The Steel Remains

November 3, 2008
Noir SF author Morgan (Thirteen
) delivers a promising but obscenity-laden epic fantasy trilogy opener. As the Yhelteth Empire recovers from a devastating war, embittered veterans Archeth, Egar and Ringil embark on parallel but vastly different journeys. The emperor sends drug-abusing Archeth to gather details about a rumored invasion. Egar becomes a steppes clanmaster, but the other horsemen despise him for seducing teenagers rather than leading. Ringil attempts to locate and free a cousin sold into slavery. All three soon discover the dwenda, a race of magical beings thought long dead. Despite stereotypical plot elements, including a prophecy that states “A dark lord will rise,” the well-developed characters and realistic battle scenes ring true, as do some gruesomely explicit sex scenes. The intriguing conclusion to the dark, gritty tale will have readers hoping for a more plot-heavy and less visceral sequel.

December 15, 2008
Retired swordsman Ringil lives in modest comfort in a small town, earning his keep by telling stories at the inn of his adventuring days until a request from his mother sends him back on the roadto recover a cousin sold into slavery. The world in which Ringil lives is a dark one, with corpse-inhabiting monsters and mythical sorcerers who practice a peculiarly twisted magic. The award-winning author of "Altered Carbon" and "Market Forces" brings the same iconoclastic approach to his fantasy debut as he did to his sf technothrillers. Ringil is a lover of men, with dark secrets in his past, yet his weaknesses become his strengths as he descends into the darkness to bring a victim back into the light. Morgan's storytelling talent and his atmospheric, hard-hitting prose make this a strong addition to mature fantasy collections.

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2008
Morgan, known for stellar cyber-noir sf (Woken Furies, 2005; Thirteen, 2007; etc.), confidently strides into his first fantasy series. War hero Ringil trades on his legend for room and board in a rural villageand stagnates. Then his mother requests help in finding a cousin of his, sold into slavery. Investigating the slave market puts him in the way of some powerful forces and into contact with wartime comrades Egar the Dragonbane, a Majak clan leader, and kiriath half-breed Archeth, an advisor to the emperor of Yhelteth. The three discover evidence that the Aldrain, an otherworldly race supposed to have been driven from the world long ago, have returned to make war. Contemporary language, explicit sex (often gay), and violence season this edgy fantasy. Morgans characters are disillusioned, morally ambiguous, and savage, but sympathetic, too, as they fight to retain some semblance of justice. While the politically corrupt world peopled with antiheroes is no longer a new trend, Morgan gives it a fresh spin by focusing on inventive world-building and strong characters.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)