Priest Of BOnes

released 4 october 352 pages | Hardback/ebook/audiobook Author Peter Mclean Publisher Jo Fletcher books

More Gangs Of New York than Game Of Thrones, this is a tale of mobsters with swords.

Priest Of Bones has a conspiratorial tone that suggests the narrator, Thomas Piety, is recording his memoirs. It’s set in Ellinburg, a city like Ankh-Morpork without the laughs. The landscape is post-medieval but not wholly industrial, and crews such as the Gutcutters and the governor’s own corrupt guardsmen dominate tanneries and waterwheel districts.

Piety’s returning from a war we never see but which inspires the shell-shocked reverence evoked by Ypres. We follow Piety’s world-weary attempts to re-establish his former territory while dealing with the grander politicking of the Queen’s spies.

The conflict is well paced, but parts dealing with sorcery feel forced. A side-plot where one of his men manifests powers is forgettable, and Piety himself wonders what the difference is between miracle, magic and witchcraft, echoing the reader’s bafflement.

What do ring true are the characters’ vivid backstories. We hear of violence and sexual abuse. There’s a leadership seminar in these pages, too, as Piety explains how he motivates his troops and keeps his drunk brother in check.

The story is incomplete: the War For The Rose Throne series continues in 2019 with Priest Of Lies. But as a first chapter this offers a fresh, confident take on the fantasy genre.