortals, Book 1 in the Advent Lumina Cycle. The magic system, the terms Render Tracer and Jecker Monocle and the names Sarker and Aren will be familiar to those who have read WBI.

This was a compelling story and I found it difficult to put down. I haven’t read too many books with unlikeable protagonists and I find them intriguing as long as they appear to have the ability to change and become more likeable in their future, which luckily Jathan does. Lyra’s future is hinted at via one of the easter eggs, but I would be interested to see another story starring these two siblings and the next phase of their journey at some point.

I was sent a complimentary digital arc of this book, (thank you Thomas!) but my opinions are my own and this is an honest review

[Jamedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full text review: https://jamreads.com/reviews/the-mons...

The Monsters We Feed is a standalone novel situated in Luminaworld, and an excellent entry point to the saga if you are intimidated by the book We Break Immortals is. Situated in the city of Kolchin, we are going to be following the adventures of an MC we wish we could help, surrounded by a neo-noir atmosphere that the author has really nailed.

Our secrets and lies are the monsters we feed.

Jatan Algevin is an angry young man, who has grown up hating all the magick users, believing they are not more than abominations and that their class should be eradicated from the world. He's also a closed-minded person, especially against anything that can suppose change to the city he believes he knows as the palm of his hand. All of this changes the morning he finds a dead Glasseye and gets monocle, opening a whole new way to look at the world.

He soon becomes obsessed with it, as it is useful to find those pesky magick users he hates so much. But this new way to see the world, also opens to him a totally different city from the one he knew, making him enter into contact with other groups he would never think about; his obsession makes the world he knows to go upside-down. It is a really well-fleshed character, a person whose convictions suddenly disappear after a traumatic fact. The contact with other groups and people that he would never work with also helps expand his own vision of how the city should be and makes him improve as a person.

Lyra, his sister, is a totally different character, and plays an important role in the change Jatan experiments during the novel. Both suffered the death of their parents, but the personalities that appeared after it are the opposite. Lyra has a secret that will be a key piece in the plot. Outside of the two brothers, I would like to also mention the portrait that Howard-Riley makes of the scumborns of Tennement Lane, constantly having to hide from the rest of society, trying to protect their children.

And let's talk about what for me is the strongest aspect of the novel, which is the worldbuilding and the atmosphere the author has created. It is difficult to explain with words, but the city feels alive, with its own labyrinths, and its people; part of this is due to how the language in this novel has its own terms, calling the different classes, showing also the division of the society between those who have magick and those who not. There are many small details grouped together that help us to form a full picture of how this place is.

The magick system is also well explained, with many details and situations that help show how it works, being mainly based on moving objects through the use of energy, letting a residue that cannot be seen by the naked eye. A system with limitations, that taxes the user draining its energy, well balanced in my opinion.

This novel is an excellent example of how to write a dark story that keeps you hooked until the last page, and how to make you cheer for a character who can be found despicable at first sight. A great standalone, and one more reason to continue reading more stories in Luminaworld.

[Marco Landi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Credo che Thomas abbia una delle prose che maggiormente preferisco!! Uno stile che è la perfetta crasi tra le descrizioni e le azioni, e in ognuno dei due campi fa meraviglie.. in poche parole riesce a calarti in un ambiente nuovo come se fosse la cosa più naturale.. crea personaggi così sfaccettati e imperfetti da essere reali.. crea emozioni profonde, concetti complessi e situazioni coinvolgenti con una facilità enorme.. e quando le cose si fanno frenetiche, il tutto accellera ad alti ritmi senza mollarti per un attimo..

Ha creato un mondo vasto, complesso, ben strutturato.. in ognuno dei posti creati potrebbe ambientare decine di storie.. dopo aver letto l'altro romanzo ambientato in una città dal sapore orientale e deserteggiante, qui siamo in una città ricca e prospera, piena di vita e gente che si diverte, cantine, enoteche, balere e ristoranti, dove giovani rampolli si divertono, bevono, flirtano, svengono.. ma è anche una delle città più corrotte, e nei bassifondi labirintici si nascondono non solo poveri e reietti, ma anche gli abomini, coloro che possono accedere alla magia, ma che sono odiati da tutti.. in un mondo dove la magia è proibita, dove esistono reparti della polizia dediti a scovare i residui visivi dell'utilizzo della magia attraverso speciali lenti, per poi bruciare i colpevoli, non è vita facile per chi possiede la magia.. e se poi anche uno spietato e potentissimo killer si aggira per quei quartieri, beh, nascondervicisi non è proprio il massimo.. è qui che Janath trova uno degli speciali monocoli dei Cacciatori, e inizia una sua sorta di caccia ai maghi, coloro che sono responsabili dell'efferato massacro dei suoi genitori.. quello che scopre però ribalterà la sua totale esistenza..

Nessun guerriero, nessun potente mago, solo un ragazzo curioso, dedito a donne, sesso e bevute.. eppure Thomas riesce a creare una storia frenetica, misteriosa, magica, dura e affilata, in una città che mi ha ricordato La Torre dell'ombra di Glen Cook, ma ancora più viva, più tridimensionale.. non è una storia incentrata sui colpi di scena, molte delle cose le capisci prima del protagonista, ma è una storia incentrata sulle sue reazioni.. ed è stato fantastico vedere la trasformazione di Janath, i suoi sentimenti più profondi e le sue idee essere scalzate, ribaltate.. è stato un libro profondo, umanamente molto reale, ma allo stesso tempo divertente e veloce, con un sistema magico che sfiora la scienza, con il suo accesso all'universo delle realtà probabili, quasi un sistema magico quantistico.. la serie principale lo approfondisce molto di più, ma anche qua è stato creato il tutto in modo da risultare misterioso e avvincente..

A breve usciranno altri due libri di Thomas, non vedo l'ora..

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Monsters We Feed is a dark fantasy noir standalone about a young man’s vendetta against the magi in a divided city. Jathan has hated magick users since he and his older sister were orphaned by a rouge sorcerer 10 year prior. When he finds an artifact that allows him to see the hidden world of magick, he goes on a crusade into the dark underbelly of his city to cleanse it of magick.

Jathan is not a very good person. He has prejudices, anger issues, a drinking problem, and a massive chip on his shoulder. I could not like him, but I did understand him and his character. Thomas Howard Riley paints the picture of a man shaped by his past and the hate that has been allowed to fester. His one shining light is his love for his older sister who fought to keep them together. This was a wonderfully realized brother-sister relationship that was at the emotional core of this dark story.

I thought the book was a bit tedious and slow to start. There was some mechanics explaining and world building required to explain the magic system and the city we find ourselves in (that certainly felt like a small part of a larger world that spans other books). But the book eventually builds into a compellingly readable narrative until that explosive finale. It won me over with its cathartic and emotionally satisfying ending (although I do think it could have been drawn out more).

A standalone dark fantasy noir set in a dark and hopeless city, The Monsters We Feed is ultimately a hopeful story of a young man’s redemption.

*I was provided an ebook as part of its book tour.

[Dan Fitzgerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grimdark full of heart.

This Grimdark story is very personal, very gritty, and exceedingly well written. It centers around a brother-sister relationship, and while it has magick and violence and debauchery and sex (really well-written sex I might add), at its heart it is the story of family and the attempt to heal from a fractured past.

Full review coming but even if you are like me and rarely read Grimdark, this one is well worth a foray outside of your comfort zone.

[N.C. Koussis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Monsters We Feed is a blood-soaked story of learned prejudice, complicated, gray narratives, and a MC that you can't help but root for. It is Riley's second book, and a foray into fantasy detective noir that I didn't know I needed.

Luminaworld, the setting of both this book and We Break Immortals is fascinating, immense, and well-considered. The Monsters We Feed is a perfect introduction to this world, located entirely in one city, Kolchin. But like all the best fantasy cities, it lives and breathes and sprawls out onto the page and you can't help but read on to find out where it might take you.

Jathan Algevin and his sister, Lyra, survive on the edges of a class divide in Kolchin, as two on the "finestreet", two "lushborns", who live in stark comparison to the "deservingless" and the "scumborns" of Tenement Lane. The invented terms for this novel are fantastic by the way, and are instantly evocative. Riley should be applauded for that alone. Assumptions about the class divide are broken, as well as the divide between mages and those without magic. Because we see the world entirely through Jathan's eyes, we see his prejudice on full show, and start to believe it, thanks to a particularly skin-crawling villain.

Our secrets and lies are the monsters we feed.

The best mysteries are left hidden for the reader to explore, and that's what this novel does. Clues are given to those who pay close attention, and twists pay off satisfyingly. Jathan's relationship with the other characters carry a surprising amount of heart, too, and though violence is a constant in Kolchin, humor is also there to carry us through to the end.

This was my first introduction to Luminaworld and I'm glad I took the trip. I can't wait to dive into We Break Immortals in 2023, and the sequel after that.

4.5/5

[Steven William William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterpiece

This had me gripped from the start.

The setting is reminiscent of Vandermeer's Ambergris, a distinctly gritty city with a rotten core, and characters who somehow inhabit a cosy (if grimy) part of it.

The novel has the pace of a thriller, a setting introduced through its unique idioms and language, and a sense of bohemian youth culture that I adored.

It's a little thick with details to start, but that's quickly replaced by absolutely fantastic dialogue, brilliant sibling relationships, a sharp and cynical narrators voice, and brilliantly efficient writing style.

And the character development! The final act was a heart pounding thrill ride, I was on the edge of my seat, and it managed to stick the landing so well I could have applauded.

Instantly among my favourites Iv read this year, would highly highly recommend.

Warning: it gets pretty raunchy too.

[Bill Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Monsters We Feed is a page-turning, fantasy noir that kinda reminds me of Alfred Hitchcock films tossed in a Joe Abercrombie grim world, featuring a morally grey protagonist that isn’t exactly likable. So yeah, definitely noir.

Set in the same world as Riley’s We Break Immortals, The Monsters We Feed follows Jathan Alegvin as he finds a mysterious magical monocle that allows people to see the afterglow of magick. Jathan finds said monocle on a dead body and thus he is thrust into the labyrinthine underbelly of Kolcha where he discovers a magi brutally killing anyone who can perform magick.

‘Everyone’s life changes the first time they find a dead body.‘

So let’s get this out the way first, Jathan is a monstrous in-world bigot and is pretty much a douche. In Riley’s world, magick is not only forbidden, but users are shunned and burned alive, so people like Jathan turn in anyone found using (or rendering as it’s called). He has ‘reasons’ for hating magi, but his hatred is on clear display here, there’s no hiding it as we first meet him giving some magistrates a tip for some extra silver. He’s not a hero, nor is he a good person, even if some of his intentions can be deemed ‘good’ (he is self-aware though, so that’s a start I suppose). He’s also quite obsessive, hence once he steals the monocle and discovers the murdering magi, he just won’t stop. He’s also kinda a prick to his older sister, as there is a lot to unpack between them but I’ll let y’all RAFO for that. But even though Jathan is all that and more, he IS a compelling morally grey protagonist, and that comes down to Riley’s writing and handling of the heavy topics. Things just sort of make sense in this awful, grim world and the Jathans of it are necessary.

I will say Lyra, Jathan’s sister, was an excellent foil. And Jathan’s two lovers from completely different social-hierarchical worlds were also great characters for their own reasons (and both lovers really enjoyed some good old fashion alleyway sexy times, again, pretty noir…). There are plenty of other side characters, but they do get lost in the shuffle against Jathan’s arc. Even the villain, Seder Geddakur, is more a murderous specter than a true character, but that’s okay, we don’t need him to be anything other than that.

The world is very intriguing and I really liked the persecuted magi concept, especially the way people will snitch on renders. It mirrors a lot of 1930s Germany unfortunately. The magic system is neat and the afterglow concept is really original, as each person has an unique color glow and the monocle can help track these magi down, the color getting stronger the closer they get or fades as they get further away. The villain is essentially one-note, but I liked that because it fit the noir trope while also allowing Riley to build this crazy underbelly of Kolcha. And Kolcha is basically a character unto itself, with its twists and turns, dead-ends, warring gangs, rogue magistrates, pockets of hidden magi. Just such a fun world to get lost in, but one that is so grim and dark. It’s a bad bad place and I loved everything about it.

‘Our secrets and lies are the monsters we feed.‘

But when it comes to a proper noir story, the writing has to be spot on, and I can definitively say Riley nailed it. From the moment we meet Jathan, to when he gets the monocle, everything just sort of builds upon itself. Early scenes where Jathan goes out drinking with friends, starting fights, flirting with lover one, obsessively wondering about Lyra’s nightlife, meeting lover two in the city’s dark alleys, it all just sets the stage and builds Jathan as a character. Then as we meet Seber, things just get grittier and grittier, and Jathan’s plot really takes off. It takes a special gift to truly show a descent into madness and/or obsession and Riley certainly has that gift. I was glued to the pages, just waiting to see what would happen next, to see Jathan feeding his monster. The prose is exquisite, especially in setting the scenes. We feel like we are in Kolcha’s underbelly. We feel the destitution of the magi hiding there. We feel the pain, the hatred. Everything. I loved all the in-world terminology like ‘lushborn v scumborn’. Riley is just a master wordsmith, there’s no question.

There was just something about The Monsters We Feed that just dragged me in. I felt like I was pulled into this cat-and-mouse game where no one is the hero and the world is just out to screw everyone. It was a phenomenal read. One that was dark, funny at times, harrowing at others, but it truly stuck with me and will for a long time. I highly highly highly recommend this book!

[Krina || Amazeofwords]

I was following the author on Twitter for a while and every time he wrote about how much excited he was for an idea, it intrigued me. And when the news of the idea becoming a novella came, I was excited but when finally it became 'not a novella', the real fun began. And boy, oh boy, this not a novella, The Monsters we feed was spectacular book. I have been following the author but I've not read his debut, We Break Immortals, which is set in the same world. And We Break Immortals has been bumped in my TBR list.

Now, coming to talking about The Monsters We Feed. The Monsters We Feed is book, that will force you to open your eyes and see things that you would ignore, like how spectacular this book is and how much one event can open a new world all together. And that was a pun. If I had to put one line together for this standalone is: The Monsters We Feed is a book where I literally felt that the character was let loose in the city and author told him, Go, make yourself home.

The Monsters we Feed is a dark, character driven standalone. When I read the first line, "Everyone's life changes the first time they find a dead body," I was certain this is going to be a wild ride and when I read the last line, "The monster needed to be fed," I was happy that it was. Imagine looking at your palm. The thing that you see everyday and suddenly you see it and it is different, not just because of your imagination but something different was always there, you just couldn't see it. This is the main idea behind the story.

Jathan knows his city. He knows the places like his own body. His trusts himself to know what is going on. But when he comes across an object, it opens a new world for him. He is in the same place, he is same but everything changed. He, the place and the thought that he knew his city. The object allows him to see the world that only a few can. In the world, where after you use magick you leave behind a residue, a trace that is invisible to naked eye. A small idea but so well executed.

The most amazing part of the whole book, is the world building. While there are many books that have amazing world building. Till, date I found the Divine Cities by Robert Bennett Jackson to have that unique vibe that just spoke. This is the second book that I can agree that has the same effect. The world is so vivid, so detailed, so vibey (if that's not a world, it is now.) I JUST LOVE THE WORLD.

I don't know why but I've seen a pattern in the books that I've been reading these days. The main character is often unlikeable. I know we are entering a morally grey era where we aren't fan of a lovely dovey character who makes righteous decisions and at the end of the day are just boring. And Jathan fits. No, not in the latter. He isn't the person you love at sight. He isn't someone with whose decisions you agree with but damn damn he grows. With sudden changes thrust upon him, we see him grow. We see him make reckless mistakes and how much he slowly learns to slow down once a while.

As I always say, everything I read forces me to think something and this one did an amazing job to making me think about just how much is invisible to naked eye and this is all in metaphorical sense. Like how much we can learn if we open our eyes and think about things that you wouldn't have before.

The Monster We Feed is a fantastic novel that is more than what it look like and much more than just a murder. The magick and the new outlook, just makes this journey more memorable. And I am so glad that the not-a-novella idea really took place and I am looking forward to reading everything, the debut, the sequel be it in two part or a shield size novel or more such fun novellas.

[OldBird · Rating 3 out of 5]

A stand alone dark fantasy set in an imaginatively described realm of magic and murder.

Jathan is just your average fantasy guy; lives payday to payday, drinks and fights his sorrows away, and cares for little but the welfare of his older sister Lyra and the sanctity of his city. His side hustle is turning in illegal magick users to the magistrates. He holds a special place of hatred inside for those folk; after all, they killed his parents. But when an outsider magick hunter from the hated capitol arrives and falls foul of the local thugs, it's Jathan who benefits. He obtains a device that allows him to see magick. Slowly but surely, he digs deeper into the hidden side of his beloved city, and finds there are some secrets that are hard to stomach.

If you like very heavy world building in your fantasy books, this is one for you. It goes into great detail about the setting and all the minutiae of life in the city that our MC Jathan inhabits. There's a strong sense of place and atmosphere. At times there was a lot of description to take in, most of it about the surroundings. It goes for many similes and metaphors to set the scene, and there's a lot of "rule of three" used to give us a fast-paced run down of how a place is or a character thinks.

This is one of those books I'd describe as being very male oriented. Don't get this wrong, it doesn't demean or objectify female characters, but it didn't always make sense to me why things happened from an emotional standpoint (like why the three women are all over Jathan - I sort of got Batman and Catwoman vibes with he and Jansi, but still not sure why they... did what they did). Logically I could understand Jathan's hatred for magik users, but I couldn't always understand his actions. Lyra too seemed a little contradictory for her age. While the scenes and villains are described with great prose, I realized I didn't know what the two siblings looked like.

The plot and world is easy to follow thanks to the glossary (you don't really need it in context, but if you want more details...) and slowly introduced concepts. As a reader there's a chance to feel a few steps ahead of Jathan thanks to foreshadowing, and it's just a case of waiting to see when he'll catch on.

This book is 100% a stand alone without any prior knowledge needed. The world is fascinating and the atmosphere palpable. While the writing style wasn't my kind of thing, it's a good way to test the waters and see if you're ready to dive into the 1000 page epic that kicks off the main series.

[Kate Sibson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jathan and his sister Lyra are orphaned after his parents are killed by a rogue magus. A decade later, angry and obsessed, Jathan earns extra money tipping after the Authority about unregistered magic users. He drinks and fights to excess. He is also certain that his city is the best in the world and never wants to leave. One night, returning home from another heavy drinking bout, he finds a dead body. And nothing will be the same again.

The Monsters We Feed is set in the same world as We Break Immortals but can be read as a stand alone. A much more secluded story, it is set entirely in the city of Kolchin. This gives it a much more cosy feel than We Break Immortals. It also allows the author to indulge in more scenic worldbuilding. Kolchin is beautifully detailed, especially The Lanes with its dark tenements and twisting alleys. There is a marked geographical difference between the haves (pleasant open green spaces) and the have-nots (claustrophobic, mean areas with little lighting and suspicious residents), allowing you to get a true picture of the city.

Jathan is the only POV here so for most of the book you only see his point of view. He is the definition of unreliable narrator. He is obstinate to the point of violence. He regularly accuses his sister of obsession. He is self conceited and assumes he knows what is right and knows better than everyone else. In short, he is not very likable. In fact, there is a shortage of likeable characters. Usually this would be a problem for me but it sells the story here. It wouldn't work otherwise. But this could be used as a text book for the need for clear communication! Trying not to give spoilers but oh god! So many lies!

The Monsters We Feed is a gritty and twisty tale but never really falls into Grimdark (a welcome arrangement). The pacing is a bit wonky and there are some large info dumps about the magic system that I found myself skim reading. Other readers might find them fascinating but it's not for me. Otherwise, this is a highly enjoyable romp, with some absolutely lovely prose (the chase scenes!). If you want an introduction to Luminaworld but are put off by the size of We Break Immortals, this is the book for you. If you have read We Break Immortals, I imagine this is already on your wishlist. As it should be.

I received a free arc from the Author in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

[Xerxes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Think of something that truly threatens the aspect of your soul. An absence. Something that should make you feel and care for, but something that pulls at the tug of your moral conscience. Why are humans capable of committing the most evil and heinous crimes? Because without empathy, and apathy combined, then there is no shame. No regret. The world of Kolcha, the very city where Jathan lives proves that there is an undercurrent of shame and turmoil and that not everything is as it seems. You can’t take anything for granted in this city.

There is, of course, magic. Magic and the people who want to get rid of it. In a way, I imagine that if magic were real, if superhero powers were real, if people had the ability to do what they would want; then Governments, Establishments, Corporations, Kingdoms, and Empires no matter how many numerous names you can put it under will want a share. They will want to restrict the liberty of that human. They will not tolerate it. Because it is about profit. And there’s plenty of that in this story. Plenty of gang-warfare, discontent between societies, and Jathan discovering that there is a dark under-current beneath the city he once knew was his.

There is solid worldbuilding, and a rich detailed history of the city, its gangs, and so on. I do wish there was a glossary, which would be able to detail more of this. Sometimes, I feel scenes could have been slowed down. But don’t that let bother you. It is a search for the future and the past. Jathan’s journey has only just begun. I look forward to joining Jathan in more adventures. This is a fantasy thriller, one that has more secrets, that has more than meets the eye. This story is not a story alone, it is a search for the deeper truth. To find out, who we truly are. And whether we are our own monsters at heart. What can we do then, to quell that very evil that resides within us?

A solid 8/10 from me! Go buy this novel now!

[Arun · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I was fortunate enough to get a hardcover ARC of the book from the author for exchange of an honest review.

First off, let me say that I enjoyed this book and wanted it to be longer. Much longer. Unlike Riley's other fantastic work 'We break Immortals', TMWF's coverage is narrow - Jathan and Lyra were two most prominent characters. The sibling rivalry covering the familial bonds and how it influences our decision making process were superb. I don't want to spoil but the hurt they brought out to each other was just heartbreaking.
The world building was another great dimension to the book- indirect and through the eyes of a negative and unreliable narrator. It was fantastic in the way the author set my hopes up by hinting about the world outside the city of Kolchin. I'm sure he'e already working on the next book in the same world.
I do not like 'well defined magic systems', not at all. The book scored in this dimension too.
tl;dr well written SFF book. Get your hands on when it releases.

[Jim Scriven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gritty — Dark — Dirty — AMAZING

Returning to Luminaworld for a second tale by Thomas Howard Riley was a treat. I have to admit, I enjoyed this much more than his first novel, We Break Immortals, but that feels cheap, as this story is only as good as it is because I have the foundation in this world that the first novel provided. The two stories have nothing directly to do with each other. They simply inhabit the same world, both with people who use magick and those who seek to stop them. But this was about much more - family dynamics, relationships, trauma, the lies we tell others and ourselves. It has nuance and depth, and I truly enjoyed it. It ALSO has some absolutely gratuitous violence, death, and sex - all featured in the first book, but I was ready for that this time. Not for the meek, but if you love gritty, highly adult dark fantasy, this is likely worth a read! Five stars for me, but you have to like this sort of thing.

[Kevin Brady · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thomas Howard Riley is an absolute master of his craft. Not many authors could pull off a main character that is such a dick without making it impossible to live in their head, but Thomas Howard Riley makes it look easy. Absolutely amazing.

[Arn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable fantasy from the author of We break Immortals, from the same world. Great pace and excitement, brawling and magik, I can't wait for the Immortals sequel.

[hillary]

A lens that makes you see the dark world of terror lying underneath your own? Why isn’t this more popular? Omg I hope it’s good because this concept makes me think of ADSOM x Silent Hill *chefs kiss*

[Tom Mock]

This is not a full review. I read through the beginning of all 300 SPFBO9 contest entries. This was a book I wanted to read more of.

The son of a fallen family sells out to corrupt magisters a 10yr old poor girl who he saw perform an act of magic, but he doesn’t feel bad about it. He hates magic users.

This opening manages to juggle several characters at the same time, painting a picture of each and establishing their unique voices, while still especially introducing its MC.

The prose is descriptive and competent, dolling out narrative exposition largely in the 3rd person close voice of our MC. We get to know him and the city of our setting.

He seems a morally gray character to say the least, and a right bastard at worst. But I don’t hate him. His world seems like a harsh place, and I get the sense he has been harshly treated by it.

The fact that he has a sister who he could marry off to his benefit, but refuses to do so, allowing her to choose the many patterns she will, creates a good, complicated character who I find myself rooting for, tho cautiously.

The narrative does a good job of peppering in a lot of interesting names and nouns that are particular to the world of our city - what they call gangs, the poor who live by the waterside who can’t afford surnames, and so on.

This creates an immersive sense of another world that I often look to fantasy as a genre for, but don’t always find.

The story has its beginning, this selling out of a child who our MC saw perform a simple trick, but the second beat of the story is slow to arrive. The narrative diverts into a tour of the city and a history lesson.

This diversion stretches on for quite some time, showing off the worldbuilding of our author, but leaving our protagonist and the developing story behind for much too long for me. I find myself skimming, wondering just what this story is going to be about.

He doesn’t have to go with the magisters to identify this girl or take them to where she lives or anything, so … what next? The narration also repeats itself regarding outsiders, which seems like a revision issue to me.

But these possible missteps (audience depending) aren’t anything like enough for me to put this book down! I find its tone and all the characters engaging, the details immersive (if over-abundant), and I do want to know what will happen next. I’m in!

[Belinda Richee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

I loved this novel. It was fast paced and full of snark and snarls. The chemistry between characters will draw you into their world and not let you out for fear you will miss something. Had gang fights, sword fights, magic duels, death by bubble, drunken youths groping and grinding out the back door of the bar. What's not to love?! You know its a good book when you won't take take a piss break in case you miss something!