| Title | : | A Rope of Thorns (Hexslinger, #2) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1926851145 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781926851143 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 328 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 2011 |
| Awards | : | Gaylactic Spectrum Award Best Novel (2012) |
New Mexico, 1867. As consort to resurrected Mayan goddess Ixchel, hexslinger Reverend Asher Rook has founded Hex City, the first place in all of human history where magicians can live and work together safely. But this tenuous peace is is threatened by the approach of Rook's former lover, Chess Pargeter, bent on revenge over Rook's betrayal, as he kills his way toward the very same spot, dragging Pinkerton agent-turned-outlaw Ed Morrow along with him. Because Chess, sacrificed in Ixchel's name, has become far more than just a hex: his very presence has torn a crack in the world, remaking everything around him. And as the cycle of Chess's power approaches its climax, Chess, Morrow, and a young spiritualist named Yancey Colder—caught up in Chess's vendetta—will all have to shed yet more blood as they face down his mysterious patron demon, known only as the Enemy . . . along with every other enemy Chess has already made along the way.
A Rope of Thorns (Hexslinger, #2) Reviews
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I don't know who wrote the plot synopsis but s/he obviously didn't read the book...
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(Re-posted from
http://theturnedbrain.blogspot.com)
One of the most unique reading experiences for me in a long time was Gemma Files' "Book of Tongues." (I recommend reading that one before reading this review.) The book was not without its flaws, but I'd take flawed and interesting over perfect and safe any day of the week, believe me.
Not surprising then that I dived straight into its sequel, and book two of Hexslinger trilogy, "Rope of Thorns" as soon as it arrived at my doorstep. As always with a sequel I began with a small amount of trepidition. Would this book be as good as the first one? All too often it seems that the answer to that question turns out to be no. But not this time my friends. Not this time!
I loved "Rope of Thorns." It was everything "Book of Tongues" didn't quite manage to be, and all of the faults (all of them!) that I found with the Hexslinger Trilogy's first book had been addressed.
Despite having a lot less narrator time this go around, the character of Ed Morrow finally became real to me. There's a genuine goodness in Ed that's lacking from the other men in these books, but for all that he's just as capable as Chess or Rook as committing acts of great violence. It was a contrast I found fascinating.
Instead of Ed most of this book was told from the point of view of Mister Chess Partager himself. I didn't reread "Book of Tongues" before starting this one (way too eager!) but I'm fairly sure there wasn't any Chess point of views in it. He's an enigmatic figure in many ways, and when I realised I was seeing things through his eyes I was concerned that it would "ruin" the mystery of him. Not so! If anything the greater insight into the workings of Chess's, uh, shall we say unique? mind only made him more interesting to me. And more sympathetic, by a mile!
Ah, poor Chess. Rook's monstrous betrayal has changed him, that's for sure. And you have to feel for the guy. There's one scene where he has to stay in disguise while a song is sung about how every bad thing Rook ever did is pretty much all Chess' fault, and I don't remember the last time I felt so keenly for a character. I kept oscilating between wanting Chess and Rook to somehow work things out, and and wanting Chess to just blow Rook's smug head clean off. Or maybe some combination of both?
We have some new characters this time around, the most noteworthy of this being Experiance "Yancy" Kloves, who neatly takes care of complaints that these books lack women. Yancy is a capable, practical young woman, but she manages to be so while staying true to the time period, in my opinion. There was a dry humour to her point of view that really appealed to me, and I enjoyed watching Chess try and figure out exactly what to do with her.
Personally my biggest issue with "Book of Tongues" was that the plot tended to jump around a bit haphazardly. But in "Rope of Thorns" things are pretty much linear. There's an interlude set in Rook's newly founded Hex city (very interesting. It was satisfying watching him realise the enormity of his mistakes, and I'll be very interested to see how things in Hex City play out in the next book) but other than that we stick with Chess and his entourage, without even any flashbacks.
Really "Rope of Thorns" is everything you hope for in a sequel, but so rarely get. The plot is advanced, a greater understanding of characters is granted, new and interesting characters are introduced. Files' prose remains a delight to read, the cadence of her sentences captures the wild west setting perfectly, and the images she paints are a fascinating mix of frontier practicality and magic bred surrealism.
Role on "Tree of Bones." -
Book Info: Genre: Weird Western/Supernatural Horror/Steampunk
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: Fans of Weird West, horror, those interested in Meso-American religious practices
Trigger Warnings for Book 2: killing, murder, discussion of mass suicides, human sacrifice , m/m sex, obscenity, profanity, blasphemy, self-injury, non PC language
Animal Injuries: several horses are killed during a melee
My Thoughts on Book 2: Chess Pargeter has quite a mouth on him. I would love to share some of the creative swearing, but alas, Amazon doesn't like us to use that sort of language. One of the things I like best about these books is the character development. The author creates characters that you love, or love to hate, with depth and quirks. A few of my favorites from this book include Three-Finger Hank and Yiska, as well as Yancey.
This book is set just after the Civil war, so in order to maintain realism, there is language used that many people might find offensive in a modern context. However, one needs to realize that this is how people spoke then, and it is not meant in a pejorative way.
I'm fascinated by the MesoAmerican mythology being brought to life here. The descriptions of things are so beautiful, but then the actual thing being described is horrible. It was not a kind, gentle society, that much is sure, and the gods are some of the most bloodthirsty the world around.
The author describes this as black magic gay porn horse opera. This is fairly accurate, although to be fair there is much less sex in this second book than was in the first. If you enjoy that sort of story, and/or are interested in MesoAmerican culture, be sure to check this series out.
Synopsis: You must let blood to get blood. Arizona, 1867. As consort to resurrected Mayan goddess Ixchel, hexslinger "Reverend" Asher Rook* has founded "Hex City"—the first place in all of human history where magicians can live and work together safely. But this tenuous peace is is threatened by the approach of Rook's former lover, Chess Pargeter, bent on revenge over Rook's betrayal, as he kills his way toward the very same spot, dragging Pinkerton agent-turned-outlaw Ed Morrow along with him. Because Chess, sacrificed in Ixchel's name, has become far more than just a hex: his very presence has torn a crack in the world, remaking everything around him. And as the cycle of Chess's power approaches its climax, Chess, Morrow, and a young spiritualist named Yancey Colder—caught up in Chess's vendetta—will all have to shed yet more blood as they face down his mysterious patron demon, known only as the Enemy... along with every other enemy Chess has already made along the way. -
This was an interestingly frustrating book.
On a page-by-page basis, it's rather brilliant, with a fantastic voice, memorable characters, and elegant and vivid sensory details.
However, the plot was almost non-existent for the first half of the book. The story had zero narrative drive, and the good prose was the only reason to slog onward.
I was on the verge of giving up when the plot finally picked up and became interesting, but that was literally half-way through the book. Unfortunately, then the plot became a little too melodramatic, with reversals-of-fortune happening so frequently as to feel meaningless.
This is an author with a lot of talent--there was some really beautiful and effective writing here--but this book was a series of events rather than a plot. -
You know that song by Angelspit that goes, 'Rip out my heart/Beat me to death with it'? Pretty much sums up this book.
It's probably ironic that Chess Pargeter started to actually care about people (other than himself and Rook) after he got his heart literally ripped out of his chest, and when he started becoming less human. But it's also when he started seeing people, instead of just irritating gun targets, so I guess there's that.
This book focuses more on Chess and Morrow: how disaster (spelled by the hexatious Weed that seems to follow Chess wherever he went) seemed to follow them everywhere. All of which culminating in a small town where Yancey Colder lived with her father. Pursued by the resurrected Meshach Love, Chess and Morrow find themselves pretty much running for their lives, joined by Yancey who was aiming to avenge herself on Love .
'Final' showdown back at Bewelcome, where Chess and his gang meet up with Love. Rook and Ixchel are also there, waiting for Chess to sacrifice someone and fulfill his role as a god. Which is what Chess does in the end, but Chess never really did what people expected him to do. Humans are so complex, and emotions more so, and the thing is that after everything that's happened and all the lives he had killed, all the worlds he had endangered, Rook still loved Chess. And I think that's pretty much his salvation. His faith in his religion has failed him, and his new god isn't much better, but he still felt for Chess and wanted to keep him safe, and I think that's what keeps him human.
Yancey Colder is also the best thing. Book 1 was almost a sausage party; I can count the female characters that mattered in one hand: Songbird, Ixchel, 'Oona' Pargeter, and the Native American woman who tried to keep Rook from making a deal with Ixchel. None of them were what you'd call sympathetic, aside from the Native American woman (who still succumbed to her hexatious appetites). In fact, two of them were called whores by the men (Chess's mum was certainly a whore. Songbird shows people her privates for the right price). Ixchel is a bitch. Yancey is nothing like these women. She's honourable, that's for sure. But she wouldn't hesitate to use whatever's at hand for her own gain. That doesn't mean she doesn't care. She certainly cared for Morrow. And later on became quite fond of Chess.
She's definitely not a distressed maiden, despite her more respectable background, and her quick thinking has saved her companions more than once. I like her a lot. Usually I get turned off by 'strong' female characters in fiction, because the writer easily sacrifices personality for 'strength', but Yancey isn't like that.
This was an enjoyable, action-packed, and sometimes horrific read. (But it's also hard, you know? It's like nothing good ever happens, and I don't expect anything good to happen, but I'm rooting for the characters so much!) Not what I'd call 'light-reading' for sure. -
Another delectable serving of blood, sex and psycho Aztec gods.
We've reached the 'characters wander about, seemingly aimlessly, instead of getting on with what they claim they're intent on doing' second book, this should be familiar to any frequent peruser of trilogies. Files uses this lacuna to good effect though by focusing mostly on character and world development.
The whole book is character development bootcamp for Chess, who has to grow up and realize that killing people doesn't make people like you, it just makes them dead (or something to that effect).
He and Morrow also have to deal with their changed (and changing) relationship and what that means for both of them.
My heart broke for the Chess at times, mean bastard that he may be, there's no denying that he's had it rough.
Files also brings in some new characters.
I was wary of new characters muscling in on the ot3 of Chess, Morrow and Rook but Yancey was quite a strong addition, much more than just a set up for an inevitable 'pair the spares' happy ending (I'm guessing) she also facilitated some of Chess's emotional growth, and did so without being just a prop. The scene where Chess teaches Yancey how to shoot is a particularly brilliant.
In the next book I also want to hear more about Yiska, who made me sit up straight and yell "A lesbian shaman Native American shooting people down with arrows? Fucking A!" (or something to that effect), but then didn't get much to do.
Some pacing problems (see paragraph two), but over all a wicked ride. -
After the vicious Book of Tongues, Rope is a true middle chapter, as our heroes (?) wander on their quest, vanquishing foes while incrementally getting closer to their goal. What that goal is, is in some doubt, as Chess—as violent and psychotic a protagonist as there has ever been— actually grows as a character, learning the limits of his power and actually evolving into something far more interesting. He starts Rope looking purely for revenge, but as Chess becomes more self-aware, he begins to see his place in the world, and understands the concepts of consequences and fate. If Chess had simply remained a remorseless stone-cold killer, Rope would still have been entertaining, but this stab at personal growth, Chess' actual attainment of empathy, is what allows the narrative to grow accordingly. There is still all the frank intergender sex of the first, but Files has leavened the outrageousness of the first through a deepening of the bonds between the leads. Chess and Ed may not become the next Frodo and Sam, but their quest is just as dangerous, and unlike those lovable hobbits, there is no doubt on the subject of homoeroticism.
Where is Files going with all this? I cannot tell, except that the finale will no doubt be apocalyptic in scope, a battle which will make Harry Potter's last stand at Hogwarts seem a slap fight between fifth graders.
Read the rest of the review here. -
This book was much better than the first one. The characters were more interesting and the story felt more to the point.
The reason that i'm not giving this one 5 start is because some scenes were just too long. The last scene is actually around 20% of the book. Insane!
Moving on to the next book. -
4.5 stars
Wow! What a wild ride. This second book in the series twisted the timeline more smoothly in my opinion. These characters are amazing and I am fully invested in this series now! -
In the Dedication section of Gemma Files’ A Rope of Thorns, the author gives thanks to a man named Steve, “who is the absolute best support a writer of ‘repulsive trash’ could ask for.” Editor, publisher, agent, significant other? I have no idea who Steve is, but one can only assume the “repulsive trash” comment was pulled from a review of the first book in this series, A Book of Tongues. And I have just one thing to say about the commentary: Halle-freaking-lujah for repulsive trash, man. Because you know what they say about one man’s trash being another’s treasure? This series is a gold mine of dextrous storytelling and lush prose and brilliant characterization that I’m so thankful I unearthed.
The best way to describe The Hexslinger saga is to equate it thusly: it’s like waking up from a dream that you can’t quite recall all the details of, but there’s one thing you do recollect with perfect clarity upon waking—it was really, really weird. I don’t at all fault the author’s plot-weaving skills for this conundrum as much as I do my simple inability to process the unorthodoxy of the story in its entirety just yet, as well as the subtle intricacies of its foreshadowing and the fusion of mythologies. Set in a 19th Century Wild West that’s made wilder, not to mention otherworldly, by the magic that runs rife within its borders, the story of Chess Pargeter, the Reverend Asher Rook, and every other character who is directly or indirectly associated with them, is at once complex yet stunningly simple. The simplicity comes in the avaricious betrayal. The complexity comes in the gods and goddesses, the hexslinging, and the relationships forged between allies and enemies and those to whom each role player chooses to pledge their allegiance.
A Rope of Thorns picks up directly where A Book of Tongues left off. Asher Rook has brutally betrayed the man he professed to love, aligning himself with the goddess Ixchel in exchange for the power that comes with godhood. Whore’s beget and all around prickly sumbitch, Chess Pargeter, the man whose heart Rook stole—in the most literal sense—was resurrected into something “other” after being rescued from Hell—in the most literal sense—by ex Pinkerton agent cum straight but bi-for-Chess cum friend-with-benefits sidekick, Edward Morrow. Now Chess is out for revenge, and, as one might expect from someone like the flame-haired and sharp tongued hexslinger, he’s made more than enough enemies in his short life that he’s got some formidable foes out to wreak their own vengeance upon him. Where Chess goes, chaos follows in his wake. Fortunately, however, he’s managed to make some allies too, and it’s these relationships that are the highlight of this novel.
Sheriff Mesach Love, late of the former town of Bewelcome—I say “former” because the entire town and all its inhabitants were turned to salt in book one—was resurrected by the Enemy (with a capital E because he is the Enemy). Love is now bent upon exacting a price from Chess (and oh, how much do I love the layered nuances of that statement?). That price being Chess’s destruction. When Chess and Ed descend upon the town of Hoffstedt’s Hoard, bringing Love’s wrath down upon it, one of my now favorite characters in the series, Experiance “Yancey” Kloves (née Colder)—recently newlywed and just as quickly widowed—is introduced. I absolutely adored Yancey for her intelligence and pragmatism and courage. Not to mention that she carries a touch of magic all her own. As the storyline moves forward, she will remain an integral cog in the God Machine, not to mention an interesting part of Ed’s life. What remains to be seen is how, or if, Chess will play into this dynamic since he went and made a sacrifice of himself… I think my highlight notes sum things up best: “Ugh,” “Nope,” and “Oooooh shit! What???!!!” I may have even tried to shed a tear or two as well, so there you go.
In a climactic scene that reads like part Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and part Armageddon with a dash of blood magick thrown in, everything is madness and mayhem. Chinese mysticism, Native American Spiritualism, Christian…ish Ideology, Ancient Mayan and Aztec Mythology; this series is such a mixed bag of -ologies and -isms that it’s difficult to summarize them in a review, but they all meld together under the umbrella of hexslinging and the phenomenal world building Gemma Files is holding forth in this series. Her sentences and paragraphs are big and chunky and fecund with imagery—it’s scenes such as this that I just want to wallow in:
“And now, eking through that stinking yellow fog he’d thought was just his eyes, a whole city street arrived: buildings dilapidated and promiscuously overhung, jammed hugger-mugger as a junk fiend’s teeth. Half-glazed cataract windows staring down, where they hadn’t been shattered wholesale; stagnant gutters and hinge-fallen doors; a sketchy crush of humanity loitering or roaming, wreathed in grime, ignoring Chess in the grip of their squalor. Raggedy skeleton children ran free as roaches, relieving themselves indiscriminately.
‘I know this place,’ Chess realized, a slow hollow birthing itself in his gullet’s lower-most pit.”
And reading that scene, I felt I knew it too, if only in my imagination. And that whore I mentioned earlier? That’d be English Oona Pargeter, the woman who unhappily brought a misbegotten Chess into this world, and this is her world we’ve now entered. The great unknown is how it plays into the third and final novel in this trilogy.
I love everything about this series so far, all the way down to its freak-a-delic mindbending core. I love the existence of Allan Pinkerton and his detective agency—along with the fracturing of Pinkerton as character in the series, as well as discovering that Frank Geyer, an agent introduced in this installment, was an actual Pinkerton detective. Although I’m sure his real job was neither as interesting nor as dangerous as his association with Chess Pargeter has been in this fiction.
Just like the Western serials of old, you’ll have to tune in next time for the further adventures of the Rev and his hellspawn-goddess wife, Chess, Ed, Yancey and the rest of this vast cast of characters—both human and not. What happens next remains to be seen, but I can guarantee it won’t be any kind of normal.
Reviewed by Lisa for
The Novel Approach Reviews -
This was my favourite of the trilogy - the new characters rounded out the larger world of the weird western setting, and helped bring new viewpoints to the larger than life mains. Love the world, love the characters, and love the grand scale weirdness of the mythology and conflicts.
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3.5
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How did Chess Pargeter become my son?
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OH MY GOD
THIS BOOK HAS
There's other cool shit, too, but that was important to mention. -
Beautiful prose and fascinating concept/setting but the plot is a mess and all the characters are inherently unlikable
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4.5 stars.
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Sequels can be very tricky to write and read; which often makes for the dilemma of being hit or miss. Ideally, it improves on its predecessor's flaws and enhances everything you loved about it too. In my opinion, A Rope of Thorns does just those things!
First off the sex is far more subdued and less graphic: I don't mind a really well-written steamy scene scattered throughout the story, let alone it being between gay lovers. The problem with media (books, film, etc) nowadays is that oftentimes gays are described and often defined solely through their orientation, which I feel is a great disservice to them and am often off-put by it. A problem I had with Chess and Rook's "love-story" is that it felt more like a "sex-story" that is supposed to be the core of the narrative, and I wasn't feeling it the first time around. Thankfully, since A Rope of Thorns serves us the consequences right away, telling us how once lovers become divided while Chess tries to cope with the traumatic and quite literal pain of a lover quite literally ripping out your heart and feeding it to a once-dead Mes0-American goddess of death. No matter where you stand, anyone will admit to that being a tough situation to sort out indeed.
Leading into character and character development, another improvement this time around is that a female lead is introduced so it doesn't feel like a man-on-man sausage-fest. Yancey is a likable, and believable female character who is a tough woman without feeling like a cardboard-cutout badass a-la-Angelina Jolie. She has the rug pulled out from under her when Chess and co. come into town and copes with it admirably. Meanwhile, in "Hex City" or the new Azteclan Rook begins to realize he is in way over his head and meets various new hexes who are unique stand-out characters that are fascinating in their own right.
As far as development goes, it is one of my biggest joys with the book. Like I mentioned earlier, Chess has to deal with the trauma as best he can, which actually makes him a more thoughtful, unselfish person who sees the value in people in stark contrast to him being a thoughtless, selfish asshole who saw no value in people whatsoever in the last book. Even the traitor Rook has misgivings as to what he started and slowly becomes both wary and weary of Lady Death Ixchel. As for the rest of everyone else, let's just say Pinkerton and co. have devised methods of harnessing hex power for themselves, which is not good for anyone involved by a long shot.
So if you liked Book of Tongues, I heartily recommend giving this a read, there is just nothing else like it. Even if you only somewhat liked it, I'd still say the same. This is a unique world, with a unique magic system, with unique characters and mythic Mayan gods! Where else are you going to get that? -
This is book one on more serious hallucinogenics. Crazy stuff.
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A Rope of Thorns is book two in a trilogy, so if you don't want any spoilers, I suggest you stop reading and go devour A Book of Tongues first.
Book two has Reverend Rook and his Lady Ixchel constructing "Hex City," built on blood and carnage, but also the only place where hexes can live in peace with one another. Meanwhile, Chess, the red-headed little man of grit and violence, barely in control of his new abilities, seeks his revenge against his former lover, Rook, while avoiding the attacks of angry hexes, Pinkerton agents, and other darker creatures, with Ed Morrow along for the ride.
As the middle book in the trilogy, A Rope of Thorns widens the the scope of the story, interweaving new characters and plotlines into Gemma Files' vision of a blood soaked west.
As always, violence follows Chess wherever he goes, as well as a strange new red weed that is spreading through the desert in the wake of his footsteps. But Chess has changed. He still laughs at the world and it's brutal misery, but his laughter is more bitter and without glee. The unfolding of Chess's character that began in the first book, continues in the second. His layers are stripped away and the profoundly human that lays at his core is unveiled. I'd be madly in love with him, if it weren't for the fact that he is fictional, gay, and unlikely to take my affection kindly.
The addition of Yancey Colder into the story is wonderfully refreshing. She's a spiritualist with her own unique power and is drawn into Chess's circle of violence. She's a strong female character, one who knows how to act quickly and smartly in the face of threat, and who manages not to be crushed under the weight of disaster that transpires.
Morrow, too. I find I'm even more fond of him in this book, because for all that happens, he stays loyal and true to his friend, Chess. He's a good brave man, who knows that justice isn't always what's written down in legislature books.
Most every one is given a wider breadth in this one, though the Gods that are playing board games with the world remain somewhat one-dimensional. Though, as they are far from human, I suppose that's to be expected.
Like the first book, there's plenty of sex and gore in gripping, graphic detail, and the story moves along at a fast pace. I'm looking forward to reading the final book, A Tree of Bones. Based on the ending of book two, I can't even imagine the carnage that's going to take place then. -
Following the events of A Book of Tongues, Chess Pargeter has a fresh new batch of problems in his life, as any new-minted demi-god is likely to have. As his old lover Reverend Asher Rook builds up "Hex City" as both a refuge for magicians (who are otherwise forced to feed on each other's powers) and a place to sacrifice them to the newly-embodied goddess Ixchel to build her power, Chess goes on the run, Ed Morrow sticking to him fast and loyal. Soon joining them is a young spiritualist lady, Yancy Colder, whose temper and stubbornness is something even Chess can admire. But Chess himself, a hardened killer, is finding that even if his heart is gone, his heart might have survived more than he thought was possible.
First up, I want to say that this book definitely solved, for me, most of the concerns I had with the first one. It kept the strong writing and incredible characterization, but where there was a dearth of characters of color or female characters to narratively counter to the characters' prejudices in book one, there are plenty more in this one (and only more upcoming, as I plunge headlong into book three even as I work on the review for book two). There are still characters' casual slurs and assumptions in the narration, so fair warning to brace yourself for that if needed, but the narrative presentation of these characters supports them as individual characters with rich inner lives.
I don't think it's speaking lightly to say I loved this book. The narrative was clean and the story's throughline was coherently built. The characters drove the plot, including those who weren't point of view characters; every character had their own motivations for how they were acting, and this built the story, rather than outside events happening to shape it. This is by far my favorite thing to read, because everything fits together so perfectly.
And through this whole thing, bad and good decisions and damaged reactions and all, it's an exciting Weird Wild West adventure with plenty of action, high stakes, revenge, bloodshed, sex, passion, and, yeah, the first strides toward redemption.
Normally I try to space my reviews for a series out, but this one came right after the first because I admit I literally just couldn't stop reading. If that isn't a rec, I don't know what is.
See my other reviews here:
https://meredithakatz.wordpress.com/c... -
This installment in the mind-boggling Hexslinger series continues the awesome and ups the ante considerably. Many of the questions born of Files's fever-dream-pretty writing are cleared up here -- sans infodump, a massive credit to her ability. Point of view, though it hops between heads throughout, is sharp, clear, and wielded like the weapon it ought to be. My only complaint from a writing standpoint is that some of the scenes still seem to go on too long. It's understandable with the massive clusterf*ck of a climax, but there are some conversations and situations that seem to double back on themselves or give information we already have. Not so much a flaw as personal taste, I think, as even those are beautifully written.
When I talk about upping the ante it has a lot to do with the development of things begun in Book of Tongues. In particular the scenes in Hex City clarified a lot (again, sans infodump -- oh, how I love this author!), not to mention brought in some interesting new characters I'm looking forward to seeing again. Props for Chess's development, too. In the beginning of the book, for almost the first half, I had no idea what was going on with him; he seemed like the same "vain, luxurious, vicious young coxcomb" I'd come to love before (hate to quote Sherriff Love, but it's a great line, page 116), but with an added element of chaos that made no sense. Soon after that very line, however, he has a moment with Morrow that clarifies some of his internal struggles and opens the door to his PoV. (That'd be the bit were Ed thinks of him as "... a contentious gift-box packed full of awful wonders" -- and isn't he just?) Once we get in there, both through his own head and Yancey's, it's clear that while he's still Chess, he's come a long way. And it's brilliant. I won't spoil anything by saying it.
Speaking of, Yancey. That woman would get an extra star, if I had them to give. Great character, great development, just love her and her ghost-talking. Also looking forward to seeing more with Yiska. In truth, the only character I still don't get is Morrow. I still think he's kinda one of those planet people -- he doesn't make his own light, he just has to reflect it off others. But it works for the purposes of the story, and it's a good foil to both Chess and Yancey.
So now, I'm ready for the third. Hell yeah. -
This book broke my heart! And I think I loved it more than
A Book of Tongues! its probably ironic that Chess started to care (and even love?) about the people around him (not withstanding Rook and of course himself) when his heart is literally ripped out and eaten infant of him.
I really liked how this book focused more on Chess and Morrow because at the end of the last book I was thinking we were heading for Chess/Marrow, which I totally wouldn't have minded, and to a certain extent we get that but Edward isn't Asher Rook and I dont think Chess will ever love anyone like he loved/ loves Ash. Asher is still around (yay!!) and I think I began to understand him more and pity him and his sacrifice for Chess, because really what else can you call it? It takes a talented author to make me care for and understand these two messed up protagonists and I'm in awe of Files for doing it so well. I am head over heels in love with masochistic Chess and his destructive relationship with Asher Rook.
A new character to this novel is Yancy Colder a 'strong' female character who I dont hate! And those who read my reviews know they are far between. Yancy is honourable but not afraid to fight for her own corner she also sees the good in Chess so how could I not like her? She obviously cares for Ed but also eventually cares for Chess, and I cannot wait too see how the affection between these three plays out in
A Tree of Bones.
This book is a dark read, but enjoyable, action filled and sometimes horrific. However although it is dark there are sections of light where quotes like "I am glad to see you though. 'Cause in the end.... there's no one else on earth i'd rather be killed by." And these sections melt me and make me love the book even more showing the reader the small pieces of humanity still left in Asher and Chess. -
I am surely addicted, and this new addiction has a name – Gemma Files. The author spins together imagery that is breath-taking in both beauty and terror.
Chess’s character really grew in this second book. At the end of Book 1, I was cheering him on, but in this book his personality is unfolding piece by piece, against his better judgement. Ed has to address the fact that he cares deeply for Chess, while at the same time being attracted to the opposite sex. Asher Rook, Chess’s former lover, did a very BAD THING in the first book (left out because it is a spoiler), and he struggles with loosing his friendship with Chess over it. Overall, these characters are not static; they hurt, grow, and morph into new people, forced to it by the extraordinary times they find themselves in. Throw in a few new characters, like kick-ass Yancy, and some allegiance-switching side characters, and you have a hoof-pounding, ricochet of a ride.
Our narrator, Gordon MacKenzie, did a fantastic job once again. Book 1 would be a challenge for any experienced and gifted narrator. Book 2, with further accents and more characters plus voices for dead deities and other monstrosities, is beyond what I have here-to-fore heard done well. Applause for Gordon MacKenzie please! He really brings this series to life with the effort he puts into the accents, regional and otherwise. He also had more female characters this time to play – which he did well. I can even picture him in a skirt when he does Yancy’s voice. In addition, there was some singing, and I love it when a narrator goes all out and actually sings the lyrics, instead of reciting them like poetry. -
I basically inhaled the first book but the next was more like fine wine, sipped here and there and not to be guzzled down. Admittedly, there wasn't as many, how shall I say it, adult parts in this book, and little pervert that I am, wasn't into reading this as much as I should have, because it is a better book, in my opinion, than the first.
If somewhere were to read this series without a firm background in gay fantasy, they probably wouldn't label this book as some sort of adventure, but that was exactly what it was, with three dynamic characters getting into one crazy mishap after another, running into one 'bad guy' and then another and another. I refrain from saying 'bad guy' because Gemma Files intelligently shows how muddy the waters can be when judging people, or calling this person your friend or ally, or who's truly evil or not. I gotta admit I'm biased to such judgments, that nothing is clear-cut, black and white, etc.
So what's better is that I wasn't ever surprised when things happened. I wasn't looking for loopholes nor did I find myself annoyed at what this or that character did because they felt like characters in their own right, people in their own right, and I shouldn't be quick to strike them off my 'nice' list.
Again, the crazy writing was as flavored and textual as the first. Man, I love Files writing. It's sometimes hard to read but once I got it, I completely understand what was being expressed. So all in all, a great, gorgeously-written book in its own world with its own people. Can't wait to finish the third, but I better get my other stuff done first! -
With A Rope of Thorns Gemma Files has written a Dionysian text. Like the Greek god, the world she creates is one of fluids and fluidity – of blood, Absynthe, semen, and sap – and these are intertwined in the form of her character Chess. He is a creature of raw sexuality and transformation – a queer cowboy turned magical demi-god after his flaying in A Book of Tongues. His godly characteristics in A Rope of Thorns, given to him by a Mayan deity through his flaying, have meant that wherever he travels a weed follows, springing up on the landscape and only appeased when blood sacrifice is offered as it was to the Mayan deities who turned him into this demi-god.
Chess is a figure of flow and flux, constantly changing, uneasy in his personal and physical transformations.
Howver, this is no lazy Dionysian reverie, but rather a full on Bacchic revelry, complete with all of the pulse pounding drums of maenadic madness and delight in the spatter of fluids. Files pulls something from the liquid dark with this text, playing with audience desires and the twining of horror and delight.
If you are interested in reading a longer version of my review, you can check it out at
http://speculatingcanada.ca/2014/10/3... -
A follow-up to "A Book of Tongues", this is the second of three volumes of Gemma Files' "Hexslinger Series". It would be hard to go wrong with a Civil War-set western, "hexacious" magic-wielding gunfighters, suspicious Pinkertons, and Aztec gods and goddesses. In this second volume, Files surpasses the first one, partially thanks to less need for introductions: we know the characters, though we're introduced to a terrific new one. Ghost-speaker Yancey Colder loses everything, but it only makes her stronger, and she's a welcome addition. Sheriff Love, returned from volume one, makes perhaps more appearances than necessary (he feels a bit like the cliched super-baddie who keeps coming back), but the big showdown is worth the wait. In the meantime, everything moves forward towards the coming apocalypse, though we'll have to wait for the final volume for that. I won't give away any of the proceedings here, but things go roughly for all concerned. If you enjoyed the first volume, I think you'll find this one even more intense and enjoyable. Files' writing is as evocative as ever, and the characters even sharper. I'm looking forward to reading the final volume as soon as it's out.
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As Rook builds Hex City, the first established gathering of magicians, newly-awakened Chess sets out for revenge--but he doesn't journey alone. A Rope of Thorns is a right mess, but that's not a bad thing. It (re)introduces character and settings, cluttering up the stage; it has numerous metamorphoses and developments; the end stacks on itself in layers of aborted climaxes, messy and labyrinthine. But while it could use some paring down (the ending, in particular), I would expect nothing less. I'm reminded of Monette's Doctrine of Labyrinths: the plot occasionally gets in its own way, but its chaos and scale fit the context; meanwhile, the story's core is its cast and their messy interpersonal dramas and character growth. It's writing that sits in the gut and heart more than the head. Chess's developments aren't subtle but they are compelling, and the new characters are great. The first volume was more successful, but I remain pleased with this series and look forward to seeing it through to the end.
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*audio review only. see
here for book review.*
Another excellent reading from Gordon MacKenzie, who's given a larger cast to voice this time. I especially love Yancy's clipped speech and his New Yorker Hank Fennig (and knowing Files' proclivities I could only grin and think Gangs of New York).
Also he sings. HE SINGS.
I cannot wait for A Tree Of Bones to come out on audio next so I can have the set. -
Notre western fantastique se poursuit, avec en prime une couple de résurrections temporaires, histoire de ne pas gâcher des beaux persos!
Chess, le fou de la gâchette au début du tome un, acquiert des pouvoirs, mais s'humanise graduellement. Les Pinkerton entrent en scène. Une cité apocalyptique se construit dans le désert. Un idylle se dessine entre... mais chut! vous le lirez vous-mêmes. J'adore.
