Recently Finished: THE FIRST OF SHADOWS by Deck Matthews
I decided to pick this up after reading Rin’s review on her blog The Thirteenth Shelf. Rin is someone whose reading opinions I value a lot when it comes to books I’d also like as we share a lot of opinions on what makes a good story. THE FIRST OF SHADOWS is a frenetically-paced high fantasy novella(!!!) that packs a ton of engrossing world-building and heart-pounding action into a very small space. I’ll be writing a full review soon and also delighted to announce an upcoming interview with Deck Matthews himself, so keep your eyes peeled.
Currently Reading: THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS by Stephen Graham Jones
This is my first Stephen Graham Jones book and I’ve struggled to settle into it. A dark blending of classic horror and dramatic narrative, it follows four American Indian men after a disturbing event from their youth puts them in a desperate struggle for their lives. Tracked by an entity bent on revenge, these childhood friends are helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way. The story is interesting but the prose is quite odd and I find I’m having to do a lot of going back over stuff to understand what’s going on, which is affecting my enjoyment somewhat.
Next Read: THE SWORD OF KAIGEN by M. L. Wang
I’ve wanted to read this one for a while after hearing everyone in the book community rave about it for months. I don’t know anyone who has a bad word to say about it and I thought what better time to finally dive in than Self Published Fantasy Month 🙂
Let me know what you’re reading and follow the blog to never miss a post!
Parsecs & Parchment 
If you do settle into the language and rhythm of The Only Good Indians, you’ll probably see what SGJ is doing with his story. I loved it, but it has a literary style to it that not everyone enjoys.
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I really want to get comfortable with it cos it’s a fascinating story like nothing else I’ve read before. I’m listening to the audiobook and thinking I might settle into it better with the actual book.
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How are you getting on with this? I’m hoping to read it in the next few months. I’ve heard the first and second half are quite different
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I’m really into it now. Just past the halfway mark and ABSOLUTELY they are different! There was just this holy shit kind of moment that just surprised the hell out of me and I’m here for it.
I’d just started to feel comfortable and then got thrown for an absolute loop, but in a really great way. I think when I’m done I might reread at some point cos I knew nothing about this book or author going in, other than the blurb. Definitely read it, but prepare yourself that the literary style is weird and just go with it.
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Thanks! Definitely sounds like an experience! I didn’t love Year of the Witching but it has made me want to dive into more horror!
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What didn’t you like about The Year of the Witching? I enjoyed it a lot but always interested to hear diverging opinions.
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The writing style felt a little more YA than I expected, particularly when it came to the main character. Although I don’t read a lot of horror, so I think I was expecting to be more scared.
I really like the idea and atmosphere of
it though!
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Yeah I didn’t realise it was quite as YA as it turned out to be. I barely read any YA though so I was quite pleased at how dark it still was, cos in my head (probably wrongly) YA is much fluffier than I prefer.
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Looking forward to your final thoughts on The Only Good Indians–I’ve had my eye on that one. Hope you start to enjoy it better. 🙂
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It’s a fascinating and quite unique story so I’m hoping I can get properly into soon. It’ll be an interesting review to write either way!
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Just cracked open Sword of Kaigen myself, definitely intrigued! I need to check out The First of Shadows, seen a lot of good reviews lately.
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I didn’t realise how long Sword of Kaigen was! 600+pages right? Bit of a chonker. First of Shadows is great, quite refreshing to have very short action-packed fantasy novella.
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I just can’t get away from big books! But I swore I’d read Kaigen for Self-Published Fantasy Month, I’ve put it off for too long!
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I’m glad you got to read First of Shadows! (Also, thanks for the compliment! ❤ ) Interested to see the interview you snagged with the author. I’ll be continuing the series for sure!
I read The Only Good Indians a few months ago, and I can see what you’re saying. I struggled with it, at times merely skimming chapters. I DID finish it in one day, which is a big accomplishment for me, so it is gripping, no doubt. I’m saving my review for October’s spooktastic reads event.
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I’m really into it now! It took a while to get used to the style but now I’ve settled into it I think it’s a fascinating book, like nothing I’ve read before.
I knew nothing about the book or author beyond the blurb before going into it and think if I knew beforehand I just needed to roll with the strangeness I would’ve been better prepared to relax and enjoy it from the beginning. Not that it’s a relaxing book, SGJ is doing a great job of keeping me very unsettled and on edge. And the style of writing is incredibly effective at creating that feeling I think.
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