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The Grim Company, by Luke Scull. Just like Abercrombie, but with actual magic.


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The Grim Company, Epic Free Sample, by Luke Scull

This is going to be massive.

The blurb:

This is a world dying.

A world where wild magic leaks from the corpses of rotting gods, desperate tyrants battle over fading resources, impassive shapeshifters marshal beasts of enormous size and startling intelligence, and ravenous demons infest the northern mountains. A world where the only difference between a hero and a killer lies in the ability to justify dark deeds.

But even in this world, pockets of resistance remain. When two aging warriors save the life of a young rebel, it proves the foundation for an unlikely fellowship. A fellowship united against tyranny, yet composed of self-righteous outlaws, crippled turncoats and amoral mercenaries. A grim company, indeed…

I first heard the name Luke Scull—and by the way, what a totally excellent name that is for a writer of fantasy fiction—somewhere around the middle of last year. Scull's debut novel, The Grim Company, had just been the subject of a fierce, six-way bidding-war, with brand-new publishing house, Head of Zeus, eventually claiming victory with a bid described as being somewhere in the “strong six-figure” section of the ballpark.

The first of a trilogy, The Grim Company isn’t released until the 1st of March, but Head of Zeus have already released the first two-thirds of the book in the potentially groundbreaking form of an Epic Free Sample. It’s a bold and unusual step from a fledgling publisher, and while the author has admitted to ‘arching an eyebrow’ when the idea was initially suggested, having devoured the first three-hundred pages of his book in less than a day, I really don’t think he has anything to worry about.

The Grim Company is, quite possibly, the most accomplished epic fantasy debut you will ever read. <DISCLAIMER>Of course, having only read two-thirds of the book, there’s always the chance of things going to shit in the final act... Oh, and it might not be to everybody’s taste. The story takes place in a world utterly devoid of baffling, apostrophe-riddled proper nouns. So far, nobody’s been raped. And the most powerful being in the entire world is, in all likelihood, a woman. </DISCLAIMER>

The worldbuilding is succinctly done, with Scull eschewing the endless info-dumps, bloated description, and philosophical navel-gazing that all too often sucks the life from tales tackling such lofty themes. Instead, his tight, concise prose delivers just enough information to allow the reader to plunge in and enjoy the story.

And what a story. It seems that Scull has taken everything I love about the genre (mighty, god-like wizards; political intrigue and skulduggery; the tortured, tragic hero; Lovecraftian demon-monsters running amok in the wilderness), set the magic sliders to maximum, and woven an exciting, fast moving story that presses all my buttons.

While I should point out that on the face of it, there’s nothing here that hasn’t been done before, Scull’s focused, bloat-free approach, coupled with an engaging, easygoing style makes for an absolutely cracking read.

Fans of Abercrombie will love it, especially those who feel he’s been somewhat miserly with the magic in his latest books.

Speaking of Abercrombie, if you were to conduct a poll asking fans of the genre to list their all-time favourite characters, chances are Logen Ninefingers wouldn’t be too far from the top of that list.

Step forward, Brodar Kayne. Haunted by the memory of a terrible, violent tragedy, the immensely likeable Kayne is like an older, slightly-cuddlier version of Abercrombie’s digitally-challenged barbarian. It’s still early days, but from what I’ve seen so far, Scull has big plans for this guy, and it’s surely only a matter of time before Kayne is elevated to the blood-soaked pantheon of ultimate fictional badasses.

I’ll finish by saying that as good as The Grim Company is, it's by no means perfect. But seeing as perfection is nothing more than an ever-distant, abstract impossibility, who really gives a shit?

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In all honesty, I can think of better debuts. But thanks all the same. I'm reasonably happy with The Grim Company. The first third's a bit chaotic and the prose could be sharper in spots, or at least that's my impression from my most recent re-read. I will say the final third of the book is the strongest by far. So if you liked the first two-thirds, that's a very good sign.

The Abercrombie comparisons don't bother me. True fact: I was working with BioWare and CDP on the Neverwinter Nights and Witcher franchises before Abercrombie was published. Anyone who thinks I've shamelessly ripped off Joe can check out my old NWN stuff and acknowledge that, even as far back as the early 2000s, the makings of a legendary writer were visible for all to see. Nonetheless, Joe Abercrombie is awesome.

Sci - It's piqued, bro.

SkynJay - Ace-Roc will release The Grim Company in the US/Canada in September.

MisterOJ - The title's fantastic.

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I am interested, but I am also turned off by the absolutely horrid book title.

I don't know, it has an old school feel to it. I kind of want a fantasy that isn't trying to be meta or winking at me. I like that stuff too, but I personally haven't read a straight up fantasy tale in awhile.

eta:

Sci - It's piqued, bro.

Hey I'm Indian, English isn't my first language....nah, I'm full of shit. I just play the race card to get out situations like this. ;-)

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MisterOJ - The title's fantastic.

Look, I'll probably buy the book and read it. But it'll be despite the title. When I first saw it, it made it sound like some kind of knockoff of Glen Cook's The Black Company.

Maybe it works with the book itself. I don't know. I just read a short book recently that I thought had a similarly bad title which made no sense - until I got to the end of the book. Then it made sense. Maybe your book will be like that too. I don't know. But I'll give it a shot.

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Look, I'll probably buy the book and read it. But it'll be despite the title. When I first saw it, it made it sound like some kind of knockoff of Glen Cook's The Black Company.

No, that is a very good point. I was worried about The Black Company comparisons too. Someone who didn't like the book even said it reminded them of Glen Cook (who I've only read a very small sample of - definitely no influence at all, unless by way of Erikson). But it was the title that caused my agent to pluck it from the Authonomy slush pile for an inspection in the first place, and all my publishers loved it, so I stuck with it.

In case anyone cares, the second book will be entitled Sword of the North. The third, Dead Man's Steel.

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In case anyone cares, the second book will be entitled Sword of the North. The third, Dead Man's Steel.

before i get involved can i have a promise that it'll only be 3 books and there will be no more than 2 years between releases?

edit, just ordered it, only £1.17 on amazon, bargain.

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Luke's publisher was kind enough to send me an ARC in December. I would give it 4/5 stars - definitely a very solid book, even by non-debut standards. By debut standards, it was fantastic - easily up there with Prince of Thorns in my opinion. I'd definitely recommend everyone *at least* download the sample - I bet you'll enjoy the book.

Actually I have little to add (at least not until there's a spoiler thread) that Luke didn't already say himself. My main issue with the book was the slightly scatter-shot plotting in the first third, but all of that resolved itself and then some by the end. It definitely evokes Abercrombie more than any other writer, but there is a bit of Erikson and Richard Morgan in there, too.

I didn't get any Black Company vibe from the novel at all, FWIW. Not that Black Company vibe is a bad thing :) but I don't see that comparison at all.

Re: the super long ebook sample... I actually think it's a great idea, and although I think Grim Company is breaking new ground with regards to percentage of the novel released for free, my sample of Shogun was over 100 pages and my sample of LOTR 50th edition was around 250. I can say that I really hate when I download a sample that turns out to be 13 pages, which don't even get me through the author's note. I once downloaded a sample (can't recall the book off the top of my head) that didn't even make it through the TOC.

Edit: Grammar

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I have an ARC. I may move it up the schedule, after I have endured read The Daylight War.

If you like, I could ask my publisher to send you a retail hardback. Aside from fixing typos and such, I made quite a few signifiant adjustments to the ARC text that make the final text a fair bit stronger. Also, the finished book is stunning (in my no doubt biased opinion).

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If you like, I could ask my publisher to send you a retail hardback. Aside from fixing typos and such, I made quite a few signifiant adjustments to the ARC text that make the final text a fair bit stronger. Also, the finished book is stunning (in my no doubt biased opinion).

Oh sure if your offering... :)

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If you like, I could ask my publisher to send you a retail hardback. Aside from fixing typos and such, I made quite a few signifiant adjustments to the ARC text that make the final text a fair bit stronger. Also, the finished book is stunning (in my no doubt biased opinion).

pssst, Spocky, use the dog face...

Woof!

**drops ears, tilts head, slowly raises eyes**

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