Priest of Bones

August 13, 2018
In this ebullient first War for the Rose Throne dark fantasy, McLean introduces Tomas Piety, a nefarious crime lord turned priest. After being away at war for many years, Tomas comes back to find that Ellinburg is changed: his people have lost their wealth, and the city is overrun by a foreign power. With his gang of Pious Men, Tomas embroils himself in cutthroat politics and epic barroom brawls to win back the city that once was his. McLean’s writing is punchy and fast-paced. Tomas is an intriguing protagonist, and the rest of his crew round out the novel as a tight ensemble cast. Magic is scattered throughout (one of Tomas’s gang is an up-and-coming sorcerer), but the focus remains on the violent turf war unfolding in Ellinburg. Anyone itching to read a high-stakes story should pick up this delightful combination of medieval fantasy and crime drama. Agent: Jennie Goloboy, Donald Maass Literary.

September 15, 2018

McLean ("Burned Man" series) sets this dark fantasy series opener in the aftermath of a bitter war. Tomas Piety meets up with brother Jochan and they return to the devastated streets of their home city. Tomas, a warrior and reluctant priest, promised his soldiers work in one of the many taverns, brothels, and other enterprises controlled by his family, but finds that his businesses have been taken from him. The fantasy world is rooted in an industrial-era setting: most battles are fought with swords, but guns and explosives are present. Magic exists but is peripheral. Though the plot contains potentially triggering incidents, Tomas himself doesn't condone rape or violence against women. He is a somewhat whitewashed antihero who thinks in Machiavellian ways about leadership and bringing his family back into power. The stakes are small in fantasy terms (organized crime within one small city); power struggles and a corrupt social order dominate the atmosphere. VERDICT Swiftly plotted and presented in a smooth first-person narrative, this novel will appeal to those who like their fantasy light on magic and heavy on violence and intrigue.--Victoria Caplinger, Durham, NC

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2018
In this first installment of the War for the Rose Throne series, an organized-crime kingpin returns from war to find that his criminal organization has been taken over by a ruthless interloper. Determined to stop at nothing to restore himself to power, Tomas Piety soon comes to understand that the dangers of war are nothing compared to the dangers of navigating the stormy waters of politics, and that his new enemy is far more powerful than he'd first imagined. A pitch-perfect blend of fantasy and organized-crime sagas like Puzo's The Godfather or Pileggi's Wiseguy, this novel by the author of the Burned Man urban-fantasy trilogy is very, very hard to put down. Piety is a captivating narrator, coarse and abrasive but also smart and intuitive, and the author has built a world that's a mixture of the familiar and the wildly different?a world that might have existed several centuries ago, in a universe parallel to our own. Expect word-of-mouth support from fantasy fans to turn this one into a genre hit.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)