Priest of Bones has been on my radar ever since I attended a book talk at SDCC 2018. It sounded so good - a heavy dose of grimdark with all the usual nastiness and morally-grey characters. But I could not connect with a single character or event in this book no matter what I did.

I'm sure the right sort of reader will eat this up and add it to their favourites list. It does seem to be garnering a lot of positive attention. But, honestly, Tomas Piety - war priest and crime lord - just bored me. He was not a narrator I cared for or could become invested in. The only character of interest to me was Bloody Anne, but she alone was not enough to hold up the narrative.

The dark themes didn't bother me (more on that further down), but I do think I took a particular (and early) dislike to the dick-swinging, beer-guzzling, woman-raping BROS in this book. Dark books should make me shudder, make me think, make me gasp... they shouldn't make me frown and mutter morons under my breath.

True to the genre, this is a dark read. I expected and welcomed the darkness, though I think some additions were gratuitous, such as the pedophilia. If you have any triggers or deep dislikes, they are probably in this book. This is not an exhaustive list but warnings for: sexual assault, pedophilia, alcohol and substance abuse, all kinds of abuse, graphic violence and torture, and child prostitution.

Tomas Piety is a crime lord who returns to the place of his birth after fighting in a devastating war. Under his command are a group of loyal soldiers who fought beside him and will now help him reclaim the streets he once ruled over. It's a fairly generic tale of gangs fighting over the streets and torturing a few people along the way. There's some magic thrown in, too, though it seems like this will be developed more in the sequels.

I think my problem was that there were several elements that make up this book and I found none of them compelling. The story of gang warfare, for one, was uninteresting and unoriginal to me. Tomas felt like any old crime boss with a little humanity towards women and children amid his ruthlessness. I couldn't tell you anything about him that makes him different. The world-building, though suitably dark and dreary, was vague. I like a bit more detail painted into my fantasy worlds.

Perhaps Priest of Bones would have also benefited from a third person perspective. We are stuck inside Tomas's mind for the whole book and everyone else feels like little more than a name, colourful as those names may be - Bloody Anne, Black Billy, Kant the Cunt, Will the Wencher, Billy the Boy and more.

Not the gripping read I was hoping for, but there's some strong writing here. Curious grimdark fans should give it a shot.

A businessman of sorts before the war, he and his associates collectively known as the Pious Men who ruled the streets of their neighbourhood in Ellinburg, when Tomas Piety was conscripted he never thought to see the horrors of the siege of Abingnon or to become a priest of Our Lady of Eternal Sorrows before his return.

The war over, at least officially, for Piety the battle continues; a leader by default, he takes his duty and his responsibility seriously and cares for the men and women who he came to command following the death of the captain; bringing them home with him to Ellinburg he plans to find them food, shelter and employment.

In Piety’s absence and that of them men of the rival gang and their principal, Ma Aditi and her Gutcutters, Ellinburg has changed, his drinking houses and his brothels under new ownership and a sinister power rising in the streets, one which threatens to take over the underworld of the city with a view to seizing real power, the first foothold in another war which there are neither resources nor soldiers to fight.

The first in Peter McLean's War for the Rose Throne sequence, Priest of Bones is as fast moving and sure-footed as a stallion and as bloody as the battles from which Tomas Piety has returned, a man who knows the men and women under his command and leads them wisely according to their strengths, among them his right-hand woman Bloody Anne, Fat Luka, Simple Sam and Billy the Boy.

Only an illiterate boy he may be, but Billy is more than meets the eye; said to have been touched by the goddess, he knows things he should not, but at least he is relatively harmless, unlike Piety’s younger brother Jochan, dangerous, unpredictable, violent and even worse when he's drunk, which is most of the time.

Like Piety, McLean's strategy is built on the knowledge of his characters and his careful deployment of their strengths in their morally questionable campaign to reclaim what was formerly theirs, the two sections of Priest of Bones taking place over a matter of weeks separated by an interlude of six months, a period of great and rapid change in Ellinburg, a quiet war for dominance in the streets which sporadically flares hot and bloody, very bloody.

Piety a brutal and damaged man who had hoped to leave the life of a soldier behind but finds the war has followed him, he is grudgingly forced to accept unasked for help and that the end goal justifies whatever means were used to arrive at it as homes and businesses are raided in the night and bodies are dumped in the river, but he is also an understandable man who is loyal to those who have earned a place by his side or who pay taxes in his territory.

He did not choose this life nor to go to war, but what he did choose was to be a survivor and to do his best to make sure his company would also endure though the cost be heavy and paid in blood, the list of dramatis personae which prefaces Priest of Bones already depleted before the first chapter closes in a bombastic and exuberant read which bodes well for the subsequent volumes and ill for those who cross the Pious Men of Ellinburg.

*** Disclosure: I received a free advance copy of this book in return for an honest review ***
The main character of this book believes in having "the right person doing the right job". In that case, my job will be reading this book, because I absolutely adored every single word of it.
Tomas Piety is returning to his hometown of Ellinburg (the city sometimes referred to as Old Reekie due to its tanneries - a nice little parallel to Edinburgh's "Auld Reekie") having been conscripted to fight for his country at war. Piety was previously the proud owner of a number of brothels, taverns and gambling/drugs dens and the purveyor of the finest protection racket in town. He returns with his regiment of fellow conscripts ("war is over, sling your hook") promising jobs and wealth for good honest work, only to find that his empire is not what it once was. Therein lies the plot of the book - Tomas and The Pious Men battling to take back control of the streets and properties he once oversaw.
The action is grim and nasty, and as well described as any book I can think of.
The dialogue is funny and gritty, and rivals Joe Abercrombie.
The main character has had a troubled past and has buried his own secrets.
The scope of the book is fairly small and benefits from that, not getting away from itself. There is more than enough going on to keep the action coming and the intrigue simmering along.
There is a lot of nasty, not niceness throughout this book, a feature of a lot of modern fantasy. However here the tale is told by Tomas himself, so we are treated to some of his inner monologue and get an insight into why he thinks these things need to be done. How he justifies some horrific actions and decisions defines his character well.
Frankly, this is one of the most immersive books I have read for a long time. The narration meant that for once I could truly visualise the city, the mess, the smells, the nastiness, the honour amongst gangsters. Not since the early Discworld books have I felt this so strongly.
To put it simply: I really really loved this book and cannot wait (though wait I must) for the next instalment.

To put it in the fewest words possible, Priest of Bones is to The Godfather and Peaky Blinders what The Lies of Locke Lamora was to heist movies.

I have to admit, I’m a sucker for when an author takes a genre or aesthetic that I’m familiar with from TV or cinema, and translates that into a fantasy novel. It lends a sense of familiarity to the work, and if the author is good enough, then the book can still feel fresh and unique enough to be its own thing.

Let’s get something straight: Peter McLean is definitely good enough.

Priest of Bones is the story of Tomas Piety, a crime boss who returns from war to find that his former operations are in ruins. The Pious Men—once a feared and respected crime family—are now pretty much non-existent. Piety decides to rebuild his empire with the help of his new friends from the war, but it soon becomes clear that gangsters and soldiers are not one and the same.

Much of the book follows Piety and his men as they seek to win back his businesses — namely boarding houses, whore houses, and gambling houses. There’s a lot of action, a lot of fighting, and just a touch of magic. The plot is fairly linear, with only a few twists and turns, but I never really got the feeling that this was a plot-oriented book. It leans a little more to the character side. It’s not deep and explorative, it’s more… meandering and observant. The first person perspective puts us inside Tomas Piety’s head, and little by little we learn more about who he is and what drives him as the story moves on.

I talk a lot about the importance of narrative voice when I review grimdark books, and I would be doing the author a disservice if I didn’t talk a little about that here. Tomas Piety’s personality bleeds through the pages of this book; his voice is distinct and infectious. McLean has done a tremendous job in constructing such an evocative manner of speaking, such that reading Priest of Bones feels less like reading a book, and more like your local hardman is telling you his life story down at the boozer.

But then, Piety isn’t the only character. While some first-person novels can make the side characters feel like furniture, Priest of Bones has a diverse and eclectic cast of characters with a range of quirks and personalities. There’s Bloody Anne, Piety’s Lieutenant turned closest confidant; Jochan, his disturbed and violent brother; Ailsa, a barmaid among… other things; and Billy the Boy, a 12-year-old orphan who has been touched by the Goddess.

Oh, and there’s a psychopath called Kant the Cunt. Just thought I should mention that.

Being a grimdark book, Priest of Bones does deal with some darker subjects, including child abuse and PTSD. It doesn’t glorify in the sordid details, however, and there’s a bit of a… twisted nobility to the book. Tomas Piety might be a crime lord and a murder, but he’s also a priest, and he thinks of himself as a good man. From the very first chapter it is clear that sexual assault is Not Fucking Okay in his eyes, and he’ll take extreme measures to ensure such things don’t happen under his watch.

To sum it all up, this was a bloody fantastic book that wouldn’t look out of place among the “grimdark royalty” of Martin, Abercrombie, and Lawrence. For anyone looking for another 5 star low fantasy story, or anyone who is a fan of mafia/crime movies and TV shows, I’d recommend that you pick up Priest of Bones as soon as you can.

This book was good, really good!!! Easily one of my favorite books of the year so far!

Stylistically this book sits really well beside a lot of contemporary fantasy authors with hints of Joe Abercombie, Daniel Polansky and Scott Lynch but is is no pastiche, Peter Mclean has very much written a book that is his own.

Set in a city after the end of a bloody war the main protagonist returns home to find his criminal empire has been taken over, what ensues over the rest of the book is his fight to regain his standing within the city walls.

The main characters are like able in a human way with all the flaws that you would expect, and the author doesn't shy away from this in the way that they behave, yet somehow you still find yourself routing for them.

The action is engrossing and descriptive with just enough magic to give it the twit you would expect from the genre without it becoming a swords and sorcery type novel. The book will draw you in in a way that makes you want to just keep reading and when you get to the end.....well you just wonder whats going to happen next!!


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Sometimes a man has to balance two evils in his hand, and choose the lighter one.

This book was so good!!! It's been a while since a fantasy book managed to surprise and shock me like this. I really did not except things to be so grim and horrifying. My bad! It actually took a while to grip me, but when it did, I was glued to my Kindle to the very last page. I need more of this. Like right now would be nice...

This book was something else. Written as a sort of memoir our main character seems to record or dictate to someone, it has a very unique and strong voice that just grips you. You get to see everything from the point of view from someone who was broken well before the war, and came back even more broken. Trying to take his business back after returning to his home, Thomas Piety (bricklayer turned businessman and gang leader, turned soldier, turned pries, turned mercenary,
turned businessman again) did not except to end up being blackmailed into doing the crown's bidding for reasons he can't see yet (and neither can I, which is why I want that sequel!!! I need answers!), but he has no choice but to do as he's asked. Trying to keep his men alive and in order, he is determined to win back everything that was taken for him.

I really liked Thomas! I did not except to, but the man has principles for a gang leader, wich was a welcome surprise. I also ended up feeling really bad for him, which was another welcome surprise, so hats off to the author for creating such a wonderfully layered character! The rest of the cast was a nice mix of people from all over, and I can't wait to see more of them! These are not heroes, mind you, and they have no interest in being heroic. They are people who have lost everything, who are deeply broken, fighting their way back into their lives, trying to reclaim their own lives. And it. Was. Epic!

All in all, this was a really surprising book. In the beginning, I felt a bit lost because I couldn't see where it was all going, but when I did, I was instantly hooked! It was far darker and violent than I expected, and I am still a bit shocked by the revelations from the last chapters, to be honest.
If you like your fantasy dark and bloody, your anti-heroes with a surprisingly decent side to them, and want a book that will take you on one heck of a ride, go read it. It'll be worth it!