Synopsis:
20 Climbers. 20 Watchers. 5 Hunters. 1 Colossus.
After both their parents die during the live broadcast of the Tournament of the Colossus, Quinne promises to always keep Benn safe. Even from the deadly Hunters who scour the slums for those who can wield magic. But when Benn’s rare ability manifests during a public confrontation, the Hunters see them for what they truly are: riveting contestants.
Quinne will be a Climber, where she’ll be chased by Hunters and mechanized monstrosities through a trapped forest before attempting to climb a thousand-foot-tall destructive god. And Benn will be her Watcher, as his consciousness will be transferred into nothing more than a glorified camera in the form of a metal bird.
The odds of survival are low, the likelihood of death and blood great. Tune in today, for this Tournament will be a ratings juggernaut!
Review:
We’ve all been there — the All-You-Can-Eat Buffet. Of course, there’s the salad bar with leafy greens, assorted raw veggies, and cold pasta salads. True buffet aficionados skip that stuff and head straight for the grill. Get that prime rib or roasted chicken, sliced fresh off the bone just for you. Then, you find the pastas, but not the cold ones — no, the creamy macaroni and cheese, maybe some spaghetti with meatballs. You know what I’m talking about. What else? Maybe some fried catfish and hushpuppies followed by potato skins with all the toppings along with maybe a trip to Asia with some General Tso’s Chicken and rangoons. Can’t forget the hot rolls with cinnamon butter or cornbread to help complete the meal.
And we haven’t even made it halfway around the hot food…let alone the dessert line.
That’s Death Show Colossus by Bill Adams.
Just look at that title. Killer, right? It’s like pulling up to the buffet and it’s called something like King Buffet or something. You know before you even take a bite that this is gonna be epic.
There is a pace to Adams’ latest novel that made me think that every so often he was stabbing his own leg with an epipen or downing one of those fancy coffee drinks that has enough caffeine and sugar to down a baby elephant. This book thrives on action and Bill Adams gives it to you. From the get-go, we’re thrust into an action set piece and until late in Death Show Colossus, we’re barely given a chance to breathe with violence around every corner.
Non-stop action would be an apt description, just like getting a carb overload with the fresh bread basket at the buffet. Adams has a fascinating world crafted around his two protagonists, Quinne and Benn. A bit Hunger Games, a bit Running Man and a bit of about 10 other things from anime to sci-fi to fantasy and all points in between.
In Death Show Colossus, magic exists for certain members of society. We see Quinne utilizing some of her gifts as the book first opens, providing some X-Men or My Hero Academia vibes when they are in use throughout the book. Then, the main plot centers around a TV show where the government controls the public by making them fight five highly-trained fighters called Hunters, eventually leading to a showdown with a massive god they call the Colossus. As you can imagine, Quinne and Benn are thrown into the televised tournament, but there are many surprises and reveals to come — often much too slowly for Quinne’s taste (and sometimes for my own as well).
It definitely feels like Adams has a lot more of the background to many of the characters and this world stored up in his cranium and it would be fascinating to see more of the world in future novels. The fantasy dystopian novel is definitely going to have some rabid fans this year and you can count me as one of them. If there is a downside, it’s the meat sweats. You’ve never had the meat sweats? Well…it’s when you eat so much pork, chicken, steak…you name it…that you physically start to sweat. And no matter what else is on your plate or still available on the buffet, it becomes a challenge to go back for more. There were a few times that the action was so much, so intense without a break or info dump, it was a little much. But…like a good buffet…if you just wait it out, it’ll settle down and you can dive right back in before you know it.
I had a blast with Death Show Colossus by Bill Adams and I think you will, too. Give it a whirl and you might end up going back for seconds.
For a limited time, you can back Death Show Colossus on Kickstarter, getting deluxe hardback or paperback editions of this killer book. Check it out HERE.
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