I went into Aspects fully aware, especially after the introduction, that it was unfinished, and yet the closer I came to the end of the page count, the more I prayed that extra pages would magically appear. I truly feel bereft at only having received a glimpse at this story, and yet I do also feel richer for it. Thanks to Tor Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Starting something which is destined to remain forever unfinished is an interesting challenge. I thought that, knowing this, I would not connect to the material as much, or that it would be obvious that this was a work in progress. What emerges in Aspects is a drastically exciting fantasy world which would have cemented itself as a forever favourite if it had been finished. (Even now it is a favourite!) While an unexpected death is always a tragedy, knowing what Ford could have given the world through his fiction makes it even sadder. Thankfully he wrote many other books before his death and I will dive into those as soon as possible.

Aspects starts with Varic, a Coron, about to begin a duel. It seems he has been challenged rather a bit lately and a cloud hangs over him. As a Coron, he represents his region in Parliament, where he is trying to push through reform. During a session, he encounters Lady Longlight, another Coron who has travelled to Parliament to ask for support against rebels invading her own region. A spark lights between them and he invites her to Strange House, which truly lives up to his name. Strange is an odd fellow, seemingly incredibly old and full of good but mysterious advice. There we also meet a set of other characters, each of whom is fascinating and suggests a whole other set of layers and depth. Varic is called away from Strange House urgently due to an emergency and then... Aspects ends. Each chapter begins with a poem and Ford had already written the rest of the poems for the rest of the chapters. I believe that what we have now is roughly the first third of the novel, which means that the world has been properly established and the plot is now fully underway. I would kill (almost) for the rest of this novel! I will write more about the writing style below, but the world Ford creates in Aspects is utterly sumptuous. There is truly a whole world there, which stretches beyond the confines of the plot, full of history, politics, and legend. The characters are intriguing. Varic is quite reclusive, in his way, highly polished and restrained, and yet brimming with passion and energy and destiny. Longlight is something of a fish out of water, introduced, by Varic, to the world of politics and Strange House and she serves as an excellent guide to the reader, who is equally new. There is a whole magic system which is not fully explained in what exists of the novel but is given enough space that you can't help but want to know more.

This was my first time reading John M. Ford, but it will not be the last time. From literally page 1 of Aspects I could feel the world he was trying to create. The novel starts, as said, with a dueling scene and not only does it serve as a good introduction to Varic, but also to the world. We get an idea of religion in the world, how they count time, what their days are called, how magic functions, how bureaucracy impacts everything, and the balance between the fantastical and the urban. And on top of that it is a good action scene! Ford crafts a post-industrial but pre-modern world in which magic exists, but so do trains, where a Goddess occasionally descends into the mortal realm, but humans sit in Parliament. Fantasy novels sometimes run the risk of including too many details, going on endlessly about how a certain building looks or what someone is wearing, and this can get tiresome. Yet somehow Aspects is full of details and yet I was never bored of it. I will be rereading this novel in the future, I am sure, because there are things I missed, or didn't understand what they meant. Aspects can be difficult reading, due to the details but also Ford's seeming desire to push you into the deep end, but I found it very rewarding as well.

Aspects, in all its unfinished glory, lifted me out of a reading-slump with its detail and craft. If you enjoy puzzling out details, slowly creating a cohesive picture of a world, and if you think you can handle having to accept the picture will never be complete, then please give Aspects a chance!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, albeit sad that the author passed before being able to complete it, it was still a great read. This book was particularly great at painting a new world allowing the reader to see something new and extraordinary. I really liked the fact that the author used many details of our own world as a basis, but changed minor things about the other world in a way that helped the reader stick close to the details. Wonderful read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

This incomplete fantasy, set in an alternate 19th century Europe, reminded me in many ways of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast - - always intriguing, but leaving the reader wondering what it's all about and where it might be going.

Politics, magic, and sorcery abound in this alternate nineteenth century Europe, but there are also old friendships and loyalties, developing relationships, and sacrifice for the greater good.

I do wish Ford had been able to finish this story as he left me intrigued by his characters and plotline, ready to follow them to the conclusion, but frustrated by the lack of an ending. I expect that I will re-read Aspects over the years though, continuing to puzzle out its intent, and enjoying the author's poetry.

I started reading John M. Ford in college with The Dragon Waiting. That book invoked a sense of wonder and possibility in the reader. Aspects, John M. Ford's last, incomplete novel invokes that same sense of possibility that make you want the book to keep going so that you can continue to enjoy the interplay of the characters and their intricate relationships. Ford has done a wonderful job of world-building in the book. It would have been a wonderful first volume in a series. But, enjoy what is here and dream of the possibilities!

Full review closer with link to our blog will be posted soon!

I'd like to thank the publisher, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Books and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

***Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an electronic copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.***

Summary
The Coron Varic is a distant ruler - spending all his time in the capital, Lystourel, working on revisions of the Constitution rather than in his cold home province. A master of Parliamentary procedure and intrigue, he nonetheless finds time to visit Strange House, where the mysterious and diverse guests of the mysteriously long-lived Strange form all manner of new connections - both romantic and dangerous.
Review

The first thing to know is that this book is unfinished. At 380 pages long, it feels like it’s only beginning to set its stage when it abruptly ends with two isolated paragraphs of a new chapter, and the epigraphs for five more parts – each part so far being approximately 200 pages, broken up randomly into 50 page chapters. It was only on reading Neil Gaiman’s introduction that I realized the book was incomplete, but even there he seems to suggest only one chapter is missing, not the bulk of what would have been a massive book – and apparently the start of a series.

I was introduced to Ford through his Liavek stories, and followed through to a handful of novels – one Liavek-related, one YA SF, and one adult SF. None had any similarity to this book, which is a large, complex, political fantasy with a well-developed industrial world and plenty of subtle allusions. I’d have thought they were written by different people (this one perhaps by Richard Grant), though perhaps I should reexamine Ford’s earlier books.

Aspects is carefully thought out and very well written – the prose in particular is smooth, effective, and masterful. The characters, sadly, are less successful- Ford lays the trail for important character traits, but seems so concerned with delicate subtlety that he forgets to show us the characters he’s talking about, and there’s simply too much that’s opaque. Even the book’s central figure, the Coron Varic, remains mysterious – as many other characters insist on telling us – at the book’s stopping point. The net result was that I greatly admired the prose, but found the characters distant, and more intellectually interesting than personally engaging. The magic system as well is important to the story but underdescribed, and the narrative is sometimes muddled.

Is the book worth reading? It was certainly an eye opener for me about Ford’s literary strengths. On the basis of his other work, I’d classified him as, for me, a B-list author – interesting, but not particularly noteworthy. To my mind, the writing in this book is head and shoulders above my recollection of his prior books. If you like good prose, you’ll enjoy reading this. On the other hand, the book is unfinished, reaching no conclusions or resolutions, leaving its characters and their arcs hanging – and, since Ford died almost 20 years ago – there will be no more. It would be difficult to find an author to carry on even this first book or match its style, let alone complete a series. I assume that is why, so long after Ford’s death, this incomplete volume is being published.

I’d have thought Ford’s audience was limited at this date, but some big name authors think otherwise, so perhaps I’m mistaken. If you’re one of his true fans, this is the best writing of his that I recall, though perhaps if my judgment is mistaken, my memory is as well. I do wish that the book had been described as a partial manuscript, which it most certainly is, and addressed it to fans, who would have enjoyed it. I’m not sure that newcomers will be well pleased with a very strong introduction and … nothing else. But perhaps they’ll go on to Ford’s other work, and perhaps that’s the intent here. Still, best to be open about it, I think.

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

An elegantly crafted read. Perfect for those who prefer political thrillers mixed in with their fantasy novels.

From what I understand this was an incomplete novel written after the author passed. It’s one I’ve heard high praise for and though I’m shelving it for now, might go back to this one at a later date

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

This is an incomplete novel written by John M. Ford before his death. It has a lot of promise and intrigue, with interesting characters. He is clearly an excellent writer and I liked the bits of poetry woven into the story. A villain never appears and it is hard to know where he was taking this story, but the beginning was certainly enjoyable. An absolute shame he never got the chance to complete it.

Both incredibly written in gorgeous fiction and utterly tragic in reality. Ford was an expert in prose and pen and it leaves one clawing at the bars of a cell that this masterpiece has been unfinished, that his story has ended. Regardless of the conclusion that will leave you feral, I cannot recommend this book enough.

This is one of those books that it's hard to review without giving the authors whole life story as context which I don't really want to do here. What I will say is that this is the final previously unpublished work of one of the greats. It is also unfinished. Reading it is fascinating because Ford's work is always fascinating but you need to go into it knowing that not everything is going to be resolved. However I don't think that the lack of a concrete ending detracts in any way from the experience of reading the book. Ford's historical-fantasy chops are on full display, creating a fantasy world in the throws of modernization and politically savvy characters all angling to steer its future in their direction. It is a beautifully written novel, set in an engaging and expansive world but reading it is always going to be tinged by the melancholy that comes from knowing there will never be more of it.

It was boring. I think I made it about halfway through and didn't remember any of it. Maybe it's just not my cup of tea though.

Absolutely astonishing -- oh, what this series could have been! Truly the only disappointment, the only difficult thing about this book is the realization that arrives about a hundred or so pages from the 'end', that this is it despite feeling only like a beginning. The plot, such as it is, has barely begun to build up a head of steam but the characters! The setting! By god, you'll be smitten. A thrilling piece of epic fantasy, by any account.

A lot of authors are more intelligent and erudite than me. Elizabeth Bear, for example. Jo Walton, sometimes too much so for my enjoyment of her books. Neil Gaiman, who provides the introduction to this book, and was the author's friend. And, clearly, John M. Ford.

An author being more intelligent than me is not a problem if they write in such a way that I can follow what's going on. Unfortunately, in this book, Ford does not. The conversations are full of subtext that the characters clearly understand, but which went completely over my head, and I'm not sure if that's my fault or the author's.

The big problem, though, was the lack of a plot. I know the book was unfinished, and maybe at the point where I stopped reading (nearly halfway) we're still in Act 1, but... events occur, conversations occur, people and their clothing and surroundings are described in detail, but there's little sign of anyone driving towards any goal. The enormous chapters just wander on and on. Some of the characters do want things, but rather than them pursuing those in any meaningful way, we're stuck at a country house where they're all spending their holidays playing games and having meals and conversations that do a lot of worldbuilding and character exposition but never cohere into any kind of story.

My frustrations with the book caused me, at one point, to compare it to Gene Wolfe, which coming from me is not in any way a compliment; I can't stand Wolfe's inscrutable and often morally repugnant characters. To be fair, it's not nearly so far in those directions as the typical Wolfe novel, though I didn't follow many of the conversations, and a couple of the characters have done some vile things, which don't seem to count against them significantly in the author's mind.

John M. Ford is clearly a great author. I recall reading a short story of his ("Green is the Color") in an anthology and being inspired by its imagery to write a story of my own. He's a capable poet, and he describes things beautifully and delivers lovely epigrams. But in this book, anyway, he doesn't tell a story, and half the time I don't know what he is telling me, and that's a dealbreaker.

I received a pre-publication copy from Netgalley for review.

I received an advance copy courtesy of NetGalley.

This is a book unlike any other I've read: it is being published in unfinished form, as the author died in 2006. An introduction to the work is written by Neil Gaiman. I felt leery as I began to read--how rough was this book? Would the lack of an ending leave me unsatisfied? Within the first page, however, I was hooked. The action begins with an artfully-described duel, then goes immediately to a tense parliamentary vote. The pace remains steady from there.

This is what I would as cozy fantasy. There is no major threat. There are no villains. The tension never escalates in the way of most books. I felt like I had the opportunity to hang out with some brilliant, incredibly complex people in one of the great literary salons of a past era, and I simply enjoyed lingering and listening.

The prose is eloquent in a way that made me gasp aloud more than once. ("Only mediocre conversations could be brought to an easy end. The intolerable and the important always found momentum to roll on." "The owls knew me from the other mice." "Society's not just a pyramid, it's a range of mountains; it takes time to level them.") The worldbuilding is deep and intricate; there were some things I never really understood, but I was immersed and didn't mind that much. The setting is a secondary world inspired by 19th-century Earth, though with none of the trappings of steampunk. There are trains and telegrams, and there is magic that is brilliant and unique.

The ending of the book is abrupt, as expected from the warnings at the start, but I can't say that I was left unsatisfied. No, I was left sad. <i>Aspects</i> is incredible even in its unfinished state. We'll never know how it was meant to be revised or to end, or how the series could have developed. What a tragic loss for us all, when this storyteller was silenced far too soon.

This was brilliant in its ingenuity, prose, and crafting but I was unaware, before beginning, that it was an unfinished manuscript full of disjointed scenes, rather than a cohesive novel with an uncompleted ending. I'd love to see another author complete Ford's work and craft this into a full novel as I can imagine highly enjoying the end result.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

Glorious. Frustrating. Confusing. Breathtaking. Heartbreaking...

It's hard to know how to talk about this book.

The first thing that needs to be said is that it's unfinished. The author, John M Ford, died in 2006. He had been working on this novel, it seems, for many years - at least that's what I get from the introduction, written by a friend of Ford's, Neil Gaiman. And so... the book is incomplete. That is, there's no conclusion; and I suspect there are bits that might have been edited for clarity if the author had, indeed finished.

And I nearly cried when I got to the end, because this book is just so amazing. Like, this could have been the start of one of The Great Series. I've read only one other Ford novel, and I think a few short stories; this makes me want to go back and read absolutely everything. Because if this is the standard, well - I've been missing out.

Aspects is set in an alternate world. It's kind of Britain, I think, although it doesn't seem to be an island. It's kind of analogous to the nineteenth century - there are trains (the Ironways), for instance, and there's a form of electricity but some people are suspicious. But chemistry doesn't quite seem to work the way it does here. Religion is important, but it's not a Christianity-analogue; there's a goddess with several faces, and matching consorts. And there's a Parliament, with Commons and Lords, but here's the final difference to our world: the lords are lords of the land, of religion - and of sorcery, or Craft.

So it's kind of steampunk, but it doesn't really fit into what I know of that category, and it's fantasy set in an industrial context. Honestly though it just defies categorisation. It's a deeply political work - three of the main characters are in Parliament, and at least part of the narrative revolves around machinations there, like writing a new constitution. It's a country struggling to figure itself out several decades after becoming a republic - and it seems that the previous monarchy had been imposed by a conquering race, although that's one aspect (heh) that I never quite got my head around. Some of the characters have the ability to use magic, which is not without its difficulties, and it's clear that was going to a significant thread if the book had continued. There's a romance, with its own difficulties; and such a large array of characters, all with their quirks (and bringing diversity, too) that this should have - could have - provided many, many pages of just mesmerising story. And now I'm making myself sad all over again that I'll never read them.

Ford's writing can be profound: "Play keeps us happy and agile, in mind and muscle; sleep and good meals keep us alive. We can misspend time - hurting people, ourselves included, making the world worse - but to 'waste' time - to get no motion at all, good or bad - to do that one would have to be not at alive at all" (p172 of the e-version). While I was sometimes a bit confused about what was going on, I was always captivated by the writing itself and somehow convinced - even though I don't know Ford's work that well - that everything would eventually make sense. And I was largely right.