The Red Wolf Conspiracy - Robert V. S. Redick

RATING: FOUR STARS

The Chathrand is the last of the great ships, built by a race whose secrets have long since been lost. It is huge, dwarfing any other vessel in the sea, and has been sent on a secret mission by the Emperor of Arqual. Few people know what this mission actually is, but it is known that Thasha Isiq – the daughter of a renowned ambassador – is sailing to wed a Mzithrin prince.

To Pazel Pathkendle, a young tarboy who manages to find work aboard the Chathrand, the true purpose of the voyage matters not. He cares nothing for conspiracies and magic - that is until he hears the plots of a minute race of humans called the Ixchel. Pazel quickly finds himself drawn into a plot on a staggering scale and begins to understand that dark forces are at work – forces that would see the two great empires of Alifros destroy each other in a brutal war; forces that must be stopped at any cost.

The Good

Robert V. S. Redick writes The Red Wolf Conspiracy with an enthusiasm that really comes through in his prose. Few authors manage this and it made me really enjoy reading the book, which was over all too soon! In fact, his enthusiasm and good natured writing helped me to immerse in the story and really bond with his characters.

The story of The Red Wolf Conspiracy is also very good, being based around a mystery that Redick is very good at keeping against his chest. This makes it very hard to predict and I never knew what trouble Pazel and the rest of the main characters would be in next!

The Bad

I actually have very little to fault with The Red Wolf Conspiracy – certainly nothing worth mentioning here anyway. The book is enjoyable to read, imaginative and has a very fresh feel to it that helped make it stand out to me.

My Thoughts

Due to this, I would recommend that you give The Red Wolf Conspiracy a go. It’s certainly a series that is well worth investing in if you're looking for an escapist fantasy and I'm very eager to read the remaining three books in the Chathrand Voyage series!

Desolation - Travis Simmons

RATING: FIVE STARS 

Trying to survive in the brave new world following a zombie apocalypse isn’t easy for Asher St. Paul. His family and friends are dead. His lover is dead. He should be dead. And to make matters even worse than the hordes of zombies that threaten him with each passing day, chilling rumours of necromancers are beginning to circulate through the last remaining human refuges. They say that survivors are being rounded up, caged and used to feed zombie populations as the necromancers’ fight to hive out their territories in the old cites. 

As Asher is searching for one such refuge, he observes a lone woman treating a pack of zombies as she would a dog and begins to suspect that there is more truth to these rumours than he would like to believe. His worst fears are realised when he finds the refuge to be taken in by them and Asher must come to grips with a dark secret as he struggles to save his newfound friends from certain death. 

The Good 

Written with the imaginative flair of Travis Simmons, the author of the gripping Revenant Wyrd Saga, Desolation is fast paced and exciting. The tragic events that befall Asher are believable within the confines of the story (accepting of course, the roaming zombies) and Simmons doesn’t go over the top with describing blood and gore. Instead, Simmons invests in describing Asher’s emotional battles as he learns to live the austerity and horror of his new way of life, which I found made his character very believable and easy to engage with. 

Without spoiling the book by going into too much detail, Simmons tells the story with a rather unique spin that I found refreshing as it helps Desolation to stand out from other zombie apocalypse books. Rather than focusing entirely on the zombies as the main villains, which of course they still are, Simmons mainly concerns himself with necromancers and how the zombies are used by them. By bringing in magic and a greater sense of purpose behind the apocalypse, Simmons has created an interesting blend of zombies and fantasy that I found both enjoyable and intriguing. 

The Bad 

I must say that I have little to fault with Desolation as it is well-written and Simmons steers clear of the ‘conventional’ clichés of zombie plotlines well. Saying that, Desolation does fall foul of the traditional problems that zombie stories face – where are Asher and the other characters getting all of their bullets? How is the electricity being generated in the Refuge? How are so many people being fed? I could go on, but I'm sure you know what I mean! 

Obviously, ammunition and electricity are things that probably wouldn't be around long should a zombie apocalypse actually happen, even if raiding parties did scavenge petrol from cars etc. for their generators. For the purposes of the story, however, it makes sense for Asher to have bullets in his guns and to be able to turn lights on in the refuge! And let’s face it, we don’t read zombie stories to be realistic so I found it very easy to forgive Simmons for this unrealism! 

My Thoughts 

After finishing Desolation, I found that I was disappointed that it was over. The book makes for a fantastic read that uses fantasy genre magic in a manner that helps it to stand apart from other zombie stories. As such, I would recommend that you add Desolation to your reading lists – you won’t be disappointed if you do!