Monday 4 June 2012

HISTORICAL URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: Act Two of the Assassini: The Outcast Blade - Jon Courtenay Grimwood

Release Date: 24/05/12

SYNOPSIS:

As the Byzantine and German emperors plot war against each other, Venice's future rests in the hands of three unwilling people: The newly knighted Sir Tycho. An ex-slave and trained assassin who defeated the Mamluk navy but cannot make the woman he loves love him back. Tortured by secrets, afraid of the daylight, he sees no reason to save a city he hates. The grieving Lady Giulietta. Impossibly rich, deeply spoilt. A virgin, a mother, a widow ...Both emperors want her hand for their sons in marriage. All she wants is to retire from the poisonous world of the Venetian court to mourn her husband in peace. And finally a naked, mud-strewn girl who crawls from a paupers' grave on an island in the Venetian lagoon and begins by killing the men who buried her.


REVIEW:

Having loved Jon’s original story, I couldn’t wait to embark on this next adventure, so much so that when it landed I had a hard time saving it for a time when I wanted something not only special but to transport me to a world that should have been. What Jon presents within this latest release is a story of mystery, treachery and of course plots that interweave flawlessly as each element comes to the fore.

Add to this an overall arc that is complex, wonderfully rich with solid prose and characters that you can’t help but want to spend time with and all in, the reader is in for a solid adventure. My only tip however is if its been a while since you read the original a reread is in order to bring everything fresh to your mind to get the most out of this extravagantly rich tale.



1 comment:

Natalie Westgate said...

This sounds like a really good book (plus I love the cover!). I haven't read the first one, and I'm guessing I should before picking this one up, but I've added them both to my list of "to be read" :)