Synopsis
When you’ve received a death threat, who else would you turn to but Einarr “Sledge” Laukkanen? That’s what Sledge’s former lover, Kiira, does. Only Sledge soon finds that Kiira’s caught up in a dark web-based network of sadism and assassins called the Labyrinth. As Sledge breaks his way through the depths to save Kiira, the cycle of violence only gets deadlier.
Review
Holy shit. This book. Have you ever happened across a protagonist who’s just an out-and-out real mean sonofabitch? Sledge is the angry lovechild of John Wick and The Mountain. This guy makes Kratos look cosy.
SvTL makes no apologies for what it is; a thriller with an anti hero main character who has a horrific violent past – Sledge spent years in a Russian gulag fighting to the death in a pit. The plot doesn’t dwell too much on this, nor how Sledge actually gets the nickname. This is something I liked; a lot of what gained Sledge his reputation is left up to the reader. It’s for this reason that early on when he reaches for his sledgehammer kept by his front door, you really feel the weight of it.
Sledge himself is an irredeemable fucking arsehole. How could he not be? Yet that somehow doesn’t matter all too much given what he’s up against. The Labyrinth is a network of sadists and assassins who are somehow worse than he is. What drew me in as a reader was the progression of the Labyrinth – how Sledge “levelled” up as he delved deeper into the game. Trying to work out who was behind the game was compelling for me and the main reason I tore through 352 pages in two days. It has a very similar feel to Velocity by Dean Koonts – that if the character doesn’t play along then there are gruesome consequences.
This book is a bloodbath and it’s definitely not a bashful one at that, so don’t read it if you’re squeamish. Or do, put yourself out of your comfort zone. Horvath’s writing is direct and to the point, which works well for most of the novel, but does lead to one or two action scenes veering into a list of unpleasantries at times rather than the majority that do bring immersive gladiatorial combat.
The depth of the setting and Sledge’s underworld never disappoints. Duluth feels so cold in this book that I’m glad I read the ebook – the physical copy would have given me frostbite. Colder still is Sledge – the guy loves his threats and his one-liners. I refer to him casually saying how two guys “got cold feet” after a scene involving some buckets and water …
No one escapes the Labyrinth
Horvath’s debut is as subtle as a brick and that’s what I loved the most about it. Sledge vs The Labyrinth pulls no punches. It’s a meat grinder fuelled by adrenaline and rage. It is hands down one of the most cathartic and bloody books you’re going to read.
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