Corpse Cold by Allan Batchelder

[kenubrion]

OK, I just finished Corpse Cold. It ties up all the loose ends, with some big surprises. The ending presages the coming big war with the forces that were introduced in As Flies To Wanton Boys, which will be the basis for the next book. Of the three books so far, this one ranks third, but book 1 and 2 couldn't be beaten in any case. I'll leave the following info about Steel, Blood and Fire, as it's got 2 likes and seems to be generating some interest in the series.

I'm giving this one 9/10.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OK, I'm cheating, because I've only just started Corpse Cold, but I'm going to use this space to repeat my Amazon review of the first book in the Immortal Treachery series called Steel, Blood & Fire from 2013. I will update this when I have finished Corpse Cold with a real review, but since this series is going to quickly become a big deal, it needs some background. I decided to do this when I just read btkong's very enthusiastic comments about Sword of the North, since if he thought that book was so good and went even farther than Abercrombie's works, well he ain't seen nothing yet when it comes to this series. So, my review of SB&f:

**Five stars, one of the best fantasy books ever, and it's a debut! Yet Allan Batchelder's writing quality is up there with Abercrombie and Martin. I'm finally writing my review after reading this more than a year ago because I just finished the sequel, As Flies To Wanton Boys, which is just as good. The anti-hero, Tarmun Vykers, is the baddest guy in fantasy, even more so than the Bloody Nine. The writing is superb, and you get to know the characters like close friends. Somewhat reminiscent of Black Company as far as camaraderie goes, but far more action. The ultimate battle is the best and biggest this side of Coltaine's Chain of Dogs march in The Malazan Book of the Fallen or those in The Ten Thousand/Macht trilogy**

OK, there you have it. If you look for it, be sure to include the punctuation as listed. Or just go here:

http://www.amazon.com/Steel-Blood-Fire-Immortal-Treachery-ebook/dp/B00AW53RMQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438366988&sr=8-1&keywords=steel,+blood+&+fire

 

[MrMarbles]

Wow! The introduction really gets things moving! Vicious, but I am totally intrigued. Always in the mood for a "great warrior down on their luck" epic, and reveange can make for another nice layer as well.

Grr, this forum is gonna add a lot more to my backlog then expected, but I suppose that's perfectly fine, haha.

 

[Sir Arthur]

That's good to hear @kenubrion. I read the first couple chapters, and liked it a lot. The only thing I'd say is it needs an editor, and some of the formatting reads like a rough draft, but I wouldn't deduct points for that in a review.
The only thing you left out is the humor. I laughed out loud a couple of times. Some of my all time favorites combine dark, violent fantasy with a bit of humor.

 

[ofer]

The only thing you left out is the humor. I laughed out loud a couple of times. Some of my all time favorites combine dark, violent fantasy with a bit of humor.

Agree. I also loved the somewhat daft yet extremely funny within the context humor. The Arune - Reaper dialogues were one of the highlights in the book for me.

 

[btkong]

I decided to do this when I just read btkong's very enthusiastic comments about Sword of the North, since if he thought that book was so good and went even farther than Abercrombie's works, well he ain't seen nothing yet when it comes to this series

A ringing enforcement of this book. I'll definitely have to check this out ASAP then!

 

[kenubrion]

A ringing enforcement of this book. I'll definitely have to check this out ASAP then!

I'm referring to Steel, Blood & Fire and it's sequel As Flies To Wanton Boys. I'm only 38% through Corpse Cold but I'm using it as a placemarker as well as an opportunity to review the original books in a thread designated for 2015 books. I will delete that post and replace it with the Corpse Cold review when I'm finished. In some quarters it's called cheating. Don't tell Ben. But yes, you will like Blood Steel & Fire. And I just found your rec of The Axe and the Throne from your link to the Grimdark list which I hadn't perused yet. Never heard of it and it sounds great.

 

[btkong]

Re: The Ax and the Throne -- that's a sponsored ad. The author who is sponsoring the ad is an great person and from what I've heard, it seems to be a good read (a few people left some positive comments), but it's not on my lists (it's an ad), or part of the rankings, and I haven't read it. JFYI.

 

[kenubrion]

Re: The Ax and the Throne -- that's a sponsored ad. The author who is sponsoring the ad is an great person and from what I've heard, it seems to be a good read (a few people left some positive comments), but it's not on my lists (it's an ad), or part of the rankings, and I haven't read it. JFYI.

Oh, OK, thanks for the heads up.

 

[Khartun]

I finished this book this weekend. Another good installment in this series. I'd say it is probably a 8/10 for me.

Spoiler: Corpse Cold Spoiler

The main complaint I had was I felt the ending was too abrupt. It didn't leave me really wanting more like As Flies to Wanton Boys did. That's not to say I don't really want to read the next book when it comes out, I do. I just felt the ending of book two was much better.

 

[Khartun]

What's the hold up @kenubrion? Have you finished yet?

 

[kenubrion]

What's the hold up @kenubrion? Have you finished yet?

Yeah, I added the first paragraph in my first post a few days ago. Another excellent installment.

 

[Khartun]

Yeah, I added the first paragraph in my first post a few days ago. Another excellent installment.

OH, haha. I didn't check the first post.

 

[ABatch]

Thanks, everyone! You certainly inspire me to bigger and better efforts!

 

[Silvion Night]

Didn't know this has a dedicated thread. I finished the book yesterday. Here's my review:

If you'd sit me down in one of those interrogation rooms -single table, two chairs on opposite sides, single light bulb above it; you know what I mean- and asked me to name a fantasy franchise similar to the Immortal Treachery series, then I would say it resembles Malazan Book of the Fallen (albeit in a condensed form). Praise indeed, as I regard MBotF as the best epic fantasy series out there. Sure, Batchelders books are nowhere near the size of Erikson's tomes, but the content shows quite some paralels; bizarre (but fun) magic, tons of interesting creatures and races, witty banter, great humour, Gods meddling in mortal affairs, explosive action.

Now, normally I'm loathe to compare series from different authors, especially when the comparison is between an established bestseller writer and an indie author. However, I feel I can safely discard that inhibition whilst reviewing the Immortal Treachery series. It's just so freaking good. When reading some tracts I was actually more enamoured by Batachelder's books than by Erikson's. "Why is that"? You may ask. Well, for one, Batchelder doesn't waste time on a gazillion forgetable POV characters (something a lot of great fantasy authors tend to get caught up in). There's a cast of about 8 POV characters and all are interesting in their own right. Furthermore, Batchelder switches between these POVs with a remarkable timing; not so fast that you don't get engrossed in a character, and not with too big intervals, so you don't have the risk if getting fed up with a certain character. This is brilliantly done in my opinion and I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say I've never read any fantasy series where this was handled so well.

I will not go into too much details regarding the plot, magic-system, world, characterization etc. Everything that was appealing in the first two books in the series is still present in Corpse Cold. For detailed thoughts on these aspects, I refer you to my reviews of Steel, Blood & Fire and As Flies to Wanton Boys.

However, I do have some short remarks specifically about Corpse Cold: Vykers faces a truly taxing situation. Its the biggest pickle he's been in up to date. What ails our taciturn protagonist? Well, suffice it to say that he's somewhat 'out of sorts' (can't say anything lest I spoil it). But the Reaper shines as never before in Corpse Cold. New and old hitherto relatively obscure races enter the scene and bring a vibrant new impulse to the fantasy world Batchelder created. And Gods pop up left and right to cause mischief for mortals and fey alike.

And Allan, you wretched, wretched man... did you study at the University of Insufferably Scintillating Cliffhangers or something? You can't just give us a revelation like that at the end of the story and expect your readers to keep their cool until book 4 hits the shelves! Argh!

I'll conclude by saying I sincerely wish that the Immortal Treachery series becomes more widely known to the greater fantasy world. This series deserves to be read and appreciated by fantasy lovers around the world. I can't wait for book 4!

I rate this book 9.2/10 (***** GoodReads/Amazon)

 

[fbones24]

The amount of praise these books are receiving is incredible. I respect everyone's opinions here and have discovered some incredible stuff thanks to everyone here. I can't let this sit any longer. I need to start this series ASAP!

 

[ABatch]

Again, I want to thank everyone here for all the support. And I do know my books aren't perfect, but I'm growing, I'm learning, and I'm making little improvements as I go along. You folks are the best!

 

[fbones24]

Again, I want to thank everyone here for all the support. And I do know my books aren't perfect, but I'm growing, I'm learning, and I'm making little improvements as I go along. You folks are the best!

I'm in the middle of "The Narrator" by Michael Cisco but so tempted to start S,B & F tonight. Your humble statement will probably make that a reality.

 

[TomTB]

I've just finished Corpse Cold, and just like the other books in the series, I really really enjoyed the ride! Another proper page-turner which kept me hooked throughout, but like @Khartun I felt the ending was a little bit rushed. Overall a 9/10. Will add a Goodreads review when I get a second.

 

[ABatch]

A couple people have said that, so there must be something to it. I'm planning to take my time with Book Four -- not Patrick Rothfuss, George R. R. Martin kind of time, but I need to get this right.

 

[TomTB]

A couple people have said that, so there must be something to it. I'm planning to take my time with Book Four -- not Patrick Rothfuss, George R. R. Martin kind of time, but I need to get this right.

As long as you don't go all on us when we start pestering you for it, then that's ok, I suppose.