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Review: The Failures (The Wanderlands #1) by Benjamin Liar

June 26, 2024 by Anthony Degliomini Leave a Comment

Rating: 9.5/10

Synopsis

From a debut voice comes a genre-breaking blend of apocalyptic sci-fi and epic fantasy about a scattered group of unlikely heroes traveling across their broken mechanical planet to stave off eternal darkness. A tightly-coiled puzzle of a thrill ride, The Failures launches The Wanderlands trilogy

Welcome to the Wanderlands.
A vast machine made for reasons unknown, the Wanderlands was broken long ago. First went the sky, splintering and cracking, and then very slowly, the whole machine—the whole world—began to go dark.

Meet the Failures.
Following the summons of a strange dream, a scattering of adventurers, degenerates, and children find themselves drawn toward the same place: the vast underground Keep. They will discover there that they have been called for a purpose—and that purpose could be the destruction of everything they love.

The end is nigh.
For below the Keep, imprisoned in the greatest cage ever built by magicians and gods, lies the buried Giant. It is the most powerful of its kind, and its purpose is the annihilation of all civilization. But any kind of power, no matter how terrible, is precious in the dimming Wanderlands, and those that crave it are making their moves.

All machines can be broken, and the final cracks are spreading. It will take only the careless actions of two cheerful monsters to tip the Wanderlands towards an endless dark…or help it find its way back to the light.

Review

“The Failures” is an exceptionally ambitious novel and debut novel at that! Liar swings for the fences and knocks it out of the park. This book can be categorized as epic fantasy, science fiction, post apocalyptic, grimdark, steampunk, and more. Liar does not hold your hand but instead fully immerses you into the fascinating world of The Wanderlands, where darkness reigns supreme inside of a mountain civilization. You will encounter unique magic, giants (who can either save or destroy the world depending on who you ask), portals, magical artifacts, automata, and much more.

The story follows multiple POV characters across different time periods, creating a complex puzzle of timelines and narratives that come together through thrilling “a-ha moments.” It is brilliantly executed. The novel explores themes such as identity, friendship, and power.

As you read, you’ll find answers to your many questions, only for new ones to arise. The world’s history is expansive and deeply intriguing, leaving you eager to learn more. The author masterfully balances providing answers while setting up future installments in this exciting new series.

This is truly a remarkable debut novel. Liar meticulously crafts a complex and epic tale. The best part is that this is just the beginning. I can’t wait for book two and until then “The Failures” will be living rent free in my head.

Filed Under: Epic Fantasy, Fantasy, Grimdark, Post-Apocalyptic, Reviews, Sci-Fi Fantasy, Steampunk Tagged With: Book Review, Fantasy, Science Fiction

About Anthony Degliomini

I'm Anthony. I am a lover of all things science fiction and fantasy. Some of my favorite books include: "The Will of the Many", "Project Hail Mary", and "Morning Star". In addition to being a huge fan of books, I am also a movie buff and an avid Philadelphia sports fan. Go birds!

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