Review: A slow start, but fun and engaging
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 17, 2013
Blackwell is one of the last of his people, an Hulgliev who is just scraping by as a mercenary. When he gets a job to steal a 300 year old artifact, he finds himself in the middle of a war for his world.I almost put this book aside after the first few pages. The exposition was a little clunky, the characters way too familiar, and it just seemed generally derivative and kind of boring.I am so glad that I stuck with it, though, despite my poor first impression. Once I got past the first few pages, the author opens up the throttle and lets you loose in a really intriguing and fun universe. I would put this tentatively in the "new weird" family, just because it is a kind of a genre stew, with elements of a lot of different branches of sci-fi and fantasy. Podships, mages, and Al Capone are an odd mix, but the author treats his subjects with humor and sensitivity, keeping the story grounded. For all the flash, it's a coming of age for Blackwell, who has to confront both his own fears and the tragic history of his race, which has been hunted almost to extinction. Secondary characters, particularly Kjat, a mysterious young woman with her own devastating burdens to bear, are also well developed and have their own arcs and voices.All in all, I found the book really intriguing, and found myself racing through the pages once I got into it. I really hope to see the sequel, because the "other stories" that get a mention sound really freaking awesome.