Customer Reviews

Cold Commands (GollanczF.)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

A year ago, the famous swordsman Ringil Eskiath, hero of Gallow's Gap, prevented the return of the Dwenda, the ancient rulers of mankind, to the Earth. Ringil and his wartime allies, Egar the barbarian warrior and the half-Kiriath agent Archeth, stand vigilant against any future incursions by this foe.

Now Egar, Archeth and Ringil face separate mysteries. A bar-room brawl and reports of slaves being held in unusual circumstances leads Egar into an ill-advised confrontation with the Empire's dominant religion. A warning from the Helmsmen sends Archeth on a mission into the wastelands to recover a valuable item, an item which comes with a dire warning. And a chance encounter between a runaway slave and Ringil results in blood, mayhem and revelations of a dark kind.

The Cold Commands is the long-awaited sequel to Richard Morgan's The Steel Remains, the author's first foray away from SF and into the arena of secondary world fantasy. The Steel Remains was a blood-soaked, swords and sorcery adventure, black of humour and fairly brimming over with violence and sex (most of it graphic and gay, to the disquiet of some readers). It was solid enough stuff, though perhaps not as good as the billing suggested. Morgan's SF is so good because he writes with anger, flair and passion, and is at its best when he is clearly ticked off about something (in Black Man, particularly the self-destruction of a society which cannot talk to itself, only throw up barriers and tear itself apart). The Steel Remains, though a reasonably solid novel, lacked the vitality of his earlier SF.

The Cold Commands has that energy back, and in spades. Here Morgan confronts the issues of religious fundamentalism and blind dogma as the Citadel attempts to garner more control over the Empire than the young (and notoriously uncompromising) Emperor. Archeth recalls the religious disagreements that almost tore apart her parents' marriage: her Kiriath father's mounting horror as his calm, rational scientific explanations for everything are rejected by his human wife in favour of rote-learned rhetoric. These issues give the book a bit of a philosophical and thematic kick to it that sees Morgan's writing return to the top of its game.

Whilst this issue is present and explored intriguingly, it does not overwhelm the plot. This time around there is a three-pronged storyline with each of the major protagonists having their own story arc to follow. Ringil probably has slightly more action than Archeth and Egar, but the division of responsibility between the three is more equal this time around. This approach contributes to the book's greater length (more than half again the size of The Steel Remains) and also allows Morgan to bring in the noir-like investigative tone of his earlier SF work. We also get a lot more backstory and revelations about the mysteries of the world, which further the hints in The Steel Remains that this is as much a far-future SF story as it is a fantasy epic.

Morgan's skills with characterisation are extremely strong, as usual. Ringil remains an unreliable and flawed protagonist, whose motivations are fascinating and complex, whilst Archeth is conflicted and guilt-driven, unsure of her place in the world now the rest of her people have departed. Even the relatively straightforward Egar has his frustrations and demons that drive him to make some spectacular mistakes which drive the plot onwards. The secondary cast, this time consisting of mostly new faces with only a few returning characters, is also extremely well-drawn, particularly the increasingly punchable young Emperor and the new character of Anasharal, who is amusing and annoying in equal measure.

This is a character-driven and intelligent fantasy novel, but Morgan doesn't forget to bring the mayhem. There's a midnight raid on a temple that Robert E. Howard would have approved of, more swordfights and murders than you can shake a stick at and a few rare but impressive displays of sorcery...though the dividing line between 'sorcery' and 'vastly superior technology' is intriguingly blurry.

In fact, the only thing lets The Cold Commands down is that a major storyline is kicked into gear in the latter part of the novel only to be put on hold for the impressive finale. With this story presumably left to be picked up in the third book, this means that The Cold Commands does not stand alone as nicely as the The Steel Remains, and is not as self-contained. This is a relatively minor issue, but one worth bearing in mind.

The Cold Commands (****½) sees Morgan back on top form and delivering a book as passionate, fast-paced, smart and furious as any of his SF.

What a truly disappointing task it is to write a mediocre review for a highly anticipated sequel. I finished reading Richard K. Morgan's The Steel Remains last week. The book had some rough edges that needed some buffering but it was a promising start to series by a well established author. I read the book as quickly as possible so that I could start The Cold Commands the moment it arrived. Sadly, this is one sequel that left me unfulfilled. This review contains some things readers may consider SPOILERS, so please read at your own risk.

This is from the Amazon product description of The Cold Commands: "An expedition is outfitted for the long and arduous sea journey to find the lost island of the Illwrack Changeling. Aboard are Gil, Egar, and Archeth: each fleeing from ghosts of the past, each seeking redemption in whatever lies ahead. But redemption doesn't come cheap these days. Nor, for that matter, does survival. Not even for Ringil Eskiath. Or anyone--god or mortal--who would seek to use him as a pawn."

Here is the problem. This expedition? This expedition never gets under way. In fact the expedition is never even outfitted. Shoot, it's two hundred pages into the book before the purpose of the expedition is brought to light. Afterward a group of expeditionaries is assembled but nothing else comes to pass, leaving readers to assume that this expedition will be part of the third novel. This is the biggest problem with the novel. At the start you can feel the momentum, the characters being guided toward this plot beacon. And as the pages fly by the characters only seem to creep closer by the inch. The gun is introduced in the first act but forgotten about completely by the third it seems. As I got closer and closer to the end I found myself imagining the cast of Monty Python's Quest for the Holy Grail screaming "GET ON WITH IT!"

Like the last novel I found Ringil and Archeth's perspectives to be the most compelling while Egar's story failed to hold my interest. Sadly Ringil's perspective seemed to flounder during this novel as well. Ringil starts out with a bang, rescuing slaves and killing evil doers. But then he winds up in the Gray Places, and his perspective loses focus. The real gem of The Cold Commands is Archeth. Once again I found myself enthusiastically waiting for her chapters, eager to learn even the smallest bits about the Kiriath or the Helmsmen. The are some new supporting characters introduced but there is no real effort to develop them any further than their direct relationships with the main POV's.

The best part of this series to date has to be Morgan's inclusion of science fiction elements into this fantasy world. The Kiriath and their technology, specifically the mysterious Helmsmen are intriguing. Unfortunately the horrifying Aldrain have a limited presence in the novel, even if their machinations are clearly going on in the background. My favorite overall moment of the story is when the Helmsman responsible for delivering the warning to Archeth and the Empire explains the earliest history of the world and the origins of the Kiriath/Aldrain conflict. More of this would have been welcomed.

The novel is not completely without pros. Ringil is, as ever, a fascinating character. Fans of the genre are unlikely to find an anti-hero as unique as Ringil Angeleyes. As ever, Morgan's anger and sharp wit is at play. Fundamentalist religion takes a heavy hit, as does imperialism. The forces of the world are painted in shades of black. There is darkness in the world and Morgan does not shy away from violence and more controversial issues. The Cold Commands is not a bad novel. Richard K. Morgan is a highly skilled writer, especially when it comes to dialogue. That said, The Cold Commands strikes me as irrelevant, a prime example of "middle book syndrome." The stage is set for the third book in the series, but this installment seems superfluous. I'll go ahead and buy The Dark Defiles, but I'll be more careful with my expectations.

It's somewhat late, and I have to be up early tomorrow, so I'll be brief. Morgan is, simply put, the king of BAMF writing. From his sci-fi writing,Altered Carbon: A Takeshi Kovacs Novel (Takeshi Kovacs Novels) and the other Kovacs novels, to his more near-future Market Forces, to this, the second book in his fantasy series, Morgan excels at combat writing. The action's fast, frequent, well-described, believable, vicious; in short, everything action should be.

Furthermore, the rest of Morgan's writing also holds up. His characters are a rare mix of complex and simple, much as real people are. The plot, where Ringil (Gil) and his comrades are attempting to block hostile alien incursions into their world, is well imagined and detailed; I particularly liked the realism with which Morgan approached the human-human considerations. I liked the worldbuilding, think that the religious elements are well addressed, and enjoyed the way Morgan weaved together a few sci-fi elements into his fantasy framework.

Overall, a great novel that should have wide readership from sci-fi and fantasy readers. Particularly recommended to fans of good action.

. The real strong point to this series is the characters, the three main 'heroes' being so well fleshed out I'm left, having finished the second novel in the series and with no clue to when the third is expected, with a sensation of being separated from old friends.

Not that Ringil, Archeth and Egar are exactly the healthiest of people to be friends with. To describe them as flawed characters would be offensive to flawed characters throughout literature. At best, they have one or two redeeming qualities each - Egar has, I feel, a few more than the others. But that just makes them all the more interesting, and leaves me longing to know what they will get up to next.

This is not a series for everyone. It is laden with graphic violence and sex scenes and references, but if you can stomach that then you might be able to see beneath the coarse surface to the subtler references beneath. Clever prose, a dry wit, and characters driven mostly by impulse and instinct make for an exciting ride.

And yes, The Cold Commands suffers from Second In The Trilogy syndrome. It is slow to start, but as a continuation from the first novel that isn't unexpected, and it builds to an exciting conclusion with some interesting revelations.

If you like your fantasy deliciously noir and dangerous, give The Steel Remains and The Cold Commands a fair try. And here's hoping it isn't too long a wait for part three!

reading Richard Morgan's "Land Fit fo Heroes" books.

Thank God for these new guys in the field ( Col Buchanan is another I would add ) that still know how to envelop us in the worlds they create and in new and refreshing ideas and story lines.

Takes us far beyond Abercrombie's work ( and I loved Abercrombie's first trilogy ! )

Very good pace, engaging action and suspense and believable characters.

One novelty in the genre - the sexual preference of one of the main characters - I could do without; but not enough to not grant the series a well deserved 5 star review.

For those who complain that this book requires you to have read the previous novel, The Steel Remains, duh, yeah, well, it's book 2 of a trilogy and you should read the first book first. I hate those books where they have to go over the whole story from the previous books. This is a TV show mentality and most readers are smart enough to grasp the concept of reading in the correct order.

The book itself is not at all confusing. Sure, you have to pay attention but that's part of the reading experience.

I did get defective discs and part of chapters 21 and 22 are missing. Amazon is sending a replacement set but fortunately, I also bought the book in print.

I'm a real admirer of Ringil. I'm not gay but if I were, I'd probably change my name :-).

A worthy sequel. The war weary characters continue to unfold with a plot that grabs and doesn't let go until the end.

Can Richard Morgan do no wrong? Whenever anyone mentions reading, I recommend him to them. His writing is brilliant. I don't even know how I'd rate his style as I just seem to get sucked into the flow of words and totally immersed in the action. Which is exactly what a great story teller does, I suppose.

I would totally recommend this (and all his books). Beware if you are prudish, I guess - he is not afraid of descriptive sex scenes :)

I usually won't read books in a series until the series is complete. I've made an exception twice now for Morgan's books. I can't wait until the next one!

The other 3 star review pretty much summed it up well.

This book is written with Morgan's usual flair, and is a good read if you're a fan of his style and action scenes (which I am), however the plot of this book is... glacial. The entire novel is taken up with the three protagonists bumbling around the city (or in Ringel's case, stumbling around, for far too long, in a confused state in the Grey Places). And after hundreds of pages of not much happening, there's an obligatory blur of action with a bit of a limp finale.

I got the impression that either the author was just releasing a placeholder book and that more interesting things will happen later. Or that his editors didn't really do their job and edit this down to about five chapters in what the next book should be.

I really enjoyed the Kovacs series, Thirteen/Black Man, and thought Market Forces was entertaining (if a little overly contrived). I've re-read everything except for Market Forces. The Cold Commands is the first book that I've found myself skipping text in the hope that something would finally just happen.

Morgan has almost invented a new flavor of sword and sorcery adventure with this saga of the three dragonbanes, all of them flawed and at times untrustworthy -- Ringil Eskiath, exiled and outlawed nobleman from the north, stone killer and queer as a three-dollar bill, and Egar, Majak barbarian from the steppes who never feels at home in the southern cities but still can't leave (and a much simpler soul than Gil), and Archeth, last remaining member of a technologically advanced alien race, left behind when all her people left after the successful war against the Scaled Folk (and much more complex than her two comrades). The operative word for this tideless world without a moon, with a "band" instead of stars, is "gritty." It's a world of bloody-handed merchants, aristocrats, and religious extremists, where a new, young emperor carries on paranoid purges and debtors are auctioned into slavery. Not a pleasant place, but very interesting as a setting. Earlier in the extended story, the three protagonists were a trio, each supporting the other two in their fight against the Dwenda, who live in the Gray Places between the human world and some other place, and who are very scary indeed. This time, each of them gets a chapter in rotation for most of the narrative. For the first few cycles, that's pretty confusing and it's difficult to keep track of what's supposed to be happening.

And there are other problems. This is meant, one understands, to be the second volume of a trilogy -- but where the first volume had an actual beginning, middle, and semi-end, the first three-quarters of this volume seems to consist only of a series of middles. I enjoyed _The Steel Remains_ a good deal, but stylistically, this volume bears almost no resemblance to the first one. The pace for much of the book is excruciatingly slow and the writing is much too purple and waxes much too mystical. In places, Morgan's prose, especially his exposition, is so thick, so glutinous, it's like wading through a lake of waist-deep cold oatmeal. The expedition the flap copy claims is the centerpiece of the story still hasn't gotten under way by the end of the book, nor is it entirely clear what its purpose is. I guess that will be the focus of the third volume.

Anyway, I was optimistic and I stayed with it. And, eventually, about 150 pages from the end, the pace picked up, the three main characters came together, and the action became much clearer. The fight scenes are chilling indeed and Gil's gradual metamorphosis into a sorcerer (or whatever) is generally well done. But I really think the story would have been improved by the excision of a couple hundred unneeded pages.