Adrian Collins's Blog

Ambitious & insightful, James Islington’s The Will of the Many is a dark academia book with a lot of heart and a lot of rage. Cutthroat characters, an intense setting, and a very cool magic system, The Will of the Many is the best school setting since Name of the Wind and threatens to be a classic series. 

“There comes a point in every man’s life where he can rail against the unfairness of the world until he loses, or he can do his best in it. Remain a victim, or become a survivor.”

The primary plot of the novel is about Vis, our main character who is an ousted prince of one of the empire’s takeovers, and the mission his adoptive father gives him. He’s to go to the country’s most prestigious school and pretend to be one of them, but really he’s there to investigate the murder of his adoptive father’s brother. To do that, he’ll need to rise in the ranks of the school and secure allies, but he can never let the mask slip.

The Will of the Many takes place in a setting where people participate in pyramid structures of “will ceding”, a system where lower ranked people give their “will” to people above them. It comes with numerous physical benefits to those who receive their payments, but it places a large strain on the population and a critical vulnerability on the society. 

What I find most delightful about The Will of the Many is the sheer ambition that Islington has in telling this. Topics range from colonialism, capitalism, ambition, loyalty, nepotism, utilitarianism, and revenge. Islington covers these with a deft, natural touch, never outright preaching but instead showing and having honest dialogues. If a weaker author had tried this, it would have fallen flat on its face. Instead, The Will of the Many is a book that delivers on its promise of having a lot to say. 

Another thing that I love from The Will of the Many is that every single character in the novel has agency, and none more so than Vis. Vis is a fantastic protagonist: a bitter past, well-defined traits, and a moral complexity. He’s angry at the world and the empire, he’s carrying scars, and he’s trying to do the right thing despite it all. As mentioned, the side characters have their own goals, moral lines, and plans as well. In a society as cutthroat as the one Islington has made, these characters frequently backstab—or demand Vis to backstab—each other. The tension is palpable throughout the entire length of the novel and the pages fly by, but what I found most impressive is just how real everyone felt. When one character fucks over another, you understand why. There’s a certain moral grayness that colors the world and makes you question whether the characters are vicious because of the setting or if it’s simply their nature. 

The school setting is both familiar and unique. We see a lot of the expected tropes like the pedantic/aggressive teacher, the bullies, the cliques, the misunderstood victim, the training montages, the love interest, so on and so on. Despite that, there’s a breath of fresh air in the novel. Maybe it’s just Islington’s talent—combined with a few absolutely great and gut-wrenching expectation subversions—but the tropes in The Will of the Many just work in an excellent way. 

Islington’s prose and dialogue are significantly improved from his earlier works. The Will of the Many was a book I was clearing through hundreds of pages at a time, and that’s because Islington’s prose is clean and Vis’ discussions sing.

Finally, I have to shout out the ending. It’s batshit insane and if I had the sequel in-front of me upon finishing I would have dove right into it. Islington’s greatest strength used to be his plotting, and assuming that skill hasn’t diminished since Licanius, this series is going to be bonkers in the best way. 

“They know the system is wrong, but they choose not to think or speak up or act because they ultimately hope that in their silence, they will gain. Or at the very least not have to give more than they have already given.”

Honestly, I don’t really have any complaints about this book, but I do have a few warnings. If you’re someone who doesn’t like school settings, this is not the book for you. If you’re someone who doesn’t like training montages, this is not the book for you. If you’re someone who doesn’t like philosophizing in their stories, this is not the book for you. 

However, if you’re someone who does like school settings, someone who wants a cutthroat society with a lot of twists, someone who wants to go into deeper themes of life, then pick up The Will of the Many.

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As The Buffalo Hunter Hunter begins, Etsy Beaucarne is struggling with an undistinguished academic career. A surprising opportunity falls in her lap, however, after a distant relative’s crumbling journal is discovered hidden in the walls of a decrepit parsonage. Penned in 1912 by her great-great-grandfather Arthur, a Lutheran pastor posted in Montana, Etsy hopes to use the manuscript as the springboard for a new research project, ideally leading to publications and tenure. But as transcriptions of the brittle and faded pages are delivered, she discovers a much darker and more troubling narrative than expected.

The premise established, Etsy’s story fades into the background. The Beaucarne Manuscript makes up the bulk of The Buffalo Hunter Hunter. Arthur Beaucarne’s religious ministrations to the small town of Miles City are disrupted when an ominous stranger begins attending his sermons. Invariably seated in the rearmost pew, the visitor is a Native American man dressed incongruously in a black Jesuit robe, battered cavalry boots, and dark glasses. Disturbed by the man’s intense scrutiny, Arthur nevertheless finds himself fascinated by the visitor. Eventually the Indian approaches Arthur after a Sunday service, introducing himself as Good Stab of the Pikuni (Piegan Blackfeet tribe), and says that he has come to the church to confess his sins. Over a series of weekly visits—the chapel dimmed so as not to aggravate his unusual sensitivity to light—Good Stab unburdens his soul, and Arthur dutifully recounts the man’s anecdotes in his journal.

During his first visit, Good Stab describes encountering the scene of a bizarre massacre, with dead white men surrounding a wagon containing a caged and hissing chalk-white man with fangs. After a series of catastrophes, the so-called “Cat Man” escapes from his prison and Good Stab undergoes a traumatic metamorphosis.

Between Good Stab’s visits, mutilated and exsanguinated human bodies begin appearing outside Miles City, partially skinned in apparent imitation of the wasteful fashion of white hunters of buffalo. Arthur quickly draws a connection between the corpses and his unusual guest and begins to investigate. Over time he begins to suspect an ulterior motive underlying Good Stab’s visits.

As it makes clear surprisingly early on, this book is a vampire novel. The Buffalo Hunter Hunter shares some superficial elements with Anne Rice’s 1976 Interview with the Vampire, and fans of the latter are likely to enjoy Stephen Graham Jones’ novel. But it’s also simultaneously a compelling revenge tale that deals unflinchingly with the Native Americans’ genocide at the hands of white colonizers. Rage, guilt, and regret feature prominently, and Good Stab’s anguish is powerfully rendered. Jones is himself of Blackfeet heritage, and it felt like the historical setting gave the author license to write about his ancestors’ plight in a more unfiltered and immediate way than his works set in the modern day.

Literary weightiness aside, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter is a particularly original vampire story. The Old West setting is fresh, as is the fact that—in Jones’ world—vampires literally are what they eat. Vampires begin to take on characteristics of the creatures they habitually consume. Too much deer blood and stubby antlers begin to sprout, for example. The same principle extends to human prey; when Good Stab subsists on white victims, he grows to resemble them, gaining a pale skin tone and scraggly beard. If he is to maintain his original form, he’s forced to devour his own people. It could be argued that this is a metaphor for cultural assimilation: associate too much with the white man and Good Stab begins to become one, but isolating himself among his fellow Pikuni is likewise harmful and unsustainable in the long term.

Beyond this novel depiction of vampirism, the book also boasts an abundance of chilling moments. With unlimited time at their disposal, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter repeatedly demonstrates that a sufficiently patient and motivated vampire can concoct tortures of breathtaking malice. Fates literally worse than death.

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter benefits from the strong and distinct voices of its two primary narrators, Good Stab and Arthur Beaucarne. Both are unreliable narrators in their own way. Good Stab is fond of using colorfully literal translations of his people’s words for animals (big mouth, blackhorn, real-bear, prairie-runner, etc.), but he occasionally slips and betrays a more fluent command of American English than the disarming Indian stereotype he playacts as. Arthur, on the other hand, reveals a tendency to dance around sensitive topics, to avoid examining or grappling with the uncomfortable until it’s too late.

Unfortunately, the robust characterization on display with Good Stab and Arthur ends up making the novel’s primary flaw more visible. When the Beaucarne Manuscript concludes, the narrative returns to the present day, with Etsy left to deal with her great-great-grandfather’s disturbing legacy. But because readers have spent so little time with Etsy, she feels much less satisfying as a viewpoint character. Good Stab and Arthur’s words are given heft by a lightly archaic style and the weight of history, while Etsy is just a modern gal with modern job frustrations and a cute cat. Relatable, but underequipped for the task of carrying such a heavy story’s ending. Perhaps this issue could have been ameliorated by having Etsy resurface periodically during the middle portion of the book to share her reactions and own investigative footwork, rather than showing up for a few brief pages in the beginning and then reappearing only to shoulder the last tenth of the book. The violence depicted in the finale also felt tonally different than what readers had been presented with previously. Less gritty, more gonzo.

Despite the comparatively weak finish, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter remains the most original and exciting vampire novel in years. Stephen Graham Jones has released many strong books in a short span of time, but this one is particularly passionate and multidimensional. While I suspect Jones’ best work is still ahead of him, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter stands out even among an already robust catalog of work.

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Molten Flux by Jonathan Weiss, the opening chapter in his Flux Catastrophe series, is a high-octane thrill ride full of grit, violence and some truly mind-bending worldbuilding. Think Mad Max and Red Faction with magic. 

We follow Ryza, a young man whose wandering trade caravan is captured at the novel’s opening by smelters, death-dealers of a different kind. His hands are cuffed, his life is forfeit and about his neck an explosive collar is strapped. And just like that, one of the most exhilarating science-fantasy novels of modern times begins. 

Weiss wastes no time in this novel, throwing the reader headfirst into events. With quick, succinct explanations, Weiss is able to reveal the world and magic in vivid ways. As is true of all good worldbuilding, the novel hints at greater depths but never burdens the reader with their explanation. Weiss’ worldbuilding is full of smoke and mirrors and rusty guns. It is deep but never overbearing; there is a glossary at the back of the book, but Weiss’ descriptions and depictions of magic and the world are always enough. This is a world with mist at its edges and rust in its heart.

The story takes place in a world known only as The Droughtlands. Imagine sprawling, unending deserts, sporadically populated with human settlements constructed from refuse and debris. It is a truly fallen world. A post-post-apocalyptic one. Among the debris, people scrounge for survival and dominance. 

And for molten flux.

A self-replicating liquid metal, molten flux can be injected into corpses (known as Autominds) to be reanimated and controlled by Kretatics (those capable of metal magic). Despite the punishments for possession of even a drop of the lethal liquid, there is a roaring trade across the Droughtlands and it is over this precious and deadly commodity that the novel’s central conflicts are fought. 

A large portion of the novel takes place upon Revance: a colossal, walking fortress composed of scrap metal and held together and controlled by magic unseen. Think Howl’s Moving Castle but more rusty, dilapidated and with a gargantuan cannon strapped to it. It is a hulking beast of a fortress whose purpose and ownership is unknown. It simply roams from city to city, endlessly. Within Revance live hundreds of conscripts of various factions whose duty it is to search for scrap metal to add to its composition. It is part cargo hauler and part mercenary outfit, and at the novel’s outset, there is tension brewing on-board and mutiny is in the air.

At the oil-slicked heart of this novel are the characters. Weiss presents us with a rag-tag band of conscripts on-board Revance who feel honest, deep and real. He has spent time considering their beliefs and opinions, and each of these differences plays out on the page.

Although Molten Flux is often compared to Mad Max, I felt that when it came to characters, Point Break came closest. The relationship between Ryza and some of his enemies reminded me of Keanu’s Johnny Utah and Swayze’s Bodhi: in another life, in another world, they would’ve been the greatest of friends, but here, in the Droughtlands, their beliefs and actions have sent them down irreversible paths. So often the chasms between the characters are unaddressed flaws within themselves. This tension between the characters is tight, biting and above all, realistic, and creates a complex web of interactions. 

Chief among my praises for Molten Flux, however, is Weiss’ sheer originality. Sure we’ve had walking castles and scrambles in the desert over precious resources. But never like this. Weiss approaches every obstacle and conflict with a methodical mind and applies his originality to everything he touches. The high-energy is maintained throughout the novel, and the stakes are always clear.

A central theme of the story is the value of human life, and how humans can be reduced to little more than machines; a topic Weiss has further expanded upon in his discussions around social media. 

I can’t think of many weaknesses or holes in the plot. I enjoyed this book so much, even the only lingering question I have—how do people survive in such a water-scarce world?—I am choosing to overlook.

Molten Flux blends the raw energy of Mad Max, the tension of Point Break, while sprinkling in shades of Red Faction.

Genuinely one of the most original pieces of fiction I have ever read, Molten Flux perfectly marries science fiction with fantasy. The novel presents over-the-top concepts with such believability I only hope the popularity of this series grows and finds a wider audience. If you are looking for a high-energy, brutal and original bit of fiction, there are few better places to start than The Droughtlands.

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Everyone loves a good award don’t they? The awards shows might be as boring as watching paint dry but the Emmys did at least recognise some of the great grimdark TV series brought to our screen over the last year. So let’s dive into some over the big winners of the awards night (or should that be nights? They are pretty bloated, aren’t they?) and see which of our faves went home with a trophy or two.

Matte Reeves spin off tale from The Batman was pretty brilliant. Starring Colin Farrell as the titular mobster in amazing heavy make-up, the series was dark and brutal and one of the best dark comic TV series to ever hit our screens. The series was nominated for four of the main awards and took home one – a deserving win for Cristin Milioti as lead actress in a limited series for her take on Sofia Falcone. Hopefully this means The Penguin may return to the small screen following the upcoming The Batman Part 2.

I don’t have many words left to tell people who incredible Andor is. It doesn’t matter if you lie Star Wars or not, the series is one of the best things to have ever hit the screen and that isn’t an exaggeration in any way. The music, the writing, the acting, directing, everything about this show was just perfection. It gave us two of the best screen speeches I have ever witnessed and showed the potential of the grittier side of the Star Wars world. If, for some unknown reason, you haven’t seen this show – sort it out. You’re missing out on greatness. Whilst it missed out wins after nominations for Best Drama and Best Directing, it did win Best Writing in a Drama for the episode Welcome to the Rebellion. It took home some more creative Emmy awards but definitely deserved more.

Arcane is loved here at Grimdark Magazine. The second season won four Emmys including Outstanding Animated Program. The Netflix animated series seemed to come out of nowhere and blow us away with its story based on characters from the League of Legends game. The story followed the origin story of sisters Vi and Powder as they are separated and brought back together by a conflict between the city of Piltover and the oppressed undercity of Zaun. With eight Emmys won overall for the two seasons, I’m sure it won’t be long before we dive back into the mesmerising world of Arcane. 

The second season of the apocalyptic hit series based on the award-winning game was nominated for sixteen Emmys, winning just the one. This is down from the first season which was nominated for twenty-four awards and won eight. Still, this is further proof of the growing recognition of grimdark tales during award season and something that definitely needs to be celebrated.

What is to come? With the amazing TV series and films released recently and with more to come, I’m sure there will be many more awards to come for the work that sits in the darker realms of our screens. I can’t wait to see what is next!

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A rich tide of convergence, Reaper’s Gale is one of the most action packed, heart-breaking, and metal books in Steven Erikson’s Malazan: Book of the Fallen. Featuring new characters and old locations, Erikson’s plot surges forward and the armies march steadily to the end. 

“We left a debt in blood,’ she said, baring her teeth. ‘Malazan blood. And it seems they will not let that stand.’

They are here. On this shore.

The Malazans are on our shore.”

Reaper’s Gale is where the series becomes married. Previously, we had essentially three different chains with Gardens & Memories, Deadhouse & House of Chains, and the seemingly separate Midnight Tides. Bonehunters brought together the first two entities, and Reaper’s Gale is the book that unites all of them, complete with bringing in more Malazan marines, more meddling gods, and a new major character in Redmask: an exile guarded by two K’Chain Che’Malle leading the clans to war against Letheras. 

As with any Malazan novel, Erikson is juggling at tens of plot threads and hundreds of characters. Reaper’s Gale is no different, although the arcs generally center on what’s going on in Letheras. There’s wars coming from both the Malazan marines and Redmask’s Awl rebellion; there’s Rhulad—the immortal emperor—taking on any and all challengers in a manic/suicidal frenzy; there’s gods watching it all and putting their fingers on the scale. 

Reaper’s Gale is bursting with action. Knives in the dark, mages wielding catastrophic magic, and soldiers carrying spears fill these pages. Most of the time it’s intense and keeps you on your toes, especially since Erikson keeps a steady introduction of new characters and isn’t afraid to kill the old. There’s room to kill off so many characters that the fear of losing one you care about keeps you reading every word. 

The dialogue in Reaper’s Gale is hard to capture. At times, it’s his best, and at others it’s his worst. While the wittiest character in the series isn’t quite as prominent as in a separate book, their presence is still felt and every page featuring them is a blessing. The Malazan marines are as entertaining and philosophical as ever, but some of the other discussions from characters fell flat for me. 

From a prose perspective, Reaper’s Gale is as gorgeous as Erikson’s other works. At this point the reader should know what to expect, and he doesn’t let them down. There’s some evocative language and questions here, particularly on themes of colonialism and war. 

I’d argue this is Erikson’s most mysterious book. Reaper’s Gale has an iron grip on plot threads with massive implications, but he never fully dispels the mystery. A few are solved by the end of the novel, but the larger questions and conspiracies are still at play, with the full information being played close to the chest by Erikson and his characters alike. 

One character deserves a special shout out. They can’t be named, but those who have read the book know exactly who I’m talking about. Erikson’s skill at bringing characters to life—despite the huge size of the cast—is shown off in a dazzling way in Reaper’s Gale. This character is brought to highs rarely seen in fantasy, and the climax of the story makes him an unforgettable fan favorite. 

I’d be remiss if I wrote this review without mentioning that my favorite poem comes from this book. I’m not well versed in poetry, but that one is a poem I think of often, even if it does not think of me. 

“Never mind the truth. The past is what I say it is. That is the freedom of teaching the ignorant.”

Unfortunately, Reaper’s Gale is Erikson’s most frustrating novel. It’s got some of his highest highs and lowest lows. There’s a ton to love in this book, but we spend a fair number of hours on plot threads and characters that simply don’t work as well as others. If this book were reduced to 800 or 900 pages it’d be one of the greatest in the series. Instead, Erikson makes us focus on plot threads that don’t have as fulfilling as a resolution as others, or characters who don’t leap off the page like others. 

Still, Reaper’s Gale is a great novel. There’s some filler and some parts don’t work as well as others, but there is so much to love about this heartbreaking novel. Frustrations included, Reaper’s Gale is one of my personal favorites from the series, and if you’re someone who’s read The Bonehunters and are hesitant to continue, I implore you to. Erikson gives you a sneak peek into the heights this series is going to hit, and it hurts and delights in just the right way.

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In 1996, Crystal Dynamics released a game called Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain for the original PlayStation. This introduced us to the dark, gothic world of Nosgoth, in which a murdered nobleman, the titular Kain, is raised as a vampire and given a chance at revenge. This premise turns out to be but a prologue for an epic journey in which Kain discovers the entire world has been exposed to terrible corruption which can only be purified if he will kill the guardians of the Pillars of Nosgoth. Kain begins a blood-drenched journey in which he gradually comes to think of his vampiric curse as more of a gift, and himself as a god.

This game was followed by the release of Soul Reaver: Legacy of Kain (1999) and Soul Reaver 2 (2001), which pick up thousands of years later. “Kain is deified,” Raziel tells us, and has raised other vampires in his eternal, corrupt empire. Soul Reaver opens with Kain betraying his most-trusted lieutenant, Raziel, casting him into an abyss. Raziel does not die, however, but is transformed into an indestructible wraith. After centuries of agony, he is greeted by the Elder God, who calls vampires abominations who disrupt the Wheel of Fate. He tells Raziel to become his “soul reaver” and avenge himself on Kain. All of this is prelude to a much deeper mystery Raziel finds himself embroiled in, with many forces trying to control his destiny.

The Legacy of Kain series as a whole has some of the finest storytelling I’ve ever experienced (in any format, not just games), and had a tremendous impact on my writing—on the stories I wanted to tell and how I wanted to tell them. Anyone familiar with both the games and my work will no doubt spot the homages scattered throughout.

In fact, the story, setting, and voice acting are so pitch perfect I’m still in awe of them after more than twenty years. Amy Henning, the director of many of the games, became one of my writing heroes. Simon Templeman, the voice actor for Kain, is so stunning in his delivery I cannot imagine anyone else filling the role. His interactions with Michael Bell (Raziel) have a Shakespearean grandeur to them.

After the partial conclusion of 2003’s Legacy of Kain: Defiance, no more games manifested. I held out hope of further games, but with each passing year, that hope dwindled a little more. Then, in 2024, a Kickstarter was announced for a prequel comic book.

Instant backer, here.

As many had hoped and speculated, the Kickstarter tested the waters for the announcement of a remaster, in this case of Soul Reaver 1&2. The remaster improved the graphics and made some minor quality of life upgrades, as remasters do, while leaving the games otherwise the same.

These remasters were released in December of 2024, but I couldn’t play right away as I was abroad. The chance to play these again, to experience the story again, had me ridiculously excited, and they were the first games I got to when I could.

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Ti West first imagined Pearl in his A24 film of the same name as a sympathetic yet brutal female antagonist battling against isolation and madness on her parents’ farm. Now, she’s been transcribed from screen to page in Pearl by Tim Waggoner. Waggoner is no stranger to TV and film adaptations with several notable series under his belt, including Terrifier and Alien. He has a knack for putting us inside the characters’ heads, and his books work well beside their visual counterparts rather than against them. Pearl, already a complex, character-driven thriller, is more devastating than we could have imagined as we get an inside look into Pearl’s descent into psychopathy. 

Pearl is a twisted take on the femme fatale story, but rather than getting her way through seduction and manipulation, Pearl uses more direct approaches like, well, murder. Pearl is a young woman from the middle-of-nowhere East Texas — seriously, the town isn’t even given a name — with big dreams of becoming a movie star. However, she faces several obstacles, including a global pandemic, World War 1, an absent husband, a severely sick father, and an emotionally neglectful mother. 

“Pearl lifted her head and looked into Mama’s eyes, making sure to maintain the contrite expression on her face. She wished she could hear the orchestra one more time, but Mama had killed the music—just like she always did.” 

Her hunger for stardom and desperation to leave her bleak situation eventually led to her madness overwhelming her and going on a murder spree. As someone who is from one of these

middle-of-nowhere towns in East Texas, Pearl’s plight may resonate with me a little more than the average person, murderous intent aside. 

In all seriousness, Waggoner truly captures the inner monologue of a character like Pearl, who does violent and terrible things, and it is expressed in such a way that you almost catch yourself feeling bad for her. Waggoner takes the time to get the reader somewhat comfortable with Pearl before she crosses the point of no return. We see her goals, her dreams, her pain, her love, and her desire for acceptance. We see her as a woman repressed and forced to deny her baser instincts. 

“One day you’ll understand that getting what you want isn’t important. Making the most of what you have is.” 

A big part of this is due to the tension that is built up in Pearl through Pearl’s increasingly disturbing thoughts, questionable actions, and worsening hallucinations. Pearl becomes less human as the novella progresses, so rather than humanizing the monster, we see how the human becomes the monster. 

“It was too bad the sheep had to die, but sacrifices need to be made to bring new life into the world. Every mother knew that.”

Waggoner explores the classic question of Nature VS Nurture, as we know how the madness already within Pearl festers and grows as she loses her sanity and fights for freedom from her sad life and entrapment on the family farm. 

Her relationship with her mother, in particular, is a significant point of contentment as the distance between them widens the more confident Pearl becomes in herself. Pearl is the female hysteria trope in literature, but if you gave the woman from The Yellow Wallpaper a pitchfork and anger issues. 

“They will notice eventually, and they will be frightened. Just as I am.” 

Pearl’s world is no doubt bleak, but the central conflict in the novella stems from such an internal battle that I would not classify the novel as grimdark. It leans heavily into the psychological thriller/horror genres, but man, was it such a fun ride. I also went into this having watched all three movies several times; Pearl has a special place in my heart, so I can’t say if the novella stands by itself as such a knock-out success. I will say Mia Goth’s heart wrenching monologue at the very end did not translate as effectively onto the page, but that speaks more to her abilities as an actress than to Waggoner’s writing abilities. Pearl is one of the few female slashers we have, and I can’t wait to read the following two books in the series to see Waggoner work his magic yet again.

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Crossroads of Ravens is a prequel novel in Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher book series. Chronologically, the events featured in this entry show the earliest presentation of Geralt, with the UK publisher Gollancz marketing this with the tagline: ‘Every legend has an origin. Geralt of Rivia’s begins here’. 

Having not long left the Witchers’ training school of Kaer Morhen, the young and inexperienced monster hunter Geralt finds himself about to be executed by hanging. The witcher’s crime? On the previous day, he rescued a peasant and his daughter from deserters. The latter was about to be raped. During this altercation, one of the brigands attacked, and in self-defence, Geralt killed him. Luckily, just before Geralt is strung up and left dangling as a warning to other wrongdoers, a mysterious rider named Preston Holt challenges the authority. After a formidable display, a perplexed Geralt leaves the scene with this enigmatic newcomer. From this introduction, the tone is set that this is a dangerous and corrupt environment where power is key. Geralt has much to learn about how this world works and what a witcher’s place in it looks like. 

Crossroads of Ravens is written in the third person with an omniscient narrator. The narrator is thoughtful, candid, and often humorous with comments such as ‘something Geralt also didn’t know’ or ‘He couldn’t know they were the ruins of an ancient shrine’. The effect of this is to illustrate that Geralt is currently a novice and quite oblivious to the intricacies and intrigues that he will understand later in his life. At this time, he will need to adhere to the advice and guidance of his rescuer, Preston Holt. I found Holt to be a fascinating character with an interesting backstory, leaving lots of questions surrounding his behaviour and motives.   

The first half of Crossroads of Ravens reads as a collection of monster-hunting missions, quest-like objectives, and presents excellent insight into the workings of the witcher trade. Holt and Geralt have some training and bonding moments, and, although familiar in origin stories, they are charming and work well. Geralt reflects that some of his first kills were more luck than skill, and we even discover how the banking system works. These elements showcase a raw and vulnerable side to the witcher, creating empathy as we are learning the ropes alongside him. In Crossroads of Ravens, there are more monster-hunting segments than any of the other Witcher novels, and each accomplishment adds respect and renown to Geralt’s reputation. 

Fans of CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher games who have not read one of Sapkowski’s novels before could start with Crossroads of Ravens and find a lot to enjoy. They may feel right at home with the monster hunts, quests, conversations that take the witcher from speaking with peasants to the societal elites, as well as the complex decision-making in this tale. In fact, until about the halfway point, I was unsure where the story was going. Each chapter reads similarly to a mission in the games, but it does work towards an intriguing and enjoyable second half. It is worth noting that there are a large number of characters, and aside from Holt and a handful of others, some of the players were indistinguishable or unremarkable. 

Crossroads of Ravens features some dynamic and memorable set-pieces and many clever easter eggs for long-time series fans. These include foreshadowing that Geralt may have some trouble with sorceresses in the future and revealing where the name Roach comes from. The dialogue in Crossroads of Ravens is excellent. You can almost hear the emotions in interactions with Geralt, whether loathing, distrust, or respect. Geralt builds good favour with some and contempt from others. 

This is a tale worth paying full attention to because, although some parts seem redundant initially, everything contributes towards the novel’s mostly satisfying conclusion. Towards the end, Crossroads of Ravens is gripping and thrilling, and the pacing throughout most of the book is efficient. The ending, however, seemed too abrupt. The finale reads as if a couple of objectives were completed, scores were settled, and then on to the next one. This left me feeling slightly off balance, yet, this could be intentional by Sapkowski, reflecting that this is not a neat world where things go as expected. 

To conclude, I had an enjoyable experience with Crossroads of Ravens, returning to this exquisite dark fantasy world. It was a good standalone reading experience and I enjoyed reading about a young and flawed Geralt in these early adventures. For potential readers who are already familiar with Geralt, either through the TV series or video games, this is a great place to start your reading adventure. If readers are completely unfamiliar with Geralt, I would suggest Sapkowski’s short story collection The Last Wish as better entrance points to this legend of fantasy’s complicated and intriguing exploits. 

I received a review copy of Crossroads of Ravens in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Andrzej Sapkowski and Gollancz.

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Cyberpunk video games are something that I treasure every time I manage to acquire one. Cyberpunk 2077 is an obvious candidate, but I also love Deux Ex, Cloudpunk, Observer, Ghostrunner, Dex, System Shock, and Shadowrun Returns. They run a gamut of incredibly good to incredibly niche. In this case, Wanted: Dead is a cyberpunk video game is a very hard game to rate as it is an intensely flawed game that, nevertheless, had a lot to recommend it. It’s also a game that feels incomplete and I don’t just mean that in gameplay.

The premise is that in an alternate 2020s, China and Russia defeated the United States in a war that has left the world under the domination of oligarch megacorporations. How? Why? You will not have this expanded on and be left with more questions than answers. But, sure, alternate reality. It’s a good excuse for the fact that Eighties music like “Maniac”, “99 Luftballoons”, “I Touch Myself”, and “She works hard for the Money” are part of the soundtrack. But if that’s the case, why would it be in the 2020s? Nope. Wait, that’s falling down a rabbit hole and we haven’t even begun to deal with how weird this game is.

Our protagonist, Hannah Stone, is a cyborg war criminal imprisoned for life when she and her squadron are pardoned in exchange for becoming special tactical police officers in Hong Kong. Her war crimes seem to be, “kill thousands of people but they were all bad”, which tells you this game is about half Robocop and half Tank Police. Her crew is an oddball collection of misfits with a pervert, a mute but not deaf ASL user, a crazy cat lady, and a drunken medic.

To describe the plot is kind of missing the point because our protagonists are weirdly apart from it. A bunch of terrorists attack their employers, there’s a cybernetic revolt, you go after some human traffickers in a nightclub and then are declared outlaws by another megacorporation before fleeing. Then the game is over. Yes, there’s only five levels in the game and they’re only loosely connected. At one point, a super cyborg revolutionary is set up as the main villain and he just…never shows up again.

Wanted: Dead seems like a game that was planned to be far bigger in scope and then someone realized they’d run out of anime. I’m not even kidding as there’s fully animated anime storytelling sections, live action cooking programs (yes, you read that corrected), and all the licensed music covers but a surprising dearth of gameplay. If you played the game through with no deaths and not playing the minigames then you’ll probably have a total of five hours.

The minigames are also incomplete with a single arcade game shooter, a pair of claw machines (where I wasted a bunch of time), a ramen eating game, and a single karaoke game of “99 Luftballoons.” Not to be pedantic but maybe they should have devoted all more of their efforts on providing the game itself versus side content. The “twist” of the Synth Uprising deserved more attention, which is to say any attention whatsoever.

Despite this, I enjoyed Wanted: Dead. The characters are ridiculously likable with Hannah and Vivienne having great designs. The combat is serviceable and a great mix of both gunplay as well as swordmanship. The only place it stopped being fun was the ending where the enemies become endless waves with a dearth of save points as well as ammunition.

Wanted: Dead is just blatantly bizarre, and I can’t say that I didn’t have fun. I even love seeing Stephanie Joostan (Metal Gear Solid: Phantom Pain‘s Quiet) doing her hilarious live action segments. It’s not worth it if you want a modern AAA game but it’s a fun time waste for an AA game even with all its flaws.

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Andrew Joseph White has long proved himself to be an unapologetically bold, unflinching,  and provocative author with his young adult works (all of which are absolute favourites for me), but nothing could have prepared me for what he had in store in his adult queer horror debut You Weren’t Meant to Be Human. This is one of those deeply disturbing books that I adore and abhor in equal measure, and I think that is exactly what makes it such a masterpiece.

“Crane doesn’t know this yet, but he’s been pregnant for almost three months already.” That is the very first line/chapter of You Weren’t Meant to Be Human, and if that doesn’t set the scene, then I don’t know what does. There’s no tiptoeing around what this story is going to be about; you better buckle up real quick or get out while you still can, because shit is about to get wild.

“The swarm buzzes. The worms slide over each other in a constant wet undertone, like saliva swishing in the mouth, or – or when intestines squirm about on the operating table. His eyes are adjusting to the dark and some of the worms are watching. Older ones, with dull bodies and heavy jaws.”

Through the eyes of our autistic, mute, and transgender protagonist Crane, we’re transported into a dystopianish near-future version of rural West Virginia where festering masses of worms and flies offer salvation to the broken souls of society in return for fresh corpses and unwavering loyalty. And honestly, Crane is grateful for the new life that his hive has given him… until he discovers that his walking red flag of a sex buddy has gotten him pregnant and the hive demands that the child be born. Which, surprise, Crane is not thrilled by, and he will stop at nothing to terminate the pregnancy, even if it sends him and his dysfunctional found family into a tragic spiral that can only end in destruction.

“A total lack of self-image, he’s heard, is an autism thing. Or a trauma thing, Aspen would point out. But he’s not traumatized. A walking collection of bad decisions, sure, and a masochist with way too many messy kinks, absolutely. Traumatized? That is a word for veterans and rape victims, not him. After all, the hive saved him.”

Needless to say, You Weren’t Meant to Be Human is not a fun read, but then I don’t think it was ever meant to be fun in the first place. Initially I was a bit worried that I’d have a hard time getting invested in a story with a protagonist who doesn’t speak, but the opposite couldn’t be more true; Crane’s strong voice and personality drips off every page, and I soon found myself completely absorbed in his (unpleasant) headspace. Moreover, White’s raw, visceral and intoxicating prose is stronger than ever before, which made it simply impossible to put this book down no matter how much it upset me. Or maybe I just kept turning the pages out of a sheer desperate desire for this tragic nightmare to be over as quickly as possible, and I fully realise how privileged I am in saying that.

You see, this might be a fictional tale full of skin-crawling body horror and weird cultish alien (?) worm invasion shenanigans à la Nick Cutter’s The Troop, but Crane’s harrowing journey as a (unwillingly) pregnant transgender man is an all too real and human experience that is grossly underrepresented and unfairly treated as taboo in our society. My heart absolutely broke while reading You Weren’t Meant to Be Human, not only for Crane, but also for all the marginalized people in real life who are forced to survive instead of thrive in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile when all they want to do is just peacefully live as their true authentic selves.

“You pleaded for us to do as we wished with you, didn’t you? To mold you in our image. To give you a place. To make your choices, change your body, make you into something useful. To keep you from being something other than fuckmeat and repulsive lust and fear. To make the outside match the inside. How fortunate, then, that we’ve given you what you want.”

Now, I don’t want to make it seem like You Weren’t Meant to Be Human is all suffering and despair. Yes, this is a story full of nauseating body horror and graphic on-page triggers that explores self-harm, suicide, sexual assault, toxic love and the devastating dangers of unwanted/forced pregnancy in the most gruesome and unflinching way, but at the same time it also offers some beautiful messages of friendship, acceptance, sacrificial love, and learning to embrace the darkest, ugliest parts of yourself. And yes, Crane is one hell of a complicated man full of flaws and scars (both physical and emotional), but I truly love him in all his messy glory.

You Weren’t Meant to Be Human just starts with a bang and then somehow only gets more and more intense, leading up to one of the most upsetting yet weirdly cathartic endings I have ever read. And you know what, I love it all the more for it. White accomplished exactly what he set out to do with this story, and I honestly think he is up there with Stephen Graham Jones, Eric LaRocca and Chuck Tingle as one the most talented, subversive and important voices in the speculative horror genre right now. This book is absolutely not for the faint of heart, but I can’t recommend it highly enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and Daphne Press for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. You Weren’t Meant to Be Human is scheduled for release on 9 September, 2025. 

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