The Steel Remains

This is fantasy - just harder, faster and bloodier

De: Richard Morgan

Narrado por: Simon Vance

Ringil, the hero of the bloody slaughter at Gallows Gap is a legend to all who don't know him and a twisted degenerate to those that do. A veteran of the wars against the lizards he makes a living from telling credulous travellers of his exploits. Until one day he is pulled away from his life and into the depths of the Empire's slave trade. Here he will discover a secret infinitely more frightening than the trade in lives.

Archeth - pragmatist, cynic and engineer, the last of her race - is called from her work at the whim of the most powerful man in the Empire and sent to its farthest reaches to investigate a demonic incursion against the Empire's borders.

Egar Dragonbane, steppe-nomad, one-time fighter for the Empire finds himself entangled in a small-town battle between common sense and religious fervour. But out in the wider world there is something on the move far more alien than any of his tribe's petty gods.

Anti-social, anti-heroic, and decidedly irritated, all three of them are about to be sent unwillingly forth into a vicious, vigorous and thoroughly unsuspecting fantasy world. Called upon by an Empire that owes them everything and gave them nothing.

Richard Morgan brings his trademark visceral writing style, turbo-driven plotting and thought provoking characterisation to the fantasy genre and produces a landmark work with his first foray.

Read by Simon Vance

(p) 2009 Tantor, Inc©2008 Richard Morgan

Good story, performance so-and-so

What did you like best about this story?

The plot is ok, pretty good gritty fantasy. It soon turns out to be a real page-turner. The world is well-built and original, with elements of science fiction. Characters are good, even if this novel feels like it is mainly setting the stage for what is to come.

What aspect of Simon Vance’s performance would you have changed?

At first, I was impressed by his performance. He has a good voice and it is always clear who is speaking. However, he does this by assigning any number of accents to the characters (except the two male protagonists, who - despite coming from very different backgrounds - get to speak without accent). He also portraits women by speaking in falsetto, which is not only demeaning, but also quite tiresome.
These mannerisms are bad in themselves, but they are even worse in this setting, where the female protagonist is tough as nails, but consistently performed as speaking in falsetto, with a rather forced accent. Also, this manner makes it clear who the performer considers to be foreign.
After a while I got so irritated that I bought the book and read the last third.

Any additional comments?

I have already started reading (not listening to) the next part (The Cold Commands). This far, it seems even better.

Smartly plotted the story line

4 Blue Roses
3.5 Blue Flames

Simon Vance narrated a dark fantasy featuring a gay hero named Ringil, a half breed called Archeth and a bored good hearted clan warrior named Egar Dragonbane. I loved his performance, so much so I added him to my narrator wall of fame. His ability to voice captured the the different characters which made it easy for me to imagine the world the author so smartly plotted.

I disagree absolutely with the reviews claiming the gay sex was too much and even overdone. There are two scenes, very far into the book, they were hot, fleeting and concentrated. I can do with more sex, in my fantasy books, and when I read that the sex is much too much, I was on the audiobook like a fly on shit. This is not a gay romance, and people who claim the sex is too much should listen to young adult stuff.

The author smartly plotted the story line and the world and character building was excellent. I am a fan, and I will definitely continue listening to this series. Especially, to hear more about Ringil. I love big alpha gay dudes.

Happy Listening

Always good to read the description

Where does The Steel Remains rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Richard Morgan writes gripping novels, and The Steel Remains is no exception. He does "damaged dark hero" as well as anyone. In this series he takes the fantasy genre and makes it fresh.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Gil, the lead character, is complex. Sardonic, an aristocrat with many upper class prejudices, he is also an effective military leader and a consummate soldier. He is a loner, follows a warrior ethos, and also has a self-destructive side. He undergoes significant changes in the course of the novel and I look forward to the second part.

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance – was your favorite?

Simon Vance is an accomplished reader, and the two male leads were excellent. I was less excited by the female lead, as her accent, at least to my taste, was a little distracting. Too bad, as her character — half human, half alien, left behind — was fascinating.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was compelled to finish the novel and have already cued up the second one.

Any additional comments?

Some have commented on the depiction of the lead character's homosexuality, which underscores the importance of reading the description and the reviews if you are easily offended. Interestingly, these same readers did not seem the least bit bothered by the equally graphic, equally frequent, depictions of heterosexuality. (In fact, the heterosexual relations depicted were often non-consensual, while the gay sex occurred between consenting parties. I guess raping enslaved women is less offensive than gay sex between equals.) Nor did they seem bothered by the continuous, and highly graphic, violence. Remember, following Dr. Kinsey, that one in ten sword-swinging gore-covered berserker warriors are, statistically, likely to be gay. Which puts a whole new spin on "hearing the lamentations of the women."

As usual Richard Morgan totally redefines a genre,

Violent, Grim, Spellbinding. I'm a Richard Morgan fan, but I hate fantasy novels, I could not put this down. Morgan Imagination seems to inhabit a different plain, a strange and scary world which will always surprise you.

An enjoyable read, but not for the delicate

I have long been a fan of Richard Morgan. Altered Carbon, Broken Angels etc, excellent reads. Morgan has never been afraid to add gritty realism to his characters and stories, often displaying a dirty underside which adds spice and life to his creations. The Steel Remains is not cyber punk, it is set as a more traditional style fantasy world. His writing is as enjoyable as ever, and as ever he doesn't shy away from violence or sex if he feels it is called for in the narrative. In this particular novel, one of the main protagonists engages in several graphically represented same sex acts. This is isn't simply shock value, the sexual orientation of the character impacts very directly on the plot and motives.

However it may gall me, I do think some readers should be warned about the graphic homosexuality in the novel, as many of the fans of the fantasy genre (I was going to say hard core fantasy but decided against it) may not expect to find content of this nature.

That being said, please do not get the impression that the novel is rife with sex. It is an excellent read/listen, well written, great story and great narration. I recommend it to any mature fans of gritty fantasy writing. Any Joe Abercrombie fans should also enjoy this novel.