The Incorruptibles

The Incorruptibles #1

by John Hornor Jacobs

In the contested and unexplored territories at the edge of the Empire, a boat is making its laborious way up stream. Riding along the banks are the mercenaries hired to protect it—from raiders, bandits, and, most of all, the stretchers, elf-like natives who kill any intruders into their territory. The mercenaries know this is dangerous, deadly work. But it is what they do. In the boat the drunk governor of the territories and his sons and daughters make merry. They believe that their status makes them untouchable. They are wrong. And with them is a mysterious, beautiful young woman, who is the key to peace between warring nations and survival for the Empire. When a callow mercenary saves the life of the Governor on an ill-fated hunting party, the two groups are thrown together. For Fisk and Shoe—two tough, honorable mercenaries surrounded by corruption, who know they can always and only rely on each other—their young companion appears to be playing with fire. The nobles have the power, and crossing them is always risky. And although love is a wonderful thing, sometimes the best decision is to walk away. Because no matter how untouchable or deadly you may be, the stretchers have other plans.

Genres: Fantasy, Steampunk, Westerns, Fiction, Adventure, Science Fiction, Alternate History

306 pages, Paperback

First published August 14, 2014

About the author

John Hornor Jacobs, is an award-winning author of genre bending adult and YA fiction and a partner and senior art director at a Little Rock, Arkansas advertising agency, Cranford Co. His first novel, Southern Gods, was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for Excellence in a First Novel and won the Darrel Award. The Onion AV said of the book, “A sumptuous Southern Gothic thriller steeped in the distinct American mythologies of Cthulhu and the blues . . . Southern Gods beautifully probes the eerie, horror-infested underbelly of the South.”His second novel, This Dark Earth, Brian Keene described as “…quite simply, the best zombie novel I’ve read in years” and was published by Simon & Schuster’s Gallery imprint. Jacobs’s acclaimed series of novels for young adults beginning with The Twelve-Fingered Boy, continuing with The Shibboleth, and ending with The Conformity has been hailed by Cory Doctorow on BoingBoing as “amazing” and “mesmerizing.”Jacobs’s first fantasy novel, The Incorruptibles, was nominated for the Morningstar and Gemmell Awards in the UK. Pat Rothfuss has said of this book, “One part ancient Rome, two parts wild west, one part Faust. A pinch of Tolkien, of Lovecraft, of Dante. This is strange alchemy, a recipe I’ve never seen before. I wish more books were as fresh and brave as this.”His fiction has appeared in Playboy Magazine, Cemetery Dance, Apex Magazine and his essay have been featured on CBS Weekly and Huffington Post.Books:Southern Gods – (Night Shade Books, 2011)


This Dark Earth – (Simon & Schuster, 2012)
The Twelve-Fingered Boy – (Lerner, 2013)
The Shibboleth – (Lerner, 2013)
The Conformity – (Lerner, 2014)
The Incorruptibles – (Hachette/Gollancz, 2014)
Foreign Devils – (Hachette/Gollancz, 2015)
Infernal Machines – (Hachette/Gollancz, 2017)
The Sea Dreams It Is The Sky – (HarperCollins / Harper Voyager, October 2018)
A Lush and Seething Hell – (HarperCollins / Harper Voyager, October 2019)
Murder Ballads and Other Horrific Tales – (JournalStone, 2020)

Reviews

[Mark Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exceptionally well written book that shows an alternative world with numerous echoes of our own, set in a loose 'wild west' parallel with with an eclectic mix of cultural references. Jacobs' prose is lean and to the point but touches on poetry in places even so. His characters are expertly drawn and interesting, and his plot compelling.

There's a variant steam-punk vibe with demons harnessed to drive technology and an intriguing caste of engineers who summon and bind these horrors in service of men. The natives are inhuman and fascinating.

The story is given to us, in the first person but, unusually, from the point of view of what might be considered one of the lesser characters, an individual who isn't the hero, doesn't have a love interest, and is in other ways set apart from the society of the leaders of this tale. It's not a combination I recall reading before, though strangely I think my next read (Scourge of the Betrayer by Jeff Salyards) uses the same device. The technique may appeal most to more sophisticated readers as it doesn't let you ride the emotional current direct behind the eyes of the 'hero' - but it has advantages in allowing a filtered view that has a different perspective over-laid and which can, and does, work very well.

For the majority of the book it's a small scale and personal story. The fate of worlds or vast armies don't hinge upon the outcome, just the happiness and well being of a small cast. In the last 20% or so of the book things broaden out rapidly until at the end the stakes are as high as they can get.

It's a strong tale, well told, and sat very well with me.



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[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating 4.5

This is one of those books I end liking more and more as time passes (sneaky little book).

This was my first encounter with John Hornor Jacobs, though not the last ( currently enjoying The Twelve-Fingered Boy). The story is a fun mix of western, steam-punk, alternate history Roman rule, fantasy, and don't know what else ... with a dash of half-dwarfs, demons , scalp taking elves, daemon powered weapons and riverboat, and why not ... romance too.

That I enjoyed it despite the flu that was shaking me at the time, speaks volumes.

[Nicky · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Incorruptibles is a bit of a mash up of all sorts of genres: a little steampunk, a little Western, a little horror/supernatural/Supernatural vibe, alternate history with a Roman (sorry, Ruman) feel… and it does work insofar as it’s entertaining, and it’s interesting to figure out how exactly the world goes together — what’s different, what’s the same, what this or that term means. There’s quite a lot of action scenes and there’s always something apparently going on, but pacing-wise, it feels odd. After a certain point, it suddenly gets a lot more serious, with really high stakes, and that isn’t where I was expecting it to go — and that jarred with the rather less consequential stuff going on before.

Also, I’m… really not a fan of the ‘stretchers’; the equivalents of native people who hound the heroes and human settlements, who cannibalise and sacrifice and all kinds of horror. Some of it, especially their tendency to scalp people, is just too reminiscent of racial stereotypes about Native Americans in the Wild West. It feels like the author said, oh, I need to have that threat in the background, but it wouldn’t be politically correct to use actual Native Americans… so instead I’ll create monsters and attribute all the same shit to them!

It’s an interesting set-up for a world, but that aspect honestly grossed me out.

Originally posted here.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Incorruptibles is a tale of mercenaries, deadly indigenous natives, and a demon powered steamboat. Sold yet? You should be. Set in an alternative world where a 'Rome' like civilisation never fell and demons have been harnessed by a caste of engineers, we follow the trials and tribulations of a pair of mercenaries as they attempt to protect the steamboat as it travels through hostile territory. Jacobs has weaved an incredible tapestry with The Incorruptibles that crosses genres at ease. The world building is fascinating, and his characters interesting and complex. I particularly liked Jacobs use of point of view, with the reader watching the story unfold through the eyes of a 'secondary' character who is neither the hero or the villain.

All in all this was an incredible story. If you like fantasy, steampunk, westerns, or horror then The Incorruptibles will sate your appetite well and truly! One of my favourite reads this year!

5 out of 5 stars.

[Jasper · Rating 5 out of 5]

originally posted at: http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/2014...

Each year a lot of books are published, books that fall into a singular genre or that have a bit of two genres working in their favor. Next to those you also have complete mashups, and there you will find John Hornor Jacobs' latest book: The Incorruptibles. Being presented with the synopsis of his book, I couldn't say no. I still stand to my first notice of the books that I like: book where authors go into a new direction and try out new stuff. This is exactly what The Incorruptibles is. When I was only a few pages into the book I already tweeted that it's one big mashup of good stuff and from the first pages right until the last the book didn't disappointment me at all. John Hornor Jacobs' The Incorruptibles is just what fantasy needs at the moment, guts to try new things and working them in away that it pays off completely or go down guns blazing, and John did the former, yes there are still guns blazing as well!


The first thing that really falls to note in The Incorruptibles and for which I have to give the book a lot of praise is the setting and the world that John Hornor Jacobs has built. In the synopsis you can already pick out a few influences likes the elves. The world is for me inspired by: 1. the classic Epic Fantasy, you have elves and dwarfs, 2. A Romanesque (Called Ruman in the book) - Renaissance/Victorianesque feeling by the places and how the characters act 3. Western because of the Gunslinging action that takes place and 4. the dark and gritty setting achieved by the influence of demons and such. I already mentioned that The Incorruptibles is a mash-up and perhaps when you read these think you might think how on Earth can this ever work together. Well trust me when I say that it's all works well and these elements all build on each other to make them come out even that much stronger. I definitely liked the proposed setting that John Hornor Jacobs' introduces in this first book. It leaves you wanting more and it is with such settings that you never really know what will be in store for you on the other page. I got my hooked from the first page!


The story of The Incorruptibles picks up in a explanatory kind of way, the plot only becomes clear after you read through about half of the book. This didn't bug me at all since I was still taken by the awesome world that was envisaged. What John Hornor Jacobs does in the first half of his book is building his world, putting the setting right and explaining what makes his world go round. This was for me a perfect move to get introduced to his world. The Incorruptibles is a genre mash-up and in order to get, as a reader, the full gist and all the intentions right of what is proposed in his book such an informative introduction was needed. You not only learn about the world itself, races and empires and rulers but also get to learn much of the characters themselves and what makes them tick.

Ok but what is the story about? In The Incorruptibles you follow the two mercenaries Fisk and Shoe, whose current job it is to protect a high placed Ruman politician Cornelius. Fisk is the best compared to an old school western gunslinger, an avid gun collector who doesn't mind to shoot his hellfire gun blasting his opponents to shreds and then asking the questions. Shoe is definitely more the opposite of Fisk, Shoe is also a dvergar, like a dwarf, he doesn't carry any shooting weapons but is well versed with his set of knifes. Shoe acts a bit like the scholar in this story contemplating the actions of hisself and that of Fisk to see what they can do best. Cornelius resides on his steamtrawler/ship which is named Cornelius as well, this should readily tell you something about his personality. The Cornelian is navigating through a hostile area, filled with creatures knows as stretchers or also the Vaetter. They lurk around ever corner to cause some trouble, and this isn't trouble in throwing a rock here and there. When Fisk and Shoe encounter them it is left with blood, a lot of it. On the Cornelian, Cornelius has most of his family, they are quite the family with their moments of happy banter but also have their moments where would happily throw each other off the boat or give one up to the stretchers...

Both Fisk and Shoe have been partners for quite a while you can clearly see that they have a great bond together, they have faced some tough battles but their current adventure will give them an extra handful, well at least Fisk... After the aforementioned introduction to the world and characters, the story takes on a turn as the plot line is revealed, I do not want to delve to much into it since it will definitely spoil it for you but what I can say and must emphasize is that John Hornor Jacobs does throw his story in a very rapid pacing and you have to brace yourself. As now Fisk and Shoe only have one task remaining, well actually, Fisk takes the task upon himself to stop a war from emerging. And it isn't just a shallow statement by Fisk but it's a commitment, Fisk knows who is in play here and this brings back some awful memories (yes, Fisk hasn't had a history that you can describe as "easy") , by this move you are again provided with a lot of information that only further developed the characters and the story. Don't think that the last part is all about Fisk though as Shoe is needed to keep everything in check, because when you are working together with demons, bad stuff can happen in a turn of a hand. There is so much more going on in The Incorruptibles than had previously met the surface.

The story center mostly around the two mercenaries Fisk and Shoe, I already mentioned that they are a bit of opposite poles when it comes to personalities. This might not be a new idea to portray a duo in this way but it does cause a lot of funny scenes. I enjoyed reading about the adventures that they had. John Hornor Jacobs wrote has invested a lot of time, in the beginning, in showing the personalities and quirky habits of both of them, which only paid of in the long run. By this I early on got a great establishement of them within the story and only enjoyed their dealings much more later on. Just a example: Fisk is always the one that rushes into action and thinks later whereas Shoe contemplates his moves carefully, but when Fisk is given an extra hand later in the book, it is Shoe who has to keep him in check and it's hard to say if this really is a bit like parenting or just a friend looking out, this scene also had on one side some humor in it but on the other side a dark undercurrent. I think only if you do understand their characters that you can enjoy these kind of dialogues or scenes to the fullest. John Hornor Jacobs has created with Fisk and Shoe two great characters and though everything is in the fantasy fiction mash-up setting you will easily fall for them and cheer them on. The secondary characters like the family of Cornelius is really a merry bunch and they are shown just as any normal family would, well a stuck-up family at least. Though there are some family members that do pop out above the others, they were all a lot of fun to read about. There are some mentioning of other characters like King Diegal, I hope that they will be introduced later on in the series. On the whole the characters just as the world that is created within The Incorruptibles are engaging and well developed.


Another thing where I have to give a big thumbs up for is the action that take place, actually more the technology that is used in these action scenes and in particular the guns and power behind it. Take for example The Cornelian it is a trawler but not just one solely powered by steam... hang on one moment. I already had a reference to Fisk that he likes to shoot his Hellfire gun. Well you have to take Hellfire as literal as it gets, these kind of guns have demons in them! and so does the trawler the Cornelian. Ruman technology is great isn't it! The way that John Hornor Jacobs describes these weapons and the technology and how they act in combat is just so cool to read. I also liked that he took the time to explain just what it actually is, how they work and how they are made, making them not a total black box anymore. And how does this daemonic presence promise work out in the whole of the story? Just awesome. Period.

Did I like The Incorruptibles. Hell yes! I often mention that I like to see author going into new directions with their books and this is definitely what John Hornor Jacobs is doing, mashing up several genres, in a terrific way (mashing up genres often goes horribly wrong), to create a completely never before seen setting. This is one of a kind, in a bestest (i know it isn't a word) way possible. From the world down to the characters, John Hornor Jacobs has a great way of highlighting the bigger picture, keeping enough obscure to be explored in the possible sequel, as well as showing the minor details that make the character tick. Though The Incorruptibles might start of slow for a lot of readers, for me this was just a great build up of tension, getting grips on the richly imagined world that features ever vividly be it in a grimdark setting in The Incorruptibles. The same count for the characters, it might be a lengthy introduction but it readily establishes a baseline for the remainder of the story. And that remainder is a rapid dash to the ending of the book, too bad it is over to soon. The Incorruptibles is a great opener to a new series, you will learn a lot, some questions are answered but a lot more raised. I am already a big fan of this series and am looking forward to see just in which direction John Hornor Jacobs will take his story next.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking at the cover of The Incorruptibles by John Hornor Jacobs, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it was a western. The simple but striking image of a steamboat certainly suggests that the story will follow a very specific direction. In what I can only apologise for being a slightly confounding statement, you would be both right and wrong for thinking along those lines. There is little denying that the latest from Jacobs proudly wears its Western roots on its sleeve, but there is also far more to it than that. It quickly becomes evident, after only a handful of pages, that this novel is a veritable mash-up of genres each vying for the reader’s attention in a wonderfully complex but entertaining tale.

This is a deceptive book. At first glance it doesn’t appear to be that big but there is actually a heck of a lot going on here. I’m not quite sure how he has pulled it off but Mr Hornor Jacobs has written what feels like the literary equivalent of the TARDIS, once you open the book you’ll realise that it is much, much bigger on the inside. Let’s see if I can explain. Try to imagine a world where an imperial force, not massively dissimilar to the Roman Empire (let’s call them Rumans for the sake of argument) is rubbing shoulders with men who could best be viewed as cowboys. Also along for the ride are half men known as dvergar (dwarves) and savage tribal warriors called vaettir,who could be seen as a nod to both native American Indians and elves. Elsewhere, there are also demons, imps and a host of other potential enemies, including a race of humans that sounds suspiciously like the Japanese Shogunate. Told you there was a lot going on, didn’t I?

Amidst all these various groups, we find the slightly mis-matched pairing of Fisk and Shoe. The former is a taciturn pistolero with an enigmatic past, your typical western gunslinger type. The latter is a long-lived half-blood dvergar caught between the two different races of his birth. They are both just trying to survive and do what needs doing to get their jobs done, but it seems that they are beset on all sides. Of the two, Shoe is certainly more personable, ironic as he is only half-human, but both bring their own unique abilities to the mix. What Fisk lacks in communications skills, he more than makes up for in action. I was pleased to discover later in the novel that some of Fisk’s murky past does in fact get explained, I’m not a huge fan of characters remaining enigmatic for the entirety of a whole book. I do suspect however, that there are still some things that have not yet been revealed about them both.

Most of action takes place in and around the aforementioned steamboat, The Cornelian, while it travels along the Big Rill, a river in the middle of nowhere. Jacobs is a sneaky old so and so. Even though the plot occurs miles from anything resembling civilization, he still manages to inject a whole host of tantalizing hints and tidbits regarding his world building. My personal favourite being the idea that Ruman technology has evolved and is driven by the presence of demonic forces that are bound into servitude by engineers. It’s a nicely skewed vision of the traditional take on a wizard. Hellfire bullets are also a very cool concept*

In a bold move, the writing doesn’t shy away from what some would consider more controversial subjects. Attitudes towards race are tackled head on and play an important part in almost every interaction. The Rumans consider themselves superior to everyone so non-Rumans harbour an ill-hidden resentment toward them. On top of that the human’s attitudes towards non-humans, the dvergar and the vaettir in particular, is also distinctly superior. There is also an insightful exploration of how the different genders are treated and viewed out in the frontier lands. One thread of the narrative follows a character called Livia Cornelius and tackles some of these issues specifically. The further she moves away from the rules imposed by society and the controlling heart of the Ruman Empire the more you see her real personality emerge.

As I mentioned before, The Incorruptibles isn’t just a Western, and it isn’t just a fantasy novel either. There are even a handful of moments where the plot gets close to being full blown, bloody horror. Just wait until you meet the Crimson Man! Now don’t panic, I know what you’re thinking, you’re concerned this is might just an excuse for genre bingo. Don’t worry, it’s not. Jacobs know exactly what he is doing, where the story is going, and he blends all these seemingly disparate elements together with real skill.

I like fantasy a great deal, but what I love more is when an author takes traditional fantasy tropes picks them apart and then rebuilds them, redefining them as they go. I want to read fantasy fiction that messes with my preconceived notions and throws me the odd curve ball or two. With The Incorruptibles, it feels like John Hornor Jacobs has done just that. I can only hope that there will be further books set in this world as it strikes me there is much left still to explore. Hopefully more Gooseberry**

The Incorruptibles is published by Gollancz and is available now. This is definitely one of my favourite reads so far in 2014.

*No, I’m not telling you why. Go and read the book and you’ll find out.

** Nope, I’m not explaining this one either :)

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this novel. I don't really know why I went into it with low expectations, I guess the blurb on the back didn't fill me with confidence (I read an ARC copy given to me by the ever lovely Mark Lawrence). But I really did dig into this one. I have a good group of positive points..and a few minor quibbles so let me commence.

The good:

I really liked the culture in this story. The combination of Ancient Romanic gentility with the backwater townspeople of Wild Western America was odd but really enjoyable. A legionnaire wielding a carbine was such an unusual but brilliant image (it gave me flashbacks of playing Fallout: New Vegas).

The elvish people (I believe they were called Vaettir)were very different to how 'elvish' type peoples are usually portrayed. I believe their relative similarity to Native Americans was intentional and appreciated how misunderstood they were. There is certainly plenty still left to be explained about their society.

I liked the use of description. Some scenes, the final paragraph for example, really stood out to me. Quite beautifully realised.

I loved the setting of the boat and enjoyed the multitude of characters all bound together on this voyage. Some perish, others are badly maimed. All of it seemed quite believable. Fisk was the best character without a doubt. I sometimes felt that he was the central protagonist rather than Shoe.

A good sense of narrative directness as well. Some hints and mentions of the world at large but the story is focused entirely on this small group and their journey, rather than worrying too much about the world as a whole. I thought that a suitable tact for this type of story.

The hellfire concept was interesting. I would have liked it to have been explored more.


The not so good:

Pretty normal themes. Solid storyline, staying real and occasionally gritty. Then WHAM! Demonic possession. Where the hell did that come from? This plot point in particular was really quite jarring and changed the story from adventure fantasy to epic fantasy. Some of the dialogue was pretty cringe worthy in these scenes as well. Although I did give a thunder of applause at the resolution.

I felt that the Ruman family's reactions to events weren't entirely believable. The events of this tale really rock their family to the core. Aforementioned death and maiming is aplenty in their little fold. Yet they're still laughing and joking about things. I just didn't really buy that.

I felt like Shoe didn't get enough time to develop his own character. Yes he had the odd independent thought but it seemed like most of the time he was just talking about other people, somewhat akin to Ishamael in 'Moby Dick' perhaps. I just didn't get to feel for him as much as I would have liked. Although his reliance upon religion and spirituality and how he is led to question his beliefs towards the end was some great stuff.

I thought the main relationship was rushed. Yes, I get that they're both in a crappy point in their lives and feel they've finally found someone who truly understands how they feel but it just seemed like they were falling in love too quickly. Again, I didn't really buy this bit.


And those are some of my thoughts on this book. I really did like it. More than I thought I would, which is great! I read through it rather quickly (for me right now) and wish Mr. Jacobs all the best for the sequel.

[Pandora Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soyons clairs, je l'ai acheté quasiment uniquement parce que la couverture m'a attiré l'oeil. Après les bonnes critiques derrières et ont joué aussi, et seulement après j'ai pensé à venir ici voir le résumé et les notes xD
Donc en gros, je savais moyennement à quoi m'attendre au niveau de l'histoire (une histoire de bateau? xD). Donc oui y a un bateau, avec à bord une famille de notables "rumans" qui traversent un territoire un peu désolé et hostile, peuplé de créatures de type elfique, mais plus du genre à bouffer de la chair humaine que de tresser des colliers de feuilles. C'est un mix de civilisation romaine, avec un côté western, et aussi un côté on va dire "demonpunk", parce que les bateaux et les armes ne sont pas nourris à la vapeur, mais à l'énergie démoniaque (c'est beaucoup plus flippant et dangereux mine de rien). Ça parait un mélange relativement improbable vu comme ça, et pourtant ça prend merveilleusement bien. Il y a une vraie originalité, et totalement maîtrisée. Les événements qui au départ paraissent ne toucher qu'un petit groupe de personnes se révèlent au fur et à mesure avoir une incidence beaucoup plus large, c'est tout une civilisation qui se dessine par petites touches, et la fin, sans se terminer sur un cliffhanger, donne très envie de savoir ce qu'il va se passer ensuite. Appréciable également, je me suis parfois attendu à ce que les choses tournent d'une certaine manière, parce que c'est comme ça que tourne souvent, et au final non pas du tout ^^ Bref, je saute sur le tome suivant dès sa sortie ^^

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recieved this book as a goodreads first read.
What a strange mashup. Its a fantasy world with elves, dwarfs, magic and demons but the setting is pretty much tge wild west if it was run by the Roman Empire. Its pretty much a fantasy equivalent of Firefly .
It would all be a bit too much but the author has created brilliant characters. Shoe as narrator is brilliant abd the rest of the cast are an interesting mix. Add to that a well contstructed story line with enough mystery and vendettas added and its a great and very original book.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really deserved a long form review, but never made the time to do so. Probably the finest western/fantasy mash-up we've seen so far. JHJ really gets the western voice.

[Vedran Mavrović · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened the audio version by amazing Stephen Pacey. He, as always, did an amazing job.
As for the story, I did have trouble getting into this real/fake world with medieval/wild west/steam punk wibe. I still didn’t get used to it by the end of the first book. The races of dwarves and elves have their own names in this world, but then again - people still call them elf and dwarf. Didn’t seem nessecery to me. Also, the POV, of this old character retelling the actual story didn’t do good for me to get really involved with the characters. For example, how can he tell what the other characters were doing when he was sleeping and nobody told him the events (at least it wasn’t mentioned in the book). And how can I really feel the danger that character is at some point in the story because I know he will survive - he is telling the story years after.
Shame, the book could be brilliant. This way it is just really good.
It might look like a “not so good review”, but I will continue the series.

[Ash · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5.
Listen, I know genres have this weird thing about staying true to their roots but EVERY genre has switched it up to appeal to newer and growing audiences. Including Westerns. I've read the likes of Red Country by Joe Abercrombie and The Thirteenth Child by Patricia C. Wrede and loved both. Both Western genre books starring a female lead that had strong characteristics, drive, and will. And despite this book being written in 2014 (only 5 years ago?) it shows none of the progressiveness I've grown to expect from relatively new books.
It's ridiculous within the first 30 pages I was bombarded with disgusting, parasitical verse on the damnation of vaettir (white elf-like creatures that were the original inhabitants of the plain before the main character and a clump of other characters' forefathers invaded and pushed them to the edges), a million ugly ass words to describe woman; amendment: only the female body (don't look me in the eye and tell me this book has any literary value when it uses the word 'p*ssy' like it's a medical term), the heartless treatment of dvergar (also white, dwarf-like people that have been rendered to slaves or social outcasts). Do the vaettir and dvergar sound familiar to you? It's literally Native Americans and African Americans demeaned to their most racially-fueled stereotypes only homeboy doesn't have to take the fall for racism because despite his wanting to include 'savages and slaves' he made them all white so no one can call him out on it without appearing to be 'reaching'. Despite changing the skin palour of these people to be white the treatment of them doesn't fly under the radar, it doesn't make it okay because they're white now. It felt disgusting reading it.
The book's r*pey, just saying it now. Why every women got to be introduced with her neck in centimeters and her damned bra size. Leave them alone. If you can't write women without commenting on their physical appearance (yes, that includes hiding behind your narrating characters' perspective with your mains roving, perverted eyes) THEN DON'T WRITE THEM AT ALL. Just leave them out. Learn to write about women as though they're oh, I don't know, HUMANS please?! Just do that.
I don't care if it's Western genre culture to have Native American and African American equivalents or to have them as the unintelligible, violent enemy: Stop It. It's 2019 for god's sake. I don't care if back in these 'good ole days' sissies were killed by the hardship of the plain and women were tucked away to be forcefully bedded by men that could only be described as animals, cease your nonsense.
I'm more angry now after finishing the book because I realize this only happened in roughly the first hundred pages and that the nonsense did, in fact, cease. Because there was actually plot, and it focused heavily on it so that by the time you got to the last 50 or so pages you forgot about that shit storm that preceded it (unless like me, you wrote notes, and then it all comes back when you're writing the review).
The writing with dense, bogged down with a little too much description of the ever-changing yet unchanging plains (and the 'racist-not-racist', sexist drivel). Had inclusions from the steam punk and fantasy genre, maybe even dipped into YA there for a second with the characters and plot progression, influences of Roman garb and some paranormal/supernatural stuff too. A very new, ambitious mix. How are you able to join 4-5 different genre fictions and still aren't able to write non-racist/sexist characters and plot lines? The pacing was way off, too slow with the main character just a witness to the events rather than playing an active role in anything, plot only picked up in the last two chapters or so for me. Cliff-hanger ending in attempt to make you pick up the second book. Riddled with Latin, pretentious philosophical waxing, and made up swear words.
In the name of our lord, Ariana Grande, Thank U, Next!

[Linda Bakker-Zwakhals · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is quite a story. With Romans, wild wild west, dwarfs, elfs and daemons it took some time to get into the story. But it is beautifully written, and once you get sucked into this tale, it is very hard to stop.

It had a lot of loveable characters, and there were some times I did not want to continue, afraid that they would not survive. Ofcourse I had to continue, to make sure that they either did survive, or at least died an honourable death.

I had absolutely no idea where this stort would take me, and it certainely took some turns and had some twists that made it a really good, and not one hundred percent, predictable story. It is one of those books you have to read again after a few years and discover that you missed some things the first time.

All in all, I loved it.

[Edward Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not entirely sure how to explain this one. Myke Cole’s cover blurb says, “If you want original, you’ve picked up the right book” – yep, can’t disagree at all. I’m tempted to call THE INCORRUPTIBLES a fantasy-western, but it’s more than that. There’s an alternate history involving the Roman Empire, and a sort of dysfunctional blending of magic and technology. Demonology, too. There are fantasy creatures that we know and love, but you ain’t ever seen them like this before. The two main protagonists – Fisk and Shoe – drive what is a ridiculously entertaining story, set on a river that weaves through a sprawling wasteland. And I’m very much looking forward to finding out what happens next.

[Bogdan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half is really great because you don`t know where this is heading.

And the setting of the story is another plus for the book.

It`s about a time when Romans have enslaved daemons and imps and have great power and tehnology.

And we're heading through a country similar with the old Wild West but enhanced with strange creatures some of them vampire alike.

In the second half I wasn`t so blown away and the general tone was that it felt much weaker than the first one.

If you look at the ending it seems like a first in a series. Maybe I will try a second one, too.

[Bart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, likeable characters and a very rich, imaginative worldbuilding. Highly recommended!

Rating: 5 stars.

[Fantasy boy · Rating 4 out of 5]

My sixteenth original fantasy fiction!!
This book is kind of western fiction feeling.Gun fight,Demon,Rome,Wild indigene etc all mix in one book.

[Dezideriu Szabo · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://cititorfantasy.wordpress.com/...

[Red Dog · Rating 4 out of 5]

Counter-factuals are fun, steampunk is fun, subverting fantasy tropes is fun - all in all, this is an enjoyable book. Of course, you have to set aside any misgivings you might have that an 1880s America in a world where the Roman (Ruman) empire never fell would be quite so much like our world from the start, but other than that, there is so much to enjoy about this book. My favorite elements include the day-to-day pragmatics of dealing with everyday demonology, as well as the ossified religious cynicism of the Ruman elite after nearly 1500 more years of that schtick, but I was particularly taken with the depiction of the non-human races - some people seem to have a problem with the seemingly soulless character of Shoe, but I found his view of the world as a dvergar who'd lived in it for many hundreds of years compelling. I also enjoyed the totally wild (in every sense of the word) vaettir, a world away from most sub-Tolkien depictions of elves as wise hippy pastoralists, although ultimately they are used more as an implacable "big bad" than anything more nuanced, although this in itself could be a tip of the hat to the John Ford/Hollywood depictions of Native Americans of yore. The pacing at times jars, perhaps as a result of Jacobs letting his obvious love for certain characters overtake him, but overall this is nicely written book that outlines a world that I'd be happy to return to.

[Elspeth Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading fantasy for many years, and I can honestly say I've never read one quite like this. Hired guns, frontier lands, settlers and silver mines and a demon-powered steamship, oh my. Jacobs brings together a strange mix of the Roman Empire and the Wild West, seasons it with horrors and hellfire and serves on a bed of adventure. I loved every minute.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Romanitas meets Eastwood in a kind of alt-historical world where Rome never fell, religious belief has a lot more at stake, and Europe looks more like the Wild West than you'd expect.

I mention Romanitas to compare this book favourably. I read that book some years ago, with high hopes for the premise, but found it sadly wanting. The scope was too broad, the story too narrow, and the whole plot was played out protractedly on a pale background. This book is quite the opposite, and it benefits enormously.

The world of The Incorruptibles is large, but we only see a small part of it. A Ruman senator and his family steam lazily upriver on a hunting trip, paced by scouts who have lived their entire lives on the wild frontier lands of the mountains. All we hear of Rume and the wider world is contained on this ship and its surrounding camps. The worldbuilding is tight and focused, and all the more fascinating for it.

Though I don't usually like stories about demons and Hell, I thought this aspect of the tale was very well placed; Shoe and his spirituality, the Rumans and their prosaic beliefs, the cold, strange engineer-warlock types who bind demons to power machinery and light buildings, all of these meld together into a serviceable meditation on the power of religion to guide a life, particularly when the evidence of the truth of that religion is everywhere and unavoidable. I was interested to see that the avenue for atheism is still there, however: if all gods are demons, then perhaps demons are not gods?

The promise of a sequel is neither here nor there to me, I think. The story works well on its own, and could quite easily be left as-is. A good fantasy, a good western, a good book all round.

[Tom Lloyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very assured and accomplished début, but one that didn't quite work for me. It wasn't bad, certainly not, but a book like this lives and dies on the personality of the main characters - especially when that's a selling point it's going for - and for me, I wasn't moved by them. The setting bugged me a bit too, a fantasy wild west but so obviously with Roman (Ruman) trappings and titles inserted into a six-shooter world, Tchinee being China, etc etc, it didn't ring true. I couldn't see why it'd been laid out like that other than to be obvious names/concept for the reader to peg their imagination on and I've never been one to like a deliberate effort like that. Feels like you're trying hard to make it overly simple and aiming for a perceived thick portion of the readership. It then doesn't help that the natives of this not-america are wild and unknowable, inhuman scalpers, whose size and unaging nature didn't do much to side-step some sentences echoing with 50s movie lines about 'injuns'.

The hellfire premise was an interesting one, but it never felt quite under control. with the basic idea being laid out and the odd view of hell you get, i find it hard to see how any human life remains at all.

Having said all that though, it's a brisk and easy read with clear villains and heroes, that, if it works for you, will likely be hugely enjoyable. I just found at the end I still didn't care much.

[Mihir · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Hornor Jacobs has a lot riding on this series, this is his first foray into epic fantasy (of a sort) as well as his second effort at a big series. This story is set in a world that's a facsimile of ours wherein the Roman empire has survived and guns have been invented with the help of daemons. The story begins with Fisk and Shoe who are two mercenaries guarding a boat of Rumans along with a few other mercenaries. The world described contains several elements that are common to most fantasy stories such as dwarves, elves and dragons. But they have different names and can get a bit confusing as it's not specified as to what is what.

The world is powered by Daemonic technology that supposedly damns the souls of its proponents. The new world is populated by Vaettir, fourteen foot tall Elves who live for centuries and hate humans. There are a few other races mentioned of which Shoe is a half dwargen, half human hybrid. The story is set in the western lands of the new continent, which is a frontier land and is a western tale within a fantasy genre.

The story takes a while to start as the author sets up the plot and introduces the characters. The actual plot begins when there's a kidnapping (of sorts) and Fisk alongwith SHoe are forced to mount a rescue mission. More to come in full FBC review...

[Jeremy Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of the best books I have read all year. The Incorruptibles is a heartfelt, Romanesque, dark-fantasy western, and is quite as unique as it sounds. It the narrative of a character who is supplementary to the hero of the book, told in a strong and innately likable voice. Well-written and at times poetic despite its stark western simplicity.
This book should be widely read! It far outstrips many fantasy books currently in the public's eye. Highly recommended!

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and exciting! A great story that is told extremely well. Strong characters people this lively Western Fantasy Alternate History. You really should read it.

[Michel B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Think I'm being generous by giving 3 stars. Characters (some) are rather engaging. But something was missing....

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting novel from an author new to me, that I think many readers of the grimdark persuasion may like. It’s a combination of mercenary buddy novel (see Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser) and occultist magic, with a great deal of snark (see KJ Parker, Mark Lawrence and Joe Abercrombie, to name but three), all set on a paddleboat going up river (which reminded me a touch of George RR Martin’s Fevre Dream, but without the vampires).



To quote the blurb:

“In the contested and unexplored territories at the edge of the Empire, a boat is making its laborious way up stream. Riding along the banks are the mercenaries hired to protect it – from raiders, bandits and, most of all, the stretchers, elf-like natives who kill any intruders into their territory. The mercenaries know this is dangerous, deadly work. But it is what they do.

In the boat the drunk governor of the territories and his sons and daughters make merry. They believe that their status makes them untouchable. They are wrong. And with them is a mysterious, beautiful young woman, who is the key to peace between warring nations and survival for the Empire. When a callow mercenary saves the life of the Governor on an ill-fated hunting party, the two groups are thrown together.

For Fisk and Shoe – two tough, honourable mercenaries surrounded by corruption, who know they can always and only rely on each other – their young companion appears to be playing with fire. The nobles have the power, and crossing them is always risky.

And although love is a wonderful thing, sometimes the best decision is to walk away. Because no matter how untouchable or deadly you may be, the stretchers have other plans.”

Must admit, I’d not really heard of John or his writing before, although I understand he is the author of Southern Gods, which was short-listed for the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel in 2011. There is a definite horror vibe here, like something that has been reanimated from Weird Tales, though the novel is more mash-up, with it often being the broader Fantasy than Horror.

Of course, what gives the book its connection to the reader are those ol’human traits – loyalty, betrayal, jealousy and even love, which create the various plots of the novel. In particular, Fisk and Shoe are likable characters, though not always well-liked or perfect in their actions. As the story is told from the perspective of Shoe, there’s a fair amount of self-deprecating humour and honesty which rather endears him to the reader. I thought it was interesting that the Vaettir – the stretchers, elf-like savages of the novel – are rather similar in behaviour to what was the Euro-centric view of the original North American tribes, a similarity which I am sure is entirely deliberate. Many of the characters are developed to the point where they are more than the traditional two-dimensional stereotype.

This isn’t a cuddly, romantic novel, although there is romance. The tone is generally rather snarky, if understandably so. There’s also a hint of unreliable narrator here too, an interesting perspective that often suggests that there’s more going on than we know or think. What begins as a small-scale hunting expedition at the beginning of the novel soon becomes a wider view of the world-politics of this rather dangerous environment. Politics can be almost as deadly as life out on the edges of the Empire, and the later parts of the novel reflect this wider perspective.

The dialogue’s nicely done and the setting is not too far removed from a recognisable Fantasy-esque environment. I liked the writing generally, which was both natural and yet finely focused.

This style is also enhanced by there being a sprinkling of words that sound familiar (often Romanesque, here referred to as ‘Ruman’ – there is a Rume, as well as terms such as legionnaire, Marcellus, legates and so on) and those that are clearly of a different world (the vaettir, a god named Ia, daemons). Of this wider world there are subtle hints of more than this novel contains. There is an Aegypt, a Mediera which suggests something rather Mediterranean in tone and a tantalising hint of the Autumn Lords in Tchinee, which seems rather Asian in aspect. No doubt these will become important later.

What works most here is the seemingly natural and yet uneasy relationship there is between the ‘normal’ and the occultish world of daemons and imps. Much of Shoe’s world uses imps and Hellfire for daily use – power, weaponry and so on. It is clear pretty early on that this is not necessarily a good thing, and that things are going to change in the novel – which they do. The author does well here to highlight what such a world dependant on magic would be like, and this aspect of the story comes across as well-realised and logical.

It was nice to read something that in the end turns into a rather original novel, albeit with traits regular readers of the genre might recognise. This one reads as a Grimdark Western novel, rather like Red Country, but with magic, something Joe’s books do not normally have. There is enough intelligence and difference in style to make The Incorruptibles a worthy read on its own. The ending is a real page turner. However, be warned: this is the first in a trilogy, and not everything is resolved by the end of it.

The Incorruptibles is not the longest book in the world, but its relentless drive, its tight focus and its identifiable characters leaves you wanting more at the end, and it is more memorable as a result of its brevity. Definitely an author I’d revisit again.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars.

If I had read this book five or ten years ago, I'd probably have deemed it too strange for my liking. Now, I really enjoyed it. I love reading about older, seasoned characters who has actually experienced the world. The older I get myself, the more annoyed I get by the whole "I'm 16 years old and I'm the chosen one." There's no chosen one in The Incorruptibles - and no 16 years old. It took me a bit to get into the world and the characters, but when it all started to make sense, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars

This book had caught my eye early on because of its beautiful cover. Even now I can’t stop staring at it. It reminds me of the drawings I used to make: colour a whole page, paint over it with black paint and then use something sharp to draw whatever you wanted. It would come out beautifully in the colour(s) you’d used first with a stunning black background. Not only that, but I’d also read a lot of very positive reviews about it. I was intrigued by the quote by Patrick Rothfuss stating it was “a strange alchemy, a recipe I’ve never seen before”. I went in with high expectations.


It is certainly a very interesting book. Patrick Rothfuss was right in saying it is a strange mixture of different genres. Fisk and Shoestring are two very different men who have been roaming the lands as mercenaries together for nearly a decade. This time they have taken an escort contract. They have to escort the Cornelian, a boat with a Governor and his family on board. They are supposed to follow the boat on the banks of the river, scouting the territory and keeping an eye out for the stretchers, or Vaettir. The stretchers are elf-like creatures, but nothing like the ones we’re used to read about. No beauty and grace here, but deadly speed, sharpened teeth and a bloodthirst that will make your skin crawl. Shoestring himself has dvergar blood, so as you can see there are some typical high fantasy elements in here, though they haven been turned upside down. An interesting factor was the major role that engineering plays in this world. The engineering here uses daemonfire to power everything. Even bullets are propelled by releasing little daemons that are trapped in with the bullets. Every experienced reader of SFF or horror knows that daemons mostly aren’t good news. Neither are they here. Shoestring even believes that the using daemonfire will taint your soul, so he’s one of the only characters in this book who refuses to use the guns.



I absolutely loved the characters in this book. Fisk and Shoestring are two unlikely friends, Fisk being a scarred, distant man with a particular hate for the stretchers and Shoestring being more open and caring. The family of Governor Cornelius are quite a special bunch of people. The Governor himself spends most of his time drunk and overconfident, a characteristic that will ultimately cost him dearly. His eldest son isn’t much better and possibly even worse. The youngest daughter is a typical socialite, laughing everything away and taking nothing seriously. The only two sane people in that family are the youngest son, Secundus and the oldest daughter, Livia. The engineer on board of the ship controlling the powerful daemon that powers the ship is a character you can’t wrap your head around at first, though he shows his true colours ultimately. Put a cast of characters that clash like that in a land full of hostile killers and you’re sure that get a lot of spectacle. On that front, the reader won’t be disappointed. From exhilarating to gory, the action keeps you on the edge of your seat.



Nearing the end of the story the book takes its use of daemons even further and deals with possession and its repercussions. This too makes for spectacular and gruesome reading. Enough to keep a reader satisfied, you would say, and it is, though somehow I felt like something was missing when I flipped the last page. Though there is enough action and the characters are very entertaining, I would have liked a bit more depth. This is a very personal feeling, as I’m sure the book was simply written this way, focussed on the ship, the family, the mercenaries and their quest. I missed some more background about the Vaettir, about the place they discover at the end of the book, about the daemons and their realm. It could be that these subjects will be elaborated on in the second book in this series, Foreign Devils, but for now I am left with a feeling of incompleteness. Aside from that, this was a very special book with a mix of several elements that might be difficult to combine with as much success by a less skilled writer.

[Craig Slater · Rating 4 out of 5]

A strange blend of ideas that only works because it is superbly written.

This is one of those books where i would find myself rereading a sentence, just for the pleasure of it.

At it's heart this is a wild west tale. It's about civilization pushing into the vastness of the frontier.

The 'civilization' is Roman-esk, with a 'steampunk' (actually more Demonology reminiscent of the Ketty Jay books) slant. There's some interesting ideas with regards to the demon-powered 'technology', that is well thought out and not over written. It's described as much as it needs to be and not just blathered about endlessly, which i thought, kept it mystical and interesting.

There's some Elves and Dwarves mixed in there too, in a loose sense of that idea... Meaning take the idea of Elves and Dwarves and rewrite it. Again, you can only pull this off if you are damn good. Otherwise you risk 'pissing all over' the original idea of Elves and Dwarves (Tolkien and the like). I really quite like how these were handled, and moreso, revealed. There's a believable, earthly quality to them.

Jacobs has a writing style is both sparse and beautiful, even daring in it's construction. There's a level of confidence that is obvious and very satisfying to read.

This is on of those books I'll keep and reread from time to time i think, and I'm sure I'll get something new and rewarding out of it each time.

A definite read for Fantasy fans, but specifically i think fans of the Grim Dark will really click with this one.