/lit/ - Literature

>>18699069
Priest of Bones, War for the Rose Throne #1 - Peter McLean (2018)

This is a grimdark gangster story set in a secondary world industrial age. It was much better than I expected, but I don't know why. There's nothing especially well-done, yet it was such a fun and enjoyable read. Most of the characters aren't ever developed past a singular trait, there's scant worldbuilding, the magic system is left unexplained, and the basic plot is without much progression. If you're looking for something serious or literary in the slightest, this isn't that.
Despite that, this will probably be one of the novels I've most enjoyed reading this year. Maybe what I liked the most about is the execution. A lot of stuff has great ideas but fails to live up to this potential. This has ok ideas but does them in such a way that almost entirely aligns with my preferences.
The common reference seems to be Peaky Blinders, a TV series, which I may give another try but probably not, though for me my reference would be to the TV series, Gangs of London. This is very much a transposition of modern character types and institutions into a industrial fantasy setting.
Barring any forthcoming disasters, I'm all but certain that I'll read all four books. I may look into and read what else he's done, but that's always a separate matter. There's also a TV series in the works and I hope that it eventually airs. I'll certainly give it a chance.

Rating: 4.5/5

/sffg/ GR ratings overview:
5s: 2
4s: 4
3s: 1
2s: 1