It's difficult to avoid anticlimax at the end of any tale and it wasn't wholly avoided here, but there was a lot to like. Endings are hard and I wouldn't call it the perfect ending. I found the story intriguing and the writing's 'voice' a fresh and compelling one.įor me The Vagrant started strong, and kept strong. They compensate that lack of someone to really blame/hate by being diverse and interesting, focused on their internal fights as much as they are on taking over the new world they've entered. I suspect him to have been a new father at the time of writing!Īlthough the demons do terrible things they're so alien that they don't fill the role of 'baddie' in quite the same way that a person doing terrible things or seeking to end our heroes would. The goat provides a welcome edge of comedy, as does the baby. We have all manner of monstrous constructs and most people are warped to some degree. The world is 'new weird' - demonic-types have entered the world through a breach and proceed to warp, corrupt, co-opt, and take-over. The writing doesn't try to milk emotion from you - just shows you what's what and leaves the reaction to you. Sharp, efficient, full of observation and pleasing turns of phrase. This past thread advances by leaps and bounds, revealing the Vagrant's backstory and seeking to wed it to the present action. A second story thread begins eight years earlier and proceeds to explain the parlous state of the world we're dropping into. More importantly, the man's non-speaking is backed up by a text that spends no significant amount of time in his head - so he remains an enigma, illuminated only through his interactions. Every review will mention that it focuses on a man (our 'vagrant') who doesn't speak, and his co-stars are a baby and a goat. A second story thread begins eight years earlier and procee I really enjoyed this book.
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