In his twenties, Angus Watson’s jobs ranged from forklift truck driver to investment banker. He spent his thirties on various assignments as a freelance writer, including looking for Bigfoot in the USA for the Telegraph, diving on the scuppered German fleet at Scapa Flow for the Financial Times and swimming with sea lions off the Galapagos Islands for the Times. Now entering his forties, Angus lives in London with his wife Nicola and baby son Charlie. As a fan of both historical fiction and epic fantasy, he came up with the idea of writing a fantasy set in the Iron Age when exploring British hillforts for the Telegraph, and developed the story while walking Britain’s ancient paths for further articles.
When I picked up this series a few years ago I was not expecting a huge amount, I'd heard of Angus Watson but not yet read any of his books. It was therefore a beautiful surprise to find so much enjoyment in the first book, characters that I believed were real and could get behind, a story that raised my heart rate and a sense of humour in the writing that had me laughing out loud. The second book scared the shit out of me. Characters that I loved were placed in some of the most horrifying and loathsome conditions imaginable. I couldn't figure out how they would even get out of the situation they were in let alone achieve their ultimate objective. This brings us to the grand finale.
Where Gods Fear to Go is a fantastic end to an exciting and entertaining series. It continues the quest of the Wootah to get Ottar the Moaner to the Meadows where, apparently, he will stop the growing apocalypse and bring peace to the land. Accompanied by the remains of the deadly Calnians they face beastly monstrosities who are all trying trying to kill them, wonders of nature that are all trying to kill them and finally they are under threat their own humanity and insecurities, as they are all not sure whether to kill each other! It's bloody epic and epically bloody. I cant imagine it's easy to wrap everything after three books but Watson pulls it off.
If you've not heard of this series I cannot recommend it enough. If you've had your fill of 800 page epics with Gary Stu's defying thousands of deities and a dozen time jumps give this one a try. If you'd like to read about one of THE baddest group of warriors ever to grace the pages of fantasy and wont get all butt hurt that they are women pick it up. If you do get butt hurt get your shit together.
Thanks to the publisher and author for a finished copy of Where Gods Fear to Go (West of West #3) in exchange for an honest review. Receiving a copy of the novel did not influence my thoughts or opinions.
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Where Gods Fear to Go is the PERFECT ending to one of my favorite historical fantasy trilogies EVER. Watson doesn’t hold any punches when it comes to constantly bombarding our heroes with immeasurable obstacles, giant monsters made of wasps, mind-reading Sasquatch, and love octagons. You are constantly going from being on the edge of your seat to in the floor laughing hysterically. There isn’t a single moment of letup and this almost 500 page addition to the West of West series will, unfortunately, be over before you know it.
Finn the Deep will just have to live inside my mind from now on. Being handsome and surprisingly cunning while also being a total dick.
If you have read my past reviews for You Die When You Die and The Land You Never Leave, you’ll note that I consistently talk about the characters being the reason I love this series so much. Every single one of them is balls-to-the-wall insane, yet they somehow manage to stay alive despite their circumstances. While there may be some killing within the group because, you know… sh*t happens, they all have each others’ backs when it comes down to the nitty-gritty. While it is odd to say that the characters themselves do not realize they are being humorous, I cannot count how many times I was just about brought to tears by the hilariousness of their actions and circumstances. I felt like I was watching a group of Flokis (Vikings reference) running around with aptly-named weapons and alchemical bowls.
I mean, come on. An axe called arse-splitter? What else do you need?
So yeah, this series is like Vikings written by Douglas Adams on shrooms. It is epic in scale, bloody in execution, and one of the most original stories I have ever read. Period. I have yet to come across another book or series like West of West and I’ll be hard pressed to actually search one out. You need Angus Watson in your life, and I don’t think you should go another day without meeting Finnbogi.
If you enjoy fantasy at all, especially when it is infused with humor, giant monsters, alchemically enhanced warriors, and characters like the Mushroom Men, add this series to your list. You won’t regret it.
Where Gods Fear to Go is the final book in the West of West trilogy by Angus Watson. Our journey picks up right where the last book leaves off. It's finally time to find out what is in the Meadows and see if our heroes can prevent it from destroying the world. That is, if they can get out of a dangerous situation with the Squatches first.
When I picked up this series I never imagined how much zany fun I was in store for or how much this unlikely group of misfit characters would grow on me. There are so many touching moments on the final leg of the journey along with some pretty impressive character growth. I absolutely adored Paloma and Freydis's side journey together. Finn actually starting to grow up and accept responsibility for his actions. The Owsla realizing that there's more to life than just killing and learning how to be more human. Poor Eric the Angry, though really it's not all bad afterwards.
Watson's imagination continues to be bizarrely wonderful. While I don't think his monstrous creations quite achieved the greatness of the ones in the Badlands, the horrors of the Meadows are sufficiently weird and disconcerting that I was kept on the edge of my seat worried for what was going to happen next. And with good reason. Given the nature of the group's quest, not everyone makes it to the grand finale.
I listened to the audio book narrated by Sean Barrett. His performance is absolutely perfect for this series. I need to listen to more stories narrated by him.
This was such a nice ending to one of the most imaginative series I've read. Make sure you read the afterward at the end. The historical notes about what Watson based this series on are fascinating.
"Play with the stones you receive, not with the ones you wish you had." - Gunnhild Kristlover
An excellent end to a truly imaginative and entertaining trilogy. I shall miss all the crazy yet endearing antics of the Wootah Tribe and I shall miss Gunnhild's quirky proverbs. 4.5/5 stars :-)
Wow! What a ride! The West of the West trilogy is one of the best series I have ever read, at least from the emotional point of view. I liked the setting, quite different and very intriguing, I liked the story and I liked how Angus Watson wrote it. However what really made me love the series are the characters and the tone Watson used. I loved from the beginning all the characters, their interactions and their development through the 3 books. I think that when you start to slow down with the reading, because you are afraid something bad could happen to characters you love, and if you read the blurb of the books you know that there is a lot of bad things happening, that gives a clear example of how you can be emotionally involved with such great characters. Honestly I have been rarely so close to characters of books and I really liked the feeling. It is even difficult to find some favourites, because I liked them all.
Probably one the reasons of this unconditional love is the tone of the books. I read that several readers have been put off by the "light" attitude of most of the characters, which are supposed to be mighty warriors on a deadly quest, and by the general humorous atmosphere of the story. Actually for me was quite the opposite, because I have the same attitude of the Wootah toward life and I like to find the funny side of everything, so I loved the light tone and the sense of humour.
If you like fantasy with lot of action, great characters and you prefer a bit of fun instead of the now popular grimdark, this is the perfect series for you. Wootah!!!!
Everyone who is ANYONE will read this series. You ever wonder if there's something else out there that's not based on Knights and Castles, Kings and Queens? Something a little different in terms setting, plot and direction?? The series is full of humor and heart! It's addictive in a dangerous way for those of us who WORK and need to WORK but find ourselves sitting up reading until the eyeballs bleed instead!! This is severely underrated and it's a travesty!!!!
Overall, I loved this trilogy and I’d recommend it to anyone seeking something different in their epic fantasy. I really admire the imagination and the love that Angus Watson put into these books. (The afterword mentions that he named one of his children after a character in the books!)
Where Gods Fear to Go doesn’t flow as well as the first two books and but the ending was excellent I thought. This quest is one I won’t forget anytime soon. I enjoyed all the characters and laughed multiple times at Sassa or Keef or Paloma. Watson also included a chapter on Valhalla that had me crying a bit haha.
I’m definitely glad I read this series and I’m looking forward with interest to what Mr. Watson writes next.
Angus Watson's amazing gang of alchemically enhanced super women and the craziness of the Wootah tribe start this book right slap bang in trouble and pretty much stay there from start to finish despite travelling many, many miles! Watson throws so much at them you wouldn't be surprised to see a couple of kitchen sinks crash into Wolf the Fat's skull while he wasn't looking. From supernatural weather to even naturally treacherous terrain it is all set against out heroes from page 1 until you hear 'Audible hopes you enjoyed'.
In amongst all this of course we have the wonderful Finn the Deep trying desperately for validation and coming so close but somehow letting it slip through his grasp. A really wonderful character but far from alone in this wide and varied cast, the other Wootah tribe member are equally delightful with special mentions going to Erik and of course Keith!
Sean Barrett is once again the man charged with bringing the madness to our ears and as you would expect he continues his fine performances from the previous books. With his narration and Watson's writing it may mostly lack the keen hard edge of say a Pacey and Abercrombie combination, mortality is more gently treated, but there are some grisly scenes that will genuinely make you wince in this one.
This has been a tremendous and extremely inventive trilogy and I do love the way that Watson has based it on North America, in his historical note he certainly taught me a thing or two and it's fascinating to think of the likes of Finn, Keith and Erik roaming those vast plains.
Needless to say it would be madness to start with this one, it needs reading from the start and as a trilogy it's definitely worth thinking about if you want to embark on a grand fantasy adventure that never quite takes itself fully seriously and yet delivers genuine excitement and wide-ranging adventure!
Did parts of this book seem incongruous with what had happened before - Yes Did some characterisations seem strange and wrong or change from chapter to chapter- Yes Did I still love it - Yes
The world building was spot on in this one. Some great descriptions of what I know are actual places the author visited. It was vivid and really drew you in to this world - especially the last environment. No spoilers just WOW.
The characters as they have been all the way through are fantastic. Some seem a little off at times but mostly it's just great. Sofi Tornado is fantastic and she's been my favourite all the way though but I really liked Paloma and her journey in this one. Finn too really grew as a character especially in this one and I liked how he developed. But even though it was a big cast of characters they all had an important role. Loved the villains too.
The plot was great. What a way to finish off. Great pacing, plot twists, lots of action and some historical references too which I love. Native American of course but also some Norse references too (just perfect to prepare me for playing AC Valhalla soon)
Overall yes there were issues but It hooked me and I really enjoyed it. It's an unusual trilogy but if you like fantasy sagas with historical elements. It's been a big journey but definitely worth the trip. Highly recommended.
What an amazing series, one of the best I've ever read, and what a great fucking ending. I think the very end of this book was beautiful and endearing, Otto's story made me cry. Great read. Wooootah!
This series. I loved this from start to finish. So don't be a dick, and hurry up to start your, Viking/alchemical enhanced native American warrior ladies, adventure. Can't wait to see what he does next.
The third and final book in the surprising West of West trilogy continues following the Wootah Viking clan and the former Calnian Owsla alchemically enhanced warriors on their mission to save the world. The secrets behind the unknown threat in the far West of what will become North America is gradually revealed as they approach and meet various clans and tribes on the periphery of the Meadows. The group meet more unusual and dangerous creatures, and some surprising new friends. There are some shock twists spread throughout the book, a number of unexpected deaths, some long-anticipated ones and some excellent character interaction, My favourite aspect of these books has been the wonderful narration with such with and humour. The story is not a hostage to the humour but these are books that refuse to take themselves too seriously. There are some brilliant thrilling set piece sequences in this book and while there was something of a dip around the halfway point it really kept my engagement and enjoyment up throughout. Given the brutal covers these books really surprised me, being touching, funny (at times just plain daft) and highly original. If ever the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" was to apply to a specific series it is this one. Fans of epic fantasy will love the story, fans of Pratchett and Abercrombie will love the wit and dialogue.
Nazwałem roboczo gatunek jaki może prezentować trylogia Na zachód od zachodu jako comedy fantasy. Myślę, że trafnie określa tę w sumie parodię gatunku.
Z jednej strony nie bawiłem się źle podczas lektury. Mimo, że poziom absurdu oraz żartu był niekiedy, w zależności od perspektywy, wysoki lub niski. Z drugiej, aż żal przy takiej wyobraźni, poziomie warsztatu i pomysłom, że autor nie napisał czegoś bardziej na poważnie. Byłby to materiał na naprawdę epicką historię. A tak dostaliśmy coś pomiędzy teatrem absurdu, przygodową i epicką fantasy, a żartem i ironią w jednym. Taka mieszanka może się albo spodobać, albo totalnie odrzucić.
Z całej trylogii trzeci tom podobał mi się najbardziej. Głównie z powodu braku mankamentów na jakie narzekałem przy ocenie jej poprzedniczki. Autor przestał masowo zabijać bohaterów i w końcu wyłonił grupę postaci do której można było się chociaż trochę przywiązać. Każda z nich dostała także więcej czasu i tym samym osobowości. Mniej było tu też masakry, wymyślnych tortur i kiepskich dialogów. Więcej zaś akcji i konkretów. Niestety końcówka okazała się mocno nijaka. Wręcz jakby urwana w trakcie. Nie spodziewajcie się obszernego epilogu i opisu dalszych losów postaci. Szkoda. Trylogię na zachód od zachodu polubią zwłaszcza fani absurdalnego humoru. Odporni na przekleństwa, wulgarny język, niekiedy proste jak cep żarty, seksualne aluzje itp. Dla innych może okazać się zbyt ciężkostrawna.
Na sam koniec ogromny szacunek składam na ręce tłumacza. Z pewnością trudno było oddać cały urok brytyjskiego humoru na nasz rodzimy grunt. Tłumaczenie to klasa światowa.
Podsumowując nie polecam i nie zniechęcam. Przekonajcie się sami.
What a blast of a book and a fantastic finish to the series.. Seriously Angus Watson is my favourite British author, what a nutty imagination. His two series are a must buy for everyone.. Hopefully we won't be waiting too long for his next new idea
A fantastic finish to a brilliant series. It's a crazy adventure with some of the most bizarre phrases, monsters, characters and plot twists. However these are the ingredients that make this series so unique and different to 99% of the market this book sits in.
If you have started on this series I can recommend the age of iron series is equally brilliant.
Gus Watson's worlds are second to none and need to be explored by everyone.
** note. Sean Barrett is phenomenal at narrating this series
Beware spoilers for the first two books in the West of West trilogy.
Finnbogi has grown up. During a journey where he fought two rattlecondas unarmed, controlled an army of pigeons with his mind, and made love with multiple women none of which has wanted to talk to him again—the lovable oaf has finally grown a pair and demanded a new nickname.
Now, as Finn the Deep, Finnbogi is slightly more experienced, but still the stupid, horny teenager we’ve come to know and love. But, as the Wootah and Owsla cross the Shining Mountains into the Desert You Don’t Walk Out Of, shit’s about to get real. Or, as real as it can when you’re being chased by Telekinetic Sasquatch (Sasquatches? Sasquatch?).
What’s worse, upon reaching the far side of the mountains, the gang discovers something more terrifying than yetis with mind-bullets: flash floods, tornados, and hordes of terrifyingly huge monsters. And should they survive all of these terrors, the crew will have to figure out how to defeat a goddess who’s already killed all the other gods. Worse, they have to do this all WHILE saving everyone else AND not letting them all die.
Should be easy. Provided they don’t kill one another first.
Well, the end of the West of West trilogy comes both too early for my liking, but also too late. I’ll miss Finnbogi, Sassa, Wulf, Sofi, and the gang, kinda like how I miss how I’m not a dumbass, immature, constantly annoying teen anymore (incidentally, that’s also why I won’t miss them). But also in more legitimate ways. They did some growing up over the course of this trilogy, did the gang. And not just Finnbogi. And not just the Hardworkers. The Owsla have changed too. If you’re after a series with loads of lewdness, swearing, hilarity—but also excellent character development—look no further!
The hilarity and action were pretty much on par with the other books in the series, but there was a serious overtone to everything. The end of the world is looming, and the Wootah are faced with the decision of whether to grow up or die young. And while that’s not an issue for some of them, others may find it harder.
My favorite character remains Ottar. The little savior of the world is proving to be quite adorable—something that you really should’ve noticed on day one—and the hardship thrown on him by the world doesn’t seem to get him down. Sure, he’ll have a bad day (as we all do) but then will shrug it off like the champion he is. So while Finnbogi features some of the more embarrassing, hilarious, and somehow inspiring moments—Ottar has some of the more heartwarming ones.
In the evenings, they ate cactus and Nether Barr’s lizards. Grilled to a crisp, the reptiles were tasty. The old lady helped Ottar make his own net and the boy delighted in failing to catch lizards. When he finally did trap a little striped one with a long tail, he studied it carefully then let it go.
The biggest problem I had with Where Gods Fear to Go turns up at the end of all things. I called the biggest twist, turns out, but not the finer bits of it. And the finer points were rather a letdown. It didn’t ruin the series for me, nor the book even, but rather soured the conclusion a bit. But here—months after I finished the book—I more remember the conclusion for its epic and dramatic twists, battles, romances, and occasional action-packed cutscenes. There are a particular few that come to mind. Point is that while the biggest twist may’ve soured the ending a bit in the short term, it didn’t ruin the series for me past that. I’d totally go back and read it all again (time permitting)! And I’d like to think I’d enjoy everything just as much the second time around.
TL;DR
Where Gods Fear to Go concludes the West of West trilogy, where Finnbogi, Sassa, Sofi, and the rest of the Wootah and Owsla continue their journey west—over the Shining Mountains and across the Desert You Don’t Walk Out Of to the Meadows, that place where the world is ending. And there’s certainly a reason behind it all. Big monsters and natural disasters abound—with a damned goddess at the center of it all. Like its predecessors, WGFtG is heavy on the action, sex, phallic puns, language and hilarity, but with more of a heavy overtone. It’s like the text keeps reminding them: “hey, the world is kinda ending and all, maybe focus on that?” But even the darker twist can’t spoil the fun this story brings. If you haven’t read the series but are intrigued and aren’t bothered by any of the above—hey, maybe give it a try. And if you’ve started the series but not finished—hey, maybe do that. It’s totally worth a look.
I know this is netgalley but I had already purchased this book before I was fortunate to get a copy as an ARC (not so advanced methinks) i really enjoyed the previous books and this one was the icing on the cake, funny, exciting, thrilling and moving all in equal measures, absolute joy to read and I heartily recommend this book
If you haven't read Angus Watson, fix that. From my point of view, his books would be worth the price for his historical notes alone and remind me of the value of adding them. But that's not all, Watson's internal monologues for the characters is brilliant and creates real people in a way few can. Yes they are brave externally,but when you hear what they are thinking they grow, all the little arguments we have with ourselves, the insecurities, the lies we tell ourselves, our thoughts about other people are all played out. Mix this with Watson's trademark sense of humour, (which he brings to the real world too) and his swearing(fuck a duck, is it bunnies) and Angus is somebody I would recommend everyone read. Bravo Also the narration by Sean barrett is incredible. Watson's writing with his reading is the perfect mix
Another romping adventure from the wootah and calnians. This was with even more danger and close calls. Plus a few deaths. When Erik the angry died I felt like part of the book was going to be missing. His humour saved a lot of these books. That and Finns narcissistic brooding nature. But Finn comes into his own in this one and saves them all more than once. For someone dubbed The Boggy he sure has helped them out an awful lot with his speaking with animals trick. Anyway this is a good one. I think they put it out in a rush as it’s full of spelling and grammatical mistakes but I’m happy to look past that for a good story. Apart from the errors, still a 5 star read. From my shelf anyway.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The combination of Angus Watson and Sean Barrett is a match made in valhalla! i can't imagine any other narrator could do this book..its humour and characters..the justice it so deserves.
its hilarious, heart warming and bkood thirtsy...definatly worth your time to listen to :)
An excellent end to a trilogy that was funny and dark at the same time. I found this book engrossing and entertaining, with a great cast of characters and a wonderful world building. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
It this last book the story slowed down, it slowed down so much, that by half of the book I wanted to just put it down. I only finished it to find out who survived.
So the characters. Yes, they are all well rounded and three dimensional. Yes, they all grow and change as they absorb new experiences. Yes, we have been with them for a long time now. Yes, even some of your favorites will die. But you won't mourn them. Becasue despite being life like, despite being perfectly unperfect, in the core most of them just selfish bastards looking out for themselves even when in the end they die for the cause. None of them are heros. And maybe that's the point but I just don't like it when I can't sympathize with any of the characters.
The story was interesting at first even though we had the old cliche, a bunch of rag-tag heroes try to save the world. But after a while the encounters seemed pointless. It felt like some peoples were only there to fulfill the authors history fandom.
The ending felt unfinished. I would have welcomed an epilogue that would show the remaining characters in a few years. Or even in a few months. But nooo, okay, the world is saved. The end. It was really unsatisfactory.
When I finished "Iron Age" trilogy by Angus Watson, I've got an impression that this author knows how to finish series, which unfortunately not many author do (IMHO). I was hopping that the same case will be here. Unfortunately it wasn't the case. Not that he didn't wrapped up the story, he did, but not the way that I liked. The book itself was very scattered, which is very unusual for this author, as I read all his books. The characters jumped from place to place very rapidly, I actually lost focus more than ones. I would rank this book as 2.5 stars, but because I loved the previous one in the series, and his other works were good as well, I just can't floor the score.
I hope that Angus will return to his best. Waiting to his next series.
Where Gods Fear to Go is the final instalment in the West of West series and I loved it. This series is so good, the characters are great fun, the world is crazy, the creatures and the threats they pose intense. Literally everyone should read this series and take a moment to shout ‘wootah’ as loud as they can into the night.
Plus, I thought that the scary factor couldn’t get much worse than The Land You Never Leave but it seems that Mr Watson was just warming up.
I’m not going to really elaborate on the plot, the whole series is actually a quest that is packed with danger and monsters and I enjoyed reading about the characters and their ever developing relationships so much that it gave me a warm glow.
To be honest the things I really love about this series and that worked so well for me were the setting, the sense of humour and the way that the author managed to surprise me at every turn. He puts his characters through the wringer and isn’t afraid to kill people off but more often than that his creativity in terms of taking a situation where there seems to be no possible solution and pulling off a ridiculous reprieve for his cast, well, its impressive to say the least. The second instalment, I admit, I was scared at almost every turn that my favourite characters were about to meet their maker and I didn’t think that the Wootah and Owsla could suffer much more – but I was very wrong. this ending is just intense. Slight spoiler – I’d also say the ending is a little bittersweet but still so good and so very apt.
I guess I really need to elaborate on the sense of place. For me it feels like a mashup of The Vikings and The Gladiator. The Wootah and the Owsla are so different. The Wootah oddly useless in terms of prowess and skill but full of heart and genuinely fearless. The Owsla are artificially enhanced warriors, they can run faster and fight harder than anyone else, their hearing and eyesight is better – in fact they’re positively bionic. Together they both have things to learn from each other and this is part of the beauty of the overall dynamic, for me at least. The Wootah teach the Owsla about love, about guilt and about compassion, the Owsla help the Wootah to become stronger and more focused. They even each other out or make each other better somehow. On top of this the creatures are some crazy fubar mix up of badass madness and the conclusion, well, make sure you have time set aside because you won’t be able to put it down when you reach the final stretch. It’s all so beautifully incongruous and unexpected that it works perfectly.
Now, I feel like this is something of a short review, necessarily so, because I don’t want to say too much about the plot or give away elements from the first two books and so I’m keeping it short, sweet and unspoilery.
In conclusion, this is a series that I loved. I was hooked very early and the adventure and tension were just excellent all the way through. It was crazy fun, it had me laughing out loud at times and I confess I may have yelled “wootah’ on one occasion. Or maybe two.
All that being said, I must also stress that alongside the humour there is also a lot of fighting and plenty of bloodshed as a result, some of the characters along the way are hideous, some characters die and the ones that live have a way of spouting profanity as though it’s going out of fashion – that’s just a little nod in case those things may not be for you.
I received a copy courtesy of the publisher, through Netgalley, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
37 This has to be the best fantasy trilogy that I have read for a very long time. This man is a master story teller and really really funny but not in an ironic, philsophical or political way - just genuinely funny. I loved this and highly recommend to the normal crew."For the thousandth time, Sofi wished she was back in Calnia, killing at the empress’s behest, blinded to moral qualms by the daily dose of dried rattlesnake. Sofi slightly enjoyed the paradox that if she still had rattlesnake in her diet, she would have killed Yoki Choppa for taking the rattlesnake out of her diet. But only slightly. and 'She looked at them, as they waited to hear if they were to die that day. Thyri Treelegs stared pouty defiance. Keef the Berserker was smiling with genuine swagger. Sassa Lipchewer, Erik the Angry and Wulf the Fat were all trying not to look scared, and succeeding to a degree. Finn the Deep was trying not to look scared and failing, but he was gripping the hilt of his sword and was probably ready to use it. Bodil Gooseface was looking about with her mouth open, more perplexed than scared. Little Ottar the Moaner was splay-legged on the grassy ground, poking his finger into the soil and singing.
A cracking finale to the West of West saga. Our valiant troupe have made it through all manner of horrors to finally get over the mountains (well, some mountains, and then some more mountains) to meet yet another bunch of horrific monsters that they have to fight through to get to the last bunch of really huge and horrific monsters to save the world.
It’s great stuff, continuing the many story arcs for our disparate bunch, in particular giving Sassa Lipchewer and Paloma Prongfoot the chance to shine, while hapless goon, Finn the Deep, gains awesome and important powers while still managing to be a bit of a berk.
Its pulp fantasy with a huge heart. The locations are staggering (modelled on the author’s journeys across America), the monsters are terrible (giant, venomous wasp people for example), the heroes are heroic, the sense of humour is broad and warm.
This trilogy stands out proudly from the usual Tolkien or Robert E Howard clones (which accounts for most sword and sorcery), eschewing the familiar knights in armour and hordes of orcs for a grander, more wild landscape.
This is the final book in the West of West trilogy and it did not disappoint. This is a very satisfying conclusion to a very strong fantasy series. This book wraps everything up nicely though I would say that some potential is left for more stories in this world. The worldbuilding in this series had consistently been strong and that continues in this final installment. I personally have never been to any of the places the world in this series is based on and yet I could easily picture everything. Finn also continues to grow as a character in this book and I truly think his character arc might be my favourite thing about this series. I will definitely be reading this author's other series as well as anything else that they come out with.