The Tower of Fools by Andrzej Sapkowski; Midway by Tony Ballantyne; The Saints of Salvation by Peter F Hamilton; Unconquerable Sun by Kate Elliott; and The House of a Hundred Whispers by Graham Masterton
Polish fabulist Andrzej Sapkowski, author of the bestselling Witcher series of epic fantasies now filmed for Netflix, begins a new trilogy with The Tower of Fools, translated by David French (Gollancz, £20). It’s a typically sprawling narrative set in 15th-century Europe during the chaotic Hussite revolution, in which religious reformers fought Catholic armies loyal to the Holy Roman Emperor. Noble Reynevan, physician and practitioner of the dark arts, is caught in the boudoir of Adèle of Stercza. When her brothers give chase, one of them dies in pursuit, and the survivors vow vengeance. What follows is the record of Reynevan’s perilous flight south through central Europe, in which our cocksure hero is pursued by the brothers and various political factions. He’s accompanied by knights, rebels and new love Nicolette, as well as Samson, a demon in human form. Sapkowski peppers the story with telling period detail, vivid and violent set pieces, and scatological humour. After a slow start, in which the historical and political backdrop is filled in by characters discoursing at length, the narrative settles into a bloody but satisfying picaresque.
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