Science fiction and fantasy are two very different genres that can mesh together very well. Author Peter Newman did just that by creating an entirely unique world. The story starts off right away and the reader is thrown into this dark and elaborate story. Following three different perspectives, the story slowly weaves itself together while still leaving some to uncover.

The world itself is unique, not only compared to Newman’s other books, but also to any other book. It is in part due to the blending of science fiction and fantasy elements and then also due to the uniqueness that comes from anything Newman writes. And while this story is a new one, it still holds the signature style that one comes to expect from Newman.

While the world is distinctive on its own, it is up to the reader to continue to read and pick up on everything by reading the story. The worldbuilding is built into the story itself instead of being a separate aspect of the book. Having it written in this way allows for more of a focus on the story and makes the reader have to pick up on the clues and elements thrown in throughout. While some might appreciate this, especially for those who may typically avoid the fantasy genre, for me that was something greatly lacking in this book. There’s just something about endless amounts of worldbuilding that makes me incredibly happy, so when such a high concept story doesn’t have that it proves to be a slight let down. But again, this is a personal preference and it honestly didn’t take away from the story at all.

While the worldbuilding in this book may have been lacking, the story is definitely more focused on the characters within. The characters themselves all walk the line between good and bad. They are intriguing in the way that morally grey characters tend to be. Plus, it focuses on immortals, the Deathless, and that is always an interesting premise. It raises questions on what happens when you have all of eternity to live. What type of person will you become after countless years of life? What changes will occur when you transfer bodies? Newman definitely created a thought-provoking race of individuals.

However, it’s the demons and creatures of the Wild in this story that have the most potential. There is always something evil lurking in the background of this story and even when new beasts and evils are introduced there is still a sense of more to come. The Wilds are also naturally a place of fear for anyone who isn’t a part of the immortals that live in their cloudy castles. The Deathless are tasked with helping to protect these individuals, mainly to keep access to the Godroads, but with any group that is deemed (literally in this case) above others there is always room for issues to arise.

This is both a quick and a slow read as it really depends on what you like to see out of science fiction/fantasy books. For those who love characterisation and a story that builds itself off of this aspect, then this will be a fast read for you. However, for those who prefer more worldbuilding and story development from that aspect then it might take a bit longer to get through and into this story. Regardless, I found this story to be incredibly fascinating and was drawn into this new style of story.

The Deathless really took off towards the end, and it will be interesting to see where this story leads. However, this book could be taken as a standalone for those who don’t wish to take on a new series. All in all, it is the start to what promises to be an epic series that will draw in many different types of readers. But some things that will hopefully draw you in an pique your interest are: immortals that live on floating castles, an unruly and dark territory that fuels nightmares called the Wilds, and a well-developed and morally grey cast of characters.

The Deathless is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of June 9th 2020.

Will you be picking up The Deathless? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

The demons…

In the endless forests of the Wild, humanity scratches a living by the side of the great Godroads, paths of crystal that provide safe passage and hold back the infernal tide. Creatures lurk within the trees, watching, and plucking those who stray too far from safety.

The Deathless…

In crystal castles held aloft on magical currents, seven timeless royal families reign, protecting humanity from the spread of the Wild and its demons. Born and reborn into flawless bodies, the Deathless are as immortal as the precious stones from which they take their names. For generations a fragile balance has held.

And the damned…

House Sapphire, one of the ancient Deathless families, is riven by suspicion and madness. Whole villages are disappearing as the hunting expeditions holding the Wild at bay begin to fail.

Then, when assassins strike, House Sapphire shatters.

Nothing lasts forever.

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Peter Newman’s debut novel The Vagrant follows multiple narratives set in a newly war-torn land. We primarily follow the journey of the Vagrant, who is smuggling two very important items across the land. The novel is interspersed with extracts that date back to eight years before the current story with more recent flashbacks to a year ago, and these provide some background on the war and our main character.

The Vagrant is definitely a unique novel, but the first few chapters were pretty confusing and for a while I thought I was going to give up on the book entirely. Background on the war and the various groups that had formed were gradually given to the reader at a normal pace, so it took a little while to identify the issue. The Vagrant is a character who doesn’t speak, which is an extremely interesting attribute to give to a protagonist, but in addition to this we also get no internal monologue or thoughts from him. This can give the reader a sense of loss or lack of understanding, but this is quickly fixed once events and information fall into place and allows the reader to learn about the Vagrant and his character at the same pace as those around him.

One of the items that the Vagrant carries with him is an infant not yet capable of speech, so until others join their party, the emotional connection between the child and Vagrant is emphasised. This lack of speech demonstrates how powerful speech can be, but also shows that without it connections can still be built. The interactions between the two still melted my heart even though it purely relied on external behaviour. The lack of commentary also served the novel rather well in that it put him in the position of being an omniscient narrator. This meant that it took longer to get a grasp on the story, but was ultimately more rewarding.

Particularly in the earlier half of the novel, the flashbacks to the past were my favourite parts—the characters present in these were given more personality and back story than our main characters, but gradually this personality and connection trickled through to the main narrative. I realised that until this point I’ve made this novel sound like hard work to get through, but once you push through the initial confusion, and are willing to pick up information in other ways this novel becomes extremely fun and interesting.

Another one of my favourite things was one of the first group of characters we come across, who end up adding a man named Harm to the Vagrant’s journey. Due to the inability of the other two characters to communicate through speech, Harm often speaks aloud his own thoughts, but also those that he believes the Vagrant is having, and as the two spend more time together we learn more about our protagonist this way. And of course, the interactions between the pair of older men and the infant constantly tugs at your heart-strings. The bond between these characters is immensely powerful and I ended up having strong emotions in response to events that affected them.

One thing that stood out to me when learning about him were the morals of the Vagrant. Even when I thought he was doing something morally wrong, we would learn not long after that the Vagrant had some explanation for his actions. The English Literature student side of me can’t help but wonder who is narrating the novel; we can’t be seeing things through the eyes of the Vagrant because he gives us little information to work with, but there are no other candidates for narrator. Although you get the impression throughout the novel that the Vagrant and his growing group of friends are definitely on the side of good, it is unclear how much unconscious bias the narrative holds, and how reliable the version of events we are given is.

This novel is definitely a difficult one to capture in a summary or review without spoiling anything, and the best way to get a sense of it is to read it for yourself. Interactions with various “evil” characters force the reader to constantly re-evaluate what they know and think about certain types of creatures in the novel.

Ultimately, The Vagrant is a fun and engaging story that takes a while to get into, and challenges the reader, but is a rewarding and unique read. I went from considering leaving it as a ‘Do Not Finish’ after the first few chapters to immediately buying the sequel as soon as I was finished!

You can find The Vagrant on Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Have you read The Vagrant? Will you be checking it out? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

The Vagrant is his name. He has no other. Friendless and alone he walks across a desolate, war-torn landscape, carrying nothing but a kit-bag, a legendary sword and a baby. His purpose is to reach the Shining City, last bastion of the human race, and deliver the sword, the only weapon that may make a difference in the ongoing war. But the Shining City is far away and the world is a very dangerous place.

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