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Snakewood eBook Adrian Selby

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Snakewood eBook Adrian Selby

So, I have never written a review before, but felt compelled to do so for Snakewood. I have seen many negative reviews both here, and at Goodreads that almost put me off from reading this book, which was one of my more anticipated releases this year. I do not want these negative reviews turning off other potential readers, from what was essentially a well written book. Many reviewers have mentioned that the beginning 100 pages or so are hard to follow, with many confusing switches in viewpoint and reflections on past events muddying the narrative flow. I started the book with some trepidation, but did not find the story that hard to follow at all. I think going into Snakewood knowing that there were going to be frequent switches in point of view and interludes from past events helped me read the book a little better, but overall I don't see why other reviewers are so confused. The book as a whole is presented as a journal, composed of pieces that Goran has put together. There is one main thread in the present, presented from the points of view of 3 main characters (Gant, Galitha, and Kailen), with another mystery character (that of the assassin) entering the narrative later. The present thread is interwoven with journal notes from people Goran has interviewed, presenting the past deeds of Kailen's twenty at certain points. I found these passages marked well, and always knew when the author was switching from current events to past events. These past events eventually have a major bearing on the current thread, namely why someone is hunting down members of Kailen's band. The story itself is well written, with a nice pace and several twists thrown in, and the author writes action scenes and dialogue well. I think the only flaw is that with so many view points in the first 100 pages, it is hard to get attached to any of the characters initially, but if you stick with it, potential readers will find a gripping story and come to care for the characters as they hurtle towards a final resolution.


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Snakewood eBook Adrian Selby Reviews

*Thanks to Hachette audio for providing the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Joe Jameson is quickly becoming one of my favorite narrators in the biz (Age of Assassins & Blood of Assassins by RJ Barker, and The Greatcoats Series by Sebastien de Castell) and if you enjoy audiobooks, I suggest you check him out.*
mer·ce·nar·y
ˈmərsəˌnerē/
adjective - derogatory
1.
(of a person or their behavior) primarily concerned with making money at the expense of ethics.
Kailen's Twenty, a group of career mercenaries, disbanded over fifteen (15) years ago. Scarred and weary from a lifetime spent thieving, bodies heaving from a consistent dosage of fight brews, the crew now lead their own independent lives. But someone or something is out to end the lives of Kailen's Twenty, and when a few of the crew are found dead, news spreads to most of the remaining members. It is now a race against the clock to find those members of Kailen's crew that time has forgotten about, but this killing force will stop at nothing to end.
I have to start my main thoughts on this novel with this... I honestly didn't think I would never finish it, let alone write a review. I started Snakewood three (3) different times, having given up at around 25% and 50% on the first couple of go-rounds. I know that is a weird way to start out a review, but I feel as though I am not the only one who has/had issues with the beginning of this novel [TBH, the 2nd time around was a fail on my part b/c I tried listening at work and it just didn't jive].
The story is, basically, a series of accounts that have been gathered, put together, and retold by a chronicler named Goran. [If you ever read A Plague of Giants by Kevin Hearne, you know exactly what I'm talking about]. The accounts stick to no exact timeline and the reader is left to put everything in order. We begin things with a first-hand account from Gant, one of the surviving members of Kailen's Twenty. Names are thrown around, alchemical brews (and their ingredients) that provide an edge in battle are mentioned, and the reader is left to piece everything together. Apparently, you are just supposed to know what all of the terms mean and move on. Good news is things do end up making sense further down the road. Bad news is your brain may take time to adjust.
Once you get through the first bit of the novel, though, things start to smooth out and the story becomes very engaging. The action is suspenseful, the intrigue palpable, and the ending will make you wish there were more. You probably won't fall in love with any characters as none of them have any sort of redeeming value, but a handful of them do get fleshed out to the point where you'll become enamored with their storylines. I did find myself vastly interested in the brew system, which isn't really magic but chemistry. The brews are not only useful for healing or poisoning, but can give enhanced vision or fighting prowess, be used as traps to incapacitate foes, or to downright murder someone (AVADA KEDAVRA!!!!). This, in addition to hand-to-hand or sword-to-sword combat, make each of the fight scenes worth grabbing a bag of popcorn and snuggling under your comfiest blanket to enjoy. I also loved that, even though you start to uncover who's who, Selby still injects twists that you won't see coming.
Overall, once I got past the first quarter or so of the novel, I found myself loving Snakewood. I highly recommend any Grimdark fan give it a chance as there really is some fascinating stuff here. The past few years have certainly produced a number of exciting fantasy debuts and Snakewood, as it should have been, was shortlisted for the Gemmell Morningstar Award in 2017 among a slew of others.
So, I have never written a review before, but felt compelled to do so for Snakewood. I have seen many negative reviews both here, and at Goodreads that almost put me off from reading this book, which was one of my more anticipated releases this year. I do not want these negative reviews turning off other potential readers, from what was essentially a well written book. Many reviewers have mentioned that the beginning 100 pages or so are hard to follow, with many confusing switches in viewpoint and reflections on past events muddying the narrative flow. I started the book with some trepidation, but did not find the story that hard to follow at all. I think going into Snakewood knowing that there were going to be frequent switches in point of view and interludes from past events helped me read the book a little better, but overall I don't see why other reviewers are so confused. The book as a whole is presented as a journal, composed of pieces that Goran has put together. There is one main thread in the present, presented from the points of view of 3 main characters (Gant, Galitha, and Kailen), with another mystery character (that of the assassin) entering the narrative later. The present thread is interwoven with journal notes from people Goran has interviewed, presenting the past deeds of Kailen's twenty at certain points. I found these passages marked well, and always knew when the author was switching from current events to past events. These past events eventually have a major bearing on the current thread, namely why someone is hunting down members of Kailen's band. The story itself is well written, with a nice pace and several twists thrown in, and the author writes action scenes and dialogue well. I think the only flaw is that with so many view points in the first 100 pages, it is hard to get attached to any of the characters initially, but if you stick with it, potential readers will find a gripping story and come to care for the characters as they hurtle towards a final resolution.