In the Spotlight: Richard K. Morgan

[reviews_and_ramblings]

The Book: A dark lord will rise. Such is the prophecy that dogs Ringil Eskiath—Gil, for short—a washed-up mercenary and onetime war hero whose cynicism is surpassed only by the speed of his sword. Gil is estranged from his aristocratic family, but when his mother enlists his help in freeing a cousin sold into slavery, Gil sets out to track her down. But it soon becomes apparent that more is at stake than the fate of one young woman. Grim sorceries are awakening in the land. Some speak in whispers of the return of the Aldrain, a race of widely feared, cruel yet beautiful demons. Now Gil and two old comrades are all that stand in the way of a prophecy whose fulfillment will drown an entire world in blood. But with heroes like these, the cure is likely to be worse than the disease.

Bold, brutal, and making no compromises—Morgan doesn’t so much twist the clichés of fantasy as take an axe to them.”—Joe Abercrombie
“The award-winning author of Altered Carbon and Market Forces brings the same iconoclastic approach to his fantasy debut as he did to his sf technothrillers. . . . Morgan’s storytelling talent and his atmospheric, hard-hitting prose make this a strong addition to mature fantasy collections.”—Library Journal
“Spellbinding . . . There’s so much to like about the adventure.”—The Star-Ledger
“Morgan has taken traditional sword and sorcery tropes and given them a hard, contemporary kick. The antithesis of the cosy fairytale, this one is for big boys.”—The Times (London)
“A powerful turn-everything-up-to-eleven reading experience . . . Morgan is a gifted writer, and his gifts are lavishly on display here.”—Adam Roberts, author of Yellow Blue Tibia
“It compels you to read on with its gritty, visceral writing and intelligent plot. It’s tense and fascinatingly peopled, and given that the follow-ups will doubtless be tremendous you’re encouraged to jump on from the start. Just, ahem, steel yourself.”—SFX

Amazon: The Steel Remains
Amazon Kindle: The Steel Remains
Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Del Rey; Reprint edition (January 12, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345493044
ISBN-13: 978-0345493040

Other Books in the List:

The Cold Commands by Richard Morgan
Hardcover: 512 pages
Publisher: Del Rey (October 11, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0345493060
ISBN-13: 978-0345493064
Amazon: The Cold Commands

The Author: Richard K. Morgan (born 1965) is a British science fiction author.

Morgan studied history at Queens' College, Cambridge. After graduating he started teaching English in order to travel the world. After fourteen years and a post at Strathclyde University, his first novel was published and he became a full-time writer.

The common theme to Morgan's books is that they take place in a dystopia. His attitude is summed up by the following statement: "Society is, always has been and always will be a structure for the exploitation and oppression of the majority through systems of political force dictated by an élite, enforced by thugs, uniformed or not, and upheld by a willful ignorance and stupidity on the part of the very majority whom the system oppresses." (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_K._Morgan)

Top Gay Novels List (*)

First Decade (2000-2009): http://www.elisarolle.com/ramblings/top_100_gay_novels_2.htm

Second Decade (2010-2019): http://www.elisarolle.com/ramblings/top_100_gay_novels_2.2.htm

*only one title per author, only print books released after January 1, 2000.

Note: I remember to my friends that guest reviews of the above listed books (the top 100 Gay Novels) are welcome, just send them to me and I will post with full credits to the reviewer.

Other titles not in the top 100 list:

http://www.librarything.com/catalog/top50MM