THE BLACK COAST

RELEASED OUT NOW! 672 pages | Paperback/ebook/ audiobook

Author Mike Brooks

Publisher Orbit

There are quirks of The Black Coast’s world-building that, a few chapters in, you start wondering why more authors don’t use. Naridan characters refer to themselves in the third person; for instance, “this lord cannot say for certain”. It feels peculiar at first but keeps everybody square in your head. Or there’s the way pronouns are spelt with diacritics (like “mè” or “yóu”) to indicate how non-binary folk identify each other on the gender spectrum.

Mike Brooks is an experienced author, and there’s a confidence and energy to the writing throughout. The fantasy staples are present – duels and dragons and that – but he’s attacking some contemporary anxieties. It’s a story about refugees, and about cultures clashing but ultimately working together. The seafaring Brown Eagle tribe (feminist but homophobic) flee war in their homeland to seek new opportunities in the lands of their traditional foes, the Naridans (feudal and patriarchal, but tolerant of individual sexual preferences).

The most exciting parts of the tale are about their attempts to negotiate a productive peace. There’s a subplot about the mysterious Splinter King, which will undoubtedly be resolved in future books. But for now, you’re swept up in the fragile optimism of rival chiefs Saana and Daimon. A confident and engrossing tale.

Dave Bradley