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A review by markyon
The Moonsteel Crown by Stephen Deas
4.0
You may or may not know that I have been known to grumble about some of the ‘new’ Fantasy books of late. As much as I love the genre, many of the recent publications, often described as “the best read ever”, have really not been for me and left me wondering whether I’ve been reading the same book. I know fellow reviewer at SFFWorld Rob Bedford has felt the same.
And yet we keep looking, keep trying. I know that not everything we try is going to be liked. And there have been some diamonds found amongst the rest.
To this I’m very pleased to add The Moonsteel Crown. It’s a book that seems to have been rather missed amongst the deluge of Covid-delayed books released. And yet when I sat down with no knowledge of its contents, I was unprepared for what a gripping read I was about to experience.
From the publisher: “The Emperor of Aria has been murdered, the Empire is in crisis, and Dead Men walk the streets...
But Myla, Fings, and Seth couldn't care less. They're too busy just trying to survive in the Sulk-struck city of Varr, committing petty violence and pettier crimes to earn their keep in the Unrulys, a motley gang led by Blackhand.
When the Unrulys are commissioned to steal a mysterious item to order, by an equally mysterious patron, the trio are thrust right into the bitter heart of a struggle for the Crown, where every faction is after what they have.
Forced to lie low in a city on lockdown, they will have to work together if they want to save their skins... and maybe just save the Empire as well.”
Whilst the book is sweary and violent and focuses on the lowborn, the outsiders, the ones who tend to get unnoticed, I am reluctant to refer to it as Grimdark. The characters are not as smug as some I have recently tried, nor as unpleasant as others.
The characters in this caper are quite mismatched. Myla is the combat efficient one – a partly trained sword-monk who is on the run being hunted by someone important she has crossed in the past, Seth is the academic-priest, thrown out of his order and discriminated for his unfortunate interest in forbidden knowledge, whilst Fings is the nervy, paranoid thief, always seeing signs that the omens are against them.
And there are many mysterious things on the streets of Varr, with arcane artifacts, strange mages and the zombie-like Dead Men walking the streets. Myla, Fings, and Seth travel through the many areas of the city such as the Glass Market and the Spice Market, the places where trades such as the Bonecarvers live and ceremonial areas such as the Circus of Dead Emperors trying to avoid rival gangs such as the Spicers. Working for Blackhand and Wil who are based at the tavern called the Unruly Pig they are managing a living. Until a job comes up for Sulfane that could set them up for life, but actually puts them all in grave danger.
The protagonists are undeniably conflicted and tormented, but unlike most Grimdark books they are actually quite likeable – most of the time. The situations they find themselves in are on the whole not too far-fetched (and I know how that sounds in a Fantasy novel!) nor too forced for the convenience of a plot point. There is humour but it is generally of a good-humoured if rather base nature and not as darkly cynical as many books currently feel the need to be.
Overall, there is a feeling that these characters know and understand each other well. Drawn together through adversity, there’s a camaraderie forged from friendship here, and even when they bicker and fall out, and when there are times when these relationships are sorely tested, it still feels genuine. For all their faults, you want to know how it works out, and this is the strength of the novel. For all that is going on, the focus is on the main characters.
In terms of the bigger picture, it is pretty clear from the start that Myla, Fings, and Seth’s mission to steal what they later discover is the Moonsteel Crown is part of a major scheme to overthrow the Empire and usurp power, though who is doing it remains a mystery for much on the book. When we do get a glimpse of things going on beyond the city of Varr, it becomes apparent that there is more to tell in this story. Though there is an agreeable ending to the novel, I am sure other books in this series will tell us more about this.
In short, The Moonsteel Crown is an engaging Fantasy, with sensible and imaginative world building, a variety of great characters and a nice sense of humour (something I usually find very difficult for writers to do.) It is deserving of your attention.
And yet we keep looking, keep trying. I know that not everything we try is going to be liked. And there have been some diamonds found amongst the rest.
To this I’m very pleased to add The Moonsteel Crown. It’s a book that seems to have been rather missed amongst the deluge of Covid-delayed books released. And yet when I sat down with no knowledge of its contents, I was unprepared for what a gripping read I was about to experience.
From the publisher: “The Emperor of Aria has been murdered, the Empire is in crisis, and Dead Men walk the streets...
But Myla, Fings, and Seth couldn't care less. They're too busy just trying to survive in the Sulk-struck city of Varr, committing petty violence and pettier crimes to earn their keep in the Unrulys, a motley gang led by Blackhand.
When the Unrulys are commissioned to steal a mysterious item to order, by an equally mysterious patron, the trio are thrust right into the bitter heart of a struggle for the Crown, where every faction is after what they have.
Forced to lie low in a city on lockdown, they will have to work together if they want to save their skins... and maybe just save the Empire as well.”
Whilst the book is sweary and violent and focuses on the lowborn, the outsiders, the ones who tend to get unnoticed, I am reluctant to refer to it as Grimdark. The characters are not as smug as some I have recently tried, nor as unpleasant as others.
The characters in this caper are quite mismatched. Myla is the combat efficient one – a partly trained sword-monk who is on the run being hunted by someone important she has crossed in the past, Seth is the academic-priest, thrown out of his order and discriminated for his unfortunate interest in forbidden knowledge, whilst Fings is the nervy, paranoid thief, always seeing signs that the omens are against them.
And there are many mysterious things on the streets of Varr, with arcane artifacts, strange mages and the zombie-like Dead Men walking the streets. Myla, Fings, and Seth travel through the many areas of the city such as the Glass Market and the Spice Market, the places where trades such as the Bonecarvers live and ceremonial areas such as the Circus of Dead Emperors trying to avoid rival gangs such as the Spicers. Working for Blackhand and Wil who are based at the tavern called the Unruly Pig they are managing a living. Until a job comes up for Sulfane that could set them up for life, but actually puts them all in grave danger.
The protagonists are undeniably conflicted and tormented, but unlike most Grimdark books they are actually quite likeable – most of the time. The situations they find themselves in are on the whole not too far-fetched (and I know how that sounds in a Fantasy novel!) nor too forced for the convenience of a plot point. There is humour but it is generally of a good-humoured if rather base nature and not as darkly cynical as many books currently feel the need to be.
Overall, there is a feeling that these characters know and understand each other well. Drawn together through adversity, there’s a camaraderie forged from friendship here, and even when they bicker and fall out, and when there are times when these relationships are sorely tested, it still feels genuine. For all their faults, you want to know how it works out, and this is the strength of the novel. For all that is going on, the focus is on the main characters.
In terms of the bigger picture, it is pretty clear from the start that Myla, Fings, and Seth’s mission to steal what they later discover is the Moonsteel Crown is part of a major scheme to overthrow the Empire and usurp power, though who is doing it remains a mystery for much on the book. When we do get a glimpse of things going on beyond the city of Varr, it becomes apparent that there is more to tell in this story. Though there is an agreeable ending to the novel, I am sure other books in this series will tell us more about this.
In short, The Moonsteel Crown is an engaging Fantasy, with sensible and imaginative world building, a variety of great characters and a nice sense of humour (something I usually find very difficult for writers to do.) It is deserving of your attention.