Customer Reviews

This Crooked Way

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James Enge's second entry in his Morlock series ties together several pre-existing stories into a novel. Because of this, it's necessarily episodic. This didn't hinder my enjoyment of it at all. I had read some of the stories before, and enjoyed revisiting them tied into the larger context.

The context includes Morlock's interaction with the Khroi, his search for his horse, Velox, and the problem of his parents, Merlin Ambrosius and Nimue Viviana. What Merlin has done with Nimue and how Morlock intends to address it are an ongoing thread throughout the book.

Some of the sections move out of Morlock's point-of-view into those of his traveling companions, a nice contrast between how Morlock thinks of himself and how those around him do. Some of these sections are in first person (most of the book is in third,) and the voices are engagingly distinctive. The linking frame-tale, told in interludes between chapters, is from the perspective of the alien Khroi. It is a pleasure to read a convincingly alien voice, and Enge does a wonderful job with both the Khroi culture and their voice. By the end of the book, the reason that the Khroi are telling stories about Morlock becomes clear.

Without ever intending to, Morlock draws trouble, both for himself and for those traveling with him. Much of this is because he has a powerful enemy, but the blame never gets assigned where it really belongs, at least partly because of Morlock's infamous reputation.

By the end of the book, the plot threads are tied up, but not so neatly that there isn't plenty to address in the next book, to which I very much look forward. While the first book certainly informs this one, this one could be read perfectly comprehensibly without having read Blood of Ambrose.

One thing I enjoyed very much about both books was the dry wit throughout. Appendix B, which discusses the provenance of the Morlock myth is a prime example as well as a tiny window into an alternate history.

Edited to add: I forgot to mention Chuck Lucaks' stunning interior illustrations, which include scenes from the stories, a map, and a really gorgeous drawing of Morlock's sword, Tyrfing, that heads each chapter.

I really enjoyed this book. The preceding novel 'Blood of Ambrose' was good, but got rather dreary with its domination by a single mad necromancer villain. This novel focuses on Morlock, a tight-lipped recovering alcoholic with crooked shoulders, who happens to be the world's best creator of magic items, as well as a formidable swordsman (with a cursed sword to boot). Here Morlock faces off -- directly and indirectly -- against his ultra-powerful, supremely vain sorcerer father Merlin in a quest to both rescue his unique horse Velox and to unite the separated parts of his mother's being -- in order to let her, at long last, die. The variety of the different episodes lends interest and flows together well. The supporting characters, primarily a family of refugees, are well drawn. The humor is dry but funny , most notably with an incredibly narcissistic gnome, a wildly bureaucratic city and even a poke at Jack in the Beanstalk. The villains still tend toward the disgusting or appalling. Interludes on the Khroi, a parasitic race of insectoids that Morlock unwillingly devastates, are also interesting.

I truly didn't know what to expect when I picked up this follow up to "The Blood of Ambrose" it's not truly a sequel, it does take place after TBA, but has very little if any of it's plot that rests heavily upon knowledge of the earlier book. For those who have read and loved the structure of Lois Bujolds "Borders of Infinity" and Mercedes Lackey's "Oathbound" you'll be right at home in this multiframed story.

Crooked is much lighter in tone than the grim Blood, and is told through more POV's, each with their own distinct voice and timbre. I like that we get a huge amount of info about universe of Morlock both in text and in appendices, I like better that in both instances the information is delivered with a deft touch that I've come to love.

Already an exile, Morlock Ambrosius is now also officially an outlaw in This Crooked Way. Winter finds him wandering when his horse, Velox, is stolen. Previous adventures have earned Morlock's loyalty to the mystical steed and it's apparent that the horse theft is a tactic to lure Morlock into a series of traps orchestrated by an enemy from his past. So into the dangerous pass called the Kirack Kund -- dwarvish for "The River of Skulls" -- The Crooked Man goes. This quest will end up lasting several years in which Morlock encounters golems, monsters, rival sorcerers, insectoid tribes, thieves, street gangs, and dragons, and even sort of adopts (or perhaps is adopted by) a misfit family.

This is the second novel Mr. Enge has written about his intriguing character. He has also written short stories about Morlock in Black Gate magazine and in the anthologies The Return of the Sword and Swords and Dark Magic. Morlock Ambrosius is one of the most fascinating and fun heroes in fantasy. Simply said, I'm hooked.

Morlock is a genius. He was fostered by dwarves a couple centuries ago and he learned swordplay from the greatest master of all time. He is very proficient in most all the arcane arts, which only makes sense, because his father is none other than Merlin himself. However, Morlock's unmatched expertise is in the making of magical things. With his great engineer's mind, he meets every problem, no matter how deadly, with a cold, calculating thought process, like it's a mere mathematical riddle to be solved. He can be ruthless; an alcoholic, currently a recovered one, he threatens murder when offered a drink one time too many -- a threat he surely would've acted on. But he can also be compassionate -- showing mercy to treacherous enemies or putting himself in harm's way for a stranger.

The events that build up to the ending of This Crooked Way read much like a series of continuing short stories in the tradition of sword & sorcery tales. Many different characters tell of these adventures; some are told by friends of Morlock but more than a few by his foes. The various points of view, influenced by the terrifying stories that all have grown up hearing about The Crooked Man, only deepen the mystery of Morlock Ambrose.

These stories are as clever, witty, and darkly whimsical, as Morlock is himself. I plan to read them all and I'll also be watching closely for anything else James Enge writes.

I started reading the Morlock stories in Black Gate magazine, and loved them. I thought Enge wrote short stories very well, and This Crooked Way is a series of short stories combined to become a novel. They are told from different perspectives, which Enge does as well as anyone. However, the stories come together seamlessly, and advance the plot and characters. I thought Enge does a better job of keeping pace in this book than in Blood of Ambrose.

It is a very fast read, and although there is some humor and gore, it is mostly action. I enjoyed it very much, and am looking forward to the third installment of the Morlock series. I highly recommend it, and I think it would be enjoyable even without reading the first one.

I've grown to love Enge's style of writing because I NEED to feel the characters...I need to sympathize with them on some level. Enge does a great job of fleshing out the main characters, and not just the main protagonist, but also those characters with whom he interacts.

Throughout a good part of the novel, which consists of short stories that are linked to each other, Morlock is part of an adoptive and somewhat dysfunctional family, and the interaction between them is humorous. I also like how some of the episodes are told from a different character's point of view, which pleasantly adds to the variety of concepts and imagery.

My favorite aspect of the book though, is how it vaguely reminded me of Jack Vance's "Dying Earth". Morlock, in one episode, has to chase his shoes which have been magically imbued with life and are fleeing from him, through a deadly forest, and his dialogue with a hungry and peevish dragon trapped in a pit and also a loud and stupid troll under a bridge made me laugh out loud.

I recommend the read.

YOU NEED TO FIX THE PREVIEW OF THIS BOOK! WHEN YOU CLICK ON THE IMAGE IT IS PREVIEWING SOME GARBAGE ON "SOCIAL BUSINESS CONSCIOUSNESS" NOT "THIS CROOKED WAY"!!!

After his failures and defeat (see BLOOD OF AMBROSE) enchanter Morlock Ambosius flees on his horse Velox; he hopes to buy time to regroup and try again. Instead a stone beast attacks the enchanter and his steed. Morlock survives, but Velox vanishes.

Morlock searches for his horse while heading to Sarkunden where he runs into the Sorcerer Slash who says to call him Charis before pleadings with Morlock to help him; the enchanter reluctantly agrees to do so. On his quest he meets new allies, who initially fear the legend, but as they get to know him befriend him.

This is an that focuses on the meandering travels and dialogue of an exiled enchanter and the associates he meets on his crooked trek towards and into the Kirach Kund where the Khroi rule by killing outsiders. Those people the protagonist meets on his dangerous journey tell much of the tale as they relate their initial fear and dread of the aloof unflustered enchanter but become friends with him once they discover his human flaws make him more like them than the frightening superior being they expected to encounter. Thus his quest is clearly humanized by the secondary cast. Although the climax is relatively smaller and much diminished in comparison to the roar of THE BLOOD OF AMBROSE, fans will relish the second saga as the well written character driven THIS CROOKED WAY comes across as a deeper look into the lives of wizards, sorcerers, and one particular enchanter.

Harriet Klausner