The Steel Remains

This book was one of my Borders impulse buys and I have to say, I wasn't disappointed.

Richard Morgan has built himself a bit of a name as a sci-fi writer and this was his first go at a traditional fantasy novel. Unfortunately the Sci-fi fans in general seem a bit disappointed that it's a traditional fantasy rather than a space romp but alas, it is a pretty good first fantasy novel, in what hopefully is a trilogy at the least.

I wasn't disappointed but I had better clarify; I wasn't disappointed at the end. I did feel however that the start was rather weak, fortunately it got progressively stronger towards the finish ending on a very strong note that just left me wanting more.

Morgan has a nice writing style, he's not afraid to be blunt, say things as they are and be as crude as possible and I like that. What I didn't like however was Morgans lack of detail in certain areas. I assume this is to build a sense of mystery and lure readers in, I however got frustrated with it very quickly and just felt cheated.

For example:

1) The main character Ringil will have a 'flashback' of sorts, he will be half way through visualising what happened and then the train of thought and story is just dropped.

2) Throughout the whole story we are told he is the hero of Gallowsgap. I would have liked some information on what Ringil did, little scraps are given here and there but there were plenty of opportunities for the story to be told in full.

The Steel Remains was a very enjoyable book, definitely worth a read if you can battle past the rather boring start you are in for a treat.

Note to readers: This book has a strong theme of violence, coarse language and scenes of a sexual nature.

3/5