'The New World' – Mark Lawrence

If you've pre-ordered your copy of the Grim Oak Press edition of 'The Red Queen's War, Omnibus' (if you haven't, it's a limited edition of 1000 copies so I would seriously consider clicking Here if I were you) then you can look forward to reading 'The New World', included as an extra in the book, when your copy arrives. I don't have a mysterious, and wealthy, benefactor (which is what it would take for me to be able to afford my own copy right now) but what I did have was a very kind offer from none other than Mark Lawrence himself to partake of a copy of 'The New World' in return for a fair and honest review. Having never read any of the 'Red Queen's War' books (it's been a tough few years, a couple of which saw me lose all ability to focus on a book, let alone actually read it) Having finished 'The New World' last night, I can safely say that I will be buying the 'Red Queen's War' books when I next get paid and making sure that gap is well and truly filled. It's a great little read and anyone who has pre-ordered the omnibus is in for a bit of a treat.

Prince Jalan Kendeth is now also a Cardinal albeit a Cardinal with far from a professional interest in the sisters of the Church. One such incident sees him forcibly directed towards a new posting in the New World, if he can survive the journey over the Atlantis Sea first that is...

You would be forgiven for wondering what could possibly go wrong with a small ship on a journey overseas. It turns out that quite a lot can, and will, go wrong for our 'hero' but he won't mind if it gives him a chance to try and soften the resolve of his chaperone...

To be completely honest, I wasn't sure what I'd be getting with 'The New World'. I mean, I know roughly what Mark Lawrence is about but 25,000 words isn't that many to tell a story so it was always going to be interesting to see how Lawrence made best use of them. In a twist that I never saw coming, Lawrence uses those 25,000 words to throw everything he can at the story and it all sticks, all of it. You want a thriller? Our 'hero' must avoid death at the hands of people who are no longer alive themselves. You want a little clever wordplay with that thriller? There's loads of that here, I'm not afraid to admit that I had to read the Captain's name twice before I got it (thanks for nothing silent 'K'...) You want a little insight into the main character? You're definitely getting that here... Whether Jalan is an old accquaintance or if you are meeting him for the first time, you will have fun with him here. Jalan is a bit of a bastard but he's the bit of a bastard that we would all like to be (if we're being honest with ourselves) while, at the same time, being enough of a bastard that when he gets into trouble the reader is all, 'bloody serves you right' while at the same time waiting to see how Jalan gets out of it. Because he does, every single time, but it doesn't get tired as you can't help but cheer him on. It's great fun to read.

I was all ready for a 'Heart of Darkness' style plot (when I found out just why Jalan was really going to the New World) but instead got more of a 'Speed' vibe from the proceedings with a bomb that, well... you'll see if you read it ;o) What I can tell you is that for a story where 99% (ish) of the plot is on a boat, there is so much happening and so many reasons to keep turning the pages. Every time I read a Mark Lawrence story, I always end up asking myself why I'm not reading more of his stuff. 'The New World' is no exception and like I said at the beginning, if you have pre-ordered the omnibus edition then you're in for a little treat with this tale.