Synopsis:
Violence & Vigilance is book one of Turesia Untamed, an epic fantasy series featuring an eternal vendetta, scars of grief and loss, untethered rage, and hope against all odds.
Irdessa the Undying, a renowned arena fighter in Fohrvylda, has escaped imprisonment but at great cost. Broken and alone, she must outwit and outfight her pursuers.
Basalt Kale, a failed Consonant monk of the lowest order, embarks on a quest to improve Ausgan but discovers vile secrets of his order that he cannot abide.
The heathens of Fohrvylda amass ships and beasts of war to sail the Faithless Sea and assault the monks of Ausgan, who will greet the steel-bearing invaders with elemental destruction.
Violence & Vigilance is a story of survival with dark humor, exotic settings, savage beasts, and damaged characters. If you enjoy the grittiness of Joe Abercrombie’s First Law or the urgency of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising, you’ll love Violence & Vigilance.
Review:
I came into this book relatively blind, knowing only that I was diving into something different from the ‘normal’ (whatever that is) fantasy out there and into a book that so many of my fellow indie authors talk about. I also came into it off Gwynne’s Hunger of the Gods, a bloody, battle-ridden saga, straight into another!
But damn, I glad I did.
List’s book once again demonstrates the depth of indie writers out there, and that whenever risks are taken with style and talent, the outcome is something fresh.
Let’s start with an issue some readers will not like. This is multi-POV and merrily switches between them. Those who don’t like such a style, look away now, because List isn’t just playing at it. He takes that approach and weaves his way through the story ensuring we rarely get even a hint of an info dump because you are right there alongside each viewpoint – you live it, and in this way the layers of his complex world peel back piece by piece. It is, to that end, quite cinematic in feel and scope. I’m here for it, and coming off the back of Hunger for the Gods, I am already keyed into a high POV rate.
Though I won’t go through the individual characters and plot points here (as many others have already done) this ensemble cast is as grey and as flawed as it gets. The heroes are able and willing to deal out whatever violence is required, and those who seek a quieter path rarely get the choice. The pacing is insistent, driving you along even in the quieter moments, and there is that sense of always being on the ‘edge’ of the next event or revelation. Whether that will be revealed by the main POVs or a new one that emerges and swiftly draws you into their world, motivations, and difficulties, is another matter. What remains consistent is that each character is crafted, the prose well defined and takes a backstage to the events. This isn’t an author trying to show off his composition, but a writer who wants you to experience and understand how each character views their world.
V&V is a long book, but doesn’t feel that way, and as you emerge the other end, you know the second book is going to be bigger, brasher, and that you will be along for the ride on both sides of a coming war.
So, is it all blood-red roses? I do think the opening throws you in at the deep-end. It is deliberate, a raw exemplar of how List’s world regards people, and as you sync with it, it readies you for what comes next. Read on and remember: ‘Don’t feed the birds’ — and now you have to read it to find out why.
If you like your worlds revealed, not thrown at you, love being on the edge of your seat, and are comfortable with dark, at times grimdark undertones, this book is for you. I loved it.
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