Book Review – Peter Newman – The Deathless – #Fantasy #HighlyRecommended

Here’s the blurb

“The demons…

In the endless forests of the Wild, humanity scratches a living by the side of the great Godroads, paths of crystal that provide safe passage and hold back the infernal tide. Creatures lurk within the trees, watching, and plucking those who stray too far from safety.

The Deathless…

In crystal castles held aloft on magical currents, seven timeless royal families reign, protecting humanity from the spread of the Wild and its demons. Born and reborn into flawless bodies, the Deathless are as immortal as the precious stones from which they take their names. For generations a fragile balance has held.

And the damned…

House Sapphire, one of the ancient Deathless families, is riven by suspicion and madness. Whole villages are disappearing as the hunting expeditions holding the Wild at bay begin to fail.

Then, when assassins strike, House Sapphire shatters.

Nothing lasts forever.”

My Review

The Deathless by Peter Newman is a stunning work of fantasy.
It is a much easier read than The Vagrant books (which I loved for their sparseness and downright weirdness, and would recommend to everyone – reviews here Book Review – The Malice by Peter Newman – fantasy  Book Review – The Seven by Peter Newman – fantasy – recommended ), but the world created is still vibrantly strange. The first few pages draw you into this new world and immediately grip. There is no huge dump of information, and many readers will read on, mouth agape, wondering just what is going on. If you’re in two minds at this point, just carry on. It is worth it.

With the introduction of more characters, the strangeness occasionally lapses, the characters really quite human with their concerns, and ambitions, but it’s never far from the reader. We are reminded of The Wild, The Deathless and the land beneath the castles of The Deathless repeatedly, and the main action takes places both in the sky and below it.
It is truly a stunning idea, realised, and my only quibble is that the ending is too sudden, and too much is left unanswered. I’m sure this will be resolved in Book 2.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Deathless-Peter-Newman/dp/0008229015/