Monday 25 February 2013

HISTORICAL URBAN FANTASY: Milkweek Triptych 2: The Coldest War - Ian Tregillis

Release Date: 07/02/13
Publisher:  Orbit

SYNOPSIS:

For decades, Britain's warlocks have been all that stands between the British Empire and the Soviet Union - a vast domain stretching from the Pacific Ocean to the shores of the English Channel. Now each wizard's death is another blow to Britain's national security. Meanwhile, a brother and sister - the subjects of a twisted Nazi experiment to imbue ordinary people with superhuman abilities - escape from a top-secret facility deep behind the Iron Curtain. They head for England, because that's where former spy Raybould Marsh lives. And Gretel, the mad seer, has plans for him. As Marsh is once again drawn into the world of Milkweed, he discovers that Britain's darkest acts didn't end with the war. And while he strives to protect queen and country, he is forced to confront his own willingness to accept victory at any cost.


REVIEW:

Having not been enamoured of the first book in the series I was hoping for more from this book by author Ian Tregillis. Whilst events within Europe have changed dramatically from the setting of the original (this being 20 years later) for me I still found the bits that originally niggled me present, firstly the lack of pace within the text, secondly characters that felt quite flat that needed more fleshing out to allow me to gain not only an interest but to care as to their fates and finally that the story, whilst reasonably told, felt quite slow and more a filler than a full planned second book.

That said, what Ian does do well is utilise his world to the fullest taking each opportunity to allow the reader to see the time period through different eyes. All in, for me not a series I’ll be returning to any time soon and whilst for some it may entertain them quite a bit its more a middle of the road series rather than something that stands out on its own.




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