CAIRNS BOOK REVIEW: The Steel Remains by Richard Morgan (Gollancz)

This is finely-written, intricately-plotted, action-packed fantasy of the old school.

The Steel Remains has a gritty, dusty edge with enough realism to stop it becoming just another fantasy novel.

Morgan has created a couple of likely anti-heroes in Ringil, Archeth and Egar – a degenerate noble, the last of her race and a barbarian.

Yet Ringil is more than he seems, he’s a deadly fighter and reluctant leader of men; Archeth is tied to a king she despises but given the freedom due to her history and Egar is a barbarian who likes to think more than he should.

All three of them once saved their world, now they are being drawn back into war as another mysterious race begins to gnaw at the edges of the empire.

Morgan’s sarcastic turn of phrase, his delicate plot lines and his ability to make magic real are the things that puts The Steel Remains into the ‘must read’ fantasy category.

I can’t wait for the next instalment in the series.

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