Format: 126 pages, Hardcover Published: October 14, 2025 by Head of Zeus — an AdAstra Book ISBN 9781035911448 Format: Audible Audio Published: October 14, 2025 by Head of Zeus — an AdAstra Book
City-by-city, kingdom-by-kingdom, the Palleseen have sworn to bring ‘Perfection’ and ‘Correctness’ to an imperfect world. But before these ruthless Tyrant Philosophers send in their legions, they despatch Outreach – the rain before the storm.
Outreach is that part of the Pal machine responsible for diplomacy — converting enemies into friends, achieving through words what an army of five thousand could not, urging the oppressed to overthrow the bloody-handed priests, evil necromancers and greedy despots that subjugate them.
Angilly, twelve-years-old, a child of Pal soldiers stationed in occupied Jarokir, does not know it yet, but a sequence of accidents and questionable life choices will lead her to Outreach. As she travels from Jarrokir to Bracinta, Cazarkand, Lemas, The Holy Regalate of Stouk and finally, Usmai, she’ll learn that the price of her nation’s success is paid in compromise and lost chances, and that the falling rain will always be bitter.
LIVES OF BITTER RAIN is a novella in Adrian Tchaikovsky’s award-winning Tyrant Philosopher series. It is a prequel to the third novel in the sequence, DAYS OF SHATTERED FAITH.
My Review
I’ve listened to all of the books in this series, and have them all in hardback, so obviously I had to get this novella.
We follow the life of Angilly from the time her parents die in Jarokir to the day she fights a duel in Usmai. Each important moment of her life as she rises to the rank of Resident is catalogued.
If you’ve read Days of Shattered Faith this will give you some insight into the actions and character of Angilly and extra background to the events in that novel. If you haven’t, you should, and this novella will give you a taste of the style of writing and the worldbuilding.
The narration is excellent as ever and it is easy to listen to. At just over 4 hours, this novella can keep you company for half a work shift if you can’t get away with reading at work.
‘Times like these you wish you had something to pray to’
Idolfire is an epic sapphic fantasy inspired by the fall of Rome from the author of the Frontier and Floating Hotel.
ON ONE SIDE OF THE WORLD, Aleya Ana-Ulai is desperate for a chance. Her family have written her off as a mistake, but she’s determined to prove every last one of them wrong.
ON THE OTHER, Kirby of Wall’s End is searching for redemption. An ancient curse tore her life apart, but to fix it, she’ll have to leave everything behind.
Fate sets them both on the path to Nivela, a city once poised to conquer the world with the power of a thousand stolen gods. Now the gates are closed and the old magic slumbers. Dead—or waiting for a spark to light it anew . . .
My Review
I listened to this over several days, usually while walking to the pool and back. I’ve also got an special edition of the hardback on the shelves. I have all of Grace Curtis’ books and I’ve noticed a theme running through them. All of them contain people on a journey who learn about themselves in the process of completing their journey.
In this book we find Kirby who discovers that the world is bigger than she thought it was, and that there are more options than marrying a local boy. Aleya discovers an internal source of strength to make the changes she knows her city of Ash needs. Nylo learns to stop being a bigoted prat, just before he dies in battle.
The world building draws heavily on the ancient world and the author’s note does explain their inspiration. Kirby feels like she’s from the north east of England (helped by the accent the narrator has), while Nylo screams of Sparta, and Aleya is from somewhere in Mesopotamia. The landscape is vividly described, as the group sail and walk across the world from their various homes to Nivela as they try to complete their individual quests. The land and seascapes are an important part of the plot, which adds to the tension (especially that undersea tunnel and the wastelands around Nivela!) in what is a pretty standard quest story.
The magical system, idolfire, is powered by worship and limited in scope. It drains the power source and can harm the person using it. Magic without limits is a deus ex machina. Aleya’s inability to use the idolfire at difficult moments brings tension to the plot. It also provides the odd last desperate attempt to survive.
I enjoyed the characters of Kirby and Aleya, while Nylo got on my nerves. He’s a tit, who’s perspective is egregiously clouded by his prejudices. Both Kirby and Aleya have their prejudices, but it doesn’t cloud their perspective as much as his does. There were other minor characters that I found entertaining, like the little seer who takes Kirby to see a sheep’s skull after calling Aleya a liar.
Overall, a good quest story set in a vaguely familiar world that isn’t pseudo-medieval north western Europe.
For a thousand years, Concordia has maintained peace between its provinces. To mark this incredible feat, the emperor’s ship embarks upon a twelve-day voyage to the sacred Goddess’s Mountain.
Aboard are the heirs of the twelve provinces of Concordia, each graced with a unique and secret magical ability known as a Blessing.
Except one: Ganymedes Piscero – class clown, slacker, and all-round disappointment.
When a beloved heir is murdered, everyone is a suspect. Stuck at sea and surrounded by powerful people without a Blessing to protect him, odds of survival are slim.
But as the bodies pile higher, Ganymedes must become the hero he was not born to be. Can he unmask the killer and their blessing before this bloody crusade reaches the shores of Concordia?
Length: 13 hrs and 45 mins Unabridged Audiobook Release date: 22-02-22
Blurb
No man is above the law.
The Empire of the Wolf simmers with unrest. Rebels, heretics and powerful patricians all challenge the power of the imperial throne.
Only the Order of Justices stands in the way of chaos. Sir Konrad Vonvalt is the most feared Justice of all, upholding the law by way of his sharp mind, arcane powers and skill as a swordsman. At his side stands Helena Sedanka, his clerk and protégé, orphaned by the wars that forged the empire.
When the pair investigate the murder of a provincial aristocrat, they unearth a conspiracy that stretches to the very top of imperial society. As the stakes rise and become ever more personal, Vonvalt and Helena must make a choice: will they abandon the laws they’ve sworn to uphold in order to protect the empire?
Introducing an unforgettable protagonist destined to become a fantasy icon, The Justice of Kings is an unmissable debut where action, intrigue and magic collide.
My Review
I listened to this in August and September, but completely forgot to review it for you all. Since I’m doing my ‘favourite sci fi and fantasy of 2023’ list soon, I thought I’d better add it, because I really enjoyed the book.
In this first book in the Empire of the Wolf series we meet the main characters, Helena Sedanka, Konrad Vonvalt and Bressinger. They are on their rounds, as Vonvalt is a Justice of the Empire, applying the common law across fractious provinces. They are accompanied for part of their journey by Patria Bartholomew Claver, a fundamentalist priest with ambitions to even greater things. In the first village they visit, they find an enclave of ‘heretics’, people following their indigenous religion, instead of the imperial religion of Nema. Vonvalt tries to find a solution that helps everyone, while Claver demands they’re burnt and then leaves. After Vonvalt, Helena and Bressinger move on, Claver returns with Templars and kills everyone in the village, burning them to death.
Later, Vonvalt is called to a port town to investigate the murder of a noblewoman. They find a much deeper conspiracy involving a monastery funnelling money to Claver and the Templars, a woman held hostage, and a child murdered. Helena has to go under cover, while Vonvalt is diverted by the arrival of an old friend and his investigations take him elsewhere.
Claver brings his army to the same town to demand the release of one of the priests held for the murder. He attacks the town, slaughtering innocent residents to hide the evidence of the crimes he and his funders committed. Claver shows his new powers, stolen from the Justices.
Vonvalt becomes obsessed with defeating Claver, getting revenge for the death of his old friend and for the people murdered by the Templars.
That leads us to the start of The Tyranny of Faith.
Helena tells the story, moving between her present day and her past, her recollections of events that lead to the downfall of the Empire. The structure is really interesting and we see her character development from a young, naïve, secretary to an experienced investigator, a scholar of the law. We see her first love, sex, and loss, her heartbreak and her developing relationship with her colleagues. Bressinger is her best friend but he’s a less developed character, while Vonvalt is both her mentor and a man she is developing romantic feelings for. She is torn between her professional obligations and her personal feeling, both for her first love, for Vonvalt, and about her job, killing people, and the things she must give up to be a Justice.
Vonvalt is a highly developed character, a complex man who desperately wants to be a force for good in the Empire, but is torn between the law in theory and the way it’s practiced in reality.
Bressinger is not as well developed; we know he fought in the Riekskrieg, lost his wife and children, to an attack on his home town, and joined the service of the Empire only because Vonvalt was his friend and he wanted revenge.
The worldbuilding is amazing! It is a medieval Germanic inspired world. It reminds me of a cross between the Roman Empire and the Holy Roman Empire, with hints of earlier medieval European states. There’s Templar knights and hints of gun powder, while village ladies lead rituals around bonfires to forbidden gods. The supernatural elements are woven into the story completely; from Vonvalt’s necromancy to Helena’s unexpected trips to the ‘Holy Realm’ – the places where the dead and the spirits live. The ‘gods’ are shown to be questionable, while the magic, under different names and either allowed or not depending on who is using it, is a tool that people use or fight over.
The writing is really accomplished and the story flies by. I’d never heard of Richard Swan until I received a signed special edition of this book in the SFF Fellowship subscription in 2022. Now I follow him on Instagram and have the third book in the series on pre-order. I’m a bit of a fan of his writing.
The narrator is really good. We can hear the difference between young Helena and older Helena by the tone of her voice. She puts a lot of emotion into her narration.
If you’re looking for an epic fantasy, try this series.
Published February 14, 2023 by Hachette B and Blackstone Publishing ISBN: 9781668629963 (ISBN10: 1668629968)
Blurb
A Justice’s work is never done.
The Battle of Galen’s Vale is over, but the war for the Empire’s future has just begun. Concerned by rumors that the Magistratum’s authority is waning, Sir Konrad Vonvalt returns to Sova to find the capital city gripped by intrigue and whispers of rebellion. In the Senate, patricians speak openly against the Emperor, while fanatics preach holy vengeance on the streets.
Yet facing down these threats to the throne will have to wait, for the Emperor’s grandson has been kidnapped – and Vonvalt is charged with rescuing the missing prince. His quest will lead him – and his allies Helena, Bressinger and Sir Radomir – to the southern frontier, where they will once again face the puritanical fury of Bartholomew Claver and his templar knights – and a dark power far more terrifying than they could have imagined.
) Published February 28th 2023 by Head of Zeus Hardcover, 460 pages Author: Django Wexler ISBN: 9781801101424 Format:460 pages, Paperback Published: February 28, 2023 by Orbit ISBN: 9780316519663 Publisher : Head of Zeus — an AdAstra Book (9 Nov. 2023) Paperback : 528 pages ISBN-10 : 1801101442 ISBN-13 : 978-1801101448Format: Audiobook Published: August 8, 2023 by Orbit ISBN:9781668634899
Blurb
Two siblings divided by magic and revolution must finally join forces and rally the people to take down the Twilight Order once and for all in the final book of this brilliantly imagined epic fantasy trilogy. The last surviving Chosen, Ashok has finally risen up and taken control of The Twilight Order. He promises equality and prosperity, but Gyre and Maya know the truth. Only death follows in Ashok’s wake. To take him down, Gyre will have to unite old allies from all across The Splinter Kingdoms and the depths of Deepfire. And Maya will have to seek out a legendary weapon hidden in the mountains that could turn the tide in their battle for freedom.
Narrated by: Katherine Parkinson, Bill Nighy, Peter Serafinowicz Series: Discworld, Book 31, Discworld: Industrial Revolution, Book 3 Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins Unabridged Audiobook Release date: 23-02-23 Language: English Publisher: Penguin Audio
Summary
Brought to you by Penguin.
The audiobook of Monstrous Regiment is narrated by Katherine Parkinson, star of The IT Crowd and Here We Go. BAFTA and Golden Globe award-winning actor Bill Nighy (Love Actually; Pirates of the Caribbean; Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) reads the footnotes, and Peter Serafinowicz (Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace; Shaun of the Dead) stars as the voice of Death. Featuring a new theme tune composed by James Hannigan.
‘THAT’S THE TROUBLE ABOUT THE GOOD GUYS AND THE BAD GUYS! THEY’RE ALL GUYS!’
In the small yet aggressive country of Borogravia, there are strict rules citizens must follow. For a start, women belong in the kitchen – not in jobs, pubs, or indeed trousers. And certainly not on the front line.
Polly Perks has to become a boy in a hurry if she wants to find her missing brother in the army. Cutting off her hair and wearing the trousers is easy. Going to war however, is not.
Polly and her fellow raw recruits are suddenly in the thick of a losing battle. All they have on their side is the most artful sergeant in the army and a vampire with a lust for coffee.
It’s time to make a stand.
The first book in the Discworld series-The Colour of Magic-was published in 1983. Some elements of the Discworld universe may reflect this.
My Review
I always enjoyed this book, right from the first time I read it when the hardback came out. Terry Pratchett took on gender in this novel and questioned everything. He acknowledged the complexities of gender and explores the attitudes of societies that have very strict gender roles and hierarchies.
Polly Parks is a barman’s daughter in Borogravia, and she needs to find her brother. He went off to war and nothing has been heard of him since. She joins a regiment, the cheese mongers, who are led by Sergeant Jack Jackrum, a legend in the army. The squad – a few humans, a troll, a vampire, a dodgy, political, corporal and the ebullient sergeant Jackrum – are the very last of Borogravia’s army recruits.
We also see Vimes and the Watch in their diplomatic roles.
I happen to love this book, and this edition of the audiobook is really good. Kathrine Parkinson is a good narrator. I’m not sure about some of the pronunciation but I managed to get into it and really enjoyed it.
Narrated by: Colin Morgan, Peter Serafinowicz, Bill Nighy Release date: 07-07-22
Rincewind, and by extension the faculty of Unseen University, have a lot of adventures, fight all sorts of monsters, sometimes with a half-brick in a sock, and visit the far corners of the Disc.
Rincewind goes off to the both the Counterweight Continent and Fourecks, as well as over the edge of the Disc. He meets the Discs first tourist, the Discs greatest hero, a kid with amazing magical skills and another without any, some very tall ladies, a strange kangaroo, and plays football. In the process we see the way the University changes as an institution, and the social developments in Ankh-Morpork.
Some of the books were written in the early years of the Discworld, so there are attitudes that reflect that. Terry Pratchett was always trying to be a better person and you can see his social attitudes changing over the course of the novels, but the Rincewind/Wizards books are heavily weighted towards his early years. There is a massive improvement in his writing skills and his social conscience between The Colour of Magic and Unseen Academicals. There are legitimate criticisms of the orientalism in Interesting Times, and the treatment of women in The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic. I highly recommend The Truth Shall Make Ye Fret podcast for discussions about this.
Colin Morgan isn’t bad as a narrator, but his voices for Rincewind and some of the wizards are wrong. Sorry, they just are. I prefer Steven Briggs’ versions.
Narrated by: Sian Clifford, Peter Serafinowicz, Bill Nighy Release date: 27-10-22
Death and then his granddaughter Susan StoHelit have a series of adventures across the Discworld, narrated by Sian Clifford, who also narrated Hogfather. I reviewed that one and the Witches books last May.
Sian Clifford isn’t too bad as a narrator and Peter Serafinowicz has a good DEATH voice. Bill Nighy’s footnotes are delivered in a deadpan tone that works well. I enjoyed the stories; I haven’t read them for a long time, so these books were a lovely reminder of how much I enjoyed them the first time around. I think I enjoyed some of them more now, because I read most of them as a teenager, and that was a while ago, given that I’m 40 in less than 4 weeks.
The development of Death and Susan as characters is particularly obvious if you listen to the books in order. By this I mean that Terry Pratchett was obviously developing the characters and the Discworld over time, and that the characters grew as people. Death becomes more human as he interacts with people, and Susan starts to understand her nature better. Their relationship also develops from almost disbelief to an uneasy alliance.
We also get to see The Sweeper in action and Albert doing something other than frying a pudding. If you don’t know who these people are, I highly recommend reading/listening to these books. Well worth it.
Everything Is Better With Dragons 