Mark Lawrence is a writing machine. How else do you explain this writing phenomenon who has gone on to give us a dozen books (That's FOUR completed trilogies, guys!) across fantasy and science fiction - and continues to push the envelope, when it comes to the dazzling brilliance, characteristic of his every single work? Inching higher than ever, with every single novel that has come out. Let me take a moment here to express my gratitude and awe at the sheer dedication of this Thorn Guy to his craft and the manner in which he has continued to entertain us and force us to think, throughout these last twelve books that's been excellent, excellent stuff.

So now - the new book. The Girl and the Stars, the opening book in this series called The Book of the Ice, is set in the same brutal world of Abeth, slowly succumbing to ice. Yeah - the same world. that Nona and her Sisters are trying to save. But the story of the Red Sister and the subsequent sequels were set in this narrow belt between the two rapidly encroaching gulfs of ice, where life still thrives and there is still a bit of green. The Girl and the Stars, however is set much further to the North of this planet, the polar ice caps. Where, for miles and miles, there is just the sea of white and the song of wind and pretty much nothing else.

The Ictha, the northernmost tribe, are known for their hardiness and strength, tempering an iron resolve that believes in the collective strength of their community to weather their lives in this sea of white. Yaz, a young Ictha girl on the cusp of her adulthood and grand dreams about her life and place in this world, is traveling to this congregation where the different tribes are gathering for the ultimate test for proving the adulthood of the youngsters gathered. Surrendering to the will of this priest they all believe to be the 'Regulator' - one who weeds out the deformities of the tribe, by throwing the weakest of the tribes down into a yawning pit under this place called the Black Rock.

The deformities in such a brutal world, could mean weakness and consequently disaster for the entire family and tribe. And so, this practice is accepted, even revered by the tribes of the ice. But their collective ignorance of what or how these deformities are manifest, speaks to the deep seated fear and superstition that studs their culture.

Yaz, on the other hand. harbours her own secret. A deformity that allows her to view and touch these strands of magic flowing all around her in this world. And so, she's prepared to flunk this ultimate test of 'adulthood' where the priest would adjudge her weak and then throw her in. But what happens next leaves her scared and shaking with disbelief. And forces her own hand, as she plunges deep into that pit, under the black rock. To quest for her own self, for answers to questions that she never knew, even existed. About the origins of her whole world, of the blind beliefs of her tribes. Of the past history of the planet Abeth.

Mark Lawrence, a past master at world building, transports us back to this amazingly lived-in, beautiful but dangerous land of slippery ice, moaning winds, dangerous whales, devious demons, giant coal-worms and what not (Lots more of such interesting constructs, that I could write a whole different book on that.) But what he does, brilliantly, while organically building out this amazing planet of Abeth, is also to hang the heavy flesh and bones of the character-study of this young girl called Yaz. She's the star of the show. The naive girl whose world above the ice, made her dream of a domestic life that would probably have been only a little variation of her own mother's, transforms herself into an absolutely fearless leader by the end of this first book. Her character arc is absolutely stunning, a powerful girl who doesn't realise her own strength, till she's challenged and forced to save the life of her loved ones.

The subterranean world of the Broken, that Yaz discovers under the harsh polar ice-cap, deep inside is also fascinating. The other characters like the brave Quell, the idealistic Thurin, the sly Maya or the mysterious stranger Erris from the 'City' all of them add depth and meaning to Yaz's transformation. But ultimately serve as catalyst to her own discovery of self. And the secrets, oh my God, the secrets that she discovers - it's like Mark has finally opened up that Big Chest of Secrets that he's been hinting at over the course, of perhaps his first 9 odd novels. It's terrific, feeding into the yarn of the Missing, the first order of Men or God-lings who possibly were the architects of a lot of marvels that we encounter hidden deep under the belt of ice.

I absolutely adored the character of the wise and charming Erris. I wouldn't delve deeper into him, for fear of spoilers but trust me, this guy was such a hoot. Yaz remains steely-eyed and determined, her legendary Ictha will-power and her affinity for magic ( She's a marjal, equipped to dip into the streams of magic that float all around us!) making her the ideal leader of the Broken. So Erris is the perfect foil to her. And there's Thurin, a quantal with his own skills for working the ice, a wonder boy who has had the demons purged from inside him. For most parts, Thurin is the driving force that propels Yaz to push herself and believe that she can finish her mission. Mark almost made me believe that it becomes a love-quadrangle by throwing in Quell, into the mix. But this isn't that story. It's turns out to be a compelling narrative about redemption and a self-discovery. I wouldn't call it strictly YA either, despite the age of Yaz.

As the story progresses at a breakneck pace ( the whole story perhaps is set only over a few days time-span but the amazing character arc evolutions makes us feel like, a lifetime has passed. And indeed, there are certain "dream" sequences that possibly spans across centuries, but I am not giving away any spoilers on that here.) Mark touches upon elements of a possible class system - the haves above the ice, again regimented into following their own fears and superstition, while the have-nots deep inside the cradle of the earth, have their own issues, struggles of power, civil wars and the persistent issues of 'demons' [ remember, the demon from Grey Sister within Nona?]

Mark's style of writing remains top-notch. Hitting us time and again, with such beautiful turns of phrases that hints at some heavy truths of life, that you discover as you go along. The pacing is very even and fluid, grabbing us from get-go - in that character voice of Yaz - and then taking us on a heady wild ride, deep into the centre of this world of ice. Twists and turns galore, my only grouch of course, would be the damn cliffhanger. We need book two, like right NOW.

Anyways - in the Girl and the Stars, Mark has basically brought together a lot of mysteries and ideas that he's been hinting at, in his previous novels. It is explosive stuff, an impossible scintillating mix of fantasy, adventure, science, mythology and even horror to some extent. Signature Mark really. But I truly, truly loved the Girl and the Stars for what it does to the genre. Invent something new that expands the boundaries of this genre. Maybe we should stop calling That Thorn Guy and refer to him as That Ice Guy, huh?

I’m switching things up today and reviewing three books at once. Why? Because I accidentally read three fantasy cop stories in two weeks and I don’t think I have it in me to review each one separately, but I want to talk about all of them. So the question of the day is this: which of the following fantasy cop novels takes home the golden gumshoe? Is it a) The Last Smile In Sunder City by Luke Arnold, b) The Last Sun by K. D. Edwards, or c) Titan’s Day by Dan Stout? For full transparency, Sunder and Last Sun are both the first book in their respective series, while Titan’s Day is a sequel to Titanshade, a book I have already reviewed. It’s possible that because of this I came into this showdown with a favorite, but let it be known that I attempted to curtail my bias to the best of my ability.

Next, let’s establish some judging criteria. I want to keep this clean and easy, so I’ll judge the books on three categories: worldbuilding, plot, and characters. For worldbuilding, I am looking for reasons this story couldn’t just be a cop drama – show me a cool world that adds something to the story and tension. For the plot, I am looking for a mystery or drama that is exciting and keeps me guessing. For characters, I am looking (begging) for a cast that breaks out of the bottomless pit of cop tropes and tired cast members you can find in any cop show. Now, let’s meet our contestants.

Sunder City is about a former soldier turned PI named Fetch Phillips. He is searching for repentance in a ruined world that he had a hand in destroying. Years ago he was part of an army that accidentally ripped magic out of the world, badly disfiguring and killing the majority of fantasy creatures that lived in it. Now he tries to help the fantasy creatures whose lives he ruined.

The Last Sun is about Rune Saint John, the last child of the fallen Sun Court. John is the last remaining member of an aristocratic Atlantean family. The Atlanteans are essentially high tech magical elves who resurfaced the continent of Atlantis to live alongside humans because they were bored (I am not doing it justice, but it’s complicated and not well explained). There are TONS of magical families in Atlantis with different powers, and John is hired to search for a missing son of one of the most prominent ones.

Titan’s Day is the sequel to Titanshade, and tells the next chapter of Detective Carter – a good cop who isn’t afraid to do the right thing no matter what. This book follows the discovery of a new source of energy in an oil town that is desperate for something to restart its dying economy. While political factions squabble over the new lifeblood of the city, Carter single-mindedly pursues a seemingly unrelated murder case of a “candy”. He is forced to navigate political pressures and resist becoming a pawn in the struggles tipping the city toward anarchy. But when more innocent lives are lost and time runs short, he’s forced to decide if justice is worth sparking an all-out war in the streets during the biggest celebration of the year: Titan’s Day.

Category one: worldbuilding. Worldbuilding (to me) in a fantasy cop story is more important than in a normal book. The author has to justify placing the story in a fantasy setting instead of just writing a piece of fiction. In addition, the best fantasy cop stories tie the investigation/crimes to the magic while making the worldbuilding clear enough that the reader can use it to solve the crime themselves. What I don’t want, is to read a cop story in a cool world where the magic is just a backdrop.

Sunder City starts us off strong by killing it with the worldbuilding. Luke Arnold has crafted an impressively detailed magical world then pulled the rug out from under it. He does a fantastic job of showing the reader how magic was a foundation that his society was built on – and how it crumpled, was rebuilt, and evolved once the magic disappeared. The worldbuilding is brilliantly interwoven with the mystery, and he empowers the reader to solve it themselves. Sunder City gets 4 out of 5 for worldbuilding.

The Last Sun, on the other hand, is a mixed bag. On the good hand, the world and magic are cool as heck. Each house has a different set of powers and there is a fun and inventive magic system involving the use of trinkets called “crests”. On the bad hand, the worldbuilding doesn’t quite feel coherent. It constantly feels like Edwards is giving the reader just enough information to get them through the current scene and that the world beyond the current situation is unfinished. I didn’t really believe the world was a real place. And while the magic was integral to the mystery of the plot, I didn’t really feel equipped to solve it. The Last Sun gets 2 out of 5 for worldbuilding.

Titan’s Day likely had the strongest worldbuilding of the three, but I need to ding it slightly. If you read my review of the previous novel you will see that the series has an impressively well-realized world. Stout put an agonizing amount of detail into how his magic and worldbuilding are fused into the world and the story. The rules and restrictions of the magic are set down like laws and it empowers the reader wonderfully to enter the mind of the protagonist and solve the crimes. However, one thing I was unimpressed with was I did not feel like Titan’s Day did a good job expanding the world past the road that Titanshade paved for it. Titan’s Day gets 3 out of 5 for worldbuilding.

Category two: plot. This one in my mind is the most subjective. I don’t have crystal clear criteria for the plot – but what I am hoping for is a story that isn’t predictable, is exciting, and has some good twists.

Sunder City has a perfectly serviceable plot, but it didn’t really impress me. The story focuses primarily on how the case takes Fetch through a cavalcade of situations that are difficult due to his involvement in the destruction of magic. The plot feels more like a vehicle for character growth than a good murder mystery. At the same time, it isn’t terrible, and there were a few good twists. Sunder City gets 3 out of 5 for plot.

The Last Sun was my frontrunner for plot. Despite the fact that the book didn’t set me up to solve the mystery myself, I was extremely invested in what was happening and urgently turning pages to find out what happened. In some ways, Edwards’ loose worldbuilding helped the book here as it provided a stronger sense of mystery and intrigue. In addition, The Last Sun has excellent combat and action scenes that put it at the top of the group in terms of excitement. The Last Sun gets 4 out of 5 for plot.

Titan’s Day continues to make this competition difficult by being complicated. On some level, I actually think Titan’s plot is phenomenal – but I am the wrong audience for it. Titan focuses on hyperrealism and trying to make the book feel like it uses real police work. I am sure there is someone out there who will really appreciate this, but it is not me. I found Titan’s Day’s plot boring — a rehash of the same exact story as Titanshade. The book felt like it had almost no growth whatsoever, and I didn’t like where it started. Titan’s Day gets 2 out of 5 for plot.

Category three: characters. With characters, I am looking for all the usual hallmarks of good character design: depth, growth, relatability, and originality. In particular, I was hoping to see something beyond the usual tropes you see in every cop drama on TV.

Sunder City has good characters that pull you into the story. Fetch is a complicated person with some very believable demons. The slow reveal of his past over the course of the story is a masterclass example in how to control what information to give the reader when. On the other hand, the supporting cast leaves a little to be desired. Sunder City is the Fetch show and it doesn’t feel like there is much room for anyone else. Sunder City gets 3 out of 5 for characters.

The Last Sun does well on characters. John is fun, relatable, original, and deep enough to stand out in this crowd. In addition, there is a plethora of supporting cast members who stand well on their own and do a lot to enhance the story. I was invested in almost every character who made it onto the page and I think Edwards killed it on their character writing. The Last Sun gets 5 out of 5 for characters.

Titan’s Day has terrible characters. I don’t know how else to phrase it. They are box standard tropes of the timeless cop identities. The characters have almost no depth. They demonstrate little to no growth over two entire books. I didn’t really like or care about any of them. After two books of no one growing or evolving, I found myself frustrated with the cast and considering giving up on the book entirely. Titan’s Day gets 1 out of 5 for characters.

Final Scores: The Last Sun just barely edges out The Last Smile In Sunder City to take my top spot of cop books I have read within the last two weeks – which is clearly a prestigious victory. Coming in way beneath both is Titan’s Day, which struggled to do anything with the excellent groundwork that Titanshade built. If I had compared Titanshade to the other two books I think the competition would have been a lot closer to a threeway tie – but I don’t think it would have taken the crown. Though each of these books has its strengths and weaknesses, The Last Sun is my recommendation for any of you looking for a good fantasy cop drama right now.

Rating:

The Last Sun – 7.5/10
The Last Smile In Sunder City – 7.0/10
Titan’s Day – 4.0/10

I really enjoyed reading this book! I loved the first one, and diving into this world again after the world changing events of the first, well, I was really interested in what changes would happen. And that was a big part of the book, at the same time there was a conversation that some things didn't change, like Carter's desire to find justice for murder victims.

I have to say, I really love this cover. It goes well with the first, and the fact that there's Carter, and then an image of Carter, well, that's actually in the book, and that the murder victim did, so that's a really great moment to represent this book!

Part of this case becomes involved with the local politics, of one gang trying to be special elected into office. And it's a bit scary, because they have some points, but you know they're bad people, and they're using the crowd who are in a bad and growing worse situation and it was really frustrating, because what can one person do against that?

Carter starts having trouble with cobwebs and maybe manna. I really enjoyed watching him deal with that, wondering about his state of mind, finding out whats happening. And it became kinda important, to what was going on!

Boy was that ending a roller coaster! Here, there, everywhere! So much happened, and so quickly! I just couldn't put it down, and while it's not a game-changer like Titanshade, well, nothing could be like that. It was really unexpected, and was a thrilling ending, and some muscle clenching, going to have to deal with this, moments. Loved it so much!

This book was really fantastic, and I can't wait for more, because there has to be more!

For a story that takes place in an alternate world, the setting sure feels like somewhere I've been before and somewhere I could easily go back to in future stories.

The events of book 1 have changed the power dynamics within the city and make cops Carter and Jax local celebrities, complicating their detective work. What appears to be a low-profile case of a dead prostitute in an alley spirals into something much more sinister involving organized crime and corrupt politicians. And to make things worse, Carter is feeling strange phantom pains and sensations and drawing a bit too much attention from a new, enigmatic doctor at the police station.

An action-packed, fun, and violent ride.

I'll keep preordering these, for sure.

This is a weird but fun mix of 1980s nostalgia, gritty police procedural (but not too gory) and multi species science fiction setting. I enjoy the occasional mystery and this series is a fun combination of that mystery and my preferred genre of science fiction & fantasy.
5 stars to work with really isn’t enough nuance to give a proper impression of a book. This book and the previous book in the series are both perfectly fun reads. I’d cheerfully recommend them to the right reader but I save 4 and 5 stars for the books that really wow me. 3 stars is a perfectly good read and a heavy genre reader will have a perfectly fun time reading this series..

This review was originally posted on <a href="https://booksofmyheart.net/2020/04/08/titans-day-by-dan-stout/" target="_blank"> Books of My Heart</a>
&nbsp;

Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
&nbsp;
I enjoyed<strong> Titanshade</strong> last year as a science fiction fantasy with a lot of mystery and thriller woven through the story. Moving on in the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/272981-the-carter-archives" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><em><strong>Carter Archives</strong></em></a> series, I already knew the main characters and a bit of the world and its politics.

Eric Carter, the homicide detective,  human, has been forced to desk duty ad recuperation after all the events in <strong>Titanshade</strong>.  He hates it and can't wait to get back to real work and cases  He and Ajax are sent to a body in the alley, probably a "candy." It's meant to be a nothing sort of case to keep them busy and out of the public eye.

Carter is not going to give up on solving her death even when it runs into some political hot potatoes. I like his efforts to find the truth and do his job.  His partner, Ajax may be newish but they work well together and back each other up. I was happy to learn more about Ajax this time. No matter who tries to get the case from him or hide the facts, Carter doggedly works his investigation.

The whole situation is volatile with so many newcomers with the manna strike, the military to try to keep things controlled, and the local citizens who have suffered. There were plenty of bad guys. The politicians wanted their way at any cost. The other detectives who wanted the power in making a name for themselves.  The local gangs who want to control things, and their drug trade hurting people.

I enjoyed the character development of these two partners, doing the right thing, but always in trouble. The world was built with learning more of sorcerers, and the other races.  I would recommend this book and reading the series in order.  I look forward to see what's next for our guys.

This is the second book in the Carter Archives. This has been a very interesting addition to the UF/Sci fi genre, and this second addition was just as intriguing. Carter and Ajax have been on desk duty since the events of the first book, and they are finally allowed to take a case. This case haunts Carter, and he finds out that there were maybe some aftereffects to his exposure to the manna he discovered in the first book. He must find out what is going on before he decides he’s lost it. I loved this second book, but there was a lot less action than the first one. This one focuses more on the characters and the politics going on in Titanshade than action. I am more of an action fan, but this still was an excellent book. The author weaves details well about the universe, but I still have many questions that will hopefully be answered in future books. I am looking forward to more. Recommend! I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

The city of Titanshade pulses with nervous energy. The discovery of new riches beneath its snowfields has given residents hope for prosperity, but it also means the arrival of federal troops, along with assurances that they are only there to "stabilize the situation". Newcomers flood the streets, dreaming of finding their fortunes, while in the backrooms and beer halls of the city, a populist resistance gains support, its leaders' true motives hidden behind nativist slogans. And in an alley, a gruesome discovery: the mutilated body of a young woman, a recent immigrant so little-regarded that not even her lovers bothered to learn her name. But in death, she's found a champion. Detective Carter single-mindedly pursues the killer as he navigates political pressures and resists becoming a pawn in the struggles tipping the city toward anarchy. But when more innocent lives are lost and time runs short, he's forced to decide if justice is worth sparking all-out war in the streets during the biggest celebration of the year: Titan's Day.

Titan's Day (The Carter Archives #2) by Dan Stout was easily one of my most anticipated sequels of 2020 and somehow I managed to be approved for an ARC via NetGalley. I'm so happy to report that this sequel was just as brilliant and possibly even better than book one in the series, Titanshade. I can officially say that Titan's Day has moved to the top of my favorite reads of the year. Stout's world-building and character development are top notch and feel quite natural. There aren't any huge info dumps to take you out of the story, which is always refreshing to find in a newer fantasy or sci-fi series.

In terms of the world-building, the city of Titanshade is practically a living, breathing character in its own right. We get to explore and see a little more of it this time around. Plus, the 1970s and early 1980s aesthetic really helps it stand out from other urban fantasy series and it adds to its noir style in the best way. The residents of the city are just as fascinating and Stout's development of his two leads, Carter and Ajax, is delightful. Now, the two have gotten used to each other's idiosyncrasies and they've learned to bounce off each other while on the job, especially Carter off of Ajax. Everyone seems like they could just walk right off the page. On that note, I loved the sense of humor in the story - there are some real laugh out loud moments when it comes to the dialogue between Carter and Ajax. Finally, I'd also like to mention that the mystery is a bit more slow burn giving us a some more a time to explore the city and feel out the new characters. We still get plenty of action this time around, but we get to savor the other elements of the story a little longer.

Overall, I can't recommend The Carter Archives series enough. If you haven't picked them up yet, what are you waiting for? Titan's Day and it's predecessor Titianshade are the perfect combination of The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, Dirty Harry, Dragnet (the original 1950s tv series) and Chinatown. Plus, just look at Christian McGrath's cover! That is awesome. I can't wait to see what Dan Stout does next!

"The second book in the acclaimed Carter Archives noir fantasy series returns to the gritty town of Titanshade, where danger lurks around every corner.

The city of Titanshade pulses with nervous energy. The discovery of new riches beneath its snowfields has given residents hope for prosperity, but it also means the arrival of federal troops, along with assurances that they are only there to "stabilize the situation".

Newcomers flood the streets, dreaming of finding their fortunes, while in the backrooms and beer halls of the city, a populist resistance gains support, its leaders' true motives hidden behind nativist slogans. And in an alley, a gruesome discovery: the mutilated body of a young woman, a recent immigrant so little-regarded that not even her lovers bothered to learn her name. But in death, she's found a champion.

Detective Carter single-mindedly pursues the killer as he navigates political pressures and resists becoming a pawn in the struggles tipping the city toward anarchy. But when more innocent lives are lost and time runs short, he's forced to decide if justice is worth sparking all-out war in the streets during the biggest celebration of the year: Titan's Day."

We you just can't decide between reading a fantasy book or a noir book look to Titan's Day!

I love this series and our detectives. Fresh, originally and completely addictive. I read and listened to book one and will do the same with. Dan Stout is a new favorite!

Titan's Day by Dan Stout, second book in the series of Titanshade. The two hard hitting and worn gumshoes are back on the case ... sort of, well actually they got sidelined and are not happy about it...