Angus Watson (1) (1972–)

Review Posted at Tenacious Reader: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2014/09/02/age-of-iron-by-angus-watson/

4.5 stars

This was a very down and dirty, gripping, enjoyable read. It is dark, twisted, funny and exciting. Despite that, this is going to be a really hard review to write. I enjoyed it. Actually, I really enjoyed it. But the interesting thing is, while reading I could pick out things that I think other people may complain about. So, do I ignore them, since I don’t really care? Or do I show more let people know, since am sure some readers will. I decided to go with a list of who I think should read this book at their own risk. I’m certainly not going to tell them to not read it, because, like I said, I found it to be a really good story.

Who should read this book with caution?

* People who are easily offended by descriptions of women’s bodies. Personally, I never felt it was out of line in this book, I didn’t feel the women were objectified. But were there descriptions of the female form? Yes. If that bugs you, well prepare yourself. Now you know and can choose to read at your own risk of being outraged.
* People who don’t like to laugh at dark humor. I don’t know who these people might be, but if humor that comes from a dark place or sarcasm, or self-deprecation bothers you, well, I have to wonder why you are reading my blog. I love this stuff. And you probably won’t get this book.
* People who are easily disturbed by deranged characters. If you lose sleep at night easily when reading about twisted individuals who get their jollies in depraved ways, well, you might not want to read this book.
* People who don’t enjoy seeing women excel in battle. What? You think only men can be useful in battle? Well, then, you are not my friend. And you might not enjoy this book.
* People who are unsettled by violence. Don’t want to hear about a skull getting crushed under the weight of a war hammer? This may not be the book for you.
* People who hate bright and mysterious little girls. If you are the type to dislike orphans (and probably kick puppies in your free time), then this book might irk you.
* People who would rather read ancient British Celtic than a modern translation/style of speech The speech in this book has a more modern feel, with some modern words like OK. I found its easy and fun to read, but I know some people complain about this. If it’s something you tend to bellyache about, and you'd rather read the more authentic ancient British Celtic, prepare yourself.

There, that’s out of the way. Now I can move away from my anticipated reaction of some others to what I care about with my review, this is about my reaction.

There are several things really going for this book. First. I love the characters. Dug, Lowa and Spring are all fascinating, strong characters. You could flip between any of them, and I’d be happy because at the end of this book, I want more of all of them. I love when a story features multiple characters and I can’t pick a favorite because I just love them all. That was definitely the case here.

The humor is another strong aspect of this. Like many of the successful grimdark authors, Watson is able to balance the horrific aspects of his story and world with some dark edged humor that lightens things up and makes everything more palatable.

I do want to mention, this is a fantastical story, and as such sometimes has moments that require a little bit stronger suspension of disbelief. But that’s fine since the story is so fun. Some of the characters, especially antagonists, almost seem like caricatures, but they are fun to read, and in my opinion do not take it too far. And the main characters are all so enjoyable.

As for magic, it is still lighter on fantasy than a Sanderson book, but I don’t think it is as low magic as many of the popular grimdark books. That’s not a bad thing, just an observation.

My only complaint, and it is minor, is that at times I felt the “Slavery and oppression are bad …. mmm’Kay?” message was a bit heavy handed. Often less is more, and for me personally, I felt it would have been a stronger book if parts of it were trimmed to sound a bit less …. preachy for lack of a better word. And this is MINOR! It was by no means a preachy book, it just maybe dwelled on this particular message a tiny bit more than I would have liked.

Overall, I have to say this is a great debut, the next one is firmly on my TBR list as I look forward to continuing the adventure with Dug, Lowa and Spring. show less

*Splutters with disbelief*

Yeah, if I could leave my impressively eloquent analysis of this book at just that, I would. But no. This review is going to have details (or at least as much as I can give), dammit, and I’m going to do my best to articulate my thoughts while trying to hold myself together lest I fall to pieces.

Honestly though, I’m at a complete loss as to how to review Clash of Iron. Has this every happened to you? You’re just reading a book as normal, all the while taking show more down mental notes on what you’re going to say about it, when all of a sudden the ending comes at you so hard that the shock and awe of it just drives every single thought out of your head?

This is me right now. I am dumbfounded. Stupefied. I still can’t believe that ending really happened.

But let’s back up a bit to talk about what the book is about. In a word, Clash of Iron is about war. Lots and lots of war. It is the second novel in Angus Watson’s Iron Age trilogy and sequel to his brilliant, epic debut Age of Iron which was one of my top reads of last year. At the end of that book, our heroes Dug and Lowa managed to capture Maidun castle and free it from the brutal grip of its tyrant king Zadar. Lowa has usurped him and taken over his reign as Queen of Maidun, but unfortunately it seems, just in time to meet a massive invading Roman army coming from Gaul! The British Isles are thrown into disarray as its disparate tribes go to battle against each other instead of forming a united front against Julius Caesar, the Roman’s military genius who has his sights set on their homeland.

First I feel the need to warn that like its predecessor, Clash of Iron is as brutal and bloody as ever. As expected, there are many violent battles, lots of split skulls and tons of dismembered limbs flying about. There are also more intimate, disturbing scenes of torture and in general characters doing very unpleasant and painful things to other characters. Watson paints a dark, cruel world in The Iron Age where it doesn’t matter who or what you are; men, women, children, animals can all expect to meet a terrible and gruesome end in this series, so be aware if you’re squeamish about such things to approach these books with discretion.

This sequel, however, does head in a new direction when it comes to other aspects. The story here feels altogether different, with more focus on war. When all the sides aren’t engaging in it, they’re preparing for it, in this new martial climate of Britain. With the threat of the Roman Empire and Caesar bearing down on the Britons, there are whole new challenges to face. In many ways, Clash of Iron is Lowa’s story while I saw Age of Iron as being more Dug’s. As queen of Maidun, she’s now the head of an army of thousands and makes all the important decisions that will decide the fate of her people. As a new ruler, she also faces many new obstacles, such as adversity from all sides – even her own. Meanwhile, Dug takes more of a backseat in this book, retiring to a small farm. Still, all the while, his feelings for Lowa are alive and well and so are hers for him, so their awkwardness around each other provides no small amount of hilarity.

Other old favorites return, though describing Ragnal as a “favorite” is a bit of a stretch, that little double crossing fair-weather weasel. Spring’s presence also diminishes somewhat, though her actual role gets a huge boost. Big things are going to happen, and I have a feeling Spring is going to be at the center of them. Chamanca, the literally bloodthirsty warrior woman who scared the living bejeezus out of me in the first book is also back, though this time I had a lot of fun following her character and actually found myself rooting for her. Then there’s new player on the field, Julius Caesar himself, a man who needs no introduction. Angus Watson’s portrayal of the general had me alternating between feeling horror at his atrocities to laughing my ass off at his quirks.

And of course, we come to the ending. Oh, that ending. There’s nothing I can say about it that won’t be a massive spoiler, so I’ll just state that as shocking and unexpected as it was, I really shouldn’t have been surprised. But I was. You just never think an author would go there. But he does.

Any way you look at it, Clash of Iron will have you feeling exultant. You’ve just read an awesome book. Regardless of anything else, this wildly entertaining read will make you pine for the next one. Bring on Reign of Iron! show less

Woootahhh!

Where Gods Fear to Go is the final book in the West of West trilogy by Angus Watson. Our journey picks up right where the last book leaves off. It's finally time to find out what is in the Meadows and see if our heroes can prevent it from destroying the world. That is, if they can get out of a dangerous situation with the Squatches first.

When I picked up this series I never imagined how much zany fun I was in store for or how much this unlikely group of misfit characters would grow show more on me. There are so many touching moments on the final leg of the journey along with some pretty impressive character growth. I absolutely adored Paloma and Freydis's side journey together. Finn actually starting to grow up and accept responsibility for his actions. The Owsla realizing that there's more to life than just killing and learning how to be more human. Poor Eric the Angry, though really it's not all bad afterwards.

Watson's imagination continues to be bizarrely wonderful. While I don't think his monstrous creations quite achieved the greatness of the ones in the Badlands, the horrors of the Meadows are sufficiently weird and disconcerting that I was kept on the edge of my seat worried for what was going to happen next. And with good reason. Given the nature of the group's quest, not everyone makes it to the grand finale.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Sean Barrett. His performance is absolutely perfect for these books. I need to listen to more stories narrated by him.

This was such a nice ending to one of the most imaginative series I've read. Make sure you read the afterward at the end. The historical notes about what Watson based this series on are fascinating. show less

Combine Viking mythology, the action of the tv series Spartacus, a touch of the absurd, alchemical magic and a healthy dose of humor and you'll come close to having the West of West series by Angus Watson. What can I say? I absolutely loved every second of this crazy journey.

The Land You Never Leave is the second book in the trilogy and the story picks up immediately where book one leaves off. The two tribes have formed an uneasy alliance as they set off across the Ocean of Grass to continue show more their quest to take Ottar the Moaner to a place called the Meadows. Between our heroes and their ultimate goal are the Badlands, home to the one of the most brutal tribes west of the Water Mother and a collection of terrifying monsters. As if the world wasn't dangerous enough as it was.

Each of the characters that took so long to grow on me in book one all have solidified their places in my heart. Their inner monologues combined with the back and forth banter between them is so much fun. I loved the insights into their motivations and even the one guy who enjoys pointing out phallic shaped rocks was quite funny. All the points of view, and there are a lot of them, are woven together well.

As to the plot, my summary above really doesn't do any justice to just how bizarrely wonderful and quirky the story is. Watson is so creative that after the first hour or so of listening I stopped trying to guess what was coming next and just enjoyed the ride. It was glorious.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Sean Barrett. I love his voice! His narration brings all the characters to life and his comedic timing is perfect. It was a joy to listen to.

I truly cannot express how much I loved this book. Can't wait for book 3! show less