I have author-signed copies of the two books in the Dark Renaissance series, Up to the Thone and Blood Under Water, by Toby Frost, to be given to a randomly chosen person who leaves a comment ON MY WEBSITE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS ARTICLE saying why they’d like the books.
Congratulations to Ryan, who won the signed copies! I’ll be doing more book giveaways, so keep your eyes open and consider subscribing to the blog.
Want to know more about Toby Frost and the Dark Renaissance Books? Read on…
Who is Toby Frost?
Toby is best known for the Space Captain Smith series, spiffing sci-fi comedy set in a future British Space Empire that manages enough jokes per page to make Stephen Moffat blush. These books are quick, action packed, funny, and contain more pop-culture references than a fox with a degree from the university of referencing. He has also written for Game’s Workshops black library, and currently has some sort of massive historical fiction/fantasy project growing in his laboratory.
Three things stand out about Toby’s writing. First, he’s funny. He’s funny at the right times as well – he knows when to make you laugh with a character and when you need to be serious.
Second, he’s kind. His stories are filled with kindness, even when space lemmings are committing genocide. What this means is that you find humour and empathy in even the most villainous of villains, enriching stories that otherwise could be simple space comedies or military sci-fi.
Third, he’s exceptionally adaptable. His Space Captain Smith work is very different from his Black Library Writing, and the Dark Renaissance series in turn. He can write action, drama, comedy, and even extremely-slow-boiled-romance in that finest of English traditions.
It should have come across by now that I like Toby’s writing a great deal. The Dark Renaissance books were a big leap of faith for him (he could have stayed in the comfort zone of comedy), and if I wetter your appetite check out the reviews and leave a comment at the end.
Review: Up to the Throne
Buy on Amazon here.
Ever since Eddard lost his head fantasy has been trying to re-invent its identity. Most of us, since we were kids, have loved the world building, to get lost in the realms of elves and dwarves and magic and adventure. Unfortunately, this has usually come hand in hand with paper-thin characterisation, predictable plots and villains chewing furniture so hard they’ve been banned from Ikea.
Up to the Throne is grown up fantasy. I’ll explain what I mean and why you’ll like it.
For a long time “grown up” in fantasy meant grimdark – the not very grown up at all layering of blood and guts and gore which still somehow had all the lead character come through in time to slay the villain. Up to the Throne is not grimdark. This is a violent story – revenge, assassination, street fights and murder can all be found here – but it doesn’t glorify gore or diminish the emotional impact of violence.
It also isn’t a dark story. It looks like one, to begin with. But this isn’t Gormenghast (much as I’m sure we’d all love to write a Gormenghast). There is a fundamental hopefulness and faith in people that survives some pretty damned tough moments. This doesn’t belong in that corner of fantasy that strives for the literary and leaves us sad for days after you (I’m looking at you, “The Buried Giant”.)
What makes this part of the new wave is that it is good, exciting commercial fiction that is absolutely focused on real characters making real decisions. There are several points throughout the protagonists quest for revenge where you are not certain she is the “good” guy, or if there is a good guy. There are many times when you find yourself empathising and even liking the books assortment of politicians, mafiosi and assassins that get in her way – and sometimes you wonder whether it might just be better if they succeed.
Best of all, some of them do. This story isn’t afraid to go its own way. You will be surprised. Things will not turn out the way you expected. This sort of fantasy is the next step from Eddard’s head rolling in Game of Thrones, surpassing Martin’s own rather heavy writing to keep us right and the heart of the action and deep in the emotional integrity of all the characters. Nobody is chewing furniture here. They’re too busy fighting for their lives.
Read this book. It has all the world building and sense of wonder we love from fantasy. But it also has one hell of a story, and characters that you will grow to love (in some case right before they get killed!) Can’t praise this highly enough – a page turner that you won’t forget.
Review: Blood Under Water
This is an excellent, dark urban-fantasy adventure story. The story twists and turns, the characters are vivid and believable (whether hero or villain, a line that blurs plenty of times), and the author never lets the enormous depth and complexity of his world building get in the way of the pace of what is a real page turner.
Giulia, thief-taker come world-saver, is a complex protagonist. This book goes a long way to help explain the decisions she made at the end of the first, exploring her profound sense of self-loathing without ever getting into navel gazing. Another thing I like is that, while Giulia is unquestionable a badass, you never know in any fight or action sequence whether she is going to win or not – or even if she should win or not. This leads to a constant sense of suspense that is a lot of fun and quite different from your typical hero-always-wins fantasy novel.
One thing that’s doesn’t quite click for me is her Melancholia, a manifestation of her mental health problems that she visualises as distinct and treats with tinctures. This is pretty cool, and it’s great to have a hero with mental health issues, but the Melancholia feels independent from the story at times. I suspect that in future books this will become more integrated to her character and the way she makes decisions – at the moment she sort of needs the drugs, takes the drugs, and that’s ok.
But that’s part of what is making this series great. All of the characters, even Hugh, our brave and bold Anglican knight errant, carry scars and emotional problems and personal limitations – both the dramatic and the mundane, real life stuff we all struggle with – that continually bite them in the arse, both here in this book and one suspects in the future. Blood Under Water functions extremely well both as an interesting book in its own right and as part of a series. Frost has earned my trust as a reader, because of the way he’s taken small curious details from the first book– the odd friendship between Giulia and Hugh, Hugh’s sometimes strange responses – and fully justified them in this one. I’m sure the Melancholia will only grow, and I for one can’t wait.
If you’re looking for fantasy that not only gives great action and an imaginative world, but also deep, sophisticated characters who feel like real people, look no further. Buy this book.
Leave a comment, win two signed books!
All that sound interesting to you? Leave a comment below saying why you’d like me to send you signed copies of these two wonderful novels and I’ll send them anywhere in the world to the winner, free of charge. Good luck!
