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Interminables #1
The Interminables
It's 2020, and a magical cataclysm has shattered reality as we know it. Now a wizard's cabal is running the East Coast of the US, keeping a semblance of peace.
Their most powerful agents, Edmund and Istvan -- the former a nearly immortal 1940s-era mystery man, the latter, well, a ghost -- have been assigned to hunt down an arms smuggling ring that could blow up Massachusetts.
Turns out the mission's more complicated than it seemed. They discover a shadow war that's been waged since the world ended, and, even worse, they find out that their own friendship has always been more complicated than they thought. To get out of this alive, they'll need to get over their feelings, their memories, and the threat of a monstrous foe who's getting ready to commit mass murder...
Their most powerful agents, Edmund and Istvan -- the former a nearly immortal 1940s-era mystery man, the latter, well, a ghost -- have been assigned to hunt down an arms smuggling ring that could blow up Massachusetts.
Turns out the mission's more complicated than it seemed. They discover a shadow war that's been waged since the world ended, and, even worse, they find out that their own friendship has always been more complicated than they thought. To get out of this alive, they'll need to get over their feelings, their memories, and the threat of a monstrous foe who's getting ready to commit mass murder...
416 pages, Paperback
First published July 5, 2016
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June 12, 2017DNF @ 5%
I will try and come back to this one. It was my Bookclub's pick for last month but we all struggled to stay engaged with it. For me the writing style was really... tedious & not descriptive. Like, lots of words were on the page but I couldn't picture anything that was happening in my head.
Maybe some other time I'll give it a shot but right now it's gotta go back on the shelf.
I will try and come back to this one. It was my Bookclub's pick for last month but we all struggled to stay engaged with it. For me the writing style was really... tedious & not descriptive. Like, lots of words were on the page but I couldn't picture anything that was happening in my head.
Maybe some other time I'll give it a shot but right now it's gotta go back on the shelf.
Shelved as 'to-read-own'
June 18, 2016DNF @ 21%
I'm putting this one aside for now, I'm not sure it's for me.
First of all what I do like: The characters are interesting, I like their interaction and the dry, dark humor.
The issue here for me is the writing. It's not bad, and much of it is just fine, but in places I find it confusing and a bit disjointed.
In places the writing is in short, choppy sentences. There have been times I had to read a sentence two or three times to understand what it was talking about. Occasionally I still was left clueless.
A couple of times, using this technique, what had happened was unclear until it was better explained soon after. I found that a bit frustrating.
So far there hasn't been much world-building, but I know that can work, especially considering there's much of the book left, and there was enough there that I didn't have an issue with that.
I think maybe the writing style isn't for me. I'm putting it aside for now, may give it another try later.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing the review copy.
I'm putting this one aside for now, I'm not sure it's for me.
First of all what I do like: The characters are interesting, I like their interaction and the dry, dark humor.
The issue here for me is the writing. It's not bad, and much of it is just fine, but in places I find it confusing and a bit disjointed.
In places the writing is in short, choppy sentences. There have been times I had to read a sentence two or three times to understand what it was talking about. Occasionally I still was left clueless.
A couple of times, using this technique, what had happened was unclear until it was better explained soon after. I found that a bit frustrating.
So far there hasn't been much world-building, but I know that can work, especially considering there's much of the book left, and there was enough there that I didn't have an issue with that.
I think maybe the writing style isn't for me. I'm putting it aside for now, may give it another try later.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing the review copy.
May 25, 2016
Interminable adjective. 1. Incapable of being terminated; unending 2. Monotonously or annoying protracted or continued; unceasing; incessant 3. Having no limits. (dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved May 22, 2016 from dictionary.com website http://www.dictionary.com/browse/inte...)
The Interminables takes place in a world where magic is real and so are nightmares. Prior to the events in this tale, an immortal being attacked all the cities on Earth and essentially destroyed civilization as we know it. She was killed but for an extreme, unspecified magical cost. Now, the scars left by this insane immortal dot the world and leak magic like radiation, producing strange items and twisted, dangerous creatures. The Hour Thief, Edmund, and his best friend, an archtypical ghost of World War I named Istvan, struggle to bring order and heal those injured by the remains of this struggle. Behind the scenes, an even greater evil begins to stir…
The Interminables is the type of science fiction/fantasy that I love in that it doesn’t dwell too much on the how’s of the situation, but jumps head first to the what’s, who’s, and why’s of the story. And, this is an incredibly ambitious world in the sense that not only are the characters dealing with untamed and uncontrollable magic, but also the dimensions of alternate worlds have collided and merged with our own. So, there are beings and powers in this place that are far beyond anything that exists in the real world. It’s an exciting premise and the reader can almost feel the storytelling potential exploding from the very first page.
The Hour Thief is not only immortal, capable of teleportation, and able to move with super human speed through time- he’s also a librarian! : “…the Hour Thief was finally returning to real field duty, after fourteen months missing and then years of sticking to nothing more than librarian work and his usual mysterious excursions by night.” My favorite kind of super hero.
Who is the Hour Thief? : “He was, for all intents and purposes, a conman who dealt in stolen moments. The hours that slipped away when no one was watching. Lives, plain and simple. He’d been thirty-five for seventy years and he could say that only because none of the time he’d lived since 1954 was originally his.”
I loved how Orwin described two beings, who are essentially immortal, dealing with technology. : “Edmund... fished the device responsible out of his other jacket pocket. It was roughly the same size and shape as a pack of cards and combined the services of a clock, a calculator, a telephone, a radio, a camera, a film projector, a phonograph, a library, a dedicated staff of field researchers, an electric facsimile of the Delphic oracle, and a flashlight, but it was easier to call it a telephone.” When put that way, our devices really do seem to be magical.
Istvan, sends a text message, and it comes out more like a telegraph: “Istvan fiddled with the phone a moment longer… “I’ve sent a message to the Magister, I think, but I’m not certain it went through.”… Edmund glanced at it. Recovered, it said, on our way presently stop.” Too funny!
My favorite moment in the whole book is an interchange between Edmund and Istvan : Edmund set the ritual knife down. “Are we always this interesting?” Istvan knelt and retrieved his own blade, wiping it on the hem of his uniform before handing it to him. He was a doctor. It would be all right. “Oh yes.” Their complicated friendship makes this story what it is.
In the acknowledgments, Orwin says: “The original project grew out of a desire to preserve some of the characters developed by myself and my friends in the MMORPG City of Heroes…” I also played that game! The ability to customize and create your hero was so much fun, but the game itself became repetitive very quickly. Orwin did such a great job taking a one dimensional idea and giving it a time piece, wings, and a limitless world to explore. The Interminables is a lot of fun and not interminable to read, at all.
If you’re looking for read alikes, I’d recommend Triumff: Her Majesty’s Hero by Dan Abnett, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore (graphic novel), or Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (young adult title).
Big thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for providing a free, advance reading, digital copy of this title for review purposes!
The Interminables takes place in a world where magic is real and so are nightmares. Prior to the events in this tale, an immortal being attacked all the cities on Earth and essentially destroyed civilization as we know it. She was killed but for an extreme, unspecified magical cost. Now, the scars left by this insane immortal dot the world and leak magic like radiation, producing strange items and twisted, dangerous creatures. The Hour Thief, Edmund, and his best friend, an archtypical ghost of World War I named Istvan, struggle to bring order and heal those injured by the remains of this struggle. Behind the scenes, an even greater evil begins to stir…
The Interminables is the type of science fiction/fantasy that I love in that it doesn’t dwell too much on the how’s of the situation, but jumps head first to the what’s, who’s, and why’s of the story. And, this is an incredibly ambitious world in the sense that not only are the characters dealing with untamed and uncontrollable magic, but also the dimensions of alternate worlds have collided and merged with our own. So, there are beings and powers in this place that are far beyond anything that exists in the real world. It’s an exciting premise and the reader can almost feel the storytelling potential exploding from the very first page.
The Hour Thief is not only immortal, capable of teleportation, and able to move with super human speed through time- he’s also a librarian! : “…the Hour Thief was finally returning to real field duty, after fourteen months missing and then years of sticking to nothing more than librarian work and his usual mysterious excursions by night.” My favorite kind of super hero.
Who is the Hour Thief? : “He was, for all intents and purposes, a conman who dealt in stolen moments. The hours that slipped away when no one was watching. Lives, plain and simple. He’d been thirty-five for seventy years and he could say that only because none of the time he’d lived since 1954 was originally his.”
I loved how Orwin described two beings, who are essentially immortal, dealing with technology. : “Edmund... fished the device responsible out of his other jacket pocket. It was roughly the same size and shape as a pack of cards and combined the services of a clock, a calculator, a telephone, a radio, a camera, a film projector, a phonograph, a library, a dedicated staff of field researchers, an electric facsimile of the Delphic oracle, and a flashlight, but it was easier to call it a telephone.” When put that way, our devices really do seem to be magical.
Istvan, sends a text message, and it comes out more like a telegraph: “Istvan fiddled with the phone a moment longer… “I’ve sent a message to the Magister, I think, but I’m not certain it went through.”… Edmund glanced at it. Recovered, it said, on our way presently stop.” Too funny!
My favorite moment in the whole book is an interchange between Edmund and Istvan : Edmund set the ritual knife down. “Are we always this interesting?” Istvan knelt and retrieved his own blade, wiping it on the hem of his uniform before handing it to him. He was a doctor. It would be all right. “Oh yes.” Their complicated friendship makes this story what it is.
In the acknowledgments, Orwin says: “The original project grew out of a desire to preserve some of the characters developed by myself and my friends in the MMORPG City of Heroes…” I also played that game! The ability to customize and create your hero was so much fun, but the game itself became repetitive very quickly. Orwin did such a great job taking a one dimensional idea and giving it a time piece, wings, and a limitless world to explore. The Interminables is a lot of fun and not interminable to read, at all.
If you’re looking for read alikes, I’d recommend Triumff: Her Majesty’s Hero by Dan Abnett, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen by Alan Moore (graphic novel), or Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (young adult title).
Big thanks to NetGalley and Angry Robot for providing a free, advance reading, digital copy of this title for review purposes!
February 12, 2018
Hard to believe this is a debut. I found this to be a very mature, self-assured story with fleshed out, real characters. There is personal drama, large-scale action scenes, and really original shit going on in here. There are no slow spots or wasted pages as things pretty much spiral out of control from the opening scene on and there are so many references to things that have already happened the author sets herself up for more stories in this highly imaginative world. Four solid, seriously impressed stars.
July 11, 2016
Note for review readers, I have a crashed computer so I am reviewing from a phone and tablet, so I may be more disjointed than usual, if that's possible.
I really enjoyed this story, it had most of the things I dig, interesting world, I really liked the main characters, it was a humorous story, and they had great interaction. My cons are very few, although I could tell where Ms Orwin was going with her tale, her writing style is a bit disjointed and might throw some people off. That being said, great fun read and I recommend it, (thanks to the overlords at Angry Robot for the ARC)
I really enjoyed this story, it had most of the things I dig, interesting world, I really liked the main characters, it was a humorous story, and they had great interaction. My cons are very few, although I could tell where Ms Orwin was going with her tale, her writing style is a bit disjointed and might throw some people off. That being said, great fun read and I recommend it, (thanks to the overlords at Angry Robot for the ARC)
March 10, 2017
****Spoiler alert! If you absolutely do not want any spoilers, do not read this review!****
The book was initially hard to get into because the writing style makes for a confusing read. It's sometimes hard to follow the action or tell who is saying what. I'm still not sure what occurred in the climax battle. There was a lot of description of concept and then a creature, I think, fell over? Where did this creature come from? This entity was referred to as a "concept" creature, but then it inhabits people's minds, but then it's a physical being?
I'm fairly sure this book was never edited. I didn't care for some of the overly descriptive and at times contradictory storytelling. I saw another reviewer state,"Like, lots of words were on the page but I couldn't picture anything that was happening in my head," (Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~, Sep 25, 2016). I agree with that. I offer a few excerpts:
"The hurt was rough and bitter, dark with the subdued richness of repetition, salted chocolate and smoke. Denial cupped and distorted it like glass. Ever the stoic." p166
"He was shorter than her, stocky but bony, almost painfully thin." p212
"His presence rushed and roared like floodwaters, ancient oaken bitterness burst through to despair and self-hatred, the rationality he prized caught whirling in old fears of failure, of death, of darkness, all distinction lost and drowning." p351
The book felt punctuated by angsty brooding emo tears and unnecessarily long wordy descriptions that required multiple readings. I ended up skipping over a few paragraphs without fully comprehending what the author was trying to tell me. It felt like fan fiction, which I guess it technically is.
I loved the premise. The idea of a partnership between a ghost and a wizard sounded original and fun. I still think it does. I just don't think this style of storytelling is for me.
The book was initially hard to get into because the writing style makes for a confusing read. It's sometimes hard to follow the action or tell who is saying what. I'm still not sure what occurred in the climax battle. There was a lot of description of concept and then a creature, I think, fell over? Where did this creature come from? This entity was referred to as a "concept" creature, but then it inhabits people's minds, but then it's a physical being?
I'm fairly sure this book was never edited. I didn't care for some of the overly descriptive and at times contradictory storytelling. I saw another reviewer state,"Like, lots of words were on the page but I couldn't picture anything that was happening in my head," (Mary ~Ravager of Tomes~, Sep 25, 2016). I agree with that. I offer a few excerpts:
"The hurt was rough and bitter, dark with the subdued richness of repetition, salted chocolate and smoke. Denial cupped and distorted it like glass. Ever the stoic." p166
"He was shorter than her, stocky but bony, almost painfully thin." p212
"His presence rushed and roared like floodwaters, ancient oaken bitterness burst through to despair and self-hatred, the rationality he prized caught whirling in old fears of failure, of death, of darkness, all distinction lost and drowning." p351
The book felt punctuated by angsty brooding emo tears and unnecessarily long wordy descriptions that required multiple readings. I ended up skipping over a few paragraphs without fully comprehending what the author was trying to tell me. It felt like fan fiction, which I guess it technically is.
I loved the premise. The idea of a partnership between a ghost and a wizard sounded original and fun. I still think it does. I just don't think this style of storytelling is for me.
June 22, 2016
DNF. I'm really struggling to get into this book. The writing is disjointed and I can never tell who is talking. If i ever manage to finish this book, I'll update this review.
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
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September 26, 2017Won in the Goodreads Giveaways - not read, passed to another reader.
August 2, 2016
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
This book is a textbook case of how a cover can be completely misleading. What looks like a quirky, children's type of tale is actually a dark, depressive, but beautifully imagined urban fantasy/alternate universe. Our protagonists are battle weary, suffering from emotional trauma, and come with their own myriad of baggage and personality defects. And yet, this is perhaps one of this most interesting, intriguing, and rich books I've read this year.Story: In a modern US sundered by magic, Edmund is a former magister and the 'time thief' - able to 'borrow' other people's time and use it for his own deeds. Istvan is a concept - a ghost like figure that is the personification of war (in his case, world war 1). Istvan is bound to serve Edmund and the magisters. He does so - but uneasily and with his own predilections. The two will find themselves drawn into events from their pasts that did not resolve and now threaten to swallow the world in which they live.
Nothing is as it seems with The Interminables. No one is good, kind, evil, etc. - it's all shades of grey throughout. And really, the whole tone is one of grey as Edmund drinks to forget the death of his beloved Grace, Istvan mourns the loss of his life and his bindings, and the world tries to recover from the after affects of an immortal who ravaged North America (and destroyed whole cities such as Providence). Both man and ghost go out to take care of magical creatures or other problems; Edmund is considered one of the most powerful of the sorcerers. But always lurking is a sort of PTSD fugue that neither can shake.
It is hard to give this novel justice in words - it all sounds repressive and depressive when written as a review. But I highly enjoyed The Interminables. The characters are nuanced, fully drawn, and very real. The world building is immaculate and intricate, and the plot moves rapidly and doesn't bog down. Many twists and turns and a surprise ending all reward; author Orwin weaves the plot expertly and thoughtfully.
This is definitely one of my favorite books of the year. Highly depressing, yes, but with a story that is deceptively simple yet incredible complex, it is worth a reread in the near future. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
October 5, 2016
I hated this book with a passion. I wanted to quit it at 20%. I wanted to quit it at 40%. I wanted to quit it at 90%. This book could have been so much more and so much better, because there were some good ideas there. But it was just a mess.
The world-building is confusing, it focuses on descriptions of buildings and places and fails to explain more important stuff, like the way magic works, for example. You never see the wizards do more than teleporting, stealing time and do some sort of summonings. Is this all wizards can do? We just don't know.
The interactions between the characters are just as confusing. I always felt like I was missing something. Some backstory, maybe, which is always hinted at, but never elaborated on.
And the way the characters act is confusing. I mean, you have some sort of embodiment of the First World War, he should be terrifying, right? Nope, he just acts like a lovesick teeanger all the time.
Other reviews describe this book as "disjointed" and it really is.
The world-building is confusing, it focuses on descriptions of buildings and places and fails to explain more important stuff, like the way magic works, for example. You never see the wizards do more than teleporting, stealing time and do some sort of summonings. Is this all wizards can do? We just don't know.
The interactions between the characters are just as confusing. I always felt like I was missing something. Some backstory, maybe, which is always hinted at, but never elaborated on.
And the way the characters act is confusing. I mean, you have some sort of embodiment of the First World War, he should be terrifying, right? Nope, he just acts like a lovesick teeanger all the time.
Other reviews describe this book as "disjointed" and it really is.
May 31, 2016
Gaaaaah.
Review to come.
Review to come.
August 10, 2016
This review and others posted over at
my blog.
The year is 2020 and an incredibly powerful magical being started a war against America, forcing wizards everywhere out of hiding. In the aftermath, the states have been reorganized into rough territories and are trying to rebuild themselves, amidst the residual magic left behind and the strange beings that come from it. Edmund, known as the Hour Thief, and Istvan, his right-hand ghost, are trying to keep the peace in Massachusetts when they hear of a ring of smugglers dealing in magical devices that could blow the entire state. What they discover in trying to stop the smugglers is another war that’s being waged against an even darker power that threatens to enslave them all.
What I most enjoyed about this book was the overall concept – magic in the modern times, meets some superpowered beings, plus a semi-dystopian setting, in my home of New England to boot! I liked that the magic that was unleashed by Shokat, the being who started the war, not only changed up the way people lived and caused existing wizards to reveal themselves, but also created things called “spell scars” that spit out all kinds of creatures, some from the past or future, and even gave some previously normal humans super powers.
However, that’s where my enjoyment of the world ended. The world building itself was incredibly confusing and as a result, I never got my bearings or had a solid picture in my mind of what was taking place. I wanted to understand how the world and the magic worked, but instead I was confused by Orwin’s mention of “conceptual” magic, magic that was “interdicted” and just regular magic.
I was also confused by the magic our main character, Edmund (the Hour Thief – the one thing I won’t forget because they call him that on what feels like every other damn page), possessed. He can manipulate time by stealing it from others and using it for himself – he can then teleport or take extra time to recover from a bad injury if needed. Yet, Edmund somehow doesn’t actually teleport, nor does he time travel, so I was constantly confused about how his magic worked. He could even give time to others, but again, I don’t know how this functioned. Since Edmund and his abilities are essential to the story, it was frustrating to be so confused.
Unfortunately, I didn’t fully understand his ghostly companion, Istvan. He is a deceased soldier from WWI, but is also apparently the conceptual (there’s that term again!) embodiment of the War itself? Again, I was never clear on what this meant, or what he could or couldn’t do because of this. He works closely with Edmund and is also one of his closest friends so they team up on most missions. Istvan can help with scouting and can somehow help fight any monsters they come up against, but he can’t physically help Edmund if he falls, or punch him if he’s mad. Nor can he touch physical objects, like a gurney, when someone in the medical ward needs his assistance, except when he can, like when he picks up Edmund’s hat to hand it to him or puts the kettle on for tea. He can also reach inside of people to heal their organs, tissue, bones, etc. but still somehow isn’t a physical being.
Perhaps I’m being picky, or I’m used to more clearly defined rules when it comes to books with magic, but there seemed to be so many grey areas and hypocrisies that it made Orwin’s writing feel sloppy.
I felt that too much of the backstory was being hinted at, but never clearly defined and rather than leaving me hungry for more, it left me with so many unanswered questions that they became all I could focus on, rather than the plot. For the last 30% or so, I essentially zoned out. Nothing was clicking for me and I was simply trying to get to the end. It’s possible some of my many questions were answered in this chunk of the book, but if so, I didn’t pick up on it. Sadly this book was a big disappointment for me.
I RECEIVED THIS BOOK FOR FREE FROM ANGRY ROBOT IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. THIS DOES NOT AFFECT MY OPINION OF THE BOOK OR THE CONTENT OF MY REVIEW. ALL OPINIONS IN THIS POST ARE MY OWN.
The year is 2020 and an incredibly powerful magical being started a war against America, forcing wizards everywhere out of hiding. In the aftermath, the states have been reorganized into rough territories and are trying to rebuild themselves, amidst the residual magic left behind and the strange beings that come from it. Edmund, known as the Hour Thief, and Istvan, his right-hand ghost, are trying to keep the peace in Massachusetts when they hear of a ring of smugglers dealing in magical devices that could blow the entire state. What they discover in trying to stop the smugglers is another war that’s being waged against an even darker power that threatens to enslave them all.
What I most enjoyed about this book was the overall concept – magic in the modern times, meets some superpowered beings, plus a semi-dystopian setting, in my home of New England to boot! I liked that the magic that was unleashed by Shokat, the being who started the war, not only changed up the way people lived and caused existing wizards to reveal themselves, but also created things called “spell scars” that spit out all kinds of creatures, some from the past or future, and even gave some previously normal humans super powers.
However, that’s where my enjoyment of the world ended. The world building itself was incredibly confusing and as a result, I never got my bearings or had a solid picture in my mind of what was taking place. I wanted to understand how the world and the magic worked, but instead I was confused by Orwin’s mention of “conceptual” magic, magic that was “interdicted” and just regular magic.
I was also confused by the magic our main character, Edmund (the Hour Thief – the one thing I won’t forget because they call him that on what feels like every other damn page), possessed. He can manipulate time by stealing it from others and using it for himself – he can then teleport or take extra time to recover from a bad injury if needed. Yet, Edmund somehow doesn’t actually teleport, nor does he time travel, so I was constantly confused about how his magic worked. He could even give time to others, but again, I don’t know how this functioned. Since Edmund and his abilities are essential to the story, it was frustrating to be so confused.
Unfortunately, I didn’t fully understand his ghostly companion, Istvan. He is a deceased soldier from WWI, but is also apparently the conceptual (there’s that term again!) embodiment of the War itself? Again, I was never clear on what this meant, or what he could or couldn’t do because of this. He works closely with Edmund and is also one of his closest friends so they team up on most missions. Istvan can help with scouting and can somehow help fight any monsters they come up against, but he can’t physically help Edmund if he falls, or punch him if he’s mad. Nor can he touch physical objects, like a gurney, when someone in the medical ward needs his assistance, except when he can, like when he picks up Edmund’s hat to hand it to him or puts the kettle on for tea. He can also reach inside of people to heal their organs, tissue, bones, etc. but still somehow isn’t a physical being.
Perhaps I’m being picky, or I’m used to more clearly defined rules when it comes to books with magic, but there seemed to be so many grey areas and hypocrisies that it made Orwin’s writing feel sloppy.
I felt that too much of the backstory was being hinted at, but never clearly defined and rather than leaving me hungry for more, it left me with so many unanswered questions that they became all I could focus on, rather than the plot. For the last 30% or so, I essentially zoned out. Nothing was clicking for me and I was simply trying to get to the end. It’s possible some of my many questions were answered in this chunk of the book, but if so, I didn’t pick up on it. Sadly this book was a big disappointment for me.
I RECEIVED THIS BOOK FOR FREE FROM ANGRY ROBOT IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW. THIS DOES NOT AFFECT MY OPINION OF THE BOOK OR THE CONTENT OF MY REVIEW. ALL OPINIONS IN THIS POST ARE MY OWN.
May 28, 2016
Smart, funny and magical, everything I want in a book. And a hero.
The Wizard War has devastated the world as we know it. New York City is now a wasteland where survivors huddle under the protection of a guild of benevolent magicians, not far from the Providence crater, a walled enclave and forbidden ground ruled by Barrio Libertad.
The aptly named Edmund Templeton is the Hour Thief. Istvan Czernin is a sundered spirit; the remorseless avatar of War. Together, these heroes face fearsome creatures, armored merceneries, and otherworldly weapons that threaten to topple the fragile survival of the citizens of Big East.
It all sounds rather gloomy, and, indeed, horrifying evil has its claws in the world, but the mix of streampunk and apocalyptic fiction, with clever dialogue and unexpected twists, makes The Interminables a genre-buster.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Wizard War has devastated the world as we know it. New York City is now a wasteland where survivors huddle under the protection of a guild of benevolent magicians, not far from the Providence crater, a walled enclave and forbidden ground ruled by Barrio Libertad.
The aptly named Edmund Templeton is the Hour Thief. Istvan Czernin is a sundered spirit; the remorseless avatar of War. Together, these heroes face fearsome creatures, armored merceneries, and otherworldly weapons that threaten to topple the fragile survival of the citizens of Big East.
It all sounds rather gloomy, and, indeed, horrifying evil has its claws in the world, but the mix of streampunk and apocalyptic fiction, with clever dialogue and unexpected twists, makes The Interminables a genre-buster.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 27, 2017
Ugh, this was terrible. It was self-published and based on some characters a group of people created on some kind of fantasy website. It's clear that none of their friends had any editing skills. It jumped around, referred to the same characters by different names, and was rife with inconsistencies.
December 20, 2016
3.5 Stars
Full review to come!
Full review to come!
November 22, 2017
Okay, kinda weirdly all over the place
December 8, 2022
I received the book in 2017 but just had the time to read it. Thanks to the Goodreads team for my free copy. It’s a bit hard to relate in the beginning because I’m not into an urban fantasy stories. But I give this a good rating since it’s not easy to write a story about magic and ghost. The main character Edmund and Istvan are on a peace mission and their relationship is complicated.
September 18, 2018
DNF around 2/3 of the way in. This is an unusual book for me in that I absolutely love the two main characters and the setting but neither of those elements is supported by any sort of real plot.
The good:
1) Edmund and Istvan are great. Istvan, as a ghost and the embodiment of the WWI, is a wonderfully unique character. To be honest, I bought the book because of Istvan’s facial scarring and Edmund’s top hat/cape habit because together they reminded me of an AU Phantom of the Opera (and for those of you that know me that’s one of my obsessions). Their dialogue is great, too.
2) The setting following the great Wizard War is intriguing and very easy to imagine. It was also hard for me to believe that this is the author’s debut novel based on her writing style which I found to be surprisingly developed.
The bad:
1) The aforementioned Wizard War took place before the book’s setting and as readers we were given hints about what happened. This makes sense given that people do not often give sweeping background of events both parties are aware of when having a conversation. This worked, at first, as a push to keep reading. As the book wore on, however, this ~mystery~ got tedious and I was tired of being on the edge of confusion.
2) This wasn’t too much of an issue for me but I can see why it would irk some and that is the switching of character perspective halfway through a paragraph. It was jarring until I got used to it but the moments of confusion added to my already building feelings of frustration understanding the setting.
Overall:
I appreciated the whimsy and idea for this novel and sort of wish it were just set during the Wizard War as that seemed a much more interesting plot line than what we got. It’s unusual that the characters are developed enough for me to really like and care about them without actively working toward something.
To be honest I picked up this book as an excuse to talk to an attractive cashier while I was in Dublin but he vanished before I could and so I just bought it anyway without checking the ratings first. Oh well.
2.5/5 for me, in the end!
The good:
1) Edmund and Istvan are great. Istvan, as a ghost and the embodiment of the WWI, is a wonderfully unique character. To be honest, I bought the book because of Istvan’s facial scarring and Edmund’s top hat/cape habit because together they reminded me of an AU Phantom of the Opera (and for those of you that know me that’s one of my obsessions). Their dialogue is great, too.
2) The setting following the great Wizard War is intriguing and very easy to imagine. It was also hard for me to believe that this is the author’s debut novel based on her writing style which I found to be surprisingly developed.
The bad:
1) The aforementioned Wizard War took place before the book’s setting and as readers we were given hints about what happened. This makes sense given that people do not often give sweeping background of events both parties are aware of when having a conversation. This worked, at first, as a push to keep reading. As the book wore on, however, this ~mystery~ got tedious and I was tired of being on the edge of confusion.
2) This wasn’t too much of an issue for me but I can see why it would irk some and that is the switching of character perspective halfway through a paragraph. It was jarring until I got used to it but the moments of confusion added to my already building feelings of frustration understanding the setting.
Overall:
I appreciated the whimsy and idea for this novel and sort of wish it were just set during the Wizard War as that seemed a much more interesting plot line than what we got. It’s unusual that the characters are developed enough for me to really like and care about them without actively working toward something.
To be honest I picked up this book as an excuse to talk to an attractive cashier while I was in Dublin but he vanished before I could and so I just bought it anyway without checking the ratings first. Oh well.
2.5/5 for me, in the end!
July 5, 2016
In the future a magical cataclysm has radically changed the reality of the world as we currently know it. Edmund Templeton, a wizard and time thief, capable of shifting backwards and forwards through time, and Istvan Czernin, a gifted surgeon and ghost, are sent to track down a dangerous arms shipment. But the mission is not as straightforward as it seems, for reasons they are soon to find out.
The Interminables contains the type of writing a reader will either consider the work of genius or wonder what the hell is going on. The narrative is delivered in short, sharp bursts and leaps all over the place, with very little text that concentrates on an extended linear exposition of an event. Maybe this is not surprising, because the story is set in a world where reality has been fractured and that life may well not be experienced in an entirely linear fashion by many of the people in it. Paige Orwin also manages to convey a good impression of what it must be like to be Edmund, with the potential disorientation of moving backwards and forwards in time.
This way of writing also creates real sense of intensity and a visceral response to a particular scene, planting you more in the heads of the main characters than a conventional narrative might be capable of doing.
Although the constant shift of episodes might appear confusing, under it all the author keeps it all under control, as well as managing to successfully build a highly original world.
Yes, this approach does make the reading experience very challenging. But thank goodness for independent publishers, because this type of writing makes books so much more interesting.
The Interminables was courtesy of Angry Robot via NetGalley
The Interminables contains the type of writing a reader will either consider the work of genius or wonder what the hell is going on. The narrative is delivered in short, sharp bursts and leaps all over the place, with very little text that concentrates on an extended linear exposition of an event. Maybe this is not surprising, because the story is set in a world where reality has been fractured and that life may well not be experienced in an entirely linear fashion by many of the people in it. Paige Orwin also manages to convey a good impression of what it must be like to be Edmund, with the potential disorientation of moving backwards and forwards in time.
This way of writing also creates real sense of intensity and a visceral response to a particular scene, planting you more in the heads of the main characters than a conventional narrative might be capable of doing.
Although the constant shift of episodes might appear confusing, under it all the author keeps it all under control, as well as managing to successfully build a highly original world.
Yes, this approach does make the reading experience very challenging. But thank goodness for independent publishers, because this type of writing makes books so much more interesting.
The Interminables was courtesy of Angry Robot via NetGalley
July 22, 2016
This is an exceptionally fun, charming (in its way) book. Ms. Orwin's first publication does definitely show it's a first effort, at times, but gives unique, enjoyable characters, an unusual main villain (if you can call it that) and all in all a fun story.
Our main characters are a time-controlling, time-collecting wizard (who's very meticulous about the moments he borrows, for good reason) and a ghostly surgeon who's also the avatar of the First World War. Do these sound like relatable characters, maybe a bit overpowered? The sort that would make a book - frankly - boring? It's a risk many take and fail with, but these two show plenty of humanity, with foibles, doubts and vulnerabilities of their own. It's overcoming these as the main investigation proceeds that makes the story engrossing.
Yes, there are little spots that trip up here and there - i suspect because somewhere in the editorial process someone said "We have to make cuts or this will be unwieldy." The "Cameraman" is teased, introduced... and then is mentioned working in the background, basically - though if they're wanting to write a second novel this would be one of many interesting threads to pick up again. And the ebook version has a few spots where the paragraph (at least on the Kindle app) didn't break, leading to an occasional "wait, what? Let me read that part again" moment. But that's more a technical issue than an issue with the story or author.
Still, those moments are few and far between. For the price of a paperback, you get a fun, interesting story with unique, complex characters. It's a steal. Pick it up and give it a read.
Our main characters are a time-controlling, time-collecting wizard (who's very meticulous about the moments he borrows, for good reason) and a ghostly surgeon who's also the avatar of the First World War. Do these sound like relatable characters, maybe a bit overpowered? The sort that would make a book - frankly - boring? It's a risk many take and fail with, but these two show plenty of humanity, with foibles, doubts and vulnerabilities of their own. It's overcoming these as the main investigation proceeds that makes the story engrossing.
Yes, there are little spots that trip up here and there - i suspect because somewhere in the editorial process someone said "We have to make cuts or this will be unwieldy." The "Cameraman" is teased, introduced... and then is mentioned working in the background, basically - though if they're wanting to write a second novel this would be one of many interesting threads to pick up again. And the ebook version has a few spots where the paragraph (at least on the Kindle app) didn't break, leading to an occasional "wait, what? Let me read that part again" moment. But that's more a technical issue than an issue with the story or author.
Still, those moments are few and far between. For the price of a paperback, you get a fun, interesting story with unique, complex characters. It's a steal. Pick it up and give it a read.
October 24, 2016
3.5. I liked the premise and the world building. I loved the entirity of Istvan (a ghost embodying not only itself but all of the Great War? Terrifying and awe-inspiring) and Edmund's magic (time magic is always interesting). Edmund was a mostly good man who made a terrible mistake to gain power and tried his damnedest not to hurt too many while helping as many as he could. Istvan was incredible that despite his power (the violence, the pain, the ferocity) he was a doctor always - helping others, relieving pain his first priority, even though he was sickened by his methods.
I think I would have liked this novel more if something in the way it was told didn't push me back a step. No matter what, though, I would like to see more if there ever is more.
I think I would have liked this novel more if something in the way it was told didn't push me back a step. No matter what, though, I would like to see more if there ever is more.
August 2, 2016
Aunque más bien 2,5 estrellas
The Interminables es la novela debut de Paige Orwin, ambientada en una Tierra alternativa donde una gran guerra ha arrasado el mundo. Lo novedoso del asunto es que se trata de una guerra mágica, la Wizard War, y que se ha librado para acabar con Shokat Anoushak, un ser prácticamente todopoderoso que despertó tras miles de años. Este “principio tras el final” que utiliza Orwin me recordó agradablemente a Sólo el acero de Richard Morgan, que también plantea una historia que comienza tras una invasión de una raza de lagartos antropomórficos.
Es el año 2020, la Tierra está maltrecha y asolada por las consecuencias de la guerra. Mucha gente ha muerto, los supervivientes hacen lo que pueden y el continente americano ha sido alterado permanentemente y de maneras insondables. Tenemos las spellscars, alteraciones sobrenaturales en la geografía que generan monstruosidades, varios estados que luchan por sobrevivir, alguna organización más o menos secreta, magos y el cráter de Providence (lugar donde se derrota a Shokat Anoushak). Nadie va nunca a Providence.
Continúa en http://sentidodelamaravilla.blogspot....
The Interminables es la novela debut de Paige Orwin, ambientada en una Tierra alternativa donde una gran guerra ha arrasado el mundo. Lo novedoso del asunto es que se trata de una guerra mágica, la Wizard War, y que se ha librado para acabar con Shokat Anoushak, un ser prácticamente todopoderoso que despertó tras miles de años. Este “principio tras el final” que utiliza Orwin me recordó agradablemente a Sólo el acero de Richard Morgan, que también plantea una historia que comienza tras una invasión de una raza de lagartos antropomórficos.
Es el año 2020, la Tierra está maltrecha y asolada por las consecuencias de la guerra. Mucha gente ha muerto, los supervivientes hacen lo que pueden y el continente americano ha sido alterado permanentemente y de maneras insondables. Tenemos las spellscars, alteraciones sobrenaturales en la geografía que generan monstruosidades, varios estados que luchan por sobrevivir, alguna organización más o menos secreta, magos y el cráter de Providence (lugar donde se derrota a Shokat Anoushak). Nadie va nunca a Providence.
Continúa en http://sentidodelamaravilla.blogspot....
December 10, 2016
I won this as a Goodreads giveaway.
This book was tough. I had a hard time getting into it even though the concept sounds cool and I WANTED to like it. I actually put it down for months cuz I couldn't bring myself to try again.
I could only read one chapter at a time because it made me sleepy. I don't even know why.
Again, the concept is cool. An immortal and a ghost buddy cop team. The problem is I had no idea why. And then when the why materialized, I still didn't get it. I had no sense of the villain because the villain was a concept. Or was it?
And the final battle was just pages upon pages of imagery and talking. Then something fell and it was over. What?!
This was a real struggle to finish but I desperately wanted it to get better and live up to the blurb on the back flap. It didn't.
This book was tough. I had a hard time getting into it even though the concept sounds cool and I WANTED to like it. I actually put it down for months cuz I couldn't bring myself to try again.
I could only read one chapter at a time because it made me sleepy. I don't even know why.
Again, the concept is cool. An immortal and a ghost buddy cop team. The problem is I had no idea why. And then when the why materialized, I still didn't get it. I had no sense of the villain because the villain was a concept. Or was it?
And the final battle was just pages upon pages of imagery and talking. Then something fell and it was over. What?!
This was a real struggle to finish but I desperately wanted it to get better and live up to the blurb on the back flap. It didn't.
October 17, 2016
Interesting ideas and world building. But I spent much of the book thinking that I was missing something, that there was some backstory that I wasn't getting. Kind of like being on the fringes of a conversation where everyone else knows what's going on and assumes that no explanations are necessary. I would have liked this more if I hadn't spent so much time feeling like I just wasn't smart enough to understand it.
February 13, 2017
DNF at pg 13. Can't get into it at all.
February 23, 2018
This is definitely a solid book. I had some problems with the characterization at times. Things seemed a bit uneven. There are so many fun twists on tropes and ideas in this book however, that it kept my interest throughout. I think that this could be a really amazing place to visit again if only to have the world fleshed out a bit more. So many unanswered questions!
I would recommend this book with reservations. If you tend to be finicky about fully realized characters and a plot that holds up maybe look elsewhere. But if you want a really fun read for a rainy Sunday give it a shot! It's a steampunk dystopian urban fantasy with immortals and the idea of trench warfare made manifest as the main characters. It can be confusing, but honestly you don't need to be to fussed over details to get the gist of what is happening.
I would recommend this book with reservations. If you tend to be finicky about fully realized characters and a plot that holds up maybe look elsewhere. But if you want a really fun read for a rainy Sunday give it a shot! It's a steampunk dystopian urban fantasy with immortals and the idea of trench warfare made manifest as the main characters. It can be confusing, but honestly you don't need to be to fussed over details to get the gist of what is happening.
January 25, 2017
Whenever I describe this book to my friends, it always makes them want to read it. Ghost/embodiment of WWI who used to be a doctor? Time wizard who dresses like he's going to a masquerade? Wowza! That's awesome!
I kind of wish that I'd SEEN the events of either Edmund or Istvan's backstory. I would have found the story of their meeting fascinating, I would've found the war fascinating, I would've found a book about certain spoiler spoiler side characters interesting, but it felt a little like I showed up late to the party and now I get to hear everyone tell the stories about their wild adventures instead of having them. The events of the story should be riveting, but they feel less interesting to me than than the things we aren't seeing which detracted from the action for me.
It took me a while to finish the book. I had to take the story a chapter at a time, because so many things would happen (while at the same time I felt like we weren't moving forward all that quickly). Because of how long the book was, this approach meant I was reading the story for a very long time. I did end up finishing it, because for me the characters were enough of a worthwhile investment to overcome the pacing, but if you want a quick read I'd recommend a different book.
I kind of wish that I'd SEEN the events of either Edmund or Istvan's backstory. I would have found the story of their meeting fascinating, I would've found the war fascinating, I would've found a book about certain spoiler spoiler side characters interesting, but it felt a little like I showed up late to the party and now I get to hear everyone tell the stories about their wild adventures instead of having them. The events of the story should be riveting, but they feel less interesting to me than than the things we aren't seeing which detracted from the action for me.
It took me a while to finish the book. I had to take the story a chapter at a time, because so many things would happen (while at the same time I felt like we weren't moving forward all that quickly). Because of how long the book was, this approach meant I was reading the story for a very long time. I did end up finishing it, because for me the characters were enough of a worthwhile investment to overcome the pacing, but if you want a quick read I'd recommend a different book.
June 17, 2019
This one was a real struggle for me. I kept quitting, coming back, quitting, coming back... and now that it's over, I'm not sure it was worth the effort.
The concept was interesting. And I like that the author took some chances in terms of not spoon-feeding the story to me, but I think she went too far in that direction, for my taste. I ended up not really sure what was going on a lot of the time, and that made me feel pretty distant from the story. The characters SHOULD have been intriguing, but because I was at a sort of "yeah, and then some stuff happens, I guess" place with the plot, I didn't get too involved with the characters, either.
Which probably explains why it was so easy to walk away from this story so many times.
It really didn't work for me.
The concept was interesting. And I like that the author took some chances in terms of not spoon-feeding the story to me, but I think she went too far in that direction, for my taste. I ended up not really sure what was going on a lot of the time, and that made me feel pretty distant from the story. The characters SHOULD have been intriguing, but because I was at a sort of "yeah, and then some stuff happens, I guess" place with the plot, I didn't get too involved with the characters, either.
Which probably explains why it was so easy to walk away from this story so many times.
It really didn't work for me.
June 13, 2017
What should have been a really good story was ruined by that god awful writing style. I don't know if the author was trying to be too cute or clever but the writing, verbiage, sentence structure made the page turning a chore rather than a joy. There are too many "ggod" books of this nature out there for me to recommend this to anyone.
June 12, 2017
A relatively good book, but let down by the sheer amount of words! Too verbose, but the plot and characters were enjoyable.
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