Black Halo
By (Author) Sam Sykes
Orion Publishing Co
Gollancz
10th April 2012
United Kingdom
Paperback
784
Width 130mm, Height 196mm, Spine 45mm
580g
Lenk and his band of fellow mismatched and grumpy adventurers are shipwrecked on an island. An island that is a graveyard for demons and dragonmen alike. An island inhabited by lizard men. An island of secrets that is about to become a battleground.
And back in civilisation Bralston, a very different Librarian, is being sent out to learn exactly what has happened to the Tome of the Undergates and to punish those that have misused magic. And Bralston will uphold the law.But the Tome will be read and it is calling to those who would read it and open the gates to hell.The essence of what Sykes has captured here is like the literary equivalent of the "Lost" TV series at it's height, character focused with superb action and a teasing reveal just out of reach but ultimately dealing with each character's personal plight. It's a "de-construction" of High fantasy, a fresh perspective on a tried and tested genre that re-interprets many of the tenants that the genre is founded upon. -- Antony Jones * SFBOOKREVIEWS blog *
Samuel Sykes began writing this book when he was 17. He is now 26. He lives in the US.