Reviews

Culdesac by Robert Repino

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tonythep's review

4.0

This novella is not a full entry in the War with No Name series, but it's quite satisfying nonetheless. Focusing on the occupation of a small town by the Red Sphinx, we get to see the motivations and history behind Culdesac's brutal rise to power. The story occupies a space in time during the war that was sort of fast forwarded through during Mort(e), and indeed, Mort(e) himself features as a peripheral character. As a certain author said to me recently, "Don't be like Culdesac -- he's a jerk."

theuneditedbookreview's review

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

vespers9's review

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

scarlettblaze's review

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4.0

Culdesac seemed out of place when I first started reading it, as I couldn't see any way it enhanced the first book's story, but it was an enjoyable read that gave Culdesac some interesting character development. And who knows, maybe it sets up something for the second full novel?

jcovey's review

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4.0

I picked this up at the BookLoft because of it's small size, cool cover, wild back blurb, and discounted price. Didn't know anything else about this author or this larger series its a part of, and I finally just read it.
And it was an absolute blast. Gritty and violent, takes itself entirely seriously, while also being just utterly bizarre and ridiculous as a premise. Exactly the kind of shit I love. Fantastic prose too, this Repino guy is quite a writer.
Perhaps someday I'll read the larger trilogy this is a part of. The quality of the writing and the setting make it tempting. But probably not for a long time, this is the kind of thing that it's delightful to just dip into and out of.
Wonderful novella.