Book Review: 'Ten Low' by Stark Holborn

Brilliant! One of my favourite reads of the year!

'Ten Low' by Stark Holborn is a taut and gritty sci-fi adventure set on Factus, a backwater moon on the edge of Accord military controlled space, colonised by convicts and miners, but where the lawless and body snatching scavengers now rule!

The book opens with Ten Low, a former army medic, witnessing a ship crash. Exploring the crash site she discovers the sole survivor of the crash, The General; Gabriella Ortiz, a child super soldier from the opposing military side. Ten nurses Gabi back to health, and despite their general dislike and mistrust for each other, the need to survive supercedes and they both strike a deal to get Gabi off world, no matter the cost. But, as is the case, otherwise it'd be a really short read, things go awry, and with new details that emerge about the crash, it becomes a race across the bleak desert moon fleeing the Accord military, who are now in pursuit of both Ten and the General, as well as trying to avoid the desert gangs looking to cash in on the bounty put on their heads.

'Ten Low' features a relatively small cast of characters, each with their own distinct morally grey personalities and personal struggles. The complexities of the characters are slowly teased out over the course of the book as we learn more about the characters, especially Ten and Gabi, and the book is so much richer for it! This character development is one of the highlights of the book for me. Holborn's writing of the characters breathes life into them, giving them depth and a sense of fullness. I immediately wanted to know them and was totally invested in their adventure right until the last page.

The world building of Factus is also superb, painting a vivid picture of a desolate, frontier outpost that has been largely forgotten in the aftermath of a bloody war, and has been left to all but fend for itself on the edge of the Void - a great darkness that exploratory ships have never returned from. It's a diverse and queernorm world, full of shady types, brutal gangs, mysterious forces and places you do not want to find yourself lost in. But by the end of the book, it's one that you don't want to leave.

'Ten Low' is a full throttle, action packed read with high stakes, memorable and interesting characters, in a bleak, cruel and dystopian science fiction world with very heavy Wild West vibes - think Mad Max: Fury Road meets Firefly! I absolutely loved it!

And after finishing the book, you want more from this world, then you're in luck! Stark Holborn has written a short story prequel, 'Snake Eyes', that you can get when you sign up to her mailing list here, as well as a short interactive fiction vignette here too.

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A signed Bookplate paperback edition is also available through 'The Broken Binding'.

Book Review: 'The Witch's Heart' by Genevieve Gornichec

'The Witch's Heart' by Genevieve Gornichec, is an epic reimagining of Norse mythology written through the life of Angrboða, a female jötunn (a race also known as giants that are often described as standing in opposition to the God races of Æsir and Vanir), about whom very little is actually known about.

In the Old Norse Poetic and Prose Edda works of literature, she is only briefly mentioned, referred to only as a witch that lives in Ironwood Forest, a prophesying seeress, and the mother of three 'monstrous' children; Fenrir (the wolf) and his siblings Jörmungandr (the Midgard Serpent) and Hel, the Goddess of Death through her husband Loki. Gornichec's book expands on these scant details in a way that makes for a creative and compelling read.

It begins with Angrboða's resurrection, burned at the stake and her heart removed, in brutal punishment by Odin for not sharing her vision of the destruction of the world, Ragnarok. Stripped of most of her powers and banished to the forest in solitude after the burning, Angrboða meets Loki, who has captured her heart, literally, and their secret love blossoms.

But this isn't just a story between two unconventional lovers, it's also one of loss, destiny, betrayal, anguish, heartbreak, and a despite the oncoming apocalypse, a bit of hope too.

With the story centred around her, Gornichec has written Angrboða into a resilient and complex character, someone who is lost, loved and feared, witty and powerful, a devoted wife and mother haunted by the visions of the future and the lengths she'll go to to protect the ones she loves, despite the tragic consequences, and someone that makes the most of her secluded life and those who come into her life. From her relationship with Loki, to her growing bond with Skaði, the Goddess of Winter and Hunting, her encounters with the Norse pantheon, and the way she reacts when all around her blooms but then begins to crumble, she felt very much alive, authentic and three dimensional, which was great considering that she is only mentioned fleetingly in Norse mythology.

Loki, Skaði and the other minor characters in the book are written with depth and were very compelling, making it a pleasure to meet these characters whenever they crossed into Angrboða's life. The measure of the world building of the realm of the jötunn and Gods was very good as well, fleshing out this mythic world into one that was fantastical but at the same time very believeable.

'The Witch's Heart' is an engaging and emotional journey. A debut novel that is beautifully written with a poetic prose, fleshing out the Norse mythology from the oft neglected female perspective, and into a powerful story that will bewitch and captivate you. One that will stay with you long after you finish reading the last page.

If you're a fan of 'Norse Mythology' by Neil Gaiman, the 'Mythos' series by Stephen Fry and 'Circe' by Madeline Miller, then I would heartily recommend adding Genevieve Gornichec's 'The Witch's Heart' to your reading list. Recommended.

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